Pixi Peel and Polish Resurfacing Concentrate

This is a facial exfoliator that uses both chemical and physical exfoliators to help clear away dead skin. To use it you are supposed to apply it to clean skin, leave it on for 2 minutes, massage into skin for 30 seconds if you would like a more intense exfoliation, and rinse off. Pixi suggests using it 2-3 times per week or as needed.

My usual exfoliator is The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion which is a physical exfoliator. I’ve been thinking of incorporating a chemical exfoliator to reduce the amount of stress I’m putting on my skin with a physical exfoliator.

The first time I used this, I could feel a very mild tingling upon application. This only happened the first few times. Now I don’t really feel anything when I apply it. I think this is probably a very gentle chemical exfoliant. However, I still find it very effective at removing all those little bits of dead skin. I feel this is better at doing a more even job of removing dead skin than a physical exfoliator alone and it doesn’t leave my skin irritated or red.

Sonia Kashuk Essential Brushes Collection – Small Eyeshadow Brush, Large Eyeshadow Brush, Wide Eyeshadow Brush

I have only tried these three brushes from Sonia Kashuk’s Essential Brushes line so I don’t know how the others are. What I like about these are the shape, softness, density of the bristles, and the price. They are surprisingly nice quality for the price.

These are all basically the same type of brush. They are flat shaders that have some thickness to them so they can also be used to blend color in the crease. They are soft enough that my lids don’t feel irritated when blending and dense enough to apply color easily and quickly. Bonus points that the ends of the fibers are dark brown. I like to play with bright color sometimes and white bristles are very easily stained.

Tocca Gia Eau de Parfum

I got a mini size from Sephora a couple months ago. I think it might have been a point perk or a beauty offer. Either way, I really enjoy this.

This is described as a warm floral with notes of pink peppercorn, tangerine, turkish rose, amber, vanilla. To me, this smells well balanced – no particular note stands out. It is sweet without being cloying, bright without being sharp, clean, and feminine.

After reading through some reviews on this, some people mentioned they didn’t smell any rose in this. Now, I’m not sure how the smell of Turkish Rose differs from what I think of as a rose scent but I can say this does NOT remind me of a typical rose scent. It’s more of a generic floral scent where I can’t pinpoint exactly what type of flower I’m smelling. It’s the type of floral that I think most people would generally like or at least not find offensive.

Mac Lip Pencil in Dervish

Would you believe it if I told you this is the first time I’m trying Mac lip liners? LOL. Well, out of all the categories of makeup, lip products are one of the things I am least adventurous with. This is a color I can pair with pretty much any look or wear on “no makeup” makeup days. It’s very close to my natural lip color, maybe just a hint warmer-toned. It has the slightest satin sheen to it, so if I fill in my lips with this it doesn’t look dry or flat. I can either apply it before or after lipstick/lipgloss/lip balm. If I apply it after a lip balm, it takes a minute to warm up, but then the color transfers to my lips more easily. It’s not the fastest lip liner to work with but I really like the color of this particular shade.

Mac Shape + Shade Brow Tint in Taupe

This product has a liquid brow liner on one end and a powder for filling in brows on the other end. I only use the liquid side because the powder does not match the color of the liquid, which might be fine but I don’t particularly like the color of the powder for my complexion/hair. I think there are a few of these types of products on the market and the only other one I have tried is one from Burberry but I like this one better. The color of the liquid side is just perfect. I also like that the formula is sheer and applies fairly evenly. I can easily build it up to the intensity I want or blend it in with a brush if I’ve gone overboard. The way this works best for me is to draw on faux “hairs” in areas where my brows are extra sparse. I especially focus on the inner part of my brows and the top/bottom edges where there are larger gaps between my natural brow hairs.

Revlon Powder Blushes (new formula and packaging)

These have been around for years but recently I’ve noticed Revlon changing the packaging and releasing a few new shades at a time at different stores. I picked up three shades and I’m pleased to say I think they actually improved the formula. They are softer / less-firmly pressed into the pans so it’s easier to pick up a decent amount of color on a blush brush. They also seem to have a bit more pigmentation to them. They blend well too. My favorite of the three I picked up is the shade Rosy Rendezvous. It’s a cool-toned pinky mauve with a matte finish.

I lusted after this kit from the moment I first saw it reviewed and finally caved and bought it a couple days ago. I’m not one of those Mac fanatics that collects tons of limited edition collections as I generally try to stick with permanent range products (from any brand). I have very similar colors already but of course the quality of Mac products is different. For example, the lipstick color is a lot like NYX Pumpkin Pie lipstick, maybe slightly more orange. The NYX lipstick is way too creamy and soft though and I’ve been looking for something in a similar shade with more lasting power.

Born to Love Blush

This blush is somewhat like Benefit Coralista but it’s a tiny bit darker and the sheen is a different color. The sheen is a rose gold with a hint of violet. It is sort of powdery and dry and you have to use more than you would think to get it to show up. That could be good or bad depending on your needs. I don’t mind because I have a tendency to overdo blush and the consistency of this one makes it fairly foolproof. I have been wearing this for 5 hours, took a nap in between, and it’s still going strong. The pan contains 2.8 grams whereas a normal Mac blush contains 6 grams.

Pure Flattery Lipglass

The lipglass has the same type of purple-pinkish gold shimmer in a light pink base. It’s a bit thick and sticky. I don’t have a whole lot of lip glosses in my collection but it seems similar to my Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pink Pursuit which is not sticky at all but doesn’t last very long. I wore this for 3 hours before it needed to be reapplied. This has a very similar consistency and lasting power to Loreal Infallible Lipgloss.

In a Heartbeat Lipstick

I love this color. On me it’s a nude-ish color but it’s not a pink nude or a skin-tone nude. It’s got a salmon/orange quality to the color which brightens up my face. I’ve been looking for a color like this for a while and I’m happy I have it now. It looks a lot like Reel Sexy which came out a while back and I missed it. I was pretty bummed that I missed it but this one works as a substitute. It’s a cremesheen lipstick, a bit hard to apply because it’s a little dry. I wore this for about 4 hours and while it was still on, it could have used a touch up. One downside is that this dries out as you wear it so it might be good to wear a little lip balm underneath this lipstick. Although the texture is dry, my lips didn’t feel uncomfortable so it’s not like it wicks moisture away from your lips. I think I could probably eat a meal and still be wearing this lipstick. You get 3 grams of lipstick which is the normal amount you get with a Mac lipstick.

Photogravure Technakohl Liner

This twist up liner is a cool black brown, not too brown though – like black coffee. It’s a color that works on my skin tone without looking harsh but still adding definition. It’s not as creamy as some of my pencil liners but it’s not at all hard to apply and does not pull at the skin around my eyes. It’s well pigmented and applies color evenly without skipping. The liner doesn’t melt or smear as long as you don’t touch it but it does not fully set so it does have the capacity to smudge.

129SE

This brush is a medium sized brush with moderately soft bristles, but not the softest I’ve felt. It does not hurt or irritate my skin. The size would work for powder or blush application. The handle is travel-length.

Overall Impression

I’m not at all disappointed with this purchase, even at the steep $70 price point because nothing in the kit is a dud. There are some things that some may not like which I feel is more an issue of personal preference than a flaw in the product. For example, the dryness of the lipstick may be a problem for someone who typically has chapped lips but the texture helps the lipstick last longer. It’s a trade off. The blush is a little smaller than a normal Mac blush but I have never hit pan on a blush and will not likely start with this one. The only thing I will not use is the clutch itself but no big loss.

Pros

• Beautiful, wearable colors
• Products have good wear time
• Packaging on individual products is good
• Good amount of product

Cons

• Lipstick is kind of dry
• Brush could be a bit softer
• The clutch itself is kind of cheesy in my opinion