Tag: bare escentuals

bareMinerals Remix Collection

Here’s a little holiday sneak peek for you! bareMinerals is releasing a new Remix collection in January and I’ve been test driving some of the products. The 11 piece color collection, despite the vibrant appearance above, is actually very wearable and fresh. The cool shades work great now in winter, but would be fabulous for spring as well.

There are some old favorites in the collection including Warmth (a bronzing finishing powder) and Secret Radiance (also found here). The bronzer gives a nice finish to my winter complexion while Secret Radiance is a beautiful shimmery highlighting powder.

bareMinerals Remix Collection Loud & Clear Lip Sheers // Belle Belle Beauty

The highlight for me might be these sheer, glossy balms – aka Loud & Clear Lip Sheers. I love the way these shades give a great wash of color without being too bold, but giving such a great lip tint. Tangerine Trance, Berry Remix and Amped Pink will be in my purse for the foreseeable future. The fruity scent and hydrating formula make these such a pleasure to use.

bareMinerals Remix Collection READY Eyeshadow // Belle Belle Beauty

Shame on me for not reviewing the bareMineral’s eyeshadows sooner. I’ve been hooked on these for months and the new versions don’t disappoint. I was immediately drawn to The Next Big Thing (right). I wore these shades on Christmas Eve and loved the festive shimmer effect. One thing to note about these formulas: the powder is creamy and super blendable in to a buildable but initially sheer color. So while the shades can look dark, they are quite neutral unless you build them. Don’t discount my love for The Wild Thing (left)! The bottom left shade is a beautiful shimmery taupe. Layered with the top right makes for a golden shade that looks great with the ice blue. Bottom line, these shadows are perfect to play around with and are more neutral than they appear. The creamy powder formula makes for a real treat.

Why yes, that is an aqua mascara. I hadn’t used Flawless Definition Mascara and was very pleased with the volume and length I achieved. The wearability was superb with zero fall out. Blue mascara is something you either are drawn to or you aren’t. I understand. But it is worth a try. The slight blue effect brightens eyes and is actually a great way to soften a look. I’ve been wearing it on bottom lashes for just a suggestion of blue to play off my hazel eyes – trust.

The bareMinerals READY Blush in The Natural High is a high shimmer pink – I’m into radiance these days so I love it. Beware, it is far from matte. Lastly (not pictured), bareMinerals Round The Clock Eyeliner is a creamy, easy-to-use, waterproof eyeliner that I love to recommend. All in all, bravo, bareMinerals on a great collection!

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE WAS PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

Buxom Divine Goddess Luminizer

This little baby hits Sephora shelves today and you don’t want to miss it. I’ve been trying out this face and body luminizer for a couple days and it is just what the doctor ordered for – let’s just say not-so-tan – winter skin. I’ve been using it as a highlighter, skin evener and leg shimmer, all to great success.

Buxom Divine Goddess Luminizer // Belle Belle Beauty

The cream is ultra-lightweight and blends easily to a sheer, not to “glittery” shimmer. Because it is so sheer and balanced between warm and cool, I expect it to work on most skin tones.

Buxom Divine Goddess Luminizer // Belle Belle Beauty

The cream has just a touch of a cooling sensation. And pretty darn good staying power. Would work great for on the legs during New Year’s festivities!

Available at Sephora today.

Sophie from Angel Food Style

This past September, I met Sophie of Angle Food Style at New York Fashion Week and have been hooked on her fashion blog ever since. I love her fresh, classic and Southern California looks that always are so polished. I loved visiting Los Angeles when I lived in the Bay Area and her gorgous photos take me right back there. Doesn’t hurt that she is one of the most genuine and nicest women I have met in the blogging world. And loves Maltese puppies as much as I do (that is a saying A LOT).

Besides a perfectly polished outfit, I noticed Sophie’s makeup always looked natural and finished without being overdone…(not to mention her “hard to ignore” natural beauty). With our endless chats on Twitter and Instagram, I knew she was a girl after my own heart – a true beauty junkie. If we meet up again, you will find us in Sephora undoubtedly.

Angel Food Style on Belle Belle Beauty Two

So… I am so excited to have her on Belle Belle today to talk about her day-to-day look with a couple extra touches to make it holiday-ready. This everyday face has a “bit more oomph than the summer-appropriate mascara/bronzer/lip gloss situation”.

