Natural Matte: Kat Von D Lock-it Setting Powder* & Setting Powder Brush* Review

This just goes to show what a bad beauty blogger I am - previously to having been sent the new Kat Von D Beauty Lock-it Setting Powder in Translucent* ($30 for 0.67 oz/ 19g) and the accompanying Lock-it Setting Powder Brush* ($38 each), I hadn't owned a loose face powder. I know the beauty sphere is all abuzz with the baking techniques and what not, but yeah... I was not on board of that particular bandwagon.

It's been such a nice change of pace though to once again experiment with setting my face using a loose powder. My loose face powder experience is a little limited - I only used Makeup For Ever HD (disliked) & bareMinerals Mineral Veil (alright) in the past - so I was curious to see how the Kat Von D Lock-it would perform on my combination skin type. The product comes in a generous 19g jar with a screw-on lid and a sifter (how do you like that star-shaped design?); very sturdy and straightforward although I wish there was an option to close the sifter for travel/ storage like in the Laura Mercier loose powders. This powder comes in one universal Translucent shade; in the jar, it looks very fair with a slight yellow undertone, but it is colorless on my fair skin (can't comment how it would perform on deep skintones - best to give it a swatch at Sephora). The product is also vegan, cruelty- and fragrance-free.

 The claims for the Lock-it Setting Powder include a 'smooth, seamless look' thanks to more weightless mica powders used in the formula, 'softly diffused pores' and a 'velvety matte finish'. For setting the entire face, the brand recommends the Lock-it Setting Powder Brush (reviewed below), while for the purpose of under-eye baking or setting, they've created a Precision Powder Brush. When you take a closer look at the INCI list, mica is indeed the first ingredient, followed by talc - beware if you're allergic. The powder also contains corn starch, jojoba esters and soybean oil.

As for the performance of this powder on my face after testing it for over a month, I like it but I'm not entirely in love with it. What I like is that indeed, this powder feels more lightweight and less chalky on my skin than something like the silica-based MUFE HD. I also enjoy the soft matte finish; it's definitely not a dry, flat matte but it still helps to blur the appearance of pores or skin texture. When used lightly with the brand's Setting Powder Brush, it does set and prolong the wear of my foundation but it doesn't completely stop the oilies from coming through a few hours after application (which is more or less standard across all setting/ mattifying powders I've tried to date). And while I can't quite push myself to do a proper heavy 'bake' with the Lock-it powder on my face, I have tried a more low-key version - setting my T-zone and under-eye area by pressing the powder into the skin on a damp Beautyblender. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the results; I expected my face to look cakey but instead I got a smooth, natural-looking velvet finish that managed to diffuse the pores on the center of my face as well as fine lines under my eyes. I've also noticed that I got a lot less shiny throughout the day when I used this method. So I guess low-key baking is my new favorite thing :)

And while a damp Beautyblender seems to give me more impressive results when used with the Lock-it Setting Powder, that is not to say that I don't like the Kat Von D Setting Powder Brush. Quite the opposite in fact; it's a beautiful, high-quality, soft, fluffy powder brush that's fantastic for lightly dusting the face, getting rid of excess product or even blending out a strong blush, bronzer or contour. Like other brushes in the Kat Von D range, it's synthetic with a long, tapered acrylic handle.

The shape of the bristles is a little different than a standard large domed face powder brush; instead, it's more elongated and a little less dense/ more floppy than what you may be used to. It just so happens that I have two other brushes with similar shapes - the Zoeva 101 Luxe Face Definer (reviewed here) is slightly stiffer, more dense and comes to more of a point, while the DUcare Powder Brush from their 10 Piece Essential Travel Collection has shorter bristles and a rounder dome profile. While I enjoy using my Zoeva for bronzer or contour, the Kat Von D Setting Powder Brush definitely feels softer and gentler for setting my whole face, and it picks up just the right amount of powder.

Overall, I like both of these Lock-it Setting products from Kat Von D, and they've become new staples in my everyday make-up bag. I do enjoy the increased versatility that a loose setting powder has to offer in comparison to a regular pressed one (being able to use it as a base under foundation, to lightly set over liquid bases, and to 'low-key bake') but I'll stick to my powder compacts for travel and touch-ups. The brush is a lovely addition to my collection and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for high-quality synthetic bristles. Now tell me - do you do the bake? Or only when we're talking about muffins, scones, cookies and cakes?

