 It's fixing to change seasons and with the change of every season there comes new trends in makeup. Some we kind of expect others are a nice surprising change. This one above is the "strobing" trend. I have an entire post about it and it's not exactly a new trend. It's actually been popular most of the summer but it looks like it's going to keep right on going into fall as well. In the picture above I'm using Champagne Pop from Becca Cosmetics. Other good things to use would be cream or liquid illuminators. You can check out my post on strobing to read more about it.  Next trend is "electric eyes" I like to think this can be anything that is colorful, not just blue. Also I feel like colored liner would do good as well if you aren't comfortable wearing blue or colored eye shadow. Some good liners with lots of colors are Urban Decay 24/7 liners. As well as Benefit Push Up liners they have colors that are a little more wearable seeing as how they're darker. Anastasia Beverly Hills offers colors as well in there Creme Waterproof formula. In the above look I'm wearing Stila "sapphire" kajal on the waterline (it's not available anymore unfortunately), Makeup Geek shadows in Poolside and Pegasus. ABH shadow in Blue Velvet.  The next trend is pretty much expected. It's berry lips. Which is always wearable for fall. Liquid lipsticks are still very popular and I do really like them for darker colors. This one is Vamp from ABH. Colour Pop and Sephora both have good options that are cheaper. As well as LA Girl Cosmetics and NYX.  The picture above and below are the "feathered brows". The one above is still a little bit sculpted, the one below is a bit more feathery. What you're seeing is basically trying to pull away from the sculpted intense brow that we've seen for a while. This is still filled in but it looks a little more natural. I'll have a more in depth post up about this next week, that will include the best products for it and grooming tricks. Until then if you want to try this I recommend to take your time and work with small amounts of product first so that you don't look so sculpted and intense.  If you're into these and you enjoy Instagram check out @sephora instagram, especially the #trendingatsephora link. It gives you a good idea of the latest trends and how to do them.
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 **this picture above is the product picture from Sephora. A little while ago Cover FX released something new and revolutionary to the makeup world. Custom Cover Drops. Long story short, the idea behind this is that you can control your coverage without altering the finish of whatever product you use with it. So for example, if you really like the finish of NARS Luminous Weightless Foundation but you'd like it to be more coverage but just as thin and weightless you would add some of these drops to the equation and the coverage would increase. Or if you don't like foundation at all but need coverage you could add these drops to a primer or moisturizer etc etc and have the feeling of the product and the coverage from the drops as if you had used foundation.   For the look you are seeing, I added two drops to my moisturizer and went from there. I didn't use primer, nor did I go over it again with another layer. It worked really well. The color I have is a bit off but none the less it works fine. I used concealer as I normally would. In the pictures: top left is no foundation just corrector under the eyes, the second picture is moisturizer with two drop of custom cover, the bottom left is my concealer added in as normal and the bottom right is the rest of my makeup so contour, blush, and lips. It does look really good and I'm very impressed with this whole concept. It's a great product and if you have foundation troubles I would get it for sure.  Angels are singing as I sit and stare at the new Kat Von D Metal Crush shadow in Thunderstruck. These released last week. I only ordered one because I wanted to see how the formula was. Needless to say its amazing. I was looking at this in the pan and was thinking that it looked silver-ish white, it's described as "metallic pearl" on the Sephora site so I was kinda disappointed. Then I swatched it.....oh my gosh. It's an ivory white base with a duo chrome/sheen of a peachy-pink gold. It's stunning and quite frankly my most favorite shadow that I own. Right up there with Too Soon from Colour Pop which is kinda similar to this but more peach based. These are huge as well. There is 10 shades on Sephora all though the description says there are 11 but I only counted 10. They come in bright colors and a few neutral colors. They're .10oz and that's double the size of a MAC regular shadow. They are $21 and totally worth it I think. You get a lot of product and they're a great formula. They're super soft and crazy pigmented. I thought they would be more like a foiled shadow but they're not they're more metallic. I love that though. Foiled shadows aren't incredibly wearable every single day because they're so shiny on the lid and it's the focus of the whole look. This is super wearable. I applied it dry and wet and it worked out well. Applied wet it is a little more intense and shiny but not by a lot it's just as beautiful dry just with a little less shine.   The swatches above are applied with no primer. Primer is recommended though. The left side is just looking at the swatch straight down. The right side is my hand moved toward the light and looking at the swatch from the side which is where the super intense look comes in. The swatch below is the same as the right side just zoomed out more.   Thunderstuck is on the center and inner corner of the lid. I used it with ABH Artist Palette the shade Augergine and Baby I'm A Star as a halo around Thunderstruck. The lashes are Bianca lashes from Lena Lashes. This is beautiful especially if you have a plum or burgundy shadow you like to use, it goes together so nicely.
