I was very excited to try out this Tom Ford Lip Color, as it was part of one of my very first purchases from the brand. I went safe, with sort for a nude and picked up the shade Warm Sable, which I would describe against my skin tone as nutmeg.
Setting Powder: An oily girl's best friend. The Fiona Stiles Invisible Loose Setting Powder? Almost perfect!
A sheer, lightweight, finely milled loose powder, perfect for setting liquid foundation and absorbing excess oil. Buildable through reapplication, this loose powder does not cake or alter foundation shade. Ideal for touch-ups throughout the day and minimizing shine while giving skin an airbrushed look.
Talc, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Dimethicone, Magnesium Myristate, Boron Nitride, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Poloxamer 338, Silica. May Contain: Iron Oxides, Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride.
I spray my face with either water or my glyco-lactic acid mixture; the point is to dampen my face. I find the powder lasts longer when I do that. Although it comes with a puff, I find using my dense brush from IT Cosmetics works better and faster. The puff works well, but my brush works better. I pour a bit of the powder in the cap, tap off the excess, and pat it all over my face until it's no longer shiny. I top some Ben Nye Banana Powder underneath the eyes, to the middle of my forehead and on my chin for brightening and balance.
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| Foundation is Fiona Stiles Matte Foundation Concentrate |
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| Invisible Finish Loose Setting Powder applied |
My skin type
Oily, a victim of acne scars and scarring related to thatWhat it's supposed to do
From the brand:A sheer, lightweight, finely milled loose powder, perfect for setting liquid foundation and absorbing excess oil. Buildable through reapplication, this loose powder does not cake or alter foundation shade. Ideal for touch-ups throughout the day and minimizing shine while giving skin an airbrushed look.
Ingredients
Talc, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Dimethicone, Magnesium Myristate, Boron Nitride, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Poloxamer 338, Silica. May Contain: Iron Oxides, Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride.
How I use it
I spray my face with either water or my glyco-lactic acid mixture; the point is to dampen my face. I find the powder lasts longer when I do that. Although it comes with a puff, I find using my dense brush from IT Cosmetics works better and faster. The puff works well, but my brush works better. I pour a bit of the powder in the cap, tap off the excess, and pat it all over my face until it's no longer shiny. I top some Ben Nye Banana Powder underneath the eyes, to the middle of my forehead and on my chin for brightening and balance.What I like about it
It doesn't oxidize or change colors on application - what you see is what you get. I sometimes prefer this oxidation, like in the case of my Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, but this powder just soaks into your skin and stays that way. It is a little but more red that I need but totally workable and continuing on with brightening powder and blush makes it unnoticeable. Also, and most important, this is a product that controls oil! I do not have issues with separation of foundation when I wear this powder either. That midday shininess I usually get around 2pm? I don't even think about it anymore!What could be better
Ummm, well it's sold out now. This is the only item from my Fiona Stiles haul from Ulta I wished I had purchased backups of. If I can be a bit critical, the only complaint I have about this product is that it's kind of hard to get out of the container. I really have to shake and clank pretty hard to get product out of the canister. That's not something that affects the function and application of the product; I'd rather have too little come out than too much. But other than that it's just not widely available anymore. It went for $26 on Ulta; I only see it available on QVC now with a brush for $32.Joy Factor
On a scale of 1-10, this powder is a 9!Where to indulge
QVC-XX
Hello all! In case you aren't aware of my YouTube channel, I wanted to draft a little post here detailing the progress of my natural hair. I am five months in and I feel so great! I use the word liberated in the video often and there is no other word that describes it. Now I'm still going to protect it by wearing my beloved wigs, but I was surprisingly able to get pretty impressive puff out of my hair. Have a watch and I'll come back for more updates!
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Products mentioned:
Function of Beauty Shampoo and Conditioner
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave-In Treatment
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I've been working with the Nars Soft Matte Concealer ($30.00) for a while now and I have some pretty positive thoughts on it! The name of the concealer is super accurate because it is very soft, and very matte, which I can appreciate as someone with pretty prominent eye bags. Check out this post on the swatches for dark skin, where I considered Cacao, Cafe, Hazelnut, Amande, and Dark Coffee. Ultimately, I ended up with Cafe, described as dark with warm red undertones.
