The Best Highlighter You Never Heard Of!

Danessa Myricks Beauty Enlight Powder Review #indiefeature

Pacifica Beauty Powder Review

Break Down:

Twin Medix Pro: Refine Moisturizer Refine #indiefeature

     Before I begin this review, I need to disclose that this product was sent to me by TwinMedix. I was not compensated in any way to promote this product or write a positive review, all opinions shared are that of my own opinion.
     Hello everyone, I'm really excited to write this review! I know I say that often, but today's quite the exception. Today's review was made possible by another article I wrote back in 2018 "Medix Beauty App Review". TwinMedix launched their online educational app a couple years ago under the name Medix Beauty which I was quick to review. Despite my criticisms of their app at the time, TwinMedix was very appreciative of my honesty and we've continued shooting messages back and forth since my initial article. They asked me about a month ago if I would like to receive a PR package and I was more than happy to oblige. Any company willing to use criticism to better their product and continue working with honest influencers earns a point in my book!
     The Pro: Refine Moisturizer was designed with makeup artists in mind to not only prime the skin by plumping and firming, but to add a subtle glow and moisture for 24 hours. The moisturizer can be used day or night on a clean, dry face and is free of parabens and fragrance. You also get the option to choose between two sizes, a 1 oz/ 30 mL bottle for $18 or a 2 oz/ 60 mL for $30. TwinMedix is cruelty free, vegan, and made in the US.

     TwinMedix was founded by twins, Michelle Shaffer and Tammy Fleming's in November 2018. Seeing how their skin was affected by stress, the twins were inspired to create a line that could tackle a wide array of skin issues. Using the knowledge she acquired distributing Embryolisse for 15 years, Michelle Shaffer teamed up with the likes of pro artists James Vincent, who serves as their Creative Director, Danessa Myricks, Ve Neill, and Kevin James Bennet to create dynamic formulas that utilized both old and new traditions/ technologies.

Linda Hallberg Cosmetics Mood Crayons Kit Review #indiefeature

Tailored Brows Review #indiefeature

Wet N Wild Isn't Cruelty Free Anymore

       Today, I've got a double whammy of a review for you guys, as I discuss my experience using the new Pacifica Alight Clean Foundation and Liquid Cover Lasting Concealer. Before we begin, I have to give a big round of applause to Pacifica, for their expansive shade ranges with these two launches. I'm genuinely happy to see them making efforts to include more skin tones and undertones in their complexion ranges, hopefully these improvements will be expanded with existing products. Also, while I am an influencer for Pacifica, I did purchase these products with my own money and I'm in no way being compensated for this review.
     The Pacifica Alight Clean Foundation comes in 30 different shades (encompassing cool, warm, and neutral undertones) with 0.9 fl oz/ 28 mL of product for $16. The foundation promises a seamless, poreless, satin finish that'll last throughout the day and control shine. It's free from many harmful chemicals and claims to not only feel cleaner on your skin, but it will improve the texture after 6 weeks of wear.
     Their Liquid Cover Lasting Concealer comes in 12 different shades (encompassing cool, warm, and neutral undertones) with 0.26 fl oz/ 7.5 mL of product for $13. This lightweight, buildable, high coverage concealer will hide all imperfections and leave your skin with a natural finish that won't crease. Pacifica is a cruelty free and vegan company that offers a recycling program on old packaging; they are produced in the US.
    Unfortunately, the new Pacifica foundation and concealer was not available in any of my local stores to swatch. However, I must commend Pacifica for choosing to use influencers for the foundation swatches on their website. While it's great exposure for the influencers used, it made finding a foundation shade much easier in my opinion. By looking through the Instagrams of the influencers used, I was able to see what shade they wore in other foundations, which helped me narrow down my choices. I placed my order on March 14, with my items being shipped the next day. The items were delivered by March 18 safe and sound. To Pacifica's credit, they do accept Paypal payments through their website.
     The bottles are simple, but stylish. I appreciate that the foundation comes in a glass container with a pump because I find this more sanitary. The concealer comes in a plastic package with a nice doe foot applicator which holds a decent amount of product. The foundation has a faint smell of coconuts, while the concealer has no smell at all. I would describe both as having medium coverage, but you can build them up, while maintaining a natural coverage. I will say that the foundation I ordered (26 NM) was not very neutral in my opinion. It seemed to have quite a bit of yellow in it which made it rather obvious I was wearing makeup since my face didn't match my neck, I did not have this problem with the concealer that I bought (20 NF).


