I didn’t break my 2021 lip product no-buy/low-buy all at once. It was a series of mostly single purchase decisions throughout the rest of the year after my major lippie declutter. In the case of Propa Beauty, I wanted to purchase some lipsticks as gifts during a big sale and figured I’d get a new shade for myself. Ulta had Mented Lipsticks available for 50% off and I had been curious about the Semi-Matte lipstick formula for ages. The shade m5 held my curiosity as a super unique shade, but I didn’t want to risk getting the lipstick form when I knew this would make a great pencil shade. I needed to reach a price minimum for free shipping when I ordered the Colourpop lip stain. In my review of Oden’s Eye’s Alva Lip Stain in the matte formula, I mentioned I planned to order the cream version with a future order from the brand, and that happened to be with the Legendary Diversa Collection.
I actually don’t regret my decisions because I like most of the products I purchased and I was able to avoid buying a lot more lip products that caught my eye. The time I started writing this was November 2021, and I anticipated one final lip purchase before 2022. Black Friday had the biggest deals yet, and it ended up being two final purchases (Sephora Favorites “Give Me Some Shine” Lip Set and a Full Size Pat Mcgrath Lip Gloss), which I’m sure I will feature in a future post. Anyway, onto the review!
Kaleidos Custom Lip Clay Bundle (Trophy Tin) and Apple Glaze Lip Mask
I wanted to try this lip clay formula for so long because it was extremely hyped up among the beauty YouTubers that purchase from Indie brands. One went so far as to call this the best and most comfortable liquid lipstick formula she’s ever tried. Four different lip clay collections were released in sets of 4 and they could not be purchased individually at first. As soon as Kaleidos gave the option to create custom bundles, I placed an order immediately, especially because I was obsessed with the deep red tin named Trophy.
The lip clays really are unlike anything else I’ve tried. It has a mousse-like texture and literally feels like suede on my lips. I don’t know how they created this! It doesn’t transfer as long as I don’t eat or drink. When I do, I’m able to touch up the areas with missing product without any lines or darker spots to differentiate between the first application from the second one. I will say though that they aren’t the easiest to spread evenly across the lips, so there ends up being some sheerer patches of skin that have to be smoothed over several times to become more opaque while also avoiding having an excess of product on the lips. This sheerness is more obvious the darker the lip shade you wear. So, I prefer Kaleidos’ nude shades more than the darker ones. They truly are incredibly comfortable and one of the few liquid lipsticks I actually want to wear because it’s transfer resistant without drying out my lips! I’m thinking of getting additional shades to mix and match with, but if I do, I will immediately go on another lip product no-buy so I can get more use out of my current collection.
I’m shocked that I prefer Dune over Sienna, but I think light dusty pink looks prettier on me than light orange-brown. This is why I’m considering experimenting with mixing the shades so they won’t look quite so light on me. None of these are really a shade I’m crazy about on their own, but the formula is so nice that I’m willing to use lip liners or other methods to make them work. Also, I don’t detect any fragrance in these.
The lip mask has a nice apple/fruit punch scent to it that reminds me of fruit roll ups, but it feels tingly like mint on the lips. I’m guessing the mint is meant to produce a cooling effect rather than a plumping one because my lips don’t appear to be bigger when I use it. The lip mask barely gives a noticeable tint on my pigmented lips unless I build up an extra thick layer, which I realistically wouldn’t want. Since I wear it for hydration purposes, having a stronger hue isn’t a necessity for me. It stays well on my lips overnight when I use it. It makes my lips softer, but it doesn’t keep them from peeling. So, it’s not to the same conditioning level as the Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm or Sara Happ Lip Slip, but it’s almost on par with the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. The Apple Glaze Lip Mask ranks #4 among my balms.
Mented Lip Liner in m5
This is my second lip liner from Mented. I’ve already reviewed the Nude La La shade before and this one is no different in terms of how creamy, pigmented, and budge-proof (unless eating) it is. It’s a retractable pencil, which I prefer. The shade is a truly unique purple and brown tone that looks quite similar to the shade of my upper lip and dark pigmented spots on my lower lip. I usually try to wear lip colors that match the pink of my lips, but I was curious to see what it would look like if I matched the darker part. I think it looks super pretty when paired with the right eye look, but overall, I still prefer medium-pink lip shades.
Mented Semi-Matte Lipstick in Nude La La
I love this kind of warm pink shade and I’m partial to creamy lip products that mostly stay in place and aren’t so slippery on the lips that they move around. As I’ve mentioned before, I have two spots that are darker than the rest of my lower lip. If the formula of a lip product is too creamy, simply rubbing my lips together or talking can shift and uncover those spots I tried to conceal. I’m happy to know that the only time I have to worry about how this lipstick looks is if I’ve eaten something.
I’m very impressed with these two types of lip products from Mented. I can see myself buying more lip liners in the future. As much as I enjoy the lipstick, I prefer Propa Beauty’s formula a little bit more. They feel a tad more moisturizing and I like that they are shinier. Lastly, this has a vanilla scent.
Juvia’s Place Bronzed Lip Liner in Brownie
This lip liner is long wearing, but it doesn’t fully dry down or become transfer-proof like some of the other lip liners in my collection. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a shade like brownie before, which is a deep vampy chocolate brown with a hint of burgundy-red. I can get a very smooth application. Although it’s quite a bit darker than I normally wear for lip liners, I can smudge the edges to create a softer look that isn’t in such high contract to the lipstick shades I pair with it. Also, I like the fact that it’s in a retractable pencil form.
PropaBeauty Luminous Satin Lipstick in Profits
This lipstick is exactly like the other Propa Beauty lipsticks I have reviewed in the past. It has a nice vanilla scent, it’s moisturizing, glossy, and is a flattering shade for my skin tone. Profits, Her Magic, and Victress are probably my top three favorite shades of the seven I own.
Colourpop Glossy Lip Stain in Clap If You Believe
This is quite the unique stain-gloss hybrid formula. It feels like a liquid lipstick when I put it on the lips, but it has a gel-like slipperiness that is typical of a lip stain. In a few minutes, it gets to the point that feels like it has set, but when I actually press my lips together, it feels quite sticky. The stain factor and stickiness helps with longevity. The stickiness also aids in the comfort level to keep the lips from feeling dried out. The glossy element certainly helps to keep the lips looking moisturized. The downside to the slippery aspect though is that it takes some time to get the stain to cover the pigment spots on my lip. I have to smooth it out evenly to the best of my ability, and then add additional product to cover the darker parts while keeping my mouth immobile until it has set.
The topmost layer comes off easily, but because of the stain feature, there is still a fair amount of color underneath. I can also easily reapply the lippie after eating and drinking without it looking strange. One thing I wasn’t expecting though is that the lip color looks quite light for the first hour or two, but as the day goes on, it darkens up to be as dark coral and bright as the Oden’s Eye Lady Camellias color! In fact, looking closely at the wand of Clap If You Believe, I can see that the product collected on the center of the applicator is warm pink-brown, but the fibers around it are darker pink. That’s the shade it becomes as the day goes on. This also contains flecks of shimmer/glitter; and be prepared for a chemical smell and taste. Thankfully, it isn’t strong enough to smell just from opening the tube. I had to actually put my nose near the tip to smell it.
There are some pros and cons to this product, but I think I will continue using it. However, I won’t be buying anymore in this formula. There are just other lip products I prefer.
Oden’s Eye AlvaCreamy Lip Stain in Lady Camellias and Little Jasmine
I’m happy to know that my hunch that I would prefer the look of the Cream formula over the Matte one was correct. This still feels a little drying despite how glossy it looks on the lips, but it’s not as bad as Ripe Papaya which felt like it turned my lips into the Sahara Desert. Lady Camellias is a beautiful shade, though it’s still a little darker than what I envisioned. I really wanted Little Jasmine, but since it’s the lightest one, I didn’t want to risk getting one that may not work for me, so I went with Lady Camellias, but I probably should have taken the leap anyway*. This formula is shockingly long lasting considering it easily transfers. In my official wear test, I was able to actually get through eight hours with two meals before all of the glossy layer was gone. Since it’s a stain formula, I was still left with quite a bit of color on my lips. It’s a bit sticky, but not as sticky as the Colourpop Glossy Lip Stain. It also doesn’t have the gel-like consistency that the Colourpop Stain has. The downside to this one is that the pigmented spots on my lips did peek through midway through the day, but because this stain ends up being a dark fuchsia underneath it all, it’s not as noticeable. The final result for this product was that by the third meal at the twelve hour testing mark, the stain was mostly gone but my lips still felt balmy as if there was still a protective layer over the surface of my lips!
*I did take the leap on Black Friday and purchased Little Jasmine in the Cream formula, but it did not arrive in time before I went on my trip, so it’s a last minute addition to this post.
I was definitely right that I should have gotten Little Jasmine from the beginning because it’s exactly what I wanted, doesn’t leave a strange stain color behind, and it’s a nice medium tone. Based on this information, I’m forewarning those who don’t like dark lip shades that the colors in this line do seem to run dark, especially when built up. Little Jasmine is on the sheerer side and is glossier than Lady Camellias, so it did not have anywhere near the same staying power.
The best video I’ve seen showcasing the available shades are by Anna ZhuXuan on YouTube. Her video is the only one I’ve seen from her, but I loved how she included large arm swatches and showed what the lippies look like in a sheer layer versus a thick layer. I recommend those seriously considering getting these lippies to check it out! Also, these are the most heavily scented of all the products discussed today. It’s a very sweet candy-like smell.
No Buy/Low Buy and Goals
Almost exactly one year ago, I posted about the Tower 28 Lip Gloss and how I hated it at first until I learned how best to use it. Oh boy, did I use it! In my May 2021 lip declutter post, I showed that I was halfway through the tube and from that point onward, I made a conscious effort to try and finish it before the year was up. I didn’t exclusively use only the Tower 28 gloss, but I made a valiant effort.
I completed this post prior to my trip, so the photo above shows my progress as of then. Below is what it actually looked like at the end of 2021, which was down to scraping the sides of the tube, so I consider myself as having successfully accomplished my goal of finishing a full size lip product!
The fact that it took a year for me to finish something I actually enjoyed is the reason I will try even harder to curb my lip product purchasing habits. Out of all the categories of makeup, this is the one area I should be more successful at keeping to a manageable amount. My goal for 2022 is to do a lip product no-buy for a full year, with the exception of allowing myself to replace items with ones that may have gone bad, plus getting those Lip Clays I already mentioned wanting, but these exceptions cannot result in more than 5 lippies for the year. Let’s hope I can stick to it!
The Tempting Fate Collection’s gilded baroque packaging, unique textures, and overall fall aesthetic earn it the title of the most beautiful release from MAC in 2021, according to me. I limited my purchases to the three items I would use the most or don’t have as many of in my collection. I ordered the lipstick first from MAC and it arrived within days. The palette, which I ordered the next day when it became available, got lost in transit for a few weeks and had to be reshipped to me. The particular shade of strobe glaze was only available in the UK at the time, so I ordered it from Selfridges. Now that I have all the items together, I can finally review the collection!
MAC Tempting Fate Lipstickin Tarnished Reputation
There are six shades total ranging from a pale nude to deep berry in matte or amplified lipstick finishes. Tarnished Reputation is in the matte formula and though it looks pink-orange in some lighting, this pulls vibrant coral orange on my lips. It’s a bit too bright for my taste on its own, but I like the way it looks with a dark lip liner.
I only have a few MAC lip products, so my experience with them is limited, but I believe this is their traditional formula and quality. It also has the familiar vanilla scent. If you’re a fan of MAC lipsticks, I think you will like the ones in this collection too.
MAC Tempting Fate Strobe Face Glaze in Punk in Spice
There are three shades total. As of October 1st, Punk In Spice has yet to be made available in the US from MAC. However, I could get it from Selfridges US and it’s also now at Look Fantastic US. When I spoke with a MAC representative, they said the shade was not UK exclusive, but they did not have a date as to when it would be available elsewhere. I watched this review from Sinem Salih who did an amazing job making me want this strobe glaze even though the product looked so sheer I wondered if it would even be worth the price. I could also clearly see how gel-like the effect was on her cheek, but I still wanted it! I hate that kind of texture but I somehow convinced myself Punk in Spice would change my mind and make me step outside my comfort zone to do some glossy editorial looks. I’m not convinced I did the right thing in buying this product, but I don’t fully dislike it.
For starters, I think it’s important to make clear that this MAC Strobe Glaze is very different from MAC’s Strobe Cream, which is a product I actually like as a glowy primer underneath foundation and liquid highlighter when patted back on top. The Strobe Cream gives a more traditional highlighted almost metallic shine. The Strobe Glaze is gel-like and a bit greasy when rubbed in. The purpose is to give a dewy wet look when used subtly or full on glossiness. It reminds me of a combination of Danessa Myrick’s Dew Wet Balm with Colourpop’s Cheek Dew Serum Blush formula. At first I was using what I considered a small amount and absolutely hated the look. However, I realized I needed to use the tiniest amount to get a palatable glossy cheek.
In the leftmost photo in the gallery above, I show what my small amount looked like on my cheek (which I despised) and the other photos showed how I was able to tone it down when using that much. Applying a light layer of any kind of powder over the Strobe Glaze kept some of the shimmer but made it look less glossy. It was still greasy to the touch, but a lot less sticky than before. The biggest downside though to using this amount of product is that it gave my skin more of a textured look and I noticed lines I hadn’t seen before.
Although I could use the product this way with powders on top or to intensify a powder highlighter, if I wanted to use the product on its own and actually be happy with it, I needed to use half as much as I was before!
I have a large face, so this is the amount that works for me per cheek, but if you have a smaller face you may want to use even less! I can get Punk In Spice to look even more to my liking when I dab the remnants of my foundation on the brush on top of it. It tones down the glossiness but leaves the shine. Eventually after about an hour or so it finally dries down. Sticky products on my face usually drive me nuts, but this product is so lightweight that it thankfully doesn’t bother me. Though it dries to the point of no longer being sticky, I can still feel greasiness if I rub the spot where it was applied, so this product is really not for someone who likes cheek products to dry down to nothing. I should also note that the ideal order for me to use this is applying it to my bare skin in areas I want the wet look and applying foundation and all the rest of my makeup after. I would prefer to leave the concealer step last since this takes off some of my concealer anyway and I need to cover the spots back up because of my intensely dark under eye circles. Plus, setting the concealer with powder will help to set the Strobe Glaze further in the spots where the two products touch.
