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| Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer in R30

Have you seen the hype on the new MUFE Ultra HD Concealers ($27)? I'm sure everyone who's anyone and their mom received the full collection for review. 

As I am only a lowly plebe, I picked up R30 for review. There are 10 total shades in R (for correcting peach and pink tones) and Y (for yellow brightening tones). I believe these are meant to be under-eye concealers that can be used on blemishes as well. You should be careful when picking out your shade, as these concealers actually cater to very fair skin. Their light-medium colors are truly light colors in any other line. I picked R30 for my NC20-25 winter skin, but R32 is much more orange and perfect for me at NC25-35. 

I did purchase Y23, but it was much too light for a "light-medium" shade and seemed to match NC15-20 skintones. I mean, it was HELLA brightening, but I also looked like a reverse raccoon in the mirror. Y31 seems to be much darker and more olive (around NC27-32!)

Much less is more with this concealer which offers a tidy squeeze tip. One dot is perfect for both eyes...seriously. 

Here's the shade on my hand which is around NC25-30. It seems light and pink, but looks more neutral-peach on my skin. 

To recap for those who can't believe the hype: it's real. The packaging is sanitary and compact. You have a great range of colors that can correct, conceal, or highlight. The formula is ultra lightweight (comparable to the Urban Decay Naked Skin concealers) but with more coverage (think NARS RCC) which makes it a match in heaven for those with creases/fine lines AND discoloration to conceal. They also don't set immediately, so you have some time to layer or set your concealer with a powder if needed. If you're wary of the tiny tube size, just know that a little goes a very long way. 

As for the wear? Phenomenal. I noticed minimal creasing (because, let's be real, I have fine lines under the eyes that won't plump up no matter how much sleep I get) and absolutely no fading under the eyes. However, I wouldn't say that this is tacky enough for blemishes and hyper-pigmentation on the face unless you set it down well. I always dot the excess on my chin, and with my slovenly eating habits, any base products will slide right off after a meal.

If you're in the market for a brilliant under-eye concealer that doesn't look heavy and cakey or lacking in opacity...this is it!

xo Be

Review| Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Concealer

Although they say that spot concealing is almost always more natural than an all over foundation, I still prefer wearing an ultra-light coverage foundation rather than pin pointing my many many little spots and flaws. 

My undereyes are also very dry, making it nearly impossible to find a concealer that won't settle into fine lines and make me look old and haggard. A light weight foundation usually cancels out the redness from my allergies so that I can forego a heavy duty concealer. 

That's why I thought the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Concealer ($28) would be too similar to the cult favorite NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and look too thick under the eyes. Not only that, the shade range of 8 colors didn't seem like they leaned warm or light enough for most who like a highlighted look.

Light Warm would be a good match for me at NC20, but I don't see any paler girls getting a decent highlight. Boo. I ended up choosing Light-Medium Neutral which leans relatively warm anyway and matches my skin at NC30. I had swatched in stores several times and found the colors too ashy and too neutral on my hand, but my hand has a tendency to oxidize products. 

Bwaha, these are truly weightless. My bad, Urban Decay. The doefoot applicator glides the perfect amount of product (it's bendy and flexible) under the eyes or on to your blemishes. It is not the MOST opaque formula that I've seen but they are very friendly. The only other concealer that works under my crepey eyes is the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer, which has maximum opacity but can get very creamy and thick. 

The Naked concealer? Perfect for moderately sleepy, red, irritated, and tired eyes. I don't have to set with a powder in order to have it stay throughout the day. Sometimes my foundation will fade by 6-7 hours but my under eyes remain bright and covered. 

If you can find a shade match, don't hesitate to try this one. 

xo Be 

Edit| Orange Correctors for the Undereye

With stress, lack of sleep (or rather, waking up earlier than 10 AM), and allergies I've been experiencing major dark circles and fine lines. And I don't mean cute panda circles or aegyo-sal puffy eyes shit... I mean vampiric bruised looking eyes.  

I held off for a while considering how time consuming it would be to add a step to my routine. Correct, conceal, and then powder? Ain't nobody got time... but I sucked it up and went out trolling the interwebz for suggestions.
 

Pink neutralizers looked ashy and yellow brighteners did nothing to address the dark purple bruising, but basic color theory (okay, the internet, I'm not that smart) told me orange will neutralize blue and purple tones in olive skin.

 

 

I picked up the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach ($23) and Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in 02 ($39) to test against each other. One is a creamier texture while the other dispenses with a wand from a tube due to its liquid-y consistency. If these two options are out of your budget, NYX also does a dupe for around 8 bucks.