     I wore the foundation and concealer for two weeks straight; using different setting powders and setting spray combos each day to see what worked best for these products. In total I used three different setting powders (Wet N Wild's Photo Focus Loose Setting Powder, E.L.F.'s Beauty Shield Setting Powder, and Cover FX's Perfect Setting Powder) and two different setting sprays (Urban Decay's All Nighter Setting Spray and Kat Von D's Lock-It Makeup Setting Mist). I even paired it with Milk Makeup's Hydro Grip Primer toward the end of my review which produced much better results. My normal prep routine consists of using Witch Hazel Oil, Heritage Store's Rosewater and Glycerin Spray, and Pacifica's Coconut Probiotic Rehab Cream.
     Like so many other foundations I've tried, I struggled with settling and creasing in my fine lines throughout the day. The concealer on the other hand did not crease in any way I used it. It looked flawless from start to finish with minimal settling that you'd need a really good mirror to catch! The foundation seemed to cake up on my cheeks, however this along with the creasing were minimized using a brush to set the foundation. For whatever reason, the more powder I packed on the foundation became more problematic. One thing I wish I had been more vigilant of was the fact that both the foundation and concealer have flashback to them. I say this because I used them during a photo shoot not thinking and I came out looking like flashback Mary. To the products defense, they may have flashback, however they don't dry down darker or oxidize, which is a plus in my book. Another problem I ran into was that no matter how I applied the foundation, the product would settle around my nostrils. When I used the Hydro Grip Primer, the foundation did not crease at all and the settling was minimized. From my experience, the best way to apply this foundation is to use a good primer, apply it with a brush for a fuller coverage, but to go over it with a beauty sponge to pick up any excess, and set the foundation lightly with powder. The concealer isn't to watery so feel free to blend away using a beauty sponge without worry, it won't be severely absorbed.
     I have not worn the foundation long enough to say if the skin repairing properties is true, but I did feel as though my skin tone was becoming more even throughout my wear test. As stated earlier, the foundation didn't hold well on my face, which is prone to creasing unless I used the Hydro Grip Primer. However, I will say that this foundation controlled the oil on my face quite well, especially on my nose, I did not need to blot like I do with most hydrating/ illuminating foundations.Currently, I'm repainting the outside of my house and as you imagine, the hot sun has me sweating profusely, but this foundation and concealer didn't break down on me despite the less than optimal conditions.
     I did review the ingredients of both the foundation and concealer to see if the clean ingredients claim was true. Using the Environmental Working Group's website as a reference, I did not find any ingredients that would cause me any concern. Both products are free from most irritants including silicones, phthalates, parabens, sulfates, and petroleums. They do utilize Phenoxyethanol as a preservative, however the amount used is low as indicated by its placement on their ingredients list.

   
     Even though the foundation didn't work the best for me, I'd still recommend this product. I believe this foundation has the potential to work on many different people and different skin types, but for individuals that struggle with creasing like me, you may need to pair this foundation with a good primer. The concealer on the other hand has blown me away! For natural, every day makeup, the concealer will stay in my kit as it perfects the skin without looking heavy or creasing on me. For the price and quality, I'd say both these products are worth trying, hopefully they'll work for you!





   

e.l.f. X Jkissa Collection Review

     For those of you unfamiliar with Jkissa, I'd like to give a quick run down of her before the review. Jkissa is a cruelty free influencer, meaning that she only promotes brands that don't test on animals. Her largest platforms include Youtube and Instagram where she posts reviews, makeup looks, and funny videos. Jkissa uses her platforms to promote self love and positivity. Fun fact; she's one of the few influencers who normally don't wear foundations.
     Released on March 5, 2019 the e.l.f. X Jkissa Collection includes three products: an eyeshadow palette, eyeliner, and mascara. The eyeshadow palette comes with a double sided brush and includes 7 eyeshadows; 1 duo-chrome, 1 shimmer and 5 mattes. The palette weighs 0.41 oz/ 11.5 g and costs $12. Based on my calculations, I believe the six smaller pan eyeshadows weigh 0.0512 oz/ 1.43 g for $1.5 each, with the exception of the shade "23" which is double the size of the other eyeshadows at 0.1 oz/ 2.86 g for $3. The navy blue eyeliner which costs $5 comes with 0.014 oz/ 0.4 g of product and the brown mascara costs $6 for 0.27 fl oz/ 8 mL of product. Each product can be bought separately, or you can buy the entire collection for $23. E.l.f. is a cruelty free and vegan brand.



