Fall Wishlist!

So I have not purchased a ton of new products recently - just a few things here and there. Of course this means that my wishlist is quite long at this point. Here are the items that I'm hoping to pick up within the next couple of months.

Urban Decay Revolution lipstick in the shade Rush - I've been dying to get one of these lipsticks. There was a mini size in one of my Ipsy bags, however, the colour ("69") was not that wearable for me. Rush is a gorgeous pinky-mauve that I would wear on a daily basis.

Another lip product that I've been wanting to try is the new Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo. I recently swatched them all at Sephora, and even though my skintone is quite fair, I prefer #6, which is actually the deepest of the range. #6 is a nude mauve, and I think it is really pretty. 

I've been loving the two Ambient Lighting Powders that I have already been using from Hourglass (Mood Light and Diffused Light) so I would love to pick up on a third in Dim Light. These are lovely setting powders and really do give a flawless finish. I would love to have them all, but Dim Light is the one that I currently have my eye on.

Becca Mineral Blush in Gypsy is a product that I have heard a ton of raves about and have been interested in trying it. The Becca line is not sold in my local Sephora, so unfortunately I have not been able to see it in person, but I think it would work well for me.

This gift set from Tarte looks amazing! I purchased their holiday set last year, and am still enjoying using it, so I think this one would be a no-brainer. Of course everyone knows they make lovely blushes, but I really do enjoy everything I have ever purchased from the line. Can't wait to get this one!

Lastly, I have a skincare product. I feel like my skin could use a bit of a boost, so I've been thinking of picking up the REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask. I've heard a lot about this product and how it is quite helpful in evening out skin tone and texture. I may try it as a 100 point perk if that is still available. 

What's currently on your wishlist?

Thanks for reading!

Concealer Roundup!

My collection of concealers has grown and can only be described as ridiculous. I don't know why anyone would need this many - I certainly do not need them all. But I love trying new ones, and of course, some are for under the eye, some are for the face, and some are for both. Everything has it's purpose! Sort of. Anyways, I thought I would gather my collection to give my thoughts on each.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain - for me, this is one of those forgotten products. You know the ones you are excited to purchase and try, but then for some reason, it gets lost in the drawer and totally overlooked? This is a really nice under-eye concealer though - I don't use it anywhere else on my face. Inside the compact is the concealer, as well as a coordinating pressed setting powder. I think there are a couple of reasons why I don't reach for this very often - one is because I don't have extremely dark circles under my eyes, and two is because if possible, I would rather use one concealer that does it all, instead of using separate products for each concern. I have some concealers that are a bit more versatile, and as a result, I use them more.

Youngblood Ultimate Concealer in Fair - I love this concealer! I haven't tried many Youngblood products, but the ones I have, I really like. I even featured this concealer as a monthly favourite this year. I like the consistency because it is creamy, but not too thick or thin. Kind of in the middle. If you just touch your finger or brush in the pot, you pick up a nice amount and it seems to melt into the skin very nicely and stay in place. I use it anywhere on the face. This is a very handy product to have around.

theBalm timeBalm Conceealer in Lighter than Light - I also have this concealer in light, but it was too dark for me. This concealer supposedly has anti-aging properties in it, so it is a bit of a treatment product. I like it - it is quite think so it benefits from being applied with your finger to warm it up a bit, but it is a very good multi-purpose concealer. However, for me, I prefer something a bit lighter under my eye. This could possibly crease in the fine under-eye lines if not set properly. I often keep this in my purse for a mid-day touch-up around my nose.

Hourglass Hidden Concealer in Fair - so far I have loved every Hourglass product that I have tried - and this concealer is no exception. It is another multi-purpose concealer for me. It is in a stick form, but I usually put a bit on my finger and then blend it into the spot I'm trying to conceal. I'm almost finished with this one, perhaps I should have completed it before buying any new ones! The swatch in the photo below shows the shade a bit darker than it actually is in real life, not really sure why. 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer in Warm Light - this is my current go-to concealer that I have been wearing on a daily basis. It is a bit more yellow than some of the above products, but it is summer, I'm a bit more tan and this matches me perfectly right now. This concealer is really long wearing and goes on so seamlessly. I would highly recommend it. I use the doe-foot applicator to dab on the area and then blend with my fingers.

