Browsing Tag

The Makeup Show

Highlighters

Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight and Starlight – The Celestial Skin Liquid, Celestial Powder and Lip Gloss

March 28, 2016

A couple weekends ago I stopped by the Kevyn Aucoin booth at The Makeup Show LA and picked up the new Lip Glosses ($30 each for 5.04 ml) in Candlelight and Starlight along with the Celestial Skin Liquid Lighting ($52 for 30 ml) in Starlight. I already own the Celestial Liquid in Candlelight which I really like and was curious about the pink version. I did a review on the Celestial Powders a little over a year ago in this post here but I thought I’d feature all the Candlelight and Starlight products for the Celestial Skin Liquid, Celestial Powder and Lip Gloss in a single post to swatch them side by side in case you were wondering how the colors looked in different formulas.

Candlelight is the champagne-gold option while Starlight is the pink-tinged color. In my initial review about the powders, I mentioned that color of the Candlelight Celestial Powder was a slight miss for my skintone. I still stand by that opinion because the color is a bit too pale and too cool toned for what I like on the face. It’s still a very well made product and high quality (I like it as eyeshadow, just not on my cheeks). I personally prefer the color of the Celestial Skin Liquid which is deeper and more golden. It gives the skin a very soft luminous glow – those who are afraid of too much shimmer on the face should check out the Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Liquid because it gives the skin a very natural glow without the frost or shine. You can use it mixed in with foundation to add a nice luminosity or on top of cheekbones as a natural highlight. The Candlelight Lip Gloss is a gorgeous sparkling gold in the tube but it’s pretty much clear on the lips. It’s pretty when layered on top of lipsticks but I would have loved to see more pigment in the base.
For Starlight, I loved the Starlight Celestial Powder and still do. It’s a beautiful seashell pink shimmer that I find difficult to find in highlighters from other brands. It works well on cheeks as a highlight or the eyes as an all over wash. The pigment is very good and shimmer visible but not frosty. The Starlight Celestial Liquid is almost identical in color but has a more subtle finish compared to the powder. If I had to pick one, I would pick the powder mainly because it shows up more on my skin, but both are very good. The Starlight Lip Gloss is stunning. I’ve swatched both on the lips (scroll down) and it was hard to capture the depth of the shimmer but if you are in search of a soft seashell pink shimmer gloss that shows up the Starlight Lip Gloss is perfect. 

I won’t repost the images of the Celestial Powders since I already reviewed them here and swatched them above, but here are close ups and swatches of the Celestial Liquids and Lip Gloss in Starlight and Candlelight.

The glosses look identical in the lip swatch photos – the shimmer was difficult to capture, but Starlight shows up more on the lips closer to the arm swatch above. Both have a semi-thick texture but it’s not tacky. They are scented with a fruity scent but it’s pleasant and fades after a few minutes. Lasting power is like the average gloss – they will stay on the lips a while without fading or budging as long as you don’t touch the lips. They will transfer if you drink anything like cups of tea or coffee (or any other kind of drinks).

 

In terms of cream or liquid highlighters, the Edward Bess All Over Seduction highlighters are still hands down my favorites for adding a nice visible but natural glow to the face. I think the Celestial Skin Liquids from Kevyn Aucoin perform well – they are great for mixing in with foundation or adding a luminous glow to the cheeks in a very natural way. Lasting power is pretty good for a liquid (I find they last longer than Armani Fluid sheers). I know they have reached cult status for many, I think they are very good but for me I can’t personally say I find them must-haves. I will use mine up to the end but I don’t know that I will repurchase due to the high price tag combined with the fact that I prefer powder highlighters. Starlight Celestial Powder is still one of my favorites for pink highlighters. For the lip glosses, I would say that the Starlight gets a thumbs up from me. Candlelight is nice to have but not a must because of the sheerness – although there are times when I want a sheer sparkly gloss to add shine instead of color so in those cases this one fits the bill.


You can find Kevyn Aucoin products at a number of different retailers including Nordstrom, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Space NK and Beautylish.

