.:: CybeleSays ::.

I love to give the gift of BARE ESCENTUALS. They really put mineral makeup on the map and I love all their sets they come out with for the holidays. Here are few I’m recommending for the beauty lover on your list.

R.S.V.P. Collection ($54) – this one includes the mother load! It includes: SPF25 Mineral Veil finishing powder, Prime Time Primer Shadow in Golden Peach, After Party Eyecolor (size small), Celebration Blush (size medium), Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in 7M (rich brown), Double-Ended Flawless Definition Mascara in Black, Pretty Amazing Lipgloss in Rowdy (glazed plum), Tapered Shadow Brush, Soft Sweep Cheek Brush.

And I’m still a firm believer in their Get Started Kit ($60) for the beauty lover in your life that maybe is interested in mineral makeup but doesn’t know where to start. This one contains all the essentials: two shades of bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation (size medium), Original Mineral Veil (size medium), Warmth All-Over Face Color (size medium), Full Flawless Face Brush, Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush, How-To DVD, Bonus gift of Well-Cared For Brush Conditioning Shampoo (full size).

Both available @ bareescentuals.com.

There’s a big push on ESTEE LAUDER’s reformulation of their Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator and I have to say I am a fan. This serum is a good one if you are looking to even out your skin’s tone and fade some of those dark spot or other discolorations, without using the controversial ingredient hydroquinone. It uses a blend of ingredients like plant extracts as well as salicylic acid and stabilized vitamin c to do the work. And while I didn’t see it totally remove a spot I have up on my temple, it did seem to improve my overall tone. So I wouldn’t use this one as a hardcore spot fader but instead more as a skin booster. $58/1.7oz @ esteelauder.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

I never thought I’d see CLINIQUE’s Moisture Surge morph into anything else than what it is, so when they came out with this Moisture Surge Tinted Moisture SPF 15, umm wow, ok then. So they just got a little crazy with it and put out 6 new ones that are, as the name states, tinted. 

Warmer climates are on deck so isn’t it time to change up some of your makeup routine to lighter products anyway? Their researchers determined that 82% of women use a facial moisturizer and 67% use a foundation, so they thought, why not combine the two in one of their most popular moisturizers? Know that a little gel goes a long way and be sure to blend it in well right after squeezing it out of the tube.

For some reason, though, there only seems to be two colors of this on the lighter side of the spectrum. I tried shades 3 and 4, which look dark online and outta the tube but seem to work fine on my light/medium olive complexion. $24.50 @ clinique.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

What it is: The ultimate luxury when only the finest will do for the New Year: a cuvee collection that’s cause for celebrations … a Champagne smash, colour and skincare shimmering with all the bubbly optimism & golden glow of the best that’s yet to be.

Wanna see the picks? Click after the jump!

Click here to read more

If The Jewelry Box from TARTE doesn’t illicit a huge wow out of the recipient then I give you permission to take it back and keep it for yourself!! This is a limited edition 5 ½” by 5 ½” by 2 ½” thick … case or box, which contains 32 brand spankin’ new eye shadow colors, eight lip glosses, a bronzer, a brand spankin’ new shimmer powder shade, five eyeliners and check this, a detachable gold and black necklace. Pick this one up for the serious beautista in your life. $52 @ sephora.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

What it is: A modern, flowing and fabulous way with bold, kaleidoscopic colour combined with boho charm and up-to-the-minute catwalk style. Shadows are matte, sans glitter and in the trio format. Creamy lips play perfectly off Mineralize satin-smooth eyes. Turn on and groove out!

Wanna see the product picks? Click the link after the jump!

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Silicone this, silicone that. If you look in the ingredient list of your hair care or facial products, you might see ingredients like Dimethicone, Copolyol, as Cyclomethicone. There is a lot of buzz on these words right now when it comes to beauty as they seem to have a plus and minus to the use of them. Silicones are used in beauty products for a few reasons - skin softeners or lubricants or to provide the slip found in face primers, foundations or defrizz products. You know how smooth your face feels after applying a primer? That’s a silicone at work. 

