DESIxKATY by Dose of Colors

Hi, yes. Hello. I’m back..

And not only am I back. I have the Dose of Colors DesixKaty collaboration ready for you along with makeup looks.. See, I’m a good blogger right?

Don’t answer that.

If you’re an avid makeup junkie or beauty enthusiast, you’ve likely heard of this thing called YouTube. It’s an incredible platform where you can stream videos of almost ANYTHING. Want to learn how to contour? YouTube. Want to learn how to apply false lashes? YouTube. Want to watch a 10-minute video of kittens sleeping? YouTube.

Two of my favorite makeup guru’s on YouTube who happen to be besties are Desi Perkins and Katy Degroot (Lustrelux). I've been watching Katy on YouTube way back when she lived in Oakland YEARS ago. She (I think) is my twin soul, so when she befriended Desi Perkins (who is my skin tone twin) I was delighted by their constant interaction. But when they both collaborated with DOSE OF COLORS….

I lost my mind.

After locking myself in a room for their first drop, I was able to purchase most of the set. The only problem I had, was that DOC took almost a month to ship the entire collection to me. I get it—Mercury was in retrograde, orders were lost and items were back ordered, but it was frustrating. Either way, after a painful 3+ weeks of waiting I finally received my package.

Now here we are, ready to blog, review and swatch, just in time for their re-stock on Sunday, September 24th.. Ladies and gentlemen, The DesixKaty collaboration:

Everything about this collection is Fire. From the packaging all the way to the products themselves, this collection is incredible. So let’s get started:

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“THE GIRLS”
An eyeshadow quad with 4 luxuriously shimmery colors, all named after their dogs (Naturally). ($28.00)

SUZ- crisp bright champagne shade. A super creamy texture that is formulated to be used WET. One drop of water on your finger is all you need. 

HARPOON- A cool tone green base with green and gold reflects. This unique shade is formulated to be used WET.

TURBOSAN- Start sparkling with this ultra-luxe shadow that is packed with shimmering reflects. For intense color payoff and a glistening finish, apply with finger.

NOLI- A sultry bronze shade thats infused with gold reflects. This perfect bronze shade is a powerfully pigmented formula that glides onto the lids for a silky-smooth finish.

L-R: Suz, Noli, Turbosan, Harpoon

REVIEW: The only thing that is inconvenient about this quad is that you’re going to get the best color payoff when using your finger to apply, wet or dry. There are a number of factors that will affect your eyeshadow application: long nails, little eyeshadow experience and Cheetos. Not everyone will have the experience to apply these shadows onto their eyelid correctly using just their fingers. So, there will be a learning curve involved for some users. Also, if you’re not careful, any eyeshadow left over on your finger can possibly interfere with the rest of your makeup application, so please be careful! Otherwise—these colors are absolutely BEAUTIFUL and perfect for a glamorous night out.  

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“FUEGO” and “MIRAME”
‘My highlight brings all the boys to the yard - And my light is better than yours- and they’re like - It’s better than yours -  I can teach you - but I have to charge’ ($28.00 per highlighter)

FUEGO – Light Champagne Gold
MIRAME – Rose Gold

L-R: Fuego, Mirame

REVIEW: These ladies brought some serious GLOW to this collection. I’ve layered these highlighters together and separately, and both colors are soft, gentle but with a nice BLINDING effect. With one layer, you can achieve a healthy glow without looking oily. Or you can layer the highlight over and over again for a wet look. 10/10 if you have to pick one product from the collection, I recommend the highlighters.

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“NO SHADE” and “MORE CREAMER PLEASE”
Lipsticks with a Creamy/Matte finish ($16.00 per lipstick)

NO SHADE – Light peachy nude
MORE CREAMER PLEASE – Deep nude with a brown/peach undertone

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“HOT FIRE”, “SAVAGE” LIQUID LIPSTICK & “OVER THE TOP” GLOSS
Liquid lipstick with a velvet matte finish that glides on smoothly and stays put throughout the day.  ($18.00/liquid lipstick & $15.00/gloss)

HOT FIRE – Fiery Orange Red
SAVÁGE – Rich Black based Burgundy
OVER THE TOP – A mega-shine clear gloss infused with reflective gold reflects

Considering that Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks are my favorite formula, I knew from the bottom of my heart that these liquid lipsticks were going to be amazing.

L-R: No Shade, More Creamer Please, Hot Fire, Saváge

REVIEW:
Now, as a tanned lady myself—I have a hard time finding a few things: the right foundation color match, the right concealer color and the perfect nude lipstick. And then I met “More creamer please”.. I found my soul mate! Not only do these lipsticks feel creamy, they finish creamy. More Creamer Please is on the warm peachy side and is the truest nude I've ever worn. I’ve always had a hard time with nudes because I’ve always had to mix lip liners and lipsticks for the perfect color, until now. I’m so happy that this collection includes a deeper nude for the ladies blessed with melanin.

