Urban Decay Naked Heat: Review, Swatches, and Looks

 

I’ve been using this palette as my go to ever since I grabbed it a few months ago and I haven’t found too many faults with it but what I have found is a way to use almost all 12 shades in the palette. Now here’s the full review. If you’d like to jump ahead to see the looks I’ve done using Naked Heat, you can click here, here, or here. 

The first shade in Naked Heat, Ounce, makes the perfect browbone highlight. I use the shade Chaser immediately beside it to set my concealer which I sometimes use as an eye primer. The shades immediately beside those, Sauced and Low Blow serve as the perfect light brown transition shades. Top to Bottom: Low Blow, Sauced, Chaser, and Ounce.

The shimmer shades are smooth, creamy, and pigmented. Is there a bit of fallout? Yes. It’s also a good time to share with you all that I really like to load up my brush sometimes. Of course, MAC Prep and Prime Fix Plus to the rescue! The mattes also apply smoothly and blend easily for the most part, except for the two darkest shades, En Fuego and Ashes, which sometimes I have to work a little harder with. Top to Bottom: Lumbre, Scorched, Dirty Talk, and Ember

My favourite shades are probably He Devil, Lumbre, Cayenne and Ember. He Devil reminds me so much of Brown Script by MAC. Ember however doesn’t show up bronze on my lids as it does in the pan, it reads as a metallic copper shade with a hint of orange on my eyelids. This is not necessarily a manufacturing problem but it’s just how my skin tone picks up the colour. Top to Bottom: Ashes, En Fuego, Cayenne, and He Devil. 

As with all other palettes in the Naked series this one includes a brush as well. The brush is surprisingly not bad. Yes, I’ll admit I thought the brush wouldn’t be useful. The pointed end however is perfect for smoking out the lower lash line. I use 24/7 Liner in Perversion (also by Urban Decay) and it’s a pitch black creamy eyeliner that smokes out perfectly when using this brush. The other end, which is more rounded rather than pointed, is perfect for placing colour on the outer corner of the eye before blending it out.

At the end of the day, I’m impressed with this palette. I can understand the hype and I’m glad I went ahead and grabbed it. All in all I think Urban Decay did a perfect mixture in terms of finishes as well as shades; 4 shimmer options, 4 lighter matte options for blending and highlighting, and 4 darker matte options for adding definition or creating a smokey look. The only thing that would somehow hit this out of the park for me is them somehow including a miniature liner in Zero or Perversion, or a mini Primer Potion for us consumers to complete our look. Maybe I’m just a little too hopeful? The colours in Naked Heat are totally up my alley and while I don’t own any of the other Naked palettes, looking at the color selections versus this one, Naked Heat is definitely my ideal pick.

L’Oréal Paris Lash Paradise Mascara

As much as mascara is the first makeup item I had bought for myself over a decade ago, it’s an item that causes my loyalty to come into play. My lashes are curly so I get pretty picky about formulas. 

When I had first seen a picture of Lash Paradise, I had the same thought as everyone else, “Wow that looks like Too Faced Better Than Sex!”. The thing is, when I had tried that mascara for the first time back in 2014 I wasn’t impressed. At all. I was disappointed. It didn’t exactly make my lashes super dark, nor did it make them long, and I found that it got flaky and messed up my makeup. Not the usual slight smudging under the eyes, I’m talking little black specks on my cheeks. 

The brush does remind me of Better Than Sex of course, but it also reminds me slightly of The Shock mascara by Yves Saint Laurent, with the difference being that the latter has a rose scent. (Lash Paradise brush on the left and The Shock brush on the right)

In a weird way this is one of those mascaras that I enjoy more a few weeks into its shelf life. Let me elaborate, at first the formula didn’t blow me away — maybe a month ago. Now? I really like it. I like how it’s not too wet and I can build up the coats; this is another difference when compared to The Shock, The Shock is a wetter formula. It doesn’t flake off nor does it smudge, but be careful with the inner lashes since it’s such a big brush. 

I can’t speak to whether or not it gives lashes a curl, since my lashes are already curly. It does give them volume but not much length. This is one that I definitely feel you can layer up when you want your lashes to show in pictures without falsies. This shot is without Lash Paradise mascara.

