Benefit High Beam Review + Swatches!

Benefit's high beam is a liquid highlight that you put on your face.

It's in a bottle of a nailpolish so, the too comes off and it has a brush applicator like a nailpolish.

I found it easiest to apply the product with the brush applicator, putting 3-4 dots of the product on the tops of my cheekbones then blending it out with my finger. Although, it doesn't have to be only applied to the face, you can apply it to your browbone or in the inner corner of your eyes.

I really like this highlighter because it is very subtle and glowy. It has a high sheen rather than shimmer or glitter overload. It is suitable for girls with oily skin because it doesn't make you look oily, it gives your a nice sheen and highlight to your face.

I find this product to be very effortless because it looks nice without trying too hard. It only takes two steps to apply it and blend it and it looks really nice and put together. It's an awesome product and it's also awesome for travelling. 

I think this would be an awesome product for this time of the month because it's getting very cold where I live (Japan) and since the air is very dry, it gives you a nice healthy looking glow to your face.

Now onto the product pictures and swatches!

MAC Forever Marilyn Beauty Powder Review + Swatch!

So I am back with another product review and this is for the MAC Forever Marilyn beauty powder from the Marilyn Monroe collection!
I am so excited to do this review and share with you guys my thoughts on this product!
I know this is so popular because this was sold out in all the MAC counters and also the website.
But thankfully I got my hands on it and I am glad to be doing this review.

The beauty powder is a light peach color and it is very light. This may show up on very fair skin there fore as a use of a blush but other than that I think this is essentially a highlighter. This may look a little bit ashy or chalky on deeper skin tones though. 
Since this is very light it can look powdery and chalky so when lightly dusted on the face it will give a really nice glow.
This powder doesn't have a ton of shimmer like some of the highlighter have. It has tiny bit of shimmer but this is more of a satin. Therefore it's more natural because it's like a glow and I like that WAY more than really shimmery powders like some of the MAC mineralized skin finishes. 

I also LOVE the packaging because it has Marilyn, obviously! It's a glossy black plastic packaging and the picture of Marilyn is gorgeous! The picture of Marilyn is not a sticker so that it really cool! :)

Now onto the pictures and swatches!

MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Industry Review + Swatch!

This is a review for MAC's powerpoint eye pencil in Industry! 

This is the newest edition to my makeup collection. I've been looking for a gray eyeliner pencil because I thought black looked too harsh on me and I wanted more definition than a brown eyeliner. (Yeah, I'm pretty picky...) haha

Anyway, I went to the MAC counter and I was swatching different gray eyeliner that they had. And I came across this one and I absolutely fell in love with the color! 

MAC has a couple of different eyeliner and formulas, I have a couple of Eye Kohls, but this is my first power point eye pencil. 

I find that the power point eye pencils to be more creamy and blendable, which I like because I like smudging the eyeliner on my upper lash line and this does a good job with that. By smudging eyeliner on the upper lash line, it gives an effortless look with a slight definition which I like.:) And once it sets, it doesn't budge!

The eyeliner is 95% matte but it has the tiniest shimmer but its basically unnoticeable. It's very creamy as I said and that's one of the key things that I look for in an eyeliner. The color is really pretty it's a solid gray rather than a silver gray or a blue gray. 

They are also good for the waterline because they stay there until I take it off. This specific eyeliner is VERY waterproof so it is nice for the upperlash line as well as the waterline. 

So, I really like this eyeliner and it's one of my favorite product now!

And, now onto the pictures and swatches!

Blended/Heavier swatch

Benefit CORALista blush review + swatches!

I feel so bad that I've haven't done a blog post in a long time!
But to make it up to y'all I'm doing one today!
Today's featured product is Benefit's CORALista blush!

I know this is more of a summery product but I still wanted to do a blog post on it because you can use any blush color in any season!

CORALista is just like the name says, a warm coral-pink color. It has slight shimmer but not at a point where it is obnoxious and that's one of the reasons I love this blush. It's subtle but it gives the perfect glow instead of shimmer. The pigmentation is really good and the texture is (oh my lord) very soft! 
This blush is very natural looking and it gives a really pretty flush of color and brightness to the face. 

