High-End Beauty Kit - Gift Ideas for Christmas

Here's my list of the best high end makeup products for Christmas beauty gift ideas. Hope you like them!


BEST FOUNDATIONS

Light /Sheer coverage: Chanel Vitalumiére Aqua (Liquid)

Medium coverage: Make Up Forever HD (Liquid)

Full coverage: MAC Full Coverage (Cream)
                      Estée Lauder Double Wear (Liquid)


BEST PRIMERS

Eye primers: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Face primer: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (Light)


BEST CONCEALERS

Spot Concealing: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, Make UP Forever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette, MAC Studio Finish Concealer

Under Eye Concealers: Bobbi Brown Corrector, Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer, Clinique Airbrush


BEST POWDERS

Mineral Powder: MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Natural

Powder + Foundation: MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation

Loose Powder: Nars Loose Powder

BEST BLUSHES

Powder blushes: Nars blushes, Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes, Chanel Joues Contraste blushes, MAC blushes

Cream blushes: Make Up Forever HD Blush, Ben Nye Cream Rouge, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge

BEST BRONZERS

Powder bronzers: Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder, MAC Bronzer, Bobbi Brown Bronzer

Cream bronzer: Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate

BEST HIGHLIGHTERS

Cream highlighters: BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector (Pearl), MAC Cream Color Base (Shell)

Powder highlighters: MAC Iridescent Loose Power (Silver Dusk), Mineralize Skin Finish

BEST EYESHADOW BRANDS

Best eyeshadows from MAC, Make Up Forever, Dior, Bobbi Brown, Urban Decay (Naked Palette)

Best cream eyeshadows: Make Up Forever Aqua Creams, Chanel Illusion D'Ombre

BEST EYE PENCILS / LINERS

Best pencils: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils, MAC Eye Pencils

Best gel liners: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, MAC Fluidline (Blacktrack)

BEST MASCARAS  (I actually prefer drugstore ones)

Best mascaras: Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara, Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara, Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara

BEST LIPSTICKS

Best lipsticks: Chanel Rouge Coco, MAC lipsticks, YSL lipsticks, Bobbi Brown lipsticks, Armani Rouge   D'Armani

BEST LIPGLOSSES

Best lipglosses: MAC Dazzleglass lipglosses, Nars Lip Glosses, Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lipglosses

Links: shop.nordstrom.com, sephora.com, allcosmeticswholesale, debenhams UK, MAC, makeupforever, urbandecay, Nars EU, bobbi brown, Chanel, eve pearl, eyeko

Drugstore Beauty Kit - Best Drugstore Buys for Christmas

I love surprising my loved ones with personalized beauty gifts. I think it's so easy and convenient going to a drugstore and picking out some great products and then putting together a makeup kit for someone special. 

I listed below the best drugstore products in my opinion which might be of your interest when you are wondering about the drugstores in the holiday season.

BEST FOUNDATIONS & CONCEALERS

Medium Coverage Foundations: L'oréal True Match, Neutrogena Healthy Skin, Bourjois Healthy Mix

Full Coverage Foundations: Revlon ColorStay

Concealers: Revlon PhotoReady (Stick), Maybelline Fit Me


BEST PRESSED POWDERS

Powders: Covergirl TRUblend, Physicians Formula Mineral Wear, L'oréal True Match

BEST BLUSHES

Blushes: ELF Contouring Blush&Bronzing Powder Palette, Milani Baked Blush, Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush, Sleek Blushes, NYX Blushes

BEST BRONZERS

Bronzers: Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder, Rimmel Natural Bronzer, Revlon PhotoReady Bronzer (Bronzed&Chic)

BEST PRIMERS/BASES

Eye Primers: NYX HD Eyeshadow Base, Avon Eyeshadow Base, ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, Artdeco Eyeshadow Base

Face Primer: Rimmel Fix&Perfect Pro

BEST EYESHADOWS / EYESHADOW PALETTES

Singles: Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadows, L'oréal Infallible Eyeshadow, NYX Singles

Palettes: L'oréal Wear Infinité Studio Secrets, Wet n Wild Color Icon Collection, Isadora Smoky Eye Palette

BEST EYE LINERS

Liquid Liners: Wet n Wild MegaLiner (Black), Revlon ColorStay, Milani Infinite

Gel Liner: Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

Pencils: NYX Slide-On Pencil, Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner (Black)

BEST MASCARAS

Mascaras: L'oréal Volume Million Lashes (Extra Black), L'oréal Voluminous Carbon Black, Maybelline Colossal, Max Factor False Lash Effect, Max Factor 2000 Calorie

BEST LIPSTICKS & LIPGLOSSES

Lipsticks: Revlon Super Lustrous, Rimmel Kate  Moss Collection

Lipglosses: Bourjois 3D Effect, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss, NYX Megashine

Lipliners: Jordana Lipliner Pencil, Essence

Almost all of the products displayed can be found in drugstores, here are some links if you want to check them out online: drugstore.com, ULTA, cherryculture, ELF US, ELF UK, ELF Hungary, Bourjois UK, Bourjois (extended countries), Isadora Global, artdeco, jordana cosmetics

ALL ABOUT BB CREAMS

What is a BB Cream?

BB Creams have been enjoying a continuing success and popularity since the day they were introduced to the Asian beauty market, then later on to the rest of the world. By now almost every makeup brand have launched their own BB Creams from high-street brands like Garnier, L'oréal, Maybelline to high-end ones such as Estée Lauder, Clinique, Bobbi Brown and Dior.

BB can stand for blemish balm/beauty balm/beblesh balm, originating from Germany, where dermatologists originally used them to heal scars on patients who went under laser surgery. 
BB Creams were first popular in Asia that's one reason why most creams come in only light shades; Asian women have rather fair complexions. 

Why are they so special?

BB Creams are multifunctional creams which work as moisturizers, offer coverage, conceal spots, brighten the skin, have UV protection, and some include skincare and anti-aging properties. Basically, what the labels claim is that a BB Cream is a moisturizer, a foundation and a concealer all in one. 

Obviously, no BB cream is able to live up to such expectations because we all know these are different formulas and textures, and a moisturizer cannot replace a foundation or a concealer. 

How can we define a BB Cream then? Foundation, tinted moisturizer, concealer??

I'd define BB Creams as tinted moisturizers that even out the skintone and contain SPF. 
No BB Cream will give you as high coverage as a foundation does, instead provides a light coverage to cover uneven skin tone and redness. Do not expect a BB Cream to cover spots and blemishes because creme concealers work best for that, while most BB Creams are liquid formulas. Due to their beneficial skincare ingredients they work great as moisturizers. 

What are the pros and cons?

They are definitely outweigh regular moisturizers because they cover, protect and moisturize at the same time. Those people who don't want to wear foundation every day but would still like some coverage, a BB Cream is a great base.

Depending on the brand they tend to be less expensive than regular foundations.

However, due to their initial target being the Asian market, they usually come in either one, two or three shades: light/fair, medium/normal, dark. The universal shades won't fit everyone individually; therefore, it's not easy to find the perfect shade. 

Also, most companies don't offer BB creams for different skin types, so always make sure you choose the one that suits your skin type.

It is still a formula under development and definitely needs improvement. Companies are constantly trying to come up with improved formulas, more shades and skin-specific qualities (for dry, oily, mature skin).

How to use them and which ones are worth the hype?

You apply them the same way as you apply foundation: with fingers or brushes.

The most popular ones are the Asian ones (especially Korean ones) which are both makeup and skincare products: they are enriched with fabulous skincare ingredients and tend to have a higher coverage level.

In my personal opinion the best one for fair/light skintone is Hot PinkSuper Plus Beblesh Balm by Skin79. Interestingly, it has a grey undertone but when applied it oxidizes and adopts your skin color. It has beneficial skincare ingredients and really make my skin feel soft and hydrated. It has a medium coverage level that evens out my skin really well, while being very long-lasting. 

I'm honestly not a big fan of the European drugstore ones, but Maybelline's Dream Fresh, Sleek Be Beautiful Blemish balm, No7 Beautiful Skin are among the popular ones. Missha, another Korean brand is also very popular.

Links:

skin79 north america

the bb cream shop (international)

Hungarian link

Pimples and Pillows

This is a quick acne prevention tip. Have you ever experienced that on certain days you find a lot more pimples on your face than usual? Even if you don't have acne-prone skin, you can be targeted by dirty pillows!

It is very important to wash your pillowcase regularly, as well as your face towels and basically anything that comes into contact with your skin. The dirt from your hair and the bacteria that sits on your skin - if you don't cleanse well, gets stuck on your pillow; therefore, promoting skin infections such as acne. 

From personal experience, I can tell that clean linen promotes a clean face.

Also remember to always remove your makeup and cleanse your skin thoroughly every night. You can use any cleanser of your choice, but once a week include a face exfoliator as well to really deep cleanse your skin.

SAY NO TO DRY & CHAPPED LIPS

As soon as winter arrived in my part of the world, I had to face with a big lip problem due to the cold temperatures . My lips got incredibly dry, chappy, red, and very sore. My lips are naturally very dry, so I'm used to putting on some hydrating balm on a regular basis, however, now I needed some extra lip care.

Lip balms won't probably work...

what needs to be mentioned about lips is that you lose more moisture through the lips than through any other part of the body. When you have very dry and sore lips, ordinary lip balms won't work. Also, lip balms has a very addictive nature; any lip balm containing eucalyptus, camphor, menthol, and alcohol can make you become addicted to re-applying it over and over again. Some lip balms are also known to dry the lips instead of moisturising them. 

Body Shop Lip Butter

Atomic Garden Organic Lip Balm

I personally prefer organic lip balms because they contain natural  extracts that help seal in moisture; the key ingredients you need to look for in a good lip balm are beeswax, hempseed, coco butter, shea butter, aloe vera, jojoba, petroleum, and vitamin E.

How to treat extremely dry and sore lips?

Organic & unrefined shea butter or vaseline works wonders on chapped and extremely dry lips. Coconut oil is also fabulous! These all have very natural, hydrating properties and worked really well on my dry and sore lips. Make sure you really work these goodies into your lips! You can use them as regular lip balms as well.

Alaffia Handcrafted Shea Butter $8.95

Walmart Vaseline $3.24

Trader Joe's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil $5.99

Hun links:

Body shop ajakápolás

shea vaj

kókuszolaj

vazelin - gyógyszertárban

How to prevent lipstick from smudging, instead making it last all day??

There are different techniques to achieve a smudge proof application of a lipstick but obviously highly-pigmented lipsticks will do the trick. 

OCC Lip Tars

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is most famous for their lip tars - created by David Klasfield, which are these small tubes of lipsticks (10 ml) which have a gloss like consistency, but they dry as a lipstick. 

They are incredibly pigmented, so you only need to use a tiny bit of the product which is good because they sell for $16 but they will last you a long time. 

They are very long-lasting and come in a wide variety of colors. This is the type of lipstick that when you look at the color in the tube, the color will translate exactly when you apply it to the lips. 

You can always add some gloss on top if you're not a fan of matte lips. They actually came out with a metallic lip tar collection also.  You can also mix and create your own colors.

Also, OCC is a vegan company; therefore, their liptars are 100% vegan and cruelty-free and contain hemp oil, peppermint and vitamin E as well.

This shade is Marion which is a true nude color. I love it!

You do need to apply the lip tars with a lip brush due to the glossy texture, but OCC includes a small lip brush when you purchase a lip tar. This is not the best lip brush on the market, it's a little too small, but works really nice.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

Cocktail Cosmetics

High End Lipsticks vs Drugstore Lipsticks

I do want to tell you that NO LIPSTICK will ever last you all day, because you move your mouth constantly for various reasons. A lipstick usually lasts about an hour or two, if applied the right way even 4-5 hours. 

High end lipsticks (MAC $16, Bobbi Brown  $24, Chanel $32.50) contain much more pigment than the regular drugstore ones (Revlon $9); therefore, the color payoff and durability is much better. The colors are more intense with high end lipsticks that's why you need to use less of them, while the drugstore ones need to be re-applied over and over again. 

However, you can make a drugstore lipstick stay on much longer if you apply it the right way. 

STEP 1

Prime the lips with a lip primer or with some lip balm. Let it dry. You can also put some concealer on and around the edges of your lips to create a base and barrier for the lipstick.

STEP 2

The best and most precise application is done with a lip brush. First work the lipstick really well into the lips. Basically, you want to create a stain of the color on your lips. You can achieve this by using a lip pencil as well. Just work it in really well, but do not use too much product on the lips.

STEP 3

Blot your lips with a tissue, and apply a second coat of lipstick. This time you can work with the shape and create the finished look. This step can be done all over again, you can blot again and apply another coat. 

STEP 4

Add some lipgloss if want a glossier finish. Then pat some eyeshadow (in a similar color) or regular powder on the lips to give it extra stain power.