Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Brightening Serum + Concealer by Estee Lauder

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Being a fan of  Estee Lauder's concealers, I was intrigued by the eye serum included in the Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Brightening Serum + Concealer ($34), so added it to my March spring beauty haul. Multi-tasking products are great when they work or twice the disappointment when they don't, so let's see where on the spectrum this one fell.

First off, I picked well with the 2W Light Medium (Warm) shade, which is always dicey when shopping blind online. I tend to look at a lot of swatches before purchasing, but there weren't many available on this product so I went more by the shade description.

The serum is supposed to improve the moisture level of under eye skin within 4 weeks while making the skin appear smoother with fewer lines and wrinkles, all while color correcting uneven skin tone and brightening dark areas.  I've been using it for over a month now, and I like it. A lot.  It does brighten my under eye area without emphasizing the fine network of lines I have.  I don't tend to use concealer in this area as I don't have dark circles, but I do like using a lightweight brightener such as this. The serum is meant to be used as the last step of your skincare regimen, and I would like to know what the ingredients are, but that ingredient list is proving elusive.

The other end contains a hydrating cream stick concealer to cover skin imperfections wherever you may have them. You can even use it as a foundation in a pinch, which I discovered on a 3 day work trip last week. The foundation I packed mysteriously disappeared (I still haven't found it), and after a moment of panic I congratulated myself on having brought this new dual-tasking product with me. I prefer it as a spot concealer, but it does sheer out nicely with a damp beauty blender and when set with a translucent powder, performed well as my johnny on the spot foundation.

You get .17 oz of the serum and .19 oz of the concealer, and considering I used the concealer as foundation for 3 days, I may end up finishing both at the same time now. Bottom line, this dual-tasker is a win for me!

Brightening serum

Le Métier de Beauté February/March VIP Boxes: Get Your Glow On

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

After several lackluster months, Le Métier de Beauté has redeemed themselves with the February and March VIP boxes.  Both boxes feature products that are designed to make your skin glow, so let's take a look.

The cult favorite Peau Vierge Tinted Luminizer is both skincare and makeup. You can use it as a face primer or mix it with liquid foundation for a soft glow that is truly lovely.  Here is how Neiman Marcus describes it:

Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complexe contains the breakthrough, proprietary delivery system Syntoc Actif. This exclusive and patented technology aids in the improved delivery of key ingredients. Among those ingredients is retinol—the most efficacious anti-aging active proven to smooth lines, refine texture and even tone. SPF 18 protects the complexion, while light-diffusing pigments help to instantly blur and diffuse imperfections for a smooth, radiant, natural-looking finish.

I still have a Peau Vierge that I received back in 2014 from the VIP subscription, so I've broken that one out to use up.  It will take a while, as a pea sized amount is enough to cover my face and the tube sent back in 2014 is a whopping 2 ounces, which is twice as much as the pump (1 oz, $125).  So, I'm set for a while :-)

Peau Vierge somes in 4 different shades, but these are sheer in nature and I think the difference is subtle at best.  I've only used Shade 2, which is described as a true neutral beige, and it's perfect for my skin.  It's actually hard to see Peau Vierge in skin swatches, but if you enlarge the picture below you can see the shimmer on my hand after I applied it to my face.

March's offering is the Trompe l'Oeil powder highlighter, which was designed for the VIP program. It's a gorgeous pink champagne hue and I'm definitely looking forward to playing with this one.  While I use highlighters year round, spring definitely brings them even more to the forefront.  I will post a more thorough review once I have used this a bit.

The enclosed card indicates you can wear it over blush or as an eyeshadow as well, and the powder is finely milled with that ethereal type of glow that should look good wherever you decide to wear it.  Trompe l'Oeil is French for "deceive the eye" and is an art technique where objects appear to be 3-dimensional.  Great name for a highlighter.

Well done, LMdB, well done. You can't go wrong with Peau Vierge, and Trompe l'Oeil looks very promising.

BECCA Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème in Sand and Cashmere

I was looking for something at ulta.com to bump my purchase up to the free shipping threshold, and came upon the sample set from BECCA.  Featuring a travel sized Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal and two Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème samples in Sand and Cashmere, I figured why not?  The travel sized Shimmering Skin Perfector is regularly priced at $19, so there's a bit of savings in there as well.

The Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème line from Becca is a full coverage foundation that features a balance of 21% pure pigment and 22% water to conceal imperfections, redness, hyperpigmentation and the like with a lightweight cream. 

It's definitely got the pigment thing down and does a good job of covering the above mentioned issues without looking overly cakey or obvious.  I say overly, because anytime you are dealing with lots of pigmentation, it's a fine line between coverage and the dreaded mask like effect.  On the plus side, I found it easy to apply with a brush, although there was a bit of pore settling that needed more careful smoothing out. 

Opal Shimmering Skin Perfector

The finish is semi-matte, and I also experimented combining the Opal Illuminating Skin Perfector with the foundation as well.  I've done comparisons of the powder vs. cream versions before, which you can see here.

Wearing Cashmere with Sand as a concealer

Cashmere (neutral beige, neutral undertones) was the better match for my complexion, but I did use Sand (pale beige, yellow/golden undertones) as a concealer in the above picture.  Wear time was a respectable 8 hours on my oily skin before breakdown was starting to be an issue. 

Cashmere + Sand + Opal blended

Above is a blend of Cashmere, Sand and Opal together.  I would probably go with a slightly smaller dab of Opal next time (I used a healthy pea sized amount), as I felt like I need to powder my face to tone down the shimmer a bit.  Final thoughts:  I like the foundation, but not sure I like it enough to spend $44 for it.  On days I need more coverage it's definitely a good option, but I feel like Revlon's Colorstay Whipped Creme (review here) is a good full coverage option for my oily skin, at about 1/4 of the cost.

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal: Powder vs. Liquid

Now that I've gotten over my fear of using luminizers on my oily skin, I'm starting to appreciate the difference between powder and liquid versions.  As an aside and in case you are wondering what constitutes oily skin, here's a reference point:

So, it's nice when a brand like BECCA offers luminizers in both formats.  I bought Opal in powder format back in the spring, and have received several samples of the liquid Opal with purchases. 

I love mixing a liquid luminizer in my foundation, but have not gotten adept at using them to highlight smaller areas of my face.  The liquid version of Opal is a bit darker in tone and less shimmery than the powder version and I actually prefer the color and finish of it over the Opal powder. 

Powders work best for pinpointing areas such as the bridge of my nose or the top of my cheekbones. However, the powder Opal can veer into metallic territory quite easily, so I have to use a very light touch when applying.

Opal liquid (L), Opal powder (R)

Of course, too much of the liquid mixed with foundation produces more "glow" than I want as well, as I found out the first time I tried it.  A bit more dewy than I'm comfortable with, considering my oily skin starts producing it's own glow soon enough.  Still, no denying that BECCA's Opal luminizer is quite lovely.  A bit pricey at $38 for the powder and $41 for the liquid, but still lovely.

Manna Kadar Cosmetics Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion in Birchbox Love

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Birchbox occasionally runs flash sales on select items, and Manna Kadar shimmer lotions ($29) were featured recently for half off.  If you're not familiar with the brand, it could be because it's only been around since 2012, but you can read more here.  That's one of the great things about Birchbox - they've definitely introduced me to new brands.  Since I've been on a bit of a luminizer binge, I picked up two of the three available shades, Birchbox Love and Movie Star.  Today we'll be looking at Birchbox Love.

To be honest, a large part of the luminizer lemming was fueled my increasing desire to try out one of the tres expensive Armani Fluid Sheers.  In fact, there is even a comparison chart on the Manna Kadar Cosmetics site that caught my eye.  So hey, I snapped up two of the Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotions for a song, and I've been playing with them ever since. 

Source:  Manna Kadar Cosmetics

And guess what?  I love them.  I've been mixing the light peachy pink hued Birchbox Love with my foundation, although you can use it in a variety of ways.  At first I started with small amounts, fearing a disco ball shimmer, but now I'm using an entire pump amount, as the shimmer particles are so fine that you are not getting a glitter effect.  Here is how Birchbox describes them:

"This liquid illuminator subtly reflects light to make skin look fresh and hydrated. Plus, the extra-fine shimmer particles won’t settle in wrinkles—they actually call attention away from fine lines."