     True to her own style, the collection doesn't fall short on delivering a plethora of color. The eyeshadow colors can feel a bit intimidating, but if you cover up the lime green eyeshadow "Alien," the color scheme isn't so scary.
     When I opened my package, the first thing I noticed was that the individual boxes that each product came in, were scratched up. Now I realize, that these scratches came about because there was no stuffing in the package to prevent the products from being tossed about in their box during shipping. Considering that this is my first time buying from e.l.f. online, I'm not impressed. My makeup could've easily broken during transit because of the lack of protection. Another thing I noticed, was that the brush that came with the palette was covered in eyeshadow. None of the eyeshadows were broken or used so I'm not sure how the brush got dirty.


     Prior to purchasing this collection, I've never owned an e.l.f. eyeliner. I'm not sure if this is standard among the brands eyeliners, but I really appreciated that the pencil was retractable and came with a sharpener. The pencil was quite pigmented and creamy when I swatched it on my hand, this did cause me quite a bit of concern; from my experience, a creamy eyeliner usually transfers onto the tight line which causes the color to fade. The mascara threw me for a loop when I first pulled it out of the tube. To me the color looked like more of a ginger color than a brown shade, but I suspected that the color discrepancy might be due to dry down.



     The eyeshadow palette was quite delightful to use. With the exception of "Alien" and "Sway" I found that the other five eyeshadows were quite pigmented. I would recommend wetting your brush when using "Sway." On its own, the eyeshadow applies like a wash of color; for me and the looks I create, I would've preferred something a little more impactful. "Alien" is a bit of an odd shade; this color doesn't apply well on wet surfaces as the color will quickly muddy. Even on a dry lid, when you start blending this eyeshadow, the edges turn into an olive yellow color. The only way to keep the vibrancy of the color is to pack it on a dry surface, in one area, and not to blend it. As a transition shade, this color is ok, but on it's own I don't see myself dipping into this color. Pigmentation aside, the matte eyeshadows do have a bit of kick back to them. I did not have this problem using the shimmer or duo-chrome eyeshadows. The double ended brush has a fluffy side and a smudge side to it. The smudge side is pretty standard and I like that it's pointed, it really helps with precision. The fluffy side on the other hand only really works for blending because the bristles are so soft they can't pick up a lot of product. The palette does include ultramarines in its ingredients; the FDA does not approve of ultramarines on the lips. Additionally, there's dimethicone in the palette, if you have an allergy to silicones, you may want to avoid this product.
     The eyeliner as suspected, transferred non stop. For this reason, I could not keep the color vibrant. While it is pigment, that doesn't mean much if the color fades so easily. The formula of this eyeliner is so soft, I actually had the product snap off in the sharpener a few times when I tried to use it. I will say that this eyeliner is good for smudging, it worked well as a base for deepening my eyes. I did cross search the ingredients list and found that the formula is similar to e.l.f's current No Budge Retractable Liners. This is not to say that the products perform the same, but they may perform similar. The eyeliner does contain the silicone cyclopentasiloxane, if you have an allergy to silicones, you may want to avoid this product.
     Despite my concerns with the color of the mascara, the product does apply as a true brown shade. Unfortunately this does not hold true for flash photography. I took a few pictures using the palette in this collection and the mascara sticks out from my natural eyelash color. As long as you're not taking pictures of eye makeup, this product should work fine. Furthermore, the mascara does little to lengthen my eyelashes and hold a curl. If you have sensitive eyes, you may want to avoid this product; the ingredients include potassium hydroxide and tocopheryl acetate which can be irritating.

