By Terry French Riviera Summer Collection 2014 +

Now I know I said I was going to take a break, but that clearly doesn't mean that I would forget about my favorite makeup line…


It will be quick since I got the items about an hour ago, and I'm ready to fall asleep :)

The collection consists of:

six new cream (Aqua-Print) eyeshadows (they're not Ombre Blackstars). These are in retractable pencil type of design. Why did she made them like this? I have no idea. Word is that they're limited edition, but who really knows? First impressions of these eyeshadows: the shimmery ones are lovely, glide on and set pretty quickly. They're not super sparkly like some of the Ombre Blackstars, which is a bit of a change. I will say the matte ones (purple and blue) do fade and flake a bit on my arm after a while. I don't know if that will be the case once applied to the lids, but I wasn't really a fan of that aspect of those particular shades. They're supposed to be water proof, but I didn't test that since I just happened to see them while running errands all day.

What's interesting about the liquid blush and bronzer aside from them being in bottle dropper type of packaging is that if the bottles are sitting on a flat surface, if you get a bit of product, the finish of the blush and bronzer are matte. If you shake the bottles, the shimmer that has settled on the bottom of the jar will mix and then you have the option of having a soft shimmery blush or bronzer. A bit odd if you ask me, but I love it. I didn't like the idea of it at first, but once seeing the items in store, I had to get both of them. 

As for the cheek to cheek blush in Cherry Cruise: this goes on like a cheek stain. It's GORGEOUS. 

As for the bronzer in Bronze Bay: it's brilliant because there's no orange to the color, it's definitely more brown which to me is a more natural bronze effect. The bronzer and cheek item do set pretty fast, so you have to be quick when it comes to applying and blending.

The Tint to Lip colors: There are two shades and although I didn't try the testers on my lips, the formula of these SEEM better than the lip stains from years past…I may get the pink one, but I'm still undecided since I hardly use lip stains and I purchased some other stuff today. I will report back if I get the lip stain. It's the same premise with the lip stain (if you shake it, it's a luminous lip stain, versus if you let the shimmer settle and decide to use the lip stain, it's a matte finish).

Swatches: 

L to R: Aqua-Print eyeshadow shades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, bronzer in Bronze Bay, Cheek to Cheek in Cherry Cruise

Tint to Lip in Pink Palace, Beach Game

Cherry Cruise, Bronze Bay

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)

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

Hourglass Illume Bronze Light -- Creme to Powder Bronzer Duo

As of late I've been venturing into the world of Hourglass Cosmetics. I still have some mixed thoughts about the brand overall, but there's definitely no denying that there are several true gems in the line. My interest has definitely increased since it's sold at SpaceNK, plus seeing a specific YouTuber, JoshCollierMUA who happens to work for the line as well. Seeing his reviews/tutorials has definitely been helpful to figure out what I want to try.

So with that being said, I purchased Illume Bronze Light -- my go to person at SpaceNK used it on me and even then I didn't buy it on the spot, because I wasn't convinced that the lasting power would be anything amazing. Of course after wearing it for 12+ hours, I had to get it. 

Packaging: It comes in the signature Hourglass brown swivel packaging, and the duo has a nice mirror. The bronzer and highlighter does collect a bit on the mirror (outline), but it's not a big deal, since I know cream products do move a bit. I love the fact that it's a 2 in 1 item since I can carry it in my bag. It's easier to carry this than say, 2 bottles of Armanis Fluid Sheers.

Colors: There's a champagne colored highlighter, although there's definitely some shimmer, but it's not over the top. Check it out on JoshCollierMUA's video to see how it looks on his cheeks. It's a soft sheen that just looks so pretty. Then there's a bronzer that's definitely not orange when applied, although in the pan it looks it would be too orange on the skin. Definitely don't be fooled by the appearance in the pan.

Texture/Formula: Ok, so the formula states that it's a cream to powder. When it sets to a powder, it sets is so much better than a powder. It doesn't look like the highlighter and bronzer is just sitting on top of your skin.  It seriously melts with your skin. The bronzer is matte, but not chalky at all. The texture of the bronzer is a bit more creamy/wet than the highlighter, so that's something to be aware of. Once it sets, it seriously doesn't budge. One of the benefits of the duo is that it's oil, fragrance, wax, sulfate, fragrance, phthlate, and paraben free. Look below for the list of ingredients (in the picture section).

Learning curve: The hardest thing for me to learn to use was the bronzer, because of the blending part. It sets really fast, so for me to blend well before it sets, is to use a big fluffy synthetic brush like the Hourglass #2. I currently own the Hourglass retractable brush and it's not big enough for my personal liking to use with the bronzer. I feel like I don't get an even application when I apply the bronzer with my fingers, so the best way to use it is with a brush. The highlighter on the other hand is easier to use, and you can apply it with your fingers without an issue.

Price and Size: $40 for 11g/0.39 US oz.

photos :D

L to R: bronzer and highlighter heavily swatched

T to B: GA fluid sheer #10, HG bronzer, HG highlighter, GA fluid sheer #2

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you can see here that Fluid Sheer #2 is definitely more sparkly than the Hourglass highlighter. I love fluid sheer #2, but for night time, and the Hourglass more for the day since the shimmer is more subtle.

bronzer blended on my right arm.

bronzer on top,  highlighter on the bottom.

list of ingredients (open in a new tab or window to enlarge)

Rouge Bunny Rouge Bronzing Glow Liquid +

Now that summer is officially here, I bring to you stuff that makes me happy as of late, and as you all know...it's BRONZER TIME !! 

So I know a lot of people are out there on the market looking for something that's gives them that sunkissed glow. I don't blame you, whatsoever. So I ordered Rouge Bunny Rouge's bronzing liquid to see what it's all about...

Packaging: It's in a tall, slender pump, clear frosted packaging like their illuminators.

Texture and formula: I'm personally biased towards liquid bronzers, as it tends to look more natural, than powder. It's definitely lovely on my skin as a soft sheen, when sheerly applied. So I tried layering this on, and the shimmer is definitely more apparent when layered. The formula in of itself is a runny liquid, so it's easy to spread out quickly. It takes a couple of seconds to set, which isn't bad at all because I do like an extra moment to adjust the coverage. 

Color: It's like a golden honey-light caramel color, which I know will work gloriously on paler skintones. I know it's very hard to find a bronzer that doesn't make you look like an oompa loompa, but for those of you who are very fair, this won't look orange at all. 

Size and Price: 1.75 fluid ounces; $100 (approximately given the conversion rates from GBP to USD)

Onto the photos :)

The bronzer sheerly applied on the inner part of my arm, where I'm palest.                                        

 The left half of my arm with nothing, the right side with bronzer layered on (no flash)

 With flash (bronzer layered on)

Top to bottom:

Le Metier de Beaute Bella Bronze

Rouge Bunny Rouge Bronzing liquid

oddly enough in this picture you can see the shimmer when layered.

Is this worth having? I think so if you're fair in skintone because you can use a small amount and it gives a nice warm bronze glow. If you're like me or darker: it's nice as a soft sheen (illuminating), but used as a bronzer, you do have to layer it. I don't mind the shimmer when it comes to layering it, but some may.