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KEVYN AUCOIN The Sculpting Contour Powder 

Highlighters

A Look at the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder, Pure Powder Glow + Celestial Powder

April 27, 2016

I’ve been slowly getting more into items from the Kevyn Aucoin beauty line. I’ve been a huge fan of the Celestial Powder in Starlight and the Lip Gloss in Starlight (reviewed here and here). The Pure Powder Glow Blushes are something that have been on my radar for ages and I was really excited to finally play with a few of the shades. As mentioned in a few previous posts I had high hopes for the Sculpting Powder in Medium as it’s one of the most raved about contouring/sculpting powders in the beauty market. It did not work for my skintone but there have been two color additions to the formula in Light and Deep. Light works perfectly for my medium-olive toned skin.

I have a quick look at six shades from Kevyn Aucoin in the Sculpting Powder, Pure Powder Glow + Celestial Powder. If you’re shopping online for any of these, don’t forget to take advantage of the special promo code Space NK US created for Beauty Look Book readers. Use code BEAUTYLB16 at checkout to save $20 off online orders of $100 or more (through May 1st). All the details in this post here.

The Celestial Powders ($44 each) are finely milled ultra smooth highlighters. Candlelight is one of those products that has reached cult-status and is extremely popular. I think I’m one of the few people who find it turns white on my face – it looks amazing in the pan, swatched on the arm or applied on the eyes. On my cheeks it almost looks chalky but note that I am in the minority with this one. My preference is for Starlight which is a soft champagne pink. I find Starlight to be more shimmery than Candlelight, but it’s not too shimmery. The pink/peach undertones make it much softer on my olive skin. If you prefer liquids, they have these colors in the Celestial Liquid formula, both swatched in this post here.

The Sculpting Powders ($44 each) are matte shaping/sculpting/contour powders. Medium was the first shade launched and for many years it was the only option. It’s a soft cool-toned matte that didn’t work on my skin because it was too cool-toned and slightly too dark creating a muddy look on me. Light and Deep are the newest additions. I tried out Light which in the swatch above is similar in undertone but the slight variation and lightness of color works so much better on my skintone. It creates a more natural looking shadow on areas I want to add depth whether it’s the eyes, nose or cheeks. If you need contouring powders with warmth I would recommend skipping any in the Kevyn Aucoin line as they are all very cool-toned.

The Pure Powder Glow ($37 each) is a powder blush. The formula is very soft in texture which makes it easy to apply, blend and build. There are shimmers and mattes, both formulas look incredibly natural and meld with the skin beautifully so it doesn’t look powdery. I’ve been so impressed with the three that I’ve tried. Ariana is the perfect neutral coral that adds natural warmth. Shadore is a powder pink that brightens the face. Natural is a really great neutral pinky-brown that won’t look muddy or darken on the skin. They look very simple in the pan and if you swatch them with your fingers I have to admit they look pretty standard – you can probably find dupes in other lines like MAC, Bobbi Brown or even Urban Decay, so color-wise I wouldn’t say that I find them unique. That being said the formula works really well and doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin. (I found that some blushes like Bobbi Brown cause tiny little bumps to form on my cheeks.) If you’re looking for a good everyday kind of color that’s easy to use and requires little thinking on how to coordinate, you can’t go wrong with any of the ones swatched above.

There are quite a few options on the market for all three types of powders. I think the ones from Kevyn Aucoin are great everyday shades that are very wearable for the conservative makeup-wearer who wants no-fuss kind of makeup. They apply on the skin smoothly, don’t oxidize on the face and they last all day without budging. A few thoughts on other ones I’ve tested and how they compare to other brands/formulas.

Celestial Powders

Sculpting Powders

Pure Powder Glow
  • If you like matte blushes that won’t darken, I think the ones from Kevyn Aucoin are really among the best I’ve tried.
  • If you want more unique and interesting colors that are still natural, opt for the Urban Decay UD x Gwen Blush Palette.
  • If you want contour + blush in a single palette for convenience, go for the By Terry Sun Designer Palettes.
  • If you want similar colors to the ones featured but want them at a cheaper price, MAC Pink Swoon will give you a similar look to Shadore, MAC Prism will give you a similar look to Natura (but without the shimmer), Ariana is quite unique compared to what I have, MAC Peaches is the closest one I have but the MAC is slightly brighter.
I hope you found this review helpful if you were wondering about the Kevyn Aucoin face powders. They do come with a fairly steep price tag but the quality is on point and I think they are products anyone will get regular use out of. Have you tried any blushes, highlighters or contour powders from Kevyn Aucoin yet? If so which ones? If you have recommendations for anything else in the line please share in the comments!

Ariana, Natura, Shadore and Light provided courtesy of Space NK for the Explore Promotion. Starlight, Candlelight and Medium purchased by me.
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Kevyn Aucoin Celestial & Sculpting Powders

January 21, 2015

I’m a newbie to the Kevyn Aucoin beauty line. I used to use his Celestial Powder in Candlelight a long time ago when it came in the large compact packaging and liked it for a soft glow, but after using it up never really explored much of the line. Recently I decided to give the brand a closer look. I ordered both of The Celestial Powders ($44 each for 3.1g/0.11 oz) in Starlight and Candlelight and The Sculpting Powder ($44 for 3.1g/0.11 oz) in Medium.

The Celestial Powders are small compacts of finely milled shimmery powders. Candlelight is a soft champagne color with a very smooth shimmer. In the pan it’s neutral and almost has a slight yellow/gold tinge. On my olive/medium skin it pulls more cool-toned. The shimmer is apparent but very natural. It does give a lovely glow and I know it’s reached cult status for many. For me it makes a lovely highlight and also can double as a shadow, but my heart still belongs to Hourglass Luminous Light as my favorite for a light powder highlighter. I favor the Hourglass because it glows more and the color is more luminous on my specific skin tone. If you want a cooler-toned or neutral champagne highlighter that glows but won’t emphasize pores and is on the subtle side, this is a good option.

above, Candlelight
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The Celestial Powder in Starlight is a soft warm pink highlighter with a medium level shimmer. On me this one has more visible shimmer and frost on the skin but the color is darker than your traditional highlighter. It has a lovely medium but soft pink base mixed with a hint of silver sheen. This one is just so beautiful on the skin. I don’t think I have anything like it. It’s hard to find a light to medium pink shimmer that isn’t too dark or light. The shimmer in this one is more visible but not frosty.

above, Starlight
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The Sculpting Powder in Medium has been one of the most-raved about contouring powders. I am not a contouring kind of person. I think the contouring process can result in really good photographs but in person/real life I find it often looks overdone and fake. That being said I am all for a subtle contour that looks natural. Medium is a medium color that is a neutral grey/taupe/tan. There’s no orange undertone and no shimmer. It’s pulls neutral-cool and is very finely milled. On my skin it blended beautifully with a very soft but layerable texture. The only problem for me is that I found it too grey and too brown. For contouring I need something softer or warmer, but I think I’m in the minority – I know many prefer the opposite wanting something cooler with good pigment.

above, Medium
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Some comparisons below to some other shades for reference:

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Luminous Light (review)
Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow (glow portion, review)
Armani Fluid Sheer #2
NARS Illuminator in Adelaide (review)
NARS Multiple St. Lucia (review)

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow (bronze portion, review)
NARS Contour Duo in Paloma (review)
Dolce & Gabbana Blush in Tan (review)
MAC Sheertone Blush in Tenderling

After testing these products I feel all three are very good and of high quality. The powders are smooth and blend nicely on the skin without streaking of fall out. The texture melds beautifully with the natural skin texture and they lasted all day without fading. I also found that the three powders photograph phenomenally well especially with a flash. In real life however, I found The Celestial Powder in Candlelight and The Sculpting Powder in Medium didn’t fit what I was looking for, mainly because of how these worked with my skin tone. Candlelight is a bit too cool for me, Medium is a bit too dark and brown for my medium/olive Chanel B30/Tom Ford Bisque 04 skin. The price of these powders is on the steep side for the amount of product given. I think Starlight is worth the price tag for the unique color and formula. For the others, I’m not so sure.

You can find Kevyn Aucoin at a number of retailers. I bought my items from Nordstrom. Also online at Neiman Marcus, Beautylish, Net-A-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman.

Do you have any Kevyn Aucoin favorites? What do you recommend that I check out from the line?
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Highlighters

Edward Bess Threads of Silk Powders in Bellisima and Ciao

May 24, 2016

I love all things Edward Bess and his new Threads of Silk Multi-Use Powders ($45 each for 0.42 oz/12g) are beautifully crafted glowy powders with a lovely satin luminous finish. There are two shades Bellisima and Ciao and they have the most amazing woven pattern that has a mix of three shades in each compact. These are made in Italy and are infused with real silk which I think is incredible! I added a few snapshots from my trip to Italy last year. We visited a few cities and it was amazing. I hope to go back someday. They have a very unique texture – they are clearly powder and soft to the touch but the product is dense. It has a slightly hard texture although it’s not stiff and very easy to use and blend. Color is easy to pick up with a brush and apply to anywhere you want color – eyes, cheeks or temples.

I think this year seems to be the year of glowy highlighters. There are many to pick from with a wide variety of textures. This year alone I have reviewed quite a few new formulas including the Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Powders, Hourglass Ambient Strobe Powders, Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powders, Anastasia Glow Kits, Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Highlighters, Natasha Denona Glow System Highlighters and NARS Hot Sand Duos. Picking the right highlighter for you depends on what kind of texture and degree of shimmer you want. Color is also important. For those who like a natural visible glow but don’t want the high frost or extreme shimmer, the Edward Bess Threads of Silk Powders are probably your best bet because true to Edward’s style they are perfect for the classic beauty lover who wants to look polished and a better version of themselves.
The shimmer on both is visible – on the arm + flash the colors look like they could be frosty but they are not. I usually photograph my swatches with a flash and any light (whether it’s sunlight or flash) captures the complexity of the colors and catches the pearl particles. I did a quick look (scroll down) to show them on the eyes and cheeks and they have a very pretty sheen.