1 coat of Lash Paradise mascara

 

2 coats of Lash Paradise mascara

Bottom line? I do think this is a good mascara. Is it a dupe for Too Faced Better Than Sex? I can’t speak to that entirely since I haven’t used that in ages after my first disappointment. Is it a dupe for YSL The Shock mascara? No, because that one is definitely a wetter formula and there’s a very slight difference with the bristles. Is it a good mascara that I think everyone should try? Absolutely! 

Urban Decay Naked Heat: First Impressions

 

For whatever reason, brands have been somewhat obsessed with giving us palettes that are pretty much centered around red shades. From ABH Modern Renaissance, to Smashbox Cover Shot in Ablaze, and now Naked Heat, that’s the only reasonable explanation. If you have blue eyes the more orange tones in this will be flattering, while green eyes will have fun with the shades that are red and plum tones. This is actually my first Urban Decay Naked palette because when the first 3 Naked palettes launched I was still wearing mainly drugstore makeup.

I think the collection overall didn’t necessarily need 3 lipsticks since Urban Decay launched their extensive line of Vice lipsticks just a year ago. It would have been more useful to have warm toned blushes — my perfect options would be matte red and orange shades, and maybe something that’s a light gold/amber shade; all warm fiery tones and every skin tone could find a blush that works for them.

The palette itself could also have done with a matte pure orange or a matte pure red shade — an ideal crease colour to help all the other shades transition. Something comparable to Rule or Red Brick by MAC, or Morocco by Makeup Geek, and the red could have been something comparable to Make Up For Ever Morello Cherry. Luckily I own the latter and I think it’ll work well with these shades. If you have the Modern Renaissance palette then you’re covered regarding the orange and deep red/berry shades. That said though, there are still decent crease options with the matte brown shades. I’ve used this palette for the past 3 days — i.e. all weekend, and so far, it’s pretty good. Stay tuned for a full post including looks, swatches, and a more in-depth review.

MAC Eyeshadow x 9 Palettes

I don’t usually make blanket statements but I doubt you’re being entirely truthful if you claim you use every single colour in a palette equally. Generally I’m all for equality, trust me. Eye palettes though? What am I going to do with that light pink shade that doesn’t flatter my skin tone?

Eyes Times Nine palettes have wearable shades. Additionally, they’re compact and coordinated making them so easy to use! Let’s also appreciate how realistic the eyeshadow sizes are, small enough to not have you thinking you’ll never finish it, yet big enough for your 217 or 221 to fit. There will always be that one shade that you don’t use as much as the others, but I feel its less likely to happen with the Eyes Times Nine Palettes. 

 

Red Hot Times Nine (the one in the middle) is currently one of my go to palettes for the summer time as I’m very much into brights when the mood is right and Semi Sweet Times Nine is the perfect compliment to your warm neutrals or pretty much any shimmer shades you already have in your collection. The quality of these shadows still works for me as I haven’t found a difference in terms of pigmentation or longevity between these and my regular MAC shadows. 

Some of these palettes, for example Burgundy Times Nine (far right), do contain shadows that are permanent and can be purchased on their own. Think Haux, Quarry, Antiqued, Sketch, and Embark. Since this palette contains coordinated plum tones it will look especially flattering on green eyes. Semi Sweet Times Nine contains Carbon, which of course you can always purchase on its own, but you may not need that much black eyeshadow very often.  In that palette Outre reminds of a now discontinued Pro Longwear Eyeshadow — Uninterrupted, while Everyone’s Darling is perfect to adding dimension to the crease or the outer corners. 

All in all, it could be that I’m a sucker for anything that’s travel friendly. Even so though, I think these are nice for a quick ‘treat yourself’ palette, or for someone new to makeup or just new to eyeshadow specifically. The shadow sizes and shades aren’t intimidating and the guess work has been done for you. Have you tried any of these Times Nine palettes? Let me know in the comments!

 

NARSissist Loaded Palette: Review and Swatches

It’s no secret that I’m a NARSissist. NARS Cosmetics was one of the first high end brands I became interested in when my taste in makeup began to grow/change. Yes, it took a little while to be able to enjoy their products in the way that I wanted to but I’ve found this makes me appreciate my purchases that much more now. Okay. Enough of my back story (I like getting sentimental, you know?).

