Benefit Cosmetics: Product Review Pt2

Hey dolls! So I have more product reviews for you from Benefit Cosmetics. These are products that I've actually used on other people while freelancing with Benefit Cosmetics. Enjoy!

BLUSHES/BRONZERS

1. Hoola: I love this bronzer. Its matte and gives the skin at nice natural tan. I love using this on clients with really light skin to a light tan skin tone. I normally use it by framing the face with this product, lightly blending it out. I would definitely recommend this product if you are looking for a bronzer without all the shimmer.

2. Sugar Bomb: I've used this product a lot on clients. It has four separate colors that I usually swirl my brush in and apply, and then pick one of the four colors and pop that color on the apples of the cheeks. Its a very natural, pinky tone.

3. CORALista: This product is very popular. A lot of my clients prefer a peachy, coral color on their cheeks, and this product has it all. If you like peachy blush tones, I would recommend this one!

OIL CONTROL/HIGHLIGHTERS/CONCEALERS

5. Dr. Feel Good: This product is an oil control balm. Love it! If you tend to get oily throughout the day, this product does wonders. It comes with a circular sponge and you just swipe it across the product and apply to the areas of your face where the oily spots are...and BOOM! No more oil! Great investment.

6. What's Up: This is Benefit's new highlighter. I love it. Instead of having a pinky/gold tone like Girl Meets Pearl, What's Up has a nice champagne gold color, and I love it. I use the stick and swipe it across the cheeks bones, above the brows and under the eye area and blend it out with a brush. It looks very natural and just completes your look. Great on all skin tones.

7. Erase Paste: Love this concealer. Thus far, this is my favorite concealer from any brand. It is a concentrated brightening concealer that comes in three colors (light, medium and deep). I blend it under the eye area with a concealer brush and it instantly conceals dark circles and brightens the eye area. I love it!

8. Ooh La Lift: I love this product, especially on older women because it tightens and brightens the under eye area. It gives instant results and my clients can definitely see the difference. This works on all skin tones as well.

9. Some Kind-Of Gorgeous Foundation: I love this product. It's a cream to powder foundation that only comes in three shades (light, medium, and deep). Although there are way more than three skin tones, this product evenly blends into your face matching your natural skin color. I'd rather use this product than the Hello Flawless Powder Foundation. Would definitely recommend.

10. Get Even: This product helps reduce redness and the appearance of blemishes. It too, comes in three shades (light, medium, deep) and gives instant results. It's a powder formula and can be used over your foundation.

11. They're Real Mascara: This mascara is BOMB!!! Compared to the Bad Gal Mascara I love They're Real much more. Although this product isn't waterproof like Bad Gal, it volumizes, lifts, curls and lengthens all in one. And let me tell you, it works! Clients who can't leave the house without mascara, love this product because it makes there lashes longer, thicker and completely opens up the eye area. Event the mascara wand is designed differently from the Bad Gal Mascara.

CREAM EYE SHADOWS

12. Creme Eye Shadows: Working with Benefit was the first time I used a cream eyeshadow on anyone. And I love it. I first apply a eye primer, and then take a concealer brush or a synthetic eye shadow brush and apply the color to the lid. I use a powder eyeshadow in the crease. The colors shown above are colors I've actually used on clients. You can't go wrong with these cream eye shadows. There are more colors available, check them out at www.benefitcosmetics.com.

FOR MORE BENEFIT COSMETICS GO TO...WWW.BENEFITCOSMETICS.COM

Benefit Cosmetics: Product Review

Hey dolls!

So I got a freelance makeup artist position with Benefit Cosmetics, and over the weekend of Sept. 15-18th I freelanced for an event they were having at the Southern Women's Show in Charlotte NC. I had so much fun making over people and using their products! Their products are great and give instant results. So after the event, we were able to take home 5 of the testers we were using throughout the event. And so below are the five products I chose to take home.

1. Brows A-Go-Go
This is like the ultimate brow kit. I loved using this product on customers because the perfect brows creates the perfect face. Even if you don't have a full face of makeup on, having perfect brows, makes a big difference. This kit includes a light and a dark powder, a wax, a brow highlight powder (similar to Benefit's product "High Brow"), and Eye Bright powder, tweezers, an angle brush and pencil. I love it! Must have!

2. Dallas (Bronzer/Blush)
I absolutely loved this product. It works on women of all complexions. I also love to use this color as eyeshadow too. Its the perfect tan/mauve color that just gives a pop to the cheeks!

3. Girl Meets Pearl
This product is another must have for the kit! It is a liquid pearl highlighter that can be used on the cheekbones, and any where else on the face that you choose to highlight! It can also be mixed with Pore-fessional (face primer) to add a natural glow to the face.

4. The Pore-Fessional
This product is another fav of mine. I used it on every client that weekend. It is a face primer that helps diffuse fine lines and pores on the face. It creates a very smooth and even texture to the face. It can be used before you apply your foundation, after you apply your foundation or you can mix it with your foundation. This product gives instant results. It can also be worn alone, without any foundation at all!

