Products I've Used Up/Empties Vol. 11

I never learn my lesson. Every time I post my empties, I promise myself that next time, I am not going to pile them for months! But eventually I accumulate so many things and it taked forever for me to wrap up talking about all of it! Nonetheless, here are all the products I used up since my last empties post (click here) back in February. I finished up a lot of skincare and quite a few makeup products from my #Finish17in2017 and #100ColorfulEmpties projects. I am quite happy about it :-)

Parachute Coconut Oil: Nothing new here! I go through a huge bottle like this every six months, I use it as overnight mask before washing my hair. It is a must-have for my hair.

Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel: I love a lot of products from PTR but this was nothing special. It is such a huge size; I had a hard time finishing this because I enjoyed some other cleansers more! It was almost near its expiring date so ended up using this as bath gel. Yes, I am frugal like that :-) Will not repurchase.

Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Body Wash: It was a good exfoliating wash, gentle and easy to work with. It had a very faint herbal smell. The bottle freaking huge, it took me a while to use it up. And by the end of it, I really got extremely bored. For that reason alone, I don’t think I will repurchase.

The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel: I am not a huge fan of Body Shop scents but I do like Mango so I happily used up this travel-size but I don’t see myself repurchasing. It was nice while lasted.

Philosophy Purity Cleanser & Amazing Grace Shower Gel: I love both of these products. I got super excited about these perfect travel size bottles. However, they leak and I cann’t use them while I travel via air. I used it up when I took short one-day tours where air travel is not needed. I currently am using full-size products for both of these.

Versace Bright Crystal: I collect these tiny little deluxe perfume bottles; I love to display the empty bottles in different corners if my apartment. I cannot wear heavy perfumes and there are some perfumes that are super heavy and yet I cannot wear them more than 2 days in a row. This is one of them. It lasts at least 6-7 hrs. on me. It is primarily a floral scent but with warmth from amber and musk. I did like it and will collect deluxe samples but not interested in full-size.

Victoria’s Secrets Noir Tease: This is an item from #Finish17by2017 Project Pan and I am glad to get this finished up. I mostly used this during my off days or low key days. Will not repurchase. 

Soap & Glory Hand Food: This is a decent hand cream. It is very moisturizing, takes a little bit of time to absorb. I got a few of these in a set last holiday and I am trying to use them up. I keep them at my work. I am not going to repurchase though.

Caudalie Premier Cru: I got this as GWP from Sephora, I think. But the tube is so deceiving; it looked so big but it was basically empty :-( It was a good moisturizer, like all Caudalie products it also had a beautiful smell.

Loccitane En Province Pivoine Sublime Perfecting Cream: I actually quite enjoyed it. It was a small jar so lasted me only 2-3 weeks but it gave enough moisturization for the entire day! The smell is quite rosy and it did smell like a natural, freshly plucked rose; it reminded me off childhood days when mom would ask us to pluck roses whenever we had some religious ceremony at home. I don’t need to repurchase a moisturizer right now but I will keep this in my “revisit” list! Also, the jar is quite unique, right?

Ahava Dead Sea Osmoter Concentrate: This was a tiny little sample bottle, I did like using it but it was not enough amount of product for me to know if I want to purchase full-size.

Korres Golden Krocus Ageless Saffron Elixir Serum: The bottle looked so pretty and the name of the product sounded so lavish and promising, unfortunately it did not do anything for my skin. I used it after washing my face as first step in my skincare routine. It absorbed very quickly, which was great but it actually left my skin feeling very dry and unhappy. I am disappointed.

Clarins Lift-Affine Serum: I actually enjoy using it, obviously this was just 2-3 usage which is not enough for me to judge a skincare product.

Belief The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb: I actually really enjoyed it. I loved the consistency. It was soft, highly moisturizing but not greasy or heavy. It also had some kind of a herbal scent, very faint but it was there. I also love how adorable is this tiny little jar :-) Right now, I have a lot of moisturizer to finish up but in winter I would definitely like to revisit.

