Time to Purge

It's been a very long time since I have posted here. I've been feeling the urge to blog again but may change the content a bit by maybe adding more travel posts.

I got home early from work today and since we are having leftovers for dinner, I did not need to spend the 2 - 3 hours in the kitchen that I normally do. Even for a lot of simple dishes, I spend a significant time in the kitchen--why?!  With the extra time, I decided that it was time to start cleaning up my makeup area. I managed to do only 3 medium compartments but practically filled up an 8 gallon trash can!

Admittedly, a lot of it was empty product boxes that I kept for years. I normally keep the boxes in case I don't like the makeup so that I can then give it away to someone who will enjoy using it or put it up for blog sale, also something that I have not done in a long, long time.I have at least 8 more compartments or drawers to go through but at least it was a start. Need to make space for more possible products that I may acquire since Nordstrom's Beauty Trend Show is upcoming.

I am an admitted makeup brush whore. I love brushes! I have so many all around the house that I don't even know exactly what I have. Brand and price do not matter. I have some very inexpensive brushes that I love--like ELF and BS Mall. I also have a very high end $200.00+ Japanese powder brush. After time, sometimes more quickly than others, brushes that I initially loved, are no longer loved. There's also the wear and tear of time where bristles start falling out. Although I know that I need to go through my brushes thoroughly, it is with heavy heart that I dumped these today.

A few months ago, I finally acquired my first bunch of Sigma brushes. I can understand why so many people like them.

A quick, sweet and short post for today. Slowly trying to make a blog comeback. 

How has everyone been?

*Kat*

Product Review, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday Sale: SeneGence LashExtend

While growing up and until maybe 20 years or so ago, I had decently long eyelashes but they were not very thick and full and were typical asian poker straight. The fullness and length that I did have started to diminish with the use of mascara, false eyelashes and age.

About 10 years or so ago, came the boom and popularity of eyelash boosting serums--RevitaLash, Latisse, Talika Lipocils, etc. I have tried a few and here's my thoughts:

Eyelash Serum Products Used:

High end:

Trish McEvoy--decent results

Latisse--minimal results

Other brands:

Rapid Lash--decent results

Physician's Formula--minimal results

Japanese brand (forgot name)--no results

On May 25th, I started using another brand, which I leave unnamed now Over the past 6 months, I had great results. I've been asked if I started using lash extensions.Even Mai commented that she noticed my eyelashes right away. I stopped using it on November 10 for a couple of reasons. The first being that I believe I was running out of product and I thought perhaps my eyelashes had reached its peak. The second being that I learned about SeneGence LashExtend, which is almost 1/3rd the cost of what I was using. I was all set to purchase it when I decided to become a SeneGence distributor myself so I was able to get one on my own.

At this point, I felt that I couldn't expect any more than to maintain my lashes. With the product that I had been using prior to LashExtend, my lashes became longer and fuller and amazingly for the first time in my life, it naturally curled!

Using SeneGence LashExtend for only 2 weeks, instead of just maintaining, I have noticed even more growth and fullness AND my lashes are still curled. By the way, in the pictures above, those are natural lashes only, no mascara and no eyeliner. I am convinced that if I had used only Lash Extend from May 25th, I would still have the same amazing results. The cost of Lash Extend is only $50.00.

Starting today until Monday midnight, Hawaii time, in honor of Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, all SeneGence orders will be 15% off. There are many other products in our SeneGence line as well as limited edition items. I do have a few LE items left. I will post pictures of products as well as any future specials on my FaceBook Group page, which is a closed group. Kat's Sense-able Products Please ask to be added 

LipSense Collection:

Caramel Apple Diamond  $30.00 (LE)
Diamond Kiss Gloss  $22.00 (LE)
Glam Doll  $25.00 (this is sold out at our order center but I have 2 left) (LE)
Glossy Gloss $20.00***
Orchid Gloss $20.00***
***Note: You need gloss to set lipstick