The packaging is of course, adorable! The leopard or cheetah print inside and there is a slight foral scent to the blush. I really like the 'boxed' packaging because it's very unique and that's one of the many reasons I love benefit!

This works for a lot of skin tones and it's hard to overdo the blush which is a good thing :) 

So, I really love this blush as you can see and I definitely recommend it even though the price is a little hefty ($28) it's definitely worth it!

And, now onto the pictures and swatch!

Wet 'n' Wild Walking On Eggshells Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio Review + Swatches!

Today I am reviewing an eyeshadow trio by Wet 'n' Wild! My friend got it from me from Hawaii and I was so excited because I heard so much about it. 

 I know that Wet 'n' Wild is an inexpensive brand and I believe that this trio retails for around $3. I believe that this is available at any drugstores and Ulta. 

There are three colors and this is probably one of the neutral ones that they have. Color labeled 'Brow bone is a light shimmery white color', 'crease' is a golden brown' and 'eyelid' is a light pink color. The colors are very complimentary to each other and I really like that they labelled the colors to where they recommend to put it on. Although you don't HAVE to follow it it's still nice if you're a beginner. 

The pigmentation is AMAZING! It's so smooth and buttery, it's the smoothest and butteriest (is that even a word?) eyeshadow I have in my collection. I found that the lightest color labelled 'brow bone' is the most smoothest and most pigmented. All of the shadows don't have any fall out and the eyeshadows last a long time on my eyes. 

Overall I am so incredibly happy with this and I recommend is to everyone! It's also so inexpensive and just amazing! I would really like to try the other shades but unfortunately we don't have Wet 'n' Wild here in Japan :(

Anyway, onto the pictures and swatches!

Bourjois Color Exciting Eyeshadow in 36 Review + Swatch

Hello, I'm back with another review :) I apologize for not posting for a while, I have been busy with school work now that summer has ended and school has started. Although I am planning on getting in the swing of things and I'm going to try to post every week. So please keep checking back for new posts :)

Today's featured product is an eyeshadow from Bourjois.
The full name of the product is the Color Exciting Eyeshadow and the color is in 36. It's a pinky champagne neutral color. Pretty similar to Sin by Urban Decay.

The color pay off is poor and I found that it's very chalky. It has glitter rather than sparkle and it has quite a bit of fall out. (as you will see in the swatch)
The color fades very quickly on my eyes and leaves the glitter rather than the actual color. The color is very pretty but the formula is not impressive. I usually don't dislike a lot of product but this one was a big let down for me.

All in all, I would not recommend this eyeshadow. It isn't that expensive so it wasn't a HUGE regret but I probably would've bought something else with the money if I had known what the product was going to be like.

And now onto the pictures and swatchs!

♡ Current Favorites #2 ♡

So this is my second 'current favorites' post :) 
Hopefully this is pretty interesting to read because I personally love these kinds of blogs :)  


Sooo, here are the products :) 


1. Liquid eyeliner


I realize that I mentioned that I looove gel liner in my last post, but recently I've been wearing liquid liner more. (I still love gel liner :)) Liquid liner is so much easier to use and much quicker to apply especially when you are in a rush in the morning. 
What I do is I line my upper lash line with the liquid liner and then set it with a black eyeshadow to prevent it from smudging throughout the day. 


2. MAC Rubenesque paint pot


This is a product that I recently purchased and I love it! A paint pot is basically a cream eyeshadow that you can use as an eyeshadow base or a primer. I have 1 other paint pot called Bare Study but I am loving Rubenesque at the moment. It is a beautiful golden peach color that I think is going to be beaauutiful for summer. (as you can see I am already in the summer spirit) With paint pots, you don't have to set it with an eyeshadow because it will last all day without it. It's easy and really pretty. Everything you can want in a product! 


3. Diorshow iconic mascara


This is a verrry high end product that I usually don't purchase but I got a sample size of it and I loove it! No wonder high end products are amazing! It has plastic bristles so it allows your eyelashes to be coated but separate them at the same time. Plastic bristles are probably my favorite just because it won't clump up your eyelashes as much. It gives volume and length which is basically everything you can ever want in a mascara! 