No Shade is a little bit too light for me, but I can see this being absolutely perfect for people with lighter skin tones. It's beautiful!

Hot Fire is just a bit too neon for my skin tone, so I do have to line my lips with a blue based red to keep my skin from looking too tan. But I do love the color, and I'm excited to add this color to my kit, it’s bright and playful for any night out.

Now Saváge is definitely not for the weak. If you want an ox blood, dramatic lip color, please.. Be a savage and go with Saváge for the night, you'll definitely turn some heads.    

Over the Top is the most beautiful shimmery golden lip gloss. It looks really glittery in the tube but It’ll leave your lips looking juicy and fresh with a soft honey-like tint.

OVERALL REVIEW:
Buy this collection.. Or If you’re interested in one or two of the products in the set, I say just go for it. I promise, you will not be disappointed. The collection compliments a wide range of skin tones and use high quality ingredients. Almost all products in the collection are vegan and ALL products are cruelty free. But don't be a slacker and wait. Pick up the collection on the Dose of Colors website, or at Naimies online when they restock on Sunday, September 24th.

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GLAM SHOTS

PRODUCTS USED:
Eyes:
Noli, Suz, MAC: Soft Brown & Texture

Foundation:
Fenty Pro Filt’r Foundation in 310

Lips:
More Creamer Please & Over the Top gloss

Highlight:
Mirame & Fuego layered on top of eachother

Contour:
ABH – Tan contour kit

Lashes:
House of Lashes – Boudoir

Glow So Hard - Elcie Glow Enhancer Product Review

Many women (like me) love the look of a good highlight, and many women (like me) love the look of radiant skin. Elcie Cosmetics, owned by the glamour goddess Lilit Caradanian created the Glow Enhancer dry oil right on the heels of their best selling Micro Silque Foundation (which I'm waiting for my new bottle to arrive). To satisfy the needs of women (like me) obsessed with glowing skin.

The Glow Enhancer is a lightweight dry face oil with a mixture of meadow foam, Jojoba and Rose Hip oils to lock in moisture, control excess oils from producing onto your skin and helps to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. To help with the glow, there's finely milled mica particles mixed into the oil to help provide a light reflecting base for your foundation.

I tried my best to capture the amount of shimmer that the oil leaves on your skin, you can literally see all the glitter specs in one drop. The oil is lightweight and while the mica particles are finely milled, when spreading the product onto your skin, you can somewhat feel the glitter specs. Nothing rough, but just enough so you know that it's present in the product. 

Here I am trying to look casual and #deep while staring at a wall. Thank God for my colleague Anny whom i lured outside the building and forced to snap my photo in exchange for pack of gummy bears. Well worth it I'm sure :)
I personally saw a difference in my skin's appearance after applying the Glow Enhancer. My skin looked softer, my pores looked smaller and I exuded a glow so hard MF's want to fine me. Now onto the rest of my review.

Color
The oil has a champagne shimmer that is so hypnotizing I started at the bottle for a good 5 minutes before even trying it on. When you apply the drops of oil to your skin, the shimmer distributes onto your skin evenly and doesn't feel chunky. 

Longevity
I wore the oil under my Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation for 10 hours. This is an enhancing product, so it helped to make my skin look radiant and smooth. I do have an oily t-zone, so by the end of the day my skin looked a little bit more shiny than usual, but my cheeks (which are usually dry) continued to look radiant and filled with glow.  

Cons
I wore the glow oil with a tinted moisturizer the day before and for some reason I could see the glitter particles on my skin. I'm not sure if this was because I used more than two drops, or if it was because I did not use a medium to full coverage foundation. The shimmer was present through my tinted moisturizer and it did look a bit odd, but using a foundation with better coverage helped to really bring out the radiance.

Overall
If you love glowing skin, and want to exude radiance, this product is right for you. I think it's a great skin care product on its own for hair and body. I wouldn't necessarily leave it on my face without applying foundation, but I would leave it on my neck, shoulders or arms if I wanted a little bit more 'body glow'. I suggest using a medium to buildable coverage foundation to help the oils illuminate your skin.   

Release Date
The Glow Enhancer launches on April 19th at 12:00pm on www.ElcieCosmectics.com for $48.00 per bottle. 

Don't sleep on it.

