Love It or Toss It, #3

A few weeks ago, Gummy and I started a little series where we selected a few products to use that we weren't so sure about. We decided to use them over the course of a weekend, and make that final decision. Check out the last two posts here and here.

This weekend, I selected a few products that I hadn't used in ages. Read on to see what made the cut! 

revlon baby stick, sephora contour liner, benefit holy smokes creaseless cream shadow, nars velvet gloss new lover

Sephora Contour Eye Pencil 12HR Waterproof in Flirting Game
I love the shade of this eyeliner and how creamy it is to apply. Unfortunately, it bothers my eyes a little and definitely does not have 12 hour wear. I wore it one day and by lunch, it had majorly creased in my monolid area. By the end of my workday, it was nearly gone. This one is a definite toss for me, though if you don't have troublesome lids or sensitive eyes this may be great for you. 

Revlon Baby Stick in Pink Passion
I believe this was LE for the summer collection, and I'm not even sure what possessed me to pick it up given all of the mixed reviews. It is a bright pink in the tube, but quite sheer on the skin. On my face it has just the right amount of warmth. It is super easy to use, and much easier to blend than the Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush. There's not a whole lot in the tube, so I'm hoping this will be something I can manage to use up one day? 

Nars Velvet Gloss Pencil in New Lover
This is such a great natural shade - really, my fiance couldn't even see it on my lips, and for me that is a real sign of a "my lips but better" sort of shade. I love the creamy formula of this, and it isn't drying at all. This one wore off when I ate, but I recall having Mexican Rose, another shade in this line, stay on as a stain even the next day. I like how easy it is to use this one though, and I sure don't mind reapplying this if I ever remember!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Holy Smokes!
I love cream eyeshadows, and I jumped on this repackaged and reformulated version this past spring. I love the grayish taupey shade, and the creamy texture. While I've read that some don't like the packaging, I quite prefer this to the old style - it is much easier to get at the product in this flatter packaging. This wears pretty well on me, and even after 12 hours, I see only minor creasing in my monolid area that is perfectly acceptable to me. 

Swatches below. L-R: Nars Velvet Gloss Pencil in New Lover, Revlon Baby Stick in Pink Passion, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Holy Smokes!, Sephora Contour Eye Pencil in Flirting Game

revlon baby stick pink passion swatch, sephora contour liner flirting game swatch, benefit holy smokes creaseless cream shadow swatch, nars velvet gloss new lover swatch

All in all, I guess I only have one dud from this week's selections, though perhaps once I get through everything I'll have to go through everything again with a more critical eye? Or maybe by then I won't feel the need to edit down the collection.

Have you tried any of these products? How did they fare for you? I'd love to know!  

 All products were purchased by me. This post contains affiliate links.

On the Fence: Nars Radiant Cream Foundation

Nars recently released their Radiant Cream Foundation and I was SO excited to try it as their Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is one my favorite products ever. I've been testing this foundation for a few weeks now, and I'm sad to say that it wasn't love at first sight.

nars radiant cream foundation review, nars cream foundation review, nars stromboli review
nars radiant cream foundation refill, nars radiant cream foundation review

Housed in a small compact, the Nars Radiant Cream Foundation is a super creamy formula, and that is initially what caught my attention. While you can purchase the proper compact with a mirror and a slot for your sponge for $10, I decided to skip it as the product is perfectly usable without.

I love the coverage as well, though I did initially have a hard time figuring out the best way to apply this foundation. In the end, the Real Techniques Expert Face brush won, though I have heard that the BeautyBlender is a good one too. 

My least favorite aspect of this foundation, and perhaps a dealbreaker, is that it doesn't fare well on dry skin. I was able to see some dry patches on my skin on some days, and the overall texture of my skin just didn't look that great close up if I tried to retouch my makeup at any point. 

Do take a peek at the video below, where I chat more about this foundation and apply it on camera! What do you think about Nars Radiant Cream Foundation? Did it work for you? 

