Laneige Makeup Brighter - Best highlighter/illuminator EVER!

Hello again lovelies!

Long time no "see", I know I haven't posted anything in sooooo long and I do feel bad about it, but I've moved and started a new job as well, so it's been pretty hectic. As a part of the whole moving process came the whole decorating ordeal, which I have been super excited about! One of my pet projects while decorating the new apartment was my vanity, which I will be doing a blog post about in the near future. It took a lot of planning and work, but I'm overjoyed with the result and can't wait to share it with you guys soon!

Today, however, I'm super excited to share with you one of my absolute favorite makeup products, the Makeup Brighter by Laneige! I had been looking for the perfect highlighter for quite a while when I came across this baby and once I found it, there was just no going back.

This is the box the Makeup Brighter came in. Keeping with the sleek and luxurious theme, the box is simple and elegant.

First, let's talk about the brand a little bit. Laneige is a Korean cosmetics and skin care brand that carry a wide array of products and they really do have a lot of really good stuff. It's a bit more pricy and high end than some other brands, but they have a few products that I really don't mind spending a bit extra on, because they are just that good - the Makeup Brighter being one of these products. I have some other Laneige products that I love as well, I will be posting about them later, so stay tuned for that.

Illuminators or highlighters are used to bring forth something (mostly bone structure) and accentuate where the light hits your face. When this is done right - and especially in conjunction with contouring, the result can be stunning, but when done wrong or when using a product that's just not that great, you might end up looking like a sparkly disco ball or one of those metallic-painted moving statues you see in parks.

A lot of times I find that highlighters are either too sparkly or too metallic for my liking. I prefer a more natural, glowy look - as opposed to the disco queen look. Sometimes I'll find a highlighter that I think is nice, so I'll apply it and merrily go on with my day, only to step outside into the sun light and realize my face could double as a light bulb (not a great feeling). This is where the Laneige Makeup Brighter comes in. The look it provides is of a more natural character and it doesn't have any visible glitters in it. Any highlighters with glitter in them are banned from my makeup collection, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The Makeup Brighter does a great job at illuminating, but it doesn't leave your face looking metallic - which is fantastic, because I, for one, am not too fond of the tin(wo)man-look.

The beautiful and stylish Makeup Brighter compact in all its glory :)

The packaging, it gets my stamp of approval, for sure. The compact itself is absolutely beautiful, it's round and flat with a mirror inside and the actual compact has sort of a silvery/multicolor "hologram" look to it - I really don't know how else to describe the color of it, I'm hoping the picture above will do it more justice than my words. I find the packaging to be quite luxurious, it has a really clean, classy and pretty look. The packaging itself does look high end.

The packaging again, along with the little "info" leaflet that came with it.

The leaflet again. I can't read Korean, but I thought I would post this anyhow for those of you who can and who are interested in reading what it says.

The compact contains 13 grams (0.4 oz) of product and looks similar to a pressed powder, except more glowy of course. It really is very long lasting, I have been using mine for well over a year - and I use my Makeup Brighter every time I put on makeup (which isn't every day, but almost) - and I have yet to hit pan, or even come close to hitting pan! To be honest, I've only managed to make a slight dent!! To me, this is pretty incredible, so I'm super happy about how little you need to use and how long the product lasts.

The opened compact.

As you can see in the picture above, the compact comes with a hard protective plastic that sits on top of the product, keeping it clean. I've chosen to keep mine, I guess you could just as well get rid of it, but I kind of like having it there protecting the product and also keeping my mirror clean (for when I bring the Makeup Brighter along in my makeup bag for traveling).

As for the price, it costs around $17-$25 (around 12 euros 40 cents to 18 euros 30 cents) , depending on where you buy it. I bought mine on eBay over a year ago and paid $16 (right under 12 euros) for it. I don't feel like it's expensive - I mean I do realize there are cheaper highlighters out there (as well as more expensive ones) - but no other highlighter has yet even come close to the Laneige Makeup Brighter in my book.

Next, the scent. Now, if you are very sensitive to fragrances, this is not the right product for you. I'm not saying that it's a heavily scented product, but still, if you are very sensitive it might cause trouble for you. I usually prefer my makeup not to have any fragrances added, but I have to say I just ADORE the way this smells! I love opening up the box to apply the product because it just smells so heavenly. This and the Skin Food Peach Sake Silky Finish Loose Powder are my absolute favorite make-up scents, they both smell absolutely fantastic! Somehow I feel that the scent sort of adds to the feeling of luxury that this product exuberates.

As for the color, the Makeup Brighter comes in two shades, 01 Pink Pearl and 02 Beige Pearl. I have mine in the color 02 Beige Pearl and I love, love, LOVE it!!! It's a gorgeous translucent color that melts beautifully into your skin.

In these pictures I rubbed my finger on the product quite vigorously to get more product on there so that you can see the color.

In the picture above I rubbed my finger on the product quite vigorously to get more product on it, so that you guys could see it better. In real life it isn't opaque by any means, it just gives you a really beautiful, glowy, sophisticated, almost porcelain-like finish, as you can see in the pictures below.

Here you can see swatches of the Makeup Brighter in different lighting. I absolutely adore the finish!

