Sparkled Beauty

Omg guys, it has been raining so much since Sunday (60mm in total). But the sun comes out today, fortunately.

I was out of town at a golf resort right on the water. The tranquility of the water, green grass and cool air infused with a bit of sadness in the rain. Those calm moments are precious.

Anyway, makeup is more fun to talk about, so let's get back to it. Like I mentioned in my post about Hard Candy Spring products, the new products sell out faster than Walmart can keep up. It took some hunting to find what I wanted, so here is the rest of the load.

The hottest item of all, I think, is the Fast & Fabulous makeup setting spray.

I am so happy to see the setting spray scene having new players in the drugstore price range. Also happy to say Fast & Fabulous is quite fab. The claim of it being weightless and long lasting without settling into fine lines is true.

Instruction says to shake well and spray 2-4 times from 8-10 inches away. No X formation suggested but I would do it anyway :)

The pump could be a little more sturdy and the spray could be more fine, but I wouldn't complain for the price the product sells for.

Worth noting that the spray does have a light floral scent that dissipates quickly.

Ingredients: Water, PVP, SD Alcohol 40-B, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Fragrance, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Sodium Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimodium Chloride Phosphate.

The bottle is 2.2oz/ 64ml, $5.98.

On to the Eyes the Limit eye shadow primer and Smokey shadow primer.

I did touch on the Eyes the Limit primer when I reviewed the Natural Eyes palette (linked above), I just wanted a full size of it.

The Smokey primer, on the other hand, I was quite curious about. Mind you, it is not hard to find a dark base for smoky eye looks - from black pencil/ gel liners to cream eyeshadows, but a primer dedicated to this purpose is convenient, especially with promise of long wear and no creasing.

The pointed tip is a plus, so I don't need a brush at all to pick up the product. The blend, however, I do suggest a brush with the colour this dark, to keep your finger clean :)

Below are the swatches freshly applied, lightly smudged out with a finger.

Note that they will dry down to a semi matte finish and will sheer out when blended with a brush. The Eyes the Limit primer will blend right in with your skin tone, and the Smokey primer will give you a dark tinted base. If you want it to stay very black, blend lightly with your finger instead, but it does feel a little thick that way.

I do recommend Eyes the Limit, and Smokey will do the job for a quick smoky eye but might not be dark enough to intense looks. The tubes have 0.46oz/ 13g of product, sell for $4.98 each.

Now the lip products might not be new, but this is my first time diving into them, so I include them in this post.

I grabbed one Plumping serum volumizing lip gloss (Magic Mauve, 0.1oz/ 2.7g, $5.98) among the 4 shades in the pigmented group and skipped the sheer ones (thankful for the clearly marked coverage on the shelf).

Also went in the basket were 2 Plumping serum lipsticks in Idolized and Wanted (0.11oz/ 3.2g, $4.98 each). I love that simple mirror-like packaging with curvy black pattern.

Standard doe foot applicator on the gloss. It smells lightly sweet but not overwhelming at all. It does feel tingly on but that only lasts for about a minute. The plumping action, if visual, is more because of the shine than a chemical effect. No sticky feeling, yay!

The lipsticks stay quite true to the colours in the bullets. The tip on one of the lipstick was destroyed inside when the bullet was twisted up with the cap on somehow. The safety sticker was still on so I didn't open the tube until I got home :(

No noticeable volumizing effect, but the formula is an absolute dream to work with. Glides on so smoothly, light on the lips, feels like air! And it lasts quite well through water/ tea during the day. I am going to need more than 2 shades now.

Magic Mauve is a pink, not too much of a mauve as I hope for but does give my lips some colour in addition to the shine. Idolized is my kind of the colour and Wanted is the raspberry red that works well on my skin tone.

I love it when my money is well spent. Makeup like this beats the weather anytime!