Aveeno Clear Complexion :: BB Cream

Hi!!! Today's Post is about the new Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream.

BB creams have become huge in the last year or two. They have been popular in Asia for a while now and when they hit America, it seemed like every brand had their own idea what a "BB cream was.

American BB creams are different than the traditional Asian BB creams. While the traditional ones are usually greyish in color, thicker, one shade only, American BB creams come in several colors and many are very similar to tinted moisturizers.

This is actually the first BB cream I've ever tried. I'm not one to try out a lot of different foundations and the like so, naturally, I was very late to the BB cream craze. I picked this one up because I absolutely adore the Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer and I thought that this would be similar, but tinted.

The skin benefits this is claiming to bring are: 1) instantly evens and brightens complexion (something that the moisturizer actually did for me); 2) helps blend away imperfections from breakouts; 3) helps fade the look of marks from past breakouts (another something that moisturizer did for me); 4) moisturizes and nourishes; 5) helps protect skin from future damage (SPF 30 broad spectrum).
 I haven't been using this for very long, so I'm not too sure about all of the beneficial things its supposed to do for my skin (a key aspect in all BB creams). But I do like how lightweight this product is. I think I have made it very clear that I prefer lighter makeup and this is a perfect "foundation" for me (seeing as its not exactly foundation). The fair/ light shade works for me just fine, and I believe I also saw a light/medium at Target when I picked this up. That being said, this product would not work across the board skin tone-wise, seeing as there is no "deep" option.

This runs for about $17, which may seem like a steep price from the drugstore, but it does come with more than twice the amount of other BB creams/ tinted moisturizers/ foundations, so the price is more than justifiable. This can be picked up at any drugstore or anywhere else Aveeno is sold.

xoxo

Tarte Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder :: Rose

Today's post is from a brand that I've had a lot of ups and downs with lately: Tarte.

Tarte is a natural cosmetics brand that is very famous for their Amazonian Clay products. I absolutely adore their Amazonian clay blushes (stay tuned for swatches and reviews on a few of those) and I thought I would give this a try.

I'm new to highlighters and this was actually my first powder highlighter and I was looking for a natural color that wasn't overly frosty.

It is a very soft, finely milled powder and the packaging is gorgeous!!! It isn't too shimmery and is a pinky-champagne color (very rose-gold). Swatched, I love the color, however I have to either apply it with a light hand or blend it out pretty well because it leaves a pinky-colored line where I have applied it. If your skin tone is a little pinker than mine or a little darker, this would be lovely. If you have very porcelain skin, I would stay away. That being said, when blended out, it gives a beautiful glow to the skin.

In person, this is slightly glowier, but I had the most difficult time trying to capture the beauty of this powder. While it isn't holy grail for me, I really like it and I will still be reaching for it almost every day, because I really don't have a replacement. But like I've tried to make evident, this is definitely not the best highlighter out there, but its not the worst. It's just okay, but it is very pretty!!!

This is sold at tarte online and Ulta (I'm sure there are other places, but this is not sold at Sephora for some reason). It retails for $30.

xoxo

Revlon Photoready Cream Blush :: Pinched

Hi there!!! Today's post is not a new product at the drugstore, but one that I love very much!!!

This past summer Revlon released a line of three cream blushes in their PhotoReady line: Coral Reef (a red coral), Flushed (a bright blue-based pink), and Pinched (a light peach color). They were limited edition with the Escapism collection, but Revlon ended up making them permanent!!!

Being a fan of more natural-looking makeup, I picked up the safest, most natural color. Pinched is a beautiful peach with a slight golden shimmer in it.

 I love how compact the packaging. I find that with many drugstore products, there is always an abundance of packaging, especially to accommodate for the little brushes that are often included (which I hate).

These are very creamy and easy to work with. They are very pigmented, but can easily be sheered or blended out. I found that the best way to apply these is with a fluffy synthetic brush (I really like the Real Techniques blush brush). Using fingers to apply these will work, but if you want the best results a brush is your best bet.

The picture above shows a heavy swatch of the blush, showing the true color of the product, and also a more sheered out swatch (the color it will show up on your cheeks). I love how a light wash of this product really illuminates my face (peaches and corals are my favorite colors for my skin color).

These cost about $13 which is pretty pricey for a drugstore product, but I think they are totally worth it!!! If you are into more dramatic make up, I would definitely recommend checking out the other two colors in this collection!!! Fingers crossed Revlon releases more colors of these in the future!!!

L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain :: Pink Resistance

Today's post is about another new lip product at the drugstore: the L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stains!!!

I saw these at my local Target, and there were very very few left, so lots of people must be loving these!!! I picked up the color Pink Resistance, a peachy-pink color with just a hint of a light coral color (it's not too coral, though, there's just a faint trace).

As seen in the photo above, these come in a gold plastic tube, that is not of the highest quality but is quite nice looking. The strip of color in the middle of the tube is actual product, not just a plastic representation, so you know what color you are getting when you purchase these (which is helpful because drugstores don't have testers).

These come with a doe-foot applicator that is rather flat and wide. I love the shape because it makes it so easy to apply (I find that the standard, thinner doe-foot applicator doesn't always apply color as smoothly or evenly).

Once applied, these are rather wet or even gel-like (just as the name implies). This particular color is rather sheer in its first coat, yet when you add the second coat, it's more opaque (seeing as this is such a natural and light color, it is still rather sheer, yet there is definite color). These are very glossy, yet will reduce to a sheen and later settle in to a stain. These have a really weird texture that takes some getting used to (because of they are 30% water) but they have pretty great staying power. Another thing to note is the odd scent, which doesn't bother me but may bother some.

A lot of people have been comparing these to the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains, which I have not had the opportunity to try yet, but I would like to!!! Those, however, are priced at $30.00 whereas I have seen these ranging from $6.00 to $10.00. YSL is owned by L'Oreal, though, so I can imagine that the two products would be rather similar.

I would really like to try these in some other colors, perhaps darker colors to see how pigmented they really are, yet I wasn't too thrilled with the color selection (12 shades). Overall, though, I really liked this product and I would definitely recommend it!!!

xoxo

Maybelline Color Whisper :: Coral Ambition and Pin Up Peach

Today's post is about another new product at the drugstore: the Maybelline Color Whispers!!!

Sheer, glossy, lightweight balm-like lip products are what seem to be all the rage for spring and summer this year; it seems like every company has their some sort of version!!!

When I first saw these, they immediately reminded me of the Revlon Lip Butters (which I really like) and the L'Oreal Color Riche Balms (which I haven't actually tried).

I picked these up in two colors and I am planning on looking for more. The two I have right now, however, are Coral Ambition and Pin Up Peach.

These are very creamy, have amazing color payoff (while still being sheer), are very glossy, and even a little moisturizing!!! The line itself comes in an amazing selection of colors, ranging from nudes to pinks to reds to berries and everything in between. There is truly a color for everyone, or if you're like me, a few colors for everyone!!! Since they are so creamy, though, I find that they are not as long-wearing as some other new lip products on the market. Which is totally fine with me because many long-wearing products dry out my lips anyway and these do just the opposite!!!

Coral Ambition is a beautiful coral pink color that is not too pink and not too orange. When I first saw this I snatched it up right away because it immediately reminded me of the Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Juicy Melons, which I had always wanted to try, but never wanted to pay $21 for. I absolutely adore how this color is bright (and brightening) without being too over the top, and even staying rather natural looking). It is a nice light pop of color for spring!!!

Pin Up Peach is equally as beautiful but not as unique of a color  in my eyes. I find that peachy-pink colors work really well for my complexion and are very natural looking while still enhancing my features. I love the way peach blush can really awaken my complexion, just how I like the way this lip color brightens my overall look as well. While Coral Ambition was a more cream finish, this color has a bit of gold shimmer, which is not too noticeable. This is a great every day, "my lips but better" color for any lifestyle, job, etc.

