The Palette Swatching project: Julie Hewett Boudoir

I have been lacking on the colour-front lately. Somewhat I feel saturated with the heaps of stuff that I hardly can store around. So I decided to swatch the things that I have, starting with ♥palettes♥.

What I love about palettes...

• Often colour-coordinated (not always, and sometimes they add the funniest colours aside)
• smaller sizes to try out (I cannot remember once that I finished one eyeshadow completely, this is perfect for the fickle and experimental amoung the makeupsquad)
• travel-friendly (most of them)

• the treat-factor: so nice to give to other people, but most to yourself when you were good (or you were bad and you try to make yourself feel better about it)
• Sometimes eyes only, sometimes blush and lip, sometimes lip...what's next?
• "Hurray, a new limited edition!" Want Want Want (for no particular reason, makes me go to that Rolling Stones song again, "you can't always get what you want...you get what you neeeeeed"      

Julie Hewett palettes are made of cardboard and keep looking sleek and glossy even after being toted around by me:

They have 4 colours inside:

 

• one specifically for lip (Vampie) 
• Cleo is a overal highlighter but pigmented enough for eyes
• Natural is their Cheekie blush: I have this in full-size and it makes an awesome shader
• Goldie is  a frosty gold and more a highlighter 

However, all have a cream-formula so they are multiple-applicable for the total face.

SWATCHES (natural, cool light & 1 layer )

Visuals:

• Vampie applies beautifully on the lips: both as a flush stain, or more sophisticaded as a burgundy lipstick
• Cleo's lasting power is long and works even longer over a primer (UDPP)
• Natural has already been a favourite blush of mine (read here comparing hybrid blush)
• Goldie looks wonderfully layered over other eyeshadows or fantastic in the inner corner of eyes making them larger

CONCLUSION:
I enjoy this palette for the excellent Julie Hewitt quality inside, the versatility of the different colours, the naturalness of the total colour-scheme without going too safe (by keeping the lipshade sensually deep).   Also the thin-ness of the palette is like a little notebook easy for carrying around. It also carries the minimum of colours that it doesn't complicate people not being into a multitude of products, and the cream-formula is easy on the makeup-minimalists too. The exterior cardboard isn't perhaps the most luxury one but that also means it doesn't break either. As for hygiene? When you take out clean brushes this wouldn't be the largest problem. At least, it doesn't get (too) messy because all formulas are creams, whereas some palettes mixing creams with powders can get messy with powders ending up in the creams.

Availability:
Gosh, I've just wrote this whole review seeing it has been discontinued...Darn, still keeping it up as her other palettes have a similar quality/value (see some sold here and here).

Review: Lavshuca Girly Whip Cheek PK-2

Cute, girly and in an affordable pricerange: I really understand the appeal of Kanebo Lavshuca as a brand.

This time the focus on the kawaii factor is nothing to be dissapointed about: check out the adorable box in candy-floss colours and the most adorable heart at the cardboard end. 

In my last post I had the case of mistaking a lipgloss for being a cheek-product.

Today I have the opposite feeling with the Lavshuca Girly Whip: Doesn't this one look rather shaped like a dainty lipgloss tube?

And check out the wand...if the product on it wasn't so opaque and creamy it could be another lipgloss (or one of those velvety lip-products that are out these days)

Ok, before going to swatch-land, what does it state on the box?

Ok, the English part as I'm not that fluent with the Mandarin nor Japanese yet: 

The cautions are slighty on the obvious site, but I like them still being stated and for the English (read: American) public they have to be certain they don't get any lawsuit-cases behind their pants for not having listed any warnings.

 I was a bit aware of trying out this one: it has some visible gold-hued sparklies inside and I wasn't too sure how this would show on my skin:

The product itself has the most velvety consistency and has the feel of a high end primer on the skin

Blended out:

I think it is more of a pinky highlighter than a blush and it reminds me a lot of the Lunasol Cream Cheeks EX 4 in Tender Glow Pink (review/swatch here)

VERDICT:

When I received my 3 lovelies last week (here) I tended to like the Visee Mineral Cheek a bit more as it was more targeted in colouring cheeks instead of highlighting. I compared the two and perhaps I shouldn't done that, however, I wanted to show my readers how something targeted as a cheek-product can be sooo different.

Anyway, I have stepped over my initial fear of sparklies and have to say I LOVE this one as a pink-toned highlighter on the upper cheeks, and also as a anti-dark-circle diffusing product under the eyes. The velvet consistency glides over less-perfect skin and doesn't sit in pores or the undereye wrinkles. Perhaps you can see the sparklies in direct sunlight or in those areas where they have budgetized on lightening (metros, etc), but it's not NARS Superorgasm-glittery terrritory so I think it's wearable.

It is also so easy to carry around with you as it really has the size of a lipgloss.

The only con I can think about is the hygiene factor: but similarly as a lipgloss there are ways to apply it on a sanitised spatula and then on the skin.
However, because it's relatively cheap you can also use this a couple of times the original (direct) way and toss it away when you suspect it's not so hygienic anymore.

CONCLUSION:

A surprise LIKE for this one. Cute, the colour and texture is not just perfect for younger skins but for the slightly maturing ones too, travel friendly and the price is not too expensive for $14 (here)

Edward Bess Quad Royale in South of France: Some French Glowing

After reading some glowing reviews and seeing some glowing swatches from  beauty-blogger Sabina from thebeautylookbook I decided to buy my 3rd Edward Bess.

My first one was brilliant: I bought his eyeshadow in Intimate and it has been the perfect subtle shade.

My second purchase was the creamy foundation, but I was not too fond of it. One of the other beauty-blogger girls explained that Bess tested (and formulated) the products for himself, and looking at his perfect previously model-face I recon that he probably doesn't have too many flaws to cover, unlike yours truely...

Well, I liked his eyeshadows and I know foundations are so difficult to formulate for a larger public in mind, so I was really curious about the blush/highlighter hybrid. I always head straight towards hybrid blush/highligher/bronzer products, especially from Niche brands such as Edward Bess.

Not that I have a lack of it...teeeheee...

What I already like about it without seeing/swatching it, are the ingredients. There are some beneficial ingredients inside, such as cumcumber fruit extract, lemon peel extract and the soothing Calendula flower.

Ofcourse, it isn't a natural/organic brand, so it isn't all daisies etc inside (mineral oil) but still I like the fact that there is some soothing Calendula included.

The case is a smooth, black plastic with the Edward Bess initials in a sleek font printed in the middle:

It was so hard to make good pictures the last couple of days. I recon that sunny California where Sabrina lives is a lot better. And where does überswatcher KarlaSugar lives? She always has good light!

The palette itself has 4 colours, an standard-paletty brush and a mirror:

I will show the colours in the next order of numbers from top left to right, continuing to bottom left to right:

I couldn't capture all colours in one row, so I will show you some different ones:

1-4:

Skipped no 1: The different light shows the shimmer/somewhat metallic glow of the colours better:

All together in a row:

Conclusion:
I can see that this palette looks quite differently on cooler NW20 something skin than Sabrina's warmer skintone (Chanel Perfect lumiere beige 30). However, I like the way it gives me a somewhat mauvy glow in the mix.

The bronzer colour (no 3) has some rose/mauvy colour and is the most pigmented. In my opinion, this should have been the bigger size. I think this shade is quite unique and really fits me so I would buy a large size blush of that colour alone. It would suit as an eyecolour shade as well.

Knowing me, I am not too sure how the shimmer lights up in some light, but when I see it blended in the mix on the 3 different pictures, I can see no hint of obvious shimmer, just a light and lovely pink/mauvy based hue.

So is it a blush or a highlighter? I would say it is a hybrid I will put a little larger on my cheekbones with my blush slightly under it and somewhat blended together in the middle.

Overal, it is a beautiful product, I have lots of hybrid products but I like how it differs in the fact how it looks on me when having untanned skin. It looks really lovely on both warmer skintones (see Sabrina) and cooler skintones.

I purchased this on Zuneta.com.

Becca Illuminate Wash in Moonlit

Another member in my Becca family: a illuminator, or highlighter this time.

This one was the promised freebie from Zuneta if you decided to purchase the Lost Weekend Palette I blogged about a couple of days ago. I am familiar with Becca's powdered highlighters/colour embellishers and I also have a liquid bronzer in my collection (that one I review later).

As for this one, I consider most of Becca's highlighters that I already have to be incredibly natural looking, so I was curious how this one would live up to the liquid highlighters I already have.

The first thing that I saw is that the size was not the biggest one. I sized the tube (middle) up against the quintessential MAC lipstick (left) and the Dior Serumdrape lipstick:

Ok, it is a freebie so I shouldn't complain, and I often find Becca products to be really economic in usage.

 Opening the tube displays a brush-like wand. You can use it like that, but for hygienic reasons I suggest a tiny drop from the tube itself, because you do not want to affect the highlighter with germs that come from your skin.

Sorry for the quality of the photos: my newer camera is not living up to its expectations right now.

The ingredients: feel free to click on the image for a gigantic photo:

I decided to compare the Becca Illuminator with my other liquid highlighters. I picked the most familiar ones, and skipped the Body Shop, for instance.

I left out my powder highlighters in this comparing post, because the idea behind a liquid highlighter is different from a powdered highlighter. Also, I want to keep it focused on one type of product.

So, from left to right is the Becca one, the MAC lustre drops in Pink Rebel, and the Benefit High Beam freebie I received with the British Glamour some time ago:

Same order: unblended: (again, click on the picture for a closer view)

The photos are still not brilliant, but they really represent the lustre or metallicness of the products really well.

1. Becca is in my opinion the most natural looking one. It has a dash of shimmer, but doesn't really veer to the metallic side. I use this one when I want a really true highlighter that will look natural and not made-up in full sunlight.

