Photoshop in a Compact: Guerlain Météorites Compact Light-Revealing Powder 2015

New Makeup New Look 

You guys know how much I love my Météorites pearls by Guerlain. It is hands down the most natural looking illuminating powder I have ever tried, so when Guerlain released their compact version which comes from the Spring 2015 Collection I jumped right in as I wanna see if it's as nice as the pearls and compare for you guys as it might be helpful, so without further a do let's get on with the review of Météorites Compact as I would call it "a photoshop in a compact". The Perfect Neutral Eyeshadow

Makeup most beautiful in the world

First of all let's all take a moment and appreciate the stunning packaging and the gorgeous mosaic print. Man I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm obsessed with it. I can look at it all day and everyday. So darn pretty! The compact is actually in magnetic closure and is made of some sort of plastic material I think, but very high quality though as all Guerlain products are. 

There are 3 shades available and I have it in 03 Medium which consists of 5 different colours such as purple, beige, peach, champagne and white. The purple, beige and peach are matte as opposite of champagne and white are actually quite shimmery. Those 5 colours work very well together in order to correct our skin tones and give light and life to the skin. As for the fragrance, it is the classic Météorites scent which is violet and you all probably know by now that it is my favourite scent in the whole wide world. Ahh let me just have another sniff of it... ... ... 

(Close-up)

Now a little comparison of both pearls and compact for ya in case you are wondering which one to purchase. 

	Météorites Pearls	Météorites Compact
PROs	Very densely packed pearls which picks up just the right amount of product.	densely pressed powder as well but a lot more pigmented so have to be light handed.
	Can mix and match i.e. if you prefer more matte finish then the white shimmery ones can be taken out as I did with mine, and those can actually be used separately as a subtle highlighter, very convenient and economical right?!	Handbag friendly, great for touch-up on the go. And love the magnetic closure.
	Looks gorgeous on the vanity.	Looks luxurious when touch-up in public.
	Good value for money as you do get 30g of product.
CONs	Not travel friendly	A little more shimmery than I would normally go for.
	Looks very natural and gives just the right amount of light on the skin.	A little bit too opaque and can look very “shiny" if go overboard with it.
		10g of product in the compact but a little goes a long way. You really need a tiny amount or you’ll end up looking like a disco ball.

So my verdict: It gets a thumbs up because it is just way too gorgeous not to purchase and the fact that it is so travel friendly, but as for performance, the pearls are my preference if I'm honest just because I prefer a more satin towards matte finish but if you have dry skin the compact is a must-have in my opinion, well both really. They are both very nice as far as illuminating and correcting the skin especially when you need to get your photos taken, your skin will look gorgeous on camera. 

(Left to right: Hourglass ambient lighting powder in Diffused Light; Météprites Pearls in 02 Clair; and Météorites Compact in 03 Medium. I threw in the Hourglass one just because it is also an illuminating powder. It is obvious that the Compact version is more shimmery and opaque than the Pearls, and the Hourglass one is more yellow toned which is good for under the eyes and anywhere with redness, the powder itself is much "softer" to the touch as opposite of Meteorites which are dense. But I must say that all of them are awesome, they all create softness and light to the skin.)

FYI: if you don't know which colour to choose, I mean it really doesn't matter because all Météorites powders are very light as far as colour pay-off, especially Clair and Medium, you really can't tell any difference, shouldn't go wrong with either, even Doré which is the darkest shade in the range is not even that much darker than Medium. Very forgiving so ordering online shouldn't be a problem at all. 

(No filter and no highlighter, just foundation and the Météorites Compact powder on top. Love the glow it gives but if you have oily skin you might wanna stay away from it, but that being said it looks absolutely gorgeous on camera.)

That's it. I hope this post is somewhat helpful. As always follow my blog as well as twitter/instagram @eflicciardello so that you don't miss out on future blogposts. 

Thank you and see you all next week with my February Favourites! Take care beauties! 

Read More

Chanel LES BEIGES Healthy Glow Sheer Powder New Makeup New Look

Chanel LES BEIGES, everybody knows it, everybody talks about it and everybody loves it. Why? I'll tell you right now. 

I've been on a hunt for a good powder foundation for the longest time. If you have been following me for a while now you probably know that my all time favourite powder foundation is the Balance and Brighten by Laura Geller. It is hands down the best I've tried so far but shame that I can't find a good match for my skintone. Fortunately, I found LES BEIGES. The most I like about this powder is that it doesn't make my skin look or feel dry. I can actually use it all year round plus it wears off nicely and I don't even need touch-up sometimes. I have the shade in 20, it is a tad lighter for me but I can get away with a bit of bronzer so it's all good. 

