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

YSL Baby Doll Kiss and Blush in #5 Rouge Effrontee - Review and Swatch

This product has intrigued me since I first heard about these and even more so when my friend (Mallory1712) made a video reviewing them and demo-ing them on her and well...I knew I had to try at least one. (Video Link - Click Here).

I purchased this at my local YSL counter inside of Nordstrom ($40 USD) and this was the color I thought would be great for the Spring and Summer seasons.

This and other shades can be purchased at Sephora (in stores or online) and Nordstrom (in stores or online).

I'm sure you are not surprised at how luxe the packaging looks. I know I'm not ;).

Rouge Effrontee is described as a bright coral-red and it is a gorgeous shade!

The applicator is quite unique. It is slanted a little bit but also has this space/hole where the product gathers. I hope you can see what I am talking about in the pictures.

I do have to say that the product has a soft and creamy consistency that makes blending a breeze. I do suggest blending it in relatively quickly or you might end up with a patchy application.

This is a VERY pigmented product so build up to the intensity you want. The first time I tried this, I went a little heavy handed and looked like a clown haha. But it was easily toned down with my foundation brush and gave my cheeks this beautiful rosy flush to the cheeks.

For me, it wore all day long and faded evenly. This is a plus because I am someone that does not touch up or do anything haha. So it is easy maintenance and beautiful on the skin. It is a soft matte product so do not expect a sheen or shimmer on the cheeks. 

Also, this product layers really easily and does not make other products apply patchy on your cheeks when this is already on. 

On the lips, it is really bright when you apply it. I would apply a sheer layer at first and layer to my desired intensity. This ensures more of a staining effect, even more so and this product lasts 6 hours on my lips through talking, drinking, munching on some food, and just being out and about. 

I hope you found this helpful and if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by, 

Bianca :)

MAC Playland - Casual Colour in Hi Jinks!

Well MAC, you did us all good with bringing out a really bright and colorful collection that woke up the colorful side of all your fans.

This spring/summer collection from MAC is called the Playland Collection and I'm sure you have seen the promo pics...and the makeup is insane. Props to the MUA that created that. It's amazing!!

I'm here to talk to you about a new product I purchased today at my local Nordstrom and it is the Casual Colour is Hi Jinks!

This is a lip and cheek product so automatically it's multipurpose if you want it to be. *more bang for your buck*. And one of the girls at MAC told me that it was created with the purpose of this being your go-to product for cheeks and lips for the summer time. It's casual, hence the name haha, which makes it easy and foolproof.

MAC describes this as a bright coral. Why yes...we can see that haha.

It is a decent sized pot too! Should last you awhile I assume.

This is great in my opinion. It is very emollient which makes blending a breeze. I usually steer away from products where I have to use my fingers (I'm more of a brush application kind of girl haha). But this felt so smooth and creamy, it won me over. They will give you a healthy glow since it has that sheen to it that will be beautiful in the summer months.

It does have that classic MAC vanilla scent but it's not annoying (to me at least). And since removing the swatch, it stained my arm very slightly. So I'm going to assume that the lasting power on these might be decent! :)

And the specific color is AMAZING and perfect for the season. This is a hot seller so if you want to get it...go now!! Or call your go-to MAC counter or free standing store to set one aside for you OR shop it on Nordstrom and MAC websites.

Retails for $21, not bad for something you might end up usually very often and that is good quality.

SOOO did you pick anything up from the Playland collection? Let me know in the comments!

Take care!
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

NARS Matte Multiples! - Advice, Ramblings, and are they worth it?

Hi everyone!

I just came home from Sephora after doing a little damage at Sephora and Nordstrom and I wanted to talk to you about the NEW NARS Matte Multiples that have been released recently.

I picked up one of the ones that were released in Exumas (but I'm not going to lie, I wanted ALL of them!) which I will review tomorrow! :) Soo keep a look out for that!!

So I wanted to write up a post on the advice given to me by the NARS artists that came into my Sephora today. Which today was a good day to go since I got to play with all the multiples and had a couple tested on me.

I'll try to keep this short and sweet :)

Price: $39 for 0.26 oz

1. You can use them wet or dry.
--wet meaning you can apply some of your hand and when place a few drops of water onto where you applied the multiple and it sheers it out and gives a dewier appearance if desired.
--dry: it goes on INCREDIBLY pigmented and smooth. Keep in mind that it is easy to go overboard with the product. A little definitely goes a lot way.

2. Like the name says, it has multiple uses.
--you can use it as a lip product
--or you can use it as a blush
--the artist told me that she did not recommend them for the eyes since they are sticky and can crease if you use a lot. But if you wanted you use it on your eyes, she would recommend the bronzier shades!
--They blend out like BUTTAH on the skin. Whether it be wet or dry. Sooo easy to work with :)

3. There are 3 bronzer/contour shades.
-Altai, Vientiane, and Cappadoce
--She told me that Altai is closest to NARS Laguna bronzer. So if you love Laguna, check out Altai!
--Vientiane is closest to Casino Bronzer from NARS. So if you are of a medium to tan to deeper skintones that this is a great bronzer and contour shade!
--Cappadoce is aimed for those with deeper skin tones and/or can be used for an intense contour :)

4. You do get less product for the same price as the other multiples from NARS
--The artist told me that the original multiples are more sheer in application and you end up using a lot to try to get an opaque application
--With the MATTE Multiples, you do not need a lot and can last you a long time. Again, a little goes a long way...so it might be worth the price. Depends if it's in your budget or not.

5. Availability:
--Sephora has it in store and online!
--Nordstrom said they would release them during their Trend Event so check your local Nordstrom to see if they have it or when it will be released. If you wait for the Trend Event, there is a Gift With Purchase! :) Check online as well.
--NARS.com <- obvii haha

So the million dollar question, DO YOU NEED IT and IS IT WORTH IT?

--It depends on you and whether you want to venture into the cream product world.

-It doesn't bother me that I paid $39 because it is soooo pigmented and multi-purpose...it's worth it to me. And the fact that I have never used or owned a Multiple before.

-You should consider that these products are creams, they are pigmented, blendable, and it's NARS. The price is relatively reasonable considering that it's NARS. It could be more expensive...

If you are not ready to take the plunge on a NARS multiple, there are other options (like the FitMe foundation sticks by Maybelline) for contouring purposes. :)


So are you picking up any of the new multiples?! Which ones do you have your eyes on?

I definitely want to pick up Laos, Vientiane, and Siam (I shouldn't want them but I do!!). Maybe during the Friends and Family sale :)

Talk to you all soon!!
Bianca