Brand Overview: Laura Mercier

Laura Mercier is a brand that I have a love-and-hate relationship with. I love the brand because they make some of my all-time holy grail makeup products, but I also hate it because I can't seem to get on with some of their products that so many people rave about. I find that their products are either a hit or a miss for me.

I guess I'll start off by talking about my favorite products from Laura Mercier. If you've been following me for a while, then you'll know that the Laura Mercier Mineral Powder is my absolute favorite powder of all time. It gives buildable coverage and yet manages to look incredibly natural on the skin. Sometimes when my foundation is looking cakey, I put this on and everything just blends together and looks like skin. It is seriously the best powder I've ever found.

Another favorite of mine is the Secret Brightening Powder, which is a setting powder for the undereye area. I have super dry undereye area and I find that regular powder just dries it out even more and always makes it look super cakey. This powder sets my undereye area without making it look dry or cakey, and never settles into my fine lines. It has micro light-reflecting pigments in there to really help to brighten and illuminate the undereye area to make you look more radiant and awake.

Another favorite from Laura Mercier that I actually got after I took this photo is the Second Skin Cheek Color in Lush Nectarine. I have a lot of peachy coral blushes, but this one is definitely one of my favorites. The texture is velvety soft, and it blends seamlessly into the skin and just makes you look like you have a flush from within.

Laura Mercier Cavier Sticks are great to have if you like easy, fuss-free makeup. They're super easy to just sweep on your lids in the morning, and makes your eye makeup look amazing without having to put too much effort into your eye makeup routine. These are super pigmented, easy to blend, and last well on the lids.

Now time to talk about some un-favorites. The Laura Mercier Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder claims to control shine and keep the skin matte throughout the day, however it did not keep me matte at all. After the first two hours, my face started to look oily, and I really don't see the point of using this because it's translucent so it doesn't provide any coverage, and it does set my makeup but there are definitely better and cheaper setting powders out there that do the job just as well as this.

The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and Foundation Primer are probably two of their most well-know products and I know that a lot of people love them, but I was pretty disappointed in them. I can see the tinted moisturizer being great for people with dry skin and for people who already have great skin, but for me this didn't provide any coverage at all, and usually starts to slide off my face mid-day even when I use a primer and a setting spray. The primer is pretty average; it makes my makeup last longer but that's about it, it doesn't hide my pores and isn't as smoothing as some of my other primers.

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Current Favorites #9

I recently got the Guerlain Terrocota Bronzing Powder as a birthday present to myself and I've using it nonstop. This is a luxury item so it's not something that everyone needs, but it is nice to have if you have the money to splurge on a high-end bronzer. It is incredibly natural looking on the face, probably one of the most natural looking bronzers I own, and blends seamlessly into my skin.

My go-to lipstick recently has been the Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in Riviera, which is a gorgeous orangey red color. It is one of those lipsticks that goes on quite sheer to give you a natural tint, but you can also build it up to a quite bold color. It feels super creamy and moisturizing on the lips and reminds me a little bit of the the Revlon Lip Butters, except that this feels more comfortable on the lips and lasts longer.

I recently found these Smashbox eyeshadows in my local Winners for super cheap, so I quickly grabbed them because I've always wanted to try out some Smashbox eyeshadows. The single I have is in the color Minx, which is the most unique taupe color I've ever seen. It has both a purply tone and a bronzy tone depending on the light that you're looking at it under. It has definitely been my favorite crease color as of late.

The trio I have is in the color Screen Shot, which is the perfect combination of eyeshadows to create a neutral everyday look. It consists of a matte light brown color, a bronzy gold color, and a dark brown with goldern shimmers. These are super pigmented and easy to blend, and I really have nothing bad to say about them. I'm definitely interested in trying out more Smashbox makeup in the future!

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Brand Overview: Benefit

First of all, can we just admire at the adorable packagings from Benefit? I feel like Benefit probably has the cutest packaging on the market, which makes me love their products even more. I did not realize the amount of product I had from Benefit until I started to gather products for this post. Most of these are loves, but I do have a few misses unfortunately.

Benefit Fake Up Concealer is my latest purchase from Benefit, and what drew me to this is the fact that it's supposed to be super hydrating. I suffer from super dry undereyes and I find that most concealers tend to accentuate the fine lines in my undereye area and make them look cakey. This Benefit concealer is super unique in that it has the concealer in the middle and a layer of hydrating balm on the outside so it helps to keep your undereye area hydrated throughout the day. It doesn't have the highest coverage so I wouldn't recommend it to people with serious dark circles, but if you're like me where you just want a bit of hydration and brightening then this is perfect for you. This looks super natural and does not crease or settle into fine lines.

Benefit Watts Up Luminizer is a peachy champagne highlight that helps to impart a sun-kissed glow on your face. The fact that it's in a stick form makes it super easy to apply and blend out.

Benefit They're Real Mascara was a miss for me, unfortunately. I tried it several times and just found that it did nothing for my lashes and even weighed down my curls. I know it's a favorite of many people but it just did not work out for me.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer is definitely one of my favorite bronzers of all time. I'm the type of person who has to wear bronzers all the time because I have a pretty chubby face, and this one from Benefit looks super natural on the face and helps to make my face look more defined and chiseled. It has a grey undertone so it won't look too orangey or muddy on the face.

Benefit Porefessional was one of the first primers that I purchased and I used to love it, but after trying out so many primers over the years I found that it was just mediocre. I feel like there are much better primers on the market and this one is just overhyped. At the moment I'm just trying to use it up but I probably won't be repurchasing it.

