beauty trends – Page 2 – Byte of Beauty

First Impressions: Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme

January 31, 2016January 31, 2016 byte of beautyLeave a comment

Thanks to my one true love, Sephora, I got a chance to try this foundation! (Finally a useful sample, amirite?) I rarely try out “high end” foundations, but I was really excited to try this. Becca is know for their highlighters, but I was very interested to try their complexion products.

About the Foundation

This foundation is a full coverage, liquid formula. It claims to cover blemishes, redness, and even skin tone while also hydrating. It comes in 20 shades. The color ranges from pale-pink porcelain to a rich, chocolate brown. I am very impressed at their range, particularly the selection of medium to deep shades! The bottles are 1 fl. oz. and are $44 from Sephora.

Application + Coverage

I used the shade “Shell” for my first impression application. I dabbed it all over my face and used a Real Techniques stipple brush and a Real Techniques beauty sponge to buff it into my skin. I would recommend using a sponge or Beauty Blender with this foundation, as I was not satisfied with how the stippling brush worked with it. I was very impressed with the coverage. I had a lot of redness in my cheeks and around my nose and chin, and it did cover it. It also covered up the acne scarring on my chin.

Full face after using the Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme [Artificial light]

Full Impression

This foundation is awesome. The coverage is medium to full, but it does not settle into my lines, enhance my skin texture, or look cakey. The finish is a very soft satiny matte, but I did set it with a loose powder and finished with my Elf Mist n Set. It looked radiant and had a lot of dimension. My skin is pretty normal in regards to moisture; I am not really oily or dry. I do have a lot of texture on my cheeks and chin, as well as hormonal acne on my chin. I also have fine lines around my eyes and my undereye tends to get pretty crepe-y. I did not feel it settled into my lines or enhance any of the texture on my face. It covered my redness and blemishes. I did use the Nyx HD Concealer for my dark circles and darker pigmented acne scarring, but I used less than I typically do with my Maybelline Fit Me foundation.

Final Opinion

It’s a really good foundation for my skin and the skin issues I personally have. It covered amazingly while also not looking to heavy or cakey. That price tag is hard to swallow though, especially because I usually pay $7-10 for my foundation from the drug store… However, it may be worth the investment due to just how beautiful it does look on the skin. I have two nearly-full bottles of Maybelline Fit Me, but once I use that up, I will be getting a full size of the Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme.

Review and Swatches: Sugarpill Edward Scissorhands Eyeshadow Palette

October 6, 2015 byte of beautyLeave a comment

When I first saw this palette on Instagram, I was immediately in love. Not just because I adore Edward Scissorhands, which I do, a whole lot. No, I was in love because the shades are S T U N N I N G. Look at Heart-Shaped Cookie. LOOK AT IT! It’s beautiful. And Suburbia… insert heart eye emoji here. But I digress. Once I saw it, I immediately started planning the looks in my head and knew I had to buy it. I’ve never purchased anything from Sugarpill, because I am a little scared of all that bright color they are known for, but I knew the quality is proclaimed as beyond amazing, so I took the plunge for this beautiful palette. It was $36 plus $6 shipping on the Sugarpill website, and is limited edition. I know that as of right now, the palettes are sold out, but that may change by the time you read this, so be sure to check! The collection also includes two polishes that are $10 each, but I didn’t pick up either of them (they look gorg though, so get ’em if you want ’em!).

The ordering process itself was a breeze. I didn’t have any issues at all with the site, even though I was on within minutes of the release. By late afternoon I was alerted that the shipping label was created, and it shipped out two days later. I received the package exactly one week after I ordered it. For a big release like this, I was pleasantly surprised by the speed of the process. Great job Sugarpill!

The palette features six beautiful shades: four mattes and two shimmers.

