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!

Not Quite Strobing: Marc Jacobs Glow Stick in 700 Spotlight Review

It seems that thanks to Influenster, this year will be all about discovering Marc Jacobs Beauty range for me - and I'm not mad at it. This time we've received a very trendy product to review: the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick Glistening Illuminator in the shade Spotlight 700* ($42 for 0.49 oz/ 14g). I'd only tried two other cream/ liquid highlighters in the past - Benefit Watt's Up and MAC Strobe Cream - so I was excited to give the MJ version a go.

The highlighter stick is packaged in a minimalist short but fat tube; at first I thought the price of this product to be rather high, but you really do get A LOT of product here - I can't really see how you'd be able to use the entire thing up in a reasonable amount of time, unless you were using it all over the face under foundation and/or on your body - which you absolutely can. That's definitely one area where I believe cream highlighters have a leg up over the powders; they can be layered with other products and multitasked more easily.

The shape of the stick is oval, which may look like it would come in handy to apply directly on the cheekbones; however, for my face at least, the size is too big, and with its impressive pigmentation, I find the Glow Stick more user-friendly when applied with my fingers, a beautyblender, or a smaller brush.

It's quite an emollient formula; I don't own the Watt's Up anymore so I can't compare there, but it is definitely thicker/ more viscous than the liquidy MAC Strobe Cream. Nevertheless, the Glow Stick's formula is very blendable, both under and over foundation. I don't think it sets necessarily, but when sheered out in a thin layer, it doesn't move anywhere on the face and wears beautifully for the entire day. I would recommend this formula to anyone in the combination-normal-dry skintype spectrum; if your cheeks are oily, it may migrate more for you.

On Sephora's website, the shade Spotlight (which is the only shade available) is described as 'universal glow'. I don't believe that's really the case. As you can hopefully see from my close-up shots and swatches, this highlighter is a very, very pale white gold - I can't pick up much of the golden tones once it's blended out on the skin, so you could also describe it as a very light ivory shade. It's fantastic on my fair skintone, and I think it would suit a variety of undertones as the shade is quite neutral; but if you're medium to dark skintone, I believe this shade would look quite stark and maybe even ashy.

The finish of Marc Jacobs' Glow Stick is a fine pearl, no large shimmer or glitter particles in sight. It packs quite a punch though so you can definitely get a more dramatic strobing/ mirrored effect if you want - that's not really my style, so I'm glad that it can be sheered out more easily too. In my experience, it doesn't accentuate my pores or fine lines on top of my cheeks, and layers just fine over both powder and cream blush, although I like the finish better when worn with creams - just looks a bit more natural.

Highlighters are definitely one of the more challenging products to photograph but I hope you can see the tone of Spotlight quite well compared to some of my other highlighters. In my review of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in Starlight, I called that shade a 'pale white gold' too, but as you can see, compared to the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick, it's definitely more peachy pink. Surratt Eyeshadow in Scintillante has a less dramatic pearl finish, and the base shade leans more grey (but somehow nearly identically matches my skintone).

L-R: Marc Jacobs Glow Stick in Spotlight, ABH Illuminator in Starlight, Surratt Scintillante. I'm sorry you can't see these shades more clearly in the arm swatch, but that's just the consequence of swatching products which are incredibly close to my skintone.

In the face shot, I'm wearing the Marc Glow Stick on tops of my cheeks, tip of my nose, Cupid's Bow and a tiny bit under my brows. My base is Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 31, applied with a damp blender sponge and lightly set with MAC Blot Powder on the T-zone. I think the Glow Stick looks lovely and fresh - I applied a bit more than I would usually do for the photo, but I still think the overall effect is not too overdone. Even though I've been a lot more into highlighters these past two years, I'm still not convinced by the strobing trend, and I'm glad the Marc Jacobs product can be made to look more natural for every day wear.

Are you into strobing? I know a lot of us beauty fanatics just love shopping for and collecting different highlighters - and I can definitely see why, so many of the limited edition highlighting powders are just too pretty to pass up! Do you prefer highlighters in the cream, liquid or powder texture?