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Buckle Bunny is a must-have if you're a neutral shadow lover. It's the most gorgeous shimmery rosy taupe color that's super soft and easy to blend out, and lasts well on the eyes. I love using this shadow for the single-shadow look because it is one of those shadows that just has so many dimensions to it, so you can wear a sheer layer all over the lids and build it up in the outer corner.

Benefit Highbeam is another great luminizer from Benefit. It's a pinky beige highlight that comes in a liquid form so you can use it alone or mix it with your foundation to create a dewy complexion.

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Current Favorites #5

One of my summertime skincare staples is the Murad Oil-Control Mattifier, and I can't believe that I haven't mention it on my blog before because it is what I absolutely swear by in the summertime to keep my oily skin at bay. It is the only thing that will keep my face from looking like a oil slick throughout the day, and I've pretty much tried every single oil-controlling or mattifying product on the market.

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Brand Overview: Chanel

Chanel products are known for their gorgeous packaging and even though a lot of their products are over-priced, I do find that some of their products are so uniquely made that you won't be able to find from any other brands, and so from time to time I do splurge on some of their products.

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Brand Overview: Stila

In this brand overview post, I'm reviewing the brand Stila, which has quickly become one of my favorite brands for buying color makeup. Their makeup are really high quality and their prices are on the more affordable side in high-end makeup.

Stila In The Light Palette is definitely one of my favorite palettes in general. It consists of a collection of matte and shimmery shades, and you can create looks from natural everyday to smokey night-out looks. All of the colors are super pigmented and easy to blend.

Stila Kitten Eyeshadow is probably Stila's most well-known product and it's been super hyped up over the years. It's the most gorgeous shimmery champagne color that works to instantly brighten your eyes, and works well with all skin tones; it's an absolute staple in my makeup collection . You can wear it as an inner-corner highlight or swipe it all over your eyelids for a simple everyday makeup.

I've mentioned the Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera before in my cream blushes post. It a beautiful coral color that's a must-have for the summer time because it helps to instantly create a healthy, dewy complexion, and acts as a blush and highlight in one.

Stila Long Wear Lipcolor in Daring is something that I bought on a whim during the winter time when I wanted a darker lipcolor. It's this oxblood red color that's super in for the fall and winter. It goes on pretty smooth and moisturizing, and as it dries it stains your lips and lasts all day throughout meals without being drying on the lips. I'm definitely planning on going back and picking up more colors from this range.

Here are the swatches for Kitten, Gerbera and Daring:

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Current Favorites #1

I want to start this new segment on my blog where I talk about my current favorite beauty products. Although I'm constantly trying out new beauty products, I do want to make sure that I use a product for at least two weeks before I mention it on my blog, so I will try to do these posts every other week.

First up is Buxom Lipcream in Berry Blast, which is probably the only lip gloss that I wear on a daily basis. It glides on the lips buttery smooth and doesn't feel sticky at all. It is extremely pigmented and can be worn alone. This is great for those of you who want bigger lips because it will make your lips look super juicy, glossy and moisturized. It also has a slightly tingly sensation when you put it on, which doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. Berry Blast is a gorgeous hot pink color and I definitely want to go back and pick up more shades. I used to hate lip glosses, but this has me totally converted.

The Clarins Evermatte Foundation is an oil-free foundation that gives medium coverage yet still feels light and natural on the skin. Clarins is a brand that never lets me down; all of their products that I've tried so far have been super impressive and this one is no exception. This is definitely gonna be my go-to foundation for the summer.

The Dollywink Volume Mascara is my newly found holy grail mascara. For many years, I relied on the Kiss Me Long & Curl Mascara as my go-to mascara; it is extremely waterproof and smudge-proof, which is just a godsend for my extremely oily eyelids. Personally, I find that Asian mascaras in general are better at being smudge-proof and waterproof than a lot of the Western mascaras. I have to say that the Dollywink mascara is just a little bit better at giving my lashes length and volume than the Kiss Me mascara does, while still being waterproof and smudge-proof. I still wear the Kiss Me one for everyday just because it looks more natural, but if I'm going out or if I just want my eyes to look extra big, I will go for the Dollywink one.

This is a fiber mascara which I prefer because the fibers really help to lengthen my lashes. It has a pretty big wand with a small tip, which helps to get to the really hard-to-get corners of your eyes. You can find this on Ebay or any other Asian beauty sites for around $15.

Turquoise has been the IT color this spring and summer; I've been seeing it everywhere from the runways to magazines. Dior and Lancome have both came out with a turqoise liner in their latest spring collections, and I've been coveting them for a while, but I wasn't about the spend almost $30 on an eyeliner. So I did a little search online and stumbled onto the Holika Holika Waterproof Eyeliner in Emerald Green, which is only $6 on Ebay. Color-wise, it is an exact dupe of Dior's Diorshow Liner in Aqua Green. It's also super creamy and pigmented, and lasts all day on both my upper lash line and my waterline. This will just give your makeup a bright pop of color that's super on-trend for the spring and summer.

Since the weather has been getting warmer, I've been opting for more simple makeup. I've just been wearing Benefit's Buckle Bunny all over my eyelids lately. It is a beautiful shade that has so many dimensions to it. When worn sheerly, it gives your lids this beautiful rosegold color; when you build up the color, it looks more like a warm bronzy brown. What I do is that I put a sheer layer all over the lids and build the color in the crease. This color works to brighten and define your eyes at the same time.

Here are the swatches:

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