Avon Magix Face Perfector I am a big fan of primers. They are life savers that keep my makeup in place regardless of how hot and humid it gets in the south. But I’ve always thought that good quality primers tend to be overpriced. The Benefit POREfessional and Smashbox Photo Finish retail for $30 and $36, respectively. As you can see, I’ve been on the hunt for an affordable and effective face primer for quite a while. A few months ago, I discovered the Avon Magix Face Perfector while browsing on Amazon. It has a lot of great reviews, it’s under $10, so I thought why not give it a try? Since I use a BB cream on an everyday basis and it’s supposed to have the “priming effect”, I only use face primers for special occasions or during hot summer months. The Avon Magix Face Perfector is a good silicone-based primer that provides a smooth base for foundation. It fills in my pores and it doesn’t break my out. Additionally, it has SPF 20, which is always nice. For my skin, this primer definitely helps to control oiliness and prevent makeup from slipping off my face. But I have noticed dry patches from time to time when I used this in the cold winter months. That could just mean that I need to use a heavier moisturizer when I use this primer in the winter. I would strongly recommend this product to those of you with oily or combination skin. If you want a product that mainly fills in your pores to make them look smaller, I don’t think this is as effective as the Benefit POREfessional. But for the price you pay, I think it does a pretty good job. -Karen Follow me on: Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin

Avon Magix Face Perfector

I am a big fan of primers. They are life savers that keep my makeup in place regardless of how hot and humid it gets in the south. But I’ve always thought that good quality primers tend to be overpriced. The Benefit POREfessional and Smashbox Photo Finish retail for $30 and $36, respectively. As you can see, I’ve been on the hunt for an affordable and effective face primer for quite a while. A few months ago, I discovered the Avon Magix Face Perfector while browsing on Amazon. It has a lot of great reviews, it’s under $10, so I thought why not give it a try?

Since I use a BB cream on an everyday basis and it’s supposed to have the “priming effect”, I only use face primers for special occasions or during hot summer months. The Avon Magix Face Perfector is a good silicone-based primer that provides a smooth base for foundation. It fills in my pores and it doesn’t break my out. Additionally, it has SPF 20, which is always nice. For my skin, this primer definitely helps to control oiliness and prevent makeup from slipping off my face. But I have noticed dry patches from time to time when I used this in the cold winter months. That could just mean that I need to use a heavier moisturizer when I use this primer in the winter. I would strongly recommend this product to those of you with oily or combination skin. If you want a product that mainly fills in your pores to make them look smaller, I don’t think this is as effective as the Benefit POREfessional. But for the price you pay, I think it does a pretty good job.

-Karen

Follow me on: Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin

3 days ago
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2013 Sephora Beauty Insiders Birthday Gift

In honor of my 22nd birthday, which is coming up in a couple of days on May 9th, I’m doing a review on the Sephora Beauty Insiders birthday gift for this year since these products do come in full sizes. This year, they are giving out Benefit Watt’s Up! highlighter and They’re Real! mascara. I really enjoyed the Fresh lip balm duo last year so I was excited to try out these products.

Watt’s Up! Highlighter:

I’ve never used a highlighter before and have never even thought about trying one. I have combination skin and my skin is already more glowy than I need it to be :P I’ve used this product a few times on my brow bones and it works pretty well. On my skin, it shows up better than a shimmery light color eyeshadow.

They’re Real! Mascara:

Since this is one of Benefit’s best-selling products, I had high hopes for it. After using it a few times, I must say that it truly thickens my lashes and make them appear like fake lashes. The wand is pretty unique. It’s rounded on the end and it has bristles coming out in different directions so it’s easier to apply mascara to the ends of your lashes. With an eye primer, it doesn’t really smudge that much throughout the day. Additionally, this mascara doesn’t clump with 2 coats, which is really nice. But it does take a while to dry. Be careful not to sneeze after application or you’ll get it all over your eye area. I guess I’m spoiled by the fact that my go-to mascara, CoverGirl’s LashExact, dries up really fast :) Another downside is that it’s not very easy to remove. Although my Neutrogena makeup remover removes a lot of it, after I take a shower and wash my face with the Philosophy Purity Cleanser, I still end up with a lot of residual underneath my eyes. I don’t really like how I basically need to remove this mascara 3x before it’s gone.

Both products are available (in full sizes) at Sephora. Click on the product names above to access more information.

-Karen

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1 week ago
    
Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream No. 23 After trying the Skin79 Super+ BB cream, I have fell in love with Asian BB creams. Since there’s only 1 shade for Skin79 and it’s too light for my skin tone, I decided to try the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in shade No. 23. I’ve been using this product for a few months and I really like it. It goes on smoothly, has good coverage, has a fairly high SPF (42), and it doesn’t break me out. When I was doing research online, some people mentioned that this product has a scent that bothers them. Personally, it doesn’t bother me at all and it’s barely noticeable. For everyday use, this BB cream gives the perfect coverage. If I want more coverage for a special occasion, I would mix it with a thick foundation, such as the Revlon Colorstay Foundation. My favorite brush for applying this product is a flat top kabuki, such as the EcoTools Buffing Brush. This product is available at: Amazon, Sasa -Karen Image credits: here Follow me on: Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream No. 23

After trying the Skin79 Super+ BB cream, I have fell in love with Asian BB creams. Since there’s only 1 shade for Skin79 and it’s too light for my skin tone, I decided to try the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in shade No. 23.

I’ve been using this product for a few months and I really like it. It goes on smoothly, has good coverage, has a fairly high SPF (42), and it doesn’t break me out. When I was doing research online, some people mentioned that this product has a scent that bothers them. Personally, it doesn’t bother me at all and it’s barely noticeable. For everyday use, this BB cream gives the perfect coverage. If I want more coverage for a special occasion, I would mix it with a thick foundation, such as the Revlon Colorstay Foundation. My favorite brush for applying this product is a flat top kabuki, such as the EcoTools Buffing Brush.

This product is available at: Amazon, Sasa

-Karen

Image credits: here

Follow me on: Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin

1 week ago
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