Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow Light Revealing Sheer Makeup in Dore 04

Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow ($54; sephora.com) is a new sheer makeup base that was launched as part of Guerlain’s Spring 2015 Les Tendres Collection. Baby Glow comes in three shades and uses pearl pigments in a sheer coverage base to correct, illuminate and even skin tone . I’ve been pretty happy with Medium 03 in both the Pearls and Pressed Meteorites, but went with Dore 04 in this one since Medium seemed a little too light for me. 

Dore is a great match for me in Baby Glow and since the base is fairly sheer and very buildable, the end result is absolutely natural. The consistency is just perfect, neither runny, nor too thick, almost like a slightly thicker tinted moisturizer and blends beautifully onto the skin. I’ve tried applying it with my fingers, as well as with a dense brush and love the finish both ways. Its one very natural looking base that adds a bit of a dewy glow without any kind of shimmer or glitter and is very forgiving on dry skin and large pores. I do think that a moisturizer is necessary beforehand for smoother application though. Baby Glow is quite strongly scented for a base, but not as much as the powders and the scent dissipates pretty soon. Overall, I absolutely love it and would highly recommend it if you like lightweight, skin-like bases that leave you looking well rested and fresh . The coverage might not be a lot and you would still need a concealer for dark circles and blemishes, but if you can find a good shade match among the three that Guerlain has, its absolutely worth trying out.

Wearing Guerlain Baby Glow in Dore 04 as a base, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger and Guerlain Meteorites Pressed in Medium 03

Laura Mercier Pony Tail Brush

The Laura Mercier Pony Tail Brush ($29; lauramercier.com) is a fluffy eyeshadow brush made from natural hair (squirrel). Its an ideal brush for sheer washes of eyeshadow, buffing concealer under the eyes and for highlighters.

Its a soft brush that diffuses color well, not the most softest, but definitely gentle enough on the skin not too feel to scratchy. I haven’t used the MAC 224 very extensively to compare it with since the shape seems a tad similar, but I do feel that this is a bit more denser than that one. Its easy to wash, dries super quickly and has not shed much - probably a hair or two the first couple of washes. While not something as versatile as the MAC 217 or the Hakuhodo J5523, both of which do laying and blending eyeshadow, this one is solely a blending brush. If you like sheer washes of colors, this one is great to have, works with cream and powders and is quite the right size for a blending brush too. 

New Budget Beauty Buys To Try From Jane, Stowaway Cosmetics, Own and L'Oreal!

I’ve been trying out a few new products in the affordable range across some brands, some very new to me and new to the beauty market, like petite sized, Stowaway Cosmetics, so here’s a roundup of them. 

Jane Cosmetics’ new All Angles Always Brow Pencils ($8; janecosmetics.com) are truly a fabulous budget buy. The pencil features a slightly slant tip for precise filling and also a spoolie at the other end to groom the hairs into place. They come in four colors, the darkest shade, Black Brown is perfect for my dark brows (the shade lighter than this one looked a tad too warm and had a teeny bit of red), and is the perfect taupe/grey tone to make the end result look natural. The product is quite waxy, but super easy to use, very natural looking and does not flake or budge through the day! Highly recommended if you can find your perfect shade!

Own Beauty is a natural skincare brand that has some great products at affordable prices. The folks at Own sent me a couple of products from their Radiance range to try out. One is a Brightening Daily Cleanser ($13; target.com), which is a slightly gritty, super gentle cleanser for all skin types. I quite liked it, but would have loved it if it did not leave a film behind. The Brightening Night Repair ($28; target.com) is really nice though, I’ve only been using it on and off and it is a fuss free, light moisturizer that makes skin looked well rested and bright the next day. No strong scent and it sinks in really fast. A good, gentle range to try out for sensitive skin!

I’m not big on setting sprays, the only ones I’ve used are the Skindinavia ones, and this Infallible® Pro-Spray & Set Makeup Extender Setting Spray by L’Oreal ($13.99; ulta.com) recently. I’d have to say, they are quite similar, this one could be a tad drying, but it does the job of holding makeup in place really well. Its not something I’d use everyday, but definitely one to have for when you want budge proof makeup that lasts all day! It does have a high alcohol content though, so not the most skin friendly, but its not something you’d use on bare skin, so an occasional spritz here and there should be ok.

Stowaway Cosmetics is a new line of makeup that has a well edited makeup line with products that are only mini sizes. The sizes are great for travel and the packaging is super cute. The Creme Lipstick ($15; stowawaycosmetics.com) is a rich, creamy lipstick with fabulous color payoff. While Scarlet is not a color I’d use often, the formula is really nice and smooth. The Cheek and Lip Rouge in Burnt Rose ($15; stowawaycosmetics.com)is a dewy cream blush that blends seamlessly and doubles up as a lip stain. It reminds me of the discontinued Bite Beauty Lip Rouge, packaging and product wise. I like this formula more on the cheeks than on the lips though. Stowaway is also paraben, phthalate & cruelty-free and available exclusively online at stowawaycosmetics.com 

Have you tried any of these products? 

*Press Samples