I’ve read quite a few places that it can cause breakouts for some people because from what I can gather, silicones don’t let the skin breathe so my advice? If you see a product list with one of the above ingredients, try it and see how it does on your skin. It’s certainly not bad for you but can an irritant for some.

If you find your skin doesn’t react well to silicones, the PURPLE LAB line has you covered when it comes to a makeup primer. They have a silicone-free face primer simply called Pearlesque Show Silicone-Free Primer ($30/.7oz @ purplelab.com) and this one goes the extra mile. It contains aloe, grape seed extract and ginkgo biloba to nourish the skin and the formula has a slight tint to it from the pearl powder added to it. Make your foundation or face powder last this summer and use a primer!

This product contains Diazolidinyl Urea in it, which is seen by some as an ingredient of concern. Read more here and here. It also contains Propylene Glycol, which is seen by some as an ingredient of concern. Read more here.

Read my ingredient disclaimer here.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

Powders? Liquids? Creams? Which form do you like your mineral foundation? Here are two to choose from that are just coming out and get high marks from us.

Everyone is getting into the shaved off mineral powder and I’m loving it! CLINIQUE Superbalanced Powder Makeup SPF 15 ($34.50 @ clinique.com) is the latest one to hit the scene and if you need to control the oil on your face, this is one for you to try out. And this one is not your typical tap and buff mineral powder. The formula is super refined so just use the enclosed brush to apply like a regular face powder. Available in 8 shades.

LISE WATIER Mineral Brush Foundation ($35/1oz @ lisewatier.com) – contains a brush built in the top to dab and blend, dab and blend... and this is the first formula to be created with a tourmaline base,  vitamins A and E and even chamomile to soothe the skin. Available in 12 shades.

The mercury was pinned to well past 90 degrees in my apartment this past weekend. If I didn’t have to go to a friend’s birthday party on Saturday, I would not have even bothered going out. Looking half decent in these kinds of conditions isn’t easy, as I’m sure you’re aware, as everything on my dressing table of makeup looked too heavy and hot to wear. Ok, powder. Let’s move all the powder products to the front of the table: mineral foundation, loose eye shadow and this Get Wet makeup powder trio from IT COSMETICS ($32 @ itcosmetics.com). This palette houses a (matte) bronzer, which is on the dark side, and two highlighter shades (shimmering light peach and shimmering white) and each is totally sweatproof, waterproof … basically everything proof. They say that each is wearable on all skin tones.

From the picture on the outside of the magnetic case, it looks like it was made for the body, but since I’m not doing photo shoots everyday, I’ll stick to applying these to my lids, face, and once in a while, my décolleté. These can be used to sculpt your abs and other places so if you dare, this is a good trio to try that out.
Back to the party – every time I had to use the restroom, I would lightly splash some cool water on my face to cool down and can firmly say that the places I applied the Get Wet powders didn’t smudge, smear or come off. Towards the end of the night, a water fight broke out in the backyard but knew I was fine since I knew my makeup wasn’t going anywhere. 

Anytime I come across a pressed mineral foundation, I’m immediately interested. And this latest one from SEPHORA is the latest one to catch my eye. Their Mineral Double Compact Foundation SPF 15 ($22 @ you know where.com) is everything a good formulated mineral powder should be – talc-free, Bismuth Oxychloride--free (this particular ingredient commonly found in mineral makeup can be irritating to those with sensitive skin), paraben-free (not all mineral powders are) and it contains Titanium Dioxide (the SPF). The application sponge it comes with unique in that it's black on one side for maximum coverage and the white on the other for minimum coverage. Cool!

My only “room for improvement” suggestion would be the actual compact it comes in. Through the top you can see the powder. OK, cool. Open it and the inside powder level moves open to reveal the sponge below. Also on that “level” with the sponge is the mirror. But after you take the sponge out and apply some powder you have to flip the level up to see the mirror. Need some more powder, yup, have to flip it back to get at the powder and then back to get at the mirror. And I have seen the speed some women use when applying powder! Not the easiest way to use this compact. So it’s a great powder with a detail that could be adjusted. Common Sephora, you know better.