Since the brand’s highlighter is one of my favorite products, I was excited to see the release of their new blushes and bronzers in similar packaging with the same pattern and soft looking texture. I won’t harp on the highlighter because I reviewed it in-depth in my Best Highlighters Showcased post just a few months ago, but I wanted to at least show it again in different lighting.
Although the texture isn’t exactly the same as the new products, because it’s a shimmer that feels slightly emollient to the touch, the others are a soft matte that feel like they still have a bit of slip to them.
r.e.m. Hypernova Bronzer in Cocoa-Nut
This is the fifth shade option out of six bronzer colors. Cocoa-Nut is described as, “very deep with warm undertones.” Warmth can mean it has anything between a yellow, orange, or red undertone. In this case, it’s red and a bit warmer than looks natural on me. I can still pull off this shade if I use it sparingly, but the color does impact my enjoyment of this bronzer. It’s possible the 4th shade called Solar Storm described as, “tan with warm undertones,” might work better for me, or just as easily could be too light.
I purchased this from Selfridges because, at the time, Sephora DE only carried the four lighter shades.
I recommend using an airy brush with this because it’s quite pigmented. It blends well, but it doesn’t have the best sticking power (which shortens how long it lasts throughout the day). Although I love the soft texture and it has a natural looking finish, I prefer bronzers with a little more of a satin sheen to them. I’ve also been spoiled to own so many bronzers that have an even more effortless blend.
r.e.m. Hypernova Blushes in Jupiter Moon and Sun Pop
The blushes perform identically to the bronzers, though they have slightly less pigment. For that reason, although they are nice, I’m even less impressed. The blushes eventually become one with the skin, melting into my foundation, which looks pretty while it lasts, but it does fade as the day goes on. I love the Jupiter Moon shade because it’s in the family of reddish brown blushes, which I can pull off as long as it isn’t too red. I can list some that I still love more in terms of finish and performance such as Benefit’s Terra and Pat Mcgrath’s Paradise Venus. It’s still nice and I plan to continue using it on and off. In this case, I recommend using a medium density brush like the Sonia G Cheek Pro so that it has enough blending power while remaining buildable if you have a lighter skintone. The shade Sun Pop, however, looks ashier on my skin and even looks more powdery in the swatch. I think it has to do with the vibrancy of the pigment as it’s akin to neon/fluorescent oranges/corals. All the promo images I saw in the beginning show this shade as looking orange, but in person it’s clear to see it’s coral. To be fair though, I had a hard time capturing the color accurately on camera because it does tend to pull orange in photos.
Just like the bronzers, I’m intrigued to see if there are more out of the eight options I’d prefer on myself. However, my blush collection is too large to justify buying more and at full price. Ironically, these I bought via Sephora DE because none were available at Selfridges on launch day.
I don’t usually include so many photos of the same products, but I was unsatisfied with how the pictures turned out. Every day I attempted to take pictures was a cloudy day. So, they were either too dark or too washed out with the lights I tried to use to compensate. Below are the newest ones and most color-accurate.
You can click on any image to enlarge them.
That’s all I have for today. Thank you for reading!
There were a lot of factors to consider when it came to doing my own wedding makeup. I scoured the internet for tips and tricks, but at times the answers were contradictory. I thought I had a good plan in the beginning, but as I practiced doing multiple looks, I realized I needed to make some changes along the way.
Today, we’ll cover the things that should be decided on in advance and what I ultimately chose to do. The conclusions I came to won’t be the same for everyone since it depends on each individual’s personal tastes, skin type, skin texture, skin tone, undertone, priorities, etc.
Although I was inspired to create this post with weddings in mind, this topic is for anyone with an upcoming special event/occasion where photographs will be taken. I was not in a position where I could afford to forget something and run to grab it at the last second, so hopefully these topics will help others avoid having to make last minute decisions and purchases too.
DISCLOSURE: All makeup products in this post were purchased by me with my own money. The only affiliate links in this post are for a few of the brushes mentioned towards the end. Non-highlighted links in bold blue font (Example) are standard non-affiliate links. Links marked in bold black font with a light blue background (Example) are affiliate links. This means that I would make a commissionif purchases were made directly using my link. Whether you click to shop through them or not, I appreciate you visiting and I hope you find the information I’ve provided to be helpful!
Red – Titles/Topics, Purple – Products Used, Green – Additional Options to Consider
Deciding Between Looking Better in Person or Looking Better on Camera
We had a micro wedding (less than 25 people) and the majority of the guests were non-makeup wearers or neutral-color wearing minimalists. I was concerned with looking overly made up in person compared to the group, but also recognized that full coverage and full glam faces result in the most photogenic pictures. I would love to look as natural and fresh-faced as possible, but I think I look the prettiest with “a beat face,” so to speak. So, I decided that I ultimately would start researching ways to look best in photography since pictures last longer and can even serve to replace memories in the minds of those who see them. If it was possible, my plan was to still try and find a balance between the two goals. This balance involved using other techniques such as color-correcting so I could use less concealer and foundation to hide my skin discoloration, using underpainting techniques to have my sculpting attempts look as natural as possible and reduce the need for as much powder on the surface layer, using full-coverage makeup paired with brushes that apply less product so that I could build up to the minimum amount of makeup I needed in small layers instead of packing it on heavily all at once.
In the age of social media, it’s safe to assume the majority of people prioritize how makeup will look on camera versus how it looks in real life, as discussed on the Mixed Makeup YouTube Channel. However, this is still a question everyone has to ask themselves because the degree to which direction one leans will dictate how they have to proceed with the next steps.
After Choosing to Prioritize How One Looks on Camera…
When I do a full-face in the type of soft tones that are typical of bridal makeup, I don’t feel satisfied with my appearance. So, looking natural was less of an option for me. In addition, if I wanted things like blush to be seen on camera, I had to get comfortable packing on way more than usual because blush gets washed out so easily. As described by Kackie of Kackie Reviews Beauty, the key is applying makeup in a way to add more dimension that the camera can pick up even when pulled back. I had to practice applying more than usual, taking pictures, and then adding more and photographing that to learn how much would actually be needed on the day. Blush, highlighter, and eyeshadows were the things I had to work on amplifying dramatically in order to get photos I was satisfied with (at least on my own camera).
One of the first big decisions I had to make was deciding what finish I wanted for my skin. A matte base with strategically placed glow seems to be the consensus for what photographs the best. However, I did not anticipate the climate when I chose what products to bring with me when I moved overseas. The products that looked the best on camera for me in Florida were extra dry looking on me in Germany and I didn’t bring my dewier foundations because I have them in my darker summer shade. This led me to buy a new foundation (N°1 DE CHANEL Revitalizing Foundation), the only one that mimicked the appearance of natural oils peaking through my face, and it remained that way through the end of the night. It basically looked like a natural-finish foundation on my dry skin. I used the Glossier Futuredew, to ramp up the glow in typical places I highlight, the MILK Hydro Grip primer for hydration and lasting power, and the Benefit Porefessional Hydrating primer in my T-zone for a smoothing effect without a silicone texture. I have all three of these products in minis (and a travel container).
I did have the Nars Light Reflecting Foundation with me, but my research scared me away from using it. Since Nars is an artist brand, I always assumed their products looked fantastic on professional cameras, but I kept coming across warnings against using too many light reflecting products. Considering how dark it is in Germany, I knew the chances of flash being used was high, so I didn’t want to look crazy on other people’s cameras either (even though Nars’ foundation is supposed to be photo-friendly and produce no flashback, but I didn’t know if that would still be the case if paired with other light reflecting products). So, I didn’t use that one just to be safe. Skipping it turned out to be necessary because I tried using it in strategic spots and it still wasn’t luminous enough for my liking while not in Florida. Lisa Eldridge was one example of someone who discussed light reflecting products in flash photography and Pete Coco Photography cautioned against using shimmers in studio settings, but I saw more mentions of light reflection from various articles and blogs.
For those curious, the top foundations I wanted to use if the climate was more like Florida would have been the Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation or Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation (this one only starts to look good for me if oils break through and my skin is prepped for maximum hydration including using a facial oil). The Lisa Eldridge foundation is extremely similar looking to the Chanel one I opted for, but without as much luminosity. I also own two lighter coverage products that make my skin look beautiful in person: the Fenty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint in Shade 18 and the Rose Inc Skin Enhance Luminous Tinted Serum in Shade 100. I was looking for high coverage, but if I had to recommend another option it would be the one from Fenty. I normally dislike their foundations, but this newer one finally agrees with my dry skin. The Rose Inc one unfortunately can come off extra warm colored on camera. Sometimes I look orange in photos even though I don’t in person. It’s also random when it happens as well. I’m not sure if it’s some interaction with a specific product I might sometimes pair with it. So, that’s why I don’t recommend that one.
Deciding On the Color Scheme and Undertones of the Makeup
I had quite the dilemma trying to figure out what colors I wanted to use as a person with warm undertones who was planning to wear cool toned accessories and have blue and purple flowers in my bouquet. I like wearing eyeshadow that matches what I’m wearing in some way, whether it’s clothing, a purse, jewelry, etc but I never like how cool toned eyeshadows look on me as much as warmer ones. At the same time, I didn’t want the winter aesthetic I planned for my look to clash with my natural warmth and make me look extra warm by comparison. I did a test run using my go-to makeup and just switching to a cool toned blush, but I didn’t like the outcome. My second solution was to wear neutral makeup to bridge the two types of looks, but after doing another test run, I just didn’t feel my makeup was as pretty as it usually would be.
Experts say that although anyone can wear any color they want, we tend to find shades in our undertone to look prettiest on ourselves. For instance, Lisa Eldridge says it’s nice to match the wedding scheme/theme, but not if it’s against your coloring. Ultimately, I felt that if I didn’t wear the kind of shades that were natural for me, I would have regrets looking back at pictures thinking my everyday makeup looked somehow better than what I chose for my own wedding.
Many makeup artists recommend trying to look like an enhanced version of yourself, and not looking like someone else. This concept is what helped me solidify the decision to use warm tones, just ones that didn’t veer too far off from neutrals. This idea of trying to look like myself also had me wondering how I could possibly incorporate a pop of color into my look because that’s “me” too. Even when I’m on a nude colors kick, I still end up popping on a multichrome or some other colorful indie brand’s eyeshadow. Considering the wedding colors were blue, purple, and ivory/cream/whitish (we couldn’t really nail that one down), I thought it might be a good idea to add a blue-purple multichrome into the eye look. I really wanted for it to be one from Clionadh Cosmetics like Etched or Spire, since it’s my favorite brand, but the reason I love theirs is how intensely they stand out. In this situation, every technique and position I tried to place the multichrome was just too much.
Because all my other makeup was in natural tones, my eyes were instantly drawn to the spot with the multichrome and stole attention from the rest of the look. Eventually, I was recommend by someone on Instagram to try putting the tiniest dot in the center. This worked in low light in a very pretty way, but the second actual lights hit my eyes, it was still too much for what I wanted. Ultimately, as much as incorporating color into my looks is something I’m known for doing, I wanted something classic and timeless for my wedding. So, I decided to go back to the neutral glam idea for eyeshadows and using my slightly warm tones of makeup for everything else. My blush was still a mix of everything. I used a liquid blush and then ended up using powders on top further into the makeup process. For those curious, it was three shades from MAC: a whisper amount of Breath of Plum for a slight cool-toned wintery cheek look, a normal amount of Pinch Me as the main color and a natural looking pink on me, and the tiniest bit of Burnt Pepper to add a little more warmth that compliments my undertone and depth of my skin color.
The eyeshadows I ended up going with were mainly from Pat Mcgrath Labs. I intend to do a part 2 to this post, which I can hopefully complete and upload within a few weeks. In there, I’ll post more details on the step-by-step process.
Making Sure Base Techniques are Down Pat
After using my various primers, the next step for me was to color correct the areas of hyperpigmentation. Most of the time, I don’t bother with color correcting because I prefer to just lean on full coverage concealers for that job. However, I wanted to avoid my base makeup looking heavy, since I knew I would be putting more layers of product than usual. I only had two options with me: the E.L.F. Camo Color Corrector in Orange and the Huda Beauty #Fauxfilter Color Corrector in Mango. Although I prefer Huda’s on a regular basis, the ELF one worked better with the KVD concealer, as well as me wanting more intense color-correcting from using a darker color.
I would normally recommend using a color-corrector under the eyes too for those who have intense dark circles like I do. In my particular case though, I already know the ELF formula creases/gathers like mad in areas with lines, which is why I only use it in smoother areas of my face. So, I had no choice but to skip that step on myself. For those that don’t have discoloration issues like I do, color-correcting is not a necessary step. The most coverage one can achieve using the least amount of products is better, so if you can skip it, then please skip it. Ultimately, even I would have skipped this step, but I tested out how my makeup looked with color correcting versus going without it and the results spoke for themselves. I decided it was a step worth doing because I wanted as close to a flawless base as possible.
Although I settled on a foundation, the color match wasn’t as spot-on as I hoped, considering it was a bit more orange rather than yellow/golden and just slightly darker. I had purchased shade BD121, so my only other option was to buy BD91 to mix with it. The brand makes shade BD111, but it’s exclusive to the Chanel website and was sold out. Thankfully, using a ratio of roughly 2 parts BD121 to 1 part BD91 gave me a better color match. At least, that’s the mixture I used on the outer perimeter of my face and then used BD91 by itself in the central part of my face for a more natural gradient of color. My foundation application did not come first immediately after priming and color correcting though.
