| Review | AURIC Cosmetics Smoke Reflect Cream + Powder Eye Shadow Duo 

I'm usually not one to jump on an Influencer's brand but Samantha Ravndahl is one of the very few Influencers I enjoy watching and admire. She has always been honest and real about her thoughts and opinions about brands and products, which is something I appreciate so much. As many of you may know, I am also not one to "pull punches" when it comes to being honest in my reviews. So, naturally, I will be putting all my honest thoughts out there about this formula. 

These eye duos are obviously reminiscent of one of my favorite products, the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color, which I know Samantha is a big fan of as well! While I didn't need more eyeshadows in my collection, I had to try just one of these to compare them with the Tom Ford eyeshadows. I have very high hopes for this formula and I expect that this shade range will expand soon enough. 

The AURIC Cosmetics Smoke Reflect Cream + Powder Eye Shadow Duo retails for $39.00 USD and is available at AURIC Cosmetics. These eyeshadow duos are housed in a stacking packaging with a tub of cream eyeshadow on the bottom and the powder eyeshadow on top with a flip-top cover. The upper section contains a small mirror, which is a nice touch and in a pinch will be helpful but it is still quite small for use. 

The bottom tub that houses the cream eyeshadow is frosted glass and the only issue with the glass packaging is that the cream eyeshadow doesn't like to adhere to it and has a tendency to stick to the plastic insert covering the cream eyeshadow. This is an issue that Samantha did address in a live stream. This did happen to mine when it arrived. The whole cream eyeshadow was stuck to the top insert. It did settle down after tapping the container and leaving it to sit upright for a while. It isn't a huge issue but more of a minor annoyance. I really do love the glass packaging because it feels so luxurious and looks so beautiful. 

This is the same packaging style as the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Colors. It is a nice and convenient packaging for use and travel. The AURIC Smoke Reflect comes with 1.65 g/0.058 oz. of powder eyeshadow and 5 g/0.176 oz. compared to the Tom Ford duos, which come with .07 oz powder eyeshadow and .24oz of the cream. You definitely get a bit more product for a lower price, since the Tom Ford one retails for $65.00 USD.

SHADES 

For this initial brand launch, there are currently only three shades but I can see an expansion of this shade range as the brand grows. All the shades seem to very wearable and suitable for all skin tones. Each duo comes with a cream eyeshadow and a coordinating sheer powder eyeshadow that can be layered or used individually. 

Temper (cream) - While described as rose gold, this shade is more of a rosy bronze. It is much deeper than what I consider rose gold and the base is very neutral. In the container, it looks rose gold but on the skin, it is much more bronze, which is slightly disappointing but it actually makes it a great standalone shade. It looks really great on a wide variety of skin tones as a one-shade look and I think that's the intention of this eye duo. 

Temper (powder) - The shimmer top coat eyeshadow appears to be a peachy-rose gold shade but when layered on the Temper cream eyeshadow, it appears more golden with silvery shimmers. 

Swatches from left to right: Temper (cream), Temper (powder), Layered

COMPARISON SWATCHES 

The obvious comparison here is to the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color in Golden Peach but the two are very different. The AURIC Temper duo is much more of a rosy bronze and the Tom Ford is a warm pink shade with a gold topper shade, which appears much more golden than the AURIC. I own pretty much all the cream eye duos and cream shadows from Tom Ford and none of the shades compare to this one. 

Swatches from left to right: Temper (cream), Temper (powder), Layered, Golden Peach (cream), Golden Peach (powder), Layered

FORMULA 

Cream Eyeshadow 

The cream eyeshadow has an emollient thick mousse texture. It looks a lot like the Tom Ford formula; however, the Tom Ford formula is not as thick and has more of a gel texture than mousse. This slightly thicker mousse texture applies well with both fingers and brushes. However, it can be a little difficult to pick up a little bit of product with a brush without picking up a little clump, fingers are probably the ideal means of application. I still like using a brush but you have to kind of press the brush down on the back of your hands to even it out on the brush so, that it will be easier to apply.

