Make Up For Ever Uplight (Face Luminizer Gel) Review

Make Up For Ever UpLight Dewy Golden Beige, #12

Make Up For Ever UpLight #12

Blended Out on Left - Amount that comes out on Right

Overall I thought the uplight was pretty good...it provides such a nice sheen to the face and I thought it looked great, but I just can not seem to get past the bad packaging.  We all work way too hard for our money to feel like we are wasting product!  :)  I've pretty much covered everything I need to say about this product in the beauty report card.

Product Details:

• Available in 8 different shades and 3 effects:  silky, pearly or sparkling - $29
• Product claims to contain reflecting pigments which capture and diffuse light.  It can be applied to skin on it's own or mixed with foundation. 
• Contains 70% water.

MAC'S STUDIO FINISH CONCEALER...Sorry MAC, but I think you can do better!!!

NW25

NW25

NW25

Top Left to Right:  NC15, NW15, NC20, NW20, N225, NC30, NW30
Bottom Left to Right:  NC35,NC42,NW40,NC45,NW45,NC50,NW50

Most of you know by now that, in general, I really like MAC products, especially their eye shadows.  I am always on a hunt for that under eye, dark circle concealer.  There are some that I definitely think are better than others, but none that I have been completely, 100% sold on, so I continue to search....:)

I purchased the MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW25 which, like many of MAC products, have a fairly good skin tone match.  It also has SPF35 protection which is always a plus.  I never understand why anyone would purchase concealer/foundation without SPF protection, especially when so many products out there have it now.  

Anyways, I think the color match is excellent, and the coverage works quite well on blemishes, and skin discoloration, however, I have to tell you...I don't like the way the concealer wears...it likes to settle in my fine lines when applied under the eye to cover dark circles.  Now, you tell me, why would I want to use a product that is suppose to conceal my dark circles if its going to settle in my fine lines and draw even more attention to the very area I am trying to conceal???

I think I will pass on this concealer as there are way too many on the market to settle for one that settles in the fine lines.

Sorry, MAC, but I think you can do better!

Product Details:

Price:  $17 for 7g/.24 oz

"Emollient-based designed to cover skin's imperfections and discolorations, dark circles, blemishes, moles, tattoos and birthmarks.  It is enriched with antioxidants (derivatives of vitamin A and vitamin E) and contains silica to help absorbs the skin's oils.  Water resistant, fragrance free and non-acnegenic." - Mac Website

Two Faced's The Bronzed and the Beautiful...French Riviera Edition

Left to Right:  Primer, Chocolate Soleil, Powdered Sun, Snow Bunny, Sun Bunny

Two Faced's The Bronzed and the Beautiful, French Riviera Edition is pretty good!!!  I like the fact that the kit provides a couple of different shades of bronzers to allow for slightly different looks. Snow Bunny is much more brown than the other tones and reminds me a lot of Benefit's Hoola bronzer (a cool toned bronzer) and other bronzers have more of a red tone. I really like this kit because it contains various different bronzers that can give slightly different effects, depending upon what you are looking for.

I also like the fact that it has a highlighter included.  I think this just helps enhance the bronzer effect.

This bronzer kit complements warm and cool tones nicely. I would even suggest applying the cooler toned bronzer to your skin if you have warm skin when you're trying to pull out cool tones in your skin tone. I'm not suggesting if you are a warm tone, you move to the complete cool tones and vice versa, but you can mix the tones a bit allowing yourself to cross the line a bit :)

Ok, I have used this product for the past week and so now I feel I can honestly assess it.  

The Bronzed and the Beautiful, French Riviera Edition kit contains:

• Deluxe Primed and Poreless SPF 20 Bronze Tint Skin Smoothing Face Primer (.17oz)
• Sun Bunny (classic bronze),
• Chocolate Solei (matte bronze) - Perfecting Bronze
• Powdered Sun (gold) - Highlight
• Snow Bunny (mocha/pink) - Skin Perfecting Winter Bronzer
• Tips and Tricks Lesson Cards
• Teaches 3 Bronzing Effects, including:
• Lose 10 lbs in 10 Seconds
• Classic Bronzing 
• Glamour Bronzing

Product Contents:  
Deluxe Primed and Poreless SPF 20 Bronze Tint Skin Smoothing Face Primer (.17oz)
Bronzing Powders:
4 Each .08 oz/Total .32 oz
Price:  $38.00


Active Ingredients:
Octinoxate 7.5%...Sunscreen
Octisalate  5.0%...Sunscreen

Hourglass Lipstick - My New FAVORITE!!!

Hourglass Lipstick - My New FAVORITE!!!

Ok, this lipstick if expensive, but every girl should spoil themselves and have at least one shade!!! 

 I purchased the Fresco (Rosy Nude) shade.  This lipstick simply feels good from the moment you put it on until it finally fades away, usually 3-4 hours.  It leaves your lips feeling creamy smooth and super moisturized.  The shade in the picture appears a little more peach/orange than the actual product.  The shade is much more similar to the actual swatch below.  It's a very pretty neutral shade with hint of rose.  It's a very nice shade to wear on it's own or utilize it as a base color and add other shades like red shades to it.  Of all my lipsticks I use regularly and have tried, this is definitely my new favorite and I love the fact that it's refillable!  This reduces the overall cost of my refill and saves on the environment as well.  It feels simply magnificent on the lips and offers a wide variety of shades that work nicely on all types of skin tones as well.

