Reviews and Other Stuff

FASHION & BEAUTY

Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation Review

Hey Everybody! Guess what, I have found another favorite and holy grail foundation. The Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation. Iโ€™ve read good reviews about this foundation because itโ€™s ideal for those who wants a sheer or natural coverage with a dewy look or finish. My kind of foundation, even though my skin tends to be on the oily side. But in this cold winter days, I need all the moisturization and dewiness I could get.

laura mercier candleglow soft luminous foundation review

 

This particular foundation is quite similar to the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Spf 20 which Iโ€™m still very much in love at. Yet this LM Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundationย probably has a bit more coverage but does not have any Spf, which is a sigh, but you can always add a separate Spf, or make sure that your favorite moisturizer has an added Spf. Though quite similar, this foundation is on the sheer to medium coverage, but can be quite buildable. It follows the same scent as the Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Mega Moisturizer Spf 15, but only subtly. Even though it lacks Spf, it compensates for how it makes the skin look natural, flawless and almost-perfect. It has a dewy or glowy finish but not to the extreme. The fine pearl-mica is the one responsible for this foundationโ€™s luminous effect on the skin. Yet, the luminous-effect is very very subtle and indeed almost candle-lit.

 

laura mercier candleglow soft luminous foundation honey
Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation in Honey

 

 

A lot people love this foundation, but a lot may say that it doesnโ€™t give enough coverage and it makes the skin look oily, which isnโ€™t really ideal for anyone with an oily skin. Well, those are true observations, but it all boils down to your skinโ€™s current condition, and of course the weather. For my wide angle ciabatta bread face ????ย , matte foundations wonโ€™t add definition to my face, no matter the amount of contouring I use. So I always opt for dewy or luminous finishes in my foundations. Sometimes, specially in the summer, I mix my dewy foundations with a few of my matte foundations, just to not get so oily after a while. So I suggest this Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation if you want a natural finish that also allows for the natural definition of your face to show through. Though buildable, itโ€™s true that this foundation is quite sheer, but itโ€™s enough to cover the redness of my cheeks and some other blemishes. But if your face has a lot of stuff going on, then you may have to use full-coverage foundations. Also, this foundation has emollient oils that may make the skin look very oily in the summer. I wouldnโ€™t advise to use this in the summer, specially for those with oily skin. But from where I live, where itโ€™s really bone-chilling right now, oh well, this didnโ€™t make my skin look oily at all. Just dewy and I could probably get a good 4-6 hours of wear with this before I start looking for oil-blotting sheets.

 

laura mercier candleglow soft luminous foundation in honey shade
Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation in Honey – blended

 

There are 24 shades available in this foundation. My shade is Honey, which is a light to medium shade with a neutral undertone. However, I find that some shades like Buff, Macadamia, Dune, Golden, Butterscotch, Linen and even Vanille seem to also blend really well on my NC25-30 skin, since this foundation is quite sheer.

 

laura mercier candleglow soft luminous foundation review and swatches

 

Sans Spf, but with a natural dewy finish with added Vitamin C & E derivatives. If not perfect, this Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation is the next best thing.

 

 

FYI:ย Nail color is Splash of Grenadine by Essie.

 

 

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Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream & Aรงai Body Power Cream Review

Whether itโ€™s winter or summer or in any season, Iโ€™m always on the lookout for a well-scented and well-performing body creams. Iโ€™m a big fan of creams that not only moisturizes the skin during cold dry months but also illuminates it during bright sunny days for that glowy and radiant look, not to mention having irresistible scents. But, thereโ€™s not a long of body creams or even lotions like that nowadays. I may have found one drugstore brand but I got bored with the scent and the shimmers were too much. So my quest for that ideal body cream went on, that is until I received a sample of Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and Aรงai Body Power Cream.

 

sol de Janeiro Brazilian bum bum cream aรงai body power cream review

 

I have read amazing reviews about these two creams and I was so excited to try them myself. The first thing I noticed is that these two creams both smell divine, delicious, refreshing and addicting. Their scents are very different from each other yet both are very pleasing to the senses and have very rich textures. They also have very fine shimmers (mica) and are very moisturizing and easily absorbed by the skin. Hmmm, might be the body cream I have been looking for.

 

sol de janeiro brazilian bum bum cream

 

Brazilian Bum Bum Cream: pronounced as โ€œBoom Boomโ€ in Brazil, this cheeky-named cream is not only ideal for the bum but also works great for the legs, arms, tummy and basically all over the body. Itโ€™s meant to tighten the skin and reduce or prevent cellulite with its active ingredients like; Guaranรก (has fives times the caffeine and promotes natural circulation while smoothing skin), Cupuaรงu Butter (locks in moisture), Aรงai (antioxidant) and Coconut Oil (softens and moisturizes the skin). You just have to massage this cream in a circular motion and enjoy the delicious pistachio caramel scent or should I say vanilla ice cream plus the added shimmer. Though the toning or skin tightening effect remains to be seen, this cream feels so good you just canโ€™t resist it.

 

sol de janeiro aรงai body power cream

 

Aรงai Body Power Cream: with tiny flecks of peachy Mica for an all over body glow, this one of a kind super moisturizing body cream is loaded with antioxidants like Aรงai, moisture-locking Cupuaรงu Butter and softening Coconut Oil. Almost the same ingredients found in the Brazilian Bum Bum Cream but without the Guaranรก, yet this one contain the most potent form of Aรงai for a resilient and healthy-looking skin. The best thing about this cream is that it gets absorbed by the body easily and is also very lightweight like the Bum Bum Cream. But it doesnโ€™t stop there, the scent is extremely refreshing, flowery-fruity and irresistible to the point that itโ€™s so addicting you couldnโ€™t stop sniffing it. At one point, I thought it smelled like Diptyque Baies Candle, and we all adore that scent, right? I think I may have found my ideal body cream, especially for winter.

 

sol de janeiro brazilian bum bum cream & aรงai body power cream

 

 

Bottom line, even though these two creams donโ€™t have SPF, I highly recommend these Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and Aรงai Body Power Cream by Sol De Janeiro. I think theyโ€™re truly great to have whether youโ€™re frolicking near the beach (just be sure to add Spf), or just hibernating in the cold winter months. You may or may not notice the tightening effect or the cellulite reduction effect of the Bum Bum Cream but you will definitely love it for its super-yummy scent and hydration benefit. As of the Aรงai Body Power Cream, you know youโ€™re getting the antioxidants for your skin with a breathtaking scent.

 

For more info, visit http://www.soldejaneiro.com

 

(Disclosure: Product samples provided by Sol De Janeiro. The reviews, photos, and opinions herein are solely mine)

 

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Giorgio Armani Beauty Lip Magnet Lipsticks Review

Hi Guys! OMG!!! Be still my heart… This is gonna be a thrilling review. Finally, hereโ€™s my take on the Giorgio Armani Beauty Lip Magnet Lipsticks. Oh my, I could die right now, I literally have a defib in my other arm, but not yet, I have to do this review. So anyway, letโ€™s get this thing going.

 

armani lip magnet review

 

There isnโ€™t any other lipsticks thatโ€™s in demand right now (specially in Sephora) other than the Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets. I mean, there could be others, but these stuff have always been out of stock, restocked, out of stock again, and then back in stock but not with all colors since the start of their release. I swear I wanted to buy them all at the beginning, but I canโ€™t, and the colors I liked were already gone, so I had to wait for them to be available again, not to mention that theyโ€™re really pricey for $38 at 0.13 oz.

