Wednesday, February 26, 2014

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in St.Moritz

NARS' Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer ($42; shop.nordstrom.com) is one of few tinted moisturizers I absolutely love for my dry sensitive skin. Its sheer, lightweight and has pretty decent coverage for a tinted moisturizer. I picked up St.Moritz - the shade a tad warm for me, but blends well and is easy to build up when I need more coverage.






Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer is one of my favorite tinted moisturizers and I like NARS' just as much. The coverage is quite similar and the shade range is quite nice, especially for medium/dark skin tones. I wear Sand in Laura Mercier's and St.Moritz from NARS is quite a close match, maybe a tad darker, but doesn't look that way once blended. If you have very dry skin though, I would recommend a moisturizer underneath, especially in the winter, but during the summer, I could absolutely skip one, and maybe even use a powder on top to set it a bit. It does have a little bit of a dewy finish, which I absolutely love. On low key days, I only use this, some corrector under the eyes and a little bit of powder if needed. Overall, its a fantastic tinted moisturizer, a bit pricey, but super easy for days when you need something with a bit of coverage that feels super light on skin.




Wearing St.Moritz topped off with MAC's Careblend Powder in Medium Dark; Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach under the eyes

What are your thoughts on NARS' Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in St.Moritz? 

Friday, February 21, 2014

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipsticks ($25; elizabetharden.com) are a fairly new launch from the brand that comes in 38 shades of pinks, reds and everyday nudes. I tried out two gorgeous reds, Red To Wear and Sangria. Both colors pack a ton of pigment and have a beautiful, full coverage satin finish. *Press Samples.

ELizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick Review, Photos & Swatches


ELizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick Review, Photos & Swatches
ELizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Sangria and Red To Wear



The formula claims to last a good 12 hrs without feathering or fading much throughout the day. I can't speak for the lighter colors in the range, but these two reds are pretty long wearing and leave a strong berry stain behind. Not quite 12 hrs of wear, but then, I did sheer both colors out quite a bit and topped it off with a good gloss - only wore it as a full coverage lipstick for a couple of hours. I don't mind gold packaging with anything, makeup wise, but I do wish these lipsticks had a tad less of a shiny finish to the packaging. The formula is very moisturizing and surprisingly lightweight for something that is completely opaque in a single swipe. Overall, I'm pretty impressed and think they are worth looking into, especially considering the not so high price tag!

ELizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Sangria and Red To Wear Review, Photos & Swatches

ELizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Sangria and Red To Wear Review, Photos & Swatches

ELizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Red To Wear
Red To Wear

ELizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Sangria
Sangria

ELizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Sangria and Red To Wear Swatches
L-R :  Sangria, Red To Wear


Have you tried any of the Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipsticks? 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Inglot Pearl 419 Eyeshadow

Inglot's Pearl 419 Eyeshadow is one of many shadows that I picked out as part of their Freedom System Palette a while back. Pearl 419 is a shimmery, golden olive green. The color is fabulous and the finish has a lovely sheen that, over a primer doesn't fade or crease for a good 8 hours or so. Price : $7 for Eye Shadow Refills



Pearl 419 is very pigmented as well. The finish is a tad foiled, but I quite like it sheered out than when the color is packed on the lids. Inglot's eyeshadows are among the softest I've seen and there's little to no fallout. The texture is smooth, very easy to blend and well priced for the great quality! Inglot's Freedom system is a great way to make you own palette with a mix of various finishes from the brand and the packaging of the palettes are nice and easy to travel with, especially the 4-pan ones that are super compact and convenient.




Here's a swatch and an EOTD featuring Pearl 419.



What are your thoughts on Inglot's Pearl 419 Eyeshadow?

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Maybelline Color Elixir Lip Color in Caramel Infused

Maybeline's Color Elixir Lip Colors ($8.99; cvs.com) are among my favorite lip glosses from the drugstore at the moment. The color selection is fabulous and the formula is perfect for those of us who don't like heavy, sticky glosses. I picked up Caramel Infused - the rosy brown was an obvious choice that seemed like the perfect swipe and go color.

Maybelline New York Color Elixir in Caramel Infused Review, Photos & Swatches

Maybelline New York Color Elixir in Caramel Infused Review, Photos & Swatches

Maybelline New York Color Elixir in Caramel Infused



I absolutely love the packaging of the Color Elixirs. They're small enough to fit into a tiny makeup bag and the wand makes color application super easy. The texture, while on the thinner side, definitely feels non-sticky, very moisturizing and weightless. Caramel Infused turns up looking like a medium pink on my pigmented lips and the color works well on its on and layers fabulously. Like with any other lip gloss formula, I get about 2 hours or so of wear time from these. There's a slightly strong scent which I'm not a big fan of, but having tried lip products with super strong scents that hardly ever dissipate, I won't complain too much, especially for the fantastic price tag. Definitely picking up more of these soon!

