Bronzer
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| Birchbox November 2017 |
In contrast to the somewhat un-exciting Birchbox offerings in the last few months, I was very impressed with this month's offering so much that I decided to write about it.
It came with the usual cardboard drawer box featuring this month's collaboration with Vogue. I think this was a good thing as the product samples provided were mostly from known brands.
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - Full Size RRP £9
I've been a loyal fan of Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat since I started blogging and have gone through at least 3 of these, that's impressive considering I have never finished a bottle of nail varnish! My latest bottle is on its last coats and I was happily surprised that a full sized version came with this box.
Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream Sample Size - Standard Size is RRP £21
This box came with a handy travel sized version of Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. This cold winter season is the best time to receive this to keep your hands (feet, body, anywhere else!) soft and supple. I'm a strong advocate for moisturising to prevent premature ageing skin. My skin soaks this up without any greasy residue, and it smells of cherry blossoms too!
Benefit Hoola Bronzer Travel Size - Standard Size is £24.50
This is one of my favourite bronzers and the handy travel size is perfect for short trips.
Percy & Reed Volumising No Oil Oil Sample Size - Standard Size is £14
I admit, despite these years of beauty blogging, I am hopeless when it comes to fancy hair care. My hair routine is simple - grease-fighting shampoo for my oily scalp, air-drying my hair naturally and brushing down with a tangle-teaser. I'm not certain whether I would get much use of this one and I'll probably end up giving it away.
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| Birchbox Brush Cleaner on (Tiny) Size 6 Hands |
Birchbox Brush Cleaner £5
I currently use this larger grooved silicone oven glove from Amazon to wash my brushes with, but the Birchbox Brush Cleaner is a lot smaller and therefore perfect for travels to provide a deep-yet-gentle clean. I add a dollop of Dove Liquid Hand Wash with Shea Butter and Warm Vanilla to the mitt and swirl the brush on the brush cleaner until the bristles are clean and leave to air dry. Perfect.
As you can see, subscribing to this month's box is especially good value for money. If there's anything from this post you like, you can purchase a single box at £5 off using this link: Birchbox, no commitment necessary!
Livia | The Skin and Beauty Blog
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| L'oreal Telescopic Mascara, Benefit Hoola Bronzer, BareMinerals Original Foundation, BareMinerals Matte Foundation, Benefit That Gal Primer, BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Review |
Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer. This pink-tinted face primer partially corrects the sallowness of my yellow skin while also providing a smooth base for foundation. I would wait a few minutes for this to set in prior to the next step. I found this to be non comedogenic for my combination skin. Unlike most primers this does not feel too siliconey which is great.
BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream. This gel formula gives light to medium coverage on the skin with SPF30. It works very well with the benefit primer above.
BareMinerals SPF15 Matte Foundation. This loose powder product is fab to set the oily tzone with. It keeps shine at bay for about 4-6 hours prior to having to reapply again, and that's on my oily nose.
BareMinerals SPF15 Original Foundation. Loving this to set foundation on the rest of my face. It provides a natural finish, similar to MAC mineralised skinfinish natural powders.
Benefit Hoola Bronzer Powder. I've gone back to this matte taupe for contouring the face. Such a good quality product, I believe this is my second box.
L'Oréal Paris Telescopic Mascara. Lately my lids have been eyeliner free I suppose in the interests of time I have often gone straight for mascara. This lovely brush has small bristles yet pack a punch to create thick long lashes. Definitely one to try!
Livia | The Skin and Beauty Blog
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| December Favourites from NARS, MAC, Charlotte Tilbury, Bare Minerals, L'oreal and By Terry |
Every so often I shop my stash and rotate my products around, but these products have somewhat made it into my regular routine this December. Battling against central heating indoors and the chilly winds outdoors keeping my makeup in check. Let's go through them shall we?
Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Bronzed Garnet. Supposedly meant to emphasize green eyes, I've been using this autumn/winter-perfect shade to match my brown peepers. I've recently reviewed this eyeshadow pencil in a previous post. You can read it HERE.
MAC Select Cover Up Concealer NW25. Harsh drying environments call for moisturising products. MAC's select cover up concealer does the trick. It's medium coverage and wonderfully hydrating while non-creasing. I like to use this on my dark circles underneath the eyes, but it works well for the rest of the face too.
BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Buttercream. I'm totally late to this Complexion Rescue party. This tinted sunprotecting moisturiser provides a light veil of colour on the skin to subtly even out skin imperfections. It applies like a gel and feels like a cream on the skin. I also love that it contains SPF30.
MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation NC25. This product is perhaps the most re-purchased of all my MAC makeup. Its a medium coverage powder that is easy to build to a full coverage. It feels quite light on the skin. I pat it on top of my foundation with a large kabuki brush.
By Terry Mascara Terrybly. I picked up this sample size and its lasted the last two months. Truly impressed. It coats my lashes a natural black shade (not too stark) and the brush is easy enough to use, although I still sometimes coat my upper lid, but that's oriental droopy-ish lids for you. I am thinking of purchasing a full size of this, we'll see if I come across something better.
NARS Laguna Bronzer. You can tell how much I love this bronzer - I've hit pan! It's wonderful on yellow-toned olive skin (I believe the other one Casino is for the pink-toned). It mimics a natural tan on my skin. I use it to subtly contour the face with a pointed face brush.
NARS Lustre Blush. I think this is one of the most under-rated NARS blushes. It provides that healthy peachy golden glow that's not too sparkly (NARS Super Orgasm, I'm looking at you!). It creates a healthy flush on the cheeks perfect for these pale winter days. It is one of my favourite blushes and yes my to-go blush this winter.
That ends my ramblings today. Have you tried any of these products? By the way, Merry Christmas to y'all!
Livia | The Skin and Beauty Blog
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| By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Review, Swatches |
If you've not been hiding under a shell or kept up in work/university, I'm sure you would have heard of the buzz in the beauty scene from By Terry. Makeup artist extraordinaire Terry de Gunzburg has recently launched the By Terry Light-Expert Click Brush (£48) which comes in 6 shades: from Rosy Light to Amber Brown for very fair to tan olive skintones. (They claim they are still working on making one for dark skintones).
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| By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Review, Swatches |
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| By Terry Light Expert Click Brush Review, Swatches |
The idea for the product itself is a step up from the YSL Touche Eclat. The tube is far bigger, with a slanted kabuki brush on the top. The product is dispensed at 4 points for even application. The kabuki itself is completely detachable from the tube, allowing cleaning and drying, tackling a common problem with click-pen type products. What's more is that you can open up the product and directly see how much product you have left.
The formula itself is dreamy. It has a gel-like consistency that just blends oh-so-well! It dries to a non-drying matte finish and lasts the whole day.
Depending on which shades you pick up, you can use it as a highlighter, foundation (my shade match is Peach Beige) or as a bronzer such as what I picked up.
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| By Terry Light Expert Click Brush in Amber Swatched on NC30 Skin |
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| By Terry Light Expert Click Brush in Amber Blended on NC30 Skin |
I have the shade in Amber Brown (pictured) and I do love it. On my skin tone it is a tan shade with a hint of peach. It looks very natural as a contour shade albeit a little sun-kissed looking than plain ol' brown taupe. I love it.
Shivanee and I love the By Terry Light-Expert Click Brush and we give this four thumbs up. If weren't for the expensive price tag, we wouldn't think twice of repurchasing this amazing product!
Livia | The Skin and Beauty Blog
We glow-loving ladies have always been fans of Pixi by Petra's Tinkerbell-fairy-themed products. As I make my rounds in the beauty section of Target, Pixi's luminous aisle always catches my attention. In the past two months, Pixi was so generous to send us some summer must-haves. The products are as follows:
1 - Nail Colour in Coral Cantaloupe - 7/10
This is a Bright Coral color with a hint of Gold Shimmer - perfect summer combination! It can look orange in sunlight. It's consistency is just right - not too watery, not too thick. Easy to apply.
Personally, it is not a color that I would buy. I am more of a toned-down, plain lacquer type of girl and this polish is a just a step down from being fluorescent. Nonetheless, it is still a fun wear.
2 - Quick Fix Powder - Translucid - 8/10
This white loose powder comes in a compact attached to a little sponge (which reminds me of a powder puff) and a mirror on top, which makes for easy application. The product is light-weight and becomes invisible when applied. This is probably one of the best translucid powders I have tried as it prevented my make up from being sticky and heavy after hours in the sun (I was out and about for around 5 hours in sunny San Diego).
3 - Eye Bright Liner - 10/10
My favorite among the bunch! This pencil moved it's way up to my make up bag, dethroning my all time favorite MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow. The product is pearly white and smooth, making it easy to apply. Perfect to line the waterlines and inner corners of the eyes. It also makes a good highlighter, as I also use it to brighten up other areas of my face. Bravo, Pixi!
4 - Makeup Fixing Mist - 7/10
This is probably the most beautiful among these products. It reminded me of those glowing lights in the trees you see in fairy movies. I does feel very refreshing when sprayed, but I found that it made my make up a little sticky.
5 - Endless Silky Eye Pen in Bronze Beam - 9/10
I love Pixi's Silky Eye Pens. They're smooth and glide on your eyes like butter. Bronze Beam is metallic brown and you can see a hint gold shimmer under light. It is very pigmented. A little goes a long way with this pencil!
6 - Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir - 9/10
Also smooth and pigmented. It can well may be a cheaper alternative to MAC Feline Eye Pencil. Black Noir is the classic jet black eyeliner that make-up enthusiasts of all generations have deemed essential.
7 - Quick Fix Bronzer in Velvet Bronze - 10/10
My second favorite among the bunch, which also moved it's way up to my
make up bag. It's a loose powder that comes in the same compact as the
translucid powder. This was the perfect shade for my NC35-NC40 face. Light as a feather; it does not make harsh contour lines like other
bronzers do.
8 - Tinted Brilliance Balm in Unique Pink - 7/10
This reminded me of these "magic lipsticks" I had in my childhood, where the product is a completely different color when applied (e.g. my yellow lipstick turned red on my lips). Not a bad thing though; I found myself in the same state of awe when I applied this lip balm. This peppermint-flavored lip balm is comparable to the old Wet n' Wild Jumbo Juicy Lip Balms in texture. Although the color tint is not bad, there's just something about peppermint lip products that I dislike.
Here's my summer-glow face using all the Pixi Products mentioned above, Loreal BB Cream, Etude Easy Brow Pencil, and Maybelline The Rocket Mascara.
Shannon| The Skin and Beauty Blog
21/08/2015
Pixi Product Review (June-July Boxes)
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| B. Fixed Eyeshadow Primer, B. Glowing Shimmer Block Blush, B. Glowing Shimmer Block Bronze, B. Glowing Shimmer Block Peach, B. Cappuccino Lipstick Review & Swatches |
With the myriad of beauty products in the drugstores I seem to have overlooked B. makeup and skincare with its simple understated non-flashy packaging. B., for beautiful, features easy-to-use very familiar products to the most of us while also being Cruelty Free and Vegan. It's design and concept are said to be under the wing of beauty giant Estee Lauder. Perusing the aisles of Superdrug I picked up a few products which are perfect for the warm summer season.
When I think of summer I imagine a gorgeous glow with highlighters galore, long wearing eye makeup and creamy nude lips, and thats exactly what I have here from B.
I have 3 B. Glowing Shimmer Blocks, B. Fixed Eyeshadow Primer and B. Rich Intense Colour Lipstick to share with you today.
The B. Glowing Shimmer Blocks are essentially round versions of Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks. Each shade has its glowy theme with 5 colours in each. These are great multitaskers. Dip the brush in the darker side to create a glowy blush and use the lighter end for highlight. With a small brush eg mac, you can pick up the individual shades to use on the eyes. I have Blush 196, Bronze 108 and Just Peachy 161.
B. Glowing Shimmer Block Blush (£8.99) swirls up to a midtone pink with a silver frost. Somehow this reminds me of MAC Petticoat MSF.
B. Glowing Shimmer Block Bronze (£8.99) swirls to a gorgeous gorgeous yellow toned peachy brown shade. It's a summer must have. Swirl on the cheeks for a bronze glow or highlight and separate shades on the eyes.
