Burberry 'Rosewood' Eyeshadow

 After loving my Burberry Eye Colour in 'Pale Barley' to death (I've already hit pan on it after only a few months!), I wanted to pick up another one of Burberry's Silk Shadows. Enter the color 'Rosewood,' another one of Burberry's eyeshadow collection cult favorites.

 Without a doubt, part of the ultra expensive cost of this single eyeshadow goes toward the gorgeous packaging. In the linen colored box is a plaid covered velvet couch encasing the weighty metal square tin. The tiny compact has the infamous Burberry plaid on the top with 'Burberry' stamped on the side. The sleek container closes magnetically leaving no interruptions on the outside case.

 The shadow housed inside is also stamped with the beautiful Burberry plaid and a nice quality mirror is included. A sponge tip applicator is nested in there as well....mehhhh.

Rosewood is a brown satin shade with dusty rose undertones and gold sheen running through out. It is everything I wanted it to be as far as being simple enough to throw on and go to work with but complex and beautiful enough to create a stunning eye look with just one shade. 

The shadow is buttery soft to the touch and perfectly pigmented. It blends easily and layers well with itself and other shadows. 

Here is the color compared to Pale Barley. You can see the Rosewood has more rose to it but isn't as metallic or shimmery as other well known Rose Gold colors like L'Oreal's Amber Rush or Ardency Inn's Rose Gold shadow. This shadow is simply beautiful, understated, and classy.

Check out my post on Burberry's Pale Barley Eyeshadow!

Burberry Eyeshadows are $29 each for 0.09oz of product. Check them out HERE!

xxSJ

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation

With Korean beauty trends taking the Western world over by storm, it was about time a cushion foundation made its way to American drugstores. This gorgeous rose gold packaging caught my eye and after reading a couple positive reviews about L'Oreal's new True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation, I wanted to give it a try.  I selected the color N2, which is the lightest color I could find in the line. Buyer beware, this foundation line does not have extensive shades to pick from! 

The pretty reflective compact opens up to reveal a little puff settled into a plastic cover. Lift the cover up to reveal the saturated cushion sponge on the inside. 

Make sure after every use you close the plastic part tight to ensure your foundation doesn't dry out! 

Since the cushion is totally saturated, the foundation appears pretty dark in the container. A very light bounce with a beauty blender (my preferred method of application) or a finger gives you A LOT of product. One bounce is enough for me to cover my whole face, and then another extra bounce will cover problem areas. 

L: no makeup, R: L'Oreal Cushion foundation, one coat

I find this foundation to give medium coverage and does a great job of evening out skin tone while giving a natural, dewy finish. Speaking of dewy, now that NYC is becoming a bit more humid as we get deeper into the Summer, I'm finding I need to blot my skin nearing the end of the day as my t-zone and forehead get rather oily. I definitely think this is a lovely foundation for the drier fall and winter months, however, and will give you a healthy glow. This foundation is pricey for drugstore at $15.99 and only lasts about a month before you're pressing into the cushion hard to get the same foundation payoff. I have flipped the sponge over in mine and resorted to pressing into it in different ways to get all the product out. I suppose that is the drawback of the fun little sponge is that you may be wasting quite a bit of product!

I definitely like this foundation and see myself repurchasing it once I escape the humidity of this NYC summer.  Check it out if you're looking for a beautiful foundation with a gorgeous finish in unique packaging!

Check it out HERE!
xxSJ

Sample Round-Up! YSL, Tarte, Sephora, Clinique, and Dr Brandt!

This week's Sample Round Up was a super fun one! Here's what I got to try out for free:

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat
Full size price: $42 / 0.1oz
Sample value: $21 / .05oz
I got a ton of use out of this card filled with three different shades of YSL's cult classic Touche Eclat. I actually really enjoyed this stuff quite a bit! I don't think I'll ever be splurging on it strictly because of the huge price tag, but I definitely think this made me look more awake after applying it to my undereyes!

Clinique Even Better Foundation in 05 Neutral
Full size price: $27 / 1oz
Sample value: $10.80 / 0.4oz
I'm lucky I have a pretty decently neutral skin tone so this foundation sample wasn't a complete waste on me. I do think it was a bit too dark for my taste but I did actually enjoy this foundation quite a bit. I felt it gave sheer to medium coverage and I love that it has SPF 15 in it. This foundation wore well for a full day of work on me and I might be interested in color matching to my true shade and purchasing this foundation in the future. I think Clinique prices their foundations well and are a bit less expensive than other high end brands.

Left: my Left undereye concealed with YSL Touche Eclat in No1, Center: both undereyes concealed with YSL Touche Eclat No1, Right: Clinique Even Better Foundation applied to entire face

Sephora Instant Moisturizer
Full size price: $23 / 1.69oz
Sample value: $2.30 / 0.169oz
I really like this moisturizer! It is a bit thicker than my usual Aveeno moisturizer and I think it does an amazing job at smoothing out my face. My skin loves this stuff and I didn't notice any irritation while using it. I would definitely sample this product further.

Tarte LipSurgence in 'Exposed'
Full size price: $17 / 0.27oz
Sample value: $3.15 / 0.05oz
I do not like lip gloss very much anymore and this gloss is no exception. This gloss is ultra sticky and never loses that stickiness with wear. I had to take this off almost immediately because when I went outside on a bit of a blustery face, my hair was getting stuck to my lips and then pulling this product every which direction across my face! The color is a nice neutral dusty pink, but the formula isn't worth it to me.

Dr Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer
Full size price: $45 / 1oz
Sample value: $11.25 / 0.25oz
I really liked this primer and felt it did a great job at smoothing out my pores and fine lines (whatever fine lines a 24 year old has, that is). I also LOVE that the sample is so huge! I surely will get about a month's worth out of this tube of product as I only use enough to go on and around my nose and between my eyebrows which are my real problem areas as far as large pores and old acne scars I want to smooth out. This primer is a nude color and has some slip to it, but nothing like Benefit's Porefessional or the Smashbox Photo primer. I will definitely continue using this sample!

Total value of this week's samples: $48.50

Wowzers! That's a lot of moolah worth of makeup this week and 4 out of the 5 products I enjoyed using quite a bit.  Check out what samples you might have lying around your makeup stash! You might just find something you like!

xxSJ