Review: Lioele Marbling Blusher Highlighter in Shining Aurora 01

Today I will be reviewing the Lioele Marbling Blusher (highlighter) in Shining Aurora. This item is called a blusher, but meant to be used as a highlighter. It is multi-purpose and can be used on various points of the face.

This highlighter comes in two colors, the first is Shining Aurora, a cream base mixed with blue, purple, and bronze. The second color is Shining Pink, a light pink base mixed with rose.

Lioele's packaging is always very pretty and princess-like. Their logo is a Cinderella-like carriage. 

The compact is very sturdy and the design is very pretty. Their logo is on the front of the compact with a little gem on top. It is a little bit bulky though and would not be convenient to carry around.

This compact also comes with a brush as well. The brush is slighting curved and the bristles are soft. I do like using my fan brush for highlighters, but might use the brush it comes with if I take this traveling.

The colors swirled into the cream base are very beautiful. Light lavender, sky blue, and a copper bronze.

One downside of this product is that it has a not-so-faint rose scent. It may not bother some people, but I prefer face products to be unscented or very mildly scented. The scent is very similar to that of the Banila Co The Secret Highlighter.

Here is a close-up photo of the highlighter

On the bottom is a heavy swatch, on top is a light swatch. This highlighter is very buildable and smooth. It applies well and is easy to blend out. I don't find this highlighter to be very subtle unless you use a light hand. It is not finely milled and it will definitely illuminate your complexion. I would not recommend applying this all over your face, only the points where light hits your face.

Here's a swatch on my finger. It is indeed very pigmented and will give you that glowing highlighted effect. Shimmer isn't chunky, but definitely not subtle.

Conclusion: 

I really do like this highlighter. I find my skin looking dull on certain days and this brightens up my entire complexion. I apply this on the top of my cheekbones, chin, and along the bridge of my nose. This is not a highlighter for people who want a subtle glow. The powder is very pigmented and it is not finely milled like the Hourglass ALPs. I find with the different pigments blended into this highlighter, it gives my face more dimension. Sometimes my skin still looks dull after applying highlighter, but the colors in this color-correct my complexion making my face look more awake and healthy. I got this for about $17 USD and the product amount is 15g. That is an incredible value considering the Banila Co highlighter is about $20-25 USD for 8g. I purchased this from a reputable seller on ebay.

Thank you lovelies for reading my review :3

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Review: SKINFOOD Buckwheat Loose Powder #23 Natural Beige

As I was shopping yesterday, I decided to stop by the SKINFOOD store to check out their items. I usually stay away from the store because their prices are about double the online prices, but I thought I'd check it out anyways. Upon recommendation from the sales associate, I picked up the Buckwheat Loose Powder in #23 Natural beige. This powder comes in three other colors:

Lavender, Skin Beige, Transparent, and Natural Beige

I was deciding between the transparent and the natural beige, but opted for the natural beige since transparent powders tend to give flashback in flash photography, yikes.

The packaging is very pretty although a little bulky. The cap is a champagne gold color and the jar is quite sturdy, I won't have to worry about it opening in my bag or shattering if I drop it.

This powder comes with a little puff handy if you are bringing this on the go, but I prefer using a large fluffy brush with loose powders.

Not very finely milled but very soft and lightweight powder.

Buffing it out with the puff but it does not look like it matches my skin tone!

Where to get:

I bought this from the SKINFOOD store, but they are also widely available online for around $7 (I paid $14 for this in the store, yikes!). 

My experience:

Fully buffed out, powder is very soft and spreads easily and evenly. Leaves a satin finish even though the powder particles are not very small. I think this is great as a finishing powder or even just to touch up during the day. I find that it looks too light if I apply a little too much so I always have to be careful about using a light hand with this product (NC25 for reference). It absorbs oil very well and reduces shine after a long day at work.

Conclusion:

Overall, I would recommend this to others. I think this is a product everyone should have and it is quite inexpensive at around $7 for this jar of 23g. It leaves a satin finish and does its job of absorbing oil and eliminating shine. I do believe there are better powders out there, but this does a great job for the price.

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Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur Primer Review

Hi everybody! I have another review today.

I was searching for a new face primer since the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser wasn't doing it for me. I stumbled upon a review of the Etude House Beauty Shot Primer and decided to give it a try...

The Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur has an SPF 15 PA+  which is a huge plus for a primer. This primer claims to minimize pores, refine your complexion, smooth skin, and brighten your face.

Etude House's description of Face Blur: 

- Covers pores and bumpy skin to make skin look flawless.

- Softening skin layer like filtert effect to give smooth and even skin layer.
- Natural whitening skin to make dark skin look bright and cover imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life.

- Baby pixcel powder and cover powder compounds give 3-in-1 multi filter effect like adjusting light on skin. 

The packaging is very cute as it goes along with the theme of most of Etude House's items. The pump is really great to easily dispense the product as well as being sanitary! It is a pretty decent size at 1.23oz / 35g.

The formula is creamy but not too thick. It is very easy to spread. The color of the product is a light pearly cream shade and leaves a satin finish when spread out.

How I used it:
I used one pump and applied that all over my face after my skincare and moisturizer. I then applied foundation on top of my primer.