B. Glowing Shimmer Block Just Peachy (£8.99) surprised me. It looks pretty Blah in the pan but swirled, oh my! Its a beautiful pink shade with a golden sheen. It has a lot more pink than NARS orgasm and similar shades. It reminds me of MAC Creme de la Femme lipstick but in blush form.
B. Fixed Eyeshadow Primer (£8.99) is a silicone based eye primer that applies in a yellow nude shade and spreads to an almost transparent satin finish. It is dermatologically and ophthalmologically approved for those with sensitive skin and eyes. It has a greasy oily feel that does not appear to hold eyeshadow well in the warm sweaty summer but perhaps it might be better in the winter. Lads and ladies with oily eyelids should avoid this, but the those with drier skins might benefit from it.
B. Rich Intense Colour Lipstick in Cappuccino 51 (£7.99). The first two words come to mind: Clever packaging. The tubes are similar to Chanel lipsticks with a 'pop-in-out' feature to avoid the disaster of the lipstick opening in your bag. Cappuccino is a beautiful nude rose. It is super creamy and moisturising and it applies effortlessly on the lips. I might have to check out a few more of these lipsticks.
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| B. Fixed Eyeshadow Primer, B. Glowing Shimmer Block Blush, B. Glowing Shimmer Block Bronze, B. Glowing Shimmer Block Peach, B. Cappuccino Lipstick Review & Swatches |
My two favourites are definitely B. Glowing Shimmer Block Bronze and B. Rich Intense Colour Cappuccino Lipstick. They will get a lot of use in the summer!
Thank you beautiful brown eyed Haifayh from Superdrug for giving me the opportunity to review these products.
Livia | The Skin and Beauty Blog
05/07/2015
Become B. for Beautiful This Summer!
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| MAC Wash and Dry Collection Review Swatches |
Summer collections from MAC always excite me. They are always so full of warm tones and bronzes that complement my olive complexion. I have here a few bits from the MAC Wash and Dry Collection - a lipstick, a bronzer and a brush to share with you today.
MAC Morange Lipstick is an existing colour in the MAC Pro range and I am happy to have it in this colourful limited edition packaging. It is a vibrant reddish orange. Since parting ways with my old favourite orange - MAC Electro Lipstick, I've been thinking about picking up another with a similar shade. Admittedly I need some courage to bust out this bright colour, although the creamy shimmer-free texture makes it much easier to wear. I would dab this on the lips to make a luscious orange pout. You can also mix this with true reds to make them warmer. This is a versatile orange lipstick, if there is such a thing!
MAC Golden Rinse Bronzing Powder. There are 4 different bronzers in this collection, two have been repeated in every summer release, and two are unique to this collection. This peachy bronze has a beautiful texture, it has subtle shimmers. On the cheeks this warms up the complexion and looks so beautiful! I think I will make a la Bobbi Brown and use this bronzer where she believes it should be - on the cheeks. I think this is too orangey to use all over the face or as a contour. There are other MAC bronzers for that purpose.
MAC 126SE brush. This is simply irresistable. Wonderfully soft two faced flat brush, perfect for face powders. I think I will give my Real Techniques Multi Task Brush a break for the meantime. This is bigger better and faster to use for powder application. I'm glad to have it.
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| MAC Morange Lipstick & MAC Golden Rinse Bronzer Review Swatches |
I am also thrilled to try new products from the MAC Pro Longwear face base range, but more on that in the next post!
Livia | The Skin and Beauty Blog
07/05/2015
MAC Wash and Dry Collection Review Swatches
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| Real Techniques Sculpting Brush Set Review |
Being a long time fan of Real Techniques and being a daily 'contour-er' as myself, you can imagine my excitement for this release of the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush Set. This set contains three brushes meant for contour and highlighting. Like all Real Techniques Brushes these have cruelty-free synthetic fibres. All the bristles are high quality, super soft but firm with that duo-fibre brush look. Let's go through the individual brushes shall we?