Loccitane En Province Pivoine Sublime Perfecting Cream: I actually quite enjoyed it. It was small jar so lasted me only 2-3 weeks but it gave enough moisturization for the entire day! The smell is quite rosy but a natural rose; it reminded me off those childhood days when mom asked us to pluck roses whenever we had some religious ceremony at home. The freshly plucked rose smell! I don’t need to repurchase a moisturizer right now but I will keep this in my “revisit” list! Also, the jar is quite unique, right?

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate: Naah, I did not like this as much as I was hoping. First of, I hated how it looked; white and slimy. And it takes a bit of time to sink in! Will not repurchase.

Lancome Energie De Vie Smoothing Plumping Pearly Lotion Essence: The consistency of this serum was quite interesting! It looked like a fruit juice when mixed with an oil. (I often eat grapefruit by mashing it with my hand and mixing it with salt and a few mustard oil, the juice definitely looks like that). It smells very refreshing and quite subtle. It also absorbs rather quickly so I did not have to wait for 5 minutes to apply my moisturizer. This is the second ever essence I tried after SKII and I enjoyed it. I realized that essences are much easier for me to use in comparison to serum, especially on daytime because I am always in a hurry. I liked it but I don’t know if I will repurchase, yet.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil: This is just a cult favorite product. I, however did not see any benefit to it. It was very weak to use against my hard core acnes. I eventually used it up by putting it in my bath.

CANE + AUSTIN 30% Miracle Pad”+: It tingled a little bit a few minutes after application. My skin felt fresh and clean. I used 3 of these which I feel is not enough to figure out if a skincare product is working or not. Right now, I have quite a few exfoliating type of product that I love, so I am not going to repurchase as of now.

Boscia Clear Complexion Blotting Linens: Love these! This lived in my purse hence the gross bitten up look :-) It absorbs the oil from your skin very quickly and very efficiently.

Boscia Luminizing Black Mask: I fell in love with this mask last October; I took this with me for my trip to India without even trying it. 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! It gets rid of any whiteheads I may have, it gets rid of some of my facial hair (I have a lot) so my skin look immidiatly brightened and alive. But it does not leave my skin dry. I love that Sephora gives this as Gift with Purchase many many times but I already have repurchased.

Herbivore Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask: I have been using this mask at least once every week and I truly think it has helped clear my acnes to a certain degree. I am going to write a detailed review pretty soon so I would not babble much today. All you need to know is that I already have repurchased.

Farmacy Hydrating Coconut Gel Mask Deep Moisture Cucumber Mask: The mask itself was a bit strange for me, it is felt like a sheet completely made out of gel. It is in fact a gel mask, but it is a weird consistency for me. I lied down using this, but I have coming in terms that I don’t like the feeling of sheet mask on my face. But it sure did hydrate my skin and kept it hydrated for a whole day. The second day I could see dome dry flakes resurface. It is very pricey, so I am not sure if repurchase.

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels: I got this 4-pack set as a GWP from Ulta and I did like them. I use two of them while rest were used up by my mother and sister. We all enjoyed it. It was very cooling and hydrating. And as someone who is not a big fan of sheet mask, I did actually enjoy them. I will probably repurchase it later on.

Karuna Clarifying Face Mask: These are some expensive and very highly rated sheet masks. I bought a set last holiday set but I still have not start using them. But I got this $5 sale in my JC Penny Sephora and I thought it will be a good opportunity to try out to see if it is really worth the hype. Then, I can plan to use my sheet masks from the set more strategically and save for more important days :-) But, I did like this one. Application was nice, it stayed on nicely and and gave me a very refreshing, somewhat noticeable glow. I liked that. This was an acne mask and I am not a fool to expect complete recovery from my acnes. But for that 5$, I thought I got my moneys worth.

The Estée Edit Dissolve the Drama 2-in-1 Makeup Remover + Cleanser: I had never used an oil cleanser before! Not sure if that’s why I really enjoyed this. As I try more of this kind remover, I would be able to estimate more precisely if it is a REALLY GOOD product. But it did remove the majority of my base product when I used it as the first cleanser. You apply this on dry skin and add water to it. It will turn milkier and when splashed it will remove the makeup! I sure do need to use a face wash as a second cleanse to remove the feel of this oil from the face. 

