Reviews and Other Stuff

FASHION & BEAUTY

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator Review

Aloha boyz and gurlz! I’ve been looking for some good powder-type highlighters lately and have looked at some potential products that sparked my interest. There was a lot to choose from but eventually I settled into Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminators.

 

laura geller baked gelato swirl illuminator review

 

I’m a huge fan of highlighters or illuminators that I like to hoard them a lot. A review of my personal collection of liquid illuminators can be read HERE. I’ve been curious about how the powder kind of highlighters fare against the liquid type, specially about their lasting powers. I picked the Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirls because I like that there’s a couple of shades to choose from and that the shades are somewhat wearable and not extremely packed with glitters. These also seem easy and soft on the skin to apply.

 


 

laura geller baked gelato swirl illuminator review in ballerina

Ballerina: candlelit rose gold shade. At a glance, this is the darkest shade of all the Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminators, yet also the most neutral because it has both a rosy and golden hue that’s ideal for anyone with a warm or cool skin tone. It gives a subtle shimmer on my NC30-35 skin.

 

laura geller baked gelato swirl illuminator in gilded honey review

Gilded Honey: effervescent caramel honey shade. The most golden of them all and is ideal for those with warm skin tones. This shade is truly a Mida’s Touch and will definitely make you look gilded.

 

laura geller baked gelato swirl illuminator in charming pink review

Charming Pink: soft pink pearl. This illuminator caters to the cool-toned as it is filled with pearl-like subtle shimmers with very very light shade of pink. It’s so cute and refreshing. Reminds me a lot of Benefit High Beam. On my skin, this looks quite bright and leaning towards being whitish than pinkish.

 

laura geller baked gelato swirl illuminator in peach glow review

Peach Glow: peach champagne shimmer. A highlighter that leans slightly to those with warmer tones, but still can be wearable for anyone with lighter skin tones who wants a bit of sun-kissed shimmer. It’s a gorgeous color that reminded me a bit of Benefit Girl Meets Pearl.

 

Swatches:

laura geller baked gelato swirl highlighters swatches

Favorites: Since my skin is on the Neutral side, which could look warmer or cooler depending on the current season, I still consider it to be slightly warmer and prefers the Ballerina and Gilded Honey as my favorite shades. If ever I wanted to “level up” my highlighter game that day, I’d definitely pick up the Peach Glow shade.

Verdict: I am so in love with these Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminators. Their lasting power is as good as most liquid highlighters or even better and they don’t look heavy on shimmers. They give a smooth and soft highlighted effect on the face without looking too intergalactic 🙂 or like a Tin Man. LOL. 

These highlighters are extremely versatile even though their shades are somewhat designated for each specific skin tones. I can’t say any drawbacks about these illuminators except that I wish they’d come in much bigger containers. 

This is my first time trying Laura Geller’s cosmetics an I could say that I’m in love. I am definitely gonna be trying some other products from this brand soon. To purchase these illuminators and some other Laura Geller Makeup Products, click HERE.

 

Alrighty guys, have fun illuminating!

L.

 

follow me in instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

 

 

 

Nars Velvet Lip Glide Review

nars velvet lip glide review

 

No one can stop me when I taste the feeling… Nothing could ever bring me down… Oh why hello there?!! Obviously, I had too much coca cola today, and obviously I’m elated because it’s Friyay! I just lurve the weekends… Another thing I’m excited about is today’s review. 

Nars just released their Nars Velvet Lip Glide which a lot of people are excited about and I’ve been looking forward to testing ever since it was announced. It’s Nars’ own version of matte or semi-matte liquid lipsticks that’s been flooding the beauty counters nowadays. 

 

nars velvet lip glide playpen and bound review

 

These Nars Velvet Lip Glides are supposed to be highly saturated with semi-matte or velvet textures and are also long lasting. I couldn’t wait when I arrived to my local beauty store and was surprised to see a lot of these sitting in the Nars aisle section. I was wondering how come there’s not a lot of people picking up these, though I did see that there’s only one product left of a particular shade called Bound, which I picked up immediately because it seems to be the most wearable shade of all the Nars Velvet Lip Glide line. No wonder it became immediately popular.

