Studio Gear CC Cream Review

I've had a lot of posts on this list of posts to write and publish. Most of them involved me trying things on my face and that's one of the reasons why I haven't gotten to writing them. Recently my skin decided to go crazy with hormonal acne and so I spent weeks without makeup because I didn't want to aggravate it. I think this little break from makeup was good for me because I feel like I've got a fresh perspective on things suddenly and I've started liking shades I never liked before! Anyway, before my train of thoughts completely derails, let me get to the point. The acne also left quite a few spots. They're not very conspicuous but if you look at my skin up close you can definitely see more spots than I dared to count. While some bits of newly discovered skincare have been working wonders on the healing process, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to review some BB Creams and CC Creams that I had been putting off reviewing for a while. I don't wear foundation on a daily basis and I use the BB and CC creams regularly only on days like these where my skin has been acting crazy. This Studio Gear CC cream is the first CC Cream I've tried (been obsessed with BB creams for a while though) and I actually quite like it.

                                  

The packaging isn't anything very different. Just a standard tube with a little sticker that indicates the shade (mine's in the shade "natural"). It's available in 3 shades - Linen, Natural and Wheat - which isn't a lot but I don't think that creams of this kind really need that many shades since they blend in beautifully with a huge range of shades.

When you first squeeze out some of the CC Cream, it's going to look like a weird white with tiny beige dots in it. The first time I decided to use this product I was being quite absent-minded and felt startled at the color! Hahaha. The tiny beige dots are beads packed with pigments that burst as soon as you apply pressure on them and they mix with the white cream base. I think this allows the cream to adapt to the shade of your skin to a certain extent and voila! it looks like the picture below.

Watching the cream change colors and then blend into my skin perfectly is probably my favorite part of using it. It just feels like magic even though I know why it changes color. The cream blends in really well and is best applied with your fingers since the pigment beads need the slight pressure to release pigments. Studio Gear claims that it's very hydrating but I don't really feel very hydrated or dry. I just feel normal which is great for me because it just feels weightless on the skin. The coverage is wonderful! It doesn't completely conceal all the blemishes but it minimizes them really well. It can be layered to increase the amount of coverage but if you add too many layers it does look cakey. This isn't much of a problem according to me since it has better coverage than the usual tinted moisturizer and doesn't need many layers. Here are some pictures so that you can see the difference.

It's definitely enough coverage for using everyday and with some concealer probably even enough to wear to an event but that's just me I guess. Let's just ignore the complete lack of makeup and the messy hair in the pictures now and listen to me talk about this wonderful little CC Cream. I love everything about it except for the smell. It just smells very very odd but after using it for a day or two I got accustomed to it and it doesn't bother me anymore. I also just found out that since Studio Gear received a lot of great response for this CC Cream they've started a subscription service. It allows you to select a specific interval if and when you choose to subscribe and at the end of that interval they send you a notification about the shipment of another tube. If you aren't done with your tube yet you can easily change the interval and they never charge you without your permission. You also end up saving about 10% on your purchase I think. It sounds wonderful for avoiding those times when you run out of products and then can't find the time to stop by a store to pick them up again. Although the idea is lovely and fascinates me, I don't think I'm going to subscribe right now because I want to try some more CC Creams. I might subscribe if I don't find a better one but I doubt I'm ever going to be done trying out new products. Haha.

What do you think about this CC Cream? Studio Gear is a new discovery to me but I loved their Smoky Eye and cheek palette and I love this product too so I'm sure I'll try more of their products. Have you tried anything from Studio Gear?


Tanaya <3

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*The product was provided for consideration for a review. The opinions as always are my own and completely unbiased. 

Weekly Picks : Brush Off The Dupes.

Finally a weekly pick after so long! Just to make up for it I've got a good one. This one's extra special because I've been looking for these everywhere. Since you're here reading my blog I'm going to assume you love beauty and you know about all the latest products. Therefore, you've heard of the Real Techniques brushes that everyone's been raving about. Apparently these brushes take makeup application to a whole new level where everything looks flawless and perfect. Ever since the Real Techniques brushes became popular, the dupes for these brushes have started popping up everywhere. I was going to buy the real brushes at first but then I saw many beauty bloggers claim that these dupes not only look the same as the real brushes but they also work just as well. I have finally found the best set of these Real Techniques dupes (I call them dupes because calling them fake wouldn't be right. They aren't being advertised/marketed/sold as "real techniques" brushes and they don't even say so on the product itself. ) You get a set of these 5 brushes for $15.03 and I cannot wait to get them! I've already placed an order for my set and I think you would too if you see just how great a deal it is! 

Brush 1: similar to Real Techniques Stippling Brush. Cost: $10.00

Brush 2: similar to Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush. Cost: approx.$4.50

Brush 3: similar to Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. Cost: $9.00

Brush 4: similar to Real Techniques Blush Brush. Cost: $9.00

Brush 5: similar to Real Techniques Foundation/Contour Brush. Cost: $8.00

Total Cost of Real Techniques brushes: $40.50 

Cost of set that I found : $15.03

You can buy it here. Another option I found of exactly the same set was for $21.39 including shipping, which seems like a lovely deal too, on the Born Pretty Store. You can find the Born Pretty store in my right sidebar or you can buy it at Sammydress. 

Tell me what you think in the comments below! I'm sure I just made up for all the lack of posts with this detailed weekly pick. I hope you liked it and I hope you go get this set because that means I've helped you out in at least a little way in this world of beauty. Have a lovely day ahead and please don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, GFC,Bloglovin'(we're almost at my target of 50 followers), Polyvore and Instagram. 

Tanaya <3 

Victoria Jackson Foundation Review & Exclusive Discount!

Foundations are some of the most talked about beauty products. Ideally it shouldn’t be difficult to find the perfect foundation but with so many different formulations and packages and shades it’s like a great puzzle. This also makes it really difficult for makeup brands to come up with a great new foundation and makes me want to read more foundation review posts. I really like reading foundation reviews because they give me an idea of whether I would like the foundation or not before I even buy it.

Today I’m going to review 2 products by VICTORIA JACKSON so here we go :

Victoria Jackson Foundation Duo in Tan ($29.95) :  I love love love the packaging of these products! It’s sleek and simple and they don’t waste a lot of space either. The Duo comes with a little sponge applicator which is really soft and applies the product well. I never use sponges but I really like this one and it’s the only way to apply this foundation well. The coverage is very sheer and I wasn’t very impressed with it. However, this shade is definitely too dark for me (like 2 shades too dark) but as always It’s fun to improvise and I realized that it’s great for contouring or just adding a slightly bronzed glow. I thought this shade would be perfect for me but beware – as soon as you touch the product it turns darker somehow. Overall it’s a good product but nothing I would repurchase. The reason I think it is good is because it does everything (like contour, bronze and counter redness) that it isn’t marketed as excellently but fails to do the very thing it’s supposed to be doing.

Victoria Jackson Pressed Powder in Medium ($24.95) : Now this is my shade. If Medium is the right shade in pressed powder for you, you should go for Light in the Foundation Duo. I use this on the T-zone as a mattifying powder and it holds up very well! I would recommend this to anyone as a handbag product. The packaging is cute and tiny while being totally sleek and elegant. It’s a product you would love to pull out of your bag just to show off.

If you like these products you can find them online at here and until December 31, 2013 you can receive a discount of 20% off your total by using the code BLOG2013 . I would recommend that you get the Pressed Powder because after the foundation I didn’t expect much and it surprised me! Lovely product.

I hope you liked this review. Let me know what you think about it and whether you would be purchasing anything from this brand in the comments below because I love to hear from you guys.You can follow me on Twitter , Facebook , Bloglovin' and Polyvore. 

Tanaya <3 


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