Makeup Stash: Contour & Highlight

I am not all about contouring my face every time I put on makeup; sometimes I just need a little fluffing up & out the door and can't be bothered by it. While other times, its nice to shape my more round face into...not as round? And when I do contour, I don't go in heavy-handed because for me, a little does go a long way. I'm not opposed to others doing it that way, if it works it works, you know?

Anyway, it's small, but here's my contour & highlight stash.

NARS 'Olympia': This may not have been my very first contour palette, but I consider it to be due to the fact that I've used this one for so long, so often. It's a very basic, yet well made palette. I could have probably gotten away with going a shade darker than this one but, I wanted to play it safe. Needless to say, I've loved Olympia & I'm surprised I haven't hit pan yet! I've put it to the side for the time being; I think some NARS products have been irritating my skin suddenly, & I don't know why. Until my skin decides to figure its fuss out, I won't be using this for a while.

On the other hand, its not the worst thing to have happened...

Lancome 'Le Duo Contour & Highlighter Stick' in 'Buff': Out of them all, this probably is the one where you can accidentally go in a little heavy. I don't know if its to take into consideration that its a creamy-stick formula but what have you, I still really dig this. It blends in quite nicely, with a few strokes of a brush buffing it in (fingers do the job well, too), you get a very nice, deep contour & lovely, slightly shimmery highlight. Honestly, I love the contour end more than the highlight end, thats not to say that its rotten, it just doesn't WOW me as much as I thought it would. This is a clever idea to do with contour, the size is absolutely perfect for traveling and with its very sleek black and gold packaging to add a bit of luxury and style, Lancome gets the nail on the head.

Charlotte Tilbury's 'FilmStar Bronze & Glow': 2 words, absolute perfection. If there ever was a perfect contour palette, this is it; but I wouldn't say this is perfect all across the board because it isn't too adaptable for every skintone to use. Now, if Tilbury decides to come out with more shades of this, than yes, this would be the most best contour in all the land, seriously. UPDATE: Oh happy day! Tilbury announced recently that they are coming out with a darker shade of this. I don't know when or where it will be released just yet, though keep your eyes peeled for that if this one wasn't the right match for you!

The shades and formulation in this palette are absolutely divine, they come out beautifully on the skin and are buildable, as well as blending into the skin perfectly. You can never go too heavy handed with this but even if you do, you just end up looking better & better. The highlight is SPECTACULAR, with more highlight than shimmer. This is just a great compact to own and invest in and the packaging, hold me back. Just a rose-gold beauty, as is most of Tilbury's line. I have seriously promised myself I wouldn't be purchasing anymore makeup (HA!) for a while until I am able to get more of Charlotte Tilbury's, she knows what she's doing. With every product I have tried & own, she has blown me away with how great they are. I'm CT obsessed, & can't wait to continue to get & try more of her line in the months & years to come.

Honorable Mention - Urban Decay 'Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder for Face and Body' in 'Luminous': This is strictly a highlight, so to speak. Its very much glittery in every single way but, what I love about this is that it does highlight and accentuate where you put it noticeably well. I usually put this on my collar bones & shoulders to give off that gleam & lean kind of look/highlight. I find it too strong and glittery for my face, so I just stick to using it on the body with this one. If you're into the glitter and the shimmer in a highlight, this will not disappoint.

Makeup Stash: Foundations

The main makeup product that I'm most picky about are foundations. Either I can never find one exactly my shade, it oxidizes too much, its too oily, matte, heavy...I seem to find more cons than pros with foundations & I don't know if its because I'm too damn picky or what but, foundation is kind of a big deal when it comes to makeup (& mascara, but thats for another post, another day) & so I think for me, that justifies me being so picky about them. I do heavy research before I go out & commit to buying any one foundation, because 1. they are expensive, usually & 2. for reasons stated above. The research I do means reading reviews, watch YouTube videos, the like.

Its also rare that I ever finish one up completely; the last one I did was Dior's 'Diorskin Nude BB Creme', which since I have repurchased but, I've also noticed that it oxidizes awfully pink on my skin now, & I don't know why. I've come to put that on the back shelf, sadly. I will tell you why I loved it though: it never felt heavy, it gave light coverage (BB creme after all) but it didn't separate, never irritated, & lasted for a good part of the day (with work thrown in between). Its sad that I can't use it anymore, I may try again during the fall/winter months, but thats a debate I need to take on myself.

Another BB Creme, which was a bit of a surprise to me on how much I ended up loving it, is the Physicians Formula 'Argan Wear Renew BB Cream'. Its this thick, hydrating & softening foundation that just sits on my combo skin lovely. Even though its a bit thicker in consistency than I'd normally like, in no way does it feel that way. There is a bit of a fragrance to this, but it fades away. Like Dior, I've never run into any issues on this one, & the fact that its super affordable, it will be a constant repurchase again & again & again...

Moving away from BB Cream's now...

The next 2 may not surprise many and I won't make this too lengthy due to the fact that you can find so many reviews & videos on these products. Chanel's 'Vitalumière Aqua Foundation' & Giorgio Armani's 'Luminous Silk Foundation': Both are standout foundations. If you want more of a medium-to buildable-full coverage, Chanel's your best bet out of the two. They both settle on the skin very smooth. Armani is less watery of the two; you really got to shake up the Chanel one before use or it will get slippery. I do notice that Armani clings to dry parts of my face at times, just a note for more drier skins. Also, these two give a more 'dewy' look to the skin so, if you're on the oily side, these probably shouldn't be your top picks but, maybe a matte primer or moisturizer before applying may help subdue that part. I will say that I do love the Armani one just a bit more, only because I was able to find practically my exact skin color in a bottle, which is like HOW WOW FANTASTIC THANK YOU. A lot of positive feelings here.

Clarins' 'Skin Illusion Natural Radiance Foundation': Its about medium, buildable coverage & consistency, probably almost or just as thick as the PF's 'Argan Wear'. Like the 'Argan Wear', the bit of thickness doesn't feel heavy on the skin. I found that a light moisturizer/primer works best underneath this foundation for best longevity & less of a chance of it breaking apart on. I noticed the first few times using it, it had the tendency to do this, mostly in my more oily areas & cling to drier patches, but hasn't since I started incorporating a lighter moisturizer (currently like to use Diptyque's 'Protective Moisturizing Lotion' underneath). I also like applying this with a particular makeup brush, Lancome's 'Foundation brush #2'; this flatter type of brush really helps this foundation disperse evenly and smoothly onto the skin for a marvelous application and look.

A little side-note, like most Clarins products, this does have a fragrance to it. Its not overly strong and  doesn't stay on the skin for very long...yet, if you are very sensitive to fragrances, I may read the ingrediegents list first and/or stay a way from this one, just to be safe. With that said though, I do really love using this and I have been picking this up more lately because it's been outstanding in Florida's summer heat and humidity. It gives such a nice, subtle, radiant look. Its not overly dewy or luminous (which can look more oily than luminous for those prone to oiliness). I'm rarely ever disappointed with Clarins, & this is no exception.