Beauty Product Reviews | Page 2
Perfect Natural Highlight
I really love this strobe powder! The product claims to contains ultra-fine pearl particles that add a candlelit glow to the skin without looking glittery. This is totally up my alley as I usually prefer a more natural highlight. I don't particularly care for glitter or extremely shimmery highlighters on my face. I find that a few swipes of this powder along my cheek bone, bridge of nose, cupids bow and forehead provide such a beautiful glow from within look. These are pricey but I definitely think they are worth the splurge, especially if you are looking for a powder that is not glittery and is more natural and won't emphasize texture. If you like a more blinding highlight, this will not be for you. They do sell the mini sizes so if you are unsure, maybe check out on of the minis before committing to the full size product.
Nice Natural Radiance
I bought two of these blushes in the mini sizes and I must say, they do not disappoint. They provide a soft, natural flush that makes for an amazing blush. These may seem a bit on the pricey side, but I feel that they are definitely worth it. I read somewhere that these are made in Italy and with the marbling, no two blushes are exactly the same. Like the bronzers, these are a combination of the ambient lighting powder (for radiance) and pigment (for color). I have the shades Mood Exposure and Luminous Flush. Mood exposure is a combination of mood light and a rosy plum shade. I think this is the most natural looking on me and perfect for fall/cooler months. The shimmer in this one isn't really noticeable on the skin and it provides a really soft, natural sheen. Luminous Flush is a combination of the luminous light powder and a "champagne" rose. This is perfect for spring summer. I also found that the shimmer in this is not that noticeable on the skin but it does provide a little more sheen than Mood Exposure. Overall, I really enjoy these blushes and you can't beat Hourglass packaging. They are quite expensive so I would recommend trying out the minis if you are interested before splurging on the full size product.
One of my current favs!
The product description indicates this is a bronzer that fuses the illuminating effects of Photoluminescent Technology with bronze pigments to deliver a natural, sun-kissed glow while exhibiting depth and dimension. It is supposed to be for all skin types. This bronzer is one of the best on the market currently. I have the Nude Bronze Light (best for light to medium skin tones/no glitter or shimmer). I keep this in my every day rotation along with 2 others that I absolutely love. It provides a natural glow with the slightest sheen so appears really natural on the skin. I find that you can build this up if you want a more intense bronze without it looking muddy. If you have fairer/lighter skin tones, you can use this for a soft contour as well. Who doesn't love a product that can serve dual purposes?!?!
I also tried the the shade Diffused Bronze Light. This one has the diffused light powder mixed in and it does provide a very nice, luminous bronze best for light to medium skin tones. I do prefer the Nude Bronze light as I find it more natural and a better shade for my skin tone.
I would absolutely recommend this product. It is pricey but the large pans will last you for a long time. I believe you can buy the minis in some shades if you are looking to try it out but don't want to drop the big bucks just yet.
Where has this been all my life?!?!
First off, I don't particularly care for setting powders. Most that I have tried just don't look good on my skin and leave my skin feeling really dry. I feel like my base always looks cakey when I use loose setting powder. My under eyes is a whole other story. Even when I find a powder that I don't mind, I still have had very little luck with powders for under my eyes. Enter Hourglass Veil. This stuff is very nice. I have tried about every other loose setting powder there is and haven't been particularly fond of any of them. This powder really leaves your skin looking flawless and doesn't take away any natural radiance. It almost has a brightening effect. I can also use this under my eyes. My undereyes have always been extremely finicky when it comes to concealer and powder but this works beautifully. It is really finely milled and blends right into the skin. I use a fluffly powder brush and little product on most days. You can also use a beauty blender to push it into the skin if you need to. I find that a light application looks the best on my skin. I finally feel like my search for a setting powder that works for my skin is over!
Not sure how I feel about this...
Finally splurged and bought this after all the raves and reviews. I have combo/dry skin and a lot of people with a similar skin type were raving about this stick foundation. I tend to stay away from sticks as they can be more difficult to blend out and cause dragging which emphasizes dry patches and texture. I don’t love it but I don’t hate it. Claims include that it is for all skin types offering full coverage with a natural finish. Below are my thoughts based on my experience with this product and the claims:
Shade: It was difficult to match to my skin tone - I was in between Porcelain and Shell and ended up purchasing Porcelain. This shade is for fair skin with neutral undertones. This was a bit too light and appeared a little too pink on my skin tone but it worked as long as I used the correct powder and bronzer. I had no issue with it drying down or oxidizing.
Coverage: The coverage is nice - I would say it was about a medium coverage on my skin but agree that you could definitely build it up. I am not sure if building it would take away from the finish but I was able to build it up in areas that I needed more coverage. I did find that if you let it sit too long before going in with another layer, it tended to pull and disturb the layer that was already down so I would recommend going in with another layer before the previous layer completely sets. It was not the easiest to blend for me. I tried with a beauty blender and a brush. I found that it worked best with a brush and I would apply a drop or two of oil directly on the brush before going in and blending. This seemed to help it blend out easier and didn't take away from the coverage.
Finish: I agree that the finish is very natural. The finish is absolutely lovely if you can get this to work for your skin. For me, it settles a bit into lines and emphasize texture around my t-zone. It didn't have the best staying power and started to break down by the end of the day around my t-zone where I tend to get a little bit of oil production, but that is not a deal breaker as I generally do not wear make-up for that long. I also found that you do not need to set it with a powder if you have dry skin. Other products blended well on top of this. However, I would recommend setting it with a powder if you tend to get oily throughout the day - even if it's just in select places like your t-zone. On occasions where I used powder, I used the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light. This seemed to be the best combination and left a nice radiant glow.
Overall, Would I buy it again? Maybe. I will need to keep playing with it to see if I can get it to work better with my skin type ... there are just others I’d spend my $ on first.
OMG
This is GORGEOUS! It is sooo unique in how it performs and looks on the skin. First of all, the packaging is everything. So sleek and classy. Second, that ripple?!?! HOW? It really is appealing to look at. Third, there is literally NO fall out. You think that you are not picking up any product but then you apply and BAM...there it is. Lastly, it is so beautiful on the skin. It almost looks wet. I like to apply with a brush that is slightly denser as you get more of a wet look and it is really smooth - more smooth looking than most powder highlights I have tried. It's a shame that this was limited edition. Maybe ABH will decide to bring it back! One can only hope.
Takes some getting used to
Brows are not my strong suit and I dread having to do them everyday. I think most of us can relate to uneven brows and the struggle to get them to look remotely similar and I find myself spending so much time just trying to even them out. Because of this, I tend to stick to brow pencils as they are a bit more forgiving. I have always been hesitant to use a pomade but this product has changed my outlook! It can go on rather thick and you can end up spending a lot of time trying to clean them up/correct them; however, once you get the hang of it, it is an awesome product to have on hand for days that you need your brows to LAST or want to look extra glam. Taupe is a pretty universal shade that doesn't look overly done when applied and the texture of this pomade is really creamy. It dries down quickly but you still have a little time to work with it. I would definitely recommend this product!
Mediocre
If you can use more than 2 colors in this palette, this would be a pretty good value considering you are getting 3 contour and 3 highlight shades. However, I can only use one highlight shade and one contour (maybe two if I have a tan). If your skin tone varies throughout the year, you will get more use out of this. The formula is not that easy to blend on my skin. I have to add a drop of face oil to the cream before applying it or directly to my brush or beauty blender. This seems to help it blend better. I also found using this under my foundation helps it blend better and look more natural and prevents the dragging of the contour cream from disrupting my foundation. Nothing is more frustrating than when you spend so much time applying a flawless base and it gets moved around/disrupted by another product! I have combo/dry skin so in winter months, I try to avoid powder products and stick to more cream products but considering I cannot use most of these and have a difficult time getting them to blend, I will not be repurchasing. Overall, this is a okay product once you get used to applying and find what works best for you.
Yum!
This is a great product at a great value since you are getting 4 highlighters. I am fairly light complexion and find that starburst and marshmallow work best for my skin tone. I use the other two shades to add a pop of shimmer/dimension to my eyes or highlight my inner corners. These give a very intense highlight that looks beautiful but can emphasize texture which I find is the case with most powder highlighters. You can apply these wet for a more intense highlight if you prefer. Overall, these look beautiful and last pretty well on my skin. If applied with a more dense highlight brush, you can get a really pretty, almost wet, look that blends right into the skin. Applying with a fan brush provides a more precise application and a softer highlight. If you want an intense highlighter that provides options, I would definitely recommend this. If you like a more natural highlight, this is probably not for you.
Just Okay
This palette reminds me a lot of subculture in the way it performs. The color scheme is interesting - it can be hard to find a cohesive look and you need to be creative if only using this palette but I do find myself drawn to it. I still 100% prefer Modern Renaissance and Soft Glam. Much like subculture, you do have to work to blend but pigmentation is generally great with the exception of a few shades. There is a lot of fallout and kick back which I expect with ABH shadows. The packaging is by far my favorite ABH packaging - although I am not a huge fan of the velvet as it tends to get dirty. Overall, this isn’t a bad palette but I have others in my collection that perform much better and I don't have to work as hard or try to be creative to come up with a look. This is better than subculture but not as good as Soft Glam or Modern Renaissance in my opinion which is a shame since the colors are so interesting and unique.