Product list:

Face: CeraVe Moisturizer, Boots Brightening Toner, Biore Aqua Rich sunscreen, Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur, Blend of Estee Lauder Double Wear and YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation

Cheeks: Milani baked blush in Luminoso

Eyes: UD Primer Potion, E.L.F baked eyeshadow in Toasted, BBIA Last Auto Gel liner in V2, Kiss Me Heroine Mascara Long and Curl

Eyebrows: ABH Dipbrow in Taupe and ABH Brow Wiz in Medium Brown

This is my mug after applying the Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur. It makes my complexion a lot brighter and smoother. I also have dry spots on my face that foundation tends to cling to, but not after applying this primer!

Where to get it:

I purchased this from Jolse Cosmetics. I believe it was about $14-15 when I purchased it. There were stores that carried this item for lower prices, but I purchased from Jolse Cosmetics because I know they are a reputable seller.

My experience:

This primer is really great and gives you a very natural glow while claiming to do what it says. The primer reflects light without being shiny or shimmery. My pores are less visible and it smooths out my face for a nice even canvas before I put my foundation on. I would definitely recommend it and I feel it would be suitable for most skin tones since it is mostly transparent. The consistency is very light, and I apply one pump to cover my entire face. The formula is not sticky or thick.

The verdict: 

I think this is a really great, inexpensive primer. It gives a beautiful healthy glow while blurring pores and providing sun protection which is very important to me. I find my foundation applies a lot more easily with this and it minimizes the visibility of my pores and doesn't cling to dry skin. I highly recommend this product, and have already purchased a back up of this for my upcoming trips.

Thank you lovelies for reading my review :3

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Highlighter Review: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer, NYX Illuminator, and Banila Co The Secret Marbled Highlighter

Instead of doing individual reviews, I'm going to compile all my highlighters into one in-depth review. The highlighters I will be reviewing today are the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (luminous light), The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer, NYX Illuminator (ritualistic), and Banila Co The Secret Marbled Highlighter (03 Allure, light beige). 

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (Luminous Light):

Although the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders are actually finishing powders, I use this specific shade as a highlighter. A more suitable finishing powder for me from the ALP line is the shade Dim Light. Like with all my highlighters, I dust this on with a fan brush on the points of my face light normally hits. I like this powder a lot because it is very subtle, but does make a difference in the overall complexion on your face. There are no chunky glitters, just very finely milled powder and light-reflecting particles. This is really great for every day wear, although it does fade a little throughout the day. The packaging is quite bulky so it is not practical to carry this around with you. This item is on the pricier side, I believe $48 for this compact, but I find it is well worth the money.

Conclusion:

Color: 5/5

Quality: 5/5

Duration of Wear: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Price: $$$

The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer: 

The Balm's Mary Lou-Manizer is an excellent and pigmented highlighter. You only need a little bit to really add that glow to your face. Not as subtle as the Hourglass ALP, but great if you want a noticeable highlight without any chunky glitters. The powder is very smooth and easy to pick up and apply. The packaging is very sleek and good for traveling or carrying in your purse. I have been using this highlighter a few times a week for almost a year and has barely made a dent in it. There is a lot of product and I expect this to last a long time. It is well worth the money, especially since this is rather inexpensive compared to the Hourglass. I bought mine from Walgreens, but beware about buying any The Balm products online. There are a lot of fakes of this particular product, especially on eBay so read feedback before buying.

Conclusion:

Color: 4/5

Quality: 5/5

Duration of Wear: 4/5

Packaging: 5/5

Price: $$

Nyx Illuminator in Ritualistic: 

I added this into my cart as an add-on in order to get free shipping from Ulta. Boy was that a mistake. This highlighter is extremely streaky and the product is almost impossible to pick up from the brush. You can see from the photo part of the highlighter is smoothed over which is common when you use a wet brush on a powder. Strange thing is that I've never used a wet brush on this and it appears that the product has just rubbed over itself. The packaging is sturdy, the color payoff is poor, and the application is very streaky. This is disappointing for me because I generally like most of the products from NYX and I find most of their products are high quality at low prices.

Conclusion:

Color: 1/5

Quality: 1/5

Duration of Wear: 2/5

Packaging: 4/5

Price: $

Banila Co The Secret Highlighter in Allure 03:

This Banila Co The Secret highlighter is one of my all-time favorite highlighters. Banila Co is a Korean company famous for its Clean It Zero cleansing balm. The Secret highlighter is a marbled highlighter with a light beige base swirled with lavender, pink, and vanilla powder. There is very minimal shimmer, but the powder is still light-reflecting. This highlighter is definitely on the matte side, very natural looking from a distance and up-close and not chalky. I primarily use this highlighter when I'm traveling because the compact is small and very sturdy, and it comes with a mini fan brush. One downside is that the shape of the container makes it difficult to use a full-sized fan brush with. I highly recommend this product for anyone who wants a glow-from-within look and dislikes shimmer and glitter.

Conclusion:

Color: 5/5

Quality: 5/5

Duration of Wear: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Price: $$

 Swatches from left to right: Hourglass ALP in Luminous light, The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer, NYX Illuminator in Ritualistic, Banila Co The Secret in Allure 03

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