Tag: summermakeup

Review: Medusa’s Makeup Sun Kissed Bronzer

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Summer is upon us and we all like to look more sun-kissed during these months. Unless you’re like me, who’s pasty white and usually end up having to hide under beach umbrellas or parasols. However, for the rest of you, bronzers are a godsend and truly help achieve that sun-kissed look many strive to achieve.

What It Is: Bronzer

Distinguishing Factors: Vegan

Verdict: I’ll be honest, despite having worked as a makeup artist, and used bronzers on my clients, I never quite mastered that technique on myself. I don’t know if my skintone has a lot to do with it (I could give any pasty-faced vampire a run for their money), but any bronzers that I have attempted to use in the past always end up giving me the same result; muddy skin. This is also why I don’t contour my cheeks. And that is why I end up using many bronzers and contour palettes as eyeshadows or crease colours for my eye looks.

Once I opened this bronzer, I fell in love with the colour because it did give the impression of being sunkissed. Not only that, it looked light enough for someone with a zombie complexion like myself. And honestly, even if it didn’t work as a bronzer, it’d still make for a pretty eyeshadow shade.

First of all, the blendability of this is soft and leaves a nice sun-kissed glow. Unfortunately for me, it doesn’t quite translate well on my cheeks (again, looking too orangey) but it looks very pretty on my lids. But I’m sure that other people might find this bronzer to be just as good as the iconic Hula Bronzer.

Price: $13

Where To Buy It: Medusa’s Makeup Site

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Review: Jeffree Star Cosmetics – Velour Liquid Lipstick Summer Collection 2018

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Ever since Jeffree Star launched his cosmetics line, I’ve been a mega-fan! I love how bold his lipstick colour choices are and the fierce packaging, but apart from the looks what I absolutely LOVE about his velour liquid lipsticks is the formula, so far the best I’ve encountered out of the liquid lipsticks I’ve tried in the past year or so.

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Swatch of Cherry Wet.

What It Is: Liquid Lipstick

Important Detail: Cruelty-free and Vegan

Shade: Cherry Wet

Verdict: The moment Jeffree Star announced his Summer Collection 2018 on his youtube channel, I knew that I had to have the shade Cherry Wet as I’m a HUGE fan of cherry red lips. This red shade is a very summery shade as it’s a hybrid between red and hot pink. I absolutely LOVE this colour, and the formula is the same as the other Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick Mattes, meaning that the pigmentation is HIGH, the power-stay is over 10+hrs. without bleeding/and or smudging, and the product feels absolutely light-weight on your lips, making you feel as though you’re not wearing anything! As all the previous Jeffree Star products I’ve used, I’m very pleased with this one, and do truly recommend it, because although you may find a dupe colour-wise for a cheaper option, what makes me return back and back again to Star’s products aren’t just the colours, but for the top-notch formulas that just can’t be beat!

Tip: If you have particularly dry lips, I recommend that you apply a light coat of lip balm, let it sink into your lips for 5-10mins. and then apply the liquid lipstick.

Price: $18

Where To Buy It: https://jeffreestarcosmetics.com/collections/summer-collection

Pictured above: Me wearing Cherry Wet.

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Summer Trend: Glitter Pop!

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With the summer months cranking up the heat factor, sometimes wearing layers of makeup may feel downright gross. Not to mention that it’s best to allow our skin to breathe when the temperature rises (meaning not to clog our pores with too much powder or foundation). So how does a gal still manage to look a little glam even when the day is scorching?

One of my fun go-to makeup to amp the colour without having to worry about caking it up and still looking fresh and fun is glitter liner! The key to keeping this look summery is to choose a liner that’s bright in colour, such as teal, cyan, violet, or even magenta! I chose a cyan hue from Nicka K that not only brightens the eye but also gives it a playful look without looking too Vegas showgirl.

You can either make the line thick or thin, I personally chose to keep the line as thin as possible. Another trick is to keep the rest of the eyemakeup simple. I used a neutral gold based eyeshadow (Urban Decay’s Maui Wowie), but you can use any neutral that best suits your skintone.

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What do you think about glitter liners? Do you have a favourite?