The first time I came across this palette, I used it on a friend of mine twice and I was impressed with how easily the shades blended. Loaded is not what I recommend for bright summer shades. If you’re into shimmery neutrals, then by all means this is for you. The palette could do with more matte transitional options and some shades do perform better than others; I’ve been having to turn to my blush (Liberte) for a warm blending colour because the light peach shade doesn’t show up on my eyes. Additionally, I’d totally appreciate if NARS had printed the shade names on the clear sheet instead of, “Are you a NARSissist?”, because it’s less than ideal to have to constantly look on the back of the package.

I’ve been using my MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Concealer in NC45 as an eye primer, so I can’t speak to how these shadows will perform with other eye primers, e.g. Primer Potion by Urban Decay — I’ve found that sometimes this makes a real difference on my eyes. While these shadows do have a bit of fall out, that tends to happen with most shadows that feel creamy to the touch and are quite pigmented (with the exception of Make Up For Ever Artist shadows); nothing a little Prep and Prime Fix+ can’t help with.

The dark shades work very well so you definitely need to be mindful when applying these. The shade that appears white in the pan reminds me of their cheek highlight in Albatross — it looks white but blends out to a very light gold.

All in all, I’m impressed. Loaded allows me to create various looks, from a halo smokey eye  or something more summer ready, to olive toned lids or an everyday look with a light shade on the lids. Eyeshadows are not something I had explored by NARS previously as I focused mainly on their complexion and cheek products but I’ve found that these shadows last all day on the eyes, so if this is how it’s going to be, then let the exploration begin!

 

 

Makeup for Dark Skin: 2017 Update

From the title most of you will probably be able to tell that I’ve done a post like this on Beauty and the Brows in the past. Since then, I’ve tried other brands, worked with varying skin tones and skin types and now it’s time for an updated recommendations post. Similar to my latest post on recommendations for beginners, I’ll go by areas of the face.

SKINCARE/PRIMERS: A commonality I’ve found among deeper skintones when looking for a primer is wanting something mattifying or something color correcting — this is not gospel and I am not a Makeup God. As I said, it’s just a commonality that I’ve found. For something color correcting try the Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer in Radiant Peach by Make Up For Ever or M.A.C.’s Prep and Prime Highlighter Pen in Peach Lustre. When we (deeper skintones) have discoloration it takes on a blue/purple tint hence the orange will counteract this. A more affordable option is L.A. Girl Pro Conceal for both under eyes and anywhere else on the face that needs color correcting. For mattifying purposes, try BECCA Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector (I think this name is way too long, BECCA) and M.A.C.’s Skin Refined Zone for making pores appear smaller. BECCA’s primer is a dream in humid summer weather.

FACE (Foundation, Concealer, Powder): While I could go on about which brands need to have more variety, that wouldn’t be very helpful. My top picks for complexion products for deeper skin tones are M.A.C. Cosmetics, BECCA Cosmetics, L’Oreal’s True Match line, and NARS Cosmetics. All of these brands not only have more than 3 ‘deep’ shades, but within their extensive selection of deep shades, they’ve considered undertones, so you’re not forced to simply settle for any dark shade that’s available. For setting powder, if you’re looking for something with more coverage, definitely go ahead with a powder foundation from one of the aforementioned brands, but for something translucent I’ve honestly had no problems with Laura Mercier’s Loose Translucent Setting Powder — both on myself and clients whose skin is deeper than mine.

CHEEKS (Contour, Blush, Highlight): Very often I find chocolate babies shying away from blush and I’m not entirely sure why that is. Well, I have a slight idea — I’ve heard that they don’t think they need it. For NC/NW40 and higher, try: Love Thing, Love Joy, Gleeful; in the M.A.C. Mineralize line, and for NC/NW50 and higher you can try Fever or Raizin (matte finishes) in addition to the previous ones listed. If you’re looking to try some from NARS, try: Taos, Exhibit A, Liberte, Seduction, or Taj Mahal. Milani Cosmetics has lovely blushes and the shades from their line are pigmented though the wearability could be a little better depending on how long your day is.

While we all wish we could have Angela Bassett’s bone structure, the harsh reality is that there’s only one Angela Bassett. Thank God for contouring! The L.A. Girl Pro Conceal line isn’t a bad option for those new to makeup , new to contouring, or simply wanting to try something new. Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows are also amazing for adding dimension — personally I mix M656 with M608 to get the perfect brown that’s not too warm nor too cool. Our highlighter options are unfortunately still somewhat of a struggle, but I truly feel that M.A.C.’s Gold Deposit never fails and the Anastasia Beverly Hills shades work well too.

