Hakuhodo G543 Powder DR Round Review and Pictures

On one of the MANY occasions that I was stalking the Hakuhodo website, and intently reading every word as though just reading about their amazing brushes would have a transformative effect on me, I was struck by this cute little G543 brush. For some reason I simply couldn't take my eyes off of it, and this makeup magpie really wanted to take it back to her nest! So I read and reread the description:

This powder brush gives you ideal glossy skin look. It may feel hard to the touch because of the high density and short hair. But you should be able to notice a soft and comfortable feeling when you let it slide smoothly on your face. This strong and gentle harmony will make elasticity and gloss.

There was really only one thing left to do- so I jumped over to see what Gaia from The Non-Blonde had to say about this unusual little brush that was unlike anything else that I have ever seen before. If you are unfamiliar with The Non-Blonde- get familiar!! She's an amazing blogger, and one whose opinion I truly value.  She really knows her brushes (well, makeup and skincare too)! Gaia was the first to note that while this brush does a brilliant job with powder, and while that is its intended purpose, she made the brilliant discovery that this brush does a REMARKABLE job stippling and buffing liquid and cream foundation. As soon as I read that I knew that I had to have it. To say that Gaia's assessment was spot-on is an understatement.

This is an extraordinary little brush- in fact, it is probably my very favorite brush of all time. It is surprisingly small and unassuming- it is only about 2 inches tall with a matte black wooden handle, and the most densely packed head made of white goat hair (Sokoho). You might mistakenly think that since it is densely packed goat hair that it might feel rough or scratchy on the skin, but this brush is soft and so comfortable on the face that you might be tempted to continue to buff longer than necessary (be careful because you could actually end up removing the makeup that you applied!!). 

It is more like a magic wand than a brush in the way that it provides the most unbelievably refined and flawless coverage whether applying powder, liquid, or cream based products. In the perfect world I would have one for each! It is hard to classify this brush and place it in a category of brushes-- it really is peerless. While it sort of looks like a Kabuki brush- it has such short and dense bristles that it doesn't really fit into that category of brushes.

Overall assessment: Simply a peerless brush.  Amazing to use- rendering perfect results with powder, liquid or cream formulas every time. Because of the density of the tightly packed head it does take some time to dry after cleaning it. This is definitely a Holy Grail brush for me!

$94.00 Available from Hakuhodo

MAC Kissable LipColours from Shop MAC- Review & Swatches

Top to bottom: Woo Me, Enchantee, Flaunting It, Scan-delicious

There are five limited edition shades of MAC Kissable Lipcolour from the Shop MAC Collection- though you probably remember these as repromotes from Peacocky about a year or so ago. I only got 4 out of the 5 because So Vain is a muted dirty coral, and such shades look horrible on my cool NC20-25 skin.

I love this formula so much- it is so comfortable to wear- it is in that hybrid category somewhere between a lipstick and a lip gloss. It has the opaque coverage and feel of a lipstick with the sheen of a lip gloss. It feels velvety and smooth on the lips, but isn't terribly long-wearing. With the lighter shades I find that I have to reapply after a couple of hours, whereas the darker ones wear a bit longer. They have the vanilla scent/taste that one expects with many of the MAC lip products, but that quickly fades.

Woo Me: is a light pinky nude shade. It leans a bit on the beige side and does contain some shimmer, but not an overwhelming amount. 

Enchantee: is a light blue pink that reminds me a bit of Viva Glam Gaga, but Enchantee is slightly warmer.

Flaunting it: is a grey mauve. To me it seems a bit more like a violet purple pink.

Scan-delicious: is a blue fuchsia. I think there is a good deal of red in this gorgeous shade. 

Swatches:

Left to right (outdoor light): Woo Me, Enchantee, Flaunting It, Scan-delicious

Indoor light

Overall assessment: I love these Kissable Lipcolours and wish MAC would add them to their permanent range of products.

