TOM FORD Cocoa Mirage - Swatches and Review

*drools*

Oh Tom Ford... you have my heart. It's the way you package your line of beauty products and the fact that you do not have to do a thing and your products will sell out.

You have this way about you and the way you put your style into your products that appeal to everyone. It makes your products worth a look and completely worth the investment.

Here, I present to you... Cocoa Mirage. Arguably, the most popular Eye Color Quad from Tom Ford. 

 Packaging: Sleek, sturdy, and beautiful. The classic mahogany and gold.

*dead* Just look at it! ahhh :}

It comes with three matte shades and one satin/shimmer shade.

The beauty about this quad is that it's so versatile. You can create the most natural of looks to some sultry bronze smokey eyes.

I think if you were to get just one quad from the range, I would recommend this one. I think it's the most universally flattering and it's a quad that can help you create a huge range of looks.

I realize that the $78 price tag is shocking to most but it's something that will get a lot of use and the quality of the shadows are unmatched. I have yet to find something in my collection that matches the quality, smoothness, blend-ability, and pigmentation of these 4 shades. This is coming from a girl that owns Naked 1, 2, and Basics, TheBalm palettes, and Inglot shadows.

It has become harder to get your hands on. There has been a lot of buzz around this specific quad. So if you are interested, get a hold or pre-order on this at any counter that sells it, TomFord.com (now available to purchase his beauty line and much more!!), Nordstrom/Bergdorf Goodman/Neiman Marcus/Saks, and free standing Tom Ford stores.

*yep, still drooling*

Haha, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them down in the comments. Until the next time, take care!

Bianca :)

Hakuhodo Brushes!

I can't get enough of these brushes. Seriously, some of the best brushes around. I have different brands in my makeup brush collection but nothing beats these. I added 3 more to my little collection, totaling up to 6 brushes from Hakuhodo. 

Each brush I purchased were under $20. So they are an investment but I would rather have a select few that are out of this world and multipurpose than a ton of mediocre or shitty quality brushes. My opinion, of course.

So here for pictures of the three I got. I got a tinyyy pencil brush, fluffy crease/blending brush, and a small synthetic detail brush. 

G5514 BkSL

J5533 BkSL

K005

I will be doing a brush comparison with the rest of the brushes in my collection. Just so you can be size comparisons and thoughts on those brushes. Performance is important when investing in these brushes or from any brand of makeup brushes. It's nice to know if you are getting your money's worth.

Do you have any recommendations for Hakuhodo brushes? I'm thinking my next makeup brush purchase will be from the Wayne Goss face and eye kit coming out soon! I'm thinking one or two from each. I don't need the whole kit :). Some of my old brushes are shedding and performing poorly so it's time for an upgrade :).

Thoughts? Questions? Anything...? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you! :)

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows - swatches and thoughts

Sooo Makeup Geek (MUG) shadows...aren't they grand? :)

If you own anything from MUG, you know it's all great quality for the price. These shadows rival and do better than a lot of other shadows you find in the drugstore and Sephora/Dept. Stores/etc.

I don't own many; though part of me wants to own every single color haha. These are kind of like Pokemon.... ;P

I own 12: 6 more colorful and 6 warm neutrals

Row 1 - left to right: Hipster, Moondust, Taupe Notch

Row 2 - left to right: Latte, Frappe, Cocoa Bear

*I bet you are probably thinking about the second row... "they all look the same....". Yeah...kinda... haha

Row 1 - left to right: Burlesque, Sensuous, Drama Queen
Row 2 - left to right: Cosmopolitan, Shimmermint, Envy

SWATCHES:
**Unprimed skin, circled the pan once and then swiped. Did not build up any color.**

Thoughts:

These shadows are really pigmented. If you are on a budget (and heck, even if you are not!), I would recommend purchasing these. MUG has an AMAZING eyeshadow selection that would make any makeup addict want to collect all. There is something (aka a lot) for everyone. 

These shades apply smooth and blend seamlessly. 

Of the ones I own, I adore Cosmopolitan, Frappe/Latte/Cocoa Bear, Moondust, and Shimmermint. 

The ones I'm not over the moon about are Hipster (a little blah and powdery), Taupe Notch (also kind of blah), and Burlesque (the color is the pan is more vibrant and once applied on the lid, it looks dull). But these work as an "all over the lid, blend it, and forget it" kind of shades. 

Overall, these are amazing shadows. And I believe in pan form, they retail for $5.99 and in the compact, it's an extra buck. 

Do you have any must haves in your collection from MUG? Let me know down below! :)

Hope you are all well,

Bianca

High End Blushes - Are you getting your money's worth...?

I was thinking today about how people justify buying certain makeup items, whether it be blush, foundation, eyeshadows; and if it is worth the money.

I thought I would do a comparison post on some of the higher end blushes that I own and compare price per gram of product.