EyeSense Collection:

Starry Sky Shimmer  $25.00 (LE)
Gilded Shimmer  $25.00 (LE)
Ocean Shimmer  $25.00 (LE)

SeneDerm Solutions:

Clear LashExtend  $50.00

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

*Kat*

Purchase Review: Luxie Basic Eye Set Brushes

A couple of weeks ago, Mai and I attended Nordstrom's Beauty Trend Show. Again, we were overwhelmed by the different product lines that were there but immensely enjoyed ourselves. We both did not purchase a lot of items this year but were impressed by many things that we saw. While there, I did not take a good look at the Luxie Brush line but I did go back a week later and leisurely took a look and picked up the Basic Eye Set.

The Basic Eye Set brush line includes 6 brushes made with synthetic bristles, which are super soft and encased in a rose gold ferrule on top of a pink handle. I really love the color combo of these brushes. Included in the set were, Medium Angle Shading Eye Brush, Eye Shading Brush,  Small Angle Eye Brush, Flat Definer Brush, Tapered Blending Brush and Small Tapered Blendng Brush. The cost of this set was $50.00. Most of the brushes were also sold individually at around $12.00 each, so this set was well worth it. I have found use daily for each of the brushes except for the Flat Definer Brush. As advertised, the bristles are nice a soft and works well picking up and applying shadows as well as blending.

While I do love natural bristle brushes, more and more I'm finding that the synthetics are working out better, especially with wear and tear.This ended up being a great purchase for me. I'm considering picking up another set or two, as I like to have 3 of every brush that I use--2 which are in rotation for daily use and a 3rd for traveling. Either that or picking up the 4 brushes that I really like and use. I can get away with having just one type of blending brush instead of two different ones. (But, 4 x 12 = 48 so I might as well buy the set at $50.00.)  I think that perhaps our local Nordstrom might have sold out on the set. If that's the case, I can always order from them online too.

I'm a brush hoarder so please tell me if you have a favorite line of brushes that I should try out.

*Kat*

Product Review: StyleWorks Makeup Brush Cleansing Wipes

As much as I do not like to travel, I do travel at least two times a year. Packing is my nemesis and I try to pack as lightly as possible but don't succeed very well. I have to admit that the bulkiest item that takes the most space is my skin care and makeup, although I have pared it down a lot. Having to pack liquids is always a challenge as I worry a lot about whether or not it will leak so I pack in many layers of ziploc bags. I was really excited when I saw StyleWorks Makeup Brush Cleansing Wipes because even if I am traveling, I like to do a quick daily cleanse of my brushes like I do at home.

I usually use Sephora's Daily Brush Cleaner at home, which is a quick drying liquid spray. I usually spray it onto a paper towel and run my brushes over it to clean, which is basically the same concept as using a cleansing wipe,

It was unfortunate to me that the wipes did not perform well. When using the wipes, it did not completely remove makeup from the brushes.

After I got home, I used Sephora Daily Brush Cleanser on the same brushes which cleaned them up nicely.

For my future trips, I will be packing the small version of Sephora Daily Brush Cleanser. It is easy enough to refill easily 

This bottle is 2 fl. oz/59.1 ml. By bringing this with me, at least I know that my brushes will be cleaned properly.

Has anyone had success with other brands of makeup brush cleansing wipes? Please let me know if you've had great results compared to the mediocre one that I had.

*Kat* 

Favorite Multi-Purpose Skincare Producrt

Hi everyone! It's been a crazy, hectic past 6 months. Other than a 2 1/2 week vacation at the end of March/beginning of April, I've been working 60+ hours a week. This week my body is retaliating and I'm not feeling well. Took some time off today and felt the urge to blog. I've been taking lots of pictures but have not had the time or energy to prep them and do a write up.

For close to a year now, I've been using coconut oil in my daily skin care regiment. I originally started using it as a binder to press pigments and mineral eyeshadows. I love using it because of its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. After reading up on different uses for coconut oil, I decided to implement it more into daily use.

I like fractionated coconut oil because it is a liquid. Fractionated coconut oil is inexpensive and easy to use. I buy mine from TKB Trading,

They provide excellent service and I've been pleased with the quality of their products. I do know that doTERRA sells it too, 

In addition to using it for pressing pigments, I have been using it as a moisturizer, body lotion, on my hair instead of moroccan or argan oil, both damp and dry hair. I've been wanting to but have yet to use it as a hair conditioning treatment, I've always felt that using oils was too heavy for my skin and hair but the fractionated coconut oil, while being emollient, absorbs well into the skin and is non greasy if used in moderation. A little goes a long way. I find that I need only 3 drops to moisturize my face and neck. 3 drops for my hair too. Any more than that will leave me with greasy, stringy hair. I put the oil into a cobalt glass dropper bottle. (I think the blue color is prettier than the amber color.) This way I can dispense it easily.

On my last trip, I took only the fractionated coconut oil with me instead of moisturizers, lotions, eye creams and makeup remover. It worked well and saved some space. It is supposed to help stimulate hair growth and I tried it on my eyelashes without any significant results. Another person used it on a dark spot she developed on her cheek and she said that it really helped to lighten it. I've been using it for months now and I did not notice any lightening of my dark spots. I would love to completely replace using moisturizers with the coconut oil but there are some properties to skin care products that I'm using that I like so I don't think that I can eliminate them.

I highly recommend using coconut oil. You can easily look up the benefits and uses to coconut oil. You'll be amazed by all the uses.

Do you have experience using coconut oil? If so, please let me know your thoughts and results.

Kat

Nordstrom Fall 2016 Beauty Trend Show

Thanks to Mai's planning for something to do to celebrate my birthday (which was last month), we were able to attend this year's Nordstrom Fall Trend Show.

She arranged appointments for us to do Kate Somerville's HydraQuench Oxygen treatment, which was a real treat in more ways than one.

Kate Somerville is renown for her work with many celebrities. This complimentary treatment is actually a $270.00 value! Mai had actually gotten one done earlier in the week on Sunday, at the start of Beauty Trend Week. She enjoyed it so much that she was able to get it again. The young man who did her treatment was Sheldon and she highly recommends him. She made sure that my treatment was done by him.

After cleansing your face, the oxygen therapy is done and then some product is applied to your skin and massaged in. 

The massage felt really nice and being worked on by a cute guy was a bonus. Shhh!   :)

One hint that was given to us by Justine of Kate Somerville counter was to not sweat or get your face wet until the next day. This will allow the treatment to really work into your skin and reap the benefits. Even if you do put makeup on, then remove using makeup wipes and mist or pat on toner before going to sleep, just do not wash until the next morning. 

Next we went over to MAC to get our makeup done. Mai had actually made all of our arrangements for the day with Pie of Mac. We were fortunate enough to meet her that day and have our faces done by this beautiful and awesome young woman.We kind of let her decide and be creative on what colors to use.

She spent at least an hour on each of us and was so much fun. Mai and I commented that we think we've finally found another Beauty Advisor that we really like. We are looking forward to going back to visit and work with her. If you are ever in Hawaii and looking to try something new and exciting, we highly recommend Pie Chun, Beauty Advisor for MAC Cosmetics at Nordstrom Ala Moana.

We are looking foward to seeing Pie again and testing out other skin care lines and try out other MAC eye looks.

*Kat*

Purchase Review: Kanebo Evita Beauty Whip Soap

A couple of months ago, someone that I know from a different group had put out a request asking if anyone knew where to purchase the Kanebo Evita Beauty Whip Soap. While researching it, I found that it was probably not released yet. Since I was going to Japan, I offered to pick it up for her since it looked very interesting to me. 