#KaePop Karrueche + Colourpop Haul

Courtesy of Colourpop Cosmetics

Other than people telling me that she's my doppleganger, Karrueche Tran is quickly becoming a socialite in today's media. Karrueche recently released a line of cosmetics through one of my new favorite brands Colourpop Cosmetics, and i couldn't help myself to a mini haul :) The #Kaepop collection consists of 4 eyeshadows, 3 liquid lipsticks and 3 corresponding liners.  While I'm not the biggest fan of Colourpop's eyeshadows, I purchased 2 liquid lipsticks and 2 liners. Check out the swatches below.

Of the three colors, I chose Kae and Chi. Rooch was a bit dark for me, plus i already have a few dark brown colors in my kit.  See the lip looks below: Chi and Kae with their corresponding lip liners.

I can't say enough good things about Colourpop. The formula stays on my lips throughout the day without feathering, the color payoff is incredible and the price point makes it affordable for everyone.  

The one thing that I did notice about the KaePop liquid lipsticks, is that the doe foot applicator is different from Colourpop's current applicator. See photos below. 

Colourpop's Limbo on the Left and Kaepop's Kae on the right

The Kaepop applicator has a flat rounded 'foot' compared to the current Colourpop applicator. Personally, i love this. You are able to deposit the product more evenly onto your lips, and it feels softer which is always nice.

Overall, of the 4 products I chose from, I'm happy with my selections and can see these colors being a staple in my makeup bag.

Dose of Colors Haul & Swatches

SOOOOOOOO.... we all know I'm addicted to lipsticks. I own more lipsticks than i own shoes.. i think? :) Of all the lipsticks i own, what's my absolute favorite brand? Dose of Colors. duh! IMATS was an opportunity for me to binge and splurge on my favorite brand, and i'm SO happy I did. 

I knew i had to get a few of the new colors: Mood, Desert Suede and Cork. And while i was at the Dose of Colors booth, i picked up Truffle because its such a beautiful color. Check out my swatches and looks below.

Colors: Mood, Cork, Truffle, Desert Suede

Mood

Cork

Truffle

Desert Suede

Mood, Cork, Desert Suede & Truffle

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit for Holiday 2015

For a Holiday product, Hourglass came out with a limited edition Ambient lighting palette pretty early on in the season. And I’m not mad at it :)

According to Hourglass, this palette is a, “Wardrobe of handmade powders, blushes, bronzer, and the debut of the new Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder". And it's, " Designed to give you everything you need to finish, brighten, contour and highlight your skin in a single compact.”

I’m obsessed with Hourglass, I never leave a makeup look untouched with their product. Each powder has optically transparent particles that help with seamless blending, especially when it comes to their blush and bronzer options. 

Now on to the review:

Packaging
The packaging is DIVIIIIINE! The 6 powders are protected in this chocolate/rose gold casing that includes a large mirror. Not only are the powders gorgeous, the packaging is just as beautiful and luxurious as the product itself.

Formula:
These powders have "Photoluminescent Technology” to help refine the appearance of your skin’s complexion, leaving you with a glowing finish. This basically means that the powders help to filter out the harsh lines on your face. AKA it’s like you’re walking around with the “Valencia” filter on your face all throughout the day ;)

Color:
The colors provided in the palette are:

Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light
Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Iridescent Strobe Light
Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light
Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush
Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure
Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light

The only new color in the Edit palette is the "Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Iridescent Strobe Light” which is meant for strobing, and I must say the product comes off very glowy and shimmery at the same time. All in all each powder also adds luminescence to every skin tone which makes it universally flattering (Which also puts this palette high on my list of faves). 

Longevity 
The day I decided to wear basically every color in the palette, it was 97 degrees in San Francisco and I forgot to set my makeup with setting spray. I was sure my makeup would melt off! Luckily for my skin, the makeup stayed in place and after 6-7 hours, the color started to dulled out just a bit. Altogether the glow lasted 11+ hours on my face in the raging heat and through date night with le boo.

Cons
The size of each of the powders in the palette is 0.049 oz. In a permanent individual lighting powder is 0.35 oz. The limited edition sizes vs the permanent sizes are drastically different. And for $80.00 per palette I would hope that Hourglass would provide more product for the price. I totally missed taking a picture of my individual lighting powder against my palette, but www.Beautzine.com had a beautiful comparison on their website, so I’ve included it below.

Image courtesy of www.Beautzine.com 

Overall
I'm obsessed. Although i was a bit disappointed in the product sizes, I am still very happy with the product. I love the pigment, texture, finish and most of all, the GLOW. This product is a must have in your kit because it caters to most (if not ALL) skin tones, and provides a filtered light that radiates a glow better than any powder i've seen on the market.