Loose Powder

My December Birchbox arrived last week, but I’ve only just had the chance to take photos of the contents. This month’s theme is the holidays, of course, and the usually pink outer box had festive white snowflakes! Inside the box, the plum tissue paper was replaced with one that is white with very fine pearlescent glitter. Very pretty!

So very pretty! Definitely saving the tissue to reuse for gifting. Inside the box were five items that should all be fun to try out:

• Benefit Cosmetics, The POREfessional
• Harvey Prince Ageless (Perfume)
• Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink
• Orofluido Beauty Elixir hair treatment
• Extra: Showstoppers Designer Fashion Tape
• Extra: EBoost Orange Natural Energy Booster

I haven’t used these products yet, but the Jouer samples I’ve gotten in my Birchboxes have all been great. The fashion tape could come in handy… if I ever wear a fancy dress that would need them, of course!

The Harvey Prince perfume is a light, fruity scent with notes of pink grapefruit, pomegranate, mango, and jasmine. I also love that these luxe perfume samples are now tiny sprayers instead of the traditional stopper tops which could get everywhere when you try to open them.

I don’t usually drink any of those energy boosting solutions, but perhaps I should give this a try as I’ve been feeling kind of run down lately.

Not super-wowed by this month’s box, but I’m still loving the monthly box of treats so I’m keeping my Birchbox subscription!

I thought I would give Physicians Formula new Correcting Primer a try since it had a Try Me Free sticker attached to it. Additionally, I was in the market for new concealer. This primer is promoted as a 3-in-1 corrector + Primer + Sun protection, since this primer also has SPF 15.

This Correcting Primer comes in three different colors, green, yellow, and pink. I opted for the green color since I tend to use the green concealer to offset redness from my skin blemishes.

The correcting primer comes in a container with a flat brush shaped like a concealer brush. With a couple twists of the tube the correcting primer will flow through the brush and you can apply the correcting primer without having to use your hands, which is very convenient.

However, having only used foundation primers that give my face a soft silky feeling, this primer did not give the same effect at all. This primer is more of a concealer than a primer since it is a lot thicker than the face primers that I am used too, but still smooths out your complexion just without the silky feeling.

Despite this correcting primer not give my face an instant silky smooth feel, this primer does managed to hold my foundation in place for the whole day and it did not feel heavy or constricting to my pores since this correcting primer is also talc-free, hypoallegenic, fragrance free, paraben-free, non-comedogenic, and oil free.

Overall, this correcting primer does its job in concealing my blemishes effectively, smoothing my complexion, helping my makeup last longer, and giving me some sun protection. If you don’t mind not having the silky smoothing feeling for a primer, I’d recommend this correcting primer since it is 3-in-1, and we all know we can use a few less things in our makeup bags.

After reading a bunch of reviews online about various types of mineral powders with SPF protection, I decided to try Sheer Miracle. I purchased sample sizes of their foundation, finishing powder, blush, bronzer, and green and pink concealers.

The samples come in 1g jars, and they are sealed and clearly labeled. I was surprised to see that the foundation and finishing veils were full 1g jars with sifters. They were definitely worth the $2.50 price. It looks as though the foundation and mineral veils sample would last me about a month of daily use, since I only use a light coverage. The Green concealer and blush are also a decent amount, they are nowhere near full, but they do have quite a few uses in them. For the Pink concealer, since it is a cream it only comes with literally one tiny drop in the jar. For $2.50 I think that is a bit much. I’m sure there are a few uses in the sample, but it would be nice if the single drop were a bit bigger.

Mineral Foundation – Medium Light Neutral and Medium Tan

I generally use Medium Beige for Bare Escentuals foundations, and since I wasn’t sure what color I was for Sheer Miracle, I decided to try the Medium Light Neutral and the Medium Tan. Unfortunately, both colors didn’t work for me. The Medium Light Neutral ended up having a yellow undertone instead of a neutral undertone. As for the Medium Tan, even after being out in the sun hiking for hours, it was still a bit dark for me. Maybe after vacationing in Hawaii for a week, I can use the Medium Tan.