If I utilize these tips, I see myself continuing to use this from time to time after my review, which is shocking considering I normally hate glossy-balmy highlighting products. For those who want that glossy dewy cheek, the Danessa Myricks Dew Wet Balm produces a prettier look. Feel free to see photos in my past review to compare. I ended up selling my Dew Balm anyway. The only reason I would keep using Punk in Spice is because using it with other products like foundation, powder, and highlighter reduces the feeling on my skin I tend not to like, as well as being able to use it by itself if I only use the tiniest amount. The tiniest amount of Danessa’s Dew Balm was still too much for my personal taste on its own. MAC’s Strobe Glazes have only been limited edition thus far, but it’s a permanent product in Danessa’s line. Then again, Punk in Spice will likely go bad before I could even use up a quarter of what’s in the tube because of how little product is needed. I believe the Rose Gold Glow shade of Strobe Glaze would require a ton of product though if you are of light-medium and darker skin tone and want to use it as a blush.
For my personal taste, the Strobe Cream is better than the Strobe Glaze (even though it’s more expensive), but I knew going in that the Strobe Glaze wasn’t a product meant for me. As much as I like the Strobe Cream, I enjoy the free samples and don’t love it enough to actually buy the full size, which really says a lot about my take on liquid illuminating products. I always still prefer a powder highlighter.
MAC Tempting Fate Feast Your Eyes Eyeshadow Palette
MAC says this palette contains three textures never seen before from their collections: Metallized Prismetallic Eye Shadow(All That Jam), Luminous Leather Lustre Eye Shadow (Yesterday’s Gossip, Golden Rage, Midnight Stunner*, Brocade Renegade), and Glitzy Sparkler Eye Shadow (Feast Your Eyes, What a Pear, Velvet Vamp). MAC classified Midnight Stunner as a Leather Lustre on their website and on the actual packaging, but the other three Leather Lustres are like a cream-powder hybrid with a satin matte finish. Midnight Stunner is most similar to the Glitzy Sparkler What a Pear in terms of pigmentation and texture. The shimmer in both of them aren’t as sparse, nor with as transparent of a base, as Feast Your Eyes and Velvet Vamp. However, if those three are considered Glitzy Sparklers then surely Midnight Stunner should be one as well. So, I believe that shade was mislabeled. It wouldn’t be the first mistake with this collection considering every single one of my eyeshadow pans are skewed to the left and have gaps between the shadows and the edges of the circular cutouts. While I waited for the palette to arrive, I had plenty of time to watch videos and I could see that this misalignment of the shadows was a common occurrence. The palette has not been restocked (even though everything else that sold out since the launch has been restocked multiple times), so if it does become available again, I hope they will have fixed the issue for everyone else. It says a lot about where MAC is at as a company by letting these be sold in this condition. MAC Limited Edition releases are some of the most coveted collector items within the makeup world, so to have them so sloppily put together with a possible misprint as well is an indication of the drop in quality MAC fans have been noticing in the last few years.
MAC’s eyeshadows are among the very few products I don’t like from the brand, but since these are all new formulas, I was hopeful this would be different. I’m happy to say I really like this palette but I had to figure out how to use the Leather Lustres because my goodness the longevity was atrocious!
If you’ve used this product and had no issues, please let me know in the comment section what kind of eye primer you use or whether you have dry or oily eyelids because I would love to know how others use this without using the tips I’ll be sharing here today.
I have to start by explaining I use MAC Paint Pot as my eyeshadow primer, and one would expect there to be zero issues when using MAC products together. However, after about three hours I noticed major creasing and fading of the Leather Lustres specifically from that point onward. After experimenting many times, I discovered these only work with MAC Paint Pot if I put the Leather shade on top of it and then set it with a powder. It doesn’t work if I set the Paint Pot with powder before applying the Leather shades. The powder has to be the last step.
With Paint Pot as the base and set with powder, there is still minor creasing after three hours. By seven hours the creasing is more noticeable and the shadow fades in some spots. At 8 hours it’s still pretty good overall, but it will only continue to get worse from this point on.
If I want the absolute best results where longevity and creasing are not issues, I have to apply the Leather shades to my bare skin, apply a powder on top to set it, and then use Nyx Glitter Primer on the eyelids in order to lock the shimmers in place and produce a more opaque look. With this method, the eyeshadows will still be going strong after eight hours. By eleven hours there is barely any change except to the Yesterday’s Gossip shade which I can’t get to last no matter what method I use. Applying the shimmers to the lid while damp can still work to pack on the shade enough to cover the skin underneath and keep the shimmer in place, but I do notice some cracking and wearing off that starts around eight hours of wear. So, I very much recommend sticking to the bare eye method from the crease and above but Nyx Glitter Primer under the shimmer shades.
Feast Your Eyes and Velvet Vamp are great on their own for a scattered glitter type of effect and they are so much more reflective and sparkly than my photos show. I couldn’t capture how multicolored they look in swatches with my camera’s focus setting, so that’s why the picture below of Velvet Vamp is blurry.
Because of how beautiful the Glitzy Sparkler shades are, I still feel as though the palette is special. All That Jam was also quite the surprise with how pigmented it was and how easily it applied to the lid with opaque results without any additional help. It’s also the star of the palette along with the Glitzy Sparkler formula.
Going back the the Leather Lustres, I have to add that beyond the longevity issue, they are a stiff formula and require a dense brush to have the pigmentation level I need for my skin tone. For the crease, I use them with the Sonia G Jumbo Blender. Sometimes I’m impatient and skip using brushes altogether and apply them to my lids with my fingers for the fastest results. I think overall, this entire palette is very much geared towards those who like to apply shadows with their fingers.
Brocade Renegade is the deepest shade in the palette, but it’s such a bright purple that it doesn’t add much depth, so it’s impossible for me to get anything but a soft look for my skin tone. MAC describes this palette as “rich” and “decadent” but that isn’t the case for me, especially since Golden Rage, the shade that looks dark chocolate in the pan is a very warm mid tone brown. It’s so warm that it’s nearly orange. I don’t mind, but it limits the kind of look I can achieve using this palette alone. It’s not a unique color story, but overall, I do really like this palette since I know how to use it. The only shade that is truly a dud for me is Yesterday’s Gossip and that’s because it doesn’t last on me, looks quite ashy on my lids, and I don’t get as much of the pink tone as I’d like. It’s only really good as a brow bone shade, but it ends up just looking like my skin tone anyway.
There’s one other aspect I would like to address which is that I noticed MAC changed the photo on the website to reflect a palette where the shades are arranged differently than mine. Even in the featured photo section of the page, you see two different MAC employees from different countries where one has the palette in the order of the shades on the website (from Thailand) and the other has them in the order of my palette (from Mexico).
I don’t know if this is purely a matter of some MAC employees getting their hands on a promotional palette that looks more aesthetically pleasing arranged in this new way or yet another clue pointing toward production issues. Is it merely a difference in look? Are these other palettes formulated differently? Was this how the shades were intended to be arranged all along, but palettes like mine were sloppily put together because of a manufacturing issue? Is the arrangement difference intentional based on regional preferences or miscommunication between multiple manufacturing sites? If MAC does restock this palette, will they all be arranged in this way on the website or do different countries get a different arrangement? I wish I had the answers, but contacting MAC has been unhelpful in the past, so I don’t think I would get an helpful answer to this either.
This collection was not the slam dunk that I thought it would be, but I still like it. I’m rooting for MAC to become that “It” brand it used to be with a higher standard of quality again with some innovation and creativity. It’s hard to forget how badly they botched that Sims collaboration from their end. With talks of a Whitney Houston Estate collaboration planned for 2022 and the photos I’ve seen sneak peeked for Holiday 2021, I don’t know if I’ll be getting my wish.
As a lover of mythology, and of course makeup, I’ve been drawn to this company from the moment I heard about it. When the Swedish brand first established themselves, they stated, “Oden’s Eye is inspired by ancient Nordic mythology, and our products and collections will also be built around this theme.” Their initial collections were very light and whimsical with eyeshadow palettes that reflected a too-light color story for my taste. I was so happy to see the release of the Norn’s Collection in their most beautiful palette artwork to date and color stories that have a better range of light, medium, and deep tones. I decided this was the time to place my first order. And second. And third. Then they released Mystery Boxes. I intended for this post to come out in March, but each new order required that I push this back to do further testing, reviewing, and rewriting. Now, it’s finally complete!
Before I get to the few products I bought out of the Norn’s Collection, I will start with their older products in my possession.
Oden’s Eye Blushes
Alva Flower Blushers in Sweet Tulip, Water Lily, and Little Jasmine
Oden’s Eye currently has three shimmer shades in the Alva Flower Blusher series. Most of the visible glitter specks is on that top layer and they disappears after a few uses. What remains is more of a satin finish with a natural looking sheen. However, the more I try to build up the color, the more radiant and reflective it becomes from the actual shimmer building up on my cheek. So for me, it’s best to stop at a medium amount of blush as building to the maximum payoff results in it looking lighter than before! For example, the shimmer in Sweet Tulip is a bit silvery and looks icier when I’ve packed it on.
I purchased Sweet Tulip first because it’s the deepest blush out of the original six and I wasn’t certain if that shade would even be dark enough to show on my cheeks. Sweet Peach is the darkest of the mattes, but I couldn’t tell if it was more on the mauve or cool toned side. If a shade is a little too light for me, I can sometimes pull it off if it’s mauve, but the cooler it is the less I like it. It was hard to tell the difference between the shades on their website versus Instagram.
Have I mentioned I have a very bad habit of doing 1-3 am shopping? The majority of my excessive spending happens during that time while I think I’m still capable of making rational spending decisions. Then, after I fall back asleep and wake up later, I realize that it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. This is how I ended up making a third order and then a fourth when they released Easter mystery boxes with free shipping. I purchased the 25 Euro box and was still able to use a discount code on top of that, but more on the mystery boxes later.
I love these blushes so much! In the Sweet Tulip photo on the left, I do have the tiniest amount of highlighter on my cheekbone, but I could have almost skipped it because I love the gentle glowy sheen that the shimmer in this blush provides. It’s long lasting, pigmented, and the tone is quite flattering! The blending is so quick that I can finish applying color to both cheeks in under a minute! I see the potential for this to be in my top favorite blush formulas. The Little Jasmine shade shocked me that it still showed on my skin tone despite how much brown there is to that shade. It’s my second favorite of the four, and maybe even tied with Sweet Tulip. Little Jasmine is the warmest one I bought and the shimmer shows more golden when built up. Water Lily is darker, yet it took a ridiculous amount of building up to make it visible on my skin. I don’t think it is an issue of the color match or hard pan. I can see the powder getting picked up on the different brushes I’ve tried. I believe there’s just less pigment in the formula of this specific shade. The blushes are good for 36 months after opening, but my Water Lily package was the only one with an actual expiration date printed on it (November 21st 2022). Because I have 18 months instead of 36, I wonder if the Water Lily shade is already performing differently. Regardless of the reason, I appreciate that there’s an actual date on that one so I know not to keep it around as long as the others.
Alva Fruit Blusher in Sweet Peach
There are three matte blushes in the Alva Fruit Blusher line but I purchased only one of them. The Sweet Peach shade looks much more mauve than peach on me. I was pleased to see it show up, but it looks a little ashy. I think this shade is a bit too light for my skin tone. This is the darkest of the Fruit Blushes, so the other two shades in the matte formula would not work for me either. I can at least say the matte formula is nice and if the brand releases dark colors, I would be interested in trying them.
Small Mystery Box
Oden’s Eye released a small (25 euro) and large (55 euro) mystery box in celebration of Easter and the company’s anniversary. Affiliate/Influencer codes worked on the deal, so I was able to get my small box for 22.50 euros with free shipping. The Norn’s collection was excluded, but nearly everything else was a possibility. I anticipated I would get a palette, lip product, and brush. I only hoped the shades would work for me and that I would not get a product I already own, so I was happy that all expectations were met. The brush that came with my order will be discussed in the brush section.
Solmåne Highlighter Palette
Ljus (light in Swedish) is a pale gold and has the smooth shimmer formula I like, but it’s too icy looking on me. Stjärna (star) is a beautiful iridescent shade that looks white in the pan but is blue with a tinge of purple. These two would make beautiful inner corner eyeshadow highlight shades. Sol (sun) and Måne (moon) remind me of the Kaleidos Space Age Highlighters, but with sparser glitter particles, which is not a feature I like in highlighters. I could use them as eyeshadow toppers, but I don’t know if this palette will survive an end of the year declutter. I’m still happy I received it because my curiosity about the formula would have led me to buy it eventually anyway.
Alva Matte Lip Stain in Ripe Papaya
The first thing I noticed about this lip stain was the strong but pleasant fruit candy smell. Then I realized the formula was not the typical watery texture of a stain that I was used to. The consistency is more similar to a liquid lipstick. I can get nearly opaque results with one layer, but I need a little more to cover the dark patches on my lips. One time I made the mistake of applying too many coats, which turned the smell from nice and fruity to an unpleasant cherry cough syrup smell. On the bright side, I discovered it layers up well. It’s definitely matte and makes my lips look and feel uncomfortably dry. I cannot wear this by itself, but it looks amazing under a thick shiny gloss. In matte form, it’s transfer-proof but comes off with an oil based remover or just some oil. If it’s under a gloss, it will last on the lips if left alone, but it’s easy to transfer at that point. Considering how much I loved the color but needed a more hydrating formula, I wonder if I would prefer Oden Eye’s Cream Lip Stain formula. One day, I will find out!
Oden’s Eye Brushes
Double-Ended Highlighter Brush
This brush is made of synthetic bristles. The fluffier end is very floppy and loosely packed, but it makes a fairly nice blush brush. The stiffer and tighter packed end is slightly angled. I can use it on its widest side to brush the highlighter in small sections of my cheekbone. With this one, the bristles can rub harshly when I do that. A smooth and soft application occurs when I turn the brush to the side and use one long sweep with the tips of the bristles to spread highlighter across my cheekbones. I don’t foresee myself continuing to use the stiff side, but I will probably use the soft side for blush every now and then.
Eyeshadow Blending Brush
This brush was a surprise addition to one of my earlier orders. I’m not sure if there was a deal going on at the time, if it was a mistake or intentionally gifted for free, but I appreciate having it all the same. The bristles are synthetic and balance softness with medium-packed tightness so that I can get a decent blend with this brush in a light to medium application. The bristles are too long to get a really intense blend. It also becomes looser packed with continued use.
Norn’s Series
Norn’s Eyeshadow Palette
This palette’s eyeshadows are a wild mixture of different textures, finishes, and levels of opacity. Swatching each shade was like unraveling a mystery; I got quite a few surprises! I instinctively switched between using my brushes of various shapes and fibers and density versus my fingers, when to use a glitter glue, when to spray it, etc. to create the looks I wanted. Although it was fun and not too time consuming to discover the ins and outs of this palette, this is technically not beginner-friendly. The very fact of having a palette with so many different textures lends to the challenge. I think it would be easy for anyone to create a pretty look because the mattes are pigmented while still being super blendable and the shimmers make an impact (by mainstream standards) without extra effort. In that sense it’s beginner-friendly, but maximizing the full potential of this palette takes intermediate level and above. There were certainly times I had to restart an eye look or do swatches on my arm to test how some of the shades paired with each other, since the effects were sometimes unexpected.
There are four mattes in this palette. Dazed is a cool grey. I was impressed with the level of pigmentation and how a shade like this didn’t look patchy or ashy on me. I think it’s because there is a little green to the tone of that shade which goes well on my warm yellow-toned skin. Mist is a cool light purple. This is another shade that would usually appear a little ashy or patchy on me, but I have zero issues with this one! Pragmatism is a medium brown that deepens up the more it is applied. I prefer to use it in the crease to create depth there, but it’s not quite enough for my tastes to deepen the outer corner. Outsider is a gorgeous peacock blue or ocean blue or medium blue leaning teal. I’m not sure what the best name for this shade is, but I don’t think the description from Oden’s Eye as a, “retro green” is that much better. Sometimes mattes swatch beautifully, but don’t perform as well on the eyes. I’m happy to report that these mattes do both!
Pink Chameleon is a multichrome! The brand only describes this as having a pink, yellow, and green shift, but I swear it also looks a bit more orange or red or peachy depending on the light and angle. On my finger, this multichrome had clear and obvious shifts. On my eye, this color looked very different depending on which shades I put it next to or on top of. For instance, sometimes it would only pull peachy-pink or yellow-gold, or yellow-pink. In rare occasions I could see pink-green. The green element being the least visible on my skin and especially on camera. I had to do a lot of experimenting with Pink Chameleon to figure out which combos would give me the effect I wanted.
There’s another shade called Green Chameleon in this palette. The website has this listed as an, “Olive green chameleon eyeshadow, multichrome shift,” without describing what what the other colors are. Honestly, I don’t see any shift. The texture of Pink Chameleon is that slick recognizable multichrome texture like Clionadh’s Jewelled formula, Devinah’s Aurorae Flares, the shade called Fake from the Juvia’s Place Wahala 2 palette, etc. Green Chameleon feels like the other four diamond shimmers in the bottom row of the Norn’s palette. The two best ways I’ve been able to detect multichromes is to swatch them on the palm of my hand and rotate my hand around, or to apply them to my fingers and hold them vertically and raise my fingers up and down so that it moves closer then further from the light. All I can see is it going from an olive green to a slightly lighter olive green or a greenish yellow. Its not a difference anyone will notice if you put this on your eyes. It’s still a pretty shade, but I don’t count it as a multichrome or duochrome.
There are two easily recognizable satin shades in this palette, or as Oden’s eye says, “metallic eyeshadows that look like satin.” Metallic shades are different from my perspective, so I’ll just refer to them as satins. One is Realism, a gorgeous medium-dark brown. Realism has visible copper reflects, but I prefer to have more of a contrast in my eyeshadow looks. I don’t mind doing a neutral eye from time to time, but if I’m going neutral I want a bit more sparkle. So, what I love to do is combine this shade with pretty much any of the more sparkly shades in this palette. There are so many options to choose from that are so pretty. The outcomes are different enough that I wanted to demonstrate several of them.
The other satin is a “red velvet” shade called Passion. Although pretty, I don’t think this particular tone of red goes that well with any of the other colorful shades. Even though reds and purples or reds and oranges are usually a match made in heaven, I find that this shade clashes with anything other than the neutrals or surprisingly the Pink Chameleon shadow.
Amber Palace looks marbled in the pan and I’m happy to report that it’s not an over-spray and the pattern doesn’t disappear once you’ve used it a few times. This “sparkling diamond shimmer shadow” is a mixture of gold and silver that runs throughout the entire pan. I consider this a topper shadow because the amber orange-brown base matches my skin tone so much that I just see the sparkle. It doesn’t look like there’s a base at all until I swatch it on my palm.
There are five other diamond shimmers listed in this palette. In fact, all the sparkly-glittery shadows in this palette are referred to as diamond shimmers. The first is Optimism, which looks similar in swatches to Amber Palace except the base color is purple. It’s another shade I consider a topper because the base is so sheer. I prefer to use this shade with cooler toned looks and Amber Palace for warmer ones. Next is Hallucination, a blue-green shade that’s like a medium toned turquoise with pink and purple shimmer. The texture of this shade is wetter than the others and doesn’t feel as well bound to the sparkles as the others. It feels like it was intended to be a shimmer version of a cream to powder formula. It leaves a residue behind on the finger, the way cream products do, and takes a bit of smoothing to give it less of a chunky appearance. The color is beautiful but I’m not a fan of this particular formula. It reminds me of the texture my homemade eyeshadows feel like when I use slightly too much liquid binder. Self is a stunning purple with teal, silver, and perhaps green sparkles. It’s very much my kind of eyeshadow shade. Glamour is an orange and gold shadow that reminds me of the pressed glitter shade I wanted from the Juvia’s Place Nubian Glow palette (but depotted and thew away). I’m so glad to have this version as a regular non-pressed-glitter shadow! The eyeshadow palettes from Oden’s Eye’s previous collections had some pressed glitters in them but there are none in the Norn’s Collection. Lasly, Charming is like a blue-purple duochrome with teal, purple, and pink shimmer.
Then there are two other textures that stand out. Obsessed, the “violet with pink and purple diamond shimmers,” feels is like a cream to powder shadow. It feels wetter than the two satin shades in this palette, but not as full on creamy as the cream shadow shades Natasha Denona has in the Metropolis palette. Obsessed takes several dips with a brush to get an opaque layer on the eye. It’s slightly easier with a finger, but the product sticks a bit more to the finger than the eye, so it tugs on my skin more than I’d like. Colourful Black felt like Obsessed in the beginning, but after a week it felt a lot more dry, like a typical shimmer eyeshadow. This goes on the skin very easily with a brush, so there’s no need to use a finger to apply it. It’s very pigmented straight out of the gate, but it can be blended to appear in a lighter and sheerer layer. According to Oden’s Eye, this shade, “…contains all colors of shimmers. Different usage will create different effects.” It makes for an excellent deepening shade, liner, and base. Although I can see the sparkles in the pan, the effect is satin-like with more sheen than a matte but without seeing the glitter particles. Usually all I require for black shadows is for them to be dark enough and blendable. This is one of the few times I can say I actually like the shade for its color and not just about its depth.
In Look #8 I forgot to mention that Colourful Black was also applied all over the lid before Charming was added on top. This is what caused the stronger blue tone to the shade.
URD Mini Eyeshadow Palette
This palette is gorgeous but all the minis, in my opinion, are overpriced compared to the larger palette prices. You get 6 shades for $21 versus 16 for $36. $3.50 per shadow compared to $2.25 per shadow. For that reason, I had to decide between the Urd palette and Skuld palette. As much as my eyes were drawn to the colorful nature of the all shimmer Skuld palette, I knew I could get a complete look with Urd and that green was irresistible!
This has the same great shadow quality as the Norn’s palette and it was so easy to create a look. I used the same shades for both of the eyes, but the change in technique and color placement made them look surprisingly more different than I expected! The Luxury shade on the lid is gorgeous! It’s mostly green with yellow gold reflects of diamond shimmer. Luxury has a black base which I noticed darkened the crease shade on the eye that I used the MAC Foundation Stick as a primer (look #2). In Look #1, I used a MAC Paint Pot and this did not happen. I also used the Nyx Glitter Primer on both lids.
Memory is definitely a bright “light gray-green matte” but just as it was the case with the shade Dazed, it’s somehow not too stark for me. That green tinge works! Oden’s Eye describes Nostalgia as a “matte grey olive green,” and those grey tones come out on the eye to create more of a khaki green tone. I wish it was a little less grey, but it goes well with the other shades in the palette.
Gloden Year & Time are the split pan shadows. I believe ‘gloden’ was a printing error because the website description says, “Golden year: Silver metallic color, the golden year is just a silver memory in the past” and “Time: Colorful shift of multiple colors against a semi-transparent base.” Golden Year is much smoother and the shimmer particles are much closer together than the shade Time. Time is a chunky flaky topper formula that I can clearly see as gold toned in person, but my camera only picks up a silvery hue.
Lastly, Past is a dark coffee brown matte. It’s a perfect addition to add a bit of smokiness to the look. This color story was well thought out and even though I think $15 would have been a fairer price (more than the $2.25 but less than $3.50 per shadow), I’m happy I bought this.
Norn’s Silk Scarf in Pink and Purple
There were pink, purple, and blue versions of this scarf available and Oden’s Eye was adding one for free to any Norn’s Collection order above 50 euros. At the time I bought them, they were on sale for 50% off.
I just purchased these because of the design. The print is so pretty to me and I wanted another item that had it, even though I have zero use for scarves and I never wear them.
Also, I could have sworn there was nothing written about the scarf being “artificial silk” until I made my last order because I remember being surprised at the low cost and wondered why silk would be used by a cruelty-free brand, but perhaps I just missed it.
Additional Information
All of the powder products have a slight powdery talc-like smell. In 2014, I owned a Coastal Scents palette that smelled incredibly chalky. Nothing I’ve purchased since then has ever been that bad, but I try to keep track of that kind of thing and share that information with others.
When ordering from the website, the default prices are listed in euros, but they have a tab at the top where you can change the currency. Although Oden’s Eye is based in Sweden, their products are made and shipped from China. My favorite independently owned brands to support are the ones who make their own formulas like Lethal Cosmetics, Terra Moons, Devinah, Clionadh, (or on the larger side Ofra and Colourpop), etc. For some reason, I was under the impression that these were created-in house, so I was a little disappointed. However, I know this is the norm. Juvia’s Place and Kaleidos palettes are made in China. Even indie brands whose products are formulated in the US don’t necessarily make them themselves. A separate cosmetics lab is usually responsible. With this thought in mind, it bothers me a little less. It’s also pretty neat that some products in their line are still handmade, like the Amber Palace shade within the Norn’s palette and the Norn’s Mesmerizer Highlighters. Oden’s Eye posted a fascinating video showing the Highlighter process on Instagram that can be viewed here.
I’m not sure what the shipping fees are for other countries, but I paid six euros (a bit over $7 USD) the first two times I ordered. They do offer free shipping over 50 euros. My initial order shipped within 24 hours but took exactly 3 weeks to arrive. Oden’s Eye emailed that my package would be delayed due to Chinese Lunar New Year and then there was a delay at customs. They ship through DHL and transfer to USPS and state that 7-14 business days is typical. My second order took 17 days (14 business days). The transition between DHL to USPS is where it was held up quite a bit. The third order only took 8 days of the 8-12 business days if you choose the upgraded USPS first class option for eight euros. Two extra euros for the package to arrive 2 weeks before regular mail is quite a good deal. The Mystery Box took 13 days.
I appreciate that for a small brand, they still make an effort to try and feature a variety of skin tones in their promotional photos and their Instagram. Of course I wish there were more swatches on deeper skin and in a variety of lighting settings, as well as clear pictures of what the products look like on the face, but they put in more effort than some other brands I’ve seen. The Fancy Face has received PR from them, so I recommend viewing her channel for extra swatches with her take on this collection. At the time I started working on this post, she was the only WOC on Youtube with a review of Oden’s Eye beyond reviewing a single palette, and her video was made after I had already placed all three orders. In fact, at the time I started my first draft of this post, she just had this video available with sneak peeks of the review to come. I wish I had this video as a resource before placing my order, but I’m still happy with the items I chose. Sometimes I get lucky and my guesses work out. Tina is close to my skin tone, but a little lighter than me. There’s one other youtube channel I found by someone a little darker than me with several more Oden’s eye products, which can be found here. For anyone wanting to see swatches on a tan skin tone can click here, and for pale to medium skin tones there are a plethora of options to choose from on Youtube like from Amy Loves Makeup, Morgan Turner, and Angelica Nyqvist.
Lastly, about the palettes, the eyeshadow pans are smaller than the standard 26mm. There is slightly more than 1 gram of product per pan, which is what I always like to see. I do wish the pans were slightly larger because most of these shades apply better with a finger and I have limited space to rub and pick up the shadow on the pads of my fingers.
That’s all for today! I hope this was helpful if you were considering placing an order with Oden’s Eye. If you do, don’t forget to use an affiliate code for an additional 10% off! FANCYFACE, MORGANTURNER, AMYLOVES, and ANGESCHKA are a few of them.
Danessa Myricks Beauty and Mented Cosmetics are brands I’ve been curious about over the past year and I decided to try a few things from each of them! This is also the first time in a long while since I’ve purchased something other than eyeshadows from Coloured Raine!
Danessa Myricks Balm Contour in Deep 1
Danessa Myricks is a makeup artist and her products are intended for use in a professional setting. By that I mean there is a learning curve to these products. They aren’t beginner friendly. I absolutely did not like this product until the sixth or seventh time I used it. The issue is that I just needed to find the right tool; in my case it was the Sonia G Mini Base brush from the Keyaki Set. I didn’t like the results when I used my fingers, a dense contour brush, a dense concealer brush, a Beautyblender, and the Tati Blendiful. A heavier application gives a more intense sculpted look, but I prefer the controlled yet natural looking blend which a medium density brush can provide.
When it comes to this shade match, I was surprised how orange it was considering most contour products are cool toned to create a shadow. If I want to use a warm color to contour with, I prefer to have one that is more shades darker than my skin tone. However, if I exchanged or purchased Deep 2 instead, then I believe it would be too similar to cream contours I already have in my collection. So, I’m glad I chose Deep 1, but I wish it wasn’t as warm so I could use it on all areas of my face. I don’t mind using warm contours on my forehead and cheek bones but I hate them on my jaw and nose.
I also tried the underpainting technique (applying a heavy layer of dimension creating products to the skin first and applying a light layer of foundation on top to shape the face in a less detectable way) but I think I need a darker shade if I want to continue using it in that way. Deep 1 is a touch too subtle on me with underpainting, but perhaps I just need more practice.
Danessa Myricks Dew Wet Balm in Clear
There are four other shades of these balms, but they contain shimmer. Based on website photos, I was concerned the shimmer/glitter particles might be too large for my liking, so I thought getting the clear one would be a safer bet. This reminds me of a stickier version of the clear balm in Pat Mcgrath’s Highlighter + Balm Duo. With my hair down, loose strands have stuck to my face while wearing this. Although this product is intended to be worn alone or with makeup, it looks too much like I have Vaseline or lip gloss on my cheekbones if I’m bare faced, so I prefer to use it with makeup.
This product, like many highlighting balms, disturbs my makeup underneath. Thankfully, the shine is still visible under foundation. I figured out that I like this product when I’ve applied it to my cheekbones, then I take whatever foundation is left on my brush or sponge and apply it over the top of the Dew Balm. It still gives me shine without the Vaseline look or sticky texture. I can leave it like that or use the Dew Balm as a wet base to apply a highlighter on top of it for a very intense shine. I have an example of what it looks like as a base for a powder highlighter in the Mented Bronzer section.
Mented Cosmetics Bronzer in Vacay
Mented has four shades of bronzer. I suspected Vacay, intended for medium/tan skin tones, would be only a shade or two darker than me while Yacht Life, intended for deep skin tones, would be darker than I wanted and too similar to Fenty’s Mocha Mami, which I already own. Vacay turned out to be as light as I thought. If I really pack it on, it does work as a subtle bronzer. The undertone of the powder is a bit on the pinkish terracotta side, so in many photos featured here today, I’m actually wearing it as a blush. I believe Vacay is actually lighter than Mented’s Clay Too Much blush.
This formula is so smooth and reminds me of the Airbrush Bronzer from Charlotte Tilbury, but at a fraction of the cost. I am extremely tempted to buy Yacht Life and assuage my curiosity as to whether I would like it better than Vacay (and to find out how similar it really is to Mocha Mami), but I have to remind myself that I have enough bronzers as it is. It has been difficult to talk myself out of it and I’ve had it in my cart via Ulta about to check out at least three times by now. If I didn’t already have the Charlotte Tilbury bronzer, which is still the smoothest one I own, I would have absolutely purchased the other shade from Mented.
Mented Cosmetics Lip Liner in La La
I forgot my lip product no-buy when I purchased this, but I’m secretly happy to have it. I like that it’s retractable and I was able to get this for $9. It’s the kind of shade I love using all over my lips. It isn’t too drying and doesn’t look as bad as it could over my non-exfoliated lips, which is nice. It stays in place. The Tower 28 lip gloss contains oils, so I was surprised to see how well it lasted with that gloss on top, as long as I didn’t eat or drink anything.
Propa Beauty lipsticks impressed me with their brown-skin friendly versions of lighter shades with wearable pinks and oranges. Mented’s range impressed me with their nude lip shades. If I wasn’t on a lip product no-buy, I would be looking further into Nude La La, Dope Taupe, Foxy Brown, and Mented #5. I watched a Q & A session with one of the brand owners and she was explaining how Mented wanted to create nudes that weren’t just brown. Shades that matched, for instance, the darker pigmented brownish purple of my natural top lip. I always tried to get shades to match the pink in my bottom lip, but after seeing that interview, I became so intrigued by the idea of matching the brownish purple part instead. I intend to do my best in sticking with my no-buy and will perhaps try another Mented lip product in the beginning of 2022.
Coloured Raine Bronzers in Cinna-Bae and Naughty Spice
These bronzers look very similar on the skin, but Cinna-Bae is on the warm side and Naughty Spice is more neutral.
Between the two, Cinna-Bae is absolutely better suited for me. It’s the right tone and depth. Coloured Raine did a fantastic job with their product photos to help me decide that this was the best shade for me. I still purchased Naughty Spice in case I was wrong. I also wasn’t sure how pigmented they’d be, so I thought having a darker version as well couldn’t hurt. I am able to build up Naughty Spice and use it as a Bronzing-Contour. In the photo above, I applied somewhere between a light to medium amount of Naughty Spice. I used a medium amount of Cinna-Bae. It’s nice to know I can still use both though. Also, these are labeled as bronzers but on Coloured Raine’s Instagram they say these can be used as setting powders and contours as well.
The bronzers are smooth and blend well, so it’s tempting to get additional shades to try the other uses, but I refrained. I would say this formula reminds me of Fenty’s Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzers. It doesn’t beat out my top 3, but I think it’s still very good quality.
Coloured Raine Focal Point GlowLighters in Bourgeois and Just Peachy
In my Kiko Milano review, I mentioned that there are only a few brands I trust to make a shimmery blush that I like, and unfortunately Coloured Raine is not one of them. On the individual product pages it says the Focal Point Glowlighters can be used as blush, so I thought these would be like the Nabla Skin Glazing formula that are highlighters but also come in blush tones like Adults Only and Lola that make them suitable for blush too. At the very least, I thought they might be similar to MAC’s Extra Dimension Blushes which are very shimmery but still flattering. I was wrong.
I own two of the Coloured Raine x Power Blush and Highlighter Duos, and while I thought the highlighters were too glittery for my taste, I thought the matte blushes were decent. If Just Peachy and Bourgeois were a matte formula, I know I would enjoy them because the tones are so pretty, but in this formula they are unbelievably metallic! I’ve been struggling with my camera lately and with flash off, it could not begin to show just how metallic looking they are in person when the light hits them, nor the intensity of the shades. If I try to use the lightest amount of Just Peachy, my cheeks look slightly peach from straight on, but when I tilt my head and a little light hits my cheek, all I see is a blinding gold. As pretty as the color itself is, I don’t want a gold blush. If I apply enough product to get the peachy tone to show at all angles, then it looks like I tried to use a metallic eyeshadow for blush. It’s the same case with Bourgeois. The burgundy base color is overshadowed by the intense hot orange shimmer.
Both blushes without flash.
Bourgeois with Flash On.
As blushes or blush toppers, these are unwearable for me. It comes down to the reflectivity of the shimmer. The Focal Point Glowlighters also come in traditional highlighter shades of golds and bronzes. This formula is much better suited for highlighting purposes. For those who like highlighters at this level of intensity, getting one of their standard shades (pictured below from their website) would be my recommendation.
Coloured Raine Large Powder Brush
This brush is the biggest in my entire collection and also the heaviest. I think this brush is weighted because the ferrule is very heavy in a way that isn’t proportional to the heaviness of the ferrule of the Angled brush. I’ve only had one other makeup brush that was weighted in order to create a better balance for how the brush should be held and applied to the face, to intuitively allow the user to apply the right pressure with the brush. I’m not sure if the ferrule weight of the Large Powder brush was chosen for this reason, or if it was purely to allow this brush to be able to stand upright on a flat surface with ease.
As mentioned before, the flat bottom of the handles let these brushes stand upright. The handles are plastic. The bristles are synthetic. The coffee color gradient of the handles are as pretty in photos are they are in person. The fibers are soft, but as wide as the bristles are splayed, they are not densely packed. They are long and floppy and bend dramatically with light pressure from a single finger.
I don’t mind the floppiness from the Powder Brush because the volume of the brush combined with the placement where I grip the brush (towards the base of the ferrule) allows me to sweep a light dusting of powder all over my face quickly without the bristles bending enough to impede the application. It’s a pretty good brush considering the $13 price.
Coloured Raine Angled Blush Brush
This brush technically cost $5 instead of $10 because I purchased it in the $21 bundle price with one of the bronzers. I expected this brush to work well with the bronzers since they were grouped together, but I despise this brush. I admittedly don’t favor angled brushes, but some like the Chikuhodo FO-4 are exceptions. On top of that, these bristles are not dense enough. They don’t give me enough pressure to blend. The floppiness of the brush impedes my ability to use the product. I can still use this brush with a lightly pigmented blush that wouldn’t require much blending but I recommend skipping this one. A better alternative is the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush which goes for around $15 individually, but Target has a set of three brushes and a holder for $20. The set includes the Real Techniques setting brush which I own two of and have been using almost exclusively for years to set my under eye concealer with powder. And full disclosure, the Target link is not affiliated and I make zero money from sharing it.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been curious about other Danessa Myricks products, like the Twin Flames multichromes, Color Fixes, and Vision Flushes. All the reviews I’ve seen, combined with my own experience, leads me to believe I can create beautiful looks with DM’s makeup if I’m willing to invest time into learning how best to use them. I foresee myself continuing to explore more from the brand in the latter half of 2021.
As for Mented, I’m definitely excited to try more from them in the future, especially since they’ve been made available at Ulta. It was tough for me to skip out on the blushes, but I haven’t seen enough videos and photos online to be able to tell which shades, if any, are my style. If new shades get released, I’ll be all over them!
I’m always interested in the new things Coloured Raine comes out with. In a “Behind the Beauty” episode a while back, the owner hinted at a Queen of Hearts 2 palette coming out, so I am still looking forward to that and more from the brand.
That’s everything! Thank you so much for spending your time with me today! I already had that impromptu Saturday review, but I wanted to keep the Monday schedule consistent and still make this post available today.
Excluded from this Declutter post will be all lip balms, lip treatments, and my own custom and handmade lip products I’ve made. Also excluded are a few limited edition lip products I have hidden away that I’m keeping for the packaging. The Declutter portion is primarily to give swatches of old products before I toss them, so that section will be more about arm swatching and less about the reviews. Products that are still good will be lip swatched, but first, let’s start with the products that excite me the most: new Propa Beauty Lipsticks!
*This is the reason I’m deviating from my normal Monday scheduling. Propa Beauty is having a sale and I didn’t want anyone who keeps up with my blog to miss it! This review and declutter was 99% completed anyway, so I decided go ahead with this surprise Saturday post! Credit to Brit Clarke on Youtube for writing about it on her community tab. Her code is BRITCHES15, but I have other codes listed further below as well, and affiliate codes do stack on top of the current sale! A non-affiliated link to the Propa Beauty website is here. And just in case it needs to be said, I have no affiliation with Propa Beauty. I have not been paid to review them, nor received PR. I just think their lipsticks are fantastic and lip products normally don’t excite me, so that’s a testament to the brand.
My first review of Propa Beauty can be found here. The brand’s satin lip formula has been highly praised. They were created to be brown-skin friendly in the undertones, while still offering shades for everyone. The lipsticks appear much darker in normal lighting than they actually appear on the lips. How they look with flash on in photos is a more accurate depiction of the shades.
I love all the new shades I picked out, as well as the “old” ones. They are so comfortable and can go from sheer to fully opaque depending on how many layers are added. Moxie is a pink-toned Mauve. It’s a little lighter than I usually go for, but it’s a nice addition to my collection. Prowess looks a lot more pink-orange brown in person, though my camera just picks up the terracotta tones to it. Prime Time is probably my favorite red in a long time. It’s a bright rosy red that looks like it has a touch of orange in some photos, is more red in some photos, and more of a deep pink in others. Of the three, Prime Time looks the best on me on camera, but I think Prowess looks the best in person. However, I don’t think I can chose a favorite among them. There are plenty of discount codes available and domestic shipping is free for purchases over $25 ($45 for international). I highly recommend them, but if you live in a warm climate like I do, please be aware that this formula is soft and they may get hot while in transit. I recommend not immediately opening them or wearing them upon delivery, as the lipstick bullet could be too warm at that point and move or break from the pressure of being used. Some people recommend putting them in the fridge or freezer to re-solidify, but I haven’t tried that myself. I just let the products sit in a cool area for at least an hour. One more thing to note is these have some staining power. I didn’t have the swatches on my arm for long but after quite a bit of rubbing with a makeup remover it still left some outlines that only came off with more vigorous rubbing.
When deciding the shades that were best for me, I found it helpful to see how it was on a variety of skintones and over different colored bare lips, so I will link some of the videos I watched below.
Pale/Fair: Original andNewfrom Amy Loves Makeup code AMYLOVES Light-Medium: Original and New from Angelica Nyqvist code ANGESCHKA Medium-Tan: Original and New from Kelsee Briana Jai code KBJ15 Tan: Original and New from Karen Harris code KHMAKEUP15 Tan-Medium Deep: Original and New from The Fancy Face code FANCYFACE Deep: Original and New from Oheema code OHEEMA
Lip Linersand Lip Crayons
On my lips, the Tarte Tartiest Lip Crayon in Latergram looks similar to the Wayne Goss The Essential Lip Pencil in Mauve. These are colors that don’t look the best all over my lips on their own, but I like to use them to cover the darker pigmented parts on my lower lip, almost like spot concealing. While my lips are in their typical dry and unmoisturized state, these pencils don’t glide on the skin easily. In the case of Latergram, it’s because this sample has dried out a little from when I first got it. For the Wayne Goss, it’s because it has more of a waxy (rather than creamy) texture, which gets caught on every raised/partially peeled dry patch. When working with a surface that will have friction, creamier formulas are better. The MAC Lip Pencil in Nightingale is another wood pencil. I had an easier time applying it to my lips than the Wayne Goss, but the Wayne Goss was less patchy and more pigmented. I don’t know if that’s just because the MAC pencil is older or if that particular shade performs differently to other MAC pencils. I’m keeping it for a little longer because it was a gift. I’m also keeping the Wayne Goss pencil, but I tossed the Tarte one as there wasn’t much left anyway in the deluxe sample I had.
I don’t know how I got the Colourpop Lippie Pencil in Starship. I can’t locate it in my Colourpop order history, so I’m wondering if it was a free gift with purchase. I also have no clue how long I’ve had this because I found it still in the box, but in a lip drawer I never check. I could have gotten it six months ago or up to two years ago. I thought it was a twist up pencil based on the color, but it’s the kind that needs a pencil sharpener. It was the first time I ever saw a wood pencil that wasn’t black or brown. The texture of the product, how it glides and spreads all feel nice, but this shade of pink is too light for my taste, so I decluttered it.
