Makeup

100% Pure Cosmetics, or Makeup to Feel Like a Jungle Princess

March 15th, 2016 by Nicole Fraser-Herron 19 Comments

100% Pure is an all-natural and cruelty-free cosmetic brand that’s also free of artificial colors, fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives, and all other toxins. They were founded in Napa but are now based in Silicon Valley, so we’re basically neighbors (I live in Oakland).

Fruit Pigmented Pomegranate Oil Anti Aging Lipstick in Poppy ($28) is a bright classic red, very similar in color to Sephora’s Cream Lip Stain in Always Red. It makes me feel like I’m a jungle princess who makes her own lipstick from local berries.

I haven’t used it with a liner but have had zero signs of feathering. I don’t remember the last time I wore a lipstick that wasn’t matte, but I’ve been reaching for this one day in and day out because it smells absolutely divine and makes my lips look full. The formula is also moisturizing and fades evenly throughout the day. What more could you ask for?

Honorable mentions: Foxglove ($28) and Fig ($25). Foxglove is a good my-lips-but-better shade, and Fig is a mauve. The formula is consistent across every shade I’ve tried, and each color looks just as lovely as a stain and opaque color.

Big fan, big fan.

Using the Black Tea Long Last Liquid Eye Liner ($28) brings me great satisfaction. Not only is the packaging shiny and eye-catching, but the product itself is really exceptional. It’s pretty pigmented but did benefit from two coats on my eyelids. The pigment comes from crushed black tea leaves, how cool is that? Plus, it doesn’t make my eyes water and smells so wonderful (like tea). It’s marketed as water resistant, but I have a really hard time scrubbing swatches of it off of my arm. The staying power is incredible.

Honorable mention: Maracuja Mascara in Black Tea ($25). The mascara smells just like the eyeliner and doesn’t make my eyes water. I typically go for volumizing formulas over lengthening ones, so while this is a great lengthening mascara, I wouldn’t use it unless I was going to put on some falsies. If you have sensitive eyes and love lengthening mascaras, definitely give this one a go.

Luminating Créme in Starlight ($21) is a cream highlighter with a doe-foot applicator. The shade is a versatile white gold that creates a natural (but buildable) glow. I’ve been enjoying wearing it on its own and setting it with something like Lunch Money by Colourpop. On its own, it lasts on my skin all day long.

Fruit Pigmented Blush in Peach ($35) is a peachy shade that leans terracotta. The formula is silky smooth, blendable, and very pigmented. This shade is a staple, versatile shade that’s great for a healthy flush across a variety of skin tones. It lasts all day on my normal/combination skin, and the tin is totally adorable. A+.
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Conceal, Cover and Correct With Becca’s New Concealers and Correctors

March 14th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 18 Comments

Becca Color Correctors and Ultimate Coverage Concealing Cream — Becca Targeted Color Correctors and Ultimate Coverage Concealing Cream

What is it about winter that makes you look in the rearview mirror of your car and think, “Were those dark circles always that dark, or did I just skip my triple grande this morning?”

I don’t know about you, but where I live, it’s cold and dark — even in March, when spring should be on the way — and to top it off, I get very little adequate sleep as a working mom. Needless to say, makeup application in the morning is all about concealing and brightening!

Building upon the success of their much beloved Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector, a product I’ve used and loved for quite some time, Becca has released four Backlight Targeted Color Correctors for Spring 2016 to be used in tandem with their Ultimate Coverage Concealing Cream.

These products may look like tools only a professional should be applying, but Becca has made it easy and approachable to color-correct on a daily basis, and this busy lady says THANK YOU.

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A Face of the Day With New Products From L’Oréal

March 14th, 2016 by Jen Clark 36 Comments

How’s it going, you guys!? I’ve been having such a blast doing these posts and getting to chat with some of you. I am so glad to put a face to the beautiful people I’m writing to.

Oh, how is my day going, you ask? Well, let me tell ya. I accidentally fell asleep on the couch in the middle of the day while my son Kai was hanging out in the living room with me (I promise, that is a very rare occurrence).

He knows when to take advantage of people, like when his mom is too tired to function, so he found a blue marker somewhere, somehow, and scribbled all over our beige microfiber couch…

Not cool, Kai, not cool.

