REN Satin Perfection BB Cream

I am never a fan of summer days. I know I might be a minority here, but I just can't stand the heat and the humidity. It's also problematic for me to wear makeup since I sweat so much and that will result in my base makeup melting under the heat. However, going out sans makeup is not an option since I have a 'I am sick and pale' kind of bare face, so a I still need a little bit of make up to make myself looking presentable xD.

This BB Cream from REN Clean Skincare came to the rescue and has been my summer base make up staple.

REN Satin Perfection BB Cream comes in a nice tube packaging which I like. It's great for traveling and you can use it up till the last drops by cutting the tube in half once it's almost done. The design of the packaging is sleek and represents the brand very well. REN is a skincare brand , so I was skeptical at first but gladly it exceeded my expectations. 

There is only 1 shade available which is the light / medium shade. The BB Cream does look orange but once applied, it kinda adjusts to my skin tone and is actually a very good match. REN claims it to be skin tone adapting and should match light to medium skin tones. I am between MAC NC 15-20 and it matches me really well. I tested it on my bf's skin which is I assume might be around MAC NC 35-40 and it is a good match as well ( you know all the things we do for makeup. LOL ). 

REN Satin Perfection BB Cream has a airy but creamy texture. It is lightweight and a bit wet in consistency. I usually apply it using my fingers, just like applying moisturiser. The BB Cream is sheer but it is enough to even out my complexion. I still need concealer for my under eye area, but for hot and humid summer days, where I don't feel like wearing proper foundation, it's just perfect. 

In a nutshell, REN Satin Perfection BB Cream feels more like a tinted moisturiser instead of BB Cream IMO. The name might be misleading, but it is by no means a bad product. The finish is natural and it gives a nice very subtle glow and healthy looking skin. The staying power is not bad either if you combine it with good concealer and setting powder. 

I love it!

What is your current favourite base make up product?

Love,

Pam

MORPHE 12S Soul of Summer Palette

I think it is almost impossible to ignore the existence of Morphebrushes. The brand is everywhere. The reviews are mostly mixed though, either you love it or hate it. I had no intention to give anything from the brand a try, they just didn't attract my attention, until recently I spotted the range at Beautybay.com. The prices are affordable and I just couldn't resist to try one of their eyeshadow palettes. 

I opted for the 12-er palette called Soul of Summer. It consists of 12 warm reddish toned shimmery shades. All the shades in the palette are shimmery and man they're intense! The shades range from typical highlight shades like champagne golden shades to olive, burnt orange and burgundy. 

Soul of Summer is definitely a very warm toned eye shadow palette. If you're not keen on having a palette with 12 warm toned shadows, you should definitely give this one a pass. 

All the shadows are buttery smooth and have great pigmentation. They don't feel powdery to touch, and have a slightly 'wet pressed pigment' feel. I didn't have problem with fall out as the shadows are not powdery at all. However, they can get a bit crumbly if your eye shadow brush is harsh. I personally prefer to apply the shadows using my fingers then blend them with blending brush. Due to the intense pigmentation, you definitely need to be light handed with application, unless you really aim for a bold look. They apply well with or without primer, and being a lazy person like myself, I very rarely use primer. The staying power is impressive and I can imagine it being even better with a good base underneath.

Morphe eye shadow palette comes in a black plastic case which does feel a bit cheap and flimsy. But for €14,50 I believe we can put the downside aside.

I do wish they would put few matte shades to compliment the shimmery ones. But, for the price point, I wouldn't complain much.

Have you tried anything from Morphe?

Love,

pam

Shy Beam

My experiences with Benefit cosmetics have been hits and misses. There was a phase where I was obsessed with High Beam and Benetint and there was also a phase where I got fed up with those two and started to develop a love hate relationship with them.

I love highlighter but sometimes I dislike it when they're being too shimmery or too much. When Benefit launched a matte highlighter ( as oxymoron as it sounds ), I was sold and ordered it right away.

Benefit Shy Beam comes in a very beautiful frosted rose gold bottle. The packaging is similar to Benetint, High Beam and co only is is tinted and has more girly ornament on it.

Benefit describes Shy Beam as nude pink matte radiance highlighter. So it's supposed to give a glow without being shimmery. Who doesn't want that? But, let me spill it for you that it sadly didn't leave up to my expectations :-(. 

Shy Beam has a lightweight but slightly thick-gloopy texture ( keep High Beam in mind, they're very similar in texture ). It is peachy nude in color but once blended, it disappears. I am MAC NC 15-20 and Shy Beam just doesn't want to show up on my skin. I literally see nothing. Not even a slight glow or radiance. It's like I just apply another layer of skin-tone foundation, or primer. Maybe it would work for people with deeper skin tone, maybe I just fall to the wrong skin tone category? Aside of the  color fail, it blends easily and doesn't accentuate anything bad. I think the product itself is not particularly bad, it is just they should have put more thoughts on the shade.

For the obvious reasons above, there is no point for me to use Shy Beam since it doesn't do anything to my skin, and I probably just wore it twice, I can't really tell you its staying power.

Sadly, Benefit Shy Beam is a failed purchase for me. Let me know if you have tried this one out and what do you think about it? 

Love,

Pam