Disclaimer: Items marked with an asterix (*) are press samples I received from Influenster for testing purposes. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!

New Staple: Kat Von D Lock-it Concealer Crème* & Edge Concealer Brush* Review

It's been so nice this month to have a few brand new products to play with in my everyday make-up routine, especially after reaching for the same old, same old from my 4 months-long Project Pan. While making a concentrated effort to use up older concealers in my stash, I came to the conclusion that I was no longer happy with how they were performing on my skin and I was more than ready to find a new staple for my daily make-up bag. Lo and behold, my wishes have been answered when I was selected to review the new Kat Von D Beauty Lock-it Concealer Crème* in the shades L3 Warm and L5 Neutral ($26 for 0.22 oz, available at Sephora and katvondbeauty.com), together with the brand's Edge Concealer Brush* ($24 each).

You may find this hard to believe but these are my first products I've ever tried from Kat Von D Beauty. I was strongly tempted by a few other items in the past (in fact, I gifted my BFF her Shade & Light Eye Palette for Christmas and she really loves it!) but never actually pulled the trigger. The brand has been generating a lot of buzz for the past few years and it's easy to see why: great shade range and broad availability, staying on top of the trends and building customer loyalty through consistently high quality products (ekhm - maybe with the exception of those now discontinued blush duos). So yeah, I don't really know why I never purchased anything from the brand, especially that it has a major plus for me personally - it caters to a wide range of skintones including very, very fair, and I mean even fairer than me in the middle of the winter.

In the past I wasn't feeling very inspired by KVD's design aesthetic but I have to say that once I unpacked my new goodies, I found myself really drawn to the look of these products. I like the black and silver color scheme, the Gothic lettering, the wax seals for the logo on the boxes and the ink drop on the actual concealer tubes (all of those things combined remind me of the World of Darkness role-playing games I used to play, especially Vampire: The Masquerade).

But the designs are also practical; the concealers have labels on the bottom indicating the shades, and most of the tube's been kept clear to allow you to see the shade inside at a glance. Moreover, these Lock-it Concealer Crèmes have very good stoppers that dispense just the right amount of product onto the applicator and prevent any messes or spilling at the neck of the bottle. I'm also quite fond of the shape of the doe foot itself: it tapers down towards the tip, allowing for a more precise application.

The product claims for the Lock-it Concealer Crème include 24-hour wear, instant full coverage, smooth, even finish, and a crease-proof but hydrating formula (it does contain glycerin and hyaluronic acid). It is meant to be used for all areas of the face (and body): under the eyes, on blemishes and discoloration, and even to contour and bake (huh?!). These sound like rather lofty goals to me, so obviously I was very curious to see if the concealer actually performs to such a high standard.

After 3 weeks of testing this concealer in different conditions, I now feel I have a pretty good grasp of how it works on my skin and for my individual needs. I have worn it under the eyes, on blemishes and hyperpigmented/ red areas of the face, alone and layered with other concealers, on top of two different eye creams, on its own as well as set with powder. The final verdict is that I really like it, although it's not my Holy Grail (still remains to be found). My review is pretty much a comparison to my previous staple, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, which is also a high coverage cream concealer with a doe foot that can be used for under the eyes as well as spot concealing.

Between the NARS RCC and the Lock-It, I do prefer the Kat Von D. It has a slightly thinner texture with maybe a touch less coverage that I personally find much more flattering on the skin. With the NARS concealer, I had to be very mindful of the amount I was using because anything more than a tiny dot would result in a cakey, dry, aged-looking under eye area, and it would also crease and gather in my fine lines quite a bit by the end of the day. I liked the NARS a lot more on hyperpigmented spots and blemishes, but again had to be careful because it had a tendency to look heavy and textured. The Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème looks a lot more natural and seamless on my skin and I do find my under eyes look more rested & hydrated after application than with the NARS. However, it performs slightly worse on blemishes than the NARS RCC; it seems a little too emollient and can slide off the area if not applied properly; I like best to quickly dot it around my problem spots, wait for a few minutes, and then come back and blend it into my foundation. The Concealer Crème also definitely benefits from setting with powder (I've tested it with both MAC Blotting Powder and the Kat Von D Lock-it Setting Powder*, review coming soon), both on the face and under the eyes, where it unfortunately still creases for me - but I have yet to find an under eye concealer that doesn't crease.

