Category: Makeup (Page 6 of 10)

THE FACE SHOP FACE IT WATERPROOF BB CREAM REVIEW

March 4, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

In a highly unusual step, I did not personally test this product out. My friend Kat, who is an avid adventurer, told me about the outstanding performance she got from this BB cream. After hearing about the crazy extreme conditions she tested it in, I had to give her a spot to do my first ever guest review. If any of you lead an active lifestyle, or just really want a hardcore waterproof bb cream, I think after reading this you can safely bet on this one.

The Face Shop’s Face It Waterproof BB Cream is available in two shades, #1 Light Beige and #2 Natural Beige. Here Kat is using shade #2. She has combination skin with an oily T-zone, and dry cheeks in Winter. I had her send me some product photos and tell me her story. This is what she had to say:

“I went to explore ship wrecks and check out a shark feeding! Even a male shark bumping my face didn’t take the cream off! I wore this scuba diving in salt water going down to about 60 feet deep. I was in the water several times, usually about 40 minutes each go. Taking on and off my mask on and off and this stuff didn’t go anywhere. A little bit of residue got on my scuba mask but that was it. Overall it stayed on my face! My dive instructor was actually like “Wow where did you get that makeup? My wife would totally love that!”. Yeah it’s pretty impressive! It stays on your face, it goes on smooth. Unfortunately it’s only for paler people, if I would have gotten a tan beforehand this wouldn’t have matched my face. But as you can see it oxidized on my face pretty well, and as you can see in the picture of it on my hand it repels water very, very, well. It didn’t dry my skin out, it worked really great as a sunblock. I was in the sun from about 8am to about 2-3pm every day and I got not even the slightest tan!
You have to shake up the bottle to make sure it blends really well. The best part of it was it didn’t make my skin look dry, it didn’t dry my skin out, I wouldn’t say it moisturized it either but it did allow my moisturizer to not get washed off by the salt water.”

Above is Kat being a boss bitch swimming with sharks, and after her dive with a still flawless BB cream finish. Amazing!
So there you have it. My girl wore this in the most extreme of conditions and it passed every badass test I could ever think of.
I bet this would work just about anywhere for anyone looking for a BB cream that’s able to go hard!

Available here:
Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-face-shop-Face-It-Waterproof-BB-Cream-SPF50-PA-50ml-02-Natural-Beige-/271249065234?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f27b44512

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Face-Shop-Water-Proof/dp/B00821FIOC

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL DINOPLATZ LIP BALM REVIEW

March 3, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

Ok, I can’t even front, I’m in love with this little lip balm.
I absolutely love lip balms. They keep my mouth healthy and stop my lips from getting too dry, and some of them are even infused with cold sore medicine that can help to treat and prevent cold sores.
Too Cool For School is a brand that’s known firstly for it’s cute packaging, kind of like Etude House. But there’s a big difference between the two. If Etude House is for the princesses of the world than Too Cool For School is for the artsy cool kids. Etude House doesn’t kiss on the first date, Too Cool would ask you if you’d like a drink from their flask. Both are undeniably cool and cute, just on opposite ends of the spectrum.

I chose the shade Spilled Wine. This is also available in three other shades, Beet Jam, Rabbit Food, and Peach Melba. Right away I was taken with the packaging design. I love it. (Hello! Disembodied dinosaurs? Yes pls.) It comes in a match box-esque cardboard sleeve that reveals the awesome minimalist tin of lip balm inside.

The balm itself is a jelly type lip gloss that spreads easily with your finger. The colour reminds me of a much cooler, updated, and subtler version of Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. It’s a very sheer but still noticeable pop of wine on the lips. Speaking of wine, this is my new favourite lip choice for nights when I’m drinking actual red wine. Since you already know you’re probably going to get that annoying wine ring on your lips, might as well use this little wine gloss to camouflage it/play off of it.