Bellisima is the more neutral nude option. It looks beautiful on the eyes as an all over wash – the bronzy tones makes for a nice lid contour. The pink adds a bit of warmth and depth. The ivory mix to it gives it a lovely sheen. On the cheeks it can pass on my medium skintone as a nude blush although it has a highlighter feel.

Ciao has a mix of warmer tones with a soft coral sheen. On my medium complexion I can wear it as a blush but it could also pass as a highlighter to add on top of bronzer or regular blush. 

Since you may not be able to see these in person (they’re available at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and QVC), I’ve included a lot of photos in different light. They glow depending on how the light hits these powders. I really recommend both of them.

A closer look at each powder with the individual shades swatched and then swirled. I like the effect you get when swirling the colors, plus the way the colors are woven together it’s almost impossible to not mix the shades:

 

Simple beauty look with:
Bellisima Threads of Silk Powder on the eyes as an all over wash

Bottom line both winners. These are some of the prettiest most natural looking highlighter powders I’ve tried. If you want more of a traditional kind of highlighter, my holy grail cream highlighters are his All Over Seduction Highlighter (all three shades reviewed here). Both are multi-purpose wonders that you can use anywhere you want a glow. Lasting power was very good for both on me lasting from early morning until evening without fading or darkening. I love that they come in a large sturdy mirrored compact (same size as the Flawless Illusion Foundation swatched/reviewed here).

You can find both shades online at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and QVC. In store at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills and Bergdorf Goodman in NYC. If you can get to a counter I recommend it. The reps are very helpful and friendly.
Have you tried these yet? What did you think?
Many thanks to Edward Bess for sending me such beautiful items for review.

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Becca Highlighters

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop

August 6, 2015

Becca x Jaclyn Hill teamed up to create a Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop ($38 for 8 g / 0.28 oz, limited-edition, exclusive to Sephora). The shimmering skin perfector comes in a round mirrored compact in powder form but it’s very soft and buttery – it almost has a creamy texture to it. The color is described as a soft white gold with pinky peach undertones and it’s exactly how it appears on my skin. In the pot it’s this gorgeous luminous peachy gold champagne shimmer on the skin it pulls a bit more cool-toned than what I see in the compact. It is very complex in color and the powder shifts depending on how the light hits the shimmer particles. The color is super pigmented so you only need a tiny bit. I love how easy it is to blend. It gives a very visible and noticeable highlight. If you want something subtle this is not the product for you. I did find it went on the cheeks smoothly. It blends into this dreamy soft glow if you buff or blend it out. Huge plus is that it doesn’t emphasize pores. I have tons of highlighters in all forms and I find this one to be very special and quite amazing.

Pictures can’t do this Becca x Jaclyn Hill highlighter justice. I’ve taken a few photos to show the complexity but it’s something you have to see in person to really understand how gorgeous it is. Below in direct sunlight. I would say this shot is the closest to getting what the color looks like once on the skin.

At an angle, it looks more peachy. The peachy champagne base color helps add depth and dimension to the highlighter:

Close up of all the shimmers:

On the skin it’s more of a white-gold like the Sephora description:

I swatched the Becca Champagne Pop highlighter next to the Charlotte Tilbury Norman Parkinson Highlighter, Hourglass Luminous Light and NARS Tribulation Blush in this post here.

I pulled a few more to compare.

Tom Ford Stroked Contouring Cheek Colour Duo (discontinued, review here)
Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight (reviewed here)
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in New Vegas (discontinued)
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle
Estee Lauder Courreges Illuminations Face Powder (limited-edition)

One last shot with partial sunlight reflecting from the mirror to show the complexity of the powder:

Bottom line a winner. I give it a huge thumbs up. The powder has a finely milled texture and although it is very shimmery and very pigmented it blends easily onto the skin. You only need a tiny bit to highlight the cheeks or eyes. I found lasting power to be quite good – it stayed put from morning to late evening and it adheres well to the skin. Since it is so pigmented I recommend using a very loose fluffy brush to apply on the cheeks. I’ve been using either a Stila Powder Brush (one I got years ago with the silver handle, I don’t think they make it anymore) or my MAC Duo Fibre Brush #187 to apply it. I didn’t experience fall out on the face since my skin was well prepped with a layer of serum, moisturizer and foundation. On my arm swatches I didn’t have any product so there was a bit of product that fell off my brush in a few fly-aways.

Overall gorgeous. I highly recommend it unless you’re a fan of the ultra-subtle-almost-invisible shimmer because this one will probably be too shimmery for you. The Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop is limited-edition. Currently exclusive to Sephora. Starting August 10th Sephora is launching their Epic Rewards Perks. One of the 1,000 Point Perks is a Becca set that will include Champagne Pop although I can’t tell if it’s full-sized.

Have you tried Becca highlighters? Which ones are your favorites? I still own some from the days where they had the loose versions in the larger sifter containers. 
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