WORTH THE HYPE? : ANASTASIA MODERN RENAISSANCE PALETTE

I finally had to chance to grab the highly hyped up Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance eyeshadow palette. This palette is comprised of 14 shadows with mostly matte and a few metallic shades in neutral and berry tones. You have a mix of vibrant red, pinks,oranges and browns. The variety is just fabulous!

The palette itself is vanity display worthy!. It's a pink/lilac velvet compact that looks very regal and has the Anastasia Beverley Hills logo in the middle. The shadows are .02 oz each and were produced in a cruelty free environment. The palette also comes with a well constructed dual ended brush. Bonus!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Renaissance Palette

Shades

top row:
Tempera (matte), Golden Ochre(matte), Vermeer(metallic), Buon Fresco (matte), Antique Bronze(metallic), Love Letter(matte), Cyprus Umber(matte)

bottom row:
Raw Sienna(matte), Burnt Orange(matte), Primavera (metallic), Red Ochre (matte), Venetian Red(matte), Warm Taupe(matte) , Realgar(matte)

I 've ben wearing this palette now for over 2 weeks straight and my favourite combo at the moment is Antique Bronze + Love Letter + Venetian Red + Warm Taupe. I didn't think I would be a fan of the berry tones but I've been converted! How great is it to have neutral matte shades( taupes and browns) in the same palette as matte oranges and reds! This palette is feminine and romantic but most importantly wearable! Because they're matte shades you can layer them on until you find the intensity and combo of colours you're comfortable wearing.You can apply these shadows with a light hand for day /work wear or heavy handed for a night out. 

The shadows themselves applied very well with little to no fall out.  They went on smoothly and layered well. Out of the 14 shades my absolute favourite is Red Ochre! I love applying it on the outer crease to add a bit of drama to my daytime look! Gives me just enough "pop" for day wear!

Tip: You can spray MAC Fix + on your brush and dip into any shade to make it more vibrant if you wish. 

Overall I'm really impressed with this palette. I was hesitant at first because I wasn't in love with my very first Anastasia palette that I purchased awhile back. I felt it had crazy fallout and poor pigmentation of the shadows, however, I feel this brand has come a long way with their eyeshadows since my last ABH shadow purchase and they are becoming a force to be reckoned with if they continue to be innovative with colours and combos in their palettes. Amazing palette ABH!

Worth the Hype? Yes it is beauty lovers!If you're shopping around for a palette with a variety of warm bold and neutral shades, go ahead and give this one a try.

DISCLAMIER: I was not compensated for this post. I bought the palette with my own money.The opinions expressed are my own.

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First Impressions: L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion

I first heard about the True Match Lumi Cushion from my favourite youtube guru, Jaclyn Hill. I don't usually watch Youtube videos as I don't have the time , however, on my downtime I enjoy watching her spunky videos. She talked about how much she loved the Lumi Cushion and how it's actually replaced one of her high end foundations. Of course, I had to try it out for myself!                                  

                                          

                                                             L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion

The Lumi Cushion packaging is rose gold and super glamorous. You know how I love me some good packaging! I have it displayed on my glass vanity and it adds that pop of glam! 

For a drugstore foundation I found the $20 price tag a bit steep for the .51 oz product, but I bought it anyway.Lumi Cushion comes in 8 shades. I had a hard time finding the perfect match for my skin tone. I ended up buying Perfect Beige which wasn't my exact colour but was the closest to my skin tone.

The foundation comes with it's own "puff" for easy application. I wasn't too crazy about it at first sight but it's probably the only tool that will work with this foundation. I tried to use my beauty blender but I felt it absorbed too much of the product. I used my real technique stippling brush but the application looked patchy. I reverted back to the "puff" as it made more sense.I used dabbing motions to apply the foundation. I don't recommend you swipe the foundation onto your skin as you will see the strip of foundation along your face. The foundation is very buildable. I applied one coat of foundation and loved the dewy finish it gave. I could have stopped there but I decided to add another coat of foundation. Two coats of Lumi Cushion foundation and you are a glowing dewy goddess! I love it! I didn't feel it left my skin shiny in a way that looked greasy.It added a nice glow to my skin. At first, I didn't add any setting powder but after a half hour of wear I decided it was best to set the foundation. Even after applying the Laura Mercier setting powder I still noticed my skin had a glow to it. You don't have to use any setting powder, but I decided it was best because I was going out in the freezing cold :)

My final thoughts on the True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation: I still find the $20 price tag a bit high for the .51 oz product. I'm not too thrilled that the best way to apply the foundation is using the "puff" it comes with for sanitary reasons( how do you wash it after a few uses?). The best way to apply the product is by using the "puff" as well as dabbing motions. I hope L'Oreal comes out with more shade ranges.With all that to say, I will be repurchasing the True Match Lumi Cushion foundation as I've been wearing it everyday since purchase and have received so many compliments on how luminous my skin looks. Even in the dead of winter, I was able to achieve a glowy complexion from a foundation! L'Oreal, thank you for such a great product :)

REVIEW - M.A.C STUDIO WATERWEIGHT SPF 30 FOUNDATION

// STUDIO WATERWEIGHT SPF 30 FOUNDATION //

Last month I was searching for a light to medium coverage foundation that can be worn everyday. I don't usually wear foundation everyday but when I decide to its the MAC Pro LongWear. Lately I'm finding it too heavy and the effort it takes to properly blend this foundation out is too much work for a busy woman on the go,go,go,....you get the idea! I popped into a MAC store one afternoon and the MAC girl raved about the Studio Waterweight foundation.I had never heard of it before so I was curious to try it out and see for myself what the hype was about.I purchased it in the shades NC40 and NC42, just in case.I've been wearing it for 3 weeks (almost) everyday now and I've fallen in love with this foundation.

The foundation is encapsulated in a glass bottle with a dropper to easily dispense the right amount of product right onto my Sigma flat kabuki brush. Genius! It has an ultra-fluid, thin, serum-like consistency. Upon application it felt very silky on my face, not cakey at all. I noticed right away that it blurred out my "freckles" ( OK sunspots) on my temple. This impressed me as I was really considering getting these spots lasered off! The finish is neither matte nor dewy. After one application it has a very natural finish, almost satin/sheen like. At two applications it's a full medium coverage foundation. I've only been applying one even coat and I'm really happy with the amount of coverage I'm getting. As I've mentioned before, I have very dry skin in the winter and I felt this foundation didn't dry up my skin.I can't say it hydrated it either, but it does a good job of not drying it up further.I love the idea that the watertight foundation has SPF 30 in the formula. As well the MAC girl gushed over the fact that it's full of antioxidants(to help repair damaged skin). This can be used on all skin types including acne prone skin. It's water based and should not cause irritation to the skin. 

Overall, I'm giving the Studio Waterweight foundation a thumbs up. If you're in the market for a light - medium foundation, definitely try it out and let me know what you think :)