Disclaimer: Item marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample 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!

Peaches & Taupe: Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con Eyeshadow Trio in 102 The Ingénue

Today I have another piece from the Marc Beauty line to show you, namely the Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No. 3 Plush Shadow in 102 The Ingénue ($39 for 0.14 oz; this color way may be exclusive to marcjacobs.com and MJ boutiques), a luxe eyeshadow trio of peaches and taupe. After completing all of my Influenster tasks from the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara I reviewed earlier this year, I was entered into a raffle to win an additional product from the brand, and this is it!

To be honest, I rather expected a smaller/ less expensive item to be chosen as a giveaway prize, like maybe an eyeliner or lipgloss at the most, so I was pleasantly surprised to receive not only a beautiful eyeshadow trio, but a trio of neutral shades that are light enough to be worn for everyday. You can definitely tell from the packaging that it's a high-end item; from the black pouch (which contains a sponge tip applicator) to the sturdy and sleek plastic compact opened by a push of a button. I'm rather partial to their more minimalist, black and silver aesthetic, and I think a shadow trio like this is a pleasure to take out of your drawer/ make-up bag in the morning.

The Ingénue, in case you didn't know, is 'the part of an artless, innocent, unworldly girl or young woman', especially in a play. And I can definitely see why this colorway was named that - all the shades are soft and light in depth, giving sort of an airy, romantic feel to the trio. That being said, there is little difference in depth between the shades, as you can probably tell from my photos.

I can't fault the quality of these eyeshadows: all three are soft, smooth, creamy to touch, pigmented and blendable. The lightest peach on the left is a satin/ a very soft pearl finish, the middle golden taupe is metallic, and the darker peach on the right is slightly more shimmery than the light peach shade, but still not quite a pearl finish.

The shade selection reminds me somewhat of another very pale eyeshadow trio from Shiseido in BE 213 Nude, reviewed here. The Shiseido shades are a bit different, and despite the lack of variety in finishes, it's still one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes for a barely there, softly luminous look. Which brings me to why I'd consider the Shiseido Nude superior to the MJ Ingénue AS A TRIO; while I am absolutely able to do a complete, if simple, eye look with the Nude, The Ingénue just lacks at least one more, slightly deeper shadow, that could be used to define the outer V/ crease of the eye.

I think you can see that quite well in the look I attempted with the Ingénue trio; I did try to use the darkest metallic taupe at the outer corner (and along the lower lashline), but not only are metallic finishes somewhat tricky as deepening/ contouring shades, the middle taupe shade is also not dark enough to serve that purpose. I did end up reaching for the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe to further define and blend out the crease; I also used the lightest peach from the Ingénue on the inner corners, and the darker peach on the lid - to be honest, there's not that much difference between these two once they're blended out on the eyes.

So while I appreciate the beautiful packaging and premium quality of the eyeshadows in The Ingénue, I don't think these shades actually work as a cohesive trio; it's more like three singles thrown together in one compact. I mostly just enjoy pairing one of the shades from The Ingénue on the lid with other shades from a different palette in the inner corner and crease. I feel that this lack of cohesion maybe wouldn't be a problem for someone who goes for a one eyeshadow look anyway, and just wants more options in one convenient package - but let's be honest, this beauty junkie rarely stops at just one eyeshadow :)

Have you tried eyeshadows from the Marc Beauty line? I remember when everyone was going gaga over their larger palettes, especially the neutral Lolita. If I weren't banning myself from purchasing any more palettes, I would definitely be interested in giving it a go, having now tested the quality of their shadows first-hand - and again, the packaging is SO PRETTEH.

