Dec 4

Benefit “Hello Flawless!” Powder Review

Its about time I did a product review! I already use Benefit’s Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation (full review here), so I decided to pick up the matching powder since I was running out of Bare Minerals Mineral Veil. I got it in the shade “I’m Cute as Bunny Honey” since I also have the “honey” shade in the liquid foundation.

I can’t tell whether this product is marketed as a powder or a powder foundation, but I’ve been using it primarily as a powder over my liquid foundation. The honey shade in this powder is slightly darker than the liquid foundation shade of the same name, but it isn’t drastically different. I do which the color was closer to the liquid foundation since that matches me perfectly. As long as I don’t cake it on, though, its barely noticeable as being darker.

This powder has amazing coverage! Having used Bare Minerals Mineral Veil for so long (which is translucent), I’m not used to a powder having even a little bit of coverage. Since the Hello Flawless Liquid Foundation is fairly light-medium coverage, this is the perfect finishing touch to get that “flawless” look! I didn’t find the powder drying at all (which is a big issue with my skin in the winter time). It comes with a little brush, which I only use when traveling, as well as a sponge which can be used to pat the powder on small areas as a concealer. I have used this powder by itself before (without liquid foundation) and it gave me a really nice, light coverage! Using it as concealer works perfectly also, so if you’re pressed for time this is a good one-step product to have. Another plus is that it contains SPF 15.

The only downside I have to this is the packaging. I’m not sure if its just me, but I have the hardest time opening this up every morning. The indentation to open up the lid is barely there so I struggle a bit with it, and also with getting to the lower part for the sponge/brush. Not a huge deal, of course, but still annoying! Another downside would be the price ($34), which I find a bit high for a powder.

All in all, I’ve really been loving the combo of this powder and the Hello Flawless liquid foundation! I will most likely purchase it again despite the price.

Rating:

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Sep 26

My Updated Makeup Routine

Its been awhile since I’ve done a post on my full morning routine! I’ve talked about most of these products individually, but this is what I use mostly everything morning.

Updated Makeup Routine

As you can tell…I love Benefit! The only products that I’ll occasionally leave out are #3, #6, and #8 (mostly because of time constraints). Also, for lips, I’ll change up the color but “Peach Parfait” is the one I love the most!

What is your daily makeup routine like? Do you use any of these products?

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Filed Under: Makeup, My Routines | Tags: Bare Escentuals, , DuWop, Maybelline, Revlon, Stila




Aug 16

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation

Finally getting around to reviewing Benefit’s Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation! I know I promised it forever ago, but I just haven’t gotten around to taking my own photo of it until yesterday. As you can see, I’m already almost halfway done the bottle.

I absolutely love this foundation! This is the first true liquid foundation I’ve tried in a long long time (I consider Laura Mercier’s Silk Creme as more of a cream foundation than a liquid).

First off, the packaging is ridiculously adorable. The bottle is plastic, but I love how it has that foggy glass effect. I also may be a design nerd, but I’m loving the typography on the bottle and box. Most importantly, this bottle comes with a pump! It makes it so easy and mess-free to dispense the product. It also came with a small sample of Benefit’s Porefessional included in the box.

The shade I picked up is called “I’m So Money Honey”. At first, I was thinking of going the lighter shade because I was afraid this would be too dark, but once I actually looked at the shades in person I chose the Honey, and I’m so happy I did! I have never found a foundation that matched my skin-tone as perfectly as this! I tried to take a photo of it swatched, but I apparently suck at swatch photos and it kept turning out blurry. :/ I would suggest swatching it in person before buying if you can.

The consistency is pretty thin (especially compared to the LM), but it is very easily blendable. I usually use my beauty blender with this, which works perfectly, but I’ve also used my fingers to apply it and it blended super easily that way also. The coverage is light, but buildable to medium…very natural looking and brightening, but still covers flaws pretty well (definitely not at all cakey). The finish is on the dewy side (bordering on oily), although using a matte primer underneath might help a bit with that, and powder would as well of course. Thankfully, this foundation does not accentuate any of my dry patches, which is my main gripe with liquid foundations. This would be a great foundation for those with normal to dry skin. If your skin is oily, I might not suggest this for you as it tends to look more oily throughout the day. I’m usually okay if I use my primer underneath, but sometimes I’ll blot, especially if its a hot day out.