Maybelline New York Color Elixir in Caramel Infused Swatch



What are your thoughts on the Maybelline Color Elixir Lip Color in Caramel Infused?

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Josie Maran Pure Argan Milk

"A 100 percent natural, emulsifier-free, hydrating treatment serum featuring powerful antiaging benefits and a blend of micro-droplets of 100% Pure Argan Oil suspended in purified water, allowing the skin-saving benefits of Argan Oil to deeply nourish the skin. " $56; sephora.com *Press Sample









Josie Maran's newest skincare launch, the Pure Argan Milk is a lightweight, hydrating serum that helps moisturize and soothe dry, sensitive skin. The Argan Milk is to be used along with Josie's 100% Pure Argan Oil for long-lasting hydration. The packaging is quite nice, but the texture of the product doesn't work well with the dropper. Its quite light, consistency wise, but the dropper does not pick up enough product for one use - a pump dispenser would have been a better choice. The product isn't too thick - just the right sort of texture for a lightweight serum. I needed a few drops for my entire face and neck. Although a bit sticky at first, it absorbs completely after a few minutes. For my dry skin, I find the milk itself quite moisturizing, but I much prefer following up with a moisturizer than oil. During the summer though, I could use this on its own. If you do have oily skin, I would recommend a light lotion afterwards - Argan Oil can get a tad too heavy. I've been using it for a few weeks now, and haven't had any sort of breakouts or redness so far, and neither do I detect any sort of fragrance/scent. Overall, its a really nice serum/hydrating treatment for dry/dehydrated that works alone or mixed in with any moisturizer. I do wish the product had a better dispenser and that the bottle was a tad less heavy to travel with. 











Have you tried Josie Maran's Pure Argan Milk?

Monday, February 3, 2014

Hakuhodo K022 Powder Brush Review, Photos

The K022 Powder Brush ($36), which Hakuhodo calls as a round and flat brush, is a medium-sized, fluffy powder brush that is designed to use with pressed and loose powders. The brush head is not too big and works great even if you want to set certain areas of the face with powder.







Like everything else I've tried from Hakuhodo, this one too is super soft, very well made and sturdy. The bristles have splayed quite a bit since the first wash, but it still does feel very soft and not one bit scratchy. Since its not too densely packed, it works really well when you want a light dusting of powder, either to set makeup or to add a finishing touch  - I've been absolutely loving it with my Laura Mercier Loose Powder, Guerlain Meteorites Pearls and MAC's Careblend Powder. The flat sides of the brush also do a good job of applying a sheer wash of blush, but I would much prefer using something a little more round for blush application. K002 also leaves an airbrushed finish for most powders it works with, but since its a natural hair brush, it does pick up a tad more product than usual. Some might find the size to be a bit small for a powder brush, but I absolutely love it - its the perfect size for me, has been easy to clean and is one of my most used, highly recommended powder brushes!

Side, Front



Hakuhodo Brushes can be bought online at hakuhodousa.com

Have you tried the Hakuhodo K022 Powder Brush?

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent

Laura Mercier's Loose Setting Powder in Translucent ($35) is my current setting powder of choice. Its a super finely milled, silky, loose face powder with the slightest hint of color that translates to a soft focus finish on my face.






Although not the most travel friendly, I love the simple, elegant packaging. I've tried quite a few loose powders and I must say this has one of the softest textures, with no hint of shimmer/glitter. Its a semi-matte finish and can look a bit too flat on dry skin types, so I'd recommend being as light handed as possible. It does a fabulous job of blurring pores and doesn't get into fine lines. I can't speak much about the oil-control part of it, but after about 4-5 hours, I can definitely see a slight sheen when my natural oils start to come through. I almost, always use a large fluffy brush with this and only a slight dusting is needed for the most natural looking finish. If you do have flawless skin though, this is a great one to sweep over just moisturizer as well. Overall, I'd highly recommend this if you are looking for a setting powder with a luxurious texture and the slightest hint of a yellow tint that you could use alone, to set cream products or just over a light base for a beautifully natural finish. I would definitely repurchase, but there's a ton of product in there, so I'm not going need another one for a very long time!





Wearing Laura Mercier's Loose Setting Powder in Translucent over Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation


Have you tried Laura Mercier's Loose Setting Powder in Translucent?