Hello Hello Hello! (:
After finishing yet another tornado of a quarter at UCLA, Spring Break finally rolled around...and WAH-LA! Out came this new video FINALLY. I know I'm the slowest video maker/blog writer ever right? I'm sorry ): When I say UCLA is a tornado, I honestly don't feel that I'm exagerrating at all. Haha.
I thought of you guys the moment I got my hands on these awesome new products though!! I recently got accepted into an organization at UCLA called FAST (Fashion and Student Trends) as one of the two makeup artists. This meant I got an invitation to attend a small event in which a UCLA graduate, currently working for Sephora Product Development through Kendo, came to speak to us about her journey breaking into the beauty industry. At the end she surprised us all with a VERY generous gift bag from Kendo containing three products fresh on the high-end beauty market: Formula X "The System," Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon! Like 80 bucks worht of product right there...insane right?! I thought I had died and gone to heaven (haha), especially since I had my eyes on that new Kat Von D lip product ever since I talked to someone wearing it.
Anywho, I did make videos discussing these three products and an additional one given to me as a gift, which I will provide in the remainder of the post. (: However, for those of you interested, I am going to go into a bit more detail on each product in the beginning half, so let's get into it guys!
FORMULA X - "The System:
The first product I would like to discuss is a rather interesting one for my taste. It's not hard to guess that my beauty guru "defect" lies most heavily in my nail polish abilities. In other words, I'm terrible with nail polish!! Therefore, I'm extremely lazy to upkeep them and when I do manage them, it isn't as if they'll take your breath away by any means...
That being said, I never find myself spending much on new nail products nor will I ever splurge on them. My largest splurge has been my one Essie polish in "Sugar Daddy." Nonetheless, I received the Formula X "The System" in the Kendo gift bag and obviously HAD to try it. For those who aren't aware, Formula X is a high-end nail polish brand that is available in Sephora that retails for about $12-15.00 per polish.
Formula X "The System" retails for $32.00 and comes with three products, each labeled as a specific step in the nail polish application.
Step 1 "The Cleanser":
Since I am not exactly the nail goddess of beauty gurus, I'm incapable of giving the most beneficial review of this particular step. I do believe, however, that the concept of a nail cleanser is to assist in ridding your nail of residue from past applications or any other things that may act as a barrier between your nail and the polish itself.
The cleanser is very watery and sinks right into the nail as soon as you apply it, so this step is rather simple and quick.
Step 2 "Base Coat":
Now this step I do know the significance of! Basically, the goal of the base coat is to act as a primer for your nail, prepping the canvas (your nail) for the paint (your nail polish). This allows the polish to better adhere to the nail and create a much more vibrant color as well. The base coat in this system isn't runny like the cleanser was, however it is like applying a thin nail polish which takes a few moments to dry.
Once it dries your nail is ready for Step 3 which is the nail polish of your choice!!
Step 3: Nail Polish of your choice! :D
Step 4 "Top Coat":
This step you have to be careful with if you aren't use to an extremely thick and goopy consistency! The consistency sort of took me aback when I first plopped it onto my nail. There was a large clear blob on my nail and I was a bit confused...haha. Although, that may just be me and my noob-like abilities with nail products. :/
Despite the goopiness, the product isn't difficult to use by any means, just remember you need very little to spread over each nail and you'll be golden. This step does take a bit to dry though, probably due to the thickness of the product.
Overall:
My thoughts on the entire Formula X "The System" is...AWESOME! I first used this system with a very cheap NYC nail polish that typically lasts me about four days before it begins to chip off. Using this system extended the wear of that nail polish by an entire week! Even by the tenth day, the chipping wasn't bad at all and still 100% wearable (by my standards). So if you are in the market for a nail product that will make your nail polish more vibrant and last MUCH longer, here you have it folks.
KAT VON D EVERLASTING LIQUID LIPSTICK in "LOLITA":
BEST. LIP. PRODUCT. EVER.
I'm so serious guys.
Best.
Ever.
Haha, okay okay maybe not the BEST. That's too big of a claim...but pretty dang close anyway.
So I'm sure if you're a close follower of makeup, you've already come to the realization that these liquid-to-dry lip products seem to be all the rage and are rapidly being created by various brands at once. Well, count Kat Von D in! I was in love with the idea of this type of product since I had tried Lime Crime's Liquid Lipstick in "Wicked" (a brand which I no longer support due to various issues brought to the public's attention regarding the CEO of the brand), however, even "Wicked" was a little intimidating because it was so pigmented that one little mistake was hard to erase without sacrificing some of your face makeup, plus the lasting power was insaaannneee! I still fell in love with it though because of this pigmentation and strength that set it far apart from other matte lip products.
The Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick is definitely comparable to Lime Crime's, except better. The pigmentation is still just as prominent as well as thelasting power. The primary difference I noticed was in the lasting effect the product had on my lips. Lime Crime's product felt much more drying and as the product faded my lips appeared more flakey and blotchy throughout the day, also creating a feeling of slight itchiness, making it more difficult and uncomfortable to reapply than Kat Von D's. The Kat Von D version is MUCH softer on the lips in comparison to Lime Crime's. Yes, the product is still drying throughout the day, but come on, qith a matte lip product with this type of lasting power it's inevitable! The drying effect from the Kat Von D did not feel too uncomfortable as long as you don't attempt to rub your lips together in response to it, which causes your lips to flake more. Other than that, this product felt comfortable on the lips and still provided incredible pigmentation and lasting power.
The color itself, "Lolita," is what I am wearing in the YouTube videos I filmed to supplement this blog post. I would describe it as a pink-like mauve that appears deeper due to a slight plum undertone. To simplify that...It's absolutely gorgeous and you need to buy it, kay? Kay.
MARC JACOBS HIGHLINER GEL CRAYON in "Blacquer":
For all you fellow oily-skinned-eyeliner-lovers, this product is an absolute must.
Let's begin by talking about the mindblowing texture of this product! You know what a kohl eyeliner feels like, right? Alright, and you know what creamy gel eyeliner feels like, right? Okay, now, try to imagine those two textures combined to create a retractable pencil-like eyeliner inside sleek packaging. Wellp, that's the Marc Jacobs Highliner!!! The combination of these two textures makes for the softest eyeliner I have ever laid my hands on, initially giving off the impression that this product had no lasting power whatsoever. BOY was I wrong!
Despite being the softest eyeliner I have felt, the lasting power of this product is mind boggling. The product has five star pigmentation and that pigmentation does not fade throughout the day, even with my oily skin. I use this product primarily to tight line my upper water line and I was 99.999999999% positive this would be a hot mess underneath my eyes within 30 minutes. To my complete surprise...it was the end of the day and NOTHING was under my eyes, even though the eyeliner did fade from the waterline a bit after about 5 hours of wear.
It sucks there isn't a drugstore eyeliner that I can compare to this one because none of us want to fork over so much money for a product. However, this product is INTENSE black which means you won't be using much alongside being given quite a bit of the product to begin with. This product isn't a necessity by any means, but it is HIGHLY recommended for those of oyu who are oily skinned and prefer pencil eyeliner. This product would change your life, trust me.
BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR (Pressed) in "Opal":
Annnddddd last but not least is my very first highlighter ever! It was a product I sought after for some time but wasn't willing to put the money forth for considering I have oily skin and a highlighter isn't exactly a necessity in my makeup routine. Luckily, my best friend got it as a Christmas treat for me!
First off, "Opal" is a golden sheen highlighter, one shade darker than the lightest shade "Moonstone." The cool thing about this series of highlighters is that Becca actually has five different shades of this product to better fit your own skin tone, whereas most highlighters sold are only comparable to "Moonstone." The reason I had my eyes on "Opal" despite my very fair skin was for versatility purposes. For me, personally, "Opal" appeared to be a good fit for my skin at it's fairest as well as when it has tanned a bit, providing a warmer highlighter that blends into my skin better than a shade as white as "Moonstone" would seem to.
As I stated before, I have insanely oily skin so a highlighter isn't necessary and may even be a stupid idea to be honest, haha (what can I say...I'm in denial). However, from using this product for a few months now, I haven't encountered the notorious "disco ball" effect. The problem is, oil appears where I don't want it to. I use this highlighter to brighten my cheekbones while controlling my oil in other areas by blotting throughout the day, which is something I always need to do regardless of whether I have used a highlighter or not. The highlighter just helps to prevent the face's complexion from appearing flat or cakey if you blot using powder.
Overall, I can say I enjoy this highlighter in my routine because it brings life back into my skin after it has been powdered down to prevent unwanted oil, Whether I will repurchase is only questionable because this product is going to last me ages, haha.
CONCLUSION:
That concludes all four high-end products that I feel are worth a student's budget splurge! Below I provided the videos in case you're also interested in watching my on-camera awkwardness. (;
Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOO much for reading/watching!! I hope you all have the most beautiful day or night..or both! Thank you bunches again (:
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BEAUTY PRODUCTS HAUL (PART 1) & (PART 2):