As you know I wear fake lashes in 90% of my looks. I have really thin lashes and kinda short so I look like I don't have any especially in dramatic looks so I always wear false lashes for makeup looks especially. In this I'm wearing Nubounsom 3D Mink lashes. I have an entire post about them if you're curious.  After I've finished my eye makeup I apply mascara. Just a thin coat to blend in with the lashes. I use brush on glue because you don't waste as much, it's thinner, it dries faster and just all around easier. Sometimes the lashes don't always stay on as long with it as it does the water proof squeeze tube but it does just fine for me and it's easy to touch up if one side comes unglued. I use tweezers to hold and apply the lashes so that I don't bend the actual lash hairs and flatten them.   I was browsing on Sephora the other day and seen where Ardency Inn's shadow in Royal was back in stock so I jumped on it and decided to try two of their shadows. I normally don't buy individual shadows in compacts because I use my customized single shadow palettes so much that I forget about my other shades. Plus they're expensive, unless it's Colour Pop which you know I love. A regular compact shadow would be anywhere from $16-$22 usually. These are $21 a piece. That's expensive if you ask me. They have great reviews though and I loved the Royal color so I went for it.  First thing I noticed and was a little disappointed about was that they were small. It's .06 oz which is about the size of a MAC shadow ($16) and slightly smaller than a Makeup Geek pan ($6). The packaging it self is really small too, which I like. It won't take up much space or anything. It's slim and the lid closes magnetically which I really like as well, you don't wreck your nails trying to get into it. The colors I chose were Royal and Peacock. Royal is an insanely deep grape color. It's got a beautiful sheen to it. These are crazy pigmented. They don't disappoint at all as far as product goes. It beautiful, it goes on well, there's just not enough good things to say about it. Very impressive. Not patchy or chalky in texture. Peacock is a duo chrome that has a reddish brown base with a blue green sheen over top. It's very pretty. It reminds me a bit of Urban Decay shadow in Lounge. If they even still make it. This isn't as red as that but still same concept. It's a unique color in general. This is one of those shades that if you put a base underneath it, it's going to be a different look. I have a whole post on it but if you use a white base under this it would be brighter and if you use a dark base it's going to bring out the duo chrome a little more. So that's why I love it, there's a lot of different possibilities with duo chromes and this one especially.  For this look I used Royal on the lid with Makeup Geek In The Spotlight foiled shadow over top of ABH China Rose on the inner corner and inner third of the lid. ABH Fresh Peach and Violet is in the crease. My brows aren't jiving with me in this though so don't mind that. The shadow applied evenly and perfect. It's not as butter soft as you expect it's a little dry in texture but is still great quality. Which I like that it's a little more dry it's not going to crease on you as bad. When they're super soft they have more oils in them and tend to crease on the lid through out the day. These are made to be used without primer if you want. They were "inspired" by music shows, so they're made to hold up well and also have an intense color pay off for both on stage and off. "They're organic and mineral pressed pigments enriched with Manuka Honey", not sure what the purpose of the Manuka Honey is but they have a color pigmentation up to 78% in some shades and I believe it! They have 11 shades. Although almost always two or more shades are sold out. So go check them out if you're interested. They are very good, it's just up to you if you want to pay $21 for one shadow. I think they're great though and if you find a shade you absolutely love then it's worth it because the pigmentation and long wear of them will be hard to beat.   Alright so, one thing I don't talk about here on my blog too much is skincare. I'm don't work in the skincare field so I don't like to review it that much because skincare is a tricky business. I have fairly good skin. It's not super dry and not super oily. I would say it's more dry than normal though. I've been blessed to never have acne. I do get blemishes here and there but I wouldn't call them "break outs". I'm not sensitive to anything that I know of, but I do have some pink around the nose and cheeks.
