Today, we are talking about one of my favorite powder bronzers in my collection, the Physicians Formula Light Butter Bronzer.
This formula is so finely milled that the powder blends seamlessly with the skin, leaving an air-brushed effect on the skin. There is a decent range (especially for Physicians Formula) of shades. The light shade, which is what works best for my skin tone, is unique because it’s not overly warm. This bronzer shade comes across extremely natural with a slightly pink undertone which, when a pale skin gets some sun, it turns more of a pink tan.
The last thing to address is the scent. It has a strong coconut smell but it reminds me a tropical paradise. If you are sensitive to smells, it is probably best to find a tester and see if this will bother you. I don’t notice the scent sticking around on my skin. I have sensitive skin but have never had problems with this product even with the scent.
Does anyone else struggle to find a mascara? I personally struggle because several mascaras that I have tried, gave me a reaction which caused my eyes to burn and water. Maybelline Snapscara does not cause this problem.
The brush is also uniquely curved and it fits perfectly to the shape of the eye. The bristles are slightly shorter on the one side of the brush which allows for easy application and then followed up with easy layering.
The formula is fairly wet, but after being open for about two weeks, the formula dries out a bit and then it really shines. There is no transference if you choose to wear this mascara on the bottom lashes. This formula is actually one of my favorites and I highly recommend giving it a try.
Today, we are going to be talking about my most used eyeshadow palette, the Revolution x Soph eyeshadow palette. As you can probably tell, I’m a huge fan of this palette. This palette was so popular at the time of its release, Revolution and Soph created a second palette but that’s for another day. Today we are talking about the original collaboration.
This palette has a wide variety of shades ranging from neutral to colorful. With 24 pans, there are colors to create the perfect everyday look or spice it up with some depth or even color. While this is by no means a rainbow or overly colorful palette, for a color lover, like myself, there are some great shades that help to add the desired pop of color but still be wearable. This palette has another pro in that it includes a white and a black. As most makeup lovers like to comment on, with those two colors in the palette, the possible looks you can create are endless.
The formula in this palette is one of my favorites. It’s forgiving, allowing new makeup users the flexibility to practice their blending. While these eyeshadows are on the buildable side, they never seem to look patchy on the eye.
Honestly, Revolution as a brand can be a bit hit or miss with their eyeshadow formula, but you won’t regret this purchase. This palette is the one I reach for time and time again. I love all the looks I create with this palette and it’s the one I will continue to use, knowing it won’t fail me.
Today, we are coming back to my haul that I did back in March. At the time, I picked up three mini Natasha Denona palettes: the Mini Star Palette, the Mini Tropic Palette, and the Mini Lila Palette. Each retails for $25 and can be found on the Sephora site or Natasha Denona’s site (with the exception of the Mini Lila Palette which has been discontinued).
To start with, my least favorite of the three was the Mini Star Palette. While the palette is beautiful and performs very well, the colors that come in this five pan palette do not lend themselves to a variety of different looks. The pigmentation of the shadows is impressive, but I have a hard time feeling as inspired by these colors as I hoped to. This palette is great for an on the go, everyday look or to vamp up a day time look for a date night. As I did still enjoy this palette, I would recommend it to people who enjoy doing the same look everyday and enjoy neutral looks, or if this color scheme inspires you.
My second place palette is the Mini Lila Palette (discontinued). As a color lover, this purple palette called my name. For the most part, the shadows in this palette perform beautifully. As you will see in the swatch pictures, one of the shadows can be a little patchy and this was the case on the eye as well. The solution to this problem is to pack that shadow on. The other shades were buttery and blended beautifully in the eyes. This palette does have a bit more range in the looks that can be made with it, but it’s still only five shadows and mostly purple. I was not disappointed by this palette and feel that unlike others opinions, I didn’t struggle with this palette.
My top mini palette pick actually surprised me. It’s the Mini Tropic Palette, which when you first look at it, seems like a palette full of shades that might look nice together but what will you use as a transition? This palette doesn’t actually need a transition shade from my experience. The colors blend so smoothly together and with good blending, you can create a transition shade out of any of the matte shades in the palette. The palette has been the easiest to work with and I’ve created some of my favorite looks with this palette. I highly recommend this palette!
Today, we are discussing my collection of Nars Velvet Lip Glides. It’s worth noting that most makeup collections have extensive liquid lip collections, but on the typical day, I just wear lip balm or a bullet lipstick. However, when I wear a liquid lip, I opt for the Nars Velvet Lip Glides.
I enjoy the whipped formula that the Lip Glides provide. They do, in fact, glide on easily with a lot of pigmentation. They are extremely comfortable to wear on the lips.
Due to the formula, the color doesn’t last forever, but while they do wear down after a few hours, it wears very naturally. I have never noticed them wearing down on the inside of the lips causing that “butthole lips” effect.
My collection includes six mini versions of the Velvet Lip Glides in the shades: Burning Love, Staying Alive, Night Together, Immoral, Californiacation, and Rapture. Besides the comfort of the formula, I enjoy the color that this range has in it. I prefer to wear pink or mauve colors when not wearing a red. My favorite from the bunch is Californiacation. Which color is your favorite?
Today, we are talking about my current go-to everyday foundation. Now I know a tinted moisturizer is not anywhere near a full coverage foundation, but ColourPop’s Pretty Fresh line has put out some great products for those with dry skin.
The Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer has an extremely hydrating formula, keeping your skin looking dewy fresh all day long. There is enough pigmentation that it helps to cover redness or discoloration of the skin.
