Danielle's Beauty Blog: highlighter

Thursday, 13 April 2017

Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone | Vincent Longo Highlighters

Vincent Longo highlighters review creme to powder la bella luce

Highlighters are a funny thing to me, with my oily skin I tend to shy away from them or skip them completely when I’m doing my makeup because I’m paranoid they will draw attention to me (ironic since this is one of the reasons most people wear them, no?). I remember doing my makeup for my friend’s wedding a few years ago and thinking I’ll add a little highlighter, what can go wrong, fast forward a few hours and I notice glitter that has dropped down my cheeks and gathered under my eyes (ABH Sand from the contour kit by the way) and I think I made a conscious decision then not to bother with that step. (I think I was probably the only person that noticed the fall out and I cleared it up pretty quick with a powder brush by the way!)

Since then, I’ve always been extra careful with highlighter, I only use a tiny amount and the highlighters I own all come in palettes with the only full size coming as a free gift! So, when I was sent these two Vincent Longo highlighters I knew I was going to be pushed firmly out of my makeup comfort zone and you know what, I’m loving it!

I have previously reviewed Vincent Longo Cosmetics on my blog here but very briefly, the brand was founded in 1995 and is known for its luxurious, high performance formulas as well as creativity and award winning products. One of my favourite products from them is their Water Canvas Crème to Powder blush which featured again in my Five Products I’m Loving post back in January so I was excited to give the Vincent Longo Water Canvas Highlighter in Mermaid Muse* (RRP £32) a try.

Vincent Longo Water Canvas Highlighter in Mermaid Muse review creme to powder

Vincent Longo Water Canvas Highlighter in Mermaid Muse review

The crème to powder formula is quite possibly the most unique formula in makeup I’ve ever come across and it feels absolutely beautiful on the skin! It’s moist with the formula containing 75% Microwater – a natural seaweed polymer - pure pigment, Vitamin E and silica. In the pan this looks like a peachy blush shade but when on the skin it transforms into a translucent sheer but buildable skin shimmer that promises to give a refreshing wash of luminous colour and sparkle which it certainly does! This is a little too sparkly for me for daily wear but I’ve been enjoying experimenting with it and can vouch for how long lasting it is and it won’t migrate or cause fall out. The packaging is airtight so keep it moist so make sure you close it properly after use!

Vincent Longo La Bella Luce Highlighter in Flora review

Vincent Longo La Bella Luce Highlighter in Flora* (RRP £24.50) on the other hand is something I can fully get on board with and it’s officially my favourite highlighter! It is everything I didn’t know I needed on my face and I’m going overboard because I love it! La Bella Luce means “beautiful light” in Italian and that’s really what this highlighter is. It’s a very finely milled powder in a beautiful marbled pan. Flora is a pearlescent pink that suits my skin tone perfectly whether I have tan on or not and it’s easily buildable depending on how much glow you want! Ethereal, candlelit and luminescent are also words that are in the description of this product online and I could not agree more, this gives me exactly the right amount of sheen every time I use it and it just adds a little somethin’ somethin’ to my face! I also love the packaging; it’s a sleek black magnetic compact with a mirror inside so perfect for travelling with. I think I’ve finally got over my highlighter fear with this one! Trust me, you need it!

Vincent Longo La Bella Luce Highlighter in Flora close up review

I found it impossible to capture these properly in my swatches but I’ve added them in any way to give you a guide! The first photo on the left shows finger swatches of Mermaid Muse and Flora, the middle photo shows a finger swatch of Mermaid Muse then a brush swatch using the Real Techniques duo fibre contour brush and finally the last photo is a finger swatch of Flora then a diffused brush swatch using a Morphe B8 fan brush.

Vincent Longo highlighters review swatches

Vincent Longo Cosmetics are available at Cult Beauty, Feel Unique, ASOS, Beauty Expert, Look Fantastic and HQ Hair!

Have you tried Vincent Longo Cosmetics before? Let me know what your favourite highlighter is in your collection!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here.

Danielle xx

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Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette Stila Perfect Me Perfect Hue Light Medium review

Anyone else have a thing for do it all face palettes? Here are two new ones to my collection and a rundown of my thoughts on them!

Charlotte Tilbury Instant look in a palette review

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette (£49)

I finally caved and bought my first Charlotte Tilbury products about a month ago after seeing this palette online. I had held off buying any CT products up until now because the prices are extortionate but I love palettes like this as they give you the chance to try a few products from the brand in one go so I bit the bullet and ordered it! First things first this, the palette is small, smaller than it looks! It is split into different steps so steps 1, 2 and 3 are for brightening, enhancing and smoking out the eye, step 4 is for bronzing, steps 5 and 6 are for a swish and pop of blush and step 7 is highlight.

charlotte tilbury instant look in a palette eyeshadow swatches

I have to say that I am disappointed by the eyeshadows – they barely show up on my fair skin and the first two aren’t different enough in colour for me. They are super finely milled though, blend well and don’t crease – you just can’t see much of a contrast between the shades!

charlotte tilbury instant look in a palette blush swatches

As well as this, the blushes are not as pigmented as I would like them to be and the size of the pans is disappointing – they are the same size as the eyeshadow pans and I would have preferred smaller eyeshadow pans if there was a way to make the blush pans bigger. Again the formula feels lovely and they do always say it’s easier to add than take away which is definitely something to stick to when it comes to blush!

charlotte tilbury instant look in a palette bronze and glow swatches

Onto the positives - I LOVE the bronzer and highlighter. Way more than I thought I would! These are meant to be the same shades as the infamous Bronze and Glow which I don’t have to compare but I do know that I absolutely love this combo! I’ve been using the bronzer under my cheekbone to contour as well as over the high points on my face for a bit of an all over colour and it’s so subtle but noticeable if that makes sense? It looks very warm toned in the swatch but on my face it looks so natural, I love it!

I’ve then been using my Morphe fan brush to very lightly highlight my cheekbones and I love the effect, super subtle as I use a light hand but I’m sure you could go heavy handed and still look amazing!

This is more than I would usually spend on a palette this size considering pan size but the quality of the products is lovely. I do wish there was more variation in the eyeshadow shades though and this palette might not be an option for those with darker skin as you do have to build up quite a lot of product to see a result but it does hit the natural beauty term it’s aiming for on the head.

I ummed and ahhed for weeks before splurging and it is limited edition so not available at the minute but who knows, it could make a reappearance in the future – and hopefully with some new darker shades!

Stila Perfect Me Perfect Hue palette review

Stila Perfect Me, Perfect Hue in Light/Medium (£28)

Unlike the CT palette, this is one that does come with different shade variations! The one I have is Light/Medium and you might have seen it featured in my last wishlist post. I wasn’t actually planning on buying it, however, Cult Beauty had a GWP (I’m a sucker for offers and the last 2 have been amazing!) so even though basically everything I ~~needed~~ wanted was out of stock I still found my basket full and this was in it!

Stila Perfect Me Perfect Hue palette review close up

Now I’m not a massive fan of the Stila products I have tried in the past – the lip glazes and In the Light palette being massive disappointments for me - but when I saw these Perfect Me/Perfect Hue palettes I got heart eye emoji’s.

Stila Perfect Me Perfect Hue palette review eyeshadow swatches

l-r: Artistic (base), Dazzling (highlight), Ambitious (lid), Spontaneous (crease), Mischievous (liner)

Five eyeshadows and 2 blushers for £28 seemed like a decent price point and once I had a swatch I could feel the quality! The shadows are silky soft with good pigmentation although again I wish there was more of a mid-tone shade option instead of two very light shades. The shimmer colour (Ambitious) is not as warm toned/orange in real life as the swatch and I don’t normally wear shimmer during the day but this is nice and subtle and quite golden.

Stila Perfect Me Perfect Hue palette review blush swatches

l-r: Charming, Angelic

Again, this palette is smaller than I was expecting and the packaging was plastic so it feels a bit cheap, I was expecting it to be metal for some reason, I think because of the colour of the casing, but I can’t fault the formulation! The blushers are lovely and pigmented too and I love that they are both matte shades.

Overall, I really like both palettes for different reasons but I find that with the Charlotte Tilbury palette, I am reaching for mainly the bronzer and highlighter and passing on the eyeshadows in particular. The Stila palette is much more affordable and I love the fact they have thought through a range that caters to more than one skin tone.

