Review| Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Reveal Lifting Foundation

I really wanted to take my time with this foundation review. As I age and become more and more jaded to new beauty products, base products really need several months of trial and error before they can be discussed at length. 

Especially if the foundation in question is the Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Reveal Lift Foundation which will empty $73 whole quids out of ya hard earned monies. At this price point, I really expected miracles and perfect skin and devout male worshipers throwing themselves at my feet.  

It's a hefty and luxurious bottle complete with a pump. I purchased shade #110 Caramel because the few swatches online suggested that it was the most olive of the bunch. Now that I'm looking through the Sephora shade guides, #120 Natural Beige may have been a better match (possibly more olive at the same depth). With that fault aside, it's still a good match for me at NC23-25 and doesn't look too peachy. Also, what was I doing, expecting an olive color from Caramel? D'oh!

Here are swatches in different sources of lighting: Hourglass Illusion Skin Tint, Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation in Light-Medium Sand, BareMinerals Gel Rescue Cream in Buttercream, D&G Lift Foundation in Caramel, IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Light. 

All ranting aside, this is a good foundation for the VERY dry skinned who want coverage and lasting power on top of moisturizing properties. It feels luxurious on the skin: a thick, creamy serum of medium coverage and intense hydration. I definitely cannot use a moisturizing sunscreen underneath (it comes with SPF 25) and apply this on clean or thinly primed skin. I've found that the best method of application is with your fingers or a buffing brush to really push the product into your skin. 

Let me repeat myself: this is for the very dry skinned and mature folks. I consider my skin to be on the drier side of normal for most foundations, but this foundation will look dewy upon application and GREASY by mid-day. Blot. Powder. Do whatever's in your power to delay the process. The foundation WILL slip on the skin as it wears, but won't transfer off and the coverage lasts throughout the day. 

Another thing I want to mention is how it can lift up peach fuzz if you're not careful. I think it's nice to drier skin patches and flaking skin, but it can still look like makeup if you use too much. You really need to blend this one in. For example, I prefer my Hourglass Illusion Skin Tint as it boasts the same ethereal skin/glowing light bulb effect but melds better with my skin. 

I can't say it's life changing for me due to the fact that my skin is much more normalized. However, I do think that there are very few foundations on the market for very dry skin that offers medium to full coverage and a solid 10 hours of lasting power. I think you'll want a sample first to see how this one compares to other base products. 

xo Be

Collection| Bronzers and Contour Powders

I'm a huge fan of bronzing and contouring, especially when the summer comes around and a tanned face doesn't look out of place. On the other hand, contouring is reserved for night time affairs. I can't be walking around in broad daylight with two stripes down my nose!

I have a pretty sizeable collection that I want to share with you, just to show you that not all bronzers and contour powders are shimmery, matte, red toned, or yellow toned, or anything in specific. It really depends on what purpose you're trying to achieve and what flatters you best. 

Let's go from right to left, bottom to top, left to right (mindf*cked yet?) and see what I have. 

Benefit Hoola bronzer: Perfect for NC20-30s who want to contour or bronze up the face. Either way it's a matte brown that's neutral enough for all over or in the hollows of your cheeks.

Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light: This kit comes with a champagne highlighter and is PERFECT for contouring. It's very cheap but not too accessible (I got mine only in a swap...) 

Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette: I always get compliments wearing this palette on my cheeks, and the contour color is very light and can't look harsh. However, the highlighter and blush requires a light hand. 

Bobbi Brown Bronzer in Natural: This is a very red toned bronzer that I find perfect for when I'm NC35-NC45. It looks great all over as it mimics how my skin reacts to being sunburnt. It also looks great as a contour shade as it is on the cooler side. 

Bobbi Brown Blush Palette in Pale Pink and Tawny: Next to Pale Pink, Tawny seems to be a bronzer, at least with my terrible eyesight and lighting in the bedroom. In broad daylight, it's actually a lovely ...tawny color blush. FML. Do NOT use this to contour. 

Dolce and Gabbana blush in Tan: Now this is what you use to contour. It's like a grown up version of NYX Taupe (which I didn't care for and swapped away) but much more flattering and cool. It's almost grey, very subtle, and could probably work for NC/W15 to NC30. I always choose this one to contour my nose. 

Too Faced Bronzer in Chocolate Soleil (Medium/Deep): I used to own its sister Milk Chocolate but found the smell too sweet for my taste and gave it to my mom for a contour. It really does work for a contour, but the scent was diabetic... This one works great for NC30-NC40 me all over or in the hollows of the cheek. Love!

Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Bronzing Veil Tropical Nights (what in the actual hell) bronzer: I like this one, but I haven't had a chance to play with it. I will definitely have to pull it out for this summer. It gives off a "reddish burnt sparkly summer beach babe" vibe. 

