Continuing with my Eyeshadow Palette Brand Ranking Series, we have Melt next! This was very tough because the quality is so similar across the board. It really comes down to color story for this one and how often I actually use the eyeshadows, not just look at them admiringly.
Melt Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette Ranking: (Most Favorite to Less of a Favorite)
Being in the bottom three of something never sounds good, but I had very few issues with these palettes, save for Smoke Sessions. Melt Cosmetics is known for having, at the very least, a stellar matte formula. It’s a bit ironic that the most hyped non-limited edition palette from the brand is the one that is the worst performing on me. That being said, I still consider it a decent product. The reason it’s on the bottom is because it’s the only palette from Melt (in the rectangular pans) that had mattes that are stiff and took a bit of time to blend. The shimmers are not impactful without being dampened and are the only ones from Melt that give me any creasing. As for the color story, I love half of the palette and completely ignore the other half (the cool-toned blue-green shades). The first two photos at the top of the page were taken before I left the US. Because this particular palette is known for having the most problematic formula in terms of how long it can last before it goes bad, I was worried it wouldn’t last. However, I haven’t had any issues with any of my Melt palettes all this time. I consider myself lucky!
The Zodiac palettes have only the slightest lower matte quality than the top 4 in the ranking. The color stories are beautiful, but not unique, which is why I didn’t reach for them as often as the others. The shimmer quality of these is actually better, but having a good shimmer isn’t as impressive of an achievement as a good matte. These are the only reasons I put them lower. They just have so much competition in my eyeshadow collection that they are the last palettes that come to mind when I think to reach for some Melt shadows.
Mi Amor
I like the performance of the shimmers in the Amor y Mariposas palette more than the top 3, but that wasn’t enough to get the palette to be bumped up higher on the list. 4 of the 14 mattes take extra time to blend because they are pressed pigments. They aren’t shades I use that much, so it isn’t as strong of a negative point against this palette. The color selection is beautiful. The pans in this palette are the same size as the Zodiac ones. I had the idea to depot them into those smaller palettes a bit too late. As much as I liked the colors, I didn’t reach for the palette as often because of its large size and how I inconveniently stored it. I didn’t use this palette enough, which is quite telling where it stands with me.
The Top Three
The palettes in this category have all been partially depotted at some point during my ownership of them, and I’ve taken them traveling as part of custom magnetic palettes. In fact, the flatlay photo above shows which ones were taken from a previous trip.
Rust is a beautiful warm neutral palette. I love the mattes in there to use as the transition and crease shades for a starting eyeshadow look. I usually pair them with a Clionadh shadow or other special shimmer, duochrome, or multichrome shade from my collection. The reason it’s number three is because the shimmers don’t give enough impact, even when applied damp, and I have sealing issues with the shades Tarnish and Ravage.
I love purples, so it makes sense that I like She’s in Parties. However, it’s warm purples I prefer and this palette has a mix of both cool and warm shades. The matte quality is fantastic. The shimmer quality is fairly decent in terms of performance and with passable levels of sparkle. This palette has light and dark shades, but it’s hard to get something in the middle. I may not use She’s in Parties as much as Rust, but the quality is overall better. So, it ranks second best.
Gemini II has green shades that I adore! Almond Eyes and Matheo are some of my favorites from my entire collection! I can also get tired of pinks pretty fast, but the ones in this palette are the kind I love! Warmer pinks are great! The matte quality is superb, blendable, and pigmented. The shimmers are as good as it gets from Melt.
When it comes to using the Gemini II palette, I never use the pinks and greens together. Technically, that means I don’t consider it as cohesive of a palette, but I get a lot of use out of it by pairing it with other palettes and single eyeshadows. This gets the number one spot due to having the best quality and me liking every color in this one.
Another indication is that I only depotted Love Sick and Boy Mum, then took the entire rest of the palette with me when I moved! My most used shades from She’s in Parties and Rust came along in a custom palette as well, but the largest number of Melt eyeshadows came from Gemini II. The photo below shows all the long rectangular pan eyeshadows I ended up taking with me to Germany.
I created the custom palette as well with a mix of Zodiac Earth and Amor y Mariposas shades, but when my luggage went over the weight limit and I needed to leave some makeup behind, that one was unfortunately the one that had to stay back.
What can also be spotted are four Smoke Sessions shades. This is because those were my favorite colors from the palettes, but mostly also because I waited so incredibly long to buy that palette. I did not want to leave all of them behind. So, it’s a matter of principle and less about thinking I would miss them. My top three are the ones I would miss most because of the mattes. Melt’s mattes are within my top five favorite formulas of all time! It’s a shame I don’t feel the same way about most of their shimmers, but I have more than enough shimmers I love. It’s much harder to get me excited about mattes, which this brand certainly nails most of the time.
The final point I wanted to discuss is the acknowledgement that I have zero palettes from Melt that came out between 2023-2025. The only two that interested me were Smoke Sessions II and The Bride of Frankenstein. I skipped getting Smoke Sessions II because those are still not the kind of purples I wear often enough, plus my concern that the quality could be similar to the original Smoke Sessions that ranked last on my list. I would have absolutely bought The Bride of Frankenstein Palette if it was available to purchase in Germany. The only retailer I know that sells Melt Products is Purish, and they did not stock that one. I looked into international shipping from Melt’s own website, and it’s just too costly. So, only the future will tell if I ever get my hands on that one.
The first pencil I bought has been in my hands since January 9th, so I’ve had enough time to test this out in various ways and solidify my thoughts on this product.
The primary purpose of my posts are to show how products look on me in order to help someone get a better idea of how the shade(s) might look on themselves. Let’s do that right now.
There aren’t any exact matches between the pencils and the base products I have from the brand, but I don’t mind since I don’t have a perfect foundation shade from them either. They’re all just close enough.
The charts can be found by scrolling to the bottom of theirproduct page.
My secondary goal is to give as much information as I can to help anyone on the fence trying to decide whether they want to buy the product right away, skip it without the fear of missing out, or figuring out if it’s worth waiting for a sale. I try to factor in the ingredients, talk about the accuracy level of the brand’s claims, mention anything strange I’ve noticed, etc. Right out the gate, I’m going to say that this pencil was worth it to me to buy for a very specific task. I do not know how many people reading this will feel the same way, but I will describe the pros and cons I experienced.
For starters, I watched Lisa’s video on how to do the pinpoint technique using her product. I think that her way is in fact the best way to utilize it. I don’t have acne, but I have moles, scars, and a ton of discoloration. She says that this product is not meant for large areas and not intended for full-on concealment of dark under eye circles. Considering those are usually my biggest concerns, I thought this might be a makeup release that I should skip. However, two aspects really sold me on this product: the idea of being able to use it on bare skin to metaphorically erase blemishes in a less detectable way than traditional means and/or with a full face of makeup to perfect any areas that need additional help with concealing.
To satisfy my curiosity, I still used this on the lowest section of my under eyes to see if it would last, and although it works, it looks and feels too drying there. So, I must patiently wait for the brand to release other forms of concealer better suited for my dark circles.
The photo above demonstrates how I can get the product to look how I hoped. On barely moisturized skin, the side that I used the concealer pencil looks improved and is very hard to tell makeup was used. On a face with a buildable coverage foundation, the pencil is able to camouflage the areas where darker discoloration was still partly visible underneath. I also don’t recommend putting other products on top of the pencil. It worked best for me to put foundation and liquid concealer first before adding the pencil as the final concealing step.
The brand website specifically states that this is good for, “camouflaging broken capillaries and blemishes to lifting micro-shadows….waterproof, budgeproof, all day wear.”
The issue I ran into is that I can only get all day wear on bare skin, and even then it’s not always perfect. If my dry skin has the minimum amount of moisture (and by that I mean that it just has a serum, hydrating spray, essence/milky toner, or a lightweight moisturizer on it), I can use this pencil with no issues. If my dry skin has some flaky parts, this concealer will cling to it in an obvious and unflattering way. It looks scaly.
So, I have to balance between having enough moisture on my face for the product to glide onto the skin smoothly, but not too much moisture that would cause it to not adhere as well to my skin or accidentally make the product break down quicker. Sure, it’s waterproof when it’s not in contact with that many other products. However, waterproof products are susceptible to oil breaking them down. If my moisturizer, primer, foundation, or accompanying concealer contains too much oil, I cannot get this to last on my face for as long as it should.
Getting it to last all day on emollient skin is one challenge, but it’s even harder to get it to stick to the spot in the first place. I draw over the discoloration, tap it with my finger to blend, it melts too much into my skin and I have to draw over it again, tap it and the tiniest bit stays put but most is gone again. I essentially have to draw, tap, and blend on repeat 3-5 times for it to be fully covered. Now, it becomes even more clear why this isn’t supposed to be used in large areas. I was concerned I might run out of product in just the testing phase alone!
Using this on dry skin with minimal skincare gives me the best outcome. If I want to use this with other makeup products as the final perfecting step, I have to be careful about which products are used so it can actually last. That being said, the best I’ve been able to get on a full face of makeup is 4-6 hours. I have a stubborn smile line that all other concealers migrate from within a few hours, re-exposing the shadow. The coverage I get with the concealer pencil lasting double or triple the length of time I usually get when trying to cover that line is the sole reason I bought additional pencils and felt this expense was justified.
Being able to practically scribble away imperfections seems like a dream, but it triggers my perfectionist side in a way that is really not good. Obviously, this product will be a godsend for some people. For me, when I finish tackling the darkness around my mouth, then I look at the birthmark spot under my eye (another fairly large spot) and cover that. Then I start covering each individual mole, every scar spot, and then suddenly I’m spending fifteen to twenty minutes being hyper focused on my flaws that my eyes normally just glance over. If I put makeup on and look better than before, I consider that a success and I’m usually happy enough with just making improvements. During the testing process though, I felt so compelled to keep going and scribble out every little spot, to try and photoshop myself in real life. I cannot afford to spend so much extra time inspecting and correcting my face. Nor do I think it’s good for my mentality to fixate so heavily on imperfections and how choosing not to make those corrections left me feeling dissatisfied with my makeup overall. This is why I love my favorite finishing powder so much, because it creates a blurred veil that I know if I’m in a rush and didn’t blend my makeup perfectly enough, I can just quickly buff it everywhere and don’t have to think any further about it.
So, I decided to set limits for myself so that I could incorporate this pencil into my routine in a realistic and positive self-image affirming way. By making my main target the smile line, I am making myself happier to be able to improve that spot while only adding an extra minute or two to my makeup application time, and I get satisfaction from having found a use for this product that it excels at above all other concealers.
This circumstance with fixation is not going to be a problem for the majority of people, but in this day and age with social media and how it can affect people’s perception of themselves, I felt it was important to include in this review. I’m forewarning that this is not the low effort product that it’s proclaimed to be.
Regarding the issues of applying this on bare skin versus skin with product on it, as well as the time consuming nature, I recommend watching Hannah Louise Poston‘s review. She also has dry skin and is able to demonstrate and explain so well the phenomenon I experienced.
