Monthly Favorites ::: September-October-November 2016!!!

My last favorites post was back in August. I was truly enjoying the process of selecting the products I really loved at the end of each month! But then, I went home for my sister’s wedding! The weather was hot and humid there. Above that, a wedding in the family guarantees a stressful time on insufficient sleep. My skin took a major hit! I had acne all over (slight exaggeration but it was bad). Naturally, after the wedding was over, I used little to no makeup for most of the time.

Even though it has been 3 months, I have only a handful of products to talk about! These are the ones that I have been using and loving!  

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Midnight Cowboy:  This is the only product in this bunch that I did not have to think twice to pick as favorite. It is such a handy product for a quick, super-glam look. First of all, it is so damn easy to apply. The thin brush like applicator is extremely convenient to draw a thin, crisp liner and it is also easy to layer over eyeshadow. I have not used any glitter glue with this but it stays intact! I do see some fall outs during the application and throughout if I am not being careful. But it is something that I kind of overlook because this glitter is so pretty. Also, I have to be very cautious while removing it at the end of the day; it is little bit difficult to remove all the glitter bits in its entirety. I wore it on my sister’s main reception event over a midnight blue eyeshadow and everybody loved it!

NARS Dual Intensity Eye Shadow in Himalia: I have been wearing this a lot to my work ever since I got back from home. I have been quite lazy and uninspiring so this made my life easy. It is an awesome everyday-glam shade. It can make my whole look very sophisticated; instantly and effortlessly. It is a great formula; very even, opaque with great blend-ability and staying power. I use my fingers to just dab it on my eyelids and I don’t even need a crease shade it blend it out! Super easy!

Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara in Blacquer: My previous experience with Marc Jacobs Mascara was not great! But this surprised me. It is a very nice formula, consistency wise – not too dry, not too wet. I am always a natural-lash type of girl so this is perfect for me. It gives me enough volume, little bit of lengthening without any smudginess. The best thing is that it is very easy to remove at the end of the day. I want nothing else from my mascara.

These first three products were from Extravagant Eyes Set set from Sephora Favorites (reviewed here). Looks like I got my money’s worth :-)

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipstick in Tumultuous Pink: This is one of those lipsticks that I have been adoring since the beginning this year. But I never managed to talk about it. I love the formula, rich, creamy with a decent wear-time. I love the shade; this is a very grounded fuchsia shade and it immediately makes my face appear bright and happy! I wore it with the UD midnight cowboy glitter and my navy Indian silk Saree; I feel like the bright dress kind of washed off this shade! I hoped I picked up a brighter, bolder color for that look. But I still do enjoy this shade. 

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara: This comes with a nice fluffy wand and it gave me a natural fluttery look. It is supposed to be lengthening and voluminizing but quite honestly I don't really see much of either. I do like natural eyelashes so I am not really disappointed. It is not something that I would go out and buy in full size but I have grown fond of this deluxe size. The Marc Jacobs mascara and this performs almost the same but the small wand on this is just a bit easier to use on my smaller eyes.

Boscia Luminizing Black Mask: I have never included a skincare item in my Monthly Favorites before but I feel like I need to talk about this mask. I never tried it before but for some reason I took it with me when I went home. My parents hardly wear sunscreen and they love to work outside in the garden. Obviously, both of them has severe sunburns! I used this mask twice on them within 10-12 days and it worked like a charm. It removed the dirt and impurities and immediately revealed brighter cleaner skin – for both of my parents! My sister loved it too. I also have been using it every other week. I enjoy the peeling action; it is so satisfactory! You have to mindful to use the right amount of product for layering. If the layer is too thin it will not peel off nicely and if its too thick it will take forever to dry! I already have brought a full-size!

I have already started to compile my yearly favorites for 2016, it should be fun!

Love

~Arrru

Influenster E.L.F. VoxBox

Another VoxBox I got from Influenster free of cost for try and review products! I have said again and again, if you a beauty explorer like me go, join Influenster! 

Here are the products I got -

Hydrating Bubble Mask: Great packaging! Because of the type of sealed lid it will not get contaminated easily and it is easy to keep it clean as well. Product wise it was just OK! During the application, I found it to be just a bit tacky. It did not bubble up that crazy. I did not find much hydration from it. It was just OK! I will stick to my Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Mask and Cucumber Gel Mask along with Rose Face Mask from Fresh Beauty.

