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!

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!

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart Review + Swatch

I'm back again! Today's featured product is the Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart. 

The past few posts have been things that I got at Sephora and Ulta when I was in California. As you can see I went a little over board because I'm so excited to share everything that I got! Anyway, I know this product is available in the States and other places for around $8 but I got this product here in Japan and it is around 1500 yen ($15). It's soo expensive!! Anyway, for the review...


The Lip Butters are essentially a moisturizing lip stick with a little tint but the Revlon ones are very pigmented. I was very surprised at the pigmentation because it almost gives the pigmentation of a lip stick but the lip butter is far more moisturizing for the lips. It feels comfortable on my lips because I don't like having the heavy lipstick feeling on my lips. 


The color is very pretty as well. It's like a bright pinky fuchsia color, very appropriate for the spring and summer months. 

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

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…。

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。