I absolutely love the finish! It looks natural and glowy -and most importantly, it doesn't look metallic or glittery! I just can't stress enough how important this is to me, I really cannot stand it when highlighters/illuminators you wear in the daytime look metallic or glittery, it's just super off putting to me. So if you're going for a glowy, natural, sophisticated look, the Laneige Makeup Brighter is most definitely worth a try, but for those of you favoring a lot of glitter and metallic shine, this is not the right product for you. Although, to those who do favor a super glittery tin(wo)man look during the daytime, may I humbly suggest rethinking that whole thing and going for a more natural day-time look?

I use mine for highlighting and illuminating (duh) but I also sometimes like to use it on my eyelids on days when I don't feel like applying any eye shadow. It gives your lids a beautiful glow and it really does makes a HUGE difference! I also sometimes apply some in the inner corner of my eyes to open them up and the finish is a really natural and beautiful one. I find this product is so versatile and I just can't imagine not having it be a part of my everyday makeup routine. As I mentioned before, I use my Makeup Brighter every single time I put on makeup and let me tell you, on days when you don't really feel like putting on any makeup but you still want to do a little something, a dab of BB cream and a little bit of the Laneige Makeup Brighter will do all the difference in the world! Oh and as for application, I prefer applying it with a brush to get a light finish. The product feels nice and silky on your skin, it doesn't feel heavy by any means.

The Laneige  Makeup Brighter has become an absolute staple product in my makeup collection and I really don't have anything negative to say about it, this is by far my favorite highlighter/illuminator out of all of the ones I've tried and I can't imagine not having it be a part of my makeup collection.

I hope this review was helpful, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them in the comment section below.

I hope you all have a fantastic day and remember to smile, laugh, love and stay positive!

xoxo,
Tanja

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation - the perfect foundation for those with oily skin

Hello lovelies!

Today I wanted to talk to you about a foundation and as some of you may know, I'm not much of a foundation person (I prefer BB creams) so before getting this particular foundation I hadn't bought or used a foundation in about 4 or 5 years. So for me to be so intrigued by a foundation that I broke my foundation-strike, it really had to be something special :) Say hello to the Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation by Hourglass.

This product really is one of a kind, it's unlike anything I've tried before. Like the name indicates it is a liquid foundation, which upon application turns into a powder finish. It sounds kind of bizarre, but it really works and the result keeps surprising me each time I use it :D

Like I mentioned before, I'm not a foundation junkie by any means, so I won't be comparing this to other foundations out there, but I will be giving you my honest opinions about the product and hopefully I'm able to give you somewhat of a detailed review that I hope will be helpful to you guys. If I leave something out of if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them in the comment section below.

The sleek packaging of the Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation by Hourglass.

Packaging

The Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation by Hourglass comes in a very elegant, sleek pump bottle that both looks and feels classy and high end. It comes in a elegant black box and the bottle is initially sealed with a screw cap, but in the box you will also find the pump to replace the screw cap with. The bottle itself is a darkish silvery gray color and it feels quite heavy so I think it might be made out of glass (so please be careful so you don't drop it and shatter it).

The foundation comes with a hygienic airless pump.

Skincare benefits

The main reason I quit using foundations and moved on to BB creams several years ago was that I didn't want to be putting stuff all over my face to just sit there all day without having it be beneficial to my skin as well in some way. I felt that BB creams were better for my skin because they had skin care benefits as well (and SPF!) and they also gave a more natural finish. Having said that though, I do realize that there are foundations out there on the market today that claim to have skin care benefits as well, but I've just been very happy with using BB creams and I've had no reason to return to foundations before. However, this particular foundation got me very intrigued and I decided to give it a chance and honestly, I'm happy I did.

This foundation is free of oil, parabens, phtalates, gluten, synthetic dyes, fragrance, nanoparticles and it is vegan friendly. It contains clinical levels of phytosystem edelweiss and lavandox, ingredients which are supposed to have both short- and long-term anti-aging properties. Whether or not the anti-aging properties really work is not really something I can give you any insight on, as I only wear this foundation on occasion as opposed to daily. I think you would really have to wear it regularly and for a longer time to be able to tell if it really did do something for your skin. All I can say is that at least it hasn't broken me out or anything and I do have rather sensitive skin.


Consistency, application and finish

The Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation starts out as a liquid foundation and the consistency is somewhat "fluffy", kind of like a mix of liquid and mousse. When applying this foundation you should work somewhat swiftly though, because it starts turning into more of a powdery consistency rather quickly. As you work it into your skin you will see and feel it morphing into something completely different than what you started with, it literally goes from liquid to powder before your eyes.

Here you can see the consistency and finish of the product. In the first picture it's just my bare hand, in the second one I have pumped out a bit of product onto my hand, in the third picture I have spread out the product and in the fourth and last picture the product has morphed into it's final powdery matte finish.

You can apply it with your fingers (just make sure your hands are completely clean first though, you don't want to be touching your face with dirty hands, ew), with a foundation brush or a stippling brush or using a sponge. I've tried all of the above and my personal favorite for applying this foundation is using a beauty blender sponge, I find this method gives the best result. Funnily though, on the Hourglass website they state that sponge application is not recommended, but I find it to be the application method that works best for me - at least at the moment - so I intend to stick with it. The only downside with sponge application (and brush application) of this product is that some amount of product will go to waste getting sucked up either into the sponge or into the brush and with the price of this product, you really don't want to waste any. Which ever style of application you decide to go with, just make sure you really work the product into your skin and blend it nicely for a better finish (and also make sure you work rather swiftly because the product will morph rather quickly).

The reason I wanted to test this foundation was because of the finish it promises (as well as the fact that it had some skin care benefits, too). The Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation has a formula that incorporates cashmere kaolinite clay, an ingredient that has great oil absorption properties - absorbing 75% of its own weight in sebum, while all the same retaining the natural moisture balance of the skin. This allows the foundation to absorb oil, camouflage imperfections and give a long-lasting, matte, velvety finish.

The foundation is oil-free and water-resistant and it is a medium to full coverage foundation. You can layer it, but I suggest you work swiftly if you do, just to make sure the layers don't dry all too much before you manage to blend them together, that way you will get a more natural finish. The Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation contains superfine treated pigments, which help you obtain a more natural finish as well, avoiding ending up with a cakey face. I will however point out that this foundation is better suited for those with normal to oily skin. If you have dry skin, I don't recommend this foundation for you, because there is a risk of the result looking cakey if you have dry skin to begin with, as the foundation would probably accentuate any dry patches you might have.

First picture: bare skin, second picture: one layer of Hourglass' Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation in the shade Porcelain (thinly) and last picture two thin layers.

In the picture above you can see what the product looks like on the skin. In the first picture I'm not wearing any makeup. As you can see, I had some problem areas after having had some breakouts. In the second picture I have applied one thin layer of Hourglass' Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation in the shade Porcelain and as you can see, it did a pretty good job at covering up the imperfections, mattifying the skin while still maintaining a rather natural look. In the last picture I have applied two thin layers and the coverage is quite good. :)

My skin isn't really oily, I have combination skin and at first I was a bit concerned that the foundation would dry my skin and I was worried that it might look strange on me, but at least in the summertime it's been great. :) I'm not quite sure if I will be able to use it in the winter or not, I got it a few months ago so I haven't worn it in the winter yet. I don't wear it on a daily basis now either (as I mentioned before I am more of a BB cream kind of girl), but I will wear it every now and then when I want a beautiful matte finish that I can count on lasting a really long time. Also, the foundation - once it has dried to its final powdery finish - feels very soft and silky on the skin. It doesn't really feel like you're wearing makeup, your face doesn't feel tight or heavy in any way.

When wearing this foundation you don't have to apply powder, but if you still do apply powder I suggest you keep it minimal because the foundation in itself already gives you a powdery finish, so if you go heavy on powdering you might end up looking like you sneezed into a flour bag. I also found that when I wear this foundation, I don't need to blot throughout the day. I even tried wearing it to work, applying it right before I went to work, then working a regular 11h shift and when I got back home and washed off my makeup about 14h after application, I STILL wasn't shiny! Absolutely remarkable! Needless to say, the staying power of this foundation is amazing! Now, I'm not saying that the foundation looked exactly the same after 14 hours, but I wasn't looking oily. My t-zone, or rather my nose, which is the area where I tend to get the most oily, was a little bit "glowy" or "dewy" looking, but not oily - and there's a huge difference! At that point, I hadn't blotted, powdered or reapplied any product. To me, that's pretty insane, especially as my job can be rather straining physically and my shifts are pretty long.

I feel this is a great foundation for days when you will be out and about and don't really have time to check or reapply your makeup, or evenings when you have an event and you want to be sure not to be looking shiny/oily. Also, I think this is a great foundation to wear when you now you will be taking lots of pictures, because it does give a beautiful matte finish and as it doesn't really contain SPF (titanium dioxide or zinc dioxide), it won't give any flash backs resulting in "moon face" when you take photos using flash. In the ingredient list it does say that the product may contain titanium dioxide and/or iron oxides, but they're not listed as ingredients per se, so the amounts ought to be rather minimal.


Colors

The Immaculate Powder Liquid Foundation by Hourglass comes in 16 different shades, ranging from the lightest "Pearl" to the darkest "Chestnut". However, I am sorry to have to say that although 16 shades does sound like a lot, the deepest shade "Chestnut" doesn't really look all too dark to me, so for those of you out there with a deeper skin tone, I'm not sure if there is a match in this range just yet.

The shade I wear is the third lightest, "Porcelain", which is a fair shade with yellow undertones. The color really does stay the same so what you see (when you first pump out the product) is what you get (once it's on your face). It doesn't really oxidize - at least not on me - so I would say it's a rather safe bet to go for the color that seems closest to your skin tone (without having to worry about oxidation and color changes).


Ingredients

The ingredients listed on Hourglass Cosmetics' website are as follows:
"Isodecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Methyl Perfluorobutyl Ether, Water, Silica, Butylene Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Kaolin, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Polysilicone-11, Peg/Ppg-18/18 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Decyl Glucoside, Quatemium-90 Bentonite, Propylene Carbonate, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tribehenin, Glycerin, Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture, Xanthan Gum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lavandula Stoechas Extract"
It also says that the product "may contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides."


Price and where to get it

So as you can tell, I do have a lot of great things to say about this foundation, but there are - unfortunately - some "issues" as well. The first "problem" about this foundation is the price, it really is expensive. One bottle, containing 30 ml (that's 1 oz) of product, costs $55 (around 41 euros) at Sephora and at the Hourglass Cosmetics website - and quite honestly, I think that's absolutely insane. Unfortunately, neither of these ship to Europe though (arghh, looking at you Sephora, I wish you would!!), so if you are in Europe and are looking to buy this foundation, there are sellers on eBay and Amazon who sell it and you can also purchase it at Space NK Apothecary or at Liberty London for £50, which is about 57 euros. Although the price of the product is the same at both these stores, the shipping charge is a bit cheaper at Space NK Apothecary.

