Smashbox Photo Set Pressed Powder

  

I love powder, the more mattifying the better. For me it's a must and I collect these lip I do lip balms.  If you love it too, then the new Smashbox Photo Set is worth a look. 

Photo Set not only mattes but smoothes  and softens.  It feels very light on, barely there, but at the same time does a great job. Vitamins C &E are in there with micronized pigments. It's been my to go lately for touch ups.

The case is super thin , so it easily stows in any bag.  

There are 4 shades and shown is Fair, which is very light, almost lighter than I needed. I think I could go one shade up.

$ 29.00 at http://www.smashbox.com/   and   Sephora.com

MAC Surf Baby Studio Careblend Powder in Gold- Go- Lightly

Part of the soon to be here MAC Surf Baby line are two new Studio Careblend Pressed Powders . Both have color to them for bronzing and are embossed.

 Gold- Go-Lightly is shown here  and is a mid tone golden tan brown or what I would call medium deep and has no shimmer.   Lush- Light Bronze  is  a mid tone rosy pink brown.

Available May 26 for $ 28.00

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush

I love the Bronze Goddes collection each year from Estee Lauder. First of all because all the bronzes and golds are perfect for me and of course there's the re -release of the Bronze Goddess fragrance.

They always add in some new items to love and this season it's new Bronze Goddess Soleil fragrance ( read my review at Beautystat here ) and  the  also new Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush .

Not only is this super pretty , it's also very wearable. The colors will suit most anyone ( only a tiny bit of  overspray here by the way) . The bronze is not deep but a soft medium shade with  light pinky peach in the starfish. It looks glowy and warm on .  As the name says it more blush than bronzer but can be used as both.

  LE and available now for $34.00

MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder

MAC has created a powder for the powder  phobic,  and those with drier skin. 

 New Studio Careblend Powder not only has Shea Butter in it but also Safflower Seed Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil , Olive Oil and Lecithin.

The powder still applies  mostly like a normal powder,  it's  smooth and a bit more blendable than most powders, is silky but not creamy.   It also looks like powder when applied, but not heavy and not dry. It blends into skin and gives a very finished/perfected look and provides excellent  medium to full coverage .

As I said, Careblend is great for those with fear of powder.  Anyone with drier or mature skin who has wanted to use powder but is afraid of it being too  dry, or settling in lines , should give this a try.

I  personally love powder and with my oilier skin, the more matte the better.  All the moisturizers in this make it not for me for the exact reasons it's great for normal-dry skins. But I am loving the  look this creates when applied. It can be used on it's own or over makeup.

Studio Careblend Powder comes in 6 shades. Shown in my image are Medium Deep and Light.


Full shade list:

Light-Soft pale beige
Light Plus-Pale golden beige
Medium -Soft creamy beige
Medium Plus- Tan beige
Medium Dark -Caramel beige
Medium Deep -Rich golden tan


Launch date is February 17 and retail is $ 23.00 ( part of the Future Face collection).

Maybelline Fit Me Collection

My post back in September on Maybelline's upcoming Fit Me has been getting a lot of readers. I only had the basic info then  but now have finally tried the products and have seen several of the colorway choices.

To re-cap ,Fit Me is  all about skin tone matching shades   across all products in the line.  There are 18 shades of foundation, 6 concealers, 12 blushes and 3 bronzers. Something for everyone and every skintone. Shades numbers begin in the 100s for lightest and go to 300s for darkest.

Once  you find the shade for  you in foundation, to get the right powder and concealer, simply pull from the row that contains that number.

 Now that you know that, what are the products like ? I was able to try a pre-selected group of the line recently.

Fit Me Foundation ( $ 7.99)  is weightless and light. It's light to medium coverage, dewy  and  natural looking . There are no waxes or oils according to Maybelline, which is good. The shade shown is 110 and is a bit too pale for me , but not by much.  I can wear it but one shade up to 115 would be perfect.   I think it's best for normal to dry skin . Us oily skins can wear it now but maybe not come warmer weather.

The  blush ( $ 5.51) that suited me best of what I tried was Deep Nude. Light Nude matches my shade also but was very light on me and less than I like ( it came off as a soft wash, nice, but I like a little contour).  Deep Nude  is shown  and is not dark at all but more medium. Depending on how pale you are and how much blush you like, you can  tweak here. All the nudes are nice and none are super dark.