It is a light, whipped soap which when you press down the two sides, the foam comes up in the shape of a rose. It is also rose scented. I was afraid that it would be strongly scented but fortunately it is very lightly fragranced and is quite pleasant. I was told not press down evenly but lightly. If pressed too hard, too much product would come out and it would be a waste.

I was able to find this in a department store. The total price was 1375.92 yen (1274 + 101.92 tax), which I felt was relatively reasonable. I think that this might be an limited edition item because I can't seem to find it online except at gouged prices on ebay. Even Amazon Japan has very limited listings but at a much higher price. I believe that Sheila from Maddy Loves was able to pick this item up last week in Japan but it was by luck that she found it. 

It is a nice cleansing foam. Very light, lightly scented and doesn't leave my face feeling too squeaky clean and stripped. It is a nice novelty item to have and I do like it enough that I would purchase again if able to.

EDIT: I discovered that there is much more information out there than when I looked for it a couple of months ago. This product is designed for women with mature skin although it is very popular with all skin types just because it is so innovative and cute. Main ingredients are royal jelly extract, soluble collagen, two types of hyaluronic acid, sake and rosewater. These are key ingredients providing anti ageing properties and prevents dryness. 

I still don't know if it's a limited edition item or if it's just super popular that demand is higher than supply. It's difficult to find in Japan.


*Kat*

Reflections

It's been a long time since I last blogged. I'm not even sure if anyone checks back here to see if I've written any updates. During this past year or so, I've done some reflecting on whether or not to continue writing. Another blogger had written a post about a year ago asking why do we blog? Is it to please others and that determines our content? Is it still personally satisfying? As I pondered this, I realized that I had kind of deviated from my original intent of blogging, which was originally set up as a way for Mai to see what I've been doing and trying out since at that time, we were not able to get together as much. However blogging changed to one based on trying to be honest about my feelings of products while trying not to do many haul posts because I didn't want to appear as if I was being a braggart saying, "See what I bought and how much I spent."

So why do I blog? It's definitely not to show off what I've bought and how much I've spent. It's mainly to keep a personal record of what I have bought and liked and/or disliked. I have often gone back to reading past posts of something that I tried to see if it was worth repurchasing or not. Some items I could not remember what my thoughts on it were. If in the process of writing these posts, readers find it helpful to them too, then that is an added bonus for me.  With this in mind, as I continue to blog, I will now not hold back on not posting about items that I've purchased or received as gifts. Granted, most things that I purchase are not expensive, high end items but there may be one or two of those from time to time.

I may also throw in posts that are not beauty related. I will also not stress about making sure that I have so many posts a week or month. I'll write when I feel inspired and have time. Real life has gotten busy and with the holidays ahead, it will continue to get busier. 

I hope that all has been well with everyone.

Kat

Product Review: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15

My personal preference for lipsticks is for it to be sheer and moisturizing. I really like those with a lip balm feel to it and one of my favorite drugstore brands has been long discontinued. 

I'm really late to the Fresh bandwagon. I have only used their soy face wash in the past. Recently I decided to pick up the special mini trio that was only $28.00. There were 3 different colors, Nude, Rose and Honey. It comes in a really nice tin container which has a mirror on the inside cover. I'm already thinking of using the tin as a magnetic palette. It's a nice and compact size and I can layer 2 or 3 layers inside. I may actually have it replace the current tin that I'm using, although that one has sentimental value for me.

The back of the cardboard cover which lists specifics:

The lipstick tubes are tightly packed inside.

Colors and Swatches on a paper towel:

I absolutely am in love with this line! My absolute favorite is Rose. It comes off as a MLBB color. Honey is a little too warm for me so I gave it to Mai and she loves it. Nude is too pale for me but is perfect for wearing at home as a lip balm, which I often wear at home anyway. In recent month, my lips have become dry so I find myself reaching for a lip balm more often now. 

