YSL Rouge Volupté Shines - Review and Swatches

Hi everyone, I thought I would share with you my small collection of YSL Rouge Volupté Shines. 

I must admit that these are some of my favorite lipstick formulas out there. They feel on the lips are so smooth and lightweight. On top of that, they are long lasting.

These YSL Rouge Volupté Shines were purchased at either Sephora or Nordstrom (or if you are interested in these, check out anywhere that sells YSL makeup products). 

They retail for $35 and there are approximately 18 shades in the range.

The packaging is timeless and so luxe. I love how expensive and kind of heavy it feels in the hand. If you are going to be spending more than drugstore prices, I would expect nice quality and durable packaging that fits the price tag.

In the middle of the casing, you can see a "swatch" or a color indicator of the lipstick which is great because it does not look cheap and somewhat accurate.

As you can see from the picture above and below that I have used these lipsticks. Some more than others haha.

I absolutely love #12 in the summer months because it brings so much life to your face and look. It's so effortless to slap it on and go. When I wear #12, it will last me a solid 4-5 hours with a nice gradual fading/staining effect.

#9 is my go-to, ultimate favorite nude in my entire lipstick collection. It might be too dark for some but it's perfect for me. I have pigmented lipstick and this helps tone that down but has a little shine and some color. LOVE this one.

I would go for #5 and #17 during the fall or the transition from summer to fall. I think they are a touch too dark for the spring and summer. But the pigmentation is on point and apply beautifully.

Here are the swatches:

I LOVE this formula from YSL. They make a lipstick that stays on the lips and provides a slight staining effect. I think they are well worth the investment because: the packaging is gorgeous, the formula is perfection and provides a nice glossy finish to your lips, it stains your lips a little, and the color selection is great!

That's it for me. Do you have any favorites from YSL, whether they are Rouge Volupté Shines or anything else from the line? I would love to know them in the comments!!

I hope you enjoyed the post. And I will talk to you all soon :)

Bianca

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Zodiac and Diamond Dog - Swatches and Thoughts

Well aren't these a thing of beauty? 

I absolutely love these kind of shadows because it amps up any look. They have small particles of glitter through the main base color. It's not as chunky as other glittery eyeshadows but sure packs a punch.

These Urban Decay Moondust shadows are beautiful and retail for $20 each for 1.5 g of product at Macys, UrbanDecay.com, Sephora, and other places that sell UD.

Out of the range of seven, I purchased two that I think I would use the most. I mean you can't exactly use these every day haha but they can add to any look if you want to achieve that glittery effect.

Zodiac - smokey black with a blue-green shift and 3D sparkle. SUPER gorgeous!

Diamond Dog - deep brown with white gold sparkle. Amazing with a brown smokey eye!

Left is Diamond Dog, Right is Zodiac.

I think that the best way to apply these is with your finger. I have tried with different kind of eyeshadow brushes and it does not compare to how it looks when it is applied with your finger. You really get the base shadow to show up, especially if you are applying to the naked (and primed?) lid.

Since I purchased these, I will be honest with you, that I have used these a hand full of times in the last year haha. But these are handy to have when you want to have that glittery effect to the look you have on.

I love the formula on these, not too much fall out and applies well to the lid with a finger. :)

Hope you found this helpful! Look out for my next post with MAC's Pressed Pigments :D

Bianca

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beige - Swatches and Review

Seems like I cannot get enough highlighters in my life so I added another one to my collection haha. Seems so logical I know :P.

I have been a makeup "junkie" for a few years now and I have never given any of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks a chance and I have no idea why. But better late than never right!?

A couple of days ago, I purchased this beautiful thang from my local Nordstrom and I knew I would love it! 

The golden/beige toned highlighters work best on my skin because of my olive/tan complexion. When I saw this in a recent YouTube video by Amanda Ensing, I knew I needed it in my life. 

When I approached the counter, the SA asked me if I wanted to swatch it or bite the bullet. In my mind I was thinking, "GUUURL I knew I loved it, it's just coming home with me tonight" hahaha. I'm crazy I know ;).