Cover Girl Simply Ageless Concealer in Very Light - this was also featured in a monthly favourites post. I purchased this at the same time as the Cover Girl 3-in-1 foundation, and the two products go perfectly together, in my opinion. It is very moisturizing as it has the Olay cream swirled throughout. I think this is a great winter under-eye concealer, so I will use more of it once the weather starts getting cooler and dryer. 

l to r: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain, Youngblood Ultimate Concealer in Fair, timeBalm Concealer in Lighter than Light, Hourglass Hidden Concealer in Fair, Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer in Warm Light, Cover Girl Simply Ageless Concealer in Very Light

L'oreal True Match Concealer Crayon in W1-2-3 Fair Light - before I purchased the Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer, I was using this one on a daily basis. I wanted to purchase the shade N1-2-3 (neutral undertones), but it was always sold out when I went to look for it, so I gave the warmer toned version a try, and much like my Estee Lauder Concealer in Warm Light, this works great for the summer months when I have a bit more colour. I'm also just really impressed by this concealer in general. I don't love many drugstore concealers, but this one is worth trying out for sure. It gives great coverage and is easy to blend. 

Shu Uemura Cover Crayon - this is a double-ended product. One side is Fair, and the other is Medium. I don't actually use the medium side at all, but I have been meaning to try it for contouring. I bought this to use the light end in my waterline. I love it for this purpose. It lasts all day and I don't notice any eye irritation, like I do with some flesh toned eyeliners. 

Clinique Acne Solutions Concealer in Shade 01 - I mentioned this in my makeup empties post last week - I've purchased it several times. As I mentioned it that post, I really like it, it gives good coverage and blends nicely, but I'm not convinced of its actual blemish fighting abilities. 

Laura Geller The Real Deal Concealer in Light - this is an extremely heavy duty cream concealer. It could probably cover just about anything, but at the same time, it is easy to overdo things with this. Honestly, I haven't used it a lot. I feel like it has a lot of the same benefits as the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye, that it has gotten overlooked in my collection.

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye in Light and Natural Medium - I have two shades in this thanks to an online order mix-up, but of course light is the shade that works for me. This is a super concentrated heavy duty concealer, much like the Laura Geller Concealer. If you have hard to cover under eye circles, this is worth trying. It is basically crease-free, and lasts all day. It is also suitable to be used allover as a foundation-type product for extremely problematic skin, however I find it too much for my skin. I keep this primarily as an under eye product. 

l to r: L'oreal True Match W 1-2-3 Fair Light, Shu Uemura Fair end, Shu Uemura Medium end, Clinique Acne Solutions Shade 01, Laura Geller The Real Deal Concealer in Light, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye in Light, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye in Natural Medium

Wow, that was a lot. If you read all of this, I'm extremely impressed!

In case you did not, here is a quick summary:

Best for under-eye: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer and Cover Girl Simply Ageless (tie, although prefer Cover Girl in the winter)

Best for on-the-go touch-ups: Youngblood Ultimate Concealer

Best heavy-duty: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under-eye

Best multi-purpose: Estee Lauder Double Wear and L'oreal True Match (tie)

Favourite all around: Estee Lauder Double Wear

What are your favourite concealers?

Thanks for reading!

Product Review - Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation is a mattifying foundation that has been designed to absorb oil and last all day, in order to minimize the need for touch-ups. This is exactly the type of results that I look for in a foundation, however, I've never really tried anything that has been able to do this for me. I don't want to say this foundation is perfect, but it is currently the best product that I have ever tried for controlling shine throughout the day. 

I purchased this foundation at the end of last year, however, I have to admit I didn't use it at first. Now that I have been using it, I wanted to give it a good test period before writing a review. Foundation is a tricky subject for a lot of us, and since everyone's skin is so different, everyone has their own preference. As I've mentioned before, I have oily skin that needs blotting by lunchtime, or about every 3-4 hours. I also prefer a medium to full coverage foundation that can be built up, or layered with concealer without looking too cakey. 

When I first purchased this product, Sephora did not have it stocked in my local store. I had to order it from their website. Of course this made me nervous, but I had swatched a few shades when vacationing in the USA, and I generally select the lightest shade in any range, as long as the undertones are on the yellow side. I do have a fair amount of pink in my face, but my neck and body are more yellow, so I tend to try to match my face to my neck. For your reference, I'm a shade 117 Marble in the Makeup Forever HD foundation.

I selected the shade Porcelain, which the Sephora website describes as "very fair with yellow undertones". When I got it home, my initial reaction was that it was not the right shade - much to yellow, and made me feel a bit orange. I did not return it, however, but put it aside, until recently when I tried it again. Now that it is the summer, and I have a bit of colour, it seems to be a much better match. I think in the winter, I will try either Vanilla (pink undertones) or Shell (neutral undertones). 

Now that it is summer and my natural skin colour matches the shade of the foundation a bit better, I have been wearing it pretty much everyday, since the beginning of June. One of my favourite things about this product is the finish. It dries down to a powder finish, like the name suggests, which leaves your face feeling really natural and un-sticky. There really is no need to use a setting powder, which is nice. I have been layering concealer over the foundation in the areas I need it, and haven't had any issues with this.