The other technique I wanted to utilize was under-painting. I have a naturally round face, besides it being chubby. Trying to create a chiseled look is by nature going to be easier for those with a clearly visible bone structure. Although I still have slight indent in my cheek area, I have an undefined jawline made weaker by having a rounder face. There’s only so much one can do to make a believable contour on a face like mine. One of the most believable options, if done correctly, is underpainting: to do the contouring and highlighting as a cream or liquid step first before applying foundation on top (and following it up with powder products afterwards too). Funnily enough, I learned about this technique about ten years ago when under eye concealers weren’t full coverage enough for me. I don’t think it’s necessary to do a full-face of underpainting like you see in TikTok and around social media as a fad, only the specific areas that need extra help to again minimize product usage. So, I bought the darkest shade of the most affordable foundation I could get my hands on (that I knew would work well). This was the Sephora Best Skin Ever Foundation in 68N. I would have preferred for it to be cool-toned, but “cool” shades in the darkest colors tend to be red instead of blue-grey so I figured neutral would be good enough. I could have used a concealer as well, but considering how much I spent on those Chanel foundations (even though they were discounted), I wanted to save as much money as possible. I could have also tried to use an actual cream contour, but I figured using a foundation would look even more natural on the skin and potentially blend better as cream contours can sometimes be too emollient. The 68N shade worked well enough for my cheekbone and jaw area, but since my nose is a lot more yellow than brown, it looked a little more red in that spot that I like. So, I just had to apply the product even more sparingly and make sure to use more greys when I contoured with powder later.
Besides applying contour, I also used a Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush sample of Joy as an underlayer of blush to help ensure longevity for the whole day. Plus, this particular shade is bright without being overly vibrant, which tends to work well for me. Using this underneath wasn’t overkill when I used the MAC blushes later. In fact, I still had room to go heavier with my blush.
After the liquid blush is when I would apply my foundations. I think some people recommend doing highlighting with concealer (product several shades lighter to bring those areas forward and not the shimmery type of highlighter) underneath foundation, but the KVD Good Apple Concealer formula that I used can sometimes melt/fade away with other products. The foundation on top of this one would have been covered up too completely, so I applied the mixture after foundation. I could have tried to use a different concealer for underpainting, but I was running out of time and just wanted to stick to what I knew. I began practicing applying the makeup on an off nearly two months before the wedding (with more consistent daily testing in the final three weeks). It’s not useful to test out all new products at once, since it would be too hard to tell which products were interacting badly with others, or were only working well depending on what it was paired with. I could only test a few combinations at a time. So, even the two months wasn’t as much time as I thought. In retrospect, three months would have been ideal for me.
The theme of this sections is to make sure the base techniques are nailed. Part of that was my realization that in all the bridal makeup photos I liked, they really utilized highlighting for color in addition to the glow factor. However, I’ve never liked an overly brightened under eye on myself. When I was younger without so many lines to worry about drawing attention to, that was a different story. So, I had to think about what’s more natural for myself and my style rather than just sticking to the template of instructions on how most people do wedding makeup. I thought perhaps I could use my typical Tan 167 all over and apply my new Tan 161 (this specific shade was on sale which is why I chose this one for my highlight option) on top in strategic spots to highlight with, but I didn’t like the outcome. It was still too stark of a contrast for me to be comfortable with no matter how great it could have potentially looked on camera. What worked best for me was applying my near skin-tone shade 167 and then using a combination of 167 and 161 mixed together as the highlighting concealer color on top. The transition was more natural, which I ended up liking a lot better than using 161 alone (though I did use 161 alone to highlight my brow bone area). I then set my concealer with the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder in either Medium (which I bought in the travel size) or a combination of Medium plus my usual shade in Tan. I tested out plenty of different powders and the one that worked the best to keep the KVD concealer creasing the least and not fading at the end of the night was this Charlotte Tilbury powder. The Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder was a close second since it worked so well with other concealers I was testing at the time (Fenty We’re Even Concealer and L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Concealer). However, the results of the KVD and CT combo won out.
I would normally use the back of my hand as a spot to mix shades, but since I wanted to have leftover mixtures reserved on the side for touch-ups, I started to wish for a makeup mixing palette or plate. Since I didn’t bring any with me and didn’t want to buy one, I used the top lid of the Charlotte Tilbury Cream Bronzer compact (pictured in the foundation photo above). It has a surface that’s easy to wipe down with a makeup wipe or makeup eraser cloth. Also, when I mixed with my brushes, I got too much product on the bristles, so I started using the brush handle to mix shades and then wiped off the handle onto my microfiber cloth. That way, I’m able to pick up smaller amounts of product with the bristles and even switch to a smaller brush for spot applications where needed.
Securing the base is important, but so is recognizing whether the recommended techniques have to be tweaked to your specific preferences and what makes you the most comfortable. It’s okay if you hate contouring to skip doing it. It’s okay to go with a sheer coverage foundation and then just use concealer in areas that require more coverage. The most important thing to do is to practice techniques as much as possible before the wedding or special event if you’re doing your own makeup. Sometimes products don’t perform the way we remember them and the last thing you want is to discover that on an important day. You want to thoroughly test your full look in every step in order to make sure you can replicate the same results every time, in every type of lighting, and in every weather scenario.
To Bake or Not to Bake, Setting Spray vs Fix+
Continuing the theme of getting used to wearing more makeup that usual and utilizing techniques I normally don’t, I had to decide whether or not to utilize the baking technique. Since I already narrowed down my concealer, it was just a matter of doing a wear test all day to see if my makeup looked better with or without baking. As it turned out, with my products and my skin type, baking really wasn’t necessary, or at least not in the traditional sense of loading a ton of powder on and then dusting it away after five minutes or so. I ended up not even needing to powder my whole face since I was utilizing setting sprays too.
My process was applying my concealer to my under eyes and face area before using my normal brush to powder-set those spots. As the days were counting down to the wedding, I started to utilize more skincare such as using the Lisa Eldridge Skin Enhancing Treatment Cleanser as a mask, which made my skin more hydrated and strangely enough need more setting powder under my eyes. So, after setting my concealer I would wait until I noticed creasing before patting the creases back out with my Sonia G Jumbo Concealer Brush, and then using the Charlotte Tilbury powder with my Beautyblender Power Pocket Puff to lightly apply a thin layer in the areas I highlighted with the concealer mixture (skipping hyperpigmentation areas that didn’t need extra powder) and also slightly under my contour to sharpen those spots and “clean them up.” The puff still came in handy because some days during the trials it was even necessary to go as far as to spray the silicone side of the BB puff with setting spray, press that into the concealer creases, reapply a little more concealer, and then set it with powder using the velour side of the puff. This was during the trial days I started using different skincare that I should have been testing much earlier in the process. So, this is all I need in terms of baking, but those that have combo or oily skin will probably need to take additional steps to lock the makeup into place. The puff also comes in handy while on-the-go. Instead of me needing a face powder brush and an under-eye powder setting brush (plus technically I could use other areas of the puff for other types of powder products), I just needed this on hand in the “Emergency Bride Kit” for touch-ups.
After I apply my liquid and cream layers, I set my face with setting spray, finish applying all my powder products, and then set my face again. I tested a few sprays before I moved, but the only one I brought with me was the One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Waterproof Setting Spray. I had the mini size and as I started testing, I got paranoid that I would end up using it all before the wedding and it’s not available for purchase in Germany. So, I ended up buying the Sephora Makeup Setting Spray for my trial runs. What I like more about the Sephora spray, besides the lower price, is that it’s unscented. The One/Size spray has a slightly floral, but not overwhelming smell.
I’ve tested both of the waterproof claims by splashing water on my face and have seen how the water rolls off my face without leaving streaks in my makeup. In terms of making things transfer-proof, that wasn’t the case with One/Size unless I just wasn’t using enough of it. The Sephora Spray only seemed to make my makeup transfer-proof that was in lighter layers and on lighter makeup days. It didn’t seem to work with a full face of everything. I haven’t tested the One/Size spray in the same scenario of a lighter makeup day, so perhaps they are equal. On my actual wedding day, I still stuck with using the One/Size product. We ended up doing a second day of photos, so the picture below shows what I looked like by the end of the night. On my wedding night, I got home at nearly 3 am, so I don’t have a photo for that. All things considered, I think it held up pretty well. It rained on the actual wedding day, but my makeup didn’t budge. I just transferred some of my nose contour onto my husband’s nose. I had to wipe it off him a few times, but it didn’t transfer any further after that.
I always use MAC Fix+ if I want to dampen my shimmer eyeshadows. It can make the face look hydrated, which is what I need, but sometimes it can cause makeup to not last quite as long and break down a little faster. So, I was too scared to use it on my face (nor did I have the time to test it with everything), so I just used it for my eyelid shades. At one point during my trials, I tested spritzing my highlighters with setting spray and my sample of Fix+ to see if I could intensify the look without leaving a stripe on my face. I ended up deciding to just skip that step as the Charlotte Tilbury Face Architect Glow Glide Highlighter worked well enough as a base highlighter. Others might prefer using a liquid highlighter, but powder products are always easier for me and I was planning to do a technical enough makeup application, so I’d accept easier options wherever possible. Throughout the practice days, I used some combination of multiple other highlighters shown below. On the actual day, I ended up sticking to just Charlotte Tilbury by adding the Pillow Talk Multi-Glow highlighter and I used the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo on my shoulders and collarbone. Since I ended up wearing a faux fur shawl/stole and my hair was down, that final step ended up being pointless. It couldn’t be seen on my body. I also forgot to spray setting spray to those spots on my body afterwards, which could have potentially helped lock the highlighter into place.
Although I didn’t end up glowing as intensely as the models in the inspiration photos I procured from Google, seen below, I was still happy with my makeup choices. I applied highlighter to my brow arch, slightly above the brows on either side of the forehead, one specific spot on the bridge of my nose that I build up with contour and another spot lower down, and the tops of my cheekbones.
I mentioned earlier that I used the underpainting technique to contour. Then I used the powder contour in the Kaleidos Symphony Trio for more depth. It’s not grey toned enough to give an actual shadowed effect, so I added a mix of Feel + Real from my Hindash Beautopsy Palette to create the shadowing for my jawline, under the cheekbones, and nose contour. I didn’t use the Kaleidos powder on my nose, only Hindash’s product because I didn’t want it to be overkill in person.
When it came to bronzer, I was dead set on using the Hermès Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder because it’s the highest quality powder one that I own. However, in test photos I kept feeling like I was looking too warm toned. With a few days to spare, I tried some of my other top powders like the Glowish Soft Radiance Bronzer Powder, but that one was too red toned. Ultimately, the one best suited for my undertone is the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun Kissed Glow Bronzer in Tan. Even though it’s a cream product, it went next to and slightly on top of my powder contour with no issues. This meant that my bronzer was going to be natural looking in person and likely too subtle to see much of it on camera, but it was a better alternative for me than having my face pull too orange.
I finished my face with my Dior Face & Body Powder No Powder. It blurs imperfections and helps blend the makeup seamlessly into each other. I didn’t use it all over my face, just in key areas that I wanted to touch up. If I had a sparkle-free version of Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder from Hourglass in my shade, I would have considered using that instead or in conjunction with the Dior product. Finishing powders can do wonders for a makeup look, but be sure to test in photos whether the sheen might or might not be too reflective for flash photography!
Waterproof Tests are Required
I’ve always hated waterproof mascaras because of what a pain they are to remove, but I was so certain I would need one for the wedding. I have plenty of favorite mascaras, but according to customer reviews I’ve seen online, apparently getting a waterproof version doesn’t mean it will perform as well as the normal formula. Some of the most beloved mid-range and high end mascaras have terrible reviews for their waterproof counterparts. So, I decided to try exploring the higher rated drugstore waterproof mascaras that I was familiar with in the original form. In my testing, the L’Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise gave volume, but not as much length and was prone to clumping. The L’Oréal Bambi Eye Mascara gave length, but not much volume. I was debating whether or not to try using both, but it ended up not being necessary because I got the results I wanted from the Essence Lash Princess Waterproof Mascara.
Another alternative I considered was the KVD Beauty Full Sleeve Long + Defined Tubing Mascara. I love the length and volume of that one, and in theory tubing mascaras aren’t supposed to come off easily unless under warm water. While the KVD one seems to be harder to remove than other mascaras with regular temperature water, it can still be done. So, I didn’t want to risk a circumstance where I would have even the slightest chance of having my mascara come off. So, I stuck with using the Essence mascara.
When it comes to using eyeliner, I have a few that are supposed to be waterproof (Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner and One/Size Point Made 24-hr Liquid Eyeliner pen), but they aren’t as effective when my eyelids get too oily. I’ve always had great results from Sephora’s waterproof liners, so I purchased the Sephora Collection Hot Line Brush Tip Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. It definitely did the job. I didn’t end up crying, but there was a bit of rain and both the mascara and eyeliner held up completely all day and night.
For the tiny spot I wanted to smudge on my outer lower lash lines, I used the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil. I don’t find them to be as waterproof as my other liners, but I can’t get the smudge effect with those, so this was my best option. One thing I should have considered was getting colorful eyeliners to put on my lower lash line instead of regular eyeshadows. It’s possible I could have still ended up with a mess if I had actually gotten teary-eyed. I lucked out, but that might be something to consider.