Do you have any Kevyn Aucoin favorites?
14 Comments
Uncategorized

The Makeup Show LA March 2016 Event Recap + Haul

March 24, 2016

I attended The Makeup Show LA last weekend and it was one of the best makeup events I’ve attended. This year they had over 150 brands at the show – I love events like these that support beauty professionals in so many aspects. If are able to attend one I highly recommend you do. In recent years they’ve expanded their stops to some additional cities with pop-ups. Full calendar and list of upcoming shows on their website The Makeup Show. This was my second year attending although they’ve been making an appearance in LA for ten years now.
Urban Decay Cosmetics made an appearance this year with their full line available (items were offered at a 30% pro discount). Most of the brands offered generous discounts during the show for professionals to stock their makeup kits or explore new launches (some like Kevyn Aucoin offered discounts of 40% off). In the excitement of being able to swatch and play with so many things I neglected to take as many photos of the show as I had hoped, but here are a few I hope you will enjoy.

In the morning I attended the Press Preview where The Makeup Show Director of Artist Relations and Education James Vincent gave us an overview of show highlights, new product launches along with some inspirational thoughts about the business of beauty, building your own brand and the importance of knowing how to merging art and commerce.

A look at some of the booths, first is Kevyn Aucoin. They had the new Featherlight Collection for spring available along with the full line of makeup and brushes. I had their Sensual Skin foundation on my wishlist to try out but did not want to wait to get matched at the show.

Inglot booth:

Sephora Collection booth was very busy with lots to explore, pro discount offered at the show was 30% off so I picked up another of my favorite foundation brush and a few of the matte lip products:

Scott Barnes was showcasing their new Multi Media Liquid makeup, based on the raves from several of you, I did get a color match and picked up the shade Creme Fraiche. I haven’t tested it yet, but will have to see in natural light if the match was indeed correct. They also had mini Body Blings which I wish I had picked up one to try out, but since I don’t usually use body shimmers, it’s probably not a huge miss.

I’ve been a huge fan of the MustaeV Lustrous Cream Base and Skinny Tint Foundation. They are expanding their color selection for the foundation since it only comes in three colors right now.  I was hoping they would have the new shades available at the show, but they won’t be launched for a few more months. If you’d like a review now of what I do have – let me know in the comments.

Nigel’s Beauty Emporium is a beauty supply store – at the show they had some of the best values and discounts. I stocked up on beautyblenders last year and did again. They had a Beautyblender Propack of 6 pink (or white) beautyblenders + the solid cleanser for $64 at the show (listed price on their website is $80). Individual blenders were on discount for $16 each. They also had a large number of mixed sets. If you’re in the LA area they have a store in West Hollywood and carry a wide range of brands like Anastasia, Ben Nye, Artis, Becca, Black Up, Make Up For Ever etc.

 

NARS also had their own booth with the full line. The Laguna Tahiti Collection was available for purchase at the show so I picked up several of the new items as they were available at a pro discount (I can’t locate my receipt at the moment but it was either 30 or 40%).

Kat Von D Beauty had amazing bundles at discounted prices on their Shade + Light collection, but the line was insanely long, I took a few photos from outside the line area:

Viseart has three new eyeshadow palettes launching exclusively at MUSE Beauty Pro at the end of the month called Theory Palettes ($45 each). I was hoping they would have these available for purchase at the show, but they only had the testers to play with. The texture and pigment is amazing. You can pre-order them from their website now (estimated ship date is end of March). MUSE Beauty Pro has the exclusive for 3 months on these palettes. I’ve never tried any of the Viseart palettes before – the pro discount at the show was 30% off so I was thrilled to buy my first two last weekend.

Beautylish had some of the Natasha Denona items on display. I was hoping they would have the entire line available to play with like they did at IMATS Los Angeles, however the selection was a bit more limited this round. A look at all the Natasha Denona Blush Duos.

For those curious about what I hauled, here is the loot. I did haul more than I had planned – some of the 30% to 40% off discounts were just too good to pass!

Items shown above listed below, items purchased by me except for a few press samples noted:
I’ll be reviewing items as I work my way through testing them. I did pre-order the new Viseart Palettes at the show and will be swatching as soon as they arrive (estimated ship date is 3/30). I’m always looking to try new brush cleansers so I’m excited to try some of the ones I picked up at the show – I know many of you love baby shampoo, I used to use it, but I feel like these days it just leaves a film on my brushes that I cannot rinse off properly. 

Did you visit The Makeup Show LA last weekend? Or do you have plans to attend on in another city later this year?
11 Comments
Uncategorized

The Makeup Show LA March 19-20, 2016 – Event Preview

March 14, 2016

The Makeup Show Los Angeles 2016 is happening this weekend March 19th – 20th at the California Market Center and I’m thrilled to be able to share a sneak preview of some items that will be available at the show! For those new to The Makeup Show is a pro-beauty event open only to those in the beauty and fashion industry including makeup artists, hairstylists, estheticians, cosmetologists, agents, models, stylists, photographers, industry insiders and anyone that works or studies in under the umbrella of beauty and fashion. It typically happens once a year in Los Angeles – they travel nationwide to other cities like New York City, Dallas, Chicago and Orlando.

Tickets are available for purchase online or at the door (they are cheaper if you buy ahead of time online). There are 1 day or 2 day passes available. Since this is an event for professionals you will need to show some credentials at check in (full listing of qualified credentials on the ticket page).

There will be approximately 60 different booths including individual beauty brands, beauty retailers and educators attending such as Make Up For Ever, MustaeV, Hakuhodo, OCC, RCMA, Beautylish, Urban Decay, Sephora Pro (full list of exhibitors here). To see last year’s feature check out this post here on The Makeup Show 2015.

For the preview items sent by The Makeup Show team, full listing is as follows:

A closer look at the color items below starting with the face products. I first tried the Bésame Brightening Face Powders last week in store at Sephora. I tried Violet which is a color corrector for light-medium skintones designed to correct yellow and red (it’s brightening). I was thoroughly impressed by the finish – it’s truly transparent yet brightening and left no white or purple cast on the skin. (I did decide to wait on purchasing it though.) I received Vanilla Rose from The Makeup Show which or light-medium tones, color corrects green and blue tones in the skin. It has a transparent finish as well with a subtle finish. Overall I prefer the effect of the Violet on my face for all over but Vanilla Rose is good for setting the undereye area for me.

Next up is the Scott Barnes Multi Media Liquid Makeup. This is a bi-phase liquid that separates once it settles much like the Armani Glow Foundation. I received the shade Cafe Au Lait which is too dark and too peach for my skintone so it was hard for me to tell how it really performed with such a mis-match. I hope to check out the other colors in person at the show. If I find a match I will be sure to let you know.

From MustaeV is the Lustrous Cream Base which is subtle shimmering opal cream product. It has a similar concept to MAC’s Strobe Cream but the MustaeV has a more emollient moisturizing formula. The finish is also a bit more transparent in finish so the glow cast is more subtle on the skin. You can use the MustaeV as a base under foundation, mix it in with foundation for a glow effect or use on top to highlight any area you want a glow. If you’re interested in a full review let me know.

Swatches on bare skin, note the items are swatched heavily to show the color. When applied on the face with blending the Cream Base and Powder both disappear into a translucent finish.

For lips The Makeup Show as quite a few bold and super edgy colors. From OCC are two grey lip color items. The Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Sebastian is a grey taupe. It’s for both lips and eyes, I can see myself wearing it on the eyes. On the lips – I just don’t pull off grey well. There’s a new Lip Tar in Indrid which is an opalescent violet pink shimmer. The pigment and finish is excellent. The color is not something I would ever wear. For both of these shades I didn’t swatch the entire lip – part of the center isn’t touched up so you can see a bit of my natural lip color underneath.

From Make Up For Ever there are three items in the Lip Fever Passion Pink Collection including Artist Lip Balm #920 Flushed Cherry, Artist Lip Blush #921 Exalted Rosewood and Artist Acrylip #922 Electric Fuchsia. You can find all three at Sephora now. I received the Acrylip #922 which is a high pigment liquid lipstick. It’s a lightweight formula that covers the lips entirely and has a glossy finish. At this time I do not know if more colors in these formulas are coming out – I hope they do because as far as a liquid lipstick goes, I am really liking the shiny finish (most liquid lipsticks are either too opaque or matte which makes them look so flat).
The last color for preview is the Bésame Sweetheart Glaze in Caramel which is a glossy nude. It’s described as a luminous lip protectant with moisturizing ingredients. It has a medium to strong vanilla scent and offers medium smooth coverage which I find really good. Often times cream nudes can settle into lip lines but this one does not. It does have a moisturizing finish – if a gloss formula does not have any moisture-added properties my lips are dried out by the next day – with this one, no peeling or dried out  lips so I give this one a thumbs up.

