No Birthday is Complete Without the Gift of Makeup....

My sweet husband and daughters gave me some great gifts for my birthday so I thought I'd share the makeup-related ones with you. I don't remember a time that I didn't get at least one makeup item for a birthday or holiday or at least a gift-card to a makeup store. Makeup for me is like toys are to a little kid. I get giddy and excited when I receive makeup as a gift and at my age, giddy and excited are not easy to come by. I've used all four of these items and absolutely love three out of the four. I've included swatches below and my first impression of each.

Dior 5 Coleurs Lifting Eye Palette Lifting Ivory (Above)

Tom Ford Lipstick Nude Vanille (Top), Kevin Aucoin Lip Gloss Dahliana (Middle), MAC Eye Kohl in Phone Number (Bottom)

Tom Ford Lipstick in Nude Vanille: LOVE! The perfect lipstick, in my opinion. It's creamy but not slick, it's opaque coverage but not too matte, it has good staying power and a light vanilla scent. If you love the paler nudes, you will love this. It's close to MAC Myth but much more wearable and a prettier finish. Unfortunately, the Tom Ford lipstick is worth every penny. 4,800 pennies to be exact.

Kevyn Aucoin Lip Gloss in Dahliana: My first Kevin Aucoin lip product. This is a beautiful milky pink that anyone would love. Interesting applicator too. Very happy with this item.

MAC Eye Kohl in Phone Number: This is a great color if you don't want stark black but are looking for a more charcoal shade. It's creamy and gorgeous and it is great as a base on the lid and smudged under the lash line for a smoky eye. And it looks great paired with the above mentioned lip products! 

Dior 5 Coleurs Lift Eyeshadow Palette (Lifting Ivory): I was excited to get this but it's a piece of crap. The colors look so pretty and subtle but they are so subtle that they melt off your eyes almost instantly. Not to mention they are full of shimmer but void of any actual color, it's very odd. And the eyeliner it comes with is dry as a bone. I was able to make a decent winged line with it and it disappeared before I put down my brush. As if this wasn't enough, the palette comes with an eye base in the center that is full-on shimmer. So you apply a shimmer base under shimmer shadows. Not shimmery shadows, SHIMMER shadows. There is nothing there besides shimmer. All three of the shadows are this way. I didn't swatch these because I'm returning it after one use. Keep in mind, this is the first awful Dior product I've ever had. Dior eyeshadow is usually amazing.

A Rave Review for NYX Extreme Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz

I wanted to share with you a lip product that is definitely worth checking out! The NYX Lip Cream claims that "It's not a lipstick, nor is it a gloss. It's like nothing you've experienced before. It's liquid lipstick that goes on with full xtreme color and intense shine." And guess what... they're right! 

This is a really cool product, it is super opaque and you apply it as if it were a gloss with a doe-foot applicator but it feels and looks like a lipstick with amazing pigmentation and full opacity. And to make it even better, it lasts a LONG time but without getting super dry and crackly on your lips like a lot of long-wear lip colors. It isn't sticky but it sure sticks on the lips while remaining comfortable and easy to wear. And it does give a good amount of shine, although not exactly "intense" as NYX claims. 

The product has a nice scent, semi-sweet that is very tolerable. Another good characteristic of this product is that you don't really need a lip liner, you can actually use the applicator to line around your lips before filling in the color and it really works well this way. Oh, the color, I almost forgot! I have Nude Peach Fuzz and it's a perfect saturated peach that will look great on everyone. The shade is true to color in the tube. I am super impressed and will be purchasing more! Can be purchased at ULTA for around $4-$5.

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz (nails are Boom Boom Room by Essie!)

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream Nude Peach Fuzz (above, photo credit belongs to me)

Devita 100% Vegan, Organic Skin Care Review Ft. Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30 and Beauty Balm

I've been on the hunt for some sunscreen and tinted moisturizer that does not contain silicone. My only options are usually to find something organic or give-up. I'm not a quitter and I started my search for some 100% vegan skin care items. 

I had heard some good things about this company DeVita and their Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30. It has hyaluronic acid, is certified organic, no GMO's, and Gluten sensitive safe. I paid somewhere around $20 dollars for this on Ebay but the regular price is closer to $30 if I'm not mistaken. This sunscreen is supposed to be a moisturizer as well but I find it is not moisturizing enough to use without another product that provides more hydration. I have normal/dry skin but this may be the right amount of moisture for combo/oily skin types. This product goes on very nicely and smoothly, and you don't need a whole lot of it. It spreads very easily. It can ball up a bit when you use it in conjunction with other moisturizers but I don't find it to be much of an issue. I use it on my chest, neck, face, hands, and a bit on my arms. Gotta protect those hands and arms while you're driving to ward off evil sun spots. 

The next product I thought I would try from DeVita is their BB Cream. I know, not another freaking BB Cream right? Besides, American BB Creams are pretty much glorified tinted moisturizers anyway. And this one is too. But I do like it. Also certified organic, Devita describes this as a multi-beneficial beauty balm. And by multi-beneficial, I guess it means that it has SPF 15 and it moisturizes. This is not enough SPF for me to wear alone in the summer so I pair it with the SPF 30 mentioned above. This product comes in a light, a medium, and a tan shade. Given that these types of products do not usually give off a lot of color or coverage, I opted for the medium hoping that it would help to warm up my skin. It's kind of a watery formula but without being runny at all. I just mean you can feel that it is not a thick substance,  it's nice and light and spreads very easily over the skin. It does give off about the coverage that a tinted moisturizer would. Nice product but I would not depend on it to really do much but provide a little SPF. 

DeVita BB Cream Medium, DeVita Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30

 

Overall, this is a nice brand and I would love to try their other products. They have a whole line of foundations that are also organic and contain no silicone. And get this, they are cream foundations that do not contain silicone. Usually when you see foundations that boast healthful benefits and are vegan, they are mineral powder. And I get tired of that.