Disappointing Product: Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch highlighting concealer

Sorry, Maybelline, I still love you... but this product was a miss for me. I picked up the Dream Lumi Touch highlighting concealer hoping it would be a similar product (maybe even a dupe) to the YSL Touche Eclat, which is a pricey $41. The Dream Lumi Touch is around $8 so I thought I'd give it a try. I was pretty disappointed with the product. Disclaimer: I have not yet mustered the strength to splurge on the YSL original, so I can't compare the two. I can only tell you what I thought about the Maybelline version on its own - compared only to my thoughts on how it should or is supposed to look. The YSL touche éclat is definitely on my wish list, but a major splurge item. 

There are tons of Maybelline products that I love, but I do find it hit and miss with skin products sometimes. I believe this is solely because of my skin tone. Maybelline tends to be on the warmer side of the spectrum and a lot of their face products can be too warm or too orange on my skin. This is no fault of the brand, it just simply doesn't work as well as some other brands with my skin tone. That being said, I still have several Maybelline foundations, concealers, powders, etc. that do work with my skin and look great. 

The shade I picked out is a pink-toned highlighting color. I knew I would be using this as a highlight rather than a concealer. I understand the same is true with the YSL product - it's not so much an under-eye concealer as it is a highlighting pen - meant to highlight, not necessarily cover up. Because I had read reviews on the touche éclat, I went for a pinky/salmon shade rather than a normal "ivory" shade because I wanted to test this out as a YSL dupe, rather than just another under eye concealer. I was planning to use this on my cheekbones as a creamy highlighting product.

My first complaint is the packaging. I'm not a big fan of the twist-up brush applicators. As you can see in the photo, things get messy pretty quickly. The packaging also felt very light and cheap, which is probably true as it only costs $8. Also, I had to twist forever to get any product to come out. Another reason I hate this sort of packaging is because you can't tell how much product you're dispensing. I might twist 5 times and get nothing... so I twist another 5 times and tons of concealer comes spewing out. My advice is twist slowly and be patient. The color is my second complaint. I know I chose a rosy shade (radiant 310), but it's much too pink. It comes off as a salmon color that's a little too orange and a little too pink. It just doesn't look good on my skin. I think I could possibly make the shade work better if it had a different formulation, but the consistency of the product is my biggest and final complaint. It's thick and dry... it doesn't blend well or easily and it ends up just being a cakey mess. You can see the lines where the highlight ends and your skin begins. It never seems to blend in seamlessly no matter what application method I try. 

You may be able to tell just from the photo how it settles into fine lines, looks thick and cakey, and doesn't have the right silky consistency that these type of products need to look good. You can also see the color here - it's a very bold salmon color that just isn't flattering on my skin tone. I have not tried any other shades of this product simply because I wasn't a fan of the formulation, but I could have just picked the wrong shade for my coloring. Maybe I should have gone with my trusty "ivory" pick, instead. I don't think I'll be finishing this product as I can't figure out a way to use it that works. 

Have you tried the Dream Lumi Touch highlighter? What were your thoughts? I'm also open to other drug store highlighting pen suggestions! I will still keep the YSL touche éclat on my list - let me know your thoughts on that as well! Is it worth the splurge?! Let me know in the comments!

Until next time! xoxo

Benefit Hervana Blush Review

Benefit Hervana Powder Blush

This is one of Benefit's newest swirled powder blushes. The shade is called "Hervana" and it comes in the classic Benefit blush box with a compact brush included. I picked this up at Sephora for $28 and I've been loving it lately. I don't usually go for purply blushes, but I actually really love the shade of this blush once you've swirled all the colors together.

The "good karma" face powder is comprised of 4 shades - a plum, a rose, a peach, and a light pink highlight. You get two triangles of each shade and they're placed just right so that you can swirl your brush to combine all the colors evenly. You get the plum color payoff but there's enough pink so that it's not too purple. It also has a shimmer to it from the highlight shade. Benefit describes it as an "orchid-blossom blush." The names of the shades are Lucky Shell (highlight), Divine Peach, Heavenly Rose, & Berry Delight.

The resulting color ends up being a mix of berry and rose with just the right amount of sheen to it.

As always, the little blush box comes with its very own brush inside. Typically when products come with a brush, I throw it out and never use it. However, the brushes that Benefit includes are all really good quality. I love the brush that comes with Hervana - it swirls the colors perfectly and angled brushes are perfect for applying cheek color. As you can see, I've definitely used mine!

Overall, I have nothing but good things to say about this blush. I will continue to wear it (even more) during autumn and winter - I love wearing blushes with plum shades during the colder months. The packaging is as cute as ever, and so convenient with the brush and mirror included. I have several Benefit blushes of all kinds and this is definitely one of my favorites.

What's your favorite Benefit product? Which blush shades will you be wearing this fall & winter?

Until next time!