I’d like to note here that another option for waterproof eyeliners could be those false lashes eyeliner pens. I went back and forth debating whether or not I wanted to wear fake lashes for the wedding. They look amazing on camera, but they are an absolute nuisance for me to wear, especially for an extended period of time. My eye shape, with my super rounded upper lash line, doesn’t hold onto even extreme lash glues very well. Within an hour max, either the inner or outer corner will lift up. The majority of lashes are too short (in width) for my eyes because I need extra length to account for the higher degree angle of the rounded curve of my eye. If I want to rock a half-lash, I have to use 3/4 length lashes. Then, even if I put the eyelashes properly on my lash line, I can still see them in my field of vision. I still thought that if I practiced putting them on enough times, I could make them work. I also heard of the recommendation to cut the lashes into 3 pieces (also from Mixed Makeup) instead of 2. Since splitting them in half never worked for my eye shape, I was willing to give smaller ones a try. My lashes ended up looking like the Cynthia doll’s hairline from Rugrats! Even when I tried to use the pieces just on the outer lash line, it was so hard to get them to look even since I don’t have perfectly symmetrical eyes. Plus, it’s my inner lashes that need the most help, but it would look just as strange if I had lashes there and nowhere else.
Ultimately, for all the hassle it would cause me on the wedding day, I decided to skip the false lashes. I figured I could just try to cheat the look with more coats of mascara and extending the eyeliner out a bit more. This trick worked well enough for my satisfaction. From all the trials though, I did figure out that the House of Lashes Lash & Dash Glue Liner pen makes for a tough to remove waterproof liner even without putting lashes on top of it.
Brow products are never exciting to me, so I almost forgot to mention that the brow product I used is the Benefit Precisely, My Brow PencilWaterproof Eyebrow Definer in shade 5. Although I don’t recall if I’ve purposely tested the waterproof claims, I know from experience that I’ve never had my brows run or smudge when using this product, so I didn’t think twice about using it on the day.
The last waterproof or transfer-proof thing to consider is the lip product. I’m sure most spouses-to-be would be grateful not to have lipstick transfer onto them. However, I didn’t go that route because my lips were in too poor of condition, even with using masks. There are some great waterproof lip liners that I could have used to cover the entirety of my lips instead of opting for a liquid lipstick, but I decided I didn’t want to go that route either.
My lip combination was to use the Coloured Raine Botanical Collection Lip Liner in the shade Decadent. It’s darker than my natural lip line to give me a slight shaping effect. I consider it a transfer-resistant product, but it only claims to be long-wearing. I then filled the insides with the Lisa Eldridge Velveteen Liquid Lip Colour in Muse. This isn’t like most liquid lipsticks that dry out the skin like crazy, but that also means it’s a low-transfer product rather than transfer-proof or even transfer-resistant. The brand claims it’s “smudge-proof and budge-proof,” but that hasn’t been my experience. The final step for slight shine is from using my Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last very long, but I wanted a little bit of shimmer and a slightly creamy look to the center of my lips. My husband hates lip gloss or any kind of sticky balmy product on my lips (which makes keeping them conditioned even more of an uphill battle). So, for his sake, I held off on using any gloss products until later in the night.
Many makeup artists commented that having some color and shine on the lips looks beautiful on camera. For that reason, I wanted to make sure I carried the Pat Mcgrath Lip Gloss in Bronze Temptation in my makeup touchup kit. On the second day of taking photos (because the weather was bad), I didn’t bother with the other products and just applied this gloss.
I chose the other three products because their tones of pink looked so complimentary with my blush. My PML lip gloss shade is a warm toned one, so that was something easy to carry with me to warm up the look if I wanted. The other lip product I considered swapping out instead of Lisa Eldridge’s was the Kaleidos Cloud Lab Lip Clay in Sienna. That shade went very well with my skin tone, but looked almost too natural. I wanted more of an impact since I don’t often wear colored lip products and usually stick to clear or slightly tinted glosses and balms. The Kaleidos product is also long-wearing and not completely transfer-proof.
Considering the amount of kissing throughout the day and night, the transfer onto my husband’s lips was minimal. It also helps that I was wearing pinks that weren’t ultra vibrant. Food was the culprit that removed most of my lip products.
Tools and Extra Makeup Helpers
I mentioned the MAC Fix+ as something I always have on hand, but another one is the Nyx Glitter Primer to help make my shimmer eyeshadows pop and better adhere to my lids. For any mistakes that need to be cleaned up, I have Q-tips, but for more precise spots I like to use these tiny fine point cotton buds from MyKitCo called the My Small ‘On Point’ Buds. I dip them in a little micellar water, which my tried and true is the Bioderma Sensibio H2O. These are the types of things that are easy to forget when getting ready, that is, until they’re needed.
For my touch-up bag, I kept my skin-tone matching concealer and brush, the BB puff, the travel size mini CT powder, and the lip gloss. I was also gifted a slim compact with a magnifying mirror. I didn’t end up doing any makeup touch ups at all on the wedding day, but it’s nice to have things on hand in case there is an accident. Other random products in my Emergency Bride Kit were bobby pins, safety pins, band-aids, ibuprofen and pain meds (in case my back decided to act up which thankfully weren’t needed), hand lotion because of the constant dryness on my knuckles in this weather and taking pictures up close of the rings, eye drops with a backup pair of contacts, and tissues.
The photo above shows all the brushes I used on the wedding photo days!
Sonia G Mini Booster – Used for darker eyeshadow shades on the outer corner. Needed a small size blender brush for precision and for it to be not too dense to build up the color slowly. Mizuho MB123 – For applying the transition matte eyeshadows. Smashbox Double-Ended Smudger Brush -Used to apply shadows to the lower lash line, smudging the UD liner with the rubber side, applying the shimmer highlight shades to the brow arch and inner corner. Wayne Goss 08 – Applying concealer under the brows and to clean up any other spots around the eye makeup. Sonia G T4 – Extra blending to the eye look with no product on the brush plus blending out the nose contour. Sonia G T2 – Applying/stamping powder nose contour. Real Techniques Brightening Concealer – Used on the first day used to apply highlighter on the collarbone and shoulders, but the next was was used to set my under eye concealer with powder. Bisyodo B-ES-08 Eye Shadow – Was intended to apply the Clionadh multichrome. Real Techniques Setting – My usual under eye setting powder brush. MS-4 Mai Sakura Eyeshadow – Brush to apply shimmers to the lids prior to using my finger afterwards to build up eyeshadow in strategic spots.
Sonia G Jumbo Concealer – My holy grail concealer brush because it gets the most coverage by packing on a lot of product at once, but it can still smooth things out. Amazon Brush? – Used to apply eyeshadow primer to the lids and touch up concealer in other places. Chikuhodo FO-2 – Used to apply the Dior Powder No Powder. Eihodo WP PC-1 PUFF Makie Powder Brush Goldfish – Used to stamp on foundation mainly on the outer perimeter and over under-painted creams and liquids. The denseness and surface area size help with quick blending if needed and also aid in giving maximum coverage from not soaking up as much product. OdensEye Blush – Used to whip across the face the lighter shade of foundation. Functions like a stippling brush. Sonia G Soft Cheek – Applied powder blushes lightly, which was needed since I was building up three shades. Patrick Ta Contour – Applied the CT cream bronzer and is a holy grail product for sculpting around my face. Bisyodo CH-HC – Used to apply highlighter to the face in a light non-concentrated way, but without being dispersed in too wide of an area. Sephora Concealer Pro Concealer #71 – Used to apply liquid contour (the deep foundation shade) around the face. The angle of the brush was helpful, but technically many other brushes could have been used. Eihodo Outlet 153 Highlighting/Blush – Used to apply the contour shades from the Hindash Beautopsy palette over the areas that already had the Kaleidos contour. Was very useful for it’s small size considering the shape of the Beautopsy pans. Wayne Goss F3 – Used to lightly apply the Kaleidos Symphony Trio contour under the cheekbones and along the jawline. Sonia G Mini Base Keyaki Version – Used to apply the Rare Beauty liquid blush for under-painting. Bisyodo B-F-05 Perfect Fit – Intended to apply powder bronzer in a slightly concentrated amount under the cheekbones, but I used it instead to do slightly more blending to the contour areas. Sonia G Jumbo Bronzer – Intended to apply a lighter application of powder bronzer around the forehead, though on the actual wedding day I changed plans and opted for a cream bronzer instead.
Using the correct tool for the job is extremely important. To make things easier, I started narrowing my collection down ahead of time so that I wouldn’t be wasting time digging around looking for specific brushes. I knew which one (or ones) I wanted for each specific type of makeup. This came from practicing those makeup looks as often as I did. The backup brushes I also had on hand, but didn’t end up using, are in the photo below.
Another very important tip is to make sure the brushes are clean or “clean enough” before the big day. Gunked up old product on brushes can effect the performance of the makeup. Things can be harder to blend, not be color accurate, not apply as smoothly or in the right amounts.
All this being said, and for all the effort and planning I did…the funny thing is that I don’t have up-close shots of my face! The photos below are the best I’ve been able to produce. We couldn’t get a professional photographer in time and a coworker of the family graciously offered to take pictures on her high quality camera for us. The pictures were often dark or on some setting I’m not sure what (I’m not very knowledgeable about photography myself). My focus was to apply makeup in a way that would stand out at far distances, and it’s a good thing I did because most of the pictures were taken from father back and the quality dips when trying to zoom in closer. I have some wedding photos that I ended up liking or loving after tweaking them a little, so I’m happy about that. However, I don’t have ones for blog usage that specifically showcase the makeup except the two below. Sorry about that! I had too much on my mind to really think about how the pictures would turn out after a while.
Like I mentioned in the eyeshadow section, I plan to post a Part 2 with step-by-step details on how I completed my wedding look. Over the next few weeks, I plan to create a few alternative makeup looks as well. I hoped to get it finished sooner, but I got bronchitis and was feeling sick for over a week. Then, I took two weeks off of blogging to finish the wedding planning. Unfortunately, we all got Covid immediately after that, which put me out for a while too. And now, since the beginning of March and for the next eight weeks I’m taking an intensive course so I can get A1 certification in German language, as is required for me to have in this moving process. So, my usual Monday postings will likely be interrupted again. I’ll be back as soon as I can!
There are more shades of products that will be shown and discussed in this post than are represented in the photo above.
I consider Glossier to be one of those brands that cater to both Millennials and Gen Z, but they have this minimalist cool and youthful social media-loving aesthetic that feels unapproachable to me. The marketing just isn’t my vibe, yet I’m fascinated by it all the same. I’ve discussed the Cloud Paints and Solar Paints before, but this time I have one of the two newest full-size Cloud Paints to feature, plus the exclusive mini 2023 Holiday set, as well as the other Glossier products in my collection that haven’t been reviewed here until now. I’ve wanted to do a brand overview for years, but it’s taken so long to acquire enough products that suit my makeup preferences. So, here we go in 2024!
Cloud Paints
My collection of full-size ones I currently own are shown above. I am decluttering Spark, Beam, and my older tube of Storm because I’ve had them all for too long. The other three were purchased late last year.
I was so excited for the shade Rise because reddish brown/terracotta type of shades are my favorites for a natural looking flush of color on my cheeks. The minis that came in the holiday set are significantly smaller, which I don’t mind because you don’t need a lot of product. The downside is that the opening is the same size as the full-size, and the pressure needed to squeeze product from the base of the tube makes too much product come out every time, which then wastes what is already so little product. Even when I’m being super careful, I sometimes run into the issue of blush still squirting out forcefully.
Puff doesn’t really show on my cheeks, but it makes for an interesting mixer shade, the way I used to use Beam and am now using Dusk. These types of shades alter the undertone, making them more to my liking or tones down the vibrancy.
Two weeks ago, the brand distinguished between Cloud Paint Blushes and their newly launched Cloud Paint Bronzers. I would be interested in trying them in the future because my only issue with the Solar Paints was the intense shimmer present. If the Cloud Paint Bronzers are identical to that formula (but shimmer-free), I’d like them. If they are slightly sheer like the blushes, I’m not as sure. However, I wonder if they could potentially mix well with the blushes in order to turn them into toned down nude or more neutral leaning colors.
As for Soar, I literally forgot I reviewed this before HERE, but here we go again! I have a few more mixing examples over there.
After using Soar, Puff, and Rise, I can confirm what I said in my original review about Storm (newest at the time) compared to the older shades: the new shades continue to be less pigmented. These colors are vibrant, but the ratio of gel to pigment of the newer shades makes it easier to have an even more natural look to the skin while not being overly natural to the point of having a watercolor serum-like effect. When I want lighter coverage or something to wear on low-makeup days, I reach for these. When I want something with a bit more pigment, I reach for the Rare Beauty ones, but even RB’s newer shades are less pigmented too.
Glossier offers free samples with orders and this time I got the shade Eve which is a much deeper version of Storm. If I use it super sparingly, it can look quite pretty, but this type of hue on my skintone can also look a bit like a bruise. So, this isn’t a color I would buy, but figured I could show it anyway for anyone curious about that color.
If these were the only liquid blushes in my collection, I’d have way more of the shades to be able to mix and match them. It’s one of my top two favorite liquid blush formulas because of the ease of blending, longevity on the skin, and how it dries down fully without a dewy or sticky feeling left on the skin. Because these aren’t the only liquid blushes in my collection, I didn’t go overboard on the shade repurchases. However, if I ever use up my tube of Rise, the chances are high that I would eventually buy it again.
Futuredew Oil Serum Hybrid
Glossier’s Futuredew is one of those hero products I’ve heard everyone talk about before, so I was excited to finally try it. It has an interesting herbal scent. Up close I can see the tiny sparkles or “light-reflecting minerals” within the pearly light-pink liquid, so I was hopeful. However, it doesn’t do much for the look of my skin or makeup if used in a normal amount. Perhaps my skin is just too dry because within a minute of being rubbed in, it’s practically all absorbed by my skin (as seen in my hand photo above) without leaving much of a dewy look behind. It can make ashy skin look normal, but it never makes me look dewy unless I slather enough layers of it on my skin. For daily use, I use the maximum amount that feels comfortable for me to tolerate because in large amounts (which is needed for the dewy look) it feels greasy and a bit heavy. While it’s true that I can load it up, it’s not practical for me to do that on a regular basis. However, I’m willing to do that for special occasions, and it was admittedly super helpful for my wedding, but more on that later.
I wasn’t about to take the whole heavy thick glass bottle with me in my luggage, as shiny and pretty as it is, so I put some in a tiny container to bring with me to keep testing. I tried prepping my skin well and applying the Futuredew and the results on my bare face were the same. A difference is only made by layering it up, so I don’t bother to use this for skin prep.
When trying to utilize this as a makeup primer, it doesn’t improve the longevity of my makeup. The results are normal. In addition, the tiniest bit of sheen that lingers visibly is completely hidden the moment I put on foundation. No luminosity shows through underneath unless I apply an ultra generous amount of product. Considering how my dry skin is behaving in German winter, where my natural oils still don’t come out even at the end of the day, loading up the product has been the answer to getting my foundations to at least have a natural look to it rather than matte. Under foundation, it was still impossible to look dewy, especially when I needed to lock-in my makeup with setting powders and sprays to prevent transfer and keep my face looking as fresh as possible in photos, but my foundation would have looked displeasing without it. As unimpressed as I was with how much product I needed to use to achieve the look I wanted (and technically still could not achieve fully), the Futuredew still ended up being helpful to me and saved the day.
I should note that the brand says using this product will cause the skin to be brighter and more glowy over time, but I’m not sure that I believe those claims. I will continue using the amount I brought with me and if I notice any improvement, I’ll update this post.
Milky Jelly Cleanser (Travel Size)
This is another product I was excited to try because it was hyped up for years as this luxurious type of cleanser, especially by popular influencers. I’m planning to include this in a cleanser post in the future, but my full thoughts on this product is that I don’t like it. It’s not milky or jelly-like in texture, only in looks. The “conditioning” part of the label better explains how it feels, which is like I’m rubbing lotion or hair conditioner on my face. I don’t know if there’s a term for it, but I’ve always been the type that gets unnerved by having anything oily feeling on my fingers and palms. I can tolerate putting on lotion if it’s the fast absorbing type that doesn’t leave a film or slippery layer on my body that I will continue feeling when skin touches skin for an extended period of time. I don’t mind those in-shower body lotions because they go on my body, but rubbing this milky jelly cleanser on my face just feels wrong because of my quirky sensory issue. This might have been a feeling I could get used to over time, but this is advertised as being able to dissolve makeup even though it doesn’t! Or at least, my makeup is apparently too heavy duty for this cleanser to remove properly. Even on lighter makeup days, my skin never feels clean enough after washing my face with it, and it doesn’t pass the white towel test. If I wear heavier skincare like other facial oils, a thicker heavier face cream, and/or sunscreen, even those I don’t feel properly get removed from my face. If the brand wants to market this as a face conditioner, fine, but it’s not a good cleanser at all. A cleanser should be able to do the bare minimum and actually clean the face. There are better gentle cleansers out there.
Monochromes Essential Eyeshadow Trio Palette in Prairie
Oh, how I’ve waited so long for this to go on sale so I could justify buying it! I’ve certainly paid more for three eyeshadows, and even a single eyeshadow, but I wasn’t confident that I would like these, so I didn’t want to pay full price. The reviews were certainly mixed.
I am happy to report that I’m satisfied with the completed look. I got more pigment than I was expecting, which is a good thing in this situation. The matte blended nicely. The satin may as well have been a matte on my eyelids because there wasn’t much of a sheen. It looks very bland. The metallic didn’t have as much shine to it as I prefer, even after wetting my brush, but having it saved the look for me considering how much more I liked it instead of the satin. Also, I’m not sure why they call it a metallic when it’s more like a low impact shimmer. Then again, that description, though more accurate, probably wouldn’t help with sales.
The concept of this is certainly interesting for single shadow lovers to be able to have a potential favorite color in three different finishes all in one compact. That’s not me, so I was never going to be the target customer for this product. I was just curious about the quality, which is better than I expected, but the format just doesn’t suit my needs. It could be useful for me if each individual pan was customizable, so I could put a different color in place of that useless satin (for instance the Clay Matte, Teak Matte, Heather Metallic, or Rosin Metallic). Being stuck with a single trio that is only replaceable with another premade trio (and honestly wasted space that could have fit 4 eyeshadows if the logo wasn’t there) is very limiting.
For those that like minimal makeup and nothing too sparkly, I guess I could say this would be nice. However, it’s just so far removed from the type of makeup I like that I can’t help but feel there are so many other brands that do single eyeshadows better, trios, and quads and all for the same price or cheaper. I’d even recommend a little Natasha Denona mini 5 pan over this. ND’s quality is better. The closest equivalent I can think of is the Huda Beauty/GloWish Micro Mini Eyeshadow Palettes. Those are similar quality mattes (perhaps even slightly better) with soft shimmers that are only a little more impactful than the Glossier metallics, and in shades that can create a slightly more nuanced monochromatic look, all for $21 instead of $27 (or $22 for just the refill alone). Plus, I’ve seen the GloWish ones go on sale for half off (a better discount than I’ve ever seen from Glossier). The pan sizes are different, but the GloWish quad has 4.05 total grams (0.14 oz) of product versus Glossier’s 3.9 grams (0.12 oz).
Glossier Samples/First Impressions
Perfecting Skin Tint G1-G6 (Sample)
There wasn’t enough of the sample to do an actual wear test, so I wanted to just show off the shade range in swatches. G4 is my closest match, but it’s a half shade off. I would need to mix it with G3 to get something that matched my whole face and not just the lightest spots.
Stretch Concealer G1-G6 (Sample)
There was enough of the sample to do a wear test. This concealer is too creamy. As much as I would like a creamy concealer because my under eye area can be so dry sometimes, my eye area shape and lines require me to have a concealer that is flexible enough to stay put through movement (like Givenchy Prisme Libre) or to solidly lock into place (like Tarte Shape Tape). Creamy concealers move too much and crease on me horribly. That was unfortunately the situation with this one, which is a shame because I liked the coverage.
Stretch Foundation (Sample)
I can only guess that my shade would fall somewhere in the MD3 range. I did my best to mix the two closest ones in the sample card to create a custom shade for me. However, the mixture turned slightly grey from the two shades being too far apart in depth. I have a slightly grey tinge where I wore it in the photo below. It doesn’t look as bad in the photo, but it was quite obvious in person. So, I can’t really say how I liked this foundation in terms of looks. In terms of performance, that side of my face looked greasy at the end of the day. I like a little dew, but not that much. It felt nice on the skin, but it transfers more than the amount that’s acceptable to me. Perhaps powdering it would have changed things. I can’t say if I would recommend it or not based on the first impression. At the foundation’s price though, I’d rather spend a little more for my tried and true foundations instead. So, I won’t be buying this one.
Body Hero Oil Wash (Sample)
I mentioned in the cleanser section that I don’t mind in-shower body lotions. The ones I’ve used before don’t trigger my sensory issue. The same goes for this. I like how it instantly gets frothy and creamy when it hits water and gets rubbed onto the skin. It washes off easily and leaves my skin feeling clean and moisturized without a residue layer lingering on the skin. If I wasn’t such a Lush stan, I would consider buying a full-size bottle one day. It also has a nice light scent which makes for a great experience in the shower, though it doesn’t linger on my skin once I’m out. I should note that the scent of nearly all body washes don’t cling to my skin after I’ve dried off.
Another thing I noticed is that I was unable to see this product on the Glossier website until I changed my country settings to the US. I checked reddit and found out that as of at least 3 months ago, this product has been unavailable to those in the EU. I’m not sure why.
Anyway, that’s everything for today!
I continue to be intrigued by Glossier and its products. Thus far, the only ones that I can really stand behind are the Cloud Paints and Solar Paints (I admittedly decluttered my Solar Paint though), but I think I’ve given the brand a decent try and I will continue to keep my eye out for anything else they release in the hopes to find another gem like the Cloud Paints.
I like having keepsake tins, I really enjoy the Vieve Sunset Blushes, and I’ve been curious to see if the brand’s lip oils were worth the hype, so this purchase made complete sense for me to make (besides the bonus of a slight discount for Black Friday). The design on the outer packaging is so pretty that I can’t deny that played a big part in me wanting it, besides it being limited edition. I’m glad the tin can be reused when the plastic insert is removed.
The Lip Dew’s cap has a short wand with a large applicator that seems to be the popular shape for lip oil packaging. The lippie has a beautiful soft rose hue (hence the Rosa name), but the color doesn’t show very much on my lips. It looks mostly clear, but with a decent amount of shine to it. The Pat Mcgrath, Fenty, and Ami Cole glosses are all shinier. I would call this consistency more like a gloss than an oil. It’s sticky, but I’ve had stickier glosses such as the Gloss Bombs.
I think that texture helps it to last longer on my lips, but it barely lingers after eating so I wouldn’t call it long-lasting unless you don’t eat for an extended period of time. Then, one could get around four hours before needing to touch up.
I like this product quite a lot since it feels moisturizing to my lips, which is notoriously a struggle for me to keep my lips conditioned. It’s not to the level of Ami Cole’s hydration factor and doesn’t necessarily soften my lips like Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balms, but it at least prevents lip dryness from getting worse while I wear it, which is better than a lip product that slowly dries my lips out over time (which is the majority of things). For that reason, I do recommend them for anyone looking for something to keep the lips moisturized for a time, and for an average amount of shine to the lips. If you don’t have lip dryness issues as badly as mine, this could perform even better, which is why I think there is some validity to the hype.
The star of the show is the blush in the shade Rosa, which hasn’t been released for individual purchase yet.
As can be seen in swatches, it’s a nude color that just barely shows on my arm in swatches, but the pink tinge can be built up and is still visible on my cheeks. It reminds me of MAC’s blush in the shade Coppertone.
Unlike the shade Sorbet, I don’t see any shimmer in Rosa (just like Piazza). I consider it a soft matte though. It’s just as semi-firmly pressed as I mentioned in my original review. It’s also that same buildable pigmentation and long-lasting. Although the color is still a touch more subtle than I go for in a nude blush, I’m still happy with my purchase.
Between the two products and cute tin, this was an absolute win!
That’s everything for today. Thank you for reading!
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!
There are more products reviewed, discussed, and photographed in this post than what is pictured above.
I took quite a long break from purchasing Juvia’s Place products, but they had an amazing Juneteenth sale with enough items I wanted to make it worth placing the order. Besides a few controversies, it was also the fact that the palettes with six pans and under weren’t performing as well as I was used to. Juvia’s Place and Coloured Raine used to make my favorite eyeshadows in my early blogging days, but both brands have changed things. So, just as I gave it some time before trying Coloured Raine again, I decided to give Juvia’s Place another chance in 2023 to see if it was just a string of bad luck and if I might enjoy their smaller palettes again.
I also bought the Coffee Shop palette, but it isn’t pictured with the group above because I ended up giving it to one of my friends. I wanted to mention that because I told Olive a long time ago that I bought that palette, with the implication that it would eventually be reviewed on this blog, but I forgot I gave it away. It looked so beautiful, but I purchased several neutral palettes at the same time, and with my friend visiting I hoped it would make a nice surprise gift. Anyway, I recommend checking out Olive Unicorn Beauty if you’re a fan of Juvia’s place, bright colorful eyeshadow looks, fun hair dyes, and more.
Eyeshadows
The photo above is an example of my biggest issue with Juvia’s Place shimmers from my previous review until now. This happens with slicker formula shimmers and isn’t any indication that it’s a bad shadow. It’s just unfortunate that my eyes (which produce more oils in the last few years than previously in my life) aren’t compatible with those slip-type and ‘cone’ heavy eyeshadows anymore. I can sometimes mitigate the issue by having a thick matte layer in the crease (or using setting powder) to keep those zones drier, but it doesn’t always work.
The Blushed Rose Eyeshadow Palette
This color story is so beautiful! I wanted it ever since it launched, so I could no longer resist being without it. Shade 2 called to me the most, as it looks so fiery warm and vibrant in the pan, but it’s not as unique on my actual eyes. They’re all so pretty. I’m just not sure they’re as special as I wanted.
I’m happy to say the creasing/breaking down of the shimmers wasn’t as bad with this palette. The matte quality was also better than when I decided to take a break from Juvia’s Place, but it’s still not quite as good as their older mattes. I’m at least glad they’re blendable and of similar quality to their larger “newer” palettes. The texture of the eyeshadows feel softer, which seems like a conscious decision to make them more of a buildable eyeshadow formula rather than ultra pigmented. The color is clearly still there, but it’s not as easy to layer up multiple colors to build up to the kind of depth I prefer. I think the shadows are still good for the price and with a lot of shade variety and nice finishes. I can see why people still love their eyeshadows. The switch is just not to my specific preference anymore.
The Bronzed Rustic Eyeshadow Palette
The colors in this palette look a lot more similar to each other on my eyes than I expected, so that makes it less enjoyable to me than the Blushed Rose Palette. Other than that, my praises and critiques for this palette are exactly the same. The mattes are better than I expected, but don’t give me the depth I want. They’re more buildable and thin instead of heavier and pigmented. The shimmers don’t crease as badly as I feared. The shimmers are more metallic and less sparkly.
