Favorite Blushes, Highlighters, Foundations/BB Creams, Face Powders, Concealers, and Makeup Removers of 2014

I don't know if you noticed but in 2014, I didn't do any favorite posts. So with that said, I've decided that I'm going to sort my 2014 favorite product in different categories. This is more like my face makeup favorites.

Clinique Fresh Bloom 13 Plum Poppy Blend. It has a wonderful soft texture and pigmentation. I love the pinky rose nude color. It looks very natural on the cheeks and has just a subtle sheen.

Tarte the chic to cheek deluxe Amazonian clay blush set. This set is by far my favorite Tarte blushes. I found these blushes to be softer and easier to blend and I really like the shade range. This is just too bad it was limited edition so I'm glad I got my hands on it.

Benefit High Beam Highlighter and Posie Tint Cheek Color. Ahhh this is a perfect set. So little and cute! Nice color and staying power.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Cheek Rush X-Pose Rose. A little tricky to apply but once you get past that, the color is beautiful and very long-lasting.

Milani Baked Blush Bella Rosa. One of the most pigmented blush I own. I have to use a small stipple brush to apply this cause it's so pigmented.

YSL Dare to Glow Silky Highlighting Veil Fatal Red. Very gorgeous highlighter. I got it on sale.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Powder Makeup. Unfortunately, I did not review this powder. I mainly use it to set my foundation and it really helps prolong the longevity of my foundation. 

NYX Blotting Powder Medium Dark. It's a bit yellow tone for me but it actually blends well with my skin tone and I love how weightless it feels. It's especially good for erasing shine on my forehead.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation True Ivory. The color is a perfect match for my skin tone. It's long-lasting with medium to full coverage.

Missha Cho Bo Yang BB Cream. I don't use this all over my face. Mostly in the areas I need more coverage and brightening. It's thick so it covers very well.

ELF Studio Maximum Coverage Concealer Sand. The texture is thick and creamy, coverage is medium. I mainly use it on my cheek area where I want to brighten and even out skin tone.

L'Oreal Clean Artiste Waterproof & Long Wearing Eye Makeup Remover. Does the job well. I like the packaging.



Finding any of your favorites here?

Missha Semi Annual Sale Haul

Hi everyone,

I received my Missha order today so wanted to share with you what I ordered. The sale is still going until July 7th, with discounts up to 75% and almost everything is on sale, the deals are good, so don't miss out!
Shipping is free if your total is $40 or more.

I bought the full size Misa Cho Bo Yang BB cream in the shade No.2 for $23.00, originally $45.99. I previously had the travel size to try and liked it. For review and swatches, you can visit the post HERE.

I desperately needed a face moisturizer and the Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail moisturizer raised some interests so I bought it. It originally sells for $33.99 but on sale for $20.39. The packaging is very fancy looking and heavy.
Along with it, I decided to try out the Sleeping Mask. It was originally $22.99 but on sale for $13.79.

The Secret Recipe Brigthening mask was on sale for $4.80. Not bad and seem like a nice mask to try.

Can't never have too much hair conditioners so I went ahead and got the Dong Baek Gold Rinse, currently on sale for $10.19. I just had to smell it and WOW it smells floral and divine! Plus, I love that it comes with a pump.

As part of their special sale, if you spend over $60 you get 5 Pure Source sheet mask and 5 Real Essential sheet masks for FREE! These can also be purchased on their own.

They also threw in a little sample of what I believe to be the MISA Cho Bo Yang Toner. It was lost in the Styrofoam peanuts and I almost tossed it out in the garbage cause I didn't see it.

Did you already take advantage of the sale or will you be ordering? 

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm - Swatch and Review

I snagged the travel version of the Urban Decay BB cream on my last trip to Sephora on a whim cause I wanted to test it out. Urban Decay claims that this BB cream minimize pores, line, wrinkles, redness, as well as firming your skin.
To be honest, I haven't been exposed to that many BB creams but I've tried a few from Missha (Korean brand). I've tried some western samples such as the Boscia BB cream and the Dior Hydra Life BB Creme. I didn't even bother with the drugstore BB creams. I've also purchased the Too Faced Beauty Balm during a sale at Ulta.