Mineral Infused Face Primer: Again, I absolutely adore the packaging. You don't generally get an air pump when the product just cost 6$. It is a typical silicon type consistency. Very easy to use and apply and it give me a nice canvass for my foundation. I used it only once and i found it to be very typical as a primer. I have a lot of primers to get through so most likely I am going to give it to a friend.

Lip Exfoliator in Mint Maniac: I recently started to use their original lip exfoliator. It works nice but it is kind of gritty, a little bit harsh. This mint one however is very smooth as an exfoliator. However, I am still debating how effective it is as an exfoliator. But I will keep using it.

Matte Lip Color in Wine: This is a popular product from ELF. It is great fall and winter color. It is described as matte but it has a little bit of creaminess. I don't really mind that. it however is not extra long lasting. I do like wearing it & I will be keep using it.

Baked Highlighter and Bronzer: I don't care about the bronzer but I do like the highlighter. It is quite a strong highlighter. If you like subtle glow this is not for you because it can easily get out of hands! but if you do enjoy a strong highlighter than go for it. The bronzer powder feels a bit stiff and it is hard to pick up! Anyway, it is not a shade that will show up on my skin! 

Thank you, Influenster!

Love

~Arrru  

Glow from within ::: RMS Beauty "Living Luminizer" Swatches and Review

I have been eyeing this luminizer since my early days in Beautylish App as a member. The breathtaking, clean pictures and the organic, clean agenda behind the brand has been the major reasons for my interest in this product. I finally got my hands on it via Beautylish Lucky Bag 2016 (reviewed here) and I have not stop wearing it ever since.

RMSBeauty is the namesake beauty brand by internationally acclaimed makeup artist and green beauty advocate Rose Mary Swift. I was reading up on her philosophy and she has quite a stern policy against heavy makeup and commercialized product. Living Luminizer is one of the bestselling and most popular products from RMS Beauty. It even won Elle 2009 "Best Make-up Product"! It is made with at least 4 certified organic ingredients one of which is ever-so-popular coconut oil!

Price: A regular size jar will cost you $38 for 0.17 oz. of product. It is quite a significant price for a highlighter. But because you need such a little amount per use, this will last you a long time. Also, because I got this in Lucky Bag, it cost me less than $38 and I really think that I got my money’s worth!

Packaging: As I have said before, I really like the packaging. It is a sleek glass container with a white lid; per their website RMS Beauty cream color cosmetics come with aluminum recycle lid, but I am not sure about the lid in this container. Anyway, I love the packaging! I know not everybody favors a jar, but I anyway use my fingers to apply this, so I don’t mind the pot packaging.

Availability: This is a permanent products in RMS Beauty line and are available on Sephora.com, RMS Beauty website, dermstore, birchbox etc. 

  

Pigmentation & Wear-Time: As you can see these are cream products and I absolutely love how creamy and silky they are! They feel luxurious to the touch and there is no greasiness at all. Creator Rose Mary Swift anyway suggest using fingers with her products. The natural ingeridents in her products are supposed to warm up with the touch of your fingers and upon application it is supposed to melt into the skin to give that glowy look while letting your natural skin shine thorugh. Like I said just now, my experience has confirmed this to be true. I apply it with my fingertips and its quite easy to blend as well. It immediately melts into the skin and gives me such a beautiful, natural, glowy-healthy look and yet, if I want that “va-va-voom” highlighter look, I can definitely build it up to get just that.

Given the organic nature of the product, I did not think it would last as long as it does. Every work day I wear my makeup around 7 am and its often 7 pm when I reach home. I can still see this glow hanging on. I am quite impressed with the wear time of it. I also enjoy how easy it is to apply these over any kind of base; I have applied it over bare skin, liquid and powder foundation and it performs exactly perfect over all these vases.

Shade: RMS beauty describes this as “An ultra sheer, glowing, luminizer with a translucent, satin-pearl finish”. It is a quite frightening white shade when you look in the pan. But don’t be scared. It’s one of best highlighter shade I have tried till date. It’s very sheer which is an excellent aspect for this kind of formula, is very uniform in consistency and offers the most dewy, glorious sheen to the cheekbones! I absolutely love it. This is what I typically use it during the week, I don’t wear foundation to work every day, and this is the most realistic looking highlighter to wear to work. I know this will be gorgeous on fair skin as well as deep skin tones. The gorgeous sheer formula is what makes it absolutely flattering for all skin tone!

