My Favorite Look This Week #1

Happy Saturday, everyone! Just thought I'd share with you my favorite look I wore this week, which includes two combinations I tried and quickly fell in love with.

For face and cheeks, I wore my Dior Diorskin BB Creme in 002 over Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer for oil-control and longevity before dusting a bit of Maybelline Dream Matte Powder down my t-zone for good measure. I warmed up my cheeks with a bit of Guerlain Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder in Sun Blondes and added a touch of Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine blush to the apples of my cheeks.

The first combination I tried this week (and then continued to wear for the rest of the week) was a lip combo that consisted of a base of MAC lipstick in Razzledazzler with  BUXOM lipgloss in White Russian on top. I actually wore it more muted than it looks in the arm swatch below because I only applied a very thin layer of Razzledazzler for a touch of color before toning it down even more with White Russian. 

MAC Razzledazzler (left), BUXOM White Russian (middle), and White Russian over Razzledazzler

COMBO #1 - White Russian over Razzledazzler

The second combo of the week was an eye combo with the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl as a base and Burberry Rosewood eyeshadow blended over top of it. It was taupe perfection, to say the least!

Laura Mercier Grey Pearl (left) and Burberry Rosewood

COMBO #2 - Burberry Rosewood over Laura Mercier Grey Pearl

Hope you're all having a great weekend! ❤

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer.

Before reading reviews on the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, I really didn't know what the hell it was. It's not really evident in the name, is it? It sounds like it would be a luminizing primer of sorts, but it's definitely not. 

The Sensual Skin Enhancer is an richly concentrated foundation-like product that can be used in many different ways. It comes in 16 different shades ranging from SX01 to SX16, and I have the shade SX05, a great match for my NC20 skin.

The SSE is an ultra-thick cream so densely pigmented that I only need roughly half a pea-sized amount per foundation application. I scoop a bit out of the tub using a cotton swab, plop it down onto the back of my hand, mix it with one of several products discussed later in this post before finally applying it with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush.

In terms of foundation application, here are the products I've mixed the SSE with:

:: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone :: Perfect for adding dewiness and extra glow and luminosity. I once mixed the SSE only with Moonstone (so I had to use just as much product as I would if I had used a moisturizer), and the finish was a bit too glowy for my taste. Possibly a good option for dry or dull skin types though.

:: Embryollise Lait-Crème Concentrè :: Mixing it with a moisturizer creates a tinted moisturizer, essentially. The overall finish will vary. The Embryollise Lait-Crème Concentrè and SSE combination makes the skin look healthy, but not quite dewy.

:: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer :: A silicone-based primer makes the SSE immensely more spreadable. A little bit is all you need since silicone adds quite a bit of slip.The finish is quite satin-like.

I never mix the SSE with the Becca Moonstone exclusively anymore, I sometimes mix it with either the Embryollise or Smashbox primer on its own, but my go-to combination is: SSE + Becca Moonstone + Smashbox primer. Moonstone perks up my complexion instantly, but the addition of the Smashbox primer aids in the spreadability so that I don't have to use so much Moonstone that my face looks greasy.

Below is the winning combo pre-mix on the back of my hand (My apologies for the crappy lighting - I had to take the picture early this morning before I applied my makeup for work):

At the end of a 9-hour work day:

Not too shabby, eh?

I have yet to try the SSE applied on its own as foundation because I don't believe I currently own a tool appropriate to apply it. It's extremely thick and I would imagine it would be difficult to spread such a little amount of product across your whole face. Karima from Shameless Fripperies has an excellent video discussing the SSE and how to apply it, and I'm planning on ordering the Beauty Blender soon to use it with the SSE. I'll keep you guys updated if it turns out well.

The SSE also makes an excellent concealer. I haven't tried it under my eyes because that area on me is quite dry and sensitive and I'm afraid it might be a bit cakey, but it's amazing on blemishes. Again, I use a cotton swab to scoop up a tiny amount of the SSE, plop it onto the back of my hand, and use my Sephora Pro Airbrush Concealer Brush #57 to dab into the product and apply it to my face. I apply it using a patting motion to work the pigment into my skin with the brush, and I find that it works great. It covers blemishes flawlessly due to its concentrated pigment, but it also blends with minimal effort. 

The SSE is housed in a tiny tub that would make for the perfect travel companion. It contains 0.63 oz of product (quite a bit less than most foundations that typically contain 1 oz.), but keep in mind you need so little product per application that I truly believe this tub will last me far longer than most/all other foundations. It has a less than appealing floral/powder scent that I tend to associate with makeup more from my grandmother's era, but it dissipates rather quickly after application.

If you're having trouble finding the perfect shade for your skin tone, I'd suggest taking a peek at Beauty Professor's post, where she has nearly every shade swatched.

The Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer is available from Nordstrom for $45.

Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight.

Confession: Kevyn Aucoin's The Celestial Powder in Candlelight is the first highlighter to successfully steal my heart since Dior Amber Diamond. 

The Celestial Powder in Candlelight is a pale, champagne-tinged beige highlighter. It has the most gorgeous, unimaginably soft and finely-milled texture that somehow resists being powdery and isn't chalky in the slightest. Its buttery smooth texture melts into the skin, making discernible lines separating highlighted and non-highlighted skin an impossibility.

Swatched heavily on the left and blended on the right.

Compared to MAC Soft and Gentle MSF and Dior Amber Diamond, Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder has by far the smoothest and softest texture. It is also the least overtly shimmery and is the palest of the three. 

L to R: MAC Soft and Gentle MSF, Dior Amber Diamond, Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder

Since The Celestial Powder has more of a skin tone-like base (ie beige as opposed to peach, gold, etc.), I find that it looks gloriously perfect on lighter skin tones and creates an angelic glow minus any added color. The shimmer is so ridiculously soft and delicate that at some angles and lighting, it isn't visible at all. In direct sunlight, however, the effect is a subtle glow that is beautifully refined.

Below, I've dusted The Celestial Powder on the tops of my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose.

The Celestial Powder is my new favorite highlighter and possibly even my new HG, but shhhhh...don't tell Amber Diamond. It's the highlighter that will have people wondering, "Is she or isn't she actually glowing from within?"  But in all seriousness, if you are a highlighter fiend like me (I know you're out there!) and you're wanting a more subtle highlighter, possibly one more suitable for daytime, I'd highly recommend considering The Celestial Powder. She's a beaut.

Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight is available from Nordstrom for $42.

AERIN Garden Path.

I'm not typically a pale nude lips kinda girl, but for some reason, I was recently bitten by the nude lip bug just in time for me to realize I didn't own any that were quite to my liking.

After doing some research and consulting with Jessica, I finally settled on AERIN Lipstick in Garden Path, a beautiful, pale pink-toned nude from the line created by Aerin Lauder, the granddaughter of Estée Lauder.

The lipstick is surprisingly short and small, and the square gold, fingerprint-magnet packaging reminds me a bit of the YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks. 'AERIN' is embossed on the inside of the tube, which I thought was a nice touch. The lipstick has a light rose scent.

Garden Path is the palest nude lipstick I currently own, but I still think it works with my skin tone. Any paler and it would definitely verge on corpse lips. To be honest, this was exactly the shade I was looking for. I didn't want another my lips but better type of nude (although I love those too!); I wanted a true, pale nude that I could layer under other lipsticks and glosses but that was still wearable on its own, and I found exactly that.

The formula is smooth, creamy and moisturizing, and it glides on like butta. It has the perfect amount of slip without excessively settling into lip lines or wearing off after only 30 minutes like some other formulas that are creamy to a fault (cough cough YSL Rouge Voluptés).

Overall, LOVE. I don't know how long my newly ignited pale lip obsession will last, but I'm going to make sure to milk it for all it's worth.

AERIN Garden Path is available from Neiman Marcus for $30.

The Spring to Summer Transition: Face Products.

Now that we're just about halfway through spring and the weather is finally starting to warm up in my neck of the woods, I figured now would be as good a time as any to show you some of the products I'll be relying on to transition my spring face makeup routine into summer. Not to worry: I'll do a follow-up post with eye and lip products soon :)

A foundation with a light, natural finish that still allows my skin to show through will be my go-to during this transition period. A great option that fits the bill is the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation (I have shade 3.0). However, since I'm currently using chemical exfoliants that can cause photosensivity and considering the sun has (thankfully) started peeking its head out on a much more regular basis, it'll be more important than ever for me to use SPF on my face, and I'll meet that requirement either by layering the La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Mineral Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid (I have the tinted version) under my non-SPF containing foundations or by wearing a base that already offers some sun protection, such as the Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme in 002. The Dior BB Creme only contains SPF 10 though, so I'll most likely still opt for the La Roche-Posay underneath for extra protection.

To add a fresh luminosity to my complexion since I tend to find that my complexion looks extra dull and sallow at its palest (ie right now), I'll either mix in a pea-sized amount of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone into my foundation, or use it on its own to highlight the high points of my face. For a bit of an added tan and glow, I might choose to prime my face with the Becca Bronzing Skin Perfector prior to applying my foundation.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light will be a godsend since it perks up my complexion by adding an ultra-subtle glow with just a few sweeps of my brush, yet it also manages to set and perfect my foundation while extending the wear time, too. 

In terms of bronzer, I'm really liking the Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in Warm Tan, a matte tan bronzer with a cream-to-powder finish. It looks much darker in the pan than it does swatched or blended into the skin and despite how dark it appears in these photos, it's definitely suitable for light to medium skin tones. Lastly, to add a punch of color to the apples of my cheeks, I've been loving the Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color in Lush Nectarine, a beautiful peachy coral that is a welcomed change to the nude and berry shades I gravitated towards in the colder months.

What are some of the face products that will help you transition your routine from spring to summer?