Review: MAC Cream Bronzer

This is a review of MAC Cream Bronzer!

MAC To the Beach Collection has just been released this week in the Philippines.

I want to review this item, so you might still have a chance to get this.

I personally think that this is one of the must buy in this collection.

I got mine about 2 - 3 weeks ago, and I've been testing it out atleast 5 days a week since I got it.

The packaging:

The MAC Cream Bronzer comes in a shiny lemon green clam shell packaging with a sea shell design printed on the clear plastic top.

The packaging is really pretty and cute!

It really fits the theme of the collection.

But I noticed that the material that was used for the packaging is a bit flimsy as compared to the standard black packaging of MAC.

Personally, I would like it more if they added a mirror.

The shade of the cream bronzer I have is Weekend.

It's a bronzy color with red undertones and really fine and subtle pink shimmers.

It looks really scary on the pot and unblended, but once completely blended, it gives a nice glow and warmth to the face.

Plus the shade it buildable!

(Completely blended in artificial light)

(Completely blended in natural light)

The texture of the cream bronzer is perfect!

Not too hard nor too soft.

You won't have any problem applying this either on a warm or cold environment.

You also don't need to warm this up with your body heat to completely blend it.

You can use brushes or your fingers to apply this.

I prefer using the MAC 130 brush with this product, since it deposits the perfect amount I need and still be able to blend it nicely.

It feels so smooth and velvety when applied.

Lasting power is great too!

I've used this with and without setting it with setting powder and powder bronzer, and frankly, I can't see the difference in terms of lasting power.

In my location right now, it's been really warm and humid.

I apply this 7am and when I go home by 6pm, it's still there!

I prefer this cream bronzer than any powder bronzer I have, since it really looks natural and doesn't look poweder nor it emphasize flaky skin like powder bronzers can.

It's a bit on the expensive size, but you get a fair amount for your money.

It will last you a long time, since you don't need a lot, unless you want to look like you have a fake tan or an oompalumpa.

Verdict:

9.5/10

I took out a half point due to the inferior material used in the packaging, but otherwise this is a Holy Grail material!

Battle of the HD Foundations Part 2: Revlon Photo Ready Foundation

This is a review of Revlon Photo Ready Liquid Foundation.

If I'm not mistaken, the Revlon Photo Ready Liquid Foundation is the first ever liquid foundation made by a drugstore brand that caters for "high definition" photography and film.

What Revlon says:

"Revlon PhotoReady™ Makeup - for poreless, airbrushed skin in any light. Photochromatic pigments bend and reflect light to erase every flaw. Complete, yet undetectable coverage. Soft, luminous finish."

I have this foundation for a few months now, but I only got to really test it out last May.

I bought mine at eBay for $8.00 per bottle - not including shipping.

Since I'm not sure what shade would work for me, I bought shades 04 Nude and 05 Natural Beige.

Before I went on my vacation, the closest shade and the one I've used is 04 Nude; 05 Natural Beige was just dark for me. I was an NC25 then. The shade 04 Nude is a bit off, so I wasn't really been using it. But after my vacation, my skin got a bit more tan and 05 Natural Beige was perfect, so I got around using it!

The Revlon Photo Ready Liquid Foundation comes with 12 shades, which in my option is not that great of a selection. Many would find difficulty finding their right shade.

Like for NC25 skin, 04 Nude would be great but it has a pink undertone so it might look off. I figured to get the perfect shade for NC25, you need to mix 03 Shell,which is too yellow and light for NC 25, and 05 Natural Beige.

I went in a Revlon counter too to study the shades, and I noticed that the odd numbers have yellow/golden undertones, while those even numbers have pink/red undertones.

The Revlon Photo Ready Liquid Foundation has a glass bottle with translucent black cap.

It also have a very efficient pump.

The pump is one of the best pump there is. You can really control how much product you dispense. You can pump out a really tiny tiny dot with minimal effort.

The amount of product you get per bottle is 1 fluid ounce or 30mL, which is what normally you'd get from liquid foundations.

You can see below that the foundation is liquidy / very fluid.

The consistency is not thick, nor too watery that it would easy drip down your hands.

It's also lightweight!

The Revlon Photo Ready Foundation is oil free and fragrance free, which are pros specially for those sensitive and/or oily skin.

This foundation gives a medium light coverage. One may still need a concealer to cover up hyperpigmentation.

It gives a bit of a dewy finish, but with the shimmers in the product it looks more dewy.

I noticed that the amount of shimmers in the each product varies.

In the ones I have, 04 Nude has less shimmers compared to 05 Natural Beige.

It also contain SPF 20, which can be both a pro and a con.

Pro, because of sun protection, and a con because it can give a slight whitish cast in flash photography. However, when set with powder the whitish cast isn't noticeable any more.

Another thing that can be a pro/con is the shimmer in this foundation.

Some may like the shimmer because it can add to the dewy finish of this foundation, but some may think that it's a bit garish.

Under normal florescent lighting, the shimmer isn't that too noticeable unless you really look super close. However, on direct/indirect sunlight or natural lighting the shimmers are very noticeable.

Here are the photos of my hand with Revlon Photo Ready Liquid Foundation.

The first 2 pictures are photographed with flash and the last one without flash.

You can enlarge the pictures to see the shimmers I'm referring to.

I've used different tools to apply this foundation with but I found that my fingers worked best with this foundation.

Due to the shimmers in this foundation, the flakiness, pores, and wrinkles may be accentuated, so a moisturizer and primer is a must when using this product.

This foundation wears incredibly well on me. It last for more than 8 hours even without retouching in humid hot weather!

At first, I thought that I would look more oily with this since it contains shimmers, but this product doesn't make me oily, and it does help control oil, so I'm just left with a nice glowy look in artificial lighting or glowy shimmery look in natural lighting. Either way, I don't look like a grease pan!

In my trial and error testing, the best result I got is when I use my Guerlain Light Diffusing Meteorites Primer, and Clinique Loose Setting Powder with it.

Verdict:

6.5/10

It's a decent foundation, but nothing that I would rush to repurchase anytime soon!

The packaging is nice, specially the pump.

The formula is not for everyone, and you need to use a primer and/or moisturizer prior to using this.

I also noticed that some people get more oily using this and some says that they feel their skin became a bit more dry upon using this.

That's all!

If you have any questions, just comment below!

Review: Revlon ColorBurst

This is a review of the latest lipstick line that Revlon launched.

I'm pertaining to the Revlon ColorBurst lipsticks!

After hearing and reading good things about this lipstick, I gave in and purchased myself 3 shades!

Here's my two cents...

The shades I got are:

(L to R: Soft Nude, Coral, and Baby Pink)

First let's talk about packaging:

At first, when you get it it comes sealed with a plastic wrap and a sticker.

That's a good point with me, since I've been noticing more and more brands are opting not to seal their products anymore. And everyone wants to be assured that the products you buy are fresh and unused.

When, I first saw these lippies online, I really hated the packaging, since I thought it would look a bit tacky. However, when I saw it personally, it isn't that bad after all.

The plastic used in the tubes is a bit on a lightweight and cheap feel, but actually it's durable.

The cap of one of the lipstick fell so hard and long, and no damage was done! Thank goodness!

You can see the name of the shade at the bottom of each lipstick, and the ingredients is printed at the protective sticker.

It also have a color indicator on top of the cap, and I'm quite impressed since the color indicator in the cap matches really well the shade of the lipstick.

The texture / glide / pigmentation:

These lipsticks is hands down one of the must try lip products from Revlon!

It's indeed better than most if not all the other drugstore lipsticks I've tried!

The texture is really smooth! Even the shades with shimmers.

The shimmers are so fine, there's no gritty feel in the lips when you apply it!

These lipsticks glides in really nicely, even if you have mildly chapped lips.

These are also not drying in the lips, it's actually a bit moisturizing.

But don't expect to really moisturize your lips like a lip balm per se.

If you like the feel of MAC lipsticks with Lustre and Glaze finishes, then you'd love this!

The texture and glide is so identical to MAC Lustre and Glaze finishes, that I really can't tell the difference!

Another plus is that even though these lipsticks feels like Lustres and Glazes from MAC,

the pigmentation is way way better!

You can get the exact color in the lipstick to your lips in just one swipe with medium to more intense colors, and just two swipes with light colors!

It also reminds me a bit of YSL Rouge Pur, which is also one hell of a nice lipstick!

Price:

One Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick cost about P500+ in the Philippines (about $10-12)

It's a bit expensive for a drugstore brand, but it's still cheaper than MAC lipsticks.

You get the same quality for a little less.

The price is pretty reasonable considering that these lipsticks are really at par or even better than some high end lipsticks! To tell you the truth, I like the feel of these more than my some Chanel Rouge Allure!

Verdict:

9/10!

The only gripe that I have with the ColorBurst line is the lack of great color selection.

Actually, I haven't have any luck finding a shade that I really like.

The shades, I feel, looks a bit dull and tired.

I suggest to pick one up if you like something in this line, since it's really a nice buy!

Side note: I'm really happy that drugstore cosmetic brands are really stepping up!

That means, we don't have to spend that much to get great and quality cosmetics!

I'm eyeing the Rimmel lipsticks the ones with purple metal tubes.

I might order some on ebay or other online shops, since some say that it's really similar to the ColorBurst, and it's not that expensive too! Only thing is, I need to order online, since we don't have rimmel here in the Philippines.

Has anybody tried out those Rimmel lipsticks?

Please comment below.

I nned feedback first before I would really put myself into ordering online.

Thanks!