Category: face

Clé de Peau Beauté Silky Cream Foundation and Concealer

Early this week, I posted my favorite drugstore foundation.  As an alternative, Clé de Peau Beauté makes my pick if you are in the market for luxury foundation or concealer.  Some of the advantages to paying more include assistance in finding the perfect shade and glamorous packaging.  No matter your preference, I want to cover the bases!

Clé de Peau Beauté knows what they are doing.  It is a Japanese brand that has been around for 30 years, with a focus on bright and radiant skin.  After I apply the Silky Cream foundation, I am very moisturized but not too dewy.  Coverage is medium with just about as flawless of an effect I have ever seen.  But amazingly still very lightweight.   Application has been outstanding with the Shiseido ‘Perfect’ Foundation Brush.

This tube is surprisingly small for the heafty price tag.  But I can assure you, the amount needed per use is incredibly small.  We are talking pea size here.  Plus the tube makes the FAA cut off for carry on.

The concealer basically speaks for itself with all of its awards.  It was a Neiman Marcus Beauty Awards Finalist.  InStyle Magazine named it best undereye concealer in May 2011.  Just like the Silky Cream Foundation, the concealer is powered with Revitalizing Moisture Complex to lock in moisture and smooth out texture.  Unlike some other popular concealers, it isn’t so dry you cannot blend it – blending leads to a more natural looking appearance.

I have been using this as my go-to concealer for about six years.  The formula is perfectly balanced between creamy and matte.  It does beautifully under the eye, but can cover a blemish too like a champ.  And the tube will last you months.

As a note, I found this tip on the Neiman Marcus website and felt it was worth repeating:

Tip: For lighter skin tones, the Honey shade can be used underneath your matching concealer as a color corrector for truly dark areas. Apply the Honey shade to your darkest area. Pat lightly. Apply your matching concealer on top and blend.

 

L’Oreal Visible Lift Smooth Absolute Instant Age Reversing Foundation

Brilliant – turn the foundation bottle into a wand with a built-in, high quality brush.  Add in L’Oreal’s Hydra-Collagen Complex for an anti-aging, plumping effect and you have have an easy-to-apply, smoothing foundation with SPF 17.  Not to mention serious bang for the buck.

As you twist the product up into the brush, somehow the perfect amount is provided.  I do a quick swipe on my nose, chin, forehead and cheeks and then blend. The brush is unique in its high quality, streak-free application.  Turning the brush on it’s side, you are able to get around the nose and underneath eyes.  While it is medium coverage, the effect is natural because it isn’t too matte.  Only downside is a lack of shade range with only eight options, all in the fair-skin range.

L’Oreal Visible Lift Smooth Absolute Instant Age Reversing Foundation is available at Target for $13.48.

 

Lumière Sculptèe de Chanel Highlighting Powder

I was poking around the Neiman Marcus beauty department yesterday – shocking, I know.  I stumbled upon the holiday collection for Chanel.  I’ve never found these Limited Edition collections that compelling, but this Lumière Sculptèe de Chanel Highlighting Powder was just too pretty to ignore.   The powder is crazy creamy soft.  The pearl/ivory shimmer is perfectly subtle.  Definitely a splurge, but can you imagine how pretty this would be to pull out for a touch up?

Shiseido ‘Perfect’ Foundation Brush

During a pit stop at the Cle de Peau counter, I was trying out their amazing foundation.  More coming on that later.  As the artist was expertly applying, I was enthralled with this strange looking brush.  “Tell me more!” I pleaded.  Very quietly, he said, “you MUST have this brush, but it isn’t sold here” and flashed the “Shiseido” logo.

Didn’t take me long to scour the internet and place my order.  Be advised that this brush can be hard to find, but good ole HSN has it in stock.  I don’t know about you, but I feel kinda naughty when I buy something on HSN, like in a good way.  As if I am lounging on the couch, eating bonbons and shopping on television.  Anyway, back to brushes…

The beauty of this odd-looking foundation brush is its ability to work with liquid, cream or powder formulas.  The flat surface, along with a full brush, create the perfect foundation finish – no streaks, no cakey coverage. Gently tapered strands create an angled slant that best allows bristles to reach all facial contours. Short handle allows for precise control during application and portability for travel.

I tried this brush with MAC Studio Fix (a dryer cream), NARS Sheer Glow (a less viscous liquid foundation) and the Cle de Peau Silky Cream (more of a cream than liquid) and coverage was precise, even and flawless.
 

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mark Cheat Sheet Shine-Blotters

I am still a little giddy from meeting the incredibly beautiful and down-to-earth Ashley Green at the Ted Gibson/mark FNO party last week.  Nestled in the Ted Gibson salon and sipping on Moet champagne, I had the chance to bond with the Twilight star over college football and the dry skin hazzards of always being on an airplane.

Almost as exciting was discovering mark Cheat Sheet Shine-Blotters.  I don’t have oily skin, so these sheets were never on my shopping list.  But NYC was a doozy last week, with humidity, rain, heat and sweat. In between events, I would whip out one of these guys in the cab.  They do not remove makeup, but restore a matte finish to the skin.  They provided life to a melting makeup look.  Thanks to their performance, they earned a spot in my purse on a permanent basis. 

Le Métier de Beauté ‘Creme Fresh’ Tint for Lip and Cheek

Can you believe it? I had never tried cream blush. I was intimidated in the same way liquid eyeliner and red lipstick once made me freeze with fear.  Now, I am kicking myself that I didn’t give it a whirl sooner.

And of course, leave it to Le Métier de Beauté to do it right. I have Poppy and, while it is a gentle wash of color, I love the pop of bright pink it alludes to.  When I use my fingers to initially apply to my apples, it looks really vibrant.  But I use my Le Métier de Beauté Kabuki brush to blend it seemlessly into my complexion.  The cream is actually very easy to use. The formula “relaxes” into the skin, staying on my skin for a good 4-6 hours.  The main difference I find is the cream formula looks much more natural than a powder blush.

I have also used the Crème as a lip stain.  There is so much moisture in it relative to other stains.  The poppy looks great with a transparent gloss applied on top.