(The powder hardly has any fall-out, it is in fact nicely pressed)

Now LES BEIGES can be used as an all over setting powder as well as a powder foundation, and after weeks of testing I can tell you right now that it is a pretty darn good powder but if you are looking for a good coverage powder foundation then this is not the way to go as it gives the lightest coverage hence the name "sheer", but it is beautiful to set your foundation with as it gives a nice glow and an extra bit of coverage which is just lovely. 

(The compact gets finger prints easily which is not very nice)

Well I have to admit that I bought it to use as a powder foundation because sometimes I just want to use a little concealer and a powder then I can be out of the door cuz I ain't have no time for a full face makeup most of the time. As I said it doesn't have enough coverage unlike the Laura Geller one but my skin is pretty normal plus I don't have bad breakouts or scars or anything like that so this is actually pretty perfect for me and I do really like it if I haven't said that already. 

I know that a lot of girls use LES BEIGES as a bronzer and I have to tell you I may have to get the shade 40 cuz this powder is just so subtle and I can imagine it would be a good bronzer choice. 

The powder itself is matte I should say but as you put it on your face it somehow manages to illuminate the skin but in the most subtle way possible which just makes the skin look healthy and radiant. But if you look closely and I mean c-l-o-s-e-l-y you can detect a tiny little bit of shimmer, nothing crazy, unlike the Hourglass Ambient lighting Powder but again that is a finishing powder and I supposed LES BEIGES is in fact a setting powder. 

The compact comes with a huge mirror which I appreciate but I really don't like the little cover on top as it is just not convenient to touch-up on the go as I do have to tilt the compact to get rid of the cover which is a little bizarre if I'm honest. And the brush, apparently is called the "half moon" brush which isn't bad at all for touching-up on the go. I wouldn't use it when I'm at home but it is a pretty decent brush and it is quite soft as well. 

(With only concealer then the powder on top as a foundation, it does even out my skintone and I actually really like the sheer coverage as you still can see my skin through it which makes it real, and the glow it gives is unspeakable.)

So there you have it guys. It definitely gets a thumbs up but I have to tell you that if you are sensitive to scent then keep away from this powder because it has the strongest perfume scent I have ever experienced in makeup and it's not the kind of scent I like either. I mean I don't mind scent in makeup, in fact I adore my Guerlain makeup because they have the most beautiful fragrance in them and I serisouly can't get my nose out of them but this one is not for me and I will tell you right now that I probably won't even be re-purchasing just because of the scent. What can I say, bad perfume smell is a deal breaker for me. But hey that's just me, everyone's different, you might like it and the powder is seriously quite good so have a test at your Chanel counter before purchasing I suggest.

Have you tried LES BEIGES? Any thoughts? 

Read More

Best Powder Foundations

I love powder foundations. They are just so quick n easy to use. I use them almost everyday because I am not a morning person to be honest and I "snooze" at least 3 times before I can get up.

Let's just cut to the chase shall we?! 

First up Laura Geller Belance n Brighten, and I have the shade in Regular/Medium.

The shade is a tad too dark for me I need to pick up the Lighter one, but this is by far the best powder foundation I have ever tried. Seriously it is fabulous. It's finely milled, light on the skin, never cakey, and it does brighten the complexion. 

The coverage is incredible, you can build it up to full converge, yes you heard me, full coverage. It cancels my redness like no other foundations. I love this stuff, sometimes I feel like this is better than ALL of my other foundations. 

It's hand made in Italy and baked under Terracotta pan for 24 hours. It's infused with different colors to conrrect and balance the complexion. Try it guys! It is gorgeous. 

Next up, Shiseido Sun Protective Compact Foundation SPF 30. I have the shade in 40 I think. I don't really remember but it's the lightest shade. 

I know I know it's empty because I have finished it all up. I had taken out the pan and still waiting for my refill. That's one thing I like about this foundation, you only need to buy the compact once. We need to think about our environment right?!

It's light, not cakey. It can be built up to full coverage, and it has SPF 30. Perfect for summer. It controls oil pretty well. You can use a large powder brush to set your foundation or use it on its own with a buffing brush for more coverage. It's small and compacted, great for take it on the go. 

Last but not least, Lepo Loose Mineral Powder in the shade 48. This is a recent purchase and I haven't been able to put it down since. It's light and very creamy for a powder. Lepo is an Italian brand but I think they do ship internationally.

Everyone needs some sort of mineral foundation in my opinion because it is so good for your skin and very quick and easy for everyday use. I use my buffing brush on days when I need more coverage but on a good skin day I just use a big soft powder brush for a light coverage. The more you buff the radiant your skin looks. It's a great mineral foundation. 