This product does come with a hefty price tag and it's difficult to get a hold of here in Europe - however, it really is unlike any other product I've ever tried. So even though it does sort of make your wallet cry, it really is an exceptional product. I wouldn't buy this to use on a daily basis, just because it would be waaay to expensive, but it does kind of fall rather nicely into the "guilty pleasures / semi luxury / rarely to be bough / special occasion - makeup" category and I am glad that I have it. Whether or not I will be repurchasing it is still up for debate. Would I like to, YES, am I going to... I'm not quite sure yet. I do feel like it's an absolutely ridiculous price to pay for a bottle of foundation and as I tend to prefer BB creams over foundations anyways, I'm not sure I will be repurchasing it. But like I said before, this really is a one-of-a-kind type of product, it really does what it says it'll do and the finish really is beautiful and long-wearing, so you never know.. :)


Conclusion

All in all, if you have oily skin and you're looking for a foundation that won't leave you looking like an oil-slick by mid-day, this is definitely a product worth trying out. It really does what it says it will do and it gives a beautiful, matte finish. It's great for days when you know you will be taking a lot of pictures and for days when you need to be sure your makeup will stay looking fresh because you don't have time for touch ups. It feels good on your skin and if you apply it right it will give you a natural finish with buildable coverage. It is, however, on the pricier side and the packaging doesn't contain THAT much product. Also, it is more for those with oily, or at least normal or combination skin, so if you have dry skin this probably won't be the best match for you.

Long story short, it really is a great product, but it comes with a not so great price tag. If you do decide to try it out, feel free to share your thoughts on the product in the comment section below :)

I hope this review was helpful for you guys and I hope you have a great week! And as always, remember to smile, laugh, love and stay positive :)

Wearing the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation.

xoxo,
Tanja

Magazine cover :)

Hi lovelies!

Yay, my newest cover is out in stores now :) 

I had so much fun at the photo shoot and the crew was absolutely fantastic, so it was a great experience! I'm super happy for having been given the possibility to do the shoot and for getting to work with such amazing people :)  I was really pleased that the super skilled photographer managed to capture the wonderful and serene vibe of the location and the feel-good atmosphere that the crew created  :)

Right now I'm just really happy about this cover and the in-magazine photos and for getting the chance to work with the wonderful people at Voi Hyvin magazine :)

Xoxo,

Tanja

Announcing the winner of the June 2013 Bobbi Brown GIVEAWAY! :)

Hi again lovelies!

Ooopsie! I had written this post at the beginning July but for some reason I had forgotten to post it here on my blog (however the video has been up on YouTube since the beginning of the month), sorry! You can find the video announcing the winner right here, or by entering the link http://youtu.be/sdDLTWN5pJg into your address bar on your web browser.

But yeah, the winner of the June giveaway was selected at the very beginning of July and the lucky winner of the Bobbi Brown Corrector and the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit is... haleyglamour, who participated in the giveaway through YouTube! Congrats! :) The winner has been notified and she received her prizes a week after she was selected the winner.

I also want to thank the kind people over at 4 Ever Young Cosmetics for making this giveaway possible, I had so much fun doing this giveaway and I hope we can do many more in the future as well. :)

To all the rest of you who participated but didn't win this time, I will be doing more giveaways in the future so just stay tuned and follow/subscribe to either my blog or my YouTube channel (or both) for further information on upcoming giveaways and also for product reviews and tips :)

In the meantime, you can always shop for fabulous products at affordable prizes at www.4everyoungcosmetics.com and please feel free to use my discount code 10offTanja for a 10% discount off of your total when you check out.

Thanks again to all of those who participated and to 4everyoungcosmetics for making this possible!

I hope you all have a great day and remember to smile, laugh, love and stay positive!

xoxo,
Tanja

Lioele Real Vivid Matte Lipstick - cute as a button! :)

Hello lovelies!

Today I want to share with you a couple of really cute matte lipsticks. They're by a Korean brand called Lioele, who by the way have a lot of really good and really cute products (there will be more product reviews on products by this brand coming up) and just like with pretty much any Lioele product, the packaging is SO incredibly cute!

Here they are, my two Lioele Real Vivid Matte Lipsticks, in the colors #2 Milky Pink and #3 Peach.

The packaging/container

So let's start with that, the packaging. The lipstick comes in a little shiny black and pink box and inside the box you will find the sleek, matte, black lipstick tube. When you open the lipstick you will find the Lioele carriage and the brand name printed underneath it. As you can see in the pictures below, the packaging is very nice :)

These are the shiny black & pink boxes they came in. They have descriptions and ingredient lists in both English and Korean.

And here are the tops and bottoms of the packaging.

Also, the tube sort of "snaps" shut, so you won't have to worry about the container suddenly opening on its own in your bag/makeup bag.

The tube contains 4 grams of product, which - granted - doesn't sound like much, but it is very pigmented so it will last you a long time nonetheless.

These are the lipsticks twisted up as high as possible to show you how much product you get.

The colors and pigmentation/opacity

The Real Vivid Matte Lipstick comes in six colors: #1 Hot Pink, #2 Milky Pink, #3 Peach, #4 Red, #5 Lavender Purple and #6 Sandy Beige. I have the #2 Milky Pink and the #3 Peach (and I would love to try the #6 Sandy Beige next), both of which are really cute, girly pastel colors. I will swatch them for you in the picture below.

Here are a couple pictures with swatches, the one on the left taken in warmer lighting and the one on the right taken in cooler lighting. The swatch on top is #2 Milky Pink and the one on the bottom is #3 Peach.

I wasn't expecting the lipstick to be quite so pigmented, but is really is very highly pigmented, so a little goes a long way. Of course, you can go a bit heavier with it as well if you're looking for a really vivid color, but you can just as well go lighter and just get a sweet pastel "flush" on your lips. You can easily get a very opaque color with this lipstick if you wish.

Before I always thought MAC had the best/most pigmented lipsticks but this one really does compare in terms of opacity. Also, although most of my lipsticks are MAC ones (and I don't even wear lipstick that often, or if I do, I usually mix it with a balm, I'm more of a balm/gloss/tint kind of girl) I felt I still wanted to try these because the shades are just so delicious and also I haven't seen many similar ones out there.

For the purpose of really showing how much of a pop of color you can get out of these I have gone a bit heavier with the application in the demonstration pictures. Usually, I would just apply them waaay lighter and then sort of blend with a lip balm (or sometimes a gloss).

And here are some swatches on my lips. In the top picture I am wearing #2 Milky Pink, in the middle picture I am wearing #3 Peach and in the bottom picture I applied #2 Milky Pink to my top lip and #3 Peach to my bottom lip so you guys could see the colors right next to each other for comparison's sake.

In the picture above you can see what the lipsticks actually look like on the lips. I did however have slightly dry lips the day I did this review, sorry about that. I was in kind of a hurry as well and I didn't have time to exfoliate my lips and wait from them to go back to normal color from the crazy-after-exfoliation-flush and as I didn't want to compromise the color turnout of the lipstick I refrained from exfoliating prior to application (and yes I am aware of the irony as I do think it's a bit of a no-no to apply lipstick, especially matte ones, onto dry lips :D but oh well). I hope you can still get a somewhat good idea of what the lipstick should look like :)


Staying power

In my opinion, this lipstick has a pretty good staying power. Granted, it's not the same as when you use a lip tint, but then again, no lipstick is. However, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by how well it stayed on, even after having applied lip balm on top of it and drinking water. Obviously you will have to reapply at some point during the day if you want the look of it to stay the same, but that's the case with any lipstick I suppose. I'm not really able to give you and estimate of how many hours it stays on in general, because I'm a bit of a food monster and I'm constantly eating, so I guess the staying power I experience is a bit shorter than for people who don't eat 24/7 :)


Consistency

The lipsticks are, as I mentioned, very highly pigmented and also matte and as the consistency is more on the heavier side (yet still creamy), you will want to make sure that the application surface - that would be your lips - really is nice and smooth. So if you do have dry lips, I would suggest that you exfoliate and moisturize your lips before applying this lipstick or you will end up with flaky looking lips, as the pigment will grab hold of your dry flakes and accentuate them. So make sure your lips are smooth and moisturized when using this particular lipstick (well, any lipstick in general, but usually the matte shades tend to bring out the dryness even more than shinier shades).


Price and where to buy them

I bought mine from a really nice and reliable online cosmetics store called RoseRoseShop, which you can find the link to right here. This is a Korean website, so you just go onto their website, pick out what you want and then they will ship it to you from Korea. The prices are very competitive and overall the price range is very very good. Also, the prices are shown in USD, which - at least to me - makes the whole shopping experience a lot smoother and easier. They carry a wide array of products and the customer service is also really good. Oh and one thing worth mentioning is that they offer international shipping and the shipping really is very fast! I've ordered from them several times and I have always received my packages in around a week or so and each time I have been super happy with the customer service as well. So this is definitely a website worth checking out.

But yes, back to the product, I bought mine at www.roseroseshop.com and one lipstick cost me $8.40, which is around 6 euros 35 cents. I think the lipsticks were on discount when I got them and that the actual price is $12, which is a little over 9 euros. However, I have seen these being sold elsewhere for a lot more, so I would say your best bet for getting a good deal would be RoseRoseShop. :)

All in all I would definitely say this is a product that I can recommend if you're looking for a very sweet and cute lip color, either a peachy one or a pink one. The price is not bad at all and the pigmentation is crazy. It has good staying power, the packaging is cute and practical and the colors are absolutely adorable. So I would say it's definitely worth a try :) The only thing I would recommend you really keep in mind though is to make sure your lips aren't dry and flaky when you apply this, because any lipstick - matte ones in particular - will accentuate the dryness and you do not want that.


Alright guys, that's all for now, I hope this review helped :) I hope you all have a wonderful week and please remember to smile, laugh, love and stay positive :)


xoxo,
Tanja

Bobbi Brown Corrector - no more dark under eyes! :)

Hi again lovelies!

I know it's long overdue for a new product review, but as some of you may know, I had to have surgery recently and there were some complications after the surgery so trying to get back on my feet (literally) after that has been kind of a struggle. So that's why I haven't been able to blog recently, but now I'm back again.

This is actually a product review that I'm really excited about because it's a product that's somewhat new for me and I have just been loving it ever since I got it! 

If you, like me, are one of those girls who suffer from dark under eyes (sometimes not so bad, sometimes panda-style), you're in for a treat with this product! Another thing I love love love about it is that it really does help with the creasing-problem I experience with pretty much all concealers. The product I'm talking about it of course the Bobbi Brown Corrector :)

This is the Bobbi Brown Corrector is the shade Light Bisque.

I won't be going into detail about the brand itself (which is american), other than mentioning that it really is a great brand with great quality products. The only problem is that it's difficult to get a hold of here in Finland and in Scandinavia in general (I'm not quite sure what the situation is in the rest of Europe, but if anyone has any tips, feel free to post them in the comment section below). 


Price and where to get it

I got mine from an online cosmetics store called 4 Ever Young Cosmetics, where it retails for $21 - which is around 16 euros. I'm not sure where else you can buy it, but I for one recommend 4 Ever Young Cosmetics, because I have been very pleased with my orders from them and I have been in contact with them quite a lot and have noting but praise for them. Besides, their prices are more affordable than some other places (just for comparison for instance, the corrector retails for $24 at the Bobbi Brown website, so 4 Ever Young Cosmetics sell it $3 cheaper). 

Also, if you do decide to order from them, you can use my discount code which I was allowed to share with my readers to get 10% off your total. So if you buy the corrector using the discount you will be paying $18.9 (around 14 euros and 35 cents) instead of $21 (round 16 euros). To get this discount, just subscribe to my blog or my YouTube channel and type in 10offTanja in the little coupon/discount box section when you check out at 4 Ever Young Cosmetics. It's as simple as that. You can use the code regardless of your location :) Also, their shipping costs are quite reasonable, they offer international shipping and the delivery is fast, what's not to love :) If you want more information on the discount, please check out the post I made for that, right here. You can, of course, use this discount for any other products they sell as well.



The six C's of the corrector 
- container, content (amount), consistency, coverage, color and creasing

The container (packaging)

The Bobbi Brown Corrector comes in a elegant and sleek flip-open container made of shiny black plastic and it has a mirror in the lid, which makes application on the go easy as well. It looks really classy and elegant with the minimalistic design and shiny surface, I really like it. 

The corrector to the left is the Light Bisque (which I have been using, as you can see) and the one to the right is the Light Peach)

Content (amount)

The flip-open container contains 1,4 grams (that's .05 oz) of product, which - granted - sounds like a ridiculously small amount of product, but I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised by how little you actually need to use. It is a high end product, as the price indicates as well, but I must say that I haven't really come across any product that would do what this does and do it so well. And because you don't need a lot at a time, it will last you a decent amount of time. So I feel like it's definitely worth it.

Consistency and coverage

The product is highly pigmented and has a very dense yet somehow creamy texture, so a little really does go a long way. I usually apply the corrector using a concealer brush, so there will of course be a little bit of product going to waste each time since some of it ends up in your brush which you then cleanse. But, nonetheless, I have been using my corrector in Light Bisque whenever I put on makeup (which isn't every day, but still) for a few weeks now (and I've also swatched it a few times for picture purposes) and I have barely made a dent (as you can see in the picture above). 

As for the coverage, I feel it's pretty good, I would say a medium coverage. The thing is, the corrector isn't intended to be used on its own, but instead you're supposed to layer a concealer (which matches your skin tone) on top of it. The purpose of the corrector is to brighten your under eye region, which will then improve the results you get from applying your concealer. I must admit though, some days I feel like the corrector in itself would be enough for me - yes, it is that great - but I usually put a tiny bit of concealer on top of it anyhow just to make sure I get the right color to match my skin tone (as I do have more of a yellow under tone to my skin rather than a pink one). 

If you feel sort of put off by the thought of layering different products thinking that the result will be thick and cakey, please rest assured that that does not have to be the case. As I mentioned earlier, the product is highly pigmented so you don't have to (and shouldn't) put it on thickly, but instead just go for a thin and natural-looking layer. And being that the corrector already does a great job at brightening your under eye region, you won't need to put that much concealer on top of it anyhow. Also, if you feel like it's a hassle to have to add another step into your makeup routine with the layering and all, I can assure you that this is a step that is most definitely worth while! :)

Color(s)

The corrector comes in 16 (!!!) different colors, which is AMAZING! So there is definitely a color for you out there, regardless of your skin tone! This is one of the things I love about Bobbi Brown, a lot of makeup brands cater to a "lighter" skin tone market whereas the deeper skin tones tend to be a little left out, but not Bobbi Brown, they have colors all the way from porcelain to deep (and their deep is actually deep). I'm not saying Bobbi Brown is the only brand that have a wider selection of colors, there are others (like MAC for instance), all I'm saying is that I'm happy Bobbi Brown offers a wide array of color choices :) 

Not only does the corrector come in 16 different colors, but in 2 different base tones, bisque and peach. The bisque range, consisting of 9 colors, has a more rosy "base color" which works great for those of you with a sort of blueness/purpleness in your under eye darkness. The peach range, consisting of 7 different colors, has more of a peachy/orangey "base color", which is great for those with more of a brown discoloration in the under eye region. So yes, depending on your skin tone and on the color of the discoloration of your under eye darkness, you can choose from 16 different colors in two different "base tones". 

Now, neither of the 2 base tones are supposed to match your own skin tone, because the purpose of a corrector is to brighten you under eye region and the way it does this is by using the base color of the product to counteract the color of the discoloration in you under eye region. So if the corrector was in fact the same color as your natural skin tone, it wouldn't be able to do this. Instead, the correctors are infused with either a rosy or peachy under tone which will counteract either the blueness or the brownness under your eyes and give you a brighter, fresher, more awake and well-rested look.

The bisque range offers a selection of 9 colors (from lightest to darkest): 
porcelain bisque, 
extra light bisque, 
light bisque, 
light to medium bisque, 
bisque, 
medium to dark bisque, 
dark bisque, 
deep bisque, 
very deep bisque. 

This is the Bobbi Brown Corrector in the shade Light Bisque.

The peach range offers a selection of 7 colors (from lightest to darkest): 
porcelain peach, 
light peach, 
peach,
light to medium peach,
peach bisque,
dark peach,
deep peach.

This is the Bobbi Brown Corrector int he shade Light Peach.

I got my correctors in the colors light bisque and light peach. I already knew the bisque range would be more up my alley since the discoloration of my under eye darkness is more of a blueish kind, but I figured I would give the peach range a try as well and I also wanted to be able to show you guys the difference between the two, so I got both. As you can see in the photo of the swatches, they are completely different. The light bisque corrector is a pale rosy color whereas the light peach is a more peachy color. Check out the swatches of the two colors in the pictures below :)

Here I have swatched my two Bobbi Brown Correctors for you guys, to the left we have the shade Light Peach and to the right we have the shade Light Bisque.

Creasing

This is something that I feel I just have to address because as some of you may know, at least if you read my review on the FakeUp Concealer by Benefit, I have a huuuuuge issue with concealers that crease. Which for me, unfortunately, is pretty much every concealer, ever. The thing is, I'm a very expressive person and I smile a LOT, with my whole face, which leads to endless scrunching of my eyes all day long and the poor concealers that I use end up creasing and settling into fine lines, which in turn leaves me looking about a hundred years old. Okay, it's not THAT bad every day, but some days are better than others and other days I do kinda feel like I look a hundred years old or at least a lot older than I am. However, I have no intention whatsoever to stop smiling with my whole face just to avoid a few extra fine lines or creasing, I feel like that's a small price to pay for being able to brighten someone else's day with a heartfelt smile, don't you? :) 

But yeah, the creasing issue.. That's always something I pay attention to when trying out a new under eye product, because just because I love smiling and have no intention of stopping doing that just to avoid some creasing doesn't mean I still wouldn't love to find a product that creases as little as possible (I'm not even going to say "a product that doesn't crease" because to be honest with you, I don't think such a thing even exists - at least for me). Enter the Bobbi Brown Corrector :) The funny thing is, I've been using an under eye primer to try to avoid creasing (the one I use is the Hydrating Under Eye Primer by Smashbox, which is a good product, more on that in a separate review though), but since I started using the corrector I haven't really needed my primer. I've tried using the primer underneath the corrector and sure, that works too, but then I forgot to put it on one day and noticed that the corrector in itself dos the job so after that I haven't really been using my primer. This is just how it works for me though, feel free to share your own experiences in the comment section below.

When I use my Bobbi Brown Corrector, which is pretty much every time I put on makeup these days, I experience a lot less creasing than when I use just a concealer or a primer and a concealer. I don't know what it is, but it works for me. Lately I've been using the combination of Bobbi Brown Corrector and Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer (which in itself also is very low-crease, one of the very best I've ever tried actually - but more on that in another review) and the results have been pretty great. Of course there is a little bit of settling in fine lines and a little bit of creasing, but very minimal really and it has for sure been the best combo I've tried in a while. I tried combining the corrector with some other concealers as well, but right now this works. I will be trying out my new Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer duo very soon though, so I will keep you updated on how that turns out as well, there will be a review on that coming up soon.

This is the concealer I have been using in conjunction with my Bobbi Brown Corrector lately, say hello to the Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer. A full review on this product will be coming up later.

I have my Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer in the color #6 Ivory. This is a rather light shade with a bit of a yellowy undertone and at first it seemed like a perfect match for me so I was super happy, but I soon came to realize as I was using it that it does tend to oxidize, so you end up with a couple shades (or three) darker than it first seemed to be when you applied it. This was sort of a bummer for me, as I specifically had planned to use this concealer for my under eye region because I had heard that it doesn't crease much. I can still use it, but I would prefer a lighter shade so I think I will place an order for a lighter one next time I do my shopping at 4 Ever Young Cosmetics (which is where I got this as well, the price was $31 minus the 10% discount). Below I posted some pictures of swatches of this concealer next to the correctors.

As you can see here, in the top picture the concealer is a lot lighter, this s right after I applied it. The bottom two pictures are taken after I really blended the product and worked it into my skin and then waited for a little bit. In this time, the concealer had oxidized and I was left with a color a lot darker than it was to begin with.

As you can see in the pictures, the color of the concealer is a lot lighter in the top picture, whereas in the bottom two the color is a lot darker. Because I did blend the product and worked it into my skin, you might not be able to tell that much of a difference (maybe I should have applied a bit more product - I just applied a tiny little bit - yes it's super pigmented as well, or just not blended it so much), but I assure you the difference is quite big in real life.

Here we have the Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer in the shade #6 Ivory to the far left, the Bobbi Brown Corrector in the shade Light Peach in the middle and the Bobbi Brown Corrector in the shade Light Bisque to the far left.

As you can see in the closeup above, the shades of the correctors are the same after blending and after a bit of waiting, so no oxidation to be taken into consideration there, if your skin tone calls for a specific shade, go for it, that is the way the color will stay. As or the Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer, I would suggest you go for a shade lighter than you normally would, just because there will be some oxidation and the shade will turn darker than it is upon application.

