Oh my gosh, I get so
excited when it’s holiday time because that means there are HOLIDAY GIFT
SETS. It's like getting 10 gifts at once! I’ve found some of my favorite products this way. I wish these
were available all year round!
One of my stops on Black Friday was
Sephora - and although my store didn't have any "entire store" sales,
they had some discounted gift sets and all of their Holiday Sets were
out. I didn't get any of the mini $10 sets because they were mostly skin
care products, and I was looking for makeup.
I got the
In
The Glow set - Blush, Bronzer & Luminizer Sampler. It was
$45 at my
store, and is a $111 value. I was SO excited to try this when I saw
all of the brands that it included - these are all expensive products. They're all mini sizes, but they're quite generous.
On to the products! The set includes:
1) Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Lumizing Powder in Spotlight, 3 g / 0.106 oz
Full size available
here on Sephora's website for $32.00
This is a warm beige illuminizing powder. It has a really velvety texture, and a little product goes a long way. It's a very natural looking color and I found it blended beautifully with my skin tone, even though I'm a slightly darker shade. I wouldn't describe it as shimmery, it's really a finely milled brightener. If you want dewy, glowy skin, TRY THIS. I think this would be great for highlighting when you're contouring your face too.
Compared to the Pure Radiance face color by bareMinerals, it's heavier and doesn't have the specs of shimmer that Pure Radiance has.
2) Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic, 4 g / 0.14 oz
Full size available here on Sephora's website for $38.00
First impression: These would make beautiful eyeshadows and would be perfect for a summer bronzed eye look. I don't think I would use this on my face as a bronzer or highlighter because it's just too pigmented and metallic. For eyes though - I can't wait to use it!
3) Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Splendor, 3.2 g / 0.11 oz
I might be wrong, but I don't think you can purchase this anywhere online anymore! So this is may be the only place you can get it.
Splendor is a really beautiful color! It looks peach toned in some lights, and a
deep bubblegum pink in others. Just be careful not to over-apply. It
looks like you don't have a lot on, and then you turn your head and BAM!
your cheeks are super pink. That being said, it's really easy to
build, so just start out with a light hand. I'd say my one drawback
about this product is the chunks of gold glitter. I don't like glitter
on my cheeks for an every day look, it reminds me too much of eyeshadow
fallout. Oh no! All in all though, a beautiful color.
I love the golden peach undertones.
In this last photo, you can really see how pink it looks in direct light.
4) Benefit High Beam, 4 mL / 0.13 fl oz
Full size available here on Sephora's website for $26.00
High Beam is a frosty pink luminzer.
It’s a liquid that you apply with a polish/brush applicator.
It looks a lot like Essie's Ballet Slippers, if it had shimmer of course.
My first impressions:
When I swatched this on my hand, I thought it was WAY too
frosty looking for my skin tone (which is slightly tan). But then I applied it to my face and it looks
so much better for some reason. Whew! I have used their “Girl
Meets Pearl” highlighting cream and I think this shows up on skin a lot
better and lasts longer. Girl Meets Pearl kind of melts into the skin.
Don't use too much - just dot and blend/pat it out with your fingers. This really does brighten your skin where it is
applied. It literally looks like someone
is shining a light on your cheek bones.
I guess the name High Beam is fitting – haha :)
5) NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna, 2.5 g / 0.08 oz
Full size available here on Sephora's website for $34.00
Have you tried NARS Laguna? You haven't? You can't watch any tutorials without hearing about this "makeup holy grail" product. So if you haven't tried it yet, I suggest you try it now while you can get the sample size. It's a brown bronzer with gold shimmer (though it's only slightly shimmery).
I can't speak for everyone else, but the reason I love it is because even though it's the darkest bronzer I've tried, it does not turn orange even if you wear a lot of it. It still looks natural if blended well.
I already have the full size of Laguna, and it's my day to day bronzer. It applies dark and has a very slight shimmer to it. A full size lasts me for about 3-4 months, with daily use. Down side: I don't know why, but mine always seems to break apart, especially once I hit pan. It's made quite the mess in my makeup bags!
For comparison's sake:
Choclate Soleil almost has a slightly red undertone, and Laguna is more neutral. Laguna doesn't apply as heavily and isn't matte. As you can see from the photo, it doesn't look that shimmery on the skin.
6) Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Flush, 4.8 g / 0.17 oz
Full size available
here on the Tarte Cosmetics website for $30 - Yikes!
This is a berry colored (AND scented!) cheek stain It’s a gel formula with a stick applicator. This reminds me so much of a colorful glue stick, haha! :)
From looking at the product, it looks like a
deep berry color, but it has a sheer application.
I found that WITH foundation this didn’t last very long. It also smudged my
foundation a little bit. I think this
would be best used with a primer underneath and light or no foundation.
I've wanted to try a cheek stain for a long time. I go to the beach a lot, and I usually try to do a natural makeup look that I know is going to last through the heat and water. Because of that, I'm going to use this, but it's not something I plan on incorporating daily. I don't like that it stays sticky.
One other thing I wasn't a big fan of is that you have to apply it directly to your skin to get the best coverage.
It goes on very sheer, the harder you press down the more color payoff you get.
7) Bare Escentuals bareMinerals All Over Face Color in Pure Radiance, 0.57 g / 0.02 oz
Full size available
here from Sephora's website for $19.
Pure Radiance is a golden beige shimmer powder. Applied lightly it gives your skin a nice sheen. If you have oily skin like I do, I wouldn't apply it all over the forehead & cheekbones like it suggests. I'll probably just use this on my cheeks and decollage. You could also use this as an eyeshadow.
It looks really pretty in the light!
8) Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder, 2.5 g / 0.08 oz
Full size available
here on Sephora's website.
Very silky forumla. SMELLS DELICIOUS! Seriously, you might want to stock up on some hot chocolate packets before you buy this. Just saying.
I really, really was impressed with this bronzer. On the skin, it is very soft looking and easy to blend and layer. It's quite dark, so you wouldn't need much. I used this to contour my nose and it's the best thing I've tried so far. Most importantly, it's not orangey. That's always my pet peeve with bronzers.
PS: It is made out of real Cocoa - what!? Don't eat it though... :)
9) Stila Convertible Color in Peony, 2.2 g / 0.07 oz
Full size available
here on Sephora's website for $25.
This can be used on the cheeks or lips. Peony is a natural blush color with a milky, purple undertone.
This doesn't feel sticky once it's applied. It's a little chalky on the lips so I would recommend exfoliating & putting balm on before you apply this. I think I like it better as a lip color than a blush. LOVE it as a lip color! It looks very natural.
This set was such a winner that I'm thinking about picking up one of their other sets. Have you tried any of them yet?
xoxo,
Abby