Aside from the poor color matching, the foundations are not matte so they still have a light shimmer to the powders, but not as much as the Bare Escentuals Original foundation, but the light shimmers does not bother me. The foundation gives pretty decent coverage and feels very light. Additionally, it is SPF 30 and I am all for longer sun protection for my face. It’s too bad the colors did not work for me. I would have loved to have had an alternate brand of foundation that cost less than Bare Escentuals.

Bronzer

Sheer Miracle only has one color for bronzer. I found the color to be a bit dark. I prefer my bronzer to be a bit lighter since my skin is already slightly tanned. But I guess with the darker bronzer color I just need very little of the bronzer, so the product would definitely last me a long time.

Blush – Sienna Rose

I picked Sienna Rose because it was recommended for those with Medium complexion. The sample has quite a bit of blush, and the blush is very pigmented like the bronzer. Just a very tiny bit of blush is enough to give your cheeks some color. I usually just tap the excess blush powder off of the cap and dip my brush lightly on the residual blush powder clinging to the cap for the amount of blush I use on my cheek, which is still ample color to give me a rosy hue. At first I thought it might be too much pigment to my liking, but the blush blends very well and gave me natural rosy cheeks with a hint of rouge.

The blush color is a rose color and has a bit of a shimmer in it, but when it is applied to the face, I don’t notice any shimmer on my face.

Finishing Veil – Matte

I really like this finishing veil. The veil is very light and you only need a little bit of powder for your whole face. Usually I would just dunk my kabuki brush once into the jar and that is more than enough to cover my whole face. This finishing veil kind of reminds me of the E.L.F. HD powder.

1g jar with sifter

Finishing Veil – Glow

Apparently, Sparkle is the new “Glow” because this finishing veil is SPARKLY. When I say sparkly, I mean sparkly because just after a dunk of my brush and a once over on my face, I looked like Twilight vampire. A couple years ago, this look might be fun, but if you do not want to look like the latest vampire fad. I would avoid this veil and stick to the matte. However, if you plan to be a sparkling fairy for Halloween, this veil would be perfect.

Concealer – Green

The Green concealer works pretty well, but because I wear such a light coverage of foundation on my face, I have to work a bit on blending the green in to prevent looking like I have splotches of green on face. However, the concealer does give decent coverage. I may prefer using this concealer under a liquid foundation, but that’s just me.

Concealer – Pink

This pink under eye concealer is a cream and “more than meets the eye” is the first thing that pops into mind when I see the little pink dot in the sample jar. The little dot sample of the pink concealer does go a long way because you need very little to get the coverage you need under your eyes. I’ve used this sample for a while, and I still have quite a lot of the tiny dot left. The light pink color works well to lighten the dark under eye circles and goes on very smoothly. Also because of the lightness of the pink it blends easily with foundation.

Who knew that soft brushes could be bought without breaking the bank? For years I have been using cheap brushes I’ve found at discount stores, since I had always assumed that good quality soft brushes would cost me an arm and a leg and maybe an ear. But thanks to Cyn’s recommendation, she told me to give Ecotools a try.

Since there was another “Buy one get one free” sale at Rite Aid, which happens every so often, I picked up the 5 piece brush set for about $9.99 and the Retractable Kabuki Brush, but this review is for the 5 piece brush set.

This set comes with the following:

• Mineral Powder Brush
• Concealer Brush
• Eye Shading Brush
• Baby Kabuki
• Cosmetic Bag

Mineral Powder Brush

I used this brush for my mineral foundation and it works very well, and I just can’t get over how soft the bristles are.

Concealer Brush

This brush is still soft, but it is still stiff enough to apply concealer on a specific location without it spreading all over the place.

Eye Shading Brush

Again I love the softness of the brush, but I like my eye shading brushes to be a little stiffer. This brush might be a bit too soft for eye shading. Though I think it makes for good shadow blending and applications for a softer or natural look.

