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Blush Fail: Rimmel Match Perfection Blush in 004 Medium Dark

I picked this up on a whim while I was shopping at Wal-Mart and after trying it out this is definitely a product you can pass up. These coordinated shades are supposed to give you a natural even flush of color and the package says it has a hint of blue sapphire in it, which I honestly am clueless about.  There is some very small gold glitter particles baked in but that’s about it. My main complaint about this product is how powdery it is. As soon as you try to pick up product with your brush the whole compact turns into a powdery mess. Because of this, application is somewhat difficult. I felt like I had to put on so much product to get any amount of color to show up on my cheeks. The colors themselves look pretty dark so I thought this would be a nice contour blush but it showed up very sheer on my skin. I tried swatching some on  my arm to show you the color but I literally couldn’t get it to show up in a picture.  I’m pretty sure this only cost me around 4 dollars but it’s definitely a drugstore fail product to me!

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Review: Laura Geller Baked Vanilla Nudes

Hey ladies, I just wanted to do a quick follow up to the Laura Gellar first impression blog I wrote yesterday. If you haven’t seen it yet you can click here for the pictures and swatches I took of all the products.

So as I previously wrote I picked up this Laura Gellar kit on hautelook for only 30 dollars. The set came with a balance-n-brighten powder, a blush, eyeshadow duo, mascara, brush and lipstick.  Today I used the whole set while getting ready for work and I love it!

I didn’t think I would be able to use the balance-n-brighten powder because I ordered mine in the shade tan and I’m the palest I’ve been in awhile right now but I tried it anyways and was super pleased with it. Since the shade was a little dark for me I had to really blend it down the neck area but the product itself was awesome. This powder  is supposed to be worn alone as a powder foundation but my skin has a few marks on it right now so I wore this over a liquid foundation.  It looked great though and lasted my entire 6 hour work day without fading.  My t-zone stayed shine free which is something I love about any product. It really gave my skin a beautiful natural finish without looking powdery.  I definitely would recommend this to anyone who’s been on the fence about it.

The blush was lovely. A bright pinky shade that was sheer enough to look natural but still gave my cheeks a pretty flush. My only complaint was since this blush is a highlighter and contour together the actual pink shade is really skinny and I ended up with a lot of the highlight shade on my brush. I still loved the way it looked though so not a big deal.

Great eyeshadow duo too. This came with the duo vanilla/black cherry. I applied the vanilla over lip up to the crease and then smoked out my outer-v and lower lashline. This had nice pigmentation blended easily and lasted all night. I will definitely be reaching for this often.

The last thing I tried was the lipstick which came in the shade berry banana. AMAZING! I wasn’t really expecting much from this shade but it applied to my lips as a really neutral my natural lip color but better shade. It’s moisturizing, didn’t feather, and overall just was really easy to wear. I think this will be my go-to lip product for awhile.

I didn’t use the mascara yet or the brush but overall I love this set. I don’t see any value sets like this available on the laura geller website but I would keep checking back on hautelook.com for another sale. I think this is something I would actually repurchase again because it was such a great deal. Again, if you need an invite to hautelook.com you can click here and then register.

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First Impression: Laura Gellar Baked Vanilla Nudes

I’ve never tried any Laura Gellar products before but I’ve always been interested in the brand so I was super excited when I saw this kit for sale on hautelook.com for only 30 dollars. I got my package today so I haven’t had a chance to try any of the products out but I thought I’d snap a few pictures and give you my first impression of the swatches.

First of all, this packaging is adorable. The kit comes in a sturdy tin that I’ll def be saving and using for makeup storage. The set includes a Full-Size Balance and Brighten Powder, A full size baked blush, one full size baked eyeshadow duo, a mascara, lipstick and brush. Just to give you an idea of what a great deal this sale was a full size Balance and righten powder retails individually for $31.00.

My first impressions after swatching everything is I love the eyeshadow! Both shades of the duo are beautiful and I can’t wait to use it in a How To blog. I was most excited about the balance n brighten powder but I ordered the kit in the tan shade so I don’t think I’ll be able to use it until I get a little sun. I really loved how the blush swatched, the pink color looks really fun and pretty. The lipstick is not a color I would normally choose but when I applied it to my lips it really complemented my skin tone so I was excited about that. I’m not sure how I’ll like the mascara, it actually smelled kind of funny when I opened it so I’m going to have to see if I even want to use it. Lastly, the brush it came with is kind of a dud but I wasn’t expecting much. I’m sure I’ll still get some use out of it.

