How to Get a Natural Airbrushed Glow: My All-Time Favourite HG Highlighter (and its blush BFF)!

I Bought This Affiliate Links

As much as I love trying new makeup, there are some products that I keep going back to and this one is a daily driver. For your viewing (reading?) pleasure today, I have my absolute Holy Grail highlighter/blush product which gives the perfect natural airbrushed glow, the Smashbox Blush/Soft Lights Duo in Under/Cover. This was my very first Smashbox product; I had heard many good things about the brand and in regards to this beautiful duo, they're aaalll true.

I got this duo a long time ago on Hautelook for around $5. I had really wanted to try Smashbox’s Soft Lights and thought this was a great way to try it out (as well as a lovely blush) for a super inexpensive price. Scroll down for swatches and my highlighting chart.

L: Soft Lights, Under R: Blush, Cover

L: Soft Lights, Under R: Blush, Cover

Soft Lights are a highly acclaimed highlighting and illuminating powder and Under is a light, pearly beige, almost ivory, with a slight shimmer. It is perfect for getting that glowing, airbrushed look and I love the fact that it still looks beautifully natural. The Blush, Cover is a soft peachy pink which would be great for warm or neutral toned skin. The pressed powder is quite soft, so you don’t need to swatch too hard to get a decent amount onto your brush. Both shades are softly pigmented, but buildable. They give a gorgeous, soft glow which looks pretty and natural.

Where to put Soft Lights to get a natural, soft airbrushed glow:

Gently brushing Soft Lights onto the high points of your face (or wherever you want to emphasise and make stand out) and blending will produce a much brighter, more dimensional look. Especially with photography, since a camera can easily wash out your face and make it look flat. I really like the dewy glow I get when using this duo, the shades perfectly complement each other and look really natural. There’s nothing worse than a highlighter that makes you look sheened in sweat! The slight shimmer in the Soft Lights is subtle and not too shiny or sparkly at all and you only need a small amount to get a gorgeous result.

I’m pretty sure they discontinued these duos, but it’s allowed me to try two products that I will definitely be repurchasing in the future. You can still find them on ebay and around the web if you look for them and Smashbox has two shades available on their website, of the two SHIMMER looks closest to this one.

Have you tried Smashbox Soft Lights or Blush before? What is your favourite highlighter/illuminator?

Skin Care 101 with Mary Kay - The best microdermabrasion product EVER.

Honestly, I don't pay as much attention to skin care as I should. I get way too caught up in pretty cosmetics, and forget to take care of my skin which is definitely NOT the way to go. There's only so much you can cover up with makeup before you need to address the real issue, which is making sure you have a good canvas to start with.

Recently my lovely friend Megan invited me to participate in a Mary Kay skin care class. Basically, they send you a booklet with samples of the Mary Kay skin care products you're going to try out.

Then you join a conference call with a few Mary Kay consultants and other people taking the class and the consultants walk you through using the samples and answer any questions you might have about the products. It was a very interesting experience for me, as I've never done a skin care class by phone! The consultant leading the class gave us a bit of background on Mary Kay and let us know that they have the Good Housekeeping award - which means that their products actually do what they claim to do! Then it was time to break out the sample book and get cracking on some skin care! I decided to try the products on one side of my face, in order to see the difference after use. My skin is dry/combination, but these products are good for sensitive skin as well.

First we tried the Time Wise 3-in-1 Cleanser. This is a creamy, slightly exfoliating cleanser which is applied with a little water and then washed off. It was very gentle and didn't leave my skin feeling tight which is a problem I've had previously with other cleansers. 

We then used the TimeWise Microdermabrasion: Refine. I've tried a few microdermabrasion products before, but this is the only one that actually made a visible difference to my skin immediately. I could see a clear difference between the right and left sides of my face, such as smoother texture, smaller pores and more even tone. This is literally the BEST microdermabrasion product I've tried, it's definitely something I will be purchasing!

The TimeWise Microdermabrasion: Replenish is applied next, to soothe and protect the skin.

The next step was the TimeWise Night Solution (as it was evening), which really softened and moisturised my skin. It has these little beads in it which supposedly burst and deliver the enzymes (or something idk lol) directly to your skin.

