Gorgeous Cosmetics 'Soft Grape' Shimmer Dust Review + Swatches + Makeup Look

Gorgeous Cosmetics Shimmer Dust in Soft Grape

Gorgeous Cosmetics Shimmer Dust ($25/3g) is described as luxurious loose powder pigment, which dusts lightly over eyes, face and body.  Highly pigmented and super silky soft.  Simply alter your application technique to create a gorgeous soft sheen, an intense colour effect or anything in between.

Available in (18) colors: Antique Gold, Antique Pink, Aqua, Burnt Copper, Forest, Gold, Luminesence, Minty, Ms Vegas, Mysterious, Plum, Purple Berry, Sand, Seriously Violet, Silver Suede, Soft Grape, Starlet, Suede.

Soft Grape is a soft purple with pink undertones. It's a great color for those who are scared to work with purples on the lids. Layer it over other purples or mix with browns, blacks or greens for a nice pop of color!

These highly pigmented loose pigments blend smoothly and are easy to build intensity when layering them. To build a saturated color on the lid they can be used with a wet brush, I like to use MAC Fix+ on my brush to make the pigment color pop even more. Used over an eye primer, this pigment has a  lasting power of around 7 hours. Use a very light dusting with these shimmers on the body as well for a very pretty glow.

Soft Grape Swatch (1 layer)

Layered Swatch (2 layers)

 

Wet Swatch (1 layer)

PACKAGING
Gorgeous Cosmetics Shimmer Dusts come in a round matte black plastic container with a see-through twist cap. The shimmer itself is covered by a sifter which allows you to control the amount of product you need. At 3g (11 oz) of product it might seem a bit small for the

price but remember, when working with pigments a little goes a long way. Pigments come in small amounts no matter the brand. The shimmer dusts come with less product for a few bucks more than the MAC pigments ($21/0.15oz).

"Gorgeous Cosmetics is an prestige cosmetic brand, founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1999. From face primers to contour powders and lipsticks they offer a variety of cosmetics. The brand is a one stop shop in creating a full flawless look from start to finish. Enriched with anti-aging and healing ingredients such as Chamomile, Aloe Vera and Vitamins A & E, the Gorgeous Cosmetics range embodies quality to create a complete Pro makeup collection." Gorgeouscosmetics.com

Overall Thoughts
These finely milled shimmers are beautiful pigmented products to work with. They are so simple to use and apply to the eyes. Amp up a simple eye look with a shimmer dust. Applying them wet builds the intensity of your look. The packaging, quality and lasting power of them are well worth the price. I can't wait to get my hands on more colors!

Gorgeous Cosmetics 'Soft Grape' Shimmer Dust on center of lid

Gorgeous Cosmetics 'Soft Grape' Shimmer Dust on center of lid

Availability: Nordstrom / Gorgeous Cosmetics
Price: $25
 
Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for consideration by the manufacturer. This does not affect any opinions featured in this post as they are my own honest experiences with the product.   

L.A. Girl PRO Conceal HD Concealer Review + Swatches

L.A. Girl PRO Conceal HD Concealer

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer ($5) is described as crease-resistant, opaque coverage in a creamy yet lightweight texture. The long-wearing formula camouflages darkness under the eyes, redness and skin imperfections. Provides complete, natural-looking coverage, evens skin tone, covers dark circles and minimizes fine lines around the eyes.

These cruelty-free concealers by L.A. Girl Cosmetics have been raved about all over social media and for good reason at that. We all know that finding a great long lasting concealer with little to no creasing and at an affordable price is hard to come about in the beauty market. Look no further my beauty enthusiasts, these gems are here to stay! 

The Pro HD Concealers come in (18) different colors: Classic Ivory, Natural, Creamy Beige, Nude, Medium Bisque, Pure Beige, Warm Sand, Medium Beige, Almond, Cool Tan, Toast, Warm Honey, Fawn, Toffee, Espresso, Chestnut, Beautiful Bronze, and Dark Cocoa.

