Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation & Concealer Review

Source: Pinterest

Last month, while perusing on Sephora, I stumbled upon the Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer. This is not a new foundation - it came out in early 2015 to very mixed reviews. I meant to test it out for myself but never had the chance to since I have WAY too many bases. 

I finally did purchase it during the holidays and I'm very much in love. 

What Did You Buy With Your Sephora VIB Giftcard?

I was on the fence about this one because I made three prior orders from Sephora (LOL...bad planning on my part). So my fourth and final order of the year, I wasn't sure what I actually wanted. Until I did. It's back to basics with a new foundation and some concealers.

I'm actually quite excited to try this foundation because Clinique is one of my trusted brands when it comes to skincare. This foundation doubles as a concealer and comes in a ginormous concealer packaging, which is a first I've seen. I like wands a lot, and I think it definitely helps with convenience and precision. We shall see.

I've only heard great things about the Tarte concealer. It's supposed to be non-creasing! Super excited to try it! 

I also added this to my cart because a lot of people said it is comparable to the Nars concealer. I've tried the Nars concealer, and many others like it, so we'll see how the Sephora one lives up.

Have you tried any of these? :) 

Deals & Steals: Concealer!

I'm going to keep this post simple and talk about two concealers that I think are quite comparable and very similar. 

I'm a huge fan of the Lancome EFFACERNES - Waterproof Protective Undereye Concealer - HUGE fan. I feel like the concealer is top notch quality and is super blendable and so natural looking. It's highly pigmented but it doesn't look harsh. However, for around $30 USD and only .50 oz worth of product, it definitely gets a bit pricey to replenish! 

In comes the solution! After searching high and low for a concealer that's "just right", as in, not too pigmented that it looks caked on, not too sheer that it's pointless, i've finally settled on a happy medium. The Maybelline New York Mineral Power Concealer is an absolute MUST-HAVE. It greatly defines the best aspects of all high end concealers but for a fraction of the cost! Like the Lancome one, it is also really blendable, liquidy enough to sheer out (or build up), and has a great brightening effect. 

Obviously, I have two different shades here but you can definitely see how similar they are in terms of texture! They both have that same liquidy feeling and blend effortlessly! I have some very pigmented concealers that take awhile to blend out but this covers imperfections in little time, which I love. I also can travel easily with the both of them with no issues. 

Honestly, my favorite concealer is the Maybelline one. It's definitely an HG product I have used for years! I don't think I'll deviate far from it because it's always been handy and reliable. I've used it during times of stress and no sleep and it's brightened my undereyes like no one's business! ;)

Definitely recommended. Both are great to own, but if you must be thrifty, I would suggest looking for the Maybelline one as it will not disappoint! 

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful 2012. I certainly did, and I've been extremely grateful to have what I have, no matter how big or small. I am also very thankful for all the readers on this blog, all the unique friends I've made, and all the opportunities I've gotten in 2012. I've been blogging for close to three years now and it's still as fun for me as it was on day 1.

I'm really excited to post my first review of the year - the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer :D

I originally wanted the Clinique Airbrush Concealer after seeing it being a favorite of Lisa Eldridge but during a shopping trip, I spontaneously picked this up at Target. This one looks very similar to the airbrush concealer and dispenses the product in the same click motion as the Clinique one.

I picked up the shade in RADIANT, which is not really a concealer but a highlighter. It has light diffusing pigments to brighten any contours of your face. I LOVED that idea. Concealers are tricky things because you need one that works with your skin tone but a brightening tool like a highlighter works in a variety of ways, multitasking and useful. 

Instantly brighter eyes. Honestly I love this highligher! I've been using it since the beginning of December and I've been loving how pretty the effect is for a mere $6.00 or so. This one is much better than the Milani HD concealer that I've had. This one is much more luminous and draws in light. 

Overall, I love it! I like twisting it instead of clicking it like a pen. The brush is soft too =D 

Do you like pen and/or highlighting concealers? :)

FOTD: Dark Red Lips

Hello readers!

