Cle De Peau Beaute Concealer (beige) - before & after, swatches, review --- Is it worth $70?

Hello, Beautiful!

For years I've always wanted to try the Cle De Peau Concealer but I could never bring myself to pay $70 for a concealer. Over the years I've read and watched many reviews; most were very positive and a few that said it wasn't worth the price tag. Yet, even after all these years, I still lust after this concealer. I don't think I would have ever stopped if I didn't just try it for myself.

Is it worth the hype? Read below to find out all my thoughts on this concealer!

Cle De Peau Concealer Info & Review

Cost: $70.00 (0.17 oz / 5 g  full size)
Availability: Available on the Cle De Peau Beaute website, at Nordstrom, and everywhere else Cle De Peau Beaute is sold.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Kisses

PRODUCT DETAILS & CLAIMS...

A perennial makeup artist favorite, Cle De Peau Beaute concealer is highly editorialized and continues to win major awards year-after-year. Covers spots, freckles and dark circles to create a beautiful, even-toned complexion.

Enhanced with Revitalizing Moisture Complex to lock in moisture and smooth out texture. Blends sublimely to expertly conceal dark circles, spots and imperfections. High-performance powders ensure flawless skin in any light, providing maximum coverage with a smooth, even finish that does not crease.

Cle De Peau Concealer
Shade: Beige

I must of handled this concealer like a new born baby for the first few days of owning it. To me, this was my magical unicorn that I finally owned.

Let's start with looks.... here is what the box looks like.

As you can see from the above pic, I chose the shade Beige.

The actual concealer tube doesn't look very fancy or special; at least not compared to some pretty packaging that is out there on the market. For $70 you kind of expect a bit more, but I really can't complain. It's sleek, simple and classic. Your standard concealer in a lipstick tube packaging.

Aside from the small logo on the front, the only other markings on the outside is a sticker that has the shade name, size, shelf life, etc. You'd think for $70 the sticker would be placed on there straight... but it doesn't bother me; it's just something I find a bit funny.

The outside doesn't get very fancy except for the top that is a clear deep blue circle; I don't want to call it a gem, because it's not, but I don't know how else to describe it.

Here is what the concealer looks like fresh out the tube....

And here are swatches of the shade Beige.

As you can see below, it blends out beautifully.

One common complaint in almost every review I've read or watched was the lack of product for the price. Below is a pic of the concealer all the way twisted up. Keep in mind after you use it all up you can scoop out a good amount from the bottom of the tube; and you better believe for $70 I'm using every last possible ounce of this concealer!

Now let's move on to my before and after pics....

For the before, I simply removed the makeup I already had worn from the entire day and allowed my skin to fully dry. I forgot to add any moisturizer or eye cream, so my skin was pretty dry. As you can see by my skin texture, it's been pretty dehydrated thanks to being sick. Those dark circles though are a common issue for me, so concealer really has to perform to impress me. 

I took the before and afters from two different angles, which is why my under eye circles look much lighter in the bottom before picture. 

I didn't apply very much product, and I was so excited to use this that I didn't even bother to get a Beauty Blender or brush. Instead, I used my finger to blend the concealer - and I really hate to blend concealer with my finger, but this concealer did an excellent job at blending into my skin. You can click on the photo to see it even larger, to get a better idea on skin texture and coverage.

As you can see, I also had a pretty noticeable blemish - which I didn't even realize when I was applying this concealer under my eyes. If I had realized it was there I would have tried to cover it properly with concealer; I was just so focused on covering under my eyes. However, you can see a little concealer did get on the blemish and it did an okay job at covering it.

I was really impressed with the coverage on this concealer based on how little product I used. I was even more impressed on the blendability because of how dry my skin was.

The before and after pics were taken as a first impression, and pretty late at night. I only applied the concealer to that one eye too - just to take the pics. The real testing began the next morning, when I did my makeup for the day. I felt it applied even better (probably because my skin was properly moisturized and primed) and it left my under eye area flawless.

FINAL THOUGHTS...