I chose Shade 11 with a “Neutral Terracotta Undertone” because it leans orange, which has color correcting effects for my areas of discoloration. As I mentioned before, I have chosen to keep its task limited to covering my smile line.
Shade 10 with a “Neutral Golden Undertone” only works on the lightest areas of my face. Since these pencils can be used to lift shadows, highlight areas, or clean up spots, I have additional uses for this specific color. Essentially, Shade 11 was too dark and warm toned to look natural on top of my birthmark in that lighter surrounding area, so I designated Shade 10 for this task. I prefer to use my normal liquid concealers for cleaning up edges, and I also prefer highlighting or cleaning up the brow area with the Lisa Eldridge Liquid Silk eyeshadow in the shade Phoebe. It feels a lot more comfortable because the dry down isn’t as stiff. In fact, the Liquid Silk eyeshadow is the reason I got so excited for the brand to release concealers because it has a wonderful smoothing quality, self sets, and doesn’t budge. If they can put those same qualities into a liquid concealer, I’ll be over the moon with happiness! But as I was saying, Shade 10 is for my birthmark (plus a bit of 12) and if I tried to use it for the other aforementioned tasks, I’d run out of product absurdly fast.
I purchased Shade 12 in a “Neutral Undertone,” (plus a backup of Shade 11) from Niche Beauty during one of their sales. 12 has a similar depth value as 11, and it’s still a bit warm, just not as warm as 11. Although it makes for a better skintone match, I have to use even more product to cancel out the darker spots on my face, particularly without the color correcting aspect that Shade 11 provides. As seen in the photo below, using it in my eye area that is void of skincare means dealing with the unflattering texture problem.
What this color is good for is doing touchups on the go. It can make a good skin match for areas where my liquid concealer is starting to fade or even when I need to touch up wherever I added Shades 10 or 11. Having product already underneath it allows Shade 12 to fill in the gaps in coverage and glide on more smoothly than it does on bare skin.
The reason I needed a backup of 11 so soon was actually due to my own mistake. It’s a bit embarrassing, but maybe sharing this will prevent anyone else from doing it too!
I didn’t know until it was too late that these are twist up pencils!
Lisa Eldridge’s lip pencils require sharpening, and the twist up ones I use from other brands are in the kind of plastic packaging that is way more obvious that they can’t be sharpened. I knew the white “sharpener” at the end was just for getting a crisp tip, but I didn’t know the shade colored strip rotates! I thought it was just a clever design feature to distinguish between the shades without having to uncap them all. And to be clear, I only used the white piece one time for science. I will never use it again because it removes too much product, precious product that this pencil has so little of already.
Because these pencils are intended to be waterproof and the exposure to air should be limited, I was concerned that mine would dry out much faster, despite how careful I am to keep them capped tightly, so that’s why I bought the backup of Shade 11. Thankfully, my butchered pencil is still working perfectly fine.
In that photo I included, you may have noticed the severely faded lettering on the pencil. The logo and details on the other side rubbed away by day two. I don’t know why or how it happened, but it did! So, I’ve been handling the rest with kid gloves!
Onto the topic of how quickly someone can go through this product, the photo above shows what a brand new pencil looks like compared to the one I used on and off for about a month. One third of the concealer is gone, however, a lot of it was wasted during the sharpening debacle. I was also testing it in large places sometimes, which is not recommend. So, I believe one sixth of it being gone would have been the expected result after a month of use.
I wore makeup about 2-4 times a week in January. My best guess is that I used that pencil twelve times between January 9th and February 4th. I estimate that a single pencil could give me at least 72 uses total. If I wore makeup every day, this would be unacceptable and I would never buy it again. Since those 72 uses should get me though six months, which is the same amount of time it takes me to use up some of my liquid concealers and liquid eyeliners, this is acceptable for me. My situation will not be the same for everyone, and I think it’s 100% understandable and fair enough that a lot of people don’t think it’s worth the price per grams, don’t think it’ll suit their needs, or say that they already have products that accomplish these tasks, etc.
I like this product, but I cannot give a sweeping glowing recommendation to someone when its usefulness to me is so specific. I won’t be replacing Shades 10 or 12 when they run out, and I already have my backup of 11, but how embedded into my routine this product gets will determine whether I’ll keep repurchasing Shade 11 indefinitely.
Yves Saint Laurent created this powder blush line with 12 blushes in total, and in two finishes, although I would argue there are three. I would consider 69Lavender Lust (based on photos) and 93 Restless Rosé to be shimmer blushes considering they have the strongest reflect and shine compared to the other satins: 12 Nocturnal Nude, 42 Babydoll Pink, 44Nude Lavallière, and 83 Spicy Berry. The mattes are 06 Rose Haze, 24 Suave Sunstone, 37Peachy Nude, 54Berry Bang, 57Coral Clash, and 87 Pink Voltage.
*The names in bold above have a liquid counterpart. 66 Fuchsia Fling is not listed as a powder blush.
At the time of me working on this blog post, I’ve been unable to find each individual ingredient list (the YSL-DE site has a blank space and the YSL-US only lists the matte formula), so I cannot compare more shades to confirm. From the boxes I have, I noticed Nocturnal Nude has both mica and synthetic fluorphlogopite while Restless Rosé does not. Since Restless Rosé is the one with more obvious shimmer, I’m not sure what to make of that. At the very least, I think it supports my idea of there being a slight difference within the satin range.
The reason I wanted to go into the specifics of the shades is because YSL did not make all 12 available at the same time on any website, including their own. Even if all twelve were shown, nowhere during the first two weeks of launch had the full dozen listed as “in stock.” In fact, I only saw Spicy Berry (the darkest shade) available on US websites and the US was missing some of the lightest shades that were only in Europe and Asia.
I’m going to put my tin foil hat on for a moment.
Considering I saw sneak peeks for these blushes all the way in August 2024, and YSL’s parent company is the multi-billion dollar L’Oréal, I believe they were capable of producing the full range right at launch if they wanted. This should be the case especially because these blushes are intended to be part of the permanent range and are not limited edition. The liquid blush counterparts to these powder ones received both glowing and damning reviews, not just because of the controversy of misrepresenting how Lavender Lust would look on tan and darker models (before they replaced the promo photos), but also because the blushes have a lot of white in the base that make them appear ashy on people with dark skin, even in the tones of blush that would have normally looked flattering. Considering how quickly I saw the liquid blushes on sale, I wouldn’t say they flopped, but they might have under-performed.
Speaking of the liquid blushes, there will be a shade extension with 03 Mischievous Magenta (left) and 15 Chili Crush (right).
Anyone interested in seeing more photos can visit Amit’s Instagram, which is where this one came from, as well as Trendmood1.
It is possible that YSL felt it best to release the powder blushes quicker than planned. It’s possible they also wanted to play it safe and make blush color availability based on their demographic data per region. I’ve seen this happen before, but usually companies make at least their own website the place to get everything. YSL choosing not to do that makes me wonder if it’s a partial scarcity tactic. Many retailers, such as Sephora Deutschland with only two shades, still had the image below on their sites, which leads me to believe the intent is for YSL’s blushes to eventually be available everywhere.
Brands also tend to make every shade available to the US because it’s such a melting pot, so the fact that they did not have the lightest blushes at launch (especially Lavender Lust) feels intentional. However, I’d bet they will get there eventually. In the countries that did have Lavender Lust and Spicy Berry, those shades went out of stock the fastest, so I wouldn’t be surprised if those were produced in even smaller quantities compared to the rest.
I used the brand’s virtual try-on tool to show how the blushes I didn’t buy could potentially look on me. Spicy Berry was not an option.
It is my preference to wear warm toned blushes in color depths that are medium or medium-deep. Even though Berry Bang and Spicy Berry are the most dark skin-friendly options, I did not buy them because I’m so picky when it comes to the kind of berry tones that I like on myself. I don’t know any retailer in Germany that allows returns once the makeup has been opened/touched/used, so it’s a bit expensive to take the risk.
For those with a different skin tone than mine who want to see seven or more shades compared, I recommend these videos on YouTube that I still found to be helpful: Fabi Madeup, Dams Beauty, and Dear Eva Hansen.
Before we move onto the review, I’d like to be transparent in saying I tested these blushes for a shorter time than I normally give per product. I’ve had Peachy Nude and Restless Rose for just under two weeks and Nocturnal Nude for one week. However, the performance has been so consistent no matter the brush type, applications on bare skin and the various finishes of multiple foundations, that I felt confident in my experience enough to post this “early.”
37 Peachy Nude
Despite this having a matte finish, it’s not flat. When I wear a luminous foundation or one that’s verging on dewy, the blush looks like it has a slight glow to it as well, even though there aren’t any shimmer particles. This makes it look more natural on the skin, in addition to being slightly blurring. These blushes have “blurring” in the name, but Suqqu’s blushes tend to be more blurring, plus Armani’s Luminous Silk Blushes and Too Faced’s Cloud Blurring Blushes are both significantly more blurring than these. In certain places within North America, it seems the YSL blushes are called, “24H Buildable Powder Blushes.” So, the blurring claims aren’t supposed to be the main selling point worldwide.
This powder is super soft and reminds me of the buttery feeling that the brand’s matte eyeshadows have in their quads. None of these blushes fade on me. They’re all pigmented, yet blendable. Between the two finishes, I still prefer the shimmer ones. However, I like Peachy Nude a lot and considering I’m less impressed with matte blushes these days, the fact that I like this one so much is a good sign.
None of the blushes are firmly pressed, so even the softest and airiest brushes will be able to pick up product easily, and there will be kickup. Because they’re all so pigmented, plus easy to put a lot of product on the brush, I have to be careful not to overdo it with Peachy Nude. My camera refuses to capture how much more intense it looks in person. As for the other two shades, they are light enough on my skintone that I don’t need to worry about overapplying, but this could be an issue for other people.
93 Restless Rosé
This is the most shimmery of the three YSL blushes I currently own. The medium-dark pink with gold shimmer made me instantly think of the Nars Orgasm X shade. I wish I could compare them, but I left that shade behind in the US because the reflect of that one is so strong and the base color is sheer enough that it looks like I just have highlighter on my cheeks when light hits it directly and at certain angles. This blush can do that too, but I discovered that if I build it up enough, the pink will still be visible.
Besides working as a standalone blush, this also makes a beautiful blush topper. I love adding this on top of Peachy Nude to give my cheeks extra glow. Pairing it with Nocturnal Nude gives it a brighter pop.
The shimmery glow is satisfactory enough for me that I even skip putting on highlighter when I wear this.
12 Nocturnal Nude
This blush has super fine shimmer without the kind of reflect that is present in Restless Rose. Because of my skin’s color depth and undertone, it looks similar to Peachy Nude. However, Peachy Nude has more pink and no actual shimmer. Nocturnal Nude has more brown, which blends into my skin, and it leans slightly orange. I’d actually call it a coppery color and it reminds me so much of my much beloved Suqqu 138 Hyguugaaoi blush that is part of my Project Pan. The main difference is that Suqqu’s has more shimmer.
I am very pleased that unlike the liquid blushes, the powders don’t have that same ashy problem, which makes this range more inclusive.
Comparing my virual try-on results to my own experiences with three shades, I would say that it’s at least good at getting an idea of how natural or not each shade looks on me. It shows the colors at a little stronger pigmentation level than I’ve been able to build up, but it’s not that far off. Based on these results, even though I can see color on my cheeks for the photos of Suave Sunstone, Rose Haze, and Coral Clash, I don’t think those would stand out enough on my skin tone. My skin is also so warm that I think Nude Lavallière could look ashy, even if it’s not as crazy looking on me as Lavender Lust and Babydoll Pink. So, if you’re interested in these blushes but don’t have the ability to see them in-store, I recommend trying the brand’s tool before ordering.
If you’re on a low-buy or a budget, it can be helpful to remember that this line is supposed to be permanent and therefore part of sales at some point. I was able to get these discounted despite them being so new. My Origines and Parfum Dreams had them in the 35 Euro range and Flaconi had brief 10% sales, which is when I picked up Nocturnal Nude. In the US, there will be a spring sale at Sephora and it’s possible the official site might have bigger discounts once the blushes have been out for much longer.
I really like these blushes. They aren’t revolutionary, but they’re on par with many of my favorites. I’m very excited to have them and they will be included in my Project Pan. From a packaging standpoint, I love the various colors with those appealing quilted squishy tops and beautiful gold colored trim. The size reminds me of Gucci Blushes, but even though YSL’s components are lighter, they are still substantial enough to feel like a luxury product.
The brand is releasing highlighters next, but I’m on a highlighter no-buy and will be skipping them. YSL’s bronzer shade range looks limited, so I don’t have plans to buy that either. I can only vouch for the blushes being wonderful.
That’s all for today! Thank you for reading and please consider clicking the follow button if you’d like to be notified whenever I post!
2024 was an unusual year for me because I had just moved across the world and only brought one quarter of my makeup collection with me. I had already decided which items I couldn’t be without, and so it became my goal to get as much use out of those items I took with me as possible.
Although I purchased way less makeup in 2024 than in previous years, and I had a comparatively smaller collection, I still ended the year with plenty of products that went untouched for twelve months! I wasn’t as hard on myself about it considering I had prioritized some makeup favorites, but a fact that I knew to be true in theory became much clearer to me:
When I buy new makeup, it takes time away from using what I already own.
When I focus on using neglected makeup that’s great quality, even that detracts from my ability to use my actual holy grails.
So, I came up with a different plan.
The Project Pan videos I’ve seen on YouTube centers around makeup that went unused for months or years, old favorites that got pushed to the back of drawers, products close to being panned already so the person wants to finish the job, etc. I have attempted this format unofficially a few times in the past, but I felt too restricted and ended up temporarily buying more makeup because I started to feel like there were pieces missing in my collection. I also prioritized creams and liquids (since those go bad faster) even though that sometimes meant I was using products that were just okay, instead of ones that I loved, so I could feel like “I’ve gotten my money’s worth” and could justify having purchased it.
In the US, I rarely returned makeup unless it was unusable for me in some way (like having an allergic reaction) or I really didn’t like it enough to be worth how expensive it was. Living in the EU, where I can’t return those pricey mistakes if I’ve already tried it and disliked it, changed my perspective a bit. I can do a ton of research beforehand, but I could still end up with makeup that just doesn’t work for me. At that point, the money is already spent. I don’t need to waste further time trying to use up something I like less than what I’ve already got. I don’t want to fall prey to the sunk-cost fallacy. I can’t get back my money, but my time is the next most precious thing. That time is better spent on the things I love.
I have this innate curiosity to try everything out there and to know which makeup items are of the highest tier. I don’t know what that is for every category, but I know what has worked the best for me specifically. There are certain items I feel just can’t be topped. So, why don’t I use those items exclusively? I wondered if the quest to search for something better comes from the fact that I don’t use my holy grails every single time. I have an enjoyable enough experience using makeup, but if I felt thrilled from start to finish, could that quench my thirst to consume more?
That’s the purpose of this six month Project Pan I’m putting into action. I have identified the top 2-5 items I consider holy grails from many different categories and I am going to try to use those products every time I do my makeup! In come cases, a product might not be my favorite formula, but it ranks at the top for being in my favorite color. This is a bit unconventional because there theoretically shouldn’t be trouble panning one’s most beloved makeup, but having a huge makeup collection is not the norm either.
In order to not feel constrained, I’m allowing myself to reach for anything I want outside of the Project Pan too. My goal isn’t really about hitting pan on specific products as much as it is about only using the things I’m craving to use. I want to feel guiltless and not worry about which products are oldest and need more attention, which products I said I liked but still haven’t used after reviewing it, or anything else that keeps me from using what I want in the moment.
I imagine that I won’t be able to avoid desiring exciting new makeup. For example, there are things I already saw sneak peeked on social media that I still want to purchase. I will buy things I want, and test them for this blog, but my hope is that I won’t be as tempted if I’m feeling fully satisfied with the makeup in my Project Pan. I also have some year long low-buys that are enacted, such as my self-imposed ban on buying cream and liquid color products, no highlighters, and only getting lip products from five chosen brands.
I’m going to show the condition of the items I chose at the start so that I can keep track of my progress until the six months are over. I will also show a few items that are not holy grails, but I already know I will want to get at least a little more use out of them before I put them away.
Foundations
My chosen foundations for the Project Pan are the Chanel N1 de Chanel, Estee Lauder Futurist Hydra, and Huda Beauty Easy Blur. The ones from EL and Chanel are the glowiest and dewiest in my collection, which is needed because this is the time of year when my skin is the driest while in Germany. I included Huda’s foundation because of the different shade options in those minis, and to layer with the others if I want extra coverage.
Some other foundation loves are the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow, Nars Light Reflecting, Armani Luminous Silk, and Lisa Eldridge foundations, but those all require me to pair them with the Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint to look less matte, but my CT product is a bit light for me right now. I am still including the CT in my Project Pan, but under the highlighter category.
The foundations that I know I will use a few more times are from Rose Inc (Tinted Serum) and Fenty (Liquid Eaze Drops). I like those two enough that I just wouldn’t feel satisfied if I didn’t get more use out of them, though they also aren’t hydrating enough for my skin.
One other thing to note is that I’m still using the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Serum Skin Tint until the review goes up. Depending on how much I like that one, it might or might not join the others.
As for the conditions of everything: Estee Lauder’s is my backup bottle that I opened a few months ago, Chanel’s is one of two shades that was purchased almost a year ago and was the foundation I used the most in 2024, and Huda’s are minis in three shades, but I have no clue how much is left of any of them.
Concealers
My chosen concealers are the KVD Good Apple for under my eyes and the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer for my face. I always put the KVD concealer on top of the Milk Hydro Grip Eye Primer (and there’s about half left in my current tube). I am pretty sure I finished at least 2/3 of this concealer, but I have a backup. I also have an additional shade that I use on the rare occasion to mix for brightening.
Other concealers for my under-eyes that I might want to switch to depending on what foundation I’m wearing in order to match in tone are the L’Oreal Infallible, Fenty We’re Even, and my two Prisme Libre Skin-Caring ones.
The Hourglass one was chosen because it has the most coverage of the face concealers and the tone of it acts like a color corrector. I could have picked the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Lift and Flex or the Natasha Denona Hy-Glam for that purpose as well, but this was the best choice of the three. I have a full size and travel size in different shades. Neither were used much.
Powders
The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powders are what I use to set my under eyes (especially with the KVD concealer). In my Powder Collection Update and Declutter post from March 2024, I showed the original Deluxe sample I was using and the travel size I had in the wrong shade. I’ve been using this new travel size (shade Medium) and the full-size (Tan) for about a year. Occasionally, I’ve used this all over my face, but the dips in the pan were primarily from under-eye setting. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, but if I’m going to use the KVD concealer, this powder is required to be part of my Project Pan too.
The Dior Powder No-Powder is my holy grail finishing powder that I’ve talked about endlessly on this blog. In the Powder Update/Declutter post I mentioned above, you can see how much progress I made in a year. This is one of the few products that the Project Pan won’t change my habits on. My rate of usage will stay the same as always, so I estimate that I’ll be finished with this powder by the end of the Project Pan, and I do have a backup to replace it.
The Chantecaille Perfect Blur Finishing Powder went untouched for another whole year! I am determined to get some use out of it considering how expensive this product is (even though I bought it for $33). It’s technically a finishing powder, but I’m going to use it like a setting powder for my face. I don’t expect to use it much in the dry winter, but maybe in spring.
Contour
I’ve been using the heck out of this Hindash Beautopsy Palette for years, but its number one usage is for contouring. I have only managed to make the barest dents into these pans (not including accidental scratches) because there’s so much product and I need to use so little of the powders each time I do my makeup! Again, this is something I don’t expect my Product Pan to really change my usage of too much. However, I still wanted to show its beginning state.
Bronzers
My chosen cream bronzer is the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer. I have purposely tried to keep picking up product from the same spot so I can retain some of the original pattern on the surface. This is a gigantic product, so I don’t expect to finish even half of it by the end of six months, but I do want to prioritize it again.
My chosen powder bronzer is the Hermès Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder. I absolutely prioritized this product last year, and I also kept dipping my brush into one half of the pan to retain some of the pattern, but this is another huge bronzer with so much product that it hardly looks used.
This is an easy one for me to want to use all the time, but it’s a very warm orange-toned bronzer, so I might use others in my collection during times when I’m in the mood for either a neutral or a pinky brown. Essentially, the parts that form the ‘H’ are yellow and the center portion of space between the ‘H’ is red. If I want to avoid the orange by using less of the darkest color, the yellower portions don’t have enough depth for my skin tone to be able to show up as clearly. So, other powder ones might be required.
Blushes
This is the second biggest category, aside from eyeshadows, though I can at least show these all in one photo!
I contemplated doing this by brand, but the truth is that I don’t have some of my favorite shades in my holy grail formulas. Once I decide I like a blush, I will wear it based on the color and finish. I won’t be thinking about how easy it is to blend and I will adjust my brushes accordingly based on how saturated or not I want my cheeks to be. The majority of blushes I own have fantastic quality, so selecting by favorite shades and then the top formulas among the similar colors was how I decided upon the group.
I will note that there are so many more I wanted to include, but these are the kind of colors I’ve been wearing the most over the past year. So, if I’m suddenly in the mood for an electric orange, I will allow myself to reach outside of this collection. The chances of that happening though are pretty low. There are very specific products not included here that might get one or two uses out of to satisfy the craving before they return to the back of the shelf.
The only time I think about the inconvenience level with blushes is in regards to liquid blushes. That’s why none of them are on the list, even though I think the Glossier and Rare Beauty ones are phenomenal.