All in all, I think I’ve found my perfect everyday foundation, and Benefit continues to be one of my favorite cosmetic brands! I love that this is so natural looking, but still makes your skin look flawless and radiant. It also has the bonus of being SPF 25 PA+++ (the PA+++ means that it is the highest protection for UVA rays). This is a definite re-purchase for me and something that I’ll use throughout the Winter as well! The only one downside is the price, which is $34, but is well worth it to me and thankfully not as much as the LM which is $42 (saving that for special occasions only). =)

My Rating:

Buy Benefit’s Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation now!

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Aug 6

Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer

I mentioned this primer in my July favorites post, so here is a full review of what I think of it and why I love it!

I usually don’t use a primer regularly. The last primer I owned was Tarte’s Clean Slate, which was pretty good but it tended to break me out if I used it too often. But with the weather so warm, I figured that I should find a primer again to see if that would help my makeup last. I went to my trusted source, Beautypedia.com, to find a primer that was fairly inexpensive with a good rating. I decided on Revlon’s Photoready Perfecting Primer (as opposed to their color correcting one) and picked it up at the drugstore for about $13.

When I first applied it, I was slightly disappointed because it had a similar finish to Benefit’s The Porefessional. It has a very matte finish and blurred out imperfections. The only reason why I’m not a big fan of matte finishes is because I have some dry patches and they usually make them worse. But not this primer! I was so relieved when the primer applied smoothly over my dry patches without making them any worse (in fact, they looked better). My skin was completely smoothed, matte, and had a very airbrushed look to it.

Makeup applies super smoothly over this primer, although it does not have that slippery silicone feel to it that a lot of primers have (if you prefer that), but it definitely is very smooth. The consistency of it is also closer to a lotion than a gel. After applying my makeup, I always have crazy amounts of oilyness around my t-zone that need to be covered up immediately by powder, but when I used this primer I could barely notice any oil! I even went without powder a couple times. My makeup held up better throughout the day (there will still be oil, but not as much as without using the primer). I was surprised when I came home at 5:30 and saw that my makeup looked almost perfect and that even my blush that I applied at 7:30 that morning was still perfect and visible.

All in all, this is a great primer and I would definitely suggest it to anyone who is going for a soft matte finish or likes Benefit’s Porefessional but doesn’t want to pay the high price for it.

My Rating:
Want it?: Buy it now from Ulta!

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Filed Under: Full Reviews, Makeup | Tags: Revlon




Jun 27

FusionBeauty LipFusion Balm SPF 15

I’ve had this balm for almost a month now so I thought I’d review it for you guys! This balm was included in some May Birchboxes. I didn’t receive it in mine, but was able to trade a Stila eyeliner that I got for it (since I don’t have much use for blue eyeliner). I always have one balm sitting on my desk at work and this has been the balm I’ve been using daily!

Here are the claims made by FusionBeauty (from the Birchbox website): “The lightweight formula is infused with hydrating sunflower seed oil, plus groundbreaking AmpliFat, which boosts collagen production to give your lips that feel and appear fuller. Built-in SPF 15 keeps lips protected from harmful UVA and UVB rays.”

This is only one of two “lip plumping” products I own (the other being Sorme’s Lip Thick Plumping Lip Gloss) and to be honest I’m not sure if it provides much plumping. It doesn’t really feel tingly like the the Sorme gloss does although there is a slight tingle if you apply it very heavily, so its possible that it plumps a little bit but you’d have to apply a lot of it.

As for moisturizing the lips, it does an average job. It could definitely stand to be moisturizing, and it also tends to wear away quickly. If you’re looking for a very moisturizing lip balm, I wouldn’t go with this one. What I do love about this balm is the packaging (the silver container is very sleek) and the large size of the balm. This retails for $22, though, and I would honestly not pay that much for it. There are other balms (like the Fresh Sugar Rose) that retail for the same price but are actually worth it. This balm doesn’t really offer anything, in my opinion, that a cheaper balm would not. If it was good at lip plumping, I would say maybe, but its not particularly good at that.

Overall, I don’t dislike this balm and I definitely enjoy using it…I just don’t think its worth $22!

My Rating:

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Filed Under: Full Reviews, Makeup | Tags: FusionBeauty




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