Anyways, let's get to the products and swatches:
Package #1
Package #2
Stila Contouring Trio Palette ($9.99; RP:$16)
The palette consists of 3 contouring shades: light (for day time highlighting - matte powder), flash (for night time highlighting - sheer shimmer powder) and dark (for contouring day & night - matte powder). The texture of the powders are quite soft although a tad bit powdery/chalky so you can expect some fall out if too much color is picked up but it blends nicely into the skin. The palette comes with a mirror (I'd recommend using a different mirror though) with mini LEDs on each side.
L'Oreal Illuminating Blush ($3.99)
Each palette comes with a blush color as well as a highlighting shade. The blush has a more matte finish albeit a slight shimmer content and the highlighting color is more on the frosty side. The highlighting color on both palettes seem to be similar if not identical. The blush colors I found to be a little powdery but easily blendable. The blush from the Luminous Pink palette seems to give better color payoff compared to the Luminous Peach. The former would make a nice natural baby pink flush giving a healthy rosy glow while the latter would be excellent to warm up the face for that bronzy glow.
mirror on the underside
L'Oreal HiP Blendable Blushing Creme ($3.99)
I must say both colors are simply gorgeous and the texture finger blending friendly. Coquette looks pretty intense in the pan but comes off sheer on the skin. I had to layer on a bit to get the above swatch but I believe it would look beautiful as a blush base (with the Luminous Pink on top perhaps?) or on it's own to give nice rosy cheeks. Enamoured is I would say a medium toned nude peach and has a higher pigmentation compared to Coquette. I would imagine it to look stunning with Luminous Peach or a pink or coral blush too! The texture of the product isn't extremely creamy but in my opinion creamy enough to swipe and blend.
(the product got a little mushed to one side due to it being packaged on it's sides)
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base ($7.99; RP: $10.99~$12.99)
I've heard and read rave reviews on this product and was super excited to try out. What it does is smooth out any fine lines to create a silky canvas prepping the skin for make up application. It has a light whipped texture (some has likened it to the texture of the Maybelline Dream Mousse Foundations) in a milky white pink tint. I found that the product definitely fills in fine lines (makes them less visible), leaves skin feeling smooth and not sticky and brightens the skin. I haven't had a chance to try this out yet so I can't vouch for staying power yet.
Stila Kajal Eye Liner in Topaz ($9.99; RP:$18)
White eye liner on the waterline is said to work wonders with opening the eyes. Unfortunately, I find white eye liner to be a bit strong for me and this seemed to be a more wearable alternative -- a peachy skin tone creamy eye liner. The pencil has an incredibly creamy texture and glides on effortlessly.
L'Oreal Visible Lift Under Eye Concealer ($2.99; RP: $10.99)
There's nothing much I can comment on this particular product because I haven't tested it yet. It does however come in a click pen package which I'm not to fond of (similar to the Stila glosses) because I find that it gives much less control over how much product is pushed out of the pen.
Stila One Step Make Up ($19.99; RP: $44)
As per my previous First Impression post, this product is a primer, foundation, concealer and powder all in one handy bottle. Although on the Stila website it says that the product has a mousse-like texture, it actually has a rather dense gel-like texture instead. You will need a dense foundation brush to apply this product due to the stronger bond of the product (if that makes sense). It would be a bit easier in my opinion to blend it in with your fingers first and then buff it out with a kabuki or any other dense brush that you own. The product produces a nice natural finish that is mostly matte but has a slight sheen to it. I personally didn't find it oily (or drying) on my skin. It tones down redness quite well but needs a bit more layering in areas with darker pigmentation (i.e. hyperpigmentation, acne scars, etc). The make up stayed on quite well through out the day and for me did not require touch ups. When dry, it leaves a somewhat powdery film on my skin but dissolves into the skin with a mist of setting spray (or Fix+).
L'Oreal Wear Infinite Eye Shadow Quad ($3.99)
The quad above comes in 4 shades (2 highlights, 1 lid color & 1 crease color). This would definitely make for a great pop-it-in-your-travel-bag item. Shades 1 (matte) and 2 (pearl) are highlight colors and gives a nice soft brightening sheen. Shade 3 (pearl) works as a beautiful all over lid color with a slight frost to it while shade 4 (matte) is a nice soft crease color but I would say it would serve nicely as a lid color as well. As far as pigmentation goes, shades 1 and 2 are quite sheer while shades 3 and 4 has better pigmentation. I have a few looks in mind with this palette and will definitely share it with all of you here.
