Benefit Cosmetics

  • Shiseido Eyelash Curler

    Shiseido Eyelash Curler

  • DIor Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and Benefit They're Real! Mascara

    DIor Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and Benefit They're Real! Mascara

  • Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner & Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner

    Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner & Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner

How many times have you watched a YouTube video to get some morning makeup inspiration? By the end of the video, have you asked yourself, “who really puts on false eyelashes at seven in the morning?” Don’t get me wrong, once in a blue moon, I have the extra motivation to go all out and put on my nicest falsies.  It’s as if by using them I’m summoning my inner goddess with the intentions of conquering the world . However, that little fairy tale is always short lived and I find myself with the same dilemma — how does one achieve the appearance of long voluminous lashes without using false eyelashes? And so here is my step-by-step way of getting this desired look:

Step 1

Grab your biggest, baddest eyelash curler and pump up your lashes ’til your hearts content. One quick tip — make sure you place your curler at the very base of your lashes and pump at least three times consecutively.

Recommended Eyelash Curler:

  1. Shiseido Eyelash Curler ($19.50)
  2. Shiseido Eyelash Curler Replacement Pad ($6)

Step 2

The following step is crucial. You must prime your eyelashes! A great eyelash primer will help extend the life of your newly curled lashes. It also will give them a sturdier feel, which helps sustain the weight of your mascara. The biggest bonus to using an eyelash primer is that many come formulated to amplify and enhance your natural lashes.

Recommended Eyelash Primer:

  1. Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum ($28.50)

Step 3

Once your eyelash primer has had time to properly dry, it’s time to use several coats of your favorite mascara. The lash look your going for (ex. long, wispy, voluminous, etc.) will ultimately dictate the mascara you will use. Please read our prior post, Mascara Mania, for more information.

Recommended Mascaras:

  1. Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara ($24)
  2. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara ($23)

Step 4

Take a black waterproof eyeliner and liner your upper waterline. This will give your lashes more depth and create the illusion of fuller lashes.

Recommended Waterproof Eyeliners:

  1. Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner in black ($25)
  2. Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner in #88 Noir Intense ($33)

 

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  • Lip & Cheek Products

    Lip & Cheek Products

  • Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Kiss & Blush

    Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Kiss & Blush

  • MAC Casual Colour in Young at Heart

    MAC Casual Colour in Young at Heart

I’m a sucker for a good beauty deal, so when I come across a product that has a dual function, I don’t think twice about trying it out. One type I gravitate to time and time again has been the lip & cheek combos. There are many advantages to purchasing this particular type of makeup such as:

  • Lip & cheek color are the same, so there is no second guessing what combination of colors you should use together. This feature is most important when trying to do makeup on the fly.
  • Ease of use: I normally use my fingertips to apply since brushes may be too large for these compact items, unless it comes with an applicator like the Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks ($40). I particularly like applying with my fingers because it gives such a natural look and feel to the makeup. However, it is buildable in case you’re looking for more than just a flush of color.
  • Cost benefit: These products tend to cost less compared to being purchased on their own.
  • Easier to travel with one product, which serves multiple purposes, then traveling with many products that only have an individual purpose.

The only negative some may find to a lip & cheek product is the staying power and texture. Now, all this will depend on the type of skin you have. For instance, if you have oily skin, a cream formula may not be for you. Also, depending on the brand, some stay on longer as a lipstick versus a blush. I have listed my personal favorite lip & cheek duos below, but it’s really important to try different brands to see which one is a better fit for you.

Lip & Cheek Duo Recommendations

  1. MAC Casual Colour ($22): This particular product is my favorite, so much so that I own five of the nine shades (found and purchased at my local CCO). Of the group, MAC Casual Color in Weekend Getaway is universally flattering and a great everyday cool pink color. The MAC Casual Colour collection also includes (as per MAC Cosmetic website):
  1. Benefit Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain ($30): Benefit does not have a wide variety of colors to choose from in comparison with the MAC Casual Colour line (four shades vs. nine), but the color payout is just as nice. What makes this product unique is the packaging and consistency. First, it looks like a bottle of nail polish. Secondly, the tint is in liquid form and is supposed to be applied with the included brush. It’s a bit peculiar applying makeup with a brush, but that feeling will subside once you get the hang of it. Included shades, as per described by Benefit Cosmetics:
  1. Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks ($40): I know what you’re thinking: why buy this product for $40 when you can practically buy two MAC Casual Colours for almost the same price? And you are absolutely correct! I would not usually purchase an item this expensive when there are clearly other options. However, my local CCO had several YSL products at a 30% discount and I simply couldn’t resist. I purchased the color #8 Pink Hedoniste because I figured I couldn’t go wrong with such a neutral color (FYI Most CCO’s have a no return policy). After using it, my only regret was not purchasing more because I love it that much! From the beautiful packaging (looks like a square nail lacquer bottle with a golden cap) down to the nicely shaped applicator. This design is definitely aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. The formula feels like a whipped cream as compared to the MAC Casual Colour, which has a much thicker/drier consistency. Another plus is that there are twelve shades to choose from; almost guaranteeing that there is something for everyone. So if you happen to have extra money in your beauty budget, this may be one of those products to indulge in.
  2. Travel Palettes: For those who travel, a lip and cheek palette with multiple colors is essential.  These ready-to-go palettes allow for maximum shade versatility while simultanously saving precise cargo space.  So Instead of packing multiple blushes and lipsticks on your next vacation getaway, try Stila’s Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Palette $39 (either in cool or warm palette).
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Birchbox Review July 2016

