Circa Beauty Haul | First Impression

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've gone into Walgreens and stood in front of the Circa Beauty display, wondering if I should pick up a few products to try. But then I chicken out because the prices are a little higher than I would normally pay at the drugstore and I worry that if I don't like it, I'll be out a lot more money than if I just go buy that Wet n Wild blush or Jordana eyeliner.

I don't know what got into me the other night, but as I stood there in front of the Circa display again, I just decided, "I'm finally going to try this line, dammit" and picked up three products that all ended up being in the peachy-pink family (I realized this after I got home).

If you're not familiar with Circa Beauty, it's Eva Mendes' makeup line (she's the creative director) and is all about providing luxury-quality makeup at affordable prices that works with a wide range of skin tones. Everything also comes in beautiful packaging that looks very old-Hollywood and chic.

I've been using these products the last two days now and while it hasn't been enough time to give a thorough review, I wanted to give you my first impressions due to a high number of requests after I posted my haul on Instagram last night. So many of you told me that you had always wanted to try this brand but were afraid to take the plunge (sounds familiar!). So without further ado, let's get started...

Picture Perfect Blush in Flamenco Beach

Picture Perfect Powder Blush in Flamenco Beach ($12)- This blush claims to be silky smooth and color-rich and it certainly delivers! I was really impressed with the super soft, highly pigmented formula as soon as I touched it. It blends so beautifully on the skin and this peachy-pink shade is to-die-for. You only need the tiniest bit on your brush (I ended up having to tap my brush to avoid applying too much) and the highly pigmented formula really shows up nicely without having to build it up.
The compact was a little hard to open at first, but I finally figured out that you have to stick your nail under the part that snaps shut and sort of pry it open. That's the only negative thing about this blush, otherwise, it's perfection! I really need to get more shades, ASAP.

Ultrasuede Cream Blush in La Spezia

Ultrasuede Cream Blush ($13)- I've tried a lot of cream blushes in my life, and even the softest, smoothest formulas have at least a little bit of drag on the skin. Not this one! It's the silkiest cream formula I've ever tried and blending it is completely effortless. It feels like velvet and when you blend it out, it gives your cheeks a beautiful, natural finish. I wore this today by itself (I applied it at 11:00 am) and here it is, 11:30pm and I can still see it on my cheeks. It's faded a little bit but the fact that it's still there at all is impressing the heck out of me!
Yesterday, I wore this layered under the Flamenco Beach powder blush and it lasted until bedtime but I applied them late in the afternoon so I'll have to test them together again on a day when I can apply them in the morning.

Lustrous Shine Lip Polish in Satin Blush

Lustrous Shine Lip Polish ($10) is a sheer-to-medium coverage buildable lip gloss that's not sticky and makes your lips feel so smooth. I'm a big lip gloss fan in general because I feel like the shine makes my lips look plumper and more youthful (matte lipsticks do the exact opposite for me). This one feels so good...almost like it has primer built into it! It has a soft, cushiony texture and it seemed to fill in my lip lines after wearing it for a little while which in turn, made my lips look practically perfect. It has a slight beachy scent (I say that because it reminds me of a suntan lotion I used to have) but it's a light scent and goes away shortly after application.

This color, Satin Blush goes on a little lighter than it looks in the tube, but you can add another layer and build the color. I'm interested to see if the darker shades are even more pigmented. There was a beautiful mauve shade, Cashmere Kiss that I have my eye on next! I absolutely love the way this gloss makes my lips look and feel, but the downside is, it's not long-lasting. I guess that's true of most glosses though and I don't mind reapplying.

Here are the swatches of all three products and you can see how pigmented they are. They're also almost all the same color, haha! I must have been in a peachy-pink mood that day. 

Here, I'm wearing the cream blush in La Spezia layered under the powder blush in Flamenco Beach. I'm also wearing the Satin Blush lip polish...it makes my lips look so smooth!

Overall, I'm really impressed with Circa beauty so far, as all of the products I picked up are winners in my book! I'm sure there are some duds (every line has them right?) but I got lucky with my selections. I feel that the high-quality feel and performance definitely validates the higher price points for me...they could easily compete with brands that are charging a lot more.


Have you tried Circa Beauty? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

If your local Walgreens doesn't carry it, you can also find the entire line at Drugstore.com