This line has colors that are sheer and some colors that are more bold. At this point in time, I would honestly love to replace all of my lipsticks with this line. A month or so from now I may find some other line that I will really appeal to me but for now, these lipsticks fit my personal preference for a lipstick. I will admit that I did go back and buy a full-sized tube in a different color. I'm not loving the color as much as it is a much brighter pink than I wanted but it's still wearable, especially with the holidays coming up and bolder colors can be easily worn. I need to go back and get a full size in Rose.

Have you tried Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments and what are your thoughts?

*Kat*

Latest Fashion Discovery from Japan

I took a trip to Japan in mid September, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This time I was able to do a meet up with blogger K of Cosmeddicted. I had a great time meeting up with her and just spending some time eating and sightseeing.

From the time I landed in Japan and throughout our various travels, I noticed that many women were wearing gauchos pants. I remember back in the early 80's when this style was really popular and I had a couple of outfits which were favorites of mine. I was so happy to see that this style trend is coming back into fashion.

I found a pair that I really liked at Shimamura so I purchased it. I wore it recently and topped it with a simple crystal embellished top which I had in my closet and low heeled shoes, which I had recently purchased from Nordstrom Rack. I can see myself wearing these gauchos pants on a regular basis.

I would have liked to have spent time browsing and searching through all of the beauty brands but unfortunately I didn't have time for any of that. We were so busy and on the go, go, go that I honestly didn't have much shopping time. Hopefully the next time I go to Japan  I can spend some time beauty shopping.

*Kat*

Review: Sephora's VIB 500 Point Urban Decay Urban Vices Palette Set + EOTD

Hi Everyone!

I know it's been a very long while since I last blogged. There will probably be a future post on that but for now I'm very excited to blog about Urban Vices Palette set, which I received almost a week ago.

Last year there was a 500 point Urban Decay palette which I really like. One of the colors in that set has become a part of my regular rotation of colors that I use and fortunately, it is a regular stock item.

I happened to be surfing Sephora's website online and saw the Urban Vices set available for a 500 point VIB redemption. I immediately called my local store and found out it was also available in our store so I rushed out to get there.

The set comes in a big box with the Urban Vices design on it.

Inside the box is another box--a small box the size of the palette, again with the Urban Vices design on it.

The back of the box with some product information, including the shadow colors.

Inside the box is the actual palette. It is made of sturdy cardboard, which is something that I don't like but I can't complain since it was a bonus item using my points.

The colors are Dope, Hoodoo, Derailed and Smokeout. Also included is a mini 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Smokeout. I haven't had a chance to do some checking so I don't know if any of these are part of their regular line or not. I think that I have Smokeout in another palette but not positive. If anyone knows these colors availability, please comment and let me know.

I did a quick EOTD using Hoodoo on the inner 1/3 of my eye, Derailed on the outer 2/3 of the eye. I dabbed MAC's Light Violet Crushed Pigment in the center of the eyelid just to give it some dimension and added Smokeout to the out corners of the eyelid and along the outer 1/4 of the lower lashline. I used Dolly Wink Eyeliner pen to line my eyes.

Like last year's palette, I'm really liking this one. One can reason that this gift isn't worth it because 500 points is equivalent to $500.00 spent. I like to look at it as a bonus, despite the value of the points because without the program, I wouldn't be getting anything. I think that with any reward program, one will never get full value of what their points were equivalent to.

I can't believe that it's mid November already. Somehow, this year has flown by much more quickly than any other year.

*Kat*

Purchase Review: Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation + Mini DIY

Powder foundation is a basic item in my makeup routine. I don't use it solely as a foundation but as a finishing powder. For a few years now, my main favorites come from Japanese brands--Maquillage and Coffret D'or since they come in moisturizing formulations. Recently though, I haven't been able to find a Maquillage powder foundation labeled as moisturizing so have been using Kanebo Coffret D'or Silky Pact UV Moist Keep. 

