Benefit They're Real Mascara Review

I might be one of the last people in the beauty blogging world to try this out, but I finally did it! I tried out the not-so-new Benefit They're Real Mascara:

I can talk on and on about the claims that Benefit makes, but basically this mascara is supposed to give you such glam lashes that they are supposed to look as good as false lashes. 

Bare Lashes

Lashes with 1 coat of They're Real on top and bottom lashes

So, while this might not look exactly like false lashes, I think this mascara still looks pretty good! My lashes look longer and more voluminous. Benefit They're Real also does a great job of holding the curl in my lashes when I do use a curler, but it also adds a bit of curl on its own. There is no flaking or smudging either. The only thing I didn't get with this mascara is thickening. The mascara wand coats each lash to make it darker and look longer, but it didn't make my lashes thicker. Overall, this is a great formula with a unique want, but I am not sure if it is $22 great. 

Have you tried Benefit They're Real? What are your thoughts?

Kiko Cosmetics

While I was in Europe I discovered a European cosmetic store/brand called Kiko Cosmetics. I went in a couple of them and each time the store was packed. Like how a MAC store in the US is on the weekends. Kiko Cosmetics has  HUGE line of products, from moisturizer and face masks to mineral shadows and eye primer. The products are also very decently priced...about half the price of MAC but a little more than a drugstore. Since I didn't know too much about the brand and was hesitant to spend a lot of what could be potentially horrible makeup, I only picked up one thing:

This is the Glamorous Eye Pencil in shade 402. I swatched a ton of products, especially the eye liners, and this shade is one that I don't already have in my collections. Yes, I have bronze liners but this one has more red/terracotta tones than anything else I have. 

This eyeliner is super pigmented and very smooth and creamy in texture. The formula is just like the Urban Decay 24/7 liners. It lasts about 2 hours on the water line and all day on the upper and lower lash lines. Overall, I really like this liner and now I wish I had purchased more products.

Have you every heard of or tried Kiko Cosmetics?

My Cream Blush Discovery: Smashbox Be Discovered Cream Cheek Trio In Lights Review

I've made it quite known on this blog that I love cream blushes. So imagine how excited I was to see Smashbox release a trio of cream blushers for spring:

This is the Cream Cheek Trio called In Lights, one of two trios released in Smashbox's Be Discovered collection for spring. This trio has warm shades and the other one has cool shades. 

I thought this would be the perfect travel companion, since it has a bright coral shade, a light pink highlight shade, and a natural mauve shade that could double as a pinky bronzer or a natural toned blush. Most of the cream blushers in makeup-land are super pigmented, so I expected the same from this. 

Swatches L-R: Coral shade heavy & blended, Mauve shade heavy & blended, Highlight shade heavy & blended

The coral shade is gorgeous, but the mauve and highlight colors have so little pigment that they are barely visible when blended. When I wore the mauve shade as a blusher it looked like I didn't even have any color on my cheeks. Here I am wearing the coral shade on the apples of my cheeks and the highlight shade on the top of my cheekbones:

There is absolutely no reflection of light on the top of my cheekbones. I don't need my highlighters to be super shimmery, but a good highlighter should at least reflect some light. 

In terms of performance, the 3 shades did last all day and were super easy to blend. I was just really disappointed in pigmentation, especially when there are such great cream blushers out there (like MAC Cremeblend Blushes, Sue Devitt's Gel-to-Powder Blushes and Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouges). 

Do you like cream blushes? What's your favorite?

Disclaimer: The product in this post was provided by PR for consideration. As always, my thoughts and review reflect my honest opinions. 

Alternatives to Black Eyeliner

Although black is the most commonly used eyeliner shade, there are 2 great alternatives that provide a dark line, but aren't as dramatic as black.