Baby Kabuki

I love this Baby Kabuki. This Kabuki is perfect to carry around because of its size. Because it’s not huge and not too small, I can apply my finishing powder all over my face quickly when I’m not at home. And like all the other brushes putting this on your face just feels like heaven.

Cosmetic Bag

This ecofriendly cosmetic bag is made of 55% hemp linen and 45% cotton. All the brushes fit neatly into the bag. However, the cream white color of the bag may get dirty very easily, but it is still a very cute and ecofriendly bag, but wish it was a darker color.

These brushes are “travel size” so they are nice and short and can fit into any makeup bag easily. The bristles are amazingly soft and they also pick up the powders very well. I have not noticed any shedding, and they don’t feel like they are going to shed anytime soon. The handles of the brushes are made from bamboo except for the Baby Kabuki. Bristles are synthetic taklon and 100% cruelty free, and lastly, the ferrule is made from recycled aluminum. So not only are these great brushes at a great price, but they are also earth-friendly.

After one usage of these brushes, I was in love, and I highly recommend these brushes. I will most likely review the other brush sets once I get my hands on them.

I was strolling through Rite Aid when the new Physicians Formula display caught my eye. Because I am cursed with blemished skin, I am constantly looking for concealer and cover-ups that can help my skin look smoother and blemish free. When I saw the nifty packaging that contained a trio of colors: 1. Correct (Soft Green or Soft Yellow) 2. Cover (Natural Light) 3. Highlighter (Pink), I knew I had to try it.

Each of the .2 oz. vials can be attached or detached from each other for easy fitting into your purse or makeup bag. I really liked the idea where all the concealer colors I needed were all in one package though I could have done without the pink highlighter color. I purchased two sets. One set with the Soft Green and the other with Soft Yellow since there was a $4.00 off manufacturer coupon on the package which normally would have retailed for about $8.95. Each vial also comes with its own little applicator brush, so you can dab the concealer onto wherever it is needed.

On the back of the box, there are some instructions indicating that the Soft Green is to cover blemishes and redness.  Natural Light is to conceal and cover spots where Soft Green or Soft Yellow were first placed, and Pink is to highlight your brows and temples. For the other set, the Soft Yellow is to neutralize dark under eye circles.

I mostly wanted to try the set with the Soft Green because I was running out of my usual green correcting concealer from Neutrogena which contained salicylic acid for acne prone skin. While this concealer did not have salicylic acid, I figured it was talc-free so my skin might be fine with it. I was wrong. I tried using the concealer for a couple days, using only the Soft Green and Natural Light, but I had to stop because I could feel my skin start to breakout by the end of the day.

Each vial can snap onto each other in any order you like.

As for the Soft Yellow, I did not see much of a difference in covering dark circles after using it with and the Natural Light concealer under my eyes. Instead I just got a thick caked look under my eyes. Also I did not see much of a difference in my brows and temples after using the highlighter color. Then again I also wear glasses, so even if they did anything no one would notice.

Aside from the problem of the concealer being a bit thick, I found that the concealer gives pretty good coverage for blemishes, but may be a bit thick for under eye corrections. When I looked at the box again, I noticed it was for Medium coverage, but for some reason my brain thought medium skin tones. Also I found the Natural Light color is quite light and too light for my skin tone. Basically, I didn’t know that there were different coverage “strengths” for concealer, but now I do. But most importantly for me, I need concealer that contains salicylic acid in order to control and dry my acne.

So even though I got a good deal with the manufacturer coupon, I’m going to have to return it and try something else.

Nope, the title is not a pun on “All My Bright Eyes” or something. This is actually a review on the products in Almay’s bright eyes collection that consists of a concealer, eye shadow, and eye liner that doubles as a highlighter.

The “bright eyes” collection supposedly “instantly refreshes and enhances your eyes”.

I decided to try this collection because there was a “buy one get one free” sale at CVS Pharmacy. Also since I’m a natural look kind of girl, I thought this collection would be great for me because I could use something that made me look more awake than my usual half asleep stumble into the office each morning.