 

giorgio armani lip magnet lipsticks

 

My first impressions with these Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets are; First, they donโ€™t have a distinctive scent, in fact, I couldnโ€™t almost smell anything, if there is, itโ€™s just the very very light almost indistinctive fruity-floral scent, but I could hardly smell it all. I also thought it smelled a bit like an alcohol, but very very faintly to none. Second, the triangular wand applicator is just amazingly study and allows for a precise application, but itโ€™s kinda short. Third, these are matte liquid lipsticks, but their textures and formulations are not like most matte lipsticks. Theyโ€™re very fluid-like, extremely lightweight, have very good pigments, but it takes a while to dry down to a matte texture.

giorgio armani lip magnet lipsticks

giorgio armani lip magnets

 

 


 

 

Giorgio armani lip magnet swatches 403 505403 Vibrato โ€“ Rich Brick Red. This looks like a very dark blood-like red in the tube, but itโ€™s dries down to a muted cherry red. Thereโ€™s a lot of reds in this Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet line starting from the 400 shade, but this 403 color being the darkest is the one that suits my pigmented lips with a medium or warm undertone.

505 Second Skin โ€“ Vibrant Rose. A simple and light shade of pinkish coral thatโ€™s great as an everyday lip color. This color is not really my lipโ€™s second skin shade as I find this to be a bit brighter than what Iโ€™d like it to be. I didnโ€™t notice the rose shade though, but this color is definitely great for a more natural daytime look.

 

 

Giorgio armani lip magnet swatches 506 507

506 Fusion โ€“ Medium Pink Mauve. This shade is the 505 shade above but more muted since it has a very slight mauve undertone. Being an NC25 to 30, I think I prefer this shade a lot better than 505 for my everyday lip color.

507 Garconne โ€“ Mauve Berry. A lot of people love this shade, specially the ones whose lips have pigments like moi. Simply because these would look like our pigmented lips but better and with a hint of muted pink-berry tone. As for me, this color is like my second skin.

 

 

Giorgio armani lip magnet swatches 600 602

600 Front-Row โ€“ Rich Berry. I wasnโ€™t feeling this shade when I first swatched it on my arm, because it seems a bit too dark or too brown. But I bought it anyway because Iโ€™m cray cray, and guess what? I was so surprised by how it looks on my lips. Itโ€™s not bad at all. In fact, this mauve and brown-berry shade looks really good on my medium skintone. I would say, this is like the 507 shade but darker and with a bit of brown. L.O.V.E I.T.

602 Night Viper โ€“ Deep Purple Berry. An extremely pigmented, dark purple and almost-violet-pink shade that is so hard to take off. Iโ€™ve already used different waterproof makeup removers to remove this lip magnet, but still, my lips were left with a sort of dark neon-pink shade as a stain. I havenโ€™t seen such pigmented lip color like this particular shade. In fact, the oneโ€™s I swatched on my arm took about 2 days and probably a half more to completely fade away. Of all the shades of the Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets reviewed here, this 602 shade is the most pigmented of them all. Hmmm, I may have to soak my lips in waterproof makeup remover for days. Oh no!

giorgio Armani lip magnet lipsticks swatches

In conclusion, I like the lightweight texture of these Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets a lot. Although I wouldnโ€™t mind if these were a bit creamy because these would have helped make the lips look fuller by filling in the lip lines, specially for people with imbalanced lips. But the textures of these Lip Magnets may not allow that because itโ€™s kinda watery thin. Also, some of the colorโ€™s textures might be a bit streaky at first application, but applying a second coat will solve the issue. I love the color payoff of these lippies very much, no arguing with that, but they take a while to dry down and itโ€™s not true that once settled on your lips, they wonโ€™t budge. They can be easily moved and they definitely donโ€™t last for 8 hours without reapplication. I suggest grabbing the dark colors because they tend to last the longest. Still, these are top of the line high quality matte lipsticks that wonโ€™t dry your lips unlike most matte liquid lipsticks nowadays.

 

giorgio armani lip magnet lipsticks review

 

Thanks for reading friends! Bye for now!

 

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