4. Blue eyeliner


So apparently for this spring, the makeup trend is to have a pop of color. Whether that would be with eyeshadow or eyeliners. I decided to opt for the eyeliner. I bought a cheap blue eyeliner and I love it! (as i've been saying it about every single product) I was a little skeptical because I thought it wouldn't be flattering on me. But it is! You can either apply it on the upper lash line or the lower lash line and they both give a really pretty effect! I really like it on both but I've been wearing it on the lower lash line a lot. This is probably my go-to spring/summer look :) Pretty, bright, and fun! :) 




I hope this gave you some inspiration on some spring/summer look :) 


xx,mao 

Canmake makeup review

Canmake is a Japanese brand, available almost any drugstore. This is one of the cheapest brands I have come a crossed but they have really good products. This would probably be an equivalent to Wet'n'wild or Covergirl in the United States. They are very affordable but they have really nice quality products.

First of all the packaging that they have is really pretty. Not my favorite but can be for some people. They have the "cute" packaging with rhinestones and sparkles because, well, it's Japan! Japan always has extravagant packagings like this so this is very normal. 

The blush:

This blush is a medium pink color with a matte finish. I really like this because I don't really see a lot of matte blushes in the Japanese drugstores. They always have glitters and sparkles which are not my favorites. This is 577 yen which is around 5 dollars which is very inexpensive. This is the company's best seller product which is no surprise because it's a really pretty color and applies very well. The texture is smooth and pigmented, all you can want in a blush! 

Eyeshadow:

This is an eyeshadow trio but this has an interesting concept. You're supposed to swipe your finger in all three of them and then swipe them on your eyelid, giving a gradient look. It's an interesting concept but it didn't really work out with me. The colors are pretty but I would rather use them one at a time with a brush. 

Lipliner:

This is a dual end lipliner with the actual lipliner on one end and a highlighter on the other. What you're supposed to do is line your eyes with the lip liner and fill them in. Then you take the highlighter side and apply it to the cupid's bow (the outer line of your upper lip). It gives your lips a more fuller and poutier effect and highlights your lips. You can also put in the center of your lips to catch the light, making it fuller. I don't really use lipliners but I really like them. It makes your lipstick last all day and also prevents your lipsticks from bleeding into your lips. This would be more ideal if you are going to use brighter lip colors like red lips.

The liner is pigmented and has a really nice color to it. So, if you are looking for a cheap and good quality liner I really recommend this one if you live in Japan. (although if you are from another country this may be available online) 

xx, mao

♡ Current favorites #1 ♡

I realize I have been gone for a long time but I've busy with school, exams and blah blah blah.. :/

But hopefully I can put up more posts now that everything have settled down.:)

I decided to do a series called "current favorites". Every now and then I will tell you guys some of the products I've been loving. I don't know if I should do it every month or not but we'll see how it goes :)

SOO, without further ado here are the products I've been loving 

1. Gel liner 

This is a general one but I lovee gel liner! <3 I love winged out liner so gel liner gives me the perfect look. This is probably my favorite beauty looks because it's so retro and classy. I feel like this will never go out of style and I absolutely LOVE it! <3 

2. MAC ricepaper eyeshadow

I love this eyeshadow because it's a neutral shadow which you can wear everyday. I wear this all over the eyelid because it gives a really pretty soft golden sheen that brightens up your eyes. My go-to looks has been just the ricepaper eyeshadow and liner and mascara. It's easy, natural and classy. 

3. MAC mineralize blush in Gentle

You might have seen the post that I did about this blush but I love this blush soo much! It's a pretty raspberry shade with golden shimmer. It's instantly gives a healthy glow to your face without being too overpowering. It's an easy everyday blush to use :) 

4. MAC Teddy eye kohl

This is a really pretty bronzy brown eyeliner. I use this on my lower lash line to give my eyes a little bit of definition without being too harsh like putting black on my waterline. It's a really pretty eyeliner that can be worn on every eye color :)

5. White eyeliner

I've been really loving putting white eyeliner on my waterline because it makes your eyes look bigger and awake. This trick has helped me a lot because I've been needing that extra kick to my makeup since I haven't had much sleep. (Studying!)

So that it's for my favorites :) I hope you try out some of the products that I mentioned and if you have favorites that you have been loving, let me know! :) 

xx,mao 

☮

MAC Bronzer in Refined Golden

The MAC Refined Golden Bronzer ($23) is a "finely spun golden with soft pearl" bronzer that "enhanced your skin tone" and "strengthen your tan". I use bronzer mostly in the summer because I feel like I can't pull off bronzers in the winter without making my face look muddy.

            This bronzer has little golden shimmer, which may look intimidating that it will look like you have glittery specks on your face but it's actually very subtle on the skin.  What I do is I use a big fluffy brush and do the "3" "E" motion. I start at the temple of the face and swoop it across the hollow of my cheek and lastly run it done my jaw line.

            It looks beautiful with a tan because it really enhances your already-there tan and it adds a sun-kissed glow to your complexion. You could also use this to contour your face, by concentrating the color onto the hollows of your cheeks.

            If you notice, the packaging is orange because it is a limited edition packaging. This was from the summer collection "To The Beach" which is unavailable now but the actual product is permanent. (It’s in a black packaging) 
           There are 4 other colors to choose from so that it can be matched to your skin tone. If you want to pick a right shade of bronzer for your skin tone, I recommend going to a counter to get the right color because a wrong shade of bronzer can make you face muddy and unnatural.

　MAC Bronzer (23ドル)は、肌全体をソフトなパール系で包んだ印象と鳴る一方で、褐色を強調した表情にも仕上がります。私が使用するのは夏。ウインターシーズンで使うと、クスんだ雰囲気になるので使用しません。

このブロンズのゴールド系はかなり光沢感があるので、私の場合「３Eモーション」という使い方で沈着させます。3Eモーションとは、最初にコメカミから下降し頬のラインで一旦内側へ、その後、下顎ラインに合わせて円を描くようにブラシを入れます。そうすることで美しい日焼けトーンとなり、太陽の輝きのようなシャイニーな雰囲気に仕上がります。また別のテクニックで、頬骨の下あたりを集中して沈着させる手法もあります。この場合、顔の輪郭がはっきりしシャープな印象に仕上がります。

私の買った商品はオレンジのパッケージで限定品でしたが、黒のパッケージでレギュラー商品として現在でも販売されています。

　ブロンザーは自分の肌の色にマッチしていないと逆効果となるので、カウンターなどで自分にマッチした色を購入するこをおすすめします。

MAC Mineralize Blush in Gentle

  The MAC mineralized blush ($23.50) the newest product in my collection. I've wanted this for a long time because I've never owned a MAC blush before. This blush is a really pretty raspberry shade with gold shimmer.

            It's a really pretty blush for when you want a more natural looking color on the face and also adds a really pretty glow to your face. The blush is pigmented so you want to be careful not to pick up too much of the product.

            It does have shimmer in it so if you're not a big fan of it, this may not be for you. I'm not the biggest fan of shimmer blushes but I couldn't resist the color so I had to bear with the shimmer. But after I put it on my face it wasn't as shimmery as I thought it would be so I was relived! :)             

            I like to apply it with an angled blush brush but this can be applied with different brushes to get a different look. For instance, a duo fiber brush would give you a more sheer finish for a more natural look but a dense brush would give you a more concentrated look, which would be pretty for evening.

           

   MAC Mineralize Blush（23.50ドル）は、最近購入したばかりのものです。 MACの頬紅は今まで持っていなくて、長い間欲しかったもののひとつでした。この頬紅は、ゴールド・ラメが入っていて、本当にかわいいラズベリー色です。

  少しブラッシュアップしただけで、ナチュラルな雰囲気に仕上がるほか、濃淡が出てキュートな印象になります。ただ、濃くつけてしまうとインパクトが出てしまうので、つけ過ぎには気をつけたほうがいいと思います。それからこの商品にはラメが入っているので、ラメ系があまり好きではない人には向いていないかもしれません。私もラメはあまり好きではないのですが、この色は本当にかわいいので買って良かったなぁと思っています。しかも実際に顔にのっけてみたら、そんなにラメは気にならない程度でした。