Clinique Pore Minimizing Foundation in Neutral, Birchbox Love Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion

The effect combined with foundation is very subtle.  I can detect the shimmer bits very close up, but they are virtually undistinguishable otherwise.  I have not noticed any increased oiliness, nor does my skin look shiny.  I think I'd have to say the effect is along the lines of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders in that your skin just looks better.

As to how Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotions compare to the Armani Fluid Sheers, I'll have to get back to you on that.  I did purchase a Fluid Sheer but haven't tried it out yet, as I've been too busy playing with Birchbox Love and her champagne hued sister Movie Star.  Birchbox Love is exclusive to the Birchbox shop and retails for $29. 

NARS Orgasm Illuminator

I may be one of the few women addicted to makeup who doesn't own NARS Orgasm blush.  I did acquire a deluxe sample of Orgasm Illuminator a while back as part of one of Sephora's Favorites collection.  It has languished in makeup purgatory until recently, when I saw a review from The Beauty Look Book comparing the Orgasm Illuminator to Tom Ford's new Beauty Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust.  I enjoy reading about Tom Ford's cosmetic line, but the prices have kept me from indulging in anything, as I don't want to venture down that slippery slope.  So I searched for my NARS Orgasm Illuminator and have been using it this past week - and I like it!

These light-reflecting liquids are supposed to enhance the complexion and create a shimmering incandescence.  The effect is quite subtle, as it doesn't supply color so much as a soft glowing shimmer effect.  I put a dab in my palm and then use a stipling brush to apply to my forehead, my upper cheeks and over my brows in a C pattern, and the bridge of my nose.  It can also be blended with foundation or moisturizer for an all over glow. 

The Orgasm Illuminator is a coppery peach with fine gold shimmer, but there are three other colors available:  the more vibrant Super Orgasm which contains gold glitter, the pearlescent Copacabana, and the golden Laguna.  They are $30 for 1.1 oz.

Do you use illuminating products or have a favorite? I usually forego them as they tend to make my already oily skin look too shiny, but I think this one is working for me.

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

stila one step bronze Review & Swatches

stila one step bronze makes a lot of claims!  It claims to warm, enhance, illuminate, and brighten your skintone while also diminishing the appearance of sun spots.  Futhermore, this serum says it primes the skin while nourishing it with a "youth revival bio-available mineral complex from Arclay".  It also claims to minimizes pores, diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles, hydrate and balance skin, and control oil.  Way to get my expectations up, stila!  I do like multi-taskers, and one step bronze did deliver for me in several areas.

It does indeed warm my skin tone and provide a nice hint of  all-over color without leaving any lines of demarcation or appearing too obvious.  The texture is a light mousse that blends easily and feels good on the skin, leaving no greasy after feel, which is mucho important to me.  It also did quite well as a primer, making it easy to blend the BB cream I'm currently using and even prolonging it's wear.  I did not have as much of an issue with the BB cream settling into my pores.

I've got extremely oily skin and I think it did help a bit with oil control.  I was concerned about its shimmer, but found that after applying my BB cream there was no obvious shimmer bits visible, but instead a nice glowing/highlighting effect, which is more apparent in the sun.

I like the packaging and find that one pump dispenses just the right amount for full facial coverage.  I'm also a bit fascinated with how those coils look, for some reason.

stila one step bronze retails for $36, which at first glance seems a bit steep.  Given it's multitasking qualities, however, the price does seem somewhat more justifiable.  I doubt I would have investigated this product if it had not been part of my June Birchbox, but I've got to say it's now going to be my go to primer for the summer!

Ingredients:  Water/Aqua, Cyclopentasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Peg/Ppg-18/18 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Phytantriol, Phenoxyethanol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Boron Nitride, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Dextrin Palmitate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Zinc Chloride, Lysine, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Montmorillonite*, Illite*, Kaolin*, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-) Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Zinc Oxide (Ci 77947), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499)

Disclosure:  stila one step bronze was part of my June Birchbox, which I subscribe to for $10/mo.