L-R: KVD Lock-It Concealer in L5 Neutral, KVD Lock-It Concealer in L3 Warm, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Surratt Beauty Concealer in no.2

As for the shade match, both Light 3 Warm and Light 5 Neutral are currently great matches for my very slightly darker summer skin tone. In theory, depending on your undertones, one shade should work better for the under eyes and the other for elsewhere on the face, but in practice, I have found very little difference in how L3 Warm and L5 Neutral look once blended in. As you can see from my arm swatch, both are definitely darker than my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly (but both of them are the same depth, regardless of the L-number); if you're looking for something truly fair, KVD also offers the shade Light 1 (Neutral) as well as a pure white shade (White Out).

I have also been very pleasantly surprised by the KVD Edge Concealer Brush*, and it has quickly become my favorite tool to blend out concealer on larger areas of the face (under the eyes, around the nose).

It's a dense duo-fiber synthetic brush with a pinched ferrule but a cut tapered edge; hopefully you can see what I mean in the close-up photo. When I first saw the shape, I thought it was a little gimmicky - I remember when Sigma first came out with their 3DHD brushes, which for the most part weren't reviewed very favorably. However, in the case of the KVD Edge Concealer Brush, I do think this design works very well - the sharper edge allows you to get very close to the contours of your eye/ nose without sacrificing softness or blendability.

I also enjoy the larger size of this concealer brush; compared to my other concealer blending brushes, you can see that the head of the KVD one is much wider, which allows it to cover a larger area quickly. The bristles are not as dense as to drag the product around (as is the case with my Zoeva Concealer Buffer) and the brush can be used both with a stippling and a buffing motion. Overall, I find the quality of this brush to be very good - I've washed it several times since receiving it and there's been no shedding nor any other issues. One thing that takes some getting used to is the length of the handle - most brushes I own are much shorter so I sometimes find myself hitting my mirror with the brush's end. But the elongated, narrowing shape certainly looks very cool... or even slightly lethal :)

I hope you enjoyed this rather lengthy review of these new products from Kat Von D; I realize they're gathering a lot of interest at the moment so I wanted to cover most potential questions. If there's anything else you'd like to know about these, please ask in the comments, and stay tuned for my review of the Lock-it Setting Powder* and Lock-it Setting Powder Brush*. Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) are press samples I received for free from Influenster for testing purposes. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!

Make-up Bag Essential: Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Concealer in 02

If I were to take one make-up product to a desert island with me, it would be concealer. For me, it's always been an essential, ever since I first started breaking out in middle school - and I continue to use at least one on an everyday basis, even when I choose to forgo the rest of my make-up. It simply gives my face the biggest impact: conceals tired under eyes, stubborn freckles, redness around my nose, dark marks from old zits as well as those angry red bumps that decided to put in an appearance at the last moment. Ugh. Which is why I'm always on the lookout for the best concealer out there, and I love trying new ones, like this Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Concealer in the shade 02 ($50 for 0.6 oz).

This is without a doubt the most expensive concealer I've ever had (especially considering the small volume of the stick) - to be honest, I would have never opted for it if it weren't a generous gift with purchase from the Surratt counter at Barney's. So far, I have really enjoyed everything I've tried from Surratt, so I was curious to see how their complexion product would perform on me.

There are 8 shades in the range, spanning very, very fair skin to deeper skintones. I'm saying 'very, very fair skin' because I own the second lightest shade, which you'll see in the moment is quite comparable to NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly (especially once blended out on the skin - Chantilly oxidizes on me just a touch darker than in my arm swatch), which I consider to be really rather pale. I'd think that shade 01 would probably suit those who are in the N5 range (Bobbi Brown Alabaster, Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer in Fair Neutral and so on).