The eye looks I created are pretty, but I was a little underwhelmed by this palette.
The Fula Palette
This palette has some really interesting shades, especially the duochromes. I was so excited when I swatched everything and I had high expectations, but wow this one was the ultimate letdown. The mattes were so hard to build. I got my color impact with Nomad and Taza, but Nomad was constantly fading away when I tried to blend it, whereas Taza had a sticking issue wanting to stay where it’s initially laid and doesn’t want to blend out. Marrakesh didn’t give me enough vibrancy of color and I struggled to blend out the edges. Then I had the issue of all the shimmers creasing horribly within hours. The bald patch photo I showed at the beginning of the post was from the first eye look shown below. Preferences are one thing, but I think this palette goes beyond a preference thing. I don’t think it’s as good of quality. Can it be made to work? Of course. I just can’t recommend it.
The Warrior Palette
Since this is one of the older palettes before I noticed a quality difference, and one of the larger ones, I had high hopes it would be great. Unfortunately, even the newer versions of older palettes seem different than I remember. The mattes were easier to blend than in the Fula palette, but still rougher than the Blush and Bronze palettes. They don’t layer as well or build as well either. The shimmers creased, but again, not as intensely as the Fula palette.
The colors in here are beautiful and the eye looks are nice, but I had to just face the facts that Juvia’s Place eyeshadows just aren’t suited for me anymore. Thankfully, the brand has branched out into so many other areas of makeup that I can continue to seek out and use their products. This doesn’t have to be the end.
Blushes
Juvia’s Place Blushed Liquid Blush in Marigold, Rosey Posey (should have been Peach Rose), Coral Rose, and Lily Love
As I mentioned in the beginning of the post, I bought these on June 19th, but I didn’t start working on this post until October. I took out a few products here and there prior to October, but when I initially got my order and saw that barbie pink liquid blush, I assumed I just make a mistake in what shade I chose and put it back in the box. It wasn’t until I started taking product photos and swatches that I realized it was called Rosey Posey, which I knew wasn’t one of the blush shades I was interested in. I checked my order confirmation page, and Peach Rose was the shade I actually ordered, but got Rosey Posey instead. It’s so many months later that I didn’t bother to contact Juvia’s Place customer service to try and fix it.
To give some kind of reference, I’m not the biggest liquid blush connoisseur, but my favorites are from Rare Beauty and Glossier. The ones from Glossier are a little more on the buildable natural side. The ones from Rare Beauty are much more pigmented. I need such a small amount from Rare Beauty to get the full pigment I want. The ones from Juvia’s Place though are equal in pigment or even more intense! I need practically a pinprick amount of Lily Love to cover my full cheek. That one is so unbelievably pigmented! For that reason, I prefer Coral Rose which is similar in tone to Lily Love, but less red, less intense, and a small drop won’t overdo things instantly.
These blushes dry down to a soft matte finish. They come in pretty colors. They’re long-lasting and don’t fade. They’re basically a more pigmented version of the Rare Beauty liquid blushes. That being said, I still prefer the Rare Beauty because they’re overall still easier to use and blend out. With the Juvia’s Place ones, I don’t even know if they disturb foundation underneath because they’re so opaque that anyone can cover up any bald spots or patches easily. That makes them a good thing or bad thing depending on someone’s needs.
One of the things going for these is that the Juvia’s Place liquid blushes cost $18 versus $23 from Rare Beauty, at least in the US. That doesn’t seem like a huge difference, but Rare Beauty blushes can be 26 Euros in Germany depending on the shade, whereas Juvia’s are 17 Euros. So, the overseas prices is where the difference can be larger. Plus, Juvia’s Place frequently has sales on their website and Ulta starting at around 30% off, so the price gap could widen even more.
I bought Marigold hoping it would be a decent substitute for Joy from Rare Beauty, but it’s not quite the same brightness and Joy also has a dewier looking finish that I prefer. So, I would like to one day repurchase that color. However, Coral Love is a decent enough substitute for my beloved Love shade.
I can recommend these, but I have to admit I still prefer the Rare Beauty ones myself.
Lip Products
Magic Lip Oil in Watermelon
I was so excited to try this lip oil because they’ve gotten so popular in the past year, but I just wasn’t impressed with this formula. It didn’t condition my lips. It felt more like a gel than an oil. It barely smelled like watermelon (like a watermelon mixed with chemicals). It doesn’t add any color to my lips, so the slight pink tinge is just for show. The shine disappears fairly quickly and it’s not long lasting in general on my lips either. With nothing good about it except how pretty it looks in the tube and the fun shape of the applicator, it made no sense to keep it. So, it’s out of my collection.
Lip Gloss in Sis!
This is a nice, functional, basic gloss. It has a bit of color and this particular shade looks slightly milky on me, but it’s still pretty, especially paired on top of a lipstick. It’s not as high shine as my favorites, but it’s also not as sticky either. I liked it enough that I bought one for my sister, and I’d consider getting another shade at some point in the future. I just have a ton of glosses that I like and am currently trying to use up that also have a conditioning effect to my lips, so it doesn’t really make sense to buy another at the moment.
Nude Velvety Matte Lipstick in Me and Toffee
I like the somewhat vanilla scent of these lipsticks. They go on the lips smoothly without tugging. They feel comfortable to wear on the lips. They’re not transfer-proof, but last a decent amount of time before touch-ups are required. The shape of the lipstick is interesting to look at, but the shape also seemed to make it easy to apply the product to my lips without going outside the lines. They’re a matte formula but have a slight creaminess to them. My preferred color of the two is Toffee because I can wear it without a darker lip liner. Toffee refused to show true-to-color on my camera unfortunately (in the lip photo but the swatch is accurate). I planned to retake photos while in Germany, but my plastic bag of lip products I intended to bring with me weighed 3 pounds (out of a 50 pound limit). These lipsticks survived the cut where I brought it down to 2 pounds, but ultimately I had to get that lip product bag even lower, so the Juvia’s Place lipsticks unfortunately had to be left behind.
If the colors were perfectly suited to my taste without lipliner, I would have found a way to bring one with me. The shade options were what did it. So, for anyone who is able to find colors they really like in Juvia’s Place’s shade offerings, I recommend giving one a try.
Miscellaneous
I Am Magic Natural Radiance Foundation in BURKINA-#310 [Dark with neutral warm undertone]
I believe this was too dark at the time I originally tried it, but just before I left the US, it was a passable shade match. The finish is quite pretty, a natural radiance just as described, but leaning more on the radiant side. It’s advertised as medium-to-full coverage. It can feel heavy if too much is applied, so the coverage I get for the amount I want to wear is high medium. The scent is extremely strong. There’s supposed to be “Acerola Cherry ferment” in here, and the cherry fragrance they added is a frequent reminder of that. I like the smell, but still wish it was excluded or at least that it was milder. It lingers on the skin for quite a while before I can’t smell it anymore. When I first tried this, it was with the Rituel de Fille Thorn Oil and that made it easy to transfer. By itself, it can actually set down without powder. It just takes a little longer than other foundations I own. I wish I could have been able to bring this with me, and I was very tempted to repurchase it during their Cyber Week sale to have it shipped to my location. However, the reason I left it is because I have so many other foundations I already love and have stood the test of time, plus in closer shade matches to me. They’re all at least double the price of this foundation, so for anyone unwilling to pay those kind of prices, this could be a less expensive option to look into.
Juvia’s Place I Am Magic Concealer in J11 [Dark with a Warm Undertone]
This looks like it should work for me, but it’s a bit too light when it’s actually on top of my dark under eye circles. I love the full coverage aspect to it, but the biggest issue is that it creases fast and too deeply for my liking. I tried it twice by itself with different powders and two other times mixed with other concealers to see if that would help, but nothing worked.
Also, regarding the shades, the next one that was still a warm undertone is J8, which looked like it would be way too deep for me based on the website photos. However, the color wouldn’t change the creasing problem I had with it.
Juvia’s Place Bronzed Cream Bronzer in Caramel
Taken from my Instagram post, since I summed it up best over there, I know I bought the incorrect shade for myself, but the biggest reason I didn’t try to exchange it for a better shade is because this bronzer has sparkles in it. It doesn’t show in swatches, and it’s too hard to see in the container, but those sparkles are way more obvious and look crazy when spread out on the face. I thought I was in the twilight zone because none of the YouTubers I watch talked about it in their initial videos (people with similar tastes to me), and it wouldn’t be until much later in a declutter video or update video that they mentioned noticing it later on and not liking it. It’s such a shame because I loved the feel of it on the skin and the way it blended was beautiful. I just can’t get on board with such a glittery look in a bronzer of all things! If they ever decide to release a version that isn’t, “crafted with shimmering pearls,” I’ll buy it in a heartbeat.
Also, $18 is mid to high end pricing if the price per grams are considered because it’s only 0.3 oz versus brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills that has a cream bronzer at $35 for 1 oz. I don’t mind a small size since it’s so hard for me to use up bronzers, blushes, and highlighters. However, it’s not as affordable of a product compared to what the brand’s prices usually are. This is the same brand whose foundation is $23 for 40ml when most brands’ foundations are only 30ml.
Those are pretty much all the products I’ve tried from Juvia’s Place in 2023. I did also buy their eye primer to compare to the one from Coloured Raine, but the primer separated in the bottle and looked really off-putting, so I didn’t even try it.
This was quite the mixture of good and mediocre performances with the products, but I still have an overall positive impression of the things they make. There’s no way to know whether something will be a hit or a miss from them, but I’m always intrigued.
That’s all for today! Thank you for reading! I wish you a Happy New Year and positive things for 2024!
The last two years have been the peak of my blush obsession, and MAC is the brand that still holds the record for most blushes in my collection. Even though I’ve given some away or sold some that didn’t work for me, what you see in the photo above is everything still remaining in my possession.
For the first wave of products I brought from the US to Germany, and knowing I’d be separated from my collection for a period of time between 3-10 months, I had to decide which items I didn’t want to be without and which ones could come later.
MAC Effervescence Extra Dimension Face Compacts in Medium and Deep
I never reviewed these, which launched for the holidays last year, because MAC released them in such a strange way. Initially they were only available overseas. Then, a month or so later, only the lightest shade was available at retail partners like HSN and Dillard’s. The lightest two shades eventually came to Ulta a few months after that, but the collection never became available on the MAC-US website. The only places they could be found were CCOs, which I have Nikkito thank for that information. Everywhere I called within my state and other states didn’t have the Deep one, but I purchased it from someone on Mercari and later got my hands on the Medium one from Amazon, specifically to have that vibrant coral blush.
I love the Deep trio, and all the shades in it work for me, but it comes in really bulky semi-heavy packaging that doesn’t fit in traditional beauty storage containers, so I left it behind. The Deep Trio will come back with me in the second wave of products, but Medium will likely be decluttered in some way.
MAC Extra Dimension Blushes
The Extra Dimension blush formula is my second most used type of blush from MAC, though it doesn’t look as evident since I’ve been focused mainly on using mine in the shade Faux Sure. Other than that one, I’ve dug into Guindilla from the MAC x Rosalia Aute Cuture collection the second most and Hushed Tone in the compact form (not from the Surrounded by Stars quad). Since Hushed Tone is so subtle on me, I pretty much stopped using it once I got my hands on Faux Sure. Because Guindilla is the only shade in its quad that I use, and it also takes effort to build up, that would add too much weight to my bag that could be used for other things. So, of all the Extra Dimension ones, I only brought Faux Sure with me. The rest will come in other waves.
MAC Glow Play Blushes
I never did showcase the color Grand, the leftmost blush in the photo above, because it’s too light for me. When MAC had one of their deep discounts on blushes, I bought it to see if I could pull off that shade or not. The Glow Play formula is my most loved from MAC and most used. They look like they’re in a messy state rather than heavily used condition, but they all started off in round domed shapes. So, the flattest ones are most used (with the exception of HD Cherry Tree). I tend to use the peaches and oranges way more often than the pinks, so I knew HD Cherry Tree and No Shame weren’t coming with me. I kept forgetting which ones I liked more between That’s Peachy and Peaches ‘N’ Dreams. Groovy and Heat Index were also hard to decide between as well. Ultimately, I dropped That’s Peachy and took the other three. That’s Peachy just took extra effort to build up, which is the only reason I didn’t bring it.
MAC Mineralize Blushes
Flirting with Danger and Love Thing were the only two Mineralize Blushes that I kept, and I still love them, so I took them with me. Unlike the other formulas from MAC that I can wear in tones that appear as though they’d be too light for me, the Mineralize Blushes look ashier on my skin tone the lighter they lean. That’s the reason why the deeper ones look better on me.
MAC Powder Blushes
The photo above shows my blushes that I did not depot and plan to keep in their original packaging. It also shows Sunbasque (too light for me) and Modern Mandarin (hard-panned quickly) which I was supposed to declutter, but never had the heart to toss them. He Likes It Cold is nice, but too similar to Flirting with Danger to be worth bringing in the first wave. The duo in Sunset Boulevard, Melba, and Gingerly are all super subtle. I like subtle, but I have other barely-there blushes from other brands that I wanted to bring instead, so those three had to remain behind. The MAC x Whitney Houston Blush in Nippy’s Plum Rose is one that I hadn’t reviewed yet and thought for sure I’d bring with me, but it’s close enough to MAC’s Breath of Plum that I decided it could stay for now. So, I didn’t take any of the ones above. However, I definitely plan to bring them all (except Sunbasque and Modern Mandarin) next time.
