Kevyn Aucoin Beauty Pure Powder Glow in "Myracle" ::: Review and Swatches!!!

As a makeup lover and pro Internet browser I am very much aware of the iconic makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin and the cosmetics brand he founded in 2001. He is definitely very intriguing person and someday I intend to read his best sellers book like “Face Forward”, “Making Faces”! His products are more sophisticated and bear a reputation of being technically correct as far as the formulation of the products is compared against the usage of them. In simple words, his philosophies as makeup artist are far more important than the pressure of “selling” a product! I have never been fascinated much in his products as I think that I am still learning and it’s still a bit of time till I will consider myself to be able to do his products justice :-) Also the sheer prices of the products intimate me!

I finally had a chance to try a Kevyn Aucoin product. I got the Pure Powder Glow Blush in Mryacle in the Lucky Bag for 2016 that is curated by Beautylish. (Read more about Lucky Bag here)

These blushes are retailed at a price of $37. I am not sure if I am personally willing to pay that much for a blush alone. But because I got it in Lucky Bag, I paid much less. Packaging is gorgeous, very robust and the compact has an ombre look to it. My only complaint is about the closure of the compact. It opens up under just a tiny bit of pressure and I am always afraid that it will open up and the product will get ruined. That is why I try to keep it inside the cloth purse that it came with, especially when I am travelling. You can buy this blush from Beautylish, Sephora, Nordstrom and Barneys.

I have totally fallen in love with it. It’s quite a bright shade. I did have a few similar shades from different brands and may be for that reason I did not try it for a long time! It took me a while to appreciate this shade. However, I am loving it now. It made it to my Monthly Favorites last month as well. It’s matte in finish but works fine with my dry skin.  It’s a tad powdery but I don’t find that a problem! It’s a much pigmented product, so I use a fluffy brush and apply it very carefully. I always use light strokes first and build up the color intensity as needed. It is very blendable so I usually apply 2-3 light layers. The shade has such a brightening affect. I think it has a blue undertone to it but I have paired it with nude lips or with bright warm red lips, warm eyeshadows and it definitely works great! It immediately brings so much light to my face and makes me look so healthy! I usually get around 7-8 hrs. of wear time. I took this with me to India this time and this is what I applied on my sister for her engagement ceremony. It held up beautifully throughout the very busy in hot humid weather :-) I also wore the same shade. It shade also perfectly flattered all the bright Indian dress we were wearing (You can check a few pictures from the event here).

I am so glad that my Lucky Bag contained this! If you don’t hesitate to invest $37 in a blush, I would definitely recommend it. Especially if you are looking for deeper, bolder pigmented shades, this line has quite a few to offer.

Love,

-Arrru

Clinique Cheek Pop in "Fig Pop" ::: Review & Swatches (PS. these are incredible :-))

I have had quite clear skin since I can remember. But last year during fall, I had nasty acnes on my face which left me with some noticeable blemishes. Also as I age, I can see thousands of HUGE pores on my both my cheeks. As they get deeper and bigger I get more and more attracted to “blushes”! And I can’t stop buying them- neutral blush, everyday blush, bold blush, summer blush…all kinda blushes! It seems to be almost an exponential relationship between my pores and my affinity towards blushes!

And if you love blushes as much as I do, you must have one or two shades from this very adorable line from Clinique. Or maybe you are thinking of getting one! Yes, I am talking about the very beautiful and cute “Cheek Pop” blush range from Clinique. They look like daisy flowers, who wouldn’t love that? Clinique initially had 4 shades, but they recently came out with 8 new ones which are all permanent. I was quite successful on holding off when they first came out but with the Sephora VIB 15% off sale early this year and the new shades, I gave in to temptation and bought “Fig Pop”.

These are retailed at a price of $22 for 0.12 oz. of product. You can find them in Ulta, Sephora, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Clinique websites and Cosmetic Company Outlets have the older shades as well. Clinique is an experienced and respected brand. When I compare this blush with some of my other high end blushes I have, I do think that you get your money’s worth! The brilliant packaging is definitely a big plus. It’s housed in a glass round case which is very sturdy and has survived few trips here and there :-) Because it is glass, you can see the blush from outside which seems very different and appealing to me. There is no mirror, but as you can see that would have defeated the whole the purpose of the genius design. I never tend to use the mirror anyway, but I do understand sometimes it’s important. The “daisy” flower engraving on the blush itself is absolutely gorgeous. I personally don’t care for extra cute and girly packaging…but this is so cute and yet so elegant. The very small bubbles near the center (my apologies for being ridiculously detailed) vanish after 4-5 usages but the petals in the design will stay for a long time. 

I absolutely love the fact that it’s not just a fancy design but the blush itself is an absolute delight to work with. The product is very smooth and very easy to pick up with a brush. It is also not EXTRA pigmented and just deposits just the right amount of color on the cheeks. So it’s very forgiving for beginners or even for rushed applications! It’s very velvety to touch and has a very beautiful sheen which I really really love. The wear time also is very impressive. I put on my makeup around 6.30-7 in the morning and I can see the blush on my cheeks till 3 in the afternoon! After that it fades a bit.

“Fig Pop” is a pretty shade. I am an ardent fan of bold bright colors, that’s no secret. But for every day I wear minimal makeup that is more appropriate for my work! I was looking for something that is easy enough to apply when I am half asleep in the morning. I was torn between “Heather” and “Fig” but Heather has a lot more pink in it. Fig is a nude with just the right amount of mauve in it. It is the perfect “my cheek but slightly flushed” shade on my medium skin tone.

Pros:

• Excellent product. Very easy to work with. Impressive staying power.
• Wide range of shades.
• Gorgeous and yet very functional packaging.
• Good value when compared to other high end brands.

Cons:

• No mirror. For some of the users, a mirror may be important.

I love my “Fig Pop” and there are so many interesting shades in the line. Have you seen Pansy and Cola Pop? Clinique did an awesome job on these! If you are new to makeup and looking for a shade you know you can learn with and use every day, I highly recommend you to check these blushes; you will surely find a color that you love! And if you are shopaholic like me and thinking about trying these, go for it…you will not be disappointed!

I am just back from a very relaxing trip with old friends and we probably over ate :-) Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too.

Love,

~Arrru