I am very pleased with this product. I even applied this on my mom and sister and it worked great as well. I am almost sure this will make its entry to my Favorites for this year, along with their Buriti Bronzer! I have been quite enjoying that bronzer as well. They have come out with a new shade called “Magic Luminizer” which is described as “moon-lit champagne opalescence”. I am so anxious about checking that out but I don’t really need another highlighter, do I? :-)

Have you tried Living Luminizer? Do you have it? How do you like it?

Love,

~Arrru

Play! by Sephora ::: November 2016!!!

Alright, time for the November “Play! By Sephora” Bag! I typically get these boxes around 18-20^th of the month. This is the only subscription box that I have but I have been expressing my interest in cancelling the subscription for last few months. This month’s bag also was unable to provide me much joy!

I have already tried a few of the products and here are my thoughts!

Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment (0.3 oz.): I have gone through this in the same size a few months ago. I have tried a few different Glamglow masks and honestly nothing has impressed me. I like using this one and I felt that sometimes it does help clearing up some of my acnes but the performance was also not consistent. In short, it was nothing magical.

Cover FX Illuminating Primer (0.16 oz.): Aah! Another primer. Trust me, there is not a whole lot of product here. That irritates me. But anyway, I love a lot of COVER FX product. This one, I am still deciding. I applied this on the right side of my face and ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer on my left face and honestly I did not see any difference on illumination level.

The Estee Edit by ESTEE LAUDER Dissolve the Drama (0.5 oz.): This is a makeup remover oil! I got this exact size as GWP a few months back but I did not try it then. I used it last Saturday to remove a full-face of makeup and it actually worked pretty decently. It removed majority of the makeup and I was careful about not letting it go in my eyes. However, it is not a product I look forward to receiving in my subscription bag. 

Sephora Collection Ultra Shiner Lip Gel in “Pin Up Pink” (0.1 oz.): I have not opened it yet; it is very nicely sealed and I want to keep it that way for emergency gifting purchase :-) I also don’t feel any kind of interest in these lighter fluorescent pinks!

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in “Rose Gold”: I already have this in two different shades in full-size and I love them! They work great; glides on the eyes super easily, easy to blend. You get about a minute to blend it and then it sets and will not budge throughout the day. This is a pretty rose gold shade in mate finish. On my skin tone it shows up much lighter than how I expected, so I need to be mindful when I wear it. Nonetheless, I love it! This is probably the best thing in the bag, at least for me!

Stella McCartney POP: I typically don’t like woody fragrances but this is I am growing fond off. It is a bit florally and maybe that’s why I like it :-)

This month they had quite a few different variations of these bag. I would have liked the Caudalie moisturizer but oh, well! Also, this month’s theme was glow getters! Like a lot of people, I automatically assumed it is going to include some type of highlighters. But, anyway. Not impressed :-)

Did you subscribe to Sephora? Share your thoughts!

Love,

~Arrru

Products I've Used Up/Empties Vol. 8

My last empties was during September and I am so happy to finish up a lot of products. My stash is really getting overwhelming! Here are the products I was able to use up during the last 2-3 months!

Maybelline Clean Express! Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover: My very favorite drugstore makeup remover. This is my third or fourth bottle and I will definitely repurchase.

Lancôme BI-FACIL - Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover: You may already know that this is one of the most popular eye makeup remover in the market. I got this as a GWP from Sephora and it has lasted me a long time. I usually take this with me when I am travelling and I know that I am gonna wear some heavy eye makeup during that time! I need just a little bit of it on a cotton pad and it removes almost all of my makeup. I am definitely open to repurchasing.

Himalaya Herbals Purifying Neem Face Wash: This is favorite brand from India. It’s a brand that markets itself as herbal and pure! Neem is an evergreen tree that has a lot of medicinal quality; in India neem has been widely used for ages for skincare purpose primarily for its antibacterial qualities. I used it as my morning facewash. I generally bring them when I go home annually but you can find them in most of the Indian Grocery store. I have gone through at least 5-6 bottles of this :-)

No7 Quick Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes 2 pk: I love these. Very affordable and Ulta has deals all the time! It is very moist and does not really strip my face off of all the moisture. I will definitely repurchase. I may even like them better than my most fav Neutrogena wipes.