Do I think this concealer is worth the hype? YES! This concealer is absolutely hyped for a reason. It works really well.... HOWEVER, I simply can't justify the price tag. In fact, I think this is pretty comparable to some other concealers already in my collection.

Don't get me wrong, this is an awesome concealer with full coverage, but I don't see why this is $70 other than you're paying for a name and maybe a few better ingredients.

First let's address the price; the $70 price tag alone makes it feel/seem out of reach for most of our beauty budgets - my own included (thank you Nordstrom credit card). It's a luxury item and using a luxury item can make you feel a certain way - not just about yourself but also about how you view the product. You almost go into it thinking it has to be amazing because of the price tag. It's also hard when you've heard so many amazing things over the years; seeing this concealer pop up into many top concealer lists time and time again. I tried hard not to let those points cloud my vision when doing my review.

Next, let's address application. It doesn't glide on like butter, but it's also not stiff as a board. It has a good amount of glide that allow you deposit the right amount of product. You can also choose to take a brush to the stick and apply from the brush if you don't want the concealer to touch your face. Since I'm only using this concealer on myself (and always on clean skin), I don't mind applying directly to my face.

The blendability of this concealer is really good! It melts into your skin and becomes one with it. I have no issues with blending, at all!

Let's take a second to talk about shade selection. I think this is the one thing (aside from price) that is truly lacking with this concealer. There are just 6 shades; which means not everyone will find their ideal match for their skintone. They say if you are a lighter skintone you can use the shade Honey underneath your concealer as a color corrector for truly dark areas.

Available in shades: Ivory, Almond, Beige, Ocher, Honey, Mocha.

The shade I chose, Beige, does have a slight pink undertone to it - which I can only notice because I have a yellow/olive undertone. Although according to the swatches I saw on the Cle De Peau website, it looked as though Almond was the more pink toned version - which is why I chose Beige. To be honest, Almond looks like the best undertone concealer from other swatches I've seen, and if I had money to blow, I'd pick that shade up as well. The way Cle De Peau puts their swatches in order, they have Almond before Beige, meaning Almond is lighter. But in some swatches I've seen online, Almond looks like the darker shade - which is why I also ordered Beige because I thought I'd rather have an under eye concealer be too light (and have a brightening/highlighting effect) than to be too dark.

Beige matches my skintone almost identically with the undertone being the only off thing about it. I think for a $70 concealer, this is one of those situations where I should have swatched and purchased in person, rather than online. I'd highly suggest if you can go in person to swatch this, you should. $70 is a lot to gamble; even with great return policies.

Now let's talk about wear... this concealer does NOT crease on me. I usually do struggle with some creasing if I don't set certain concealers fast enough (mainly liquid ones), but I could let this concealer sit for an hour or more without setting it and it won't crease. I'm not a spring chicken anymore... my skin is definitely feeling almost 32, especially under my under eyes. Over the past year I've noticed that my lack of eye cream application has really made a noticeable (bad) difference in the skin around my eyes. It's not that I don't ever apply eye cream, it's that I have been really lazy with skincare and that's one product I can easily skip/forget to do -- yet every time I do apply it I see/feel noticeable results almost right away and try to remind myself what a good thing it truly can be.

Anyway, this post isn't about eye cream... the point I was trying to make is that the skin under my eyes has changed a lot, and for this concealer not to crease is a dream.

While it says it locks in moisture, I don't find this to be a very moisturizing concealer at all. Like I mentioned, it doesn't glide on super buttery but it's not stiff either. I have read that some people with very dry under eyes do not like this concealer - so do keep that in mind and try to find reviews of this concealer from people in your age category if dry under eyes are a worry of yours. My under eyes are on the drier side, but not overly dry.

Do I think this is the ultimate concealer? No. Not really... I don't think I've even found that yet. But I do think all the hype is true. It's a great concealer. High coverage with little product, amazing blendability, and the fact it doesn't crease it a huge bonus.

If you've always wanted to try it, and have $70 to spare, I say go for it! You may be pleasantly surprised and love it. But if you're just looking for the ultimate concealer, I don't think this is the end all in concealers.

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this concealer? Have you tried this, or would you consider adding this to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine

Tom Ford Flawless Powder Foundation - shade 4.0 Fawn: before & after, swatches, complete review

Hello, Beautiful!

I don't know who I think I am lately, but I've been splurging on luxury makeup. But after my recent makeup purge -- which was my biggest purge yet (I purged over 1,200 items... over 700 went into my recent blog sale, the rest was given away) -- I decided to treat myself to some select luxury items. I have plenty of high-end makeup, but a handful of luxury makeup products in my collection.

Tom Ford definitely falls into the luxury makeup category with the average price of one item being in the $60 to $80 range; that's expensive! And that's also why up until very recently I had never purchased any of his makeup.

If there is one makeup category I am all for splurging on, it's a foundation (liquid or powder formula). So when I decided to try a Tom Ford item, I knew I wanted to try a foundation product. I'm currently still in love with my Marc Jacobs Remarcable Full Cover Foundation, so I didn't want to try another liquid foundation, but I did want to try a powder foundation. That's when I purchased the Tom Ford Flawless Powder Foundation. Did it live up to my expectations? Am I just paying for a name? Continue reading to find out all my thoughts...

Tom Ford Flawless Powder Foundation Info & Review

Cost: $80.00 (0.24 oz full size)
Availability: Available on the Tom Ford website, at Nordstrom, and everywhere else Tom Ford makeup is sold. 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Kisses


PRODUCT DETAILS AND CLAIMS...

This versatile foundation glides onto skin with a silky, light as air formula to create a flawless and natural-looking canvas for color. Designed to be worn as a buildable foundation offering light to medium coverage or as a luxurious finishing powder, it features micro-fine, light-reflecting powders for a luminous finish. Includes a special sponge applicator to build coverage or set the look. Use flocked white side for a sheer, natural finish. Use flat-sponge beige side for a full-coverage effect.

Currently available in 8 shades.

Tom Ford Flawless Powder Foundation
Shade: 4.0 Fawn

Here is what the front and back of the box looks like. Click on them to view larger.

 

The compact comes in a little suede pouch, which is a nice touch, but I will likely never use that pouch again. I've had products come with them before, even lipsticks, and they always end up tossed in the trash. I do plan to keep it though to use it for maybe travel to if I take this palette with me it would be a nice way to help protect it, and I guess an $80 powder is worth the extra level of protection. 

The compact is your typical Tom Ford compact size and look (same size/look as his shadow quads).

It comes with a duo-sided sponge applicator....

The flocked side is for a more sheer application of powder - great for touch-ups too.

While the sponge side will give a fuller coverage....

I chose the shade 4.0 Fawn. I had a really hard time narrowing down to one shade because I know the pics online don't really add up to what it looks like in person, and I don't have a Tom Ford counter near me to go swatch these in person. After some research, I decided that the shade Fawn would work best for me. It actually is a really perfect shade match for me! For reference, in MAC I'm NC25/NC30.

Below are several Before & After pics. Click on the pic below to view them larger. 

I applied it with the sponge side to get the coverage, and it's just one layer. You could build it up. For me, I was really impressed with the coverage on its own. It certainly can give you a good medium coverage. It's not a full/complete coverage. I have read that you can wet the sponge and apply it that way to get fuller coverage, but this foundation does not list its use as wet/dry, so I certainly won't risk ruining an $80 powder when I am happy with the coverage and how I'm using it.

I actually purchased this to use as a finishing powder to give my face a flawless, airbrushed look. But I ended up also being happy wearing it on its own. If I need to just run a quick errand I don't feel like I have to do my normal foundation routine and can instead just apply this powder foundation in about 30 seconds and be out the door.