Bioderma Micellar Water: I have so many thoughts on this. I bought a set with two big bottles and this travel size. I am currently working on one of the big jar but I still cannot decide if it is worth the price tag. Hence, not sure if I will repurchase.

Yes to Cucumber Cleansing Wipes: I am not a fan. It was dry and did very little to remove my makeup! Will not repurchase.

NuFace Prep-n-Glow: I got this as a sample from Sephora. It is a dual sided cloth that claims to cleanse, Exfoliate and hydrate. I find it to be nice for one use. But personally, for me, one use is not enough to decide if I want to repurchase. I will surely scoop up more if they offer it again as sample.

Bvlgari Cleansing Cloth: Honestly, I actually forgot when I used it. But I bought it in a set and I am still trying to use up the little perfume bottle. I take it when I travel, and I have the full size bottle. It is one of my favorite scent. I don’t think I will repurchase wipes though.

Philosophy Amazing Grace Whipped Body Creme: I actually really enjoyed this crème. The scent is beautiful and mild, it absorbed quickly and kept me moisturized (I used this during winter end-spring weather). I can see myself repurchasing this at a later time.

Josie Maron Whipped Argon Oil in Vanila Bean: I actually really enjoyed the formula, it was quite hydrating. It takes a little bit of time to absorb but I think the formula will be excellent in winter. However, I did not enjoy the smell. It was almost like a vanilla ice cream scent and I do not like that on my body.

Ahava Mineral Body Lotion: Another body lotion I really loved using. It has a beautiful perfume, it sunk into the skin very quickly and gave a good amount of hydration. I have a ton of moisturizer to go through but I may repurchase eventually.

As you can see, I finished up a lot of skincare and quite a few makeup products from my #Finish17in2017 and #100ColorfulEmpties projects. I am quite happy about it!

Here are my makeup items :-)

Too-Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in (Medium to Deep): Yay, another product from #Finish17by2017 Project Pan. It was easier to carry around when I am travelling. It’s very matte and the color is not too warm or cool! Great for everyday use, it gave me a very faint hint of warmth and I could really pile it on without risking to look muddy. It fades very gracefully as well! The chocolate smell also does not hurt. There are definitely some other bronzers in my collection that I like more than this but this one is a strong favorite. I already have 2 backup deluxe sizes.

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Rupture: I got this mini deluxe size in some kind of Gift with Purchase from either Sephora or Ulta. This formula has now been discontinued. I really enjoyed the formula and the shade is extremely wearable but a little unique for a simple work day. I will absolutely miss this in my collection. :-(

Tarte the Sculptor Contouring Face Slenderizer in Park Ave Princess™: I got this in 2015’s Sephora Favorites Superstars Set. I did not have too much expectation from this but I did actually enjoyed using it, it was a perfect in-between product to act as a bronzer and as well as a contour shade. It gives me just a little bit of shape without being too harsh! I need a very dense but small brush to blend this in. However, will I repurchase? Most probably not right now; I want to finish a few other bronzer or contour product before thinking about repurchasing. It’s creamy, easy to blend out and stayed nicely for 5-6 hrs.

Becca Backlight Priming Filter (Full review here): This is in my Finish17in2017 Project Pan and I am glad I was able to use it up. I love this and I already have another travel size but after that I definitely will repurchase. I mostly enjoyed using it like a moisturizer-type of product in the mornings. It immediately livens up my face and prepares me for blush and bronzer. I don't wear foundation but I love wearing bronzer, blush and highlighter on a day-to-day basis. So this helps me in evening out my skintone. It also smells nice and fresh! Definitely a favorite.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water: It was a constant favorite throughout last year and it still is. The name has 'water' in it, so it seemed like a gimmicky product at an expensive price at first. Because it was in my Finish17in2017 Project Pan, last 2-3 months I have been using this very regularly. This tiny bottle lasted me a long time. I love how it makes my makeup application appear super smooth, every single time! No matter how carefully I exfoliate, I always end up with a few dry, flaky patches here and there on my face. Before I apply my foundation, I spritz this on my face, especially on the flaky, dry area. If I want to extend the wear time of my makeup, I spritz it again after I am done applying everything :-) My dry skin loves this product :-) I already have bought a full-size!

IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes Mascara: It was an average mascara. And it dried up quickly so overall I am not too impressed. I will not repurchase.

Stila Bronzing Beauty Balm: This little tube lasted me a long time. Loved mixing it with my foundation to apply on the perimeter of my face. It gives me a better color match & adds a bit of Bronzing. Not sure if I will repurchase.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer: This is my everyday concealer. I love the consistency, the coverage and I love how easy it is to use even without foundation. I have repurchased and already using it.

Beauty Blender: Absolute LOVE. This is as good as people say it is! Already have a few backups. 

I also managed to finish some samples and to part away with some products that I don't know why I have been keeping for this long. I never use them!

Do you keep track of your empties?

Love,
~Arrru

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 001 and 003 ::: Review & Comparison Swatches

Beware, long post with a lot of pics at unflattering angle but you will see the highlighters very closely :-) 

Not a while ago, I posted a collection photo of all my highlighters on Instagram. It was strictly to prove to myself that I don’t need another highlighter in my life. But then I got an itty-bitty raise at work accompanied by some encouraging words from my manager which conveniently occurred just before Sephora Spring 15% VIB sale. As soon as I knew about my raise, my inner-self immediately screamed “TREAT YO’SELF”. And what’s better way to treat yourself than splurging on highlighter, right? 

I had my eyes on Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer but could not decide between shade 001 or 003. I swear I tried to fight off my temptation and I waited to see if I can overcome the urge to buy it! By then, 003 already went out-of-stock online and you know how it is, if it is out-of-stock “we” must have it. I went to my local Sephora to see if 003 is available. After multiple swatches, I still could not decide but hesitantly grabbed 003. And then I ordered 001 online through Ebate. My apologies for such a long, unnecessary story but that’s how I ended up with 2 of these.

These are probably my very first full-size products from “luxury” brands. These are quite expensive products. I have used a few dior, YSL, Hourglass products before but they are all sample sizes that I got as GWP. Because of the hefty price tag, I was quite nervous about these!

Price & Packaging: Continuing the thoughts above, these will cost you a lot. There is a total of 0.21 oz. of product at a price tag of $56. It is housed in a beautiful quilted-looking reflective silver metallic compact very delicately placed in a rubber insert! It also comes with a mini kabuki brush. I have used the brush with the highlighter but I much prefer using my Real Techniques highlighter brush.

I have a peculiar view on luxury products. If the products work I am all for it. Even if there is a lesser priced product with comparable quality I don’t mind paying extra bucks for the luxury brand. Gorgeous packaging and the lavish, exotic feeling you get every time you apply these products makes it worth the price point for me. But if the product itself is crappy, no amount of pretty or cute packaging can change my mind. 

Fortunately, these highlighters fall on the first category. The perform very well and I quite enjoy the luxurious packaging. The imprint on the powder itself is a very adorable too! Sure, the imprint will wear off with usage eventually but it sure does makes the product look pretty. Overall with the sale price, I think I will get my money’s worth.

Quality & Weartime: the formula of these highlighters is quite unique compared to other highlighters I have in my collection! It’s a baked gelee formula and not all brushes work same with it. The powder is a bit hard on the pan and hence needs a stiffer brush to get the product picked up. I am still experimenting to find out the best tool to use with it. You can use the Kabuki brush but I think it applies the powder rather intensely. 