Here are the products Sophie is wearing:

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in shade 5.25 (can’t get enough)
Nars Bronzer in Laguna under cheekbones, on temples, chin
Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in shade 10 “beige” on apples of cheeks
Giorgio Armani Eye Quad in Bourdoir– I mixed the 4 nude shades together and concentrated the darkest shade in the outer corner
Tarte Amazonian Clay Liner in Black on inside bottom waterline, Giorgio Armani Maestro Liquid Liner to line eyelids (I would die without this liquid liner- use it everyday)
Bare Escentuals Buxom Mascara in black
Anastasia Beverly Hills “Brow Wiz” pencil in Ash Blonde
Nars lip gloss in “sweet revenge”– the perfect nude/pink every day shade

Like me, Sophie is a huge Armani fan. Their foundation, we both agree, is a best of breed. Sophie points out their high quality, “especially in the shadows – the pigments are so luxe and last all day”. Anastasia is a great resource for brow tools – I love her clear brow gel. And I have a Sephora package en route with NARS Laguna – can’t wait to try one of her “staples”.

Make sure to follow Sophie on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram!

bareMinerals READY SPF 20 Foundation Sneak Peek

There is no one way to categorize this groundbreaking foundation. While it could be called a solid mineral foundation, it is wildly hydrating and never looks cake-y. And rejoice – perfectly portable. bareMinerals took all their experience and knowledge of mineral makeup and incorporated skin-renewing sea minerals. This formula leads to coverage that looks nothing like a regular mineral foundation.

My skin has always been too dry for anything but tinted moisturizer or creamier foundations. So I was concerned this might not work for me. This is actually a moisturizing foundation thanks to the inclusion of cold-pressed Rose hip seed oil. The time released hydration system hydrates the skin all day long. And the powder that actually feels like a cream is buildable for varying coverage.

It is definitely worth it to pick up the accompanying brush – Precision Face Brush. It also comes in a retractable form for on-the-go. The brush head is specifically designed to fit the contours of the face. Swirl the brush lightly in the powder, tap and buff it onto your face. I move from the center outward. Repeat until you have your desired coverage.

The foundation will be available in 20 shades for $29 in September at Sephora, Macy’s, Ulta, Dillard’s and Nordstrom’s.

Check out some of my other bareMineral favorites:

Buxom Color Choreography Eyeshadow

I’m always looking for a nimble eyeshadow palette that can create loads of looks. Urban Decay has done a great job with both of their NAKED palettes. But sometimes all those options can be overwhelming and its size is a little clunky for travel. On my recent jaunt to Napa, I brought Buxom Color Choreography™ Eyeshadow in Swing. Its brillant neutrals can easily handle a pretty matte lid, smokey chestnut liner and vanilla highlighter. Layer the rose and peach, and wet the chestnut liner for evening.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Buxom (I am also fairly new to the brand), it is an off-shoot from Bare Escentuals. The luxury collection is a little rock n’ roll – edgier and bold. The shadows have the same high quality as the Ready to Go shadows by BareMinerals. But I would say the Buxom shadows are slightly softer and I find them more blendable. You don’t get the skin care benefits, but I find the powder easier to work with. Definitely a personal preference situation.

Every one of these six palettes have a range of shades that work beautifully together. They layer very well. And the darker colors sheer out for those who prefer a more natural look. For those of you who love to play around with looks, you can eek out numerous variations with these five shades. I’m all about neutrals so I knew Swing was going home with me. But I also have Hip-Hop, in an effort to branch out of my taupe rut. The gold has quickly become a favorite and the grey sheers out to a pretty silver. The navy makes for an unexpected liner.

These also work to toss in your purse. I’m impressed that the little application wand has real brushes that can handle a touch-up in a pinch. Available at Sephora.

Bare Escentuals bareMinerals READY™ Eyeshadow 4.0 The Truth

I am back on the Bare Escentuals bandwagon! Bare Escentuals’ new bareMinerals READY™ Eyeshadow 4.0 is bringing me back to a brand I thought I had grown out of 10 years ago. I haven’t used Bare Escentuals since my San Francisco days when I had a store just down the street from my apartment. I loved their mineral makeup, especially for my early-20s skin, but once my skin moved into its drier stage, I started experimenting with other brands. Thanks initially to a really catchy song on the commercial, bareMinerals The Truth Eyeshadow Quad gained a place on my vanity,

The Truth quad is a subtle, neutral palette. The shades, Serendipitous, Magnetism, Fate, and Apropos, are a graduated range of taupe that would do well on a wide range of complexions. I have been laddering the shades from lash line to brow, darkest to lightest. Blending the adjacent shades, you can achieve this really natural looking, smokey eye. The shades are a perfect balance between matte and iridescence, making it perfect for day time wear.

The powders have a smooth, creamy texture, powdered with SeaNutritive Mineral™ Complex. This stuff, oddly, contains cold-pressed borage oil, caffeine and cucumber. I never thought I would get excited about “borage oil” but, along with these other antioxidants, it can depuff the eye area. So the creamy powder can actually make your eyes look revitalized from the inside out!