I'm going to be doing a few looks for the holidays in the coming days and I'll be posting it as I go along. With Christmas around the corner and New Year's coming up, there are lots and lots of fun looks to create and makeup to be used. This year in particular, I've been smitten with dark red lips. On regular occasions, I don't dabble into dramatic lips because of my profession but I do love the intensity it creates with merely one lipstick.

So here's the look I did using Revlon's Black Cherry Lipstick. It is supposed to be dupe of Mac's Dark Side (which I picked up today! * squeal*).

Since the lipstick is on the drier side, I paired it with Revlon's Bordeaux to make it look glossier. 

Black Cherry is a deep red with purple undertones - vampy and gorgeous. Bordeaux is like its name, deep cherry tones.

It's an eye catching color, isn't it? I certainly feel more mature wearing it, if that makes any sense. 

Just with the lipstick on

Topped off with lip gloss

I love it! There's no other way to describe how much I love this combination. This combo lasted me all day today, for nearly 6 hours before I took it off. By then it was mostly a stain but it was still there by the time I came home. Really happy that it's low maintenance and easy. I wouldn't have it any other way =D

And here's the rest of the makeup I used to create the look. 

My little arsenal for today -

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in #52 - I'll have to do a comparison of the regular Healthy Mix and the Healthy Mix Serum one of these days. I absolutely love this foundation! It truly lives up to its hype. One of the best foundations I've ever used, hands down.

Milani HD Concealer in Light - I love this concealer! It has qualities like a brightening pen would and it's incredibly light-weight.

Of course, the dark lip duo! In general, I love Revlon lipsticks and lip glosses. Their whole range of lip products are inexpensive and versatile. You can find a lipstick for any occasion and it's always going to be budget friendly. I think one of the best lip glosses Revlon has made is this range here (Colorburst) and I've tried many of the shades, all too impressive. They're kind of my tried and true and something I'll always go back to. 

So that was my dark lip look for today. I'm hoping to get more holiday looks on the blog before Christmas so stay tuned! =) Thank you all for always stopping by to leave a comment and especially those who consistently leave me comments :) It's nice knowing there's people who actually read this thing! 

What do you guys think of bold lip colors? YAY or NAY? :)  

FOTD: The No-Nakeup Makeup Look!

Hello dear friends!

I am back and ready to blog again. I've taken a bit of time to attend to life's hectic and unpredictable shenanigans. As it turns out, I was really missing my daily reads!

Today I leave you with a no-fuss 5 minute look I did in the morning. I didn't have much time for anything else other than base makeup so here it is:

What I Used:

. 

For the base, I used MUFE F&B foundation which I am really liking! 

The MAC F&B doesn't even compare to the MUFE one. This one has a nice liquid gel consistency and while it is lightweight, it covers really well and is very natural feeling. I can't really say much else about it other than it being really nice. The glass bottle is also really pretty. I prefer it without the pump because it's so runny I could easy pour a little onto the back on my hand. 

To conceal, I used Benefit's eye contour kit. I really like this palette because it's travel friendly and I've been bringing it everywhere since I've been moving around. The concealer in the palette is their famous Bo-ing one! I'm a fan of that one because it covers really well and has a nice texture.

The eye shadows are really pretty as well but the color payoff is not as good on me. I can barely see the pink and taupe shades but the brown is good. I have used it as an eye liner and that makes a world of a difference especially when you want to give your eyes a bit of dimension.

To finish off my face, I used Maybelline's Dream Matte Powder. This powder is seriously amazing. I used to use MAC's blotting/finishing powder but this does the same thing for mere dollars. I dust it on with a small blush brush on my face and my makeup stays put. I really like powder a lot and it's such an incredible buy. I bought mine at Ulta when they were having a buy 1 get one for 50% off so it was good I picked up two. It should last all summer

For my lips, I used Guerlain's Kiss Kiss gloss in Amethyst Pearl (822). I seriously love this gloss. The purply color is so unexpected but really not all that strange.

 I love the gradient in the gloss - light-reflecting and pearly. The formula is really nourishing and I liked that it felt comfortable on my lips and not sticky or tacky at all.

Overall, my usual look consists of mostly like this. Makeup that enhances your best features is really what I aim for when I wear makeup.

Tell me, what is one item, skincare or makeup (or tool) that you cannot live without on a day-to-day basis?

Concealers: A Low Maintenance Pick-Me-Up

Concealers are by far, and wide (okay, full circle, who am i kidding), my makeup arsenal of choice. If I had to answer any variation of questions about the one makeup item I'd like to have if I were stuck... outside my apartment building with no way of getting in for an entire night, I would definitely say a concealer. Or rather, concealers ;)

I wanted to share with you guys the six that I have in my collection. They are frequently used,well loved and work for me consistently.

L-R, T-B: Lancome Efacernes, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye, Maybelline Mineral Power, Tarte Dark Circle Defense, Lancome Photogenic Concealer, Benefit Erase Paste. 

Lightweight and Brightening

Maybelline Mineral Power (find it here)

Price: Between $5-8 for 0.18oz

The Maybelline concealer is my go-to and favorite concealer from the lot. It's inexpensive and brightens the eye area really well. It's quite opaque for a drugstore concealer and the mineral pigments hide brightens your face instantly. The only bad thing is the range of shades but overall I think it's a good concealer to have around! Also very travel friendly with the lip gloss wand :) 

Price: 

Lancome Efacernes Concealer (find it here)

Price: $29.50/0.52oz

This concealer is another staple that I always have with me. I think it's really suitable for any skin type because it's not too wet and not too dry. The texture is light and brightens considerably. I use it under my eye and on any redness around my nose area. I like the fact that it's waterproof as well so it really won't budge unless you take it off. The bad thing about this is the packaging. It gets messy and I'm not a cap person! 

Lancome Photogenic Concealer (MUA)

Price: varies (around $25-$30 because it is discontinued)

Another Lancome concealer! It's pretty efficient and light to the touch. The texture of this concealer is super light and creamy, like a MAC paint pot. It's a nice concealer and the pigmentation is on par but the thing I don't like about it is that it tends to bring out fine lines if you're not careful. The formula is a bit drier than the rest of the concealers I have here. Use sparingly! It creases a bit.

Salmon Colored Corrector Concealers

Benefit Erase Paste (find it here)

Price: $26.00/4.40 grams/0.15oz

I use salmon colored concealers to neutralize really dark circles. I have very thin skin under my eyes so it's really a problem area for me. And it's also hereditary so no matter how much sleep I get my eyes still retain the darkness. This is such a nice concealer! I fell in love with it when I swatched it at Sephora. Perfect for people with oily/combo skin.

Tarte Dark Circle Defence (find it here)

Price: $32.00/2 grams/0.07oz

Tarte's Dark Circle Defense is just like Benefit's Erase Paste but made for dry skin. It's way more moist than Erase Paste but essentially is the same thing. I use both interchangeably depending on how my skin feels that morning. I do like this one a little better though because while it's salmon colored, it's still in the neutral range and doesn't become too pink. They claim to clinically reduce dark circles in 4 weeks' time. Hmm.

Heavy Duty

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye (find it here) 

Price: $24.00 for 0.28 fl oz

The most heavy duty concealer I own! I really wanted to show exactly how thick it is. Hopefully you can tell by the swatches ;) It's a very thick, ultra creamy concealer that is opaque enough to hide anything. I use this very sparingly and only in times of high distress when I look absolutely insane. I rarely do use it so this little tube lasts for a long time. The texture is really nice, and the coverage is high. They claim that it contains high concentrations of vitamins K (heals bruising), A, C, E and collagen. 

Phew! That's a lot of concealer talk huh? So that is my little collection. Honestly, the most important is to have one trusty salmon colored concealer, and a neutral one that matches your skin tone. Everything else is just vanity ;) The one I like the most happens to also be the most inexpensive -- Maybelline Mineral Power. 

Do you use concealers? What's your go-to? =D