I love the tone of pink in this Mented Lip Pencil in La La! It’s complimentary to both the darker and lighter parts of my lips. It’s a retractable pencil, which is my favorite form of lip liner. If you try to take it off before the end of the day, it will require some oil because this will not come off with water alone! The same can be said of the Nyx Retractable Lip Liner in Nude Pink and Dark Red. These are very easy to use, creamy, pigmented, and budge-proof. The Nyx liners are described as long lasting on the Ulta website, but the Mented pencils are cited as being waterproof. I’ve always liked the Nyx Pencils, though they don’t offer as many shades that compliment my skin tone as the Mented. However, they are $5 compared to $12. So, I recommend the Nyx for a great budget-friendly option, but I do prefer the Mented because of the tones of shades. When it comes to matte formulas, these are my top 2 favorites of all the lip liners I’ve ever tried.
I bought this particular Palladio Waterproof Lip Liner in Coffee nearly two years ago from Amazon. However, the first one I ever bought was years earlier when the brand was still available at Ulta. The smell and consistency are unchanged, but because it’s currently the oldest lip liner in my collection, I will need to replace it soon. I believe this was closer to $4 when I first bought it at Ulta, and my thoughts when using it was that it “just works.” I didn’t think it was particularly special beyond the fact that it’s dark, waterproof, and doesn’t skip when I line my lips. A shade like this would only ever be used by me to outline, so I don’t need it to do anything else beyond that. The price on Amazon is $6.99, so I’m not sure if I will repurchase this again, try to find a warmer or neutral dark brown like the shade Bare from Mented appears to be, or see if Cocoa from Nyx is more to my liking. I do like to just have one dark brown liner in my collection as that’s all I need.
This mini of the Bite Beauty Lip Crayon in Glace came from the Play by Sephora Isle of Beauty boxes (July 2019) that they sold outright in December 2019, which is when I bought it. I love the satin formula, which isn’t surprising considering it’s from Bite Beauty. The color is a touch too light for me to wear all over my lips, but I like spot concealing my lips with it. Unlike the Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien, which is similarly creamy but much more emollient, I don’t have to worry about the color moving around as much. The color of the Nars pencil always shifts around and moves back off the pigmented parts I try to cover, but it was the perfect camouflaging shade for photos, which is why I used it for so many years. In fact, I’ve been replacing these in my collection every 2 years, but I’ve only paid for it one time. This particular pencil and shade from Nars tends to be available as free gifts with purchases or point perks.
Unfortunately for me, I discovered that my newest replacement of my full size Nars pencil (still about a year and a half old) was not the same shade of Rikugien I was used to. The replacement is even more sheer and the shine is more reflective in the light, which works to still cover the pigment spots through light, not opacity. When looking at the actual pencils, I see visible shimmer on the tip of the new one and the shade is isn’t as pink as it used to be. It appears that the minis and/or full sizes of Rikugien were reformulated. I don’t like the newer one and if the full-size is the same, I wouldn’t be interested in repurchasing this anymore. It’s for the best because Nars might be discontinuing the Satin Lip formula altogether. I saw them in the “Last Chance” section of their website, which rather than discontinuing the product, could just mean they’re trying to get rid of their old stock and intend to release new batches or repackaged/reformulated batches in the future.
My old pencil from Nars smells waxy now, so I’m getting rid of it. My newer pencil smells like mineral oil, so I’m also getting rid of it. I’m glad I have the Bite Beauty Glace shade as a satin lip concealing alternative, but I’m going to have to toss it soon as well. Because I have lip liners that do the job, I won’t be replacing it.
Lipsticks
I am of course keeping all six of my Propa Beauty Lipsticks in the shades Limitless, Victress, Her Magic, Prowess, Moxie, and Prime Time. Because I have these, I’m finally ready to get rid of my expired Bite Beauty lipsticks that I had been keeping for nostalgic reasons. What I have remaining is from the original Luminous Creme Lipstick collection in Shiraz which was the first nude-pink lip that I felt was perfect for me from the shade to the formula. From the Amuse Bouche collection I have Jam, which was sent to me from a friend. It was the first item I ever had available to me before being released to the public. Lastly, I have Kale which I just kept because I never had a lipstick in a shade like that before. I wasn’t confident enough to wear it publicly or share photos online, but it was my one “fun” shade. I decluttered the rest of my Bite Beauty lipsticks long ago, but those three were the most sentimental. Now, I’ve let them go. They were so old, but somehow still smelled nice. Kudos to Bite Beauty for making more “natural” and “food-grade” products that preserve so well.
I’ve also let go of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Palette Vol. 1, which I’m fairly certain is the only lip palette the brand ever produced. Despite how useful this kind of product would be to makeup artists, it wasn’t well received by the masses and ended up on the shelves of TJMaxx, where makeup goes to die. I bought it at the height of my makeup experimentation days. I intended to teach myself how to mix unique custom shades and see the changes to undertone by blues and yellows on pinks, purples, and reds. Despite my initial excitement, I only used it once. The downside to mixing custom shades was that I was wasting tin pans putting only a few drops worth of lipsticks into them. If I was supposed to make a custom color each time I used the palette, instead of mixing it and setting it aside to use again, there would be no way I’d remember the combination of shades I used, nor the proportions. If there was a well that contained 4 empty spots to hold custom shades, I think that would have improved things. The palette came with a dual ended brush with a lip brush on one end and a cosmetic spatula on the other. It also came with a metal mixing palette. Mine smells very strongly of crayons so I won’t even be swatching these, just throwing them out. Because this launch didn’t do well, I was surprised to see Makeup by Mario come out with a lip palette too and I foresee it not selling well either.
The Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in (Sheer) Plaid was one of my favorite reds. It was the combination I liked of giving good color payoff without being too opaque, for making an impact but not as boldly as a more pigmented matte version would. The Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in Sheer Ladyflower was discontinued, but I held onto it so I could try to find a replacement shade from a different brand. Both products are too old to wear, and as much as I liked them, they weren’t worth replacing at full price. I only bought these while Urban Decay was having issues selling them, so they were discounted to like $9. I think Urban Decay has great formulas, but anyone could find as good (or even better) lipsticks for less.
The MAC Matte Lipstick in Chili is new to my collection and was a free gift with purchase from Ulta. The color is stunning, but very bold. I don’t think this particular shade looks as nice on me as Limitless or Prime Time from Propa beauty do, but perhaps in the future I could find a blush or eyeshadow look that will compliment this lipstick shade. It’s also nice to have a MAC lipstick I can actually wear. All other MAC lipsticks I’ve bought have been as gifts or for collecting limited edition bullet lipsticks.
Sephora Frosted Kisses Lipstories Set
I forgot to change what I was wearing before taking lip swatches. Teal and mint color clothing makes my skin look red/orange on my camera for some reason.
This set contains the shades 36 Spring Break, 31 Golden Gate, 71 Treat Yourself, 23 After Hours, 69 Werk It, and 58 But First…Coffee. My first ever Lipstories Lipstick was Yum Yum, which is part of their satin formula. It’s another example of keeping a lipstick that’s too old in order to find a color dupe in the future. Her Magic from Propa Beauty is even closer to the kind of shade I wanted, so I’m now able to let Yum Yum go.
Other than Yum Yum, which I did get a few uses out of, the lipsticks in this set remained unopened since I bought them in December 2019! I’m finally trying these shades out for the first time, which means it’s also my first experience with the matte and metal versions of the lip stories. The only reason I’m not fond of the metals is purely how they look on my lips. I’m a bit picky when it comes to glitter in gloss, and I definitely don’t like the look of it as lipstick. I decided to keep Treat Yourself because of how beautiful it looks as a topper shade. I’m not keeping Werk It, because there isn’t as much color to that shade and it doesn’t show as well as a topper either. After Hours, Golden Gate, and But First…Coffee are the matte shades, and despite being called “matte” they all have a sheen to them, which I like. I decided to keep the latter two because they’re more unique in my collection. As gorgeous as After Hours is with Treat Yourself, I don’t want to keep a red shade I know I wouldn’t use on its own. It’s the kind of red I used to be drawn to, but now I prefer ones that lean a little brown, as I think it’s more flattering on me. Spring Break is a satin that’s a bit more sheer than the others and I haven’t made up my mind about the color, so I’m keeping it for now.
Overall, I recommend checking out the Sephora Lip Stories because the packaging is cute, the formulas are great, and they retail for the low price of only $9 each! Plus, I’ve seen them go on sale fairly often. My holiday set was $14 for 6, plus it stacked for an additional 20% off!
Liquid Lipsticks and Lip Stains
I remember liking the formula of the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink in Seductress and Self-Starter because they did not budge. It used to drive me nuts getting lipstick on my teeth or transferring onto other things, which liquid lipsticks generally help avoid. The downside is that I didn’t like these shades on me. Occasionally I used Seductress to cover the darker pigmented spots on my lips, but that was it. I did not get enough use out of these and they are very old by now.
For a time, the Dose of Colors Matte Liquid Lipstick in Mondaze was my favorite liquid lipstick. It was mostly transfer resistant but still pretty comfortable on the lips. I purchased mine from Ulta, but they are no longer available there and this is also too old now.
The Kat Von D (KVD) Everlasting Liquid Lipstick Minis in Sanctuary, Hawkwind, Madrid, Exorcism, and Damned were part of a set many years ago, along with a black shade I got rid of already. Even though these have been too old to use, I kept them around in order to remember which shades I liked or to find color dupes. Sanctuary was the kind of shade I never thought I would like, but I thought it was so pretty on me. Hawkwind and Madrid were also my favorites, though I mostly used Sanctuary. The KVD formula was less drying to my lips than some of the other liquid lipsticks I tried in the past, however, it wasn’t the most comfortable and sometimes I used a balm underneath, which affected the ability to be transfer-proof. I still liked Sanctuary and Hawkwind enough that I considered buying the full size many times, however, I knew I wouldn’t use it enough to be worth. I couldn’t even finish up the minis before they went bad!
The Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment in American Woman was either a deluxe sample or 100 point perk redemption from Sephora. I didn’t like the color, so I never used it.
My thoughts on the Juvia’s Place Wahala Mini Liquid Lipstick in Shakara hasn’t changed from my review in December. It’s a pretty color, but I only like it with a lip liner and gloss on top. Because I don’t feel comfortable wearing this kind of shade on its own, I admittedly haven’t used it again since that review. I think I’ll keep it anyway.
The MAC Perpetual Holiday Versicolour Stain was a gift from one of my best friends (along with the MAC Lip Liner mentioned earlier). There was a time when I was very into purple lip products, but they didn’t survive past declutters. There was also a time I was interested in lip stains, and this one from MAC is on the better end of formulas I’ve tried, but not enough for a repurchase. I like having at least one dark reddish purple in my collection, so I’m happy to have it while it’s still good.
I think this may have been the first time I opened the Colourpop Lux Liquid Lip in Prince Naveen. The color is pretty, but I only bought this as part of a set with a Tiana Blush because I wanted the box it came in. I can’t say how I feel about the formula because the smell was too offputting to try, like rotting broccoli. I can’t find record of when I purchased this anywhere, but the collection launched October 2019, so perhaps this did go bad and doesn’t normally smell like this.
It wasn’t too long ago that I reviewed the Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Baroque, but the shade Refine is new to my collection. The Refine shade is part of the Jen Luvs collaboration with Ofra, which I always wanted to support, but I didn’t want to pay for shipping. The Ofra formula is very comfortable on the lips, but the top layer is not transfer-proof; the topmost layer leaves an imprint. However, to actually take the lipstick completely off without lingering residue, an oil-based product is required. Refine was intended to be a mixing shade to make lipsticks more neutral. As a mixer, it does change the color in a way that improves it, but never enough to make a shade I’ve deemed unwearable to become wearable. The change isn’t dramatic enough, so perhaps I should have chosen the darker mixing shade from the collab instead. I like that you can make touch ups and layer without leaving any discoloration. It’s a good formula, but I can’t find a shade to suit me.
Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip Liquid Matte Lipstick in Syruptitious is still good considering I forgot I had this in my collection and it was still in the box in the back of a lipstick drawer. The Beauty Bakerie formula is another that requires an oil remover. I love how this particular shade looks when wet, but the color it dries to is not my taste. Just like with Ofra, I wish I could find a shade to suit me, but for $20 each, it can stay a mystery. I don’t wear liquid lipsticks enough to justify the price except when there is a sale, which I believe is how I got Syruptitious.
Lip Glosses, Toppers, and Oils
I really should toss my older Fenty Gloss Bombs, but I don’t have the heart to do it yet. The older minis are 13 months old but the full size is 19 months. I still want to get more use out of them. I specifically tried to use up the Full Size Fenty Glow, but as I discovered, there is way more product in the gloss bombs than a typical lip gloss. Despite how much I’ve used it, the tube is probably still half full. After I toss Fenty Glow, I will likely use Taffy Tease more often for that pink tinge. Because I have Ruby Milk, I will have an easier time getting rid of Cheeky. I don’t have a good brown gloss replacement for Hot Chocolit, which is why I’ve held onto that still as well. I’m still keeping Cake Shake, even though I doubt I will wear it again due to the more visible glitter specks. I reviewed the Fenty Cream Gloss Bomb in Honey Waffles already too, and even though I didn’t like how this shade looked on me, I’m not decluttering it and I still want to find a combination (pairing it with something else) that will allow me to find a nice use for it. I don’t like the cream formula as much as the regular gloss because it’s thicker, the color is patchy, and it has a 9 month suggested amount of use as opposed to the 12 months from the original formula.
The Tower 28 lip glosses are 0.13 oz/ 3.9 mL. According to a google search, 3 mL tubes are the industry standard, but not at the mid through luxury tiers. I have the ShineOn Milky Lip Jelly Gloss in Cashew, and while I’ve only been using it semi-consistently for four and a half months, I’m halfway through with it, which has never happened to me before! I’m glad I’ll be able to use up a full size lip product, but that’s what caused me to wonder if I was doing very well or if there isn’t as much product as it appears. While I was able to find some glosses like Pat Mcgrath, Buxom, and Too Faced between 0.14 and 0.15 oz, the Fenty Gloss Bomb for $5 more has over twice the amount of product at 0.3 oz/ 9 mL. The only one I found smaller than the Tower 28 at mid-range is the 3.1 mL MAC lipglasses.
In my initial review for this, I wasn’t a fan of the texture and the dripping sensation from the mix of the “sticky” substance with the oil contained in the gloss. However, when I go to use this product I swirl the bottom and then swirl at the top before I pull it out, and the resulting consistency became almost a non-issue. Perhaps my tube wasn’t mixed properly, though it still wears the same way throughout the day (not feeling sticking until the oil layer fades), but it’s a more tolerable feeling now. I no longer have the feathering issue, but I also I don’t try to build up the color anymore either. Over time, I’ve actually grown to like this gloss for moisturization/occlusive benefits. As for the actual look and shine to my lips, I still prefer the Gloss Bombs.
I have zero clue when or where I bought the Becca Beach Tint Lip Shimmer Souffle in Papaya/Topaz. I remember leaving it untouched in the box because I was debating whether or not to keep it, gift it, or sell it. It was still in the box when I made the decision to declutter it in my 2016 Lip Product Declutter. So, imagine my surprise when five years later I found this in that lippie drawer I never check! This product has been discontinued for years, but I was curious enough about it to at least swatch it on my hand. I really wish I could have used it while it was still good, but this reinforces the idea to myself why I need to seriously cut back on lip products and why I’m on this lip product no-buy for 2021. The same goes for the Jouer Skinny Dip Long-Wear Lip Topper in St. Tropez that was a past Beautylish Lucky Bag item. I never used the Jouer topper because I planned to sell or gift it, but ended up doing neither. I am decluttering this too because of how old it is.
The Estee Edit Flash Photo Gloss in 01 White Flash was also in the lost drawer and I also never wore it. I think I used a Sephora promo code to get it. I thought the concept was brilliant having a product that could keep teeth looking white while wearing a warm toned lipstick, but I have no clue if it worked or just gave the lips a cool toned tinge. Since the Estee Edit brand was terminated in 2016 or 2017, I didn’t have the guts to test it on my lips considering its potential age.
Because it wasn’t written on the mini size tube, I had no idea the Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Celeste was a plumping gloss until I put it on. The burn was immediate and so intense that I instantly took it off. I had just finished fifteen lip swatches prior to trying it out, so my lips were probably extra sensitive. The gloss is very pretty, but I decided not to keep this because I’m happy with the size of my lips and my lip skin is sensitive enough as is, so I don’t want to subject it to unnecessary things.
I think the mini Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Moon Jelly was a free gift with purchase or promo code redemption. I believe I could have gotten this sometime in 2019, but I’m not sure. It felt minty and very cooling, but I think that sensation was intensified because I applied it right after removing the Buxom plumping gloss. When I tried this a second time, it felt faintly minty but not nearly as much. The shade is like a prettier version of the Sephora Werk It Lip Story.
The BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Maverick is one I used to love and use quite often! At some point I lost it and eventually forgot about it. Of course, I found it years later in that wormhole of a drawer. I switched my acrylic 36 slot lipstick holder for a smaller one, so that must have been how certain lip products ended up in the backs of multiple acrylic drawers. This is a beautiful gloss, but not enough for me to repurchase. I think this might have been a minty gloss too, but it has been so long since I used it, that I don’t remember. It’s too old to keep and even too old for me to want to lip swatch.
I didn’t remember having the Prada Candy Lip Gloss because I stuck it in the Drawer of Doom the moment it arrived. It was part of an Ulta free gift with purchase set from October 2019 that included a deluxe mini of the perfume. I don’t believe this is available for purchase anywhere, and only pops up in gift sets, which is a shame because the shade is very pretty and the gloss feels nice on the lips. It has a strong fruity and slightly floral scent that I surprisingly like! I’m definitely keeping this for now.
The Charlotte Tilbury Jewel Lip Gloss in Rose Jewel was part of a mini set that was my 2020 Birthday Gift from Sephora. I only started using it recently and I really like how it looks and feels on my lips! I’ve rarely thought high end lip products were worth buying for the formula, just the packaging, but the shine level rivals that of the Fenty Gloss Bombs! However, the full size is $32 versus the $19 from Fenty, so I’m okay with enjoying this sample while I have it but not purchasing a full size in the future.
The Colourpop Lux Lip Oil in Local Time smells like licorice or anise. I wasn’t sure if all of the Lip Oils smelled like this or if it was just this particular one, but I saw some comments around reddit and other sites where people mention that some people can smell the licorice smell but others don’t. There’s barely any color to this, but I bought it as a lip treatment anyway. It feels nice on the lips and makes them look juicy and hydrated. The consistency feels like a less slippery/goopy version of the Juvia’s Place Nubian Glow Lip Balms, but also less oily than the Tower 28 Lip Jelly. It gives my lips a little bit of the prune look like the one from Juvia’s Place, but not to the full extent. Despite the scent, I’m keeping this in my collection. I will probably use more of it when I finish my tube of the Tower 28.
My opinion of the PUR x Barbie Gloss in Boss Gloss hasn’t changed since my review. I prefer the Fenty Gloss Bombs over this because of PUR’s pink metallic looking glitter, but the two are quite similar. This has a nice fruity scent and I will happily keep it in my collection. In the reverse, since reviewing the Juvia’s Place Wahala Mini Lip Gloss in Petty Betty, I like it a bit less. I still think it’s pretty on its own, but only in a very light layer. If too much is applied, it looks extra milky and cool toned. The main reason I liked and kept it was to keep Shakara wearable, but I haven’t even worn them together again since the review. I haven’t tried this on top of other lip products either. I’m tempted to declutter it, but I won’t as long as I still have Shakara in my possession.
Lastly for the lip glosses, I bought the Pat Mcgrath Labs Mini Lust Gloss Trio in Sunset Seduction that contained the shades Love Potion, Sunset Rose, and Flesh 6, but I set Love Potion aside to give away. Once again, I forgot about my lip product No-Buy and purchased it during the April VIB sale, which brought the price below $10. Just like with the Charlotte Tilbury, I thought it probably wouldn’t live up to the hype, but I was wrong! Now, I understand why people like it. It feels lightweight on the skin but has such a shine to it. The tone of Flesh 6 is so beautiful. This is the prettiest shade of gloss I’ve ever had. I love it! I love how shiny it is without large particles of glitter. I love the level of pigmentation where it’s still sheer but has just enough color to be distinctive on the lips in that warm medium-rose shade. If I didn’t have so many lip glosses already, I would want to purchase the full size. Perhaps during a sale in 2022, after half of my remaining collection will likely be decluttered, I will buy it. It’s the lack of glitter that puts it over the top for me! Sunset Rose looked more cool toned on my lips than I thought, despite this being described as a warm shade. Perhaps it is the shimmer and how light it is that is effecting how it looks on me. I will still keep this anyway, along with Flesh 6.
Last Minute Add-Ons
As much as I try to gather everything together for declutters, I always seem to misplace something. I forgot to check my traincase for lip products, so these are the ones that were in there, in addition to the Oden’s Eye Alva Matte Lip Stain in Ripe Papaya that was part of my mystery box that came as I was finishing this post. My Oden’s Eye review was supposed to be up before this one, but I posted this early. It will include more details on Ripe Papaya, but from my first impression, this formula is not comfortable on the lips. It looks and feels drying, but it looks amazing under a gloss. It doesn’t budge or transfer. I needed oil to remove it. Also, my first thought when I applied Ripe Papaya is how similar it looked to Propa Beauty’s shade in Limitless. This is essentially a matte version of it. They call this a “lip stain” but it’s not the watery formula lipstains are known for having. These are definitely liquid lipsticks.
Oden’s Eye has the Alva Cream Lip Stain version as well. They look stunning on the website, and appear to be more of the lip stain consistency I was expecting, so I will likely try one in the future.
Two mini lippies were from the Best of Rare Beauty Lip and Cheek Set that I reviewed here. The Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream in Transform has gotten no use since that post. The Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm in Support has been used a few more times since that point, but I thought I would have finished it by now. I was so ecstatic about it in my original review, but as soon as I got my Propa Beauty lipsticks and Tower 28 Cashew gloss, I reached for those over the balm. It’s still the best tinted balm I’ve ever had and I will still keep and use this up. I’m also keeping Transform, but I doubt I will even use up that mini before it goes bad, just purely based on the infrequency that I wear such bold red lips. The Colourpop lip products were from the Sailor Moon Daylight Kit I reviewed here. I bought it mainly for collector purposes, so I didn’t expect to get much use out of the Ultra Blotted Lip in Usagi. If I kept the Ultra Glossy Lip in Moon Tiara out of the box, I would probably use it more because it’s a pretty gloss that feels nice, smells nice, and adds a nice warm gleam on top of other lip products.
Declutter Results
I kept 44 lip products and decluttered 31 (I found more to declutter after this post). It had been so long since I was able to hold all the lip products, excluding lip balms, that I own in the topmost visible container and not need the extra drawers! This is very exciting for me!
The Declutter Pile
Of the remaining 44, 12 will need to be tossed before the year ends due to age, Prince Naveen is only being kept as a collector item and will be moved to my retired collectables shelf, and 4 might not stay in my collection because I’m not crazy about how they look on me. So, I’m expecting to have my collection drop below 30 by 2022.
Ofra is a small Florida based company best known for their highlighters and liquid lipsticks. I wasn’t aware of the brand until four years ago when Ofra had their first collaboration with Youtuber Nikkietutorials. Since then, they’ve continued to partner with influencers: Nikkie, Kathleenlights, Samantha March, Jen Luvs, and more. I imagine Ofra is doing very well considering their products are available at Ulta. Then again, Ulta recently announced they’ll be carrying Jaclyn Cosmetics despite Jaclyn only having one successful launch after the disastrous lipstick release. That combined with Ulta selling KVD despite the brand struggling for the last two years and taking on Hourglass at their lowest dip in popularity has me questioning what it takes to be stocked at Ulta.
In any case, after my most recent order of the Blushzer, regular blush, liquid lipstick, and brush, I decided I had enough products from the brand to do a full review!
Glow Goals Highlighter (Nikkietutorials Collab)
I have this in Ofra’s older (but not oldest) packaging. It’s a bit difficult to see on camera, but this champagne colored highlighter has a light pink tinge that shows that shade in swatches but isn’t as detectable on my face. I tend to not favor pink highlighters, so I’m glad this looks essentially gold on my skin. This highlighter is a little softer pressed and even though I used the Wayne Goss Air Brush to apply Glow Goals and Rodeo Drive in my photos, the brush picked up way more product with this one and I was left with a far more blinding strip of color. Of course, it makes sense that Glow Goals would be extremely striking considering how much Nikkie loves her highlighters. On occasion, I like an intense highlight, as long as it isn’t glittery. This is definitely one of the most blinding shimmer highlighters I have in my collection and I love the fact that the particles are so fine. Because of the $35 price tag, it’s easy to want to compare this to Becca. The consistency and texture of the powders are different, but the result is similar. If someone wants a more intense version of Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors, I recommend trying this one.
Rodeo Drive Highlighter
This is a warmer champagne/gold shade. I like that I have a bit more control with this product and can use a light amount for an everyday look or build it up to be much more intense. The amount seen in the photo above was created using one dip into the pan, which is the perfect amount for my usual tastes. Ofra considers this a “universally flattering shade,” and I honestly think this is as close to one as any brand can really get. It would be those on the lightest and darkest ends of the color spectrum who may not like how this looks on them. The result I get when using this shade reminds me even more of the effect Becca highlighters can give. One of the benefits Ofra offers over Becca is that the current packaging is magnetic with moveable pans, so I don’t have to keep these highlighters in their bulky packaging. I can put them in my custom magnetic face palette. Other benefits are that they sell refills (which uses less plastic for repeat buyers) and also mini sizes for those of us who never hit pan on powder products anyway, or would just rather spend $18 for less product.
Chick-Lit Blush Duo (Samantha March Collab)
I saw some photos of this blush online that made it look darker than it really is, so I began to wonder if perhaps this is one of those light blushes that could still work for me (like MAC’s Melba and Mocha). Unfortunately, this was not the case. I think this would look better on anyone at least two shades or more lighter than me. I liked the way it looked when I mixed this shade with the right side of the Squad Blushzer, pictured below. This was basically useless in my collection, so I’m glad to know I can keep Chick-lit as a mixer shade. I found it interesting that the shimmer half of Chick-lit has a darker base color in it than the matte/satin side, but combining the two leads to some icy looking results that I’m not into. It reminds me of the Clinique Pop Blushes, but I like the quality of this one better. Mixing them both also leads to me picking up too much product in the pan, which is quite easy to do as these blushes and blush duos from the brand creates quite a bit of kickup. The large packaging suddenly makes sense to keep the powders contained within the compact so it doesn’t waste product, but as I have a hard time panning anything, I don’t mind losing product.
Ride or Die Blushzer in Squad
While there are other products from Ofra that I’ve been curious about for well over a year (e.g. the Bali highlighter, beauty sponge, and liner), this duo drew me in to the point that I could only resist for about a week after it first launched!
As deep as these halves look, they don’t give intense pigment upon the first application once it’s blended. One pass of the blush, for example, sheers out to a soft medium pink flush. And for this bronzer to show enough to add warmth to my face, I have to really layer it on. This means that someone a few shades darker than me could wear this, but also those much lighter than me could as well.
I mentioned that this blush is sheerer than it looks upon initial application. While it’s great to have a blendable blush, I think it’s mainly due to the fact that this doesn’t stick to my skin very well. I’ve tried it over bare skin, different primers, and different foundations. The result is that this starts to noticeably fade around 3-4 hours and is gone around the 6 hour mark. I rarely have issues with blushes fading on me, so I thought it was a bit strange. However, if I use a setting spray, it does lock this product into place. Out of all the blush products I’m reviewing today, I’m the happiest with this one because I love the shade.
B-29 Coral Crush Pressed Blush
I have mixed feelings about this blush due to this specific color. I like that this is deep enough to show on me, but the particular tone isn’t my favorite. Like the Squad Blushzer, this shade has a bit of kickup. It has a little easier time sticking to my cheeks, but it will fade in five hours unless I use a setting spray. Coral Crush is smaller than Ofra’s newer blush releases. This was $15 for 4g as opposed to $29 for 10g.
#22 Blush Brush
This is a blush brush in name, but the item description says this is a highlighting brush. I find it’s far too big to highlight with, especially considering how intense Ofra’s highlighters can get. I wouldn’t want an even bigger stripe of this on my cheekbones. The pointed tip makes it suited for the split pan products as a typical blush or bronzer brush might be too big.
This isn’t that soft of a brush and it’s a bit scratchy. The bristles have the look and feel of a low grade goat brush, but it’s actually synthetic. I was a bit surprised because I’m used to synthetic brushes feeling softer than this. Also, it sheds quite a lot. While it’s normal for a natural hair brush that’s been hand bundled to lose a few hairs, I’ve only had a synthetic brush shedding issue from my lower quality ELF brushes, so I was once again surprised considering the price of this brush. At least I got it free with my $35+ purchase.
The washing process can free the remaining straggler hairs from natural bristle brushes, so I hoped that washing this brush would do that as well. Unfortunately, washing this brush only increased the shedding and letting it air dry caused the brush to puff out and become too rounded to be useful. So, I recommend using the aloe vera method or a brush guard after washing to maintain its shape (and I have since done that with this brush to reshapen it). Ofra makes some nice products, but this brush just isn’t one of them.
I’d recommend the ELF Pro/Studio line (with the black handles), EcoTools, or Real Techniques over this one. They’re less expensive, synthetic, and softer. For synthetic bristle brushes at a higher price point, I recommend some of Tarte’s brushes and Scott Barnes. I used to use It Cosmetics for Ulta brushes, but my less expensive brushes are comparable in quality. Also, I enjoyed Smashbox’s original line of brushes (which was mostly natural hair) and while their line is completely synthetic now, I’ve heard great things about the new ones. I haven’t tried them myself yet though.
Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Baroque
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I have no intention of purchasing lip products this year (with the exception of balms), but this was on sale for $8 and would let me reach the free shipping minimum, so I decided to buy this so I could test out the formula. This shade is described as a nude pink with gold flecks. I haven’t seen any shimmer in this at all and despite looking warm toned in the tube, it’s not as brown or warm on my lips as I’d hoped. I don’t mind that it’s a light shade, but the undertone isn’t my style, even when I’ve paired it with other shades of lip liners.
I still did a few wear tests on it. This formula is very comfortable on the lips. Some liquid lipsticks show a discolored patch if you try to touch it up, but this one doesn’t do that. It isn’t completely transfer-proof (it left a faint imprint on my glass when I was drinking tea), but I had great results from the time I put it on until the time I ate. Without retouching after eating, the lipstick is susceptible to transferring a lot more, but I don’t expect any lip product to last past eating. I give this kudos for only really disappearing in the center-most part of my lips.
While it doesn’t feel drying, at around the eight hour point it starts to look drier than it feels, so that’s when I’d remove what’s left and replace it with a balm. I’ve also tried this with a Tower 28 gloss on top, and while the lipgloss doesn’t displace the color underneath, once you eat, it makes the lipstick especially easy to remove to the point that reapplication is definitely necessary.
In the future, if I want to buy liquid lipsticks, I would definitely consider this brand, but hopefully I’d be better at choosing a shade. I also think Ofra’s reputation for having fantastic highlighters is well deserved. Those two types of products are my recommendations.
That’s all I have for today! Thank you for reading!
In my last Juvia’s Place review, I mentioned that I wasn’t getting anything new lately because of the pressed glitters that Juvia’s Place kept putting in nearly all of their palettes from part of 2019 through 2020. However, there was a big sale during the holidays and I folded.
Nubian Glow Gift Set
This collection consists of the Nubian Glow Palette, the Mango Lip Balm, and Guava Lip Balm. They were all packaged in their own boxes within this set.
Shade 5 is a pressed glitter, so I did not use that in any looks.
I think the shades in this palette are beautiful but I find that the quality of all the lighter mattes in all these palettes I’m reviewing today are not what I’m used to from Juvia’s Place. Although they swatch nicely, they seem thinner and I can see my skin through the shades. It takes a lot to build them up. In the second look above, you can see the section in the crease where I had to use the nearly white ABH primer to keep the shade appearing somewhat bright. What looks to be the darker mustard-orange shade above it is actually still the yellow matte shade just over MAC Paint Pot. It started off looking like the yellow below it but darkened within minutes. The orange shade on the lower lash line is also over the ABH primer because it wasn’t showing as bright as it looked in the pan. I’m used to Juvia’s Place shadows being very pigmented regardless of the kind of shade it is, so I’m a bit disappointed. The shimmer shades look nice, but I had to wet them or use glitter primer to make them stand out. I prefer shadows that make an impact without having to do that. The kind that wetting only intensifies further, not the ones that won’t shine without it. Although I can still make the mattes work, I’d rather not use them again. Without the mattes, which I feel is needed for me to make a complete look, I know I won’t reach for this again unless I depot the palette. I will keep shades 1, 3, and 6. At the reduced price, it still makes the palette worth it in terms of cost, but I really didn’t need anymore golds in my collection. I wanted this for the full color story.
I really wanted to try the lip balms after Angelica Nyqvist’s video describing them as the most realistic smelling mango and guava scented lip balms she’s ever tried. The mango one really does smell nice. I’m not certain if I’m sold on the guava, but at least the smell is pleasant. I like how hydrating these made my lips feel. I applied a lot and within a few hours it actually made my lips prune a bit (the way fingers get pruned when submerged in water too long). The wrinkling effect wasn’t so bad as to look unappealing, but I would probably only wear this at home and as a quick lip prep step before applying a different lip product on top afterwards. The consistency feels like a lightweight version of petroleum jelly, which makes sense since the first ingredient listed for this product is polybutene (a petroleum derivative). Hydrogenated polybutene is the third ingredient as well.
Nubian Royal Palette
Considering how the Nubian Glow went for me, I am surprised to say I didn’t have as much trouble using this palette. It’s a bit funny considering purples are among the hardest shades to formulate. The mattes are still on the thin side, but they remained true to color without needing the ABH primer. I intend to depot this palette as well and keep everything except shade 6 because that’s the pressed glitter. If you like pressed glitters, you might want this palette because shade 6 is the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen, but I’m not going to put my eyes at risk. They’ve gotten irritated too many times from “safe” products, so I’d rather not use things that aren’t considered safe in both the US and EU.
The Mauves Palette
And we’re back to the formula issues. Shade 1 isn’t just lighter than Shade 3; it’s less pigmented too. Shade 4 was a struggle to even swatch because it did not want to go on my finger or on a brush. It’s as if it immediately hard-panned. Shades 2 and 3 show up, but I find that none of the mattes in this palette wanted to be layered over each other. Once the color was deposited onto the lid, any additional shade was a struggle to get to stick. 5 and 6 are beautiful and I’m fine with having to spray them to make an impact. I’ll be keeping shades 5, 6, and possibly 3.
Sweet Pinks Palette
What I find most interesting about these shades is that the mattes have a corresponding shimmer that pairs very well together. Shades 3 and 4 match very well. 1 and 6 have similar pink-coral vibes. 2 and 5 are a bit more on the fuchsia pink-purple side. I haven’t seen matching pairings like these in the other palettes. While I still have the issue of these mattes not showing as well without a lighter base (as can be seen in the crease of the first look versus the second look in the photo below), it’s not as problematic compared to the difficulty level I had with the Nubian Glow or Mauves palettes. Also, while I am happy with the whole corresponding shadow idea, 3 and 5 look so similar on the eye, especially when next to each other in the top look on the lid below. When there are as few as 6 shades, I prefer to not have any duplicates. That being said, when I depot this, I’m planning to keep all 6 shadows.
Wahala II Palette
Besides Gobe, I didn’t swatch any other pressed glitter from the Wahala II palette. Unlike the glitters from Nubian Glow and Nubian Royal, which are pressed tightly together in a sandy texture that isn’t too sticky, these glitters have a stickier base that was so incredibly difficult to remove the majority of the glitter specks off my arm. There was no way I was going to deal with that three more times with Goals, 419, and Kolo (which I touched to be sure they were pressed glitters and removing a tiny amount off my finger still proved difficult).
Yab, Too Much, Lit, and Wasted had the same pigmentation deficiencies I noticed from the other 6 pan palettes. Oya looks dark plum in the pan, but on the lids it’s almost black! I wish it was actually the dark plum shade I expected. Other than those, I really enjoyed the other shadows! I was so happy to have two multichromes (Fake and Money) and surprised to also see three duochromes (Amebo, Dope, and Bold). Even the regular shimmers are more in line with the Juvia’s Place quality I had gotten used to and they didn’t need a spray or glitter glue to make an impression.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes brands change their eyeshadow formulas. That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing, as it may better suit the preferences of other people. For instance, I tend to like Natasha Denona’s more recent eyeshadow formulas (post-Lila). On the other hand, I loved Kaleidos’s formulas until Lunar Lavender. I had an easier time using these Juvia’s Place shadows than Lunar Lavender, but I still prefer the formula of their older palettes. Considering the pressed glitter issue and my issue with the lighter mattes in particular, I think I’ll have a little break from Juvia’s Place eyeshadows (or at least the quads and 6-pans).
Besides the few other lip products I reviewed earlier in the year, the items I’m discussing today are the only other lip products I purchased in 2020! It wasn’t even a matter of having to wear a mask in public being the deterrent. I’ve just always been more of a balm girl. I’ve purchased many lipsticks and lipglosses in the past, only to let them go no more than 25% used because I’m always reaching for balms instead. Last year, I decided to go on a serious lippie low-buy and it nearly worked! However, in November and December, those holiday deals were what got me!
PROPA BEAUTY
Propa Beauty is a new brand that received a ton of attention in 2020 within the indie beauty community. I heard nothing but positive things about their satin lipstick formula, so when I saw their Black Friday deal, it was too tempting to resist. At the time I’m writing this, the satin lipsticks are the only products they have available, but one of the Youtubers I watch said they have another lipstick formula in the works.
Victress – This shade has, “deep rose petal tones.” It is one of the two lightest colors available, and in the first photo taken with flash on, you can see the color that will actually show on the lips. Because it is so light, I didn’t expect it to work for me, but the brown tones keeps this wearable. While people of every skin tone can use these lipsticks, they were formulated with darker skin tones in mind and that really shows with this shade. It’s lighter than the lip colors I normally wear, but it has just enough pink to keep it from looking like ‘concealer lips.’
Limitless – The, “toasted pumpkin-tones,” in this shade are so pretty! This is one of the most obviously orange shades I’ve ever had in my collection, but the brown tones keep it grounded and prevent it from being too bright for my comfort level. I’m so glad I bought this and I intend to utilize this shade a lot when pairing it with my orange and Fall-inspired eye looks.
Her Magic – This shade is described as having, “deep rose-tones.” The other lipsticks tend to lean brown or orange, but this is one of the few pink toned lipsticks currently in Propa’s collection. I almost bought the full-size Rare Beauty lip balm I discussed a few months ago, but I’m glad I waited because I like the tone of this shade even more!
I was very pleased with all three shades. Her Magic and Limitless are my favorites, but I easily recommend any that might catch your eye.
TOWER 28
I have the ShineOn Milky Lip Jelly Gloss in Cashew. This is another brand whose lip glosses I heard nothing but good things about. I was so excited when it finally arrived but the first few times I used it, I hated it! This formula feels like a combination of a sticky humectant with a lot of oils. I am used to applying lip gloss from edge to edge without fear of it moving. This gloss feathers, so I kept getting a dripping sensation on my lips and would have to wipe the edges, even though I remained within the lines upon the initial application. By the third time, I figured out where I have to apply so that when it spreads, it will stop exactly where I want it to. Also, I kept hearing everyone say this gloss is more lightweight than the Fenty Gloss Bombs and that it’s not sticky at all. I don’t think there’s much of a difference in terms of thickness. The Tower 28 gloss has a different feel because of the oils. And while it doesn’t feel sticky if you apply the initial layer, as time goes on and the oils start to wear away and I’m left with an incredibly sticky layer. I realized this when I tried to combat the dripping feeling by dabbing the excess product off my lips. The napkin removed the oils but what was left behind was the stickiest gloss I’ve ever had!
Tower 28 applicator on the left. Fenty Gloss Bomb applicator on the right.
I was so tempted to buy the mini set of 4 glosses initially, but I’m glad I did not. On my pigmented lips, the amount I will texturally be comfortable using isn’t enough to add significant color to my lips. I have enough sheer glosses from Fenty, I definitely don’t need additional ones from Tower 28.
Now that I know the right amount of gloss to use (slightly less than the amount on the wand from one dip in the tube), I will get more uses out of this product because it’s still hydrating. I can ignore the stickiness. It does have a very pleasant scent that I wasn’t able to easily identify, but I suspect it is from the apricot oil.
FENTY BEAUTY
All the Gloss Bombs currently in my collection.
Fenty Gloss Bomb Cream Color Drip Lip Cream in Honey Waffles– This is the newest lip product release from Fenty. The cream version has more pigment, no glitter, and is a bit thicker in texture than the traditional Gloss Bombs. Those also have a sweet fruity/Starburst candy type of smell. The Cream Bombs are supposed to smell like peaches and cream/vanilla. It was very nice at first, but after using it several times, my tube smells like peaches mixed with chemicals. It isn’t unpleasant, more of a ‘makeup smell,’ but it’s not the same as when I initially used it. I also noticed the scent faded in my other Gloss Bomb minis from December 2020, whereas my older holiday minis smell exactly the same as when I bought them. Those were created for Holiday 2019, but my purchase history shows that I didn’t buy them until April 2020, so they’re only eight months older. I’m guessing Fenty used less fragrance or a weaker fragrance in the Holiday 2020 batch. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just something I thought was interesting.
In the initial reviews I saw for this product, Honey Waffles was the prettiest shade on every person from light to dark. It wasn’t until I already made my purchase that I started to notice the reviews where Honey Waffles gave the ‘concealer lips’ effect on the ladies closer to my complexion. Even though Fenty Glow is my favorite Gloss Bomb shade, the cream version looked on the cool side of pink, so I picked Honey Waffles instead. Regardless of the shade, and despite how much I thought I wanted a product like this, I’ve realized it isn’t for me. The color looks patchy and gathers in the lines of my lips. I tried this with lip liner and still wasn’t thrilled with how it looked. The only way I can enjoy this is to use a thin layer. Normally, the amount I pick up on the tip of these applicators is the perfect amount to apply to my lips. With Honey Waffles, I have to wipe off a quarter to a half of the gloss back in the tube. Then I use what’s left to spread the gloss as evenly as possible onto my lips. As long as I continue to use this method, I will keep using Honey Waffles. I have tried to mix this shade with the other gloss bombs and aside from Ruby Milk, none of the other combinations helped. I will continue to experiment and see if there is a lipstick shade in my collection that I would enjoy putting on top of this gloss. Then again, I’d still have to watch out for the uneven pigmentation issue.