Surratt Surreal Skin Concealer in 02, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Laneige Cushion Concealer in Light*

I quite enjoy the minimalist black packaging with a sparkling ombre detail, and the entire product is small, sleek and lightweight - perfect for touch-ups on the go. But again, you are paying quite a hefty price tag for such a small product. The bullet itself is also quite slim, and cut at an angle; nice size for applying directly under the eyes or on areas of redness, but obviously too large for precise spot concealing.

I've tested the Surreal Skin Concealer both under my eyes as well as on marks, redness and blemishes. The product promises to 'erase dark circles and offer surreal coverage', and right off the bat, I have to disagree. If you're looking high coverage, the Surratt concealer doesn't have it. I would say that blended out, it offers a light coverage, built up in layers or really concentrated (on blemishes, for example), it's medium. On most days, I don't have very dark under eye circles and currently no monster zits to cover, so it's alright for me, but I think if you need some serious concealing action, you'd be very dissapointed.

I was however quite pleasantly surprised with the texture of this product. Stick concealers tend to be quite dry and heavy, and accentuate any dryness on the skin. The Surratt concealer doesn't do that - it's quite creamy (but obviously less so than a liquid concealer) and sits lightweight on the skin. As you'll see in my face shot, it doesn't exacerbate dry flakes around my nostrils, and it doesn't make my under eye area look too crepey (I prepped with a hydrating eye cream beforehand). It also wears well throughout the day on me and doesn't slide off bumps or blemishes.

Left side: no concealer under the eyes, right side: Surratt Surreal Skin. I've also used it around my nose and on any blemishes. Foundation is Koh Gen Do Aqua in PK-1. Feel free to click on the photo to enlarge.

All in all, I think it's a decent multipurpose concealer - like I said in the beginning, it would make a great make-up bag essential if you like touching up your concealer throughout the day, or perhaps to take on a trip in lieu of two separate products, one for under the eyes and one for spots. I like either picking up some product from the stick on my brush and then buffing it into the skin, or applying with my fingers - I find that using the stick directly on the skin doesn't work as well, probably because like most stick products, this benefits from being warmed up first. However, I will not be repurchasing once mine runs out - I do prefer to have something with a higher coverage so that I don't have to spend as much time layering the concealer on blemishes.

What was the most expensive concealer you've ever tried? Do you use a separate concealer for your under eyes and for spot concealing, or do you prefer to have one multitasker?

Multi-tasking Base: Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42

Missha was one of the first Korean brands to arrive on our beauty scene, and their Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 PA +++ ($22 for 50ml but frequently on sale: entire Missha website is 40% off plus free shipping until midnight today) was one of the first products from the brand to win the hearts of many a beauty blogger. I purchased this smaller 20ml trial size in-store last year (don't you think all brands should offer smaller sizes of foundations for less? Such a great idea!) and I've only just dug it out from my back-up stash to try now.

Missha's BB Cream comes in a simple cardboard box with a full list of ingredients (although surprisingly, the sunscreen content is not listed separately as an active ingredient, which I believe is required by law here in the US), and the product itself is packaged in a slim squeeze tube, which I always appreciate. The claims for this BB Cream are 'natural-looking coverage while providing sun protection, treating dark spots, and preventing wrinkles', and it can be used either as a primer or alone as a foundation.

The texture of this product is a slightly thicker lotion that spreads and blends out easily on the skin. It does have quite a strong fragrance - it smells like a cross between old-school Nivea and sunscreen to me, kinda nostalgic - and it can linger, so I would advise against purchasing this BB if you're sensitive to scents. The Perfect Cover BB definitely has a more emollient, moisturizing feel as it contains mineral oil as well as natural plant oils, glycerine and hyaluronic acid, but I wouldn't say it feels heavy or tacky once blended in. The coverage is light (a bit surprising given the product's name, but in line with the brand's claims) and it has a natural, glowy finish on the skin. This BB Cream doesn't pool into my fine lines or pores, but due to the dewy effect, it doesn't disguise them either.