BLOG - bronzerbunny.com TWITTER - twitter.com/bronzerbunny INSTAGRAM - instagram.com/bronzerbunny DISCLAIMER: Products marked with an * were provided for review. All other products mentioned were purchased by me or given as gifts by friends and family. All opinions are my own, and I am not being paid to make this video.

This post contains affiliate links. Product(s) featured were purchased by me.   

This Week's Makeup Bag, #15

This week, I've selected a handful of exciting products to try. Most exciting on the list is the new, limited edition Tom Ford She Wolf eyeshadow trio. I couldn't resist the rave reviews, and I'm really looking forward to trying this out. 

Tom Ford She Wolf, Tarte Exposed, Marc Jacobs Highliner in Ro(Cocoa), Chantecaille Sel Eyeshadow, Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Catfight, Nars Radiant Cream Foundation

I've also included my favorite all around foundation, Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation, in the event that my skin really doesn't get along with Nars Radiant Cream Foundation. I haven't yet made a final decision on the Nars, so hopefully this week will allow for some proper testing. I hope to also make a final decision on Marc Jacobs Highliner in Ro(Cocoa), a pretty brown shade that doesn't seem to irritate my eyes like the black. 

Last but not least, I plan to try out some fun new(ish) to me items: Chantecaille Sel Eyeshadow, the cute mini Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Catfight that is a Sephora 100 point perk right now, and the ever popular Tarte Exposed that Gummy gifted to me ages ago.  

Hope you enjoyed this peek into my makeup bag - now fingers crossed that I actually manage to wear all of it! :) What is in your makeup bag this week? I'd love to know!  

This post contains affiliate links.  

Products That Didn't Work For Me, #3

Last month, I posted a round of disappointing products, and a lot of you really seemed to like the post. It is definitely hard for me to do these types of posts, as I generally just return or give away products very quickly if they don't meet my expectations. Since you guys seemed to like the previous posts (here and here), I'm going to make an effort to do this more often! 

I did find myself disappointed in a few products that have lived in my collection for some time: Dior Amber Diamond and the Urban Decay Naked palettes. They just weren't as exciting as I remembered, though perhaps that is my fault, as I hadn't used them in so long. It seems that I've now been spoiled by the soft, subtle textures of luxury brands like Burberry...!

Anyway, this time around I have two products that I was very excited for - Nars Pro-Prime Light Optimizing Primer and Becca Mineral Bronzing Powder in Duende. 

nars light optimizing primer review

I purchased the Nars Pro-Prime Light Optimizing Primer this past spring, and had high hopes for its radiance enhancing properties. As you might know, the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is one of my favorite products, and I remembered liking some of the other Pro-Prime primers when I had tried it on during makeovers, so my expectations were high. 

nars light optimizing primer swatch

This primer definitely has a nice finish, and seems to help tinted moisturizer or foundation wear better. However, there was more shimmer than I generally prefer, so that was a bit of a dealbreaker for me. I do think the finish and wear of this is better than the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer, at least from what I've seen so far, but I'm still in the process of testing that one so I can't make a definitive statement on that just yet!

Anyway, I think I was expecting this to be a more primer-like version of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector (which I have yet to review but is SO subtle and gorgeous) but it isn't really. Oh well, there are plenty of other things to try, right?

becca mineral bronzer duende review

I think I purchased this Becca bronzer last fall, and didn't even use it till this summer - YIKES!  I do love how finely milled and soft it is, so that aspect of the bronzer is nice. However, the shade just didn't look very good on me, and that was sad! I don't know what it is, but something just brought out the redness in my cheeks, and I remember when I first applied it, it looked a bit like a recovering sunburn. 

I imagine those of you who have fair skin would want to stay away from this shade, Duende, though I bet those of you with deeper complexions than mine could totally rock this bronzer. I am glad I tried this bronzer, since the texture is pretty nice. I think I'll be on the lookout for other shades, and perhaps try out some of their blush!

So what did you think of my experience of Becca Mineral Bronzing Powder in Duende and Nars Light Optimizing Primer? Have you tried either of these? Did they work for you?