$19.00 0.17 oz.  MAC has sold out of Woo Me and Enchantee, but Nordstrom still has everything available but Enchantee online. However, the San Diego Nordstrom still has Enchantee in stock (619) 295-4441 Ext. 1066.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Swatches- ALL 20 Shades!

Left to right: Cupcake (055), Cotton Candy (045), Gumdrop (060),  & Strawberry Shortcake (080)

Cupcake: Sheer blue pink

Cotton Candy: pale sheer cool pink with gold pearl 

Gumdrop: pale sheer lilac to lavender

Strawberry Shortcake: bright bubblegum pink.

Left to right: Sweet Tart (090), Lollipop (075), Raspberry Pie (010), Berry Smoothie (050)

Sweet Tart: bright cool toned pink

Lollipop: fuchsia pink with blue pearl

Raspberry Pie: pinky fuchsia

Berry Smoothie: cool rosy pink with pink pearl.

Left to right: Sugar Plum (085), Pink Truffle (001), Sugar Frosting (005),  Crème Brûlée (095)

Sugar Plum: muted brown pink

Pink Truffle: muted brown pink with a touch of mauve

Sugar Frosting: sheer cool blue pink with pink pearl

Crème Brûlée: sheer warm nude

Left to right: Creamsicle (065), Peach Parfait (025),  Tutti Frutti (015), Candy Apple (035)

Creamsicle: super sheer warm pinky nude

Peach Parfait: warm peachy rose with gold pearl

Tutti Frutti: sheer true clean orange

Candy Apple: bright warm red

Left to right: Cherry Tart (070), Red Velvet (040), Fig Jam (030), Brown Sugar (020)

Cherry Tart: warm cherry red with pearl

Red Velvet: deep blue-based red

Fig Jam: nude caramel brown

Brown Sugar: warm nude pinkish brown with pearl

Left to right: Pink Lemonade (047) and Sorbet (053). 

These are two of the newest shades that I added in after initially posting all of the swatches.

Pink Lemonade: is a neutral light pink

Sorbet: is a vibrant mid-tone pink

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters are lusciously comfortable, wonderfully moisturizing, stunningly gorgeous lipstick & lip balm hybrids that are nothing short of FABULOUS!!  There is not a bad color in the bunch, and though I am a cool leaning NC 20-25 I happily wear all 20 colors! Click here for my full review, and here for additional pictures of all 20. The pictures are all high resolution- so be sure to click on each one for a more detailed view.

SHINY COLOR + BUTTERY BALM 94% of women felt lips were softer smoother and instantly hydrated. Available in 20 irresistible shades.

- Hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula boosts lip moisture by 156%
- Pampering gel formula provides super charged hydration and glides on lips buttery smooth
- Sheer to medium colour with buttery shine
- Available in 20 luscious shades

Overall assessment: Fantastic luscious buildable lip color at an affordable price. What's not to love!

Available from Walgreens and other drugstores (Affiliate Link).
Copyright © 2014 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved.

Click to view Emma Stone for Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Commercial:

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Pictures- ALL 20 SHADES!

Look at all of these gorgeous colors- I simply had to get my hands on all 20 of the shades available in the US. Click here for my review, but suffice it to say- I LOVE THESE!! Click here for swatches of all 20 of them. These are high resolution pictures- so click on them for big close ups!

Coastal Classic Creations- Coastal Evenings Eyeshadow/Liner Review

Coastal Classic Creations is an environmentally friendly company that makes cruelty-free products that are as lovely as they are safe. Coastal Classic Creations "is committed to the development of cosmetics and personal care products made without any ingredient which is known or which is suspected of causing harm to all forms of life." This company has great integrity, and is very serious about their commitment to the health of the consumer and the environment. I came to know about this fantastic company because my mom, who no longer uses any chemical-laden beauty products,  gave me a lovely selection of their makeup for my birthday (thanks, mom!!).

