Recently I got the chance to try some Studio Gear products. I got to try the Dual Identity Mineral Wet and Dry Foundation, Revitalizing Day Serum, and a #3 Domed Foundatrion Brush.
Lets just start breaking this down: The Mineral Foundation can be used 4 ways. As a powder foundation buffed in with a kabuki/buffing brush. It can be mixed with the Revitalizing Serum to make it a hydrating serum style foundation, or it can be mixed with your own everyday moisturizer. It's also suggested to use with the Day Lotion SPF 15 from Studio Gear to make it a cream foundation or a cream contour if you get a darker shade. You can use it as a Mattifying finishing powder, and then also as a contour powder with the darker shades. This , like I said, can be applied with a brush dry or it can be applied with a damp beauty sponge as well, for a bit more coverage. It can be layered to give you even more coverage as well. There are 8 shades. I have shade Bisque, which is the lightest shade. The foundation runs for $28. They also have a "subscribe and save" option, where you save 10% and it get's delivered every 30 days. Using this, I was blown away with how much coverage just the "dry" powder has by itself, without layering it, using a damp sponge, or mixing it with the serum. What I also love is that while they do serve up great tools to use with their products, you don't have to have special Studio Gear tools to use this like some companies. It helps I'm sure, but if money is a concern then you can use your kabuki brush or sponge that you already own with this product. Here is the link toStudio Gear's YouTube video on how you can use this foundation. I'm gonna go ahead and copy and paste the ingredients for you, so that it's easier right off the bat. This is straight from the company. Not tested on animals Ingredients: Boron Nitride, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Stearate, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Sorbic Acid, Water/Aqua, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Honey Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate. MAY CONTAIN: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77499) Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Manganese Violet (CI 77742). TALC FREE FRAGRANCE FREE PARABEN FREE The Revitalizing Day Serum can be used to mix the foundation and turn it into a liquid/serum foundation. It's also recommended to be applied alone over your moisturizer. It packs a punch to it from just a skin care point of view alone, with some awesome ingredients that, once again, I'm just going to tell copy straight from the website:
The #3 Domed Brush is the softest brush that I own. I kid you not. This brush, I was not excited about at first because the handle was a bit longer than what I like. That doesn't even phase me now, because the brush is THAT GOOD. This brush retails for $40. Currently they have 27 brushes and 3 brush sets. I would absolutely LOVE to own every single brush they have, because I'm so impressed with this brush. When you get the chance, try some of their brushes. You will not be let down unless you actually want unicorn hair and angel kisses for brushes. This brush is said to work specifically well as a buffing brush for liquid foundations. It's domed shape will make it more useful as a "buffing" technique instead of a "stippling" technique like flat top kabuki brushes are good for, Now lets talk a bit about the brand: Studio Gear, which has been around for a while, is known for their brushes. At least that's what I've always known them for. For good reason, they are amazing. They are so amazing in fact, that there is a "lifetime product guarantee" and everything from basic to advanced is covered underneath that policy from what I understand. Which for a company to go ahead and say "listen we promise our brushes will be so amazing, that if something goes wrong we'll replace it no matter if you got it 3 weeks ago or 10 years ago" that speaks VOLUMES to me. This company has "full collection of professional makeup brushes, revolutionizing complexion formulas, and a wide selection of color products for the eyes, cheeks, and lips". With a reasonable, what I like to call "mid-line" price point, these don't break the bank so that's always a plus. Studio Gear was designed with "MUA's in mind" and I think that they accomplished that. With sleek packaging and quality products how can you go wrong? Their motto is "Modern, Classic, Confident", and I feel they exude that, from packaging to quality it's never a question of "trend" or what's popular right now exactly, it's a "staple" concept if you will. I look at them and I think "these are staple products, that I will gladly use today, tomorrow, and keep purchasing years down the road". So basically they live up to their motto in my book. Here is the link to the Dual Identity Wet and Dry Mineral Foundation. $28 Here is the link to the Revitalizing Day Serum. $40 Here is the link to the #3 Domed Foundation Brush. $40 This post is powered by Brand Backer.
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I don't talk about hair products that much, because honestly I really have never used that many. I'm not a hair product junkie. I don't use that many styling products to be honest with you because my hair is pretty manageable and thus I forget often to add a little extra to it. Lately though I've had to get some new hair stuff and then also got interested in some along the way. So I'm gonna share with you some of the things I'm liking right now. First up I've changed up my shampoo. I was using Amika pHerfection shampoo because it is "suflate free". I got to where I felt like it wasn't cleansing my hair that much. It wouldn't lather and was a very thin formula. So recently I got introduced to this INDIE shampoo which is also "sulfate-free" but it lathers up so well. My hair feels super clean. I feel like It's better for the blue streaks in my hair, like it protects the color more. Plus, it smells really good. This one specifically is the #cleansweep one. They have the #untangled conditioner as well as a hefty amount of other products. Just from looking into them it seems they cater to bold colors especially as well as normal hair I'm sure. So it seems to be something for everyone. Next, I had to buy a new straightener. My Paul Mitchell one broke (a moment of silence please), and thus I replaced it with a new one. I've always been a huge face of Bed Head styling tools. I've used their curling irons for years and I feel like they're just as good as Hot Tools or any brand. So I got this one from Ulta. At the time it was on sale for I think $20 at the time but now it's $30. There's a coupon as well for $3.50 off $15 or more so remember that. It's usually listed on the main page of Ulta. This works SO WELL. Good grief. It's slim, holds the hair tight, an flat out amazing. Plus it's cute as can be. This specific one is called the Attention Grabber. I recently got this product at Sephora. This is the OUAI Texturizing Hair Spray. It's the new line from celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkins. Her line has had so much press and so much love, I couldn't wait to try this. I really love it. It smells amazing as well but it give you some amount of hold but a good amount of texture and volume. It's not sticky or anything though like some can be, it's just right to be honest with you. From a hair spray aspect it's has a light hold. So for some of you it might just be a "texturizing spray" and you may need a stronger hold hair spray. I also have the Wave Spray in this line as well but haven't got to try it just yet. Lastly, I have a whole blog post written about this but this is the Overtone Extreme Blue Weekly Treatment. It actually refreshes your color and deposits more semi-permanent color back into your hair. It can be rinsed out with warm water which makes me super happy. You leave it on for about 15 minutes once a week. Use gloves and remember to clip your hair up or put on a shower cap because it will stain your hands and everywhere else. You use it as you would any conditioning hair mask after you've washed your hair with shampoo you put this on the hair and let it sit. I'll leave the link for the full blog post on it here.
So that's that. I know that isn't a ton of products but these are some I've recently acquired and really truly use and love. Plus, like I said earlier, I'm not a huge "hair product junkie" Occasionally (often, almost everyday), I like to stroll (stalk aggressively) through the "Just Arrived" section of Sephora online (aka. Danger Zone). Sometimes I like to do posts about some of the things I'm seeing that I either have or don't have and just chat with you about whether or not I think it's a cool product or if there are some red flags that I would steer clear from. I have quite a list so lets get to it. Dermablend Blurring Mousse Camo Foundation 1 oz $38. There are 12 shades and I would like to see some more so hopefully they'll expand the line. I love Dermablend. I love their foundations and I do think I'm gonna pick this up. I'm a huge fan of the Smooth Liquid Camo (I think it's called). So this is good for: Normal, Oily, Dry, Sensitive, Combination skin types. So basically everyone. It's said to be "An oil-free, medium coverage foundation with a fresh mousse texture that fills in uneven crevices and pores." It's using the same Camo Pigment that is in the other Dermablend foundations and such. Not only is it great for all these skin types including problem skin like acne or rosacea. It will also cover birthmarks, acne scars and so on. Supposedly wearable for 18 hours and has a nautral matte finish. That's some huge claims. I don't know how well it would cover stuff with it being "medium coverage" but stranger things have happened. Other than that I think it sounds amazing. Becca Cosmetics x Jaclyn Hill Split Pans $38. I have one and I have a review on it as well. You can check that out. I love the concept of this. I don't care for Prosecco Pop's color but still I think it's a solid product and worth checking out especially if you've not had the pleasure of trying Becca blushes or shimmering skin perfectors. Foreo Luna Play Save the Sea $39. This is a small set of a Luna Play which is supposed to last "100 uses" and it's not rechargeable. It also comes with a Foreo Day and Night cleansers. I think the set is neat for what you get. However, I have had the Luna Play and it didn't even last me 20 uses. So it's all in how you look at it. If you want something to "try" and not ready to invest the money in just yet, you can try it to see how you like it. My Luna Play was very effective while it worked. Which is what caused me to buy the bigger one. Now some people will see this as a waste of money. Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick $46 .25oz and 26 shades. I don't know how I feel about this honestly. It looks strange because of the triangle shape, which whatever could be no big deal. My main issue is how little product you get. .25 oz for a foundation is not much at all. It's actually one fourth of a standard foundation. So I'd like to see either a lower price or more product. The shade range is incredible I think. They really have a good range of light to deep. Another thing I think is cool is that this claims to "adjust to your body temperature and blend in to your skin". Supposed to be very full coverage and stick foundations usually are. Kat Von D Serpentina Palette $45 8 shadows and 1 loose pigment. This has 2 matte shades, 1 matte shade with glitter, 1 glitter, 4 shimmers, and 1 loose pigment. This has a lot of beautiful shades in it. Beautiful is an understatement they're gorgeous. I take it this was strongly inspired by Egypt or Ancient Egypt because it refers to Egypt a lot in the description. I played with this in store, it was super soft and lovely formula like the Metal Crush shadows with beautiful colors. I did notice some of the swatches especially Nile seemed like it was just dust that didn't swatch good. and I blame that on it being so soft. It didn't adhere to the skin is what I'm saying. I think it would have a lot of fall out. I think it's an "ok" price, not the best but not the worse. The loose pigment is a really cool aspect. The color range is gorgeous. So I do think it would be nice to have even if they did have a lot of fall out because they're soft, buttery and utterly gorgeous colors. Touch in Sol Metallist Liquid Foil and Glitter Duo $25 and 5 shades. Touch in Sol is a Korean beauty brand which just released in Sephora I think. I think this is a really cool product, it's liquid metal eyeshadow basically on one side and glitter on the other. It's supposed to be super long lasting. All the shades they have out right now are pretty neutral and mainstream. You have your champagne, bronze, plum, gold, and cranberry. So I hope they expand. I think this is cool, but I notice everyone is coming out with liquid metal foiled type shadows. They don't have a glitter on the other side but I'm assuming you could add your own glitter and be just fine. I know that Maybelline has a new liquid style Color Tattoo called Eye Chrome. However, it's about $10 so if you needed to buy a glitter it wouldn't be much less than buying this duo which is more convenient. So it's all in whatever your take is on that.
So those are the things I picked that were popular right now, interesting to me, and some that I don't really understand lol. Obviously, the things I've not tried is just a general impression of the product overview and not a genuine review on it. **all pics are from Sephora** NYC Cosmetics just launched their Cosmic Metals Lip Creams. There are 10 shades on the Ulta website but I think there is actually more because one of the shades I'm going to talk about isn't on the website anymore. These are lip creams and not at all like liquid lipsticks. So these transfer, they're heavier, and act more like a super pigmented gloss. Which is fine by me because they are very metallic so I don't mind that they fade away and I'd rather them transfer or fade as opposed to rub off or crumble like a liquid lipstick. These run for $7.49 and if you're lucky sometimes you'll catch it buy one get one 50% off. Plus Ulta always has a $3.50 off coupon. Which is what I done. What I like about this line is that there are odd colors, bright colors, and bold colors. What I don't like so much is that they don't have really good wearable everyday shades too. Like I'd like to see a dark red, a dark berry, a cool toned brown or a taupe maybe. Packaging wise they're really nice and heavy. They're obviously affordable and they don't seem to have any smell to me. They're really pigmented and opaque with lots of shimmer. This shade is "Speed of Light" which isn't on the Ulta site right now. I got this hoping it would be a bit more bronzey and darker. It's more like a rose gold bronze color that's actually quite bright. Still though it's very pretty and different. This shade is "Extraterrestrial". Again it wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be like a dark gunmetal. It's close to that but it has some green in it in my opinion. I really like this because it's soooo different from anything I have. I like how dark it is. As you can probably tell these look very glossy and they kinda feel that way too. So once again, if you're looking for a metallic liquid lip then this is not your bag. So all in all I think these are really nice formula wise and as far as a lip cream goes. I do wish they had some more wearable shades like I said earlier because these aren't something I'm going to wear that often. That's about the only con I can give you on these.
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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! Categories
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