Makeup by One Direction: The Looks Collection Review

Disclosure: A makeup kit was provided to me for free by Markwins in connection with Brand Backer. This review, however, was written by me personally and reflects my personal opinions after trying the product. I was not expected to provide a favorable review.

Recently I had a chance to try out one of the new makeup kits in the Makeup by One Direction Looks Collection. OK, I know what you're thinking: One Direction and makeup? How do these things go together? I get it. But I kind of like these sort of collaborations... they are different and who says one thing goes with another? Am I right?! That being said, I was excited to try one of the kits because, despite generally being a makeup minimalist, I have such a thing for makeup kits! I love it when I can get a whole perfectly packaged look within one item. It takes a bit of the guess work out for those that are looking for an easy look or maybe aren't very cosmetically inclined.

The Looks Collection includes three different kits inspired by One Direction's three albums: Up All Night, Take Me Home and Midnight Memories. The Take Me Home and Midnight Memories kit appear to include some pretty neutrals with a pop of an accent color in each. I received the Up All Night collection which included two neutral eye colors, three pops of blue eye colors, a hot pink gloss (that GLOWS under a black light!), a vibrant blue chubby eye pencil, a vibrant pink creme lipstick, a good basic black mascara, a funky blue/green metallic nail color and stencils to create cosmetic tattoo-type creations. To say I was challenged was a bit of an understatement. Blue eyeshadow? This girl? Let's just say, the alternative title for this post should be: How to wear blue eyeshadow without looking like a 1980's prom queen. Because I think I achieved that and I think I became a blue eyeshadow fan while doing it!

I put together three different makeup looks using this kit that I hope you'll find useful. I am most certainly not a beauty blogger but I like to dabble in it every so often. That being said, I feel I should fully disclose that I like to spend probably 10 minutes or less putting on makeup. I also don't believe in using 2847475736 products. It's just not in my nature nor do I, personally, feel it is good for my skin. As you'll see, I'm prone to breakouts and covering my entire face in heavy makeup only makes it worse. If you can handle that, then I hope you'll like the looks I put together!

MY EVERYDAY STLE LOOK

Products used here include: More than This on entire eyelid, Gotta Be You on eye crease, Little Black Dress mascara and Taken lip gloss. Nothing too fancy about this look but this is true to my every day style. A simple eye with just a curled eyelash (no mascara), a bit of blush and a little pop of color with gloss. I'm an avid eyewear fan so I don't often feel the need to go to town on the eye makeup. For every day makeup, I follow the "KISS" method: Keep It Simple Stupid. ;-) The Taken lip gloss appears very bright pink in the tube but goes on pretty sheer. I imagine it could be layered for a brighter look, but I like the subdued pop of pink it gives me in this look.

FUN DATE NIGHT LOOK

Products used here include: More Than This on entire eyelid, mix of Gotta Be You and Save You Tonight on eye crease, and Stand Up creamy eye stick as top and bottom liner. This is a look I would wear on a fun date night to somewhere like a concert or eating out at a funky restaurant in downtown Detroit. It's much more makeup than I would normally wear during the day so it's perfect to up the anty a bit for a date night. I kept my lips nude with a bit of glossy chapstick considering the eyes were heavily lined with the creamy blue eye pencil. I smudged the pencil a bit with a Q-tip to purposely make the look a little more deliberately messy.

A FANCY VINTAGE LOOK

Products used here include: More Than This on entire eyelid, mix of Gotta Be You and Save You Tonight on eye crease, Another World eye color used as top liner, Little Black Dress mascara, and I Should Have Kissed You creme lipstick topped with the Taken lipgloss. Guys, I love this look. My favorite makeup look, when dressing up, is a good cat eye flick paired with a pink lip. Normally my cat eye is made using typical black liner but I love this updated look with the blue glitzy Another World as the liner! I think I am a blue convert.

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Final thoughts: I'm surprised by how much I like these shades! I imagine they are geared towards a younger crowd but I think I made them also work for those of us that are, ahem, 30 and possibly older. ;-) My favorite pieces of the collection are all of the eyeshadows and the Taken lipgloss. The eyeshadows are easy to apply, stay put and don't have much fallout. The shades blend well and compliment each other or work well alone. The lipgloss has a great, flat applicator brush, has a great color to it that I think would work for a lot of different complexions and also has a very faint, sweet scent. My least favorite part of the collection is the Stand Up blue creamy eye color stick. I found it was a little hard to apply neatly so it is best used for a smudge-necessary look like my Fun Date Night look above. I also wish the kits came with a cheek color in order to complete the kit and make it an entire look. Other than that, I think these kits are a great value!

Are you loving this collection as much as I am? Are you interested in checking out the rest of the kits? You're in luck! Kits hit Macy's stores around the U.S. starting today, August 11, 2014! After that, you can start finding them in Stage Stores, Dillards, Beauty Brands and Lord and Taylor stores on August 25, 2014. International releases will be announced soon!

Don't forget to connect with Makeup by One Direction on their facebook page!

Tried & True Review: L'Oreal Paris Magic B.B. Cream

A few weeks ago, SheSpeaks offered me the chance to try L'Oreal's Magic B.B. Cream and I jumped at it! I have been reading SO many good things about b.b. creams but had yet to take the plunge because I was pretty happy with my current makeup - which consisted of a foundation and concealer combination. I'm always up to change things up - especially if it comes with the promise of not only covering the things I'd like to hide but also correct issues over time! After using it almost daily for a few weeks now, I can honestly say that I am a believer!

A few things you should know: My skin is sensitive. My skin is acne prone. My skin is combination. I have what some call "adult acne"... I like to call it stress acne. I never had problem skin in middle school, high school or college. Honestly, I never had much acne up until the last few years of my life. Why it suddenly started to appear now is beyond me - I just know I want it GONE or at least hidden. The L'Oreal Paris Magic B.B. Cream has helped me do a good job of that while still letting my skin breathe. That is something I really appreciate and can be rare to find. I have tried dozens of different concealers, foundations, tinted moisturizers and powders over the years. This one is my favorite.

That being said, I thought to best demonstrate the coverage, you would want to see some before and after photos. I'm hardly afraid to show myself without a stitch of makeup - my skin is what it is. I will admit that it looks better when I eat better, get good amounts of sleep, work out and have low stress levels... but this is the real world and I rarely maintain that kind of heavenly schedule. :) The stress part has especially been high lately so my skin is certainly wearing some flair buttons right now, as I like to say...

Here it is for you: Not a single stitch of makeup. Fresh from the shower. Acne, visible pores, dark circles. All things no one really likes to have, but it is what it is.

This is after using just the L'Oreal Magic B.B. Cream. I like that it provides a more even base for me. It takes away a lot of my redness and covers up my acne decently enough. Most importantly: It feels so light - like I am literally wearing nothing! (Note: I never add any makeup to my forehead because my bangs are not a fan of sticking to makeup!)

My typical completed look: Added a little extra coverage with some concealer, a little bit of eyeshadow/eyeliner, mascara, blush and gloss. (And in desperate need of a hair cut! Just disregard that!)

Perhaps you're wondering at this point what the heck B.B. Cream even is.... I understand! I had to google it when I first heard of them because I had no idea either! I kept seeing all kinds of these new creams pop up with no explanation of what they even were. Well, "B.B." stands for beauty balm. The L'Oreal B.B. Cream comes with the promise that it has four actions - prime, perfect, hydrate and correct. I found that it stood by that promise:

• Prime: I own a Stila primer but never feel the need to use it with this cream. It covers smoothly without any help.
• Perfect: It lightly covers my acne and red spots just like a foundation would - without the heavy feel. Admittedly, I do still use concealer as I feel I need the extra coverage in certain areas.
• Hydrate: I don't use a moisturizer with it at all. While I do have dry spots, I wouldn't consider my skin to be especially dry so this might be different for each person. Keep in mind, though, it is winter in Michigan. And I still don't have to use a moisturizer with it. Awesome.
• Correct: I can honestly say I have seen an improvement in my skin. I have seen a little bit less acne and have noticed that a lot of my older acne spots have started to fade. 

Overall, at around $10.95 a bottle, I can 100% feel comfortable recommending this product. It can be found in drugstores, is budget friendly, and lasts! A little goes a long way and will last you all day. I love this as an addition to my everyday look. It is so easy to apply and I never feel like I have to worry if my makeup looks or feels obvious. This is light but effective.

Disclosure: I was provided the L'Oreal Paris Magic B.B. Cream (in Fair) free of charge from SheSpeaks. This review, however, was written by me personally and reflects my personal opinions after trying the product. I was not expected to provide a favorable review.