Tinted moisturizers are good for people who don’t have a ton to cover up. They can also be good for people who struggle to find the right shade match for their skin tone. The nature of tinted moisturizers (less pigmentation than a full coverage foundation) allows for the shade selection to be less forgiving then a typical foundation, as it melts into the skin easier, rather than sitting on top of the skin.
The Pretty Fresh has a wide shade selection, with 24 shades available. I currently have the shade fair 2 w, but have since realized that a better shade match would be fair 4 n. Again, because tinted moisturizers are forgiving in shade match, I can make the lighter shade work still.
Back in March, I placed a large Sephora haul. In that haul, I picked up the mini version of the Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer in Backed. This is the first Milk Makeup product I have purchased. I’m not usually a fan of liquid or cream products and I am not sure what possessed me to pick up this bronzer, but I am glad I did.
This bronzer is extremely easy to use. I have always been intimidated by cream products and how to use them. To use this product, you simply draw a slight line on the contour of your cheeks, and blend out. My preferred blending techniques is to use a dual fiber small stippling brush and apply minimal pressure while blending in circular motions from the point closest to the mouth, up towards the temple.
The formula of this product is very forgiving and great for beginners, such as myself. You don’t need very much, but if you do apply too much and are worried that you wont be able to blend it out, just do your best, then go over it with a sponge or your foundation brush. The formula has not disrupted the foundation underneath, but if you are concerned about that, you can apply it with a stippling brush by painting the product directly onto the brush then sweeping it in the same motions as mentioned.
My only complaint with this product is the component it comes in. I am only speaking to the mini, as that is the one I picked up, but mine broke the first time I tried to wind it up. Sephora had great customer service and was able to replace it for me, but the second one I received has also broken since then. As I work my way through the product, I will probably have to switch from drawing it on, to using a brush to apply as I will not be able to twist up more product.
Even though I picked up the mini, I think this product will last for a very long time. When I run out, I will be picking it up again, as this product has become a daily step on my makeup routine. I really enjoy this product and recommend it highly!
Today, we are covering what is probably my favorite makeup product of all time. As many in this community have probably heard, the Hourglass powders are incredible. With a formula so finely milled it is nearly impossible for these powders to come across as anything but natural.
It helps that I am a fan of blush in general, so applying these two facts, it is easy to understand why I love this product. The pigmentation is perfect, not too bright.
The color that I have is Luminous Flush, which may come across as extremely intimidating. It’s a bright pink, but with a soft, luminous, beige powder marbled into the pan. I believe that this marbling helps to tone down the brightness and is what causes this blush to look so natural.
My favorite way to apply this blush is on the apples of the cheeks and then sweep is back towards the temple. Then I also apply a bit over the top of my nose to give a “sun-kissed” look. Most will apply a bronzer for this technique but as someone with a ton of redness to their skin who burns easily under the sun, a blush gives me a more natural “sun-kissed” look.
Most of the things in my stash are things I hold on to because I love them. To be honest, I hold onto this palette out of spite (lol). This is one of the few makeup purchases I regret.
Don’t get me wrong, this palette has beautiful grungy colors in it, but the formula, from my experience is extremely unstable. As you can see from the pictures inserted, this palette did not hold up over time. My first palette arrived in that condition so I contacted Melt and they shipped me a replacement, no problems. The replacement arrived in great condition but within 2 weeks, it was like the shimmer shadows expanded and were now no longer fitting in the pan.
I do want to say, working with Melt to resolve the issue the first time was a delight. They were very quick to respond and got me a replacement immediately. I just don’t know that I can trust their eyeshadow formula. This is the first and only product I have bought from Melt, but it does give me pause when considering purchasing other palettes.
As for the palette itself, I have de-potted the shimmer shades into loose eyeshadow containers and they still perform beautifully. It saddens me to admit that I love this palette, but I haven’t gotten much use out of it because of the problems it’s brought. I hope, now that those shadows are in their own container and I’m not worried about making a mess every time I open the palette, to get more use out of it.
I will add one more thing to consider with this formula. Now that the shadows are in a loose form, there is A LOT of fallout. Make sure to wet your brush when using these shades this way.
Please excuse my terrible nail polish! I have a bad habit of picking off the nail polish which is why I normally don’t wear it all of the time.
Today we are talking about my Stila Glitter & Glow liquid eyeshadows plus a bonus Shimmer & Glow liquid eyeshadow. The purpose of these shadows for my collection is to have a way of adding glitter (or in the one case, a shimmer) to any eye look while not having to mess with loose glitter and glitter glue.
Something that is so unique to this formula is how well the glitter sticks to the eye without having to worry about fallout. Now, I know, this is not as unique anymore. A bunch of brands have now created a formula similar to this, but Stila was the first.
As you can see from the pictures below, my collection is quite extensive for someone who purchased them all myself, but believe it or not, there are tons more. In the Glitter & Glow range there are currently 12 on the Stila website. In the Shimmer & Glow range there are 10 shades and they have released another line called the Suede Shade range that has 8 shades. The most recent addition to Stila’s liquid eyeshadow collection is their Double Dip which has a Suede and Glitter & Glow that magnetize together. I do not currently have any of these but they look like a great solution if you are looking to create a complete look with the liquid eyeshadows.
It is worth noting that while these have little to no fallout and that makes them very easy to use, the different shades tend to dry up rather quickly. I have had some shades for 2 years and they are still going strong while other shades I’ve had for about a year and they are almost completely dried up. I’m not sure what causes the difference in the formulas or how to predict which will last longer. With that in mind, I recommend only picking up shades you know you will use regularly.
All in all, these shadows are useful if you enjoy glitter but don’t want the hassle of dealing with loose glitter, but only pick up the shades you will use.
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