The cream eyeshadow is incredibly creamy and mousse-like, it makes the cream very easy to apply and blends evenly across the eyes. The cream just glides across the skin and it doesn't look patchy or emphasize texture on the skin. A lot of this has to do with the soft luminous finish. The cream eyeshadow has no visible pieces of shimmer and while it looks quite luminous in the container, the finish is much softer on the skin. The formula is also very pigmented and you only need the very smallest dot of product to cover the entire lid. 

This formula doesn't seem to crease, even when I applied it to a bare lid without primer and my eyes are hooded. In fact, my eyelids actually fold, so I tend to get bad creasing with certain formulas but this one didn't crease on me at all! This formula is also very long-lasting, wearing for beyond 8 hours with minimal to no creasing or fading during that time. I didn't notice any fading or creasing when I wore it for about 10 hours. 

Powder Eyeshadow 

The powder eyeshadow is very tightly pressed into the pan but can still be picked up by a brush. This formula works well with both fingers and a brush but with a brush, you will need to press a bit harder and shimmy the brush back and forth to pick up enough shimmer. The shimmers are quite fine, they add brightness and a little twinkle to the eyes but without emphasizing texture.

The eyeshadow is very sheer and doesn't add a lot of color but when applied on top of the cream eyeshadow it does change the color slightly. Applied alone on the lids, you can get an etheral translucent sparkle across the eyes. These shimmers adhere very well to the skin, even without the cream eyeshadow on the lids. You can get 8 hours of wear out of this powder eyeshadow. 

THE LOOK 

Please try to ignore the fact that one of my false lashes is falling off in the picture. For this look, I used the three matte shades from the Tom Ford Sous Le Sable Eye Color Quad (review here) in the crease of my eyes for definition. I, then, applied the AURIC Temper Cream Shadow across my lid and the Powder Shadow on the very center of my lid. You can see that the cream eyeshadow on the lid looks much more bronze and the very center with the powder eyeshadow looks quite golden. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

I am very impressed with this formula! It is just as good as the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color formula! It has a beautifully smooth and creamy whipped texture that is such a delight to use and work with. The finish and colors of these cream eyeshadows are versatile and can be used alone or combined with other eyeshadows. The sparkling topper contains a beautiful fine shimmer and sparkle that looks amazing alone or on top of the cream. Overall, these duos are truly luxurious and perform so well! I have no complaints about these and I plan on picking up more shades. I think if you're looking for Tom Ford quality at a lower price, these are excellent alternatives. These are so delightful to use and they really do look good on everyone! I love the sophisticated formula of these eyeshadows and how they flatter all ages. They are so great for a quick and polished look and I can't recommend them enough! I am definitely planning on picking up other shades from the range and I'm excited to see if there are new shades to come! 

 

| Review | AURIC Cosmetics Glow Lust Radiant Luminizer 

I'm usually not one to jump on an Influencer's brand but Samantha Ravndahl is one of the very few Influencers I enjoy watching and admire. She has always been honest and real about her thoughts and opinions about brands and products, which is something I appreciate so much. As many of you may know, I am also not one to "pull punches" when it comes to being honest in my reviews. So, naturally, I will be putting all my honest thoughts out there about this formula. 

Honestly, she had me at "glow" but after seeing various videos with the gorgeous texture and formula, I knew I had to have these liquid illuminators! The brand is definitely in the luxury category of the beauty industry, which I think many people were turned off by because it is an influencer launch. However, I don't think the fact that she is an Influencer should affect the quality of her products. If she has formulated it for a luxury market, then I don't think we should have a problem with paying for a high-quality and unique product. 

PRICE & PACKAGING

The AURIC Cosmetics Glow Lust Radiant Luminizer retails for $45.00 USD and is available at AURIC Cosmetics. These liquid highlighters are housed in beautifully luxurious, heavy, and chic frosted glass bottles. The cap is matte black with a beautiful gold dripping emblem to suit the luxurious brand's style and message. Their message is "Golden Together", they believe in accepting, encouraging, and promoting all different versions of beauty. 

The outer cap covering the pump is on the bottle very tight, which I really appreciate because I don't know how many foundation or liquid highlighter bottles have caps that break and no longer nap back on. Also, this is great for traveling or taking the product with you because it minimizes the chances of spillage. These bottles have a beautiful pump dispense mechanism! The pump really allows you to control exactly how much you want. It doesn't force you to pump out an excessive amount of product. It also doesn't get messy at the tip after dispense, like some other pumps. 