I will definitely be adding more shades to my collection!

Fresco (Rosy Nude)

Fresco (Rosy Nude)

Fresco (Rosy Nude)

Fresco (Rosy Nude)

Product Details

$30 US/ .12 oz

24 Shades Available

Lipstick tubes are refillable

Lipstick refill cartridge's are sold separately

To refill cartridge firmly pull existing cartridge from base and replace with new.  sound of snap indicates cartridge is firmly in place.

MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder - Launches May 5, 2011 (N. America)

MAC's Magically Cool Liquid Powder

Launches:  May 5, 2011

Quote:

In the height of the summer swelter, who doesn't crave, to suddenly feel, look and be cooler - shine, oil and heat - all gone! you've longed for it. And now it's captured! Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder.  An alchemical fusion that charms water droplets into a loose powder while remaining over 50 percent H2O. The feather light silky powder goes on with the refreshing impact of an ocean mist.  What's more, this magical melange contains just enough optical blurring via it's light diffusing pigments to render the skins surface into line softened. natural luminosity. A cool-to-be-cool way to set, and enhance, the look of foundation.  For the bare-faced, there's the reward of natural radiance.  During it's earlier limited edtion launch, it was hailed by cognoscenti wanting to stay covertly cool and perfectly collected. This time round it's here to stay.  How magical is that?

Source:  Spektra

Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to actually touch and feel this product, because I think it may be one that I would like.  At least from what I've read and know conceptually about how it works, it sounds appealing to me.  I guess time will tell :)  I will definitely be in the stores swatching and testing this product.  I will provide an update if and when I purchase it :) 

Shades:
Truth and Light - Sheer shimmer that reflects silver and pink (Permanent)
Cajun - Sheer bronze shimmer that reflects gold (Permanent)
Honey Rose - Sheer Rosey Beige with multi-dimensional shimmer (Permanent)
 Price:  $29.50/$35.50                                                                               

CoverGirl's Queen Collection Lipstick - Made Exclusively for Women of Color!

CoverGirl's Queen Collection Lipstick - Made Exclusively for Women of Color!!!

Don't let the statement "Made Exclusively for Women of Color" fool you....the Queen Lipstick Collection, designed for CoverGirl's spokesman, Queen Latifah, has a lot of color to offer ALL WOMEN!!!  This lipstick is wonderfully silky smooth and provides generous amounts of color and is offered in several tones, browns/spices, corals/reds, mauves/berries, neutrals/nudes, pinks/roses and plums/wines.  Each of these tones consists of 4 different shades.

I chose Paint the Town/Deslumbra a La Cuidad because of it's "true" red shade.  This lipstick offers an abundance of color and I am easily able to wear the coral/red tone I selected and I'm loving the shade.

The lipstick goes on silky, light and smooth and the shade is very close to the packaging color and the nice thing about CoverGirl products is that they can be purchased at your local grocery store, Target, Walmart which adds that extra bit of convenience.  The lipstick has a very light whipped cream scent that isn't overdone and not detectable once applied.

Another bonus that I will give to this lipstick is its packaging.  Its packaging is a sleek brown shade, similar to the Hourglass lipstick packaging look, albeit probably not quite as heavy. In addition, the packaging contains a color indicator at the base of the lipstick which is very true to the actual lipstick shade and always a plus when you are purchasing drugstore makeup that you don't have the luxury of always trying before buying.

The lipstick is a mere $7 for 3.5 g or .12 oz. and I would consider a great price for a nice product.

Product Details:
3.5g/.12 oz
0515 Paint the Town, Deslumbra a La Cuidad

Product advertisement: This lipstick's "silk therapy formula is infused with silk moisturizers designed to maintain moisture levels so lips feel smooth and look gorgeous"

0515 Paint the Town, Deslumbra a La Cuidad

0515 Paint the Town, Deslumbra a La Cuidad

Urban Decay's Lip Junkie Cooling Lip Gloss - FINALLY, all the SHINE and NO STICKY STUFF!!!!

Urban Decay's Lip Junkie Cooling Lip Gloss....FINALLY all the SHINE and NO STICKY STUFF!!!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!  FINALLY a lip gloss with SHINE without the sticky residue left behind! 

I'm not typically a big lip gloss user or fan for that matter, because most of the stuff out there on the market really hasn't wow'd me.  It's usually so thick, I feel like I am getting my gloss all over my face or so sticky that it just feels yucky.  I picked up a few Urban Decay Lip Junkie Cooling Lip Glosses because I tend to like more of natural shine to my lips in the summer.  Lip gloss is a great way to give your lips a little natural shine without looking overdone. I tried two shades, Midnight Cowboy (sheer nude sparkle) and Wallflower (nude creamy/pink).  Both lip glosses have a cooling and plumping effect and they really provide your lips with a cooling sensation. I have found that I like to use the Midnight Cowboy shade over a lipstick to give it just a bit more shine and shimmer and I use Wallflower on it's own as it has a nice mauve tone that adds just a hint of color and lots of shine.

Overall, I have to say, I like this gloss and that says a lot coming from me, a person that is not typically a gloss fan :)

Left to Right:  Midnight Cowboy and Wildflower

Left to Right:  Wallflower and Midnight Cowboy

Additional Shades