Tag: blush

Running Late!

Thanks to an infatuation with and current re-watching of the 1983 WWII mini-series, Winds of War, I stayed up WAY too late last night. As a result, I slept right through all the severe weather last night. Tulsa was spared but those affected in Oklahoma City and elsewhere are in my prayers. I also woke up at 8AM – oops.

Since I knew I only had about 15 minutes to throw myself together, my makeup routine was seriously pared down. First, I’ve been using the Caudalie Gradual Self-Tanning Cream – the best self tanner for the face I’ve found to date. So that natural glow allowed for a little less makeup.

I alternate between Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint and bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream but this AM I reached for the bareMinerals in Natural. I am completely obsessed with the RMS goodies I found this past weekend in New York. I apply RMS UnCoverup in 22 just below my eyes, on any blemishes and around my nose. RMS Living Luminizer goes on my cheekbones and brow bones (and, frankly, anywhere else I am feeling it – this stuff adds a perfect natural glow). The pale golden shade also nourishes skin with ingredients like coconut oil and rosemary extract. I know I keep mentioning it, but the Tata Harper Voluminous Cheek and Lip Stain in Very Vivacious is ideal on the apples of the cheeks.

The last step was a surprise obsession. A friend gifted to me the Kevin Aucoin The Mascara Volume Mascara a couple weeks ago. I usually don’t have any luck with the tubular mascara – just a personal preference – so I was hesitant. But I have come to be totally impressed with the lack of fall out, clump-free separated lashes and long-lasting, inky finish.

Boom, I was out of the door and at my desk almost on time.

pr samples and affiliate links may be included in the above post

image via DTTSP

Tata Harper Volumizing Lip and Cheek Tint

While many skin care products have excited me in the past couple of months, things have been fairly quiet on the color cosmetics front when it comes to the Belle Belle review pipeline. All that changed when this beauty from Tata Harper arrived. I attribute my glee to the fact that this product simplifies my routine and provides skin care benefits.

Tata Harper Volumizing Lip and Cheek Tint, like her other products, is made with natural ingredients and pigments. The formula blends moisturizers and minerals with Spanish Lavender and Lipoamino Acid Technology to plump and volumize skin and lips.

I’ve heard great things about all the shades but I am using Very Vivacious. I love the coral/bronze shade – it looks most natural on my redness-prone skin. The shade looks rich in the pot, but blends flawlessly on skin for a very sheer application. I suppose you could layer for more color, but I like natural flush.

I first apply my foundation or tinted moisturizers. Then I apply Very Vivacious using my fingers to the apples of my cheeks – just above where I’d normally use bronzer. And then I take what remains and apply to lips for a wash of color.

Next up, I am going to invest in Very Sweet – a peach that looks like it would be perfect for a summer dewiness.

Samples generously provided by Neiman Marcus as part of the Beauty Ambassador Program. I consult for Neiman Marcus which is affiliated with the Neiman Marcus Group, but as always, opinions are my own.

NARS Spring 2015

I am way not on the ball when it comes to NARS Spring – so unlike me! Their launches are usually among the ones that I am most excited for probably because it is always so darn good. And somehow I didn’t get this up until today – a couple weeks after it hit shelves.

If it was even possible, I am drawn more towards neutrals as the years go on and Spring 2015 is all about nudes – but not neutral – a more daring subtle color palette. Something in my wheelhouse but just a slight twist – I like it.

Tilda Swinton is featured in the collection’s photos designed by François Nars to “expose a new natural state”. Look for pink shimmer on cheeks, barely there eye shadow and deep neutrals. The shades pictured above (from left to right):

Liguria Lipstick – Nude caramel
Porto Venere Eye Paint – Soft pale pink
St-Paul-De-Vence Duo Eyeshadow – (L) Shimmering nectarine (R) Chestnut
Valhalla Single Eyeshadow – Soft shimmering pink peach
Guyane Lip Gloss – Seashell pink
Vent Salé Lip Gloss – Silver highlight (to be used on top of a deeper shade in the middle of the pout)
Reckless Blush – Sheer pink shimmer

Available now at narscosmetics.com and Sephora.

Holiday Gifting: bareMinerals Complexion Superstars

I posted yesterday about my winter beauty routine. A couple of products are included in this set so it goes without saying that I love this for a gift idea. In fact, bareMinerals pretty much nails it on great value beauty gifts (like this one here).

These shades are wearable for a large segment of complexions and skin types. I find the formulas both sheer and buildable. And as the name suggests, this is pretty much the best of the best as far it comes to bareMinerals offerings. These are their best-sellers after all.

Included are the following:

Vintage Peach Blush
Mini sizes of the READY pressed powder
Mini sizes of the READY bronzer
Mineral Veil finishing powder
Bare Radiance All-Over Face Color face powder
An angled face brush

The sizes are perfect for stashing in your purse or holiday clutch. And I will never get tired of singing praises for the lock-and-go system, keeping loose powder from becoming a mess. bareMinerals Complexion Superstars is sure to get you hooked on the full-size year-round. Available at Sephora.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN 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.

image via bareMinerals UK

Holiday Gifting – bareMinerals Main Attraction

Happy Cyber Monday – hope you all are having fun getting your shop on. Some amazing deals I posted on Friday are still going on so make sure to check out this post before you hit “BUY”. Speaking of holiday shopping, I have another gift idea to share with you today:

I continue to be blown away when it comes to the value in bareMinerals gift sets. They are truly an awesome deal – flawless in delivery of quality products and formulas that are certainly crowd-pleasers. It can be tricky buying makeup for someone else, but their concoctions seem to always suit a wide range of complexions and skin types.

This technically is a set to create a “screen siren look” but I find the contents are more like a fabulous, neutral everyday look. The eye shadows are a shimmery light pinky gold and deeper chocolate. I like wearing the lighter Matinee all over lids for a quick and easy look. The set instructs Opening Night, the darker brown, in the crease and along the lower lash line but it is a little dramatic for me. I tend to limit just a wash of Opening Night in the center of my lids.

The Lasting Line Long-Wearing Eyeliner in Absolute Black is an all-day workhorse. I only really wear black eyeliner but this one isn’t so intense and I like the less inky look for daytime. And a favorite is always the Lash Domination 10-in-one Volumizing mascara with its wacky brush and conditioning formula.

Typically, I am not a huge blush fan but Flair is fairly sheer and can be built into a deeper shade. On me, it is a true winter glow. Marvelous Moxie lipstick in Make Your Move might just be the nude lipstick I have forever been searching for. I know nude lipstick is super personal, but if you have light-to-medium skin tone like me, this might just be your golden ticket.

Marvelous Moxie lip gloss in Leading Lady is also a nude shade but with a punch of shimmer. I get fairly good staying power and hydration from this formula. But my favorite part is the minty tingle.

Major bonus points for a super high-quality tapered brush included. bareMinerals brushes are all I use any more for bronzer and blush – they just seem to have gotten it spot on.

All in all, this set has wearable, great shades and formulas that I know I treasure as staples of my makeup drawer. For the beauty buff on your list, you can’t go wrong with bareMinerals. Available at Sephora.

NEW NARS 413 BLKR Collection Blush and Illuminator

I have a soft spot for NARS’ 413 BLKR collection. Inspired by their flagship store in New York, the collection is filled with rich and sophisticated shades. Wearing them is like a little virtual visit to the big city. On my first visit to New York as a blogger, I vividly remember making my pilgrimage to the then new 413 Bleeker store. You guys know I am a huge NARS fan and my heart sung when I stepped into this oasis. Needless to say, there was quite the shopping spree… then and every time I have visited since.

Just in time for summer, NARS has added two new products to the collection. I’ve been test driving the 413 BLKR Blush and Illuminator the last couple weeks. I can confirm they are awesome. But beyond that, I think the Illuminator is a nimble, multitasking must-have.

First a little about the blush: Rosebud is a serious pop of pink. But while intense, it still manages to look natural. I usually go for a more neutral blush, but I love having this option for statement look or as my skin gets a little darker in the summer. Right now, on me, it looks like I just took a brisk walk or chased after a New York taxi. A fan favorite, the blush formula is micronized and blendable.

The Illuminator is sheer and balanced – not too warm and not too cool. At first, I was using as a highlighter – on my cheekbones and brow bone. Then I read the NARS artist tip to mix with moisturizer or foundation. I am hooked. The Illuminator gives my skin a luminous shimmer without looking sweaty or greasy. Also try wearing it under a tinted moisturizer – you will look literally radiant!

Available exclusively at NARS boutiques and on narscosmetics.com.