Here's the two swatched side by side:

I think this picture shows just how glossy they are!!!

These are available at any drugstore or anywhere else Maybelline products are sold. They run for anywhere from $5.00 to $8.00 depending on where you find them. You may see another shorter post in the future with more swatches if I pick up any other colors that catch my eye!!!

xoxo

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

I was so excited about my new blog I had to do another post– I promise this is it for today!!!

Urban Decay is known the world over for its ever-popular Naked Palette and Naked 2 Palette. I only own the original palette and just like the rest of the beauty community, I am completely in love with it!!!

This past December, Urban Decay released another addition to the Naked family: the Naked Basics Palette. This palette is described as the perfect companion to the Naked Palettes. It is also described as their "first MATTE palette." Even though the first and lightest of the shadows, isn't at all matte, I would describe this as a "mostly matte palette."

This palette comes with six full sized (0.05 g each) eyeshadows, five of which are completely matte. They are Venus ("a soft off-white, demi-matte"),  Foxy ("very light yellow/white matte"), W.O.S (Walk of Shame) ("very light nude matte"), Naked 2 ("taupe matte"), Faint ("warm dusty brown matte"), and Crave ("deepest darkest brown/black matte"). It comes in very sleek, small packaging (smaller than an iPhone), and has a full sized mirror.

Urban Decay is known as one of the top eyeshadow brands out there, and I have to agree. They are very soft and buttery and extremely pigmented without being powdery. It doesn't take much product at all to get amazing color payoff and their entire range is filled with amazing colors.

The palette itself is very versatile, many very natural looks can be created (Naked 2 (or any of the darker shades really) can also be used as a brow powder, and Crave can also be used as eyeliner!!!) I agree that this palette is the perfect companion to anyone's makeup collection, but if you own the first two Naked Palettes this may not be a necessity. However, I do find myself reaching for it almost everyday.

This palette retails for $27 dollars and can be found wherever Urban Decay is sold (like Sephora or Urban Decay's website, or Macy's). This is a steal, seeing as all of the eyeshadows are full-sized, each costing about $4.50 in this palette, compared to the usual $19 Urban Decay charges for each single eyeshadow.

xoxo

Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal :: Inked in Pink

So for my first official beauty post, I wanted to review a fairly new color from a favorite line of mine!!!

Today's Product is the new Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal 24 Cream Eyeshadow in the color Inked in Pink.

I love the formula of these. They are creamy, easy to blend, highly pigmented, and come in some absolutely gorgeous colors.

I'm a big fan of neutral eye shadows and eye looks, so this was perfect for me!!! It's a light shimmery color with just a hint of pink on the lids.

Like I said earlier, these are very creamy and highly pigmented. But they can also be sheered out and be a lovely wash of color on the lids. I tend to go somewhere in the middle of extremely opaque and sheer wash.

These work great as eye shadow bases or just as a cream shadow. They are very long lasting (I'm not sure if they last a full 24 hours, because who is really wearing makeup for that long anyway???) and although they do not claim to be waterproof they last pretty well in water. I have dry skin and therefore dry eyelids so I can apply these with or without a primer underneath and they still last all day without creasing!!!

These are available at any drugstore and range from about $5.00 to $7.00 depending on where you find them (there are always sales going on at the drugstore so I'm sure you can find it for much cheaper as well)!!!


PS i know my photography skills are not the best, but I'm hoping in time they will continue to improve!!!

xoxo <3

First Blog Post!!!

Hi!!! So this is my very first blog post!!! Haha so I don't really know what to write but I guess I'll tell you a little about myself!!! My name is Emilia and I live in California and I love all things makeup and beauty!!! I follow so many other bloggers and I thought it was finally time to start my own!! Enjoy!!!

xoxo <3