EYES (Primer, Eyeshadows, Liners): Layin’ Low Pro Longwear Paint Pot by M.A.C. Cosmetics is perfect for covering up any discoloration on your lids to create a blank canvas for eyeshadows to show up truer to colour. Urban Decay Primer Potion, Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer, MAC Prep + Prime 24 Hour Extend Eye Base. The last 3 are transparent so there’s no issue with those about not blending in or going ashy on the skin. I also like to blend in my Primer Potion with a little of my concealer to cover any veins that may be showing on my eyes that day. It would take forever and a day to list all the eyeshadows that flatter deeper skintones, but for some quick recommendations, try any of the following M.A.C. shades: Amber Lights, Antiqued, Bronze, Mulch, Embark, Saddle, Brown Script, Swiss Chocolate, Woodwinked, Sumptuous Olive, Antiqued.

LIPS (Liner, Lipstick, Lipgloss): This one was probably the trickiest category to write on because it comes down to personal preference. I find that what most people of colour have a concern with is finding a nude shade. Keep in mind that nude is relative to your skin tone in particular. Therefore, everyone does not have the same shade. For quick recommendations though, try Chestnut or Cork lip liner by M.A.C. Cosmetics, and for lipsticks you can check out Spirit, Half and Half, Whirl, Persistence (the usual suspects). The nude that everyone  — myself included, seems to love, is Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita by Kat von D; it is very much worth the hype.

I know this was long post, but I hope this helped you narrow down your shopping list because I know how overwhelming it can be with so many brands and products available. Feel free to comment below or check out my Instagram if you have even more questions! 🙂

Sephora Spring VIB Sale 2017

The bi annual Sephora Beauty Insider sale gets just about everyone excited. Whether you make beauty purchases every month (me), or randomly every 3 to 4 months, getting a discount on Sephora items is sure to make you find something there. In the time that I’ve been writing, I rarely do hauls or favorites posts — my favorites change up pretty often. Nonetheless, here’s what I picked up this year.

The NARSissist Loaded Eyeshadow Palette

I’ve used this a few times on a friend of mine and that’s how I fell in love with it. The two shades in particular that got me were the medium brown and the copper one beside it. On myself, I’m impressed, but not necessarily blown away. That’s just a first impression.

Urban Decay All Day All Night Duo

Summer hasn’t entirely arrived but I’m a strong advocate for not doing makeup touch ups. Enter Urban Decay All Nighter spray! I’ve used this before and it’s entirely worth the hype. Naturally, when it was paired with the Quick Fix Spray which I’ve been wanting to try I had to get it. Each travel size retails individually at CDN18 while the duo contains both travel sizes for CDN25.

Sephora Collection Lotus Eye Mask and Cream Lip Stain in Radiant Orchid

I use an eye cream at night that gives 24 hour hydration, so I don’t have to apply more eye cream in the mornings when doing my makeup. I still like having a little extra hydration though and at $6 I picked this up on a whim. I love bold lip colours so I grabbed the Cream Lip Stain in Radiant Orchid as well. I had swatched it a few times before and these lip stains also have have rave reviews.

Overall I can honestly say that this year the sale didn’t get me as excited as it did in previous years. I felt like there weren’t that many new launches that intrigued me.

Comment below or on Instagram and let me know what you got. I’m already thinking about what I want from the Fall Sale! 🙂

Makeup for Beginners: M.A.C. Cosmetics

For many, M.A.C. was their first introduction to makeup, and they’ve become extremely loyal. For others, it may be the only type of high-end makeup available to them, and that’s okay too. In any case, the whole thing can quickly become overwhelming. This post is to help you narrow down what may be your essentials based on your beauty style as well as your budget.

Base: Foundation, Concealer, Powder.

Matte, demi-matte, dewy, satin, light coverage, full coverage, buildable coverage. What. Does. It. All. Mean? At some point you’ll be using all 3 or some combination of the 2, e.g. foundation and concealer, concealer and powder, foundation and powder. This will be based on how much of your skin you’d like to show and how much time you’re willing to dedicate. In simple terms, if you’re looking to have full coverage, i.e. none of your scarring or blemishes showing — you’ll go for all 3. If you’re looking for something to quickly cover up under eye darkness, marks, in addition to not looking shiny — you’ll go for a concealer and a powder. If makeup doesn’t tend to wear off on your skin but you’d like some coverage and don’t want want 3 products, you can try foundation with concealer and possibly skip the powder. Lastly, if you simply want something to quickly even out the skin, one and done, you can opt for a powder.