Compared to the L'Occitane Immortelle Precious BB Cream that I reviewed not too long ago, on my combination skin, I definitely prefer the Missha Perfect Cover because of its better longevity and more lightweight feel (I didn't include the L'Occitane BB in the swatches as I've already passed it on to a drier-skinned friend). I'm not surprised that Perfect Cover is one of Missha's best-sellers - it would be a fantastic multi-purpose product for someone looking for just a little bit of coverage to even things out but with the added conveniance of not having to layer a separate SPF or even moisturizer under one's foundation in the morning. One thing to keep in mind is that this product has a tendency to leave a bit of an ashy cast on the skin (probably due to high zinc oxide content); the shade I chose, Light Beige no. 21, can look a bit grey on my skin if applied more generously.

L-R: Missha Perfect Cover BB in no. 21 Light Beige, Revlon Colorstay in Ivory, Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation in PK-1

All in all, I'm quite happy with Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream. Most days, the coverage is a bit too light for me, but I've also been mixing it in with a more longlasting and opaque foundation, and I like the effect. I also really enjoy wearing Missha's BB when my skin is particularly dry and dehydrated (hello, winter season!), although it doesn't have any miraculous properties like erasing flaky skin - it just feels more comfortable than a mattifying base. What foundation do you usually reach for once the weather cools down? Do you prefer to layer SPF with foundation, or do you rely on sunscreen in your base products?

A Pillow For Your Under Eyes: Laneige Cushion Concealer SPF30 in Light*

With the increasing popularity of cushion foundations (read my review of Laneige's BB Cushion here), many brands have decided to go all out on the cushion technology, introducing cushion blushers, gel eyeliners, eyeshadows and more. Laneige is definitely on top of that trend with their Cushion Concealer Broad Spectrum SPF 30* ($20 for 2.5 ml at Target), available in Light (which I have here to show you) and Medium.

First off, I have to say that Laneige's Cushion Concealer doesn't actually have a cushion - the applicator is in fact a soft fluffy... ehm, ball, I guess. Or round doe foot. It looks pretty adorable when brand new with its baby pink color. The delivery method of this concealer is a clickety pen, and I absolutely love, love that there's a window on the side of the packaging so you can easily see how much product you have remaining. The concealer with the most similar packaging on the US market right now is the newly released Burberry Cashmere Concealer, while the Maybelline Age Rewind is a similar concept, but it features a sponge on the end and the size of the applicator is much larger. Laneige's doe foot fits perfectly into the curves around your eyes or nose.

The Cushion Concealer boasts SPF 30+ (combination of physical and chemical sunscreen ingredients), which is a rarity, as well as skincare benefits on top of its concealing action: it's supposed to have a hydrating and brightening effect. I was actually expecting the texture of this product to be much thinner, but in fact, it's quite creamy (only slightly thinner than my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer), and blends easily into the skin. The tone of the Light shade is definitely quite yellow on me, which surprisingly works well not only on areas of redness but also under my eyes (I have a lot of purple tones there, but if your eye area is more olive, this may look too ashy).

I would say the coverage of this concealer is medium, so for me personally it's not really suited for pin-point blemish concealing. It's sufficiently opaque though to disguise the darkness under my eyes or redness around the nose. When blended in, the finish of this concealer is a natural satin, but unfortunately on me, it sometimes exacerbates texture under my eyes, and I find it a bit difficult to layer over my eye cream - it blends out unevenly, especially towards the outer corners. It looks alright when I pat it in with a finger versus blending out with a brush, but I'm not sure if the results warrant babying this product so much; judge for yourselves in my uncomfortable eye close-up.

L-R: Laneige Cushion Concealer in Light, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly

No concealer on the left under eye area, Laneige Cushion Concealer applied on the right.

Overall, I think it's an average concealer - it's just a bit too much effort for me to coax it into behaving the way I would like it to. Looking at the photos of my under eyes with and without concealer, I actually think the two sides don't look all that different, and maybe I'm just not the best judge when it comes to under eye concealers because I don't have huge issues to conceal in that area. If you've been thinking about purchasing Laneige's Cushion Concealer, keep in mind the two major downsides of this product: very limited shade range and the price per ounce - 2.5 ml of product isn't a whole lot (in comparison, NARS Creamy Concealer contains around 6.5 ml, while the Maybelline Age Rewind contains 6ml for $7-8). Have you tried any of the spin-off cushion products? What is your current favorite concealer?

Disclaimer: Item marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!

