Category: face

bareMinerals Light Show

Here’s another bareMinerals holiday offering that was just too good not to highlight on it’s own. Light Show covers cheeks, eyes and lips in a golden palette along with a gold clutch. The clutch is pretty cute for a special occassion or a festive makeup bag. The palette feels little fragile – it is plastic – but looks amazing with its golden casing.

Included:

bareMinerals READY® Eyeshadow in Spotlight, Flash, Flicker, and Dazzle (opalescent cream, matte purple clay, antique bronze, midnight teal)
Round the Clock™ Waterproof Eyeliner in 10 PM (burnished mocha – a great alternative to black) This eyeliner is creamy and long-wearing.
bareMinerals READY® Blush in The Limelight (soft peach)
bareMinerals READY® Bronzer in The High Dive (tan) – I will always treasure a bareMinerals bronzer – I love the way they feel on the skin.
Marvelous Moxie™ Lipgloss in Super Power (soft peach nude) Minty and has the prettiest pink, nude finish
A great tutorial for two different looks

bareMinerals Light Show Bag and Tutorial

bareMinerals fans and beauty junkies would love to find this under their tree.

Undereye Concealer Hit Parade

I’ve come across quite a few undereye concealers lately. There are three that blew me away. Here are my favorites: Read more “Undereye Concealer Hit Parade”

bareMinerals® ‘Simply Irresistible’ Collection

If you have a makeup junkie on your Christmas list (or are just a makeup junkie yourself), this has got to be one of the best holiday sets I have come across. This nine-piece collection has ultra-wearable, but festive eye, lip and cheek products.

Overall, this is a serious value with items anyone would love to wear. The collection includes the following:

Eye colors in Queen Phyllis (light buttercup), Heirloom (shimmering grey) and Posh (sparkling carbon).
Cheek Tint in Charm (candy heart pink).
Secret Radiance All-Over Face Color (golden candlelit sheen).
100% Natural Lipgloss in Pink Marzipan (delectable magenta).
Round the Clock™ Waterproof Eyeliner in Midnight (blackout).
Flawless Definition Curl and Lengthen Mascara in Black.
Double-Ended Tapered Blush and Shadow Brush.

The Cheek Tint and All-Over Face Color have shimmer but are fairly neutral. The Cheek Tint is very sheer (don’t fear that bold pink in the picture) while the All-Over Face glow has great impact and is stunning – perfect for a holiday party. The cheek pots have dials on the dispenser, so you can throw them in your purse with no mess.

The eyeshadows, on the other hand, do not have dials so they might be tricky to travel with. There is very little fall out with the eyeshadows except for the intense Posh, but the shimmery black shade makes it worth it. Heirloom is a unique grey shade that I plan on wearing every day. The shade looks great with inky liner and big lashes.

The mascara and eyeliner are in classic jet black. And the waterproof eyeliner is creamy and stays put all day long. The hydrating and shiny lip gloss is a subtle pink shade with a cake batter scent. The brush is good quality, although I have an issue with dual ended brushes – so hard to store!

The One of the best parts was this pamphlet with details on how the products can be worn together.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE WAS PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

bareMinerals READY® Luminizer

I used to think a highlighter was just an optional, festive step. But after loads of compliments on my skin, I realized this holiday treat needs to be in the main rotation. While I have been a fan of MAC Skinfinish, I am welcoming bareMinerals READY® Luminizer as new favorite. Their powder has a creamy consistency without depositing too much pigment. The addition of SeaNutritive Mineral™ literally makes your skin glow from inside out.

I use this, day and night, on my cheekbones, cupid’s bow and forhead. This face chart below can give you a good idea of where to place highlighter and contour (contour = matte bronzer or foundation three shades darker than your skin tone). These also make great eyeshadows.

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Both shades, The Love Affair (left) and The Shining Moment (right), would make great stocking stuffers… or just snatch them up for yourself.

Brush on Block

Brush on Block is water and sweat resistant SPF 30 that you apply via a self-dispensing fluffy brush. The formula contains broad-spectrum physical sunscreen – in other words, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide – which I find to be gentler on my sensitive skin. Mineral powder is also preferable for those with acne-prone skin, preventing break-outs and clogged pores that lotion or spray SPFs can cause.