You can apply just a sheer layer to get the most neutral highlight but you can also layer to get that va-va-voom, highlighter on fleek look. In the morning within the first 3 second of application, I feel like it is giving me a subtle look. But then, I realize it’s not subtle :-). The powder on the pan seems to have minuscule glitters; very, very minuscule. From a distance of say 2 ft., this appears to have a soft gleam; its effective, eye catching but not too over the top! When I look closely I can see the semi densely packed micro-mini glitters on my skin as well. I saw similar glitter particle on Laura Mercier (see comparison swatches below) but they were sparsely placed and would not show up that prominently upon application. Anyway, the way diorskin shows up is quite unique to what I have. After the 6-7 hrs., it is kind of starts to melt into the skin and becomes more and more wet and glossy looking. This look may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I think I am growing fond of it.

Also, if I apply my coconut spray or MAC Fix+, I immediately that almostwet skin look. I love my RMS Living Luminizer (reviewed here); it gives me very soft, wet-looking, glow from within look! It is a lot of sheen but it is colorless. These luminizer is almost similar in finish and appearance but it has color. I have to agree, it feels different than a regular powder highlight. When I applied 2 layer, it sometimes emphasizes some of textures (see pictures). Average weartime is 7 to 9 hrs. The other day I took a nap while wearing it wrapped up in a comforter! The highlighter fed off obviously but left a very healthy looking soft sheen; I quite liked it.

Shades: 

001: For me it is very uncommon shade. It almost is an extremely pale “nude” shade! May be my eyes are deceiving, but I see a lot of “taupe” in it :-) Does not sound right, right? But thats what I see :-) It also appears a bit weaker in terms of opacity and glow compared to 003.

003: It is a pure gold shade, not too yellow not too olive. It definitely flatters my skin tone better than 001. And as I already mentioned, the shine and pigment on this one is a bit stronger than 001.

I initially planned to try out both shades and keep only one. But I am now having the hardest time in deciding which one gives me the most joy.  To a beauty lover eye the difference is quite noticeable. 003 is distinctly golden with neutral to warm undertone. Whereas 001 is much cooler, and very neutral beige-y taupe-y shade. Both works excellently on my skin! 003 immediately flatters the olive golden undertone on my skin whereas 001 is a unique shade to my collection! I thought Becca Champagne Pop will be very similar to 003 but the formula is different! I have worn both on the same day, one on one cheek and the other on the other cheek. The difference is not obvious to the uneducated eye. But if you are as obsessed with beauty as I am, you can surely see that they are different. (check pictures at the very end). Champagne Pop has a little bit more yellow in it and it is a little bit drier in texture.

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 001 (lighter application)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 001 (lighter application)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 001 (still lighter application but you can see the skin texture)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 001 (with mac fix plus sprayed over)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 003 (lighter swatch)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 003 (lighter swatch)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 003 (lighter swatch)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 003 (heavy swatch)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 003 (heavy swatch with mac fix plus sprayed over)

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer 003 vs Becca Champagne Pop

Here are some comparison swatches!

I know that at this point I am being repetitive, but again - I had a lot of expectation as well as apprehension about this simply because of the price. I had a skeptical mind. I loved the effect the first time I used it but I was having mixed reaction overall. I felt like it highlighted my texture, but at the same time it was just not punchy enough; I was expecting something unbelievably unique. I think, I did not get that on my first use. But over the past 2-3 weeks, I have fallen in love with it. I have used it over bare-just moisturized skin and over foundation and I really enjoy it now. I also prefer using light layer, I think it looks more beautiful that way! At the end of the day, it meshes with your skin and almost looks like wet but healthy-sweaty look. It may sound gross, but I personally love that. It is a more realistic "glow-from-within" type of look. 

Which shade do you think looks better on my skin? Help me decide which one to keep? Or should I just keep both?

Love,

~Arrru

Monthly Favorites ::: April 2017

Lets get to the point straight away; here are my April Favorites -

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Plum: First of all, I enjoy the name of the product! It is effortlessly chic without sounding "trying-too-hard to appear cool"! Secondly, and most importantly, I love the product. I have this in 3 shades and I have been wearing “Plum” non-stop for past 1-2 months.  I got this shade in a Sephora Favorites "Extravagant Eyes" set (reviewed here). It was a great deal. Anyway, I am using it as an imperfect, just-there eyeliner, I am using it on my inner rim or as a base on my lid for other powder shadows. I am LOVING it! It is of very soft & creamy consistency, glides on like a dream and gives me about 30 secs to blend or smudge before it sets. It holds up quite nicely throughout the day. I see it shrinking when I use it as eyeliner after 8-9 hrs.!

