Curiously Carmen

Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Foundation (New formula)

You may remember my review last year on the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation. I quite enjoyed that foundation because it worked really well with my skin.

This fall, Estee Lauder released the Double Wear foundation again with a change in formula. I thought I would review it as well, and share my thoughts on it!

The packaging is the same as the old formula. Both are housed in a glass foundation bottle. The product comes out easily and effortlessly. This bottle seems a bit smaller and also more of a rectangular shape than the old one.

At the media preview event, I was told that the main difference is that this one contains 50% more water. Because of that, it is supposed to give the foundation a lighter feel.

Application: Despite having 50% more water, I was told that this foundation still has a medium to heavy coverage. I noticed that this foundation was definitely more watery and liquid-y, which is a given considering that there is more water in the ingredients.

I was able to reach the same about of medium-full coverage with this foundation but had to put on 3 layers. With the old foundation, I only needed 1 layer for medium-full coverage. You could get away with 1 layer as well for light coverage, but I don’t wear foundation often so when I do, I like to go for at least a medium coverage.
Does this photo seem familiar to you? That’s because I was also testing out the Pixi by Petra Endlessly Silky Eye Pen the same day! You can read that review after this one 🙂

Wear: It was very comfortable to wear and I have no complaints about it. There were times that I forgot I was wearing foundation because it wasn’t heavy at all. That day was also pretty warm and I didn’t sweat it all off on the patio while eating.
-Very comfortable, lightweight feeling despite being medium+ coverage
-Feels just like the old Double Wear foundation which I love!

-Need a couple extra layers of foundation to match the medium+ coverage of the old Double Wear

Yay!

Estee Lauder Fall Preview 2017

A few weeks ago, I attended the Estee Lauder Fall 2017 preview event. There were some new products, and formula changes for some of their classic products. Read on to find out more!


The Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation is one of my favourite foundations (previous review here). This Fall, they have changed the formula slightly. It now contains 50% more water, which gives it a lighter feel yet is supposed to have the same medium/full coverage.

I tested this out over the weekend and I can’t wait to write my full thoughts on this!

Starting off, Estee Lauder is launching an impressive array of lipstick colours. They range from pinks to reds, but also some daring colours such as green and blue.

The tip of the lipsticks were also re-designed, making it easier to get a more precise line!

AERIN products were designed by Estee Lauder’s granddaughter, Aerin. I’ve always been a fan of AERIN fragrances and this was no different.

New this season are two fragrances – one for day wear and one for night wear. The day wear has a light fragrance which reminded me of summer, while the night wear had a heavier and slightly muskier fragrance.

Some new skincare launches!

New Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Thermal Ritual: The creme wraps skin in a cocoon of concentrated Black Diamond Truffle Extract and advanced deep-hydrating, plumping and contouring ingredients for a firmer look and feel.

Nutritious micro algae: This cream features three different types of algae which help to purify and balance skin. One of the types of algae included is spirulina, which has tremendous benefits to your body.

This is pretty cool – coloured mascara! It seems that Estee Lauder is really branching out into more unique colours, with the launch of their new lipstick colours as well!

The classic Advanced Night Repair, one of Estee Lauder’s best sellers! The formula was modified, and it now contains 50% more hyaluronic acid for even more intense hydration and wrinkle prevention.

The new formula also includes the patent pending, 360° Matrix Technology. It wraps the eye area in a breathable, flexible visco-elastic network that allows natural eye movement while providing cushioning support. Sounds very protective against the earth’s elements.

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Now it’s time to write my reviews on some of these products, stay tuned for that!

Pixi Endlessly Silky Eye Pen

Once in awhile, I discover products that take me by surprise in a very, very, very good way! The Pixi By Petra Endlessly Silky Eye Pen (phew, that’s a mouthful – or typeful? Heh) was one of these products.

Being a beauty blogger, my “to-try and write about” list is never ending. I could have all the time in the world and not get to each post that I would like. Any other bloggers out there agree with me?

That is why it took me so long to try out, but I am so happy to have discovered this sooner or later!

What it says (Taken from Pixi Beauty):
Waterproof, super-long-wear, no-smudge, no-budge eye liners. They glide on like seamless silk, and in a single sweep motion create a flawless, solid jewel-toned line. No retouching required all day – or night!

