2012 May | The Blush Brush

May 31, 2012

May Favorites

I ended up getting pretty tan this month after a trip to the Jersey Shore and some time up north so I’ve really been wearing very little makeup and instead going for a more natural sun-kissed look. I’ve been skipping foundation and mostly focusing on eyeliner and cheeks! So before I ramble too much more here are my favorites for May and what I’ve pretty much been wearing on a daily basis.

1. Guerlain L’or Radiance Concentrate – I got this in a sample kit from Sephora and unfortunately fallen in love with it ( I think a full-size of this product costs around 70 dollars) I can’t really pinpoint what this does to my skin but it just looks better when I apply this. It does have gold flecks throughout the serum that do show up on your skin but I feel like they kind of melt away throughout the day. I’m going to be so sad when I use this sample up

2. Tarte Smooth Operator Illuminating Serum- Instead of foundation I’ve been applying this since it does have a very light coverage to it. This gives my face a really nice glow while still letting my natural skin come through. Plus it takes 2 seconds to apply in the morning! I haven’t really been setting this either, if I do apply powder I’ve just been using my Tarte Park Avenue Princess Bronzer all over my face.

3. Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Hot Tamale- Even though I’m still not a huge fan of this product I’ve been using this cream blush pretty much everyday. I found I like the finish and application of this much more when I skip foundation, which is what I’ve been doing this month, so I think that’s why I’ve been reaching for it. This also looks more natural than a powder blush and I find this particular shade looks really nice with my tan.

4. CoverGirl Lashblast 24 Hour- This mascara has been awesome in the heat! It didn’t smudge at all when I wore it to the beach and it holds curl amazingly well. Also, on my recent trip to New Jersey I spent a full day in the sun then drove home 11 hours straight and this never came off. I was awake well over 24 hours and this stuff looked the same as it did when I first applied it.

5. Maybelline Line Stilletto eyeliner – Since I’ve been keeping most of my face natural this month I find my favorite eye look is a subtle cat eye and fake lashes. This has been one of my favorite liquid liners for quite some time and the one I’ve been grabbing for most this month.

6. Sephora Eyeshadow in Choco Excess No 19 – On the few days I have worn eyeshadow I’ve grabbed this one everytime. It’s a little sparkly but I like using this to define my crease and give myself a smokey bronze look. It blends easily and has really good lasting power even without a primer.

7. e.l.f Conditioning Lip Balm in Natural – This stuff is the perfect nude lip with a tan and is so moisturizing for chapped lips ( Mine got a little sunburnt from too much time at the beach)

8. Cantu Shea Butter leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream- I ran out of my Macadamia hair masque this month and needed a replacement repair cream so I randomly picked this up while shopping at Target. I’m pretty sure it only cost 6 dollars and the tub is huge. This is actually a leave-in cream for after the shower but it’s been leaving my hair amazingly soft and shiny. I was worried it might be a little heavy but it’s actually really light with zero greasiness. I just apply this to my towel-dried hair and then style as usual. It’s seriously like the best leave-in conditioner I’ve tried and so cheap! If you’re hair is super dry like mine I highly recommend trying this out! I’m debating if I even need to buy some of my other more expensive leave-in conditioners again.

May 31, 2012

Posted by Holly | 0 Comments

Review: Garnier BB Cream

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I’ve been traveling and very busy with work this past month. I’ve had a chance to try a few new products though so I want to get back in the habit of posting everyday!

The first thing I wanted to talk about was the Garnier BB Cream I recently tried. I know I’m late on this bandwagon but I’ve been pinching pennies lately and trying to keep my makeup spending to a minimum. This was my first experience with BB Creams and while I still want to try some of the more expensive ones out there I figured I’d start with the drugstore version first. I bought mine at Wal-Mart for 11 dollars and chose the lightest shade available since I was pretty pale earlier this month. I believe it was the LIGHT/MEDIUM option. Since it’s a BB Cream it’s a multi-benefit product, providing many skin-care ingredients and an SPF.

The reason I don’t have pictures of this product is because I HATED it and promptly gave it to my younger sister Olivia. If you have oily skin I do NOT recommend this cream ( Olivia has normal skin so she liked it). My face felt so greasy just a few minutes after applying this and even after I set it with a powder I could not keep the shine or greasy feeling down. I hate makeup that I can feel on my face and this felt so heavy to me, like it was just settling into every pore and crease. Worse was the smell, it had a floral type scent that never faded. I don’t mind if a product has an initial fragrance if it fades throughout the day but this smelled strong the entire time I wore it. It was a constant reminder that I was wearing something on my face which was the exact opposite of what I was looking for. I had to apply powder almost every hour and was miserable the whole time ( I really hate when I can feel foundation on my face).

Besides the fact that I hated it, the actual coverage of this was what I expected, light. It covered minor redness and flaws and blended easily. I did need to go back with concealer around my jaw area where I have some old acne scarring.

If you have oily skin or hate foundations that are overly fragrant I do not recommend this!

On a side note something about the packaging of this product just really bugged me. I feel like the font they chose seemed really outdated, like from the 90′s or something.

May 8, 2012

Posted by Holly | 0 Comments

Review: SmashBox Fusion Soft Lights in Dusk

I’ve been liking Smashbox more and more lately and this bronzer I received in a value set from Sephora has not disappointed. The Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights bronzers are supposed to give you a lit from within glow with a soft shimmer that doesn’t look overly glittery or shiny. I think these come in a few different shades but the one I have (Dusk) works beautifully on my skin tone. The texture of this powder is smooth and silky and blends easily.

At first glance I thought this might look too orange, but the color payoff is subtle but still gives me a noticeable warmth and glow. I wouldn’t recommend this for contouring because of the slight golden shimmer but the sparkle is barely noticeable when blended out.

I’ve also been loving this for eyeshadow. The powder is so soft and blends with zero effort. This product is awesome in the morning when I’m in a rush because I can use it all over my face and on my eyes. Depending on my mood I use my eyeshadow brush in all or just one or two of the shades and then I finish with my Tarte SmolderEYES liner in bronze and black mascara. Literally takes 1 minute!