While it looks like there isn’t much product, this should last 3-4 months with regular use. I’ve been using it for the past couple weeks and haven’t put a dent in it. You can wear this under makeup, but I actually like the translucent finish this gives over my makeup. And you avoid the whole greasy situation that can wreak beauty havoc. I love being able to sweep it on hard to protect areas like around my nose and on my ears.

There are lots of beneficial ingredients in there too. Green Tea Leaf Extract is a natural antioxidant while Safflower Seed Oil is an emollient that moisturizes and protects the skin and both Chamomile Extract and Honeysuckle help prevent skin inflammation and irritation.

And moms: this is safe for kiddos over 6 months old. It might even be easier to use than lotion and sprays, not to mention a breeze to travel with.

Brush on Block is part of the Susan Posnick family. Susan Posnick, former celebrity makeup artist, developed a makeup line that focuses on substantial sun protection. I am already a huge fan of her COLORDUO Lip Pencil. Get your Brush on Block at www.brushonblock.com.

Giorgio Armani Foundations

Armani has consistently received accolades for their breakthrough foundation formulas. It is frequently referred to as “best of breed”. But all the offerings can be somewhat overwhelming. I wanted to break down the different options and tell you why the most recognized, Luminous Silk Foundation, continues to be my favorite.

First, I want to highlight Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15. This formula has been getting a ton of attention and was awarded Allure magazine’s ‘Best of Beauty’ award for Best Breakthrough, 2012. So naturally, I couldn’t wait to try it. Yes, as advertised it is ultra-lightweight. The pure color pigments are suspended in the oil-based formula to make for the thinest possible consistency. And the oil component moisturizes. The coverage is VERY light. I don’t like heavy makeup, but I didn’t get enough coverage and had trouble building it up. But for those who don’t mind very little coverage and need a super light weight feel, this could be an option. I am not sure I saw the value in a luxury price point with this little coverage.

While the Maestro Foundation wasn’t a fit for me, I am WILD about the Giorgio Armani Maestro Eraser Concealer. The lightweight technology translates so well to the heavier coverage of concealer. It covers without feeling heavy or powdery. The moisturizing helps heal dark circles and the finish is radiant and luminous, but not shiny. Instead of the Maestro Foundation, I would suggest picking up the concealer and using where needed and skip foundation all together if you want a more natural look. I think I’ll be hooked on this stuff for the foreseeable future.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation is the foundation I keep coming back to. I think I am on my fourth or fifth bottle. I haven’t had it in the rotation lately, so I snapped one up on last week’s trip to Neiman Marcus. The oil-free formula has moderate coverage but the effect looks like your own skin. The finish is not dewy but luminous. Exclusive Micro-fil™ technology allows for “glide-on” application and buildable coverage. If you haven’t sat down with an Armani artist to try it, I highly highly encourage you. After my reunion with it this past week, I am sold that it is the best luxury moderate coverage foundation out there. I love using the Giorgio Armani Blender Brush to apply this (and really any) foundation.

A couple months ago, I tried the Giorgio Armani Beauty Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation. Smoothing Firming maintains the great finish and consistency of Luminous Silk with slightly more coverage and breakthrough anti-aging tools. Like the Luminous Silk, it uses the Micro-fil™ technology for a smooth application, with the addition of a micro-lifting matrix. Emollients and fillers stretch, firm and smooth the skin’s surface. Exclusive Prussian blue pearl pigment revives skin and color corrects. The finish has a luminous glow. For those with with visible signs of aging and want to go the anti-aging extra mile, this could be a good option.

Face Fabric is more of a tinted moisturizer with a powdery finish. The matte, feathery finish isn’t my favorite. You can read more of my thoughts on Face Fabric here.

Giorgio Armani Beauty Lasting Silk UV Foundation was developed with long wear in mind. It also has an oil-free formula making it perfect for those who need staying power and may run on the oiler side.

Also note, the Giorgio Armani Beauty Fluid Sheer (InStyle Best Winner) is a great highlighter. I love mixing these with the Luminous Silk Foundation for a more dewy look or adding the bronze shade to darken in the summer.

Armani is available at Neiman Marcus (free shipping with code FALLFS). Shop my favorite Armani products here: