The Ultimate Setting Powders

The ultimate key to a long lasting makeup day consists of the right setting powder(s). But it's important to know the different types of setting powders and their purposes. We got to try out three setting powders that have been getting a lot of buzz in the beauty community: RCMA No Color Powder, Ben Nye's Banana Luxury Powder, and the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder.

Here's a breakdown of each product:

1) RCMA No Color Powder:

The Research Council of Makeup Artists (RCMA) Makeup is known to be top notch specialized professional make-up products for the film, television and stage industry. So when we heard about a 3oz. $10 setting powder by them, it was definitely worth a shot trying. Two beauty gurus are responsible for the popularity of this product: Wayne Goss and Kathleen Lights. Wayne Goss has been raving about this product since the beginning of his YouTube channel. Kathleen has reintroduced this product claiming to be better than the beloved Laura Mercier Loose Translucent Setting Powder that everyone and their moms swear by.

After many attempts of purchasing the item since it was always sold out, we finally got our hands on it. The RCMA No Color Powder is essentially what it is said to be, a no color powder. Do not hesitate from it's white form, it contains absolutely no pigment. Therefore, it will absolutely not alter your foundation/concealer/cream contour shade or natural skin tone. Another great thing about this product is that it will cause no flashback. When it comes to performance, we can see why Kathleen and Wayne love this product. It leaves your skin with a satin rather than an overly matte finish, creating a pore-free complexion. As a girl with dry under eyes and an oily t-zone, this product performs for both of my needs. 

2) Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder:

The Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder has blown up all over YouTube and Instagram. Makeup artists and beauty gurus have raved about this product claiming to make their concealer absolutely creaseless. I personally find this powder overly drying for my under eyes. Therefore, we suggest applying a moisturizing eye cream before concealer application. As for my oily girls, you would love this to set your face base. It keeps you matte all day long with a soft-focus effect that subtly blurs the look of fine lines and imperfections. The product contains 1oz. and costs $38. 

3) Ben Nye's Banana Luxury Powder:

The Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder got on everyone's must-have list after Kim Kardashian's makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic, claimed to love this product. So you know we had to give it a try! As a girl with light to medium, yellow undertone skin color, I recommend lightly setting your concealer with this powder. Baking with this powder will only cause an unflattering yellow tint on lighter complexions. With that being said, this powder works more ideally for medium to dark skin tones. We also recommend using this strictly under the eyes or anywhere else you have applied concealer for a brightening effect. As for the rest of the face, you can check out any of the powders mentioned above or even Ben Nye's Neutral Set Powder. The Banana Powder is $15 for 1.5oz jar. 

Final Verdict:

RCMA No Color Powder: For all over face, under eye, and baking for any skin type and color
Laura Mercier: For combination to oily skin all over the face, under eye, and baking for any skin color
Ben Nye's Banana Luxury Powder: For medium to dark skin tone for under eye setting and baking 

Brushes:

We love using the Morphe E2 brush for an all over setting application and the Morphe M438 for setting the under eyes. 

The Morphe E2 is a large, round, and full brush that distributes product beautifully. The Morphe M438 is perfectly tapered to reach any area that needs to be set. For more Morphe Brushes recommendations and in-depth review, check out our Morphe Brushes Overload post.

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XO,

RLS

Sephora PLAY!

We finally got our hands on our very first Sephora Play Box! Just like many other beauty subscription boxes out there, the Sephora Play box has a monthly fee of $10 and includes 5 deluxe sized beauty products. But Sephora's subscription box is a little different because all of their products are considered "prestige"brands, which you don't get in most other subscription boxes. Here's the products that came in this months box.


To start off, the first makeup product in this month's box was one of Bite Beauty's Amuse Bouche Lipsticks in the color "Kimchi". Although this isn't a color I would wear often, I can picture wearing it during the Summertime paired with a nice tan. The color is a very vibrant, neon pink (think 70's), has a orange/fruity scent, and feels very moisturizing on the lips. Once you wipe it off, or allow it to fade it stains your lips with the remaining color!

