Review: Edward Bess Compact Rouge in Love Affair

Being a huge fan of Edward Bess, especially after falling in love with Back to Basics and Berry Chic palettes, I was determined to try his compact rouge. So I picked up Love Affair during Sephora VIB sale a few months back. And once again, I'm blown away by the wearability of the color, the stay put power and the ease of use. My Edward Bess obsession lives on...

 

Edward Bess Compact Rouge in Love Affair ($38 for 0.05 oz) is a baby pink cream blush/lip color. It looks bright pink in the pot and highly pigmented. However, it becomes a natural pink flush on your cheeks as blended out. I just use my clean fingers to apply Love Affair for a sheer effect. It glides smoothly on my cheeks. Since it's a bright color, a little goes a long way. A foundation brush will blend well too but I feel like it wastes some product and I don't need opaque application anyway.

The wonderful thing about Edward Bess Compact Rouge, in my opinion, lies in the super long-wearing. I have been wearing Love Affair almost every day during the past 3 months. The weather in Houston has shipped from dry to humid and from cool to hot. The thin application of Love Affair stay fresh for over 10 hours no matter what. It literally looks the same at the end of the day when I remove my makeup. It's a huge plus since my cheeks tend not to hold blushes well.

Indoor. Heavy swatch (top left) and actual application (bottom right)

Outdoors, direct sunlight. Heavy swatch (left) and actual application (right)

It compliments a wide range of skin tones. On fairer skin, it creates a baby rosy cheeks. It pops as pink flush on darker skin. It works well for both more conservative office looks and spring/summer parties.

Bottom line. Quick. Easy. Fool-proof. Wearable. Beautiful. Love Affair is simply a MUST-HAVE!   

Smashbox Friends and Family Sale 20% OFF

This deal ends on June 10, 2012.

Hope you're having a great week!

Review: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector SPF 25 in Pearl and Opal

I was never impressed with liquid highlighters until I tried out Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors ($41 for 1.7 oz). They produce such a natural glow that becomes seamless with the skin. The idea of liquid shimmering highlighter is no new but the consistency of texture and just right amount of shimmer make this product stand out.

A few close-ups of the packaging

Don't worry about dropping them. The bottles are made of plastic and rubber-like material with a pump. 

Pearl, as its name suggests, is a pearly white with extremely delicate white shimmer. When I first pump it out, it looks stalky white and nothing like a shade that can match with the rest of my face. However, it blends seamlessly into my skin and quite sheer. I have medium, yellow undertone and Pearl doesn't wash me out or concentrate into white stripes on my cheekbones.

Opal is an apricot with coppery champagne shimmer. Like Pearl, the shimmer is finely milled, creating a from-within glow that is incredibly natural. Opal compliments my skin tone really well and better than Pearl. I would recommend Opal for warm skintone. If you're on the cooler side, it might not look as natural.

Side by side outdoors

There are two ways I apply Becca Skin Perfector, with either a foundation or concealer brush and with clean fingers. Even though I prefer the brush, clean fingers will work just as well and the effect is sheerer. In the photos, I swatched Pearl and Opal heavily for them to show up. On my skin tone, though, they create glycerin type of glow that catches light and only show when I turn my face to certain angles. And the glow stays put all day. This result, ladies, is what I expect Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer should have.

The only drawback of these goodies is the setting time, around 10-15 minutes, which doesn't break the deal. I don't complain much since liquid formula tends to require more time to stabilize on skin in compensation for the ease of blending and natural looking effects.

More swatches indoors (using heavy hands on Pearl!)

Final thoughts. Totally in love! Natural, effortless and long-wearing. I use Pearl for day time and Opal for night time. For the amount you need of each application, this bottle is huge. If you love highlighters, you MUST have one of Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfectors. 

Lately

I literally stayed away from beauty blog through out the months of April and May. My life has been hectic like hell and I lost my inspiration to blog. But all the beauty purchases I made since January were all huge success. I love every single one of them. So I decided to share a brief overview of these goodies and will do a more in-depth description later on.

First and foremost, I finally found THE foundation that I desperately wanted for years ever since my love affair with makeup began. Yes, nearly 10 years. Clarins Ever Matte Skin Balancing Foundation. Smooth with extra finely milled texture. Matte without being dull. Stay on all day (no setting powder needed). Natural like second skin. Doesn't turn orange half day through. Weightless. Cover well and buildable. I found my right shade. Affordable. Smell refreshing. Smart packaging that works well for traveling. I don't think it's the perfect match for everybody but it should work well on loads of skintone and type. I can no longer come back to my Chanel Matte Lumiere or Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk. Totally in love!

Other awesome discoveries were Dior 5-color eyeshadow quint in Beige Massai and Chanel 4-color quint in Kaska Beige. Both are universally flattering neutrals with beautiful pop of colors. Beige Massai, in particular, has everything I love about the best of Dior 5-color quints. And Chanel Kaska Beige is simply a-must. Hands down. Sadly, Dior Beige Massai was discontinued (yes, I checked with Dior). So I had to raid ebay's beauty department and grabbed two (of course).

I've also been using Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Espresso Ink non-stop since March. YSL Touch Eclat is my new under eye concealer. Edward Bess Compact Rouge in Love Affair (seriously, every girl needs this) is my every day blush and will be until the fall comes.

Some other happy procurements include
YSL Rouge Couture in 27
Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Gloss in Beach
Makeup Forever HD Blush in No. 6
L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe
Maybeline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe
Clinique Black Honey
Becca Shimmer Skin Perfectors in Pearl and Opal, both of which aren't new to my collection but I waited until I got a good use of them to write reviews.

I'm very excited to continue to share and learn more about makeup. I hope you are doing well.

Joanne

Review: Boots No. 7 Mineral Perfection Eyeshadow Trio in 15 Topaz

I meant to write this review about 5 months ago, because I was blown away by this affordable, high quality and beautiful eyeshadow trio. Moving and settling down in Houston have been quite an adventure to me. Anyway, here it is. 

Boots No. 7 Eyeshadow Trio in Topaz ($8.99 at my local Target in SoCal) has a golden ivory, a golden peach and a golden plum. All three shades have satin finish. The theme of this trio is warm without being overly warm and it is surprisingly wearable. I love to use the lightest shades as brow and face highlighters. The darkest shades isn't dark enough for my skintone as an eyeliner but perfect as a crease color. 

The texture of Topaz is buttery smooth without over powdery. I don't detect any fall-outs throughout the day. It stays fresh for at least 10 hours until being removed deliberately. Topaz is the most pigmented trio among the four on display at Target (review on Rose trio is on the way...)

 

The only downside lies in the packaging. The plastic lid feels flimsy and is easy to burst out. The applicator is a total waste since the handle is too short. I wish the well size of the two darker shades were larger. It'd be much easier to pickup the colors. But for the quality, I can deal with the sloppy packaging. 

Overall, I love Topaz. Great quality, beautifully color coordination and affordable. Highly recommended! 

I haven't seen Mineral Perfection at Target in Houston. I got mine in California. But you can order them online at http://www.shopbootsusa.com/ or www.drugstore.com