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

Girlactik Matte Lip Paint Allure vs The Balm Meet Matt Hughes Charming

I've tried several matte liquid lipsticks and I must say I were not a huge fan as they all tend to be very very dry and crack my lips. But, recently I purchased 2 liquid lipsticks that I found to be very very good. Let's do a comparison between Girlactik Lip Paint in Allure and The Balm Meet Matte Hughes in Charming.

The Balm Meet Matt Hughes Charming

Girlactik Allure

The Balm Meet Matt Hughes in Charming is described as a long lasting liquid matte lipstick. Let me start by saying that the description is on point. Charming is a muted deep rose / berry shade, basically the shade that is on trend at the moment. Almost every brands that carry liquid matte lipsticks are having this shade because it's a flattering color for almost all skin tones. I personally love Charming very much. It's a shade that makes my teeth appear whiter and also complementing my complexion really well. The texture is very thin and watery and it sets into a matte finish. It's true matte with no sheen whatsoever. It feels sticky for the first couple of minutes before setting into a rather rubbery feeling. From the beginning, I was well aware that no matte liquid lipstick will be hydrating and Charming was not an exception. It is slightly drying, but it's not uncomfortable and I still can wear it the entire day despite of my lips being easily chapped and dried out. However, I prefer to apply a thin layer of lip balm underneath to make it a little less drying ( the balm won't eliminate the matte effect though, so no worries about it, just make sure to apply just a very thin layer of lip balm ). Having a balm underneath will shorten its staying power, but I really don't mind. Without a lip balm underneath, Charming can get to 5-6 hour mark with no problem. 

Girlactik Matte Lip Paint in Allure was a exciting surprise. I purchased it on a whim because I really liked the shade, but I didn't expect it to be anything groundbreaking. But, after trying it on, I was so happy to find out how good it really was. The texture is similar to The Balm Meet Matt, very thin and watery. It's really easy to apply and the doe foot applicator enables a precise application. It sets after few seconds into matte finish as well. Compare to The Balm, Girlactik is more comfortable on the lips and doesn't particularly need a lip balm underneath. It feels a tad sticky but the stickiness will fade after few minutes. It is very comfortable on the lips to the point that I almost forgot that I had something on. Allure is a warm nudish pink shade. On my lips however, it appears a bit coral which is still very beautiful. It is also the kind of shade that will flatter a lot of skin tones. The staying power is great and slightly longer than The Balm.

Overall, if you have problems with dry lips and have yet to find the perfect matte liquid lipstick, look no further. These two are excellent.

The Balm Matt Hughes retails for €16,99 / 7,4ml and Girlactik Matte Lip Paint retails for US$ 23 / ( can't find the amount of the product on the website, but I guess the same as The Balm ).

Love,

Pam

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush

I visited Amsterdam last month and of course I had to give De Bijenkorf at Dam Square a visit. I was surprised to see a huge Charlotte Tilbury counter there. It was a Monday, but the counter was packed. All the lovely ladies working there were busy , so I had a good time alone swatching here and there before a lovely CT girl approached me and we spent almost an hour solid talking about make up xD.

 

I was there with my aunt and she was looking for a nice natural foundation for mature skin ( my aunt is 65 years old ). So, she was given a make over from the nice CT girl ( I sadly forgot her name though :/) and my aunt ended up taking all the stuffs the MUA applied on her face. I was impressed to see the direct result on my aunt's skin. While waiting for her make up to be done, I did a lot of swatches and ended up liking the Cheek to Chic blush in Ecstasy a bit too much xD ( I wanted to get the Walk of Shame lipstick too but it was sold out ). 

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush comes in a nice slim and round plastic case. The case is well made and has a good weight to it despite of it being made out of plastic. There is a built in mirror inside but it doesn't include mini brush which I think is good as mini brushes are usually being thrown away.

The Cheek to Chic Blushes have 2 different shades in one pan. I picked up the shade Ecstasy which  a bright coral and a peach shade. Both shades have sheen and are not matte. They're not shimmery though. I like to swirl my brush to both shades and mix them together to achieve a flattering peachy coral color. The blush has a good pigmentation and reminds me a lot of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush. The texture is smooth and finely milled. I experience very minimal fall out and despite of its excellent pigmentation, it still has room for errors. It blends beautifully and won't give you an over blushed look.

The staying power is great as well. This blush is a winner in my book.

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush retails for €39/8gr of product which is expensive, but it's worth the splurge.

What is your current blush favourite?

Love,

Pam