Fenty Glossy Posse Mini Gloss Bomb Set: Holo’daze Edition
I am missing Baby Brut because I gave that shade to a friend.
I am fairly certain in my review of the Holiday 2019 Mini Gloss Bomb set, I said I wasn’t going to purchase this one because the glosses are too sheer to look different on my lips. Well, look at me now!
Cake Shake – I didn’t expect to get much color out of this shade, but I wasn’t prepared for the ramifications of wearing the least pigmented Gloss Bomb: looking like I have random bits of glitter all over my lips! It looks accidental rather than intentional. You won’t catch me using this one again!
Taffy Tea$e – This shade is the main reason I couldn’t get this set out of my head. Something about the color in the tube is so alluring to me! It looks like there is no shimmer in the tube, but upon closer inspection there are light pink particles of glitter in there. Even though this shade looks completely different in the tube than Tower 28’s Cashew, they both have pink tones that are light and milky looking on me, so they look similar on my lips. I think a shade like this would look even more pink and stand out more on someone with a lighter lip color.
Ruby Milk – This is the most pigmented shade of all the gloss bombs. I like it much more than I expected. I thought it would have a metallic finish, but it just leaves some shine and glitter. This shade can be built up to slightly more opacity, but I like how a minimal application looks.
The verdict for the set is that I don’t think anyone is missing out by not buying it. I’m glad to have it because I needed to satisfy my curiosity. It’s unfortunate that I used my Sephora points on the Tower 28 gloss and Fenty Cream Bomb when those two aren’t my favorites, but at least I didn’t spend much out of pocket. I can also confirm that the regular Fenty Gloss Bombs keep their title as my favorite lip gloss formula!
In 2020, I went on a lip product low-buy. For 2021, I’m going to attempt a complete lip product no-buy (excluding my holy grail Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm in the pot jar that finally became available on the Nuxe US website again)!
Those are all my thoughts for now! Thank you for reading!
It’s a bit late to post about last year’s holiday items, but as these products are still available and on sale, I really wanted to post my thoughts on them.
Pur x Barbie Palette
I received this palette as a birthday gift. Until this point, I hadn’t tried anything from PUR, but I heard mixed reviews about their eyeshadow formula. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed using this palette! The shadows have a decent amount of pigment, are smooth, and blendable. I am very happy that the orange mattes are distinctly different on my eyes and although the orange shimmers are similar, Trendsetter is actually a duochrome that shifts from the lighter orange in Dream House to a slightly darker red-orange. I’m not sure if I should even call them “shimmers” because they have a semi-flaky texture that reminds me of metallic foiled shadows. I don’t know if I’m a fan of the textured look when applied dry on the eye or even with my finger. In order to get them to look the smoothest, I apply them with a wet brush, which changes the texture, but then it becomes sheered out. That’s when I apply an additional layer on top using my finger. The wet shadow underneath meshes with the dry powder applied on top to keep it smooth yet have that extra layer of pigment. All of the “shimmers” are like this, excluding Icon which is more of a satin formula. The foiled shadows also leave a ton of glitter particle fallout as the day progresses. I recommend using something like a glitter glue/primer to help with adherence.
The shade Barbie Style is medium pink and Timeless is medium red. Although I can tell the difference when I use them separately, because they’re the same depth, I find them to be too similar to use together in an eye look. Motivate and Innovator are both dark brown shades, but I prefer to use Motivate for warmer looks and Innovator if I’m going for something cool-toned.
This palette is great for anyone who wants to dabble a bit into color eyeshadows. The shadows are colorful yet soft with enough neutral shades to keep the looks grounded. Although I love shimmers, I can see myself using this palette mainly for the matte shades.
Pur x Barbie Confident Glow Signature Illuminating Highlighter
Seeing the eyeshadow palette in person made me curious about the highlighter, so I bought it afterwards. I don’t believe it’s available at Ulta anymore, but at the time of writing this, PUR still has it for sale on their website. The formula of this highlighter is very soft and I was happy to see that whether I used exclusively the gold shade, the pink, or both swirled together they basically look the same on the skin. Since I tend not to like the look of pink highlighters on me, I was worried about keeping the shades separated when I apply them, but Pink Taffy has gold shimmer in it which keeps it looking warm toned and not much different from the Bubbly shade. The base color isn’t very strong in either shade, so it blends into my skin nicely.
All the Barbie highlighter swatches are over Kiko Milano’s blush in Candy Cane and Make Up For Ever Velvet Matte Foundation in Macao.
When I apply a heavy amount side by side to my cheekbone (as shown above), there is a minimal difference between them. It’s even less noticeable when I use my usual amount. Since I didn’t purchase this with the intention of having two different highlighters in one, I’m happy that they are similar so I can just swipe my brush in the pan and not have to worry about the shades mixing.
Pur x Barbie Glossin Boss Gloss
I received this as a free gift with purchase from Ulta. I had the option to choose between this shade or the lighter one called Girl Gloss. Boss Gloss has about as much pigment as a standard Fenty Gloss Bomb, plus noticeable glitter particles. The predominant glitter color is a hot pink/magenta that has an almost metallic affect on the lips. It’s a bit sticky, so I wouldn’t normally wear the amount that it takes to look a bit metallic (double layer). I’m happy to have this, especially at the low cost of $0.
KikoMilanoHoliday Gems Highlighter Palette
I really wanted this, even though I could clearly see in photos that the texture looked glittery. I was so happy when I got it in person and saw that after touching the powder, it looked like more of a wet sheen, rather than sparkly! That’s not to say it isn’t glittery, because it is, but it’s not at the level that would prevent me from wanting to use it (excluding the golden brown shade).
These highlighter swatches were all over the Kiko Milano Unexpected Paradise Aspirational Mauve blush. Kiko didn’t give them names, but they are numbered instead. Highlighter #2 was so subtle in my initial photo that I retook the picture. Although I applied a generous amount, the base color is so close to my skin tone that you can’t see it and all that shows are the sparkles.
As is common with highlighters on me, they look similar, especially on camera. However, there is a faint enough difference that I can say I like shade #1 and shade #3. #1 is my typical highlight color. #3 in person has a warm sheen that compliments my skin tone. #4 is okay, but I find it to be a touch ashy.
I’m happy to report this blush had no detectable scent! It’s supposed to smell like vanilla, according to Kiko’s website, but I don’t smell anything from the powder. Unlike the Unexpected Paradise blush, which is on the texturally softer side with some kickup, this blush has very little kickup. I wouldn’t say it’s hard-pressed, as I can pick up the product easily enough with any brush regardless of the bristle type, but it’s on the medium side and harder than my other Kiko blushes. Although this shade is a much brighter pink than I’d typically go for, I didn’t think the other two shades would show up on my skin tone (though it’s difficult to tell via online photos which is the only way I have access to these products) and the pretty packaging was a major factor in me purchasing this. I did get this on sale, which happened very quickly after being released on Ulta’s site.
After a little while, this blends into the natural oils of my skin and looks better than the initial application. For that reason, I definitely like it. Even when it first goes on it reminds me of winter wind-kissed cheeks!
I have mixed feelings about this blush. In warmer lighting, this blush looks extremely metallic. I like the color, but it’s as though I put a metallic eyeshadow on my cheek. In brighter and slightly cool lighting, it looks more like a shimmery eyeshadow instead, but in a somewhat nicer way. Regardless of the light, this does emphasize texture and accentuates my pores, which is normally not a problem for me. For those looking out for fragrance, this has a pleasant fruity scent. I don’t smell it once it has been on my cheek for a bit, but the smell lingers in my blush brush.
I don’t see myself using this again, but I wanted it for the Wonder Woman theme anyway. This is the only Wonder Woman collection I’ve seen within my price range (*cough*House of Sillage*cough*) that excited me. So, I’m holding onto it for collector purposes.
Kiko MilanoUnexpected Paradise Blush in 03 Aspirational Mauve
This blush smells a bit like coconuts and sunscreen or tanning oil. The smell is very artificial but it fades quickly on the cheek. There are three shades in total. I thought MAC was the only brand that could make mauve and plum blush shades I like on me, but after wearing this one, I’m beginning to accept that perhaps mauve is a generally nice color for me! Although it’s the darkest shade they had, it gives me a flush of color that I can’t overdo, even if I really pack this on. However, this will probably not work on someone more than a few shades darker than I am.
Here are all the blushes swatched together with flash off and on.
That’s everything! It was fun to try PUR and Kiko Milano for the first time. I don’t think any of these products will end up being holy grail status, but I’m happy to have and enjoy them.
I’ve been a Juvia’s Place customer for three years now, but it wasn’t until 2019-2020 that I actually started using what I purchased. Most of my experience with the brand is through their eyeshadow palettes. The quality is great but the color stories always threw me for a loop. I never knew how to pair colors together in a way that I felt was cohesive and made sense. Depotting the shadows helped because it was easier to have access to other complementary shades. Now, I’m actually getting use out of them!
Lip Products
I’ve heard amazing things about Juvia’s lipsticks and lip liners that were released this year. I’m not very adventurous when it comes to lip products, so I had no intention of possessing any, but due to an error on Ulta’s part, I wound up with a mini Lip Duo.
Wahala Mini Lip Duo
A strange but unimportant thing I noticed is that the lip gloss in the set came with a plastic shrink band but the liquid lipstick did not. I don’t know if it’s just mine that was like that or if all of them are supposed to be that way.
Shakara is a gorgeous color, but right on the cusp of being too pale for my preference. Using a lip liner is enough to make Shakara wearable for me, but my favorite combination is pairing it with a lipliner and gloss. Petty Betty isn’t the kind of pink I normally gravitate towards, but it pairs well with Shakara and is still nice on its own.
Juvia’s Place Eyeshadows
I used to have the Saharan palette, but I gave it to my sister. I even gave my unused/unswatched Tribe palette to her because I was uninspired by the color story after seeing it in person. It wasn’t until I watched LonDen Makeup Artistry’s video that I suddenly felt the urge to give it a chance and repurchased it. I’m so glad I did!
The only eyeshadow palette I haven’t depotted yet is The Chocolates, but I intend to soon.
Juvia’s Place currently has 11 mini six pan palettes. Other than the Mariposa collab, the minis don’t have shade names. Whenever I’m referencing them, I refer to them from left to right by row. I’m missing shade number 6 from the Violets palette. It broke when I was depotting it and I wasn’t interested in that color enough to try and salvage it.
The shade names in green are from the Tribe palette, which has been discontinued. Blue is for the Magic palette, Purple for Masquerade, and lilac purple for the Violets.
What I like most about Juvia’s Place eyeshadows is the level of pigmentation. I never have to worry about shades not showing up on me. They also last a long time without fading. The mattes and shimmers are equally easy to work with. There are frequent 30-40% off sales on their website, and even periodically at Ulta, so you can always snag their products at a discount. So far, Wahala and Wahala 2 are the exceptions to the discounts. They’re already a great price. The only reason I haven’t purchased them is, once again, due to the color stories. Another deterrent is that Juvia’s Place has been putting a lot of pressed glitters in their palettes this year, which I try to avoid.
Blushes
When I said Vivid Azalea from Wayne Goss was the most pigmented blush I’ve ever come across, I completely forgot about my Juvia’s Place Blush palettes. When I saw these in person, I realized right away that they were not going to work for me. Both palettes have the most unique blush shades I’ve seen, which is a great thing in terms of bringing something different to the makeup world. However, this does make them less wearable to the average consumer, as only a few of these will look natural and on someone and not everyone is into wearing avant-garde blush looks for the remaining shades that are too bright, light, dark, or too different of a tone to give a natural flush.
The Saharan Blush Palette Volume 1
When I realized these blushes were a bit too out there for me, I utilized the palette by scraping some of the powder out and combining them with other brands’ blushes to create custom blush shades for myself. I intended to get more use out of these by using them as eyeshadows and depotting them into my magnetic palette with Juvia’s Place shadows, but I typically break every pressed matte shade from Juvia. That’s the only reason I haven’t done so already. I can always press them back, but I’ve contemplated whether it’s worth the hassle.
Abywas clearly far too dark for me, so the best use I’ve found for that shade was as a contouring-blush. I used a fluffy blending eyeshadow brush to slowly and lightly build the color into the hollows of my cheeks.
Neo is the most “natural” shade for me in this palette, though I’ve struggled to use a light enough hand to apply that shade in a way that I would feel comfortable wearing it. In the second photo above, I applied with a light hand but it was still incredibly pigmented. In the third photo, I used a Makeup Eraser cloth to remove some of the color in order to tone it down a bit.
Lila and Zara look very similar in the pan, but Lila has much smaller shimmer particles, so it looks less glowy and a little more subtle.
Zane was the most difficult to apply to the cheek without looking patchy. I kept over applying in the process of trying to get it to look smooth.
Toby was the easiest to apply evenly. However, I’m not a fan of this color blush on me.
The Saharan Blush Palette Volume 2
I bought the Saharan 1 on August 2019, and even though those shades were not what I expected, I still bought the Saharan 2 in December 2019 because I was hopeful that this palette would suit me better. In some ways it does, because I prefer a blush that’s too light over a blush that’s too dark on me. However, these are cooler-toned blushes. Warmer tones look better on me. There’s also the issue of Yara being invisible on my skin.
Tau is the most natural-looking blush of the bunch on me. I tried to apply a subtle amount like I did with all the other blushes, but I could have built up this shade more heavily. It’s very unique for orange, as orange is typically warm, but this one is muted as though it has a cool pinkish undertone to it.
I was happiest with the way Bee and Sola looked on me, as I prefer to wear standard blush colors on my cheeks. I expect a shade like Bee to be too light for me, but because it is so pigmented, it definitely shows on my skin tone and without a grey cast! Unlike Zara and Lila from the previous palette, which I would never use as blush or blush toppers (just highlighter), Sola works as a highlighter, blush, and blush topper. The only potential issue is that it takes some blending when using Sola as a blush because the shimmer doesn’t spread evenly. It’s as if the shimmer is still moveable on the skin but the base pigment stays in place.
I’ve used these blushes as eyeshadows. The mattes are heavily pigmented for blushes, but they need a little building up on the eyes for full pigmentation. This does make for easy blending though. The shimmers in this formula are a slightly thinner version of the regular eyeshadow shimmer formula. They don’t require glitter glue or wetting them, but those methods can be used to intensify them. In the eye looks below, I only used MAC Paint Pot.
Juvia’s Place consistently has great quality products at affordable prices. I do recommend giving them a try!
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