Tom Ford’s latest beauty release is not only a sight to behold but also one that has been much-anticipated. Finally, feast your eyes with the TF Shade & Illuminate Glow Stick ($55).
It’s a dual-ended cheek and highlighter stick that is housed in a luxurious easy to apply packaging. It is absolutely stunning to look at. So far there is only one shade that is being released and it’s called Sunstruck. The two colors have a very summery vibe to them, with the rose gold highlighter being a dewy creamy lit from within glow and the bold coral blush as also being creamy and vibrant.
The highlighter may seem a bit too dark or brownish on the outside, but once applied and blended, it becomes a nice easy to wear rose-gold highlighter that could work very well on any skin tone. Also, this is a very creamy highlighter which makes it very easy to blend around the high points of the face without disrupting the foundation, and it also has a dewy shimmery effect. It isn’t super blinding that the extraterrestrials might come down here on earth, the effect is subtle and quite natural, kinda like a healthy beach glow. On the other hand, the hot coral blush was a bit of a shock for me at the beginning, that’s because it seems extremely pigmented and bright to look at even just at one swipe, and I was a bit worried that it might be too harsh on the cheeks. While it’s true that it’s super creamy and very pigmented, the technique is basically to just dab a small amount on the apples of the cheeks for that nice coral flush, kinda like sun-kissed.
The Glow Stick doesn’t have any scent and it can be pricey. Yet given its luxe packaging, size, and the substantial amount of product in it, it’s definitely worth the splurge. You can use either a sponge or your fingers to apply the product, and it’s pretty much a quick dab and go application.
Overall, I really like the effect that it does on my skin. I definitely look like I just came from frolicking on the beach complete with my with piรฑa coladas and sunblock spray. Oh my, this product is gonna be so overused. I hope TF will also release more shades of this glow stick soon enough.
Is this on your radar lately? I have a feeling that this is gonna be sold out pretty soon.
What’s up, everybody!ย I’ve been looking for a very good mascara for quite some time now, and my search for the best and brightest ended up being an overwhelming one. With all these latest lengthening and volumizing mascaras being released in the market lately, I’d say there’s really a lot of contenders out there. I pretty much tested a bunch of mascaras to see which one is a stand out for me. Given the fact that I don’t have a lot of lashes, plus they’re short, stiff, and straight, finding the one that’ll work for me has been quite challenging. Nevertheless, I found some that are really really great, and the difference among them can be very subtle. Let’s see which mascaras made the cut.
Lancome Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara (0.22 oz:ย $27.50) – This has a slightly curved brush, a bit like an S-shape. The brush itself can be a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because its shape can reach and coat the inner corners of the eye which has tiny lashes in it, so it’s quite accurate in that sense. However, its S-shaped brush can also be a challenge as it doesn’t curl the lashes well. Formula-wise, it’s more of a lengthening mascara as opposed to being volumizing.
L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara ($9.99) – This is probably the best affordable mascara you can find nowadays. It’s waterproof, smudge-proof, gives a decent volume and lengthening effect on the lashes, but it’s not that dramatic. It does a good job of evenly separating my lashes with decent volumization, but it doesn’t give me that big fat lashes that I want. However, this is worth looking into if you’re on a tight budget.
Benefit BADgal Bang! Volumizing Mascara (Mini/0.14 oz: $12, Standard size/0.30 oz: $24) – This latest release from Benefit has a nice edgy packaging that looks very unique. This is a good everyday mascara if you don’t care that much about extreme volumization and lengthening effect but prefers a more lightweight substance. I find the formula to be quite wet but not necessarily smudgy, it just takes a while to dry. It’s a 36-hour water-resistant mascara so it might be difficult to remove for some, but for me, it’s not that bad really.ย However, this particular mascara has quite a flimsy brush that a lot of us may not be used to, and can be a turn off for some.
Sisley Paris Mascara So Intense Fortifying Volumizing ($67) – This is probably the most interesting and most unique mascara I’ve ever owned. As you can see in the photo below, the brush looks like no other mascara brush before. It is shaped like a comb with very very tiny bristles. I’ve always been skeptical for its volumizing ability, given its tricky brush shape of course, and also for its exorbitant price. True to my suspicion, and in all honesty, this isn’t the best volumizing mascara in my experience, that is unless of course, if you already have long natural lashes. However, this mascara’s formula and brush applicator really lengthen the lashes and is the best at it. Since the brush itself is very fine, it can really reach into corners and can coat lower lashes, so it’s very accurate. The formula is very long-wearing too and it can withstand extreme humidity without any issue. I took this on a trip to one of the most humid places on earth, and my lashes remained long and coated but not necessarily curled or volumized.
Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara (0.44 oz: $23) – I like this mascara a lot. It’s one of the best in volumizing and lengthening lashes without any fuss. It doesn’t smudge, it’s long-wearing, it delivers, it works, and I really don’t have any issues with it, except that it’s getting harder and harder to find.ย I don’t know if it’s because it’s always in demand or that it’s gonna be discontinued soon. But for me, this is one of the best mascaras in the market that won’t disappoint anyone. It’s similar to Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, and it’s great for anyone with sensitive eyes and for those contact lens wearers.
Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara (Mini/0.21 oz: $14, Standard size/0.32 oz: $26) – I’m actually quite surprised at how much I love this mascara. It’s very volumizing and the formula is also very reliable. In fact, this mascara is at the top of my list as being one of the best. It gives big dramatic long lashes that last for hours and hours without smudging. I can’t complain.
Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara (Mini/0.13 oz: $12, Standard size/0.33 oz: $25) – This is probably my most favorite Lancome mascara as of the moment, and it’s also one of the best mascaras I’ve ever tried. It’s really very volumizing and very lengthening, it’s indeed true to its name. The formula is creamy and it coasts the lashes well, making them big, dramatic, and long. The effect lasts for hours without smudging or clumping. No wonder it’s Allure’s Best of Beauty 2017. Oh, and I love the cute pink accent on its packaging too.
Chanel Le Volume Waterproof Mascara (0.21 oz: $32) – I’ve had a few samples of this mascara before, but I just kinda ignored them because the formula looks goopy and clumpy around the brush. At first, I thought I may have just gotten some bad batch of samples, but one day I decided to try one of them and I was actually impressed at home dramatic and volumized my lashes looked. The formula is not really clumpy and smudgy once you apply it on the lashes. In fact, it actually helps to coat each strand of my lashes in order to make it look thick and full. The result is one super volumized dramatic lashes that makes you look very awake.
YSL The Shock Volumizing Mascara (0.28 oz: $29) – This mascara truly gave me the shock. It’s the best-scented mascara I’ve ever tried, and it really smells good. Apart from that, it’s also very volumizing, lengthening and overall very good in terms of performance and wear time. I like that it curls the lashes very well and you only need one coat to get that very dramatic lash look. This is really awesome and I truly recommend it.
Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme Mascara (0.27 oz: $45) – This mascara is one of the reasons why I love Tom Ford’s makeup products. It’s a very reliable, all-around perfect mascara when it comes to volumizing and lengthening the lashes. It doesn’t smudge, it’s not runny, it’s easy to remove, it doesn’t flake, it withstands humidity, it’s basically perfect, but it’s expensive of course, so if you’re looking for a very good high-end mascara, you won’t be disappointed with this. For me, this is a holy grail. Hallelujah!
Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara (Mini/0.17 oz: $12, Standard size/0.27 oz: $23) – This is the mascara that started my love for mascaras. It’s the best in volumizing, lengthening, and complete lash drama. It’s also great for Asians, or for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of lashes because it really gives you that extra volume to make your eyes look wide awake and poppin’. This can be difficult to remove though, but the pink tube which is the non-waterproof version is a bit easier to take off and it is long-wearing as well. Anyhow, this mascara doesn’t smudge, it’s super reliable, and it’s my favorite mascara of all time.
Hey Everybody! Happy Sunday to you all! For most of my life, I’ve been using powder eyeshadows. I have a few cream ones but for some reason, I always seem to grab my powder eye palettes quite often. I just don’t know why, but I kinda feel like it’s easier for me to use them because I’m used to grabbing a shadow brush and work the colors around my lids. I have cream eyeshadows sure, but I mostly use them during traveling or whenever I’m time constrained. My favorites are the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick (reviewed HERE), Marc Jacobs Twinkle Pop Stick Eyeshadow (HERE), and Chanel Stylo Fresh Effect Eyeshadow (also HERE). I haven’t really tried those creamy eyeshadows in a pot. But anyways, if you follow my IG, you’d know that I recently took a trip to Asia, somewhere humid and warm. Before leaving, I picked up a few Tom Ford Cream Color For Eyes (0.17 oz: $46) and Cream & Powder Eyeshadows ($62). Why these? First, I wanted to test how well these eyeshadows perform under extreme heat and humidity. Second, I’ve had a few mishaps with a couple of powder eyeshadows before that tend to give me lid irritation whenever exposed to high heat and humidity.
So, for a change, a cream eyeshadow would seem really promising, and if it’s Tom Ford, hmmm, oh well, I really expect more. The TF Cream Color For Eyes are lightweight creamy eyeshadows that are extremely pigmented yet are very easy to blend. Knowing that they are creams, they can be layered very easily. The shades in this line are very beautiful metallics that add drama to your eye makeup game. You may or may not need to use a brush for these eyeshadows. I pretty much use the tip of my pinky finger for application and wipe off any mistakes or smudges with any makeup remover towelettes. A tiny bit truly goes a long way with these, so try not to use so much. What I love about these super creamy eye colors are the fact that they’re not only easy and fast to apply, which saves you a lot of time, they can also create a glamorous dramatic eyeshadow effect. I love love love the way my eye makeup looks. The shimmers are naturally fine but they make my lids look naturally gilded and beautiful. It’s like Andy Grammer’s song “Fresh Eyes”. Oh my, I could do a daytime or nighttime eye makeup look with this and still looks very natural and glam.
Lasting power for these Tom Ford Cream Colors is pretty much 10-12 hours or the whole day. They didn’t crease nor smudge on me, zero fallouts (of course) and they didn’t even settle in my lid’s fine lines. Which is a huge surprise for me because they’re cream eyeshadows, yet they didn’t really move around even when I was sweating like crazy due to intense heat and humidity. What I got are bazillion gallons of compliments from people admiring my eye makeup. Another great thing about these is that you can also use just one eye color instead of two or three and still your lids will look bright, pretty, and naturally shimmery.
The Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color are two-tiered pot palettes that are slightly larger than the TF Cream Colors. The powder on top and cream in the bottom will give you the best of both worlds for your eye makeup look. The cream ones are the base colors which are more pigmented than the powder ones. They’re also slightly thicker in consistency compared to the Tom Ford Cream Colors reviewed above. They’re also extremely pigmented, long lasting, heat and humidity resistant, plus easy to blend. The powder eyeshadows on top of the creams are very lightweight, no fallouts and the shimmers are very fine, yet still very shimmery and dramatic enough. These eye colors can be layered easily, you can even mix and match these with the Tom Ford Cream Colors without a problem. Very easy to use and they save you a lot of time. Packaging wise is very practical and smart. You can just untwist the creams from the powders which have a small round mirror attached. Also, all shades of this line are very metallic.
Golden Peach – peachy shimmery powder/metallic salmon
Don’t be fooled by the size of these Tom Ford Cream and Powder eye color pots. They may look small, but a little bit goes a long way, so most likely you won’t be repurchasing these often unless you use it a lot. The only two problems I have with these, are the fact that they’re pricey, and the TF Cream Colors tend to move around the pot because of their creamy texture, especially when you’re traveling to a warm environment. Other than that, I highly recommend these for fast and easy eye makeup application that creates gorgeous and dramatic looks that will last the whole day no matter where you go. I hope TF will release more shades of these soon.
Have you tried these already? which shades do you like?
