Showing posts with label under eye concealer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label under eye concealer. Show all posts

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Lazy Day Face and OPI Mermaid's Tears

Hello, dear readers,

Today has been a rather lazy day in the sense that I haven't been able to go out and about. I've mostly been inside doing homework or on the phone. Yesterday was much more fun, as I had two of my friends come to visit me at college. I plan to hula hoop this evening, so that should make me feel better about being so static today. Fingers crossed.

For no particular reason, and despite barely leaving the room, I felt the need to slap on some makeup and attempt to look more awake. After that was done, I thought, Why not take some photos of questionable quality on my MacBook and post them on my blog? So that's what I'm doing. I shall also share a couple of photos of my current nail polish, OPI Mermaid Tears.

An aside: I didn't buy Mermaid Tears when it came out as part of the Pirates of the Caribbean collection, because I was being noble and refraining from purchasing nail polish. However, that meant that by the time I got around to looking for it, it was discontinued. A journey to a nail polish/beauty supply store was to no avail, and all the bottles I found online were ridiculously expensive. Somehow, my mom managed to find one for a reasonable price and sent it to me at college. [Thanks, Mom!] I'm a little bit in love with it, and now I know not to pass up a limited edition nail polish if I'm obsessing over it. 

I tried to adjust the lighting and contrast of some of the photos, but they're honestly still pretty washed out and poor quality.  No color changes or any other sort of editing has been done besides that. Without further ado, here is my face of the day:



Products used:
  1. Cover Girl Aqua Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in 805 Fair/Light
  2. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory                                                                              (under my eyes and down the bridge of my nose)
  3. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent
  4. Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 300 Rose Blush
As you can see, this isn't a flawless face. This is what I use when I want to get my makeup done quickly and efficiently, making myself look much more awake while letting some imperfections peek through. I always alternate the lipsticks, often layering more than one to create the perfect color, but Rimmel's Rose Blush is one of my go-tos for a natural, fresh-faced look. I'm almost out of the tinted moisturizer, so I'll need to bring my back-up to college next time I go home. Apparently, this is now being marketed as a BB Cream. Total sales gimmick, in my opinion.

On to the nail polish:



Despite the grainy quality of the photographs, these are pretty accurate depictions of the color. In the second, the nail polish in the bottle itself appears more blue than in real life.

What nail polish shades have you been loving lately? Are you transitioning to darker fall shades, or do you still play around with all sorts of colors?

I hope you've had a lovely weekend and have more great things in store for you during the coming week!

xEsther

Friday, July 20, 2012

Mini Review: Fusion of Color Mineral Face Makeup

Aura Tint (Light), Concealer (Shell), Finishing Powder (Out and About)
Hello, dear readers,


If you have been reading my blog since at least the beginning of this year, you may remember a post called "Mini Review: Fusion of Color Lipsticks." I received three lipstick samples and three mineral face makeup samples from Fusion of Color Cosmetics back in January, I believe, and I think it's about time I did a review of the face makeup. I more than owe it to the company, especially Kathy Duncan, the woman behind the brand. [If you don't care to read the previous post, I should tell you that this is a Chicago-based company that sells exclusively online. I'm also not being paid for this; I received these sample sizes in exchange for review.] 


Until this month, I had only tried one of the powders, but I am finally ready to give you my honest opinions on the products. The first product I tried was called the Aura Tint, in the shade Light. The full size retails for $7. According to the website here, this is a colorful version of the Aura-Lusion Diamond powder, a white powder that can be used as a primer or setting powder, or it can be mixed with another foundation to achieve the correct shade.
Aura Tint (Light)

I don't think I owned foundation at the time, and I still don't use mineral foundation, but I used this as a setting powder. Considering I walked to and from school, a half-hour trek each way, this product held up really well. I found that it blended the tinted moisturizer and concealer, that I was using at the time, quite nicely. This went on silky smooth, but didn't give a completely matte finish. I actually prefer it to the Physician's Formula Mineral Wear® Talc-Free Mineral Airbrushing Pressed Powder SPF 30, that I reviewed here, because it's sheer enough for my super pale skin. 


It didn't hold up quite as well as my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent, which can last seven or eight hours; then again, I haven't found anything that has. This is a good option for a reasonably priced mineral makeup powder that feels great going on and lasts for about five hours, even through speedy, and, yes, sweaty walking. I should say that it only fades on and around my nose and chin, where I get oily. I can't speak to its other uses, but I can say that lately I've been using it as an under eye concealer because it has a slight yellow tint that I find works better than my Hard Candy Glamouflage. I stopped using that product, because it's too dark for me and shows up orange.


Next, I tried out the Concealer in Shell, which is advertised as both a concealer and an eyeshadow base. The full size retails for $14. It does not claim to hide major blemishes, but rather conceal dark circles or minor flaws. The ingredients are listed on the website, so check there to find out. My picture of the ingredients came out extremely blurry.
Concealer (Shell)
Unfortunately, this is one product I would skip. The pinky shade served to actually accentuate the purplish-blue darkness underneath my eyes. The good thing is that it didn't crease. I don't use eyeshadow, but I would imagine it would be neutral enough to use as a base if you have light skin. I can't really comment on that, but this is not a product I would purchase as a concealer. 


Unless you have any greenish imperfections [i.e. a tiny bruise or something], pink concealer won't really do you any favors. You're better off with a yellow or salmon concealer for underneath the eyes. Because it's pink, it won't do anything for blemishes, either. Again, the powder itself feels light and smooth, but if you'd like to try it, buy it as an eyeshadow base or purchase a sample size [as pictured] instead.


The final product is probably my favorite. It is the finishing powder in Out and About, which is advertised to be used over foundation or alone. It has an SPF of 16, and contains rice starch to control oil. The full size retails for $12.




Finishing Powder (Out and About)

This is a very nice finishing powder, and I also enjoyed wearing it on its own. Like the Aura Tint, it has a slight yellow undertone. To me, however, it looks slightly more neutral than either of the previous products. I like the way it brushes onto my skin, evening out skin tone, and I love that it has a sufficient amount of SPF. Possibly the best thing about it is the fact that it helps control oil. I feel like it gives a very sheer coverage, but also keeps greasiness at bay for long periods of time. 

I have also tried this as an under eye concealer, and I think it works for that purpose as well. Its slight yellow tones work well to conceal any purple or blue circles, but it's not too yellow so as to be noticeable. Until I find a fuller coverage under eye concealer, I will probably be alternating between this and the Aura Tint. As you can see, this is quite a light powder so I can't say what other skin tones this would work on. Personally, I think it's pretty great.

Overall, I think Fusion of Color Cosmetics is a great company as far as quality of formulation and staying power of their mineral face makeup [not to mention the lipsticks]. I would recommend the Aura Tints and the Out and About Finishing Powder, but I would try one of the other concealers, listed on this page, if you're curious about the powder formula. If I had to choose just one to purchase, it would be Out and About. 

This review is extraordinarily overdue, and I've been feeling so guilty about it!  I'm glad it's finally out there for you to consider. Check out the website, Fusion of Color Cosmetics, for more information. 


xEsther