Makeup

YSL Touche Eclat High Cover Concealer

April 2, 2019 · Leave a Comment

It’s finally here!

Yves Saint Laurent Beauty debuted a Touche Eclat High Cover Concealer. It boasts Touche Eclat consistency with high pigment coverage.

ORIGINAL TOUCHE ECLAT IS NOT A CONCEALER

It is the beauty product every makeup artist loves. YSL Touche Eclat brightens up a dark under-eye. It hides imperfections and highlights the brow bone and lip line area. A dot blended under the nostrils lifts the face. But it doesn’t do everything.

As makeup artist Wayne Goss points out, YSL Touche Eclat is not a true concealer. This is especially so for under eye circles. It brightens but doesn’t hide well.

Read Style Chicks best use eclat article here for making the most out of this iconic highlighter.

When YSL announced a TE concealer, we obsessively checked YSLbeaute.com daily to see if it arrived yet. We gave it a test run in all kinds of lighting situations.

OUR EXPERIENCE WITH Touche Eclat HIGH COVER

It’s like your tried-and-true YSL Touche Eclat, but with concealing properties.

It promises extra pigment and buildable coverage, and it will not get cakey. YSL TE High Cover contains delicate eye skin-loving treating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and caffeine.

We love Hyaluronic and caffeine in an eye product. But what if these ingredients alter the beloved TE consistency?

We found the consistency to be smooth and silky. It is not the best coverage for red spots or acne, I do like it on the eye area. My circles are dark, it does not conceal as well as some concealers, but it is not detectable on my skin, which I love. The wear is not especially long-wearing, but the brightening effect seems to remain. It dries down enough so that mascara doesn’t run but it doesn’t highlight flakey or dry skin. The color runs similar to my current YSL shade, but darker. Both products in the photos below are in the shade Ivory, but the High Cover seems darker out of the tube and in application.

Ivory shade in YSL High Cover Concealer (top) and YSL TE classic

YSL High Cover Concealer (top) and YSL TE classic, both in the shade Ivory

OTHER YSL TE HIGH COVER FEATURES AND FACTS

Available in 16 shades, vanilla to ebony. Some shades are familiar, some new.

At YSL, you can get it monogrammed, but that takes an extra few days, and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it. But the next one we get, we are monogramming it with the date so we know when its’ time to reorder.

WHERE TO BUY IT

For now, find YSL Touche Eclat High Cover Concealer at Yves Saint Laurent Beauty for $35

Concealer that Stays Put Without Being Obvious: Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer

September 10, 2018 · 6 Comments

If you’re reading this, you likely have something you would like to conceal. We recently tried Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer which has long-lasting, blendable coverage that does not settle into fine lines.

I began to become self-conscious about my dark circles in fourth grade and have tried more concealers than I can possibly count in decades since.

Clinique Line Correcting Concealer won’t settle into lines or creases or get cakey

So I was very happy to obtain excellent results using Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer. It lives up to its’ promise of smoothing lines, not settling in one bit. The coverage is moderate and the finish is luminous, giving a healthy, natural glow while still covering blemishes or dark circles. It looks natural, not cakey or dry.

It’s lightweight and provides good cover when applying one layer. Also, I can layer a second “coat” of the product if one finds themselves, like me, with especially dark circles paired with fair skin. It does not get cakey.
It is long wearing, staying in place all day till I removed it before bedtime.
As a surprise bonus, it stays soft and hydrated without interfering with other eye makeup, which for me, means no more raccoon eyes from mascara and concealer interactions. This is a big get in of itself.

Comes in six shades

DESIGN FEATURES

The Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer applicator wand has a larger than typical doe shaped slanted applicator tip to apply the product in broad or pinpoint strokes.
A little bit goes a long way, especially since there is little need to reapply during the day.

Large doe foot shaped applicator dabs concealer on precisely

DARK CIRCLE CONCEALER TIP: Clinique recommends using your ring finger to lightly tap the concealer under the eye area, over your lids, and into the inner corner of each eye to conceal any shadows.

BEST INTENDED USE

To conceal lines on the face, such as smile lines, draw a thin line or series of dots along the wrinkle, pat in and upwards with the ring finger. Choose a shade slightly lighter than your actual skin tone to highlight the area.

For dark circles, blending fine lines on the face, and concealing blemishes and redness. It is intended to be applied over foundation or directly to the skin over a light eye cream base.

SHADE OPTIONS

Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer comes in six shades and is 0.31 oz for $20.50. It blends well with Clinique’s foundation lines both for texture and shade choices.

WHERE TO BUY IT

Find Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer anywhere Clinique is sold, including online and instore Clinique, BlueMercury, Sephora and Ulta

About Paula Dorf Sweep Away Clean Up Stick Makeup Remover

June 21, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Ever ruin the perfect nude smokey eyeshadow job with a glob of mascara?

A qtip soaked in makeup remover or oil removes the smudge, and your makeup underneath, but you have to start all over on that spot.

Paula Dorf Sweep Away does it better because it is a pen like remover stick that glides over makeup mistakes and erases them without ruining the rest of your makeup. Like an eraser pen, it can clean up cat eye gone raccoon in seconds.

Perfect to keep in your bag for mid day touchups.

Find it at PaulaDorf.com

MAC PREP + PRIME FIX + SPRAY: Does it Meet the Hype?

December 20, 2017 · 11 Comments

What do flowers and your face have in common? Both need consistent hydration to stay fresh and look their best. How can you keep your face hydrated without disturbing your makeup? Try MAC Prep + Prime Fix + Spray with hydrating and soothing vitamins, green tea, and cucumber for soft, dewy, supple skin.