Clockwise from top: Smashbox Jet Set Eyeliner in Intrigue*, MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in Steelpoint (LE), Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Chocolate Shimmer Ink

Brown Eyeliner: Brown eyeliner is great for fair to medium skined beauties because it is more natural looking than black. However, that doesn't mean dark skin tones can't rock brown. I like medium to dark shades of brown because it provides the intensity of dark eyeliner, without looking black. Personally, I wear a lot of brown eyeliner, both during the day and at night, most frequently when doing a brown smokey eye or when wearing natural or no shadow. My two favorites are Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Chocolate Shimmer Ink and MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy (both are permanent products)

Grey Eyeliner: In the same vein, I LOVE grey eyeliner because it is much softer than black, and really complements brown and green eyes. Again, I like using grey eyeliner with little to no shadow on the eyes. I love using colored eyeliner and grey gives me the feel of using a colored liner, but is still very natural looking. The trick here is to use a grey that is dark, not silvery, like most grey liners are. My two favorites are Smashbox Jet Set Eyeliner in Intrigue (currently part of Smashbox's spring 2012 release and it comes with a mini liner brush) and MAC Technakohl Eyeliner in Steelpoint (a limited edition liner that came out a couple summers ago and I wish they would re-promote).

L-R in Natural Light: Smashbox Intrigue, MAC Steelpoint, BB Chocolate Shimmer Ink, MAC Teddy

L-R w/ Flash: Smashbox Intrigue, MAC Steelpoint, BB Chocolate Shimmer Ink, MAC Teddy

Other colors like dark navy and aubergine are also great alternatives to black, but are also a bit more adventurous than brown and grey. 

*Disclaimer: This product was provided by PR for consideration. As always, my thoughts and review reflect my honest opinions. 

MAC Must-Haves: Samoa Silk Eyeshadow

With Pantone declaring Tangerine Tango as THE color for Spring, it's no wonder we have been seeing orange on the runways, in the stores, and on the makeup shelves. If you aren't quite ready to take the plunge with bright orange eyeshadow, you may want to try out my latest addiction: MAC's Samoa Silk Eyeshadow.

Samoa Silk is a veluxe finish shadow and is described by MAC as a polynesian peach. It isn't bright and doesn't have any shimmer in it, so it is very versatile. It can be used in the crease or on the lid, and the peachiness factor is just perfect. 

Swatch of Samoa Silk in daylight

Swatch of Samoa Silk w/ flash

Lately I have been wearing this all over the lid, with a darker peach or soft tan in the crease, and black liner. The peachiness really awakens the eyes and adds a touch of warmth, which is perfect for spring. Here I am wearing Samoa Silk on the lid, Soft Brown in the crease, and a touch of mascara.

This is a must have for me because I love neutrals, especially warm neutrals. This would be especially flattering for those with blue eyes because peach/orange opposes blue (color wheel theory) so the peachiness brings out the blue in blue eyes. This shade would also be great for mature women because the brightness of the peach counteracts the grey, sallow tones surrounding mature eyes.

What peach/orange shades are you rockin' this Spring?

MAC Tres Cheek and Extra Dimension Swatches

Hey Dolls! Today I have a treat for you! The MAC Tres Cheek and In Extra Dimension collections launch in-store next Thursday, April 5th, but I have swatches for you today!

The Tres Cheek collection includes 6 springtime blushes that are super pigmented.

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I think all these colors are super pigmented and perfect for the spring/summer. The shades are:

• Pink Tea - Neutral beige pink (Satin)
• Lovecloud - Bright mid-tone pink (Satin)
• Peony Petal - Bright blue pink (Satin)
• Modern Mandarin - Red-orange (Satin)
• Immortal Flower - Bright peach (Satin)
• Full of Joy - Lavender (Frost)

Here are the swatches:

Top: Pink Tea, Modern Mandarin, Immortal Flower

Bottom: Lovecloud, Peony Petal, Full of Joy

Top: Pink Tea, Modern Mandarin, Immortal Flower

Bottom: Lovecloud, Peony Petal, Full of Joy

Top: Pink Tea, Modern Mandarin, Immortal Flower

Bottom: Lovecloud, Peony Petal, Full of Joy

Although the pinks aren't that unique, Modern Mandarin and Full of Joy aren't shades we see frequently so I think they will definitely sell out. My personal favorites are Modern Mandarin, Pink Tea, and Lovecloud. I do want to mention that the Reel Sexy collection also launches on the same day and includes two blushes, Pink Cult and Magenta, which look just ok in the pan, but are beautiful on. Unfortunately, I don't have swatches of those, but if you like blush you have to check those out too! (I almost like those shades better than these!)