Get ready, Karen, because Connor will destroy everything you hold dear! 🙂

So, in light of today’s events, I am locking myself in the bedroom while my dear husband takes his turn at scrubbing the couch, and I’m going to chat with you guys about L’Oréal. That should cheer me up!

I have a theory about L’Oréal…

Let me explain. Did you know that they actually own tons of different brands, including a bunch of high end brands like YSL, Lancome, Georgio Armani, and Urban Decay?

Cool huh? But back to my theory.

I think because they’re involved with so many high quality brands, their makeup is actually comparable quality, just at a much cheaper price.

That would make sense, right? Again, just a theory.

Another great thing about the brand is that they do absolutely no testing on animals, and they haven’t since 1989. That is such a cool accomplishment in my eyes.

OK, let’s get to the makeup.

Using (mostly) L’Oréal makeup, I created this look here…

First I tried L’Oréal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation, and if you haven’t heard of these new cushion foundations, they’re basically sponges soaked in foundation and put into a compact.

Weird, right? I’m a little confused by the whole concept myself, but tons of brands have been doing them, so there must be some perk!

I actually thought it was super convenient. It comes with a little puff that you dip into the product, then pat on your face. I like it because you don’t need a separate brush. Everything you need is right there, although you totally could use another brush or sponge if you like the application better. Just make sure anything you dip in there is super clean. It seems like this product could be a playground for nasty bacteria.

The coverage is pretty light but does build up to be about a medium coverage. I don’t think you’d be able to get up to full coverage with this one. As you can see below, it won’t cover any massive creatures chillin’ on your chin.

As the name suggests, it also gives you the most gaw-geous luminous glow, and I’m all about dat glow. This one is a real winner for me!

Next up is this cute little brow kit, the L’Oréal Brow Stylist Prep & Shape Pro Kit. This one here is in shade “medium to dark”.

How great would this be just to chuck in your bag and have for touch-ups?! It comes with a wax, a powder, a little angled brush with a spoolie on the end, and a pair of little tweezers.

I think the product itself is excellent, but it’s just not for me, just like every other powder brow product I’ve tried. I think that powders don’t work for my brows because, let’s be honest, they’re kind of massive.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my full brows, but I feel like powders just make them look too huge and fuzzy. That probably makes no sense, but pencils just work so much better for me.

If you love using powders and waxes on your brows, get this. I really think you’ll love it.

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Minimal Modern Sculpting With the Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Collection

March 10th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 16 Comments

Call me crazy, but for some reason contouring makes me think of classical sculpture.

Trust me, I know I’m a little weird, but there’s something oddly sculptural about watching makeup artists apply deep shades in the hollows of the face and brightening hues on the high points to blend and create a contoured face. And honestly, although I love watching how everything comes together extensive contouring just isn’t for me on a day-to-day basis.

Make Up For Ever has created a range of products ideal for the expert and the contour novice alike: the Pro Sculpting Collection. Each easy-to-blend, easy-to-use product has been made with convenience in mind to subtly accentuate without overdoing it.

The stars of the collection are the Pro Sculpting Face Palettes ($45 each) available in four color combos fully thought out in terms of depth for varying skin tones.

From left to right, each palette offers a matte highlighting shade, a matte contouring shade, an iridescent highlighting shade and a pop of color for the apples of the cheeks. Rather than opting for a challenging powdery formula, each of Make Up For Ever’s four shades are creamy and buildable, meaning that the user is able to control their own destiny. The contour shade buffs to add natural shadows, while the others are equally subtle on the skin. Ideal for fresh-faced fans of light contouring, the Pro Sculpting Palettes give you everything you need in one place.

Make Up For Ever has also included rather untraditional sculpting products in the collection to offer subtle shaping for both lips and brows.

The Pro Sculpting Lip pencils ($27 each) are one part satiny lipstick, one part pearly cream-to-powder highlighter, and are meant to add volume to specific areas of your lips.

Although the combination may seem like a one-trick pony, the highlighter can be applied either over, or under, the lipstick, which creates a different effect, and allows for buildable intensity based on your own preference. And more on that later.

Make Up For Ever has also cleverly paired a brow pencil with a similarly light highlighting powder (and a spoolie!) to create sculpted brows in one three-in-one tool. As far as I’m concerned, the Pro Sculpting Brow pencils ($27 each) are incredibly travel and on-the-go friendly, as everything you need to create the perfect arch is at your fingertips in a single compact tube.