Just like the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Matte Liquid Lip Colour that I reviewed a few days ago, (reviewed HERE) I also had a hard time picking up other colors that I like. These Nars Velvet Lip Glides don’t have a vast array of shades to choose from, plus most of the shades are either too dark, too red or too nude for me. There’s not many wearable colors for my medium NC30-35 skin tone. I was really getting disappointed, and much to my dismay, when I swatched them on the back of my hand, I noticed that they’re not really matte, semi-matte, velvet, semi-velvet or anything like that. They resembled like a creamy and thickly-whipped lip gloss. Reminds me a lot of Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick in terms of texture.

 

See below:

 

 

nars velvet lip glide playpen lip swatch

Nars Velvet Lip Glide in Playpen : Pink Coral. A nude coral tone with a bit of pink that has a thick formulation but feels lightweight on the lips. Though I find this shade to be a little too bright for me and the formula to be too thick and a bit clumpy, I still like its slightly wearable hue, plus this would be a really great lip gloss.

 

nars velvet lip glide review in bound

Nars Velvet Lip Glide in Bound: Rose Pink. Probably the most favorite and the most wearable shade of all the Nars Velvet Lip Glide. It’s a nude-mauve tone that would really work for anyone with a medium skin tone and with pigmented lips. It’s a beautiful hydrating shade, just not a matte in terms of texture. Sigh… 

 

nars velvet lip glide lip swatches

 

As you can see in the photos above, these Nars Velvet Lip Glides are not so velvety, but more like a whipped gloss as I’ve said before. I’m really kinda disappointed because I thought they would be mattes or semi-mattes at least. I know some people thought of the same as well. When it comes to its lasting power, well, I could only get 3 hours of maximum wear on these. Then I would have to reapply and there’s also no stain left behind. Good news is there’s no strong scents on these Velvet Lip Glides. The packaging is of substantial size and is beautiful with a well-made brush for precise application.

 

nars velvet lip glide swatches and review

 

If you haven’t tried these and are really interested in getting at least one, I suggest you purchase the shade in Bound, as I think it’s the most beautiful and wearable shade of all the Nars Velvet Lip Glide. If you want a similar formulation as the Velvet Lip Glides but with more wearable hues to choose from, I also suggest that you try Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipsticks, available HERE.

The Nars Velvet Lip Glides are availabe HERE as well.

Have you tried these lippies lately? What d’ya think?

 

Thanks for reading my review guys,

 

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Happy Weekend!

 

Chanel Le Gel Coat Longwear Top Coat Review

chanel le gel coat top coat review

 

What’s up coconuts? For a long long time I’ve never really bought the Chanel Top Coats because I thought they’ll never be like my favorite holy grail top coat (clue: 2 words, starts with letter S and V). Well tahday, that belief proved me wrong. I think I’ve found my new HG top coat, at least for my gel nail polishes, specially for the new Chanel Le Vernis which was reformulated in gel form not a long time ago. It’s the newest Chanel Le Gel Coat Longwear Top Coat. It’s created to enhance and extend the life of the new Chanel Le Vernis, and is meant to create a glossy and strong nail polish that will last for 7 days. Now that’s what I want!

 

chanel le gel topcoat

 

The moment I applied this, I knew it’s going to be a keeper. The top coat itself has a slight strong odor but it fades away immediately. It has a nice wide brush which was surprising for me because the brushes found in the Chanel Le Vernis are usually thin and rounded, which makes them kinda tricky to apply. But this Chanel Le Gel Coat is so easy to apply and the formula spreads evenly around the nail polish. Best thing about it, is that it dries immediately upon application. I highly recommend this.

 

chanel le gel top coat long wear

 

When I was thinking whether I should purchase the old Chanel Top Coat or this new Chanel Le Gel Coat, the S.A. at the Chanel beauty counter said without hesitation that the Le Gel is the better choice to buy, and yes, she’s definitely right.

So, I really really recommend this Chanel Le Gel Top Coat. I get a real 7 days of wear on this with minimal chipping and tip wear, while my nails stayed glossy and rock hard. I suggest using this with your favorite New Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour (reviewed HERE) or any gel nail polishes. Not sure whether this top coat will work with the non-gel polish, haven’t really tried. But to be safe, just use it with your favorite gel nail polish. For the non-gel ones, I still like to use Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, which is also loved by a lot of beauty junkies.

 

To purchase this top coat, click HEREFor my review of the new Chanel Le Vernis, click HERE, and to purchase the new Chanel Le Vernis, please click HERE as well.

 

Happy Nail Painting!

 

follow me in instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff.