Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
Sunset Marble Blush
2nd Love Baked Powders Collection: Marble Blushes
2nd Love was founded by a fellow UC Irvine alumnist Terry Hsiao, who graduated in 2005, and is now working on developing her own cosmetic line. When Terry first approached me, I started to get excited as soon as I visited 2nd Love’s website, particularly because it is well-designed and the quality of the product photos is excellent. (If only all brands had such high quality imagery for us to drool over!) I also thought it would be fitting to check out this line with MAC’s Colour Craft Collection debuting later this week.
The 2nd Love Collection currently includes six eyeshadow duos, four marble blushes, and three Glow n’ Bronzers. According to Terry, the powders are made with a special formula containing a high content of pearl powder. The baked powders can be used wet or dry and are longer wearing than traditional pressed powder products. Together, they are designed to create a collection of soft, sheer powders that provide intense color and flawless coverage.
- Sunset is a marbleized powder with hints of warm brown, cool pink, and dirty gray. It translates into a soft, dirty pink. I imagine on some complexions this might come off a bit muddy, but for others, it will be a nice, subdued blusher.
- Sunshine is a soft pink with silvery sheen. In the pot, it’s a mixture of soft white and deeper pink.
- Terra Cotta is a soft, peachy color with a soft sheen. The pot is a marbleized concoction of peachy-gold, copper, and pink. I liked this one a lot, just because it adds warmth to cheeks without too much color, so it’s a very natural-looking shade.
- Amber is a soft, cool pink with light sheen. I wore this alone with mascara and a tinted lip balm, and I got so many compliments on the cheeks!
OVERALL, 2nd Love’s Marble Blushes ($12.00 each for 5.6g/0.2 oz.) are soft, smooth baked powder blushes. Their intensity is designed to be softer rather than in-your-face, and I think they succeed in that area. All four blushes are extremely wearable for a full range of skin tones, and the layer well to build up the color. They can also be used wet to increase intensity, too. I didn’t find any of them too glittery; in fact, they all seemed to have a nice sheen rather than shimmer/glitter particles. I found that the blushes wore well throughout the day, and they didn’t fade much, if at all. I have found that mineralize blushes and the like do tend to have less staying power than traditional powder blushes for me, at least.
Of course, I know you are wondering how 2nd Love’s Marble Blushes compare to MAC’s Mineralize Blushes. I do feel that they are different products in some ways, and of course, similar in others. The biggest difference is the price — MAC mineralize blushes run $21.00 each for 3.5g/0.11 oz. Some of MAC’s mineralize blushes do pack more pigment/color pay off than 2nd Love’s (e.g. Merrily). I’d say 2nd Love’s Marble Blushes just give a softer finish, softer glow.
Check out product photos and swatches… Continue reading →
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
Eyeshadows: #5
Let’s dive into some of Make Up For Ever’s orange and yellow eyeshadows! Personally, I skipped on some of the more intense, straight yellows, just because I tend not to look good in those shades (Chrome Yellow, anyone?), so I need more time to swatch and play with them in person before getting any of those.
- #5
is a matte orange-coral. Smooth, pigmented, and easy to use, #5 is quickly becoming a favorite. It’s nice on the eyes, but I love it as a blush. Just be careful, because a little goes a long way, and it’s better to build up than buff out.
- #10
is a shimmery, true golden yellow. This is the equivalent of Goldmine eyeshadow with a little less orange and less frostiness.
- #153
is a peachy-orange shade with gold shimmer. When I saw it at IMATS, it reminded me of a deeper MAC Say Yeah eyeshadow (which was limited edition, and I also adore it!). It is definitely similar, but it is a bit more intense. I love this to highlight cheeks on top of #5. It just gives it a nice glow and softness. This also works well on the eyes, too. And if #5 is a new blush favorite, #153 is a new cheek highlighting favorite.
- #102
is a matte, pale beige-y color (or off-white, if you prefer). They describe it as “eggshell,” and it’s a rather apt description. It makes for a good neutral matte highlighter when you may already have frost overkill on the eyes.
- #101
is a soft, pale white-gold with pale gold shimmer. Of the shadows I’ve really worked with so far, this is one of the few that has been more disappointing. I find the pay off to be a bit glittery/chunky and not smooth like I’ve come to expect from the brand. It also seems to be the same when used in application, too. I thought I’d use it as a nice highlighter, but it doesn’t work well for that purpose either.
Which of these are your favorites?
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Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
Make Up For Ever #158 Eyeshadow
Make Up For Ever Eyeshadows ($19.00 each) and Diamond Eyeshadows ($20.00) each are sold individually in single-sized compacts. What’s nifty about the compacts is that they’re already magnetized and there’s no depotting necessary. If you need to pop one out, just take a pair of tweezers to do so (I do this to prevent any “oops!”). You can also purchase the eyeshadows in pan-form only (I believe that those are $13.00 each) and then fit them into 10-pan palettes (I believe those are $13 as well).
- #158
is a matte, medium red. It goes on smoothly, has good pigmentation, and it doesn’t have a chalky texture. Because of the intensity of the red pigment, this color may stain lids temporarily. Compared with 99, this is a much subtler red. I like that it doesn’t have any noticeable brown in it, so it doesn’t come out brick red.
- #99
is a matte, bright apple red. It feels like velvet when swatched, and it packs a lot of color without much product. This one, like 158, may also stain lids temporarily.