BB cream was originally developed in Germany but gained its popularity in Asia. So much so that western countries decided to make a version of their own. There's quite a difference between East and West and at this point there is no clear definition of what is a BB cream anymore. Anything can be called a BB cream, or CC cream, or DD creams. It's whatever-they-wanna-call-it-cream now. Anyways, my point is every brand has their own interpretation of what a BB cream is and if you've started with Asian brands and then tried the western version of it, you'd be like "what were they thinking?"


Packaging

• Convenient squeeze tube. I like the color of the tube. It looks kinda fancy.
• .50 oz or 15 ml

Product

• This BB cream only comes in one shade. It's a peachy medium beige color, leaning on the warm tone. Even looks a bit orangy. On my face, I noticed that it just made me look a shade darker and warmer. It's definitely not a good match for my skin tone and I'm not liking the color on me. I don't have extremely fair skin but I'm still in the lightest medium range with neutral undertone so this was too yellow for me also.
• Secondly, this BB cream is super sheer and comparable to a tinted moisturizer. There's absolutely no coverage. Just a bit of color. At this point, I'm already ready to give up and return the product. 
• I expect a BB cream to offer at least a light and natural coverage. I had no coverage and the color didn't look natural on my skintone. 
• I don't have problems with lines, pores, wrinkles, redness, so I can't tell you whether or not this product actually improves any of that but it sure won't cover them. 
• It's interesting how Urban Decay took a safe approach and never claim that this BB cream would cover anything but "blur" your flaws. Honestly, I haven't noticed any blur either. 
• Lastly, it has a subtle minty scent. Kind of weird for a product that goes on your face. I didn't notice when I was wearing it but when I tried smelling it, I could detect the scent. 

Final Thought

I don't know what this should've been called. It has the lightweight consistency and coverage of a tinted moisturizer yet doesn't feel moisturizing like one, which why I mentioned earlier that brand now just label whatever they want on a product. In order to give this a fair review, all I can say is that it won't work on everyone. It's best suited for those who have medium to medium/dark skintone, for those who don't need much coverage but just a bit of color to even out skintone. I have no comment on the skincare benefit it claims to have as my skin condition doesn't fall in that category. For me personally, it doesn't do anything beside making me look a shade darker and warmer than I really am.
I looked up reviews and what others think of this product and it's like hit or miss depending on the person and for me it's a miss. I would definitely recommend you either try it out in store or ask for a sample.

Rating: 7/10

Price: $14.00 (for travel size)
Availability: Sephora, Urban Decay

Tried it? Did you love it more than I did?

Sephora Haul

I haven't stepped inside a Sephora store in what seems like ages. I wasn't looking for anything in particular...just looking if anything interesting catches my attention.

Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything kit, $30.00. Comes in 3 shades: light, medium, and deep. My daughter wanted this set for herself...*sigh* that's what happens when she shops with me...double the trouble! Packaging is very sturdy and adorable! Looks like a book and comes with tips and tricks on how to look your best. The set includes: the Porefessional primer, Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow, Boi-ing 2 and 3, I'm cute as a bunny powder and a flat face brush.

Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee, $22.00. Looks like jello and feels like jello. Definitely got my attention. I played with it in store and I think this is something I had to have. Yes, I know I don't need another blush but just the fact that it is different from all the blushes that I own or tried, I can justify the need for it, lol. I got the shade Poppy Paradise, which is a warm red.

Sephora + Pantone Universe Light Storm Liquid Shadow Smoky Grape, $18.00. I can't find this anywhere on Sephora's website. I don't know what the deal it is with that BUT this cream eyeshadow has an awesome lilac/teal duochrome to it. After playing with it to get a feel for the texture and application, I said Oh yeah baby! You're coming home with me!

Urban Decay Beauty Balm (travel size), $14.00. So glad they had a travel size cause I just wanted to try it. This is .5 oz.