Home Sweet Home: A matte, powder blue
Ice Angel: A white with a blue-violet shimmer
The Inventor: A steely dark blue-gray shimmer
Suburbia: A bright matte coral
Heart-Shaped Cookie: A matte neutral beige
Castle on the Hill: Cool toned matte brown with slight plum undertones

Below are my swatches from the palette, in the order they are in in the palette, with and without flash! Notice that Heart-Shaped Cookie is almost exactly the color of my skin tone, so it is a bit hard to see the swatch.

These shadows are .08 oz each, which is a very generous size for a multi-shade palette. They are very pigmented, blend so beautifully, and have very little fallout. The quality is just as good as I anticipated. The color range is versatile and will be useful all year around.

Here are a couple pictures from the look I created as soon as I received the palette. I put Heart-Shaped Cookie all over the lid, Suburbia and Castle on the Hill in the crease, and the Ice Angel on the browbone. I really like the contrast of the cool highlight with the warm crease shade

All in all, I am so happy that I purchased this. All of the shades are beautiful and the mix creates a very versatile palette that is a perfect and unique addition to my collection! If you find this baby in stock, definitely grab it!

Have you ever tried Sugarpill? What did you think?

Full Review & Swatches: L.A. Colors Eyeshadow Trios

October 2, 2015October 1, 2015 byte of beautyLeave a comment

L.A. Colors is a very cheap makeup and cosmetics brand that is available at discount stores like Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree. Most of their products are $1-2, and these eye shadow trios were just $1 each! I decided to pick up two of the more neutral trios to try out. I grabbed “Natural”, an all matte trio featuring an ivory shade, an ashy brown, and a dark brown. I also got “Sunflower”, which is an all-shimmer trio with a pale gold, reddish copper, and a bronze-y brown. There are also several other trios is varying shades and finishes if you want to try them out but aren’t fond of the ones I picked.

Sunflower Trio (I dropped it and the bronze pan partially crumbled, so ignore how ratchet it looks…)

I have a very split review on these, because I LOVE the Sunflower trio, but don’t really love the Natural trio. The Sunflower trio reminds me of a foiled eyeshadow, due to its pigmentation and butteriness. It does have a bit of fall out, but not very bad, and I love how creamy these are. The Natural trio on the other hand… this trio kind of sucks. It swatches nicely on the finger, but on the skin and eye it comes off as patchy and is so powdery that there is insane amounts of fallout. The pigmentation isn’t amazing, no where near as good as the other trio, and I have many other matte colors similar to these that I choose to reach for instead of these when I am doing my makeup at home, just because the fallout and patchiness is a pain to deal with. I was really hoping it would rock, because these would be beautiful crease and transition shades, but they are just not pigmented or smooth enough for me to really love. I will still continue to try and make this work, because the colors are nice shades and it is so small that it is great for travel or on the go, but it is pretty “meh” for me. I found that it works best over an opaque white base (see swatches below).

Below are swatches from both trios. The three shades on the left are from the Natural Trio and the three on the right are from the Sunflower Trio. I swatched them over two bases, Nyx Milk Eye Pencil and Urban Decay Primer Potion, and then on just bare skin. You can see that on top of the Milk Eye Pencil base the colors, even from the Natural Trio, show up the best and brightest.

Nyx Milk Eye Pencil (top), Urban Decay Primer Potion (middle), and bare skin (bottom)

For $1, these shadows are alright, especially the shimmers. They are compact and are the perfect size to throw in your bag or purse for on the go. They definitely require a primer that is very tacky, and an opaque base such as Nyx Milk will make them stand out even more and look more pigmented on the eye. If you plan on using the Natural Trio, make sure you wait until after the eye is done to do under eye concealer, because clean up is required due to the fall out from the darker shades. If you were just going to get one, I suggest getting the Sunflower Trio, as there are better neutral matte shades out there, even at the drugstore.

What is your cheapest beauty find? Did you love it or hate it? Let me know in the comments below!

Fall 2015 Trends | MAUVE LIPS: Top Three Favorites & My Trick for Flawless Matte Lips

September 30, 2015 byte of beautyLeave a comment

The dream of the 90’s is alive in makeup trends. Brown, grey, and dusty rose shades are popping up everywhere, from the drug store to the high end counter. The easiest way to dip your toes into this trend is by starting with a beautiful, matte, mauve lip.

Mauve lips are all the rage this season, and for good reason. The color, ranging from warm, to neutral, to cool, can flatter anyone, and is very easy to wear. A matte finish adds to the grungy appeal and creates a long-wearing low maintenance lip look that is perfect for every day wear, from the office to happy hour. Below our my three favorite mauve shades that I am loving right now. All three are a matte or semi-matte finish, and all three are very affordable!

From left to right: Wet n Wild MegaLast Lip Color in Bare it All, City Color Be Matte Lipstick in Cappuccino, and Colourpop Lippie Stick in Tootsie

1. Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Color in Bare it All | $2

A semi-matte, creamy opaque warm brown-toned mauve, with dusty rose undertones. This formula is a bit stiff at first, but warms up on the lips and provides a long-wearing, opaque finish. This $2 drugstore lipstick is also a dupe for the cult favorite MAC Velvet Teddy!

2. City Color Be Matte Lipstick in Cappuccino | $5

Ok, this one might not be a true mauve, but it’s in the same family, so I had to include it. This is an uber matte lipstick. It can be a bit tough to apply, due to this, but once applied this baby is staying on. The color is very warm, which is perfect for fall, and the pigmentation is phenomenal. I got this lipstick in my Ipsy bag a few months ago, and I’ve been loving it since.

3. Colourpop Lippie Stick in Tootsie | $5

This mauve leans into “greige” territory, but that is one of the reasons I love it. It’s so beautiful, creamy, and long lasting. It’s cool toned and just lovely. Colourpop also sells a matching lip pencil for $5 as well, and pairing the two, I have had the color last (even with eating!) for around 5-6 hours! These lippie sticks are such a good value, and I highly recommend them all, but in particular this color.

| My Trick for Flawless Matte Lips |

Matte lips can be a bit intimidating, because the show off every single line, crack, dry piece of skin, ect. Believe me, I know the struggle. My lips chap at just the mention of winter. The biggest secret I have is not really much of a secret… Moisturize your lips generously every single day. Especially at night. Give your honey a kiss goodnight and then slather on a moisturizing lip butter, balm, or mask, and when you wake up your lips will look plump and nourished. And when your lips are especially dry, use a gentle sugar lip scrub to slough away the dead skin before putting on your butter, balm, or mask. My current FAVORITE for both day and night is the Nivea Lip Butter. This stuff is thick without being sticky, smells amazing, and has drastically improved the appearance and feel of my lips. Even better? I got this full sized tin for ONE DOLLAR at Dollar Tree! It is also available at Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, Target. ect. Looking for a splurge? Try out Youtube Celeb Nichole Guerriero’s Best Damn Lip Mask for supreme moisture and nourishment!

There you have it, my top three mauve-ish lip colors for fall and how I prep for matte lip colors. Have you found a stunning fall lipstick or killer lip balm? Let me know in the comments!

Look of the Day: Cranberry Smoky Eye and Cranberry Lips

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 byte of beauty2 Comments

Cranberry shades are SO popular this season, and I wanted to try out the trend for myself. Here’s my take on a cranberry look, featuring a smoky eye, flawless skin, and a cranberry lip.

For the face, I used a mix of drugstore and high end products to achieve a flawless, airbrushed look. I primed with ELF Poreless Primer, then used Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth foundation, Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo concealer, and Maybelline Lumi Concealer with a Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (which I am O B S E S S E D with). I set my undereye with my NYC translucent loose powder, which is exactly the same as the super expensive Makeup Forever HD Powder and much cheaper, and set the rest of my face with the Wet n Wild Reserve Your Cabana bronzer (which really isn’t a bronzer… see more deets here)

I contoured with Nyx blush in Taupe, a perfect cool toned brown, used Colour Pop blush in Pre Nup, and highlighted with Wet n Wild Hollywood Blvd. You can find my review of the highlighter here! I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe on the brows with a sturdy, thin brow brush, and then used a spoolie to soften them for a less harsh look.

For the eyes, I used several colors from a few different brands. From my beloved Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette, I used the shade White Chocolate all over the lid and brow bone to set my primer, and then placed Salted Caramel in the crease as my transition shade. I then used the ELF Lustrous Eye shadow in Soiree(see swatch below from Lust for Lipgloss) on a flat, synthetic brush to pack the color all over the lid. This eye shadow is a weird consistency, half cream, half mousse. It reminds me on the texture of the Maybelline Dream Bouncy blushes. It is a little hard to work with, but it is a beautiful glittery burgundy shade and you can definitely make it work. I then went in with Wet n Wild Eye shadow in Panther, a matte black, to darken the outer corner of my eye. I alternated blending with the Salted Caramel and Panther shades until I got the smokiness I wanted. I used my Star Looks Pro Eyeliner, which is amazing, to create a wing and then threw on a pair of Eylure lengthening lashes for extra drama.

For the lip, I used a Lord and Berry liner in Blush and Black Radiance lipstick in #5027 Burgundy Royal. This lipstick was around $2, and is a lovely color, but is so creamy that it easily smears. It definitely requires a lip liner, and don’t expect incredibly long wear from it. For $2, though, it’s a great, cheap way to test out the vampy cranberry lip trend!

What do you think of cranberry looks? Let me know in the comments!

Nailed It: The Trendiest Shades for Fall 2015

September 21, 2015September 22, 2015 byte of beautyLeave a comment

Wednesday marks the official first day of fall, and what better way to celebrate the equinox than by making your nail game stronger than the earth’s gravitational fields? Fall is all about deep, vampy shades for both lips and nails, and this year’s trends are no different. Oxbloods and deep berries are back in style once again, but TAUPE has made an appearance as the newest, trendiest color for nails, and I am obsessed.

Taupe is a stellar color, but doesn’t get the attention it deserves. For those with dirty blond to medium brown hair, a taupe colored pencil or cream works amazing as a brow color. (I recommend Maybelline’s Tough as Taupe Color Tattoo cream eye shadow and a firm, thin brow brush!) Taupe shades work wonderful for eye looks, especially for lighter skin tones, and those who want a cooler and yet neutral look. Seriously, I love taupe… So taupe on the nails is a trend I can get behind fully. OPI taupe-less beach

My favorite taupe nail color has got to be OPI’s Taupe-less Beach (above). Aside from the punny name, it is a lovely color that is pretty much the perfect taupe in my opinion. So pretty and cool toned… I’m in love! For a drug store alternative, I found Sinful Colors Rebel (below) from their Sinful Shine line. Sinful Colors is dirt cheap, around $2 when it’s not on sale, and with a good base and top coat easily performs just as good as the higher priced brands! And it can be found at Walgreen’s, Walmart, and I’m sure other drug store or big box retailers.

Sinful colors rebel

As you can see from the pictures, Rebel is a bit lighter, but they are pretty similar. Thanks to Gargoyle Polish for the stellar swatch of Rebel!

Aside from taupe, which I think I’ve waxed poetic about enough for today, deep reds and oxbloods are stunning and totally on trend. My newest favorite deep red is Ignite by Formula X (below, on left), available online and at Sephora. I got a sample in my Ipsy this month, and I have had it on my nails ever since. It is such a lovely, deep deep red, and would suit so many people!

A drug store option for a deep oxblood in Revlon’s Nail Enamel in Vixen (below). Revlon polish is around $5, but right now it is on sale at Ulta for buy one, get one half off, so definitely hit that up if you’ve been wanting to buy a couple polishes and save some moolah!

If you’ve found some beautiful nail colors for fall, let me know in the comments below.