　私はアングルドブラシで少々沈着させるのが好みですが、ほかのブラシを使用すると異なる雰囲気のフィニッシュとなります。たとえばデンスブラシ（密度の高いブラシ）だとはっきりとした色つきなどなど…。

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Bronze

           The Bobbi brown shimmer brick ($39) is a highlighting product that has a lot of shimmer that will instantly give a glow to your face. When all of the colors are blended together, it gives a bronzy sheen to your face. This is a versatile product because each of the colors can also be used as eye shadows.

            I would say the other dupes are MAC mineralized skin finishes or a drugstore dupe would be one of the Physicians Formula shimmer strips. If you want a subtle sheen on your face, I recommend using a duo fiber brush instead of using a dense blush brush which will give you a more intense look.

            Even though it has shimmer in it, but it's not gritty at all. The packaging is like the other Bobbi Brown products with the black exterior and "Bobbi Brown" printed in white.

　Bobbi brown shimmer brick(39ドル)は、シャイニーな光沢が得られるハイライトです。5種類のカラーをブレンドすることで、ブロンジーでシャイニーな雰囲気に仕上がります。 また、アイシャドーとして使うこともできるなど用途の広い製品なのです。

　MACのMineralized skin finishesに良い似ていて、アメリカのドラッグストアで扱っているPhysicians  Formula の shimmer strips にも通じるものがあります。もし、少しだけ肌にのせたいという人には、デュオ・ファイバー・ブラシを使用することをおすすめします。そうすることでコテコテのグリッター系とはならず、微光ながらシャイニーな印象に仕上がります。

　パッケージングは、ほかのBobbi Brown の商品と同じようにブラックケースに白地で印字されています。

Nars Amour Powder Blush

         Nars Amour blush is described as a "peachy pink" color. I would say that is exactly what it is except it's a little bit darker than a peach. It is a matte shade which I like because I'm not a big fan of shimmery blushes. This is the only Nars product that I own so I can't say a lot of things about it but I will try the best I can.

         The pigmentation of the blush is so amazing. With one swipe of the blush can make you look like a clown but the good thing is that you can blend it out. Either you do that or use a VERY light hand. I really like that way it looks on my skin tone because peaches usually look good with skin with yellow undertone. But I think it will be pretty on all skin tones.

          I like applying the blush with a duo fibre brush because it picks up and deposits the color sparingly. I am not a big fan of the very dramatic blush color on my cheek so i usually go for a very natural look. The staying power of the blush is god as well but probably after 8 hours or so, it will fade away, which I'm not entirely surprised about because powder blushes don't last as long as cream or gel blushes.

          As a conclusion, I really love this blush because I use is almost every time I wear makeup. I would definitely like to try the other shades because I want to expand my collection of blushes. The quality of the Nars product is great, hence it is a high end brand. But the only problem is the price! It is $28, which is a lot to pay for a blush and I wouldn't usually pay that much for a blush but I think this is worth it because it lasts a very long time.

The blush is available at Sephora　www.sephora.com
Nars counters　www.narscosmetics.com

  ナーズアムールはパウダチークで、”ピーチピンク”と記述されています。ピーチよりは少し暗い印象ですが、マット系なのでけっこう私好みです。というのも実はキラキラ系が苦手なもので…。 この商品について感じたことを率直に伝えてたいと思います。　

   まずは色素沈着についてですが、かなり優れていると思います。なので、ワンブラッシュするだけではっきり沈着するので、まるでピエロのような頬紅の仕上がりに。ところが、軽く筆を入れるか、またはブレンドすることで、まったく異なる効果が得られます。たとえば私は、イエローのアンダートーンと一緒に使ったりします。そうすると顔色がとても良く見えのです。私のようなアジア人のみならず、すべてのスキンカラーに効果があると思います。

　普段私はナチュラルメイク派で、チークももちろんそうですが、厚化粧はあまりしません。なのでこの商品は、デュオファイバーブラシで控えめに使用します。耐久性にもかなり優れていて８時間くらいは持つでしょうか。クリームやゲルでもないパウダー状なのに、この耐久性はかなり魅力的です。

