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My Most Used Ben Nye Powders for Brown Skin: Banana, Sienna & Dark Cocoa

March 6, 2014 by Kim S. / blog, Product Swatches / 27 Comments

First, before I get into why I chose Ben Nye Powders for my personal use and for my professional makeup kit, I think you should know that Ben Nye was one of the first to design natural foundation colors for African-American, Hispanic and Asian performers. Needless to say, the Ben Nye brand has been around for years, and the products have been a staple in many Hollywood makeup artists’ kits for T.V. and theatrical makeup – and let us not forget the drag queens.

While looking for affordable items to build my professional makeup kit, I came across Ben Nye Powders, more specifically the Ben Nye Banana Visage Poudre Luxury Powder. My first Ben Nye Powder Purchase was the Banana Powder. For one, through my research I’ve found that it has many uses and it works well on most skintones. Listen, I said most, that doesn’t mean I will use it on the darkest shade of brown because I know better. Secondly, I knew I was onto something when I had a lunch date one summer with Sam Fine (this was while he still lived in Brooklyn) who asked me what products I had in my kit. After listing the items I had, including the Ben Nye Banana Powder, he stopped me and asked “How did you find out about it? That’s a great choice.” Whoop Whoop!

After using the Banana Powder in my kit, I longed to try the other Ben Nye Powders, especially the shades for darker skintones, so I picked up the following Ben Nye Powders: Classic Translucent Face Powder ($7) in Sienna and Topaz; Mojave Luxury Powder ($12-$14) in Dark Cocoa and Cocoa Tan; Bella Luxury Powder ($12-$28) in Cameo and Beige Suede.

I’ve swatched the three most used Ben Nye Powders I use personally. Even though I left it out, I do use Topaz, too. I will swatch that one for you later. To set my makeup, Sienna works best. As a highlight I switch between the Banana Powder or Topaz; Topaz is a great highlight shade for deeper brown skintones. Dark Cocoa I use as my contour.

Ben Nye Bella Luxury Powders

Bella Luxury Powders are a silky-fine, mattifying translucent setting powder with just a hint of color, you won’t miss the white cast in your photos that often comes with other finishing powders. The versatile Banana shade suits just about any skin tone as it softly and subtly color corrects surface redness and pink undertones, as well as neutralizes bluish undereye circles. The powder is specially formulated to absorb excess oil and soften the appearance of pores and texture. Enhance your fair-skinned, youthful glow with Cameo, balance out light to medium skin tones with Buff, and warm up tan to deeper skin tones with Beige Suede. With more product for the price, it’s as beautiful on your wallet as it is on your skin! This Ben Nye Powder is available in 4 shades: Banana, Beige Suede, Buff, and Cameo. Source: CRC Makeup

Ben Nye Classic Translucent Powder

Ben Nye’s Classic Translucent Face powder sets creme makeup for a durable, soft matte finish. Neutral Set Translucent Powder is a colorless powder that blends with all skin tones without diminishing the natural glow of your complexion. The special formula also controls perspiration. This Ben Nye Powder is available in 9 shades ranging from fair to cool, to the rich, deep brown: Neutral Set (TP-5); Super White (TP-7); Fair (TP-1); Pretty Pink (TP-89); Topaz (TP-3); Sienna (TP-47); Chestnut (TP-42); Ebony (TP-52); Coco Tan (TP-44). Super White Powder is Ben Nye’s only non-translucent powder that contains a bright white pigment good for White, Geisha, Porcelain, and other very fair shades. Source: CRC Makeup

Ben Nye Mojave Luxury Powder

This set of Ben Nye Powders was formulated for those with rich and warm skintones (olive and brown). Ben Nye’s Mojave Luxury Powders are gently tinted to enhance your natural glow, not wash it out. This Ben Nye Powder is velvety to the touch, is lightweight, blends easily, thus softening the look of fine lines and pores as well as absorbs excess oil to keep your skin looking fresh and flawless all day long. This powder comes in six shades: Camel (true golden olive), Dolce (softer golden), Olive Sand (tan golden), Clay (muted terracotta), Nutmeg (ruddy spice) and Dark Cocoa (rich chocolate). Source: CRC Makeup

Ben Nye Powders Uses

Setting Makeup
Highlight
Contour
Catch fallout from eyeshadow

The best part about these Ben Nye Powders is that you get a lot of bang for your buck. You receive a lot of product for an affordable price. It’s hard for one person to use it all up, too! It’s a great idea to buy one bottle and split it with some friends. Sharing is caring.

