Kevyn Aucoin Loose Shimmering Shadow in Topaz +

You may have seen me mention Topaz as one of my more recent acquisitions in this post. It's one of the newer products from the Kevyn Aucoin makeup line, and they come in six colors. Kevyn Aucoin's national makeup artist Felicia introduced me to the product and explained that the eyeshadows can be applied wet or dry. 

Packaging: clear plastic tube, with a rollerball applicator. You know those rollerball applicators, as in the ones in travel sized fragrances...or maybe your favorite lipgloss from childhood. I was a bit thrown off by the applicator since all of my loose eyeshadows you just dip your brush in the actual product (like MAC pigments). I actually appreciate the ball applicator because I can't count how many times I've almost knocked off a loose eyeshadow from a table/stand. Plus what's really neat about the ball is that you can just apply the loose eyeshadow directly onto your eye and it's a pretty even application. Color me surprised, I wasn't expecting even application from the ball (with a powder). The actual amount of product is pretty small, but it's so convenient for travel.

Color/Formula: in the tube, it looks like a dark cool taupe. When applied, it's a GORGEOUS warm bronze. I swear the plastic packaging throws the color off, so if you see these items at a counter, swatch them before buying. As for the formula itself, they're definitely long lasting without a primer. I had topaz on my lids for over 10 hours and no creasing in my crease area of my eye. What's also really cool is that when applied wet, it's more pigmented and has a more of a sheen than a sparkle. It's definitely a great formula. 

Price and Size: $29 for 0.08 oz or 2.3 grams.

ingredients

 

rollerball applicator

L to R: Becca Brocade, Kevyn Aucoin Topaz, Armani Eyes to Kill Intense #15

L to R: Becca Brocade, Kevyn Aucoin Topaz, Armani Eyes to Kill Intense #15 (with low flash)

L to R: Becca Brocade, Kevyn Aucoin Topaz, Armani Eyes to Kill Intense #15 (no flash)

items i've acquired in the past couple of months +

I've been in a rut of sorts, plus the summer heat has made me less inclined to wear makeup in general. there's probably the fact too that i'm not a fan of summer collections. Don't even get me started from what i've seen for this fall so far, I'm a bit let down since the colors aren't quite my thing (NARS i'm looking at you).

But anyways, here's what I've gotten :)

Top row: 

Addiction Rigoletto and Truffle. Then there's Burberry Trench and Midnight Brown

Middle section from left to right:

YSL Glossy Stain in #5, Burberry Blush gloss, Armani Eyes to Kill Intense 27, 28, (25 is the one that's in between the nail polishes). 

Illamasqua Naked Rose Blush, then on the far right is Kevyn Aucoin Pravella (the color when swatched is warmer than the photo).

The two nail polishes are: Rescue Beauty Lounge Jack in the Pulpit and the brown one is Ghost Ranch (which got renamed due to some copy right issues), .

On the far bottom left is Kevyn Aucoin Topaz loose eyeshadow, to the right is Citrine. 

Any items you'd like me to review? please let me know. :D

Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Bronzing Veil in Tropical Nights

Keeping it with the summer trend...today I get to present to you Kevyn Aucoin Tropical Nights Bronzing Veil. As most of you probably associate Kevyn with the Sensual Skin Enhancer, or perhaps his Candlelight highlighter or Sculpting Powder, which are probably his best selling products. One of my personal favorites of his line is his powder bronzer. 

I personally prefer the look of liquid bronzers given the heat and overall effect, but of course makeup junkies like us like to have all the options. 

Packaging: Nothing special to say, signature red and black plastic packaging, it's pretty sturdy and it has a sturdier latch than Edward Bess' original Daydream bronzer. It comes with a nice mirror too. Pretty straightfoward, it doesn't come with a brush or applicator (for those who were wondering). Not that I really care, but just something to mention since his highlighter and sculpting powder does come with an applicator.

Texture and Formula: It's a nice powder formula, finely milled, but it's not a creamy type of powder (for those who were wondering). It's definitely not powdery and it just glides on your skin with a soft sheen. This soft sheen is a definite win for me, and the color isn't orange at all. If anything the color when swatched is more of a reddish brown in undertone, but it just looks so much better when applied. The effect is more of a natural bronze look. 

If you were in the store and just went by the swatch alone, you would probably think "oh it's too weird in undertone as a bronzer". Trust me, when applied, it's so much nicer and it gives a real sunkissed look. It has a small sparkle (silver and gold), but it's not as sparkly as Armanis powder bronzer. I've tried Armanis bronzer and it's definitely luminous, but I felt like it was a smidge too dark for what I was looking for. Even with a light hand it looked nice, but for one reason or another I never purchased it. I'm glad I didn't, since this one is what I've been looking for. The sheen effect is not from the sparkle, although it helps with the overall luminosity. 

Price and Size: $45 for 9 grams or 0.32 oz

Ingredients:

L to R: KA sculpting powder, Tropical Nights, LMdB Romeo & Juliet duet, EB Daydream (original)

tropical nights by itself

L to R: KA sculpting powder, Tropical Nights, EB Daydream, LMdB Romeo & Juliet duet (with strong flash)

L to R: KA sculpting powder, Tropical Nights, EB Daydream, LMdB Romeo & Juliet duet (natural lighting)