Guerlain Terracotta La Selection de L'Ete (another rech betch name eh?): This one is a little too light for my liking, and honestly it looks too fancy for using. I tried it once and it reminded me of a profesh summer cocktail party look or something O_O ...sort of pretty but nothing wild. 

AND LET THE SWATCHES BEGIN: 

From left to right: Hoola, BB Natural, Choco Soleil, KA Celestial, Guerlain, BB Tawny blush (silence! lol), Naked Flushed, D&G Tan, Sleek in Light.

The following pictures were taken in either direct or indirect sunlight. I think it does matter to see how a bronzer will look in dimmer lighting, but it's also a false representation that won't help you choose a good color that looks "non-insane" in sunlight. 

All colors were swatched twice. You can always build color up as desired. No primer. My inner forearm is about...NC25 (the back part is crispy at NC45.) 

This is indoors, with the sunlight behind my arm. Everything is actually hazy to the point where it would work as either bronzer or contour, but the red toned shades are looking cray cray.

This is indirect sunlight, I'm standing right in the doorway under a patio. 

This is another view. I'm indoors, but there's more sunlight. I just wanted you to see the various texture and tones of the bronzers just to get a feel of what could work for you.

Final one, this is outside. See how natural the D&G looks, like a shadow? It's definitely very faint in pigmentation but for good reason imo. Everything else looks absolutely orange in comparison.

I'm pretty happy with my collection at the moment; I don't think it's necessary to expand. After all, I don't even do bronzer on a daily basis especially now in the throes of winter. Well there is sunlight but come on, bronzer in the office doesn't sound right to me. 

My favorite at the moment for contouring is TF Chocolate Soleil, since I think they've taken the scent down a notch since I've last purchased. I also really enjoy Benefit's Hoola at the moment for an all over color, since I find that the new Garnier BB cream I'm trying (while great for oil control) is a tad too light ...so I've been liberal with the bronzers.  

Can't wait for summer when it's appropriate to just be dark. I love both the pale princess and beach babe look on myself. Plus, being tan for me definitely gets more attention from men. Interesting right?

xo Be.  

Haul| Sephora VIB Sale (Guerlain, Bulgari, Dolce and Gabbana, Hourglass, YSL, etc)

This is the culmination of my shame. And guess what? My Guerlain Meteorites hasn't even arrived!

While I shell out here and there for mid-range items throughout the year, Sephora's VIB sale presented itself as an opportunity to haul massively overpriced and high end items. Why not? 20% off really counts when the item is over 50 bucks, and you best believe others thought the same. I had a little help from a few gift cards and store credit cards. Also, I made VIB Rouge status (so shameful) and won't be buying until next January when the hype around Naked 3 has died down.

 I went in stores for my first batch and the store was swarming with women buying Christmas gifts early and others grabbing limited edition items like it was a Walmart food aisle during a zombie apocalypse. It was embarrassing, and I partook in it, snatching the last Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette and hurriedly stuffing it into my cart. I do regret not buying the Laura Mercier's Artist Palette for 2013, but that's another sob story involving my complete undecided-ness and lack of passion for purple.

Warning, this post is heavily heavy with heavy swatches and pictures. 

I picked up the last Bulgari Jasmin Noir EDP for her and Dolce and Gabbana The One cologne for him. Lovely for the upcoming winter, as both smell musky and work well fireside and cuddling.

Next, I hauled Koh Gen Do Aqua foundation in OC-2 (perfect for NC25-NC30), a full sized Hourglass No.28 Serum primer (not pictured, but I do have the sample), D&G Blush in Tan, and an Illamasqua Blush Brush for contouring.

From left to right: NARS Gypsy, YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in Violet Incognito, and UD Revolution in Native.

Sorry for the blurry picture, I wanted to zoom in some more.

Under natural lighting. It's rather overcast at the moment.

Under fluorescent lighting. 

Below, the amazingly overpriced Guerlain Ecrin Couleurs in Les Fumes, Shiseido eyelash curler, and Lancome Cils Booster XL lash booster.

The first four are swatches of the Les Fumes. The color on the outer right is D&G blush in Tan.

And finally, the piece de resistance, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette and single in Ethereal Light.

From left to right: Ethereal, Radiant, Incandescent, and Dim Light. All under unflattering fluorescent lighting.

Another view. Notice how Ethereal looks rather pale and matte, perfect for a setting powder. These are built up at 3 passes.

 That's all for today, I want to do a very in depth review for most of the individual items in my haul, because I happened to pick up a lot of great finds. I'm very impressed with a lot of the things in my find, especially since they have to live up to the expectation of their pricetags. I'm expecting Guerlain Meteorites in Teint Beige this Monday, and that will be another post for you to see. It's pretty exciting to own so many shiny, sparkly, velvet wrapped things with a brand name like Guerlain!

 I'm also looking to do a review of the Vice 2 palette, if that horse hasn't already been beaten to death with a blunt cudgel. Have a lovely day!

Be