Luxuriously Cheap: Kiko Milano Luscious Cream Lipstick no. 502 Review

Lately, I've been able to gauge rather accurately my true feelings about a product I'm testing by my enthusiasm for posting about it on the blog. Case in point: this incredibly inexpensive Kiko Luscious Cream Lipstick in the shade 502 ($9 for 0.12 oz/ 3.5 g, currently on sale for $3.90 - I purchased it on sale in Poland for 15 PLN). I've had it lingering in my 'to try' pile for a couple months, and when I finally cracked it open, it promptly got transferred into another pile of stuff I like to call 'tried but not excited about'.

First things first: for your mere couple of bucks, you're getting a luxuriously packaged lipstick in metallic tube with an innovative opening/ closing design: you push from the top and the lipstick pops out on the bottom, and then you can pull it completely open. A little bit similar to the mechanism in Chanel Rouge Allures, but slightly less smooth/ easy to click in and out. The bullet itself is a bit slimmer than that of a standard lipstick, comes embossed with the KIKO logo, and smells faintly of vanilla/ cake - a bit different than MAC lipsticks, but very pleasant still.

Kiko claims that the Luscious Creams are 'creamy lipsticks with pure, intense color' and that they are enriched with 'K2 Repulp', which contains Hyaluronic Acid and has a moisturizing, plumping, revitalizing and anti-aging effect. Quite a big claim for such a small lipstick, don't you think?

Curiously, I can't see Hyaluronic Acid or Sodium Hyaluronate or anything like that in the INCI on my box.

And when it boils down to it, I think my Luscious Cream is a perfectly nice lipstick, but I'm not completely over the moon. It does have a smooth glide, and the texture is somewhat thinner than most of my cream finish lipsticks - more lightweight and less slippery on, the exact opposite of the old NYX Round lipsticks, if you've ever had one of those (which I disliked the formula of). It's also nicely pigmented, although I wouldn't call it intense, and the finish is satin (no shimmer but not as glossy as some 'cream' lipsticks). Now here comes the clou of this review: because of that thinner texture, this Kiko lipstick does nothing for my vertical lip lines. There's no plumping or 'increased fullness' (as per their website), you can clearly see all the puckering on my... uhm, pucker?

The Luscious Cream lipstick feels comfortable on my lips initially, although 2-3 hours into the wear, they start feeling a bit dry and I need another layer to get some of that creaminess back. The lipstick feels comfortable longer, and my lip lines are diminished, if I layer a lip gloss on top; in fact, it's a perfect formula for wearing alongside a lip gloss, because even with that extra shine on top, the combo still stays put and does not smear all over the face. So if you enjoy layering lipsticks with glosses, the thinness of this formula may be a big plus for you; I normally don't layer, but I enjoy it with this particular lipstick.

L-R: Kiko Luscious Cream in 502, Maybelline Warm Me Up, Red Apple Lipstick Audrey. Swatches below in the same order.

The shade 502 is a pinky nude with some mauve undertones - a fantastic nude shade for cooler skintones that compliments just about any eyeshadow look or blush shade. I don't have another lipstick that comes close - Maybelline Color Sensational in Warm Me Up is warmer and deeper (more in the 'My Lips But Better' category), Red Apple Lipstick Audrey is deeper and rosier.

I would recommend this lipstick formula if you actively dislike overly creamy lipsticks, or don't have issues with vertical lip lines/ other texture on the lips, and/ or like layering glosses on top of lipsticks - I mean, it's pretty nice, especially considering the sale price. But if you're looking for a smoothing, hydrating go-to lipstick, it may fall a bit short for you. Have you tried any lipsticks from Kiko? What is your favorite drugstore lipstick brand?

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?

Lavender Lemmings: Clinique Cheek Pop in Pansy Pop

I had been lemming a lavender-hued blush for most of 2015, and in December, armed with Sephora's $20 off card, I finally bit the bullet and purchased Clinique's Cheek Pop Blush in Pansy Pop ($22 for 0.12 oz). I actually previously owned one more shade, Pink Pop, but upon swatching it next to my other cool pink blushes, I decided to return it; I had nothing like Pansy Pop though.