Light Base for the Colder Season: L'Occitane Immortelle Precious BB Cream SPF30

As my skin continues to improve, I've gotten more into lighter bases: foudations with lighter coverage, tinted moisturizers, BB creams, the works. Yeah, I know; BB, CC and other alphabet creams are so passé these days. To be honest though, I really don't care how a brand chooses to market their base products - I'll try them anyway, and evaluate according to their performance and my current needs, no matter the name. So that's exactly how I'm going to review this L'Occitane Immortelle Precious BB Cream SPF 30 in the Fair shade ($45 for 1.3 fl oz/ 40ml).

L'Occitane claims that their BB Cream will even out the skintone, soften the signs of stress and fatigue, and protect the skin thanks to the UV filter. I believe the SPF ingredient for this product is Titanium Dioxide, although L'Occitane doesn't provide a full ingredients' list on their website (now, THAT is passé!), so I'm not too sure. It also contains immortelle essential oil, which has anti-aging properties.

First off, I really like the packaging for this BB Cream: it's a slim plastic tube with a tiny nozzle, which makes it very easy to control the amount of product you're squeezing out. Yes, the price point is a bit out there (which I actually find to be true for most L'Occitane products, so I wasn't surprised), but you're also getting about a third more than in a regular foundation (40 vs 30ml).

The Immortelle Precious BB Cream is a light cream that spreads and blends very easily into the skin. It does have a pretty strong sharp floral fragrance - I could definitely do without it. It's also quite a bit different than the herbal scent of other products in the Immortelle skincare range. The coverage is higher than I expected; light to medium, depending on the application. As you can see in my face shot (no concealer, no powder, applied over a pore-minimizing primer used in the T-zone), it definitely evens out my skin and conceals redness, but my freckles, little spots and other marks are still showing through.

This BB Cream definitely has a very glowy finish on the skin. When freshly applied, I absolutely love the effect on my skin; it looks natural and luminous, and doesn't sink into enlarged pores or lines. It also feels moisturizing but non-sticky. Unfortunately, even powdered, it only lasts on my combination skin for about 2-3 hours, at which point it starts getting very shiny, and seems to make my smile lines and pores a lot more obvious. I've even tried mixing it in with a matte long-wearing foundation, but it still caused much faster oil break-through in the T-zone.

L-R: L'Occitane Precious BB Cream in Fair, Revlon Colorstay in Ivory, Guerlain Baby Glow in Light

As for the shade match, this BB Cream comes in only three shades, out of which I have the lightest - Fair. As you can see in the arm swatch, compared to some of my other fair/ light foundations, it's strangely... gray. I realize that the grey tone is similar to the shade range of original Korean BB Creams, but the gray undertone causes my skin to look a bit unnatural (dare I say, corpse-like?) - it's not very obvious when it's blended in, but I don't love it 100%. I think the Fair shade would only work for skintones in the NW10 range (fair with cool/ pink undertones).

All in all, I would say that the L'Occitane Immortelle Precious BB Cream is a nice product, but unfortunately not geared towards my skintype. If your skin is normal to dry, and you're looking for something fuss-free with good sun protection, this should fit the bill, especially in the fall and winter. However, the Immortelle BB could definitely benefit from a wider shade range; as it is, there's only a few select skintones that are able to find a match. Have you tried any make-up products from L'Occitane? What is your favorite base product with lighter coverage?

Perfectly Poreless: YSL Touche Éclat Blur Primer and Perfector*

For a person who's always been very ambivalent when it comes to make-up primers, I sure own and try quite a few on a regular basis. I was recently selected to receive the Influenster YSL VoxBox, which contained two new priming products from the YSL Touche Éclat range: the YSL Touche Éclat Blur Primer* ($52 for 1 oz, I was sent a deluxe 10ml sample) and the Touche Éclat Blur Perfector* ($55 for 0.33 oz).

Let's make this short and snappy and start with the Blur Primer*. The product comes in a beautiful clear glass bottle - my mini has a spatula applicator, but I believe the full size comes with a pump. The product itself is a clear, somewhat thick gel with suspended particles of gold microglitter, and a beautiful fresh, fruity fragrance. Yeah, I know what you're thinking - microGLITTER?! Those were my exact thoughts as well: when you spread the primer around on your face, you're left with little glittering specks here and there, and they even peek through any foundation that you layer over the top. Definitely not my idea of an illuminating effect, not unless you want to look like a Cullen (Sorry. I just had to go there).

