I purchased both of these products at 40% off during Black Friday back in 2021. This review has been pending all that time, and even though there is zero hype around them anymore, I am still determined to share my thoughts on them anyway.

Danessa Myricks Lightwork Palette 2

I have the deeper version of the Light Work palette of highlighters. The formula is pretty nice, and with that variety, I can see how helpful this would be for a makeup artist. Between the darkest and lightest highlighters, custom mixes of shades in various depths could be created. The yellow and red ones can also alter the undertones in a custom mix as well. For my own personal needs though, I’d have preferred to just buy a highlighter single. I don’t mind creating a custom blush color in a wide area of my cheek, but not so much for something as simple as highlighter. If I buy a highlighter that isn’t a suitable color for me, I just won’t use it rather than trying to mix it with something else. The furthest I go is using my “fixer” highlighter from r.e.m. beauty for small tweaks. If I’d need to correct the undertone in addition to depth of color, that’s too much effort for me to realistically maintain.

The impact of these highlighters is more intense than I tend to go for, so it’s even more important for me to stick to my closest depth and undertone match when using this palette. Cinnamon Sugar is the best suited for me, but I can still pull off Cappuccino. The product’s consistency has some slip to it, which adds a wet effect on the cheek and helps to keep it looking smooth when blended in. However, using a shade that’s too light or even too dark for one’s skin tone will emphasize texture.

I’m glad to say these are not glittery highlighters. It also lasts all day without the shine dulling down while I wear it. I remember thinking this was a special product around the time that I bought it and earlier, but in just two years some of my absolute favorite formulas have been released, and so this doesn’t seem as special when I compare it to other highlighters I own. Essentially, I have powder highlighters that are even wetter looking, even better suited to my skin tone, and come in premium packaging and/or possibly a fun shape as well. So, I like this and think it’s good, but it doesn’t make the top 10. Perhaps it’s in the top 20 though.

Even though this contains a nice highlighter for me, I found myself continually skipping over wearing this product because it was such a hassle digging through my drawer for such a big palette and only using one single product in it. I could have, and should have, depotted Cinnamon Sugar a long time ago. I think that would have made me more likely to reach for it if it was in a different format.

Scott Barnes Chic Cheek N1 Blush Palette

The photos below are the only ones I could find from my old camera. The more recent examples of the blushes on my cheeks are in the Danessa Myricks section.

I’m less interested in (flat) matte blushes nowadays, but even in the past, this blush formula wasn’t my favorite. It reminds me of the Makeup by Mario powder blushes in the sense that I was drawn to the colors, but the formula was intended for longevity and performance makeup. They didn’t add much to enhance the user self-experience like making the powder silkier feeling or adding a sheen (which could be a potential issue for film and photography). For those that do want some shimmer, there are two highlighters in this palette. Showy is way too light for me and unwearable. Glowy is quite pretty, but also way too intense for me most of the time. I don’t like the look of it mixed into the blush to try and transform it into a shimmery blush. So, I just used that one a few times exclusively as a highlighter.

There was a brief time that I was really enamored by the shades Sweet Cheeks and Crush N’ Blush, but by now due to age, mine in the pan have changed to become a lot less pigmented. It’s still easy to blend, but time consuming to build up the color. While it was in its prime though, these blushes performed well enough that I would have recommended them as long lasting options and for matte lovers. This palette is supposed to be good for two years (24 months open jar symbol), so it’s done as promised. I prefer to be able to use my blushes for way longer though, so this larger palette format just isn’t intended for someone like me.

One of the things that drew me to this palette are the additions of blush undertone transformers. Mango Fizz can be mixed with a blush I want to appear warmer. Rose when mixed with another blush can make it more cool-toned. However, I didn’t end up really needing to do that as much as I expected. This is yet another example of a product that I’m sure is brilliant for a makeup artist, and perhaps even a makeup enthusiast who is even more obsessed with blushes than me. Having a palette like this is still more useful for me than the Danessa Myricks one. However, with the way it’s performing two years after purchase, I don’t think I’ll be keeping it in my collection much longer. I have regrets not trying to get more use out of it, but since there are so many other blushes in shades and finishes that I prefer, it wouldn’t make sense to force it. That’s ultimately why I ended up re-homing my Makeup by Mario blushes too.

The fact that it took me this long to review these two products has to mean something.

Anyway, that’s it for today! I hope someone will still find this post to be useful. Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