Tag: Highlighter

Valentine’s Day Makeup

Published on by LineEmUpMakeupLeave a comment

This year, as we celebrate the season of love at home, you might not be in the spirit to do some sultry makeup. It’s completely understandable how you might not want to get dolled up just to stay in, but honestly, it can be kind of nice to have a reason to do some fancy makeup. Below I am going to list the different items that work well for Valentine’s Day.

My first picks are going to be eyeshadow palettes. Now, of course, we have the sultry palettes such as the ColourPop Wine & Only or All That. These palettes encompass darker shades that make for a great date night smoky eye. But if you’re looking for something a bit lighter, more on a flirty track, ColourPop has you covered with their new Cloud Spun palette. And if you’re looking for a bougie option, Natasha Denona can help. You could go with her new Mini Love palette which only has five shades. This is perfect if you struggle to pick shades that work together, but the Love palette (one of her middy palettes) has plenty of options if you don’t like to be cornered into one specific look.

Next up, to finish off the eye look, you need a good eyeliner. I know it’s not the sexiest of makeup products but playing around with these palettes to create looks, some of the looks were completely made by adding an eyeliner to the waterline. I prefer using either a white or a black. If I am doing a sultry look, a white eyeliner in the waterline can lighten the look and keep the eye from looking too heavy. On the other hand, if you are doing a lighter look but you want to amp it up a bit, black in the waterline can truly make a statement.

Lastly, for our night in, you need to finish off the face. If you are looking to do a monochromatic look, Natasha Denona’s Darya face palette is perfect for this holiday. With shades of pink for the blush, and champagne colored highlighter, this will make for the perfect coordinated look. If that is out of your price range though, you can get similar looking highlighters from ColourPop. Two of my favorites are the shades Flexitarian and Seismic. These shades are perfect for my skin tone, but honestly, if you have a darker skin tone, ColourPop will likely have shades that work well for you.

I am personally not a huge lip fan, most days skipping it all together so I don’t have any special suggestions regarding this category. If you are a huge fan of lip products though, please put them in the comments below so everyone else can check them out!

Happy Valentine’s Day from me to you and stay safe!

Brands On My Radar

Published on by LineEmUpMakeupLeave a comment

To round out the first month of the year, I wanted talk about the brands that are on my radar for 2021. This year, I have five brands that have interested me in the past but I’ve never pulled the trigger on. Some of these brands I have bought from in the past but it has been years or only one product. I don’t need to buy a ton from the brand but I do have some staple items that interest me. It is worth noting that most of these items are based on recommendations from YouTube and I don’t suggest that you do the same, but I have heard enough about these brands that I am interested.

The first brand is Clinique. I am mostly interested in their blushes, in particular their Cheek Pop blushes. For years, I have heard how wonderful these blushes are but the price ($26) has always intimidated me. As I have made it my goal to limit the makeup I am buying and try not to bring too much into my collection, I feel like this might be the right time to try out this product. In the past, I have tried a lipstick formula which I loved, but it has been discontinued and with the state of the world, I don’t want to look for a new lipstick formula, so the blush is what I am going to look into.

The next brand is Fenty Beauty. This brand has interested me from the beginning. I love that they are all inclusive in shade range and seem to have something for everyone. I am personally most interested in their Killawatt Foil Freestyle Highlighter in the shade Sand Castle/Mint’d Mojito. Now, I know you’re going to say “what happened to your buying goals? Weren’t you going to try to limit the number of highlighters you bring in?” Yes. I intend to limit the number of highlighters I bring into my collection and I will only consider a new one if it is unique. This product is unique enough in my collection as it includes a shade I don’t have anything similar to and it can be used on the eyes as well. I also have heard such amazing things about this formula. I will probably pick this up fairly soon as it is currently on sale at Sephora (in case you are also interested in this duo).

Laneige is the next brand that has been recommended repeatedly and I am very interested in. I’m sure most of you have heard of the Lip Sleeping Mask which is what I am mostly interested in. I have recently tried the e.l.f. Ride or Die Lip Balm and it seemed rather hydrating. I am interested in seeing if the Laneige sleeping mask is more hydrating. I want to know if the price difference is worth it. Luckily this year, Sephora is offering an option for the birthday gift that includes a sample size of the Lip Sleeping Mask so I will be able to try it out.

This next brand might surprise some of you, but I am hoping to try Mac Cosmetics in the upcoming year. To many people’s surprise, I have tried Mac before, but I’ve only tried a couple of eyeshadows and their Pro Longwear Concealer. There have been many products released by Mac that have peaked my interest, but I just never ended up picking any of them up. This year I would like to try out something from this brand, but to be honest, I don’t have a specific item in mind at the moment. If you have recommendations, please leave a comment below letting me know what I should look into!

The last brand I am wanting to try is Flower Beauty. I believe the only item from this brand that I have tried is one of their eyeshadow palettes (I’ve only swatched it so far) and a face palette (which was awesome). I know that the brand has made some significant changes and there are many products that have released recently that seem very intriguing. This is another brand that I intend to leave open ended as far as what I plan on picking up. I am very excited to see what this brand releases this year and what I will end up picking up.

Do any of your have brands or items that you want to try out for this year? Leave a comment down below with what you want to pick up at this point!

New Makeup Alert! Ofra x Samantha March Collaboration

Published on by LineEmUpMakeupLeave a comment

First of all, I’m sorry I missed an upload. My husband had the day off and I decided to spend it with him, but I’m back! Today’s post is about two exciting new additions to my collection. Ofra is a brand I have only dipped my toe into so I am very excited to have two new items from them. They did a collaboration with the YouTube influencer Samantha March. They released a whole collection that included a bronzer, highlighter, blush, liquid lipstick and gloss. I was fortunate enough to pick up the blush and highlighter.

The blush, which is called Chick-lit, is a unique new shade to the Ofra collection. This is a split pan blush, one side a matte powder described as a nude pink, and the other a shimmer powder described as a deep rose. When combined together, the blush gives a lovely satin rose shade to the cheeks. I’ve only worn this shade one time so far, but it was on the recent holiday so it was put to the test. The blush stayed on all day and night and looked just pigmented when I went to take it off, which is especially impressive considering I was wearing my mask. Just based on this I would recommend this formula. If my thoughts change I will give an update later on to reflect this.

The other product I picked up was the highlighter in the shade Start Inspired. This highlighter is also a split pan, but it is divided into four. The two shades are the previously released shades Star Island, a soft gold, and Pillow Talk, a soft pearl pink. I am not familiar with Ofra’s highlighter formula and know that they are no joke. They pack a punch, with a mighty reflect to back them up. This formula is also long lasting and something I would highly recommend. I do feel they may be a little icy on deeper skin tones though, so be careful if you have a deeper skin tone.

To be honest, I mainly picked up these two items to support Samantha March, as I am a huge fan. I can say though, after an initial wear test, they add to my collection in ways I did not expect. The blush especially, is so unique in color that if you like nude or punk-toned blushes, I think you need this one. I will say, it does kick up a lot of powder in the pan but even so, it never looked like too much. And the highlighter, while not original shades, are not ones I had in my collection to begin with so I am glad to have them now.

New Makeup Alert! Juvia’s Place The Tribe Highlighter in Vol. 3

Published on by LineEmUpMakeupLeave a comment

Today, I have a very important post. I am an American and white at that, but it is important for me to say that I wholeheartedly support the Black Lives Matter movement and if you are looking for more information to educate yourself on the movement, then please check out my Instagram or Twitter (@lineemupmakeup on both platforms). With this in mind, I am on a mission to educate myself and invest my dollars in black-owned brands. I am embarrassed to say that these companies are not well represented in my collection and I am working to change that. One of the items in my collection is from the brand Juvia’s Place. I am going to be talking about The Tribe Highlight Vol. 3 which is now one of my favorite highlighters in my collection.

This formula is extremely buttery. Volume 3 is a champagne color and while it looks a bit darker in the pan, when applied to the skin, the pearls in the formula shine through and create a beautiful sheen on the skin. The color is perfect for my complexion (light skin toned) and honestly even though this is new, it has already become a go-to highlighter.

This is a cream-to-powder formula so it adheres to the skin and lasts all day. You can apply this highlighter with a brush or your finger and if you spray the highlighter, it does amp up the shine.

New Makeup Alert! Wet n Wild Bretman Rock Jungle Rock Highlighter

Published on by LineEmUpMakeupLeave a comment

Today, we are taking a look at the semi-new highlighter in the Bretman Rock collection that was released by Wet n Wild. Now most of you may have already checked this collection out but in my area, it has been difficult to locate, especially given the restrictions of products shipping currently.

It was available for a short time on Ulta’s website and is currently available on the Wet n Wild site. I was able to find mine in a local Fred Meyer. This product retails for $7.99 and includes two loose highlighters in the shades Gold Lioness and Bronzed Tigress. According to the packaging, both shades are safe for use on the eyes, lips and face, which is probably a good thing as one of the colors is rather unique.

Starting with the shade Gold Lioness, the formula seems very similar to the other shades of Wet n Wild’s lose highlighters. This shade is golden in color and has a slight shift to a pinky color which plays nicely with the other shade. It is a finely milled powder and goes on smoothly. The pink reflect comes from small sparkles of pink throughout the powder, but is not chunky in any way.

The other shade, Bronze Tigress, is a new formula that I have never seen. In the package it appears to be bronze in coloring with a heavy pink flip. However, when you swatch or apply it to the skin, the powder is extremely chunky and appears to be mostly glitter particles. While I could not use this shade as a highlighter, it is nice to know that if one of these shades don’t work for you as the intended purpose, it is safe to use them in other ways and I would most likely use this shade as an eyeshadow topper.

Lastly, I wanted to talk about the packaging. As mentioned, there are two shades in this duo but there is no risk of mixing the two shades if you don’t want to. Each side has a plastic clasp inner lid to keep the product in the appropriate location. This is completely unique to this product and I haven’t seen another product utilize this mechanism in this way. It helps to keep the mess down and keep the shades separate.

So with all this information, the question you have to ask is, is this product worth the $7.99 price tag? I would say, if you don’t have anything like this in your collection and these shades are appealing to you, then yes, it is worth it. However, if you are only planning on using one side then I would recommend seeking out other options.

Meet My Stash: Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter in Kitten

Published on by LineEmUpMakeupLeave a comment

There are plenty of affordable highlighting options. I’ve even talked about some of my favorites on this blog (shameless plug…go check out my reviews of the Hello Halo Blushlighters from wet n wild linked down below). But one of my all-time favorite highlighters is the Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter in Kitten.

It’s worth noting that this highlighter is a cream formula, but that’s part of what makes it so great! This highlighter is a champagne-colored cream that blends beautifully into the skin and brings a sheen to the high points (or any other points) on your face. Because of its cream formula, if you decide that it is not blinding enough for you, you can apply another highlighter on top to amp it up a bit. On the flip side, if you feel this highlighter is too blinding but you enjoy the formula and the shade, you can apply a translucent powder or even a bit of foundation on top and turn down the shine a bit.

Either way, by using this highlighter as a base, you are ensured a beautiful shine all day long. My favorite way to apply this is using my finger and tapping it directly onto my skin. I have never had this method pick up any foundation that I’m wearing so that’s another plus.

Link to Hello Halo Blushlighters review

Sephora Haul

Published on by LineEmUpMakeupLeave a comment

Today, we are going to be talking about a good, old-fashioned haul. I was lucky enough to receive a large gift card to Sephora and I wanted to share with you what I picked up and why. I should state I have not tried most of these items yet and would be happy to do a haul update or even individual posts on the different items in this haul. Let me know if you would be interested in a dedicated post about any of these.

Starting with The Inkey List, I picked up their Retinol Eye Cream. I have been suffering from severe bags under my eyes which is creating very large creases and fine lines. Normally, I believe in embracing your skin and working to just keep it the healthiest it can be, but the creasing has made it very difficult to apply concealer under my eyes and I need all the help I can get to cover up the bags and dark circles. I have only used this product once so far but I am happy to update you with my results when I have been using it for a while. Be sure to remember that whenever you use retinol, it is very important to follow up with moisturizer and spf to protect your skin fully.

The next brand I wanted to dabble in is Huda Beauty. I picked up the Nude Obsessions nine-pan palette in the shade light. I am a huge fan of eyeshadow, like its a problem, but I have only ever tried one of her palettes before in the Emerald Obsessions nine-pan palette. I enjoy the light neutrals with this palette but I have not actually tried the formula out yet. I look forward to seeing the different kinds of looks I can make with this beautiful palette.

Milk Makeup is the next brand I decided to try out. I’ve never tried this brand and I know that it is very popular so I am excited to try the new products I picked up. I picked up the Mini Matte Bronzer in Baked. I was able to swatch this but unfortunately the one I ordered came cracked and I need to get it replaced. I liked the color and can’t wait to replace it so I can use it.

The next Milk Makeup product I got was their new Vegan Milk Moisturizer. I’m always looking for a great moisturizer since my favorite was discontinued from Tatcha. This was a free sample and I will let you know what I think of the sample. It will take me a while to get around to using it as I do not want to combine two new products (the retinol cream and a new moisturizer) just in case one of the products reacts poorly with my skin.

Finally, the brand I am extremely excited to have more of is Natasha Denona. I picked up four eyeshadow palettes and a diamond and blush palette in Darya. I picked up the Love palette, the Mini Lila palette, the Mini Star palette and the Mini Tropic palette. I currently only have the Sunrise palette but I really love the formula, and as I said, I have a serious obsession with eyeshadow.

Please leave a comment, letting me know what you would like for me to try out first and if you would be interested in a haul follow up or if you would like individual posts about certain items.