The wear time is typical of light balm type glosses, which is to say not long at all. It’s great for dry lips as it has a jelly texture. Still, this won’t replace your non-cosmetic lip balm if you have ultra dry lips. All in all, like I said when I opened the review, I love this product. I put it directly in my purse’s makeup bag upon first try. That’s the equivalent of Johnny Carson inviting a comedian to sit down after a set. I almost never do that. A product has to really wow me to get that coveted purse spot.
As you can probably guess, I give Too Cool For School’s Dinoplatz Lip Balm in Spilled Wine 5 out of 5 tipsy turtles

EDIT:
Now available on SEPHORA!!!
http://www.sephora.com/dinoplatz-lip-balm-P399175?skuId=1733203

And available on ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Too-Cool-for-School-Dinoplatz-Lip-Balm-choose-1-color-/181462045424?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2a3ffb12f0

3 CONCEPT EYES FACE GLOW REVIEW

February 28, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

Well, I might as well complete the 3 Concept Eyes highlighter trifecta with today’s review (insert Legend of Zelda triforce joke here).

3 Concept Eyes Face Glow is a liquid “volumer” type product that was first made really popular with the Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer. I’ve talked a bit about volumers here before but I’ll go ahead and give a quick refresher course if you’re not familiar with them. A volumer is a product that’s usually about the consistency of a foundation.You can wear it alone as a highlighter or mix it with your bb cream or foundation to give you that dewy glow that’s so popular in Korea. It’s actually popular here as well, I just don’t see it on the street as often as I see it being used very obviously in film and television. Volumers are usually offered in a couple of different shades, like here with 3 Concept Eyes they have three different colours. There’s Bondi Beach the golden colour, Monaco the golden pink hue that I have for this review, and Santorini the pearlescent white shade.

This comes in a convenient airless pump that dispenses just the right amount of product with each squirt. The product itself goes on smoothly and is about the consistency of a lotion. It spreads about as easily as one as well.

I have to say I like this product much better when used as a highlighter than mixed with bb cream. I find that it loses a lot of it’s sheen when mixed. As you can see here in the swatch it does have a descent amount of shimmer. As a highlighter it’s pretty, but yet again, not quite strong enough for me. Of the two other 3 Concept Eyes highlighting products I’ve reviewed, this one is most certainly the strongest and therefore the best in my opinion. Now, keep in mind my standards are very high when it comes to highlighters. This may well be perfect for those that don’t chase the shimmer dragon like I do. But for me, this is a mid level performer. However, I must say, the colour selection for this line is gorgeous! If only Monaco were a bit stronger, this would be a must have. Still, not a bad product to have on hand. You could get some nice looks out of this. I’m going to give this product 3.5 out of 5 sparkle turtles.

If you’re curious about this product I see that Urban Outfitters is now carrying it online in the USA so you can avoid all the insane shipping fees from the Style Nanda website 🙂

I’ve also found it on Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stylenanda-3CE-3-CONCEPT-EYES-Face-Glow-Monaco-15ml-/371005174713?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5661a1b3b9

and amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Concept-Eyes-Face-Glow-MONACO/dp/B00BI87HJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434121145&sr=8-1&keywords=3+CONCEPT+EYES+FACE+GLOW

3 CONCEPT EYES MARBLE HIGHLIGHTER REVIEW

February 27, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

Since the other 3 Concept Eyes Highlighter I reviewed before didn’t wow me, I didn’t go into this review with the highest of hopes. From the pictures I had seen online, 3 Concept Eyes Marble Highlighter looked a lot like one of my favourite products, Mac Minerlized Skinfinish. That was enough to pique my curiosity and let me go ahead and try this one out in good faith. As I’ve mentioned before, 3CE brand is something akin to MAC cosmetics in it’s branding. It definitely has a more limited range than MAC, but kind of targets the same demographic. The price point is lower than MAC, but also a little higher than some of it’s Korean peers. This comes in only one shade, Bling Peach.