Eyes: Primer, Shadow, Liner.

You’ve probably heard about Pro Longwear Paint Pots or Paints and yes, you should believe the hype. The trick is to ensure you’re using the correct shade for your skintone. e.g. Soft Ochre and Painterly are widely used in YouTube tutorials, however if you’re on the more caramel or chocolate side, try out Layin’ Low as it creates the perfect blank canvas. There’s also a 24 Hour Eye Base that’s transparent, thus it works amazingly for all skin tones.

M.A.C. Cosmetics has 100+ eye shadow shades with varying finishes, i.e. shimmer, matte, satin, etc.  For starters, I’d suggest a minimum of one shade and maximum of 4 shades. If you’re going with one shade, this is where it becomes useful to use your bronzer in your crease to help that one shade blend out well. If you’re going with 4 shades, I’d strongly suggest sticking to neutrals and have them be varying finishes. e.g. Lighter skin tones — Wedge (transition), Soft Brown (deepens the crease slightly), Saddle (outer corners), All That Glitters (lid). Darker skin tones — Saddle (transition), Brown Script (deepens the crease slightly), Swiss Chocolate (outer corners), Bronze (lid). This is obviously not set in stone; the possibilities are endless and in the end it comes down to what look you’re going for.

Liner can be pretty personal. Especially in terms of formulation and abilities. When it comes to liquid liner I find this is where persons are pretty die hard in terms of which one they use so I’ll keep this nice and short. Everyone’s eyes has a hint of gold in them, so M.A.C.’s Eye Kohl in the shade Teddy will be perfect for just about anyone. If your eyes are brown you can go ahead with Costa Riche. Both shades will look especially beautiful on blue eyes; the former will give a softer effect, while the latter will provide more definition. For green eyes, try something that’s more on the plum side, such as Eye Kohl in Prunella. Hazel eyes can do Costa Riche as well or even Coffee, and for those of you looking for a classic black, go with Feline Eye Kohl.

Cheeks: Bronzer, Blush, Highlight.

M.A.C.’s Mineralize blushes have shimmer but they’re not overpowering  and not everyone wears bronzer so that’s somewhat of a personal preference.

For those who do like bronzer, this in itself varies on how deep you like your bronzer to be. The general rule would be to go no more than 2 shades deeper than your skintone. For blush, you want something that makes your cheeks look like you just came back from a run (I don’t run though, so I’m not even sure why I used that comparison). For lighter skintones you can try New Romance or Gentle, and medium skin tones can opt for Petal Power or Warm Soul. For deeper skin tones, try Love Thing, Love Joy, or Gleeful; these are all from the Mineralize line.

Apparently looking like a glazed donut is something that many would like to have left in 2016 — many persons don’t want that look, and that’s okay. Let me go on record and say that I am all for highlighter (and donuts for that matter). It seems I like to use ‘personal preference’ a lot in this post, but highlighter truly is just that.  For those who do though, I’d recommend lighter skintones to try Soft and Gentle, and deeper skintones can opt for Gold Deposit.

Lips: Liner, Lipstick, Lipglass

If nothing else, M.A.C. Cosmetics is known for their lip products. Since this post is geared towards beginners, I’m going to give suggestions that are in the neutral family. Once more it’ll go by skin tone. Lighter skintones: Subculture, Etcetera, Boldly Bare; for liners, Creme d’Nude, Velvet Teddy, Honey Lust; for lipsticks, and Lust, Prrr; for lipglass. Medium skintones can try Spice, Hover, or Whirl for liners with any of the lipsticks listed. Deeper skintones Cork or Chestnut; for liners, Spirit, Creme in Your Coffee; for lipsticks, Spice, Big Baby, C-Thru; for lipglass.

All in all, whatever items you choose to go with will come down to personal preference and just how much time you’d like to devote to your beauty look. I’ve also always wanted to use this quote, so here goes, “Makeup should be fun! Remember it all washes off at the end of the day” Seriously though, remember makeup is just that. A form of self expression and something that can be washed off at the end of the day. Play around with it and have some fun.

 

 

 

 

 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Makeup by Mario Master Palette: Worth the Hype?