Kat Von D Beauty always launches new items at The Makeup Show. Last year this time the Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette made it’s debut (I still don’t own it but I think I need it in my life). For those who like the concept but want something non-neutral there are four Shade + Light Eye Contour Quads launching. I have a preview of plum which features all matte shades. The colors are in the plum and pink color family which make for a softly contoured eye look. The texture is very powdery with a lot of kick-up but finish is really good. It’s like skin but better with no powdery finish on the eyes – it’s like the product melts into the skin. I played with this a few ways and found that the synthetic brushes were the best tools for application. The Shade + Light Double Ended Contour Brush is excellent in quality and super soft. It applies matte shades very well and blends colors to create a nice gradient. 
Also new is from Kat Von D Beauty is the Lock-It Color Correcting Eyeshadow Primer. I was sent Fair but I suspect the next shade up in Light would be more ideal for my skintone. There are a lot of mixed reviews on this one. I’m in the batch that likes it – I smudge it on the lids direct from the tube and blend with a finger. It evens out the lid nicely without looking cakey or flat and truly did make the matte eyeshadows from the Shade + Light Eye Quad last all day long without fading or budging. I have yet to try it with other eyeshadow formulas but first impressions are overwhelmingly positive.

A quick eye look I took a few days ago. This is shown around 5-6 hours after initial application. Colors looked pretty much the same as when I first applied – do note I did a very subtle wash of all four colors layered together.

Last but not least is the Pur Cosmetics Eye Polish in Caviar. This is described as an all-in-one primer and shadow product. It comes with a silicone applicator which I wasn’t able to master. I did try applying this with other detail brushes and found it to be an extremely glitzy highly metallic black gold. I think it will take some practice to figure out the layering and blending – but I will say that the lasting power is quite impressive. I do like a good shimmer eyeshadow but I found this one to be more glitzy than the Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Shadows so for me would be better suited for going out versus everyday.

To recap, the event in Los Angeles is happening this weekend March 19-20th at the California Market Center. All the event details, location, hours, exhibitors, special speaker events are on their website www.themakeupshow.com/la. You can purchase tickets ahead of time online here or also at the door (they are cheaper if you purchase online). Follow them on Instagram @themakeupshow to get more sneak peeks of what’s launching at the event.

I hope you enjoyed this preview! Full recap of the event to follow after
this weekend. If you’re planning to attend please let me know in the
comments! Or if you’ve attended one – would love to hear about your
experience and thoughts too.

Items provided courtesy of The Makeup Show team as a preview for the LA 2016 Event.

12 Comments
Uncategorized

The Makeup Show LA – March 2015

April 13, 2015

A few weekends ago I attended The Makeup Show in Los Angeles for the first time. The Makeup Show is series of events held for beauty professionals and students. Earlier last month, the team kindly sent over a preview package mid-March to showcase some new items and brands that would be making their debut at the show. I was glad to be able to attend the show in person to experience the event first hand. There will be events held throughout the US this year, check out the details for tickets and exhibits at The Makeup Show and follow them on Instagram @themakeupshow or The Makeup Show Blog to stay up to date with the latest and get sneak peeks of what is to come.

Quick overview of dates for upcoming shows:

  • May 3-4, 2015 NYC
  • June 13-14, 2015 Dallas
  • August 29-30, 2015 Pop-Up Shop in San Francisco (new!)
  • January 30-31, 2016 Orlando
There were over sixty beauty brands that with booths from the show. At the top of my list to visit were the Beautylish and Hakuhodo. The Beautylish booth was setup like a mini pharmacy with shelves of their Bioderma Sensibio and Bioderma Sébium – both of which are currently sold out, but be sure to put yourself on the wait list online. I was beyond excited to see the Hakuhodo brushes in person for the first time ever and limited myself to purchase 4 although I have a very long wish list now. A new discovery for me was the Korean brand MustaeV. The Makeup Show Press package included the Bloom Pouch (also shown here) which is perfect for travel. I picked up some items from the line and will have a review soon. Additional stops included the booths for Make Up For Ever, Nigel’s Beauty Emporium, Kevyn Aucoin, and NARS.

A few quick snapshots from the show that I was able to get in between the crowds of attendees:

Beautylish

MustaeV

Make Up For Ever

NARS

Ellis Faas Gallery

Inglot

Most of the lines offered their items at discounted prices from retail listed prices for those who attended the show. Here is my extensive (and rather expensive) haul. I left with four different kinds of brush cleaner that I’ve been putting to the test. I am eager to see if there is really a difference between the brands or if they all perform the same.

The Make Up For Ever items can be found at Sephora. The only thing exclusive to the show (and perhaps the pro line) was the mini Step 1 Primer Set. There were four small primers in a clear zip bag, but each item was rung up at the register separately. The OCC Creme Color Concentrate in Discipline can be found at Nordstrom. 

The Hakuhodo brushes I bought include the ones with white goat hair. I purchased J501 and J505 (both cheek/powder), G5514 (for eyes), the Fan Brush White H2369 and the Brush Cleaner. Hakuhodo did not have any discounts on their brushes at the show but it was nice to be able to see and touch them in person. Other items I picked up were some Kevyn Aucoin items like the Matte Lip Color in Enduring, The Celestial Skin Liquid Lighting in Candlelight and Lip Gloss in Neottiana. After falling in love with the Large Bloom Pouch from MustaeV, I knew I had to stop by the booth at the show. They have an extensive line of brushes but the ones that stood out to me were the travel-sized EasyGo Line. The Blush Brush is the perfect size and shape for travel. They were kind enough to gift a few items to test out. I’ve already put the brush cleaner to use and the Spray is perfect for when I’m swatching a large number of items. It cleans the brushes effectively and but doesn’t make the brushes too wet so they dry quickly.
Last but not least includes the Bioderma Makeup Removers from Beautylish. I already purchased the smaller 250ml size of the Sensibio right when it launched in February thinking the small size would be sufficient. I also prefer smaller sized items so they don’t take up a lot of counter space. However, both of these are so good, I’ve already used up 1/2 of the Sensibio H20. If these are something you think you’ll use daily, I highly recommend that you opt for the larger 500 ml size. You also get the travel sized mini as a bonus when you buy the larger ones. I ordered 1 back up of each of the large sizes online because they keep selling out and this is something I don’t want to be without when I run through the bottles. They’ve sold out online yet again so I highly recommend you add yourself to the wait list. They will shoot you an e-mail once it is back in stock.
One last shot of the Make Up For Ever booth, I didn’t pick up any of the shadows because there were too many people crowded around the items:

Hope you enjoyed this brief recap of The Makeup Show LA! I wish I had gotten more photos of the booths but I got lost in all the makeup goodness. Plus there were so many people in attendance it was difficult to get photos of the booths like Stila, Smashbox, Sephora and OCC. Have you ever been to one of the events before? If so which city?
Be sure to check out the details of upcoming events, ticket information, exhibits and schedules online  at their website The Makeup Show. You can also follow them via social channels for more photos of the events on Instagram @themakeupshow, Twitter @themakeupshow and Facebook.
Many thanks to The Makeup Show for inviting me to the event! The MustaeV and Beautylish items were gifted courtesy for review consideration. All other items purchased by me.
20 Comments
Uncategorized

The Makeup Show LA March 28-29th, 2015 – Event Preview

March 23, 2015

The Makeup Show Los Angeles is being held this spring on March 28th and 29th for all beauty professionals and students. This year is the 7th year they will be in LA. Those who attend will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and seminars led by industry experts and makeup artists. The Makeup Show LA will be featuring over 75 beauty brands including MAKE UP FOR EVER, Crown Brush and Temptu PRO, NARS, Smashbox, Pinnacle Cosmetics, The Powder Group and On Makeup Magazine, and Ruby Makeup Academy. Details on ticket information here.

Here is a preview of what you can expect to see at The Makeup Show LA this year. I’m looking forward to playing with these items in the upcoming days:

  • Smashbox is featuring some items in celebration of The Makeup Show LA Smashbox x Donald Robertson Icon gallery. Above is a vibrant red cream Be Legendary Lipstick in Bing.
  • Stila recently launched their Nude Interlude Color Balm Lipstick. Sophie (shown above) was a color sent as part of the press preview kit. It’s a super creamy balm-like nude with lots of pigment. There is a chocolate mint scent to it.
  • Ellis Faas will be making a personal appearance at the show this year as a keynote speaker. The Milky Lips come highly recommended by numerous readers but the line is one that I haven’t explored very much yet. Above is L201 a burgundy cream.
  • Ruby Makeup Academy has just launched their cosmetics line Ruby Cosmetics. One of the items sent as a preview is their LL Cream in Red Lights a super saturated lip creme.

  • Sephora Collection will be making an appearance at the show as well. Above are a sample of the Sephora Collection Colorful Blushes in Over the Moon (soft lilac), I’m Shocked (bright vivid hot pink), and Flirt It Up (soft peach pink). Also shown is one of the Pro Precision Blush Brushes #73. These come with a clever cap to store them and keep the bristles from getting messed up if you travel with them.

  • Smashbox recently released a Step-By-Step Contour Stick Trio. This is a unique method of cream contouring in chubby pencil form. There are three colors: Highlight is a pale cream, Bronze is a medium tan, Contour is the darkest color which is a brown. (Scroll down below for swatches.) I’ve never been one to master the cream contour process but these come with visual diagrams of how to use each color based on face shape with placement charts. I’ll be experimenting in the upcoming weeks and sharing more thoughts on this.

  • Bioderma Sensibio H20 made its US debut via Beautylish and sold out within 24 hours of the initial launch. It will be featured at The Makeup Show LA this March. (I’ve been testing this for a few weeks, still need to test it some more, but a review will be posted soon.)
  • Make Up For Ever launched a collection of skin primers called Step 1 Skin Equalizers. There are 10 options for different effects. Above shown is the Nourishing Primer (more cream like) and Hydrating Primer (more gel like). There are 5 primers designed for texture and 5 primers created to add tone to the skin (tinted versions). I’m really looking forward to testing these, especially as the weather starts to shift and my skin needs an update in skincare, primer and foundation. If you’ve tried these what did you think?

  • SENNA Cosmetics is launching their Brow Shaper Duos and Pro Brow Brush exclusively at The Makeup Show this year. I am very impressed with the brush. The angled tip is dense but soft enough to not feel pokey. The brush at the other end is thick and plush with just the right texture to comb through my brows. For brows I usually use a pencil or brow mascara. Using the powder + wax combination is new to me. I’ve experimented with it a few times but have been searching for YouTube tutorial videos to see exactly how I’m supposed to use it. The color brunette is a good one for my dark brows. I prefer something slightly lighter than my natural hair color so it doesn’t look too dramatic. The pot looks like something that would turn out red but it’s actually a good neutral. 
  • Pinnacle Cosmetics launched their Eye Lights liquid shimmer eye shadow. There are three shades shown above as part of their preview. Purity is a metallic rose gold, Treasure is a warm golden coppery color, Chrome is a pale silvery shade. These have a slight mousse-like feel. The pigment is rich but blendable. The colors set really fast so you need to apply and blend quickly. Once they set though the color really stays put.

  • Static Nails are pop on nails that are non-damaging to your actual nail. Empire is a mix of beige with black designs. I’ve never tried pop-on nails before so these will be interesting for me to play with in the next few weeks.

  • MustaeV is joining The Makeup Show for the first time this year. Above is a unique product called The Bloom Pouch. It’s a zippered makeup pouch with a magnetic clasp. Above shows how you can store brushes and pencils or other items. Below shows how you can turn it into a vertical brush holder that stands upright.

A few quick swatches of the items shown above:

Ticket information and details on the show online at The Makeup Show LA. It will be located at The California Market Center, 110 East 9th Street, Los Angeles on Saturday March 28th (from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm) and Sunday the 29th (9:00 am to 5:00 pm). You can find the full list of Exhibitors online here.

For more information and updates be sure to follow The Makeup Show via social channels on Facebook, Twitter @themakeupshow, and Instagram @themakeupshow.

Have you been to The Makeup Show before? This will be the first year that I will be attending!
The items featured were sent as part of a press preview courtesy of The Makeup Show.
10 Comments