     I love Jkissa and e.l.f. which is why I purchased this collection, to support my faves for a lack of better terms. I cannot recommend the eyeliner or mascara based on my experience. The eyeshadow palette on the other hand works just fine. For the price, it's hard to be mad at the products, but overall I was hoping that the products would perform a little better than they did.

   Colourpop No Filter Concealer Review

     The Colourpop No Filter Concealer which was released on July 27, 2017 has finally found its way into my local Ulta store. While the concealers have been available for roughly one and a half years, including Ulta's website. Despite the duration these concealers have been available for, the recent release in stores has beckoned me for a review. I for one, wanted to buy this concealer when it launched, but I never got around to it because I was afraid I'd buy the wrong shade and be out of my money. Now that I've had the opportunity to swatch the concealers in person, I went ahead and purchased two shades; Fair 00 and Light 10.
     The No Filter Concealers offer a full coverage, pore blurring finish that is both lightweight and crease proof for a natural matte finish. The concealers cost $6 for 4.0g / 0.14oz and is vegan. Colourpop is a cruelty free company and their products are made in the USA.

First Impressions:

     When I open up products, the first thing I do is smell them. Synthetic or strong chemical smells activate my allergies and cause my nose to become stuffy and give me a headache. The concealer does have a chemical smell too it, but it's rather faint; not something that lingers after it's been applied. I wish I had something to compare the smell to, as it's a rather familiar scent, but I haven't quite figured out the perfect comparison yet. In addition to allergies, I have eye dermatitis. It's basically a rash on my eyes that causes my eyelids to become dry, itchy, and the skin will peel. If I could, I would stick to illuminating products because I prefer the feel and finish, however my smile lines and the creases on my forehead limit the products I can use. Normally I'll use an illuminating foundation with a matte concealer and lightweight powders. I have combo to oily skin with the exception of my eyes, which are mostly dry during the winter months. I appreciate the wand chosen for the concealers as it picks up decent amounts of product with every dip into the tube. If you're super anal about keeping your products and packaging, clean like me, then perhaps you too will appreciate the easy to clean tubes. They're a simple design, but feel quite durable and are easy to travel with.

Review:

     As mentioned earlier on in the article, I picked up two shades of the concealer. If my under eyes look bright in the pictures, it's because they are bright. I purchased both shades with the intention of using them for highlighting in my T zone to accompany a full face of makeup, not for day to day use. For the most part, I never wear makeup during the day.
     As expected, from a mattifying formula, the concealer latched onto my dry patches, when I wore the concealer on it's own, even though I used a plethora of deep moisturizing creams before hand. My under eyes looked rather crepey; a feature that progressively worsened throughout the day. The one thing I was looking for in the concealer was that it would be crease proof, but unfortunately, it did not hold up well in my smile lines and forehead. While it didn't necessarily crease, it settled rather ugly in those areas. For reference, I set the concealers with my Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder, one side with a brush, the other with a puff and I used my Kat Von D Lock-It Setting Spray. I used the same technique twice in the two days I tried the concealer by itself.
     On both day one and two, I only wore the concealer for about 5 hours before I removed it. By this time the concealer had settled and my dry patches looked worse than when I first put the concealer on. On the bright side, the concealer wasn't nearly as irritating to my under eyes as the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer which I've found is too dry for me.
     On the third wear test I used the concealers during my makeup routine for a show I danced at. Everything in terms of powder and setting spray remained the same, however I was wearing foundation this time. An old Dior Airflash I owned and my Danessa Myricks Vision Cream Foundation in combination with my Cover FX Power Play Concealer. My face did look cakey in my T zone, a problem I've found every time I've used these concealers. Even though my highlighted areas looked better during this third wear test, I suspect that it had everything to do with the products it was paired with which are pretty crease proof themselves. I'll continue to use the concealer with other foundations and powders to see if the results change in the future. If I notice a difference, I'll make it a point to update this article at the bottom of the final thoughts section. Surprisingly, the concealer didn't settle ugly into my fine line, though there was minimal creasing. I will say that despite the claim that these concealers are full coverage, they're more of a medium coverage in my opinion. I had to keep layering them to get the color pay off I needed.

Final Thoughts: