Face Atelier Foundation and Ultra Sheer Reviews

Face Atelier Ultra Foundations and Ultra Sheer

 

I got some samples of Face Atelier foundations recently and I wore it for about a week.  I wanted to test these more so because I wanted to update and add some foundations to my makeup kit. First off, the samples are enough to wear 3-6 days, depending on how much you use. I used mine for a week because the coverage is really good and you don’t need a lot of product.

The foundation is really lightweight and it feels nice on the skin. It is silicone based  so it acts as a 2 in 1, face primer and foundation, however I liked it best when I wore my Laura Mercier Primer underneath. This is great for a makeup artist, or makeup addict, because of the build-able coverage. There is also no SPF which is perfect for photos and because it is silicone based it’s mature skin friendly because it helps fill in fine lines.

There is a wide range of foundation shades so it’s a pretty good chance you can find your shade and they mix easily to customize shades. What I LOVE about Face Atelier is that they have foundation adjusters; Zero- is a white color to lighten a shade if it is too dark, Zero+ is used to darken a shade that’s too light and Zero++ is if you need a shade for beautiful, chocolate skin. There is also Heat, a reddish orange color, to add warmth to foundation or can be used to color correct medium-darker skin(IE. discoloration, dark spots, acne scarring, dark circles). I actually used the foundation with and with Heat and I really liked the foundation with the adjuster in Heat. My skin looked a lot less flat.

Face Atelier Heat Swatch

 

This foundation gave great coverage and covered my dark spots without a problem. The finish was smooth and dewy but not oily or greasy. It really did look like skin. I wore the foundation all day. After about 5 hours I noticed my skin was a bit oily but my skin still had good amount of coverage. Not a lot of fading at the end of the day.  I was really impressed with this foundation.

I used shade 10, Cocoa, which was a little too light for me initially so I also added a bit of Zero+ to darken it a bit and it matched Nicely. Also I found that Zero+ could possible be a match for someone with a darker skin tone, like NC 45-50. I am definitely more of Zero+.

Face Atelier Ultra Foundations 10 and 0+

Face Atelier Ultra Foundations 0+ and 10 and Ultra Sheer 2 and 4

Face Atelier Ultra Sheer 4 and 2

I also got samples of Face Atelier’s Ultra Sheer. It’s a liquid highlighter to mix with foundation or moisturizer to make the skin look more lively and glowy. I am a fanatic for highlighters. I’ve tried some great ones and some that were just glitter for the face-not so great in my opinion especially if you’re trying for a natural look. I really liked these highlighters because it wasn’t glittery at all and it gave a nice subtle sheen to the skin. It’s very subtle and natural. 2 is a champagne color, 4 is a peach color. Both are great for all skin tones.  Again the formula wasn’t greasy. It was super lightweight

Face Atelier Ultra Sheer swatches 2 and 4

Wearing Face Atelier Foundation 10 and 0+ mixed with Ultra Sheer 2 on cheeks.

Wearing 10 and 0+ mixed with Ultra Sheer 2 on the cheeks.

Wearing Face Atelier Foundation Zero+ mixed with a bit of Heat with Ultra Sheer 4 On the cheek bones.

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

Skin Authority Super C Serum

With a high, natural Vitamin C content, this serum is used to tighten, tone and brighten the skin. It can be used on the face, neck and eye areas. The vitamin c works to stimulate collagen production to help firm the skin and even out the skin tone. This also claims to boost UV defense when used with a broad spectrum sunscreen. It helps fight hyper-pigmentation, dark circles, crows feel and dull or sagging skin.

I have been using this for a few months, since October or November, and I haven’t looked back. I absolutely love this product. My skin looks and feel very smooth and firm. I haven’t been wearing foundation a lot lately, with the exception of going out, because I don’t feel it necessary. I primarily wear foundation to help even out my skin tone because I can look really pale or blotchy. But now my skin is that smooth and I don’t doubt it. I can’t remember the last time my skin was so smooth and clear! I’m super impressed!

The serum is not oily or sticky and absorbs well into the skin. It’s not oily or greasy, it doesn’t break me out, irritate or burn my skin(not even a little tingle). It comes with a dropper and I only need 2 dots to cover my face. I use another dot of serum for my neck area. Keep the neck nice and firm, you know?

