MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Pressed Powder

I have never been a fan of setting powders, especially ones that were white. For instance, I always steered clear of the MAKE UP FOR EVER microfinish powder because I just found it a little messy since it was loose. I’m clumsy. I foresaw myself dropping it on the floor in the mornings, even if there was little holes jabbed into the top to prevent that from happening. That, and I felt that it always gave me a bit of a chalky finish under certain lighting. Jeeze, this doesn’t sound like a very good way to start a review, does it?

Always being honest. You guys know how much I like to be transparent and blunt with you. If I ever used a setting powder, it was Laura Mercier’s mineral pressed powder in a nice yellow tone.

When I had my consult at the MAKE UP FOR EVER Boutique in Valley Fair Mall, I mentioned my concerns to Tobey the make up artist. Low and behold I have been using the product incorrectly the entire time. Gah!

MAKE-UP-FOR-EVER-HD-powder

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Pressed Powder

Either way, I’m sticking to my guns. I’m not going to purchase a loose powdered product, I prefer the solid products in a compact pan. MAKE UP FOR EVER has reinvented their finishing translucent powder and came out with the HD pressed powder. A nice little additive to the new product is that it contains hyaluronic acid. It’s a skin care ingredient that keeps your face hydrated and of course keeps your face from looking dry or patchy.

MAKE-UP-FOR-EVER-kabuki

How to use MAKE UP FOR EVER HD pressed powder

When Tobey used the high definition pressed powder on my face to finish my make up look, I felt like my skin was flawless. I thought it was because she’s the make up artist and could make anyone look good. But I tried it at home, and I can make myself look pretty darn fancy too, if I took the time to apply it correctly. You can’t just swirl the brush around in the product and apply directly to the face. Swirl the brush into the product lightly, then smoosh the bristles either into the back of your hand or the mirror in the compact. Once you see barely any powder residue on the brush, then apply to your face ever so lightly. You don’t need much. I use this little kabuki brush shown above.

Why you should use a setting powder

Using a product like the MAKE UP FOR EVER high definition pressed powder sets your foundation and prevents it from wearing and sliding off your face in an hour or two. The powder gives you a flawless finish. Tobey applied the product on one side of my face and not the other so I could truly see a difference. I’m not easily wow’ed by a product, but this combined with their Face and Body foundation definitely took me back. I’m sold. She also applied it to my under eye concealer, and I’m not normally a fan of this since powders like to creep into the fine lines, but it didn’t — in fact on the side that didn’t have it was sliding off.

How it looks on camera

MUFE-HD-powder-full-faceHere I am, taking a selfie with and without the flash to prove that you this powder doesn’t produce a white cast to your skin on camera.

MUFE-HD-powder-half-faceThen an extreme close up of my face. On the (your) left I applied the HD pressed powder. On the right, bare bones. You can see that the HD powder does look a little more flawless on the skin, right?

While I probably won’t wear this every day since it’s an added step into my already very simple beauty routine, I’ll be wearing it if I know I want my make up to last longer than a few hours.

Find MAKE UP FOR EVER HD pressed powder for $26 USD / $41 CDN at Sephora or MAKE UP FOR EVER boutiques.

Disclaimer, I received the HD pressed powder from MAKE UP FOR EVER. Opinions are my own.

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Dior Vernis Haute Couleur Gel-Effect Nail Lacquers

Okay, first things first. I want to get it out there. Dior nail polishes remind me of Sally Hansen nail polishes. Yes, absolutely and completely. I’ve never been a fan of the other drug store polishes (OPI, Essie or China Glaze) besides Sally Hansen, and the reasoning behind that is their brushes were just too flimsy and narrow.

Except this isn’t your ordinary nail polish. The past few weeks I’ve made two separate purchases of Dior nail products. One of them being a Gel-Effect top coat. It’s like shellac, you apply 1-2 coats every 3-4 days and it gives this incredible shellac-like shine. At home manicure? Saves me the dollars, that’s for sure.

Now there’s more colours besides the clear top coat I own. 14 new colours to wear!dior-instagramI’m new to Dior polishes, so I was surprised to see the shape of the nail polish brush be rounded and quite wide. Easily coating your nail in just a few sweeps. This is a big deal to me, since I feel like I’m a child trying to colour inside the lines only to mess up and get it all over my skin. It’s a process, painting my nails. But I’m slowly getting better at it.

Dior-155-661-853155 Tra-La-La, 661 Bonheur, 853 Massï

These are the three polishes Dior sent me from their new collection. When I first opened them up, Bonheur reminded me of the colour I received not too long ago from the Dior Spring Collection in the shade Bloom. They are slightly different though. Seeing how the ones I’m showing you here today are a completely different formulation. Shiny like glass. As for longevitiy of the polish, nothing lasts longer than 3 days on my hard working hands. But if I keep applying the clear Gel-Effect top coat to my nails every few days, I can push my at-home mani a little further. Then it starts to crackle like shellac, and it’s time to do the process all over again.

How is the formulation?

Without a base coat I applied the colours.  Tra-La-la, the light pink required three solid coats of polish to secure a fully flawless creamy nail. Bonheur, and Massaï were fine with just one or even two coats.

How they look on the nail

Dior-nail-polishes155 Tra-La-La, 661 Bonheur, 853 Massï

Dior-Tra-La-LaMy ultimate favourite colour by a landslide is most definitely the colour 155 Tra-La-La. It’s got a sweet, feminine feel to the polish and it kind of makes my hands look tan somehow. I’ll take it.

Dior Gel Effect Couture Nail Polish ($26CDN) is available at Dior counters nationwide, and TheBay.com. Sephora will be receiving them in May. But you best get your arse in gear if you want any of the colours I’ve shown on the blog. They’re awesome and will probably sell out.

Disclaimer: The Dior nail polishes were sent to me by the PR team. I never do paid posts/ads in exchange for product review. That is not honest. Opinions are my own, I’d like to keep it that way, since I like tellin’ ya how it is.

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Dior Addict Fluid Sticks

Two times in two weeks our doorbell has rung after the sun had long set. Full on pitch black outside. Talk about heart palpitations. We don’t know many people here, and when they do come to the door — I know in advance, so we’re not spooked.

Scene two. Doorbell rings. Picture me crawling on the floor, with Alfie barking viciously — while I’m shushing him without luck, trying to peek out to see if it’s a sketch-ball or someone legitimate in hopes that he cant see me back through the peep-hole. Ninja style. He yells out, over Alfie’s wild and angry voice that he has a package for me, and states my first and last name. Seems like he’s in the right place!

Luckily it was the UPS delivery guy again. I peep out once more to see if he’s wearing his uniform. He is. Breathing a sigh of relief, I open the door and the confrontation is friendly, quick, and definitely awkward. Alfie’s wiggling, barking and trying to get out of my arms. Signing the signature pad with chicken scratches as he hands me a package. I shut the door shortly there after. Dear UPS, WHAT are your hours? Why do I seem to miss your first delivery attempt during the early morning, when it’s daylight at 8am and showering.

As much as I hate answering the door after dark. I feel like I need to race down and hug the strange man at on the front porch. My heart beats out of my chest (because it’s after dark and hello this is scary-ville-California), but when I know that the package arriving for me is from Dior I can’t help but get giddy and excited about what’s inside. Dior-Fluid-SticksOkay, well this is my second time receiving something from them. But I want to reiterate I’m forever grateful that I get to work with such a prestigious brand — I have no idea why they like working with me. But I’ll take it.

4-Dior-Fluid-SticksI feel like I don’t know much about make up. I like wearing it. I like applying it. I also like experimenting with it. This isn’t a beauty blog. It’s a lifestyle blog that focuses on a mixture of things, including beauty products. If I blogged only about beauty, I’d get nowhere. Because who am I to tell you how to do things? When I’m just still trial and errorin’ it as I go. I think that’s part of the fun, and exploring new products, new brands, and just having a time trying out what looks you prefer to wear.

FluidSticks-by-poolDior came out with these Fluid Sticks. So naturally I took it upon myself to have a photo session at the pool.

Dior-Fluid-Sticks-on-pool-dI’m unsure how to describe them, since they’re not a lipstick, nor a gloss. Dior’s hashtag for the Fluid Sticks is #thisisnotalipstick. It’s a liquid lipstick-gloss-stain-thing that has some intense, very fun, pigmentation.

EVERYTHING-DIORI’m having oodles of fun trying them all out. You’ll notice there’s some nail polishes I’ve yet to talk about. Soon, friends.

I don’t have much expertise with Dior lipsticks, besides the two I’ve tried out in the past. So I can’t gauge how they compare to other Dior lip products. But what I can say is HOLY pigmentation. Look at these lip swatches. One pass through with the Fluid Stick, and you have this intense, shiny, rich lip. The formula on the Fluid Sticks feel nice. A little noticeable feeling while they’re on but they’re nice. I like that they don’t feel drying either like a few other lip products I’ve tried in the past.

Dior-FluidSticks-on-my-lipsTop: Wonderland, Aventure // Bottom: Mirage, Pandore

I know many people like their strong lip colours to be matte or not really glossy at all. But this hits two birds with one stone for me. The less I have to do with my lips, the better. One thing I want to shout from the rooftops is that they don’t bleed on my lips. Isn’t that the worst? You feel so confident finally deciding on walking outside of the house with some bold lips, and boom a half hour later you’re a mess with faded smeary lipstick all over your face. I don’t know how it happened either. But that lip product went straight to the garbage when I got home.

Be a little careful wearing them when you’re eating and drinking, as they leave the infamous lip marks on your drinking glasses. When I swiped my finger off my lip about 45 minutes after I applied the product, it still comes off. So I feel like it doesn’t really set. Should it set? I don’t know. I’m not a lip-pro.

Now that I’m getting more into lip colours, I find that I can easily pull off bright vibrant colours such as these. When I did the Annabelle 24 Day Challenge, I noticed that I preferred the reds and oranges on me moreso than nudes or pinks. Interestingly enough, the Dior Fluid Sticks are made with water, and not with wax like a lot of other brands. Therefore it feels lighter (but still noticeable to me) on your lips.

The four colours I’ve shown, are bright and probably not everyone’s cup of tea. My cousin instagramm’ed me asking if there were any lighter colours in the collection. There is! That’s how I found Lena‘s website as she too wanted lighter hues for everyday wear. Here’s an excerpt of what  had to say about the Fluid Stick she bought.

When I first tested it, the color went on thick like concealer and instantly washed out my complexion.

At this point I was silently screaming “My $35!!?!”, but the formula warmed up in seconds and transformed into something much lighter as if it was melding with my lips.

Visit Lena’s blog for the full post including photos.

Disclaimer: The Dior Fluid Sticks were sent to me by the PR team. I never do paid posts/ads in exchange for product review. That is not honest. Opinions are my own, I’d like to keep it that way, since I like tellin’ ya how it is.

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