Guerlain Météorites Compact Powder

The prupose of this powder is to make the skin look illuminating and matte. This powder is a very light texture and very smooth. It is a very sheer coverage so I don't recomment purchasing this powder if you are looking to use as a powder foundation. I use this to set my liquid foundation. It is a hefty price of $56.00, however I do recommend it if you fit the shades they have. Thisa powder only comes in three shades, but this powder blends so well that I believe most skin tones will be able to use this powder to set their liquid foundations.

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

Illamasqua Matt Primer

I recently purchased this primer at my local Sephora because I was looking for a primer to keep my face matte.   This product is a Sephora exclusive and can be found on their website. I currently use Smashbox Photofinish in original. I love Smashbox's smooth application however it did not keep matte for longer than 2 hrs. My t-zone gets oily easily. The Illamasqua's matte primer has an SPF of 15 and contains UVA and UVB filters. A little of this product goes a long way. It is in a squeeze tube with a watery consistency, similar to a light weight face lotion. However, once applied it smooths out very well into a matte finish. The watery consistency dries out very quick once applied and rubbed on the face. The smell is very nice as well, its a sweet floral scent, but very very light. My face stayed matte for about 5 hours which is quite long since my t-zone gets oily quick. I like it very much and would recommend for those with combination skin, however I don't love it to say its a holy grail product. Hoping to find that one product that will help control my oil dramatically.

Price: $30

Over all rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Loreal Color Riche Lip Balms

I had to struggle to get my hands on Revlon Lip Butters, and although many people love them, I actually do not care for them. I don't like them, nor hate them. They are very pigmented, however they do not feel that moisturizing. I don't think they should deserve to be called "lip butters." I went to my local CVS and found Loreal's new tinted lip balms  on display and I love them. The are so glossy and moisturizing with just enough color that a lip balm should have. Very slight pigmentation so I do not recommend it for those who are looking for a lip product with vibrant vivid colors. I do recommend it for those who are looking for a hint of color on their lips while having moisturized lips, esp in this dry winter weather. There are currently 8 different shades. By the way, these lip balms smell like fruity candy!

Price: $6-8

Pigmentation: 3 out of 5 stars

Lasting Powder: 4 out of 5 stars

Color Selection: 3 out of 5 stars

Lip hydration: 5 out of 5 stars

I promise the pigmentation is slightly more vibrant than my swatch

Chanel Perfection Lumiere

This foundation is by thus far, the best foundation I have tried. I enjoyed the Mat Lumiere, but I prefer the Perfection Lumiere over the mat. The Perfection Lumiere is a medium to full coverage foundation that actually, keeps my face just as mat as the Mat Lumiere. The foundation finishes to a satin-powder finish therefore no setting power is needed; however, I use the Chanel Poudre to set this foundation and this combination goes perfectly together. I also use my sigma f80 and f82 with this foundation. Chanel foundations have a rose scent. The Perfection Lumiere's rose perfumed scent is quite strong, much more noticeable than the Mat Lumiere. I actually enjoy the smell, but for those who are sensitive to products that have scents, I do not recommend this product. I also do not recommend this product for those who have dry skin because it may just accentuate dry patches on the skin. For those who don't mind and has combination or oily skin, I recommend this product.

Price: $55

Lasting Power: 5 out of 5

Color Range Selections: 4.5 out of 5

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette comes with 12 eye shadows, a dual ended brush, and a mini lip gloss. One side of the brush is a flat shader brush and the other side is a crease blending brush. The brush works very well. The package is different from the first Naked palette because the first one was a suede magnetic box while the new one is a tin metal box. Both come with mirrors. All the eye shadows are very pigmented, silky soft in texture, and blends wonderfully; which is what is expected from Urban Decay shadows anyways. The matte black shadow is a little rough in texture but is a perfect matte black to make a nice smokey eye. This palette has 3 matte shadows, 1 shadow that has a slight sheen, and 7 shadows that have little specs of glitter. You cannot feel the glitter when you apply the shadows. Like the first Naked, this palette is limited and can be a little frustrating to get your hands on. If you go on urban decay's website you can sign up to be notified when the next round will be released.

Price: $50

Pigmentation: 5 out of 5 stars

Color pay off: 5 out of 5 stars

Lasting Power: 5 out of 5 stars

I definitely recommend this product.

Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte

This is a powder typically to set liquid foundation, but could be used alone. This powder is very sheer and the powder has a very fine texture and is very compact. This powder is supposed to help mattify the face from their formula based on their micronised talc. There are 5 shades available, however I believe most department stores and Chanel counters only carry 4 shades. I really like how the powder applies with a fllat top brush. A regular powder brush will not be able to pick up much product because of how compact the powder is. I feel as though a regular powder brush will waste product. When I use a flat top powder brush the powder goes on extremely natural looking and blends wonderfully. I have a very oily t-zone so the powder only kept me mattified for 4 hours without having to retouch. One thing to remember is do not be shocked if the powder looks dark because I am a mac NC30, Chanel Perfection Lumiere in beige 30, Chanel Mat Lumiere in beige 40; but I am in translucent 3 in this powder which is the third darkest out of the 4 shades available. Also I noticed when you try to order this powder online, the color block swatches they show you are not true to color. I would repurchase this powder again.

Price: varies from $45-55 

(I purchased mine from Macy's they sell it for $45 while Neiman Marcus sells it for $55)

Lasting Power: 4 out of 5 stars

Oil Control: 4 out of 5 stars

Laura Mercier

Book of Nudes


This palette contains 8 shadows (0.03 oz), 1 cake eyeliner (0.04 oz), and 3 veil shades (0.02 oz). The eye shadows pigmentation quality is different for every shadow. However, most have good pigmentation. The cake liner is chalky but fair in quality when used wet. The creme veils are blush, bronzer, and golden highlight veils. Pigmentation on veils are very good, however they feel oily rather than creamy so lasting power is only at fair. I do not recommend the veils for those with oily skin. This product is limited edition.

Pigmentation for shadows: 4 out of 5 stars.

Lasting power for eye shadows and liner: 4 out of 5 stars.

Pigmentation for veils: 5 out of 5 stars.

Lasting power for veils: 3 out of 5 stars.

Color pay off: 4 out of 5 stars.

Price: $48.00