- #75 is a matte, bright hot pink. This is the shade I used in yesterday’s look, and it definitely gives you a nice pop of bright pink color. It, too, will stain your lids, though. I didn’t wear a base beyond my lid, and anywhere I had #75 above my lid, it stained. It is pretty easy to work with and feels like a buttery matte with no chalkiness to it.
- #85 is a shimmery, soft pink. This is a pretty color, and it reminds me of MAC Pink Freeze, just not as gritty/glittery. This is smoother, and while it doesn’t pack a lot of color, it is a nice all-over-lid shade to brighten up eyes.
- #303
is a shimmery, pale pastel pink. All Make Up For Ever shadows that start with a 3 (e.g. #3_ _) are Diamond Eyeshadows. According to the brand, Diamond Eyeshadows is a combinatoin of their Diamond Powders and their regular Eyeshadows. No matter what you call it, they’re shimmery and iridescent. This is almost like a pink-meets-lilac color, but it runs a bit pastel and cool-toned with subtle silvery-pink shimmer.
To avoid staining: make sure to layer a base underneath wherever you’re going to put a shadow that has the potential to stain. When I used #75 on my eyes, it only stained above my crease, where I laid it down directly onto skin. The staining does fade after about a day or so, though.
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
YSL Fall 2009 Collection Sneak Peek – Part 3
YSL for Fall 2009 sees the introduction and limited release of three cream blushes, available in Velvety Peach, Powdery Rose, and Silky Praline ($38.00 each). YSL describes them as…
Velvety soft, airy, as light as a cloud… A delicious texture that melts on the skin and brings a rosy warmth to the cheeks. A sensual cream blush that becomes an irresistible powdery veil on contact with the skin, accentuates the cheekbones and instantly illuminates the face. No layered effect, no mask feeling… just a touch of bare-skin color for a radiant, natural-looking glow.
I would definitely have to agree with the soft, airiness of the product. It feels extremely light to the touch, and it is certainly creamy–without being thick or goopy. I was able to play with Powdery Rose, which is a soft, pale pink when sheered out. It can be layered for more intense color or sheered out for subtle color, depending on your preferences and needs. There’s just the faintest shimmer/sheen in it, but the sheerer you wear it, the less noticeable the shimmer is. I prefer to use a stippling brush like the 188 to apply this to cheeks, because it gives you more control over the application and allows you to build up the intensity to the level you want without any fuss.
Check out the swatches… Continue reading →
Monday, May 25th, 2009
Benefit’s CORALista ($28.00) is fast becoming a cult favorite amongst the beauty crowd. It’s 0.42 oz. of a lightly warmed up coral-pink powder blush that works well to give you a soft, summery flush. It’s housed in cute packaging (exactly what I’d expect from Benefit!) and includes a miniaturized brush that fits inside. The brush is so-so, as most included brushes are, and I much prefer to use a traditional blush brush with this product. But it is nice to have something that can be toted with it, too.
What’s really fantastic about this shade of blush is it goes on extremely natural–you get a soft, glowy sheen with just a touch of coral color. It’ll instantly brighten up your complexion, and it is such a great product for summer when less is definitely more. There is a bit of a flora fragrance that’ll sneak out of the box each time you open it, so if you’re sensitive to fragrance, that might be a reason to check it ou before you purchase.
CORALista isn’t too warm, so it is great for a range of skintones–not just warmer toned faces. Since it can be built up in intensity, you don’t have to worry about overdoing it from the get go. There’s no chunky glitter or large shimmer particles, but there is a soft sheen/fine shimmer in it. (It’s what gives you the “glow.”)
If you’ve found NARS blushes to run too shimmery, you might find Benefit CORALista more up your alley. If you’re a bit hesitant because of the price tag, NARS’ blushes are $25 for only 0.16 oz. and MAC’s blushes are $18.00 for 0.21 oz., which makes Benefit cheaper by the ounce. CORALista is one of those easy-to-wear, everyday colors, so it is also a practical purchase you’ll use forever.
See the inside & get swatches! Continue reading →
Monday, May 18th, 2009
Benefit Posietint ($28.00) is a lip and cheek stain in a cool, bright pop of pink. The bottle feels very small, but this is a product where less is most definitely more! You need very little — just a little dot on each cheek, then blend either with fingers or a stippling brush (I love the 188 for all cream/liquid products). I do recommend applying cheek at a time, because you need to work fairly fast. If you’re new to liquid/cream cheek products, I implore you to start off slowly so you don’t end up with any splotchiness!
The color of Posietint does run a bit cool, but I still think it’s quite wearable for all skin tones, as I liked the soft, natural pinking it gave my cheeks. It was just perfect for that barely-there-flush to match with barely-there makeup. The color of the box (pictured above) is very much the color of the product itself (but you can compare with the swatch, too). With summer nearing, I start reaching for creamy blushes, because I use them as a base. I layer a cream blush on my cheeks after foundation, then apply a powder blush or powder highlight to set the cream blush. I set my whole face by applying translucent loose powder, and I find my makeup gets me through even the hottest days.
One great thing about Posietint is that you can build up the intensity of the stain, either on lips or on cheeks. Just keep layering and blending it onto cheeks (or lips!) to increase the color until you get to the level you desire. I’d say I like it more on cheeks than lips, but on lips it helps add more “natural” pink to my otherwise kind of muted-mauve-dead lips.
Recommended For
Oily skinned folks — this is less likely to slide around if you set it
Ladies on the go; super easy to apply
Work-safe looks, because it just gives you enhanced natural cheek color
Summerproof makeup — stays on longer than powder blushes, less likely to budge/smear
Have you tried Benefit’s Posietint? What did you think?
See it on! Continue reading →
