Brand Overview: Kevyn Aucoin

Kevyn Aucoin is a brand that I recently discovered and fell in love with, and I feel like it's a brand that deserves more attention than it receives. I love their elegant and understated packaging, and their products just have a super luxurious feel to them.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin is a multi-purpose base product that is my secret weapon for creating a flawless and perfected complexion. You can mix it with your moisturizer or primer to create a tinted moisturizer or use it on its own as a full-coverage concealer. I usually stay away from full-coverage base products as they tend to look cakey on the skin, but this one manages to cover everything flawlessly while still making your skin look like skin. This is without a doubt my favorite base product of all time.

If you've been following me for a while, then you'll know that I have an obsession with cream blushes, and I had to give the Kevyn Aucoin Cream Glow a try after falling in love with their concealer. I have it in the shade Tansoleil, which is the perfect shade of apricot coral color. It dries down to a dewy finish, which helps to give my face an amazing glow. It's also super easy to blend and lasts all day on my oily skin.

Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder is hands down the best bronzer/contouring powder I've ever tried. If you want defined, chiseled cheekbones and a slimmer face, then you have to try this. A lot of bronzers have an orangey undertone which can sometimes make you look like an oompa loompa if you don't use it properly. This one however has a neutral grey undertone which looks super natural and subtle on the face.

As usual, here are the swatches:

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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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Brand Overview: Dior

When it comes to high-end makeup, Dior has got to be one of my favorite brands. Even though their prices are quite up there, I do think that you're getting what you paid for in terms of quality. Dior is known for making very wearable, natural makeup that is great to wear on the daily basis.

Amber Diamond is probably Dior's most popular and hyped up product. It is a powder highlight with very finely-milled shimmers that can be worn both on the face and on the eyes. This is my go-to highlight as it just creates the most beautiful and sophisticated glow that doesn't look tacky at all.

Dior Nude Foundation is my foundation of choice when I want to achieve a flawless yet still natural complexion. It has a medium coverage and dries matte while still making your skin look like it has a glow from within. It is a fluid-based foundation so it has a thin consistency and feels very light on the skin.

Dior Nude Hydrating Concealer has the same concept as the Dior Nude Foundation in that it also feels light and looks very natural on the skin, while also providing good coverage. This is my go-to concealer during the colder months as it is the only concealer I found that won't emphasize my dry patches.

Dior Skinflash is an amazing concealer to use under the eyes to create a bright, glowing look. It has the same concept as the YSL Touche Eclat, but it works so much better. I find that the YSL Touche Eclat barely does anything for my undereyes- it doesn't cover anything and it is not very hydrating so it often settles into my fine lines. Dior Skinflash on the other hand provides medium coverage and cancels out any darkness I have in my undereye eye area. It is also super hydrating and doesn't crease at all.

Dior Addict Lipgloss in #957 is a dark berry red color that is great to wear all year-round. It is very hydrating on the lips and doesn't feel sticky at all. It is pretty pigmented so it can be worn on its own or over other lipsticks, and it makes my lips look super juicy and glossy. Dior Addict Lipstick in #681 Icone is a very wearable pink color that is great for everyday makeup. Again, it makes my lips look super moisturized and hydrated.

In my last skincare post, I mentioned the Dior Creme De Rose as my favorite lipbalm. It just feels super luxurious on the lips and hydrates my lips like no other.

Here are the swatches:

               

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Drugstore Eye Favorites

When it comes to eye products, there are a lot of affordable options at the drugstore that are very comparable to high-end eye makeup in terms of quality, so you definitely don't have to break the bank when it comes to buying eye makeup.

Maybelline Color Tattoos have got to be the longest wearing cream shadows that I've tried, and I've tried a lot over the years including Chanel, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Laura Mercier, Estee Lauder, etc., and nothing compares to Maybelline longevity wise. They can be worn alone, or under other eyeshadows to enhance the pigmentation. The color I have here is Inked In Pink, which is a gorgeous pink color that I like to wear on its own during the summer time for a bright, wide-eyed look.

NYX Single Eyeshadows are great powder eyeshadows from the drusgtore that are super smooth and pigmented. These are great to play around with if you're just starting out with wearing eye makeup and want to find colors that suit you. NYX makes some great matte eyeshadow colors, which are quite hard to come by as most matte shadows from the drugstore are quite sheer. The color I have is Red Bean Pie, which is a purpley mauve color that I like to use in my crease, which looks much more interesting than the typical browns and blacks.

L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadows are a must-have from the drugstore. They are basically the exact dupes for the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Eyeshadows, considering that L'oreal owns Giorgio Armani and both of these eyeshadows are probably made in the same place. These are pressed pigments that are intensely pigmented and give your eyes this wet look when you put them on. The color I have is Bronzed Taupe, which just like its names says is a bronzy taupe color, and I often just wear this on its own because it helps to brighten and define my eyes at the same time.

Milani Shadow Eyez are another type of cream eye product that are great to use for a sheer wash of color all over the eyelids. They are super shimmery and easy to blend, and last pretty well on the eyelids. The color I have is Champagne Toast, which is a peachy champagne color that everyone needs to have in their makeup collection.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliners are super creamy, pigmented and long-lasting. The color Nude is great to use on the lower waterlines to achieve bigger and brighter eyes, and this is the only liner I find that lasts on my waterlines.

Here are the swatches:

 

Last but not the least are the Wet N Wild Palettes, which are amazing value for the money. These eyeshadows are super buttery smooth, and the pigmentation is just out of this world! I pretty much own all of their palettes and single eyeshadows, and shall I say that I like these better than my Urban Decay and Mac eyeshadows? Hard to believe right? The one I have here is called Petal Pusher, and it contains some of my favorite purples and pinks.

Here are the swatches for some of the colors in the palette:

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Current Favorites #3

  

 

So it should come as no surprise to you that I've been super loving this Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow in Tansoleil for the past few weeks, as I've just dedicated a whole post on cream blushes not too long ago. After loving every single product that I've tried from Kevyn Aucoin, I decided to give their cream blushes a go, and I've fallen head over heels for this. It is a beautiful coral color that dries to a dewy finish so it helps to give your face a natural glow. This just makes my face look so healthy and fresh even when I have a bad skin day. I never thought that a blush could make my skin look better, but for some reason it just does.

Here is a closer look at the product:

             

To brighten up my undereye area, I've been using the Clinique Airbrush Concealer. It is super light and moisturising, and it is one of the few undereye concealers I find that don't emphasize my fine lines. It gives me a subtle highlighted effect and makes me look more awake and fresh.

I've been trying out more face oils lately as I find that they make such a big difference to my skin, and I will do a post on them in a few days. Balance Me Radiance Oil is the one I've been really liking lately. It contains loads of good ingredients such as sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil and rosehip oil, just to name a few. This is suitable for all skin types, especially oily and acne-prone skin as the oils really help to decongest the skin and prevent any future breakouts.

To get rid of any product buildups in my hair, I've been using the Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo every other week. I find that sometimes my hair can look really dull and flat just because I use a lot of hair products in my hair, and this just helps to get rid of those nasty residues that normal shampoos can't get rid of. It is a clarifying shampoo so it is meant to be used every week at the most because it can be a bit drying on the hair. I find that this gives so much volume and shine to my hair after I use it, and I can't believe that I didn't discover this product sooner. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

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My Skincare Routine: Eyes & Lips

I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to eyes and lips, so I don't do much besides just making sure that they are moisturized and hydrated. For my nighttime eyecream, I use the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream, which is the only eyecream I've found that truly helps with dry undereye area and fine lines. It is packed with vitamin E and other beneficial nutrients to help to keep your eye area hydrated. I've suffered from fine lines for a few years now, and I've noticed a huge reduction in my fine lines ever since I started using this.

For my daytime eye cream, I use the Lierac Instant Smoothing Gel. It has a cooling sensation when you put it on, which helps with depuffing your eyes. It dries down to a slightly tacky finish, so it also acts as a primer to help any eye makeup that you put on top adhere to your eye lids better. If you have dry skin, you can definitely use this as an eye cream and primer in one, but as I have oily eye lids I still use a primer on top just to be sure.

Since I wear a lot of waterproof mascaras which can be a bit harsh on my lashes, I find that it's really important to take care of my lashes as well. Canmake Lash Care Essence was rated as one of the best selling makeup items in Japan so that's why I decided to give it a try. It contains several types of botanical ingredients which help to nourish your lashes overnight. I've noticed that my lashes look longer and fuller since I started using this.

To exfoliate my lips, I use the Lush Lip Scrub, which is just a typical sugar scrub. There are other ones on the market but this is just what I have on hand. After I've exfoliated, I usually will slather on a thick layer of Dior Creme De Rose Lipbalm, which is a product that's totally worth all the hypes around it. It is packed with vitamin E, essential oils and shea butter, and it is an absolute savior for dry and cracked lips. It just feels so luxurious on the lips and doesn't leave a greasy residue- best lip balm ever! I sometimes also put this on top of my lipsticks which helps to make my lips look fuller and plumper.

If I'm in a hurry in the morning, I usually will slather on the Korres Lip Butter in Pomegranate, which just gives my lips a slightly coral tint. These keep my lips hydrated throughout the day and they also come with several other colors, including a clear one that you can use overnight. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

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