Review: Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer and Highlighter

I think this product is actually discontinued, but I really like it, so I thought I would write this review anyway. Actually I've watched several reviews of this on youtube from the beginning of this year and the package says "new" so I find it really odd that Revlon would discontinue it so quickly, I can't find it on the Revlon website at all. I found this on clearance for about $5 at Zehrs in Canada a couple of months back. It has been a staple in my makeup bag for on the go and I like it because it's super creamy and covers well for under the eyes. The colour of the concealer side actually works perfectly for me because it is peachy. Onto the review...

This product comes in a sturdy glass and plastic container which snaps open. It has two pans, the left larger pan (4g) is the concealer (I have the colour 003 Light) and the right side is the highlighter (2g). This product did not come in a large variety of shades only a few 4-5 were available, but surprisingly the lightest colour here works well for me. There is no mirror or puff in here, what you see is what you get. The product is described as "concealer and highlighter in one convenient compact, concealer covers blemishes and hides imperfections, while the highlighter subtly enhances skin with a touch of radiance."

I find the trouble with a lot of concealers is that they are just too thick and drying, or they do not cover anything if they are thin. For most people, the under the eye area is dry and thin, so putting anything thick will just look awful and obvious. I primarily use concealer for under the eyes and this is definitely the creamiest concealer I have eeeeeeever used, it's almost moist it's so creamy and moisturizing. I really like how this feels on my skin. With this you do not need to warm it up to blend it, just dab your finger in (or brush) and apply it directly. I know people complained that in the darker shades, the concealer side runs too orangey on them, but that wasn't the case for me since I have the lightest one. It is super creamy, but applies to a matte finish. The highlight side, I do not really use, but it's pretty I suppose but a bit sticky (totally different consistency than the concealer), you can kind of see the shimmer particles in it here.

Swatch here of the concealer on left and highlighter on the right, you can tell how creamy the concealer is I hope. It does not settle into fine lines under the eyes (as long as you moisturize first) and does not cake or feel heavy. The highlighter isn't over the top and it would be hard to over apply this, I had to really dig in there to get the swatch to show up.

Is this product discontinued? Have you tried it?

Sigma Makeup: New High-Definition Brushes

Sigma has added some new makeup brushes today, they are part of their new Sigmax line for high definition makeup application. This brushes in this line are described as "exclusive Sigmax filament, specially designed to apply powder and liquid products without absorption into the fibers. The shape, density and height of the filaments were carefully engineered to perfectly buff products onto the skin, resulting in a high definition effect." These brushes all contain synthetic bristles and look really great. Many of us already have the F80 flat top brush (in the center) but the other two are brand new. I am most excited about the rounded top kabuki (on right) as it looks like it would be perfect for foundation application.

 F82 - Round Top Kabuki: simplifies precise makeup application under the eyes and around the nose. This brush is also perfect for achieving flawless coverage using liquid and powder products. Synthetic Sigmax HD filament. $16

F80 - Flat Top Kabuki: perfect for applying and blending liquid, cream, and powder products onto the skin. The flat surface allows perfect buffing with flawless results. Synthetic Sigmax HD filament. $16

F84 - Angled Top Kabuki: perfect brush for precise, yet blended application of products on the cheeks. It seamlessly applies cream, powder and liquid products. Synthetic Sigmax HD filament. $16

 Synthetic Kit - all three brushes from the Sigmax Line for $42 (savings of $6)

These new brushes are exciting! I already have the F80, and it's a favourite brush that I use everyday for foundation application, but I am definitely getting the F82. I wonder if they changed the bristles on the F80 to add it to this collection? I was just thinking the other day how Sigma should come out with a MAC 130 dupe, while the F82 isn't it since it's rounded, it is close enough. You can check out all the new brushes here.

Which ones are you getting?

Mascara Monday: Maybelline Full N' Soft Mascara

Mascara Mondays continues with Maybelline's Full n' Soft mascara. Maybelline makes some of my favourite mascaras and this is one of them. I have the waterpoof version here which is supposed to be better than the regular. There is also a Vitamin E version, but I have not tried that one and am not sure if they still make it actually. This mascara promises to give "full, soft and thick healthy-looking lashes without the brittle feel, no clumps, no globs, won't run, smear or smudge and helps prevent loss of lashes with patented waterproof quick-dissolve system which allows easy mascara removal." The non-waterproof version is also supposed to be 'washable', I guess that means it dissolves easily with water and does not need a heavy eye makeup remover to take it off. What I like about this mascara is it doesn't weigh down your lashes, allowing you to apply several coats and not get that brittle feel. I look for volumizing mascaras and this one does that for me.