For this collection, Almay suggests that certain colors should be used for specific eye colors, which I found useful since I’m horrible at figuring out what colors play up my eyes and which don’t. There are choices for the three major eye colors: blue, green, and brown.

Since I’m a brown eyed girl, I picked up the suggested base + concealer in Medium, eye shadow in Bronze, and liner/highlighter duo in Soft Black/Champagne.

Base + Concealer – Medium ($8.99)

The concealer comes in a squeezable tube. The concealer is squeezed out of the tube into a brush tip applicator, which seems like a great idea if you were planning to line your eyes with concealer. The brush tip is on the thin side and it is fine for dotting the black shadows under your eyes, but it takes a bit more work to cover your whole eyelid. I also found out that squeezing the concealer through the tube into the brush could get messy really quickly because you have to squeeze the tube pretty hard for any concealer to come out of tube and into the brush applicator. Additionally, the brush applicator did not help in giving me an even distribution of concealer. Instead I had problems where I would have a lump of concealer where I first applied the brush and run out by the time I reach the end of my eyelid. So I still ended up using my fingers or a makeup sponge to make sure the concealer evenly covered my eyelids and under my eyes.

As for concealing any puffy eyes and dark under eye circles, I don’t see much of a difference compared to other concealers. It might have lightened up the area a bit, but not enough for a significant difference. On the other hand, using this concealer as an eye base is actually not bad at all. I’ve tried it a few times and it lasted all day with no creases. But I suggest using this as a base for powder shadow because the cream shadow that Almay suggests you use with this base in this collection creased the moment I opened my eyes. To prevent creasing, I had to add another layer of powder eye shadow (Neutrogena’s Nourishing eye duo in Iced Coffee) over the cream eye shadow. The addition of the powder eye shadow worked beautifully leaving no creases.

Pros: good eye base for powder eye shadows

Cons: applicator brush not very effective and can get messy, very hard to squeeze, and not a good concealer

Cream-to-powder shadow – Bronze ($8.99)

When I first bought this, I had no idea it was a cream shadow, and I had never used cream shadows before I got this. It was serendipity because I ended up loving this cream shadow, and the color in this set is perfect for a natural day look. The eye shadow is a duo that consists of two colors light beige and brown. I have used this shadow by itself or with a layer of powder eye shadow over it, and I like the final result of both looks.

This cream eye shadow also works well as base if you happen to run out of primer, concealer or just don’t have any thing other than the cream shadow handy.

Pros: good colors, cream shadow, good eye base

Cons: none really unless you hate cream shadows

Liner/Highlighter duo – soft black & champagne ($8.99)

Like the cream shadow, the moment I used this eyeliner I was in love. The soft black color goes very well with the bronze shadow set. It was very easy to line my eyes with this pencil. The lines came out smoothly, and I didn’t even need to apply pressure on the pencil it to get a smooth line.

The champagne highlighter color is a nice iridescent off white color that I like for highlighting the corners of my eyes. Like the liner it did not need pressure to achieve a smooth line.

Pros: Liner and highlighter in one, no struggle needed to get a smooth line, good color combination

Cons: The liner is on a thicker pencil which means I need a different sharpener when the tip gets blunt.

Now that I’m done talking about each individual product, let’s see how they work together.

Instruction on the Almay Bright Eyes site suggests the following steps in applying the collection.

1. Apply the base + concealer under eyes and over eyelids.
2. Apply eyes shadow on eye lids. Darker shade on lid to crease and lighter shade from crease to brow bone.
3. Apply darker eyeliner along upper/lower lash line. Then apply highlighter to inner and outer corners of eyes and highlight brow bone below eyebrows line.

After doing my usual regimen for preparing my face with foundation, concealer and powder, I applied the bright eyes collection as directed. As noted before, the base + concealer with the eye shadow leads to immediate creasing.

Aside from the creasing, bright eyes does make my eye seem more “refreshed” since the eye shadow and liner/highlighter added definition to my eyes. Out of the three products in the bright eyes collection, I would consider purchasing the eye shadow and liner/highlighter duo again. I would definitely pass on the base + concealer and try something else.