A Beauty Inspiration

Description from Sephora: An oil-free foundation primer for a shine-free complexion. What it does: Bare Escentuals Prime Time Oil Control is a water-based primer developed for oily, sensitive, or problem-prone skin to instantly smooth the complexion prior to bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation. The oil-, fragrance-, and silicone-free formula is clinically proven to control shine throughout the day, as well as to regulate oil and refine pores with minerals and natural plant extracts. The lightweight primer glides on seamlessly-leaving the skin matte, refreshed, and ready for foundation. Pros: Silicone, oil, and fragrance free  Matte finish and oil absorbing due to the cornstarch  Dries quickly on skin compared to silicone based primers  Did not break me out  Did not irritate my sensitive and acne prone skin  Good for hot weather or summer  Good for combination or oily skin  Cons: Gluey texture  Does not smooth or refine pores  Makes my foundation cakey. I look better withou

Click to enlarge Everyday Minerals Foundation Swatches Top row(L-R): Bare Escentuals concealer summer bisque Bare Escentuals matte foundation medium beige Laura Mercier mineral foundation natural beige Bottom Row (L-R): BE summer bisque (not numbered) compared to EDM Everyday minerals (EM) multi tasking concealer EM medium beige matte foundation EM medium beige neutral semi matte foundation EM beige neutral intensive foundation EM light olive intensive foundation EM winged butter semi matte foundation EM intensive medium concealer I brought these samples last year and now I'm finally testing them out again to see if I changed my opinion on their foundations. I thought I found my color after trying it before, but a lot of them seems very orangey on me or it doesn't give enough coverage. For a while light olive seem to work then it just seem really dark after oxidizing. Medium beige blends in well but doesn't give me good coverage. I emailed Everyday Minerals and they

I got this as a part of a skincare set. I was quite disappointed when I first tried it out. It's basically water with cleansing properties to it. When you pump it on your hands, some product might slip through the crack of your fingers.You probably lose less product if you use a sponge to lather up. Something like Eco Tools cellulose sponge would work better with it. Don't expect this to clean your skin fully if you have makeup on. It can be part of a two step cleansing. I pump this onto a cotton pad and wipe most of my makeup off with this. Then I continue with another face cleanser. It could be a light cleanser for the morning since you shouldn't have much to wash off in the morning. Description from H2O: A water-light oil-free cleanser infused with hydrating marine algae to gently wash away impurities while softening skin with provitamin B, moisturizing marine botanicals and Sea Mineral Complex An ultra-foaming, oil-free liquid infused with hydrating marine algae

Description from Bare Escentuals: Hydrate skin with this lightweight, remarkably effective moisturizer for improved firmness, elasticity, radiance and skin texture. Powered by our 100% pure RareMinerals ActiveSoil Complex with a unique electrolyte delivery system, it's formulated to provide the perfect amount of hydration for combination skin while potent antioxidants help protect skin from environmental stressors. The result? Naturally luminous, younger-looking skin day after day. From the box: What makes RareMinerals ActiveSoil Complex so special? Clinically proven to reveal smoother, younger looking, more luminuous skin, our proprietary, 100% pure RareMinerals ActiveSoil Complex represents a new generation of active minerals with extraordinary-skin-renewing benefits, including cell turnover and antioxidant protection. Its unique electrolyte delivery system optimizes your skin's ability to absorb and retain moisture, resulting in smoother healthier-looking skin. Pros: Light

Summer is here and facial sprays are very refreshing after long exposure in the heat and sun. It helps hydrate the skin in dry hot weather. It can help restore the natural pH balance to you skin. Its' a great way to keep cool and also set your makeup.  I use some of these prior to my makeup application. Sometimes I use right after moisturizing. Spray onto face and lightly pat it dry with my hands.When setting your makeup don't spray too much and make it too wet. It might smear your makeup. Here are the ones that I use from left to right. 1. The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist 2.Evian Mineral Water Facial Spray 3.Thayers Alcohol-free Original Witch Hazel Toner with Aloe Vera Formula 4.MAC Fix+ Skin Refresher / Finishing Mist  5.H2O Plus Oasis  Mist The more moisturizing ones are The Body Shop and H2O. Evian is just plain mineral water and it works well when I spritz some on my foundation brush and just stipple it all over my face to set my makeup. It's also ver

Directions: Apply marker to clean dry lips. After 30 secs apply balm. Pros: Good price (I got it when it was BOGO 50%off)  Easy to use  Marker like applicator  Long-wear  Does not bleed outside lip line  Comes in 10 shades  It has a very subtle fruity fragrance  Cons: May dry out fast  Need to layer in order to get the color on lips  Lip balm isn't moisturizing (possibility of breaking)  Doesn't look good on dry lips it makes your dry patches more visible  Lighter colors doesn't show so well  Not as dark as it seems  Feels drying to the lips but it may be solved with a chapstick on top.  Overall, I think it's an okay product. Most likely I won't repurchase since I tend to have dry lips year round. Although it is very easy to apply and much better than other long wear lipsticks which feels very tacky and drying to the lips. It can be quite drying and accentuate dry patches so a lip balm or gloss on top would be necessary. I can find that this co

Refillable Buffing Brush The one I have is a limited edition brush launched by sephora back in 2008 when this product first came out. I believe it should be similar to the current one they sell if not maybe a little different. I saw a lot of bad reviews about this product. This is really meant for light application or sheer coverage. That's why it is made for refilling mineral veil or refill it with Rare Minerals skin revival night treatment. With this product you can see the powder tucked in the bristles. Pros: Refillable for a medium sized BE product  Compact for your purse or travel  Great control of product dispensing from brush  Theres a round sponge stopper in the refill tube which I believe controls the amount of product that comes out which a lot of people complained that it doesn't dispense enough product  Easy to open twistable lid on the bottle for refilling doesn't twist off easily  May be used for refilling other loose setting powders (finely milled powd

Description from Sephora: A naturally inspired, reusable eyeshadow pallete. What it does: Show the world your softer side with this subdued palette packed with essentials. A reusable purple case is accented with a fabric flower appliqué and filled with 10 universal eyeshadows, a double-ended brush with greatness eyeshadow brush, and a double-ended eyeliner. The magnetic base allows you to refill and reuse, which helps to eliminate environmental waste. What it is formulated WITHOUT: - Parabens - Sulfates - Phthalates - Synthetic Fragrances - Mineral Oil - Propylene Glycols - GMOs - Triclosans To really get your money's worth, you really have to pack these eyeshadows on. If you brush it on, it's not as pigmented and intense. It tends to be sheered out. Patting it on will give you more color. A creamy base would also help make the colors pop as well. Blending these shadows out are not a tough job because the texture feels really nice and glides on easily. The

Description based on Sephora: This Sephora-exclusive contains five Mother of Pearl-infused eyeshadow shades, ranging from neutral to gold to black. What it is: A shimmering eyeshadow palette that features five complimentary shades. What it does: LORAC Color Me Couture captures the spotlight this season with glamour, elegance, and classic beauty. Five pearlescent eyeshadows of neutrals and golds and a black sparkle shadow allow you to create your own Red Carpet couture look and shine like a star. The shadows are infused with pure Mother of Pearl to emphasize each shade's color and intensity, capturing the light and giving a luxurious pearl essence to the lids. All eyes will be on you with LORAC! My friend gave me this palette for my birthday and I was surprise by the quality of it. I always see it at Sephora but it never appealed to me. I was surprised by the quality of their eye shadows, very velvety and the color payoff is great. This is just as good as my Dior eye shado