Do you ever just stop and ask yourself what will they come up with next in the beauty world? There’s primers for just about everything, lip oils, colour correctors, basically makeup is no longer for the faint of heart.

One of my favourite makeup brands has extended their popular HD line to include some new products that go above and beyond basic makeup application. Not only is HD good enough anymore, but the next generation is Ultra HD, which helps you get a flawless complexion.

The Ultra HD Skin Booster is a plumping serum that instantly hydrates and smoothes once you apply it. You apply this before your primer and it’s supposed to increase skin’s moisture by 400 per cent and prepares it for makeup application. This serum, housed in a little bottle, contains hyaluronic acid, which hydrates and improves the skin’s ability to hold makeup, as well as collagen and argan oil extract with vitamin E, which helps plump and diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

I apply this serum after my moisturizer and before my primer. Since it’s a little jar and retails for C$51, so have only used it on days where I am really doing my makeup for going out. This colourless serum is suitable for all skin tones.

Now, do I really notice a difference in my skin? Not really. And especially not for $51. I think this is a cool idea, but just another step to add in my always-growing makeup routine that I think may be pointless. I have read that people have just used this as a serum and have liked the results, and since serums tend to be pricey anyways, if you’re going to use it for that purpose, then I can totally see why this would be justifiable to purchase.

Make Up For Ever has also released an Ultra HD Lip Booster (C$29) in this collection, which instantly repairs, smoothes and hydrates lips. The formula is designed to repair dry lips with the key ingredient, hyaluronic acid, as well as loofah oil, which moisturizes and prevents dehydration.

From the beginning of your makeup routine to the end, they have rereleased their micro finishing powders, which have been a favourite of mine for a long time. Their new Ultra HD Microfinishing Loose and Pressed Powders are compatible with 4K technology and are improved formulas of their cult-favourite Microfinishing & Pressed Powders and they help to invisibly blur and smooth skin imperfections.

Make Up For Ever has released these powders in two formulas, a loose powder and as a pressed powder.  The loose powder is translucent, whereas the pressed ones come in three shades for different skin tones, translucent, banana, and peach. I received the loose powder of this since I have the original formula and love it so much that I wanted to see how this compares. This is a setting powder that blurs and diffuses skin imperfections while also reducing shine. The formula provides a transparent blurring effect and is very light on the skin. The only problem is that this can tend to get messy, however, I feel like they improved the packaging for it as there is a sifter top, so it doesn’t get absolutely everything when you tip it into the container (or travel, it’s a mess when you travel with it).

If pressed powder is more your jam, then check out the compacts. Available in three shades (banana to finish a medium complexion or add warmth to a fair complexion; peach to finish tan complexions and to add warmth or create a natural contour in medium complexions; and translucent for all skin tones), these are definitely more handy for travel, however, they do tend to be used up faster. I have the old formula of this, which is more than half hit pan on, whereas, the micro finish powder that is loose from the old version will literally be with me until the day I die.

These retail for C$44 for the loose powder and C$45 for the pressed. I love these products and have been using them for years. A good powder is always a staple to have on-hand to set your makeup since it will make it look more flawless and last a lot longer throughout the day. I wanted to keep it all in the family, so I applied the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD foundation over the serum and used it with the loose powder as well (in fact the majority of the makeup I used in these photos is Make Up For Ever).

I’m always down for when brands reformulate an existing cult product I haven’t really noticed a huge difference between the original formula and the Ultra HD formula of the powder, as they both seem to work the same. My face makeup lasts forever when I apply it, so if you’re looking for a great powder, this is it.

Have you tried any of the new Ultra HD products from Make Up For Ever? What are your thoughts?

Please note, products sent by PR. All opinions are my own.

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Sensitive skin got you down?

The Body Shop always seems to come out with these cool collections that not only smell amazing, but are great for your skin concerns as well.  If you suffer from sensitive skin (apparently one in three people do!), then you may want to check out their new collection, Almond Milk & Honey.

Formulated for sensitive, dry skin, this collection, which contains seven products, is made from ingredients from the brand’s community trade and organic sources, which are tailor-made for sensitive skin. The line is formulated without any colourants, is dermatologically tested, contains hypoallergenic fragrances, is 100 per cent vegetarian, has soothing and restoring benefits and is light and nourishing.

Although there are a range of products, including a restoring body lotion, a cleansing bar, a calming and protecting hand cream, and a shower cream, I received three of the products from the line, the Soothing and Caring Bath Milk (C$24), the Soothing and Restoring Body Butter (C$21), and the Gently Exfoliating Cream Body Scrub (C$22).

If you’re a bath person, the Soothing & Caring Bath Milk is formulated to respect skin’s natural moisture barrier with a blend of natural oils. Not only does it make your bath smell divine, but it also gently cleanses, soothes and reduces the sensation of tight skin.

Since you’re already in the bath, grab the Gently Exfoliating Cream Body Scrub, which smoothes and softens sensitive skin. It’s infused with crushed almond shells and is designed to gently buff away dead skin cells, leaving skin nice and smooth. Although it’s always a good idea to do a scrub at least once a week, I make sure to do one before applying self tanner. I have always liked The Body Shop’s exfoliators since they aren’t too harsh (they’re not like sandpaper like other ones out there). Once you rinse it off, your skin feels so smooth.

In case you haven’t noticed, peach is totally in. And by peach, I mean peach makeup palettes.