PACIFICA travel Size Hand And Body Lotion Wipes in Indian Coconut Nectar: So, I am an idiot. I used 9 of these 10 wipes thinking these were makeup remover wipes rather than lotion wipes. And when I went to grab the last one I read the cover. These are lotion wipes meant for hydration! My stupid brain! :-P Anyway, because I thought these were makeup remover, I was liking how moist and non-drying they were. And I am impressed that they kept their moisture even after a month of opening the packet. But makeup remover wise it was not good. I will not repurchase.

O.P.I Hand Cream in Cran and Berry: I sometimes hate how I have become a hoarder. I don’t even know why I bought this. But I have a set and I am still finishing through the set. I don’t like it. The scent was too strong and too sweet and it did not do a good job in keeping my hand moisturized. Will not repurchase. I am just hoping the rest of the scent is not this overpowering. 

Caudalie Lip Conditioner: I considered this my most favorite lip balm. Its silky, very hydrating. But this is the second tube that I have had problem with. It started smelling a bit off towards the last leg of the bullet. I like it but for this price I should be able to use it up before it gets bad (I typically finish lipbalms within 2-3 months). I have another tube that I need to finish up but at a price of $12, I don’t think I am going to repurchase.

Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss: My favorite overnight lip balm. Simple, affordable and efficient. It just takes a lot of time to finish one pot of these. I have already repurchased.

Touch In Sol “Stretchex Stretch Lash Effect Mascara”: It was from a Sephora Favorites Superstars set (reviewed here) during last holiday season. The set is now back in stock in Sephora. I used up the mascara long ago, but forgot to put in my “empties bin”. Surprisingly it did not dry up though! That was very nice! I am not a “hard-to-please” critique of mascaras! I love natural lashes; as long as a mascara gives me separate defined lashes and is easy to take off at night, I don’t need a lot from mascaras to impress me. This one does not offer much volume but it gives me a lot of length! I love the brush too, it’s easier to use on my small eyes. It also comes off easy with cotton absorbed in hot water. I typically don’t buy regular size mascaras, but if I need to I will buy this :-)

Makeup Sponge: I bought this at the very beginning of my makeup journey-maybe 3 years ago. I recently discovered it while cleaning up my closet and hence it ended up on the bin. I think it was just 3 bucks. And when I first started 20$ for a beauty blender seemed crazy. But I am now hooked to it! Anyway, I will remember this fondly as it gave me a helping hand while learning makeup!

Philosophy Miracle Worker Eye Cream: Did not like this at all. It was such a pretty, functional tube which is hard to find in a travel size product. It was of a gel type consistency. I did not experience it doing anything for my eye area. Some times it even stung my eyes. What was weird was that it will typically be after hours of application. Glad to be done with this.

Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Eye: Another disappointment. It was dried inside the tube; I may have let it sit for a bit of time before starting to use it. But yeah, I did not get much use out of it. Will not repurchase.

Ayur Herbals Mask: This is a product I generally bring from India. It is a Sandalwood powder which is known for its antiseptic benefits. I typically apply it over my acnes. I don’t use it as much as I used to. But it’s a regular product in my routine.

ORIGINS Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask: I first tried this over a year ago. I bought a set of 4 pods and I am hooked ever since! I collect mini samples from Sephora whenever possible and currently I am using a full-size. It clears up my pores, tightens my skin and brings a lot of liveliness to my skin! I simply LOVE this mask and use it at least once a week! I will definitely repurchase.

Sephora Honey Eye Mask: It was very nice to put on and it stayed put in place for the entire time. My under area really felt quite nice and relaxed but it did not improve the dark circle situation :-) I am not sure if I will repurchase! 

Tony Moly Hyaluronic Acid Mask Sheet - Hydrating: This was the first sheet mask I ever used. It was very easy like I expected and during the entire application I could feel how much of liquid product is in the product to keep my face really moisture during the entire time. As I typically wear masks that dries up after 5-10 minutes, it was a bit of uncomfortable feeling. I would have loved if that extra hydration remained even after removing the mask but I did not really see whole lot of difference. It was just ok! I think I am going to stick to my general masks :-)

Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask: I was actually very pleased with this mask. This is not a sheet mask but it only provided one time use for me. It is a charcoal mask with sugary crunchy base. It was really easy to wash off.  I loved that it did not dry out my skin right after washing. I loved that it remained somewhat lukewarm on my skin. Afterwards, my skin looks clean and fresh; typically that’s what I want from my charcoal mask. Will probably repurchase, someday.

