Enter to Win: Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder Instagram Giveaway

I can't believe that it's already fall. Yes, it is my favorite season - the cooler weather; the darker makeup; the thoughts of being able to layer my clothes and throw on some booties - the possibilities are endless. So I figured now was a good time to give away one of my favorite bronzing compacts the Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes.

The Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder has four matte shades that you can use for bronzing and contouring. Normally, I would use a compact that was fully one shade but I have a hard time as a woman of color finding a good bronzer that doesn't run red on my skin tone and the Guerlain bronzers are a god send. With that said, we all know their bronzers can be a bit pricey to purchase especially when I change shade throughout the winter/summer. So I found the 4 seasons Terracotta bronzer which is a great deal for me because it was only $76 on Sephora, I was able to use a coupon and it gives me 4 shades to choose from throughout the year. 

Knowing how hard it was for me to find a high end bronzer, I wanted to hook two of you up with your very own in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes (I ordered three when I purchased - yes, I stick by my statement of my favorites become your favorites). Now onto the Instagram giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

It’s time to giveaway this high end Guerlain prize to two lucky Instagram followers! The prize includes:

• Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Contour and Bronzing Powder in color 05 Moyen - Brunettes ($76)

1. You must follow @candycoatedclosets on Instagram.

2. In the comments on this Instagram photo, tag three friends so they can learn about all of the fun we have on here.

3. You can enter up to 5 times with a new set of tagged friends in each comment.

That’s it!

Contest runs from Thursday, September 22, 2016 and ends Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 11:59pm est. Two winners will be randomly chosen from those who commented (not those tagged within the comments) and announced within 48 hours of the contest ending.

No giveaway/spam profiles & profile must be set to public by the end of the contest so we can ensure that you are following @candycoatedclosets. Open internationally; 18+, to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.

Make sure that you click on the links above if you want to learn more about this amazing product from the giveaway!

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AJ Crimson Beauty Review: Creme Foundation in 4/6.5 + 4.5/7, Nude Lipsticks and Loose Finishing Powder Review and Swatches

AJ Crimson has created an amazing line of foundations for colors of all skin tones. When we visited his last event - Beyond Beauty, Building Your Beauty Business – a Multicultural Beauty Event - AJ spoke about the creation of his beauty brand and how it was borne out of necessity. "I felt like there was an absolute need to bring product to women that actually worked and didn't oxide or change. I wanted to create a product inclusive of women of all ethnicities, a product all women could find ownership in and believe in. So often, makeup has been designed with a one size fits all mentality, and with black women and women of color, my cosmetic line contains shades for women of every ethnic background and skin tone." - AJ Crimson There really isn't much more that I can say that AJ didn't so let's dive into some swatches and review shall we?

I ordered two of dual skin creme foundations in the warm 4/6.5 compact and the deep 4.5/7 compact along with 3 nude lipsticks and a loose finishing powder.

First, let's look at the dual skin creme foundation compacts. Here is the warm 4/6.5 compact.                                                                     Photo taken with LED lights and flash

(Photo taken with LED lights and flash)

(Photo taken with LED lights and no flash)

(Photo taken outside in natural lighting)

Here is the deep 4.5/7 compact.

 (Photo taken with LED lights and flash)

(Photo taken with LED lights and flash)

(Photo taken with LED lights and no flash)

(Photo taken outside in natural lighting)

Here are all 4 shades swatched next to one another for a better comparison. This gives you a better idea of which ones have more of a yellow, golden or red undertone.

(Photo taken with LED lights and flash) (Photo taken outside in natural lighting)

And as usual, here is a live video of the foundations in different lighting (inside and natural sunlight to help you).

[embed]https://youtu.be/CMEoJch-YFY[/embed]

Next, is the loose finishing powder in neutral matte. You can use this to set your foundation and absorb shine. (Photo taken with LED lights and flash. I blended it out as we move further right in the photo so you can see how it it applies once you pick it up and how it blends out.)

And now for the unfiltered test (oh the things I do for you guys). Here is a super upclose (unfiltered and unedited) photo of me testing out the warm 4/6.5 compact and loose finishing powder. I only set my underneath my eyes with the neutral loose finishing powder and didn't set my face because I wanted to see how the creme foundation performed on its own. I love the full coverage that you get with this foundation and contour shade, especially because I didn't put on any concealer and I have extremely dark circles that were covered with just the "4" foundation shade. The only thing that I would change in the future is to make sure to use a mattifying primer and mattifying setting spray because I felt "too shiny" in this photo - however, it was very hot the night I reviewed this foundation and my studio lights are insanely hot - so I am going to test it out and post a few updates once I do that.

Lastly, I picked out 3 lipsticks that were designed to be the perfect matte (creamy) nude for any skin tone. From left to right, we have #Nude, #PerfectSelfie and #NoFilter.                                                           (Photo taken with LED lights and flash)

(Photo taken with LED lights and no flash)

(Photo taken with LED lights and flash)

(Photo taken with LED lights and no flash)

(Photo taken outside in natural lighting)

I must say...it is refreshing to wear some creamy matte lipsticks that aren't liquid lipstick! My favorite of the three nude shades is definitely #NoFilter.

Whew! This post was definitely photo heavy but I really wanted to feature these foundation shades to help some of you that are having a hard time finding the right match for your skin tone and undertone. If you are or looking to try something new in your routine, definitely head to AJ Crimson Beauty.

Tarte Cosmetics x Makeup Shayla Contour Palette Review & Swatches

Tarte Cosmetics recently teamed up with beauty vlogger Makeup Shayla for a collaboration that caters to women of color. And for the love of melanin, I must say - yesssssssssssss! It's about time that multi-billion dollar companies started listening to women of color and giving us products that cater to our skin tones .

The Tarteist contour palette ($45) was designed specifically for contouring, sculpting and highlighting darker skin tones. It is cruelty free, made in the USA and comes in purple and gold packaging. Once you remove it from the outer packaging, you will have a gold circular palette that is about the size of your hand. It features six circular pans - five of which have a net weight of 4.5 g / 0.16 Oz. x5 and one smaller glow pan which has a net weight of 1.90 g / 0.067 Oz. The 6 contouring shades includes:

1. Highlight (champagne shimmer highlighter)
2. Correct (matte yellow correcting powder)
3. Soft contour (tan to deep skin tones)
4. Deep contour (deep to rich skin tones)
5. Accentuate (peachy blush)
6. Glow (shimmer bronzer but I use as another highlighter)

The shades are incredibly soft and buttery. I used this palette four times (so far at the time of publishing) so I can tell you that you're going to have a little bit of product fall out when you pick up a lot of a color onto your brush because they are so soft. Here are different types of swatches:

Swatch pictures aren't enough for you? Ok, well here is a live swatch video of it in natural day light.

[embed]https://youtu.be/0_sxRUGizBo[/embed]

When using this palette, I used the lighter contour shade to contour my nose and it gave it a very nice, natural contour. I used the darker contour shade to add dimension to my cheekbones and rounded chubby face. My favorite part about this palette is the highlighters. Linda listen...

I know you weren't expecting that type of a picture but I had to show you the highlight bling while I was testing it out (and practicing filming hair tutorials for YouTube). :-D I also have the blush and both contours on in this shot.

Sorry for the sucky last still shot. My Sony ended up overheating and I had to run out to do errands so my hair is all in my face buuut can you see that highlight peeking through?! On my lips I am wearing Kami Cosmetics Rich Girl.

In addition to a contour palette, you can also use it as an eyeshadow palette to create a natural glam look. Overall, I am happy that I purchased this, since I can use it for multiple reasons and use it to set my cream contours. If I had to give it a rating, I'd give it an 8 out of 10 - for my skin tone (for reference I am MAC NC50). The only reason that I am knocking off 2 stars is because I don't feel like all of the colors are deep enough for darker women (maybe around NW43's - 50's) so I would recommend going into Sephora or Ulta to test this baby out to see if it's a must have for you. However, the collector and woc supporter in me still wants to say no, buy it online immediately before it sells out lol.

[Edited for an update] It is available on Sephora.com now.

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Too Faced Cosmetics Cocoa Contour Palette - Review & Swatches On A Woman of Color

Lift cheekbones, look instantly slimmer, or sculpt like a celebrity with Too Faced's Cocoa Contour Palette ($40).

This is the original set that first launched in 2014 and it includes the two essential sculpting shades, a matte highlighter and a luminous pop of light for a contoured look that never looks flat. The powders are infused with the antioxidant-rich Exclusive Cocoa Complex that blend together seamlessly and indulge you with a decadent chocolate scent. It also features a Contour Buki Brush for the most professional sculpting effect.

I'll be honest, I wasn't a big fan of this palette because it is way too light for my skin tone (see the pics below). However, Too Faced has recently released a darker version of this palette - one that is more designed with deeper complexions  in mind (I will post a separate review on that).

Left to right: Light Cocoa, Medium Cocoa, Dark Cocoa and Pop of Light. 

Overall, if this palette matches your skin tone, it is a good one to use to start learning how to contour and to use for light definition in the summer heat.

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