IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer

I'm definitely not a concealer person, in fact I hardly ever use one.  Why, you ask?  Because I have lines under my eyes (I'm trying not to use the word wrinkles anymore, lines sounds so much more gentle) and most concealers get in there before I even have time to set it with powder.  It's just so much hassle when you're getting a bit older and you have lines around your eyes.  Since I don't really have dark circles under my eyes, I feel comfortable skipping this step.  But since I'm constantly thriving to step up my makeup game I've been trying to convince myself of the use of under eye concealers with not much succes until now.

If you haven't heard of the Bye Bye Under Eye concealer of It Cosmetics you definitely haven't been watching youtube makeup tutorials in the last year or so.  This concealer was everywhere,  got positive reviews all around the web and if you look at the It Cosmetics website this stuff is everything you ever needed and more.  The only problem: It Cosmetics wasn't available in Europe.  You could only buy it at Ulta (and I recently found out you can also buy it at Beautylish.com but since I'm not the best of buddies with Belgian customs I didn't want to use that option) until now.  Recently QVCUK started selling a small selection of It Cosmetics products including the Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer.  So as soon as it hit their website I ordered the Bye Bye Under Eye concealer in the shade light and with a duel ended concealer brush as an introductory offer.

I always try out new makeup out on a Sunday because sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to so a stay inside Sunday is the perfect day to try something on the first time.  It was two weeks ago on a Sunday morning I put the concealer on for the very first time.  First impression?  It's a very 'sturdy' formule, it doesn't come out of the tube that easily.  You really have to squeeze hard (almost to the point that I was afraid the end of the tube would explode).  I tried it out on the back of my hand and wasn't all that impressed to be honest, still couldn't see what the fuss was all about.  So I went on and put it under my eyes.  Now, I don't have the excessive dark circle thing going on under my eyes but since I have quite light skin you can definitely see THE vain.  You know, that blue vain that is under your eye and goes all the way to the inside of your eye, THE vain could use some covering up.  I left the concealer on without setting it with powder for the rest of the day.  

The first one I share exciting makeup stuff with is my bestie (no offense to you my dearest reader), if it's bad, good, not worth the hype, so worth the hype ... she's the first one to know how I feel about a certain thing so she got a text at night "this concealer doesn't crease!  It does not crease! And I didn't even set it with powder!" .  

I apply the Bye Bye Under Eye using the flat side of the brush first.  I apply it all the way up to my under eye lashes and in a slightly triangular shape.  Then I continue to buff it in with the other side of the brush and I set it with a little Laura Mercier Translucent powder.   Thats's the method that works best for me.  And the best thing: you only need a tiny amount of product, the size of the pinhead, so a tube will last you a very long time.

I've been using this one for two weeks straight now, every day and I feel naked not using it.  The other day I was running late and for a second I thought "oh, I could just skip concealer, I've been fine without it for so long and will save time" but I immediately banished those evil thoughts of my mind.

Yes, my lovely reader, I think I'm officially hooked on this concealer.  This has never happened before (well, not with a concealer anyway).   If you're looking for a new under eye concealer and you have some money to spend (no drugstore price here) than I highly recommend this one.  Looking for the right color can be a bit tricky.  I have a light skin tone and sometimes I feel the light color is too light for me (but my bestie tells me that's not the case and bestie always knows best) and I am thinking about ordering the medium toned one too (to mix with the light one in summertime).

I'm waiting for QVCUK to start selling their CC cream, I really can't wait to get my hands on more products of It Cosmetics.

Where to buy:

I bought mine at qvcuk.com and paid £23,64 for the concealer with the brush, handling and shipping was £3,97 so in total I paid £27,61 or €35,51.  Not cheap but since it came with a good brush this is a good deal.  You have to hurry though because this sells out like crazy (esp the medium color).  They do restock regularly so you have to visit the site from time to time.

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

I'm a big fan of primers that promise to erase pores.  I love Benefit Porefessional and Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector, they just make my skin feel so smooth, blur out pores and provide a great base for applying makeup.  So when I saw Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser in the drugstore my curiosity was triggered.  To be honest, this one has been in my possession for over a year noyw, I bought it when in the USA (on one of my Walmart sprees) but hadn't gotten around to using it.  When I saw that it finally launched in Belgium I immediately opened it to try it out.