As for the photo below, I like so many of these shades, but the ones that remained behind were either too subtle or too vibrant for my taste now, don’t perform as well due to being old, or I have a similar shade from another brand in a formula I like more (ex: Peachtwist and Ambering Rose versus BareMinerals Blonzer in Kiss of Rose).
Even though the Powder blushes from MAC are what kicked off my obsession, my love of their other formulas overshadowed these and I didn’t get nearly enough use out of them because I was devoting more time to the others. So, I chose the most wearable ones that happened to fit into this nice custom quad.
So, I ended up narrowing down the first wave of MAC blushes to these chosen few! Ten blushes are still a lot, but it looks so small compared to the full collection.
The camera setting wasn’t in Pro mode, so the colors are washed out. I wasn’t intending to show this picture.
That’s all for today! I know reviews on newly released products tend to be more exciting, but it’s nice to revisit past things, especially to see if I would still recommend older products to this day.
For all who celebrate it, Merry Christmas! I’m going to update the home page, but I also want to announce in this post that I’m engaged! That’s why I’ll be in Germany either three months (if something goes wrong) or up to ten months (if I’m able to make this move permanent), before I return to the US for a visit. I’m bringing things over slowly, and this is why I’ve had to take a hard look at my beauty products to decide which products will come at which time.
Gxve Beauty by Gwen Stefani had 50% off all products for Black Friday, so it felt like the perfect time to try the makeup. This is a “first impression” style review, since my order arrived shortly before my trip, and I was only able to wear everything 1-2 times. I liked them all and planned to bring them with me to Germany, but due to baggage weight limits I had to leave everything except the highlighter behind. However, the impression left on me by these products were strong enough that I feel I can still review them.
In the photo above, I’m wearing the highlighter (all colors swirled together), the bronzer and contour, both shades in the blush compact, and the matte lipstick.
Pick It Up Cream Contour & Talc-Free Powder Bronzer Duo in Heat Wave
The cream contour blends decently into the skin and sets without remaining balmy. However, due to the shine from it being a cream product, I prefer to set it with a powder of some kind. It looks intense when it’s first placed onto the skin, but sheers out without being patchy as it’s worked onto the face. The shade I chose was still a bit too deep for me, so I had to be extra precise in the placement of it, and it was too unnatural to look nice in my jaw area.
The powder bronzer was extremely warm in color, along the lines of Pat Mcgrath’s bronzer in the shade Burnished Honey. It’s quite pigmented and doesn’t cling to more dewy spots on the face, nor did it deepen up from moisture. It has a similar looking finish and performance to PML’s bronzer as well. I tend to prefer a slight sheen in my bronzer, even more than what’s considered soft matte, but I still liked this one.
The longevity is good on both products. My bigger critique is that there isn’t a plastic flap to help prevent powder bronzer kickup from ending up in the cream contour. This issue didn’t happen to me yet, but I can see it being a problem with repeated use or if someone accidentally drops the compact and some of the powder breaks and goes everywhere.
If I’d been able to get this for half price again and have it arrive in time, I would have been tempted to get the shade Super Hot intended for tan skin tones and hoped it wouldn’t be too light. But in thinking it over, I still prefer powder contours over all the cream ones I’ve ever tried because for some reason they tend to not be matte. When creating a shadow on my face, I need that to be matte and not shiny, which powders give me. As for bronzers, I have plenty that rank higher, so this is ultimately why I decided that I’ll just continue to use this one when I eventually return to the US and make do with the color I’ve got.
Feelin’ Cheeky Clean Amplifying Talc-Free Blush Duo in Crush On You
According to the brand, “Each blush duo includes 2 shades: a Sheer Satin shade to add luminosity and dimension and a Natural Radiant shade to pump up the vibrancy.” I would have thought they’d be the other way around, but the shimmery blush is apparently the satin. It doesn’t give enough color payoff for me to wear on its own. The radiant shade, although not flat matte, is a bit darker than the satin and doesn’t pop enough for my taste, which is why I ended up putting the satin on top of the radiant one both times since they look better together on me. It becomes a combination of blendable and buildable color paired with the oomph and brightness I prefer in a blush. The satin isn’t as luminous as a true shimmer blush, so perhaps the description of it makes sense. The color lasted on my cheeks all day without fading.
I would have loved to get another duo, but the brand’s photos only show the coral shade (Lasting Love) on a model with light skin and the peachy-beige (Stars Aligned) demonstrated on a light/medium model, so I couldn’t tell if any other colors I liked would work for my skin tone. It would have been even more of a risk to blindly buy considering the radiant shade intended to “pump up the vibrancy” needed to be built up a little despite being the deepest duo.
The only reason I left this one behind is because I filled nearly an entire large Relavel case (16.5 x 5.5 x 12 inches) with blushes. I already was bringing so many with me, some which even had sentimental value, that I couldn’t justify this one. Especially since this type of color is a darker version of what I love and have too many shades of in my collection and in finishes I prefer even more. I would still like to get additional shades of these blushes one day though.
Check My Glow Multi-dimensional Illuminating Talc-Free Highlighter in Karat Country
I can’t recall if I smelled fragrance in the contour/bronzer duo, but there is definitely perfume in the blush duo and this highlighter. It smells so strongly of baby powder, but mixed with some florals. The smell doesn’t linger on the face, but it’s a little unnerving to be applying so much scented makeup, especially when using more than one Gxve Beauty product at a time. I try to limit the amount of perfumed products I use out of fear of increasing my chances of developing skin sensitization, plus scented products can often give me a headache. I’m glad the ones from Gxve haven’t done that to me, but I felt it’s important to mention.
This is the one product in this post I kept with me, which shows just how much I love it. How light or dark my skin is can fluctuate throughout the year, so the idea that I can tailor my highlighter color to suit me is a great advantage. The shimmer quality is smooth. It’s one of the least texture enhancing highlighters I’ve used in proportion to the intensity level of the shine and reflectivity. I haven’t done a highlighter ranking post yet, but this has to be in my top 10. I mentioned that I used everything in this post at least 1-2 times prior to my trip. Since arriving at my destination, I have continued to use this one every time I put on makeup. I can apply it sparingly with an airy brush for a more subtle look, but achieving medium to medium-high intensity is easy. I don’t consider this a blinding highlighter, but choosing one of the brand’s lighter shades would give me that effect if I wanted that. Medium level of radiance is the most I like, so this is very much perfect for me.
Original Me Clean High-Performance Matte Lipstick in Lovable Me
Well, this certainly takes me back! I haven’t worn a lip product associated with Gwen Stefani since the collab with Urban Decay in early 2016! It was the only item I bought from that collection, and it was more for collector purposes because I loved the packaging.
The Gxve brand packaging is quite cool, especially with the brand lettering under the twist up portion of the component that can be seen when the cap is removed. Lovable Me is a really pretty color that I can almost wear without a lip liner (liner-free demonstration is at the top of the page).
Considering it’s a matte lipstick, I was surprised that the formula had a slight creaminess to it that made it easy to glide onto the lips and was comfortable to wear. It lasted through two meals before needing to be touched up. My lips were drier than when I started at the end of the night, like pretty much every colored lip product I wear, but it’s one of the most comfortable mattes I’ve worn. It looked nice even on my semi-chapped lips. This lipstick unsurprisingly contains fragrance, but it smells more like vanilla than the other products from Gxve Beauty.
Overall, I think this brand has pretty good products. I’m certainly interested in seeing what else they will make in the future, although I don’t believe they ship outside of the US. So, unfortunately, this might be my one and only brand review unless they expand globally.
The photo above shows my current collection of Hourglass Ambient finishing powders, blushes, bronzers, and highlighters. Some products have been depotted and rearranged, so they’re not all in their original states (the Universe Unlocked and Tiger palettes).
My palette from Hourglass has the website exclusive Owl design on the cover, but I chose the powders inside that were assigned by default to the Leopard palette. It’s called “Color Palette 2” on the official website. As I mentioned in my review of this year’s Snake palette (not to be confused with the leopard component I chose for it), it was so difficult to skip out on the beautiful owl and when I found a 20% off code, I ended up choosing this. Well, the Palette 2 option was the only one in stock at the time, so I technically had no choice. The reason the default Leopard palette insides were still in stock is because it’s the palette with only 1 new shade and a bunch of re-released ones. It’s a great thing that I only had one of the 6 powders currently in my collection, but that’s also because most of the shades don’t work for me as intended. However, I’ve happily discovered that this is a great mixing/companion palette and for that reason I decided to review it as well. In addition, I’ve added even more comparison swatches than I did in my post from a few weeks ago!
Dim Light (finishing powder) – This is a permanent shade that I surprisingly never owned among the long list of too-light-for-me Ambient powders from Hourglass that I get stuck with from the edit palettes. Of course, no one is surprised to hear I can’t use this as a finishing powder on my skin tone.
Some of the deeper finishing powders from the brand have visible shimmer, making them something I wouldn’t want to put under my eyes. I couldn’t see any shimmer particles in Dim Light though, so I have used it as a brightening powder under my eyes. My concealer was a little darker than the rest of my face when I was taking the face pictures above, so this is when I put Dim Light over it and I think it helped brighten it. So, this powder isn’t a complete miss for me.
Celestial Strobe Light (strobe powder/highlighter) – This strobe powder was introduced last year in the Butterfly palette. Because of the level of warmth and transparency in this color, I could actually almost pull this off! I was tempted to depot it from the Butterfly palette before I sold it, so I’m actually not bothered to own it again. When I use Lustrous Bronze Light as a highlighter and add a tiny bit of this on top to amp it up, it’s a pretty combination that works! It’s still unavoidably pearly-looking (nearly frosty), but not to the level of being unflattering.
Mood Exposure (blush) – This is a permanent blush that I never owned. I always wondered if I’d be able to pull it off if I bought one that contained enough of the plummy vein coloring. I’ve learned that at the best of times it shows on my cheeks as a subtle nude color, but doesn’t always resemble a blush. Sometimes too much of the sheen shows on my cheeks and then it looks like a face powder instead of blush. However, adding a little of Ethereal Flush on top is a gorgeous combination. So, I’m actually happy to have this one as a mixer blush! Mystic Flush from the Snake palette is quite vibrant, so having this to mix with that one as well is quite nice. This isn’t a color I’d have ever bought on its own or as a single (assuming I couldn’t use it), but having it come with this palette turned into a happy and useful surprise.
Iridescent Rose (strobe blush) – This is blush first appeared in last year’s Tiger palette. I still have it in my collection, so this is the true repeat for me to have in my Leopard/Owl palette. It’s still a nice blush topper that I prefer over the other deep strobe highlighter/blush powders Hourglass has released in Tiger and Snake, but I don’t want to keep both. So, it’s very likely I will end up selling it in a custom depotted palette at some point this year. I don’t think I ever reviewed the Sculpture Edit Quad, but that one contains Mood Flush which I might replace it with instead.
Ethereal Flush (blush) – This blush is perfect to wear on its own. It reminds me of Coral Flush from the Universe Unlocked palette, but even more flattering on my skin tone. It’s also the only new product within the Leopard palette. Granted, “new” is relative considering it’s yet another pink toned blush, even though Hourglass describes it as a “soft peach.” It’s not hugely different from the others they’ve released.
Lustrous Bronze Light (bronzer) – This bronzer was released in last year’s Elephant palette. I can use it as a low-shine highlighter. The tone would have made a good finishing powder for me if it didn’t have the occasional visible shimmer particle and if the sheen was weaker. I’m fine with using it as a very subtle highlighter though.
So even though Snake and my custom version of Tiger are better suited for me, I’m really happy to have Leopard/Owl to compliment those. And sure enough, by the time I started working on this post weeks ago until the time I’ve decided to publish this, I ended up removing Iridescent Rose and replacing it with Mood Flush. Mood Flush is basically a deeper version of Mood Exposure and I love the subtle color on my cheeks, but I never thought to reach for that one because it was in a quad with 3 nearly unusable products. Now that I’ve put it in the Owl palette, I think I’ll get a lot more use out of it finally. And, now that my duplicate blush is in that Sculpture Quad instead, I may eventually sell it.
As you can see, Mood Flush got a bit banged up in the process. The Sculpture Quad being a plastic component and with stronger glue made it tricky to depot without melting it too badly. I could have depotted the blush perfectly if I increased the heat and didn’t care about trying to salvage the packaging. What I love about the current Hourglass tin components is that depotting the powders is so much easier without ruining the packaging (not even the sticker on the bottom) or the product itself.
Brushes, makeup that was returned, products decluttered or given away, and a MAC highlighter are not pictured.
Welcome back to this series! I reviewed everything in separate posts from last year’s August purchases, so it made sense to skip that. As I began to work on September’s I realized I reviewed most things as well, except the unreviewed items were tied to pending posts I was currently working on. Since I at least purchased additional shades I knew I could show here, I decided to proceed with showing the September items, in addition to October’s!
Benefit Cosmetics Wanderful World Blush in Starlaa (and later PomPom and Shellie) – This specific shade was delayed for four months after the release of all of Benefit’s other blushes. However, I waited until I got my hands on it to do my brand blush review, which can be found HERE. In addition to those four (five technically if you count Terra Spark) from last year, this year I purchased PomPom and Shellie out of curiosity as to how light I could go with the blush colors. Well, I learned that Shellie is my limit. That one doesn’t work, but Pom Pom is nice and subtle.
Another photo of Shellie
I like applying Starlaa and then adding PomPom to the apples of my cheeks. As a solo color, Terra is still my favorite of them all, but I continue to be pleased with this line and overall collection of blushes.
Guerlain Quad -I reviewed this along with many other luxury palettes HERE. Since that review, I’ve used it occasionally, but not enough to justify purchasing any additional ones. Honestly, I would still consider it at a reduced price if every shade in that compact was perfect for me. Chances of that happening are low. I thought for sure I would buy the upcoming Holiday quad, but that one doesn’t contain the baked shades, so I’m skipping it.
Artist Couture Love Sprung 3 and Quickie Palette – I reviewed both of these HERE. The Quickie palette has only been used once or twice since reviewing it. On the other hand, the Love Sprung 3 palette was such a good match for me that I finally had the nerve to declutter Love Sprung 2. The pink/purple blush is pretty, but I never reached for it. The highlighter in version 3 is better for my skin tone than version 2, and the deep peach blush in Love Sprung 2 is basically duped in 3. This shade was also similar to CoverFX Warm Honey, but slightly deeper and shows up on me better, so I was able to let the CoverFX go too considering it’s so old in my collection now.
Clionadh Haul – Stained Glass Shade Expansion (Queen’s Banquet, Quest, Oriel, Reign, Auric) and the previously released single shadow (Chalice) can be found shown HERE. However, I’m still planning to make several more Clionadh posts surrounding the expansion, doing additional comparisons, and showing the shades in full eye looks. It’s just such a daunting task!
Beautylish Haul – Wayne Goss The Radiance Boosting Face Palette (Deep Copper) + Brush 13 Bundle. I actually decluttered this because it got strange bumps on it after only two uses, which I’ve seen happen to other products after at least a year of use, so never this quickly. Beautylish handled it well when I emailed and said they think it’s due to oils on the skin effecting the surface of the powder? But they refunded me. The review for Brush 13 is coming in Fude 6.
CDJapan Haul – Koyudo BP019 Blush Brush (supposed to be outlet but not listed that way), [Outlet] Koyudo Powder Brush Black Handle, [Outlet] Koyudo Blush Brush Black Flat Handle, and MS-4 Mai Sakura Eyeshadow Brush. These brushes are also coming to Fude 6 and 7.
Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Haul – Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Pencil Waterproof Eyebrow Definer in Shade 5, NARS Afterglow Lip Balms in Laguna and Torrid, Estee Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue Moisturizing Foundation SPF 45 in 5W2, Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balm Ultra-Hydrating Lip Treatment in Watermelon and Mango (way more added in 2o23), and the Rituel de Fille Thorn Oil Priming Facial Elixir.
The Benefit brow product is a repurchase that I’ve discussed in various reviews, but isn’t exciting enough to showcase. The Estee Lauder foundation is in a new shade, but the formula has been reviewed HERE.
The Thorn oil was in a skincare post HERE. As for the lip products, those are tied to pending upcoming lip product posts. However, since I’m unsure which of these will come first, I’ll go ahead and review them here, along with the additional lip products I bought the following month as well: Too Faced Pillow Balm Pop Rich & Creamy Mini Lip Trio, Nars Afterglow Lip Shine Gloss in Deep Realm, and Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien.
The first thing I notice when putting on the Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balm is that it gives a minty-cool sensation on the lips. This contains menthol, so I’m not sure if it was added solely for cooling effect or if the brand wanted plumping action from it as well. What Too Faced touts as the lip plumping ingredient is sodium hyaluronate. Despite having more than one ingredient of this type, I don’t see any difference in the size of my lips beyond the trick of the eye that glossy products can provide. I bought the two full size lippies without even knowing they were supposed to do anything beyond conditioning the lips, so I’m fine with that. The only issue is that ingredients like menthol, cinnamon, and capsaicin irritate the skin, which can aggravate my lip issues. As far as I can tell, menthol and the flavoring and coloring agents are the only ones I spotted from the list that can dry out my lips. These are counterbalanced by the other ingredients in here that my lips love such as petrolatum and shea butter. Sunflower seed oil is another one, but instead Too Faced put “Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seedcake” which is apparently, “residue from the expression of oil,” so I’m not sure how that stacks up to the oil. Mineral oil also tends to be great, but the brand uses hydrogenated polyisobutene, a synthetic mineral oil alternative instead, which can be effective for me if paired with the right other ingredients. This also contains mango seed oil, which is a slightly above average lip conditioner for me too. What this boils down to is the fact that I love the feeling of this product on my lips. It feels moisturizing, and though my lips don’t change in size, I can see where the lines of my lips get plumped up and smoothed out from the added hydration. A protective barrier is formed on the surface to lock that hydration in place and keep it there longer, but that means having to deal with everything sticking to my lips. Too thick of an application can also lead to the dreaded “white ring” around the mouth. Also, this isn’t the kind of lip product I can ignore when eating because of its thick texture, so I purposely try to wipe it off and then reapply once I’ve finished the meal.
Regarding the colors, Watermelon gives me the tiniest pink tinge to my lips, but it’s not my favorite tone. I don’t see any shimmer in Watermelon, but Mango has micro gold shimmer. Mango and Cocoa Kiss are way too light and give a unflattering milky look to my lips, so I definitely don’t wear them in public and mostly just enjoy them for their scents. Watermelon smells like a delicious Watermelon Jolly Rancher candy, whereas Mango smells so faintly that I’m not sure I would have been able to figure it out based on the smell alone. It’s vaguely fruity with a tinge of mango. Cocoa Kiss does smell like slightly artificial hot chocolate. I still enjoy that smell though.
Vanilla Kiss looks beautiful for those who don’t mind obviously shimmery lips. It doesn’t smell like vanilla to me, just a slight sugary scent. Strawberry Kiss, which smells like strawberry bubble-gum or those old school strawberry candies in the strawberry print wrapper, is the most opaque and deepest color of the ones I own. I forgot that the milky aspect of the other shades, and only being able to wear it privately or as an overnight treatment, is why I stopped using them for quite a while. However, now that I remember how good they are, I will want to continue using them. The brand released a new mini trio for the holidays this year and I suspect that even though I don’t need it, I will be unable to resist if it goes on sale. There’s a holiday wine shade that looks like a gorgeous version of Strawberry Kiss without the shimmer.
*BONUS PHOTOS: I ended up getting a discount and buying this year’s Too Faced Warm & Spicy: Pillow Balm Lip Balm Trio Set. I plan to gift the original one away, but I have swatches of the other two.
Holiday Wine smells like a cherry and strawberry forward sangria and Spiced Cider does have that spiced cinnamon scent! Also, even though Spiced Cider looks like a different color in the tube, on the lips and in swatches it looks no different than Vanilla, which is to say that it just looks like a beautiful shimmery colorless gloss.
With the Nars Afterglow Lip Balms, they feel nice and moisturizing on the lips, but I don’t get as much hydration from them as some of my other top favorite lip products. There are emollient ingredients in there, but not the ones that my lips in particular benefit from the most. They’re just okay, like hydrogenated polyisobutene and squalane, which aren’t enough to counter the effects of the dryness I get from the coloring agents. So, I wear these balms for the subtle tinge of color to my lips that’s pretty and flattering colors for me, at least in these two shades. They feel comfortable to wear, but by the end of the day with reapplications, I know my lips will somehow end up slightly dryer than at the start. So, these aren’t something I use daily. I might use them for a few days back to back, but then I’ll have to switch to a truly nourishing lip product instead.
The lip gloss is pretty, but the color doesn’t show as well on me. I chose this shade because it looked like a wearable warm color, but mostly because it was in the clearance section on the Nars website. It’s a bit funny to me that the lip gloss contains more of the ingredients my lips like. It has the hydrogenated polyisobutene, but also shea butter replaces the squalane, and sunflower seed oil is present, though nearly at the bottom of the list. As a thick glossy product, it seals in the moisture better than the balms, but the end result in terms of moisture is the same. When the layer wears down, my lips look drier than when I first put it on. As a gloss though, without any additional expectations for it, it looks nice.
The Satin Lip pencil was reviewed in this declutter post HERE, and in that post I voiced my concern over my favorite shade being different and it appearing to be discontinued. However, I was surprised to see it eventually return to the website last year (still in the last chance section). I bought it and was happy that it was the same original formula I fell for the first time. Regarding it being discontinued or not, all I can say is that another year later, it’s still in the last chance section! Nars recently launched the Powermatte High-Intensity Lip Pencil, so I wonder if they finally will let the Satin Lip Pencils go or if they plan to reformulate and/or redesign the line.
Luxury/High-End Purchases from October ’22: Bobbi Brown Luxe Eye & Face Palette in Copper Glow and Bobbi Brown Jadestone Palette, Dior Backstage Khaki Neutrals and Dior Écrin Couture Iconic Eye Makeup Palette, as well as the Pat Mcgrath Labs Celestial Nirvana Eye Shadow Palette in Bronze Bliss
I reviewed all five of those HERE. The only one I regret buying is the Bobbi Brown Face Palette just because I bought a face trio earlier this year (not to be confused with the new holiday trio that contains 2 of the 3 same shades) that I get more use out of, plus it contains the same highlighter that is in that palette. As for the others, I am still always testing new eyeshadows, so I don’t have the time to use them as much as I want.
Pat Mcgrath Spur of the Moment Purchases: Skin Fetish: Divine Glow Highlighter in Venus Nectar, Pat Mcgrath Labs X Bridgerton Skin Fetish Sublime Highlighter in Incandescent Gold, and Pat Mcgrath Labs Skin Fetish Sublime Perfection Concealer in Shade MD23.
I showcased both highlighters HERE, though I didn’t show Venus Nectar on my face, so I’m including that at least in this post. As for the concealer, I reviewed the formula of shades MD22 and MD24 HERE, but I don’t think I updated with a swatch of MD23 once I got it. Essentially, I finally got my hands on that sold out shade and it was the perfect depth level, but the tone was still too olive and looked strange compared to the tone of my foundations, so I essentially gave up on using the PML concealers anymore. I don’t have MD22 or MD24 to compare next to it anymore, but I have a photo of MD23 compared to other concealers when I had intended (but changed my mind) to do an Ami Cole concealer post.
Fenty Beauty Double Cheek’d Up: Freestyle Cream Blush Duo – I reviewed it HERE and honestly haven’t picked it up a single time since reviewing. When the cream blush line was expanded this year, I picked up two new shades, but realized that even though I enjoy them for their colors, I prefer a product that sets to a fully dry touch. So, I don’t plan on reviewing anymore blushes from Fenty in the future, unless they release powder versions.
LYS Beauty Higher Standard 3-Piece Cream Blush Set – I reviewed it HERE and have only used it a few times after the review. It isn’t a matter of me losing interest. It’s still in my top 2 among traditional cream formulas. I’m just preferring to use powder blushes a lot more these days. I still very much recommend LYS blushes.
Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation in 13.5 and 14
I was initially saving this review for a foundation ranking/declutter post I started working on at the beginning of the year, but never finished. I purchased Shade 13.5 which was slightly too light, but I could pull it off as long as I used bronzer with it. I bought Shade 14 at the end of November, and that was closer to my skintone, but slightly too dark. I can get a good match by mixing the two, but I have to be careful because the color darkens once it’s dry. So, I can’t just mix to my correct shade while wet. I have to mix to get my correct dry-down color.
This foundation is thick, though not heavy. It doesn’t drip at all when squirted out of the pump. I get high-medium coverage from the foundation. When they say “soft glow” they really do mean that the glow level is low. It’s a natural finish foundation, but on my dry skin, it looks horrible for most of the day unless I either prep my skin well (with at least facial oil) or wait until my natural oils come through, which doesn’t end up happening until the late afternoon, if at all. Even when I use Rituel de Fille Thorn Oil, I don’t like how my skin looks until an hour or so later. Then, I find the finish to be quite beautiful. I like this foundation enough that I’ve been keeping it in rotation since buying it, but not quite enough that I’d repurchase it once I use it up, even if Hourglass was to make shade 13.75 or something. I have foundations I like equally (albeit a different finish) that are still expensive, but a better deal.
It sets completely and doesn’t transfer, so I don’t set it with setting powder or spray. I still use a finishing powder with it at times and in specific areas.
Hourglass Foundation Shade 13.5 with Gucci Bronzer Shade 5 (Taken with Camera)
Hourglass Foundation Shades 13.5 and 14 mixed (Taken with Cell Phone)
I posted on the home page that, unfortunately, my main camera broke and I had to switch to using my cell phone for blog photos. That has come with its own benefits and challenges. My main camera had higher megapixels, but I’ve been using additional light sources and trying to improve my light quality to compensate for my cell phone, so it’s debatable which one is better when I had different struggles with both. Anyway, I just wanted to explain why the two look so different, besides the foundation color. I still have a ton of photos taken with my former main camera, but not enough to complete the posts without needing to add additional pictures with my cell phone.
Oden’s Eye Merry Christmas and Christmas Eve Holiday Palettes – I reviewed these HERE but did not include any solo eye looks. I figured today would be a good time to share some. As I mentioned in my post, I always reach for these as companion palettes. Out of the eleven Oden’s Eye palettes I own, I would say the Merry Christmas one is my 2nd favorite. The Christmas Eve palette would be 4th place. I hope the brand decides to re-release them for those who missed out.
Smashbox Cali Contour Palette in Medium/Dark
It took the full year for me to make up my mind about this palette because there was always something I didn’t like about it when I tried to use more than one product at a time. Then it would take me a few weeks to a few months to want to try it again.
It’s very easy to overdo it with the contour (as seen below) and because it’s so pigmented, I can make it look blended, but it doesn’t sheer out enough. So, it’s best to start slowly and try and build up the color that way. Cinnamon Matte isn’t dark enough to bronze me (though I’m still not sure what purpose it’s actually supposed to serve), but I use it to tone down Warm Contour within reason.
Cocoa Rojo is a beautiful color, but for some reason I don’t like the finish of it on my skin. There’s subtle shimmer in this and I’m in my glowy cheek era, so I should like this. I’m just not sure it’s this type of shimmer that I like in a cheek product where it shows particles and the glow doesn’t come from a sheen.
These highlighters are subtle, which is also right up my alley. However, the shimmer isn’t as refined as I like. For some reason they just don’t excite me.
On paper, I should love this face palette, but I don’t. I like it enough to want to keep it, but I know I’m not going to reach for it when there are so many blushes, bronzers, and highlighters I use that actually cause an excited flutter within me when I put them on. Since I don’t have a ton of contour products, that’s the one thing from here that still has some appeal and I’m considering depotting it from the palette. However, I do have contour products that are working just fine for me, so I might not bother.
Revolution Shrek Gingy Highlighter and GOT Iron Throne Sponge Set
I bought the highlighter purely for nostalgia. I love Gingy! The Shrek series (really just 1 and 2) was my favorite series after the Mummy Series (again 1 and 2) for a very long time! I think Rush Hour 1 and 2 (okay apparently I only like the first two of trilogies) surpassed the Shrek series by now, but I still love those movies and Gingy is still my favorite. However, for review purposes I have worn it a handful of times. When I’m using my winter foundations, the highlighter is too deep of a bronze for me. In the photo above where I’m not quite at my typical summer shade but a little darker than I have been in a while, it seems to work well enough when used sparingly. In complete direct light, my camera can pick up the texture to the shimmer particles, but looks smoother at most other angles in the light. In fact, it’s smoother than I expected from a Revolution Beauty product. I’m a bit impressed! I don’t intend to use it anymore though since I want to keep it for nostalgia purposes, but it’s good enough that I could. Also, this used to have a strong gingerbread scent, but that faded in the year that I’ve had this.
How cool is this sponge and holder set! Plus, it was so inexpensive at $6 considering Beautyblender’s sponge stands/holders/cases are in the $10 range not including the sponge. The brand had a sale and I ended up buying another set to give to my friend at the even lower price of $4! As a Game of Thrones mega fan, I had to have this for the stand alone. It’s not only a functional holder, but also a nice spot to set the sponge to air dry after being cleaned. The sponge was just like any other inexpensive sponge I’ve tried. It blended my foundation in just as well while feeling a little firmer than the original Beautyblender, but not as firm as the Rephr sponge or Danessa Myricks ones. The Revolution Beauty sponge was also firmer than the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge. It would be nice if it was a little softer when wet, but it still works great, especially for the cost. There are two big drawbacks for me, which is that if the sponge sits out for even as little as a few hours, I can’t wash it fully clean with any of my soaps. There will still be foundation stains after multiple re-washings. The other downside is that for whatever reason this sponge takes exceptionally long to dry. It had me concerned about the increased risk of something growing inside considering how long it stays wet for. So, after a few uses I decided not to bother with it. I’m happy enough with the stand. I know there have been quite the issues financially with this brand and their sub-brands and co-brands, but I hope they’re able to continue making gems. I haven’t had the best luck with everything of theirs I’ve tried, but they’ve got their occasional hits.
CDJapan Chikuhodo ZE-3 Blush Brush – This review is coming to Fude 6.
Sonia G Smooth Buffer Brush – This review is coming to Fude 7.
Viseart Petit Pro Palette London Étoile – I reviewed this HERE along with several other Viseart palettes. I created some pretty looks with it, but once the “new” feeling wore off, I didn’t use it again. I love olive shadows, but I have so many other olives that have more sparkle and wow-factor to them, which is why I always remembered to use those and forgot about the one from this palette.
Lunar Beauty 2022 Advent Calendar, Love Me Strawberry Lip Oil, and Dreamy Lip Gloss – I’m going to come right out and say I’ve chosen to not review these products at this time. I have always felt conflicted about whether to review Lunar Beauty or not because I’m always going back and forth about how I feel about the brand’s owner Manny Gutierrez (Manny MUA). The personality he portrays in his videos isn’t the style I enjoy watching in reviews, but it’s his past constant involvement in drama with other problematic influencers that bothered me. I do own the first Moonspell palette (purchased discounted from a third party and never used as it’s just for packaging), a Moon Prism highlighter I bought purely for packaging (also purchased from a third party and never used) and originally planned to compare it to the controversial dupe highlighter from Makeup Revolution, the first Moon Prism blush palette that I purchased when Lunar Beauty products were sold at Sephora, and the Large Powder Brush from his website (even gifted two of them). Manny had stayed away from the drama for a few years and his Fool Coverage podcast with Laura Lee started to change my opinion of him. That’s why I purchased the Advent Calendar and lip products last year and decided that I felt comfortable enough to finally put full energy into the Lunar Beauty post I’d been working on here and there for literally years. Then, as I started with the product photos and testing in 2023, I kept hearing about more and more problematic influencers that he was starting to show his public support for again and that bad taste in my mouth returned. Unlike certain people whose products I refuse to buy or speak about on my blog any longer (JS, JC, JH, etc.), I don’t know if I’m going to give a hard ban to Lunar Beauty products in terms of never speaking about them again. I at least finished reviewing the last Jaclyn Cosmetics products I owned before stating I was done with the brand. With Lunar Beauty, if I’m wearing those products in a post, I might mention it’s what I’m using, but I don’t see myself ever working on that brand review post again, and I personally will no longer purchase anymore products from them. The last thing I bought was a year ago anyway.
Beauty Bay Dark Fantasy Palette
I showcased this in a Swatchfest post, but hadn’t actually reviewed it at the time. These colors are stunning and right up my alley. I have loved the looks I’ve created with it. Regarding the quality, this doesn’t give me that many issues when I’m using a primer. Eye primers are a staple product for most beauty lovers, but I do personally know people in my life who are makeup dabblers and don’t always use primer. So, it’s for their sake that I feel the need to express that I had such a hard time using this palette without a primer. The lighter mattes are fine, but the darker ones are so pigmented with good adherence that they just don’t want to budge unless there’s a primer underneath. I can’t stress enough that primer is important! Also, I highly recommend working from lightest to darkest when building up layers.
With primer, these mattes still weren’t as easy to blend as the majority of the eyeshadow palettes I use (also at double the cost or more), but with the staple Japanese eyeshadow brushes I’ve used hundreds of times, it was still better than I expected. It’s nice to see Beauty Bay eyeshadow quality has a positive reputation for a reason. Not necessarily as being the greatest on the market, but certainly great for the price (along the lines of BH Cosmetics, Colourpop, and ELF). It didn’t take that much longer blending as to prevent me from wanting to use this palette again. The first time was rough, but every time after was easy enough. I like how much color payoff I get from those mattes. For instance, shades like Plasma are usually treated like a pastel shade and are too thin or too white based and don’t look that great on my eyes, but this one was great! Hoax is a color that really doesn’t show on my eyes due to my skin tone and Algorithm is a slightly more golden tone version of my skin so it barely shows either, but I still like to use it as a starting shade in the crease. Atmosphere is the one that’s too thin and doesn’t show well enough on me and the other shades are too strong in pigment and overpowers it when I try to use it to blend the edges of the shadows, but it still semi works for that purpose. I just have to spend a little extra time on it. Beauty ends up looking way more purple on my eyes instead of burgundy or maroon, but it’s at least still a pretty color.
I have zero issues with the shimmers. I sometimes get a little fallout, but dampening the brush helps. The shimmers aren’t as refined as some of my more expensive eyeshadows either, but I like their sparkle level and they look pretty regardless. I want intensity and opacity from my shimmers, and that’s what these give me. I didn’t have any patchy or creasing issues either, so overall I do like this palette! I’m glad I was able to give the Beauty Bay eyeshadows a try. Because it’s not the easiest to get my hands on, I don’t know how many more I’ll get in the future. Plus, I’m usually not drawn to their color stories. However, if another one attracts my attention, I might get it.
MAC Indulgent Glow Rosé Limited-Edition face kit in Sparkling Wine – I reviewed this HERE and in comparison to other MAC highlighters I got around the same time. It’s super pretty, but I ran into that issue where I am so reluctant to actually use my makeup with cute embossing on it. I have no regrets buying it though.
Charlotte Tilbury Hypnotising Pop Shot eyeshadow in Cosmic Rocks – I reviewed it HERE along with the shade Sunlit Diamond that they sent me on accident with a different order. Just as I expected, these have become cute decor. I haven’t reached for them more than once or twice after completing the review. I just don’t use single eyeshadows if they’re in individual compacts. I only reach for the ones in my larger custom magnetic palettes.
Hourglass Unlocked Butterfly Palette – I got this from FeelUnique/Sephora UK for $46 purely to get the two blushes in that palette. I depotted two shades from my other Hourglass palettes that were unusable on my skintone, adhered them to the Butterfly palette’s now missing blush spots, and sold it as a custom palette on Mercari. Minus the fees, I made $32 back, so this was probably the best deal I got that year. I did not get so lucky on the deals this year, but that’s a story for another time. I talked about the process of depotting and showed the photos of the palette HERE.
Bioderma Sensibio H2O – This was just a repurchase. I decided to look through my purchase history and essentially since November 2015 I’ve bought 8 of the 500ml bottles, 2 of the 250ml bottles, and 2 travel size 100ml bottles. In the beginning, I was able to get heavy discounts on multi-packs, but the prices have jumped up quite a lot. So, I try to get them individually whenever I see them on sale, even if I need to accumulate backups since they will always be used up. In fact, I’m halfway through my last bottle and will need to find a new place to order it from when I go back to Germany so I won’t need to bring a big bottle over with me. This is one of those products that as long as they keep making it and don’t change the formula, I’ll be buying it for life.
Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’R Face + Eye Bronzer & Highlighter Palette – I reviewed this HERE and though it’s still in my collection, I am considering decluttering it. I just have a ton of bronzers by now that I prefer and don’t need to resort to mixing to get the tones I like.
One/size Cheek Clapper in Phat @$$ – I reviewed it HERE. As it often happens, because my blush collection is so large, I don’t have the chance to use this as often as I would like to. It’s still one of my favorites, along with the other shade from the line called Freaky Peach. I still easily recommend this trio, even at full price.
Sephora Collection VIB Sale Items: Soft Matte Perfection Blush Duo in 01 Sweet Pea, Best Skin Ever Liquid Foundation in 44 Y, Best Skin Ever Full Coverage Multi-Use Concealer in 35N and 44Y
The blush duo in three shades (two additional I bought later on) are reviewed HERE. As for the foundation and concealers, the shade matches are why I decided not to review them. I wasn’t blown away by the finishes and just didn’t feel inspired to keep using any of them.
Sephora’s Best Skin Ever line was really hyped up, but it was just fine. I didn’t like how the concealers wore throughout the day. The finish of the foundation was fine and the color match wasn’t too terribly dark if used lightly, but all of these smelled so heavily of chemicals after owning them for a year. For the record though, I didn’t open the concealers until around three months prior to posting this and they smelled just as bad as the foundation, like spray paint or nail polish. So, even without air exposure, the shelf life isn’t great on these. I threw them out before I could take a picture including them in the big October month photo.
Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight in Flaunt – I reviewed this already as a sample HERE, but I bought the full size a year ago during the VIB sale. I also have swatches and comparisons to the powder version of this shade HERE.
Kayali Eden Juicy Apple – I don’t normally review my perfume purchases, but I did so in a big Kayali post HERE. I have admittedly barely used this perfume because I’m always using Yum Pistachio or Lovefest instead, but at least I just got this in a small size so it’s not quite as wasteful. Plus, I got it on sale. As nice as it is, I decided to give it to my sister because of how deep my obsession for the other scents run. This was my first Kayali purchase, but since it’s only a year old, I haven’t attached any sentimental value to it.
HUDA BEAUTY GloWish Cheeky Vegan Soft Glow Powder Blush in Sassy Saffron – I showed swatches of it HERE in comparison to the previous shades I bought. However, I don’t have any face pictures with it on because it just doesn’t show up on my cheeks. For that reason, I haven’t used this particular shade. The formula and finish wasn’t special enough either for me to prioritize it. I still like how Berry Juicy looks, and I wore it perhaps two more times in the past year.
Tom Ford Highlighter Duo in Tanlight – I reviewed it HERE. I still use it quite often and it’s one of my favorite highlighters in my collection. In fact, it’s such a great shade match for me that I don’t feel the necessity to purchase anymore highlighters from the brand unless they have another shade that’s similar to the mixture of the two colors in some form of special packaging. While I still have mixed feelings about the price and I’m not sure if I would universally recommend it to everyone, it was worth it personally to me.
Oh dear Lord, we’ve finally reached the end!
This was a monster of a post, even though so many of the products had already been reviewed elsewhere! We’re so close to completing the series but November and December 2022 had even more purchases than October! And considering what I know is coming for the rest of this year in my personal life, I think we’ll have to complete this series sometime next year!
I’m getting into a really exciting chapter of my personal life, which I will be sharing with everyone in December or January. Thank you to those who are choosing to be along for the ride!
Lili's Beauty Blog 