What I love about this Beige Shimmer Brick is that all the shades in the compact are neutral toned so they would look good on a variety of skin tones. And there is a gradient of a very pale golden beige to a bronze. The shades are not too dark so a mixture of all of them would compliment someone in the medium skin tone range. I would stick with the top two for the paler girls and the bottom three for everyone else :).

The compact is elegant and pretty. I must admit that there is excessive packaging but nothing that would stop me from buying it ;).

*Mine came a little crooked haha but it opens and closes fine so I don't have any issues with it (yet).

Here, above, I have the swatches for you. Bottom of my arm is the palest of the shades and working up to the top with the darker, bronze shades.

The swatch at the very bottom is a mixture of all the shades.

All the shimmer bricks are intense. If you want a subtle highlight, I do not think this will be the product for you. But if you want to be glowing and getting your J Lo "on", consider the Shimmer Bricks!

Recently I have been all about that noticeably intense highlight, thanks a lot Amrezy. So this is right up my alley :). For me personally, I LOVE this product and I can see myself reaching for this product a lot during this summer months for that glow :).

What are some of your favorite highlighters? Let me know in the comments.

Hope you are all well,
Bianca :)

Update:
I thought sun light would help my photos but I didn't realize how greenish it looked until after I posted my initial review so here is another pic of the swatches!

The swatch all the way to the right is all the shades combined :)

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Apricot - Review and Swatches

Lately, I've been a sucker for highlighters and I heard about this one from Amanda Ensing on YouTube. She mentioned how this Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick would be a high sheen, shimmery, gorgeous highlight that really compliments medium/tan skintones (hey, that's me!). 

I was never one for Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks or much of the range to be quite honest but my interest for the brand has grown in the past few months. And I'm glad I have because I have loved every product that I have purchased from this brand.

So, back to the highlighter, the shades within this product are gorgeous! *drools*

I purchased this bad boy at Nordstroms for $42. I am not 100% sure it is limited edition but it's still on sale since I was last on the Nordy's website or check in stores :).

The packaging with all Bobbi Brown products is a shiny black with the writing in white. 

They range from a white gold to a golden peach to a straight up bronze and into the peachier shades. All together, it makes this light golden peach shade that adds a lot of life back into the skin and looks so beautiful.

One thing I love about this product is that it is multi-purpose. This doubles as a eyeshadow "palette" and a sexy highlighter.

Here are the swatches of the Shimmer Brick. On the farthest left is the top shade and goes all the way to the right with the darkest of the peach shades. The last two swatches are of all the shades blended together. One swatch has more of the darker shades and the farthest right swatch has more of the lighter shades of the Shimmer Brick.

All in all, this is one heck of a highlighter. It is a touch powdery when you dip your brush into the product but it is not powdery once it is on the skin. I think this will be my go to highlighter for the summer since it is so intense and beautiful paired with peach and pink blushes.

I think I'll be purchasing the Beige Shimmer Brick next, I heard it was a close dupe to MAC's Whisper of Gilt (which I still regret never buying!!).

Anyways, have a great day/night and talk to you all soon!
Bianca

Tom Ford Cognac Sable - Swatches and Review

Oh Cognac Sable... why art thou so beautiful...?

This is one of my favorite quads that I own from Tom Ford. It is one of those that is so versatile. I know you are thinking "You say every time that the TF quads are so versatile" but it's so true!! :)

I absolutely adore the warm tones in this quad. There isn't a matte shade (which is a bummer) but the shades work well together. When you create a look with this quad, it doesn't look like there is too much shimmer or metallic-ness to the look.

The mixture of these shades together really help form, practically, the perfect quad for the summer and leading into fall. It has those warm browns, that bronze "adult" glitter, and a golden beige highlight.

With this quad, it is one of those that you can easily transition from a soft day time look to a sultry bronzey brown smokey eye. Which is what a lot of people look for, in my opinion.