Fresh Youth Preserve Face Cream: A very favorite product from this empties bunch! It’s such a light moisturizing cream. I love the smell, quite different, almost herbal-y but not overwhelmingly so! It’s an expensive product and I often think that my dry skin might need a thicker moisturizer. But nonetheless using this makes me feel fancy and that’s something I need once in a while :-) This was my second bottle and I will definitely repurchase it.

Tata Harper Repairative Moisturizer: So much hype about this brand! It is good that I got this in sample size in a value set from Birchbox (reviewed here) to try. The brand markets themselves as 100% natural and high-performance skincare brand. This was a thin, milky type of consistency moisturizer. I liked using it. It provided me enough moisturization for 8-9 hrs then in the AC environment my skin gets dehydrated again. Will I buy again? Given the price, most probably not!

Fresh Rose Face Mask: It has to be one of my favorite hydrating mask. It feels so nice and refreshing. I tend to use it more during the winter season and it really provides me the necessary hydration. In summer it can get a bit heavy. I have already repurchased.

Clarisonic Brush Head in Sensitive: I don’t want to say much about it as I will have detailed post on the clarisonic brush.

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter :This was the first product that I tried from this brand. It definitely lived up to its name/hype. It's very thick and have a strong but pleasant fragrance which reads a little medicinal to me; pleasant type of "medicinal", if such thing exists, It really IS moisturizing. Its a little bit too thick for my taste, but I get the moisturizing I want. So that's fine. :-) Plus, I love the cute little pink pot. I already have a backup.

Dr. Teals Lavender Foaming Bath: This is bath product and even though I don’t get a lot of time to have bath everyday, I absolutely LOVE this product. It’s so inexpensive and yet so invigorating! Very calming and best thing to do before a relaxed night sleep in.

Veet Fast Acting Gel Cream Hair Remover (6.78 oz., 7.99$): This is my absolute favorite product for removing the unwanted hair  - easy and fast enough! 

Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser: Overall, I think this is my very favorite cleanser by far. I love that you can really use this around your eyes without irritating them, if I were heavy eye makeup it is difficult to remove everything at one go. So, first I use a makeup remover to remove my mascara and then use Purity. I love the result. It is been few weeks since I finished it up, and I am definitely missing it in my routine. I am currently using a 16 oz. bottle and already thinking about repurchasing.

Philosophy Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath in Sparkling White Ginger: This bottle looked so cool! It is Christmas-edition flavor but the shower had tiny sparkles of gold shimmers. It looks so pretty! But, I am not too happy with the product. It was moisturizing but I want more of stripping cleanliness from my showers. I am not going to repurchase.

Briogeo Don't Despair! Repair Mask: Another tiny sample I got in One of Sephora Play Box. (reviewed here) I guess this s the only advantage of hoarding samples- you get to finish a lot of them. This brand is advertised as a natural brand; it was an average conditioner. This lasted for just 2 application and it could not wow me with that 2 application.

Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure Hair Therapy (Repair Rescue) Shampoo and Conditioner: Phew...that was a long name! It was suggested to me by my hairstylist after the smoothening treatment mentioned above. Both the shampoo and conditioner are very good to use. I feared that my hair will go back to its fizzy natural wavy self, but I am glad that it is still smooth and healthy enough and more importantly 'Straight' :-)

I also finished up some samples. It takes so much time and effort to go through the samples, and unfortunatel none of this really, really stood out to me. I am not going to try full-size of any this. Not at least in the near future.

Do you love to finish up products?

Love,

~Arrru

Swatches & Review ::: The Estee Edit Gritty & Glow Magnetic Eye and Face Palettes "Holiday 2016"

I was so sure that I am NOT going to spend much during this VIB Sale!  I thought I was in serious money-saving mode! But, oh well!

Makeup wise I just bought a small eyeliner set from Tarte and the Estée Edit “The Estée Edit Gritty & Glow Magnetic Eye and Face Palettes”. I am talking about the palettes today. These two come in a set and its of excellent value :-) It is a limited-edition Sephora Exclusive set.

Product and Price: Don’t make a mistake like everybody, there is actually two palettes for a price of $58. With the VIB Rogue 20% off, it cost me around $47 plus tax. Tone of the palette is an Eyeshadow palette with 6 eyeshadow shades and the other palette is marketed as a face and eye highlighter palette- this also has 6 shades, and I am pretty sure I am going to end up using these as eyeshadows! Altogether, there is 1.62 oz. of products between both palettes! I think cost wise it’s a really good deal. I also use Ebates, which always saves me a few bucks! (you can open an account and save some cash – my reference link is here https://www.ebates.com/r/ARUNDH24?eeid=28187)

You can buy this palette from here!