MAC COSMETICS Prep + Prime Fix + micro-mists green tea, cucumber & vitamins onto skin for soothing hydration to foundation and skin.

If you live in a cold climate, makeup can dry out and crack. Makeup can melt in a hot one. Forced indoor heat pulls moisture out of foundation, leaving a dry, unnatural looking look. Can a makeup setting spray help? And how do you find the right one for your skin type?

WHY USE MAC PREP + PRIME FIX + SPRAY

Harsh forced heat and air conditioning within many apartments and office buildings can make skin dry and makeup crack. We’ve tried out a few setting sprays lately, and have come to love MAC PREP + PRIME FIX + to make our foundation stay put while our skin looks dewy, supple and hydrated.

ABOUT MAC PREP + PRIME FIX +

MAC says the MAC PREP + PRIME FIX + is “a lightweight water mist that gently soothes and refreshes skin and finishes makeup.” It contains vitamins and minerals, green tea, chamomile, and cucumber to soothe and refresh the skin.

Makeup is refreshed, but there is not a glittery glow or weird wet, slippery look. It absorbs quickly to give an instant boost of hydration while delivering a soft sheen to refresh and finish makeup. Existing makeup is not disturbed by the micro-spray mist.

WHY NOT JUST USE A WATER SPRAY OR WET SPONGE?

These tactics can work, but I find it does not help the makeup stay fresh in the first place, it only helps blend out creasing makeup before applying more makeup. This may seem like one of those makeup products that you don’t need because a damp sponge can rehydrate dried out makeup. That is only one of the benefits.

When I use Prep + Prime Fix + to set my foundation in the morning, I do not need to reapply foundation during the day (except for touching up with YSL Eclat for some brightening, more to look awake under harsh gray lights than reapplying for coverage). Dabbing Prep + Prime Fix + with a Beauty Blender mid-day or before going out after work is also a way to refresh concealer and any foundation that has settled into fine lines around the mouth or folds of the nose.

DRY & SENSITIVE SKIN

If your skin is sensitive or dry, it helps keep the foundation moist. Sensitive skin will like the soothing cucumber and green tea to keep redness and irritation at bay during the day. Dry and delicate skins will also appreciate that this setting spray does not sting like those that contain alcohol.

OILY SKIN

If you have oily skin, MAC PREP + PRIME FIX + keeps the color of your foundation color true so that it does not get darker during the day, but some oily skin gals report that the spray does not help set their foundation and they still need a mid-day foundation re-touch. If you have oily skin, you may prefer one of the Urban Decay setting sprays.

HOW TO USE

I shake the bottle, hold it about 12 inches away, and mist my face after doing my foundation or foundation and powder as the last step before I do mascara and liner. If my face is exceptionally dry, I mist my face once before foundation application as well.

During the day, I spray it again on before any concealer or foundation touch-ups and dab with a beauty blender to smooth out any caking or creasing. MAC PREP + PRIME FIX + comes in a smaller purse size bottle as well.

My makeup stays dewy even in cold, harsh weather or in a very dry office environment.

WHY WE LIKE MAC PREP + PRIME FIX +

A few things I prefer about MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ over other misting and setting sprays is that it is Ophthalmologist tested and Non-acnegenic. I was surprised to see how many acne-causing ingredients appear in some well-known brand sprays.

It also leaves skin feeling smooth, not sticky. There are a few setting sprays that leave more of a light hairspray type of tacky stickiness on the skin, that I do not like.

I also like that it smells only of the green tea and cucumber, there are no overpowering scents, I smell nothing once it dries down.

My makeup doesn’t crack or crease during the day, any touchups are minimal, even on long days.

MAC COSMETICS Prep + Prime Fix + micro-mists green tea, cucumber & vitamins onto skin for soothing hydration to foundation and skin.

MAC PREP + PRIME FIX + spray

WHERE TO FIND IT

MAC Prep+ Prime Fix+ is $24 for the 3.4-ounce size and $12 for the purse size. Right now, three limited edition versions are also available: a lavender, a rose, and coconut scented Prep+ Prime Fix+ sprays.

Find MAC COSMETICS PREP+ PRIME+FIX at MacCosmetics.com, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Ulta

MAC Beautiful Iris Eyeshadow

November 7, 2016 · Leave a Comment

If you are interested in the MAC Cosmetics eyeshadow in the shade Beautiful Iris, you have likely seen that the various swatches online appear very different from each other, ranging from an almost white to mid-purple.

MAC Beautiful Iris Eyeshadow

Some features:

COLOR: It is a lavender, not lilac or mid-purple, as it may appear to be in some online swatch photos. Notable is a sort of fairy-like, light opal blue shift in the sheen, at some angles, it seems more opalescent than lavender.
TEXTURE: Not chalky, VERY Sheer and requires multiple layers for coverage. If you are more familiar with Urban Decay eyeshadows, the MAC veluxe shadow is not as opaque or thick feeling. It is different in texture from a UD shadow. It does not crease.
FINISH: Shimmer, not cakey. Not glittery. The sheerness negates the old lady, overly cakey, frosted look that some lavenders and lilacs tend to have.
USE: This is suitable for a highlight on the brow, for the sheen on the eyelids, or as a blending shade for creating a seamless look between other purples and maybe some blues.
FALLOUT: I did not get any fallout with use, but it did wear off in a few hours when used without a primer.

WHO WEARS IT BEST: The opal sheen of the shade picks up the golden glint of green, hazel and brown eyes.

Most eyeshadows in the MAC permanent collection are just $6 if you buy the pan refill, $16 in the pot.

Find it at MacCosmetics.com.

MAC Beautiful Iris Eyeshadow