So those are the two newest face palettes to my collection, have you tried either? What did you think?

Danielle xx

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Two Limited Edition palettes/possible gift ideas!

NARS The Balm limited edition palettes 2015

Hi everyone, I have two recent additions to my makeup collection to share with you today that came about as a result of me treating myself after landing a new job and a birthday present from my mum!

NARS One Shocking Moment palette close up

The first one I got was the NARS One Shocking Moment palette and not having a huge amount of their face products apart from an older palette I bought in a blog sale, I thought I would treat myself to this one which is exclusive to Space NK in the UK!

NARS One Shocking Moment palette swatches

l-r Paloma, Laguna, Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster, Dolce Vita

I was expecting this to be dearer but at £45 I decided to take the plunge and try it out and I’m so glad I did. I haven’t used Laguna much as I don’t bronze my face for the daytime but I love the Paloma contour duo (and the fact it has a matte highlight!) and it actually reminds me a little of the SEVENTEEN contour kit with the SEVENTEEN coming off a tad warmer when I swatched them, anyone else? The blushers are gorgeous, from left to right we have Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster and Dolce Vita which are all good sized pans and have lovely pigmentation. As I don’t have any single pan NARS blushers I can’t tell if there are any differences in pigmentation but I know sometimes people mention that the quality isn’t the same.

The Balm In the Balm of your Hand palette close up

Next up we have the Balm’s In the Balm of Your Hand palette featuring some of their most loved cheek eye and lip products! I’m a huge fan of the Balm, especially their blushers Frat Boy and Down Boy so when I started to see pictures of this palette floating about I knew it would be top of my wish list!

l-r Hot Mama, Instain in Argyle, Cabana Boy, Bahama Mama

The only duplicate I have in the palette is the Bahama Mama bronzer which I really like and also use for contouring! I’m loving Hot Mama and the Instain blush especially but need to find a softer brush to use with Cabana Boy as it’s so pigmented I put a little too much on and had to spend a little extra time blending it out!

l-r Mia Moore, Caramel

I was more impressed than I expected to be with the lip products, I thought they would be sticky and hard to apply smoothly and it was only when I put How About them Apples in Caramel on my lips with my finger that I was won over by the gorgeous colour, easy application, no stickiness and comfortable feel! I haven’t tried it on my cheeks yet and probably won’t bother as I’m not a huge fan of cream blushers!

In the Balm of your Hand eyeshadow swatches

l-r Insane Jane, Mischevious Marissa, Sexy, Lead Zeppelin, Mary Lou Manizer

I’m enjoying using the much hyped Mary Lou Manizer (I don’t highlight often so a full size would be wasted on me) and with a light hand it’s easy to add a subtle sheen to my face. The eyeshadows Sexy and Lead Zeppelin are unlike anything I have in my collection at the minute and although not normally shades I would go for on a day to day basis, the pigmentation is amazing and I can’t wait to wear them over Christmas! Mischievous Marissa is a lovely warm toned shimmer shade and Insane Jane is another shade that is more in my comfort zone.

I got my palette from Cloud10 beauty a few weeks ago (then gave it to my mum to wrap up for my birthday!). It was my first time ordering from the site but they had a 15% off offer on, great samples and the delivery was super quick! I've also seen it on asos.com for a lot cheaper but it’s out of stock at the minute and Debenhams have it too!

Overall, I’m super happy with both palettes and will get loads of wear out of them! They are definitely great for beauty lovers or for people wanting to try a few different things from a brand! Have you tried either of these palettes or anything from NARS or The Balm?

P.S. Sorry about the horrific state of my tan in these photos! I took these pictures just before I scrubbed it off!

Danielle xx

Which Soap and Glory Brow Product is for you?

Soap and Glory Brow Products Archery Arch de Triumph D-I-Y Brow Bar setting gel

Hi everyone! I have a brow centric post for you today! When I posted my last Boots haul after purchasing the newest brow product Soap and Glory have brought out, it dawned on me that I now own all of the brow products Soap and Glory sell so I thought I'd put together this post!

