Hello my loves! I want to start off by apologizing for it being 22 days since my last post! I started a new job last month and it has taken up much more of my time than I anticipated. However, it pays the bills and allows me to try new makeup so.. YAY! I also have been struggling with lighting in my new house so hopefully I can buy a nice lighted makeup mirror and a decent camera soon. My broken cell phone doesn't do my makeup justice.
I won a $50 gift card to Ulta on Random Acts of Makeup this past April. I live in Canada which means.. there is no Ulta! I had my friend Becca order everything for me, send it to my mom's US PO Box and then had to wait for my mom to come visit me.
What did I buy with this wonderful gift card? I bought Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Fresh Pink, Maybelline Dream Mouse Blush in Cloud Wine, Lorac Tantalizer bronzer and highlighter, and a Lorac Unzipped eyeshadow palette.
THE BLUSHES: Here are the 2 blushes. I was really excited to try both of these products because I've heard great reviews! Ulta had a buy one get one half off sale at the time so I decided to try them both!
The Dream Mousse Blush has a texture exactly like you'd imagine with the name. It's light and airy and soft. I really loved the texture. I found it was easy to blend and gave my dry cheeks a nice sheen. I used my fingers for this one but I also think it would do well with a sponge or a dense brush. It had good staying power but not GREAT and I found it had faded by the middle of my work day. Setting it with a translucent powder might help but that would definitely take away from the glow factor I enjoyed. The color was much warmer and browner than I expected. It had been recommended to me as a great plum but I find it to be more of a brick color. I think I would like it better in another shade but still, it is pretty.
The Dream Bouncy Blush has an extremely weird and unique texture. It almost feels like memory foam. It's really cool and definitely not what I expected. The color had excellent staying time lasting a whole 8 hour workday PLUS the hour transit there and back. 10 Hours! I applied this using a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and I don't think it would apply easily with your fingers at all. It dries into a powdery texture. I LOVE the color of this one. It's fresh, it's light, it's summery. It really makes me look naturally flushed.
THE BRONZER AND HIGHLIGHTER: I've been on the lookout for a good contouring kit and when I saw Tantalizer by Lorac on Ulta.com for only $12USD I KNEW I had to try it. Lorac is famous for it's creamy powders and high pigmentation. Unfortunately, this product fell flat of the expectations.
THE EYESHADOW PALETTE: Here, Lorac did live up to it's hype! Unzipped is a beautiful palette of rose golds, peaches, and warm neutrals. You get 6 shimmery shades and 4 mattes. The shadow is soft and creamy. I didn't find it to have much fall out. They last ALL day especially when paired with my Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I haven't tried the Lorac Primer it came with yet! I loved that the shimmers didn't have any chunky glitter in them to migrate all over my face.
Each color is swiped twice over Too Faced Shadow Insurance. You can see that they are (mostly) all completely opaque. The 2 medium-dark matte's didn't quite have the same quality as all the others but they still are high quality and make a lovely matte eye.
I pinky promise I will do a tutorial soon! I love making them and really wish it was easier with a better camera and lighting.
<3 Catlady Cosmetician