The In Extra Dimension collection includes 3 skinfinishes that are multi-use highlight powders. The texture of these is completely different from mineralize skinfinishes. These skinfinishes are are super smooth, almost creamlike, metallic powders with an extremely shimmery finish. The good part is they are not glittery. The collection also includes 12 shadows with a similar texture and finish. 

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Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish

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Superb Extra Dimension Skinfinish

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Glorify Extra Dimension Skinfinish

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Here are swatches of the 3 skinfinishes:

L-R: Whisper of Gilt, Superb, Glorify

(top row is blended, bottom is a heavy swatch)

L-R: Whisper of Gilt, Superb, Glorify

(top row is blended, bottom is a heavy swatch)

L-R: Whisper of Gilt, Superb, Glorify

(top row is blended, bottom is a heavy swatch)

These skinfinishes are described as liquid-powder highlighters that are supposed to wear 10 hours. I haven't worn them on my skin so I can't vouch for that. These are each 9g and cost $29. A regular mineralize skinfinish (MSF) has 10g and costs the same, so these new ones are pretty on par with the MSFs. Because these are so shimmery, less is more, but I think these new skinfinishes are a fun new multi-purpose product.

Are any of these products on your wish-list?

Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Powder Foundation SPF 20 Review

Enabled by fellow blogger Suka and Spice, I decided I needed the Josie Maran Argan Matchmaster Powder Foundation SPF 20 in my life.

This powder foundation is self-adjusting, so it goes on white and changes color to match your skin tone. It really is pretty amazing how this works! The powder goes on white then transforms as the product is blended.

I like that it has a separate compartment for the sponge applicator and also includes a mirror.

I was skeptical whether or not this would work for me because it only comes in 3 shades. The middle shade Light/Medium seemed like the obvious choice, but when I swatched it at Sephora it was way too orange for my NC25 skin. The lightest shade Fair/Light was a touch lighter than my wrist so I went with that. It turns out that the color is actually a great match for me, so I wonder if it really is suitable for very fair skin tones. It is pretty neutral in tone, neither too warm or too cool.

Swatch straight from the sponge

Blended

Isn't it cool how the powder magically blends into the color of my skin? In terms of application, the product does powder up a lot, especially when you use a brush. I prefer to just use the sponge applicator included in the compact. However, since the white parts of the powder are not evenly distributed throughout the compact, the sponge sometimes picks up too much white and requires more blending so it doesn't look ashy.

The feel of this powder foundation is what I really love. It is super silky and my skin feels so soft afterwards. The SPF 20 makes this a perfect swipe and go face product for those days when one is running late or in a rush. The coverage is light - enough to even out the skin tone but not enough to hide blemishes or dark spots. This would be a great summer/beach day foundation. However, and this is a big however, this powder does not last all day. It starts fading after about 4-5 hours. I wore this a few times and when I used a makeup wipe to remove my makeup at the end of the day, the wipe was practically white...there was so little face makeup on that there was nothing left to remove! This was the case even when I used a face primer underneath. Therefore, this powder foundation is going back. Although I really liked how this looked and felt on my skin, I need something that will last all day, and unfortunately, this isn't it.

The Body Shop Wise Woman Vitality Serum Review

I know, I know, I haven't been the best blogger this past week. Life was just super busy and although I snapped a bunch of pics in hopes of writing some posts, I kept getting sidetracked. But this week will be better!

I always use a serum before my moisturizer, both in the morning and evening, and since they long discontinued my favorite Lancome Cell Defense, I have been forced to search the market for something just as effective and suitable. That search led me to The Body Shop Wise Vitality Serum. 

The reason I picked this up is because it is not that expensive, $36 for 1oz. However, since The Body Shop always has sales you can often get this for an even better price. The online reviews were pretty good, and since this seemed good for mature skin I thought it would be good since for me (since mature skin is inherently dry skin and I have very dry skin, especially during winter).

