Monday, April 6, 2015

Looking for a drugstore moisturizer with SPF? Why you should wear SPF!



During the colder months I stay in my apartment like a hibernating bear. Because of that, I tend to skip on my SPF. I guess I don't really need it, right? Wrong! Some people can get away without wearing SPF but if your skin is troublesome like mine (acne), then SPF is a must have. Now that it is spring,  the climate is warming up and we'll be spending more time outside in the warm cozy sun. If there was a time of the year to start wearing SPF, it would be now. 

But why is SPF so important for our skin? If you're on my side of the situation it's because of acne/scars. For years I have been working on brightening my skin to help reduce the appearance of acne scars. When I think of a day in the sun demolishing my hard work I seriously want to vomit. Let me make this clear... If you have acne scars and you're skipping on SPF, your scars will darken from the Suns harmful rays. However, let's not forget that just because you don't have acne doesn't mean you don't need SPF. SPF prevents skin cancer, wrinkles, sun spots and more. 

Now hold up! I don't want to apply greasy sunscreen to my face! No problem. Moisturizers with high SPF are part the key. My favorite porduct is Cera Ve AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 30. It's affordable($12-14) and effective.  Every year my scars darken around this time but since I bought this product I haven't noticed that happening. So yes, it does work. 

The moisturizer comes in a 3 FL OZ bottle that features a pump. If used as a sunscreen, it's needs to be applied every couple hours. It's also non-comedogenic and non-irritating. Not a only does it protect your fragile skin from the sun but it also repairs and restores your skins natural protective barrier. This specific moisturizer is intended for normal to dry skin but I don't see why someone with oiler skin couldn't use it. 

The consistency of the product is very similar to some sunscreens. It's quite thick and white. When applied to the face heavily it leaves behind a white cast but once blended in it disappears. I do wear this under my makeup and it doesn't mess with the performance of my foundation. 

Now I don't recommend this moisturizer by itself for a day on the beach. If you can't stand sunscreen on your face then this should be ok if you wear a large protective hat along with it. Maybe even a BB cream with extra SPF would be a nice companion product with it. I mainly use it for running around town or a day at the park. 

By the way, I do have dry acne prone skin and this moisturizer moisturizes very well. It makes my skin appear a lot healthier. I also want to say I do not break out from this product (thank goodness)! 

Do you wear SPF?
What else do you do to protect your skin?
Let me know in the comments below!





Thursday, March 19, 2015

Review & Photos: Too Faced Cocoa Contour Kit

With contour kits popping up everywhere like weeds, it can be hard to know which one to buy. I have been contemplating one which one I should pick up. Like most sugar deprived woman I lust after anything that smells like cocoa. When Too Faced released their Cocoa Contour kit I literally purchased it that day in hopes of getting my fix of chocolatey goodness... But of course in the form of makeup (hello, it's Too Faced!). So it's a win win situation,  right? 



Too Faced Product details

Cocoa Contour gives you the power to enhance your most beautiful features and minimize the ones you want to hide in a few simple steps. This curated kit comes with the two essential sculpting shades, the perfect matte highlighter, and a luminous pop of light for a contoured look that never looks flat. Infused with our antioxidant-rich Exclusive Cocoa Complex, the powders blend seamlessly and indulge you with a decadent chocolate scent. Features our Contour Buki Brush for the most professional sculpting effect.

MORE TO LOVE:

  • Universal set contains all the shades needed to take the guesswork out of contouring, sculpting and highlighting.
  • Exclusive Cocoa Complex is a proprietary blend of antioxidant-rich cocoa powder and moisturizing cocoa butter that work together to hydrate and smooth skin and boost your mood.
  • Achieve lifted cheekbones, look instantly slimmer or sculpt like an A-list celebrity. 
  • Includes our signature Glamour Guide with three contour looks to get you started. 
  • Too Faced Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer Jerrod Blandino was inspired to infuse antioxidant-rich cocoa in makeup while getting a chocolate facial at a Hawaiian spa. He learned of chocolate’s benefits to the skin and included the ingredient in Too Faced’s best-selling products.