With a vast array of color options to choose from, rest assure there is a color to fulfill your needs. Whether you are looking for a highlighting, concealing or contouring color,  LA Girl pro concealers have got you covered. From the lightest ivory to the deepest cocoa shade the variety in colors make these concealers a hot item for any makeup artist's kit; allowing them to have options for their clients' needs at a reasonable price.

Reviewed here are two of the shades in the collection. I use Creamy Beige to highlight and Toast to contour. When choosing your shade, it is a bit difficult to easily find what you are looking for through the website as they are not actual swatches. I recommend you try looking up real swatches on blog reviews such as this. I got lucky and chose the two that ideally met my needs. Creamy Beige is a bit light to match my foundation but it works perfectly for highlighting my face (mid forehead, bridge of nose, under eyes, cupids bow and chin) which is what I wanted it for. Toast is the perfect color to contour my face (temples, cheekbones and nose) with. I always go for a contour color about 4-5 shades darker than my skin tone and just blend blend blend into my foundation and highlight for a flawless contoured look!

Creamy Beige used as highlight / Toast used as contour

PERFORMANCE

Naturally I have dark circles that have always been an issue for me when trying to find a product to cover them up. I also have fine lines under my eyes that always tend to cause creasing when I apply concealer. The problem indiscovering the perfect concealer is finding one that would not only cover my dark circles but prevent creasing and is long wearing all at the same time. It wasn't until I started using MAC Pro Longwear Concealer ($19) that I had found a solution to my dark circle trouble. I vowed to never try another concealer again but when I came across the Pro Conceal HD Concealers and the raves about them I knew I had to give them a try.

Left to right: Creamy Beige - Toast

Just like the infamous Pro Longwear, they are very creamy and opaque, concealing my problem areas without having to use much product. Although they are creamy and blend easily, you will have to work a bit quicker with these concealers because they do dry a bit faster. I use a beauty blender or stippling brush to help blend out the product effortlessly. Thus far the concealer has stayed put for 10 hours without any creasing. 
 

PACKAGING

These squeeze tube concealers are reminiscent of some lip gloss tubes which some may not like but I love. I prefer this packaging over any jar or hard plastic tubes that come with a wand or brush... meaning less mess and more hygiene care. This also means no product gets left behind in the tube. We all know what a pain that is when you still have enough product leftover for a few more applications but there is no way of getting it out of the packaging. I do favor the pump that the MAC Pro Longwear comes with but the problem with pumps is that they make it difficult to control how much product you are dispensing; once you do there is no putting any leftover back in the container.

Holding .25 oz of pigmented product means they will last you quite a while. MAC packaging holds .30fl oz and lasts a long time. A little goes a long way with both concealers so not much is needed for one application.

There is one minor downfall to the packaging of these concealers, that being the tip has a brush applicator. Bacteria can grow in the brush from the leftover product after using it directly on your face. Even if you are using them for personal use, it's not too sanitary. I suggest squeezing out some product and transferring it onto the back of your clean hand or a mixing plate. The brush does make it a bit messy though..

Brush Tip Applicator

PRODUCT TIP - HYGIENE CARE

Here's a tip! When I received my concealers I took a pair of pliers and pulled out the brush applicators. This way I can just squeeze out the amount I need without the mess all while using the most sanitary care possible with this product. I also always wipe down the opening with alcohol to prevent any bacteria from entering the tube.

Top: toast / Bottom: Creamy Beige

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I'm happy I got my hands on the L.A. Girl Pro HD Concealers, they certainly do live up to the hype! The non-creasing long-lasting formula makes for a perfect concealer to fix problem areas as well as for highlighting and contouring the face.

At about a quarter of the price of MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, the Pro Conceal might just replace my previous favorite. A slight downfall to these concealers is the availability of them. I've heard some say they can be found at your local beauty supply store but I have yet to see them. They can be found online on the L.A. Girl website at $5 a piece or about $3 at iKatehouse.com. I need to get my hands on all the shades to add to my kit. These concealers are recommended by yours truly to everyone, especially makeup artists wanting to stock their kit with high quality products at an affordable price.

Availability: L.A. Girl / iKatehouse / Drugstore.com

Price: $2.29 - $5.00 
  

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for consideration by the manufacturer. This does not affect any opinions as they are my own honest experiences with the product.