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Can Physicians Formula Really Make You #InstaReady?

March 8th, 2016 by Jen Clark 25 Comments

When I first saw Physicians Formula’s new line, #InstaReady, I thought, “Genius marketing! But there’s no way makeup can really make you more Instagram ready.” After I tried the products, I realized that InstaReady doesn’t really mean anything, aside from having a really good makeup day, and that’s exactly what happened when I tried it.

There’s plenty behind these products that I think deserves mentioning, like how almost all of them contain SPF 30. They also have InstaFilter Technology, which is basically a clever way of saying that they’ll mattify your skin while leaving behind lots of valuable moisture. The InstaFilter Technology also uses high-tech, light-reflecting polymers to blur imperfections and re-texturize the skin.

Now, these are HUGE claims for a product to make, and while I did have a great skin day while using #InstaReady, I didn’t look like I had an Instagram filter over my face… Obviously. But let’s talk a little more about a few of my favorite products from the line, shall we?

To start, I applied the Super BB #InstaReady Beauty Balm BB Cream. Most of the BB creams I’ve used have been light to medium coverage and applied almost like tinted moisturizers, but not this one. This bad boy is full coverage.

In the pro column, and this one’s big, I didn’t need to use any concealer on my blemishes, because they were already covered so well! This has a beautiful semi-matte finish and lasts throughout the day; however, it’s not without a few cons. Like, it’s extremely thick and feels uncomfortable on my skin. You can definitely feel that it’s there, and while the uncomfortable, constricted feeling fades the longer I wear it, I wouldn’t wear this again unless I were wearing full-on makeup that day. It can also look a little cakey, so this isn’t something I’d want to wear if I were going for a no-makeup makeup look.

Overall, though, I really like it, and I’ll wear it the next time I want a flawless complexion! You can see the coverage is bomb here in these before and after pics…

The next stand-out InstaReady product for me is the Super BB #InstaReady Contour Trio BB Stick in Bronze Trio. This little deodorant stick o’ bronzer is truly a dream. Literally, I’ve dreamed of a product that could make contouring a breeze, and here it is in my hot little hand! This guy is definitely going in my everyday makeup drawer and will live there until I die.

It contains the same InstaFilter Technology as the BB cream, so again it’s going to help blur and perfect the skin. It’s also made to be super blendable, which I can attest to. It has a deep contouring shade on the far end, a slightly shimmery bronzing shade in the middle, and a nice highlight on top. All you need to do is paint a cute tiger stripe on each cheek with the deepest shade in the hollow of your cheek, then tap away with your fingers or Beauty Blender. My contour was blended and looking fly in 0.73 seconds.

I recommend it for anyone who loves a good contour, and it would also be stellar for anyone just starting out in the world of faking perfect bone structure, because it’s so fast and easy to use.

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New for Spring! Essence Lip Swatches

March 3rd, 2016 by Jen Clark 38 Comments

Ever since that fateful day I picked up one of their lip liners, Essence has continued to keep me pleasantly surprised with the quality of their makeup. In the world of extremely affordable makeup, the brand keeps working their way up to the tippy top.

They recently released a couple of new lip products for spring 2016 — their Shine & Sheer Lipsticks, and the Essence Liquid Lipsticks — and I love me a good lipstick! I also love me some makeup that I don’t have to sell my soul for, so this is a match made in affordability heaven.

Let’s start with my favorite of the two, the Liquid Lipsticks. There are six available shades, and one thing to understand before going out and buying every one is that they might not be what you expect when you think of “liquid lipstick.” My experience with liquid lipsticks is more along the lines of Kat Von D and Colourpop, where they go on super liquid-y and opaque and dry down matte.

These are more of a really pigmented gloss, but they still sit nicely on the lips and last a decent amount of time. I really am a huge fan of these for a plump and shiny lip.

Ready for the best part? They. Are. Only. $3.49.

Wut.

Essence Spring 2016 Almost Real 03 — “Almost Real” 03

Essence Spring 2016 Colour Party 01 — “Colour Party” 01

Essence Spring 2016 Peach Party 05 — “Peach Party” 05

Essence Spring 2016 Beauty Secret 02 — “Beauty Secret” 02

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My First Time…Using Brow Cream | Becca Shadow & Light Brow Contour Mousse

March 2nd, 2016 by Adia Goss 41 Comments

After being a brow pencil loyalist since forever, I finally tried my first brow cream — new Becca Shadow & Light Brow Contour Mousse ($25).