I use it in the day mostly; after I wash my face I apply the super c serum then I apply my Spf or tinted moisturizer  when I wear it. I notice whenever I wear the serum under my tinted moisturizer my skin looks dewy and really healthy.  I have received many compliments on my skin since putting this in rotation. The super c serum with the Skin Authority Accelerating gel is magical!

A+ because it works!

What’s your favorite serum for the skin?

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?

My New Way to Clean My Brushes

I have been out of a deep cleanser for a while. I just didn’t have the time or energy to go get some. Mostly cause I haven’t been on a shoot so I didn’t have a need to get some.

Anyhow I was in a pinch, got a call at the last minute and needed to clean my brushes ASAP! I didnt want to use dishwasher liquid because of the harsh ingredients. Didn’t want to use shampoo mostly cause its too expensive to use for brushes and I wasn’t sure how well that would work. So I had some of this..it’s natural with lots of good oils for moisture. So I used it and omg! My brushes not only smell good, like peppermint, but they are really soft and it got all the good stuff out my brushes without much work. I was super impressed cause I always need to wash my lip brushes a few times with elbow grease to get all the lipstick out. I only washed it twice with this.

So I think this will be my go to brush cleaner for a while. It’s not expensive and can be found in drug stores and grocery stores. I got mine from Trader Joes.

How do you clean your brushes?

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?

Related articles

• Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye brightener vs YSL touche eclat radiant touch (thescribblingtrain.wordpress.com)
• Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit (beauteamoureux.com)

 

Skin Authority Calming Mask

Skin Authority Calming Mask

 

This Face mask from Skin Authority is a clarifying face mask to help exfoliate, clean your pores, calm inflammation and dry blemishes. There’s 10% Sulfur in the mask which is important to dry pimples and pull or suck up oil in the pores. It also helps kill bacteria.

I really like this mask because I find that it does really well in calming my skin if I find that I am starting to break out. If I have a stubborn or painful blemish I put a dab of this on the spot and leave it on for an hour, or I sleep with it, and the pimple goes down or goes away completely.

After I cleanse my skin I apply my mask to dry skin- I like to use this after a hot shower because the pores are open and the mask can get in there and clean out all the debris. I leave it on for about 15 minutes to as long as 25 minutes. I feel a cooling effect and it feels nice. I like that it doesn’t burn or sting.

After the mask my skin doesn’t feel tight and dry. My skin feels clean but a bit moisturized; probably because of the aloe and vitamin E in the product. Those ingredients are moisturizing to the skin without being oily.

Since I have added this to my skin care routine my skin has had less blemishes and has been a bit more balanced; not too oily and not dry. My skin is left feeling and looking smooth, healthy and most of all clean.

Have you used this mask before?
What’s your favorite face mask?

Clean Face After Mask

Black Friday Deal from Skin Authority!

I LOVE Black Friday(I am a shopaholic) because they are always amazing deals everywhere! For me it outshines Thanksgiving…is that weird? I’m always so excited so I don’t mind standing outside in the cold, all night for a good deal. Although i REFUSE  to camp out for days…its not THAT serious. I really do wish more makeup brands had black friday deals(actually maybe that’s good for my wallet that they don’t).

Well Skin Authority has announced an AMAZING black friday deal. Buy one get one free. Enough said!

Skin Authority is arguably one of my favorite skin care brands so I gotta show them lots of love, why? because it WORKS!  And the staff amazing and so helpful! I have reviewed a couple of their products and I will review more within the next week. Hopefully I can find some time with my busy schedule.

You don’t have to stand in the cold for this deal! To participate in the Black Friday Weekend Event beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday, November 29, visit the Skin Authority website: www.skinauthority.com/blackfriday to begin shopping. Want to shop in person? The website lists participating Skin Authority authorized retail and spa locations and will continue to be updated until Black Friday.

Not sure what to buy? Skin Authority offers specially trained and certified Skin Care Coaches to assist customers in choosing the right products. They listen to needs, help set goals, recommend the best products, and hold your hand throughout the entire process. Skin Care Coaching is free and available in-person at participating retail locations, through the Skin Authority website: www.skinauthority.com/myskincoach or via phone at 1-866-325-7546, option 4.

Stay tuned for more details!

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.