Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation in 10 Ivory Light

Like most I rely on foundation daily to even out my skin and as much as I love how it makes me look, I really don’t like shopping for it. You see the lightest shade in most ranges, high-end or not, usually doesn’t even come close to matching my skin. So whenever I find something that looks light enough I can’t stop the excitement which is what led me to purchase the Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation in 10 Ivory Light.

First let me just say thank you to Marc Jacobs Beauty for offering such a wide range of shades: 15 in total! Now onto the foundation, it promises to be long-wearing and weightless all the while minimizing imperfections with the use of Soft Focus Powder. The coverage is medium to full depending on if you layer it or not, the texture is so light that you can easily add more if you need more coverage. One layer covers most imperfections and really evens out the skin. The texture is very watery, much more liquid than gel, and because it contains a lot of pigment it does cling to dry patches. I would recommend it more for combination to oily skin but it could work on drier skin types too if you prime or moisturize well before application. The finish is satin so it looks very luminous without giving a dewy glow and it is matte enough to last all day on my skin.

The shade 10 Ivory Light is a very fair color and a good match, even though it is a tad pink I can still easily make it work. This foundation is highly photogenic it almost acts as a filter and blurs your skin. However, what impressed me the most is how good it looks in person. I find it gives me flawless skin and I loved using it. Sadly I later discovered it contains silica so I don’t use it every day anymore, BUT I reach for it whenever I know I’ll be taking picture (I used it for my graduation pictures and it looked great) or if I want my skin to look really perfect. This is a great foundation and it is worth the investment in my opinion, especially if you have a hard time finding a good shade match. 

The Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation is available from department stores, Sephora and the Marc Jacobs Beauty website.

The Perfect Everyday Blush: Nars Deep Throat

Nars blushes are a cult favorite for a reason, the quality is pretty much unbeatable. The color selection is large and simply picking one can be quite difficult (who wouldn’t want them all). I know Orgasm is the one everyone recommends, but to me Deep Throat is the most perfect blush.

Both shades are actually a similar peachy-pink shade, but Deep Throat is ever so slightly cooler. The biggest difference between the two however is glitter: Orgasm has loads of shimmer and glitter while Deep Throat is glitter-free and only has very fine gold shimmer that creates a beautiful glow on your cheeks. To me, that makes it more wearable for everyday because it looks more natural.

What I love most about this is the color it gives, it creates the most perfect flush. The peachy-pink really brightens up your whole face. It doesn’t look too pink or coral so it works well with cool and warm tones. As for the shimmer, it really lifts your face! This is one of my most worn blushes because it always pulls my entire makeup together. Nars blushes are pricier but this one is definitely worth the investment. 

The Nars Blush in Deep Throat is available from the Nars website, their beauty counters and Sephora. 

Kérastase Laque Noir

No matter how much time you spend on styling your hair, you went the result of your efforts to last through the day. This makes hairspray the most useful hair product to have in your arsenal. However, they are not all made equal and no one wants to end up with sticky, crispy hair after spraying some on. That would just ruin the whole thing. Well I have finally found the most long lasting and efficient hairspray ever: the Kérastase Laque Noir.

This is a strong hold hairspray that fights humidity and keeps your style in place while giving your hair shine. I have naturally wavy hair that tends to frizz and curl when it’s humid and keeping a sleek ponytail in place all day is almost impossible. Kérastase says this creates an anti-humidity shield and I cannot find a better way to describe it. It is the only hairspray that can keep my ponytail from getting flyaways and frizzy all day long. I know it is kind of expensive, but if you live in a very humid climate or have hair similar to mine, I think it is worth investing in. What I love about Kérastase in this case, is that they offer a  convenient travel size of this (which is the one I have), so you can try it for less but the size is generous enough to last you a while.

When I wear my hair down, it also holds waves and curls nicely and gives them shine without any crispiness. The mist is very fine and I love that you only need to use a little for it to work. It also has an amazing fruity scent so your hair will smell nice and you don’t have to deal with the typical hairspray fumes. Lastly, I know this is not really important, but how chic does that can look! I really love the design and I think that when you are spending a pretty penny on a product, you want it to deliver and look nice too. In both cases the Kérastase Laque Noir Delivers.

You can find the Kérastase Laque Noir in Kérastase salons, on their website and on Feelunique. 

Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl

Who does not love a good mascara? I personally think the drugstore has loads of great offerings, but like everyone else I feel the appeal of high-end mascaras with their beautiful packaging and compelling ads. That being said I always feel a bit guilty spending a lot on mascara, see my eyes are very sensitive so I can rarely finish a tube and obviously no one likes to throw away something you spent good money on. This is why I love buying minis from Sephora or getting samples from my favorite counters. As you might know, Dior is my favorite luxury brand so I was beyond excited when I received a mini Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara as part of a gift with purchase.

The original Diorshow Iconic is a favorite mascara of mine and I love curved mascara brush, making the Overcurl version a must try on my list. The combination of the brush and formula is supposed to give great volume and really curl your lashes. The formula is on the drier side which I love, it makes applying it to finer lashes super easy and the black color is nicely pigmented. The curved brush really follows the contour of your eyes, so it really helps define them by separating every lash and the application is easy.

