Haul| Sephora Spring Sale

The VIB Spring sale brought a 15% glimmer of hope to my dwindling status as a Rouge member of Sephora. Really, I don't think that I'll be able to keep up the glamorous lifestyle of spending boatloads of money on new products and releases every time the seasons change. Nonetheless, I was able to pick up a few new "staples" and a fun lipstick for spring. 

A review should have been up for the new Urban Decay One and Done tinted moisturizer. I'm currently loving the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche formula and want THE ENTIRE LINE THANKS.

Did I mention that the Sephora Lash Applicator ($12) is life? It doesn't retain lash glue and I can place falsies on without shouting expletives at the mirror and cursing the gods.

Also, I'm on my last bottle of Cerave, and my skin needs a more thorough cleanser for night time. I love foaming cleansers for that "squeaky clean" feeling, so I picked up the Too Cool for School Egg Mousse Soap ($20). I'm not sure if it's a stripping soap or not, but my skin has transformed from its usual dehydrated self to a true combination state. 

Delicious skin? Sure. I'm hoping that the egg white extract will help tighten my pores. 

Second, I was really curious to try the OUAI Texturizing Hair Spray ($24) since it is a supposed dupe for the Oribe version (wildly expensive, I don't care that much about my hair.) This stuff feels like a gritty dry shampoo that doesn't make my hair feel "stickier" and adds more body and grip. It's definitely a godsend for 2nd and 3rd day hair. I also think it's a great prep product for curling Asian hair that tends to lose curls. 

Not my biggest haul, but I definitely love everything from it!

xo Be

Review| Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer

The Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer ($14) was an impulse purchase solely due to its affordable price and massive raves across the board. A lot of people compared it to the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. Sadly, I don't think it's the best concealer for several reasons. 

I got the shade Palmier (for MEDIUM?? skin according to Sephora) online and it's much too light. It's probably around a true NC20 or lighter. It's alright under the eyes, perhaps a little too "sculpted, but not bad. However, I have to tell you why I am indifferent about it. 

 It's very thin and sets ultra fast and gives a truly matte finish. Therefore, it creases under the eyes if you have fine lines regardless of copious amounts of under eye primer and/or a quick hand with setting powder. Worse, the doe foot applicator is stiff and small (*snickers*) and doesn't spread or deliver as much product as I'd like. It HURTS to use the wand under the eyes. Ew, no. 

Since it's very matte, it's even worse for active acne spots that are peeling and flaking. I could see it working for hyperpigmentation but it's not as full coverage as say, KA SSE or MAC Prolongwear concealer. Pointless shiet. 

The only way I see this being put to good use is as a face highlighter for contouring purposes. It works on the bridge of the nose, forehead, and chin to highlight in a natural way. I don't highlight very often so this point is moot to me. However, I think its thin consistency works well as a brow sculptor if you're into defining your eyebrows. 

Here are swatches: Maybelline Age Rewind in Neutralizer, Sephora Gel Serum Concealer in Palmier, UD Naked Skin Concealer in Light-Medium Neutral, NARS RCC in Custard. 

The UD is lighter in consistency with similar coverage. The Maybelline is thicker but more emollient with more coverage. It DOES remind me of the NARS RCC with its matte finish, but the cheap doe foot doesn't let you apply or spread as much product. Look at the swatches...it's streaky! 

It's also just as neutral as the UD concealer, but I adore the UD one for under the eyes since that one is very lightweight and blends easily into the skin. 

TLDR: Don't buy it unless you have a shade match and light spots to cover. It's crap as an under-eye concealer. For a cheap all purpose concealer, buy the Maybelline version and save yourself a few bucks. 

xo Be

First Look| Urban Decay

Urban Decay has another product for its Naked Skin collection, and this time, it's a tinted moisturizer product that actually offers coverage! The One and Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector ($34) comes in 6 shades and offers sheer-light coverage with SPF 20 protection. 

I know, I know, I have quite a few of "sheer perfection" products for the summer, but I actually perused the contents of my thinning herd and found ZERO tinted moisturizers for my summer tan. Yerp, my insane brain thought that the Marc Jacobs Remarcable foundation and CoverFX Drops in G40 was a good idea for chill low maintenance humidasfuck summer days. 

A few good points here:

"The benefits of a sheer foundation with the coverage of a tinted moisturizer" = So basically, a tinted moisturizer with the benefits of a tinted moisturizer? Wut. 

"provides all-day wear" = TRUTH. This stuff looks better as the day goes on, and by hour 9, my face doesn't look like it's molten with liquid gold lava sweat. 

"...it transforms the look of your skin!" = I'm not sure about that one, but Urban Decay sure loves to pack skincare into their base products. 

From left to right: UD Naked Skin in 4.0, IT Cosmetics in Light, L'oreal Infallible in Golden Beige, and....Urban Decay One and Done in Medium. I think it's hideously orange in comparison to my current stash, but it's a good fit for NC30-35 AND sheer enough to only make me look falsely tanned at the moment. I took a real shot at getting a FOTD for you, but the coverage really wasn't sheer enough to make me look (not) insane. 

My gripe at this point is the low SPF for the high price point. I personally *love* the coverage of my IT CC cream, but the Medium shade is just too neutral for my olive skin. Meanwhile, it still boasts SPF50 and I can skip my moisturizer and setting powder to frolic carelessly out of the house. 

Still, the One and Done really is one and done. Three full pumps will get me to light coverage that covers redness and hides my dark circles. I can apply it with my fingers or a domed kabuki with no streakiness, and with the right setting powder, the satin finish holds up for an entire day. It doesn't highlight my flakes AND controls my oil. Nice!

xo Be

First Look| Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Powder Highlighter in Aura

 The Afterglow 8 Hour Powder Highlighter in Aura ($26) is one of three stunning powder highlighters released for Urban Decay's Summer 2016 collection.: Aura is a cool pink, Sin is a neutral gold, and Fireball is a light peach. 

All three are super finely milled to the point of feeling like a gel hybrid formula to my fingers. I feel like it's a successful new venture for Urban Decay, whose previous highlighting products were full of chunky glitter and meant for the body. I picked Aura for its unique color considering that my stash of highlighters is full of warm gold and peach tones.

Below is a very faint swatch of the three shades. Aura looks decidedly ashy on my NC30-35 hand, but it shows up as a pink glow rather than full on frost on my cheeks. It actually reminds me of Colourpop Monster, so if you have one you won't need the other. 

It has a soft texture, sort of like a faux gel formula with a spongey-dense feeling when swatched because it's so finely milled. There isn't any cloud of kick up or dust when you swirl a brush into the pan, but just be careful as more is less with this highlighter. The claim of "8 hours of wear" is completely honest and I found that the color held strong from 9AM to 9PM. 

A lot of folks are going crazy for Sin since it's a classic gold, but I love Aura for its bright contrast on my olive skin tone. I can use it as a light and glowing blush or a strategic beam of light on the cheekbones. 

xo Be