2. MAC Pink Rebel has been my favourite highlighter from last year. It is rather gold compared with the others. It is actually a rose gold, and has more metallicness in it than Becca. still, it is not that silvery/metallic as the Benefit High Beam.
You can see it is makeup if you take a mirror in front of you and see yourself in direct sunlight, so others close to you with a sharp view will see it as well. I love this one for an evening glow, and to bring out highlights when on photos, because then it just looks natural.

3. Benefit High Beam: I understand that this was a revolutonary product when launched in the 90s (??) and it probably looks delightful in nightlight and photos, but I honestly wouldn't purchase a whole bottle for myself with the better and natural looking hightlighters available these days. It plainly looks quite white, metallic and somewhat silver. I think it only limits itself to a small amount of skintones, being the cooler, lighter types or the ones for a dramatic sculpting effect (for pictures or night-life).

To justify my point I show you the products sheered out:

 

1. Becca: The side on the left isn't the most focused one, true. However, I think the Becca has the ability to give out a glow instead of a sort of metallic sheen. So it renders itself perfectly for daylight, sunlight and closer enounters when still want to look as a non-madeup girl (or boy). 

2. MAC Pink Rebel: That one is already more visible as being makeup and has that slight gold sheen on the light complexion of my arm. I still think it is lovely when I want to look glowy and slightly made-up, because it does give out a bit more shimmer/glow than Becca's Illuminator

3. Benefit High Beam: I already made my point clear why I am not a fan of High Beam and this picture justifies my point. I have a neutral to slightly cool (NW 20-ish) skintone and even then it looks quite silver and slightly glittery on my skin. I don't think it flatters me.

 Conclusion:

I am really delighted with my new Becca Illuminator freebie. It might be small but it spreads out easily and gives out that incredibly natural dew that can stand the test of direct sunlight. I think this one will be a repurchase when finished, but although small, I think I can get quite some use out of it because it is an economic product.
 I also think that it is an incredibly universal glow that can be applied to almost every skintone/deepness without looking fake. It simply gives out a glow
My MAC lustre drops are still my favourite for a tad more shimmer/definition, but for a natural look I would absolutely veer to the Becca Illuminator.

You can buy this one from Zuneta or the Becca site for $23, and probably some more places :D. If you buy from Zuneta, it might be handy to visit the beautybible site first for 10% discount, or the code is ZBEAUTYBIBLE

Banila Co. Summer 2011 Colors &Stripes Secret blush in Sahara

Every year since I buy something from Banila Co.'s summer range.

Why? Simply because I love their products and they have such clean and original summer themes, especially based on wanderlust (the desire to travel) and that really appeals to me.

For this year I picked up an addiction on their Secret Marbling blush/highlighter products from their Stripes range.

As you can see, Banila created such a beautiful design. The pink stripes decorate a rose gold pact. It is so aesthetically pleasing!

This year they picked South Korean singer and actress Min Hyo Rin to be the spokesmodel for their summer range:

Mn Hyo Rin in Banila Co.'s 2011 Summer campaign

I like this choice, although I have no idea about South Korean celebrity life and preformances. I simply like that, in contrast to some earlier years, they did not picked a Western model for the campaign. With all respect to Western models and people (I'm one myself, ehhh, clearly not a model but just a woman, LOL) but I think a variety of beautiful faces come in all ethnicities and clearly Min Hyo Rin must be a familiar face towards the public the product is targeted for: South Korean girls and women.

And yeh, without knowing her, I think she is beautiful and the face has an appeal on my consumer behaviour, LOL, because I bought the product as well.
The name of the product is Sahara, and, as far as I know, it is Banila Co. first bronzing-inspired Secret blush.

The compact is even prettier than the box itself. Pretty without being too kawaii for grown-up women:

The highligher/blush is quite in style of similar mineralized products such as MAC mineralizes and Banila's previous Secret ranges: They have this glowy, metallic look. Sahara is a rose-tinted coppery brown:

The first swatch I did on a tissue. It shocked me a bit for being a bit too metallic. However, I do love the colour that has that bit of rose in it:

Actually, the metallic glow is not so obvious on the skin, that is why I included a skin-swatch as well. Mind that this swatch is not blended or buffed in the skin yet!

I actually really like how it looks on my skin. It is like a rose-gold colour. Best part is that it gives out a GLOW without a hint of glitter in sight....perfect.

I have to blend and buff it into my skin to keep it natural, but it proves that you have to test some products directly on the skin to see how it will look in real life.

The compact also has a sweet, florally fragance which is not obtrusive at all, just beautiful.

Overal, a big hit for this summer (and next summers) in my opinion!

I bought mine on, guess where....gmarket over here: productcode 212439241 for approximately $19.

Banila Co. gave me three samples of their new sunscreen BB cream, which is pretty amazing as well, and I normally do not like any BB creams.