Ease of use

Like I said before, the consistency of the product is quite dense but somehow still creamy and application is quite easy really. I usually apply my corrector using a concealer brush, but you can apply it with your fingers as well (just make sure your hands are super clean so you don't contaminate the product if you plan on dipping your fingers in the product, or use a little spatula to remove the product from the container). I feel the product glides on quite nicely, but of course you need to take extra care when applying it (just like with any product that goes on the skin in the eye region), so that you don't tug or pull the delicate skin. 

I quite like that it has a built-in mirror in the container itself, I haven't really used it yet, as I usually have a specific mirror I use when applying my makeup, but I imagine it can come in handy if you have to apply your makeup on the go and don't want to carry a lot of extra products n mirrors in your bag. 


Demo

Just to give you guys more of an idea on how the corrector really works, I put together a little picture demo for you guys. Hehe, oh, and there will be photos of bare faced me, no makeup, so don't get scared :)

Okay, so step one: this is me without makeup. This is the sleep deprived post-surgery me (serious lack of sleep due to the pain), so try to bear with me, I know my under eye circles are going bananas, I look completely fatigued and it all sort of makes me look like a little sleep deprived panda when I'm not wearing my beloved corrector. 

Sleep deprived panda.

That was scary, I know, sorry :D The top two photos are taken in a warmer lighting and the bottom two in a cooler lighting, just to show you guys the difference. So then, onto step two, in the next picture I have applied the corrector to my left eye, but not to my right (for comparison's sake). 

Here I have applied the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque to my left eye (shows to the right in the picture since it's mirrored), while the left eye (to the right in the picture, confusing I know, sorry) remains naked.

In the picture above you can compare the left eye with the right and see that the Bobbi Brown Corrector really does make a huge difference.

In step three, pictured below,  I have applied corrector to both eyes. 

Here I have applied the corrector to both my eyes. I realize there is still some darkness showing through, but as I mentioned before, my panda situation was quite bad and I did want to keep the makeup light so I applied the corrector with a light hand instead of caking it on.

In the next set of photos I have applied both corrector and concealer to my left eye (shown to the right in the picture - mirrored), whereas the right eye has corrector alone in the top picture. In the bottom picture I have applied both corrector and concealer to both eyes.

In the top picture I have only corrector on my right eye (to the left in the photo) and both corrector and concealer on my left eye (to the right in the photo). In the bottom photo I have both corrector and concealer on both eyes.

Right, that was that. Just to make it a little bit easier for you guys to actually see the difference I also made some step to step collages. First, my left eye in three stages:
top = naked eye,
middle = only corrector, 
bottom = both corrector and concealer.

Top - bare eye,
middle - with the Bobbi Brown Corrector,
bottom - with both Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque and Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer in #6 Ivory.

And then the same for the right eye:
top = naked eye,
middle = only corrector, 
bottom = both corrector and concealer.

Top - bare eye,
middle - with the Bobbi Brown Corrector,
bottom - with both Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque and Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer in #6 Ivory.

And then both eyes (from top to bottom 1 being at the very top and 6 being the bottom picture)"
1. Naked eyes.
2. Corrector on left eye only (to the right in the picture - mirrored) right eye still bare (to the left in the picture).
3. Corrector on both eyes.
4. Corrector and concealer on the left eye (to the right in the photo) and only corrector on the right eye (to the left in the photo).
5. Corrector and concealer on both eyes.
6. Eye makeup done.

From start to finish, explanation for the steps above.

And then finally onto the finished look.

And here is the finished look, the pictures to the sides were taken in cooler lighting whereas the middle one was taken in warmer lighting.

For this look I used the following makeup products:
Hourglass - Mineral Veil Primer
Lioele - Triple the solution BB cream
Bobbi Brown - Corrector in the shade Light Bisque
Makeup Forever - Full Cover Concealer in the shade #6 Ivory
IT Cosmetics - Bye Bye Pores Poreless Finish HD Micro-Powder (loose powder)
Tarte - Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer in the shade Park Avenue Princess
Laneige - Makeup Brighter in the shade 2 (the most fantastic luminizer/highlighter everrrrr, love this stuff!)
K-Palette - Real Lasting Eyebrow 24 h in the shade 01 (this stuff is fantastic as well)
MAC - LiquidLast Liner in the shade Point Black (best liquid eyeliner EVER!)
MAC - Paint Pot in the shade Painterly
MAC - Paint Pot in the shade Bare Study
Imju - Fiberwig Mascara (amazing mascara, love love love this!)
Etude House - Fresh Cherry Liptint in the shade OR201 (great lip tint, love this range, comes in 4 colors, all really pretty and yummy)
MAC - Cremesheen Lipstick in the shade Crème Cup 

There are reviews coming up on most of these products in the near future, so stay tuned for that :) If there is any product in particular that interests you, please let me know in the comment section below and I will try to get that review up here ASAP. :)

And that is it :) If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible :) And if you are looking for a product to help alleviate the dark under eye circles I genuinely suggest you give the Bobbi Brown Correctors a try, I had been going back and forth about trying them for the longest time and honestly, I'm so glad I decided to go for it! No more sleep deprived panda :)

I hope this review was of some help to those of you wanting to get to know the product a little and hopefully you guys will like the corrector if you decide to give it a go :)

Alright then, I hope you all keep enjoying the summer, have a fantastic day and please remember to smile, laugh, love and stay positive! :) 'Til next time! :)

xoxo,
Tanja