Review: Dior Amber Diamond

I thought I would do a review on one of my favorite makeup products that I've ever discovered and that's Dior Amber Diamond Shimmer Powder. It retails at a pricey $44.00 but I assure you that it's worth every penny. I'm sure most of you have heard about or even own this product. Ever since I got this for my birthday in November there hasn't been a day that I haven't used this on my face and I've completely forgotten about the other highlighters I own. It imparts the most lovely glow on the skin that isn't shimmery or glittery but more of a sheen-like finish that has a way of catching the light. It's pretty hard to over-do this and you don't need a lot of product to get the effect you want so it'll last you a long time. It lasts pretty much all day on my skin. I've heard some people calling it a highlighter/bronzer, uh I don't think anyone would want to apply this like they would with a bronzer. As you might see my Amber Diamond has had a little accident and is not in brand spankin condition but that's due to my own negligence. It comes in a stunning blue compact with Dior embossed in silver and CD underneath it. It also came with a velvet pouch which, unfortunately my friend has lost, why a guy was looking through my makeup bag I will never know. 

Review: Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer

Quick post today then I'm off to do some cleaning. Make Up For Ever's Full Cover concealer has to be my favorite concealer that I've ever used. It's available at Sephora for $30.00 for 15ml or product, I have it in shade 6. I've been using this one tube just about everyday for 2 years now and there is still 35% of the tube left. You literally need the smallest amount to cover your imperfections, cause it's so opaque.  I have a lot of acne scarring and this covers it up with no problems at all. Sometimes when my under-eye circles are really bad I use two concealers in conjunction with one another, so I place some over my usual under-eye concealer (MAC Studio Finish in NW20.) The claim that it is waterproof is true, you should be able to go for a swim with no problems, but is still easy to remove. The concealer also lasts all day for me, which is usually when I wake up at 7am to about 9pm when I remove my makeup. It's a shame that it is so expensive but it has lasted me for so long, so it's kind of justified (or at least that's what I'm trying to convince myself.)

I know everyone loves the Collection 2000 concealer but we can't get it here in the states, so frustrating, cause I would love to try it. :/ Well I hope everyone is having/had a nice day, goodbye everyone!

Review: Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation

I've been using this foundation for about 2 months now and I thought I would share my thoughts on it.  It retails for $30.00 and comes with 40ml of product, which is 10ml more than your average foundation. The shade I use is NC20. My skin is combination-dry with just my nose and chin getting a bit oily throughout the day while the rest of my face is dry. I have acne-prone skin but I have not experienced any breakouts with this foundation. Just make sure you remove your makeup entirely every night.

The texture of the foundation is different from a liquid foundation. It's more of a whipped consistency then a liquid consistency. Coverage wise it is a medium-full coverage foundation depending on how you apply it and how much you apply. I apply it with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (that I have reviewed here) before that I applied it with my fingers and that worked great as well.

 No makeup                                                                                      With Foundation 

As you can see you can see here by my two police station mugshots (kidding! but I do look horrible) the foundation has covered up my blemishes and my uneven skin tone quite well.  I squeeze about the equivalent of 1 and a half pumps to cover my entire face. The finish of the foundation is dewy but a healthy dewy that isn't greasy or oily looking. The foundation still looks good after an entire school day and after school as well, but can use a touch up by then. I will admittedly say that it doesn't quite have the lasting power as Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation but let's be honest I don't think any foundation lasts quite as long as that. I really love this foundation, it hides my imperfections and makes my skin look great and healthy.

Hope this has been somewhat helpful to someone. If you have any questions please ask them in the comments and I'll make sure to answer them as best as I can. Now I'm off to put on the rest of my makeup that I so desperately need. I pinky promise I don't always look this bad. Until next time, goodbye everyone!

Review: Real Techniques Brushes

I thought it was about time I finally purchase some Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman. I'm a little late on the bandwagon but that's only because there is no Ulta near me for miles. Closest one is in New Jersey to be exact (I live in NYC.) I'm not going to go in too much detail about the brushes cause I'm sure you've seen/heard about them before, but I will go into detail about the 2 new brushes that has came out since I have not heard many people talk about them. As you may see some of them are dirty cause I got these a few weeks ago and couldn't resist using them. Sorry! All of the brushes are made out of synthetic taklon bristles and are super soft. They have white tipped bristles so you know how much product is on the brush and when you need to clean them. The sets come with a panoramic case which I'm sure everyone knows what it looks like by now.

The Core Collection (retails for $17.99):

1. The Contour Brush can be used to apply highlighter as well as contouring. Haven't actually used this one yet cause I haven't had time to contour in the mornings lately.

2. The Pointed foundation brush is actually a bit to small for my liking to be used for foundation, but not entirely impossible. I like it more as a concealer brush for concealing large areas.

3. The Detailer Brush is a small concealer brush that I use to get under my eyes, without getting concealer on my lashes, and for concealing specific spots.

4. The Buffing Brush is a great does-everything brush. You can use it for powder, liquid or mineral foundation, blush and bronzer.  

The Starter Set (retails for $17.99):

1. The Deluxe Crease Brush can actually be used as a concealer brush which is what most other people use it for and is great at blending the concealer into the skin.

2. The Base Shadow Brush is flatter on one side and wider at the other. Would be great at just applying an all over the lid color, crease brush or a blending blush.

3. The Accent Brush is a nice stiff brush that can be used to apply color in the inner eye and smudging out eyeliner.

4.  The Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush is a bit too thick for eyeliner for my taste, unless you like thick dramatic eyeliner. If you want an eyeliner brush from Real Techniques, luckily Sam has came out with an individual liner brush here. I've used it to apply highlighter to the inner corners of my eyes.

5. The Brow Brush is fantastic for brows. It's thicker than your average angled brush which means that you get your brows done quicker. Can also be used for thick dramatic eyeliner.

Individual Brushes:

10. The Stippling Brush (retails for $9.99) is shorter and denser than your average stippling brush. It's everything I wished the MAC 187 to be. 

11. The Blush Brush (retails for $8.99) is also not like your average blush blush. It has a sort of an egg shape. Not only is it great for blush, but for bronzer and powder too.

12. The Setting Brush (retails for $7.99) is a micro setting brush that can be used to set small areas of the face such as under and  around the sides of the nose, near the hairline and under the eyes. I also use it for applying highlighter onto the tops of the cheekbones, down my nose and any other places I would like to place highlighter. As you can see from the pictures above it is tapered to a point and is flat on on side. 

13. The Expert Face Brush (retails for $8.99) can be used for cream or liquid foundation. It is great at applying foundation without leaving you looking streaky and blending into your skin. You can use a stippling, stroking or circular motion. It is dense and stiff and kind of looks like an over-sized eyeshadow brush. The size of the brush isn't too big nor too small. The design of the brush is fantastic at fitting into the cervices of your face such as the area between your nose and lip, the sides of the nose, under the eyes and your eyelids. 

Hope this has been helpful, not sure about where you can purchase or how much these brushes are outside the states, sorry!