Review: Dior Amber Diamond + Photos & Swatches!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: A light-filled pressed powder enriched with Jeweled Microdust™. These five micro-shimmering tones set off sparks of brilliance, highlighting your complexion. The ultra-fine, super-blendable formula virtually fuses with your skin for a sheer, radiant luminosity. (SEPHORA)

Dior Diorskin Shimmer Star is available in two shades: Amber Diamond and Rose Diamond. They are both highlighting shades, but because Rose Diamond contains pink tones, it can also be considered a blush.

Amber Diamond contains five stripes of warm frosty shades: An ivory with golden-yellow frost, champagne, tan, bronze and golden peach. When all of the shades are swirled together, it creates a beautiful warm, champagne/tan glow.

I tried comparing it to other highlighters of mine, but it's actually very different than anything I own. The only thing I could compare is the first strip of color is almost identical to Nars Albatross or MAC Vanilla Pigment. From the looks of it, it may be comparable to Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips or Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick, but from swatches I've seen, Amber Diamond seems a little less frosty & subtle. To be honest, at first I figured this highlighter was overrated. To me, it didn't look like anything special I should go run out and buy - but after trying it, I see what all of the hype is about. It is frosty - but when applied to the cheeks, it's so subtle and it almost becomes one with your skin. It's easy to blend and gives the prettiest glow that's not overpowering. (No disco ball, here!)

Yesterday my Mom had asked me what I have on my cheeks that's so glowy, so I handed her the highlighter to test out herself and she loved it. Right after, we went grocery shopping and this woman stopped us in the middle of the aisle and was like "Is this your daughter!?" Caught completely off guard, we nodded and smiled politely, and she was like "No wonder! She has your glowing skin!" She actually went on for a couple minutes and mentioned how nice it must be to go to Wal-mart and get complimented. As we walked off, I mentioned to my Mom that it must be the Dior. It was kinda funny.

READ MORE FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, COMPARISONS AND SWATCHES!

Here is Amber Diamond swatched on my hand. As you can see, it's nothing over powering or too frosty.

Here are all of the stripes swatched individually.

Left: Dior Amber Diamond, Right: Nars Albatross

 

You can that Albatross is a bit more powdery and has more of a white cast than the similar shade in Amber Diamond.

PROS: It's not too frosty, blends easily, doesn't make my skin look dirty (some frosty highlighters do!) and looks very natural! Also, I think it would be well suited for any skintone!

CONS: I can't really think of any, other than it doesn't include a brush (not a big deal) and it's a bit expensive ($44 for .35 oz). If you think about it though, a Nars blush is .16 oz for $27 and MAC is .21 oz for $19.50. So, it's a little more expensive than MAC, but less expensive than Nars in the long run. It's all up to you if it's worth the splurge!

PACKAGING: It's the standard Dior packaging. I like it. It's sturdy, doesn't get all that dirty and has a good mirror.

OVERALL: It's my favorite highlighter to date! I would definitely recommend checking it out while you're at Sephora or your local Dior counter.

Know any dupes? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Honey Rose + FOTD!

Product Description: A silky, feather-light powder, formulated with 70% water, dusts on to the skin as a cooling mist to set and enhance the look of any foundation. Beyond sheer: light-reflecting and translucent. A virtually invisible way to add luminosity and a soft radiant glow to the skin.

Magically Cool Liquid Powders are available in three (3) shades: Truth & Light (Sheer shimmer that reflects silver and pink), Honey Rose (Sheer rosy beige with multi-dimensional shimmer) and Cajun (Sheer bronze shimmer that reflects gold).

While I was at MAC, I swatched all three shades, but the most appealing shade to me was Honey Rose. Truth & Light appeared very sheer - almost invisible, with a slight white cast and slight shimmer. Cajun appeared to be a very pretty golden brown - somewhat similar to my Chanel Bronze Universel, but I wasn't sure of how well it would blend as an all over bronzer. Once it hits the skin, it dries almost instantly. I'm not sure if it was the bright fluorescent lighting, but Honey Rose looked gorgeous. It's a champagne pink with a frosty - almost golden sheen. It reminds me a little bit of Urban Decay Sin Eyeshadow. I thought it would a perfect highlight for my skin tone. 

MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Honey Rose

MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Honey Rose

Swatch of MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Honey Rose

Swatch of MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Honey Rose

I've never felt a product like these powders. Once applied to the skin, the powder feels wet and it dries to a powder almost instantly. Because it dries quickly, I can see how some find it hard to blend. I find that it works best with a duo fibre brush, such as the MAC 131 with a light touch. (I'm thinking a fan brush may work as well, tapped off to remove excess product before applying.) I like to stipple it on the heights of my cheekbones and then swirl to blend - slightly bringing it down on my cheeks. It works the best while my foundation is still a little damp on my skin. Also, it's a good idea to start out with a little product and then build it if you'd like more. You don't really feel the "wetness" when used very sparingly. Once it dries, it's not going anywhere. I find that this product lasts much longer than a powder highlighter. So far, I'm really liking it!

Also, these are now permanent products at MAC and cost $29.50 for 0.84 oz of product. It may seem a little steep, but there's a good amount of product and I'm sure it will last me forever.

 Here's my FOTD. I really liked the combination of the two foundations I used - Chanel Vitalumiere and Neutrogena Healthy Skin. It really gave me a perfect, porcelain effect. I'm debating now whether or not to purchase Vitalumiere.. I think I probably will pretty soon.

Face: DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew (as a base/primer)

Hard Candy Glamouflage Concealer in Light

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in #20

Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation #40 mixed with Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Classic Ivory (I used just a little bit of the Neutrogena to lighten up the Chanel Foundation because I'm a little pale right now)

MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Honey Rose (applied with my Coastal Scents Tapered Duo Fiber Brush to my cheeks, bridge of my nose, middle of forehead & inner corners of my eyes. I applied it the heaviest on my cheeks and it wasn't at all over-powering)

MAC Dollymix Blush

Brows: MAC Espresso Eyeshadow

MAC Girl/Boy Brow Set

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked Palette (I applied Naked through my crease and blended it upward and outward and then Buck through the crease to deepen the color. Then, I applied Half Baked all over my lid, stopping at the crease. I then applied Darkhorse through the outer V of my crease, again to deepen the color and add a little dimension to my eyes. Lastly I lined my lower lashline with Naked)

Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara

Generic False Lashes snipped in half

Lips: MAC In Synch Lip Liner

MAC Prr Lip glass

Forever 21's Love & Beauty Face Illuminator! (Plus a few other goodies)

Pictured above: Forever 21 Glitter & Hearts Cosmetic Bag (sold out on website), Forever 21 Cameo Stud Earrings (here), Forever 21 Rhinestone Pyramid Ring (here) and Forever 21 Face Illuminator (here).

Whenever I go to Forever 21, I don't think I ever leave empty handed. If I don't find clothes, I always find at least one accessory I can't put down or a really reasonable priced beauty item.

While I was at the mall yesterday, I ended up purchasing a few goodies. One in particular I'm really excited about, is the Love & Beauty Face Illuminator.

The Face Illuminator is a creamy, opalescent liquid that can be used all over the body as well as the face. It comes in two shades; Gold and Bronze. I ended up picking Gold, which I thought was an absolute must-have. Bronze was pretty as well, but it seemed like a very basic golden shade with gold reflects. Gold on the other hand, is a sheer milky peach with a bright pink pearl. It reminds me a bit of Benefit Moon Beam, a product I've always wanted to try, but I don't own it, so unfortunately I can't compare them. It also reminds me a bit of MAC Pink Bronze Pigment or MAC Light Flush MSF because the pink reflects are the same, but this face illuminator is much more sublte.

The consistency is pretty thin, similar to the consistency as Benefit High Beam, but slightly thinner. It's very easy to blend out with your fingers, and can be built for a heavier glow. The effect can be subtle, to however you want it to look. I'm in love with the color and I think it's a product I'll be using often to pat on my cheeks as a highlight. It can also be mixed in your favorite lotion to add a glowy sheen to your skin. Although, I bet the shade Bronze would work better for that since it's golden, whereas Gold has pink reflects, that would work best on the face. Lastly, I love the packaging of the product. It comes in a sturdy, thick plastic tube with a pump (a pump is always a plus). And, you get a whopping 1.67 oz of product for $5.80. I'm just crossing my fingers that the pump won't clog up and stop working - an often mishap with lower end items.

Here it is applied heavily to my hand and then blended out. As you can see, once blended the sheen becomes much more subtle.

Here's a closer look at the ring I purchased. I thought it was way too cute to pass up!

Any awesome beauty finds you'd like to share?? Let me know in the comments below!

How to Highlight your face! + Swatches of ALL of my products!

 Hey Everyone! While I was browsing my blogger dashboard at all of the new postings, I came across a new post from Kandee Johnson that was titled "How to Highlight Cheekbones like a Pro". I thought I already knew how to highlight my face.. but once I read her post.. I had actually learned a lot! I just started using her method and it's been working great. I thought I had to share with you guys..

Kandee's method for highlighting is applying a cream highlighter with your fingers on top of your cheekbones after all of your makeup is finished. Then, SET your cream highlighter with a powder highlighter! She mentions the best brush to use is a Duo-Fiber brush (such as the MAC 130 or 131) because it doesn't pick up very much color. By using a regular blush brush.. you will end up with too much product on your brush. (I've done this way too often and looked like I was punched with a bag of glitter. Lol!) You can also use a fan brush.. it's designed to not pick up as much product and it's shaped perfectly so when you pat the brush down on your skin, it will apply the product in a thin line (on top of your cheekbones). 

*Why is this news to me?? I never thought about applying a cream and powder. Yes I do this for blush sometimes and I of course do this for my foundation. But It never crossed my mind to do it for my highlight as well. Also, I don't use a highlight often.. but I now know that you only need the thiniest bit. As I watched Kandee apply her highlight.. it was like an AHA moment. She did so little work and her cheekbones looked amazing! And, even though her makeup was matte looking.. her highlight made her face appear dewy and fresh. I always knew how to apply highlighter and where to apply it.. but I didn't know how much and where to stop, blend, etc. You only need to pat it in a small area above your cheekbones (the highest point of your cheek that sticks out) so in certain lighting, the light will catch your cheekbones and make them look more defined. 

You can view her tutorial written in her blog post along with her favorite products by clicking here. But! I highly suggest you to WATCH the video! Click here to watch the video.

Also, I included swatches of all of my highlighting products for you guys!

 Swatches from Left to Right: Yves Saint Laurent Touche D'or Golden Touch for the Face (LE). This has been released on a few different occasions with the last release for the Holiday 2010. It's a liquid highlighter pen with a brush applicator (just like Touche Eclat). It has a thin creamy consistency and gives a nice glow to the skin. The color is a pearly, shimmery golden pink. Product info here.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat #1 Radiant Touch. A liquid highlighter pen with a brush applicator. A creamy liquid consistency that is a luminous peachy pink with no pearl or shimmer. Product info here.

Yves Saint Laurent Eclat D'or Face & Body Highlighter. Gel textured with lots of gold pearl and iridescence. I've had this for a while.. I'm not sure if it is Limited Edition or if it was discontinued. I can't find any information on it.

Benefit High Beam. A pearly light pink liquid highlighter with a nail polish-like wand applicator. Product info here.

Swatches from Left to Right: NARS Albatross Blush. A powder blush that appears white in the pan, but applies as a finely milled golden sheen. Product info here.

ELF Gotta Glow Studio Blush. A dupe for NARS Albatross. The products are pretty identical in color.. but the consistency of the ELF blush is more powdery (lower quality). Product info here.

MAC Vanilla Pigment. A soft white pigment with a golden yellow pearl. It is similar to both NARS Albatross and ELF Gotta Glow.. but it is more intense and the white color is more prominent. Product info here.

Swatches from Left to Right: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Medium/Natural and Shimmer (LE). A duo powder compact with one side as a setting powder and the other side is a highlighter. The highlighter is a frosty pinky peach.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish New Vegas (LE). A frosty yellow gold powder with gold shimmer veining. This shade has not been re-launched by MAC since the original launch in 2007.

MAC Honour Powder Blush. A subtle golden peach sheen with slight gold shimmer. I love using this all over my cheeks because it isn't very intense. Makes for a great highlighter, esp for darker/tan skin tones. Product info here.

Swatches from Left to Right: Stila Rose Gold Illuminating Finishing Powder. A sheer, frosty pinkish peach baked powder. I can't find any information on this powder. It may be discontinued? 

Hard Candy Honeymoon Blush Crush Baked Blush. A frosted peachy pink baked powder. Available at Walmart.

MAC Natural Flare Beauty Powder. A frosty peachy pink shimmer powder with fine glittery golden reflects. This was a limited edition product at MAC.. I believe it may be available at MAC Pro. I'm not 100%.

I love all of my highlighters and use them all from time to time. I'm not sure if I can pick out a favorite. I am interested now in purchasing MAC Hush or Shell cream colour bases. 

I hope you found this post helpful! Share in the comments what your favorite highlighters are or the technique you use for applying your highlight!