Sunday, September 16, 2012

[Review] Foundations and Powders and Blushes and more... Oh My!

I will be doing short reviews of a ton of products that I bought from Camera Ready Cosmetics. I'm pretty sure I've told you guys how awesome this store is, but if not, check out my shopping review here. I really have a ton so let's get started! WARNING - This post will be photo heavy, enjoy!

Review

Cinema Secrets Foundation Primer:
I just started using Cinema Secrets Foundation Primer and I LOVE it. I used it for my friends' wedding party and herself on her wedding day and it was absolutely perfect. Their makeup did not budge or fade. It's a great filler too, it fills up my small wrinkles and I really like that it's clear and dries clear. It leaves your skin silky soft. You don't need to use a ton of product to get the job
done - which is awesome, less money for me to spend! Foundation application afterward glides on easily and flawlessly.


Mehron No Sweat Primer:
I sweat A LOT. I mean, I can walk to the kitchen and I will start feeling beads of sweat pop up on my nose or forehead. I hate that I sweat so much, and this humidity we've been having does not help. Thank goodness I found the Mehron No Sweat Primer! It does what it says, it keeps my face from sweating off the makeup I just applied. It's so easy to use, just dampen your cotton ball a little bit and lightly apply the primer to sweat prone areas, like your forehead and/or nose and then let it dry before you apply your makeup. It does not leave your makeup streaky and it doesn't make your make up run. It dries quickly and doesn't smell at all. Overall, great product that I love and use every day. [Sorry for the horrible picture, it's not very easy taking pictures of products that are as clear as day...lol]



Quick Blending Sponge:
I know y'all have heard of the Beauty Blender, well this, my loves is a budget friendly blending sponge. When I first saw these funky shaped sponges at IMATS, I thought to myself "What in the world is that thing?!". I didn't even bother giving it a chance then, but oh how I wish I would have bought them sooner. The Quick Blending Sponge is amazing! They work soooooooooo much better then those throw away white wedges. It helps you apply your foundation flawlessly, easy to use and it's reusable! I don't think I've used my foundation brushes in a while after using the Quick Blending Sponges. Definitely try one out for yourself.


Graftobian Super Palettes:
I didn't always have to wear foundation, but as I age [nearing 30], I feel the need to cover up my age spots. I have been using my Graftobian Super Palette in warm and I love it. It's not cakey at all, which is my number one must have with foundations. It also covers really well without having to use a ton of product. It's a bit runnier than other foundations, but doesn't run after it's applied. You can easily mix different colors together to get the perfect match for your skin tone. These Super Plattes come in 3 different palettes; Warm, Cool and Neutral. Each palette has 18 different shades. I only purchased the Warm and Cool palettes.Worth the money? Absolutely! Check out the pictures and swatches below. [This portion is pretty photo heavy]



Ben Nye Pressed Powder Palette:
I don't think I'll ever go back to regular store brand powders after using my Ben Nye Pressed Powder Palette. I use my Mojave palette every day, the powders are amazing. The colors are fantastic and are just my colors [if you didn't know, I have a hard time finding the perfect shade]. It covers really well and does not give an orangey hue, unlike some of my store brand powders that I have used in the past. If you're a lighter toned beauty, fret not, because there is a Bella Palette that is filled with lighter shades for you. I don't use this palette, well because as y'all know I'm on the tanner side of the color scale. Ben Nye has become one of my favorite brands to use, truly a wonderful brand that produces amazing products. Definitely worth it. Check out the swatches and pictures below.


 RCMA Loose Powder:
When I don't have time in the morning to get all spiffy for work, I just throw on some RCMA Loose Powder [No Color] on over my foundation. I love it because I don't have to worry about matching my my powder color to my skin tone. Although the powder looks like a pure solid white, it's translucent. It gives my face that matte look and feel that I love and also covers pretty well. It does not change the color of my foundation at all, which is definitely a must have in a No Color powder. I love that I don't have to use a whole lot of product, a little really does go a long way.



Mehron Blush Palette:
Once I started wearing blush, I kind of got addicted to it - haha. No really, adding just a little amount really defines the face so much more. I use to not really wear blush, because I thought it was too bright, or it didn't look right. You just need to know how to wear it and what colors go best with your skin tone. That is why I chose to buy a Mehron Blush Palette, because I didn't know what colors would look good on me or not. So I bit the bullet and bought the 8 color palette. I'm so glad I did. The colors are so bold and beautiful, even if you have some color to your skin tone, the pigmentation on these blushes are a-freaken-mazing. It lasts pretty much all day, so you won't have fading blush while you're trying to look your best. Best of all, I don't have to use a lot of product to get the right color.



I hope you guys enjoyed these reviews. I actually do have a ton more to review but thought ending this here would be a good spot. I didn't want a long and over run review post to get too long or boring. So, just keep a look out for my next post, which will have reviews on eye liners, mascaras and more. Thanks for reading loves and I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

[Review] Cinema Secrets



I have been meaning to post a review of some of the new brands I've been using, but I have been pressed for time lately. Now that my friend's wedding is over I can tell you how much I am loving my new products. First, you guys definitely need to check out Camera Ready Cosmetics. Seriously, the best store I've come across. They have tons of high quality brands that Pro Makeup Artist use. I cannot stay away from the store, if I could, I would probably buy everything [haha].

Photo taken from Cinema Secrets "About Us" page of Maurice Stein
Although I have a ton to review about from my recent purchases at Camera Ready Cosmetics, I'm just going to start with the Cinema Secrets brand. Cinema Secrets was founded by Maurice Stein in 1984. He is most famous for his part as a makeup artist in Planet of the Apes [I know we've all seen this]. His work was astounding in the movie and touched many faces of the industry. Did you know that he was also the very FIRST makeup artist to be inducted in the California Cosmetology Association Hall of Fame and is included in the National Cosmetology Association Hall of Renown? Well if you didn't know, now you know. Really such an amazing and inspiring man that I would love to meet one day [a girl can dream right?].

Review 
 
I needed a foundation that does it all. I wanted one that covers really well, one that isn't super cakey or have the cakey look or feel, one that I also don't need to use a ton of product and one that will last a long time. I'm so glad I came across Cinema Secrets. They have an amazing line of products, but by far their foundation is amazing. Since I was the makeup artist for my friend's wedding, I needed a variety of foundation colors, so I purchased 2 of the Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation Kit [kit #3 and kit #8] from Camera Ready Cosmetics.

I actually use this EVERYDAY and even after the wedding, I still have a TON of products left over. This foundation did everything I wanted it to do. I didn't have to use a whole lot of product to get the job done. Colors were amazing, and easy to mix to get the perfect shade. It lasted all night through out my friends wedding and did not smear or run at all. I love the fact that you get a whole lot of bang for your buck. It didn't cost me an arm and a leg which is definitely a huge plus. So if you're looking for a great foundation, try Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation Kit. I'm sure one of these kits will have your shade in it, there's about 11 different color kits! It is truly amazing.

Now for the fun part. Swatches and photos from the wedding that I was honored to be the makeup artist in. I didn't want to bombard you with a ton of pictures,okay really I didn't have a whole lot of time. So I combined the swatches [please be advised that I have used some of the foundations before taking pictures].




Nancy - The beautiful bride
Phoenix - Bridesmaid
Lidta - Bridesmaid



Sara - Bridesmaid


I hope you guys enjoyed this review/blog post! Check out my dedicated Makeup website, Makeup by Sammie. It's still in the works. I'm still trying to find old pictures of makeup applications I've done to put up. But so far, what I have on there is the most recent.