Other than this drawback, it's a perfectly nice silicone primer. On my combination skin with enlarged pores, it spreads very easily (it thins out more on the skin than something like the Smashbox primer), fills out most of my pores nicely, and makes foundation blending much easier. I don't think it particularly extends the wear of my make-up, but it doesn't make me any more greasy by the end of the day either. Would I pay $52 for a full size? No ma'am, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of face primers and don't use them regularly in my make-up routine.

For me, the more exciting of the two is the YSL Touche Éclat Blur Perfector*, a 'balm to powder' formula which claims to 'soften the skin’s imperfections—creating a transparent yet subtle, rosy-glow effect' (from Sephora's website). Now, this is definitely not as innovative a product as YSL would like you to believe. It's a very similar concept to Mally's Evercolor Poreless Face Defender ($40) or the Covergirl TruMagic The Perfector ($10.50); essentially, a thicker silicone gel in a compact, and it can be used either alone to smooth and mattify the skin, or on top of foundation in lieu of powder to set and mattify the face, as well as throughout the day for touch-ups (here's a slightly creepy diagram explaining this on the back of the YSL box):

The YSL Blur Perfector* packaging is absolutely beautiful: a weighty powder pink and gold compact that comes with a standard high-end velour pouch and a little application sponge embossed with the YSL logo. In certain lights and under very, very close scrutiny, I was able to detect some miniscule opalescent particles in the balm, but I can't see them on my fingers or on my face, and they didn't even show up in the close-up photo.

I'm not lucky enough to be able to use the Blur Perfector on its own instead of foundation, but I tested it both as a foundation primer and to set my make-up instead of powder, and I like it a lot for both of these functions. For both applications, I get a little product on my fingers by swirling them in the compact, and then pat - not blend - onto my skin. It fills most pores and fine lines just as well as the Blur Primer, but looks more matte and feels more lightweight. I do feel that with the Perfector, my foundation doesn't get as shiny on the T-zone throughout the day; and where a little shine comes through, I don't even need to add any more product - I just pat my skin again with my fingers, and once again, it looks fresh, smooth and matte.

I don't see any brightening 'rosy glow' effect on my skin with the Blur Perfector, but I will say that as a mattifier, it trumps regular setting/ blotting powder because it's virtually undetectable on the skin - no cakiness in sight. So it gives a matte finish to the skin (it's so effective that even on my combo skin, I felt the need for a highlighter to bring more dimension to the face), but it still looks quite natural, which I think would make it a great option for drier skintypes. One thing I should mention on the topic of dry skin is that it exaggerates flakiness; you can see that around my nose in the close-up shot below:

In the face photos, I've used the Blur Primer under my foundation (Estee Lauder Double Wear Light) and the Blur Perfector on my T-zone to set the face. All in all, big thumbs up for the Blur Perfector, and somewhat of a half-hearted shrug for the Blur Primer - it's alright, but a bit... generic, if you know what I mean. I also don't really understand why these two products were released in the brightening Touche Éclat range, other than to profit on a cult name - they do not add any significant glow to the skin.

While I was happy to trial these two blurring products and ended up really loving the YSL Blur Perfector, but I have to admit that I remain unconvinced when it comes to primers. I feel that these days, probably 95% of foundations contain silicones anyway, making separate silicone primers a bit redundant - and while I would like to have my pores appear smaller, I don't think this additional step makes such a huge difference when used with an already smoothing/ pore-filling foundation formula. What do you guys think? Do you use primers on a regular basis, or is a step you're happy to skin in your everyday routine?

*Disclaimer: I received the two YSL products featured in this post complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster (anyone can sign up for free here, you don't need a blog or YouTube channel - just social media outlets). All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!

