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Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick in Gold + Champagne Flash Review + Swatches

May 28, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Happy Monday Everybody. Since I was almost running out of my favorite highlighters, including the sticks which are so practical to use for me especially when I’m on the go, I got these two new beautiful Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks (0.21 oz for $42) that I recently scored at a discounted price at Sephora during their last VIB Sale weeks ago. As a fanatic of Highlighters, I’ve always wanted to get my hands on these because I seem to always have positive experiences with Hourglass products.

You know how some Highlighters or Highlighter Sticks tend to be to too sheer or not blinding enough? well, this Hourglass one is the complete opposite. With just one swipe, you’ll get a ton of shimmers compared to some other facial strobing products. The shimmers of these Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are soft focus, natural, non-sticky and non-oily, yet they reflect. I love that you can layer the intensity of the glow – from a slight subtle shimmer to a super-blinding one.

When it comes to its pigments, I find that the Gold Flash and Champagne Flash shades (seen below) can look quite similar to each other, although the Champagne Flash looks a bit more natural and more suited to my skintone because of its peachy undertone. The Gold Flash can be so blinding if you’re not careful with the application, but other than that, they’re both beautiful high-quality shimmers for fair, light, light/medium, and warm medium skintones, not to mention that they really highlight the high points of the face.

Gold Flash – A golden soft focus easy to layer shimmer that reflects light and highlights the face very well. It’s super packed with shimmer and overall super pigmented that it’s better to be light-handed when applying this, or else it can be too much.

Champagne Flash – A peachy shimmer that can look a bit like the Gold Flash above but with a more peachy undertone. It’s can also be very blinding, but its effects can be more subtle compared to the Gold Flash due to its peachy undertone being closer to most skintones. I love this as an everyday face illuminator with or without makeup.

I noticed that these Highlighters are really lightweight on the skin, given the fact that they’re the stick type of Highlighters. And most stick Highlighters can be oily or a bit sticky, and they tend to slide off the face after a few hours, not to mention that they can disrupt the foundation. These Hourglass Highlighters, on the other hand, don’t exhibit any of those potential issues. Aside from being lightweight and non-sticky, they’re also very long lasting. I’d use mine in the morning, and they’re still on at night. My face may get oily but these highlighters are still on point. I love that they’re so easy to use with just a swipe and go, and I could use them with any kind of foundation. I also like the fact that they’re so pigmented, so one swipe will do the job and if I want more drama, I’d just swipe a bit more then blend. Speaking of blending, the texture of these Highlighting sticks are soft and a bit creamy yet not overly so, and they set well on the face. I love its packaging and its twist-type release, which makes for an easy on-the-go use. There’s also no discernible scent and there’s enough product in its decent-sized chubby triangular container.

Overall, these Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are true to what they’re described to be. They live up to Hourglass’s quality and sleek luxurious packaging of products. The Highlighting you’d get out of this is not only beautiful and breathtaking but also very customizable depending on your application. That is why I consider this as one of the best Highlighters I’ve ever tried, and for me, this has the best formula for a Highlighter Stick.

The Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Sticks are available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Harrods, Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter, SpaceNK, and Selfridges

Maybelline Master Strobing Stick Review

June 28, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Lookie Lookie, look what I got today! It’s been a while since I featured some drugstore beauty finds, but something caught my eye when I was at my local pharmacy a few days ago. I saw these two cute-looking highlighter sticks from Maybelline and I couldn’t resist. With all the highlighter buzz and trends nowadays which are mostly pricey, who couldn’t resist the cheap drugstore Maybelline Master Strobing (0.67 oz: $9.99) Illuminating Highlighter? Let’s take a look at how they compare to other high-end and big name highlighter brands nowadays.

At first glance, I seem to love the shades of these highlighters even if there’s only two shades released. One is a pearly shimmer and the other one is more of a golden nude. Not sure how they applied or what the texture is because you can’t really try them in the store, unlike Sephora or Ulta. They sorta look dry and powdery but NOPE, they’re not. They’re actually super creamy and they apply smoothly.

The shimmer of these Maybelline Master Strobing Sticks is very subtle or natural but also very buildable. They’re non-drying and there’s no fallout. They’re so creamy that they’re actually better than some other highlighter sticks out there. In fact, I was really impressed at the quality of the formula. To be honest, they feel like high-end highlighters. I love it.

Judging from the aisle scenario where I spotted these strobing products, it looks like people seem to love these strobing sticks because mine were practically the last ones left. Hmmm, I also saw the Maybelline Master Strobing Liquid, which may be reviewed here soon. And hmmm, I really need to do another serious exploration of my local drugstore from now on, for sure.

Bottom line, I LOVE these highlighter sticks and I highly recommend them, you better grab one now because the quality is unbeatable, the shimmer is great, and they beat the popular brands, on top of that, they’re pretty much easy to use and easy to find. The only problem is good luck finding them in stock and if you find one, you’re gonna wish them in hundred different shades. Because honestly, you can only wonder why are these so cheap?

The Maybelline Master Strobing stick is available at Target, Walgreens, Amazon, Ulta, plus some other drugstores nationwide.

Song of the day: Sia, Cheap Thrills.

Happy Wednesday!

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treStiQue Mini Contour Travel Set Review

June 20, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

What’s Up Friends! I fell in love with Trèstique’s beauty products the moment I tried their Maldives Luminescent Highlighter that came with last month’s Sephora Play! I thought it has a nice smooth shimmer that naturally illuminates the curves of your face. Well, since then, I wanted to try other Trèstique products and I stumble into their Mini Contour Travel Set (0.04 oz $28), which has a blush, a bronzer and the same highlighter that I love in it, but in minis which are great for traveling.

I noticed that most Trèstique products are aimed towards being practical. They’re pretty much easy to use, energy-saving and almost eliminates the need for a brush. Lord knows it can be quite draining to create the perfect makeup du jour, you know. Most of their products are pen style or have dual ends wherein the other end has a brush or smudger attached to it. I love that. Don’t we all?

Back to the Trèstique Mini Contour Travel Set, each stick is about 3.5 inches long but there’s only about 0.5 inches of product in it. So there’s not a lot, but it’s good enough especially if you only use it for traveling. Also, for its price, it’s hard to complain. The formula of these mini sticks are not really creamy, I think they’re somewhat chalky and sort of dry, but they glide on the skin well enough. They aren’t very pigmented either, but they’re very buildable, so a couple more strokes on the face will do the job. They also don’t have any fragrance and they didn’t irritate my skin.

Brazilian Bronze (Bronzer) – A matte bronzer that appears to be light brown upon first swipe, but it can be layered to create a deeper tone, adding more depth to the face. Personally, I find that I have to put 3-4 deep strokes on my face to create that natural-looking contour.

Bora Bora Coral (Blush) – A coral-pink blush that also seems really light at first application, yet it’s buildable and it blends quite well. The nice thing is there’s no shimmer on this blush, so it creates a natural flush on the cheeks, which is nice, even though it requires a few more swipes.

Maldives Luminescent (Highlighter) – As what I’ve said in my previous Sephora Play! review (found HERE), this is a well-done pearly highlighter that gives a discreet soft shimmer on the face. It’s great for everyday use and it blends smoothly. It’s also very long-lasting and since it has a sheer coverage, I love that it doesn’t overwhelm the face with too much glitter.

This is indeed a great trio set for traveling, and it even comes in a mini round bag which is a great add-on. I just wish that these sticks were slightly more pigmented and that there’s enough product on each of them. Other than that, the Mini Contour Travel Set by Trèstique is practical to use, easy to blend, affordable and time-saving. You might as well have one for your next sojourn.

The Trèstique Mini Contour Travel Set is currently available at Sephora.

Have a great day makeup lovers,

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