Saturday, March 26, 2011

MAKE UP FOR EVER Uplight Face Luminizer Gel

MAKE UP FOR EVER's new Uplight Face Luminizer Gel ($29) was designed to give you the sculpted glow of celebrities. Their complexions always looks fresh and glowing on screen, on catwalks, and on the red carpet. Just take a look at Jennifer Lopez on American Idol. Her skin shines - in a gorgeous way!

How do the stars do it? With illuminators! Uplight enhances the points of light of the face (or body) for a natural, glamorous finish.

Uplight is a silky gel that lights up the face, making your skin appear healthy, fresh, and radiant. It contains reflecting pigments that capture and diffuse light. With its extremely fluid, smooth texture, it is easy to apply - on its own or mixed with foundation - with your fingers or a brush. The texture reminds me of Giorgio Armani Beauty's Fluid Sheer, a product I adore.

What's in this illuminating gel? It's oil-free; there's a lot of water (70%); it contains mango butter to hydrate; and it's enriched with pearls to capture and reflect light. Formulated for the face and body, this product adds a healthy glow to your skin that will last all day.

Uplight is available in eight shades and three effects: silky, pearly, and sparkling. All you need to do is to apply a hint of illuminator in very light touches on the high points of your face - cheekbones, brow bone, temples - and blend. You will glow.

I ordered two shades - sight unseen - from Sephora. I chose one that appeared to be a pink shade (#22, described at Sephora as a pearly pink flesh) and one that appeared more golden (#12, described at Sephora as dewy golden beige). I wanted to try one dewy and one pearly. When they arrived, I was thrilled. They were so much prettier in person than their little color swatches online. Now, of course, I want more of them. I am such a hoarder.

Here is my swatch photo, taken outdoors in late-afternoon sunlight, of my two shades. I applied both with my fingertips and didn't blend them into my skin. I wanted you to be able to see the nuances of the colors. The one shown at the top is #12, and #22 is shown below. The pearly finish of #22 is definitely shinier than the dewy finish of #12. When I re-order, I know I should stick with the dewy finishes, but there are only two dewy shades. I know I will order #11, even though Sephora's online swatch looks goulish. It's probably gorgeous. I would also like to try #23, described as pearly golden flesh. I think the #22 pearly pink is exquisite, and I would like to try another pearly shade. Should I act my age instead? Why start now?

There are good online swatches at the MAKE UP FOR EVER site. Click on one of the little squares, and a larger, better swatch will pop up. I found them after I had received my Uplights from Sephora.

These lovely luminizers are definitely worth checking out. You can order them at Sephora.

Photos at top courtesy of MAKE UP FOR EVER and Sephora

12 comments:

lovethescents said...

Love that golden dew swatch! This sounds like a delightful little product. It also sounds very easy to use. I look forward to trying these since my major lemming, Pecheux's Pure Colour Luminous Powder seems so unattainable.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Lovethescents,

The dewy gold one is definitely the most versatile. Extremely easy to use!

Is the Pure Color Luminous Powder had to find simply because it's been out for awhile?

Clarisse said...

Charlestongirl,
This gel looks great: I am always looking for something "luminizing"...do you prefer it on its own or mixed with your foundation? And which are the dewy ones:the silky ones ? I would imagine they are more discreet than the pearly ones (I will leave the sparking ones for younger girls!)

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Clarisse,

I have used to both ways. Most often, I use it alone, applying a tiny bit at the top of my cheekbones.

Check your Sephora to see if it's there. If it is, the color description will say dewy or pearly. If not, let me know, and I can send you a screen print. :)

The dewy ones are definitely more "subdued."

Clarisse said...

Hi Charlestongirl
I've checked and here we have the same 8 shades: "satiné" (=dewy), "nacré"(=pearly) and "scintillant" (definitely sparkly), so I'll go for either N°11 Beige rosé satiné or N°12 Beige doré satiné: I'll ask for samples at my so friendly Sephora's if I can't make up my mind at once!

Charlestongirl said...

Clarisse, I ordered #11 from Sephora online this morning. I hope I love it as much as I love #12!

Straight Up Glam said...

These look fabulous! The promotional picture is stunning!
I'm definitely going to be stopping by Sephora to check them out! I love the idea of a gorgeous glowing complexion! Thank you so much for sharing these with us! =D

Andrée xx

Charlestongirl said...

Good point, Andrée! Who doesn't want to glow?

lovethescents said...

Hi Charlestongirl,

The Luminous Powder is hard to find because it was limited edition, and only sold in Paris and either London or NYC...can't recall now. Such a shame! BUT, maybe this one will scratch my itch ;-)

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Lovethescents,

I think I did get mine from Bergdorf Goodman, come to think of it.

lovethescents said...

Lucky you! So how does Luminizing Gel compare to the Pecheux after application?

Charlestongirl said...

I wish I could give you a photo. Most of my pre-surgery stuff is still packed up and out of sight. I need to unpack, categorize/organize, and store! Until I do, those comparisons are "out of reach." Sorry!