I just came back from my Holiday break in Poland a couple days ago and maybe that's why I'm lacking my usual wordiness, but I don't really have all that much to say about this blush (although I have plenty of photos!). Is it the cutest little blush design, like EVAR? Yes. Is the formula as good as everyone says? Yes. Is Pansy Pop both unique and wearable? Yes yes yes.

I guess this is what sometimes happen when we cave in and acquire the object of our desire after months of visualizing its perfection - I'm just completely lacking any enthusiasm over this blush right now, even though it really is a great product, especially if you happen to have a cool-toned fair complexion like me. I really like it, but words are hard :(

If you're considering this somewhat unusual lavender shade, I've included a swatch comparison with two of the most cool-toned pinks in my stash, La Femme Flamingo Pink and NYX Pinky. Against these two, Clinique Pansy Pop is still the most purple, but the least pigmented. In terms of texture and finish, hopefully you can see in my arm swatch that Clinique's Cheek Pop looks the most flattering and naturally glowy on the skin; La Femme is completely matte, NYX is dusty with random flecks of silver shimmer. After taking this photo, I've decided to let go of NYX Pinky; I used to love it when I first started experimenting with blushes, but after a couple years of trying different formulas and brands, I now definitely have others I love more.

L-R: Clinique Pansy Pop, La Femme Flamingo Pink, NYX Pinky

Again, I'm sorry if my cheek swatch isn't terribly helpful - with the weak winter daylight and our north-facing windows, taking accurate and well-lit photos has been a touch challenging lately. In person, Pansy Pop looks very natural on my pale skin, but I have to be a bit more careful about lip product choices; I'm wearing just a baby pink gloss in the photo and I think the combination is making me look a bit washed out. I swapped it out for a medium pink lipstick later on in the day and thought it paired much better with this blush.

Have you tried any of the Clinique Cheek Pops? What are your thoughts? I hope you all had a relaxing holiday and I'm wishing you all the best for 2016 :) Thank you for your patience in my slow approving and answering of comments while I was gone. Hugs!

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?

Sunscreen Options: Mentholatum Sunplay SPF50+, Shiseido Water in Lip SPF18, Neutrogena Sensitive Skin SPF60+

I've been very diligent in applying sunscreen this season, and as a result, I've been going through my older stash quite quickly and needed to repurchase quite a few SPF products. I realize that summer days are almost over in this hemisphere, but sun protection is very important all year round, so I thought some mini reviews would still be helpful to you, especially for the lesser known Japanese sunscreens I've been trying.

Mentholatum Sunplay Super Block SPF50+ PA++++ ($9.48 for 30g/ 27 ml), which was my choice for sunscreen for the face, came highly recommended from my blogging friend Claire and was also mentioned by Driveller Kate quite a while ago (why don't you blog anymore, Kate? *sniff sniff*). Before I pulled the trigger and ordered a bottle from Amazon, I spent a looong time perusing all the popular options from Japanese and Korean brands, and finally decided to get the Rohto Metholatum Sunplay for three main reasons: a) it's fragrance-free, which is not that easy to find, b) it's alcohol-free, again not very common, especially among Asian formulations, c) it's a combination of physical and chemical sunscreens with the highest PA rating available at this price point. The PA rating, which indicates the level of UVA protection, is especially important to me as I'm a fair-skinned person who freckles very easily, and I would like to prevent future hyperpigmentation issues as much as I can.

The first time I applied the Sunplay Superblock, I was a little terrified. It's a runny, silicony milk which comes in a dinky shaker bottle, and I dotted a generous amount all over my face, just like I would with my Paula's Choice RESIST Super-Light SPF 30. But when I started rubbing it in, it just refused to sink in, leaving me not only very shiny (and that's scary for someone with a combination skin type in the middle of a humid summer!) but also decidedly white. I tried my best not to panic, leaving it alone in hopes it would absorb a little bit (which eventually, it did... a bit), and then finally blending a mattifying foundation over the top, which also helped to take the sheen down a notch. My skin still looked quite glowy, but actually, not in a bad way - just healthy glowy, and the sunscreen felt very lightweight and comfortable on the skin, not tacky or heavy.

Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, water, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, zinc oxide, triethylhexanoin, diglycerin, titanium dioxide, methyl methacrylate crosspolymer, trimethylsiloxysilicate, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, sodium hyaluronate, tocopheryl acetate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, lauryl PEG-9 polydimethylsiloxyethyl dimethicone, hydrate silica, hydrogen dimethicone, polyglyceryl-2 triisostearate, 1,2 hexanediol, aluminum hydroxide, panthenol, vinyl dimthicone/lauryl dimethicone crosspolymer, disodium EDTA

Throughout the day, I checked my face for oil breakthrough quite a few times, and my base still looked fresh and dewy, not greasy. My skin also felt softer and more hydrated (maybe thanks to the hyaluronic acid in the formula); my main problem with the Paula's Choice RESIST sunscreen, especially when paired with a longwearing foundation, is that it tends to look very dry and slightly cakey on my face at the end of the day, and it can be dehydrating when used daily. With the Mentholatum, my face definitely looked fresher and more natural. All in all, I give it a thumbs up for anyone from dry to normal/slightly combination fair to light skin; if you're oily, or your T-zone gets particularly shiny, I would probably skip it in favor of a lighter sunscreen milk, maybe with some alcohol in the formula to help speed up the absorption. On medium and dark skintones, I think it would look too ashy - on my fair self, it tends to lighten my base by about half a shade, which in most cases, is not a bad thing :)

I also took Claire's recommendation to try Shiseido's Water in Lip UV Cut SPF18 PA+ ($4.58 for 3g). Again, I did a lot of research here, and Claire was absolutely right in her Sunscreen Primer post - it's nearly impossible to find a sunscreen for lips that doesn't contain oxybenzone and/or leave a heavy white cast. Whether you want to avoid oxybenzone or not is a personal decision, but either way, the Water in Lip balm is great little find: lightweight, hydrating, not overly glossy - perfect as a base under lipstick or quick touch-ups on the go. It has just a little bit of that mentholated tingle, but it subsides within a couple minutes. I can't vouch for its efficacy as a sunscreen just yet - I guess next year, we shall see if my lip contour freckles get any deeper or, fingers crossed, manage to even fade a bit.

Lastly, I purchased a tube of good ole Neutrogena to use on my body. Instead of opting for their standard Helioplex chemical sunscreen offerings, I chose the Sensitive Skin version with Broad Spectrum SPF 60+ ($11.99 for 3 fl. oz/ 88ml in a squeezy tube with a flip top), which is mineral-based (4.9% Titanium Dioxide, 4.7 % Zinc Oxide) and fragrance-free. And while it may be fragrance-free, it's definitely not scent-free: it has a pretty awful plasticky chemical scent that makes it quite unpleasant to (re)apply. It's also not all that easy to blend into the skin without any white streaks, but compared to the Badger SPF30+ mineral sunscreen I've tried in the past, it's less greasy and dries matte on the skin. I do think it's rather effective in protecting my pasty limbs, maybe because it doesn't just vanish into thin air, I can still feel it on hours later when I need to scrub it off in the shower. I understand that what I just described may sound horrible to many of you, but when you burn as easily as I do, being able to feel a layer of protection on your exposed skin at all times is actually pretty great. I probably wouldn't repurchase, mostly due to the smell, but it's a good effective sunscreen for the time being, and could even be used on the face in a pinch - it contains some glycerin derivatives along with dipotassium glycyrrhizate and pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), both proven anti-irritants, and it's alcohol-free.

I should also mention that if you're thinking of purchasing any of the Asian sunscreens from sellers overseas (through Amazon or eBay, for example), it's best to plan your purchase at least a month before you run out of your current products, because in general, they do take a while to arrive in the US. Now, tell me - have you discovered any interesting sunscreens lately? What are your favorite options for the face, lips and body?