Hourglass Cosmetics, Benefit Cosmetics, Chanel, Tom Ford, and Clinique

I know some people might think that being the pan looks big that there may appear like there is a lot of product when in fact...if you do the math...you might be paying more for less product. And it might actually be worth to spend the extra few bucks by buying from another brand.

My very first Tom Ford item I purchased was a blush and believe me...I couldn't believe what I had spent that much on it. I picked out a blush I knew I could use with every look and something I would reach for on a daily basis (which is how I first justified my first TF purchase) #NoRegrets haha.

Whether you are on a budget or not, it's good to know whether you are getting your money's worth. Think like you are in Costco, the more you get, the better the deal right? Sometimes not haha. I think that concept applies a lot to makeup. The higher price tag might mean less product and in some cases you get way more than you thought.

Some folks do not really think about how much they are getting for the price. So that is why I'm here to compare different brands that have blush lines and see how they stack up against each other.

In the pictures posted, I have featured: Benefit Cosmetics, Tom Ford Beauty, Hourglass Cosmetics, Chanel, and Clinique.

I wanted to show you the amount you get per compact. I calculated on Excel the price per gram and you will see some interesting things from the screen shot.

 If you want a close up view of the pic, click on it. You will see more detail.

I think some of the most surprising in my opinion was Benefit's Box o' Powder as the most bang for your buck. You get a TON of product for the price.

The most expensive was Chanel in both cream and powder formulas weighing in at over $10 per gram :O.

I think something to consider, if you are interested in Tom Ford blushes, is that you are getting quite a bit of product for a not-so-crazy price tag (it could be worse haha). And from personal experience, you only need to dab your brush in once and you're good to go for each cheek. I can imagine my TF blushes lasting me FOREVER haha.

The price per gram in the new limited edition Clinique Cheek Pop blushes rival TF. If you had the choice though...which one would you pick if you had the means? (I would say Tom Ford; personal opinion haha).

Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushes are definitely in the higher price spectrum of the ones listed. It's personal preference on what you want in a blush and if you are okay spending that much. Though I must say that you cannot really overdo these, so in my opinion it's fool proof.

SOOO...what do you guys think? Does the how much you get matter or are you just interested in getting your hands on the product?

Does anyone else do these price per gram comparisons...? Just me? Yeah, thought so :P ;)

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, I would love to hear your opinions.

Apologies for the super long post but there was a lot of info to cover.

Talk to you all soon,
Bianca

Smashbox Liquid Halo HD Foundation in #6

Hello everyone, how are you all doing? TGIF right?! (Even though when I publish to my blog it will already be Saturday haha).

I'm here to talk to you about a new foundation I purchased today. I did not buy this on a whim or without testing it out for a little bit. I actually picked up a sample of the Smashbox Liquid Halo foundation when I was in Sephora about a week or so ago and it was amazing! It is very natural looking on the skin (I will post a FOTD post on my Instagram and later update this post when I take the picture). I made a little sample pot last me about a week which is awesome. Depends on the coverage you want, it goes from a sheer/medium to a solid medium, which is what I prefer.

So lets get into the deets :)

*I wear shade 6 which is a warm medium beige for medium complexions.

*Provides a fresh, luminous finish (agree with this! but looks so natural)

*SPF 15 (woohoo!)

*Oil Free

*$42 for 1 fl. oz.

*Link to Sephora's website: Smashbox Liquid Halo foundation

When I opened the box, a little sample packet of their most popular face primer was packed into the box with the foundation. It was a cute little surprise :)

It is a glass bottle so it will be prone to breaking if you drop it. It is heavy so I'm going to assume that a fall from any height could break it :o. When you hold it in your hand though, it feels nice and luxurious.

Close up of the bottle from the bottom plus my shade number.

It comes with a pump! I forgot to take off the cap haha but it does come with a pump which is like 50 bonus points for them. I feel like EVERY foundation should have a pump but for some reason...some brands don't have pumps, don't sell pumps, or make it so you have to buy a pump if you want it >:| .

I did a little swatch for you on the underside of my arm so that's why it looks darker than my actual skin tone. I think this shade in particular, due to it's sheerness, can be used to bronze up the face without it making you look like Snooki or an oompa loompa :P / :). You can see that there is no red or too much yellow; it could give you a nice natural tan look.

Here is the back of the box in case you were interested. 

Alright folks, I'll update you soon on this foundation with a pic on my Instagram (link to that on the homepage of my blog) and I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this foundation. 

If you are curious about this foundation, get color matched and ask for a sample. There are 10 shades in this particular line of Smashbox foundations :). 

Talk to you soon,

Bianca

UPDATE: http://instagram.com/p/llEOKqn1qQ/ <- head on over to my instagram and see my face improve with this foundation. :)

TOM FORD Sahara Haze

Hey everyone, here again with another Tom Ford post. I seriously cannot get enough of this line. I'm eyeshadow OBSESSED. His quads are blowing my mind. I haven't been reaching for anything else really. I'm in love and I think these are definitely something to splurge on if you can. 