With 100 points, I redeemed for the Dior Capture Total One Essential serum. The cashier was nice enough to throw in a couple samples.

I think that was enough damage for the weekend. Did you do any shopping? What did ya haul?

Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm - Review and Swatches

Hello Ladies,

I purchased the Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm about a week ago, which I scored for an awesome deal during's Ulta 21 Days of Beauty sale. This normally retails for $34.00.

What I appreciate about this BB cream is that it comes in 6 different shades, which allows you to get the shade that best matches your skin tone. Vanilla Glow would've worked perfectly for me; however, it was sold out at the time so I grabbed Snow Glow, which is the lighter shade. WARNING, no makeup face below, lol, please don't judge.

What Too Face says about this product

Our innovative beauty balm offers multiple skincare and makeup benefits in one simple step. Our powerful, multi-mineral complex instantly achieves a healthy glow and improves skin's overall appearance.
1. Light-diffusing pigments tint and add radiance (available in 6 shades).
2. Anti-aging, multi-mineral complex primes & prevents damage.
3. Moisturizes with oil-free hydration.
4. Hypo-allergenic and soothing for all skin types.
5. Broad-spectrum, chemical-free SPF 20.

• Anti-aging, Multi-mineral Complex: Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc as well as Ginseng and Ginko Biloba. 
• Soothes & Nourishes: Vitamins A & E, as well as Chamomile soothe and nourishes while our oil-free hydrating formula moisturizes.
• Blends easily: Four gorgeous shades, with luminosity and effortless blendability to suit individual skin tones and shades needs. 
• Sun Protection: Broad-spectrum, chemical-free SPF 20 offers optimum protection from the sun's harmful UVA/UVB rays. 
• Multi-use: Can be used as a primer to prep skin for either foundation for more coverage, or powder for a lighter finish.

Packaging

• Nice nude squeeze tube with an iridescent pink shimmer and gold lettering and detailing.
• Generous amount of 1.5 oz

Product

• Snow Glow would work best on fair to light skin tone. It looks slightly light on me but once I applied powder over it, it actually blended well with my skin tone.
• This BB cream is quite creamy, light-weight, and moisturizing. You could actually skip the moisturizer if you wanted to.
• When looking up close I see a very subtle shimmer. It is barely noticeable but it's there. I guess that's what they meant by "light-diffusing pigments."
• The cream is rather light and a bit sheer. I have some freckles, a couple pimples, and some old scars. It didn't cover them but it did a good job at evening out my skin tone and slightly blurred my freckles.
• It does look a bit dewy after you've applied it. Some might like, some probably won't. I like to set it with powder to minimize the dewiness. 
• I am a bit oily on the T-Zone and this doesn't prevent it from getting oily. 
• The coverage last fairly well throughout the day for me, about 6 hours under normal condition. Once past the 6 hours, it starts to fade and I notice my face doesn't look as fresh and awake as it did when I first applied it. 

Final Thought

Overall, this BB cream only offer a very light coverage and helps even out skin tone. If you're oily, you probably won't like this much because it's very moisturizing, dewy, and doesn't control oil.
I personally like it. It's great for everyday use because it feels light and looks natural. I wished it lasted a bit longer than 6 hours though.

My rating: 9/10

Boscia BB Cream - Swatch and Review

The only western BB creams that I have are samples that I've gotten through some of my purchases. The Boscia BB cream happens to be one of them. I have not tried any of the drugstore brands but I did just recently do a review on a few of the Missha brand BB creams.
The other BB cream sample that I have yet to try is the Dior Hydra Life. I believe redeemed this one with my Sephora Perks points. I will do a review on that one later.

What it claims to do

• Moisturize and nourish the skin
• SPF 27 
• Long-wearing
• Even out skin tone
• Diminish pores and fine lines
• Contain anti-oxidants
• Free of parabens, Sulfates, and Phthalates
• Flawless finish
• Natural coverage

 Packaging

• As far as packaging goes, it looks alright. It's just a standard squeeze tube. There really isn't anything fancy about it. The retail price for a 1.75 oz is $38.00. 