Or I did...... This is a product that I've used daily for 10 weeks. I use it before makeup. Don't let the Oil Free term fool you it's gonna work for you dry gals too! This is quite simply the best moisturizer I've ever used. There, I said it. I'm not one to make such bold statements in the beauty world but finding your holy grail moisturizer is somewhat of an achievement in my book. This was the only thing I changed in my skincare routine and my skin loves it. I'm telling you, my skin is softer, it's smoother, I rarely get a blemish. Even my pigmentation got better. Not to say that every day is a "no foundation" type of day that I can get away with but some days are! I didn't want to review this until I'd had plenty of time to review it even though right off the bat I knew I liked it. Part of the reason I like it is because it's simple. It's a simple moisturizer with no frills but it does the job so well and goes way beyond what I want a moisturizer to do, which is.....moisturize. The biggest difference I noticed was how soft and smooth my skin felt. Not saying it got rid of all texture issues but for the majority it really did. I actually get compliments on my skin now because it's so balanced and soft. Now keep in mind I didn't have any major issues, so I don't know if it's gonna work miracles on scars or acne or severe redness. All I'm saying is that for me who was someone who had decent skin but it wasn't quite there yet, this changed the game. I got mine from Dermstore online. I believe it was $29 at the time or around that. You get 50ml so it's a pretty standard size. It's a pump bottle and the product is white and unscented. Like no scent whatsoever. It absorbs quickly into the skin and one pump is usually good for the whole face. I will gladly repurchase this when the time comes because it is a staple of my skincare routine now. I don't see myself changing anytime soon either.  Welcome back, how's your day going? I wanted to talk about my current favorite highlighters because of this "strobing" epidemic we have going on. Also because so many are coming out right now that it got me thinking about the ones I grab the most. So this is just "current" favorites because it changes from time to time. You always run across something better, better formula, better color, more subtle, less subtle, etc. So as of right now, these four highlighters are my favorite highlighters.
 First and foremost, the front runner of the highlighters is cult favorite Becca Opal. Becca makes the best highlighters plain and simple. They're smooth, not chunky glitter and the sheen is insanely bright. So this isn't subtle highlighting. It's very intense. It's more of a beige tone. It's not gonna work amazingly well on super fair people. It's also quite cool toned. It's like a silver beige highlight. Not golden like a typical highlighter.  Next is Laura Mercier Highlight 01. This is a subtle highlight. It's a very soft golden champagne glow. I love it for everyday because it's simple and it just adds a little something extra to your makeup, where as Opal is more in your face. You can also pack this on pretty heavy and it won't "over do" anything.  After that we have Colour Pop Smoke and Whistles. First their formula is very different. It's applied best with your fingers but I can use a dense kabuki brush that is synthetic and it works fine. This is another cool toned highlight with a more silver-ish pink sheen but it's quite a few shades lighter than Opal. So if you like Opal but it's too dark for you then try Smoke and Whistles. Plus they're only $8. It can also be really intense too. So it's perfect for "strobing".  Lastly is The Balm Mary Lou-manizer. This is my second favorite formula in highlighters next to Becca. It's actually really really similar to Becca's formula. This is a really pale gold and very intense. It takes forever to hit pan on one of these because the smallest amount will get you the highlight you need. They only offer 3 shades in highlighters but they are amazing plain and simple.
