Summer Favorites:

Summer is definitely here in NYC to some extent...warmer weather is approaching, but at times it's a bit cooler than normal. Humidity hasn't been in full force (yet). I'm loving the nicer weather. 

When comes nice weather, I do like to experiment playing with warmer colors. You normally wouldn't catch me dead in warm pinks...but I'm always trying to venture outside the box. :)

As of late, these are the items I've been reaching for lately:

Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight Celestial Powder: a gorgeous, finely milled highlighter. As much as I do love my liquid highlighters, I've been reaching for this since it's so subtle, yet it has the perfect sheen and nuances when the sun hits your face. It's not in your face sheen, the sheen only shows up when your face hits a certain angle in the light, as how a highlighter should be. Perfect year round if you ask me.

Ellis Faas Skin Veil: I love this foundation, but I only wear it when I'm out at night when I want more coverage. I'm shade 103.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Milk Aquarelle (Chestnut): it's a light weight foundation that I've been wearing almost everyday. It's a satin finish, that looks like your skin but better. This is going to replace my Chantecaille Future Skin. As much as I love Future Skin, the lasting power is a bit short, plus they don't have the right shade for me. I'm thrilled to find a foundation that literally looks like your skin but better, and that it's an awesome match. Of course nothing beats RBRs luxe packaging.

Skinceuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense SPF 50: With the sun being out in full force, plus using glycolic acid in my skincare regimen, I need something to protect my face from the UV rays. I like the high SPF and it's a very thin liquid formula, but the downside is that it takes a while to make the white cast to go away. When I'm more oily, the white cast disappears instantly though. Their SPF 45 is a heavy cream formula, but the upside is that the white cast goes away instantly. When I run out of this, I'll be going back to the SPF 45 formula (plus it's water and sweat resistant).

By Terry Bronze Expert Sheer Cream Blush in #1 -- Copper Sand: It's a really warm terracotta pink, but it looks terracotta in color when just used alone. When used in conjunction with liquid or cream bronzer, the pink really stands out and is a soft warm pink. It's really a unique shade that I own, and it just screams summer. Sadly, this item is discontinued, which is why I never got around to reviewing it.

Le Metier de Beaute Cebu Lip Creme: This was a Neimans Exclusive at Tysons Galleria in Virginia. I was in town when Pink Sith reviewed this little gem. I drove on over and picked it up. Gorgeous warm pink shade with gold sparkle. This is what NARS Orgasm lipgloss wishes she was. For those of you who missed out on this shade, you can mix Fraise lipcreme with Vanilla Rose and they look extremely similar.

By Terry Laque de Rose in #5 (Infernal Rose): This shade is my alpha and omega...this is the shade I've been looking for...for many years. I was convinced that me and corals would never coexist. I thought that corals hated me since my skintone was odd...and then she came...it was love at first sight. It's electric in the tube, and a miracle on the lips. Of course the downside for some people is the strong By Terry rose scent. The formula is divine since it hydrates my lips, but the lasting power is a bit short. Not surprised, but I don't mind reapplying the color. It's a beautiful mid tone coral, but pack on the gloss and it's definitely vibrant. sigh. It's a recent acquistion, but a staple now given that it's summer time.

By Terry Gold Digger Gloss Terrybly Shine

Le Metier de Beaute Bella Bronze liquid bronzer: this is my favorite liquid bronzer. Beautiful golden sheen on my arms, neck, face. I can see this not being liked by some people since it has peanut oil (I know it's a common allergy). The bottle on the left is the original formula, the new bottle on the right (silver and clear), is the one that is with a GWP at Neimans and Bergdorfs recently. I'm a bit upset that the new formula isn't the exact same as the original. The new one is a bit darker and brown, whereas the original is more golden. For those who missed out, check out Rouge Bunny Rouge Bronzing Liquid

Becca Beach Tint in Guava: gorgeous warm peachy pink that lasts all day on your face as a blush, or a nice stain on your lips. This is the item that inspired me to wear warmer colors. I'm looking foward to Becca's upcoming beach tints.

Le Metier de Beaute Creme Fresh Tint in Tenne: a cool based pink-brown cream blush, for those days when I want to be a bit more netural and not have all warm colors on my face...I can see this being a soft blush shade or a slight contour.

Photos: !

Cebu, Infernal Rose #5, Gold Digger, Guava, Copper Sand, Tenne, Bella Bronze original, Bella Bronze current

in the photo below u can see the difference between the 2 Bella Bronze a bit better.

Cebu, Infernal Rose #5, Gold Digger, Guava, Copper Sand, Tenne, Bella Bronze original, Bella Bronze current

Becca Turkish Rose Cream Blush

Hi all! 

I've been away for a bit, seeing family, trying to handle stress and being sick for a bit. Still no excuse for a small hiatus, but that has been my life as of late.

I hope all is well with everyone though :) During my small hiatus, I got to see my MA David at the Becca counter (it had been a while since I last saw him).

P.S. whoever out there who is reading my blog, David told me that he had a customer who mentioned me and wanted to see him. I'm kinda curious who it was, since I'm flattered to know that someone wanted to meet him. 

For those of you who don't know who David is, he's my go to person for makeovers and random recommendations for makeup. He's also the one responsible for introducing me to By Terry. :D He's a very talented artist who makes me feel like a sexpot when he does my face. I can't speak enough praises about him. Seriously.

Moving along. . . 

David did my makeup since it had been a long time since I last saw him, and he used Turkish Rose on my cheeks. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of a nude blush since after all, I have Fig Beach Tint already. After seeing it on my face, I fell in love, of course.

So back to Turkish Rose:

Color: It's definitely a nude cream blush, a soft pink nude...it's not brown based, and it's not really beige-based either, so i can find this flattering on a lot of skintones. I don't think it would show up that well on darker skintones, which isn't cool. Fig is definitely more beige, which for super fair people can look a bit more brown once applied on the skin. My small issue with Fig is that I have to really layer it for a hint of color to show up. With Turkish Rose, there's no need to pack on the color, and it just shows up like a soft nude sheen. The pink undertones in Turkish Rose is ever so slightly less apparent on my cheeks than on my arm.

Formula and consistency: Is there really an explanation for Becca's cream blushes? They're definitely luminous. What I love the most is the radiant effect it has on the skin, because people always say I look well rested. The texture is so beautiful. It's not a thick formula, and it just glides onto the skin effortlessly. You can pack on the color without looking overdone, but the shades are definitely pigmented so you don't need a lot for the shade to show up. They're definitely a gold standard when it comes to cream blushes. I can't help but stare at the shades at a counter.

Price and Size: $30 for 3 grams or 0.1 oz

Onto the swatches. I do apologize for the Fig one, it sets faster than I had remembered. oops.

L to R: Becca Fig, Becca Turkish Rose, LMdB Ginger Lily, LMdB Tenne

L to R: Becca Fig, Becca Turkish Rose, LMdB Ginger Lily, LMdB Tenne (no flash)

L to R: Becca Fig, Becca Turkish Rose, LMdB Ginger Lily, LMdB Tenne (flash)