Review: Hourglass Ambient Strobe Powders + Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kits with Swatches on Fair Skin

Strobing or highlighting or whatever new name they will come up with next - there is no shortage of powders these days to add a shine, shimmer or glow to the skin. As someone with oily skin, I used to shy away from anything that would add additional shine for fear I would end up looking like a greasy disco ball. But as I have said before, the formulations of highlighters nowadays is light years ahead of what it was even a few years ago. There are a ton that I use and love (read back on a few of my faves here), but recently these two have gotten a ton of buzz. The new Hourglass Ambient Strobe powders are a further addition to the ever popular (and personal favorite) Ambient Lighting powder range, and the new Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kits offer intense shimmer powders in one easy to travel-with compact.

1. Hourglass Ambient Strobe Powders - As with so many Hourglass products that launch, there is a ton of buzz followed by a wide range of opinions on their performance. I've said before that I drink the Hourglass Kool-Aid, but that doesn't mean I blindly like anything they produce. I can definitely understand why many people had differing thoughts on these powders since they deliver such soft and understated results. I do think that for those that want a strong and intense strobe or highlight, these will not be for you. As you can see from my below swatches, they are a sheer powder with just a hint of color. It was not sunny this day so you can't see the shimmer, but it is definitely there. There is slight glitter, but for me it was understated and blended into my skin right away. Incandescent is my favorite shade and gives the most subtle highlight that I can wear daily, while Brilliant provided the strongest contrast. Iridescent and Euphoric looked a tad more bronzy on my skintone and if I was wearing the right matte foundation and primer, looked beautiful dusted on the cheeks and cheekbones. The formula and texture of the powder is what I have come to know and love from Hourglass - it's finely milled and looks undetectable on the skin. These are a win in my book, but I don't think it's necessary to buy all 4. I would recommend (if you prefer a more subtle strobe) picking out your favorite shade or two to add to your collection. But then again, if you hoard makeup like myself, just go ahead and purchase all 4 because you know you want to. Ha!

2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Gleam - Anastasia Beverly Hills has quickly become one of those brands that has the pigmentation and quality to qualify as a makeup artist brand first and foremost. But yet the colors and performance of the products make it desirable to the masses who want to wear the products for everyday. However, there is nothing subtle about the brand and that is again the case with these Glow Kits - high watt shine in the most stunning shades of bronze, rose-gold and champagne. These are a makeup artist's dream and a kit must-have for photo shoots since they will give an unforgettable highlight. To adapt them for everyday may be a bit harder since the pay-off is so intense, however as someone who has mastered the light-handed technique I can make almost anything work for any occasion. Mimosa and Starburst looked stunning dusted on the cheeks themselves, while Crushed Pearl gave me cheekbones like never before. Hard Candy was the most unique shade of them all and became one of my favorite colors to wear on my eyes. Whoops. Frankly no one ever said the products had to be used exclusively for the cheeks, so I went rogue and used them on the eyes. It has a duochrome effect that I love as a single wash of color to the lids. I do think, as with almost the entire Anastasia range, this glow kit can be used on most if not all skin tones. The warm undertones of each shade make it appealing to so many and if you are looking for a highlighter that packs a serious glowy punch, then I advise you to pick this up immediately. You will find yourself mixing the colors to create your own shades which is half the fun of wearing makeup, amiright?

*pr samples included

Have you tried either of these products? What are your thoughts?

Shop more of my highlighter recommendations:

Some Anastasia Discoveries

I know it's been a bit since my last post, but if you follow me on Instagram you know I recently had spine surgery so  I took some time off to recover. I am slowly beginning to get back on my feet, so I can finally get around to publishing posts on a ton of products I have been testing lately. Anastasia Beverly Hills has always been a brow brand for me (this product from them is one of my favorite brow products), but I have slowly been testing out other items from the line and have been quite impressed with the quality. There has been quite a bit of buzz about these illuminators (and after going on quite a highlighter kick - read this post to see some that I have been loving recently), I was anxious to try these. And later in the post, I will talk about my other discovery from the brand.

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators in So Hollywood, Peach Nectar and Riviera - As one who does a more natural look with my makeup, highlighters and illuminators were not always products that I reached for since they tend to be more dramatic or suitable for evening looks. But over the years, the formulas have gotten better and I really enjoy incorporating them into my looks (even daytime ones) more frequently. These Anastasia Illuminators are definitely on the bolder end of the highlighting spectrum, so I need to be extremely light-handed compared to some other ones in my collection. That being said, they give such a gorgeous sheen on the skin that they have been too good not to add in. So Hollywood is the one I wear the most out of all three, but Peach Nectar comes in at a close second because of how warm it can make my cheeks look. I like to use So Hollywood more directly on my cheekbones, but Peach Nectar and Riviera look nice dusted lightly over the cheeks. And Riviera is unlike any highlighter I have seen because of it's slightly plum (well it looks plum to me) undertone which is so unique. For those that have a weakness for highlighters, I think these are going to be hard to pass up with their high watt shine and how well they blend into the skin without looking too powdery.

2. Anastasia Beverly Hill Liquid Lipstick - As a lover of lipsticks, especially full coverage matte formulas, I have loved the liquid lipstick trend that has taken over. Being more of a makeup artist brand, I had heard that the Anastasia Liquid Lipstick formula is quite remarkable with amazing staying power. And I can tell you first hand that after swatching each of these colors, it took quite a good cleansing oil and concealer between each shade to ensure the prior color was fully removed. This formula is not for those that want something sheer and easy to just throw on and go, since these are truly full coverage and with certain shades do require a bit more maintenance and precision to apply.  

Top left: Blush, top right: Sorbet, bottom left: Candy Apple, bottom right: Sad Girl

The pale shades Blush and Sorbet were easy to apply and I thought that Sorbet was the most stunning peach shade perfect for a bronzey smoky eye. Candy Apple was surprisingly less intense than I imagined and looks beautiful as a daytime shade. I already knew that Sad Girl was going to require more patience to apply since the formula is so pigmented, so I dabbed it on with the applicator and then used a lip brush to apply. While I wanted to give a sense of the true color in the swatch, since this post, I have worn Sad Girl a few times because I adore it and use a nude lip liner first to prime the lips (I typically reach for this in Pillow Talk) and find that it applies much easier with that nude liner applied first. And I did not skimp on the amount I applied either because I wanted each shade to really read as true as it could on camera, and was shocked as how comfortable such a bold formula felt on the lips. It does still have some slip to it so those who shy away from dry matte lip colors may enjoy these. They definitely stain the lips and have intense staying power, but I did notice that the darker shades needed to be touched up during the day once as opposed to the paler shades. But using a nude lip liner as a base helped solved that issue, and the color wore much more evenly throughout the day. The shade range is so vast that it is nearly impossible not to find a color to fit every taste.

*pr samples included

A Bit Obsessed: February 2014 Favorites

It's baaaaack!!!  I skipped my monthly favorites for January because I was testing so many different things but I am back with some great picks for February.  These posts are truly one of my favorite (no pun intended, har har) to read from other bloggers, so I really enjoy doing them myself.  2014 has a lot to live up to beauty wise, because I found some pretty amazing things during my beauty exploration in 2013.  But so far, the year is starting off strong with my favorite finds - so I am feeling hopeful.  Here are my favorites from the past two months:

1. Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color in Magic and Tapage - Magic was a limited edition color exclusive to Chanel.com and Macy's, but it was a beauty.  A gorgeous deep navy that was just the perfect shade of blue (see swatch here).  Tapage was from the Spring 2014 Collection and if this color does not perk up your mood just by looking at it, then nothing will.  A bright red/coral that is perfect to wear both in the winter, when your nails need a bit of life, and the spring/summer when it's taboo not to have bright nails (see swatch here).

2. Sunday Riley Good Genes - Yup, I fell victim to all the hype surrounding this product.  And thank goodness I did, because I adore it.  I wear this as a serum under my night time moisturizer and even upon first application, it made my skin glow.  It's designed to be a brightening, multitasking and radiance treatment and it delivers on every promise - immediately at that.  Plump, supple, radiant, and glowing is the only way to describe my skin the next morning - otherwise know as perfect skin.  I now understand why people freak out when they run out of this stuff - I dispense it like it's liquid gold, never sparing even a drop.

3. Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment - Well isn't this just a month of cult classic favorites, right? I bought this during the same haul as my Good Genes, and yup I loved it too.  It really does clean out pores like no other treatment, and has a slight exfoliating effect as well, so after my skin is always smooth and beautiful.  This did come in a set with the Youthmud Tinglexfoliate treatment mask, and while my skin is nowhere near sensitive, it was a tad too harsh for my skin to take.  But the Supermud original is the jam and worth every penny.

4. REN Bio-Retinoid Anti-Aging Cream (c/o) - I dedicated an entire blog post to this product as it was my first experience with Retinol, and it was life changing.  I have seen products help with my breakouts before, but nothing quite like this cream - it had profound results on how smooth, clear and even my skin looked.  You can read the entire post here.  In the meantime, snag a sample of this if you can, you won't be disappointed.  

5. Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation - What is a favorites post on this blog without Hourglass, amiright? Once again, they knocked it out of the park again with this product.  It is a liquid/cream/mousse like foundation that goes on flawlessly, and does a great job of keeping me matte throughout the day.  I always still need to touch up with powder (I am that oily) but this foundation has some serious staying power, lasting all day for me. My Hourglass love affair continues.

6. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and Brow Powder Duo (c/o) - If there was any brow product that could steer me away from my Hourglass Brow Tool, it would be ones from the brow queen herself, Anastasia.  Both of these have made me cheat on my holy grail Hourglass, and with such great results, I can't say I feel bad.  The Brow Wiz pencil gives a much more exact and bolder look for when I am wearing a bit more makeup, while the Powder duo is a bit more natural for more subtle days.  With the powder duo, the ability to mix two colors makes it even more of a perfect fit for my hair color.  But application and colors aside, the staying power on these products is ridiculous - they last ALL. DAY. LONG.  This summer humidity better get ready for my brows.

7. Nude Perfect Cleansing Oil (c/o) - Never met a cleansing oil I didn't love (ok maybe a few, but I block those out), and this Nude oil is no exception.  It's extremely gentle and not as thick as other cleansing oils, making it easier to use when removing even the most stubborn makeup.  Sometimes when the cleansing oils are too thick, it takes more work than it's worth to wash my face - no thank you. 

8. Tom Ford Lip Color in Pink Dusk - This was one of my first experiences with Tom Ford lip colors, and of course I fell in love.  *watches wallet contents empty* It's a full coverage lipstick, which I love with an extremely creamy texture.  The only caveat with this color is that  my lips need to be exfoliated properly or it won't apply evenly.  This made me a bit hesitant at the beginning when using it, but the color was just so darn pretty and opaque that I settled for the fact that it would be a bit more high maintenance.  The beauty end justified the fussy means.

Shop the post:

Need more sass?  Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.