The last product was the TimeWise Firming Eye Cream. I don't really have sagging skin or wrinkles around my eyes just yet, but I did notice a bit of a firming up in the eye area. It was probably only noticable to me though! My problem is more undereye dark circles, so I may have to try their Targeted-Action Eye Revitalizer, which is more for dark circles.

 I must admit, I was not expecting the products to work as well as they did. I've tried other high end skin care before, but a lot of them make a bunch of claims which you don't actually get to see happen until weeks or months down the road. This was pretty much an instant result, which I was really happy with.


Along with the skin care samples, Megan also sends some makeup samples to try, which was great because I could get a feel for the formulas and the different shades.

The consultants are all really pleasant and well informed and were able to give me detailed information on each of the products, which was a great experience. I definitely recommend trying out the skin care class if you've never tried Mary Kay before, it gives you an opportunity to see how the products work for you risk-free.


Contact Megan for more information!

Megan Richardson
Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant
Tel # (949) 616-2228
Email megaty (at) marykay (dot) com
www.marykay.com/megaty

PROMO CODE/DISCOUNT COUPON!
Mention IshahxBeauty when you contact Megan to sign up for a skin care class! They have different specials for each class and you can score some great deals.

Alternatively, get a 10% discount when you order online at www.marykay.com/megaty. Register, choose your products and enter ishahxbeauty in the comments box.

(Total will be adjusted with a 10% discount when you are invoiced. It will not be an instant discount coupon.)

Shipping anywhere in the United States is free.

For international readers, find a Mary Kay Consultant in your country at this link: http://www.marykay.com/megaty/company/aroundtheworld/default.aspx

Disclaimer: Products are samples provided for use with the skin care class. All opinions are 100% my own and honest. NOT a sponsored post.

Benefit Cosmetics House Party & Hello Flawless FOTD

My long overdue post on the Benefit Cosmetics House Party I hosted!

We received samples of all 9 shades of Benefit’s new Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! Foundation, the new primer The POREfessional and Bad Gal Lash Mascara.

You can see my original post on Benefit’s Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! Foundation with swatches of all 9 shades here.

These are the cute little sample bags my friend Dee and I put together (yes, the cardboard box makes for great presentation.. I know).

My lovely friends and I then set about testing the different shades and finding what worked for us. We were all pleased at the light texture of the Hello Flawless foundation and the smooth finish of The POREfessional primer.

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! Foundation – all 9 shades

Happy Friday, Beauties!

Well, my Benefit House Party got postponed due to illness (it’s the dreaded spring cold season!), so I wont be posting about til next month. I do, however, have all 9 shades of the new Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! Brightening Makeup Foundation.

From the Benefit Website:

hello flawless oxygen wow!

brightening makeup, oil-free SPF 25 PA+++

$34.00

• broad-spectrum SPF 25 PA+++ protection**
• oil-free formula
• natural finish
• hydrating benefits
• light-diffusing properties
• available in 9 shades

**What does PA+++ mean? SPF stands for the protection grade of the UVB filter. PA stands for the protection grade of the UVA filter. The highest standard of sun protection rating is the three-star PA rating. Our foundation has three stars, which translates to the highest protection.

INGREDIENTS

Review & Giveaway! Freeman Beauty Feeling Beautiful facial masks.

Who doesn’t like a spa day, Beauties?

I recently got the opportunity to try out these facial masks from Freeman Beauty’s Feeling Beautiful line.
I received a hand towel, shower cap, travel sachets of their popular favourites, the Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask, the Cucumber Peel-Off Mask and….
Wait for it…

The brand new Chocolate & Strawberry Clay Mask.

 ♥ Chocolate & Strawberry ♥

Review: Purederm Makeup Cleansing Tissues

If there’s one thing I need before I go to bed, it’s a clean face.

Yeah, I cleanse in the shower and all that, but sometimes you need to get all that panda eye and residual foundation. Enter the cleansing wipe.

DDF Skincare product info session @ Sephora

Is it Tuesday already Beauties?? Where did the weekend go?

