21 posts tagged “lumiere”

Here are a couple of looks featuring my Milani Runway Eyes Wet/Dry eyeshadows and Quad 5 of The She Space. I am a little disappointed with Rockin' Egyptian from that particular quad because I didn't think it was pigmented enough even though I applied it foiled. I should have used All That Buzz instead from She Space's Drama Queen collection because the one is pigmented with a capital P. I just mentally filed that observation away and will use All That Buzz next time (a vivid pure gold color). The other colors in that quad, namely Down and Dirty and One Dark Night, were pretty pigmented especially when foiled, and they pretty much met my standard for vivid, pigmented eyeshadows.

In my She Space look, I used Lumiere's Cashmere foundation in a mix of Medium Golden and Light-Medium Golden. I am more inclined to use Medium Golden straight when summer really unleashes its full force here in a few weeks. I love how Lumiere's Cashmere gives off a really soft glow on the face, very much like MAC's mineralized loose foundation but in a purer mineral formula.

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I have amassed quite a bit of FOTDs lately as I have been either too lazy or too tired to post them. As a result, I think (I hope not) I have forgotten some of the products I used for these. I remember vividly though the foundations I used for these looks: Joppa, DreamWorld, and Meow (with a layer of Oceanmist underneath). I love these brands as they control my oilies and yet do not make my skin super dry. I am always amazed by the ultra-smooth finish these foundations give.

For this first look, I used my limited edition and rare MAC eyeshadow in Sunplosion for the first time. Yes, the first time. I'd wanted to really pack it on so that the beautiful vividness of the coppery orange could be seen, but I didn't have the time. Also, I didn't want to wear a very bright eye look for work, so this would have to do. I did commit a cosmetic mortal sin, though - I totally forgot to put on (the horror!) - mascara! I was such in a hurry that it completely slipped my mind. I know, eye makeup without mascara looks funky to say the least - but hey, nobody's perfect!

(Click for complete FOTDs, EOTDs and list of products used)

I just received some samples of new darker yellow-toned foundations that DreamWorld owner Ellie had just concocted for her avid fans (me included). She was so nice to offer them to me for free, and her generous samples are just SO beautiful. I do have my own custom mix of DreamWorld foundation in Theia and Tethys, but sunny days are here again and I am bound to get darker as the days go by. In fact, I feel that I am already darker and my previous mix of Theia and Tethys no longer cuts it. She sent me original Amenti, her new versions of Amenti (Amenti IV and Amenti V), plus a new version of Theia (Theia IV) and Hebe. Today I used my original Theia foundation mixed with original Amenti, and I thought it was a bit dark in person (I may have to change the recipe a bit, but more or less using the same shades). However, miracle of miracles, it still looks so luminous in pictures - not white, mind you, but just luminous and as the day wore on, it looked more and more natural on my face. I just love Ellie's foundations, they are just right up there, creme de la creme, I should say. I can't wait to try my other DreamWorld minerals, everything is just so gorgeous and softly similar to each other in shade that I think I can wear any of them. That's what I love about DreamWorld foundation, the shades are so forgiving and you look great either way.

I also wanted to have an iridescent blue/green eye look so I wore my favorite Lumiere eyeshadow on the lid, Peppermint Patti (a gorgeous iridescent green/blue/grey that changes colors at the slightest movement), coupled with Valerie Beauty's Papillon (a beautiful light teal shade) on the inner to mid-lid. I used a little of Valerie Beauty's Ancient and Bootcut eyeshadows on the crease and outer V. I applied MAC eyeshadows in Ricepaper and Nylon on the browbone to highlight. Of course, I prepped my eyes by using MAC Beige-ing shadestick as base. I also used Indelible gel liner in Black Out to line and Rimmel and MAC mascaras.

I used one of my favorite mineral blushes, Lumiere Cherry Blossom (I love all of Lumiere's silk and veena blushes, as in there are no duds; every one of them is beautiful IMO).

(Click for FOTDs)

I've always been vocal here on my blog about how I love Lumiere's eyeshadows, Lumi Lips lipglosses, blushes and blushing bronzers. I believe that this company truly has outstanding products and high quality pigments that would make every mineral makeup enthusiast happy and pretty. However, it was a sad day almost two years ago when I discovered that my skin rejected its mineral foundation in the Veena Velvet formula. I had really bad breakouts and I think it was because of the avena sativa (oat) ingredient. Since then, I have stayed away from Lumiere's foundations, although I kept going back for everything else. The silk blushes are to-die-for, their eyeshadows have outstanding pigment and do not need to be foiled to achieve great color pay-off, and the Lumi Lips lipglosses have beautiful shades that would suit any skintone. I thought I would stay away from Lumiere foundations forever. Until now.

I kept reading rave reviews about their Luminesse and Cashmere foundations, especially this latter formulation. I read the ingredients of Cashmere and I was elated when I didn't see avena sativa on the list. It says: silk powder, serecite (colorless mica), titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, boron nitride, iron oxides. I decided to give it a try and tried to remember my shades in Lumiere, and blindly ordered three 20g jars of shades that I thought would suit my winter and summer skintone, including an in-between shade for mixing. I got my order fast and safe, and I was so happy about this purchase.

First of all, can you imagine a pleasant-smelling mineral foundation? It was a pleasant, sweet smell that I can't describe; and no, it's not an artificial, cloying scent either. It smells a lot better than the old Veena Velvet foundation, and in fact this is the sweetest-smelling mineral foundation I've tried. Many of the ones I've used are either scent-free and some have that nasty cigarette (?) smell, and some have an earthy aroma that is natural when you use minerals from the earth. This, however, smells quite nice.

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When I was in New Jersey, I roadtested a bridal look for my cousin Jewelyn who is getting married next month. I used MAC eyeshadows that were bought specifically for her wedding (as recommended by a MAC makeup artist), as well as some products from my own personal collection. I was a little intimidated by the fact that I (a) I am not a professional makeup artist; (b) this is probably just the third or fourth time I've ever done full makeup application on somebody other than myself, (d) I did the whole thing at night without the benefit of natural light, and (c) every step was being documented by her groom using his camera. That said, I did the best I could and if there were some mistakes, I do admit to them; but given the limited lighting, I tried my best to work under not-so-ideal conditions. Nonetheless, she and her mom liked the result. Some products would be tweaked as the big day nears, but this is more or less going to be her look. It was also a good thing that she has beautiful skin; I didn't waste much time in concealing blemishes.

Start with clean, moisturized face

Using Jewelyn's own Everyday Minerals kabuki, I used DreamWorld mineral foundation in Tethys (Sands formula), using the swirl, tap, spritz (using MAC Fix+ moisture spray) and buff technique. I did two layers of foundation.

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I received my She Space Velvets order a couple of days ago, and indeed, they are just the perfect semi-matte colors for those who dislike too much shimmer in their shadows. They remind me so much of Taylormade's more matte-ish pigments, both in texture and color pay-off. I just didn't like the way these pigments darkened when foiled, but they lightened considerably once dried. In fact, I can actually use these pigments dry (unlike the shimmery ones that I need to foil to achieve maximum color pay-off), but it is important that a really tacky base is used, like MAC shadesticks or cream paint pots, like Soft Ochre or Painterly.

Swatches applied wet

(Click for FOTDs and list of products used, reviews on Lumiere shadows, Cory blushes)

Here's a simple neutral look for work using my MAC N shadows and my new Dreamworld samples. I like the fact that for a Tuesday morning after a glorious 3-day weekend, the MAC N shadows are the perfect colors to put together for a no-fuss, no-brainer application. I would have liked to spend more time in blending and what-not, but I was running late! I also think I might have found a good Dreamworld shade. I used a 50-50 mix of Theiaand Minerva in the Luna (heavy coverage) formula, and I love that the yellow-ness this time is just perfect, not too much but not lacking either. I just love the creamy formula, the awesome finish and coverage, and amazing staying power of this foundation. Can you say HG status?
 
I tried my brand-new Lumiere veena blush in Magnolia and I just love, love, love Lumiere's blushes. Application is always a cinch and the colors are just gorgeous and finish is impeccable, never splotchy. I am glad I purchased a full-size pot of Magnolia as I can see using this again and again. Veena blushes are Lumiere's mattes, and I like that I can use this under my skinfinishes without making me look like a discoball.

I was so stoked last Saturday when I received no less than 5 packages from different mineral makeup companies on some samples and full size products that I ordered online. I went out with the family to eat and while waiting for the food to arrive, I couldn't help but open my packages right there (I brought them with me - ha, how crazy is that?). I was mainly excited to see my prebuy Lumiere brushes (take 3), and they are absolutely gorgeous:

(Click for the rest of the haul)