Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Let's Talk About: Blushes!

From left to right: Benefit Bella Bamba, Nars Gaiety, NYX Glow and Benefit Sugarbomb.

The Seriously Glowy One - Benefit Bella Bamba:

This was my first Benefit blush and I bloody love it! I would describe it as a watermelon pink with golden glitters running throught it, a bit similar to Nars Super Orgasm but less glittery. The color, in my opinion is universally flattering. It gives you a gorgeous sheen on the cheeks, no need for highlighter with this one, so stay away if you don't like too much shimmer! All of Benefit blushes smell lovely, which is a nice addition, and the packaging is always so cute.

The Perk-Me-Up Pink - Nars Gaiety:

This color will probably scare you, don't be! It's a completely matte blush that is quite buildable to your own likings, which makes it super wearable. The bright bubblegum pink hue really works wonders when my complexion feels dull or tired, it perks your cheeks up with a natural flush of color (yes, natural). Of course, if you are familiar with Nars blushes, you'd know they are ones of the greatests out there. They blend into the skin seamlessly and never look to done up.

The Creamy Offering - NYX Cream Blush in Glow:

I can't get ove how great these are for the price you pay! His was probably my most worn face products this summer since it looks effortless and über natural. I was afraid it would fade during the day, as a lot of cream products tend to do, I was actually surprised to see it was intact by the end of the day despite the heat and humidity. A nice plus? You can also use it on your lips and it lasts and lasts!

The Natural Peach - Benefit Sugarbomb:

Meet my ultimate no-fuss/goes with every makeup look blush! If you have fair skin like mine, chances are you would fall in love with this beautiful peachy/abricot shade! If you have darker skin, I bet it'll look fantastic used as a highlighter. Same great formulation and scent as all of the Benefit Boxed blushes but this one will always remain my all-time favorite of the whole line!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Let's Talk About: Powders!

From left to right: Rimmel Stay Matte and Make Up For Ever HD.

The Undetectable/Flawless One - MUFE HD Transluscent Powder:

First of all, let me just tell you, this was the first setting powder I've tried in my whole life. I have dry skin so I don't really need it that much, I just didn't see the point of it. I bought it on a whim at Sephora and wasn't expecting it to do much but holy cow, this makes your skin look flawless!  The great thing about it is it does't make you look overly matte or cakey, and that comes from someone who gets dry patches here and there. It goes on completely clear, no white cast left behind, to leave your skin looking and feeling like a baby's butt (for me, that is a great thing!), just poreless and perfect. I doubt there are other one out there that are so finely milled and silky. If you look up a my swatch picture, you can easily notice how smooth it looks besides the other one.

The Affordable Cult Favorite - Rimmel Stay Matte Powder:

This is a great one for those of you on a budget (even if not, you still need to try this). I bought this during summer as my skin was turning into an oil slick on my t-zone area and I needed something compact to travel with. This is just an all-around amazing powder, though I wouldn't recommend it for drier skins. It never looks cakey unless you overdo it (as with everything), it controls oils and doesn't settle into lines around my eye area, all of that for a cheap price! 

xx
Laurence

Friday, September 6, 2013

Let's Talk About: Concealers!

Left To Right: Bobbi Brown, Benefit, Clinique and Hard Candy

The Cult Favorite - Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer:

If you didn't know about this concealer already, where have you been? Just kidding, of course. This one is a great multitasker, especially for those undereye circles for an almost full coverage. Because I have dry skin, I use it on my spots and it doesn't look cakey at all, neither does it under my eyes. As the name suggests, this is the most creamiest and blendable concealer I have ever come across. You do have to set it with powder, otherwise it will slide around or settle into lines. Besides that, this is a little pot of goodness that really does deserves all the hype, totally recommend it! I have the shade Ivory.