I love how buildable these shadows are. I'm not going to lie, when I first swatched this quad... I thought I got a dud. There was not a whole lot of pigment when I swiped it on my finger and I felt this buyer's remorse instantly haha. But I reminded myself that it is important to see how the eyeshadows perform on the lids and with brushes.

And thankfully, it worked out amazingly once I created a look with it. I post all my makeup of the days on my Instagram, you should probably head on over there and follow if you'd like ;).

This is one of my favorite quads to work with and I get so many compliments when I wear this out. Even my friends and sales associates at my local Tom Ford counter love how I create looks with the quads.

I purchased this at Nordstrom for $78 and I absolutely love it. If you can, see if you can check it out in person. You will fall in love with it!

Thanks for stopping by as always,
Bianca

Tom Ford Unabashed Eye and Cheek Palette for Summer 2014

Well isn't this a thing of beauty?

This is the new and highly coveted Tom Ford Eye and Cheek palette in Unabashed. This is the first palette Mr. Ford has come out with in terms to combining both eye and cheek products. And I am hoping for more palettes like these! 

As you can see, the Ivory and Gold packaging is still going on, resembling the original Private Blend lipstick packaging from back in the day. So fans of Tom Ford are loving it right now because it is so sleek and simple.

*ahhhh* It's so beautiful!

So it comes with three eyeshadows and two cheek products.

Eyeshadows - top to bottom: the classic TF glitter is the top shade and it looks like a champagne coloring with a touch of taupe. The only way I can describe the undertone of that glitter shade is taupe...I can't put my finger on it. It's really gorgeous! Next, it's a classic and true gray taupe matte shadow. MonsiieurAlex mentioned that it's the closest dupe to Chanel's Notorious contour/blush powder from a few years back. So if you are a pro at contour and missed out on Notorious, this would be a cool multi-purpose shade. And finally...the star of the palette...the bright cobalt blue. It is also a matte shadow. When you swatch and apply it, it turns into a bright teal color. So if you want true to pan opacity, you would have to pack it on.

 *drooling*

Here, I took pictures from three different angles and different lighting to get every angle position to show these shadows as best as possible.

The texture of these shadows are AMAZING and so soft like all TF shadows I've come across. I have yet to make a look with these...when I do I will post on my Instagram :)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! I'll do my best to answer it as best as possible.

I purchased mine at my local TF counter in Nordstrom. As of right now, Neimans and Saks are doing in store purchases online...They have put that on their website. *it might change*. Demand for this palette is insane. With all the hype around it thanks to social media...A LOT of people pre-ordered it! I know I did :}. Nordstrom doesn't even have this palette online but the rest of the collection is available.

It retails for a heartbreaking $95 haha. I justified it because it was a birthday present to myself :P. *reason enough riiight?!* ;)

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this! Any questions, feel free to ask.

Have a great day/night,
Bianca

Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin Lipstick in No. 9 Blush

Seems like I can't get enough lipsticks in this color range.... haha. Here is my VERY first Burberry product. And man, I picked a good one ;).

This is the Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin lipstick in No. 9 Blush. It's a pretty pink with a coral undertone and with tinnyyy specks of micro golden shimmer (barely detectable on the lips). 

The packaging is a stunner. Even the box is nice enough to keep. Comes in a sturdy cardboard with the classic Burberry logo and font.

The lipstick case is a gunmetal color with the Burberry pattern etched onto the top part of the lipstick. 

 Check out the lipstick bullet, it also has the Burberry pattern embossed onto it. It really give this lip range an extra notch of classiness. *Also, you don't feel bad as you use if it had had something embossed to the top of the bullet (like TF on Tom Ford Lipsticks)* haha

It is a creamy texture and a dream to apply on the lipsticks. It is like 85-90% opaque which I love. It's an easy pick for an everyday shade and I love that it goes with a ton of different looks :).

Another great thing about this lipstick is that it is not so glossy that it applies sheer but it's has that opacity with the shine that give this lip color an amazing finish that is right up my alley.

Any thoughts about Burberry lipsticks? I want more, do you guys have an faves from this range? :)

Talk to you all soon!!
Bianca

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 :)

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. :)

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