Remember how I referenced the Kardashians in my post on NARS Liberté blush? Yeah, now is as good a time as any to admit that I’ve always liked their varying makeup styles and I’m an admirer of Mario Dedivanovic’s work. Naturally when I learned he was coming out with a palette I got excited. Especially considering that I had wanted to try the ABH eyeshadow formula anyway.

 

This palette has more shimmer shades than matte and I feel this could be changed to possibly include a deeper burnt orange/brown shade. Something similar to MAC’s Brown Script or Makeup Geek’s Cocoa Bear, even Sienna by ABH. While I feel some of the matte shades — specifically Lula, could improve in terms of blend ability,  they’re not terrible. With the shimmer shades however I find that for some I really have to be packing them — Kim in particular takes quite a bit of work to show up how I want it to and so does Paris. While it could be the brushes, I’m not entirely sure they’re to blame; brushes with softer hairs — natural goat hairs, don’t pack on the pigment as well. When I tried my $2 eyeshadow brush from Wal Mart with the synthetic fibers it worked a bit better. ABH released eye brushes back in November though, so maybe those will actually be ideal for this formula and the brush in the palette, while not the best quality, works very well with these shadows.

The shades swatch beautifully on the hand and I was hoping this would be the same on the eyes. I’m fine with the palette containing mainly neutral shades because I’m not drawn to colorful palettes. All in all I don’t think this is a bad palette, but I do think some shades could improve and that another matte shade — maybe to replace one of the lighter shimmer shades (Hollywood or 5th Ave) would be nicer. Isabel is my favourite shade, but personally — because I love a good bronze, I’d switch out Paris to be something that shows as a true bronze on my lid, and then Lula as well to a different matte shade (but that’s just my imagination).

Some shades are hit and miss — in particular Kim and Paris; I find that with both of these (shimmer) shadows I have to try a little too hard to pack them on for the shades to show up. Isabel and Violeta do blend well as mattes, and 5th Ave or Claudia would pair nicely with Violeta for a halo smokey eye.

For a pop of colour, the options are pretty fun — an olive green and a navy blue; Bronx and Claudia respectively. The shade Hollywood is the perfect neutral browbone highlight for a variety of skintones if applied properly and Muse is the perfect shade to use when trying out the red eyeshadow/burgundy smokey eye trend.

Makeup Look using Muse from the Master Palette with M846 Morello Cherry by Make Up For Ever

 

Makeup Look using Paris from the Master Palette on the lid 

Makeup Look using Violeta and 5th Ave from the Master Palette

Makeup Look using Isabel and Bronx from the Master Palette 

Makeup Look using Claudia and Marina from the Master Palette 

Smashbox Studio Skin 24 Hour Waterproof Concealer in Deep

 

In the same way that NARS is known as The Blush Authority, Smashbox is across the way waving to them as The Primer Authority, but I think more credit should be given to their complexion products. I discovered the magical world of concealer back in 2012 and it was the missing piece. Back in the day I’d apply foundation and be confused as to why it was that under my eyes still looked dark and only some of my blemishes were covered. Anyhow, ever since discovering the magic of concealer — much like blush, I’ve been unable to go without it in my makeup routine. I was given the chance to try out Smashbox’s newest concealer which is an extension of their Studio Skin line. Naturally I was interested as I’ve tried Studio Skin Foundation previously and was impressed with the build-able coverage.

While Studio Skin concealer is not made to provide a radiant effect, I’m definitely a fan of the coverage that it gives and the consistency when applying it. In comparison to MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, Studio Skin does not feel as thick and it does not dry down to a matte finish. In comparison to NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, it is more watery and does not give a radiant effect. This is one of those products that holds true to ‘a little bit goes a long way’.

One of the most interesting things about concealer is the various ways in which it can be used — eye primer, to mute your natural lip colour, to add dimension, mixed in with foundation; the possibilities are endless. Let me speak more to the last 2 ways I listed. While I haven’t tried the Studio Skin Concealer line for highlighting and contouring, I’ve mixed this in with foundation to give it a little more ‘stick’ (added coverage) as I saw in a video by Lori Taylor Davis (Global Pro Lead Artist) and it works like a dream.

If you find that you experience creasing under the eyes, you could go ahead and set this with some loose translucent setting powder. On a note of honesty though, I find I don’t encounter creasing issues under the eyes hence I can’t speak too much on how to combat that.

 

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review purposes, however all thoughts, opinions, and images are my own.