Soap and Glory Arch de Triumph Eyebrow Shaper and Highlighter Shade Taupe/Buff £9

This was one of the first Soap and Glory products I ever owned and I got through quite a bit of the brow side before moving onto better things. I only still have this due to nostalgia I don't actually use it anymore as I have always found the colour pay off of the brow side quite weak unfortunately! The highlight side is a lot softer and easier to get some payoff though and it’s a lovely matte pink champagne shade I need to get more use out of! I think this pencil is best for those brows that don’t need much filling in or people who have quite light brows already! Wouldn’t repurchase this one!

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil in the shade Brownie Points £10

This was my second foray into S and G’s brow offerings and the first one I stayed loyal to by repurchasing! It has a fine brush a bit like an eyeliner at one end and a screw up pencil on the other. I like to go in first with the brush to build up some colour with some hair like strokes then go over them with the pencil to add more shape. By storing this pencil with the tint at the bottom in it keeps it moist so the colour doesn’t run out as quick! The pencil side is slightly thicker than the next pencil I’m going to talk about but the overall effect is a really natural brow as neither the tint or the pencil are overly pigmented! Love this one!

Soap and Glory brow products highlighter brow powder archery brow pencil

Soap and Glory Archery 2 in 1 Brow Filling Pencil and Brush in the shade Hot Chocolate £8

This is probably the brow product I get most use out of as it is just fool proof! It was a different story when I first used it though, I hated and thought it was too red toned and made my brows look too drawn on. After abandoning it for months I picked it up again, with a lighter hand this time, and its love now! The pencil itself is a super skinny retractable pencil that is really easy to control because it's so narrow and at the other end is a handy spoolie to brush brows into place! The spoolie does get covered in makeup very easily but it’s also really easy to wash and dries quickly. The pencil end has a screw up mechanism with a really fine soft pencil that is very pigmented and easy to do natural hair like strokes with.

This is my favourite pencil for when I am in a rush as I don't have to be too precise and it really makes my brows look so defined and polished. It has lasted me ages too! Will definitely repurchase although I am looking forward to finishing this as it feels a bit never-ending!

Soap and Glory Archery D-I-Y Brow Bar £12

This little kit is the same shape and size of the S and G powders and holds two brow powders in the shades Love is Blonde and Hot Chocolate, a transparent setting wax and a pearly shimmer highlight. It comes with a little mini spoolie and a mini brush as well as a mirror although I prefer to use a Zoeva wing liner brush for this! I like to mix the two brow powders together to get the best match for my brow colour as the shade Hot Chocolate itself can come off a little too warm for me but together they are perfect! This is a lovely little kit for shaping and defining brows and the highlight is a nice touch but I get just as much use out of my Beauty UK brow kit which is about half the price! Not a necessity!

Soap and Glory Archery 2 in 1 Brow Sculpting Crayon and Setting Gel in the shade Brown and Out £10

This is the newest addition to the Soap and Glory brow family and one I’ve been testing out over the last few weeks. The pencil end of this is a little different to the previous ones I've talked about as it is thicker and has a slanted tip a bit like the Sleek Brow Stylist if anyone has tried that. I've found this pencil to be not as pigmented as the 2 in 1 pencil and brush so again this pencil will be good for those wanting a natural look. The gel is quite crispy to touch when it's in my brows but doesn't look crispy at all and I really like the size of the brush, it sets them really well. Probably wouldn’t repurchase this one though!

Soap and Glory brow products swatches archery d-i-y brow bar arch de triumph

Overall, Soap and Glory has everyone covered! If you are looking for a natural brow try the Archery brow tint and pencil or the 2 in 1 sculpting crayon and if you want a bit more pigmentation try the 2 in 1 pencil and brush or the D-I-Y brow bar! I’d give the Arch de Triumph pencil a miss though! Special mention to the Soap and Glory Lid Stuff Whats Nude quad which served as my brow powder of choice long before the D-I-Y kit came along! The shade Mudhoney is just the best!

Have you tried any of Soap and Glory’s brow offerings? If not, what’s your favourite brow product?

Danielle's Beauty Blog

Thursday, 13 April 2017

Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone | Vincent Longo Highlighters

Monday, 27 June 2016

Face Off

Monday, 30 November 2015

Two Limited Edition palettes/possible gift ideas!

Monday, 14 September 2015

Which Soap and Glory Brow Product is for you?