When worn on its own you won't even feel it on your skin. It's incredibly light weight, silky smooth and looks really nice. Gives your skin a healthy look; not a flat matte that a lot of powders can give you. As the day goes on it looks more and more luminous. Doesn't look heavy or cakey at all. On me, it lasts (without a primer) for about 4 hours before I notice I need to touch-up - but even at that point you don't really need to touch it up. If anything, you may want to blot and you're good for another 1 to 3 hours. But I don't find it's very long wearing (and has no claims to be). It certainly can wear a decent length of time before you need a touch-up, especially if you use a primer and a setting spray, but just on its own you shouldn't expect it to look perfect for more than 4 to 5 hours.

This powder doesn't control oil, but it also doesn't have any claims to help with oil control - so I wasn't expecting it to control oil, but I also don't have really oil skin. My skin is combo, and more dry than anything, and I still see shine as the day goes on. If you have oily skin I don't think this is the best powder for you, unless you want to top it with an additional powder (a translucent setting powder, to help control oil). This would be best for those with normal, combo or dry skin. So pretty much anyone except those with oily skin. Slightly oily skin (meaning you fall into the combo skin category) may still love this powder. 

THE FINAL VERDICT...

I think this powder formula is beautiful - both in the texture and how it looks on your skin. It can look great on its own or as a finishing powder to give your skin that final/extra layer of flawlessness. The shade selection isn't the best; only 8 shades (currently) but I was lucky enough to fall perfectly in the 4.0 Fawn shade. If you can find your shade this powder is a nice luxury.

However, for $80 I do wish it was longer lasting and did a bit more of oil control. Those are my only two cons to this powder, and it's why I only gave this a 4 out 5 Kisses rating. If it just lasted longer I would have given this a 5 out 5 Kisses easily.

This powder is one that I really have been enjoying but I'm not sure if it's one I will re-purchase just because $80 is a lot of money and I feel like I can get longer wear from cheaper powders. Still, this is one luxury powder I'm going to enjoy having in my collection and it certainly is nice enough that I don't want to return it.

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this powder? Have you tried this, or would you consider adding this to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine

PUR Minerals Love Your Selfie Palette: swatches, before & after, and photo tutorial!

Hello, Beautiful!

Pur Minerals recently came out with their Love Your Selfie travel-friendly kit, which is part of their Fall 2015 collection. They were kind enough to send me two; one I am giving away on my Instagram (giveaway ends September 7, 2015). I couldn't wait to swatch this palette and get to playing! I've been using it now for a couple of weeks so I've formed a good opinion on it.

This kit is filled with eight limited edition eyeshadows, their #1 selling lip gloss and mascara, and their top selling powders (Mineral Glow Bronzer, Savvy Blush, Afterglow Illuminating Powder).

They want you to share your selfie on Instagram by using the hashtag #PURselfie

Pur Minerals Love Your Selfie Palette Info & Review

Cost: $39.00
Availability: Available on the Pur Minerals website and at Ulta (in-store and online).

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Kisses

Pur Minerals Love Your Selfie
Travel-Friendly Kit
Includes: Eight eyeshadows (Exposure, Fade, Filter, Photobomb, Flash, Capture, Sepia, Closeup), Mineral Glow Bronzer, Savvy Blush, Afterglow Illuminating Powder, Big Look Mascara (black), and Chateau Kisses Lip Plumping Lip Gloss in Exposed.

Here is what the front of the palette looks like:

And here is what the back of the palette looks like:

This is what the back of the box (that the palette comes in) looks like. The front of the box looks exactly like the front of the palette so I didn't think I needed a second photo of that (since they looked identical) 

Here's a look at what the inside of the palette looks like. On the inside of the front of the palette is a mirror.

You get eight shadows, plus a bronzer, blush and illuminator. Nestled in this palette is a mascara (on the left) and a lip gloss (on the bottom). You can keep them in there if you are traveling (hence the name, Travel-Friendly Kit) or keep them out separate (which is my preference, as I have an insanely organized makeup collection and storage).