The packaging is basic but practical and the color of the tube fits perfect in the whole Babyskin/Babylips range that Maybelline has.  It's just cute.

The consistency immediately reminded me of Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer.  It's a see through gel type formula that feels very sillicony.  It felt very different to the Benefit and Kiehl's formulas but hey, different doesn't have to mean bad right?

First thing I noticed when I tried it out on my hand was that it 'rolled-up', you know it didn't really take to the skin but the more I tried to rub it in, the more it dissolved in little pieces of product that sat on my hand.  Maybe I just used too much while testing it out, with primers a little goes a long way usually.

So I tried it on my face, under my make up for a week.  I used a tiny bit on the area where needed and followed with my foundation as usual.  What surprised me was that it left a 'greasy' feeling whereas the other pore diffusing product usually dry up more matte.  I had to be very careful applying my foundation to avoid the product rolling up.  I'm usually very much into buffing foundation into my skin but this time I had to be really light handed while applying it.

I really had to force myself to use this a whole week, it just didn't work for me.  I already wanted to toss it after two days.  I even felt a bit of relieve when the week was over.  

I personally won't be using this again but my bestie asked if she could try it so it's getting a second chance with her.  

Where to buy:

You can buy Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser at you local drugstore.  In Belgium a tube costs €7,99 at Kruidvat.

Too Faced Pink Leopard blushing bronzer

I'm a leopard kind of girl and I think almost everyone around me knows.  I'm also a make up addict (duh) and my bestie found the perfect combination of those two for my birthday last month.  A leopard print blushing bronzer!!  How cool is this?

I'd seen it around the internet a few times but I always managed to control myself.  "It's bad enough that I buy makeup that has a New York print or reference and never use it because it would ruin the New York print, there's no need to start buying makeup with a leopard print just because it has a leopard print" I kept telling myself.  But of course, as usual, bestie always knows best and I can only imagine how she felt when she found this for me.  I know it was a search because apparently it sells out quite fast but she managed to get her hands on it and I will be forever grateful for it.  

I have to admit it was hard for me to swatch this and even to use it.  Every time I open it a little voice inside my head goes "don't ruin the print" but since it was a gift, I have to use it.  I can't tell my bestie I'm not using it because one, that would be rude and two, it's just too gorgeous not to use.

It is quite shimmery and for my skin tone I have to use it with a light hand in order to get it on in a subtle way but when it's on, it's gorgeous.  Not too cool of a pink because of the bronze that's added and with enough shimmer too make you look healthy and youthful.  Did I mention it was my 39th birthday? I know, don't get me started ... Needless to say that every product that gives me a youthful glow is a winner in my book.  

So here's a little message for my bestie: thank you so much for finding me the perfect gift!!!  I smile every time I open it and there's no better way to start the day than with a smile ...

Where to buy:

You can find the Too Faced Leopard Bronzer at Sephora.fr and because it's not polite to look into the price tag of presents you get, you'll have to go and look for the price yourself ;-)  

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

I'm a Bioderma micellaire water kind of girl.  It's easy, works like a charm and only takes a few seconds.  Why mess with a winning thing right?  Well apparently I did.  When I was cleaning out my closets in September I came across this Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil by The Body Shop.  I vaguely remember buying it when it just launched and using it a few times ... and not really liking it.  But since September was the month I forced myself to use everything I had in my closets before opening something new, I reintegrated it in my evening routine.  

I've been using it a few weeks now and it has grown on my.  Especially now that the weather is getting colder I'm loving the feeling of the oil on my skin.  One pump of the product is enough for you whole face, you gently massage it all over your face and eyes and then add a bit of water which turns the formula in a milky substance.  Gently rub the water/milky substance over your face and eyes and rinse off with more water.  My skin feels really nice after this and my face is ready for the next step in my evening routine.  I'm a firm believer of the double cleanse: you take of your makeup and follow up with a cleanser to really clean up your face.  So after the Camomile Sliky Cleansing Oil I'll still use another cleanser (one of Neutrogena at the moment).