Packaging 
The packaging is very similar to other Too Faced products. The powders are housed in a square card board box with a magnetic closure. It is a little bulky but manageable. A decent sized mirror is also included for on the go. The four powders that are included inside are: Light Cocoa, Medium Cocoa, Dark Cocoa and Pop of Light. A small teddy bear bristle brush is also included. Unlike other palettes, I really like this brush. It's soft, small and it gets the job done right. 

Consistency 
The consistency is definitely smooth and creamy. I did notice some powder flying around in the pan but it'sjust because the product is really smooth. The only powder I'm not too crazy about is Pop Of Light but we will talk about that later in this post. 

Application
Every powder included in this kit blends out so smoothly. Sometimes I have a hard time getting powders to blend easily over my acne but I didn't encounter that problem with this kit. Another problem with problematic skin like mine is patchiness, fortunately, the powders applied evenly. 

Longevity 
Light, Medium and Dark Cocoa lasted on my combination skin for about 7-8 hours before fading away. Pop of light stayed on my checks for a couple hours before navigating somewhere else on my cheeks.


Is this a good kit for contouring?
I think this kit is good for contouring if you have a light to medium complexion with neutral/ yellow undertones. Medium  Cocoa is the shade that I prefer for contouring. It's not as warm and acts more as a shadow than Dark Cocoa. Dark Cocoa is a little warmer and its best used as an overall bronzer to warm up my complexion. Light Cocoa is my favorite shade. It really helps brighten up my face, while still looking natural. 

Light Cocoa
Best used for a matte highlight under the eyes, on the chin, forehead, and the bridge of the nose. It won't add any sheen but it does leave a flawless bright complexion behind. I also enjoy using it to set my under eye concealer. It keeps it from creasing and fills in my fine lines. 

Medium Cocoa
Medium Cocoa is certainly the contouring powder of the kit. It's great for chiseling out the cheek bones for a nice lift. Of course it can be used anywhere for instant shadows. I enjoy contouring my nose, forehead and jawline with it as well. I'm really loving this shade because I can get a natural contoured look that blends out seamlessly, which is hard for me to do with my acne. 

Dark Cocoa
Some people might beable to use this shade for contouring. Maybe if you have a medium to dark complexion and your typical shade for contouring is warm. But as a person with light skin I find it best as an overall bronzer. 
To be honest, I was a little disappointed about how warm this powder was but I actually really enjoy it as a bronzer. It's great for a flawless bronzey glow. It doesn't look muddy whatsoever and it buffs into my skin so effortlessly. This could perhaps be my new favorite bronzer. 

Pop Of Light
I'm really disappointed with this shade. Instead of having a nice glow like everyone is expecting, it has chunks of glitter. Not only is Specks of glitter migrating all over the face unattractive but the glitter enhances my acne. That's definitely not a look I want! I'm after the kind of highlighter that catches light on he high points of my face. Not specks of gold glitter that have moved down to my contour line. However, if you like chunky highlights, then you'll love Pop Of Light! 

Overall
I really love this kit despite of the disappointing shimmery highlight. I get a beautiful matte highlight, contour and bronzer shade that smells like delicious cocoa. It's a little pricey but I feel like I can get my money's worth. I really enjoy having a highlight, contour and bronzer in one box. That makes it great for traveling and fast forwards my makeup routine by a few minutes.... It works really well if your complexion is fair but if your medium to dark+, then skip on it unless you think Dark Cocoa will work for you (some darker people have mentioned it working on their skin tone). Too Faced should really provide more options for people with darker skin tones(maybe a future release?). This kit truly is beautiful and I hate how a lot of people won't be able to use it. It's tradgic. But as a whole, this kit is certainly a hot product worth checking out! 

Photos and Swatches

















Light Cocoa


Medium Cocoa


Dark Cocoa 


Pop Of Light


Swatches in artificial lighting.
Left to right: Light Cocoa, Medium Cocoa, Dark Cocoa Light Cocoa.


Swatches in natural lighting.
Left to right: Light Cocoa, Medium Cocoa, Dark Cocoa Light Cocoa.

Are you going to purchase this kit?
Do you enjoy the cocoa scent from Too Faced?
What's your favorite product for contouring?
Let me know in the comments below!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Review & Swatches: Rimmel London Show Off Matte Lip Velvets

The intense rich color of a lipstick, enhanced by a satin smooth shine--Rimmel London Show Off Matte Lip Velvet is neither a lipstick nor a gloss. It's bigger than both. Show off your color.



 
Affordable matte velvet for your lips is every girls dream. I was psyched when I  found out about the new Show Off Velvets from Rimmel. I absolutely love the Show Off Lip Lacquers by them and I just knew I would fall in love with these as well.  So of course I ordered every single matte shade on Ultas website. How could I not resist? 

Product Description
There are 5 shades available ranging from extremely nude to lava red. They sell at an affordable price of $5.99 at your local drugstores. They are, in fact, matte liquid lipsticks even though Rimmel claims they are something "bigger". 

Shades Available:
  • Apollo- Flesh toned nude
  • Atomic Rose- Pink rose
  • Meteoric- Berry
  • Orange-ology- Bright orange 
  • Burning Lava- Lava red


Pigmentation
Each and every single one of these shades are highly pigmented. If I were a boy I would think they switched out lipstick with paint. But I guess that's not a huge surprise when it comes to liquid lipstick. So dont think Rimmel got a home run and scored because of intense pigmentation. When it comes to liquid lipstick its the wear time and consistency that I'm after. So lets see how they do in every other aspect before we say score! 

Application/ Consistency  
Pull, swipe, rub. That's all it takes to apply the velvety matte lipsticks. I didn't notice any of the shades clinging to my dry patchy lips. In fact, they actually made my lips appear smoother than they really are right now. The same goes for reapplying them. I didn't have any problems with them looking clingy or splotchy later when it was time to refresh my makeup. The consistency is definitely velvety and I sometimes feel like I have silk on my lips. It's quite nice actually. They're also lightweight and non sticky. Rimmel does claim that this velvety formula moisturizes lips up to 31%. I don't exactly find that true, but they don't dry out my lips either. That's actually a fact that surprised me. Sometimes matte formulas are just too dry for me but fortunately, these lipsticks don't fall into that dreaded group. 

I also need to mention that time is needed when the lipsticks are drying. At first they look shiny but after while (15 minutes or so), they will dry down to a complete matte finish. 

Lasting Power
Apollo and Atomic Rose dont exactly fall into the definition of long wearing. At the most they last for two hours, which isnt anything special whats so ever. On the bright side, Meteoric, Orange-ology and Burning Lave are long wearing. Five to six hours is the max wear time for each shade and they do wear off evenly (atleast on me). After the pigment is gone I'm left with a stain on the majority of my lips. If full pigmentation is desired, don't stress, they reapply beautifully.

Packaging
The mattes resemble the regular Show Off lacquers from last year. They have the black diamond end on the handle of the tube. How fancy for drugstore! The applicator is a duo foot with an idention that picks up the product. The safety seal is also included in the matte line (thank goodness). By safety seal I mean a small compartment between the product and the opening of the tube that shows wether or not the lipstick has been used. If it has then the compartment will have lipstick in it, if not it will be clear. You can see what I mean in the photos below. 


Overall
I think Rimmel did a fine job. I mostly think the lighter shades are good for a quick trip to the grocery store and the darker shades are better for long nights out. If you're not the kind of person who likes to touch up, these might not be for you. They don't last as long as some matte lipsticks but they are good for the price. Another thing that persuaded me to like them is the consistency. I really enjoy the velvety feeling they have and I think that's why they don't dry out my lips. Plus, I really do like the shades that are available.
 Since the price isn't expensive I would recommend alteast trying out one of them. Maybe Meteoric Matte would be a good one to try if you're curious about the line. I also discovered Meteoric Matte is a great dupe for Too Faced Melted Berry! If you're interested you can check out the comparison swatches on my Instagram page (@taylorpiebeauty).  

Photos











Left to right: Burning Lava, Meteoric, Orange-ology, Atomic Rose and Apollo

Have you tried the Show Off Matte Lip Velvets?
What color are you interested in?
Do you like matte lipsticks?
Let me know in the comments below!