Next up was the Tarte Tarteist Lip Crayon in the color "Latergram". The color is a really beautiful mauve that would look good on a lot of different skin tones BUT the formula of the crayon is horrible. The consistency is very waxy and dry, so it doesn't apply properly on to the lips. It's almost impossible to get a smooth application of this on your lips. But, I tried adding some chapstick to help it glide on better, and it did an okay job. Either way, it shouldn't take that much prep to put on a lip pencil.

The box also came with two Origins face masks and one skin-optimizing mask primer. The two masks it came with were the "Clear Improvement Active charcoal mask to clear pores", and the "Drink Up Intensive Overnight mask to quench skin's thirst". I don't really like how it didn't come in a tube, they could have done something with the packaging to make it feel more "deluxe", but I'm still excited to try out the products. So far I tried out the mask primer with the Drink Up mask. So the primer is supposed to prep my skin for the mask that I put on afterwards, and all I noticed from the application was that it made my skin feel the slightest bit sticky so maybe it was working. The Drink Up mask felt really good on the skin, it had a citrus scent and felt very nourishing on the face.

The Korres Wild Rose24 Hour Moisturizing and Brightening cream is okay (Yeah there's definitely a lack of enthusiasm there). I just found it to be a solid/good product, but there's nothing amazing about it. It has a really strong rose scent which doesn't bother me too much. In terms of moisturizing/brightening my face, I feel like it slightly moisturizes, but I haven't noticed any brightening effects. After applying it onto the face, I find that it gives my face a powdery feel, if that makes any sense. 

The Briogeo Don't Despair Repair! deep conditioning mask was pretty nice. I used it in the shower right after washing my hair and left it on for around 5 minutes. Like many of the previous products in this month's box, it has a really strong scent! I kind of loved/hated the scent, but I can't really explain what it smelled like. Anyway, I actually liked the mask but I'm not sure how different this was from my regular hair conditioner. I mean, it definitely left my hair nice and smooth after the shower but I expect more from a "DEEP" conditioning mask. At the same time, I can't really give a thorough critique of this product after one use. The sample was enough for one use and I feel as if I would have to use it a few times to know if it's actually something special!

Here's where you can purchase all of the products:
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Kimchi $26
Tarte Tarteist Lip Crayon in Latergram $18
Origins Maskimizer $22
Origins "Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask To Clear Pores" $4-26
Origins "Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask" $4-26
Korres Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturizing & Brightening Cream $38
Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask $36



                                     XO, RLS

Current Obsession: Girlactik's Bashful

                         There's one liquid lipstick we just haven't been able to put down since
                     the day we purchased it, and that's Girlactik's Matte Lip Paint in Bashful.
                     Even though I've purchased many other lip products after getting Bashful,
               I've constantly grabbed onto Bashful for most of my looks in the past few months.
              The color is just gorgeous and I can't seem to get enough of it. On my yellow/olive          
                   undertone skin, it comes off as a mid-tone peachy/light brown nude, but would
                          come off as more of a bright/stark pinky nude for darker complexions.

 

The formula of the liquid lipstick is equally as amazing as the color. It feels very light on the lips and definitely doesn't dry them out. There are some liquid lipsticks that are just so heavy and thick on the lips, while others are so thin and blotchy, but this formula has the perfect in between consistency. After wearing it for an hour or two I've noticed that it settles into the lines of my lips but I feel like it's not noticeable to others. To help with this I usually just apply a very light layer of chapstick to moisturize my lips and wipe most of it off before applying the liquid lipstick. This gives my lips a nice base coat of moisture to help keep it from cracking throughout the day. Lastly, the only drawback to this liquid lipstick is that once you start layering it on your lips (lets say when you're touching up) it seems to start drying out and flaking a little bit more. This is clearly expected of any liquid lipstick but, I just wanted to mention it! They have a lot of other gorgeous colors for liquid lipsticks so check them out if you're interested!