Product

• The texture is nice and feels moisturizing. The cream is light and almost feel like whipped cream.
• I don't detect any scent so that's a good thing.
• There is only 1 shade available for this product and according to Boscia, it is self-adjusting. I don't know how much of that is true but straight out of the tube it appears like a shade darker than my skintone but once I blended into my skin it, it did adjust to my skintone. So for someone who is very fair or darker than medium, I'm not too sure how well the shade will adjust. But if you are anywhere between light and medium, I think the self-adjusting aspect of it should work.
• As far as coverage goes, this is light. It will even out your skintone but if you have any blemishes or dark spots you want to cover, this alone will not work. 
• I don't know why but this BB cream has some silver shimmers in it. It's subtle but noticeable. Some might like, some might not. I would definitely prefer it without it.

Final Thought
I like it but I don't love it and I certainly would not purchase it for the price. This is a good cream for people who want a light and natural-looking finish and coverage. It will look a bit dewy so you will need to top it with a powder if you don't like it dewy. I'd have to disagree with the flawless finish because you certainly are not going to look flawless with this cream. I also disagree with it being long-lasting because I feel like the coverage only works for 4-5 hours on my skin. The silver shimmers are a bit of a turn off because I don't see anything natural-looking about that.
Overall, I think this product is good but not great and it missed a couple marks based on what it claims to do.

My rating: 7/10.

Missha BB Cream Review and Swatches

Hello Beautiful,

Today, I will be reviewing for you these three BB creams from Missha that I've had the opportunity to try for the past few months.

Missha Perfect Cover, retail price $29.99.
What this claims to do: "The M Perfect Cover BB Cream gives an even and natural-looking coverage with the soothing, moisturising properties of a cream. It is suitable for all skin types including acne-prone skin, and can be used as a makeup base or foundation."

I received this full size BB cream (50 ml) as a free offer for registering and signing up on their website, which I think is a really cool thing. Now, the not so cool thing is that I wasn't able to select the shade that matches my skintone. They just automatically send you the shade No 21. For me that is way too light. It made me look pale as a ghost. My skintone falls between the lighter spectrum of light/medium with neutral undertone. In order for me to make this work, I've had to either warm up my face with a bronzer or mix it with a darker foundation to match my skintone. Missha offers 5 shades for this BB cream.

As far as the packaging goes, I'm quite happy that it came with a pump. I find the pump easy to control and more hygienic.

The consistency of the cream is slightly on the thicker side but feels nice and smooth. I get very good coverage with this BB cream. It's buildable and medium to full coverage. It also doesn't look fake or cakey but more like a second skin. This also has a very high SPF 42, which helps prevent sun damage.
I have normal and combination oily skin on the T-zone. This BB cream last me through most of the day but doesn't really help control the oiliness though.
Overall, I do like it but probably would love it more if I had the shade that matches my skintone.


Missha Signature Real Complete, travel size $16.99.
What this claims to do:  "The M Signature Real Complete BB Cream gives even and natural-looking coverage with the soothing, moisturizing properties of a cream. It is suitable for all skin types, and can be used as a makeup base or foundation. Containing peptide complex, gingko water and 50 kinds of botanical complex, it provides abundant moisture and nutrients to the skin to help make it healthy. Non-chemical, Paraben-free, Mineral oil-free, Alcohol-free, GMO-free, Triclosan-free, Benzophenone-free."

I picked the travel size (20 ml) because I wanted to just try it out first. The full size, at retail price, is $45.99 so I wasn't willing to spend that much until I know how it will work for me. Unfortunately, there is a lack of shade range for this BB cream. They only have two available and so I picked No. 23, which actually matches my skin well. The consistency of this BB cream was a little more watery as compared to the other two. However, the coverage is light to medium and looks very natural. It doesn't offer much as far as coverage goes but it does do a very good job at evening out my skintone. This works kind of like a light coverage foundation but better than a tinted moisturizer. The finish is a bit dewy so I like to set this BB cream with a powder. It also contains SPF 25.
The staying power is just ok. After my 8 hour shift, I feel that 50% of it has faded.