There you have it the best powder foundations in my opinion. Leave me comments and Let me know if you have tried any of these and how they work for you. Or Tweet me 

Until next time bye! Muahhhh

Read More

Comparison of the Guerlain Meteorites Illuminating

Hello again my lovely beauty junkies. I hope you all are having a fantastic week.

Now I love illuminating face powders, they are just so multifunctional in my opinion. You can use it as a finishing powder or just use it on parts of your face to highlight the places you wanna stand out the most.

I have come across 2 illuminating powders that I think they are just simply divine. One being the Meteorites Illuminating Powder by Guerlain, and the other is the Ambient Lighting Powder by Hourglass. Both are fantastic and I love them for different purposes.

Let's talk about the Guerlain powder 1st. Now just take a moment and look at this gorgeous packaging for a second guys. Isn't it beautiful?! I love Guerlain packaging in general. It's so luxurious, and would look great on your vanity if you are into packaging. It comes into a bunch of pearls which consists of 6 different colours, and every colour has its own purpose. e.g. The green ones are to cancel the redness, the pink ones are to refresh the complexion, and whites are to brighten etc. I have the shade in 01 teint rose and it suits me perfectly as my skintone is fair to medium with a slight yellow undertone to it. I am guessing the 02 peach shade would suit me as well because they are to be honest no that pigmented so it wouldn't matter if you choose "the wrong" shade.

I use this pearls as a finishing powder. I normally use my Real Techniques Duo-Fiber Face Brush or the Blush Brush sometimes to swirl around in the pearls and dust it all over my face. It just instantly brightens my complexion and makes me look awake. However I "changed" this powder slightly to suit me even better. I have a quite oily T-zone and in order not to look too much shiny I took out the white and the peachy beige pearls so now it is just perfect for me. (as you can see here on the photo, I put the white and the peachy ones in a separate container which I occasionally use it as a subtle highlighter. nothing wasted!!!) Who said you can't customise?! I think now it looks great and suits me a lot better. My face still look brightened without the shine bits that I hate. The only downside is that when I swirl my brush in the can the pearls fly out on the floor sometimes which is abit annoying.

As for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. I think I don't need to go into too much of a detail, because everybody talks about it and everybody loves it. I have the shade in Diffused Light, and I use it as a highlighter instead of an all over face powder. The yellowness in this powder just does the best job of brightening and highlighting my cheek bones, my forehead and down my chin. I also dust it around my expression lines sometimes if I know I'm gonna be taken photos because it blurs the lines I have and looks flawless on the photo. Oh yes I use it with my Real Techniques Duo-fiber Face Brush. Can you tell I love Real Techniques Brushes?!

I guess there are no real differences between these 2 powders as they both can be used as all over finishing powders or just highlighters. It really depends on you, what suits you the most, and what works the best for you. And don't be afraid to "customise" your makeup sometimes cuz it would make a difference. It's all about "you"!

Price wise- the Guerlain pearls cost me 38 euros from my local department store, and the Hourglass cost 38 pounds from spacenk

So there you have it, whichever you choose remember what works the best for you! Always!!!

Read More

Lepo Compact Rice Powder Review

Like shine free face? Looking for the perfect matte setting powder? Look no further.

I have normal to combo skin and do get quite shiny during the day with just foundation on. A few months ago I came across this "rice powder" from my local erboristeria ( it's Italian. It means herbalist's shop in English). The lady who sells this told me that it is made from rice, very natural no nasty chemicals and do work really well in terms of absorbing oil on the face. It all sounds too good to pass so I picked it up. And I love it! Have been using it everyday and I have nothing bad to say about it.

Lepo Rice Powder €16.80 10g

It is an Italian brand but you can however purchase through the Lepo website. They do ship worldwide.

It claims to remove shiny traces and adds brightness to your face. I have to say that I agree with it 100%. There's something about this powder that just instantly takes away the shine and feels extremely light on my face. It's just so comfortable to wear it on a daily basis. It does have a color to it but very slight almost translucent. You definitely can't use it as a foundation but on a good skin day I can get away with it by using just a little concealer and this powder on top. 

Lepo Compact Rice Powder in shade 20

It comes with a puff which is really rather nice. I however use it with my Real techniques Duo fiber face brush to apply this powder. It just gives a very light yet even coverage. It never ever looks cakey on me. I use the puff when I go out for touch ups. FYI I do need to touch up with this powder if I need my makeup to last all day. 

I can't say enough good things about this powder. It just does the job very well, and did I mention it also smells divine? €17 euros and you get 10g of product I think that's pretty darn good. 

So yeah try it and I think you'll really enjoy it if you are after a matte, shine free face without the cakeyness. 

With the powder on ( as you can tell it takes off the shine on my face but doesn't look flat either)

Read More