Stila Barbie Smudge Pot Gel Eye Liner ($12.99; RP:$20)
I've been looking for a bright electric blue eye liner for some time and am happy to report that I've found it with this product. The color is intense (exactly what I like about it) and application is easy as with all the other smudge pots out there. I had gotten a different set of colors from a Stila smudge pot set but the blue in the set (Starry Night I think) was a rather dark shade of blue than I'd hope for (the photos made it look a lighter color). It did apply a little clumpy but I'm guessing it had more to do with the product piled on to the brush than the actual formula itself. Absolutely did not budge the entire day without primer! <3
Stila Lip Glaze Stick ($5.99; RP: $16.50~$19.99)
I'd already own the glaze stick in Ginger and I still find the concept fascinating (could be similar to the NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils). It's basically a lipstick in the form of a pencil and because this particular line is a "glaze", it leaves just a tint of color on your lips and adds some shine. It doesn't wear off as easily as a regular lipstick which is great! I think if you add on top of a lip concealer or a matte nude lippie, it will bring out more of the color of the product.
Here's a swatch of the Stila smudge pot and glaze stick:
MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Fanfare ($11.99; RP: $14.50)
Described on the MAC website as a mid tone yellow pink, in the tube, it looks almost identical to Maybelline's Watershine Pure in B24. However the B24 has a light and sheer finish (almost gloss-like) while Fanfare is a lot more opaque and when swatched and Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink In The Afternoon seems to be a plausible dupe albeit a tad bit more pink than Fanfare. I love that MAC lipsticks smell like vanilla too!
L'Oreal Lineur Intense Eye Liner ($4.99; RP: $7.99)
I'm honestly more of a gel liner type of girl than a liquid liner because gel/cream liners are a lot easier to apply and often dries matte (and quick too compared to liquid). The felt tip applicator definitely makes drawing on eye liner easier and gives more control with creating a smooth line. The flexibility yet firmness of the applicator follows the contours of the eyelids and makes it easier to control line thickness. The formula however, I wasn't too keen on. It dried kind of shiny (I dabbed some eye shadow on the line) and didn't seem to stay put. I highly recommend a primer underneath this product for better saying power.
MAC 239SE ($15.99)
I like short handled brushes. They don't bump into my dressing table mirror like long handled brushes do. So I've been curious on the difference between the Sigma E55 and the MAC 239 since reviewers have been saying that they look identical except for the color of the bristles. From the photos, I just felt that the two weren't as identical as it was said to be. So anyways, after getting the 239SE (special edition) above and comparing it to the E55, I found that the MAC brush is a stiffer than the Sigma version. The E55 has more give and is actually softer than the 239. The 239 is a bit more flat and I can imagine it's similarities to a paintbrush (like a Lowe Cornell) where as the E55 is just a tad bit fluffier.
Last but not least:
Lancome Juicy Tube Minis ($10.99)
If you've seen my photos from previous posts (or the About Me blurb), you'd see that I have pretty full lips and thus don't use much gloss. Still, it's nice to have some handy and I'd apply them on the center of my bottom lips for that extra glistening effect or over top lip lined lips. Apart from Revlon's gloss tubes, Juicy Tubes are one of my faves. The product has a gives a good amount of shine and isn't too sticky on lips. Baby Doll is a nice light pink that looks almost transparent in the swatch with a slight tinge of pink. Creme Brulee has a nice deep caramel shade in the tube and applies a sheer with sparkles (interestingly smells like caramel too). Tickled Pink is the most pigmented of the bunch and is reminding me of bubble gum. Lastly, Simmer is a pinkish bronze gloss with shimmer in it. This was in Package #2.
So that's my little online shopping haul from ACW with brief observations and thoughts on the products. Let me know what you think if you've tried any of the products above or if you have any questions on the products feel free to leave a comment to this post. Til next post! Have a wonderful weekend (or weekday) everyone.
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