Where to purchase

I purchased my Ben Nye Powders from Camera Ready Cosmetics, but you can also find them on Amazon, Alcone Co, Naimies and even Ricky’s NYC.

Have you tried any of the Ben Nye Powders?

What are your thoughts on them?

Amazon.com Widgets

IT Cosmetics CC Your Way to Beautiful Skin 4-piece Collection ‘Rich’ {Swatches}

March 5, 2014 by Kim S. / blog, Miscellaneous, Product Swatches / 23 Comments

PR SAMPLE

One of my favorite cosmetics brands, IT Cosmetics has an exciting 4-piece collection debuting March 10, 2014 on QVC – CC Your Way to Beautiful Skin ($58.98 – QVC Item #: A253534). This collection features four of IT Cosmetics must-have beauty products that allow you to put your best [fresh] face forward this spring. Included in the IT Cosmetics CC Your Way to Beautiful Skin collection are: CC+™ Lip Serum Hydrating Anti-Aging Color Correcting Creme Gloss, Tightline™ Waterproof Mascara Primer, a super size (2.53 fl oz) Your Skin But Better CC+™ Cream with SPF 50+, and a Heavenly Luxe™ Plush Paddle Foundation Brush.

The IT Cosmetics CC Your Way to Beautiful Skin 4-piece collection is the perfect collection for women who don’t like the look and feel of heavy makeup, and want the added bonus of applying makeup that leads to healthier and better skin.

Your Skin But Better CC+™ Cream with SPF 50+

The Your Skin But Better CC+™ Cream with SPF 50+ UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum is a full-coverage color correcting cream, anti-aging serum, and broad spectrum SPF 50 + all-in-one, which means you no longer have to apply product after product to achieve healthy-looking, glowing skin. The Your Skin But Better CC+™ Cream with SPF 50+ isn’t heavy, and doesn’t look cakey, and as you can see from the swatches, it has great coverage, and does a good job of color correcting the blue-green area on my wrists. I know with darker skintones the concern with wearing products that contain Titanium and Zinc Oxide is flashback – I didn’t experience that.

The Your Skin But Better CC+™ Cream with SPF 50+ comes in five shades: Fair, Light, Medium, Tan, and Rich.

Heavenly Luxe™ Plush Paddle Foundation Brush

The Heavenly Luxe™ Plush Paddle Foundation Brush is a synthetic, but soft dense foundation brush that enables you to apply a smooth, even layer of the Your Skin But Better CC+™ Cream to clean skin or over your favorite moisturizer.

Tightline™ Waterproof Mascara Primer

The Tightline™ Waterproof Mascara Primer is a waterproof eyelash primer that lasts up to 12 hours. Using the Tightline™ Waterproof Mascara Primer isn’t that hard – you lightly and gentle press the Tightline™ Waterproof Mascara Primer wand along the root of your lash line to fill-in the gaps between the lashes for the look of added volume and definition.

CC+™ Lip Serum Hydrating Anti-Aging Color Correcting Creme Gloss

Finish your fresh faced spring look by applying the “ultra-conditioning” CC+™ Lip Serum Hydrating Anti-Aging Color Correcting Creme Gloss in shade “Love” for instant color correction , and a flush of color. The CC+™ Lip Serum Hydrating Anti-Aging Color Correcting Creme Gloss can be worn both day and night for improved hydration. The CC+™ Lip Serum Hydrating Anti-Aging Color Correcting Creme Gloss is a good match for my brown skin; it looks natural, and smells wonderful.

The IT Cosmetics CC Your Way to Beautiful Skin 4-piece Collection will be a t Today’s Special Value (TSV) on QVC. It will be offered at an impressive affordable price of $58.98, while supplies last, for oNE DA ONLY on QVC. , the QVC apps and QVC.com on Monday, March 10, 2014 from 12: 00 a.m. EST to 2:25 a.m. the following day.

What do you think of the IT Cosmetics CC Your Way to Beautiful Skin Collection?

Will you purchase?

Disclosure: Product was provided for review consideration. All opinions are my own and are honest.

My Favorite Makeup Removers {Video}

March 3, 2014 by Kim S. / blog, Miscellaneous, Reviews / 26 Comments

After you’ve applied all of the makeup, and your day is done, you’re met with the dreaded conclusion that it all has to come off. Removing my makeup at the end of the day is probably my least favorite part of applying makeup; however, to save face (literally), I have to make sure all traces of makeup is gone. How do I do that? With the help of my Favorite Makeup Removers, of course. Watch the video below for a peak at what are my Favorite Makeup Removers, and why I use them.

Dermalogica PreCleanse Oil

I’ve reviewed the Dermalogica PreCleanse Oil ($35.00) previously on this blog, and I still use it to remove my makeup, or whenever I feel like I’m in need of a deep cleansing. Since the Dermalogica PreCleanse Oil requires me to stand at a sink, and isn’t travel-friendly, I’ve turned to something else to use on my “lazy nights,” the Dermalogica PreCleanse Wipes.

Dermalogica PreCleanse Wipes

If you love the Dermalogica PreCleanse Oil, you will love the wipes! The Dermalogica PreCleanse Wipes (20 Pre-moistened Wipes/$18) are packed with the same makeup remover and cleansing ingredients just like the oil, except in a biodegradable wipe form. Since the produce is in wipe form, they’re travel-friendly, and also makes them perfect to keep at your bedside for those nights when you’re too tired to stand at the sink to remove your makeup.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Hydrating Cleansing Towelettes

The Neutrogena Makeup Remover Hydrating Cleansing Towelettes ($4.99/25) are an affordable makeup remover wipes that can be found at your local drugstore. I’ve reviewed them, and I still use them. I’ve honestly repurchased them several times. The Neutrogena Makeup Remover Hydrating Cleansing Towelettes get rid of everything. EVERYTHING!

Ponds Luminous Clean Wet Towelettes

The Ponds Luminous Clean Wet Towelettes ($5.79/ 30 Wipes) are wipes I use after I use any of the above makeup removers. These towelettes help my skin feel clean, and get rid of any excess residue that the makeup removers may have missed. Again, they’re great for traveling, and perfect for keeping at your bedside. Another thing about these wipes are that they can be used when the weather warms up for on-the-go cleansing because sweat, oil and dirt equals breakouts and blemishes.

What are your Favorite Makeup Removers and on-the-go cleansers?

Review: COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow {Swatches}

February 21, 2014 by Kim S. / blog, Product Swatches, Reviews, Tutorials / 16 Comments

Disclosure: Product was provided for review consideration.

The COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow is a pigmented, shimmery, creamy, and light weight eyeshadow promising up to 12-hours of wear. The new COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow is available in six shades: Gold Goddess, Color Me Money, Ice Queen, Ooh La Lilac, Platinum Club, and Copper Fling.

Description of the COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow (Covergirl):

Transform your eyes into bombshell sexy. Each shiny or shimmery Bombshell ShineShadow by LashBlast contains reflective pigments so your eyes dazzle when light hits your face.

6 long-lasting cream shadows for shimmer or shine

Blendable formula contains reflective pigments

Easy, breezy application

Covergirl Bombshell Shineshadow swatches no flash

My thoughts:

I was provided a gift card to purchase items from the new COVERGIRL Bombshell collection from Walmart.com; therefore, I chose the COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow shades I felt would be more flattering against my skin tone. Of the six shades available, I chose Color Me Money (olive with shimmer), Gold Goddess (light gold shimmer), and Ooh La Lilac (lilac with silver shimmer). Of the three shades I chose, Color Me Money and Gold Goddess are my favorites.

The consistency of the of the COVERGIRL Bombshell Shineshadow is creamy, and feels light weight – similar to a mousse. I like that the shadow, in my opinion, although highly pigmented can be applied lightly for a flush of color and shimmer on the lids, or built up for a more bold look. Even though I am not a fan of shimmery shadows, I do like the COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow’s since the shimmer is not overpowering.

COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow claims to provide up to 12-hours of wear. Unfortunately for me, due to my oily lids, I was not able to experience that, especially without using a primer. Don’t get me wrong, the color pay-off is good.

Would I recommend?

The COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow is a great line of affordable ($6.99/ .18 oz), creamy eyeshadows that blend and apply with ease, and are great for ladies who are blessed with non-oily lids. Gold Goddess is one of the most versatile shades from the COVERGIRL Bombshell collection, especially since I was able to use it as a highlighter. The versatility of the product doesn’t stop there, you can also use the COVERGIRL Bombshell ShineShadow with your favorite powder eyeshadows. You’re definitely getting your monies worth.

Makeup By Kim Porter