Fit Me Powder ( $ 7.99) is again , light and feels soft  on skin. No heavy, cakey feeling. Shown is 120  which confirmed for me that I am shade 115 as this was the tiniest bit darker than I needed. The puff is in a lower compartment in the compact for no contamination and easy storage.

Fit Me Concealer ( $ 6.49) is creamy and blendable but like all the others a light feeling product. It has good coverage and dries to a powder soft finish.  I find the shown shade 10 to actually be darker than the foundation 110 and too dark for me, so know that the concealers might run dark.

Fit Me Bronzer might be favorite of all in this line. It's not easy to find a pale girl bronzer but thats just what Light Bronze ( shown ) is. Just  nice wash of golden color  to warm you up. More gold and beige than bronze.

I also have many shades in the deeper  300 category, so they are shown here in the lower image . Not all of us are pale and this gives you an idea of what other shades there are.

I see many people wondering what shades will look good on them  and for them, this is a great idea. No guessing. Just buy all in your shade number and you have a full set of makeup. If you consider yourself makeup challenged, give it a try.

Fit Me is also a nice starting point  for those wearing makeup for the first time. Teens can get makeup that will look good, but natural and not overdone on them and not have to guess what they need and get shades 3 times too dark. We've all been there.

Bobbi Brown Blotting Papers

Did you know Bobbi Brown has blotting papers? I didn't until I stumbled across them on Saks website while looking for something else. Now  a line having blotting papers isn't all that new or exciting,  but what grabbed my attention was that Bobbi's come in a sleek leather like refillable pouch with a mirror. Who doesn't love good packaging ?

There are 100 sheets in each pouch and it sells for $ 20.00

Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte Pressed Powder in Rose Merveille

Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte Natural Finish Pressed Powder in Rose Merveille has become my winter bronzer subsitute. I'm too pale for bronzer but want a little color to brighten up( I don't like being pale).

The color in the pan is defintely peach-beige but don't be scared, it just warms up skin. I am pale, although not pasty, and I get just  a hint  of color from this. There is shimmer in there but it's not allover heavy. I  could see a few sparkles here and there but  nothing overdone.

It helps of course that the powder itself is so soft ,smooth and perfecting on your face. It's been a long time since I used a Chanel pressed powder and I had forgotten how nice they are. It's a bit like a soft focus filter.

Part of the Spring  Les Perles Des Chanel collection  on counter in January at $ 44.00 and  LE.

MAC Dr. Facilier Magically Cool Liquid Powder

One of the star products in the new Venomous Villains from MAC is ,in my opinion, the Magically Cool Liquid Powder from the Dr. Facilier collection.  

A brand new product it comes in 2 shades: Cajun, a light to medium  bronze and Truth and Light, a sheer gold.

The best part- it really cools.  The feeling is this refreshing burst of  smooth coolness on your skin. I  am seriously thinking about dusting on my neck and decolette as well .

The  powder itself is very fine and Cajun has a lot of pigment. It's a perfect bronzer/blush  or if you have darker skin, you can use it all over. Truth and Light  really doesn't impart much color, just a hint of brightness.  This one is great for finishing  or touch ups. Both can be used over makeup or on bare skin . MAC says they have  sheer shimmer but I don't see any in either shade. They seem more flat to me.

They blended  easily with my 187 brush, my large Clinique powder brush did a good job as well .

Venomous Villains and Dr. Facilier  are on counter Sept. 30.

Magically Cool Liquid Powder is $ 29.50

http://www.maccosmetics.com/

Matte Fx by Cover Fx

It's hot, and that means oily skin shines. A lot if you're me. Blot powder, matte powders, you name it, I need it.

Cover Fx has one called Matte Fx that really gets the job done. It comes in shades and not simply translucent. I have light and it's virtually indectable color wise. It blends right in.

This mattes instantly and can be used anytime. It has no fragrance and can be used with the puff it comes with or a brush.

Used with my beloved Clear Prep Fx primer from Cover Fx ,it goes a long way to helping my skin tame the oily look. A compact of Matte Fx is almost always in my bag.

$ 24.00 at Sephora.com