As much as my face loves this product, my eyes do not.  Well, maybe that's putting it a bit wrong.  It doesn't irritate my eyes or anything but after the cleansing it feels like there's a film of some sort over my eyes.  Also it doesn't take off all the eye makeup (think a panda like situation).  It's fine for eyeshadow but removing eyeliner or mascara?  Nope, there's still a fair amount left after cleansing.  So you'll still have to use an eye makeup remover alongside the cleansing oil.  One swipe with a cotton pad with some eye makeup remover on does get rid of all your eye makeup and also takes care of the film that was left over the eyes.

I'm pretty sure the amount that's left in the bottle will get me through the coldest months of the year but I don't think I'll repurchase it when it's finished.  I think I'll just go back to my Bioderma micellaire water that does the job so much faster.  

Where to buy:

You can buy The Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil at The Body Shop.  I paid €13 for 200ml.

Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector

Since I emptied my Smashbox photo finish face primer sample last month, it was time to try out a new one.  Enter Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector.  I bought it a few months ago when I was in Antwerp with my bestie and we made our usual pitstop at Kiehl's.  There are a few reasons why I love to go to a Kiehl's shop.  One, they always make time for you.  Two, you always get good advice. And three, you get so many samples so you can try what they recommend before actually purchasing it.  

Aside from Kiehl's I also love pore minimizing products (like Benefit's the Porefessional face primer) so when I saw this Micro-Blur Skin Perfector, I just had to try it.

The Micro-blur Skin Perfector is described as a 'lightweight skin smoother to instantly refine skin texture and minimize the appearance of pores while improving skin's quality over time'.  A mouthful to say the least.

The first time I used this I knew I was hooked.  You only need a pea size amount to cover your whole face and the effect is instant.  But it's the feeling of the product on my face that surprised.  It feels light, you hardly feel it's there, and it somehow feels 'refreshing'.  It's the perfect primer to use under your foundation but it's also great to use just over your moisturizer without using anything else (for that my skin but way better look).

I've always been a big Porefessional by Benefit fan but if I have to choose between the two I really feel like Kiehl's would be the winner.  

Since I've only been using this for two weeks I can't say anything about the promise of 'improving skin's quality over time' but so far my skin feels great!

And just in case you're wondering: the pictures are totally real.  The only thing that I adjusted was the light since they were both a bit too dark.  No other special effects were added.  So you be the judge!

Where to buy:

You can buy Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector at your Kiehl's store/counter or online.  For Belgium and The Netherlands that would be Kiehls.nl and a tube of 30ml costs 28€.

H&M Beauty Dead Sea Minerals mask

I'm a mask lover.  Coming home from work, making dinner cleaning up ... when all that's done it's time to take of my makeup, clean my face, put on a mask and make myself comfortable on the couch.    A mask to me is the synonym to downtime.  

I tend to bring some variation into my masks, one day it'll be hydrating, next day it might be cleansing and this time it was time for a reviving mask.

I have normal to dry skin, mostly dry on my cheeks and normal on my chin and forehead and sometimes my skin looks a bit dull so I was very curious to test out this mask.  It is described as 'a reviving mask with bergamot oil and focus seaweed for tired skin.  This natural, clay mask with stimulating dead sea minerals and seaweed extract works to revive tired skin.'

I was really surprised when I opened the package.  Dead sea, clay, seaweed ... I was expecting a grey clay mask but no, it is bright blue just like the sea.  The smell was ... well, let's say when I first opened it I thought it smelled fresh, when I was applying it to my face I changed my mind from fresh to toilet freshener.  Thankfully the smell fades away once it's on your face.

I applied a royal amount to my face after I cleaned and dried it and left it on for 10 - 15 minutes as instructed.  It's one of those masks that hardens so you'll know when you have to take it off.  Afterwards my skin was soft and looked good though it was a bit dry so I did have to hydrate it immediately.  

For the price of €2,99 you get 10ml of product.  Enough to pamper yourself at least twice.  Aside from the smell I did like this mask.  I don't know if I'll be buying this one again but I now am very curious to learn more about the other masks.  Especially the Coconut Water mask, that combination just screams tropical escape to me.

Where to buy:

You can buy the H&M beauty range at selected stores or online at HM.com.

MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus 2

Did I really need another red lipstick?  Of course not.  So the only way I can justify buying these is that I was supporting a good cause.  That, and the fact that a girl can never have too many red lipsticks, was enough reason for me to buy these.

I have to agree that the lipstick isn't really anything new, it's almost the same color as Lady Danger.  It's a gorgeous red (although Mac describes it as bright orange) matt lipstick.  Gorgeous but nothing new really ...

I'm not a lipgloss girl and this one hasn't been able to turn me into one.  I always reach for a lipstick and only on a very rare occasion do I put on gloss.  I just don't like the feeling of glosses, it's just always 'there' you know.  When wearing a good lipstick, I hardly feel like I have anything on my lips but when I put on gloss, I always feel it sitting on my lips and that irritates me so much.  I want make-up to been seen and no to be felt by me.

The combination of these two though ... it's just magic.  There are no other words for it.  I absolutely love them together.  I love them so much that I've been wearing them almost daily these past week, my week off work.  I wore them during our visit to Ikea, I wore them when I was going through my old clothes, I wore them to dinner with the man and I even wore them while I was vacuuming (just because I could) ...  I'm dreading going back to work and one of the reasons is that I won't be able to wear these.  Well, technically I guess I could but I can only imagine the reaction of my colleagues and clients.  But I will be wearing these to the zoo tomorrow, fingers crossed that I won't spook the monkeys ;-)

I know I look half asleep but it was the best one I could make, 

working had on the selfie game :-)

Where to buy:

You can buy the Viva Glam Miley Cyrus 2 Lipstick (€19,50) and Lipglass (€18,50) at a Mac Cosmetics store or online.

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum

I'm always curious about innovative products and I always considered Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum to be just that.  I've read about it on several blogs and I really wanted to try it out but there was one teeny tiny problem: the price.  It's fair to say the Perricone MD products don't come cheap and I didn't want to waste a lot of money on something that might be good but could just as well be horrible.  Mixed reviews on the net made me even more hesitant.

And than I was shopping at Sephora and waiting in line at the cash register.  Sephora is a sneaky little bastard: they put little travel sizes right along the waiting cue.  Clever, smart ... whatever you want to call it: it certainly works.  The best part of this for me is that they aren't your usual shampoo/conditioner/bodywash/bodylotion travel sizes but they have a great variety of make up products in there too, which is great if you want to test something but don't want to buy a full size of it yet.  So I bought a small size of Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum, part of their No Maekup Skincare Range.

I love the packaging, it looks very 'intelligent', but it gets a bit messy when using it.  The instructions say you have to dispence 3-4 drops into your palm and use you fingertips to apply it all over you face in circular motions.  Well, my dispenses just squirted some product out, there was absolute no sign of 'drops'.  Ok, I can deal with that.  But you handpalm is also left with residue which makes it all so messy.  

And than there's the result.  Apparently this serum comes in two tone: 1 fair to light and 2 light to medium.  There is no color indicated on the box but I blame that due to it being a travel size, when open in I read in the instructions that this one is number 2 Light To Medium.  

I was impressed when I put it on, it felt great on my skin, made my skin feel healthy.  It's no foundation but than again, it doesn't claim to be.  To me it's more like a bb cream, it evens out the skin and gives it a healthy glow.  The color was too dark for me, it was ok in middle of my face but you could definitely make out the edges of my face and the transition to my neck.  Me no want that!  But after giving it a little rest, the edges seemed to fade.  So it definitely needs time to 'sink' into the skin.  After wearing it all day, I felt like my skin looked great but no better than a good bb cream or colored day cream could make it look.

I'm happy I tried it but I would never buy the full size of this.  It's just way to expensive for what it does for me.  There are cheaper (and even better) alternatives according to me.  And this one will go into a drawer until next summer or until I go to a tropical island.  I have to have a bit more color in my face (if that's even possible with my skin) before I use it, but it would be great at night for that my skin but better effect.

Edit: after writing this I went to put this product away and started doubting.  I honestly don't think I'm going to use this much.  First of all because the color is a bit off and second of all because I'm just not wowed by it.  So I decided to give it away to one of my friends.  Maybe she'll have more use out of it.

Where to buy:

In Belgium you can buy Perricone MD at parfuma.com, they do sell the No Foundation Foundation but apparently not the serum.