MAC | Face & Body Foundation

'Sup, guys! I bring you a foundation review, this time MAC's F&B Foundation. Now, this took the blogging scene by storm almost two years ago. People were raving how amazing it is and how they loved the finish of it. When it originally came out I was in no way wearing foundation. I didn't know how and hated the feel of it. However, lately I only wear foundation or BB creams on a day to day and I go without powder. With this I got intrigued with the thought of trying this foundation since it's said to be light and water based, so I decided to give it a go. 

The foundation itself is $33 for 120mL, which is very good for a high end brand foundation. If you're looking for a full coverage foundation than steer clear from this one because this foundation gives a very, very light coverage. It has a very watery consistency which blends well to the skin. One pet peeve I have is that it's not matte but I knew this when I bought it. If you have oily skin then you shouldn't even look at this foundation. It gives a very dewy wet look that us normal to oily skin types can barely tolerate let's not even mention oily skins. It's a very hydrating foundation which is to be expected, and it feels very light on the skin. As for lasting, it lasts about 6 to 8 hours on my skin with primer. The foundation itself is not something out of this world and it's not that amazing to me but I do like it. It's a product I don't regret buying but wont buy again when I finish mine. I'll just stick to more matte foundations from now on.

Clarins | Natural Lip Perfector

Hello, lovelies! I bring you a quick an honest review of a product that took the blogging world by storm and everyone was dying to get their hands on it. Clarins' Natural Lip Perfector in Apricot Shimmer. Now, I've read and heard so much about this, how much people loved it and how they had to have it in all (3) colors. Naturally, I was intrigued I mean I love lip products and trying new stuff out. After looking into it I decided to actually check it out and get it. 

First off, this lip gloss goes for about $21, which is okay as far as high end products go. After using this for a couple of weeks I must say I like it but there are more cons than pros. You have one color you have them all and although you see a color pay-off when swatched on your hand they all go the same on the lips. So, is getting all (3) colors worth it? Not in my opinion. Moving on, these babies are said to reduce the lines that form in between the lips and although it does soothe them it does not reduce them for me. My lips are very stubborn and rebellious and only behave when I wear this or my NUXE balm. However, this lip gloss smells to die for! It smells ridiculously good and vanilla-y. Would I buy it again? No. Do I regret getting it? No, I don't. Should you get it? I say try it out first and then proceed to get it if you liked it!

KORRES | Lip Butter Glaze Trio

 I have my camera back, hooray! Whilst searching Marshalls I found these Korres Lip Butter Glaze Trio for only $10. I'm getting into lip butters lately since I just can't bother with lipsticks because of the heat. Although these are pretty close to a lipgloss, and we all know I hate lip glosses, these aren't goopy and they give my lips much needed moisture. They don't go on highly pigmented, just a subtle flush of color but I don't mind that. I would mind it if I would have bought them on full price, but that's not the case here. These are also good for putting on top of maybe a more drying lipstick if it matches the color. Overall, I like these and since they're so small they're very portable and don't take up much space. As for buying them? Hey, if you find them in Marshalls or TJ Maxx then by all means try them.

Jasmine | Pomegranate | Rasberry

Korres | Wild Rose Moisturizer

 More samples! I'm sorry I haven't shown bigger products this week but as I said, I don't have my camera with me so I'm just using some pictures I took already. Anyway! Regardless of havin the camera or not I did try out more of the things I got with the 500point system at Sephora. I decided to try out the Korres Wild Rose Moisturizer. I really wish I had gotten a bigger sample to be able to try it more than twice but such is life. I wasn't too fond of the smell of this but it was tolerable. I wore this in the morning before applying any make up and at night before sleeping. During the day I didn't notice anything special about it, it was an average moisturizer that happens to be a bit expensive for my taste. However, at night it felt really good and when I woke up I didn't look tired or dull. My skin did have a brightness to it that I was definitely digging. I'd buy the bigger size if I could, I'm having issues with committing myself into buying it (just like I can't commit to buy NARS Laguna). Who knows, maybe I'll buy it one day. But I can't deny that I did see a nice result when I woke up. Do any of you have this? Any thoughts?  

Korres | Antiageing Primer

"Powerful treatment and skin-perfecting face primer in one that instantly fills up wrinkles and provides a very smooth and perfected skin surface, ensuring long lasting make up application."

