Thoughts by Thea: high end makeup

Benefit First-Class Faves Review + Makeup Look

Hey everyone! I wanted to do a review of the Benefit First-Class Faves travel makeup set that my mom gave to me. My mom got it at the airport at one of the Benefit machine kiosks. This set comes with 6 travel sized makeup goodies. It includes a travel-sized POREfessional primer, Roller Lash mascara, Dandelion Dew, Cha Cha Tint, Dandelion Brightening Blush and Total Moisture facial cream.

Here is a picture of me with the new makeup on. I applied the Roller Lash mascara to my eyelashes on my left eye, and no mascara on the right eyelashes. The mascara is super lengthening and it holds a curl really nicely. I used my new Morphe 35T palette for my eyeshadow. I will do a review on this palette later! Here are my thoughts on all the makeup in the Benefit travel set...

P O R E F E S S I O N A L P R I M E R
I really love this primer! A little goes a long way. I find this this primer does a nice job at blurring away any imperfections and smoothing them over. I don't have huge pores, so I didn't see a huge difference there. I also think this primer makes putting on face makeup a lot easier and makes your foundation look a lot nicer. I think the POREfressional primer is very similar to the BareMinerals primer.

R O L L E R L A S H M A S C A R A
I've been using this mascara so much lately, because it's extremely lengthening! It also separates the lashes very nicely. It isn't super volumizing, so I usually pair it with my Maybelline Volum Express Colossal mascara or my Essence Lash Princess mascara. If I want a more natural look, I will just apply the roller lash mascara. This mascara isn't waterproof but it still holds very nicely. It's also super easy to remove since it isn't waterproof.

D A N D E L I O N D E W
I usually don't wear blush, because I think too much can look really unnatural. However, I really like how this gives a nice pinky glow to the skin. Since it's a creamy product, it looks very natural and it also smells really good. It blends very well and is very subtle. I also think it would look good on any skin color.

C H A C H A T I N T

This tint can be worn on cheeks and lips. It's a darker color than the dandelion dew and blush. The tint lasts long as a lip color and acts like a lip stain. The tint applies nicely and looks good, but I prefer to use the lighter dandelion blush and dew, because it looks more natural.

D A N D E L I O N B L U S H

This blush is the same color as the dandelion dew but it's a powder instead of a cream. I think the dew lasts longer than the blush but the blush is nice is you have really oily skin.

T O T A L M O I S T U R E C R E A M

This facial cream smells super good and is very moisturizing! I am definitely going to use it more in the winter when my face gets super dry.

Thanks for reading!

Thea

Saturday, November 12, 2016
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My Favorite Bronzer, Contour + Highlighter Makeup Products (Review & Swatches) ♡

animal cruelty free

Hey guys! Today I am going to share with you my favorite bronzer, contour and highlighter makeup products, as you can see from the title of this blog post obviously. I love using bronzer during the summer to give my skin a nice healthy glow. I also love the contour and highlighting trend that's going around. I don't think of it as changing the shape of your face, but more as enhancing your natural face shape.

You're probably wondering why there is a picture of foundations and eyeshadows when this is a post all about bronzer, contour and highlighter. Keep reading to learn more about how I use things like eyeshadows and foundations for bronzing, highlighting and contouring!

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Covergirl TruNaked Eyeshadow Palette

Profusion Contour Palette

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
Bobbi Brown Bronze Shimmer Brick
Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer
Elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
Wet n Wild MegaGlow Illuminating Powder
The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Liquid Foundation

Covergirl Nudes TruNaked Eyeshadow Palette

I picked up the Covergirl Nudes TruNaked Palette a few months ago during an Ulta shopping trip (read full review here). I think the eyeshadows in this palette are absolutely beautiful. They are extremely easy to blend and are super pigmented. I noticed that the shades not only work as eyeshadow, but also as highlighter!

There are a combination of matte and shimmery shades in this palette. I use the shades buff and champagne in this palette for highlighting. These shades are shimmery and give a beautiful glow to the skin. I use the shade mink sometimes for bronzing my face, but it could also be used as a highlight if you have a darker skin tone.

Buff and champagne are both cooler tone shades in my opinion and mink is a more warmer tone shade. I mostly use champagne for highlighter. I just like to dust it on the tops of my cheekbones with a small little eyeshadow brush. If you have any light colored eyeshadows, you can make always try using them as highlighters! That way you'll get more use out of them and won't have to carry around and buy more products than necessary.

Profusion Contour Palette

I bought this contour palette from Marshalls a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. First of all, the packaging is just the best thing I've ever seen. It comes in a gold tin case and the words are in a matte black. I've looked on the Profusion website for this palette, but they don't seem to sell this particular one anymore. I did find a similar one on Ebay. I got this palette in the shade medium and it came with a small mini contour brush inside.

This palette not only comes with shades for contouring, but also has powders for highlighting and bronzing as well- the perfect trifecta! The powders are very blendable and easy to work with. This palette really makes contouring and highlighting easier and faster!

I usually use the shade highlighter and vanilla for highlighting because they give the perfect glow. The shades nude and caramel are good for bronzing your face or for contouring. I usually use caramel for contouring my cheeks because it's just a hair darker than my skin color, so it looks very natural. When I want to make my contour more intense, I'll go in with the shade expresso very lightly. I definitely recommend this palette to basically anyone!!!

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer

I recently picked up the sample size of the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer at Ulta. I also just did a review on this product that you can read here. One of the main reasons I love this bronzer is because of the smell. It smells just like chocolate, but it's not an overbearing scent. It's very subtle and sweet.

The shade I have is medium/deep which is just a little bit darker than my skin tone. Since this is a matte bronzer, it's great for contouring and sculpting out your cheekbones.

Here is a swatch of it on my arm. This is definitely a pricier bronzer and if you want to spend a lot of a nice, expensive bronzer than go for it! I think that there are many drugstore matte bronzers out there that will do just the trick- however bear in mind that they won't smell as good.

Bobbi Brown Bronze Shimmer Brick

This is one of my all time favorite makeup products, because I think it is so versatile and can be used in many different ways. The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks are handmade in Italy have 5 shades in them.

You can use the shades in this compact as eyeshadow, highlighter or bronzer! I like to use an eyeshadow brush and sweep it into these shades individually as eyeshadow. When I use this compact as highlighter I like to run my brush through the top two shades and pat the brush on the tops of my cheekbones where natural light usually hits. When I want to bronze my face, I use the bottom 4 colors and apply them on my cheeks and around the high points of my face.

Here are swatches of the colors in this palette, starting from the top color and working down to the bottom color. This is my go to compact when I want to look really glowy and bronzed up for the summer.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer

I have this bronzer in the shade 739 Ticket to Brazil. I also did a review of this product here. This is a great drugstore bronzer that is extremely inexpensive. This isn't my favorite bronzer, but I like to use it when I want a more natural look that isn't quite as shimmery and glowy.

This bronzer looks pretty matte at first, but as you can see by the swatch below it is actually shimmery. I don't reach for this product very often, just because when I do decide to wear bronzer I like to go all out. This product is very pretty though and can also be used as eyeshadow.

Here's the swatch of the bronzer! It looks very gold and shimmery in this picture, however when applying it to the face it doesn't look this vibrant.

Elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

I heard pretty good reviews about this contouring blush and bronzing powder duo online so I picked it up awhile back in the shade antigua. I did a review about it here. The packaging of this product reminds me of the Nars packaging, because they are both matte black. This product is very affordable and easy to use. I don't use the blush in this duo because it is way too pink for me and I'd probably end up looking like a clown. I used to use the bronzer a lot before I had other bronzers, but I don't find myself reaching for it quite as much now.

As you can see, these powders are extremely pigmented- like crazy pigmented! Pigmented to the point where you have to be careful about how much you apply on your brush. They do blend easily though, which is great. The brown shade can be used for bronzing or contouring. It has the smallest amount of shimmer too it, but it's barely noticeable. This shade is a bit too dark for me so when I use it, I use a slight hand blend a lot to make it look more natural.

Wet n Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder

This product reminds me of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick that I have, but way more affordable. One of the downsides of this product is that it cracks and breaks easily... as you can obviously see. It's the main reason why I never use this product anymore. The top twists off and powder always spills out everywhere... it can get pretty messy. I have this illuminating powder in the shade 348 starlight bronze.

Here's a swatch of these powders. They aren't quite as pigmented as the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick but they are still beautiful colors. I would swirl all these colors together to make a nice shimmery bronzer. You could also use this product as a highlighter if you focused on the tops of your cheekbones.

The Body Shop BB Cream + Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation

I have the shade 04 in the Body Shop BB Cream, which matches my skin perfectly in the Summer when I have a nice tan. However, during Fall/Winter/Spring my skin is much lighter so this BB cream doesn't match my skin anymore. It was annoying that I could only use this product when I was tan, but then I discovered strobing. It's basically contouring and highlighting with liquids. I apply this BB cream on the hollows of my cheeks where I would normally apply contour powder. I find that using liquid products will make the contour and highlight last longer!

I have the Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation in the shade 203 True Beige. If you want to read my full review of this product than click here. This product is the exact opposite of the BB cream. It matches my skin great during Fall/Winter/Spring. It's too light during the Summer though, so this works great as a highlighter. It works differently than a powder highlighter does. Instead of adding a shimmery glow, it brightens and lifts your undereye area.

Here is a swatch of the foundation and the BB cream. It's hard to see the BB cream because it matches my skin pretty well right now. I definitely recommend to use foundations that are too light or dark for you for strobing! That way you can get more use out of the product!

I hope you all enjoyed this post! What are you favorite bronzer, contour or highlighter products?

Thea ♡

Monday, July 25, 2016
2 Comments

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Picks 2016 ♡

2016

Hello friends! The 2016 Nordstrom Anniversary sale is open to the public today and will last all the way to August 8th. Nordstrom is having some great sales right now, and today I am going to share with you some beauty picks that I think would be great to pick up if you are in the market for new makeup. Beware- your bank account might not appreciate this sale as much as you will!

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |

If you only want to buy one beauty item at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I would spend your money on a nice palette. Whether it be an eyeshadow or face palette, they are always good deals. You get a bunch of different products all together in a convenient palette and don't have to pay the price of each separate thing included in the palette. Usually the palettes are cheaper than buying all the individual products.

I've always wanted to try eyelash enhancers. My eyelashes are sooo short and applying mascara can become difficult, as well as time consuming. I would love to have eyelashes that are long and full!

I hope you guys find this post helpful and find some amazing deals at the sale! Tell me what you buy!

Thea ♡

Friday, July 22, 2016
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Too Faced Kiss & Makeup Product Review ♡

beauty

Hey guys! Today I am going to do a post on the Too Faced Kiss & Makeup bronzer and lipstick duo. I'm going to be sharing my thoughts and opinions about these products and also show what these makeup products look like on me. I bought this at Ulta from the little section of mini sized products near the front counter. I purchased it for $15. I love buying little mini sets of products so that I can try them out and see if I want to invest in the full version of the product.

Click here to purchase this set

This Too Faced Set includes...

Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Medium/Deep (0.08 oz)
Deluxe La Creme Color Drenched Lipstick in Nude Beach (0.05 oz)

Here's a swatch of the lipstick in nude beach. I think this color is super pretty! It has a nice natural sheen to it. It looks super natural on the lips and is also very hydrating.

Keep scrolling to see pictures of the lipstick and the bronzer on me!

I really like this bronzer for a few different reasons-

Easy to blend
Very natural looking
Great for contouring (very matte)
Smells like chocolate!!!

What I'm wearing ♡

Earrings // https://www.shopversona.com

Bralette // http://bit.ly/29yXaLM

Dress // http://bit.ly/29OFwqV

Makeup I'm wearing ♡

Face Moisturizer // http://bit.ly/29Qma6B

Primer // http://bit.ly/29EquAT

Foundation // http://bit.ly/29YnrYW

Concealer // http://bit.ly/29QnHth

Setting Powder // http://bit.ly/29w5Abc

Contour // http://bit.ly/29yZXVe

Bronzer // http://bit.ly/29OI8VS

Highlighter // http://bit.ly/29OI8VS

Eyebrow Powder // http://bit.ly/29OIzzo

Eyebrow Gel // http://bit.ly/29z1dY6

Mascara // http://bit.ly/29OJL5G

Eyeliner // http://bit.ly/29YpNXv

Eyeshadow // http://bit.ly/29OIzzo

Lipstick // http://bit.ly/29QoHgU

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016
0 Comments

Animal Cruelty Free High End Makeup ♡

animal cruelty free

Here is a list of high end makeup that is animal cruelty free, which means these companies don't test on animals. You can buy most of these makeup products at Sephora or Ulta Beauty. I'm going to post an animal cruelty free drugstore makeup list later! It's very hard to find brands that are very good quality, but also well regarded, that are animal cruelty free. Most big beauty brands still test their products on animals, or their parent company tests on animals, in order to sell in foreign markets. I hope this helps if you're looking for high end makeup products that don't test on animals! ♡