The Dior Rosy Glow Backstage Blushes are an absolute favorite. I was pretty obsessed with Rosewood and it was the only one I brought with me to Germany. However, after Bronzed Glow was released in that stunning shimmery finish, I admittedly stopped using Rosewood. The chances are high that I’ll start using it again though, so both are being shown above.
The five Suqqu blushes I brought with me, plus the newest one from the Holiday ’24 collection, can be seen on my Instagram. I used a fair amount of the top two shown above, though it doesn’t look like it based on the pan. The third blush, 105 Akanezome, was purchased in November, but it quickly became a favorite. It’s one of the rare deep colored blushes from the brand that remains muted in tone without being ashy.
These Sephora Soft Matte Duos are another obsession. Tigerlily and English Rose are my favorite two. I have used them a decent amount, considering the size of my collection, but not as much as I would like. These are one of the prime reasons for me starting a Project Pan in the first place. Actually, that can be said for the blush category as a whole. If I wear makeup a few times a week, but I have 100 blushes I want to wear, I could only wear each blush 1-2 times a year. So, I’m forced to narrow down the choices (and increase how often I wear them) if I want to enjoy a good portion of them at least 10 times a year!
My MAC Blush collection alone is already out of hand. I decided to showcase my most used Glow Play out of the six I currently have with me, along with the custom blush palette I used a ton last year. It is so crazy to me how barely touched the pans appear despite my efforts. I have a few other MAC blushes I love that aren’t being shown here purely because they are shades or finishes I used a lot in the past, but less often nowadays.
My other blush palette being included is this one from Pat Mcgrath. The blushes show very little signs of use because I really haven’t used it much in 2024. Prior to owning this pan of Desert Orchid, I was using the Paradise Glow Duo which contained Desert Orchid and Paradise Venus. Prior to owning this pan of Nude Venus, I was using the single compact of it before gifting it to a friend. Prior to owning this pan of Paradise Venus and the half shade within Paradise Glow, I also had the single compact before gifting it to my sister. So, it’s no surprise that all my PML blushes look new when I keep switching to new pans of the same thing. The one I used the most from this palette is Divine Rose III specifically because I didn’t have it in any other form. I love these shades though, and took an unintentional break from them because I used them so much in their other compacts between 2022 and 2023. So, I would like to finally get back into using them. Also, I would have loved to bring my depotted baked shade Aphrodisia, but I was too afraid it would break in my luggage. So, I’m still waiting with bated breath to see if the brand will release more of the baked blushes in a different packaging (and I would actually welcome a repeat of Aphrodisia).
All of my Hourglass Blushes are fair game, but At Night is my favorite color by a long shot. This is the only one I really want to focus on from them, at least until I get access to Mood Exposure and Diffused Heat again (in the Ambient Lighting Edit palettes I left behind).
I think the BareMinerals Blonzer is the blush with my biggest pan dip, although it’s hard to tell in photos. There were times I used this exclusively for months! I traveled with it. I stopped using certain MAC blushes because of this one. Although I get more excited by some of the other blushes I mentioned, I know I will end up circling back around to using this. So, I officially included it.
In the case of the Benefit Wanderful World blush mini in Terra Spark, it doesn’t look all that worn because I was previously using the mini of the original Terra. I brought this blush and the shade Pom Pom, but I missed Starlaa and Java a lot. The only reason I left them behind was because I thought I’d use a similar color from Suqqu and the Chanel Lumiere Brun Roussi or Vieve brown blushes more often. That didn’t end up happening! I have to be in the right mood to wear Pom Pom, so it’s just Terra Spark in the Project Pan for now.
I started working on the details of this post in November. By the time it was Cyber Monday, I missed Starlaa so much that I repurchased it in the mini form. As Java is only available in the full-size, I held off on buying it. So, Starlaa is unofficially part of the Project Pan too.
I feel like I’ve used Chanel Blush Lumière in Brun Roussi a decent amount because I subconsciously replaced it with MAC’s Faux Sure blush, so that one took a backseat instead. For now, I’m continuing to work on this one over that one.
The last two are my drugstore options. I never forgot about these in my collection. It was always the situation that I considered using them more, but would be lured in by the luxury ones instead. The fact is though that I don’t have a mauve this good from other brands besides the Covergirl Trublend and I don’t have a light shimmery pink that doesn’t just look like a highlighter other than from Nabla’s Skin Glazing line. I still think these will only be occasionally used in the Project Pan, but I felt strongly compelled to include them for extra variety.
Highlighters
I truly cannot go through a highlighter if this is the state of mine from Charlotte Tilbury (on the right) that I’ve used at least 75% of the time in 2024. I used the 1st and 3rd strips exclusively. I can see where they’ve been worn in, but I don’t have any significant dips. Wild! The ability to kind of fine-tune the color and intensity is why it’s the top highlighter in my collection.
The Hindash highlighter in Peak Heat (reviewed HERE) is a newfound love. This was not easy to get and I waited so long for a new Hindash product to fall in love with, so I’m absolutely putting this in the Project Pan.
Above is what I currently have left of the Charlotte Tilbury Skin Tint I talked about in the beginning. I probably only used about a half centimeter of product, but it’s still a decent amount considering my record. The pause on using it was from getting darker in the summer and wearing naturally glowier foundations. With the weather change, I’m bound to start using it again, but I’m not in a rush to finish it. This item is here purely for when I need it, so I just want to see how much gets used at the end out of curiosity.
Eyeshadows
There was no way I could pick just one palette for this category. The whole reason my eyeshadow collection got gigantic is because of my desire to have every color under the sun, including shades that shift. I thought it might be best to instead figure out the five brands whose eyeshadows I love the most and/or use the most. For example, I think Natasha Denona has fantastic quality eyeshadows, but I only use about 15 shades regularly out of my entire collection. It’s the same story for Viseart. I love all the colors available to me, but I keep going for the same ten or so shades. For this reason, choosing one palette from each of the five brands would still feel too restrictive because of the color stories (my top ones are mainly greens and neutrals). So, as far as I’m concerned, my entire eyeshadow collection is part of the Project Pan, but I will put my favorite three palettes from Pat Mcgrath, Oden’s Eye, Melt Cosmetics, and YSL Beauty in my makeup area so they’ll be easily within reach. My custom Clionadh Stained Glass palette hasn’t left that spot in over a year.
Regarding taking starting photos, the state of my palettes haven’t changed enough since doing those ranking posts, with the exception of YSL‘s (that I only reviewed and didn’t rank). So, I’ll show the state of those here. I will also note that the Natasha Denona Mini Gold Palette is one that I’ve tried to prioritize using in the past, so I know it’s going to be on my mind to try and make more significant dips into the eyeshadows than was seen in that ND ranking.
I still have some new-to-me indie palettes I’ve been using that have yet to be reviewed, so I will be posting about those in the future. It will also be difficult for me to resist buying a palette from any of my top ten favorite eyeshadow brands if they release a color story I love.
Everything Else
When it comes to face and eye primers, mascaras, eyeliners, brow products, and lip products, I’m just going to use everything I currently have. Excluding the lip category, all the others I listed contain items I love, but are replaceable. I have repurchased them many times, but there’s always something else I could like just as much because they aren’t radically different from each other.
The only difference between my 2021 Primer Declutter and current collection is that I whittled it down even more. The only face primers I still have is a fresh deluxe sample of the Milk Hydro Grip and mini of the Benefit Porefessional Hydrating Primer. What’s left of my eye primers is a fresh MAC Paint Pot, old Gerard Cosmetics Clean Canvas, fresh Nyx Glitter Primer, and the Lisa Eldridge Liquid Silk Eyeshadow that I use as a base. Technically, the Milk Eyeshadow Primer is included, but I use that with concealer. The Milk face primer is a “like” not “love,” so I might buy a new primer when I finish the Benefit one. That’s iffy because I pretty much stopped using primers again and rely on skincare for my prep.
I always give a shout out to my Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, but I can get along just fine with others. My current two black liners I’m using are from One/Size and Stila, but they’re both almost out, so I have a Nyx and Sephora one waiting in the wings. I also have colored liners in gel pencil form, but I rarely use them, so I try to avoid buying more.
I’m really not picky about my brows. I’ve liked nearly everything I’ve tried. I am currently using up my last Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil and I interchange using it with the e.l.f. Instant Lift. It’s literally just a matter of grabbing whichever I see first. After both of those go, I have an e.l.f. backup.
My current mascara obsessions are the MAC MACStack and KVD Full Sleeve Mascaras, but I have so many I could name that I’m happy with and love. I believe I’m on my second full-size one from MAC and I have a backup. I’m nearly done with my current KVD one, but I have a backup here and in the US. I have a lot of other mascaras I brought with me still, so I just want to use them up while I can.
As for lip products, I found a ton of formulas this year that give me color without drying out my lips. I want to use what I’ve got and enjoy having the ability to switch between a bunch of different shades depending on my mood. So, there isn’t any one thing I’m going to focus on. My most used up lip products at the moment are the Ami Cole Lip Oil Treatment and Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces. I have a backup Ami Cole lippie in the US.
So, that’s my list of products I’m focusing on! I’m not sure if I’ll do a midpoint check-in. I guess it depends on the number of views of this post so I can gauge the interest level. If there isn’t much interest, I’ll at least post my final results at the end of six months, even if it’s just for my own eyes.
Today, we’ll be looking at seven lip balms I’ve yet to review on this blog! As it’s winter time and most people’s lips on this side of the globe tend to be in a more vulnerable state, now seemed like the right time to tackle this topic! Hopefully it will be helpful for anyone with lips as difficult to keep conditioned as mine.
Before we start, I’d like to share photos and a first impression of one more lip balm: The YSL Valentine’s Day Loveshine Candy Glow Collector that I’ve only had for four days by this point. The shade 7b Nude Pleasure is not a new color. It’s just the packaging that is limited edition. It’s made of the same material as the other lippies, but the pink and blue outer portion feels like a soft touch matte. The only other shade available in this packaging is another repeat color called Nude Lavallière.
I have now experienced all of YSL’s Loveshine formulas. This has the thinnest consistency, is moisturizing, but not the best at hydrating. It doesn’t last on the lips as long as the others and I have to reapply quite a lot. It has the sheerest amount of pigment, but still bestows more color to the lips than I expected. At least, this particular shade does. This also has the signature fruity scent that I find very pleasing. I consider this formula to be a sheerer, balmier, and lightweight version of the Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipstick in Caramel Swirl #122.
My favorite of the YSL lip formulas are still the Candy Glazes. This specific balm is nice, so I don’t regret buying it. However, I don’t need more than one from this line in my collection; I bought it out of curiosity and for the limited edition packaging. I am on a lip product low-buy, but this was something I planned to get when I saw the sneak peeks six months ago, so it’s an exception.
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Sweet Mint
Summer Fridays’ range has different scents and colors. I wanted one that was essentially clear, so I chose Sweet Mint. The scent is weak in the tube, but once a thick enough layer is dispersed onto the lips, it’s much more apparent. I also get a minty tingling sensation from the combination of menthone glycerin acetal and peppermint oil that are in this formula.
The consistency isn’t sticky. It has a nice level of shine. There’s more reflect than a traditional balm, but much less than a gloss. I think it’s interesting that this balm contains some mica, which possibly adds to the reflectivity.
The brand says that this can be worn overnight as a lip treatment, but it doesn’t have enough grip to last the whole time. I have to reapply throughout the day and at the end of the night I have a mix of plumped soft hydrated spots and a few dry spots where the product couldn’t stay on the lips as long. This result is quite similar to the Lancôme balm I will discuss later, but this one works better as a conditioning agent for my lips. It hydrates my lips a tad more and holds on a little longer, making my lips softer overall.
I’ve had this since November 2023, and unlike many other lip balms I’ve used that come in squeeze tubes, the formula hasn’t separated. My luck might start to run out since it’s good for up to 12 months after opening, but I’m planning to keep this around a bit longer. In fact, it’s my replacement “bag balm” for when I forget to put on a lippie after leaving the house and have to grab one from my bag.
I am curious as to whether I would like the other shades, but I’m not going to buy more while I have so many other lip products to go through. This doesn’t get holy grail status with me, but I at least understand the hype. I also find it interesting that Morgan Turner didn’t think these were anything special, while living in Florida, until she moved to a colder climate. I had the exact same experience where I thought this was just fine while I was in Florida, but enjoyed it way more once I moved.
One other thing I discovered as a major reparative combination is applying the Clarins Lip Oil to my lips and then adding a bit of this on top. The Clarins works quicker at nourishing my lips than a lot of other products, but suffers from not having enough grip to stay on my lips for longer. Although the Sunday Fridays doesn’t have a lot of grip either, adding it on top helps the Clarins stay on longer overall and form a better occlusive layer. Having Clarins underneath also prevents me from feeling the cool-tingling effects of the Sunday Fridays balm.
Makeup by Mario MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum in Honey Glow and Blush Glow
At the time I bought this, I didn’t realize it was a plumping formula (which I usually avoid). Thankfully, it’s the cooling type rather than the burning one. The cold sensation lasts for two hours before it starts to fade away. I think it makes my lips slightly bigger, but it’s hard to tell as I already have full lips.
This has a click mechanism to propel it upward, but it can’t go back down, and because it’s a melting type of formula, it is very easy for this tube to get messy. I didn’t think anything about how light the component felt in the beginning, but after splurging lately on high-end and luxury lip products, I started to dislike the Makeup by Mario one. Comparing it to drugstore priced lip products in my collection, this is cheaper feeling than some of them and nearly all my mid-range lip products have more substantial packaging. There’s something sleek about it and appealing in a minimalist way, and I’m sure it cost more money to make every tube match the balm color, so I’m not disappointed visually. I’m only disappointed once I pick it up and hold it.
The balm smells sweet, but I can’t put my finger on what it’s supposed to smell like. It contains Vanillyl Butyl Ether as well as fragrance. After a few hours some of the layers sink into my lips, so there’s less on the surface, but the balm hangs on until I eat food.
When it comes to products creating a white rim around the mouth, I assumed it was from formulas that were too emollient. I don’t apply what I consider to be too much, yet I still get the white ring sometimes. Also, this doesn’t feel sticky when I first apply it, but after it has time to settle on my lips, it does become stickier. It’s nice to be occlusive, but watch out on a windy day if you wear your hair down or get too close to someone else’s hair!
It looks shiny on the lips at the start too, but when some of it is gone, it doesn’t look much different from a regular lip balm. Even though this product is hydrating and does a decent job maintaining moisture on the lips, I hate having to reapply because it feels cold for so long. It’s hard to forget it’s there, which is somewhat uncomfortable especially as I live in a cold climate. It’s the reason I try to avoid wearing the Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balm in winter (though the cooling only lasts 45 minutes to an hour, which is more tolerable). If the brand made a non-cooling/non-plumping version, I would consider buying one of those instead. This range has a ton of colors, but they’re too sheer for me to feel like I need more than one.
Fantasy Cosmetica x Makeup Just for Fun Tinted Lip Balm in Pomander
According to the website, this particular shade is “spiced orange scented” and the color is described as “sheer dusty orange.” Both the color and smell actually remind me of persimmons and cinnamon. I’m not surprised that I like the scent considering Fantasy Cosmetica has delved into fragrances already in the form of perfumes and candles. I haven’t purchased those, but I heard only positive things, so I expected scented balms from them to be just as good.
This particular product is part of a collab with Makeup Just For Fun and comes in four other shades and scents. I honestly bought it because I wanted to hit the free shipping minimum through Monolith EU and it had a good review from I Am Jamila.
I think the slight tint of color is very pretty. To me, this is a little sticky, but that helps to keep it on the lips longer. It works better as a moisturizing product for me than a hydrating one. Essentially, it smooths out and softens my lips, but once it wears off it doesn’t have lingering effects that prevent my lips from starting to dry. For example, the top conditioning products in my collection make it so that I can go 1-3 days without wearing anything on my lips before they start to chap. Because it can’t do that, I just won’t consider it a lip treatment. As a normal balm, it feels soothing the whole time I wear it with the extra benefits of a glossy appearance, flattering color, and smoothing aspect. It can’t survive past me eating a meal or drinking too much throughout the day, but I reapply less often than I would assume based off the consistency of the balm. I should specify that after eating and drinking a lot, I have to apply more because the emollient layer is easily removed, but I’m left with a sticky coating on my lips that’s not as comfortable to wear in that barely-there state. The balm technically hangs on, but realistically should be reapplied. I have to also be careful how much product I squeeze out of the tube. It’s not difficult to accidentally squeeze out too much.
I like this enough that I would have considered getting other shades/scents if I wasn’t on a low buy. I’d rank this product somewhere among the upper middle of my lip collection. It’s not a favorite, but I like it more than I thought I would.
Rabanne Lovebalm in Bloody Kiss 068
I didn’t have the patience to wait and take photos first before using this because I was so excited to immediately try it out. I had no interest in this product until Kackie Reviews Beauty talked about it in her video Testing 45 Lip Balms. In September, Ulta had 10x reward points on Rabanne Beauty, so I bought the shade called Kiss My Neck and had it shipped to good old USA thinking I would still be going to Florida. Unfortunately, plans changed, so I don’t have that shade to showcase here today. However, I will update this post in the future to show pictures of the color (though I expect it to basically be clear).
That’s where I thought things would end, except that Hannah Louise Poston ranked it as the best luxury lip balm in her Epic Lip Balm Search video, and curiosity turned me rabid. As soon as it was on sale at Sephora’s German website, I bought Bloody Kiss, which was the only other color I wanted.
I usually avoid buying dark lip colors (especially cool toned ones), but because this can be applied in an ultra sheer layer, I was intrigued to have a balm that could leave me with a light tint or create a wintery-cold type of look.
Unlike my Ami Cole and Too Faced Pillow Balms that are effective at quickly nourishing my lips no matter what state they’re in, this one works slower. My lips look smoother when I apply the Rabanne Lovebalm, but I can see the color gathering in the crevices between chapped skin. In times like that, it’s best that I don’t try to do a sheer layer and to obscure the look by building up its maximum opacity. In the example below, it was nighttime and was wearing off, which was how I could see the spots that color gathered up.
Going back to the treatment aspect, this feels moisturizing from the balmy/waxy consistency and it isn’t oily or sticky. It clings to my lips well enough that eating is all that forces me to reapply (though I can usually get through breakfast without needing to). This grip is a good thing because I can wear the balm overnight and it can continue to hydrate at that slow pace. It takes nearly 24 hours, but by then my lips will be in better condition than the previous day. If my lips are in decent condition at the start, this balm keeps it that way and I have no problems. If my lips are in bad shape, even though this can improve them in 24 hours, I’m going to reach for something else that’s more moisturizing and hydrating to soothe my lips much quicker. So, I like this product a lot and consider it one of my favorites, but it’s not enough to make my top 5. Perhaps it would be in the top 10. Maybe my other shade will rank even higher.
I consider this on the heavier side of lightweight because I can sometimes forget I’m wearing it, but it’s not as light feeling as my other waxy (and admittedly inferior) balms. As a makeup product, the gathering of color in chapped spots isn’t great, but that can be worked around, and lighter shades in the line might not show this problem as easily. I like being able to control the color intensity. This has some shine, but it’s far from glossy. I give the brand kudos for creating a nice makeup/skincare hybrid. What comes to mind is the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces, which I think is an even better formula for my lips than the Rabanne Lovebalm. They are similarly priced, but Lisa’s is 2.8 grams and in a melty formula that I’ll use up way quicker than Rabanne’s at 3.4 grams. Both packaging is luxurious looking, but LE’s is gold toned and lightweight whereas rabanne’s is bigger, heavier, and has the really pretty pink ombre into silver tube. Rabanne’s feels more luxe in the hand, like a taller and skinnier YSL Loveshine tube.
At the start of the Lovebalm review, I mentioned Kackie and Hannah who raved about this product, but in the shade Soul Kiss. Even though I like this balm, I will be sticking with the two shades I have currently.
Lancôme Lip Idôle Squalane-12 Butterglow Hydrating Lip Balm in 53 The Tea is Hot
This product feels like I’m applying a satin lipstick, but it isn’t until I rub my lips together that I can feel the balminess. The finish has some shine, but it’s definitely not glossy. The consistency leans more creamy-waxy than oily-emollient. It’s lightweight enough that I keep forgetting I’m wearing it until I accidentally lick my lips and get the waxy-chemical taste. The scent is candy-like mint, the kind that reminds me of buttery after dinner mints. In addition to fragrance, the formula contains peppermint oil, but I assume it’s intended to give a plumping or cooling effect, though I don’t detect either in practice.
This has a slight sticking quality, but not enough for me to call it sticky. My lips look smooth and I love the color I chose! It’s pigmented enough for me to be satisfied with the coverage, but the other colors I’m interested in would be of similar depth and just different in tone, making it not worth it to me to buy more shades (even at the discounted price I got).
It’s decently moisturizing and hydrating while it’s on my lips, but the issue is that it’s not long lasting. By the end of the day filled with several reapplications, the spots where my lips had the product on longest remain soft, but places where the balm kept wearing off first (ex: corners of my mouth) were dry. Lancôme heavily advertises the 12% squalane and inclusion of ceramides, but I’ve never been able to tell how effective those ingredients are for my lips. I’ve worn products with both of those ingredients that either did nothing or worked well, so it’s impossible for me to know how much of a role they played versus the contributions from the other ingredients. In this particular case, Lancôme’s balm also contains shea butter that I know my lips enjoy, sunflower seed wax that I only know my lips enjoy in oil form but can’t tell if the wax would be as effective, as well as castor oil, canola oil, and jojoba butter and oil that I also haven’t been able to isolate and rate.
Since this works well when it’s on my lips, but I’m very bad at remembering to reapply, I won’t think of this as a lip treatment product. Instead, I will look at it as a makeup product with a few benefits. So, I am happy with my purchase.
Nivea Deep Moisture Balms (Melty Type)
I showed the photo of the unscented above, but I bought the honey “flavor” afterwards, since people were heavily praising the scented ones. The honey balm is yellow, but doesn’t leave any color on the lips. It’s called a flavor, but doesn’t actually have a taste, and its honey smell makes using this far more enjoyable.
It feels nice wearing this and isn’t too sticky, plus it has a nice glossy effect when I first put it on. However, as I wear it and talk, it likes to gather in the corners of my mouth and also form a white ring. Every so often I get the sensation of needing to rub my lips together to smooth the balm layer back out. It’s moisturizing, but it doesn’t have enough grip to stay on the lips past having several drinks. Another reason I have to reapply more frequently is because I have to wipe it off where it gathered in excess and then reapply to the spots I want.
Besides having several ingredients my lips like, the second best benefit to this balm is the 26 SPF PA++. Though direct sunlight isn’t as much of a problem for me anymore, it’s a general rule that I like to have at least one lip product with sun protection in my collection at all times. Lip skin is delicate for everyone, and my lips have their sensitive moments, so it’s especially important to have if I’m going to be outdoors for long periods of time, especially when I go back to Florida. This is the most conditioning formula of the SPF lippies I’ve used in the past, so this was worth it to me to buy this specifically for the SPF.
Labello (Original)
This product is a classic in Germany and maybe even the equivalent fame here as Chapstick brand of Chapstick is in the US. I’ve seen men and women using this around town and even my husband knows about it! I had so many reasons to expect to love this, but it’s just okay. It doesn’t last the longest on my lips. It doesn’t feel that it’s really penetrating deeply enough to hydrate. The ingredient list for this balm is simple, but it contains shea butter, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin e, which should all be things my lips like. Perhaps it needs additives to help make the star ingredients absorb into the skin better in order to work for my lips. Perhaps the added aroma and natural fragrance ingredients (Linalool, Citronellol, Citral) are drying my lips and counteracting the positive effects. I just know that this feels nice in the beginning, but within 3-5 hours I feel the urge to switch to a different balm because my lips feel dry. Within that time frame, the product needs to be reapplied anyway, but that sensation of dryness continues even after adding an additional layer. So, this unfortunately is the worst balm of the bunch for my lips.
Since I called this a battle in the title, I declare the Rabanne and Summer Fridays balms to be the victors! Third place goes to Lancôme.
I was beside myself with excitement over this release! It’s not that I was in any need of another highlighter; it was because it had been so long since the brand released a new product! I’ve been tempted so many times to buy the Color Fluids and Heroline Eyeliner, but with so many good affordable options in that product category, I couldn’t justify the prices. Regarding the Color Fluids specifically, the shades are liquid versions of what I already have in the Beautopsy palette, and powders are already the medium I use most. An amazing highlighter though is something I can consider. Let’s see if it was worth it!
Hindash Gradient Highlighter in Peak Heat
What makes this product special, to start off with, is the hybrid gel-powder formula. Nearly all of my holy grail highlighters are baked gelee or gel-powder hybrid too. This helps it to look skin native while having a wetter looking shine on the skin.
The particles in this highlighter are very refined. I can wear this subtly or add more for extra intensity, particularly if I spray my face afterwards. However, how reflective it will look is largely dependent on the surrounding light. It will not look blinding without being directly hit, or at least not with this shade. As someone who prefers sheer to medium intensity, I’m perfectly content with not beaming!
I have no fading or longevity issues with the highlighter. The only thing to note is that it works perfectly fine over foundation, but it doesn’t adhere as well on my bare dry skin. So, adding anything moisturizing to my cheekbones on a low makeup day will help it stay on.
It’s easy to say this is an amazing product, but I wanted to be sure that it wasn’t a recency bias. So, over the course of a few weeks, I started analyzing my powder highlighter collection all over again!
The Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi-Glow in Dream Light has prettiest subtle glow, but it can be built up more intensely. It’s the friendliest on texture. It has ultra refined shimmer (except strip #2). The strips give me the ability to customize the color (although I don’t use #2 because of the larger sparkles). One negative is that it can look powdery, so using less is more. As long as I avoid trying to build up too much intensity, it is gorgeous.
The r.e.m. beauty Interstellar Highlighter Topper is super smooth, but shows the tiniest bit more particles compared to CT’s Dream Light, and it has more base color which means there’s a higher chance of it being harder to color match depending on the time of year. So, getting the right color is that much more important. That’s why my other shade (Miss Saturn) was good enough for the top favorites, but didn’t rank as high as Miss Mars because the color was off. Compared to many other highlighters I’ve owned, I still consider this to have a semi-sheer base enough to be a great “filler” highlighter to apply on top of scattered sparkles types of highlighters without increasing the intensity. This is slightly more reflective than CT’s Dream Light though.
Hindash’s highlighter is smoother than r.e.m beauty, but I can see it on the skin more than CT’s Dream Light only because the hybrid gel formula looks wetter, which is naturally more apparent. This can make it rank better or worse to me depending on my mood. When I do want more bling, Hindash’s can be sprayed to look even better, but CT’s doesn’t have the proportional improvement. It still looks great, but there’s only a minor difference. So Hindash’s is better at being intensified than CT Dream Light. These are the tiniest nitpicks! All of them are fantastic products!
Tom Ford’s Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo is the most reflective of the Top 5 and intense, so that can sometimes be great or not so great. The darker color is smoother. The lighter one has some slightly larger sparkles, which is why it dropped below Hindash in the ratings. It being hard pressed makes picking it up with certain brushes more challenging. Having the custom color is a good thing, though I’m forced to use the lighter color if I’m my winter shade, which might make the overall look have more obvious sparkle.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter is the wettest powder highlighter in my collection, but it has a strong base color. I used to consider this better than Dream Light because of the wet effect and reflectivity. Swatching them side by side, the Glow Glide looks more impressive. So how did it drop this far down? The base color strength. I said in my original review how important getting a matching color is for this formula to look good and not textured. Over time, I got lighter, so I started using Dream Light more, to the point where it became my number 1! In revisiting this Glow Glide, it looks gorgeous again because I’m back to being a little darker from the summertime.
The Gxve Beauty Highlighter is thinner than TF’s, and so the customizable color makes it the best color match within the top 10. It’s smooth, but others are smoother. It’s more reflective than the top 3, but also has slightly more noticeable shimmer particles. The scent is strong! It has the same drawback as CT Dream Light, that it can look slightly powdery on my dry skin if overapplied. I always do a subtle layer to avoid an intense bling anyway, so I don’t usually have this problem.
PML’s Divine Rose Highlighter is thin like Gxve and smooth in texture, but the shimmer reflectivity is more intense, which makes the particles more apparent than the ones ranked higher. I wish the brand made a deeper color in this formula because it’s a little pearly despite the gold color. It had the potential to tie with Tom Ford, if not for the color, since they have similar texture, finish, and intensity.
Dior’s Highlighter has the thinnest texture with a deep yet translucent base, but the shimmer color itself is too light for me right now. The shimmer is so refined and the formula is so smooth. It would be absolutely amazing if I could get a less pearly shimmer shade!
So, that’s the Top 8 powder highlighters re-ranked!
Below is the ranking list from highest to lowest of the holy grail highlighters I brought with me compared to all the individual highlighters or from duos that I bought in 2024. This is not a complete ranking of my entire highlighter collection though because I have plenty of highlighters still in the US that would have placed between the Hatice Schmidt one and Fenty’s, such as Becca Cosmetics Highlighters, Persona Del Mar Cali Glow Highlighter, MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish Highlighters, Colourpop Supershocks, Melt Digital Dust Highlighters, etc. Even my nine year old version of Guerlain Meteorites would have ranked higher than the version I have with me currently.
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi-Glow
r.e.m. beauty Interstellar Highlighter Topper
Hindash Gradient Highlighter
Tom Ford’s Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighter
Gxve Beauty Highlighter
Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick
Pat McGrath Divine Rose Skin Fetish Ultra Glow Highlighter
Highlighter from the Dior Rouge Contour & Glow Palette
Highlighter from the MAC Golden Hour Glow Face Palette
Guerlain Météorites Light Revealing Pearls of Powder
The only highlighters I purchased in 2024 that are worth buying, because they topped my original list, are from Hindash and Dior. I’ve said before that I don’t need more highlighters, but this truly hammers this idea home.
Lisa Eldridge has a way of making everything she releases from her brand sound so exciting! I got swept up as usual, and that’s not to say it wasn’t worth it. I just don’t consider myself a lipstick aficionado, so I really don’t think I should have as large of a lip collection as I do! However, I can’t deny that she makes excellent products, which is why it’s always so hard to resist!
For those wondering, I have purchased her newest product, the Pinpoint Concealing Micro Correcting Pencil, but it hasn’t shipped yet. A review for it, and other unreviewed Lisa Eldridge products, will come in the future. Today’s post is just about the brand’s recent lipstick launch.
In November, I decided as a birthday gift to myself that I would take part in the full rouge experience:
First, I decided which lipstick shade I would buy pre-filled in the case.
Then, I clicked the engraving option and typed my initials before selecting “Add to Bag.”
Next, I added two lipstick refills to my cart as well.
Lastly, I added the beautiful Cherry Chocolate Velvet Makeup Bag to my cart before checking out!
Some important things to note is that the makeup bag costs $19/£19/€23. I got mine for free because the total amount in my cart exceeded the $105/£85/€102 price minimum. The bag did not get added to the cart automatically like it used to in the past. So, don’t forget to add it and potentially miss out!*
*Note: I worked on this post between November and December 2024. The Chocolate Cherry colored bag I referenced is no longer an option, but currently the one on offer is the Pinpoint Pencil Case in Olive Green.
There is an ongoing deal on the website that if you are already buying a complete Rouge Experience lipstick (lipstick plus case), adding one refill will drop the price of the refill by 15% and adding a second refill will drop the prices of the refills by 20%. This discount only applies to the refills. Trying to add 1 or more refills to the shopping cart will not trigger a discount if a complete Rouge Experience lipstick isn’t in the order too.
The engraving currently costs $4/£3/€4.
The qualifications for free shipping was met, so I was able to select the option for free standard international delivery. The expedited shipping fee to Germany is €10 via DHL. The free shipping option for me in the past had been via DPD. This time, it was through FedEx to Hermes.
If you signed up to be part of the Lisa & Me rewards program and accrued 300 or more points, you can redeem a code for 5% off your order total, which is what I did. I wish the brand offered additional redemption options, but it’s better than nothing.
183 Ashes of Roses
Even though Ashes of Roses looks different from Painterly in the tube, those two look quite similar on my skin, though different again on the lips. I just found that to be interesting.
Ashes of Roses is the color I thought I’d like the most, but it’s lighter on my lips than I expected. I can somewhat pull off wearing it without a lip liner, but I couldn’t help but still be disappointed. Using a brown or other colored liner darker than the lipstick is a great way to make an unflattering color work, but it’s honestly a hassle for me. There are many times that I grab my lip product to apply on-the-go. I can’t do that as easily if I need to put on lip liner first.
178 Lisa
I thought this might be an iffy color for me to buy since I tend to only like warm pinks. This shade is neutral, but it looks cool-toned against my natural lip color. For that reason, I only like this if I’m doing a full pink monochrome look.
The color Lisa is also a brighter shade than I expected. I have to use lip liners to try and mute it to something less vibrant, but it’s not as easy to do with my current collection of liners.
182 Simone
I was quite surprised that this color looked the best on me! It gives off a little bit of the “concealer lips” look. I think I could almost get away with using it without a lip liner too, but pairing it with one results in exactly the kind of look I was going for. So, this shade is more of a successful purchase.
Regarding how these feel on the lips, they’re not quite balmy, but also not fully waxy. This has a very nice glide in the application. It takes two layers to get full opacity, but I have to pass over the pigmented spots on my lips one additional time to fully cover where my lips are naturally darker.
I wouldn’t go as far as to call this sticky, but it has a slight tack feeling as if a layer is trying to grip onto my lips to help in making it long wearing. Lisa described this formula as something between the True Velvets and Luxuriously Lucent Lips, but this actually reminds me of her liquid lipstick formula as well. It had this slight gripping tack feeling too.
Based on my first impression, I was concerned about the discomfort level I felt at the end of the night after having worn it all day. However, every subsequent instance after that wasn’t nearly as dramatic regarding the dryness. This is why I try spend so much time doing wear tests for my reviews. On that first try, it’s easy to overlook other circumstances that affected the results. I will post my first impression notes, but also follow up with my findings after having worn these lipsticks on and off for a few weeks.
FIRST IMPRESSION NOTES: I started off with very well conditioned (for me) lips and put it on after breakfast. After having lunch, barely anything was missing. I had a very light imprint on my drinking glass, so I did not touch it up. By 4:30 pm (5.5 hours worn), I felt dryness in the outer corners of my mouth, but it was mostly fine. By 7:35 pm (8.5 hrs worn), I reapplied it because it felt significantly drier and started to be uncomfortable even though my lips didn’t look dry. It felt good at first because a tiny bit of moisture was added back, but after another hour (9.5 hours worn) my lips felt uncomfortable again and didn’t look nice and smooth like at the start of the day. My lips didn’t look crusty or peeled, but still felt a tad parched. It essentially still looked better than it felt. By 9:36 (10.5 hours worn), I ended the wear test and put on a Lisa Eldridge Baume Embrace. I could see the chapping by that point as I removed the remaining lipstick after dinner (which this time the meal was oilier so I had barely any lipstick left).
FINAL ANALYSIS AFTER MULTIPLE WEAR TESTS: I still believe that whatever ingredient helps to make Lisa’s liquid lipsticks long-lasting is partly present in these. I don’t have to touch up as frequently as I would have expected. As to what happened the first time I wore the lipsticks, I had just come off a two week trial run of conditioning lip balms and lip oils, so my lips had gotten used to be over-saturated with moisture. Suddenly switching to a soft matte lipstick was uncomfortable in comparison. I gave it a week before starting to test the lipsticks again and I had no problems with discomfort despite wearing them in 8-12 hour time frames. My lips did get a little chapped in spots, but how frequently that happened depended on how well conditioned or not my lips were at the start of the day or over the course of several days. Essentially, if my lips were in a hydrated enough condition, my lips weren’t effected at the end of the day. If my lips were in bad shape, there was only minor chapping. The first impression was the only negative experience, and even that wasn’t really that bad. So, I’m pleased with the formula of this product!
I love the packaging. The formula is nice enough (I still very much prefer the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours). It’s essentially the shade range that I’m less enthused about. I was motivated to keep reaching for the Rouge Experience lipsticks because I wanted to be able to review them properly. After this is posted, I honestly don’t think I’ll be reaching for them again, except perhaps Simone since I don’t have a shade like that in my collection and might feel in the mood for a concealer lips type of look. Otherwise, I’ll keep wearing the Lucents and Baume Embraces every time. Lisa Eldridge mentioned that there will be many more shades and formulas to come, so it’s possible I’ll get another color if any actually excite me. However, I actually just hope she’ll put the Lucents into refill packaging so I can use that line in my special lipstick case instead.
That’s everything for today! Thanks for stopping by!
Anyone who read my post containing the LH Cosmetics Bronzer will recognize why I was attracted to this bronzer. This type of embossing is my kryptonite! It was already in my possession before I realized why I felt so compelled to own it. Plus, the packaging was stunning! I never tried By Terry products before (excluding lip product samples), so that was an extra incentive to buy this. I was lucky enough to catch a sale not too long after launch and could purchase it for 44 Euros via the retailer Niche Beauty.
The color 4 Deep Bronze is a red toned bronzer that is quite a few shades darker than my skin tone, but it blends into my skin quite well, especially since I use my sheerer brushes with it. I have a bit more red in my skin right now after getting more time in the sun this summer, but this shade of bronzer might be too red for me by the time it’s spring. We shall see.
This bronzer is super soft to the touch and feels somewhat buttery for a powder (though not quite to the level of the Westman Atelier Butter Bronzer. I’m impressed with the quality, as it is very refined. I’m happy to know the high price tag wasn’t just for the pretty packaging. The finish isn’t flat matte. It has the tiniest bit of sheen that gives a healthy-skin type of appearance, but I wouldn’t call it luminous.
There are two reasons it makes my top 15, but not my top 10. The first is because this is heavily fragranced. The smell reminds me of Irish Spring bar soap. It’s not an offensive smell and it doesn’t linger on the skin after it’s applied, but I’d rather not have that wafting in the air every time I go to use it. The second reason is just the color. I wish there was a golden orange-yellow-brown color available and not just deep red-brown. It has a great formula, but if it’s not a color I love then there isn’t much reason to use it over everything else I own and prefer. To a luxury lover, I would recommend giving this a try, provided one can find a good shade match.
Because I like the formula of this product, I was tempted to get the Starlight Glow CC Highlighter, but I heard it has visible shimmer particles, so I skipped it.
2024 Bronzer Collection Ranking
This list does not include every bronzer I’ve ever tried or owned. I did not include bronzers from face palettes, unless the brand sells the item individually as well. Not included in this ranking, despite my owning them or having owned them in the past, are the Huda Tantour, Glossier Cloud Paint Bronzer, and Benefit Hoola. Huda’s and Glossier’s are unranked because they were shipped to the US (so I haven’t used them yet). I did not include Benefit’s bronzer because it has been so long since I used it that I don’t think I can accurately compare them to the others. Plus, I need a shade from Benefit that’s between Caramel and Toasted. That’s why I never repurchased it.
The names in bold lettering were added to the ongoing ranking list in 2024. Last year’s Bronzer Ranking/Declutter and 2023 Bronzer Review Mega Post can be found HERE and HERE.
Hermès Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer (cream)
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer (powder)
Kosas The Sun Show Bronzer (old version/discontinued)
Victoria Beckham Matte Bronzing Brick
Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick
Glowish by Huda Beauty Bronzer (discontinued)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Cream Bronzer
Hatice Schmidt Labs Bronzer
Colourpop Super Shock Bronzer
Gucci Bronzing Powder
Dior Forever Natural Bronzer
Vieve Modern Bronzer Duo
Westman Atelier Butter Powder Bronzer
By Terry Tea to Tan Sun Powder
Armani Luminous Silk Bronzing Powder
Mented Bronzer
Nars Laguna Talc-Free Bronzing Powders
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer
Pat Mcgrath Divine Powder Bronzers
MAC Sunstruck Bronzer (Matte)
Covergirl Trublend Bronzer
Nars Laguna Cream Bronzer
Nabla Skin Bronzing
Nars Powder Bronzer (old version/discontinued)
Armani Luminous Silk Bronzer Drops
Rose Inc Cream Bronzer
Glossier Solar Paint (might be discontinued in favor of the Cloud Paint Bronzers)
Danessa Myricks Power Bronzer
MAC Sunstruck Bronzer (Radiant)
Melt Contour/Bronzer Stack
Jaclyn Hill Sun Bathe Pressed Bronzers (discontinued)
Kosas The Sun Show Bronzer (Current Version)
Kaleidos Contour Trio
LH Cosmetics Infinty Bronzer
I Heart Revolution Tasty Coffee Bronzer
r.e.m. Hypernova Bronzer
Fenty Sunstlk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer
The Makeup by Mario Perfector
Coloured Raine Powder Bronzers
Makeup Revolution Glow Splendour
Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer Stick
I still get the desire to use everything in my top 30. However, the bronzers I use the most are the ones I still have with me within the top 11.
That’s everything! Thanks for reading this final post for 2024. I hope you’ll return in 2025. Happy New Year!
I’ve made it no secret here that I don’t enjoy reviewing perfumes because of how subjective this sort of thing is. So, for me to be interested enough to post about Kayali’s Yum Boujee Marshmallow is very telling! Then, I thought about the additional nine unreviewed Kayali perfumes I tried since my previous ranking…but I still don’t want to review them!
At least not in the traditional sense.
If this is your first time visiting this blog, Welcome! I am fully disclosing that I am not affiliated with this brand. The Kayali and Mona Kattan accounts on social media are very active, so I’ve gotten likes and/or comments on my Kayali related Instagram posts, but that’s the extent of any communication I have with them. All of my Kayali and Huda Beauty products have been purchased by me with my own money and all opinions are my own.
In order to make perfume reviews a bit more fun to write, I try to inject a little more humor (no matter how corny) and try not to worry so much about objectivity while still being thorough.
Kayali Yum Boujee Marshmallow | 81
The key notes for this fragrance are “Strawberry, Pink Marshmallow, [and] Whipped Vanilla.” Anyone who doesn’t like one or more of those notes will not enjoy this perfume because everything else takes a backseat. My first thought when I sprayed this was that it smells like a Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard, my favorite ice cream from Dairy Queen!
I instantly get the strawberry and sweet creamy vanilla notes. It isn’t until a few hours in that I can actually smell marshmallow. Real marshmallows don’t have a strong scent to begin with, so the fact that it ever registers as something more than just generally sweet is impressive. I understand why it took the brand 81 iterations to nail!
So, in the opening it’s a strawberry candy, light baked vanilla dessert, and ice cream kind of smell. The strawberry only lasts a short time, which is unfortunate because it’s delicious. Hours in, it morphs into more of that marshmallow and toasted coconut kind of smell. For the rest of the day, I’m a walking vanilla milkshake! This fragrance is supposed to have the fruit notes “Pink Lady Apple and Italian Lemon,” as well as floral notes of “Freesia, Nectarine Blossom, and Orange Blossom Water.” However, I can’t detect any of that. Perhaps they’re in the background adding to the overall sweetness, but this scent is purely a gourmand dream on my skin! To me, it’s never heavy or sweet to the point of being sickly. I think that’s the “fluffiness” people keep referring to, with it smelling more like a whipped cream less like a fondant.