This is how I am justifying purchasing these quads.

**Imagine the cost of an Urban Decay shadow (1.5 g for $18) or Burberry single eyeshadows (2.5 g for $30). If you get 4 of those, you will be paying way more than the cost of one of the Tom Ford quads.

Each Tom Ford quad has 10 g of product (2.5 g per pan) for $78...so that breaks down to... $19.50 per shadow. 

You are just paying more right off the bat instead of little by little. 

I hope my little math lesson made you smile and to make it seem like I'm not that crazy ;).

So without further ado, here is Sahara Haze (which I'm not 100% sure but I heard a rumor this might be discontinued!!).

Hope you enjoyed! I absolutely love the quality and pigmentation of these shadows. They are just a dream to work with. I haven't been much of a green eyeshadow girl lately but this quad turned things around for me. This quad creates gorgeous dark green smokey eyes to subtle green eye makeup looks :)

Check this out in person if you would like at Neimans, Nordstrom, and anywhere that sells TF.

Talk to you all soon,

Bianca 

TOM FORD Titanium Smoke quad - Swatches

Hi everyone, hope you are all doing well. I'm here with a quickie post swatching the very beautiful and sexy quad from Tom Ford....

TITANIUM SMOKE

UGH so gorgeous :)

*one swipe*

The feel of the shadows are soft and luxurious. 

Absolutely perfect for a sexy smokey eye.

*drooling* haha

Talk to you all soon! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them down below :)

Bianca

LOOKING FOR NARS ITA NO. 21 BRUSH?!

Hey everyone,

I am here with a quick post talking about the very much coveted NARS Ita brush that Casey Holmes (itsbl0ndie) and Jaclyn Hill - among others - have made veryyy famous.

You are probably thinking "I cannot find that son of B anywhere, wtf!!". I know, I was thinking the EXACT same thing.

So here is what I know thanks to one of my friends that work at the NARS counter at my local Nordstrom.

IT'S COMING BACK!!

In late March/early April, NARS will be rereleasing their entire brush line (which includes that Ita brush).

I strongly suggest going to a NARS counter and pre-ordering one. That way you are guaranteed to get one (this is what the sales associate told me). Or you can order from NARS.com when it's released or run the risk of paying more than you have to (aka on eBay).

You can bet that NARS will be releasing a very limited amount of the Ita brushes because sooo many people are willing to invest in that brush.

Side note: there are TWO Ita brushes, No. 21 and No. 28. The No. 28 is a wider version of the No. 21. Google it if you are interested. So you want to make sure you are ordering the right one.

Okay folks, I hope you found that helpful!

Talk to you all soon,
Bianca

NARS Matte Multiple in Exumas - Review and Swatch

Hello hello,

Hope you are all having a great weekend. It's been rainy and gloomy here in Seattle but what else is new haha.

Recently, I picked up one of the matte multiples from the new and permanent line from NARS. They retail for $39 and can be found at Sephora, Nordstrom, NARS.com, and other retailers of NARS products.

To be honest, I want all of them haha. But not all would suit me and my skin tone. So I picked up the one that would be the most universally flattering for many; which in my opinion is Exumas.

If you have been keeping up with my blog recently, you will see that I posted a blog post on some tips and advice on these matte multiples given to me by one of the national makeup artists for NARS. Which I suggest you check that out ;). Link to post: HERE

So here is Exumas:

 It is described as: a pink apricot shade.

 Seriously...this is a beauty :)

 It looks like a super big tube of lipstick haha.

Here are swatches in two different kinds of lighting.

The feel of this is very velvety and smooth. I think this is one of those products that makes getting into using cream products a breeze. It blends out effortlessly, but keep in mind if you blend too much it will just melt into the skin. Which is what I experienced once. I'm a blending freak so it just kept blending and then it was gone haha.

Though, if you think about it...if you apply too much, you can blend it away to your desired opacity on your cheeks.

These are easy to use...this is a major plus because I've always been turned off my products that require me to use my fingers (I don't know why haha but I prefer using a brush for every part of my makeup application). This is a product that works well with finger and brush application :) * insert thumbs up emoji*

Another point: Bare in mind that these matte multiples and regular multiples differ in quantity with the same price tag. So if you aren't a huge fan of the matte color range, check out the regular multiple line for more bang for your buck. Matte multiples have half the amount that the regular ones do. :(

It depends on what you are looking for, whether you want it in stick form or in a pot like the new MakeUp ForEver or Chanel cream blushes.

If you are still iffy on these, have someone that is experienced with the NARS Matte Multiples help you out and give you tips and have them apply it on you. So you are 100% sure that you want to go ahead with the purchase :)

I hope this was helpful for you all :). If you have any questions on these, refer to my previous matte multiple blog post that I have already linked in this post or ask me in the comment section.

Talk to you all soon,
Bianca