Friday, September 26, 2014

The Balm Mary Lou Manizer - Review + Swatch!


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I absolutely adore highlighters. Whatever color or shade they are, I like to have them in my stash. Not that I have many (I'm still building my collection). In fact, The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer was my first highlighter. And it is, by far one of the most amazing highlighters I've ever tried. I bought it on Amazon, for $16.99 (it actually retails for $24.99 I think, on the official website). I totally think it was worth every penny, which I'll explain in the review. Also, Hautelook every now and then has sales on The Balm makeup where it is for 50% off.
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The retro packaging is very cute. It's a sturdy compact, with a mirror on one side, taking good space in the palm. It holds 8.5g/0.3 Oz which is a lot of product. Especially considering how pigmented it is, it feels like it'll never finish. There isn't any fragrance to the powder I feel. And oh, it is so soft! Which is why I use a flat brush and pat it on the compact, to avoid fall out. Since you need very less to get a good glam look. It may give you the disco ball look if applied heavily, so it's better to start off using a light hand. It has some sparkle in it, I wouldn't say too much, since it ends up looking just like a beautiful sheen when applied lightly.
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The lasting powder is nice too, even though I have very oily skin. It lasts about 6-7 hours without primer or setting spray. I would say though that the compact is kind of delicate plastic. Since my luminizer chipped from the side, after which I added a little rubbing alcohol and pressed it. So, maybe it's not too great for travel...
Overall verdict, I absolutely love this product. Even though some people feel it's hard to pull it off during day time, I think it's very possible using a light hand. And that it gives a very beautiful champagne highlight to the face.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Maybelline Super Stay 24 Lip Color in Keep Up The Flame! Review + Swatch!

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Maybelline Super Stay Lipstick in Keep up the Flame (025), is a long wearing matte red lipstick. It's a 2 way lipstick, from one side you apply the actual color and the other side is to keep your lips moisturized and hydrated, since the lipstick formula is drying. When I first got into long wearing lipsticks, I decided I had to get a red long wearing lipstick. 'Cause red lipsticks feather out of the lips the most, especially if you don't use lip liner. I thought it was a great way to keep your lipstick in place and not having to use lip liner! :D
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Keep up the flame is a cool toned red lipstick, it's more like a deep red. It has no shimmer or sparkle whatsoever, and dries to a completely matte finish. The lipstick holds 2.3 ml of product, which I think is kind of less. As you can see in the picture, the compartment holding the lipstick isn't much big either. The lipstick has a very slight floral scent, which isn't overpowering at all. I actually like it, it's refreshing. 
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The Balm on the other end, to moisturize the lipstick comes quite handy. Even though I like to keep the lipstick completely matte sometimes, my lips get too dry which is when I use the balm. As far as whether the lipstick lives up to the 24 hour claim, I haven't tested it so long. I never wear makeup for 24 hours really. But it does last straight 8 hours with eating and drinking and doesn't fade. Neither does it transfer. 
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The swatch kind of looks funny, cause it's my wrist and it has a straight red line (:P), but oh well.. Swatches on the wrist seem more clear to me. The lipstick retails for $8.99-9.99 depending on where you buy it from. It's available in most drugstores.
Overall, I really like this lipstick. It's very long lasting, I absolutely adore the color, and it doesn't feather. What else can you ask for of a lipstick? Though the fact remains, I am not someone who wears a red lip very often. I wore a red lip on my sister's wedding which was 6 months ago, after which I haven't worn a red lip. But I definitely would want to try more colors in this range, cause of how beautiful the formula is. I'd love finding a more nude/light pink color to wear on a daily basis. 

Monday, September 1, 2014

ELF Studio HD Blush in Headliner Review & Swatch!

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I know this is a a late review, but I've recently fallen in love again with cream blushes. I personally prefer powder blushes because of the convenience of applying them, but my love for that radiant creamy look is back I guess.
The ELF Studio HD blushes hold 0.034 Fl Oz and come with a pump. They're popularly referred to a dupe for the MUFE HD blushes ($26), where as these blushes are $3.
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These blushes come in five shades. I have the blush in Headliner, which is a pinkish mauve. At first when you dispense some product from the pump it may seem separated (the oil and the cream blush), but the problem can be easily resolved by shaking the blush well.. And voila! A beautiful cream blush comes out of the pump. 
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I think Headliner is an absolutely beautiful color to wear on an everyday basis. It does contain really small silver glitter specks here and there, but overall it gives a very radiant finish. On the face the glitter can't be seen. And oh, the blush is intensely pigmented, so a little goes a long way. At first when I pumped out product I thought a lot would be wasted (that's the only complain most people have with this), but I figured if you control the pump you can actually get how much product you want.
The wear time of the blush is also great, it's very long lasting. I love the natural sheen it gives. It doesn't really have any fragrance, so it won't bother smell sensitive people. I apply it with the elf stippling blush and blend it out with a buffing brush. 
Overall, I really love this blush. I'm so happy to have tried it again. I love the color, the finish and the staying power is great too. It's a total bargain, and at $3 I don't think you can really go wrong. On top of that, using Ebates you get 4.5% cash back. And if you're lucky you can find the stuido line on 50% off too!