Reviews and Other Stuff

Marc Jacobs Fineliner Ultra-Skinny Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner Review

Hello from a Blizzard Tuesday! Itโ€™s March and yeah itโ€™s still snowing from where I am. Anyway, I have to let it go, let it go, the cold doesnโ€™t bother me anyway, ows? Anyway, I have a very interesting eyeliner to counteract the cold. It may be a winter storm out there, but my eyeliner is always sleek and ready for whatever may come, ha!. I mean, you donโ€™t wanna be caught looking like a hot mess in the snow, right? Hehehe. No ice bucket challenge makeup look here. I donโ€™t โ€˜bout yโ€™all, but I want my face to look as flawless as ever (though itโ€™s not) even if I just slipped onto a huge pile of ice. Like nothing happened at all. What ice? My eyeliner slays. LOL. Anyways, this eyeliner that Iโ€™ve been using recently is by Marc Jacobs, called Fineliner Ultra-Skinny Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner. Itโ€™s the slim version of the very famous Marc Jacobs Highliner. Now that MJ Highliner has been updated recently with its new release of the Matte Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner, and the shades are really GOOD. I bet the formulations remain to be good if not better too. But my problem with the MJ Highliner is the fact that its tip is too thick for my small hooded eyes. Whenever I use it, I feel like Iโ€™m attracting the wrong elements. Haha! I just think that it looks too much for my eyes, specially during the day.

 

marc jacobs fineliner ultra skinny gel eye crayon eyeliner review

 

The thing I love about this Marc Jacobs Fineliner is simply its thinness. Itโ€™s easier for me to work it around my eyelids, and it really allows for a very precise if not accurate application. Plus, it doesnโ€™t make me look like Iโ€™m auditioning for Into The Badlands. Hehehe. In fact, for a very long time, Iโ€™m a huge fan of skinny eyeliners. The sharper, the better. Thatโ€™s why I love Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner and Kat Von D Tattoo Liner because their applicators are really thin and their formulas are very long lasting, but you really need a steady hand and skillful application technique because itโ€™s hard to make a mistake once these eyeliners are applied. So for the days when I feel like I may need to apply my eyeliner quickly and precisely, I use non-liquid skinny eyeliners like this Marc Jacobs Fineliner.

Thereโ€™s not a lot of color choices for this Marc Jacobs Fineliner Ultra-Skinny Eye Crayon. But its formulation is pretty much exactly the same as the MJ Highliner. Itโ€™s also waterproof, long-wearing, well-pigmented and it glides easily on the lids. Itโ€™s very easy to use and is also ideal for tightlining and on the waterline.

A lot of people said that this particular eyeliner smudges, but it really depends. While it doesnโ€™t smudge immediately upon application, I suggest using an eyelid primer to prevent that, even if youโ€™re not gonna wear any eyeshadow at all. The same is true for someone who is prone to have oily lids like yours truly here. Removing this eyeliner requires a waterproof makeup remover, or any waterproof eye makeup remover and perhaps with the aid of a few cotton swabs.

 

marc jacobs fineliner ultra skinny gel eye crayon eyeliner

 

I fell in love with the shades; Blacquer – the backest and darkest shade in the line, and Blacquerberry โ€“ a berry-violet shade, which is a unique and simply different shade that wonโ€™t make your eyes look bruised.

 

The Marc Jacobs Fineliner Ultra-Skinny Gel Eye Crayon retails for $24, while the Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon retails for $25.

 

Have you tried these two? Which ones do you prefer?

 

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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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