BEAUTY | Sephora VIB Fall Sale
Radiant Fall Vibes: Embracing the Sephora VIB Sale for a Glowing Complexion. Below are some of my favourite recent pick ups.
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BEAUTY | Armani Beauty Glow
As we transition into the spring season, a makeup refresh is in order, and Armani Beauty has got you covered. Their new long lasting Luminous Silk Glow Blush comes in beautiful shades like soft beige and pink, adding a natural flush to your cheeks that lasts all day. Pair it with one of their new Lip Power Satin Long Lasting Lipstick shades, which are the perfect nude neutrals for any glowy makeup look.
FEATURED
• Luminous Silk Glow Blush | 50 Euphoric (peachy pink)
• Lip Power Satin Long Lasting Lipstick | 107 (beige pink)
• Lip Power Satin Long Lasting Lipstick | 113 (mauve pink)
• Lip Power Satin Long Lasting Lipstick | 214 (burnt coral)
• Luminous Silk Glow Blush | 51 Amore (dusty rose)
• Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Foundation | 5.25 light to medium with pink undertones
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Blush 51 Amore (dusty rose) with Lip Power Satin Long Lasting Lipstick 113 (mauve pink).
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Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Blush 50 Euphoric (peachy pink) with Lip Power Satin Long Lasting Lipstick 107 (beige pink).
Armani Beauty Lip Power Satin Long Lasting Lipstick (left to right) 214 (burnt coral), 107 (beige pink), and 113 (mauve pink).
Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Foundation in shade 5.25 light to medium with pink undertones.
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Blush in shade 51 Amore (dusty rose) and 50 (beige pink).
Products gifted by Armani Beauty. All photos and opinions are my own.
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Why I Rated Lancôme’s New Blush A+
Lancôme’s Blush Subtil gets a makeover with new, sleeker packaging just in time for summer and the brand sent me two shades to try for myself - Rose Liberté, a matte rose shade, and Make It Pop, a pink shade with gold shimmer that appears coral in the packaging.
They’re long-lasting and richly pigmented - which is excellent if you ask me because nothing irks me more than a blush that doesn’t deposit colour the way it should. It also blends beautifully with my favourite Laura Mercier blush brush, and even though I don’t normally use the tiny brush that it comes with, I truly do appreciate it. Trust me when I say it comes in handy when carrying the bare minimum in a tiny handbag.
Lancôme’s Blush Subtil, $43
347 Rose Liberté - matte rose
541 Make It Pop - pink with gold shimmer (appears coral in the pan)
Just to prove how good they are, I’ve worn these Lancôme blushes with foundation, on bare skin, and with tinted moisturizer, and I have to say the longevity of these is A+ all the way. There’s no fading either.
The silky powder blush comes in a whopping twenty-seven shades to suit everyone - from sparkling, shimmer, and matte.
My fave of the two is Make It Pop because I find coral blush adds a really nice glow to my complexion.
Some of the products in this post were received as PR.
All photos and opinions are my own.
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This New Concealer Covers Up Everything While Leaving Skin Looking Natural!
Concealer is probably the most valued item in my makeup bag. Without it, I feel like the walking dead and I'd rather be invisible. I have medium-dark undereye circles and some hyperpigmentation that I'm obviously not fond of, so maybe you can understand where I'm coming from on feeling so harsh about myself sans concealer.
My second most valued item is lipstick, which doubles as both a lip colour and blush. Are you really surprised?
But let's go back to concealer because it's not often I come across one that leaves my skin looking natural and covers it all up!
The new one from BAREMINERALS works beautifully and got me mad compliments on my skin the first day I wore it. #truestory
BAREMINERALS BAREPRO® 16-Hour Full Coverage Concealer
PROS: It's full coverage but is lightweight in texture, doesn't crease, blends like a dream, doesn't clog pores, is water and sweat-resistance, and looks natural and not dry.
CONS: None. Seriously.
With fifteen shade to choose from, the new BAREPRO concealer is formulated with antioxidant-rich Raspberry Seed Oil, Blackcurrant Seed Oil, and Sea Lavender to nourish skin.
Apply it straight right onto the skin, yes, right from the tube and blend with a brush, BeautyBlender or your fingers. Anything goes with this formula.
Retails for: $30 CND and $24 USD
BAREMINERALS Gen Nude® Powder Blush
Occasionally I'll use lipstick as blush because I've been loving monochrome look these days. With the new GEN NUDE blushes, I really don't have to do this because they've come out with six ridiculously flattering shades.
Formulated with a special Blurring Mineral Complex and infused with light-reflective mineral pearls to brighten skin and blur imperfections.