I want to say Too Faced led the way with their Sweet Peach palette and then all the other brands followed suit. As I mentioned in Friday’s post, the Sweet Peach eyeshadow palette is the brand’s quickest seller and led the way to a whole peach collection.  There’s a blush, a  glow palette, and some lip products.

The one that started it all, the Sweet Peach palette is a peach-infused eyeshadow palette that contains 18 different shades in shimmers and mattes that give you complementary colours of pinks, peaches, browns, and purples. The colours are housed in a tin similar to their chocolate bar palettes and give you the option to create a wide variety of different looks to curate and play around with.

To give you that glow from within, there are some face products as well in this collection. Firstly they brought back Papa Don’t Peach blush (C$38), a brightening blush that they bring back every once in a while in special collections.  This colour is similar to NARS Orgasm and as a result is universal for all skin tones. The colour is buildable and gives you a brightening, healthy glow.

Also for cheeks (and one of my favourite items from the collection), the Sweet Peach Glow (C$52) is a highlighting palette that contains a bronzer, blush and highlight. The blush is a little similar in colour to Papa Don’t Peach and gives you a subtle glow. If you want something more have duty, this isn’t it. Like the stand-alone blush, all three products in here are buildable, making this product more appropriate for daytime wear or for someone who doesn’t really wear much makeup, but would like some subtle contouring and a sheer glow.

Finally, I dedicated a whole post to the Sweet Peach Lip Oils, but these guys are available in eight different shades and are incredibly moisturizing, pack some colour, and are very comfortable on the lips.

Since this whole collection is as sweet as a Georgia peach, I wanted to create a daytime look since every item has more of a natural, daytime feel to it more so then a nighttime one. Everything in here is perfect for the spring and summer season, not only because of the sweet – and amazing – scent, but also because of the colour tones in the collection. There’s lots of soft pinks, corals, and browns that are more mid-range than dramatic.

I came up with a wearable daytime look that can easily transcend to night if you wish. I used a lot of pink shades in the palette, which if you have blue eyes like me, you may want to look in investing in this guy since pinks and purples tend to make blue eye colour pop.

1. As always, fill in your brows first then lay down an eyeshadow primer. With a fluffy crease brush, blend Candied Peach into the crease to act as a transition colour.

2. With your crease brush, mix Puree and Summer Yum together and lightly work that into the crease.

3. With a flat shader brush, lay down Just Peachy on the lid area, working that gently into the crease colour.

4. Using a smaller lid brush, lightly place Bellini on the centre of the lid to add some dimension to the colour.

5. For the inner corner, apply Nectar working it towards the inner quarter of the lid.

6. Finish up the upper lid area by lining your lash line and flicking the end out (I used Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper), then apply mascara and some falsies. I used Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara and some Kiss false lashes.

7. For the bottom lash line, first apply Summer Yum, focusing the colour more along the outer and middle.

8. With a pencil brush, work Charmed, I’m Sure along the outer lash line to darken it up. After, apply some mascara to your bottom lashes.

9. To finish up the face, apply your foundation and concealer (I used NARS Sheer Glow and Tarte Shape Tape Concealer), then apply the bronze colour from the Sweet Peach Glow Palette.

10. Since I wanted to try out the whole collection, I opted for the Papa Don’t Peach blush to create that inner glow.

11. To finish up the face, apply the highlight from the Sweet Peach Glow Palette to the highs of your cheekbones, cupid’s bow and temple.

12. Apply a pink nude colour to the lips first, Like Make Up For Ever Artist Matte Liquid Lipstick in 101, then apply the Sweet Peach Lip Oil in Peach, Please!

I really like this collection, but to be honest, the part I like most about it is the uber-cute packaging and the scent. Too Faced is really good with marketing their products. They always come out with the cutest designs and plus when they add a scent to their stuff, that definitely helps up the ante in terms of make up you just need to have.

Is this collection overhyped? Kinda. Like I said, this palette is great for green or blue-eyed gals and guys because there are so many pinks in there. It’s definitely more daytime appropriate compared to night, however, there are some darker shades that can make it transitional. I think the real hype lies in that it’s cute and contains a lot of basic colours, that if you are new to makeup or not really into it like other people then this is a good palette to have since it contains lots of wearable colours. Also, I feel like Too Faced is one of those brands that if you don’t have an eyeshadow palette from them, then you’re missing something in your collection.

As for the other products, I love them, but again, it’s more of a packaging thing for me (and that delicious scent!). Would I use the glow palette for a night out. No. It doesn’t have enough pigment in it to really give me a made-up look. But it’s great to apply at eight a.m. before I head to work.

So would I recommend the collection? Yes and no. If you are an avid makeup user that is serious about the products you buy, then no. But, if you are just an average makeup user that doesn’t go too crazy when they apply their makeup, then yes, look into it. It’s a cute palette to own and has so many workable colours that should be staples in everyone’s collection. I love the matte browns in here and the peach tone, Candied Peach, for the transition. The shades apply really nicely, they are buildable colours, meaning that you may have to work the shade in a little longer, but that’s okay. I prefer to add more than try to get rid of too much.

This is definitely one of those collections where it’s just too cute to pass up. I’m a sucker for cute packaging and honestly, I could sit here all day just giving this stuff a whiff.

Have you tried anything from the Too Faced Sweet Peach collection?

Please note, products sent by PR. All opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links.

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