Now for the results, I got lots of volume with this and because the formula is drier the volume looks like your lashes are naturally bigger instead of giving you a wet clumpy look. As for the curling power, it does initially lift your lashes but the effect did not last for long on me. By the end of the day the curl had dropped, but the volume was still present and helped keep my eyes defined. I think my lashes might be too fine for the formula, but if you have thicker lashes or can handle slightly heavier mascaras I think you might like this. The volume you get is impressive enough so I would give it a try if the opportunity comes up or if you can get a mini tube.

The Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara is available from any Dior counter, the Dior website,  Sephora and Feelunique. 

Kérastase Cristalliste Lait Cristal

From past posts on this blog, I think it is quick easy to see that I am a fan of affordable drugstore hair products. I go through conditioner like crazy, something that comes with the territory when you have very long hair, but every once in a while I like to treat myself to a nice luxury conditioner. If you are ever considering investing in a high-end conditioner, the Kérastase Cristalliste Lait Cristal should be at the top of your list.

I had always been intrigued by Kérastase products, everything from the chic packaging to the incredible claims and reviews made me want to try something out. However the higher price and my skepticism over how great a more expensive conditioner could be prevented me from doing so. Well the Cristaliste Lait Cristale has proven me wrong and I don’t think I can ever be without it again.

Now let’s talk about this miraculous formula. If I am not mistaken, this does not contain silicone, instead it relies on aloe vera and eco-friendly polymers to soften and smooth the hair, increasing shine at the same time. Another interesting thing is that while this conditioner is very moisturizing, it does not weight your hair down at all and detangles it easily. Unlike other conditioners, this one has a very runny texture, almost like a lotion, and while it might feel a bit weird at first and like you need to use tons, you only need a little bit (about half of what you normally use) because it melts into your hair and coats it easily. Because it is so thin, the best way to apply it is to make sure you squeeze as much water as possible out of your hair before applying it so it does not run down the hair instead of coating it.

I still cannot believe how amazing my hair looks every time I use it. I am talking silky smooth hair with lots of shine and a lovely fragrance. It is definitely a product worth investing in. You can find the Kérastase Cristalliste Lait Cristal on the Kérastase website, feelunique and hair salons that carry the brand. 

Dior Backstage Eye Prime

I think it is fair to say from past articles that I don’t like talking about products I don’t like and today’s item is not bad or anything but I’m a bit disappointed in it. Dior is my favorite high-end brand but their Backstage Eye Prime has left me a bit perplexed.

Basically, this is a flesh-toned cream eyeshadow primer that is supposed to extend the wear and intensity of your eye makeup, turning your eyes into a perfect canvas. I loved it when I first got it, my shadows lasted all day with no creasing and unlike other primers, its drier texture made it super easy to blend my makeup. The thing is, now it does not prevent my makeup from creasing anymore. I’m not sure what happened, maybe my lids are oilier or it’s because the formula dried out a bit. That’s another thing, you have to be careful to really tightly screw the lid back in its place otherwise the formula will dry out. Luckily, I was able remove it from the pot and put it back upside-down so I can use the bottom half that was still fresh.

Now, the primer does not perform exactly like it used to but there is something it’s still great at: color-correcting my lids. I have very fair skin and as such the skin on my eyes is quite thin so you can see little veins. The Dior primer has a very natural skin tone color that I can blend to cover up the veins and perfectly even out my eyes, making them look brighter and more awake. I love using this on days when I don’t want to wear any eye makeup, but still want to look well rested. 

The formula of this is very dry so you do need to warm it up on your fingertip to make it easier to apply. Some might not like this, but the matte finish it gives to the skin is more natural looking and since it doesn’t leave your eyelids tacky, your eyeshadows will blend more easily and without dragging. Honestly, I don’t know if I would recommend this product as a primer (mostly because it’s expensive) since I can’t guaranty its effect in the long run. However, if you are looking for a corrector the Backstage Eye Prime is great and who knows, yours might be efficient at keeping your makeup in place too. 

You can get the Dior Backstage Eye Prime from their website and at any of their Counters. It is also available from Sephora and Feelunique.

Lancôme Définicils Mascara

When it comes to high-end mascaras, Lancôme is often considered the top brand. Years ago, I used the Lancôme Définicils mascara and loved it, so I when I received a sample of it around Christmas I thought it’d be great to revisit this cult favorite and see how I got on with it.

Définicils claims to provide length and definition with the help of a brush that helps separate every lash. I really enjoyed the size of the brush, it’s on the smaller side and really helps separate and define all of your lashes because you can really get it close to the roots. So in terms of definition, this is definitely a winner, but it does have shortcomings. I didn’t get much length at all from the formula, my lashes just looked very natural with added definition and color. This isn’t bad a thing, your lashes will look pretty but I was expecting a bit more from it. Définicils doesn’t claim to offer any volume and you don’t get any from this mascara, however since your lashes are really well separated, you still get great definition around your eyes.

I have to say this mascara did not live up to my memories. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a nice product that offers a really nice natural look, but I’m not sure I would want to repurchase it when taking its expensive price into account. Nonetheless, if definition is what you seek I would recommend going to a Lancôme counter and asking for a sample before you take the plunge.

You can get the Lancôme Définicils from any Lancôme counter, online and from Sephora for about 32$