 Sephora released new concealers for the Sephora Collection. They are, I'm assuming, along the same lines as the Urban Decay Weightless Concealer considering that both formulas are gel/serum like. This is half the price ($14) of the Urban Decay one ($28). Since I love the Urban Decay one so much I wanted to get this to compare and I really don't feel like you can ever have too much concealer. Let's get into it. They put out an outstanding color range. There are 20 shades. Urban Decay only has 8. I got the shade Fondant. Which is really similar to NARS Creamy Concealer in Vanilla. The shade I have in Urban Decay is Light Warm. It's more yellow and I like a little more yellow but this shade works fine too.   The first thing and biggest downside is the applicator. It's very odd. It doesn't give you a lot of product, and considering the actual coverage of the concealer, that's not good. It's made to where product only is on the tip of the wand basically. I find you have to dot it somewhat, it get's very sheer if you try to drag it along. So I think it would be WAY better if it was a doe foot wand or a flat wand. That way you wouldn't have to be constantly putting it back in the bottle to get more product 4 or 5 times.  So this is two swatches. The left side is blended immediately, the right is blended after about a minute. They don't look much different but the right side is fuller coverage. When I first used this I blended it out right off the bat and it didn't give me the coverage I wanted. Today I let it sit (or bake or cook whatever you want to call it) for about 3-5 minutes and it was fuller coverage and also really brightening. So if you want to try it I would let it sit for a few minutes and then PAT it out with your finger. I don't even think I'd use a beauty blender with it. All in all I found this to be very brightening and when used the right way, a pretty good concealer that I'm happy with. The key is just letting it sit on the skin for a few minutes. If you aren't into that and want great coverage right off the bat then I would look at the Urban Decay they both are weightless, so you don't feel them. I didn't notice if this went into fine lines on me, since I find most concealers do, that's not a deal breaker for me. I still think this is a pretty good product for the price. If it was as expensive as NARS or Urban Decay I would pass, but I actually like it because it is weightless and used the right way it does a pretty good job of concealing.
 I got a deluxe sample of the new YSL primer they just released. First thing you notice is it has gold flecks in it. Second thing is that it's gel. Third is that it smells AMAZING. It says the shimmer in it is supposed to illuminate the skin and all that jazz while the primer itself blurs pores and imperfections and the oils that it's made up of make the skin softer without feeling greasy. What I found is you don't really see the gold flecks except one here or there when you put it on, which is fine with me, but kinda defeats it's purpose. It does make the skin feel very soft and it doesn't feel tacky or anything. Most primers are tacky and if you rub too much it can roll up on you. This one really doesn't do that. I love that it's gel formula. I love the scent. I love how soft my skin is when I put it on. I really do like it. I don't think it pro longs the wear of your foundation but it definitely does apply better and smoother. It's $52 if you buy the entire bottle and even as much as I like it I doubt I'll get it unless I just wanted to splurge. The sample actually has a lot of product in it that will last for a while and I also still really love the Makeup Forever Primers. Plus the fact that the gold in it doesn't really make a difference that I can see thus I don't want to spend that much on primer. That's just me though! It might be revolutionary for some because it is a good product. I'm just happy with what I currently have.  I GAVE IN! That's all I can say. This is the newest shade and collaboration from Becca Cosmetics and Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Champagne Pop. This is limited edition. It's still available online and it will be in stores in July 16th I believe.  First impressions of this is that just like other Becca highlighters they are smooth and creamy. Insanely pigmented and glowy like you wouldn't believe. This is definitely golden peach in tone. It's lighter than Opal highlighter and more warm.   This is really beautiful. It's a bit darker than Mary Lou-Manizer from The Balm which is what most will compare it to, it's the same intensity I think though.   Soooooooooo.........I busted out all my highlighters to find a possible dupe. So the closest I found, and it's pretty dang close, is Makeup Forever Pro Sculpt and Duo in Shade 2. Makeup Forever on the left and Becca on the right. Makeup Forever is just a touch more gold and I don't feel the formula is the same but color wise they are very very close.
My final thought is that this is a great highlighter. If you don't have a lot of highlighters I would definitely choose it cause it's always nice to have a golden and peachy highlighter and I really don't think you can do better than Becca Cosmetics, it's also a great shade for a lot of skin tones where Becca Opal is darker and more beige-y silver. However, although this is beautiful, since I have something very similar to it I don't deem it as necessary. Not saying it's bad because it's not it just isn't entirely different in color than what I would have wanted. |
ErinI'm from Tennessee. I'm a makeup and skincare lover. I have always enjoyed creating looks but I love to help people with product knowledge and application even more. I've been able to start blogging and do these things I love because God has seen fit to bless me with the opportunity. Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me! 
  
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