Packaging: Estée Edit is a younger and edgier version of Estée Lauder! The edgier approach definitely shows in the packaging of the product. It is beautiful! But before I even begin to talk about the palette packaging, I have to admit that I cannot help but admire how carefully these palettes were packaged when it arrived my home. It came nicely packed in a big bubbled envelope, inside that there was another padded envelope. There were no chance that it would break; top-notch care! The palettes are made of cardboard, but seems well-built. The eyeshadow palette is of black glitter and the face palette is in silver/white glitter. Looking at the online pictures, I thought these were going to be glittery mess, but nope! They are paper that appears as glitters. Both these palettes come with good mirrors. Another cool thing is that the palettes are magnetic so they can be snapped together. I am very happy with the packaging of the product. 

Pigmentation & Wear-Time: Crazy pigmentation! I know, these shades are not out-of-the world unique, the pigmentation is what got my attention! The highlighters are light and fluffy! They are unlike the overly-pigmented highlighters! It goes soft and you can build it up! I have worn it on my bare skin and it stayed very nicely throughout the day. Same with the eye shadows! The lighter shades of eye shadows took a little bit effort to build up and blend, but they did wore for the whole day! I have worn the green shade on my lower lash line and I like how it stayed on. The glitter did not have a lot of fall-out as well! I have not had a chance to test out all the shades, but I will update as soon as I can! By the way, the powders seems very delicate, so I am not sure if I will travel with it.

Shades: Like I said, the shades are not very, very unique. You will probably find similar shades in multiple brands. But I do have to admit that these are some very well-put-together shades! They are shades that will be flattering for all skin tones!

Glow Face + Eye Palette

Snowlit: This is a of white shade with a rose gold sheen, I know it will be more flattering for paler skin tones, but I can definitely use it as inner highlighter for the eyes.

14K Gold: Definitely the most flattering cheek highlighter on my skin tone. Soft, buttery, very buildable and smooth! Its a very elegant gold shade!

1st Light: This was a surprise! I was wanting to try a pink highlighter shade, which is not a shade that can work well with my warm undertone. However, this has a lot of gold shift to it, so it is actually quite wearable.

Gleam: I have not had a chance to wear it yet, but I can see deep skin beauties rocking this shade. Very beautiful shade but it appears much more pinker on the pan than it is in reality.

Ray: Very warm light bronzey shade. I can not really wear it as highlighter but As eye shadows it will be beautiful. Also, I have tried it a topper with my matte bronzer and it works beautiful.

Beachy: Beachy is just a tiny bit deeper than Ray. I love me a warm bronzer shade with a bit of sheen. This is just that! I love it.

Gritty Eye Palette

Swerve: It is a simple gold shade; I can see a strong underlying hint of yellow. Typically gold shades like this flatters skin tones like mine! Now that I see more in depth, Swerve looks ad feels exactly like Ray! That was a bummer; I don't see any logic into putting two exact shades in palettes that are in a set.

Riff: It looks like a very very soft dusty pink shade however on the swatch it looks much less pink! Soft, but it needs a bit of effort to build up. I am not typically a big fan of shades like this and don't see myself using this color very often! But I appreciate that they included a lighter shade for pale/light skin tones!

Burn: I love this shade, a very sultry warm coffee! This is a shade that can be worn for every day look or with a weekend girl-about-town outfit. All these four shades at the bottom has some very soft and tiny multi color glitters! :-)

Green: Another fav shade! A very deep emerald! I love wearing this type of shades, especially on the lower lash line. Apart from Riff, other 5 shades feels soft, and easy to work with!

Trip: If you don't know, my obsession with blue shadows is very real. This was the shade that attracted me to this palette. When swatching it on my hand, i did not get excited as i thought i would be. But you can see on the photos here, the look turned out beautiful. I kind of layered it over Mood and Swerve; I love the complexity it brings to the look! At first look, it appears to be a deep teal color on a black base but i can see a bit of green and purple in there too! I love me some blue eye shadows! :-)

Mood: A black shade with with some silver/gold glitter. The pigmentation is just a bit weak. I think it is a good choice for the palette as it goes will with the deeper jewel tone shades! But I would not use it that often!

