Fabulous Finds - Yves Rocher's Holiday Limited Editions

 The wonderfully generous ppl at Yves Rocher recently sent me another AMAZING  box of products to try a couple of weeks ago.  It's so funny, I'll be honest until they first started sending me things to sample and review I was not at all familiar w/ their makeup line (I don't even know if I knew they had one).  Now, several of their products have worked their way into being mainstays in my daily makeup bag!  Plus, their prices are totally reasonable.

So now onto the new stuff...okay, they sent me SO MANY things.  So basically, I'm just going to touch on a few of my favs...and talk about a few things I think could be improved (hey there's always room for improvement ;) ).

First off, I'll touch on one of the first things that's now going on my face the Perfect Primer.  I really like this primer.  It doesn't feel heavy on my skin and it doesn't roll or make my skin feel too slippery like some primers can.  I feel like it does smooth out my skin and "prime" it for foundation.  What I like most about the "Pinky Complexion" primer I received is that I feel it really gives my skin a nice glow (but not shiny glow), just brightens it up which is good w/ Winter coming when my skin starts to look dull.  I notice on their site they have an "Apricot Complexion" as well...I'd definitely be interested in trying that one out too!  Plus it's only $14 which for a primer is a steal!  One thing I would say though is that this primer is probably only for light to medium skin tones.  I don't think it would really work on girls darker than that.

Speaking of glow I also received a couple of illuminating/highlighting products...and I really liked them both!  First, there is the Illuminating Pearls - which is a little container of different pastel coloured balls or "pearls" that you swirl your blush brush into and then sweep onto the areas you want to highlight - cheekbones, chin, brow bone etc.  If you've always wanted to try the Guerlain Meteorites Powder for the Face but couldn't bear the over $60 price tag definitely look into Illuminating Pearls which is a much more affordable at just under $14.

The other illuminator is called Radiant Glow Fluid Foundation.  Now I definitely wouldn't say use this in place of foundation but it would be good to mix a drop or two of it w/ your foundation to give you skin a nice glow and beat that Winter dullness.  Also, I think it would look beautiful in photo shoots on camera.  It's not overly sparkly like a lot of highlighting products and just creates a nice glow to the skin...plus I  know a lot of artists these days are trying to rely less on powdered products and get their results w/ more cream or liquid based products in which case this product would be great.

Now onto lips!  I was given 3 lip products to try.  First I got the Moisturizing Cream Lipstick in Velvet Red. Now we all know I LOVE my red lipstick and I can definitely see this shade being a universally flattering colour.  Sort of similar to a MAC Russian Red but not quite as blue/red or bright if that makes sense.  It feels great on the lips.  I don't mind a matte lipstick but for those that do you'll be happy to know this isn't matte and does have a slight sheen to it but definitely not glossy and definitely not for the faint of heart as the colour is intense! But it is creamy and it feels nice on the lips!

I also really like the Sexy Plump Volume Gloss I received in Taupe Rose.  It's a great nude gloss to either wear alone or layer over your fav. nude lipstick.  Sometimes I find nude colours can be a bit too nude or brown but this one is balanced out nicely w/ just a touch of rose so it doesn't wash you out or make your lips look to nude.

The final lip product I received was the Gloss in Cashmere Pink.  I really like how Yves Rocher's gloss do not feel sticky on the lips at all!  In fact they feel really nice and smooth.  I just wasn't crazy about the colour they sent me w/ this one.  It was a bit too light pink for my tastes as I think I would have preferred the more flashy Pomegranate colour but there are a lot of woman out there that I think would actually love the Cashmere Pink colour as a great, sheer light pink gloss.

I also got sent some Yves Rocher brushes which was a really nice treat!  I really LOVE the foundation brush they sent me and it's quickly become my go to foundation brush in my makeup kit on set (I don't really use a foundation brush on myself).  I've actually never even been a huge fan of foundation brushes but this one may just be changing my opinion on that front.  Again, very affordable at $14!  The powder brush is also a good brush if you're looking for a bit of a stiffer powder brush...definitely not a super fluffy brush but again it all depends what you're looking for in a brush and what the job calls for...sometimes you want stiffer sometimes you want fluffier!  I also really like the retractable lip brush - great travel lip brush and great for reapplying those perfect red lips w/ my new Velvet Red lipstick ;)

Now they all can't be winners, I think the product was I was least impressed w/ was the Sexy Pulp Ultra-Volume Mascara.  I'll be honest it just didn't give me the volume I wanted even after 2 or 3 coats.  Now, I will admit I do like a full lash (even during the day) so maybe this would be a good mascara for someone who wants a more natural lash but when  you call something ultra volume I expect ultra volume and this mascara just wasn't delivering that in  my books :(  My fear is that I'm now addicted to the overly expensive Givenchy Noir Couture Mascara I reviewed a couple of weeks ago lol!

The next product isn't a complete flop...in fact the product itself isn't bad.  It's just WAY TOO MUCH fragrance!  The product I'm talking about is the Velvety Loose Powder.  I actually like it for a loose powder but boy does it have a strong perfumy fragrance.  I don't even mind fragrance in my makeup products but this one I find rather strong...and there are a lot of ppl that can't use or don't like fragranced makeup products so I def. think this would not work for them.  Like I said I actually like the product but just wish the fragrance wasn't so strong as I think it could offend or turn away a lot of ppl!

So overall some really great stuff in this collection and definitely worth checking out if you've never heard of or tried Yves Rocher's makeup line before!