As for oil control - it really does help with the shine. I can still use a blotting tissue, but there is a noticeable difference between when I am wearing this foundation versus any other foundation. Even if I did not blot, I could actually go through the whole day without feeling disgusting, so that is a major selling point.

I have tried pretty much every matte primer, or mattifying gel, etc. that I have come across, but have never had results like this. I'm very excited to have this product in my life. I should note that I have not yet tried Estee Lauder Double Wear, and have been meaning to for a while now. I know a lot of people with similar skin types like this foundation. I wish I could compare the two, but for now, I'm going to stick with the Hourglass.

If you read my April Favourites post, you may remember that the new Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 foundation is something that I have been enjoying using. It also provides a matte finish and dries down to a powder texture. I do stay matte longer with Hourglass, but the Cover Girl foundation is a really good option as well.  Both are really good foundations, but of course Cover Girl is the much more affordable option.

Neither Hourglass in Porcelain nor Cover Girl in Classic Ivory are perfect matches for me. I can make either work, but for me, 117 in Makeup Forever is still the best colour match for my skin that I have found so far.

In natural lighting, top to bottom: Makeup Forever #117,
Cover Girl Classic Ivory, Hourglass Porcelain

Bottom line

This should go without saying, but shade selection is crucial. Unless you are very golden, I would not select the shades with yellow undertones. 

If you have oily skin, I think you need to at least get a sample to test this product out. This foundation really does wonders with controlling the shine, and so it will remain a constant in my routine for this summer, and I'm going to try out another shade once I go back to my winter colour.

Have you tried this product yet?

Thanks for reading!

Favourites - February and March 2013

So I'm combining February and March into one favourites post because I was out of town for most of February and since I was trying to pack light, I didn't really get to experiment very much. I did pick up several beauty products, however, and I have been posting about these, but I do have some favourites that I have been using in the time that I have been back in town. 

• Youngblood Ultimate Concealer in Fair - this mini compact is perfect for carrying in my purse for touch-ups during the day. The product itself is very creamy and provides a nice level of coverage.

• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light - this is a soft, warm pale yellow powder that I use as a setting powder. I find that it really smooths out my skin and minimizes the redness.

• Sephora Microsmooth Blush Duo in Tea Rose Tickle - a very pretty blush duo with a dusty rose and a paler highlighting shade. I blend the two shades together and then brush a bit more of the highlighter on the tops of my cheeks. 

• Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin Lipstick in no. 27 Tulip Pink - this is my first Burberry makeup purchase and it is very nice. The formula is smooth, fairly long-wearing and this colour in particular is gorgeous. 

• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - I love my original Urban Decay Naked Palette and use it all the time, but Naked 2 is not something that I pull out all that often. I decided to try to use this more this month, and I've really been liking it. The specific eye that I have been doing is like this:

• Crease - Tease
• Lid - Verve
• Outer V and blending into crease - Pistol
• Outer V - Blackout
• Highlight - Foxy

This is a much more cool-toned eye look than I am used to. I normally try to incorporate       some warm tones, at least for blending so this is something different that I am really liking at   this moment.

So those are my favourites for now. I'm looking forward to trying new things as well as using up old products in April.

Thanks for reading!

Current Wishlist - March 2013

What's on my beauty radar these days? Read on to find out. It wasn't hard to put this list together - this is what is currently in my shopping cart on www.sephora.com, just waiting until I can justify purchasing some new products :)

• Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation - I almost purchased this the other day, but was able to redeem my Shoppers Optimum points for the Lancome Dual Finish powder, so I'll pass on this one for a little while. I do want to try this one eventually.

• Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush - this blush is so gorgeous! I think it looks like a perfect colour for pale skin like mine.

• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder - I'm currently using up my Make Up For Ever Matte Bronzer, but once it is finished, I will pick this one up.

• Too Faced La Creme lipsticks in Naughty Nude and Spice Spice Baby - I can't decide on  one colour, I may have to pick up two!

• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light - I'm just in love with complexion enhancing powders like these. I actually like every colour that Hourglass has put out, but I think I would try this one first. Looks beautiful.

• Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - I'm kind of surprised I do not have this yet, but I have so many items in my collection that can be considered similar (NYX Butt Naked palette, for one). So I have waited on this. I may pick it up one of these days though.

• Prada Candy - I tested this fragrance the other day and while I did not like it on the card, I did like it once I wore it on my wrist for awhile. It is light and sweet, and perfect for any occasion.

• Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb - rarely have I had two fragrances on my wishlist at the same time, but Flowerbomb is amazing. And it is really popular right now, so I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Yikes, this is quite a list. If I purchase any of these items, I'll be sure to post a review for anyone who is interested!

Thanks for reading!