Wearing Burn and Mood on the outer corner, Trip on mid to inner corner, Swerve on the very inner lid, Riff on the inner corner. On the lower lash line, I have Wavy and Trip along with Mood. 

Wearing 14K Gold as the main highlighter with 1st Light at the very top!

I kept an open mind and was wondering if I really want to keep it while swatching. But now that I have worn it for the last week, i am definitely keeping it. Especially that blue shade is something special! Overall, with the VIB Sale saving, this is definitely a good value set to buy.
What have been picking up from the sale? Comment below, I want to know :-)

Love,

~Arrru

Swatches & Review : Laura Mercier "Fall In Love Face Illuminator Collection" ||| Holiday 2016

Never ENOUGH Glow!!! – I strongly believe in the power of highlighters; I probably have enough of them to last me at least 2 lifetimes, but I still want more and more :-)

Today I am talking about Laura Mercier "Fall In Love Face Illuminator Collection" that was previewed on Sephora last month. Among all the highlighter palettes, I choose this. For some reason, none of the palettes screamed to me. Urban Decay “Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio” was too chunky, Stila “Star Light, Star Bright Highlighting Palette” packaging is too bulky. I saw this Laura Mercier palette and when swatched on the store I saw some very fine glitters. This is not a good sign, typically! I checked that there are only 4 shades in this line on Sephora.com and this little palette has all 4 of them. This is what attracted me the most about this palette. I immediately thought this will be a great product to review. So, here I am!

As I have said before, I bought this with some doubts. I was almost sure the glitter is going to look chunky. But, thank God that’s not the case!

Price: Yes, it is a palette so technically it is meant for giving you more value at a lower cost. However, it is not that great of a deal. A full-size of this will cost you $44 for 0.35 oz. of products. This palette has 4 highlighters each with 0.11 oz.  of products for a total price of $58. Basically, you are saving only a few bucks. But having said that I have to emphasize that this is still of good value. I am confident that I will never use up any of the full-size highlighters in my collection, so personally for me it makes much more sense in investing in this palette and try out all 4 shades. Also, 0.11 Oz. of product is a lot for highlighters. 

Packaging: This comes in brilliant packaging, just like all of the other products from Laura Mercier. The palette is made of sturdy plastic case with a very good mirror. I also love that the mirror, that is the lid can stand its own :-) The case on the outside has leopard print, I don’t generally like animal print but this is very minimalistic and elegant and I really like it. Also, how beautiful is the embossing on the highlighter powders itself? I give 5 out of 5 for packaging!

Here are the shades:

Addiction (gilded gold highlight): Definitely one of the favorite because it flatters me the most! It’s nothing unique as gold shade is pretty common to find but nonetheless like it very much!

Devotion (cool highlight): This a quite a pale pink highlighter, I was actually wanted to try this shade but was afraid to get one in full size because I am not sure if would flatter my skin tone. However, I am happy that I can make it work :-) I just have to go for a light, feminine look when I am wearing this shade.

Seduction (soft bronze highlight): This is the darkest shade that I think will be excellent highlighter for deep skin-tones! I cannot really wear it as a highlighter however, I have used it over my matte bronzer in very light layer to bring a subtle lively glow to my look! :-)

Indiscretion (warm rose gold highlight): To me this shade feels like a perfect mixture of the Addiction and Devotion – a rose gold highlighter :-) I love this as well!

Formula and wear-time: The powder is very soft and I did not have any problem in picking up the product because of the emboss design. A lot of people were complaining about that. I use a relatively fluffy fan brush from Bare Minerals or the Setting brush from Real Techniques.

About those glitters that I was talking about initially – Yes, I can see the glitters on swatches on my hand or even after applying on the cheeks. They are the minuscule size glitters and the “glitter” is not that bright and glimmer-y. This works best because it does not make the highlighter look very obnoxious. I find the wear t-time to be decently good. The glitter disappears after 4-5 hours but after that it meshes seamlessly with the skin and I think I enjoy that look more! Yesterday, I applied it I rather careless manner and took an afternoon nap that involved a lot of tossing and turning and went out for dinner after that. I was surprised to see the highlighter still hanging on!

I am really liking this palette. When I initially bought it, I was open to the idea of returning it if I don’t enjoy it but I am keeping it. It is a bit pricey but considering the ongoing VIB Sale you get 20% off, this might be a product worth looking into if you are in search of a versatile good highlighter palette. You can buy this here.

Love,

~Arrru