On Saturday I had the opportunity to go to a product information session by a line called DDF (which stands for Doctor's Dermatologic Formula). I found out about it through the OCMomActivities Facebook page. She posted a status giving three people the opportunity to be a part of the session, which included a skincare analysis. After a few emails back and forth with Eve, the promoter of the event, filling out a survey and checking out the DDF website, I was all set and ready to go! At 10.20am I arrived at Sephora in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, shortly followed by the two other participants, Charlene and Lisa. Eve was there to greet us and give us a cute little goodie bag filled with healthy snack products.

Maybelline Fit Me swatches.

Morning Beauties :) How was your St Patty's day? I don't really celebrate it.. it sort of just feels like another excuse for people to drink copious amounts of alcohol!

So I finally got around to swatching the samples of the Maybelline Fit Me foundation. There were a heap of shades to choose from, I picked from the 'medium' section; No 220, 230 and 235. These all had a warm tone to them, 225 was a little too cool and ashy for my skintone.

LORAC on HauteLook.com

Morning Beauties, just a quick post about the LORAC event on HauteLook at the moment.

I just ordered a LORAC makeup palette, mascara and lipgloss on HauteLook and all up with shipping it was $31.16. This is less than what the makeup palette by itself was being sold for on Ulta! HauteLook isn't always such great value, but sometimes they have an awesome makeup sale. A few months ago they had an Urban Decay sale for $2 an item!! Needless to say I was up bright and early for that one.. got about 4 items and paid around $15 total with shipping. You have to be on the lookout for these 'blowouts' as they call them, they usually start at 8am and you have to be on the ball to get something you want. The LORAC sale starts at $1.99 for their Lip Polishes, a cute little lip gloss in a nail polish like bottle.

If any of you want to check it out, my referral link is http://www.hautelook.com/invite/IClay062

You get $10 when someone you have referred makes a first time purchase but even if you don't bother with referrals, it's worth being a member just for the awesome blowouts they have from time to time. I'm not all that fanatical about promoting my referral link, but hey if any of you are going to join anyway, why not help a sister out? ;)

Have you used HauteLook before, or are you interested in checking it out? Are you a member of any other sample sale websites like this?

Review: Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream No. 23

Happy Sunday, Beauties! I'm running late with this post because I am all out of sync with the clock. Who had to turn their clocks forward an hour today? I don't know about you, but I dislike daylight savings :( It just seems unnecessary to me. Anyway, onto the BB Cream!

I didn't know anything about BB Creams until just recently, when I saw a tutorial on youtube and the girl applied Missha Perfect Cover Bb Cream. It made her skin look really smooth and flawless, so I started looking into the different types of BB creams. For those of you that don't know what BB Creams are, here is some general info.

General Product Features and Benefits
* Produces a very natural, "no makeup look"

* Provides perfect coverage like a foundation would but since it's not as thick, it doesn't clog the pores

* Works pretty much like a tinted moisturizer

* Conceals all types of pigmentation, discoloration, acne and other blemishes

* Has healing properties that soften, smoothen and refine skin

* Encourages skin regeneration to create and maintain youthful skin

* Contains UV Protection for healthy skin (SPF levels differ for each brand/product)

* Anti-wrinkle and skin-lightening benefits (available for some variants)



What I like about Missha is that they have a bigger variety of shades than the other brands. Since BB Creams were developed in Korea and used mostly in asian countries, the shades tend to be on the lighter yellow toned side. This might work on Caucasian skintones, but for us darker south east asians (Thai, Malay, Indonesian, Filipino etc) it would just look too pale and mask-like. The shade I have is No. 23, although I think I might be in between 23 and 31. I am planning to get 31 as well and see if I can mix them to my perfect shade.

You can take a look at the different shades at the Missha US website.

I apply this with my fingers and blend. It goes on looking a bit grey and chalky, but it soon oxidizes to match your skin tone. It blends really well into the skin, leaving it looking smooth and polished. It's been described as a heavyweight tinted moisturiser and it is that, and more. What I love about it is while it's more natural looking than most liquid foundations, it covers my dark undereye circles and has excellent staying power. I find that it will last all day without needing any touch ups. As this is not my perfect shade, but a little light, I usually put some bronzing powder over it in certain places just to give it a more natural look.

I LOVE that this is an all in one product. It is a moisturiser, sunscreen, primer and foundation in one. You can basically (if you have the right shade) put this on and go. It lasts, so there's no time consuming touch ups and it looks natural.

I feel that it has helped refine my skin texture and smooth it a little, but haven't really noticed any whitening or anti aging benefits as yet. I've only been using it for about a month, so maybe those come with time.

I'm wearing my Circle Lenses in this pic! The give such a shiny glisten to the eyes :)

Overall, I would recommend this if you want medium, natural looking coverage that lasts without having to use a lot of different products. The only drawback is the limited shades... Hopefully the western market will catch on to this awesome product and start creating their own versions.

Do you like the convenience of a BB Cream? Would you try them or have you tried them before?

Ishah xx

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation

Good morning Beauties! Just a quick post about some samples I received yesterday.




Target sometimes has free samples that you can sign up for on their website and about a month ago they had a new foundation by Maybelline. It's called Fit Me and is supposed to blend perfectly with your natural skintone.








This is the information from the Maybelline website:

"FLAWLESS LETS THE REAL YOU COME THROUGH  
BEYOND MATCHING: FRESH, BREATHING, NATURAL SKIN 
SPF 18 

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

It's makeup that fits you.

• No oils, no waxes, no nonsense
• Natural coverage that leaves skin the way it was meant to be…fresh, breathing, natural  
• Exclusive translucent base and lightweight pigments allow skin's natural highs and lows to show through
• Non-comedogenic, dermatologist-tested

FOR BEST RESULTS

Apply smoothly and evenly to your face and blend with your fingertips."

What's great about this foundation is that it's only $6! That is definitely a price I can live with. I like that they include lots of different colors and tones so you can find your perfect shade. I've found that although a foundation may have a shade that is close to my skin color, the tone won't be warm enough or is too pink for my more golden toned skin. Hopefully this one has enough of a range for me to find a perfect match!

For me it's hard to get a perfect shade, especially in drugstore brand makeup. The more expensive brands usually have a bigger range of colors, but not always. I have seen some extremely high end foundations that only come in three shades!
What about you, is it hard to find your perfect shade? Or do you feel like you have a lot of options for your skintone?

I will post a review in a couple of days :)

Ishah xx

Expired - Target free samples via TheFrugalGirls.com

{As of March 07 they have run out of samples!}

My lovely friend Jenn linked me to this info about a free sample bag Target is giving away. You fill out a short survey and they send you samples based on what they think your would be interested in. I love Target because they are always giving away free samples!

Image from TheFrugalGirls.com

Here is the link to TheFrugalGirls.com which gives you the info on the giveaway :)

There are limited quantities so get in quick! I hope you are able to snag one, I have signed up for one and will do a post on it when it arrives :)

Gyaru on a Budget - Candydoll Strawberry Pink dupe?

Hey, Beauties!

I adore the Gyaru style, in all its incarnations, but I have neither the time or the extra money to maintain such an intricate fashion. The cult 'gyaru' products, such as Candy Doll and Dolly Wink (both designed by top Gyaru model, Tsubasa Masuwaka), can get pretty expensive outside of Japan and when you have a family in this economy... well you get the picture. That's why I decided to do a series on cheaper and more easily accessible alternatives to these popular products. And here is the first Gyaru on a Budget post - Candy Pink blush!

AVON Smooth Minerals Powder in Shell

So my AVON order came after about a week.. I was expecting it to come sooner, but I guess it wasn't too bad. Next time I may try personal delivery and see if that works better for me.

The packaging is pretty standard looking, plain black lid with a clear compartment for the powder. It is a little small, but not too bad for $8.99.

Avon free shipping code.

I recently wanted to buy some mineral makeup and saw that Avon was having a sale on theirs. I briefly considered Bare Minerals, but at around $21 (average) for one powder it is a little pricey for me to justify buying. Avon is currently selling their Smooth Minerals Powder Foundation at $8.99 so I thought I'd give it a try. I also picked up the Beyond Color Plumping Lip Color for $4.99 :)

They have a system where you can shop from a representative's online store and opt for either free personal delivery or pay $3 for direct shipping. I decided to go with direct shipping and found a code for free shipping when you make your first purchase with any representative: FIRSTREP.

I should be receiving my order sometime next  week (they quote 4-7 days) so when I do I will review both products.

I hope this code is useful for you!

Note: I am not affiliated with Avon in any way.