My favorite part about Girlactik's liquid lipsticks are that they are so flattering! Some liquid lipsticks just apply as a very opaque and thick formula and just sit on the lips, Girlactik's somehow adjusts to your skin tone and matches your complexion (if that makes any sense.)

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XO, 
RLS

Lashin'

   
 We just can't seem to get over false lashes! No matter how casual or formal an occasion, popping on a pair of lashes ties the whole look together. One brand that has gorgeous natural and glam looking  lashes is Flutter lashes. One pair we've tried from the brand is in the style "Amber." The "Amber" lash is a very versatile pair of lashes that flairs out just at the end of the lash strip. You can definitely pair it with a more natural or full on eye glam look. Although we loved the way the lashes looked we did have a little difficulty applying them onto our lashes. The band just wasn't sticking well, so definitely try this out with different lash adhesives to see what's best for your eyelid. Most Flutter lashes retail for about $30 but keep in mind that they can be reused a bunch of times!

Flutter Lashes "Amber"








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Products We Can't Get Enough Of!

We all have beauty products that we're obsessed with and constantly find ourselves re-purchasing constantly! Some products are just so amazing, that it becomes difficult to replace it or try anything else really. We decided to write a quick list of some beauty products that we've repurchased a few times throughout the past few years because we just can't get enough of them. Here are our repurchase worthy items:










Beauty Blender

The first product on our list is a no brainer, the beauty blender of course! It took us a while to give in and purchase the beauty blender because we just didn't get how an ordinary sponge would be any different than other makeup sponges out in the market. But after years of using this gem we can honestly say that it's not comparable to any other makeup applicator out there. Although the sponge still absorbs some amount of the product you with it with, the finish it leaves on the skin is not comparable to anything else. You can use it for applying foundation, toner, moisturizer, blending out harsh lines, contour, concealer, etc. The sponge perfectly presses the product into the skin and leaves an effortless and flawless finish every time.





Philosphy "Purity Made Simple" 

This facial cleanser is pure perfection! We've been using it for a few years and it's definitely one of the best cleansers we've tried. It's a nice and simple cleanser for everyday use. It melts off makeup like no other cleanser, and it also tones and hydrates the skin at the same time.










Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

This stuff is like magic! After you finish doing your makeup, spray this a few times all over the face, and your makeup won't move an inch all day. It locks the makeup onto your skin and doesn't move until you wipe it off. It's a really light spray and doesn't leave the skin feeling sticky or heavy/wet like some other setting sprays. I wasn't sure how effective the spray was until I forgot to use it one day! If I need my makeup to last all day (which is most days), I know I can count on this setting spray without a doubt.














Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black Volume Building Mascara

This mascara is a classic and is great for everyday use. It lengthens my lashes and I can add volume to certain areas if I feel like I need more thickness in a specific area. The color is also very black and pigmented so that's definitely a plus. It gives my lashes the perfect amount of volume/length.















Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Having a good quality brow pencil is definitely a staple for any makeup kit. Unless you've been blessed with thick brows that need absolutely no filling in (lets be honest, which most of us don't have) then you need a brow pencil to give your brows that extra fullness that they're lacking. Although we love Anastasia's Brow Wiz, we think the NYX Micro Brow Pencil is just as good. You can check out our review of the two in our blog post here.
















NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

 NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is the perfect double-duty concealer! We absolutely love using this concealer for multiple reasons. It's great to hide dark circles, highlight under the eyes, and even cover blemishes. It has the ultimate coverage with minimal creasing. Tip for light to medium and medium skin tones: Use the color Honey to cover dark circles, Vanilla to highlight under the eyes, and Custard to cover those pesky blemishes.