The Dark Circle Eraser - Benefit Erase Paste:

The reason why I love it so much? This concealer has a very strong pink undertone which means it counteracts blue hues under the eyes, a must-have for someone that doesn't get a lot of sleep (who? me?). It has a gel like consistency meaning: no creasing and perfect blendability! You can even run out of the door without setting it, pretty rare for concealers in general. I wouldn't suggest using it on blemishes, for your eyes only. I have the shade No. 2.

The Blemishes And Scars Best Friend - Clinique Even Better:

At first, I thought this would be perfect for my dark circles, let me admit I was wrong! It looked cakey, patchy and just horrible. I hated it forgot about it for a while until I randomly started using it to cover my spots and scars. I fell in love with how long lasting   it is and how it made my skin look. If you are looking for a nice one to spot concealer, give this one a go! I am in the shade Porcelain.

The Heavy-Duty, Cover It All - Hard Candy Glamoflauge:

oh my, this one just blows all of those higher end products out of the water! For as small as 6$, you get a huge tube of concealers that covers everything you want (yes, even tatoos). I've been obsessed recently with using it to highlight my undereye area, it makes my face look flawless. The best of it all? Only the tiniest amount is needed, a tube will last you for ages.


What is your holy grail concealer?

xx
Laurence

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Let's Talk About: Foundations!

Hi everyone! First, let me apologize for being gone for a while, I got really sick and needed a bit of time off. On a more positive note, I decided to start a huge series of posts named: Let's Talk About. Basically, I am going to go through eveything from foundations to blushes to mascara and share with you my favorites while talking about each product individually. I hope this will give you a bit of ideas in what your next splurge might be makeup wise! Let's get into it, shall we?




The Full Coverage Hero - MAC Studio Sculpt:

I am not entirely sure if I mentionned Studio Sculpt already but this, ladies and gentlemans, is my holy-grail base. I got it last winter, as I was looking for a full coverage but still natural looking foundation and a lady at MAC made me buy this (I will never thank her enough!). My main concern was that it would cling to my dry patches or look too matte (I get über dry skin during colder seasons). Instead, it smoothed over my dry skin, covered everything and made my skin look ethereal (like photoshop in a tube, it's that great). The finish leans towards satiny/a bit dewy, The only way I could describe this is by saying a ''plumped skin'' effect. Lastly, it's the only foundation that matches my skin spot-on. I am NC15 for reference.

The No-Foundation Foundation - DiorSkin Nude BB Crème:

I got this in the beginning of summer as a lightweight option to my fuller coverage foundations and fell in love with it immediately. This baby right here got crazy hype a couple of months ago, it was insane (and the main reason for this purchase, oops). The bottle is gorgeous, so convenient with the pump, and the product inside is even more perfect! I wear this on good skin days to even out my skin tone and cover my pesky rednesses but it stil has an excellent coverage for a BB Cream. The reason why I love this so much is you can apply it with your fingers to get a dewy finish or withna buffing brush for a matte skin like finish. On top of it all, no matter how close you look at yourself in a mirrorm you wil never see a trace that you are wearing foundation, this stuff is like magic. Sorry to say that but... you need the Dior BB Crème in your life, no matter what skin type you might have. I am in the shade 002, which is a little too dark for me at the moment (losing that summer tan, boo!)

The Luminous Base - L'Oréal True Match Lumi:

Now on the more affordable side, L'Oréal Lumi is for all my dewy/glowy skin lovers out there! I have loved the original True Match in the past and this one is as amazing, except with much more luminosity! The bottle is gorgeous, considering the fact it's a drugstore foundation, what surprised me the most was actually the quality of the pump, it is perfect. It's a pretty runny liquid but does cover everything I want to be covered, medium coverage I'd say.  It is nearly undetectable on the skin (not as much as my Dior BB Crème though!) and the color range is just great. I'm about sure every skin type would like it, except the very oily-skinned gals. Now go try it, you won't regret! I have the shade W1-2, perfect match for my pale skin.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my foundation picks!
I want to know, what is your holy grail foundation?