By: Azzurra Nox

Review: Clinique Pep-Start HydroBlur Moisturizer

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What It Is: A lightweight, 24/7 hydrating cream that provides a matte finish, and prepares the skin for makeup.

What It Does: Instantly blurs imperfections.

Verdict: I’m still unsure whether this is meant to be a full-fledged moisturizer or more of a face primer. And I have a feeling that when they were making this cream, they were trying to combine both of those elements together. However, the problem is that it doesn’t deliver on either accounts. It’s not so soft as a face primer should be (or maybe I’m just used to using Smashbox’s Photofinish Perfecting Primer so much that I prefer that consistency over any others). I’m not crazy about moisturizers because I have oily skin and it often means that any cream is going to add to the oiliness. Maybe this product is best suited for those that have dry skin or are in need of blurring fine lines. I wasn’t able to thoroughly judge that as I have neither. I found this product in one of the Allure Monthly boxes, but probably wouldn’t have tried it otherwise. It’s not that I hated product. It was alright, but I wasn’t crazy about it either. When I put it on the cream felt wet, which maybe is the point of it. The only problem is that it continued to remain wet and since I don’t use foundation, trying to place powder on top of it didn’t make for the best application. Overall, I don’t think this product was right for me. Maybe this product is best for anyone who’s in need of extra hydration.

Price: $34

Where To Buy It: Amazon, Ulta, or Sephora.

By: Azzurra Nox

Violent Violet Make-up Look!

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Nowadays, it’s far more common that I’ll be sporting a neutral smokey look when it comes to eye-makeup. But when I was just a teenager, I LOVED bold purple shadows. I think one of the reasons why I stopped doing my eyes that way wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy the purple shadows anymore, but rather because in the coming years it has been difficult to find shades of violet that I actually like and suit me.

But recently I’ve found a violet shadow that I adore, and decided to start sporting the same makeup look I had when I was sixteen to see if I’d still love it today. Well, I probably wouldn’t wear it everyday now, but I do think it’s a pretty option every now and then.

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Products*:

Notoriously Morbid Eyeshadow – Siren Song

Wet N’ Wild Eyeshadow – Creme Brullee

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Anaheim

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Romp

Urban Decay Eyeshadow – Blonde

L’Oreal Mascara Primer

L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black

NYX Eyebrow Marker in Medium

Jeffree Star Liquid Lip Velour in Rose Matter

Urban Decay Glow Blush in Score

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara in Black

Lancome Le Crayon Khol in Blanc

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Step One:

I distributed Notoriously Morbid’s loose shadow in Siren Song all over my lid. I really packed on the colour. Be sure to use an eyeshadow primer as that truly makes the colour POP. Usually I use Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, but I decided to get Wet n’ Wild eyeshadow primer a go and it works just as well at a fraction of the price!

Step Two:

To not overwhelm the purple, it’s best to use a neutral transition colour on the crease. I opted for Urban Decay’s Anaheim shade. I dusted it with a light hand using a blending brush. I then placed Wet N’ Wild’s Creme Brullee shade all over my brow bone and lightly dusted Urban Decay’s Blonde shade on my brow bone to highlight it.

Step Three:

I then used Urban Decay’s Romp shade (a deep purple) as my liner for upper and lower lashes. It’s an eyeshadow, but I often like to use shadows as liner when I’m trying to keep the look light and not product heavy. I then used Lancome’s Le Crayon Khol in Blanc on the inside of my lower lash line.

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Step Four:

After curling my lashes with an eyelash curler, I used L’Oreal’s Primer to coat my lashes. I allowed ten seconds to dry before applying three coats of L’Oreal’s Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black and one coat of Smashbox’s Full Exposure Mascara to my lower lashes. For my brows I used NYX’s Eyebrow Marker in Medium. This is hands-down the best and most lightweight eyebrow I’ve ever used! So kudos to NYX for making such a kick-ass product that is long-lasting and smudge free!

Step Five:

To complete the look I dusted Urban Decay’s Glow blush in Score and added Jeffree Star’s Liquid Velour Lipstick in Rose Matter to my lips.

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Now slip into something edgy and go out to show off your look! Let me know what your fave purple shadows are in the comments below!

*All products used for this look were purchased by the writer.

By: Azzurra Nox