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!

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!

Tarte Amazonian 12-Hour Clay Blush in Dollface Review + Swatch

Hello everybody, today's featured product is Tarte's blush from the Amazonian Clay line.
Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface is a very pretty light matte pink with some blue undertones. 

The Amazonian Clay line from Tarte is supposed to be very long wearing (up to 12-hours hence the name). They really do hold up well on my skin without a lot of fading. The texture of the blush is very smooth and soft, unlike anything that I own. The powder is very finely-milled and pigmented. 
This is one of the best blushes I have tried and I definitely recommend it to people that want a long-wearing blush. They don't have a lot of color selections but they are very much worth it to try out. 


I also really like the packaging because it's simple, pretty and practical without any excess packaging. :)

Note: This is not a full sized product, I got it as a set at Sephora with a mini size of this blush and a bronzer. :) 
The price of the full size is $25.00. 

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 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。