I’ve always avoided brow creams (and mousses, pomades, etc.) because I was afraid they’d be super thick and make me look like Burt’s long lost sister, but I’m a huge fan of Becca products, so I was cautiously optimistic when I tried this one.

Shadow & Light Brow Contour Mousse comes in a little pot with a waxy brow color on one side and a shimmery highlight creme on the other. It’s available in three shades — Cocoa (for light-medium hair), Cafe (for medium hair) and Mocha (for medium-dark hair). Here’s a closer look at Cocoa and Mocha.

First, the brow color side of these feels pretty firm to the touch but easily blends into my brows, while the highlight color is quite creamy and sticky. As you might be able to see from the top picture, the highlight side isn’t firm at all, and when I went to swatch Cocoa (on the left), I left a HUGE dent in it (oops!).

I didn’t have any problems with wear time (both sides last all day long), but I did discover that, for me, using this brow mousse is more involved and a bit messier than brow pencils and brow gels.

Here are swatches of two of the colors (Cocoa and Mocha):

Cocoa is a cool-toned grayish brown pretty close to my skin color but definitely too light for me to use in my brows. Its accompanying “Arch Defining Creme” (highlighter) is the same color as the one that accompanies Mocha, and it looks much peachier in this swatch than it does on my face. In fact, I think it looks subtle on me and helps to define my brows nicely.

As for Mocha, it’s a warm-toned brown. Since my hair is jet black, I wondered at first if it would be too light for me, but it actually worked! I think that being lighter it gives my brows a softer look and helps me avoid the look of super intense brows.

Here’s a step-by-step on how I use Becca Shadow & Light Brow Contour Mousse:

Step 1 — I brush my brows up using a disposable spoolie.

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An Insider’s Guide to Makeup Shopping in Italy

March 1st, 2016 by Carolina Braina 80 Comments

I don’t know about you, but being the beauty lover that I am, whenever I travel to a foreign country I’m always on the hunt for makeup products I can’t find back home. No fridge magnets for me; lipsticks are my favorite souvenirs! 😉

Follow me today on a little virtual shopping spree of Bologna, so that the next time you visit Italy, you’ll be perfectly capable of finding your way through the Italian beauty jungle on your own.

Let’s go to the old town then, shall we? Since there’s a lot of variety in terms of stores, it’s definitely the best place for shopping, and we can do a bit of sightseeing too… I’ll see you by the Neptune Fountain, Bologna’s most popular meeting point.

Neptune Fountain Bologna Italy — Neptune Fountain and Piazza Maggiore, the main square, in the background

If you’re interested in high-end cosmetics, we should go to a profumeria (beauty store). Most profumerie belong to big retail chains, like Sephora, Limoni or Douglas, but quite a few independent stores still survive. Some of these are called bioprofumerie and only carry natural and organic products. Would you like to check one out?

Limoni Beauty Store Bologna Italy — This Limoni beauty store used to be a church, and it was built in the 18th century. Can you see the décor inside? Pretty cool, eh?

Tortellini Pasta Bologna Italy — Tortellini on display, one of Bologna’s many specialties

Oh, you’re saying you’d rather go to a makeup counter? Well, actually, here we don’t really have makeup counters. Our department stores are usually smaller than those in the US, and most of the time their beauty departments only have self-service aisles instead of counters.

If you’re looking for what you’d call ‘drugstore makeup’, we can’t go to a drugstore.

Why, you ask me? Well, because our drugstores (farmacie) are very different from American ones and don’t sell much else other than medicines. The only beauty products you can find there are French pharmacy skincare (Bioderma, La Roche Posay, Avène, and the like), so if you’re interested in Maybelline or similar Italian brands, we should go to a supermarket instead.

Here, all supermarkets have a beauty corner where you can find products in the drugstore price range. The same types of products can also be found at Acqua & Sapone or Tigotà, two retail chains that specialize in cleaning supplies and personal care items.

I don’t know if you have something similar in the US, but they kinda remind me of drugstores, minus the drugs!

Italian Drugstore Bologna — A farmacia (drugstore) on a pedestrian street in Bologna’s old town

KIKO Store Bologna Italy — In the old town there are nearly 25 miles of porticoes, which will keep us sheltered from any kind of weather

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