Celebrity Makeup Artist Danessa Myricks has launched a new product under her line I Make You Beautiful (IMYB) called The Magic Touch. I received a sample in my bag at TMS NYC Blogger Preview and it was one of the products that I was most excited to try. The Magic touch is a makeup applicator sponge that utilizes the “magic” of air compression to evenly apply products extremely close to the skin to promote effortless, even, maximum and flawless coverage with a natural finish. The applicators are supposed to cover visible pores evenly, prevent settling into fine lines and wrinkles and help makeup to stay flawless for longer.

It can be used wet or dry with liquids, creams and powders and is reusable and washable. Each applicator has a ribbon handle making it easy to hold and apply product and they are very thin and lightweight.

At first glance the sponges look like any old ordinary makeup sponge but I’ve been testing them out and I must say that they are far from your ordinary sponge. I’ve been using it wet with MAC Fix+ to apply my Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation and it leaves my face flawless, keep in mind this is not a full coverage foundation. It presses the foundation into my skin providing better coverage with less product and in turn my makeup looks more natural. For the look below I used it to apply my foundation, Banana Powder under my eyes and my Neutral Set setting powder all over my face.

I’m still playing with it to figure out how it works best but so far I really like it. With my usual primer and setting powder my makeup holds up as usual so I can’t tell you if these applicators are making any difference. Nonetheless, these would be great to have in your MUA kit. The Magic Touch retails at $20 for a pack of 4 and can be purchased at www.shopimyb.com

Product(s) in this post were provided for review consideration. See my Disclosure page for additional information.

If you’re an oily girl like me  it’s good to keep a good mattifying lotion in your beauty treasure chest to keep excess oil away, especially in the hot Summer months to avoid looking like an oil slick slapped you. Eau Thermale Avène Mattifying Fluid fits the bill. Formulated with Glutamic Acid to rebalance sebum (oil) production, absorbent micro capsules are supposed to mattify shiny areas while moisturizing agents restore skins suppleness. It is also rich in Avène Thermal Spring Water giving it anti-irritating properties.

The Mattifying Fluid is contained in a pump bottle making it easy to dispense the perfect amount.

The lightweight gel-like formula glides on like silk and quickly sinks into the skin leaving it feeling very moisturized with a demi-matte finish. It is not greasy at all as it is oil-free and the fragrance is very light and unoffensive.

I’ve been testing the Avène Mattifying Fluid out for a few months and it’s really awesome. I use it as a moisturizer on days that I am not wearing makeup to keep the oil in my tzone at bay. I do apply another moisturizer that contains sunscreen though first as the Mattifying Fluid does not, that would be a great addition. It keeps me from looking like a grease monkey and holds up well for hours before I need to blot my t-zone with an oil absorbing sheet. I’ve also worn it under tinted moisturizer, BB Creams and foundation as a primer. My makeup applied smoothly and it held up good but I still found myself having to powder/blot my t-zone every few hours so I suggest using it along with a primer for added support if you’re really oily.

The Avène Mattifying Fluid retails at $26 for 1.69 fl oz and may be purchased at drugstore.com.

Product(s) in this post were provided for review consideration. This post also includes affiliate link(s). See my Disclosure page for additional information.

You don’t have to get burned this Summer to achieve a sun-kissed glow. Fake it til you make it with the Milani TANtastic Face & Body Baked Bronzer in two new limited edition shades, Fantasic Illuminator and Fantastic Summer’s Kiss. The marble baked bronzers are infused with Macadamia and Jojoba oils which are supposed to keep skin hydrated and soft while you get your glow on. As the name suggests it can be used on the face and all over the body.

The packaging is not the best and is bulky and kind of cheap. One of mine broke on the side in transit so I highly suggest that you don’t drop it. To use you simply slide the cover to the right and if you slide the bottom to the left there is a little brush (sorry I forgot to take a pic.) Would have been pretty cool packaging if implemented better.

04-Fantastic Illuminator, 05-Fantastic Summer’s Kiss

I just love it when a bronzer is deep enough for the brown skinned beauties as Fantastic Summer’s Kiss is going to be gorgeous on brown tanned skin. Fantastic Illuminator will work well as just that, an illuminator/highlighter. I would highly suggest that you apply these lightly with a fan brush and build up as needed because if you apply it too heavily you will look like a disco ball and that’s not whats up!

These shades are available for a limited time and may be purchased at  www.milanicosmetics.com and at select stores that carry the brand. $8.99

Product(s) in this post were provided for review consideration. See my Disclosure page for additional information.

Peplum is so flirty and feminine. I love how it showcases the waistline.

I’ve been wearing my braids in a ninja bun a lot but went a little bit bigger than usual…

I am still LOVING my braids!

F21 Peplum Top & Jeans | Zara Shoes & Bag |Harve Benard Blazer | MAC Love Goddess Lipstick

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Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Superior is a gorgeous metallic deep blue cream eyeshadow. The shade is very vibrant and can be applied full on for rich color or blended out for a softer effect. It dries down to a satin finish.

Illamasqua Cream Eyeshadow in Suck (discontinued) is a very pretty bright blue. It can also be applied full on for rich color and blended for more subtle color, and dries down to a satin finish.

Both products are very creamy and emollient, after sitting for a while you can see moisture gathering on the top so you have to blot it away. Since they are so creamy I used both my Urban Decay Primer Potion and my NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk (lightly) as a base. I applied Suck all over my lid and blended Superior into the crease. I then set them with powder eyeshadows in similar shades. The outcome was really pretty with great pigmentation. This is what my eyes looked like when I arrived at work an hour later…

It was already beginning to crease badly and the colors were fading. By 11 it looked so bad that I wanted to walk around with my shades on. It was really creased with oil gathering. Now granted my lids are oily but I took preventative measures that usually works and it did not help. As pretty as these are I say pass and save your money and the embarrassment. For almost $30 a pop Illamasqua should be ashamed!

Hourglass shaped makeup sponges has been all the rage amongst makeup enthusiasts and MUA’s alike as they are said to work great for TV, Film, Print, Weddings and just everyday makeup. I always wanted to try the Beauty Blender but just could not bring myself to pay $20 for a damn sponge. Uh uh. When I spotted the Graftobian GlamourGrip HD Beauty Sponge in my bag from TMS Blogger Preview I was amped and couldn’t wait to try it. I had to see what the hype is all about behind these types of sponges.

The GlamourGrip Sponge uses Graftobian’s second skin sponge material and the popular hourglass shape to create a sponge that is lightweight and easy to hold while applying makeup. The tapered end works great for applying under eye concealer and makeup around the nose while the rounded larger bottom is great for larger areas of the face such as the cheeks, chin and forehead.

The sponge is really soft and even more so when wet, in which it doubles in size. I used it dry the first time around with my Cover Girl Queen All Day Flawless Foundation and found that it applied my makeup really well, it really blended it into the skin and left a flawless finish. This is how my makeup came out the first time that I tried the GlamourGrip…

I loved the results but realized that I had to use more product as the sponge soaked up a lot of the foundation (as with all sponges) so I’ve since been using it wet. I just spritz the sponge with my MAC Fix + until it’s damp but you can also run it under water and squeeze out the excess. The finish is just as flawless but I get to use less product with similar results.The GlamourGrip Sponge is reusable and easy to wash, I use my Dr Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap. I really like this sponge and may purchase a few for my mua kit but I don’t know since I am able to achieve the same results with a good old brush or my Alcone sponges which are much cheaper. I may just try out the Beauty Blender now though to see if it’s worth all of the hype.

The Graftobian GlamourGrip HD Beauty Sponge comes in 4 colors and retails for $14.99 each or $39.99 for a pack of four. You may purchase at www.graftobian.com

Product(s) in this post were provided for review consideration. See my Disclosure page for additional information.

Part of the Shimmer Collection, After Hours is a deep eggplant purple with slight shimmer. It is extremely pigmented and can be built up for opaque coverage. The gloss has a delicious vanilla & grapefruit scent and glides on smooth and buttery with the doe foot wand applicator. The formula is not too thick or sticky at all and is really moisturizing and long wearing. It wears for at least 5 hours without having to touch up and even stayed through a light meal.

After Hours is named after the song by Caribou and is an ode to staying out all night which is very fitting since this is a gorgeous vamp shade for a night out on the town. Especially a crisp Fall night with a little black dress. Aye!

I usually don’t do lip gloss much because I hate the sticky feeling and a lot of glosses make my lips dry out and peel. Armour Beauty Lip Gloss is different from anything else I’ve ever tried. I will surely pick up a few more shades. The glosses retail at $21 a pop and can be purchased at armourbeauty.com and  beauty.com.

Product(s) in this post were provided for review consideration. This post also includes affiliate link(s). See my Disclosure page for additional information.

Z Palette has been around for a few years now and is pretty popular amongst makeup enthusiasts and artists alike. The empty magnetized palettes are great for storing depotted products of different shapes and sizes that would not regularly fit in custom pre-aligned palettes. I’ve never purchased one since most of my depotted products are round and fit into my MAC palettes. I’m in the process of revamping my MUA Kit to condense it into smaller storage and was looking for a new way to store my lipsticks. While at The Makeup Show NYC I stopped at the Z Palette booth and saw the large palette and empty pans and figured that this would be perfect. I purchased the large palette in basic black which holds 50 pans and the pans to fill it.

What you will need…

Z-Palette (your choice of size)

Empty Magnetic Pans

Sanitizing Spray (I use Beauty So Clean) or 99% Alcohol

Spatula or sharp knife

Lipsticks of choice

round labels & pen

paper towels/wipes for clean up

Spray sanitizing spray or alcohol into the empty pans and let it dry. Sanitize every lipstick that you will be using by wiping the first few layers away with a paper towel, saturate with the sanitizing spray and let it dry. Now sanitize your spatula/knife. Starting with your first lipstick, slice off about 1/3 at the original angle. This way it will still be easy to use after. Use the spatula to push the lipstick inside of the pan and even out the top.

This is what I was using for my lipsticks before so I used the spatula to scrape some lipstick out of each jar and smashed it into the pan like above. You must clean the spatula well after each lipstick to avoid color transfer.

You can peel off the sticker from the bottom of the tube or use labels to create your own stickers. This way you know what color is in each pan. (Please excuse my jacked up nails as I was doing my mani that night) Continue this process until you have all of the lipstick shades in pans. Place the pans in the palette in order of your choice. Here is my finished palette…

I organized my palette starting with nudes to light peach/pink,

 then corals/oranges/reds/burgundy…

and last but not lease pinks/mauves/purples.

I used lipsticks from a variety of brands including MUFE, MAC, Sleek Makeup, Wet ‘n Wild, Milani, Rimmel, Revlon and more in a variety of finishes. I had four spaces left and found one more shade that I wanted to add now I have three. I think I’ll be using these spaces for more nudes and another shade of coral or pink.

I love my new palette. It takes up way less space, it’s easier to use as I don’t have to unscrew anything just flip it open and pick a color, it’s easy to move colors around and it’s easy to refill. It’s also very pretty to look at! You can also use this method for concealers, foundations and pressing pigments. Z Palettes come in a variety of sizes and can be purchased from zpalette.com along with the pans.

Do you store your lipsticks in a palette? If you’re an MUA, how do you store lipsticks in your kit?

The product(s) in this post was purchased with my own money with the exception of various shades of lipstick.  See my Disclosure page for additional information.

Dragon Fruit Lipstick is a sheer bright pink with a slight coral undertone. The formula glides on smooth and buttery and feels very moisturizing on the lips. Since it’s so sheer you have to really layer it on to achieve some pigmentation. Be careful though as the lipstick is really soft and breaks easily, mine broke on first use

Dragon Fruit is a really pretty color for Summer but I just wish that it was a little more pigmented as I think it looks boring on me. I’m just so used to my bright lippies lol. The color will stand out more on those with lighter skin tones. The formula is really nice and the lipstick stays put for hours (not through a meal though.) As mentioned above, Dragon Fruit and the rest of the Summer 2013 Collection will launch on June 1st. The lipstick will retail at $19 and will be available for purchase at www.ybskin.com.

Product(s) in this post were provided for review consideration. See my Disclosure page for additional information.

The one stroke liquid eyeliner is a deep carbon black with rich long lasting color. The short and stubby pen has a  thick sharpie like applicator with a pointed tip that allows you to create lines from thin to extremely bold and it’s very firm allowing for more precision. It’s richly pigmented and dries down to a matte finish that won’t smudge. I’ve been wearing it all week and it’s super easy to work with without mistakes, creating the perfect cat eye every time.

Ardency Inn PUNKER World’s Baddest Eyeliner is exclusive to Sephora and can be purchased in stores or at www.sephora.com. It retails for $19 dollars. The brand will be debuting the rest of their line this Fall. Can’t wait!

Product(s) in this post were provided for review consideration. This post also includes affiliate link(s). See my Disclosure page for additional information.