5. You Rebel
You Rebel is a tinted moisturizer with SPF15. It comes it two shades (light and dark; the lighter version comes in a tan bottle). This is a great substitute for foundation. I will definitely add this to my kit for those clients who prefer and even look without having to wear foundation!

For more Benefit Cosmetics product go to:
www.benefitcosmetics.com

Pics: My Work

Here is a look at some pictures of the work I've done so far on other people...enjoy! And feel free to comment and give feedback!

(Eye Makeup Only)

(Eye Makeup Only)

*The rest of the pictures are looks of full face applications I have done*
**MORE PICS TO COME**

Review: Cover Girl Clean Foundation

Hello Dolls,

About two days ago, I decided that since I am running out of my Sephora Collection foundation and only have a sample of MACS Studio Sculpt, I would go out and see if I can find a good, affordable, drug store foundation. So, I went to my local CVS and browsed the cosmetic isles looking for different foundations, their prices, and if they had my color.

Before I picked up the Cover Girl Clean foundation, I stopped by L'Oreal's True Color Match foundation and Black Radiance. The L'Oreal True Color Match collection had my color (Nut Brown, i think) but it was a bit pricey for what I wanted to pay for a drugstore foundation. It retailed at about $11 if I can remember. The Black Radiance foundation was about $5, but I hadn't heard anything about the product, so I decided to continue looking.

Came across the Cover Girl Clean foundation, and decided to give it a try! If I am not mistaken they have three different categories for their foundation, which include normal skin, sensitive skin and oil control. I went with normal skin, although my skin tends to get oily at times. But that's nothing that a great setting powder or mattifying ointment couldn't solve.

I used the product today and I actually like it. For an every day use I would use this foundation. You don't need a lot of product, just a great foundation/blending brush to apply it. The coverage was good, but not as great as the coverage I get from using brands like NARS, MAC, and Cover FX. But overall the foundation gave me good coverage and a fresh face. If I was going out somewhere special or was taking lots of pictures, I would probably end up going with a high-end foundation, but for everyday use this is a great product. My face looked fresh and smooth, without looking like I had on foundation.

Check out below, what the contents of the bottle state:

• Designed for normal skin
• Natural coverage that feels and looks fresh
• Water-based, won't clog pores
• Use with Clean Normal Skin pressed powder, in the brown compact, for a fresh finish

The color I chose for my skin was 165 TAWNY. Which is the last color under the normal skin collection.

I recommend browsing through your local CVS or any drugstore that has a cosmetics section and just see what they have to offer!

Review: Icing by Claire's Cosmetics

Hey dolls!

So I've been working at Icing by Claire's for almost three months and we have a huge cosmetic section filled with eyeshadow palettes, lip palettes, single and duo eye shadows, blush, bronzers, eye primer, eyelashes, eye pencils, mascara, nails, nail polish, and even makeup tools, such as brushes, eyelash curlers, pencil sharpeners, and nail care kit.

I have purchased their blush and bronzers in the past, but recently I made some more purchases. This time around, I bought their eye primer, an eye shadow palette, and nail polish. Here is the review:

EYE SHADOW PALETTE

This palette doesn't have a name, but it features colors such as, corals, greens, purples, and browns/golds. It kind of reminds me of NYX Eye Shadow palette in Secret World. The colors are very similar. (SN: another fact I thought you might like to know, is that Sephora is the creator behind Icing's eye shadows...thought that was pretty cool, because Sephora eye shadows are of high quality).

The palette includes 10 eye shadow colors, and 1 highlight color. I have used this palette twice and LOVE IT! The color payoff is great and they blend very well and easy! I created looks using the green shades, as well as the purple shades. Check out the pictures below:

I definitely recommend trying out the eye shadows that Icing has to offer. It's worth every penny! (SN: This palette retails at $10.00).

Here is a look I did using this palette. What do you think?

SHADOW SUPPORT EYE PRIMER

This product really disappointed me. It reminded me of the color and consistency of Urban Decay's Primer Potion, but once I put it to use the results weren't the same. The primer is available in one color which is nude. When I applied it to my eyelid it felt sort of watery and blended completely out to where you couldn't even see a hint of color to let you know that it's on there. This primer causes your eyeshadow to crease and completely disappear. NO BUENO!!! I haven't used it since. I wouldn't recommend this particular product to anyone. Stick to high-end and mid-end eye like Urban Decay's Primer Potion or NYX's Eye Shadow Base.

NAIL POLISH

Icing has a huge collection of nail polishes that keep up with the color trends for each season. They have matte, shimmer, glitter and top coat nail polishes. I love them. I have purchased 4 of their nail polishes and I am finding myself getting addicted!

I normally would put clear nail polish over any nail polish I put on to give it a glossy look, but with these I recommend you not do that. Not only will it chip with a clear coat, but it's not necessary because the finish on the polishes give a glossy look already. To get a real pigmented look, you will need to apply at least two or three coats. Check out the colors below:

Left to Right: Icing Chrome Nail Polish in Pewter, Icing Nail Polish in Hot Pants, Icing Nail Polish in Laura's Fave & Icing Nail Polish in Golden Child.