 

 

 

{Bobbi Brown Corrector: For extra dark circles apply Corrector up to the lashline and into inner corner of eye. Layer with Creamy Concealer. Apply powder over concealer to set.}

The BB version feels like any other creamy concealer. It's slightly tacky, thick, but emollient. The tiny packaging makes it easy to pop in your purse and go. I found it very opaque to the point that it needed to be applied first before foundation or concealer, otherwise risking red panda mode.

Many have complained that while it does a great job of making them not looking like a Walking Dead extra, it is so thick that it will crease into any fine lines if you have them. I didn't notice this, but I do have two very pronounced lines (wow, caught myself a break) under each eye. This corrector neither made them more or less obvious. 

 

The Giorgio Armani version looks very modest but costs twice as much. Seriously, couldn't they have done a glass packaging with a rubber cap to make up for the ridiculous price tag? It looks drugstore as f*ck. 

 

In any case, you use a brush tip to draw some product under the eyes. I don't like how much it can draw on at one time but it's a mess to remove some product on the side of the tube. I like making quick brush strokes and then blending with my ring finger.

The consistency is liquidy without being drippy, and it's very opaque for how lightweight it feels. At the same time, it is very natural looking on the skin and doesn't require you to slap some more concealer on top or apply it under your foundation. It doesn't have a slip to it meaning the corrector won't just slide off if you don't set it.

With both being set by a powder I found that the Armani had slightly better staying power and thus coverage throughout the day. Figures, right? However, the difference in performance was negligible considering the cost and you can definitely rely on Bobbi Brown if your undereyes aren't dry or cracked. 

 

xo Be

Review| Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer

While there isn't a mass market hype for the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer ($48), I've been meaning to get my hands on it for the longest time. Its portable size, ultra-pigmented formula, and a color range that caters to yellow-toned skin meant that it could be a holy grail for me as it is for other bloggers. 

I've heard that this little pot of wonders is the most pigmented concealer you could ever use and a great medium to mix with your daily face lotion to become a tinted moisturizer. Seeing it online I couldn't help but wonder if the texture and consistency was on the thicker side, making it harder to use as a regular foundation. 

The first ingredient is mineral oil which can freak a lot of people out but does no harm to my skin.

While SX06 looked to be the perfect match for my winter complexion (NC25-30, neutral yellow) I chose SX08 in order to match the rest of the seasons. It looks to be NC30-35 with very strong yellow tones. 

The product itself was surprisingly creamy to the touch but harder to spread as expected. Many others have suggested mixing with a lotion or blending the foundation out right after you apply your mositurizer, which I whole-heartedly agree with for sanity purposes. If you use a stippling brush to apply you will have an insanely hard time blending it thoroughly unless you put it on right after lotion. 

Spot concealing is a whole lot easier. You just need to dip your finger in and take as little product as you can (maybe "dip" is the wrong word.) If you think it's too little product, it's too much. Because of the nature of this product you will definitely feel it on the skin if you don't take the time to blend well. 

It's ultra opaque and can easily looked caked on if done wrong. Because it is so opaque I would suggest getting color matched or going online and stalking swatches before placing an order. I don't have a Kevyn Aucoin counter anywhere close by so I had to fervently look for swatches to see which color would work best.

Again, this product is not a slap-n-go for the laziest of people. I think that if you are truly blessed with great skin all you need is a little dab for a few blemishes or red spots. I also think it makes a great under-eye concealer for those struggling with severe darkness and discoloration. 

In my excitement I smooshed my finger into the pot to get a feel for the texture. If you're paranoid of germs go ahead and use a product spatula to pick up the right amount. The pot is so adorable and tiny but with how little you need at one time I foresee this lasting me a few years. Seriously, some people use it every single day and it still lasts them a year at a time.

This picture is more true to life for the color of the product. 

Now, though all claims of multipurpose hold true, I really wanted to test out the product for how it wears on the skin. The finish of the Sensual Skin Enhancer is satin, almost matte which makes it ideal for drier to normal skin types to exfoliate and prep well. I found that it did slightly cling to a dry patch but didn't make any textural issues seem obvious and unsightly. However, my skin certainly felt tighter than with a traditional liquid foundation.

It also wears like iron. By the time I went to take it off at night (after 8 solid hours) my makeup towelette seemingly took off five pounds of base products even though I used an eighth of a pea sized amount. There's no transferring or sliding of the product once it's set on the skin. If you want to set it with powder I advise you do so lightly to maintain a natural look. Products easily cake on the sides of my nose but I noticed no bunching or caking with this product when used with a cautious hand.