Retails for: $30 CND and $24 USD
GEN NUDE® Patent Lip Lacquer
New to the GEN NUDE collection are these shiny liquid lipsticks that come in 18 flattering shades. I love how they look natural but also add that extra oomph to the lips thanks to the shine. For more info and swatches on these babies, make sure you head over to my lipstick blog, LIPSICK.ME.
Retails for: $23 CND and $19 USD
For a more natural look this spring/summer, the new BAREPRO Concealer melts beautifully into bare skin. For a flawless photo-ready look, I've been wearing it with the BAREPRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation. My favourite way to apply it is by pressing the foundation into my skin using a flat, dense foundation brush. The look is honestly beyond flawless and will last all day!
Disclaimer: The products in this post are PR samples. All opinions and photography are my own.
My favourite new blush for summer - NARS Liquid Blush
When these new liquid blushers from NARS hit my desk I wanted to start playing around with them right away and yet as someone who recently converted from powder blush to cream blush, I was initially hesitant on how well a liquid blush would apply.
Would it have the same control as cream or powder? Would it look streaky on my cheeks? Would it drip down my face? How would I apply it?
I was overwhelming myself with too many questions so instead of overthinking, I sat down in front of the mirror to start using the product and you know what, application is way easier than I thought.
NARS LIQUID BLUSH: Luster, Torrid, Orgasm, Dolce Vita
Before getting into best practices on how to apply liquid blush, let's just look at the colour range. NARS released four flattering shades that should be suitable for an array of skin tones, LUSTER (sheer golden apricot), TORRID (warm coral with golden shimmer), the cult favourite ORGASM (sheer, warm pink with golden shimmer), and DOLCE VITA (matte dusty rose, the deepest shades in the collection).
How To Apply NARS Liquid Blush
One pump is all you need.
Dispense the blush onto the back of your hand. They should be clean btw. Applying makeup with dirty hands is yucky and can lead to pimples. No one wants pimples.
Dab your middle finger in the blush and dot it onto your cheek.
Using the same finger, tap the blush into the skin using the flat of your finger. Tapping the blush into the skin will give you a beautiful natural glow.
Repeat the process on the other cheek.
Next up, do your concealer for that glow-from-within look. If you want more info about this technique, make sure to read my 5 Minute Makeup Tutorial and why this step works well with liquid and cream blush.
If you're like me and want bright, happy, healthy cheeks, you'll want to pat more blush onto your cheeks. The key is to build up liquid blush and work in layers to get that beautiful flushed look.
Normally I'll follow the dab & tap technique about three times or until I'm happy with the way my blush looks.
To set my makeup I apply a very thin veil of loose powder on my skin using a fluffy blush. The formula on NARS Liquid Blush sets beautifully even without powder so skip this step if you have normal or dry skin. I have combination skin that can look oily in the summer so a little touch of powder is a must for me.
NARS Liquid Blush Review
To say that I love NARS' new liquid blush formula is an understatement and I've been using them almost every day for almost a month now.
What's great about these is that they layer beautifully with powder blush and cream formulas as well so if I want a more bronzed or flushed look, I just layer another product over top for more oomph. That's what makes them so great, the versatility and the wearability.
Based on my past experience with liquid blush they're difficult to work and fade and look patchy on my skin as the day wears on.
NARS nailed it with this formula - it's buildable, blendable, long-lasting and easy to work with. The blush contains Monoi and Tamanu oils, known for extra moisture.
The blush looks beautiful and natural on the skin and wears well into the day even when it's hot and sweaty.
I have combination skin that's oily prone in the summer and this blush stays put on my skin. Best of all it wears well and looks better as the day goes on because it melts into the skin to give that glow-from-within look.
Normal skin, dry skin, and combination skin will love this formula.
For those with oily skin, it would be ideal to set the liquid blush with powder over top to prevent it from slipping off the skin and fading. A translucent powder should do the trick along with a quick touch up of powder blush as a final step. Finally, depending on how oily your skin is, you may also want to use a mattifying primer to lock the liquid blush into place.
I find this formula looks best when applied with fingers and layered in stages as I explained above. I applied it using a brush a few times and I found the brush to remove product from my skin and blend it away so again, fingers are best.
Otherwise, I say five stars NARS! It's such a beautiful blush and I have been loving all of the colours equally. To pick a favourite shade for my olive skin would be like picking a favourite child, er, cat in my case.
Photography by Nathalie Martin.
DISCLAIMER: NARS Liquid Blush was provided by NARS.
All opinions are my own and completely honest.