.:: CybeleSays ::.

What are your go-to products for highlighting or un-highlighting areas on the face or helping it last throughout the day/night? Here are some I’ve been using and love.

To Make Eyes Pop - PIXI BEAUTY Extra Eye Bright Liner ($17 @ pixibeauty.com) – this super thin waterproof liner is meant to be worn on the water line or inner rim of the bottom lid. The pale white/pink/lavender color really brightens up any eye look.

To Highlight - ESTEE LAUDER Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelée in Heatwave ($40 @ esteelauder.com) -  highlight your cheeks, under the brows and even the décolletage with this new one from their Bronze Goddess Collection. Gorg.

My Go-To BB Cream - TARTE BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen ($34/1oz @ sephora.com) – sunscreen (check), longevity (check), slight tint (check), nourishing ingredients (check). Available in 4 shades.

Banish Under-eye Circles - ORLANE Highlight Care Brush ($40 @ orlane.com) – I’d put this one up against this cult favorite any day! If you’re going to rock the Spring look, dark circles and rough under eyes won’t cut it. Get your glow on with this one.

Hold On Eye Shadow - SENNA COSMETICS Totally Transforming Eyeshadow Primer ($24 @ sennacosmetics.com) – there’s nothing worse than your eye shadow sliding off your lids from the heat, so this season, vow to wear an eye shadow primer every time. This one contains antioxidants and peptides and available in three shades.

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

I’ve kind of shied away from the bb creams that have been all the rage the last year until this one flew past my desk. It’s VICHY ProEVEN All-in-One Flawless Mineral BB Cream and wow, I’m really impressed. The few that I’ve tried seemed too chalky but I’m glad I gave this one a shot. This is a multi-tasker and you all know how much I love those! It’s like a combo of tinted moisturizer/concealer/anti-ager/SPF 20, all in one. And this one claims to transform your skin’s texture just from using it daily, but we’ll see. I just know what it does for me on a daily basis, which is what I like. Available in Llight and Medium for $32.50/1.35oz @ vichyusa.com.

I admit that I like a little more coverage than the average tinted face moisturizer offers and I think I found it with VOTRE VU’s Love Me Deux Nourishing Moisture Tint & Concealer, from the French Accents line. The packaging is reminiscent of this one, which is muy convenient for toting it around. I mean, how many of us actually carry a concealer with us at all times? Lipstick? Yes. Face Powder? Yes. But concealer? Mmmm, not really, so when you’re giving your face the once over with the powder, dab a little concealer that’s in the cap, under your eyes for an instant perk-me-up. And the Tint has some great ingredients in it like jojoba oils, aloe vera, and honeysuckle extract as well as vitamin E and pure minerals and botanicals in the Concealer. Available in 6 shade duos for $43/25ml Tint, 1ml Concealer @ votrevu.com.

How easy is life now that we have tinted moisturizers?! Just make sure that the one you choose does double or triple duty because most of them do these days. Take the newish REVIVE Tinted Moisturizer. This lightweight moisturizer has a lot going for it:

• SPF 15
• Major anti-aging ingredients (vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid) and Marine Extracts
• RES Technology - bioengineered ingredients to help the skin mimic the performance of youthful skin to restore and repair.

And it comes in 3 different shades: Light, Medium and Deep.

Are you into these tinted moisturizers?

$85/1.7oz @ reviveskincare.com.

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

I don’t want to make this reminder just because it is now spring because sunscreen should be worn year round but if this is the time of year when it sinks in, so be it! I’ve been trying out two from the MURAD line.

We all know that the sun is the biggest cause of aging and wrinkles so when picking out a sunscreen, why not get one with some major anti-aging ingredients? It doesn’t have to break the bank and these two are good ones to consider.

Waterproof Sunblock SPF 30 ($30/4.3oz) – if you absolutely need one that’s waterproof, this is a fantastic one to consider. It contains a Pomegranate extracts, hyaluronic acid and a patented Skin Repair System to keep skin in check.

Oil-Free Sunblock SPF 15 Sheer Tint ($26/1.7oz) – I’ve tried a few tinted skin creams that have SPF in them and they seem to be rather chalky looking on the skin but this one blended in well and looked rather normal. This one also contains their Pomegranate extracts and is oil-free.

Both @ murad.com.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

What do you think when a renowned makeup artist puts out a line? Does it make you more interested in the line or does it even matter? The latest line I’ve come across is IQ BEAUTY from internationally known makeup artist Fredericke Grillitz. Yes, the MUA has seen it all and will usually put out a line or collection of items where he/she has seen a gap in the industry. But do they always transfer to the everyday person’s use? Sometimes I say yes but sometimes no and only a professional will be to make use of a product.

With that said, I was able to give the Sheer Activity Base ($65/large size (looks to be about 2oz), $45/travel) a whirl and it seems to be kind of like a souped up tinted moisturizer. It's sheer like a tinted and the souped up part comes in as it has a touch of luminosity in it but not so much that you will look odd if you put it all over the face. It comes in one shade and contains vitamins A, C and E and even a SPF15. This is totally made for anyone to use.

If you do want more glow in specific places, then you should add a couple of dabs of the Sheer Activity Glow over the above base.

The items are a little on the expensive side but after trying these two, I’m curious about the others. Check out iqbeauty.com for more info.

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

NAPOLEON PERDIS NP Set Calming Pre-Foundation Primer ($29/1.7oz @ target.com) – now that colder temps are here, your skin might want to act out. Keep redness away with this green primer. The formula also contains aloe and cucumber extracts to make skin feel great.

NARS Concealer ($22 @ sephora.com) – now available in a stick form, this smooth formula is available in 10 shades.

MIRACLE SKIN Transformer SPF 20 To Go ($18/.85oz @ sephora.com) – yeah a tinted moisturizer with SPF. This new size is perfect for the purse and contains micas, Saw Palmetto Extract, CO Enzyme Q10 among others to give skin a shot of anti-aging ingredients. Choose from seven shades.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

These are really helping me enjoy summer this year! Have you made any adjustments due to the heat and humidity? Give these ones some consideration.

ELIZABETH ARDEN Pure Finish Mineral Cheekcolor in Sunkissed Coral ($28 @ elizabetharden.com) – If this one could talk, it would say, "I am the color of the decade!" Coral again is a big summer color and it's so gorg on the skin and really enhances a nice tan.

ORLANE Super-Moisturizing Tinted Cream ($75/1.7oz @ neimanmarcus.com) – it’s way too hot to put on a full mask of foundation so why not use a two-fer like this? It combines a deeply moisturizing face cream with a slight tint. Available in 3 shades.

NYX COSMETICS Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Sky Blue and Extreme Green ($4.50 @ nyxcosmetics.com) – colored liquid liners are hot these days and these do like the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney duo and “Stay, Stay, Stay.” (I know it’s Say, Say, Say but Stay works better for this piece!).

LUSH 'Dirty' Springwash Shower Gel ($9.95/3.3oz, $17.95/8.8oz, $26.95/16.9oz @ lushusa.com) – I really wasn’t feeling their Dirty collection of products but this shower gel seems like a lighter version of the rest, according to my nose and it has a hint of spearmint oil in it.

SMASHBOX Photo Finish Luminizing Foundation Primer ($17 @ smashbox.com) – who wants their makeup to slide after applying? Summertime is great for this one as it gives a nice sheen, whilst helping makeup stay, stay, stay! And this one has some good-for-skin ingredients like grape seed extract and vitamins A, C and E.

VICTORIA’S SECRET Sheer Love Ultra-Moisturizing Hand and Body Cream from the VS Fantasies Collection ($12/6.7oz @ victoriassecret.com) – a scented cream is the perfect way to kiss the skin with fragrance without overdoing it. This one is a mix of fresh white cotton and luminous pink lily and contains avocado, zsweet almond oil and my favorite ingredient, honey.

The Victoria's Secret item contains mineral oil, which is seen by some as an ingredient of concern. The Lush product contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate, which is seen by some as an ingredient of concern. Read more about these and other ingredients here.

Read my ingredient disclaimer here.

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided to Cybelesays.com 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.

I’m always paranoid about one thing in particular when I got outside into a bright summer day – overdoing my foundation. Now I don’t wear foundation or powder everyday but moreso to even out the tone and just look polished. But for some reason, I feel like I can overdo it, when 95% of the time I don’t. One way to guarantee that one doesn’t is to use a tinted moisturizer. With most I have tried, I have felt that I don’t get enough coverage until I tried this one. FRESH MINERALS is one that I have been wearing lately and I really love the finish it leaves behind. Their Tinted Moisturizer comes in five shades and the Pink Porcelain matched perfectly! It incorporates a SPF 20, which every face cream should and just enough color to even out the tone. It also has vitamins E and C, so it’s also nourishing. I find this one especially great for when I’m in a hurry in the morning and don’t have time to fuss with my makeup but still want to look somewhat presentable. $25/1.4oz @ freshmineralsusa.com.

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