Underneath my eyes: I like how the concealer works underneath my eyes. I love that it's matte! I still need to set it with powder after, but for those that can pull of a dewy look and/or has normal to dry skin, the matte works perfectly under the eyes! It applies so smoothly that I can even just swipe it across instead of tapping it underneath my eye. It's not streaky either, is 100% medium coverage, and doesn't crease or draw attention to the fine lines around my eyes. I apply it with my fingers when using under my eyes.
As a spot concealer for my acne scars: This shade of the concealer did not conceal my acne scars very well. After setting with powder, they are a lot less noticeable but I typically prefer a full-coverage, thicker concealer like this one to conceal my scars, or this one which I can use under my eyes and over my acne scars.
As an eyeshadow primer: I prefer to use a stickier concealer when using it as an eyeshadow primer. I don't prefer to use this concealer for that purpose as it's too soft for such a thing.
As a brow shaper and highlight: This concealer worked well straightening up my brows and highlighting the brow bone. I had to be careful to use a very light hand, though because it's very easy to grab too much and spend too much time trying to blend it out.
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| Here I applied the concealer underneath my eyes. The eye bags are still visible but will vanish after I set it with powder. I do love that I don't need to go too light in order to brighten up the area; the shade is a near perfect match. |
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| Here I concealed the acne scars on my cheeks and chin |
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| Here I concealed the acne scars on my cheeks and chin |
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| Next, I set the concealer with Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural and used Ben Nye's Banana Powder under eyes for additional brightening |
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| Side view |
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| Here is the finished look. I used flash to show the texture of my skin more. Also wearing Mac Extra Dimension Blush in Hard to Get on cheeks and Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow to fill in brows. |
My skin type
I have oily skin and oily eyelids. I also have acne scarring on my cheeks and chin as well as medium-sized bags underneath my eyes.What it's supposed to do
The brand describes this concealer as a high-coverage blurring concealer - think face tune in a pot. It's supposed to be long-lasting and avoids settling into fine lines.How I use it
I have tried using this concealer in a few different ways:Underneath my eyes: I like how the concealer works underneath my eyes. I love that it's matte! I still need to set it with powder after, but for those that can pull of a dewy look and/or has normal to dry skin, the matte works perfectly under the eyes! It applies so smoothly that I can even just swipe it across instead of tapping it underneath my eye. It's not streaky either, is 100% medium coverage, and doesn't crease or draw attention to the fine lines around my eyes. I apply it with my fingers when using under my eyes.
As a spot concealer for my acne scars: This shade of the concealer did not conceal my acne scars very well. After setting with powder, they are a lot less noticeable but I typically prefer a full-coverage, thicker concealer like this one to conceal my scars, or this one which I can use under my eyes and over my acne scars.
As an eyeshadow primer: I prefer to use a stickier concealer when using it as an eyeshadow primer. I don't prefer to use this concealer for that purpose as it's too soft for such a thing.
As a brow shaper and highlight: This concealer worked well straightening up my brows and highlighting the brow bone. I had to be careful to use a very light hand, though because it's very easy to grab too much and spend too much time trying to blend it out.
What I like about it
I like how easily the concealer spreads and blends. It's the easiest concealer to work with and reminds me of the concealers from Fiona Stiles in texture (review forthcoming). I have been using this concealer for a long time and I haven't even made a dent in it so I know it's going to last me a long, long time; $30 well spent. I also like that it comes in a pot so I can scrape every little bit out of it. Lastly, I love how fresh and natural I look after I apply it. This concealer is definitely for easy, natural makeup days.What could be better
I do wish it were more full-coverage. People that don't have issues with acne scars won't mind it though. I do feel like it will cover dark circles, though.Joy Factor
On a scale of 1-10, this concealer is a 7.Where to indulge
Sephora | Ulta | Nordstrom | Neiman Marcus | Nars Cosmetics | Bloomingdale's-XX