First thing’s first. Straight away I noticed this was a lot smaller than the Mineralized Skin Finish. As you can see, it’s actually the exact same size as MAC’s baked blushes. I’m not sure if I’m annoyed by that or not. What am I annoyed by was how impossible it was to get a decent swatch. Once again, for the life of me I could not accurately showcase this thing. What I can say is, it’s definitely head and shoulders above than the 3 Concept Eyes Highlighter. At the same time though, it’s also a head below my beloved Mineralized Skinfinish.

3concepteyesmardlehighlighterswatch copy

That is basically how it looks when worn alone. I’m not sure if my skintone is the culprit or what, but I just couldn’t grab a great picture. It’s devoid of any chunky glitter (thank you Yeezus) and applies very smoothly and nice. It gives a nicer sheen than shown in the picture but is nowhere near as lovely as shown on the Style Nanda website (how utterly gorgeous is that model? Park Sora, slay). I can say though that when I pair this with blushes and bronzers it really sets them off nice. This is what I wish the pervious Highlighter I reviewed was like. It performs much better than that one, but not well enough to wear alone like the Skinfinshes. I do have to say though, I reach for this a lot more than I thought I would. I’m always happy when a product calls for me like that. This is good for casual daytime looks. I can’t be without my beloved glow, but shining like a superstar isn’t always appropriate, so this is a nice compromise for those times.

Available on ebay here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3CE-3-Concept-Eyes-Marble-Highlighter-Bling-Peach-/181377331802?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a3aee725a

Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/Concept-Eyes-Marble-Highlighter-BLING/dp/B00GAB9B1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430700904&sr=8-1&keywords=3+concept+eyes+marble+highlighter

I think the 3 Concept Eyes Marble Highlighter deserves 3.5 out of 5 turtles.

NATURE REPUBLIC PROVENCE TWO WAY PACT REVIEW

February 20, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

With my dry to normal skin, I realize I’m not the best person to review a powder, but I wanted to test drive a more matte face than I normally do and this fit the bill.

The Nature Republic Provence Two Way Pact SPF50+ PA+++ is a powder in a pretty, floral, geometric compact. I would be lying if I said I didn’t choose this one on design alone. Don’t judge, you know we’re all guilty of that from time to time 😉

There’s not a whole lot to say about this product honestly. It’s available in two shades, #21 light beige and #23 natural beige. Here I have #21.

The powder is sheer and does a nice job of setting your bb cream or foundation. I don’t really get much shine in the winter time so I can’t really speak to it’s oil control properties but I can say my face stayed very matte all day. This also claimed to be somewhat moisturizing, which was good news for my skin type. I’m not sure if it actually was, but it certainly wasn’t drying. If your skin is in good condition I could see this being used on top of your sunscreen on lazy days when you don’t want to do full face makeup. And of course as always, I’m a big fan of the high SPF protection this provides. In addition to that, I love that this contains rose hips and rosemary extracts. As with most Nature Republic products, it’s also free of parabens, mineral oil, and benzophenone.

I’m super neutral about this product. I don’t love it or dislike it, but that’s how I feel about all powders.

I do love the compact’s design though, and I will hang on to it as a mirror. Powders are way out of my comfort zone but as far as this one goes it’s pleasant, smells nice, has some interesting ingredients, a high SPF, and did it’s job. I guess I’ll have to give this 3 out of 5 turtles.
If you’re looking to try one out for yourself, it’s available here on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Republic-Provence-Natural-Beige/dp/B00CRAQ85C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434119691&sr=8-2&keywords=NATURE+REPUBLIC+PROVENCE+TWO+WAY+PACT

And ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nature-Republic-Provence-Twoway-Pact-SPF50-PA-/350833780265?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item51af52a629

THE FACE SHOP FACE IT WATERPROOF BB CREAM REVIEW

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL DINOPLATZ LIP BALM REVIEW

3 CONCEPT EYES FACE GLOW REVIEW

3 CONCEPT EYES MARBLE HIGHLIGHTER REVIEW

NATURE REPUBLIC PROVENCE TWO WAY PACT REVIEW

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