Cover FX Custom Infusion Drops in C+Lemongrass: I have slowly started to fall in love with Cover FX as a brand. This product is stated to be “An active, vitamin-rich concentrate that can be used alone to hydrate and treat the skin, or can be infused into any product in your beauty regimen while offering the benefits of a potent, super-strength, hydrating serum." You can use it on its own or mix with your foundation, moisturizer etc. I know that you can use any skincare oil to do the same but I feel that they somehow alter the consistency of my foundation. This on the other hand, merges seamlessly with the foundation and makes it soft and hydrating without affecting the coverage or the formula.  I am not sure if I will like it in summer but past few months I have been really enjoying it while concocting my foundation! I add Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops and Custom Drops, Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation with one or two drops of this Infusion Drops – LOVING the result.

NARS Blush in Goulue: Look how adorable is this little blush! I got this as VIB Rouge Gift for 2016. I love the shade.- It is a deep muted maroon-rosey shade. More fitting for fall rather than Spring/Summer. But I am not one to care! I have been doing a lot of colorful eye looks this month and I quite enjoy using it with those looks. It gives my cheeks some healthy color without being too competitive with my eyes. Very pigmented but easy to blend and has excellent staying power. It appears to have some sheen but on application the glitters does not really make my porous acne-ridden cheek look bad.

Tarte Shape Tape Contouring Concealer in Tan Sand: I just reviewed it here. If you check the blogpost you will know why I have conflicting thought on this. But it has legitimately earned a place in this post! Like I said, I am doing a lot of colorful look this month and this concealer has been great in hiding my under-eye darkness and in brightening that area against those colorful looks. I don’t wear foundation every day and without a proper base this concealer just looks weird because it so full-coverage. I am bummed that I cannot wear it every day but I sure enjoy it with fully glamorous looks.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No.7 in The Siren 210: This is a limited-edition palette and is not available anymore. So, I will be brief. I love the warm neutral shades with which I can create some beautiful looks that can be simple or very glamorous. And you know my love affair with blue shadows; I am definitely a big fan of all those shades. These are very pigmented shades with great wear time. They mix well with each other to create custom shades. Last but not the least, the palette is just so photogenic.

What are you loving this month?

Love,
~Arrru

Marc Jacobs Beauty "O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan" in "104 Tan-Tastic!" ::: Review & Swatches

I totally blame “Trendmood1” for this purchase! I already got the Re(cover) Perfecting Coconut Setting Mist from Marc Jacobs Summer 2017 Collection as a GWP (reviewed here) but I had my eyes on this bronzer from the same collection. Unfortunately, it was out of stock online on Sephora during the VIB Sale! I was already off to bed on the last day of the Sale and while browsing Instagram as my bedtime ritual, I saw Trendmood1 posting update that this came back in stock. The soon-to-be-closed VIB sale and the fear of this being out-of-stock again pressured me & I gave in! Thanks to the technical advances these days, I was able to use Ebates & Sephora App on my mobile to complete my purchase without having to go downstairs to get my credit card.

Trendmood1 is incredibly helpful when you are looking for information on new products but sometimes her account provokes the shopaholic in me.

As you may have already figured out I am talking about Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan in the shade “104 Tan-Tastic!“! Such an unnecessarily confusing name because there is only one shade! (I know they have O!Mega Bronzer Perfect Tan in shade Tantric 102, but the names are just confusing to me). I have the Style Eye-Con No 7 The Siren Eyeshadow Palette in white packaging; it came out 2 summers ago. I love that palette and I am glad that it now has a new friend :-)

Availability: It is a Limited-Edition Palette; that is annoying and sad. And of course, it is all out-of-stock on Marc Jacobs Website and on Sephora. I can still see it on Neiman Marcus. If you really want this bronzer, I recommend you to follow Trendmood1 :-) She will share if it comes back in stock in any of the stores.