Included products in this month’s Birchbox:

  1. Cargo Blush and Bronzer (Full size, $35)
  2. Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion (Full-size, $58)
  3. Marcelle Xtension Plus Curl Mascara (Full-size, $14)
  4. MD Solar Science Daily Anit-Aging Moisturizer SPF 30 (Full-size, $68)
  5. TOCCA Eau De Parfum – Bianca (Full size, $34-68)

First Impressions:

Let’s begin with the box – it is classic!  The flower petal pattern in a gradient of colors is lovely and very appropriate for summertime.  As for the products:

Cargo Blush and Bronzer:  The first thing my eyes found immediately upon opening my July Birchbox was the shiny Cargo tin (apparently a Birchbox exclusive item). I really do enjoy Cargo products and was more than happy to try this one on for size. However, my joy was quickly squashed between the difficulty in opening the tin and realizing how small the sample was. I mean, if it had been a one-product sample, say just a blush, I would have been okay with that. However, splitting two completely different products in this miniscule packaging was simply not practical. There was no way to get a regular size brush into the pan, so I had to resort to looking for brushes that I had from previous samples. Thank you Benefit Hoola because that was the only brush I could use to maneuver around the bronzer portion of the sample. Logistics aside, the pink blush was pretty on my medium complexion and the bronzer looked decent. Overall, there really is nothing to rave about when it comes to the Cargo Blush and Bronzer Duo.

Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion:  I love Dr. Brandt’s skincare line of products and the PoreDermabrasion did not let me down. Given the sample size of the product, I decided to use it only on my nose where my pores are noticeably larger and see, if over time, it would make a difference. According to Birchbox, The Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion is “a boost of salicylic acid that unclogs pores, caviar lime brightens, and lentil seed strengthens and tightens pore walls”. Well they got the description down pact because over a week I realized my pores were noticeably smaller, which in turn, helped my makeup sit better on my nose. The Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion is a keeper if you can afford the steep price.

Marcelle Xtension Plus Curl Mascara:  I’m a sucker for a good mascara sample; I simply cannot get enough of them. So for this month’s Birchbox, I decided to select a brand I was not familiar with. Well, I’m so glad that I decided to take a chance on the Marcelle Xtension Plus Curl Mascara. First off, it has a curved wand, which is my favorite shape.  Second, the brush grabs onto every single lash and helps extend it to the max. Third, it also works very well on the bottom lashes because the brush does not overload with product. There is no doubt in my mind that Marcelle Xtension Plus Curl Mascara is a great mascara comparable to high-end mascaras.

MD Solar Science Daily Anit-Aging Moisturizer SPF 30:  I can’t say I was happy to see another moisturizer/sun protector in these month’s Birchbox. My personal preference is to use a foundation or a BB cream that already incorporates SPF, so I don’t have to layer on more products, especially in the summer time. Given this preference, I decided to give this product a try on a non-makeup day and was happy with the thin consistency, but did not notice positive results. Unfortunately with skincare products with SPF, you have to use it for a long period of time to really notice if it is working. So as of now, I can’t say its good or bad, and given how expensive the full size product is, I will probably never really know.

TOCCA Eau De Parfum – Bianca:  “This clean, citrus scent has undertones of rose and sugar for longwearing, intriguing layers” (as per Birchbox). This is my second TOCCA perfume from Birchbox and I like the Bianca scent much more. It’s a bit heavy compared to other rose perfumes I’ve used, but it does last all day.

Final Verdict: Merge

Kiss Kiss

Makeup Deconstructed Rating System:

1 Kiss = Purge: Only one of the products in the box/bag is worth keeping.

2 Kisses = Merge: Two to four products make this box/bag worth merging into your makeup collection.

3 Kisses = Splurge: All five products are amazing and worth splurging on!

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