Due to a recent mishap and extenuating circumstances,(which I will explain a little later) I was deperately in need of a new powder foundation and decided on Stila Illuminating Powder foundation. I even found a color that almost perfectly matched the Coffret D'or one that I had been using.

Like many Japanese brands, the compact case is sold separately from the powder. I read many reviews on Sephora by people upset that they had to buy the case separately. It didn't bother me since that's the way I have been purchasing my powder foundation. I decided not to buy the case since I wasn't sure if I would like the product enough to use it as a daily basic.

The ingredient list: 

According to Sephora's website, it is a velvety powder foundation which leaves a luminous, transparent finish while protecting the skin with SPF 12. You can apply it dry for a light coverage or with a damp sponge for a heavier coverage.

This is a nice powder, but using it dry it really does provide a very, very light coverage. Using it damp does provide more coverage but on me it gets a bit cakey. Even dry with the light coverage, it seems to settle a bit in my fine lines. I don't feel that it provides enough coverage for me as the day wears on.

Another beauty blogger asked me recently what I use to conceal under my eyes. I use the powder foundation. One of the very few good points for me is that I do not have dark circles and puffy under eyes.

While I do have some discoloration, it is very light that I don't need to do heavy concealing.(I do need to conceal the freckles though.) For my under eyes, all that I do after I apply foundation, is pat another light layer of foundation under my eyes and then set it with the powder foundation. 

The Stila Illuminating Powder foundation doesn't work as well as Coffret D'or for me but it's a good backup in case of an emergency. So what was my mishap? I had hit pan on my Coffret D'or powder foundation and had it at the point where the bottom half was pan and the top half was powder. I had to be out working all day and knew that I would be needing a touch up before heading to another function so I packed it into my makeup case. Unfortunately because it was only half a pan, it ended up cracking and breaking into many pieces. I had been debating several weeks before on whether to order a new one for backup but held off thinking that I would be traveling to Japan in a few months. To top it off, when I went to my online vendor, Ichibankao, for this product, she was closed for summer vacation and it would be a couple of weeks before she returned and opened business again. This is what made me decide that I needed to find a substitute until I could place an order.

In the meantime, I decided to empty out the Coffret D'or pan and compact.

I decided to try to repress the broken remains of foundation. To my delight, it worked! I used the 44mm round pan to press the broken product and it was just the right size.

As you can see, it is smaller than the original compact size and it fits perfectly into the travel palette that I am using to travel with. It ends up being perfect timing for me to eliminate more bulk by not having to take the original compact case.

So my final conclusion on the Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation is that it will be a nice backup to have to use in emergencies. It just doesn't cut it to replace the Coffret D'or powder foundation since Coffret D'or gives me more coverage without caking or settling into fine lines and lasts on me for hours. Besides, I LOVE the case that I got when I first started using Coffret D'or.

Isn't it pretty?!

*Kat*

Purchase Review: Milani Eyeshadow Primer

Ever since my friend reviewed Milani Eyeshadow Primer on her blog here, I've been wanting to test it out. I finally picked it up at WalMart and started using it a week and a half ago.

Ingredient List:

You can click on the picture to enlarge the list.

Up till now, my HG eyeshadow primer is Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I must say that I have to agree with Cosmeddicted in that this eyeshadow primer is great! Let's do some comparisons.

Milani Eyeshadow Primer:

.30 fl oz/9 ml

$6.57 at WalMart

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion:

.33 oz

$20.00 at Sephora

.16 oz (mini)

$12.00 at Sephora

Milani offers a much better value, being it's a drugstore brand. A big negative for me is that Urban Decay has discontinued the squeeze tube, which is what Milani has, and has gone back to having a doe foot applicator.

Cosmeddicted says that she has oily eyelids, which is why she creamy primers don't work well for her. I use Mezaik Stretch Fiber to create a double eyelid thus I can't use anything creamy, which will lift the fiber. Urban Decay has worked well for me but I am finding that Milani works well and in fact, works better. It works better because recently with Urban Decay, I've been finding that the darker eyeshadows are going into the crease where the stretch fiber is and creating a significant crease mark. It is obvious if I look down, some days being more obvious than others.