Skin of a K-Pop Star: Laneige BB Cushion SPF50+ Review

Have you already tried a cushion foundation, the newest innovation in the world of face make-up? Well, not THAT new, really - I first heard about them from Kar Yi about a year ago (here's a link to her video review comparing two different cushions), and at that point they had probably been on the Korean market for a while already. Cushion foundations were recently brought over to the American and European markets by way of Lancome's newest base, no doubt influenced by their creative director Lisa Eldrige's frequent travels to Asia. But I personally hadn't tried any, even though my curiosity was certainly piqued; that is, until this Laneige BB Cushion SPF50+ Broad Spectrum Sunscreen* ($30 for 1.05 oz/ 15 g x 2, available at Target in-store and online) landed on my desk a couple weeks ago.

If you haven't heard about foundation cushions, they're basically compacts housing a sponge saturated with a liquid base which come with a round puff/ firm sponge to tap and blend the product into the skin. The Laneige BB Cushion comes in a beautiful, heavy compact with a large mirror, and the sponge with product is protected by a plastic door that can be firmly closed. In the box, you'll also find a refill sponge to put in your compact once the current one runs out - I've heard that this type of base runs out a bit faster than standard liquid or cream foundation, so I think it's great that you have a second one included in the package.
When you first open up the compact, the cushion is sealed to prevent drying out - I'd recommend removing the seal only once you're ready to regularly use the product; I don't think it would fare too well being stored in a drawer between uses for long periods of time. I was also quite surprised at the high quality of the application sponge: it's easy to hold the puff securely by slipping your fingers under the ribbon, and the texture of the side you use to pick up and blend the BB Cushion reminds me of a Beautyblender.

The actual BB cream that saturates the cushion has a very thin, liquidy consistency. It's quite easy to control how much you pick up on the application sponge by varying the amount of pressure you use when pressing down the cushion with a puff. What surprised me the most was how much coverage I was able to easily achieve on my face (medium plus), while retaining the look of absolutely no product on the skin - isn't that what we all dream of in a higher coverage base?

The finish of the BB Cushion is definitely glowy; not by means of any actual shimmer in the product, it's just that the liquid remains quite moist on my skin and doesn't really set a whole lot. I will admit that this is not my personal preference as I have combination skin, and the Laneige BB Cushion ends up feeling a bit tacky on my face, although not heavy by any means. Even when lightly powdered, my face still looked very dewy, reminding me of the finish preferred by most Korean pop stars and actresses.

I could definitely deal with the slight tackiness on the skin of this BB Cushion, since I loved how naturally perfected and healthy my skin looked after application, if it weren't for two things: the shade and the short wear of this foundation. Unfortunately, the lightest shade Light is about two full shades too dark for me; even after self-tanning my face, neck and chest, it still gave me a bit of an identity crisis every time I passed by a mirror - you can see in the photo how hilariously pale and undead my hand looks compared to my BB-cushioned face. I'd estimate the Light shade to be about NC20-25 in MAC terms (I'm about NW10-15, depending on the season).

L-R: Laneige BB Cushion in the shades Light, Medium and Dark, swatched on NW10-15 skin.

As for the wear, it just didn't look pretty on my skin by the end of a long day - contrarily to my expectations, it didn't get too terribly shiny on my T-zone (but then again it was quite shiny all over to begin with), but actually looked a bit cakey and accentuated pores on what I assume are the most dehydrated parts of my face (chin, nasolabial fold). I guess I could have kept fooling myself that in the middle of the summer, the shade would somehow start matching my skin, but the unsatisfactory wear kind of sealed the deal and made me realize it's not the best base for my skin type.

I'm a bit bummed - I really wanted to love this BB Cushion and planned to wear it in the upcoming months; I mean, c'mon, SPF50+ in a combination of chemical and physical sunscreens seems ideal for the summer, am I right? But it's just too much effort to try to make the shade work by self-tanning or bronzing up the rest of my body, or layering the right skincare, primers and setting mists to make it wear nicer on my (clearly dehydrated) skin.

Laneige BB Cushion in Light after 4 hours of wear (lightly powdered through the T-zone, no highlighter)

What are your thoughts on cushion foundations? I'd love to hear your experiences (and recommendations, especially for fair complexions!), and if you haven't tried any, if that's even something that interests you. What is your favorite foundation product with a higher SPF?

Disclaimer: Item marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!