Review: MAC Fun and Games Beauty Powder Blush

Featured in last month's favourites was this MAC Fun and Games blush, I decided to write a full review of it here. It came out in the Hello Kitty collection back in February 2009. I wasn't into MAC during the time so I didn't get this back then. And I am not even a Hello Kitty fan, but I found the packaging really cute, odd because I don't really love the Venomous Villains stuff at all. I do love peach blush though so I had to add this to my collection. I bought mine recently from allcosmeticswhole.com, I think this is a great site to get discontinued and limited edition products. I did pay more than retail for this one since it can't be found anywhere anymore, I am glad that I have it cause it's really pretty.

The packaging on this is so cute, Fun and Games came in black compact with small red sparkles all over it. The front has Hello Kitty's face as you can see in the image above. I admit this is quite kiddy looking, but it's cute. I think it's appropriately named because it is quite a "fun" colour, great for summer.

The colour is a light peachy apricot with gold shimmers. It isn't intensely pigmented but okay, it works well for me because being fair it is easy to overdo blush and with this one, you can't really. It gives a glow without looking orange like Style blush might. Since it is a beauty powder blush it is quite sheer and can be built up, and isn't as intense as the regular blush line. If you have a darker skintone you will have to layer this on to get the colour to show up.

Here is a comparison with my other MAC peach blushes, you can see the shimmer right away that that it's not as orange as Style, similar tone to Peaches blush.

I've swatched some of the similar blushes here, I piled on Fun and Games quite a lot to get the correct colour to show through. As you tell it's slightly pinker than Peaches and lighter than Cantaloupe. They all do look similar though and if you aren't really into peach blushes, but I have a bit of an addiction to them so I like having them all.

Do you have MAC's Fun and Games blush?

Review: ELF Neutral Eye Beauty Book

Today I have a review and swatches of the ELF Neutral Eye Edition Beauty Book. This is a really nice eyeshadow palette to have for everyday looks. It has colours that are wearable by everyone and appropriate for work and school, nothing crazy or colourful here. I especially like that this one has a variety of browns and purple shadows, and I prefer this one over the Smoky Eye Beauty Book. There are lots of lid, crease, outer corner and highlighter colours here, you can definitely get an entire eye look with this palette. The best part is these only cost $5 on the ELF website, so they are affordable.

Monthly Faves: September 2010

October is here and I haven't done last month's favourites yet.... so here goes. I've had a difficult month personally and it's still going on, so makeup hasn't been all that important this month, I've had other things on my mind, but I like doing these posts so here is what I liked and loved for the month of September.

Sigma F50 - I use this to apply the MAC Pro Longwear foundation, and alternate this between the MAC 187 and I can't tell much of a difference, so when one is dirty, the one is clean and I use them one after the other basically, I don't like using dirty brushes, it's kinda ewwy to me.

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation - This is a new product this month, and it's fabulous! I love the finish and coverage this gives and the colour match of NC15 is perfect for me. Definitely my most used foundation this month.

Clean and Clear Persa Gel 5 - I am still experiencing breakouts on my chin area and it's getting me down, and this product is the only thing that helps, so it's been in heavy rotation this month. Stress = zits for me, and women in general.

Milani HD Advance Concealer - I will do a full review of this soon, but this is definitely one of my favourite concealers, it is light and doesn't give huge coverage, but I am a big fan of the packaging, it feels glamorous and expensive.

MAC Select Cover up - It's been a heavy concealing month so here is another concealer that I've been loving, this one provides great coverage and it's very sanitary to use since it comes in a squeezy tube with a precise applicator tip on it. I use this for under the eyes.

MAC Fun and Games Blush - I actually bought this blush recently from allcosmeticswholesale.com, it was a limited edition item during the Hello Kitty collection. I wasn't even into MAC when that came out. I love this blush, it's my favourite blush colour..peach! and I can never have enough peach blushes. This does have some shimmer in it.

Garnier Skin Renew Radiance Moisture Cream - I prefer creams over lotions as a daily moisturizer for my face, I love this one because it has that cooling effect, is light and absorbs quickly. There is actually a new version of this out, the Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream, which I am planning on getting next.

What were your faves of this month?