The serum itself is clear and very fluid-like. It absorbs quickly without feeling sticky or leaving behind any residue. Although this felt good on the skin, it didn't do anything positive for me. I used up the whole thing, which lasted about 2 months which 2x/day use. Even though I knew I wouldn't see any dramatic change, like wrinkles going away, most good serums at the very least give my skin some luminosity and brightness. I really saw no improvement in my skin whatsoever, not even in terms of moisture retention. I will definitely not re-purchase this.

So back to the drawing board. Do you have any good serum recommendations?

A Sue Devitt Face of the Day with Product Reviews and Swatches

A few months ago I wrote about my love for the Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier Pencil in Kenya, and I was fortunate enough to recently receive the olive green color Bangalore, along with a few other Sue Devitt goodies:

Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier Pencil in Bangalore

Just like with Kenya, the Bangalore shadow pencil is opaque enough that it can be used as a liner or shadow, and is a quick and easy way to add some color to the eyes. The Eye Intensifier Pencils are creamy, easy to blend, and when used with a primer they last all day. 

Sue Devitt Gel-to-Powder Blush in Marion Reef

This is definitely my favorite product of the bunch. I mentioned it in last month's favorites, and this is a standout product. When you touch the blush it feels like a creamy gel and is soft and very easy to blend. When you start blending it on the cheek it starts to settle in to a powder but without being ashy or cakey. This property really allows the product to look natural on the skin and it lasts all day. The product itself is very pigmented and can be sheered out or layered for more intense color. I usually layer powder blushes on top of cream blushes but I don't have to with this one. I also like that the packaging is very slim and has a mirror....perfect for traveling.

Sue Devitt Lip Enhancing Gloss in Golden Triangle and Costa Del Sol

According to the Sue Devitt Website, these glosses contain Marine Filling Spheres that are supposed to "smooth out the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and work in tandem with Peptides that promote collagen production." All four shades are sheer and give the lips a smooth, full appearance. Personally, these are nice, but nothing special. I like that the gloss formula is non-sticky and the brush applicator holds a lot of product so the bristles don't splay like some brush applicators do. I didn't notice any plumping effect or anything extraordinary. On my lips, this gloss lasted only 2ish hours. I also think the tube is a little hefty compared to most gloss tubes, and considering how sleek the blush packaging is, this is not sleek at all.

L-R: Kenya shadow, Kenya blended, Marion Reef blush, Marion Reef blended, Costa Del Sol gloss, and Golden Triangle gloss

Here are snaps of the shadow, blush, and Costa Del Sol gloss in action:

Bangalore Eye Intensifier Pencil with no primer

Bangalore Eye Intensifier Pencil 7 hours later

You can see how badly the Eye Intensifier Pencil creased when worn by itself. When used over a primer this shadow lasts all day without fading or creasing. 

Overall, I really like the Eye Intensifier Pencils and the Gel-to-Powder Blush. The glosses are meh. I have only seen Sue Devitt cosmetics in-person at Macys, but they might be available at other retailers too. You can also purchase them online on the Sue Devitt Website, which is currently offering a free Eye Intensifier Pencil in Golden Triangle, an exotic jungle green, with any $25 purchase. 

Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided by PR for consideration. As always, my thoughts and review reflect my honest opinions. 

MAC Shop Cook Collection - Haul and Look

Hey Dolls! I haven't been interested in the recent MAC collections, but I did pick up a couple things from the recent Shop Cook collection: Call Me Bubbles Eyeshadow Quad and Added Goodness Fluidline Eye Liner.

L-R: Call Me Bubbles, Fresh Daily, Full of Flavour, Brash shadows; Added Goodness liner

The shadows are super pigmented and I especially love Brash, which is a veluxe pearl texture (my favorite). These shades are perfect for spring and summer. I have so many Indian outfits in these shades so I am excited to wear them with my sarees and lehengas...perhaps even a look like the following:

In this look I am wearing Call Me Bubbles and Fresh Daily on the lid, with a mix of Brash and Bronze (not from the quad) in the crease. I used a similar gradient on the lower lashline. I lined the top lid with Added Goodness Fluidline and used Black Funk pencil on my waterline.

What do you think? Did you pick up anything from the Shop Cook collection?