Giorgio Armani #24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow Review, Photos, Swatches!

Giorgio Armani #24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow

Giorgio Armani #24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow ($33) is a black with glistening copper and gold. When the colors mix together, it turns into a beautiful dark khaki/olive green. It's a fabulous color, and the type of shade that I gravitate towards, as it flatters my hazel eyes and warm skin really well. It's a bit of a chameleon color, as it shines differently depending on the lighting and angle. Sometimes the color looks like a glistening warm brown and other times it looks like a golden olive. In the sunlight, the golden hues really shine through. It reminds be a bit of MAC Gilt by Association Mineralize Eyeshadow, a shadow I frequently wore in the past.

I know these eyeshadows are old news, as they've been out for a couple of years and I don't hear much about them anymore, but recently, I went through my makeup stash and dug out shade #8 Champagne, and have been using it multiple times a week. Naturally, it sparked my love for this product again, and I wanted more. So, #24 became my newest addition to my makeup bag.

The texture of the eyeshadow is like a very finely milled pressed/compacted pigment. It's incredibly silky and blends effortlessly. My favorite application tool is my fingertip or an old-school sponge applicator, as they both pick up the most product and apply the product in an opaque layer. A small flat brush also works well, such as a small concealer brush. You can also dampen the brush and apply the product wet for an almost metallic finish.

Heavy swatch of #24

Swatched on my arm the color looks more brown, but on my lids it's a glistening khaki green!

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length + Volume Mascara Review & Photos!

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length + Volume Mascara

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length + Volume Mascara ($8) is a newer mascara by Revlon that provides length and volume and has lustrous black fibers so the result is super dark lashes with a hint of shine. It's available in water-proof and non-waterproof, as well as three colors; Blackest Black, Black and Blackened Brown.

In the past, Revlon's mascaras haven't worked that well for me. None of them provided enough length and volume for my liking. From all of the Revlon mascaras, Revlon Photoready 3D Volume Mascara performed the best, but still, it didn't replace my other Maybelline and Covergirl favorites. I've seen many bloggers using this new mascara recently, so I was really curious to try it out.

The mascara wand can totally make or break the mascara, and for this mascara, it's a win. No weird "innovative" shape, just a large fluffy tapered brush. I really love it. It's a good size for reaching all of the lashes, and it isn't too big to reach the smaller corner and bottom lashes.

The formula appears to be pretty wet and you can see the loads of shiny black fibers. It doesn't apply clumpy which is really nice, and it dries fairly quickly so you don't have to wait too long between coats.

The result with one coat is super pretty. It adds slight length and separation and makes the lashes look dark and noticeable. With many mascaras, one coat doesn't look like anything on my lashes. The formula builds really nicely and quickly, and by the second coat, my lashes look a bit longer and slightly volumized. It's not dramatic like some super voluminous formulas, but I really like the result. I don't think I'd apply more than a second coat, as the lashes can start to clump. It seems like the more I apply, the formula feels slightly sticky. I notice that when I blink sometimes my top and bottom lashes may stick together for a mili-second. Very annoying, but it can probably be fixed by applying a lash primer first.

Guerlain Sun Blondes Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder Review, Photos, Swatches!

Guerlain Sun Blondes Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder

Guerlain Sun Blondes Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder ($52) is a lightweight 5-shade mosaic bronzing powder consisting of beautiful bronzed pinks and tans. When all of the shades are swept together, a warm, glowing tan is created.

God only knows I probably don't need any new bronzers, but when I saw this bronzer in Sephora I couldn't resist swatching it (among all of the other product swatches smeared all over my hand) and tossing a box in my basket. Guerlain is easily one of my favorite luxury cosmetic brands, and for ages it's been said that Guerlain makes some of the best bronzers.

I use Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer #3 regularly and I really enjoy it. On a daily basis I really enjoy using MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powders probably more than anything because it's a really soft powder that blends really well and is great for contouring since there is no shimmer.

Sun Blondes is slightly different than both because it's not your standard brown bronzer. When applied, it has a slight rosy sheen to it. When I apply a few layers of this product, I don't feel that I necessarily need any blush as this seems to add a nice flush of color to my face. For my medium skintone, it's very light, but it can be built up with multiple layers or by using a denser blush brush. I typically apply it with a fluffy powder brush around the outline of my face and then use blush brush to apply it to my cheeks. On the cheeks it's a luminous bronzed rosy-apricot.

It may look shimmery in the compact, but it applies with a gentle luminosity and healthy glow. No obnoxious shimmer.

Swatches from left to right: Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer #3, NARS Laguna Bronzer, Guerlain Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder #04 Sun Blondes (swatted heavily) and applied lightly. You can see from the comparisons that Sun Blondes has a very warm, rosy tone compared to the others.

Hourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting Blush Review, Photos, Swatches!

Hourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting Blush

Hourglass Radiant Magenta Ambient Lighting Blush ($35) is a lovely medium warm pink with a satiny finish. It looks like a fairly cool-toned pink in the compact, and even swatched with the finger, but on the cheeks the pink really warms up to my skin. The color has a Spring/Summer pink vibe as it pulls pinky-peach on the cheeks. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting line of blushes are still fairly new, with the initial launch this past February. These blushes combine Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powder - which is a luminous finishing powder, swirled with a natural hue. When the two are combined, your cheeks will be left with beautiful, natural glowing color that is full of dimension. Sounds wonderful, right?

Well, I haven't tried Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powders, but from what I've gathered is that it's a powder that won't highlight your imperfections (like those that tend to settle in or highlight the pores or look heavy, dull or powdery on the skin) but, it will give your skin a "lit-from-within" sort of glow and give the appearance of softer, younger skin. It also claims to make your skin look great in any lighting situation you are in (bright sunlight, candlelight, etc.) The powder took off pretty well, so Hourglass created a blush with the same concept.

I've had this blush for a few months now, and I've been using it regularly. As a die-hard blush lover, I'm a huge fan of baked blushes because I love the texture of them and how easy they are to blend. This blush is super soft to the touch and blending with it is so simple. Worst case scenario, if you didn't have a blush brush on hand, you can use your fingertips to apply this blush and it wouldn't look like it. It has a nice satin finish that isn't shimmery or frosty. It just gives a slight glow to the skin when the light hits your cheeks.

The lasting power is pretty average for me. I typically never re-apply blush throughout the day, but if I was planning on going out for the night, I would most likely have to reapply this blush mid-day as it fades pretty significantly by the evening.