Coastal Evenings Eyeshadow/Liner is a very deep dark matte black mineral powder shadow/liner that can be used wet or dry. Because it is a loose mineral powder there is a tendency toward fall out when applied dry- so I suggest either a wet or damp brush to avoid the potential mess. This is a tremendously pigmented loose powder- so only the smallest amount is needed to achieve the desired look, and once it sets it provides very long lasting wear.

According to the company, their "eye shadows are created with high purity cosmetic pigments. They are beautiful, unique, custom blended colors. These shadows are highly concentrated, therefore, only a small amount of the product should be used."

The top swatch was applied wet, and the bottom swatch was applied dry. As you can see this is a deeply saturated matte black which makes it perfect as a liner. I am very fond of a strong winged liner, and this little beauty is perfect for that application.

Coastal Classic Creations suggests to use this product in the following way:

To use as a dry shadow: Dip an eye shadow brush into the product, and apply a small amount of the shadow onto your brush. Tap off the excess back into the container and apply onto the eyelid area with eye closed blending around the eyelid area. Add more eye shadow to darken, if desired. Also, blending with a dark and light color, the lighter toward the eyebrow, the darker on the lid can give the eye shadow a more diverse look. To use as a dry eyeliner: Dip an angled eye liner brush into the shadow and bring the color underneath the lid. To use as a wet eyeliner: Do not mix water directly into your product, since you may wish to use your product dry. Place a few drops of water into a tiny bowl. Then, take a detailed liner brush and wet it thoroughly. Pick up one or two granules of the eye shadows from your container and a little more water from the bowl. Using more water than eye shadow, line the rim of the eye with the liner sweeping outward toward the temple for a more dramatic effect.

This product is vegan, gluten free, cruelty free & chemical free. It also has an EWG rating of only 1!

Ingredients: Black Iron Oxide (CI 77499) (Filtered synthetic iron oxide black).

Overall assessment: I really like this a great deal- it makes for one amazingly long wearing dark black matte eyeliner! It is also nice to know that I am using something that is safe and chemical free. Click here for my review of their lovely lipsticks and blushes.

.11 oz $27.00 from www.coastalclassiccreations.com

MAC COOK MAC Tendertone Lip Balm Pictures & Review

I LOVE MAC Tendertones plain and simple, and the new COOK MAC Collection features four different shades. They are super moisturizing lip balms that combine the sheen of a lip gloss and the moisture of a lip balm, and they even include an SPF 12. They come in the same little glass pots that the Paint Pots come in, rather than the little plastic pots that the MAC Lip Conditioners come in. If you prefer tubes to pots for sanitary reasons then you may want to pass, but I don't find this to be a problem since I always wash my hands or use a hand sanitizer before applying potted lip products as a general rule.

The texture is best described as having a somewhat gel-like feel that is neither greasy nor sticky. It feels supremely comfortable and emollient on the lips, but if you don't like a fruity tasting lip balm you may not enjoy the strawberry-kiwi flavor. However,  I do find that the flavor fades away a few minutes after application.

While all four shades appear quite pigmented in their pots they are very very sheer on- with almost no real detectable color. In order to get a swatch that was pigmented enough you would really have to scoop out a lot and apply it thickly- which defeats the point since you would never wear it that way.

1) Hot "N" Saucy is a soft cherry red (Limited Edition). It offers the lips a very sheer red wash of color.
2) Hush, Hush is a sheer gold with yellow gold pearl (Limited Edition). This one offers a wash of light golden pearl in a translucent base.
3) Purring is a sheer tangerine with pearl (Limited Edition). I have no idea why MAC says there is pearl in this one- it is very sheer, imparts almost no color, and has no pearl whatsoever. It just offers the lips a faint wash of color.
4) Tread Gently is a soft lime green with yellow pearl. (Limited Edition). This one also has a very sheer base, but it does have lovely sparkling green & yellow pearl.


ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:OCTINOXATE 7.50%, OCTISALATE 2.00%, AVOBENZONE 1.50%

INGREDIENTS: PETROLATUM, HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, ETHYLENE/PROPYLENE/STYRENE COPOLYMER, ASTROCARYUM MURUMURU SEED BUTTER, COFFEA ARABICA (COFFEE) SEED EXTRACT, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) FRUIT EXTRACT, TRITICUM VULGARE (WHEAT BRAN) EXTRACT, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, WATER, HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE, ETHYLCELLULOSE, CHOLESTEROL, PENTAERYTHRITYL ADIPATE/CAPRATE/CAPRYLATE/HEPTANOATE, HYDROGENATED DILINOLEYL ALCOHOL, OCTYLDODECANOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, LINOLEIC ACID, OLEIC ACID, PALMITIC ACID, POTASSIUM SULFATE, SILICA, CALCIUM SODIUM BOROSILICATE, CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE, ALUMINA, TIN OXIDE, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, BUTYLENE/ETHYLENE/STYRENE COPOLYMER, FRAGRANCE, BHT, PHENOXYETHANOL [+/- MICA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE (CI 77163), BLUE 1 (CI 42090), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090), CARMINE (CI 75470), RED 6 (CI 15850), RED 7 (CI 15850), RED 7 LAKE (CI 15850), RED 28 LAKE (CI 45410), RED 30 (CI 73360), RED 33 (CI 17200), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140), YELLOW 10 (CI 47005), YELLOW 10 LAKE (CI 47005)] <ILN33874>

Overall assessment: I just love these little pots of sheer & sparkling goodness!

6 ml/ 0.2 fl oz. $15.00 each. All are still available at MAC online if you can't find them elsewhere. 

Mario Badescu Flash Sale on Hautelook Begins Monday 2/27 at 8AM Pacific!

Mario Badescu skincare on Hautelook beginning at 8AM Pacific on Monday 2/27/12!

NARS LOVES V.I.B.'S Sephora Gift with $35.00 Purchase

I got several emails asking whether I was going to get the NARS V.I.B. free gift with a $35.00 purchase at Sephora that was going on around Valentine's Day. I hadn't actually planned on it, but happened to be at Sephora and they still had some available and I was spending $35.00- so I ended up getting it after all.

The gift included a trio of mini NARS products with any $35 purchase for Sephora VIB  members (beginning February 14th and while supplies last).

The gift includes:
1) Liquid Illuminator in Orgasm or Copacabana
2) Bronzing Powder in Laguna (the size of a NARS Single eyeshadow)
3) Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

They had run out of all of the gifts with Copacabana so I ended up with Orgasm instead. It appears that Sephora ran out online, but you may still be able to find the gift at your local Sephora. If you can't find one I wouldn't be too sad though because it isn't a must-have over-the-top gift. The Orgasm samples are so easy to come by, the bronzer is quite small making it a bit too difficult to get a brush inside to capture some product, and the primer (which is the star of this gift) is pretty small as well.

Tarte 500 Point Perk Gift from Sephora: Pictures & Assessment

Beauty Insider Alert: Sephora's new 500 Point Perk free gift is a good one if you love Tarte Cosmetics!! This is available to Beauty Insiders online & in stores.

It has been a while since Sephora has had a 500 Point Perk gift that I actually knew that I would use, but this one was too good to pass up. I'm super happy that I got a hold of this one! If you are interested in getting your hands on this be sure to call your local Sephora to see if they still have any at that location because these are going fast. They are still available online.

This Amazonian Clay Kit includes:

1) Full-size LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Lively (hot pink) 0.10 oz

2) Full-size emphasEyes High Definition Eye Pencil 0.001 oz

3) Deluxe-size Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder 0.07 oz

4) Deluxe-size ReCreate Silicone-Free Primer with Wrinkle Rewind Technology 0.3 oz

5) Deluxe-size Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess 0.11 oz

Before Jasper reorganizes things...

"Seriously, I'm just trying to move it a little closer to the emphasEyes High Definition Eye Pencil!"

"Okay, I'm almost done and then you can take another picture!"