Reviews and Other Stuff

Benefit Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter Review

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Glow Kit Review + Swatches

If you’re looking for a palette full of well-crafted highlighters with different tones, well, look no further because this Glow Kit from Anastasia Beverly Hills ($40) might just be the answer you’re looking for, especially if you’re crazy over highlighters nowadays.

 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Glow Kit swatches

 

I’ve reviewed several highlighters here in the blog, some of them are in kits or palettes, while some are in one single compact. Some are even in liquid or stick forms which I will be comparing with this ABH Glow Kit later on this post. While it’s nice to have everything in one single compact that contains a blush, a contour, and a highlighter shade, this Anastasia Glow Kit is quite different. It has 4 highlighters in one single kit or palette, which I think is made especially for those who just can’t get enough of highlighters and for those who need a highlighter that truly matches their complexion.

 

anastasia glow kit review

 

Depending on your skin tone, some highlighters may overemphasize or underemphasize your features. Some may even make you glow too much like a flashlight. There are even some shades that just don’t show up on your skin. So with 4 highlighters in one palette? I’m all up for it.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Glow Kit

Bronzed – This is a shimmery bronze-gold that can work as a bronzer or as a golden highlighter for different skin tones, but I think this is specially meant for medium to dark skin tones as well. This is really shimmery and if you wanna look super gilded like the queen of the Nile, then this one’s for you.

 

Summer – A pearly-gold shimmer for those with lighter complexions. This really highlights your cheekbones and all the bony prominences of your face.

 

Tourmaline – A rosy shimmer that’s a bit similar to Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. I love this shade because it’s not too bright and not dark for a highlighter. A great complement to any light-medium skin tones.

 

Moonstone – This is a blend of peachy-pearl-golden shimmer that appeared to be very similar to the Summer shade once applied on my light-medium skin. In fact, it’s hard for me to tell the difference between the two. The difference between them is very subtle, but this is for sure a better option for those with light to medium complexion if you’re looking to level up your highlighter shade but doesn’t want a pure pearly shimmer on your face.

 

 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Glow Kit review

These highlighters are well-pigmented and they’re really shimmery. You can layer them for sure, but I find that just a single swipe of a fan brush or a finger will already give an instant glow. They’re easy to blend, so that’s a big plus, but I find that they’re a bit more shimmery when compared to Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors (reviewed HERE), yet they’re also as finely-milled and soft.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Glow Kit swatches review

I definitely like all the four shades in this ABH Sun Dipped Glow Kit and I noticed that there’s really not a lot of fallouts, and if there is, it’s almost unnoticeable. Compared to some other popular highlighting palettes out there, like the Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette (reviewed HERE), well, even though that’s a different kind of story because that’s more like an all-in-one highlight/contour/blush palette, I feel like this is such a contender. This is great for traveling or just something to have around that’s easy to reach all the time, and with 4 choices of shades, you can’t really go wrong. When it comes to stick or liquid highlighters, well, there’s a lot of good stick highlighters out there that delivers smooth natural highlighting effects like Benefit’s Watt’s Up!, Trestique’s Highlight & Perfect Multipurpose Stick (seen HERE), or Nudestix Nudies All Over Face Color Bronze + Glow (reviewed HERE), but still this ABH Glow Kit in Sun Dipped is very practical, convenient, and worth the money. Overall, the formulation is superb, the shades are wearable, versatile, and they make you glow beautifully.

 

The ABH Sun Dipped Glow Kit is available at Sephora, Ulta, Macy’s, and Dillard’s

 

It’s almost weekend, Yey!

 

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Sephora Play! March 2017 Box

sephora play march 2017 box review

 

Hi There! Here now are the contents of my Sephora Play March 2017 issue, and I gotta say, I really like this month’s products, even though it took a while for my box to arrive as usual. This month’s theme is really cute, it’s called “Glow Your Own Way.” Hmmm, sounds like a song, and obviously, this month’s featured products are all about highlighters, illuminators and strobes. The stuff that makes the skin look glowy, dewy, healthy, radiant and luminous. Oh my, I love it already. I’m crazy about highlighters and anything that highlights the face, and I think we all do, so this is gonna be another good season for strobing.

 

Here are the products:

 

sephora play march 2017 box contents

 

  1. Benefit Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter: Been wanting to buy this one, but thank God for Sephora Play! now I could enjoy a mini size for a while because there’s a lot of product in this small container. The shade is a gold-champagne tone that’s universally flattering for all skin tone, and I love how easy it is to use due to its stick-style. Just swipe on the bony prominences of the face, like the cheekbones, nose, brow bones etc., then blend with your finger or a beauty blender. Perfect. The glow is soft, natural, long lasting and really illuminating.
  1. Josie Maran Surreal Skin Argan Finishing Balm: Have tried several samples of this particular product before. While it never really gave me real benefits and wasn’t really crazy about this product, this finishing balm is meant to be used either before or after makeup application. Before, meaning as a primer, and after as a luminizing finisher. I never really used this a finisher, since it seems to disrupt my makeup’s setting, so I’ve always used this as a primer/moisturizer only.
  1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Original: My all-time favorite eyeshadow primer and the one I still use even until now. I’ve tried other eyeshadow primers before, but I always come back to this one because this holds your eyeshadow very well and it never creases. It now comes in different formulations and colors, but the original formula is a cult-favorite.
  1. Glamglow Glowstarter Mega Illuminating Moisturizer: A Glotion by definition, hmmm. Glow Lotion indeed, this is a cotton-candy/bubble gum scented luminizing moisturizer that gives a subtle glow on the face. It’s creamy and hydrating plus with some added skin care benefits. However, this may not be ideal for anybody with an oily skin, since this product will further enhance an oil-prone skin within a few hours of use. Also, you may have to go easy on your strobing while using this.
  1. Atelier Cologne Clémentine California Cologne: With incredible notes of clementine, mandarin and juniper berries, this sweet and fruity scent is both haunting, fascinating and mysterious. It sparks curiosity, innocence and freshness. This scent will make you wanna sing Lana Del Rey’s Summertime Sadness or reminisce on La La Land’s Someone In The Crowd. It may even haunt you for that once in a lifetime chance encounter. As what Atelier Cologne describesIt was the warmest summer on record…he had been searching for her for months. This perfect stranger with her fragile and elegant silhouette… About to give up, the moment came when it all changed, the woman he had been dreaming of. Her natural beauty and distinct voice…he now had to convince her to change the course of her life…” Oh my, can’t say much, I’m already in love with this cologne. Expect me to hoard this scent for life, I’m already sold.
  1. Verb Ghost Oil: A Moringa seed oil blended with bamboo extracts and some other added hair care benefits, this oil helps to condition, smooth or tame frizzy hair, and gives shine. Apply a few drops after showering and it’s great for preparing the hair prior to any styling. If you tend to have oily hair, you may skip on this as this can weigh your hair down at the end of the day.

 

Bottom line, I’m happy with this month’s products and my favorites are; Atelier Cologne Clémentine California Cologne, Benefit Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter, and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Original. I hope April’s Box will be as good, if not better.

 

Until then guys,

 

Follow me on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

 

P.S. Third song of the week: Maria, by Blondie.