You'll also receive a look card that includes two looks: Earlybird (daytime look) and Slumber (nighttime look). I did do a photo tutorial later in this blog post, and it's not either of these looks. It's just the first look I did with this palette, upon first using it. Any looks you do make with this palette, upload them to Instagram and hashtag them #PURselfie

Here is a closer look at the eight included shadows. They are all nicely pigmented. The texture is nice too, and they blend out nicely. They're all very wearable shades, and I'm glad they included a matte black - which I think is a must-have in any palette. I also like the  four basic matte shades. You also get three shimmer shades, that are really nice; Flash and Filter are gorgeous lid shades, while Photobomb is that pop of plum shimmer that can really take your look to another level.

Here are descriptions of each shade (from the Pur Minerals website):

• Exposure  - vanilla matte
• Fade - sandy peachy brown matte
• Filter - rose gold shimmer
• Photobomb - dark plum shimmer with black flecks
• Flash - champagne shimmer
• Capture - taupe matte
• Sepia - milk chocolate matte
• Closeup - muted black matte

Each shadow is 0.04 oz

Here are the swatches of the shades. They are swatched over non-primed skin and applied with my finger. I really love Capture as a crease shade; it's perfect! Filter and Flash are prefect shimmer lid shades. When applied wet (I use a makeup setting spray), they look even more beautiful.

Then you have your Mineral Glow Bronzer, Savvy Blush and Afterglow Illuminating Powder.

Each powder pan is 0.08 oz

The bronzer is warm toned, but doesn't pull orange on me. It's not a matte, but it's also not a shimmer. There is a slight sheen to it that allows your skin to have that glow.
The blush is nice; your standard soft pink shade. I like that it's a matte, which is a plus, but it's not my favorite shade of pink on my skin tone. It's not intensely pigmented - making it a softer look - which is good if you are heavy handed when applying your blush. You can build it up if you prefer a more noticeable blush look.
The Afterglow Illuminating Powder is gorgeous! I used it as a my inner corner shade in my eye look tutorial below. It's also really pretty on the skin, used on top of cheek bones!

Here are the swatches:

You also get their Chateau Kisses Lip-Plumping Lip Gloss in the shade Exposed. This is a nude shade, which Pur Minerals describes as a pinky nude. It's definitely has pink undertones to it, but I think I see more peach. Especially on my lips. I think the shade is pretty and is a perfect pairing with this palette. Goes on really smooth and has nice pigmentation. I didn't notice too much plumping, but the shine made my lips look great! Non-sticky.

This gloss is 0.14 oz

I like the thin, flat, longer doe-foot applicator. It makes applying this gloss easy without needing to re-dip.

The swatch shows how it is a pinky nude shade. There are peach undertones to it too.

But on my lips it pulls darker, but still peachy. I lose most of the pinky tones that the swatch has.

And finally, you get their Big Look Mascara. For me, I liked this mascara, but I know how it can greatly vary from person to person. The formula is wet, so if you prefer dry mascaras you may want to let this dry out a bit first. I think it's perfect; I prefer wet mascaras though. The wand is rubberized, which isn't my favorite (they can hurt!) but I didn't experience any of the pain associated with rubberized wands (such as how Benefit's They're Real Mascara can hurt sometimes!).

The mascara is 0.12 oz

Below is my Before & After using the mascara. I was really happy with the results. It was a nice black shade, provided length and a little volume too.

And if you want to see the very first look I did with this palette, then here is a photo tutorial for you. I tried to explain the steps in addition to showing you what I did. I'm not great at creating photo tutorials, so hopefully it's not too bad and you can follow along (if you like the end result, of course).

I also only used this palette and nothing else; since there is no eyeliner included in the kit, I used the matte black as an outer corner liner. You could take it all the way in if you wanted. Typically though, I would use a liquid or gel liner to form a wing but I kept the look soft and with just the products included in the palette.

Also, studio lights tend to wash out colors, so keep that in mind. In person they were much more vibrant and more smokey in tone. It looks much softer in the photos than in real life. 

You can click on each photo to view them larger.

So there is a complete review and summary of the Pur Minerals Love Your Selfie palette!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this palette? Have you tried this, or would you consider adding this to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. However, these products were sent to me for consideration. I am not being paid to make this post, nor has the company influenced me in any way. I have made this post because I wanted to, not because I had to. These are my honest opinions, thoughts and experiences.