 

 MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

To make sure your makeup lasts all day, it's essential to set your makeup with a setting powder. It's difficult to find a powder that serves for both dry skin as well as oily skin. Thankfully, we became introduced to MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural recently. This is a baked powder that provides a medium coverage and lays beautifully on top of any foundation. Because it is baked powder, our girls with dry skin will absolutely love this product. As for my oily girls, don't worry about getting oily throughout the day. The Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder truly makes your skin look airbrushed!




You can click on the links below to purchase any of the products we mentioned in the post:
1. Beauty Blender                                                                                $20
2. Philosphy "Purity Made Simple"                                                   $11-55
3. Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray                           $14-30
4. Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black Volume Building Mascara      $7.99
5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz                                                  $21
    NYX Micro Brow Pencil                                                                 $9.99
6.  NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer                                                $12-29
7. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural                                              $32


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XO, 
RLS

Nivea Men's After Shave Balm

          If you're a fan of Youtube makeup tutorials then you've definitely heard about the product we're going to talk about today. Youtube beauty guru Nikkie Tutorials introduced the makeup world to her not so conventional primer. She accidentally discovered that the Nivea Men's After Shave Balm can be used as a primer under makeup. And after using it for about a month we can finally tell you if this aftershave balm is worth all the hype.

          So why would you even consider buying a men's product and using it as a primer rather than just using a primer that's already made to go under makeup? Well because the Nivea Men's After Shave Balm costs $5-6 for 3.3 oz while most primers sold at makeup stores cost around $37 for 1 oz. You definitely get a lot of product for the amount you're paying.

          After using it under a few different foundations we had difficulty seeing why everyone seems to be obsessed with this after shave balm. It has a silicon-y consistency and it looks like a lot of the primers you probably already own from makeup stores. Nikkie recommends rubbing it into your skin until it feels tacky, so basically until it doesn't have a liquid consistency anymore and feels sticky.

          Although it didn't minimize or eliminate the look of pores much, we found that it does make our makeup last longer throughout the day. Since Glycerin is one of the ingredients in this product it's no surprise that it helped our makeup last longer. Glycerin is actually found in a lot of makeup products including setting sprays because it works like a binding agent, so it helps stuff stick together.

          The main issue I had with this after shave balm is that I have combination skin type, so I usually don't get too dry or oily based on what makeup products I use, but every time I used this after shave balm and applied my foundation over it, I found that it dried out my skin a lot. So my makeup looked pretty matte and started to settle into some lines throughout my face. For someone like me who likes a dewy foundation look, this after shave balm is a little upsetting. But if you're really oily this might help you stay matte all day long!

          One last issue we had with this after shave balm is that it does have a slight men's product scent to it (duh). If you purchase the after shave balm in "Sensitive" the smell is less noticeable. And even though the scent basically goes away after a few minutes of applying it to your face, we think it might still be a bit strong for people who are sensitive to scents.

          So what's our final verdict? We think that the Nivea Men's After Shave Balm is a pretty good basic primer for everyday use and is definitely worth giving a try!    

Nivea Men's After Shave Balm: $5.59  

New Dose of Colors Liquid Lipsticks!

The new Dose of Colors matte liquid lipsticks in Desert Suede, Mood, and Cork have stolen our hearts! Although these 3 colors are currently sold out online, they restock their items quite often. If you've been following our blog you know that Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks are one of our favorite (if not our favorite) liquid lipsticks that are out on the market. Aside from the unique/gorgeous colors that they come in, they also feel amazing on the lips, and last long too. These liquid lipsticks retail for $18 and you can buy them here. If you'd like to check out our review on some of the Dose of Colors products we've loved in the past click the link below!

Dose of Colors Review

From left to right: 

                              Cork: A warm, brown color with slight orange undertones

                              Desert Suede: A muted pink/nude with gray undertones and a little bit of shimmer

                              Mood: A rich, dark burgundy color with brown and berry undertones

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XO, RLS