Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre loose powder swatches & review // 20 Clair (translucent 1) on dry pale skin

Basics: 

• $52 for 1 ounce / 30 grams, which is a pretty good price considering that many loose powders contain less grams of product. If you use up loose powders regularly, it pays to shop in price per gram. 
• Comes in a huge mouth jar with a puff. The puff isn't great, I only used it a few times. I love the packaging for home use, but I wouldn't recommend traveling with loose powders.
• This powder is talc, nylon-12, and silica based, making it one of the most finely milled and delicate of the 'traditional' loose powders. The texture is more substantial feeling than the 100% silica powders or corn starch based formulas on the market.
• Soft matte finish, great for setting foundation. Not as good for touchups.
• It can be applied to look natural on the skin, but you will have to pay special attention to application to achieve a truly invisible look. If you are heavy handed or tend to sweep powder on with a brush, it could look dry or visible on the skin. 

Can fair skin use 20 Clair?
 One of my concerns was if the shade 20 clair was appropriate for very light or fair skin. I'm neutral and very fair (L'Oreal True Match N1 or Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk 2) and was worried 20 clair would be too dark. As you can see in the swatch below, 20 Clair works for fair skin. I tapped the powder on heavily for a swatch because a sheer swatch is translucent on my skin.

Depotting Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow palettes - safely depotting with heat tutorial

I have been wanting to depot my Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow quad in the Comfort Zone for awhile now, but I was apprehensive because I couldn't find many pictures of depotting Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow palettes. I have a full review of the Comfort Zone quad here - I love the Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow formula, but I have only been using two of the four shades in this quad. I don't think Solace or Tranquil are very flattering on me and that was causing me not to reach for the palette, despite loving Ahhh and Enjoy.

Depotting Supplies - What you need to get started

• A tool to help take apart the eyeshadow casing and get the pans out of the palette. Look for a sturdy tool that has a slim point. I use the Ulta professional cuticle pusher tool because I like the slim, curved tip at the end, but many people use a knife. 
• Magnetic tape & scissors to magnetize your eyeshadow pans so they can stick to a free form palette. You can also buy adhesive magnetic stickers, but I prefer tape because eyeshadow pans come in all shapes and sizes so it is easier for me to cut magnet tape to size. 
• A flat iron & heat protective pad to melt the glue. I see people just using a hair straightener on top of a surface, but I think it is much safer to put a heat protective pad underneath. I grabbed this rubber trivet from my kitchen, but you could just as well use a pot holder, oven mitt, or something like that. You can also use wax paper or parchment paper over the heated plates of your flat iron to protect them if you like.
• A free form palette to put your eyeshadow pans into once they are depotted. I like my MAC one best, but there are lots of options out there. You can also use the empty palette casing and put magnetic tape or sheets in the bottom.

Step 1: It's time to take apart the packaging!

See that little crevice between the molded plastic piece that holds the eyeshadow pans and the outer casing? Stick your tool into that gap and give it a wiggle. Be patient - there is glue under there and they are tightly fitted, but keep on wiggling until you hear a pop.

Ta-da! This is what the back of the Bare Minerals ready eyeshadow palettes looks like! Now you will have two distinct pieces - your palette casing and this molded plastic insert. I kept my original palette casing because it is sturdy and the mirror is nice. I am going to put some magnet tape inside and use it as a travel palette.

Mega bronzer comparison on fair skin [review] [swatches]

I absolutely adore bronzer - it gives my face a healthy glow with more dimension. Today I wanted to share my bronzer collection with you all and show you my favorite bronzers for fair skin. I own bronzers at many different price points and with different finishes, so hopefully you can find one that suits you. Disclaimer: I bought all of these myself with my own money.

Keep reading for comparisons and swatches!

Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm - Rose Passion [review]

Today I bring you a review of the new Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm in Rose Passion. I love trying out tinted lip balms, because my lips are always dry and they are work friendly. I chose the shade Rose Passion because it looked like a nice muted red rose pink and most of the line is made up of brighter shades. I bought mine for $16 at Ulta.

If the color Rose Passion doesn't float your boat, I swatched the entire line of Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balms here.

Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm swatches

Today, I have quick swatches of the new Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balms from Bare Minerals. The line of tinted balm stains contains 8 shades and retails for $16 for .11 oz.

Bare Minerals Pop of Passion swatches (L to R): Nude Passion, Peach Passion, Pink Passion, Rose Passion, Candy Pop, Tangerine Pop, Punch Pop, Plumberry Pop

3 coral lip stains for spring

I know it's only early March, but it feels like spring is here early! I really like corals, from blush to eyeshadow to lip colors, and I can't help but going on a coral overload when the snow melts. This last year, I have gotten into lip stains and it's been a struggle to find lip stains that stain true to color, wear for a long time, and don't wreck havoc on my dry lips. Today I bring you my favorite 3 coral lip stains - may you also celebrate the onset of spring by sitting inside all day at a desk wearing coral lips!

Spotted at Ulta: new releases & first impressions

I love browsing beauty counters and stores just to see what's new. I went to Ulta a few days ago and saw quite a few new spring releases, particularly palettes. I couldn't resist taking some pictures on my phone to show you - a few of these surprised me and a few slipped right through my radar. Unedited phone quality pictures and impulsive first impressions ahead!

Bare Minerals The Comfort Zone Ready 4.0 Eyeshadow Quad review & swatches

Bare Minerals' The Comfort Zone eyeshadow quad is a pairing of four subtle satin nude shades. I haven't seen many reviews of The Comfort Zone, which isn't surprising - this quad isn't for everyone. The Bare Minerals Ready pressed eyeshadow formula is a total winner and this combo is perfect for someone who loves a soft wash of color with a sophisticated sheen. The Comfort Zone retails for $30, I bought mine at Ulta.

If vibrant color is your jam, let me save you $30.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot O'Blushes comparison swatches

As promised in my review of the Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot O'Blushes holiday blush palette (here), I now have comparison swatches to share. Before purchasing this palette, I didn't own any Benefit powders. This limited edition palette includes Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista, and Rockateur, plus a mini cream Watts Up highlighter.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot palette swatches

From left to right, Benefit Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur

Keep reading for comparison swatches to other products in my collection. All swatches in this post were done with my finger on bare, unprimed skin.

Darling Girl Haul & Swatches: Blush and Eyeshadow

I love trying out indie cosmetics because indie companies offer interesting colors and great value! Today, I'm showing you my very first Darling Girl Cosmetics order. I chose a variety of blushes, including a contour shade and a bronzer, and a few satin finish eyeshadows. My order shipped out within the stated turn around time (TAT) and was packed in a pretty pink mailer.

Let's see what I ordered!

Bare Minerals 5 in 1 BB Cream Shadow Candlelit Peach review & swatches

Let's get this off the table right away - the name of this product is ridiculous. "Bare Minerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow" Seriously, they jumped on that BB bandwagon hard. Okay, let's move past that. The new Bare Minerals cream shadow is supposed to be a longwearing primer cream shadow, similar in claims to a Mac Paint Pot but in a more liquid form. I have shade Candlelit Peach, which came in the Bare Minerals Multi Tasking Stars kit (review here) and is sold on the Bare Minerals site. This product retails for $18 for a .1 ounce tube.

Shade
Candlelit peach is very accurately named. The shade is a warm toned creamy peach with a matte base and a little shimmer. The product doesn't have a pearl effect or any luminescence in the base formula, but has an odd spattering of shimmer particles suspended in a flat matte base. From a distance, the shimmer doesn't appear unless it hits the light and it shows as a satin finish. Up close, however, the sparkle particles are apparent.

Empties & Mini Reviews - Too Faced, NYX, Elf, Bare Minerals, Jack Black

I was inspired to share some empties today after doing an end of summer collection purge. All of the empty products below are *actually* makeup & beauty products. Anyone else get angry about body scrub and candle empties? Let's check out what I used up recently:

• NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee (BLG 05)
• e.l.f. Essential Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear mascara
• Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm in Grapefruit & Ginger and Lemon & Chamomile
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Bare Minerals Lash Domination mascara (black)

 Let's get into the mini reviews:

Bare Minerals Multi Tasking Stars Kit review & swatches

I admit, I'm a total sucker for value sets. I saw this in Sephora and had to pick it up! The Multi-Tasking Stars kit from Bare Minerals is a limited edition set that sells at Sephora for $49. The set includes:

- A pink neoprene padded bag, 9" x 6.5"
- Natural Light Mineral Veil Finishing Powder, 0.07 oz (mini)
- Lash Domination 10-In-1 Volumizing Mascara in Intense Black (full size)
- Spring2Triple Take Color, Gloss & Stain in Coral Pink, 0.12 oz (exclusive, full size)
- 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow in Candlelit Peach, .1 fl oz (exclusive preview, full size)
- bareMinerals Ready Bronzer in The Skinny Dip & Cheek Tint in The Endless Summer Duo (exclusive, full size compact)

Before this set, I had tried only a few items from Bare Minerals before - their classic mineral foundation and a Ready eyeshadow quad, so I was excited to try out lots of products from the brand! Let's break it down: