Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Skin liquid Candlelight

Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight liquid

I bought the Celestial Skin Liquid in Candlelight when I bought the powder at the Makeup Show in March. I actually prefer liquid highlighters to powders, despite my oily skin because liquid highlighters give a more natural glow to the skin and Isn’t usually overly glittery or harsh. Powders have a tendency to be too harsh and it’s easy to overdo it with the powders. Also, liquid highlighters can be used a variety of ways. I personally like to mix it with my foundation or I will use it as a primer before foundation.

Kevyn Aucoin candlelight liquid

Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight liquid

This product is really nice and lightweight. It has a thin consistency so it doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. It’s not glittery or too shinny or oily. The color is a light, subtle gold so it will look natural on it’s own, mixed with moisturizer, so when the light hits it right, the skin will look radiant and healthy.

My only complaint; I really dislike the pump because too much product shoots out and you really only need a little, even when using it all over the face. Half a pump is more than enough but I sometimes forget the pump issue and I end up wasting half of what comes out. I hate wasting product!

However, overall I happy with the product. Personally I love the powder so much more but using the two together the skin looks radiant and beautiful!

Using both the liquid and the powder

Colorpop Ultra Mattes Tulle, Chilly Chili, Zipper

Colourpop Ultra Mattes Tulle, Zipper, Chilly Chili

I love these liquid lipsticks. They are cheap but work well and they last about 4 – 5 hours before it starts to completely rub away. They are not a gloss, they are completely matte so the lips might feel a bit dry but my lips aren’t cracking. Just exfoliate the lips and they will look amazing. Of course if you want it to be more moisturizing or want it to look glossy, you can always add some clear gloss on top and/or apply lip balm before the lipstick. At 6 bucks a pop, these are a steal and they have a nice variety of shades to suit everyone.

Zipper, Chilly Chili, Tulle

Tulle

Tulle

Zipper

Zipper

Chilly Chili

Chilly Chili

Armani Maestro Foundation 10

“Get a no makeup feel while achieving foundation coverage that locks into place. Inspired by the thinnest fabric in the world, super organza, Maestro Fusion makeup is a waterless suspension of volatile oils and pigments to allow ultimate comfort and weightless coverage. Featuring an ultra-thin texture and oil-pigment suspension that supports perfecting the complexion, this makeup hydrates the skin while adapting to the skin’s texture and tone.”

I’m not one to give into the hype of beauty products. I’m usually loyal to a brand or product that I love. But I’ve been on the hunt for a really good foundation that gives good coverage, looks natural and feels good on the skin. I got a sample of this at Nordstrom and I instantly fell in love. It goes on like a dream!
The foundation is so light and silky, I forget I’m wearing anything and the coverage is buildable from sheer to medium. It dries semi- matte and i don’t need to use powder for a nice natural, look.
I applied this with my fingers because i wanted it to melt into my skin. I find when using a brush for a lot of foundations either moves the product around too much, not giving an even coverage and I waste product because the brush or sponge sucks up some of the foundation.
I wore this for 6-7 hours without any fading or oxidizing. And within that time, my skin wasn’t oily and still looked fresh.
And i couldn’t believe the shade was perfect, 10; not too red or orange. A lot of these prestigious foundations can’t get the colors right for dark skinned beauties but it works for me.

I can’t say enough good stuffabout this foundation. It’s expensive, @ $62 but i only plan on using this when i go out, not everyday wear, so it should last a while.

Bottomline, go try this!

Armani Maestro 10

Wearing Maestro 10

Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Skin Powder Candlelight

I’ve been wanting(more like obsessing over) this highlight powder for at least a year now. Every year, I go to a makeup show I intend on buying it but leave without it in my bag. Not this year! This year at the makeup show, I made it my life’s purpose to hit the Kevyn Aucoin booth for this and I’m so glad I did! I can’t believe I have waited this long to buy this.

I wore this the next day and O.M.G….I could’ve died right there and my life would’ve been complete. I immediately fell in love with this the moment I swept this over my cheeks. The powder is so silky and smooth it blends flawlessly and effortlessly. I have quite a few highlight powders(cause I am a highlight junkie) and this by far was the most impressive powder I have ever tried; No chunky glitter or harsh, noticeable shimmer on the cheekbones. It’s very light and subtle for a natural look. I got a lot of compliments on my glowing skin that day! The color is perfect, it’s a champagne with golden undertones. I find that champagne highlight powders can look too cool and make darker skin look a bit on the ashy side. I didn’t find this one to be too cool, It was just right.

The packaging is small, fits in my hand but great for travel. I feel like it’s a small amount of product however I’m not using this baby every day and I don’t have to load this product on my brush so it will more than likely last me forever. I do use this a lot though for it has become my new favorite highlight powder.

My suggestion: Go get it!

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancers

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancers

I have been wanting to try these for a few years now but I have never committed myself to them until now. I have heard and read that a lot of makeup artists rave about these but honestly they have been outside my price range.

I am super impressed and happy I added these to my kit. The sensual skin enhancers may be used as a concealer, foundation, contour or highlight. It’s a cream formula. It’s really pigmented which makes it good to use as a spot concealer and/or to brighten up under the eyes but because the texture is light it can be sheered out to use as a foundation. The formula is super smooth and creamy. It’s not thick, not oily and it gives a beautiful finish. I added the shades 5, 8, 11, 13, 16. I was supposed to get shade 1 so I could have the lightest shade and the darker shade and a couple in between shades so I may mix and customize but the associate gave me 11 instead. It’s all good though. I’m sure I could use 11 on someone.

L-R= 5, 8, 11, 13, 16

5, 8, 11, 13, 16

I used this on a client who had some pretty bad discoloration and scarring and I used #13 to color correct because it has a bit of a salmon undertone and it covered her dark areas really well. I was super impressed. And I only used a little at a time to build the coverage.

They can be easily mixed to customize foundation shades. I was initially annoyed with how small the pots are for the price however I found that you don’t need a lot of product to cover the face. The coverage is good enough for a less is more application. I found this really easy to work with. The only thing I don’t particularly like about these is that they do have a scent to them. And it lingers for a bit after application. But other than the scent I’ve had no issues with these.

Wearing #13

Nars Makeup Removing Water

I stopped by the Nars boutique about a month ago to get some more tinted moisturizer and to check out the new collection and I got pampered with a full makeup. It was nice to have someone else do my make for once.

Anyhow. She showed me a lot of stuff but this stood out for me. I’ve seen, and love, the makeup removing oil to get all the makeup up off at the end of the night. But I’ve never seen a makeup removing water. She said it’s perfect for makeup artists if they need to do a quick change. My mind screamed, you need this exactly for that! Plus I was really intrigued because it’s not oily. So I thought I’d try it.

It’s really impressive because it removes my makeup and my skin feels refreshed and clean even though I hadn’t washed it. I have oily skin so I need to(like an obsession) wash my face if I need to change my makeup for whatever reason. But I used this and it didn’t feel the need to wash. So I think this is quite brilliant for those who wants to refresh their face and makeup and reapply after a long day for a night out. Like the sales associate said, it is great for a quick makeup change.

I really like this product. And I love it to clean up under the eyes from eye shadow fallout. I hate fallout with a passion. Because it’s not oily you can clean up and touch up your foundation or concealer under the eyes without a mess.

The ingredients are really nice too. Take a look:

Overall It gets an A in my book! I love the way it feels and what it does.

How do you remove your makeup?

Skin Authority Reviving Eye Brightener

Iv’e been using this gem for over a year now and have no intentions of taking it out of my skin care routine. I even bought my mom a bottle who doesn’t sleep well so you know what that does to the eyes. This is an eye brightening cream that helps with dark circles and eye puffiness. It also helps with fine lines.  With ingredients like Vitamins  E & K, Green Tea, Chamomile, Ginseng, Kinko Biloba who wouldn’t love this? The product is very lightweight, non greasy, non sticky. The cream absorbs really well and leaves around the eye area feeling really soft and bright looking instantly. Over time you can definitely see the brightening effect.

One pump is all you need

I like using this the morning after a long night, or morning. I find that it reduced the puffiness around the eyes. Makeup or concealer glides on when you prep the under eye area with this.  I find it really perfect around this time because the winter, drier months makes my skin really dry and dehydrated and this really does help with the tightness I feel sometimes around my eyes.

I have seen a significant change in the my mom’s dark circles and she doesn’t even use it daily.  I also don’t use it daily, even though I should, but when I do use it frequently my dark circles are almost nonexistent. I don’t have fine lines so I can’t speak on it’s effect for that but I can really see this working because of the ingredients and the fact that the product is really soothing to the eye area.

It lasts a long time since you really only need 1 pump for both sides.

A+ for the Reviving Eye Brightener! It’s magic in a bottle!

What product do you use for dark circles and puffiness?

Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener

Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener

So according to the Bobbi Brown site they redesigned this product. This is my first time using this product so I’m not sure if the product or the packaging was redesigned.

So first thing first. This is not designed to be a concealer. It doesn’t conceal. It brightens under the eyes. It’s more of a corrector. If you need something that hides or conceals dark circles you could use a concealer under This product or just buy a brightening concealer with a yellow, peach, or salmon undertone.

This is very effective and is a great under eye highlight. It’s like an instant eye lift so it’s great after a sleepless night or early morning. It gives you that extra pick me up. It brightens the entire face and brings everything up. This shade in particular is Dark Peach and it works great on deeper skin beauties.

The texture is really light and fluid. It’s like the liquid version of Bobbi Brown’s corrector in the pot. When I apply this I only use a few tiny dots and blend it in with a fluffy brush. If you use too much it could crease and look a bit cakey.

How I use this: prime or moisturize, apply concealer , apply tinted eye brightener, then foundation.

Have you tried this tinted eye brightener from Bobbi Brown, old or new?

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Lush Buche De Noel Facial Cleanser

This cleanser from Lush is a seasonal product that is sold through the holiday season. I think this cleanser is perfect for Winter skin, which tends to be drier, a bit dull and flaky. My first impression when I saw this in the store was that it looks like Angels on Bare Skin, a cleanser I have had in routine for years. The sales associate told me that Buche De Noel is the holiday version of Angels with a few added ingredients to make it more moisturizing.

Here is the description on the website: “Fans of Angels on Bare Skin will love this Christmassy take on our best-selling classic facial cleanser. Perfect for all skin types, Buche de Noel is the cleanser that’s good enough to eat (although we don’t recommend it). Named for the log-shaped French dessert, ours is loaded with fresh ingredients for glowing holiday skin. Sorry, no buttercream here! Ground almonds gently exfoliate away dead skin while kaolin clay acts as a mild, deep cleanser. Then we add almond oil and seaweed to nourish and moisturize seasonal dry patches and leave skin softer than a freshly fallen snow.”

Ingredients

As you can see there are a couple of essential oils and coco butter which will hydrate your thirsty skin, Satsumas which are rich in Vitamin C to help brighten and tone dull skin, Kaolin to help deep clean the skin and ground almonds that gently exfoliates the surface dead skin to give that glowing, fresh face. And yes, you see brandy in the ingredients; I’m not sure what that’s supposed to do for the skin but it seems to works! What I also found interesting is that the cleanser roll is wrapped in seaweed.

The scent to this one is interesting. I can’t place what it smells like- maybe a nutty smell. It’s definitely not fruity or earthy. But it’s kinda strong. It’s not over powering to me but I can see that being a problem for those who are sensitive to smell, and to those who are used to the lack of smell from Angels. It doesn’t turn me off from using it but it’s not the greatest scent, in my personal opinion, because I tend to like fruity scents.

The texture is softer and smoother than Angels, probably because there are more moisturizing ingredients.

I really like the feel of this cleanser, although sometimes I feel like my skin isn’t dry enough to use this just yet. I feel I’ll need this more in mid November to December. This would be amazing for dry and/or sensitive skin.

I have oily skin and I don’t use this every morning like with Angels, but when I do use it my skin looks and feels great.  And my skin doesn’t have that dirty, filmy feeling. My skin feels clean but also like I just applied some moisturizer.

Urban Decay Revolution lipstick Shame

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Shame is a really vamp, dark red, wine color. I love colors like this, especially in the fall and winter. It’s such a gorgeous, bad ass shade for the lips and works really well for all skin tones I think. The texture is nice and really moisturizing due to the jojoba ad avocado oils in the product. It’s really smooth and I really like the metallic bullet packaging. It looks super high end..well I guess Urban Decay is a high end brand so Nevermind.

However I do have a few issues with this shade. I have noticed that this does tend to bleed a bit on me. I need to use a lip liner to help with the bleeding issue. Also this shade didn’t really apply as evenly as I’d like. When i apply it from the tube, it’s a little bit streaky. Maybe because its super creamy? I don’t like my lipsticks to be streaky. I feel I have to apply with a lip brush to get the even finish that I like, which is a pain if you’re on the go. Is it that big of an issue? Not really, but I’m REALLY picky especially when I am spending my money on a product. Some might not see this as that big a deal.
Bottom line, I really love the color and I love the formula because its really moisturizing on the lips and I wear it often however this particular shade didn’t really apply as well as I would’ve liked it to. Definitely not as even as their shade Venom which I reviewed here.
I give this a B+ as my final grade. Not bad but my pickiness took over here.