 From the top:

 1. Eyeshadow Duo Black cherry

 2. Eyeshadow Duo Vanilla

 3. Balance -n- Brighten in Tan

 4. Highlight shade in Blush Trio in shade Neapolitan

 5. Blush

 6. Contour

Overall I’m really excited with this set and I can’t wait to play around with it. If you aren’t signed up on hautelook.com you can click this link http://www.hautelook.com/short/3BGHv  for an invite to the site.  This particular set is no longer for sale but the sales in the Beauty section are always awesome. I always update my facebook when a really good sale is going on so you can always check my page for event reminders. I have a few more hautelook purchases I’ve made recently so I’ll update with pictures and swatches when I get them!

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How To: Black and White Eyeliner with Red Lip

I love wearing this look because the eyeliner is subtle but still has an interesting twist and the red lip is super easy to wear.  If you’re too shy to wear red go with a nude lip but add a little extra of the pink blush!

What I Used:

Foundation: Maybelline Super Stay Foundation in Pure Beige

Concealer: Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer

Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Amused

Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

Contour: NYC Bronzer Sunny

Highlight: Smashbox Duo Blush in Passion/Shimmer

Lips: Elf Conditioning Lip Balm in Romantic Rouge

Mascara: Benefits BadGal Lash in Black

Eyeliner: L’oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense and Wet n Wild Coloricon liner in white

Eyelashes: Ardell Demi Wispies (My Favorite)

How To:

1. Apply Foundation. I use my fingers to blend the Super Stay foundation in.

2. Powder any areas that might get shiny ( I usually stick to my nose, chin and the forehead) and then your cheeks since you will be using powder blush.

3. Apply black eyeliner to upper lashline, wing out the tip at the outer corner of your eye

4. Take your white eyeliner and trace along the black line you just created. If you overlap the white on the black go back in with the black liquid liner and redefine the edge of your black line.

5. Apply blush to the cheekbones and apples of your cheeks.

6. Take bronzer and contour underneath your cheekbones.

7. Apply shimmer highlight to top of cheekbones and under eyebrows.

8. Apply mascara and false lashes. Once lashes are applied sweep on one more coat of mascara to blend your falsies in with your real lashes.

9. Fill in brows

10. Take lip brush and apply Elf conditioning lip balm in romantic rouge

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Maybelline Super Stay Foundation Review

I’ve noticed a lot of my favorite youtube girls using the Maybelline Super Stay Makeup lately which I own but don’t often wear.  I decided to pull mine out and give it another try since I hadn’t worn it in awhile and see if I’m loving it as much as everyone else.  I have mine in the shade pure beige.

I have to say the coverage of this is really good. I would say this gives you medium coverage but is very easy to build to full. The packaging claims this foundation will withstand heat, sweat and humidity and won’t rub off ( Supposedly you can get 24 hour coverage with this). It is also marketed as good for all skin types.  I agree that this stuff will last all day. I got ready this morning at 6:30 and when I drove home 12 hours later my skin still looked smooth and most of my discoloration and spots were still covered.  I did use a primer underneath and set it with my Urban Decay All Nighter Setting spray but I can easily say the lasting power of this beats most of my other foundations.

As far as being suitable for all skin-types I think this would probably work best for normal or dry skin. While the coverage was great and long lasting I did get pretty oily by mid-day and I like a foundation with a slightly more matte finish.

While this foundation has a lot of good qualities after wearing it for a day I remembered why I don’t normally reach for it. There is just something about the way this feels on my skin that I do not enjoy. It feels very heavy to me even though the bottle says it’s “breathable for all day comfort”.  Even though I don’t think this necessarily looked cakey on, it just feels too thick for me. By 3 p.m. I was counting the hours until I could go home and wash this off.

I also hate the packaging.  This has no pump and because this is a little thicker foundation the bottle gets so messy! Definitely not something that would be easy to travel with.

So, while a lot of girls are loving this particular formula I have to say that it’s not for me.  I would pull this out if I needed something for an all day event but as an everyday foundation this is not for me.

Things To Know:

1. This is a medium-full coverage foundation. It easily covers hyperpigmentation, redness, acne scars or breakouts.

2. This is VERY long-wearing

3. I find the formula of this to be too thick for me and not quite matte enough

4. If you have oily skin you will need to powder a few times throughout the day to avoid shine

5. Packaging of this is not ideal. Be prepared for messy application and a messy bottle.

 

 

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