The weather here is all kind of overcast, I am sorry about the bad "natural" light

Price & Packaging: We all can agree that Marc Jacobs is a luxury brand. Their products are accompanied with hefty price tag. Except for the Siren Palette (which I bought with the help of a $25 gift card), I have not bought any full-size Marc Jacobs products at full price. This bronzer will cost you $49 for 0.8 oz./25 gm of product. Basically, it’s an ENORMOUS product; it is almost as big as my face :-) Sometimes bigger size packaging can be deceiving size wise, but 0.8 oz. of is a massive amount for a bronzer. It does cost you heavily upfront but here is a quick comparison with other full size bronzers. Needless to say, when you look at the price per oz. value, it is a good deal.  

Brand/Bronzer	Full-Size Price (USD)	Total wt. in Full-size product (oz.)	Price per oz. (USD)
NARS/Bronzing Powder	40	0.28	142.86
Too Faced/Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer	30	0.35	85.71
Hourglass/Ambient® Lighting Bronzer	50	0.39	128.21
NARS/Sun Wash Diffusing Bronzer	40	0.28	142.86
Givenchy/Healthy Glow & Body Bronzing Powder	65	0.56	116.07
Guerlain/Terracotta Bronzing Powder	53	0.35	151.43
Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan	49	0.8	61.25

As obvious from the pictures, it comes in a handsome white compact with a mighty big mirror. The whole look of the product is quite inviting! I am not someone who falls for pretty packaging, but this one I can appreciate! Its classy with a little bit of edge, the clasp closes nicely and you can clean the compact quite easily! Because of its sheer size, I will not be able to store it in my ByAlegory blush/bronzer organizer but I am ok with it. This might be an issue with some of you.

Like the name suggests, it is scented with coconut fragrance. To me real coconut does not smell like this (I have coconut tree back home in India so I would know) but it is a refreshing smell to experience. 

Shade: In my mind the shade of a bronzer is the single most important attribute of a bronzer. I personally prefer a little bit of sheen on my bronzer but often when I wear a lot of highlighter or lot of shiny products on my eyes, I tend to opt for a matte bronzer. It is a medium brown shade that to me, appears to have cool-undertone. Looking at photos on Instagram, I thought it will be quite light on my skin tone but when I got it last week, it looked dark enough for me to make it work. However, on application, I realized that it appears little bit darker on the pan. The finish is stated to be “radiant matte” and I tend to agree. It is matte but not overly so! It is not overly pigmented as well, that is good thing for bronzer. If I am wearing this on just bare, moisturized skin (which is what I do for everyday work) without any base products, it shows up nicely and gives me a very faint naturally sun-kissed look. If I am wearing foundation it takes a few layers of application to show up. I am almost sure it will not be very useful to me during the peak of summer.

Wear time & Quality: It is a very soft, blend-able powder so applying it is a breeze. I also love the sheer size of the pan; it is very satisfying to swirl my brush around! On my bare face, it stayed around for 7-8 hrs. and same with over foundation.

This was taken after 7 hrs of application on bare, moisturized skin.
I did not wear any blush but I have highlighter on. You can still see the bronzer hanging on! 

To recap, the shade just barely shows up on my face. If your skin tone is lighter than mine this will definitely work. But if it is darker than me, it might not. I am a bit bummed out about that. I wished they released one or two extra shades for all skin tones. That being said, I have to admit that I am wearing it every day since last Saturday and I am enjoying the product and its performance! I am sincerely hoping this will work much better for me during winter. The white packaging gives it more of an elusive feeling to the product and I enjoy that. So, I am not keen on returning it even though the shade is not perfect on me. I feel like my $44.25 is well spent.

In case you are eyeing it, I hope it comes back in stock and you are able to get it :-)

Love

~Arrru