This product retails between $4.50-$5.50 per bottle. Not bad!


So check out a Icing near you and check out the products they have to offer!

Product Review: E.l.f. Cosmetics

So just a few days ago, I went to my local Target and picked up three E.l.f. products. This is my first time using any product from the E.l.f. line other than their brushes.

E.l.f. is such an inexpensive product line and the quality of the products, in my opinion, are great. You're getting more than what you paid for when you get these products.

I picked up the 1). E.l.f. Beauty Book in Neutrals 2). E.l.f. Cream Eyeliner in Black and 3). E.l.f. Studio Contour Brush. Below is a mini review of each product:

E.l.f. Beauty Book in Neutrals
This beauty book includes 12 eye shadows with shades of browns, golds, and champagne colors, as well as a brown eyeliner pencil and an applicator brush. It also comes with step by step instructions on getting flawless eye makeup. I've used this palette once. I used concealer as my highlight, primed my eye with NYX eyeshadow base in white, and applied gold tones and browns to my lid and crease from the beauty book. So far so good. I really don't have complaints about this palette. It photographs well, especially on a camera with lots of pixels! Lol. As far the eyeliner pencil and applicator goes, I love the consistency and the color of the brown pencil eyeliner. I don't use sponge tip applicators, so I wouldn't know how that one works. Lol!

E.l.f. Cream Eyeliner in Black
Love, love, love this product! This cream eyeliner gets a 5-star rating from me. It was only $3 and very well worth it! Lol! The consistency is very creamy and glides on very nice and even with angled eyeliner brush! Once it dries it DOES NOT SMUDGE! Which is great! These product has become my very new favorite eyeliner hands done. Before I was using NYX liquid eyeliner in black, but I believe cream eyeliner is so much better. I also love how this product looks on my water line. It really defines my eye shape and color, and makes my eye shadow POP! This is must-have product!

E.l.f. Contour Brush
I've only used this brush once so I don't really want to give a complete review on this yet, but so far I like it. I use it do define my crease a little more, and it works! I'll start to use this product more and will give an update!!!

*Visit your local Target or go to www.eyeslipsface.com for more products*

Product Review: Wet N' Wild Color Icon E/S Palette in Vanity

Hey!

So I picked up the Wet n' Wild Color Icon E/S Palette in Vanity at my local CVS the other day, after watching youtube videos about this product. There are six shadows in this palette (3 matte and 3 shimmer). Its a neutral palette that includes different color combination's to create the perfect neutral eye. I have used tihs palette twice so far. I love it, but I'm not in love with it. I consider myself to have a caramel skin tone, and this palette, in my opinion, has a better color payoff on lighter skin (even lighter than my skin tone). I would probably only use this palette when I don't feel like doing much to my face.

Below is a pic of the Vanity palette, and two youtube videos from makeup guru's who have posted tutorials, using this palette. Enjoy!


*GURU: MzMaKeUpArTizT*
VIDEO: Wet N Wild Vanity


*GURU: xXmakeupisFUNXx
VIDEO: Drugstore Makeup: Wet N Wild "Vanity"

Product Review: CS 26 Shadow Blush Palette

Hey dolls,
This product review is looong overdue. I got this palette for Christmas, and have been wanting it for a while now. I already have Coastal Scents 28 Eye Shadow Neutral Palette, and this palette is similar to that only because the shadows are neutral in color. I love this palette a lot. If you were going away on a trip this would definitely be the only palette you'll need. Not only does it come with eye shadows ranging in color from golds, corals, grey's, purple's and browns, but it also comes with blushes. The textures include matte and shimmer. Below are pictures of my palette and the actual palette from Coastal Scents, so that you can see the color better!

For this palette and more palettes, go to www.coastalscents.com. Hope you all enjoy!!!

*26 COLOR SHADOW BLUSH COMBO PALETTE*

LOTD: Look of the Day

Hola Dolls!!!

So here is a look I did a few days ago, using samples of eyeshadow I received from work. The brand is Cargo and I love their color palettes. I'm not sure how many color palettes they have, but I know my store only carried four of them. The two palettes that I sampled eyeshadow from were Tahiti and Vienna. All the palettes are named after cities. These colors are very vibrant, pigmented, and go so smooth. Love It.

So below is the look I came up with and the products I used. Hope you enjoy! SN: The eyelashes are Ardell #111.

From the Tahiti palette, I used the two second color on the bottom row, which is a nice teal color. And from the Vienna palette, I used the second color on the top row, which is a nice navy/gray color and I also used the first color on the bottom row, which is a nice caramel color. Check out Cargo for more products including their liquid foundation. Love it!

NEW LOOK: Jet Black & Red

Trying something different for the winter time! Did something dramatic (well not really, but dramatic for me)...so used to having sandy brown hair, but I'm getting used to this new look. Thinking about switching up my hair look and color every season. Will def go back to a brown/honey for the spring/summer!