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| Real Techniques Sculpting Brush |
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| Real Techniques Sculpting Brush Set Review |
Real Techniques Sculpting Brush. This soft angled brush is perfect for applying cream or powder contour product under the cheekbones to make them pop. It is densely packed which means it is also suitable for applying, buffing and blending product. Use small circular motions to blend that contour into the skin. I believe it can also be used to apply foundation due to the compact bristles. It is incredibly soft and gentle. It can also be purchased separately for £9.99. - link
I've compared it to the Zoeva 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush above. The Real Techniques Sculpting Brush is a lot more dense in fibres and softer too. As opposed to providing 'sheer' coverage, the sculpting brush provides a good amount of colour. For contour use, I suggest using a light hand and build product as required!
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| Real Techniques Fan Brush |
Real Techniques Fan Brush. Oh how I've waited for a fan brush that I like. This brush is for applying a light dusting of highlight powder high on the cheekbones. It is good with well-pigmented highlight shades eg. NARS Albatross Blush. It can also be used to apply a light dusting of pigmented blusher on the cheeks. It is quite thin so don't expect too much coverage with this one.
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| Real Techniques Sculpting Brush |
Real Techniques Setting Brush. If you want to apply your highlighter with a lot more pigment use the Real Techniques Setting Brush. I have compared the brush from this set with the one I have acquired separately and I find that somehow the bristles of the one in the sculpting set are less dense and provide a sheerer coverage. Nevertheless it applies more pigment than the fan brush and remains firm in my daily contour routine.
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| Real Techniques Sculpting Brush Set Review |
I'm really excited about this contouring set from Real Techniques. The Real Techniques Collectors Edition Sculpting Set is available online and in Superdrug Stores from £20.99 - which is quite a good deal for high quality brushes.
I had my tiring week of night shifts this week which meant poor sleep, dehydrated skin, eye bags and acne. To keep my skin looking its best, I opted for a more natural no-makeup makeup look focusing on a good foundation, with contour and highlight. Skipping blush altogether. Lips were lathered in lip balm as often as I could remember. Here are the products I used:
Night shifts call for 12 hours of wear and I used Laura Mercier Foundation Primer to make my foundation last as long as it could. This primer perfects the skin, helps reduce shine and unwanted sheen. It's a great match for the foundation below:
Now I have recently raved about this foundation in THIS POST and I could not adore it enough! It is moderately long-lasting while avoiding drying out the skin. Upon taking my makeup off before bed, I find that my skin improved compared to the beginning of the day. Bizarre and amazing how this foundation perfects the skin.
Another LM favourite this week, this loose powder sets foundation well and looks natural.
I have been using MAC Give Me Sun! Mineralize Skin Finish as a 2 in 1 bronzer and contour. It can appear too warm-toned for some but with my golden undertones, it works well to chisel on some cheekbones and give me that summer sun glow.
Speaking of glow, this palette, well mainly Incandescent Light, has adorned my cheekbones this week as the other half of my contour/highlight duo. Full review HERE.
Lips were kept nice and neutral with this cult-favourite lip balm. It hydrates and heals chapped lips and I just love the minty fresh taste.
So those were my favourites this week. Care to share yours?
So those were my favourites this week. Care to share yours?
This week's edit is about the subtle no makeup makeup look combined with long-wearing bases to combat oiliness and shine brought about by the surging unregulated central heating temperatures at work.
It's the weekend and for once I had a lot of time on my hands to have a play with a few new makeup goodies I picked up over the last month. This also meant I had enough time if I had to fix up any disasters if it came to it (win!). I had several surprises while doing this look, good surprises, products I feel will become new favourites for the next few weeks and I'm so excited to share them with you. So this post will be part FOTD and part 'haul review' and overall 'rave post'... Be warned..!
Thanks to my new skincare routine using The Latest in Anti-ageing Skincare, I've had a good skin week this week, good enough to bust out sheer to light coverage Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. To cover dark circles and the occasional redness I used long-lasting NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. Set with MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus to even out the skin. I couldn't get enough of My New Winter Fragrance YSL Black Opium - if you haven't tried this yet I suggest you do!
19/10/2014
The Weekly Makeup Edit #06
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