Application: The two shades I received were BlackNoir and SageGold. I was impressed with how easy the pencils glided on my eyes, and as well as how incredibly pigmented they both were. The BlackNoir was a jet black, while the SageGold was similar to an olive with a hint of sparkle.

I’ve never worn olive coloured liners but I think it looked pretty decent on my lower lash line!

Wear: It is not unusual for eyeliners to smudge on me. I blame this on my oily skin type, as well as oily eye lids. I tested this on a hot weekend, while I was out doing some shopping and grabbing food. Nothing out of the ordinary, most eyeliners would last that long right?

The shocker came when I took a nap and woke up expecting my makeup to be smudged and having undereye circles, as it usually does. However, the eyeliner did not budge or smudge one bit! I had to do a double take and put my glasses back on to make sure… nope, no smearing at all!

Wearing the black eyeliner on my upper lash line, and the olive green on my bottom lash line!

I was definitely very impressed with these eyeliners, and they do live up to its description. For $12 CAD, it is a really good price considering how bulletproof they are. In fact, I might stock up on more colours as I have a hard time finding pencil liners that do not smudge on me!

-Glides very easily
-Very pigmented
-Doesn’t smudge (even after a nap!!)
-Waterproof

-None that I can think of!

Yay!

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Prismatic Highlighter

Hard Candy came out with a bunch of new products this summer, which I have been reviewing over the past few months. Today, I will be talking about their Sheer Envy Prismatic Highlighter!

At first glance, the packaging is very simple and sturdy. When met with sunlight, the silver foils reflect very beautifully! That is probably my favourite part of this product, as the rest was disappointing…

What it says (Taken from press release):
The Sheer Envy Prismatic Highlighter is a pearl illuminator that leaves skin with a wearable but trendy iridescent shimmer. This powder includes light-reflective pearls that diffuse light and accentuate the high points of your face and your cheek bones with a luminescent glow. The universal shade is flattering on all skin tones, and smoothly and applies to your skin with easy soft, sweeping motions.

Application: The application process was a bit messy due to fallout, but overall, it was alright.
Wear: This is where it gets disappointing. Instead of getting a luminescent glow, I got ….nothing. I put the same amount on as I usually would with other highlighters, but there was absolutely no slow or shimmer showing. I angled my face in different positions, tried different lighting, went into the sun… but nope. Nothing.

After trying a few Hard Candy products, I find that they are hit or miss. Either I really love them or they’re a total fluke. This one definitely did not live up to my expectations.

-Packaging looks cool in sunlight
-Retails for only$7.98 CAD

-No glow/shimmer at all

Nay.

ACI Beauty Preview Fall/Holiday 2017 (Part 2/2)

Continuing my ACI Beauty Preview for Fall/Holiday 2017, here is part 2/2!

Read part 1 to learn about the new releases from Ardell, Stila, and Korres!

There is no better way to describe CLEAN’s products other than that they smell, well, clean! Spritzing their scents make me feel like I just did laundry (yes they have a laundry sent!).

Pictured above are some products from their core collection, aka the staples! I love how they match the flavours in the back.

My favourites are the cool and warm cotton!

These are the rollerball version of their perfumes. They are a great addition to a makeup purse or bag!

The cool thing about CLEAN is that they encourage you to come up with your own unique scent by layering their different scents. I’ve tried this at the events before and there wasn’t a combination that I did not like.

As mentioned, the products above are from their core collection. However, this Warm Cashmere is one of their limited edition products and new for the fall.

I found it to be suitable for either sex. It was very reminiscent of autumn days!

This was the first time that Sekkisei was introduced at an ACI event! I had written a review previously on their White Powder Wash, which you can read here.

Sekkisei is a brand with Asian influences, as you can see with the different Asian herbs/spices and Chinese writing. My Chinese reading is limited (although fluent in speaking) but the first character says snow. Asian beauty revolves on having fair, pale white skin so I am not surprised that snow is in their name.

From left to right:
Herbal gel, facial cream wash, treatment cleansing oil, enriched emulsion, and lotion enriched. Yes, those are the official names for those products!

Last but not least, Paul & Joe! Happy to see their cat shaped lipsticks once again 🙂

New for this holiday/Christmas season are the products on the right- the makeup bag, sparkling foundation primer, and pink/blue hand creams. I love anything that sparkles so I would love to try out the primer!

There are many great releases as usual! What are you most excited to try?