BLOSSOMS PICKS: 3 BEST & 3 WORSE COSMETIC PRODUCTS

Hey Blossoms,

As a freelance makeup artist I use many products from many different brands. I use what I like and what does the best job. There are a few brands that stand out as well as their products. Each brand has its qualities that I love the most. A quick rundown of similarities are these brands pride QUALITY! Whether you use foundation, powders, lipsticks or eyeshadows you know you'll be getting the best quality of each. Now I haven't used every product each brand has to offer nor do I use every type of product from each brand. I'll give you my top product from each brand:

1)Graftobian Creme Foundations

Blends superbly! Photographs like a dream and has a wide array of shades! Works well with oily/combo skin when paired with a great primer. SHERRY BLOSSOM APPROVED!

2)Inglot Eyeshadows

LOADS of colors! Super pigmentation! Different textures available and all perform great. Easy to blend with a smooth buttery texture. My favorite eyeshadows by far!

3)Black Opal Stick Foundations

Caters specifically to women of color. Great for all skin types! Has an awesome finish when applied properly and buffed into the skin with the right tools. Sheer, medium or full coverage. 

These products have been staples in my kit for quite some time. I love them! Clients love them! And everyone is happy! When you find an excellent product you stick with it because you always want to use what's best and what will guarantee the best finished look. These brands and products are just a few of my favorites in no particular order but I wanted to share to see if perhaps some of you all love these products too.

Now there will be products you try and love and products you try and dislike. The products that come to mine immediately are

1)Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation

This makes skin look ashen and photographs horribly. Terrible for oily/combo skin although it boasts of a matte finish it does NOT deliver. Even powder foundation, primer, setting powder/spray can't fix this! PASS!

2)Maybelline Powder Blush Compacts

Packaging is terrible. This blush breaks EASILY. One tap or bump and it'll be in pieces. Poor pigmentation the brush applicator is useless. Color is NOT buildable and looks way to powdery on even when used with a light hand. MAC Fix + can't fix this! PASS!

3)Jordana Clear Lipgloss

Feels like tar on the lips! Creates a sticky, clumpy, gooey mess and acts like an exfoliator on the lips. It seems to make lips flaky. Horrid white paste line creator! Does not apply smoothly at all it glides on like TAR! Blotting this lipgloss is a horror its way to thick yet its runny too! PASS!

These products failed to either perform the way they were advertised or were just poorly made! Although each company DOES have items I like these listed items failed to make the grade. They all get a CAPITAL F! Kind of harsh, it may seem but trust me I tried to make them work time and time again to no avail.

Have you had any run-ins with any of these products mentioned? 

What are your thoughts?

Just leave a comment below!

Until Next Time,

Later Blossoms

BLOSSOMING FACE OF THE DAY: KALEIDOSCOPE GLAM

Hey Blossoms,

I am in LOVE with color you all know this! Well today's BLOSSOMING FACE OF THE DAY is packed with it! An amazing duochrome eyeshadow! Duochrome eyeshadows reflect 2 colors and are so amazingly beautiful. I love duochrome eyeshadows. For more popular duochrome eyeshadows think of 2 of my favorites: MAC's Stars & Rockets E/s, MAC's Club E/s There are many duochrome pigments too! Many other cosmetic companies have their own so don't be afraid to experiment and check them out. In this look I used the duochrome E/s, from Wet & Wild's Limited Edition Holiday Palette in Night Elf , it can definitely be a dupe for MAC's Club E/s! Duochrome E/s remind me of a kaleidoscope. I loved kaleidoscopes as a child because as you looked at them the more it would start to look different. So much fun was had just peeking through its little opening and oohing and ahhing at the different shapes and colors! OHHHH the memories! LOL! Now let's turn this childhood past time into a great modern day KALEIDOSCOPE GLAM eye thats frisky, spunky, cool and down right FUN!

PRODUCTS USED

FACE:

MUFE HD Primer
Black Opal Stick Foundations in Hazelnut & Beautiful Bronze
Graftobian Powder Foundation
Black Opal Blot Powder
MAC Studio Finish Concealer (under eye)

EYES

NYX Jumbo E/s Pencil in Oyster
Urban Decay E/s in Sidecar (shimmer light golden brown e/s in inner eye blended up into crease)
Wet & Wild Duochrome E/s (green/blue relflect shimmer e/s center of lid and blended up into crease)
Urban Decay E/s in Perversion (matte black e/s in outer V blended into crease)
Revlon Colorstay Liquid E/l
Falsies
Maybelline Lash Stiletto
Urban Decay 24/7 E/l in Zero (black e/l to line water line)
Shimmer green e/s to line lower lash line

CHEEKS

La Femme Cinnabar

LIPS

Red lip liner
Black Opal Wine Not l/s
Black Radiance Prismatic l/g (burgundy red)

***Feel free to substitute any products for ones that you own***

Of course I love to also go dramatic so a bold eye/bold lip was necessary! You can tone down the look with a more neutral lip or even a clear gloss.

Here are pictures!

Hope you like!

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BLOSSOMING FACE OF THE DAY: BOLD & BLUE

Hey Blossoms,


There is NO secret that I love vibrant and bold colors so when I wore this makeup look below I felt right at home! Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was wearing a color that many people feel someone of my skin tone can not "pull off".

While on Twitter, the next day, I ran across a tweet by @MakeupbyCandie, a YouTube Makeup Guru, and she had tweeted that someone had mentioned: women of color can not wear blue eyeshadow! WHAT?!! I was not surprised,sadly,that someone would make such a comment but I was shocked that this person, whoever they are, had yet to see a woman of color or deeper skin tone wear blue eyeshadow in a way flattering to her. With as many youtube beauty channels and makeup blogs run by women of color, where had this person been...under a ROCK?!
MakeupbyCandie made a tutorial showing exactly how a woman of color CAN wear blue eyeshadow completely shattering that myth and I was more eager than ever to get my post up! Further shattering that myth!


Here's a photo of MakeupbyCandie's blue eyeshadow look. Check out her blog and YT tutorial for this look HERE!

In makeup there are no rules and regulations with what colors one CAN & CAN NOT wear! The only thing one needs to be conscious of are shades. There are countless shades of blue and every other color you can think of, some warmer and some cooler...I'll explain that difference in another post. The idea is to find a SHADE of blue that best compliments your skin tone!



So here's a list of products I used to achieve this look that I've titled BOLD & BLUE

FACE
Sorry blossoms I don't remember which primer I used but I did use Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation in Dark #3 & Dark #2. I am NOT fond of this foundation and will have a true review (blog or YT vid) up soon as to why. Please feel free to substitute with whichever you use.

EYES
Inglot shimmer electric blue e/s all over lid and blended up above crease

Inglot shimmer lavender e/s at center of lid and blended into up into crease

Inglot shimmer light pink e/s to highligh brow bone and inner tear duct  and blended down into crease

Inglot shimmer dark purple e/s AND Inglot shimmer dark blue e/s  blended into outer V and slightly into crease

(line lower lash line with black eyeliner and place dark blue&purple e/s at outer corner, electric blue e/s & lavender e/s at center and light pink e/s at inner corner)

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eyeliner & Wet and Wild Gel Eyeliner

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara


CHEEKS & LIPS
Sorry I don't remember what products I used but I did keep a nude cheek & lip look since the eyes were dramatic. Feel free to substitute with your favorite blush & lip products!


So blossoms women of any color and any where can wear ANY color they desire as long as YOU like the color and you pick a color shade that best COMPLIMENTS you then the possibilities are endless!

If you want a makeup tutorial of the look below feel free to message me and let me know!


ENJOY THE PICTURES:

HERE ARE MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF WOMEN OF COLOR WEARING BLUE EYESHADOW

Estelle wearing LORAC blue eyeshadow

Eve wearing blue eyeshadow

Ciara wearing light blue eyeshadow

Alicia Keys wearing light blue eyeshadow

Michelle Obama wearing blue eyeshadow to a state dinner!

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