I got this Korres primer on a 500 point bag I got from Sephora and was eager to try it since I don't tend to buy face primer when I finish the ones I have. It's a tester that has 10mL of product and you truly don't need much to cover the whole face. The packaging, like most Korres products, is lovely and makes my inner graphic designer squeal. In all honesty, I'm not an all knowing Korres person, I have their tinted lip balm and that's it, so trying out the primer was pretty exciting. Now, on to the review.

The product application is simple and easy. It applies evenly and feels velvety soft. There's no distinct smell to the product which I greatly appreciate. For a primer, it does it's job. My make up stays in place for as long as I have it on (usually 4-6 hours) and I don't feel overly oily around my T zone. It's light weight on my skin which is also a plus. However, it didn't have anything that stood out to me making me want to purchase the full product which is $33. I find it expensive and it doesn't do anything that makes me justify that price. I mean, if it were an Hourglass primer I'd be the first to buy it since those primers are to die for, but this one just doesn't make me want to get up and get a full one. It's good but nothing special. I'm definitely grateful I have it, since I ran out of primer, but I'm not purchasing the full one. But, it's definitely a primer you can try out if you want something light weight and low maintenance. 

Skin Care Weekend

This weekend has been dubbed Skin Care Weekend by my best friends. We're spending a relaxing long weekend away from the city and are enjoying a skin care filled time. Everything from, masks, cleansers to scrubs we have it all. These are the products we've used today and I'm digging them all, especially the clay mask. I'm definitely taking notes for future skin care shopping. We've decided to take a day out of every weekend to indulge in a bit of a spa treatment. What do you guys use to maintain a healthy skin?  

Wishlist

Wishlist by ivonnefg featuring clarins makeup

Dara Ettinger stackable jewelry
charmandchain.com

NARS Cosmetics bronzing powder
nordstrom.com

Chanel bronzing powder
$46 - debenhams.com

Burberry eyeshadow
nordstrom.com

Clarins makeup
$40 - johnlewis.com

MAC Cosmetics blush
nordstrom.com

This is my current wishlist and I truly hope to get all of this bit by bit. Wishlist suck...

MAC Heavenly Creature Light Year MSF

 Most of you may have already heard or seen MAC's new MSF collection: Heavenly Creature. I first say the collection in one of Allurabeauty's youtube channel where she shows the whole collection plus swatches. Overall, I liked only a few of the collection from seeing them in the video. One of the MSF, Light Year, stood out the most to me and I decided to check it out. When actually getting to the store a couple of weeks later I made one mistake...I didn't have enough time to wander around and see. All of this was rushed and that's a huge no-no with products (especially expensive ones). We need time to see, feel, swatch and think and I went from seeing to buying. Now, I'm not saying I regret my buy, 70% of me is happy I got it, but I should have taken my time.

 Here's the thing, the whole collection is gorgeous. I know not all of it swatches how it's supposed to but overall it is good. My problem with Ligh Year is it has way too many gold sparkles in it. You need to be really light handed when applying it or it just looks unnatural! I swear, I was so overwhelmed when I first applied it. Don't get me wrong, I love the peachy color it gives me. When you get beyond the gold shimmer you get a really healthy fresh glow, but the gold shimmer plays a huge roll on this. I'm kinda hoping the gold shimmer doesn't go all the way through the bottom... Sad, I know. Apart from that, I do love the color on me sans the shimmer. Not a huge disappointment and at least I can walk at night knowing I wont get run over since I have reflectors on my cheeks, right? Silver lining! Have any of you gotten any of the other products?

Arbonne

 Hey, guys! Recently I was sent some testers from Arbonne to try them out and write a review. Now, I barely knew about Arbonne and was really excited to try the products out. Arbonne is an anti-aging, skin and body care, cosmetics company based on botanical principles. They have a vast range of products that suit both adults and young adults and they promote a healthy body all around. I was sent (6) products in total and after a few weeks of using each one here is my reviews:

Purifying Cleanser + Toner- I really enjoyed this cleanser although I disliked the smell of it. It did not dry my skin -I'm combo to oily- and I didn't get that dry/stretchy feeling in my face when I used it. I felt confident using it on a daily basis and it did get rid of the make-up left on my face after using wipes.

Oil-Absorbing Day Lotion with SPF 20- First thing I noticed right away with all the products was the smells, which I didn't enjoy much. I used this lotion with and without my foundation for weeks to see how it felt. You don't need much to cover the whole face and make-up does last. This does not feel heavy on my skin and the SPF 20 is very much appreciated. However,  nothing in this product stood out to me. It was all around a good lotion but not great.

Energy Fizz Sticks- I was a little apprehensive about testing out these energy sticks since I tend to shy away from energy drinks overall. They both tasted really bad and were fairly hard to drink. However, I can't deny that they did provide some needed energy for my morning classes and they didn't leave me all hyper and twitchy. 

Lip Polishes- These glosses were a disappointment to me. They reminded me why I dislike lip glosses in whole. They had a really goopy texture that made it hard to wear them. The coral didn't have much pigment when applied and I noticed it wore off really quickly. As for the nude, it was really pigmented and lasted a very long time on my lips. After a few hours of wear the texture becomes bearable and you get to enjoy the color it gives off. It did leave me with some flaky residue but I have dry lips and that tends to happen even with my MAC lipsticks so I was actually expecting that.

 Overall, I found the products were okay and more suited for an older audience. My interest was peaked and I'd love to actually try out some cheek and face products in the future. I like the fact that the company is centered around skin care which is a huge must for me. I was really grateful to have been sent these products and I hope to have given a good review since I paid very close attention to every detail.

NUXE | Reve de Miel

 As some of you may know I have lips that are constantly cracking and let me tell you, it hurts. I've tried many lip care products and either they don't work from the start or they work for a week and then do nothing. I've been getting a bit desperate since my lips hurt when I smile sometimes, so when I heard about NUXE I decided to invest in it and try it. Boy am I happy I did. Even though at first you think "damn, $20 for so little?" it is sooooo worth it. First off, you don't need a lot of product to cover the entire lip so I do see this lasting me a good amount of time. Second, I only use this in the morning and at night before I go to sleep. My lips have improved and hurt less. They are softer and less flaky, which my lipsticks love. This is a product to definitely try if you have chapped lips like I do and are at your breaking point. Yes, it's a bit expensive but it'll be worth it when they help your lips. I'm not a fan of the smell but for the wonders it does I shall tolerate it. Conclusion, this is something I will definitely repurchase and will use F-O-R-E-V-E-R! Too much? Nah!

NYX | Soft Matte Lip Cream in London

 Hey, guys! Super quick review of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in London. I've seen these in generally youtube videos and was intrigued by them but I could never get my hands on them. Whilst in Walmart I saw a couple and the beau got me this nude one in London. The finish is obviously matte and reminds me a lot of how MAC matte lipsticks feel. Drying but nothing I can't handle but I generally apply a balm around 15min before applying any type of lip product. The color pay off is really nice and it's something I reach for on a day I want to have a more natural and fresh looking face. It lasts a long time, but considering it's matte it's to be expected. I'm dying to get my hands on more colors and for $3 you can't go wrong. I definitely recommend these guys and I'm very happy with mine.

Sephora | Mineral Brush 45

  I first saw this brush on Essiebutton's blog and youtube channel. To me it looked so soft that I had to see it for myself. After checking it out a couple of times I decided to get it at Sephora. The brush is $26, which is pricey but it's hands down my favorite brush and I swear by it (as the girls from BBPR know). The feel of this brush is to die for! It's so soft and spreads the product so evenly. I personally use this for foundation, but it can be used for blush, bronzer or highlighter. I cannot express enough how I love this brush. The application is superb. You don't need to apply any amount of pressure to be able to buff the product in, the brush just works amazing. This is a brush I will re-purchase again and again and again. I know this was a short review but if it were up to me I'd just write "BEST BRUSH EVER" and be done with it, but you deserve at lest a paragraph, right? BEST BRUSH EVAR!

Hourglass | Skin Primer Tester

 I usually tend to ignore testers when they're given to me but for some reason I decided to try this one out. Although this review will be short, since I only got to use this once, I'll try to go into depth on how it worked for me. First off, I applied this at 7am before heading out to work and took it off at (and I kid you not) 10pm. My make-up was intact. I looked pretty much how I looked at 7am. My skin looked glowing and fresh. The make-up did not budge at all and that's saying a lot, considering how hot it is here. I truly was amazed at how great it worked and I cursed myself for throwing away the packet after opening it. Of course, I searched it online at Sephora and was hurt when I saw the price. You get 30mL for $52 which is way too much for me. I know now that this brand is not just any brand and I should tread their territory lightly and keep my wallet always away from them. Anyway, I hope I get another tester...