Here is how SSE looks when used as an all over foundation. The overall effect is natural and pretty but you can still see the darkness under my eyes along with some minor spots and flaws on the skin. For every day I don't mind this finish at all. The color match is excellent and my face doesn't look like it's carrying a bunch of product.

Now to take things up a notch. I went back in with a Real Techniques Detail Brush and a pin-sized amount of product for several spots of the face. I concentrated on taking out the redness around my nose and the few dark spots on my face. I also put a sizable amount under my eyes to completely knock out the darkness. I looked almost airbrushed!

In honesty, it reminds me of my MUFE Full Cover but looks much more natural when used alone as a concealer. There's a huge learning curve involved when it comes to picking up the right amount of product. 

For normal/combo to oily skin, this stuff is a dream. I wouldn't brave it alone for dried skin gals. With my skin, I get the best results when I mix with Hourglass No. 28 Serum (thanks to a rec on MakeupAlley!) Here is how it looks mixed (one pump hydrating primer and one rice grain of SSE. The result is so seamless and blends in perfectly with the rest of my chest and body.

Once you overcome this it becomes the most skin-like base you can ever have. It feels relatively light, covers every hyper-pigmentation (yup, even dark purple spots), and doesn't cake or transfer in the process. All of that for years to come.

In my book, winning!

xo Be

First Look | MAC MUFE NARS

Summer is here! I do have a few items from a recent haul to show you, and since these are mostly new to me, I'd like to also give you my first impressions of the products.



This is my small after-vacation haul. I planned to pick up a few thicker opaque concealers for dark spots, as I don't have dark circles unless I have been up for 2 days straight. Even then, I am fortunate enough to not deal with severe raccoon eyes. I do have Maybelline's Age Rewind concealer in Medium, but I suspect it is for undereyes as the formulation is not as creamy and stay put as I like for acne scars and blemishes. I also picked up Makeup Forever's Aqua Rouge out of curiosity and their iconic HD Foundation in my summer shade. Lastly, thanks to recs from essiebutton, I decided to give MAC'S Crosswires a chance.





This is MAC's Studio Finish concealer in NC30. I like that it's in a pot, but this could get unhygienic very quickly. The color match is spot on, the formulation is thicker than cake batter, and it seems to cover everything with ease. This retails for 18 dollars.





Next is NARS's Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger. The lighter choice seems like a perfect match for NC25, but I already have a concealer for the winter. This color is also a great match for NC30-NC35, and I believe it can be used as both an undereye or blemish concealer. The formulation is a creamy liquid that is not too thick and spreads easily on the face. The doe foot applicator is precise, and the packaging is very purse friendly. This retails for 28 dollars. Yikes!





This is Crosswires from MAC. Yowza, it's a bright watermelon pink! I expected much less pigmentation from a Cremesheen formula, but it's a pleasant surprise. This color fares better alone on the face, being much more pigmented and brighter than I thought. It retails for 15 dollars.





This needs no further introduction; it is Makeup Forever's HD Foundation in N123. I am usually N120 in the wintertime (for NC20 to NC25) but I needed a much darker shade for my new tan. 123 actually looks much darker and more golden than 127 while they are the same shade. I would say this fits an NC30 to NC35. I have had a great experience with this foundation especially for photography. It is a thin formula with medium coverage and long lasting capabilies. Sadly, it retails for 42 dollars.







Lastly, this is MUFE's Aqua Rouge in 18. I would say that this is the high end equivalent of the drugstore color/gloss duo pens. However, the gloss is very hydrating and essentially seals in the color for hours. My one gripe is that the product smells like artificial lychee glue. Nasty. On the positive side, 18 is a wonderful coral-orange that is lovely for summer. This sucker lasted through a meal at a burger joint. And if you know me, I don't eat my burgers like a lady. If you want long lasting shine and color that won't dry out your lips, this is absolutely wonderful if you can stand the smell. This retails for 24 dollars.

That is it for my first look post, I hope you found it helpful. If you would like an in depth review on any of the products above, please leave a comment and let me know!
I also have made a recent, mind BLASTING discovery and would love to share that with you if you're interested. It involves a very inexpensive brush...

Anyway, have a nice days guys! I'm back to packing my things for a move to LA and donating old clothes/shoes to Goodwill. I'm not sure if anyone wants to take my makeup, but I could have a blog sale if that's a way to get rid of the clutter.

Bye!