SHADES 

This highlighter collection contains all adaptable skin tone shades. This range currently contains 7 shades that range from fair to very deep. Again, these are meant to be adaptable shades because they're highlighters and not a foundation or base product. I purchased two shades because I wanted one that suited my skin tone and one that was slightly lighter for a stronger highlight. 

I think the decision to create highlighters that are skin toned is not only ingenious but unique! There are so many shimmering champagnes, golds, and pink highlighters out there but depending on the tone, they will only suit a limited range of skin tones but not ones designed with skin-toned coloring. Also, the skin toned highlighters are much more versatile for a variety of uses and suitable for all skin tones. 

Selenite - This is the shade that is slightly lighter than my skin tone but it isn't too light or stark on my skin tone. This shade is a light and soft beige with a very subtle peachy tone. 

Pyrite - This is the shade that suits my skin tone. This shade is a warm, subtly yellow-toned medium beige color. 

Straight from the bottle - Swatches from left to right: Selenite, Pyrite

Heavily Swatched - Swatches from left to right: Selenite, Pyrite

Blended - Swatches from left to right: Selenite, Pyrite

Blended - Swatches from left to right: Selenite, Pyrite, Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in 04

Blended - Swatches from left to right: Selenite, Pyrite, Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in 04

Blended - Swatches from left to right: Selenite, Pyrite, Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in 04

FORMULA 

This formula is surprisingly pigmented for a highlighter but this is something I love about it! The pigment and tint this highlighter offers the skin is a little less than a tinted moisturizer. This isn't the most accurate statement since tinted moisturizers vary in pigment but it has a little less pigment than the average tinted moisturizer. The tint can cover faint redness and very minor imperfections, just very subtly perfecting the skin. It isn't designed to cover or perfect but it is one of the benefits of this pigmented skin tone formula. The pigment is strong enough to slightly alter your skin tone or your foundation color. I don't mind this because I often use liquid illuminating products with tints to change the coloring of my foundation or to give me a little bronze glow. 

The glowing finish of this highlighter is intense yet very soft. This formula doesn't have visible particles of shimmer. The mica in this formula is extremely fine and when combined with the skin tone pigment, the shimmers are undetectable. The highlighter just leaves a soft pearlescent finish on the skin and doesn't emphasize texture or pores. The fine reflects diffuse imperfections and leave the skin with an ethereal and surreal glowing finish to the skin. The formula perfects the skin so nicely that you can go without concealing minor imperfections. The glow is a little more noticeable than a natural finish but I would say it still looks quite natural.

This versatile formula allows you to use it in a variety of ways, which is what I appreciate about this formula. Let's talk about the different ways this formula can be used. 

Mixed with Skincare, Moisturizer, or SPF 

This is the sheerest and most natural way to wear this formula. When mixed into a moisturizer or skincare product, you will add both a tint and glow to your normal routine. It also sheers out the highlighter formula when mixed so, it softens the intensity of the glow. 

Worn Alone 

When applied alone, onto the skin, the glowing finish is at its full intensity and offers the most coverage, perfecting the skin. While the finish is the most intense, it still maintains a very natural look due to the skin-toned pigments in this formula. It also offers just enough coverage to cover light areas of redness and pigmentation. On a good skin day, this may be all you need all over your skin or just on the high points of the face. 

Pyrite on bare skin

Pyrite on bare skin

Worn Under Foundation 

Depending on how pigmented your foundation is and the finish of your foundation, this may be the most subtle way to wear this highlighter. Since the highlighter isn't as strong, shimmery, or as intense as a typical highlighter when worn under foundation, it is muted and creates natural lit from within glow. If you have a very sheer or already dewy foundation, this highlighter will only enhance the glow to the skin. 

Pyrite worn under foundation

Pyrite worn under foundation

Mixed with Foundation

When mixed into foundation, this formula will subtly alter the coloring of your foundation. So, if you don't want it to, use less highlighter and use the one that is closest to your skin tone. If you use a lighter or darker one, you can use it to alter foundations that aren't suiting your skin at the moment. I really enjoy this formula for that reason because my skin tone changes so much throughout the year. When mixed into a natural-finish foundation, the glow is much more subtle. This, of course, depends on the finish of your foundation and the ratio you've decided to mix into your foundation. 

What I love about using these particular highlighters mixed into foundation is that they mix so well with foundations. Since they are skin tone, it doesn't look like you mixed in an illuminator into your base. Typical liquid highlighters with champagne or pink tones can look very stark or alter the look of your base. These don't alter your base dramatically but they just add a little glow. 

As a Targeted Highlight 

As a targeted highlighter, this liquid gives the skin a healthy and natural glow that blends well into the skin but still leaves a noticeable glow. The lighter you go with the shade, the more dramatic it will look on your skin but it will still look like your skin. 

Selenite used as targeted highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones

AURIC COSMETICS VS. CHARLOTTE TILBURY FLAWLESS FILTER 

The obvious comparison here is with the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, which I have reviewed here. This comparison has already been addressed by founder, Samantha Ravndahl in a video already. I also immediately drew this comparison due to the pigmented formula and the skin tone color range. 

The biggest difference is that Charlotte Tilbury actually markets the Flawless Filter as a "complexion booster", which is vague enough to be interpreted in many different ways but to me, it sounds like it is meant to be a skin tone or complexion perfector. Therefore, you will expect the shade to suit your skin tone, in order for it to "boost" your complexion. 

The AURIC Glow Lust is marketed as a luminizer or highlighter, making it very clear that the shade does not need to perfectly suit the user's skin tone. Also, while it is quite pigmented, the formula isn't necessarily designed to cover or perfect the skin, but just to add luminosity. This is why the AURUC collection has a much smaller skin tone range but this should be acceptable since these are designed to be highlighters. 

Like Samantha has said, the AURIC formula has less mica or reflective particles than the Charlotte Tilbury. Samantha said that the reason why they didn't include more mica was because, on darker skin tones, the mica gave the skin an almost silvery reflect, which isn't as flattering. I did notice that silvery shine with the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter both on my skin and in the bottle. If you like a shinier finish, you may like the Flawless Filter a bit more but also keep in mind, the addition of more mica can emphasize texture and pores on the skin. You still get a filter effect with the AURIC Glow Lust but with a much more minimal chance of enhancing texture on the skin. 

The AURIC Glow Lust has more pigmentation than the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, leaving the skin not only filtered but lightly camouflaged. Most of the filtering of imperfections from the Flawless Filter is from the reflective pigments but the actual skin tone pigments only filters redness and imperfections but the Glow Lust actually provides light coverage, like a tinted moisturizer would. Since it also has reflective pigments, it also offers a filtered effect and blurring of imperfections. 

One big difference between the AURIC Glow Lust and the Flawless Filter that I appreciate so much is the difference in packaging! While I love the Flawless Filter, I hate the large doe-foot packaging because it is so unsanitary and it makes the product go bad fairly quickly. The pump packaging of the Glow Lust is clean, sanitary, and practical. It is the packaging that I wish Charlotte Tilbury had used. For that alone, I think the AURIC Glow Lust is better but the formula is also phenomenal too! 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

This unique liquid highlighter is so versatile and is truly created for those who appreciate a naturally glowing complexion. This is the unexplainable glow that is so hard to achieve with other products but the mica and pigment in this formula has just the right balance. The skin-toned pigments allow this highlighter to seamlessly and undetectably blend into the skin! It is really unlike any liquid highlighter formula on the market! 

For those of you who are makeup minimalists, this highlighter is all you need! It offers a little coverage and a beautiful glow. You can get your complexion and highlight done with one product! I just love the versatility of this particular highlighter formula. I feel like there are so many ways to wear this highlighter and mix it to get a different look. If I had to choose between the Glow Lusts and the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, I would hands down choose the AURIC Glow Lusts! This formula is very similar and I believe far superior to the Flawless Filter. Also, the packaging is significantly better! 

I can't recommend these beautiful luminizers enough! They are so beautiful and luxurious, making them well worth the price! They have quickly become essential in my routine and it is a product that I will continue to use for years. This liquid highlighter gives you a glow that everyone will ask you about! It is a glow that that is so surreal and luscious that will have you stopping in your tracks. Don't hesitate, go out and get this beautiful highlighter! You won't regret it!