The packaging is cute and a squeeze tube for the travel size. The full size comes with a pump. I find the travel size packaging messy since the product is a bit liquidy.

Overall, I love how natural this BB cream is. I think because the consistency is lighter, it feels like I'm not wearing any face makeup. I'm glad the shade matches my skintone as well. If you have medium to darker skintone, skip this cream because it will be too light for you. If you have nearly good skin and don't need a lot of coverage, you will most likely enjoy this BB cream. If you need more medium to full coverage, I don't think this BB cream will do the job for you or you may want to pair it with a good concealer.


Missha Cho Bo Yang, travel size $17.99.
What this claims to do: "Tri-functional BB Cream that makes your skin radiant and bright with oriental herbal ingredients. Promotes Wrinkle repairing + Whitening + Blocking UV rays (SPF30/PA++).
Containing 3 kinds of precious ingredients such as Korean Wild Ginseng, Cordyceps Sinensis, Velvet and Pure Gold, it creates bright & radiant skin with oriental aesthetic formula. Developed to keep your skin healthy without any irritations during wear. Its long wearing effect provides coverage all day long."

So again, I settled with the travel size (20 ml) for trying out first. The full size BB cream retails for $45.99. I purchase this in the shade No 2. This is only available in two shades. The consistency of the cream is a bit thicker just like the Perfect Cover, so this offers medium to full coverage that looks natural. Shade No 2 wasn't really a perfect match for me because it has that ashy overcast, which actually makes me look more pale than I really am.
It does last well throughout the day just like the Perfect Cover. This also contains SPF 30.

For the travel size the packaging is nice and a squeeze tube. The full size seem to also come with a squeeze tube but I am not 100% positive on that. That is just my assumption based on the picture. 

Overall, I like it but don't love it mainly because the shade doesn't match me.

My personal experience with these BB creams is that they offer buildable medium to full coverage, which I find that really good. Now, the great things about BB creams is that they give you the coverage of a foundation but manage to look natural like second skin. So if you think foundation are a bit too heavy for you, you should definitely consider BB creams if you haven't tried it already. They are not like tinted moisturizers. They work better than tinted moisturizers I think.
The down side with these BB creams is that you may not find a shade that matches your skintone, especially if you have a darker complexion. Most of the shades tend to be for fair to light medium skintones. Missha has occasional sales, so I would wait until that happens before I place my order. Otherwise, at retail price, these BB creams are a bit pricey.
I find these BB creams moisturizing and smooth. They won't help control oily skin so if you need oil control, these creams won't do it for you. They have a very subtle but pleasant scent, that I find hard to describe.
From my personal experience, all these BB creams felt nice. It was just a matter of getting the right shade.

Have you tried BB creams before? If so which one is your favorite? 

Missha Haul

I have been curious about BB creams for quite some time now and I finally caved in and decided that it was time I tried them. I saw one of the girls on Luuux do a post on her Missha haul and I took interest in the company.
I have always wanted to try asian cosmetics but being unfamiliar with their brands and products, I had no clue where to start. I wanna say Missha is a Korean company since it says on the packaging that the product was made in Korea, so correct me if I'm wrong.

There is a few reasons why I decided to place an order with them

• If you sign up to be on their email list, you will receive a FREE Perfect Cover BB cream in the shade 21. Yes, you read it correct, a free full size BB cream!
• There was a few specials and deals going at the time I place my order.
• Missha now has several stores located in the US. Click here to view where they are if you are interested. Therefore, it's being shipped within the US to your home.

My initial impression is that it took about a week for me to receive my order, which isn't too bad. When I opened up the box, my order arrived in good condition. They used styrofoam peanuts, which I don't like. I would have prefered bubble wrap because I think it does a much better job at adding that extra layer of protection so that your product doesn't get damaged during shipping. Anyways, I'm glad nothing broke and I received everything that I ordered. So far, my first experience with this company has been good.

Now let's move on to what I purchased...