Urban Decay

With Milani, I haven't had much problems and am finding my eyeshadows applying quite nicely. My eyeshadows last just as long and well as when using Urban Decay.

Milani

FYI: the Milani EOTD was done using Urban Decay's new Naked Smoky Palette. Inner 1/3 of eyelid I used Half Baked from Naked 1 palette, middle 1/3 is Radar and outer 1/3 is Smolder. I am liking this new Naked Palette.

*Kat*

Purchase Review: MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting Compact and Kat's Current Concealing Method Part 2

This is the 2nd part of my current concealing method. You can see part 1 here, which is the prior post.

Continuing on...

To set the concealer pencil on the large dark spot, instead of using powder as I did for the other areas, I now use MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting Compact in Recharge, which is an apricot colored powder. 

I have been using different forms of orange-toned powders for a long time now to try to conceal and set because using powder, even if it's translucent powder, shows up as a white spot when I apply blush.

After I apply the CC powder, I set my whole face with translucent powder (Cle de Peau loose powder) and finish up my makeup routine, applying blush and lipstick.

This is after 10+ hours of wear:

As you can see, the combination of NUDESTIX concealer pencil and MAC CC concealer powder hold up very well. I only touched up my nose with some powder as it has been very humid here plus my nose has been a bit stuffy and I've been fussing with it with tissues.

MAC Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting Compact is a pretty hefty-sized compact with 8 .0 grams/.28 oz of product. The compact itself is a mirrored, black hard plastic case.  For the amount of product that I use, it will take me a very long time before I will need to make another purchase.

I really like this powder as it is a matte powder. A lot of the other powders that I had been using had some shimmers in it. While in some ways shimmer is good in that it reflects the light away, it would sometimes still show up as a lighter spot when blush was applied.

So far, I'm quite happy with the results and will continue on until I find another product that piques my interest.

*Kat*

Purchase Review: NUDESTIX Concealer Pencil and Kat's Current Concealing Method Part 1

My nemesis is the large dark spot that is on the apple of my right cheek. I've reviewed a number of different concealers but my current favorite is NUDESTIX Concealer Pencil. I was a little apprehensive ordering this online from Sephora, sight unseen because I'm really particular about swatching colors to match my skin tone, which isn't the easiest to find a good match for. Unfortunately, the stores locally do not stock it so I had no choice. The sales person was really helpful though and actually went to check the foundation that I'm using to match the color of the concealer to. She matched it to Medium 6, which ended up being a great match for me.

While I feel it's not necessary, it comes in a tin container. The pencil is a chubby stick, which is creamy and is not self sharpening.

Also included in the container is another cover, which opens up into a sharpener. This is nice and handy for use when traveling. The inside cover of the tin is a mirror. I can see converting this into a magnetic palette!

The concealer is nicely pigmented with nice coverage. It's so simple to use, just color it on like you did as a child coloring pages with crayons. You don't need much to get good coverage, which is good because it can get quite heavy if you use too much.

Bare face:

Foundation only (Sorry, I don't know why the picture is so white!) FYI, I use BareMinerals Bare Skin Serum Foundation in Bare Beige 8 :

Concealer applied:

I then set the concealed areas with powder, except for the large dark spot.

I like the ease in applying this concealer. It's really quick and I don't have to use extra brushes to apply and blend in. It will also be very easy to travel with. It is a bit pricey at $24.00 but it works well and a little goes a long way. My only wish is that there was the option to purchase just the pencil instead of buying the whole set. I just received my backup order and it seems like such a waste to have gotten another tin and another sharpener.

I had previously done a review of a similar type of concealer, which was from Daiso. You can read it here and see the similarities and differences between the two.

My next post will be the finishing touches of concealing.

*Kat*