Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Tinted Eye Concealer Review!

There are definitely advantages to having a dedicated under eye concealer; lighter texture, light reflecting properties, hydrating qualities etc.  I am partial to a liquid concealer (I love Nars, Jill Stuart, Origins in particular) but they are for my facial blemishes.  I was pleased to try this eye concealer from luxe brand, Sisley, which is especially made for the under eye area.

Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Eye Concealer Review 1

They say: This tinted concealer instantly camouflages dark circles and shadows to perfection, reduces puffiness and signs of fatigue, visually smoothes out wrinkles and fine lines and beautifies the eye contour area. Day after day, it helps significantly minimize puffiness. The supple, melting formula guarantees easy application, a natural finish and long lasting hold.

 

Sisley Paris Phyto Cernes Eclat Tinted Eye Concealer comes in three shades (I chose 03, the darkest) and comes with a synthetic brush.  At a pricey £58, it certainly is expensive, but I found it to be a very very good under eye concealer which seemed to care for the eye area too (in the sense that my eye area can get dry and flaky throughout the day and I didn’t get that when using this product).

So in the box you get this long brush (not a mini one like you sometimes get) which is great for blending in the product or applying it on other areas or on the lid, if you like to wear concealer on the lid (I do).  Otherwise, I found this product blended in nicely with just my warm finger.

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The tube had another nice feature which is a silver ended applicator (it’s a squeezy tube which is like a lip balm). The applicator is very cooling and soothing, and it helps reduce puffiness.  It was very welcome when applying to my tired, hot eyes.  It can also be used to massage a little, a bit like my beloved La Mer eye cream which comes with a metal ball applicator (I kept it, but never could bring myself to rebuy the eye cream).

I wondered if 03 would be the right shade for me – concealer that is too dark under the eyes looks pretty bad, but this worked really well without looking too garish or racoon like, as under eye concealers can.  It has a yellow-peach edge to it which covers my dark circles perfectly well and brightened up the whole area without looking too much.

It has a nice texture that is not as light as say, touché éclat, but isn’t as thick as a cream concealer or say, NARS liquid concealer.  It’s just right – thick enough to cover but thin enough to sink into the skin and not look heavy around the eyes.

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You can see the difference here (concealer applied on the left side – you literally only need 2 – 3 dots under the eye). I like how natural the finish is – brightening without being too obvious.

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If there was any criticism, it would be the price and that it can settle into deeper under eye lines towards the end of the day.  I don’t know any concealer that doesn’t.

This eye concealer costs £58 from various websites such as Spacenk – sometimes there are offers on for 10% off on websites like John Lewis. It’s expensive but it is really very good and I believe it would last at least 1 year with regular use.  I certainly don’t like all the liquid under eye concealers I use – they either don’t cover enough, or are too heavy, or the shade is way too pale – so I think this is a very good product because it doesn’t have any of the above problems.

 

The Lipstick Color That Looks Like Pure Joy

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Certain beauty products — think NARS blush in Orgasm, Clinique’s Black Honey lipstick — are so good, they’re practically famous. And, while we do love so many of those well-known, well-loved products with a loyal following, we’ve been wondering why others have been quietly flying under the radar. With that in mind, meet our new beauty series, Cult Classics, in which we’ll introduce you to the products you really, truly should know about (and try, like, right now). They’re not brand new, but trust us: They’ve got staying power. 

Every spring, we ritualistically ditch all the dark, moody hues in our lipstick drawers (and cabinets and shelves) in order to make room for more vibrant, warm-weather-appropriate colors. It’s the beauty equivalent of molting and leaves us feeling rejuvenated and ready for outdoor adventures. But, no matter how many bright colors we line up, there’s only one we really need to attain unbridled joy: Marc Jacobs Beauty’s Lovemarc lipstick in Shout.

Despite its name, this color is definitely not as loud as a shout. It’s more like a song or like a single note sung into the spring air. It’s the kind of hue that just feels good to look at. It practically glows with prettiness. It’s vibrant without crossing the line into neon and has hints of coral to give it a melon-like vibe.

It also goes on like a dream with a semi-matte finish that looks almost like the natural texture of our lips. Though lip gloss tends to be more popular in the warmer months, there’s just something about matte lipstick that we want all year round. Combined with dewy skin and a ton of mascara, we think this is as close to perfect as a spring lipstick can get.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Lovemarc Matte Lip Gel in Shout, $30, available at Sephora.

Get #LuckyBoost!

So, St. Patrick’s Day is on a Monday this year—thanks, world. But, let’s be honest, who’s going to let a little weeknight get in the way!? We say: get your jig on, girlfriend!

Then, on Tuesday morning—when the luck o’ the Irish runs out & you’re stumbling to work—we’ve got something extra special for Benebabes in Boston, Chicago & San Francisco. Because we love you. And you’re gonna need all the gorgeous you can get. 🙂

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#LuckyBoost Survival Kit

WHO: Benefit Cosmetics, TaskRabbit & a handful of survival sponsors

WHAT: Care packages filled with recovery goodies, hand-delivered by TaskRabbit, including FREE full-size Benefit product, dry shampoo, the miracle hangover cure, Blowfish + more!

WHERE: Within 5 square miles of San Francisco, Chicago & Boston proper

WHEN: Tuesday, March 18 9 a.m.-12 p.m. local time

WHY: Because, trust us, you’re going to need it.

HOW:

  1. Follow & Tweet @BenefitBeauty with #LuckyBoost, and tell us why you deserve to be rescued in 140 characters or less.
  2. Fill out the form we direct you to—be sure to include your full address & Twitter handle!
  3. Put your sunglasses on & cross your fingers—we’ll Tweet you if/when we’re on our way.
  4. Oh! And read the Terms & Conditions here.

Here’s a peek of what’s inside:

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Benefit Cosmetics goodies: minis of they’re real! mascara, fakeup, POREfessional & a full-size ooh la lift (you’ll walk into the office looking like you got a full 12 hours of sleep, TRUST)

$20 TaskRabbit: to use on everything from house cleaning to furniture assembly to your afternoon burrito delivery, whatever

Blowfish hangover cure: you’ll thank us later, this stuff is seriously a life-saver

Lara Bar: just in case you’re not ready for that breakfast burrito… yet

Not Your Mother’s Dry Shampoo: because hot mess hair at work is frowned upon

Skyn Iceland eye relief pen: to help with puffiness. why is everything so bright!?

Suja Juice voucher: which you’ll start tomorrow, obvs

Zico coconut water & Voss water: because hydration

We hope you enjoy this care package filled with everything you’ll need to survive last night’s shenanigans. We got you, girl.

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3 Steps to Thicker Looking Lashes

All women desire longer, thicker lashes. But no one wants to spend a lot of money on getting lash extensions or take the time of applying false lashes every day. Having dramatic lashes with length and volume makes your eyes appear bigger and can transform your face instantly. So, today I am going to share with you three easy steps you can do daily to achieve longer more lustrous lashes.

  1. Curl Your Lashes – This is the first step to making your lashes appear longer and thicker. Right now my favorite eyelash curler is the Tarte Picture Perfect. It has a soft rubber tip which is great for curling the lashes well.

Begin by placing the curler at the base of your eyelashes and hold for 3 seconds. Next, move the curler out to the middle of your lashes and hold for 3 seconds and then repeat on the tip of the lashes. Check out my video on how to curl you lashes like a pro: http://www.makeupgeek.com/makeup-basics/how-to-curl-your-lashes-like-a-pro/

Lash Curler

  1. Apply TWO Mascaras – The first mascara you want to use is a thickening mascara with a big wand like the Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara. The bigger wand adds a lot of product to the lashes giving them a fuller effect. The second mascara is for length and should have a skinny wand like the L’Oreal False Fiber Lashes Mascara. The skinny wand gets at the base of the lashes very well and adds extra length and volume.

Woman applying mascara on eyelashes

  1. Use Black Gel Liner – Applying a black gel liner to the upper waterline darkens the base of your of your eyelashes making them appear thicker. To do this, use a eyeliner pencil as a tool and dip it into a good water resistant eyeliner like the Maybelline Eye Studio or Makeup Geek’s Immortal and run it along the upper rim of your lashline. If you don’t find it to harsh you can do this to the lower waterline as well. To enhance the lashes even more add a small amount under the eye coming in 1/2 of the way.                                           iStock_000011555617Medium

You should be able so see a huge difference in your lashes with these 3 easy steps.  I hope this helps give you what you need to create stunning, almost false looking lashes that everyone will love!

xoxo,
Marlena

Products Used:

  • Tarte Eyelash Curler (Amazon) (eBay)
  • Maybelline Eyestudio – “Blackest black” (Amazon) (eBay) / Makeup Geek Gel Liner – Immortal (Makeup Geek Store)
  • Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara (Amazon) (eBay)
  • L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara (Amazon) (eBay)

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How To Pair Your Eyeshadows Like a Pro

Today I am going to show you how to pair eyeshadows together to create tons of looks. For many of us, it can be confusing when we are looking at a palette of colors to try and figure out which ones work best together and which ones won’t. This tutorial will help you to learn which colors, finishes and combination work best together and hopefull help aid you in picking which shades to choose from.

Three Basic Rules of Pairing Eyeshadows Together

  1. Always include a neutral –  Using a neutral eyeshadow along any brighter shades you may use will keep the look more wearable and tone down the overall look.
  2. Always mix your finishes – Eyeshadows come in finishes, shimmer and matte. Using all shimmer on your eyes will make you look like a disco ball while using just matte finish eyeshadows will look to flat. Using a combination of both with give depth and detail to the look.
  3. Use a light, medium and dark color – A mixture of these three, regardless of the color scheme, will give you a well rounded look with a lot of dimension.

Skin Tone Shades

Now we can move on to blending shades. You always need to have a couple of shades that can be used for blending that are close to your skin color. One a matte finish and one with a shimmer finish. The matte one you will use under the browbone to blend out any harsh lines, the shimmer will be used to highlight under the browbone or in the inner corner to open the eye and make it appear lighter.

  • Fair Skin – Vanilla Bean (matte finish), Shimma Shimma (shimmer finish)
  • Medium Skin – Creme Brule (matte finish), Purely Naked (shimmer finish)
  • Dark Skin – Latte or Cocoa Bear for very dark skin (matte finishes), Glamorous (shimmer finish)

Below is a guide that gives you different kinds of color combinations that you all can put together. There are two ways of doing this Monochromatic Looks and Polychromatic Looks.

Monochromatic Looks

These are where you take one color in varying shades and do a look based on just that color.

This look incorporates a light, medium and dark pink. The dark goes on the outer part of the eye, the medium pink on the middle of the eye and the light pink goes in the inner portion of the eye. Blend together this gives you an overall pink look.

This is a traditional dark brown smokey eye. This is where you take a dark brown and place it on the lid, a medium brown in the crease, and a light brown or tan color right above the crease to blend the colors out.