　結論をいえば、私はこのチークが本当に好きです。間違いなくほかの色合いを試してみたいと思っています。 ただ本当にNARS製品の品質は素晴らしいですが、それゆえに非常に高価なブランドのひとつです。唯一の問題は価格！　28ドル…チークにそれだけの金額を使うのは、学生の私にとってかなりつらいのですが、それだけ価値のある商品なので納得しています。

この商品は Narsカウンター、もしくはSephoraでも購入できます。

Urban Decay Naked Palette

    This palette contains 12 full size eyeshadows from Urban Decay. 7 shades from the permanent collections and 5 that are limited edition exclusive to this palette. It is $44 but I think it is a great value because it comes with FULL SIZED eyeshadows.

       This packaging is velvet brown and it has a magnetized closure. It's very sleek and sophisticated which I really enjoy. It is also thin enough so that you can take when you're traveling. This palette comes with an eyeshadow brush and a mini size of the original Urban Decay Primer Potion. This was the first product that I ever tried from Urban Decay so this may be a little biased but the pigmentation of the eyeshadows are excellent. The texture and the finishes are all very great. It comes with 10 shimmery eyeshadows (Sidecar having a little of glitter) and 2 matte eyeshadows (Buck and Naked). It has a nice variety of color, light colors for everyday wear and darker colors for more of a dramatic eye makeup.

       The rundown of the shadows are as follows:

Virgin : Shimmery cream beige with pink iridescence. (shimmery) (New Shade)

Sin: Shimmery champagne with a touch of pink. (shimmery/frosty) (Permanent)

Naked: Matte medium beige brown. (Matte) (New Shade)

Sidecar: Medium bronzy brown the a little bit of red undertone. (Shimmer/glitter) (New Shade)

Buck: Darkened chocolate brown. (Matte) (New Shade)

Half Baked: True gold color. (Shimmery) (Permanent)

Smog: Medium to dark bronze. (Shimmery) (Permanent)

Darkhorse: Darkened gray brown (Shimmery) (New Shade)

Toasted: Medium rusty pinky brown. (Shimmery) (Permanent)

Hustle: Dark plummy brown. (Shimmery) (Permanent)

Creep: Dark black/gray with specks of shimmer (shimmery) (New shade)

Gunmetal: darkened blue based silver. (Shimmery) (Permanent)

    All in all I don't have anything bad to say about this palette. The color selection,  packaging, the pigmentation is all amazing. I honestly use this every time I wear eyeshadow and if you have this, you'll be good to go because you almost have everything you need.

       This palette is available at Sephora, Ulta and the Urban Decay website :)  www.urbandecay.com

　アーバンディケイからリリースされている12フルサイズのアイシャドウ・パレットは限定商品です。定番コレクションカラーから7種類、新色の５種類がセットになっています。価格は44ドルとやや高いイメージですが、フルサイズのアイシャドウということで、むしろお買い得だと私は思います。

　磁石で蓋が閉じる茶色のベルベット素材のパッケージは、本当に洗練されていて素敵です。薄くて軽いので、旅行にも持っていくことができます。アイシャドウブラシとミニサイズのアーバンディケイプライマーポーション（アイシャドウを塗る前のベース）が付属しています。このパレットは、私が初めて購入したアーバンディケイの商品でした。アイシャドウの色素沈着が優れていて、質感や仕上げ、すべてにおいて素晴らしいと妙に感動しました。シャイニーアイシャドウは10種類（Sidecarはグリッター系）。マットカラーは2種類（Buck とNaked）。それぞれ異なるテイストを持つカラーリングが揃っていて、ライトカラーは普段使いに、一方ダークカラーはドラマチックなメイクアップに一役買ってくれます。

　私はこのパレットの色のチョイスやパッケージング、色素沈着などすべてに満足していて、とても気に入っています。正直、これを持っているだけで、ほかのものは必要ないと思えるほど、完璧だと思います。

このパレットは、Sephora、Ulta、アーバンディケイウェブサイトで入手できます。