This is so close to being my favorite Kayali perfume, but Yum Pistachio remains the queen. That fragrance is so different from anything else I’ve ever owned. The soapy and powdery aspects add a little more complexity. I think people who might normally not like gourmands could be swayed over by Yum Pistachio. However, Yum Marshmallow is for the people who want to smell like they belong on the counter of an upscale bakery. Yum Boujee Marshmallow brings all the boys to the yard!
Regarding the sillage, I need to give myself at least three spritzes in order to continue smelling this on myself all day long, and it stays within my bubble. The only time someone can smell it is if I’m in hugging range. This is unlike my other top 9 Kayali fragrances that have a wider projection area from just 1-2 sprays for several hours before it becomes a skin scent. I prefer having the shorter waft range in exchange for having it last until I’m ready to shower at the end of the night. My husband is quite sensitive to smells, to the point that he finds Yum Pistachio and other Kayali favorites to be too overpowering in the first 1-2 hours. It’s the “cloud of sweetness” as he refers to them from just one spritz. One time I literally had to put my sweater in another room when I was with his family because I had sprayed it (just once) 45 minutes prior with Yum Pistachio and it was too strong for his family to handle. With Yum Marshmallow though, my husband still finds the three sprays to be strong, but not overwhelming. The reason this is important is because I’ve seen people online practically bathing in their perfumes, spraying at least six times every few hours. If this perfume requires me to use double or triple the amount I usually do, I’m not sure if it’s going to be strong enough to satisfy heavy perfume wearers. Although my bottle is frosted, I can see that I’ve already used as much of Yum Marshmallow in a week as I’ve used of Eden Sparkling Lychee and Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar over the course of months. This doesn’t bother me because I can’t ever finish a perfume before it goes bad (which is the whole reason I only buy travel sizes anymore), so I don’t mind the idea of making a repurchase for once if needed. However, I acknowledge that’s not everyone’s situation, so it was important to note here.
Also, I just wanted to add that the only layering I’ve done is pairing both Yum fragrances together. Pistachio with a single spritz still overpowers Marshmallow and is admittedly too potent of a combo for me.
Eden Sparkling Lychee | 39
Prior to Yum Boujee Marshmallow, this was my short-lived second favorite Kayali Fragrance. Dessert-like gourmands are my favorite smells, but then next in line would be fruits. Of the fruity notes, I don’t really pick up anything specific. I can smell tartness (perhaps from the black current and lemon) and candy-like sweetness, which register sensorially as “juiciness.” I’m not sure if it’s that juiciness, tartness, or the actual red apple note that puts this within the Eden scent family, or if it’s all of the above.
Even more than the fruits, is the overpowering sugared violets smell. Thankfully, I love the smell of violets, so I think this is my favorite part of the perfume. The only disappointing bit is that is has lychee in the name, yet I can’t detect it. The rose adds a nice brightness to the perfume. The overall scent makes me think of a Girls’ trip or vacation.
One spray is plenty for me. It can’t be smelled across the room, but it’s enough to smell across a table for at least three hours. It fades a little, to the point that it requires someone to be within a foot of me to detect it for an additional six to seven hours. After that, I can smell it on myself for a few hours more before it’s gone.
Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar | 42
I was a lot more into this fragrance when I first got it, but as I started comparing it to other scents from the brand, it dropped lower for me. I obviously love the sweetness. I can smell the pear, vanilla, and unidentifiable florals (likely ylang ylang and jasmine). There’s a milder violet smell than what is present in Eden Sparkling Lychee. In the beginning hours, instead of rum, this smells a bit like an aging perfume type of alcohol smell. Thankfully, that doesn’t last the whole time. It unfortunately also has patchouli, which on the rare occasion I can tolerate, but in this fragrance I can tell it’s there. Luckily for me, the sugary aspects mostly overshadow it, which is why I continue to give it a chance and wear it on occasion. Essentially, parts of the day I love it because of the fruity-sugary drink vibes, and some parts of the day I wish I wore something different. However, most of the negatives aren’t as much of a factor if I layer it with something else. I try to judge perfumes based on how they work as a standalone product. I will also say that this is something better sprayed onto my clothes instead of my skin because then I don’t have to deal with my body chemistry tainting the patchouli. Times I spray it on my clothes is when I have the best experiences with it.
One of the biggest positives Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar has going for it though is that it’s quite long lasting on me, and it’ll fill a room for several hours before becoming something only I can smell on myself.
Vacay in a Bottle Discovery Set
Marrakesh in a Bottle Orange Blossom | 24
Capri in a Bottle Lemon Sugar | 14
Maui in a Bottle Sweet Banana | 37
Maldives in a Bottle Ylang Coco | 20
Right off the bat, all of these are personal/skin scents with very little sillage and lasting power on me. I fell in love with Capri Lemon Sugar, but even after three sprays it’s just gone within several hours. It doesn’t matter if it’s on my skin or clothes, this just doesn’t want to last and I’ll never be the person who carries perfume in her purse to do touch ups. The travel size set was too expensive for me, so I was glad when they released them individually, but even more glad the discovery set tester pack was an option. I would have been so disappointed otherwise!
Capri smells just as I would expect from the name. It’s a better lemon sugar for me than Fresh’s Sugar Lemon perfume. The only thing that matters regarding spraying my skin versus clothing is that this smells amazing on my clothes from start to finish, like vanilla–lemon cupcakes. On my skin, it reminds me too much of antiseptic and takes a couple of hours to start smelling better, which is unfortunately a few hours before it ends up disappearing. If this had better longevity, it would have been a winner.
I expected to hate Maui because I’m really not into banana scented things, but it is surprisingly nice! I get a bit more of the coconut cream and vanilla though than banana. It’s lightly sweet and a tiny bit floral, but then disappears into nothing. This is one that only smells good on my clothing. On my skin, it smells way too grown for me. Like…geriatric.
I like the orange smell from Marrakesh, but it disappears quickly. If I reach for a citrus scent, I want to be able to smell it for at least a few hours, not minutes. I also like the spiced peppery exotic smell from the rest of the notes, but the perfume is overall too floral for me and the smell vanishes the quickest of these four. On my bare skin, it especially takes on a more herbal-green scent from the mix of pink pepper and cedarwood rather than sweet-floral from the Turkish Rose that I can only smell if it’s sprayed on my clothes. So, I prefer this scent on my clothing too, but I’d rather just not wear it at all because it’s not a “me” type of fragrance.
Maldives Ylang Coco was the one I was most concerned by because I feared it would be a repeat experience of Utopia Vanilla Coco (that so many people love and I despise). On my clothes, it’s better than I expected, but I don’t appreciate the herbal nature that it turns into on my skin, and I can only smell fruits (starfruit and lemon) in the beginning. I like the smell of rosemary, but it’s awful on me. Maldives Ylang Coco has a slight sweetness throughout (probably from the coconut milk), but this one just isn’t my kind of perfume.
Something about these vacation fragrances mingling with my body chemistry just…goes wrong. The best of the bunch for me is Capri, which is miles above the others.
Kayali Velvet Santal is quite the departure from the primarily feminine fragrances. I sometimes enjoy a unisex or masculine fragrance, like Replica’s Jazz Club. However, this one is just not for me. It has some pleasant notes like jasmine and white musk, but it’s strongly leathery, which I assume is from the benzoin. I don’t mind leather, but it’s a bit much. I can also smell the woody notes, but the website described it as a “creamy sandalwood” with warm cedarwood. I was expecting it to make me think of taking a pleasant walk through a forest…not stumbling through a lumbar yard.
I wouldn’t call this bad, but it’s just really not my style. I’m glad I only bought the trial vial, but based on the notes, chances were low that I’d like it anyway. I figured I could give it to my husband (then-boyfriend), but he’s not into it either.
The photo above is the best interpretation I could find of the feeling Velvet Santal envokes. It’s not light enough to be what I consider a “clean” fragrance, but there’s something smooth and streamlined about it. It’s simplistic. It smells like an object. It’s like I spent too much time in someone’s woodworking and leather-working studio (the cleanest one in existence), and the smells from there naturally rubbed onto me, not due to a perfume. There’s not much projection and not much longevity either.
Moving along…
According to reviewers I saw prior to the launch, they called Silk Santal a mixture of Vanilla 28 and Deja Vu. I wanted to love 28, but the patchouli ruined it, and I liked Deja Vu, but not enough to want a travel size. So, the fact that this doesn’t have patchouli and Silk Santal is like a combination of the other perfumes I wanted, I was sold! I took the chance on the 10ml bottle.
On the bright side, this smells alright, but I certainly wanted more out of it. It has a tame sweetness mixed with florals. It’s an unoffending vanilla-floral, which feels “safe” and a bit boring. It’s more of a skin scent for me, but it lasts between six and eight hours. I can’t recall if I just didn’t bring it with me or if I actually gave it away. It’s good enough that I don’t mind owning it, but how could I ever reach for it when I have the Yum ones in my collection that make me way more excited to put it on and bring me much more joy?
Mona and her husband mentioned that these fragrances represented them, which is why it’s totally fine that it’s not really for me or my mister! Silk Santal is more of a spring-summer kind of scent, which is quite far from the vibes of the chilly winter wedding I had!
I can’t remember what I wore on my wedding day, but my best guess is a combination of Yum Pistachio Gelato and Lovefest Burning Cherry because that’s my favorite. The only other possibility is Invite Only, because my husband was more into that one at the time and I don’t know if I picked that to be safer. It’s actually possible that I wore Invite Only on the second day instead when we took additional photos at a different location.
Elixir | 11
I waited so long to try and get a mini or travel size of this in the US, but it had been out of stock for well over a year. When I moved to Germany, I was excited to see it was actually available! Neither the US nor Deutschland had the trial samples in stock, but I was too curious not to take a chance. So, I got the 10ml travel size!
I don’t know if this will be discontinued, so I’ll list all the notes from the website: Red Apple, Rose de Mai Absolute, Jasmine Sambac Absolute, Patchouli, Vanilla, and according to the website images, there is also musk. I never thought of myself as a rose fan, but however the perfumers concocted or extracted it is just wonderful! Apparently Rose de Mai is supposed to be quite special in itself. The combination of the apple with the rose and jasmine somehow registers to my brain as citrus-like, which I love (some people say they smell grape instead)! Perhaps what I’m actually smelling is a certain kind of patchouli that when balanced with the rose is having that effect. It is easier to say I hate patchouli because 90% of the time it ruins a fragrance for me. I’m a perfume novice, so I don’t know a lot of specifics, but apparently there are many things that effect how patchouli will smell and most especially what it’s paired with. I think nearly all are bad on my body, but the ones that work were formulated a different way or the combination of other things changes it enough that I won’t mind it.
Musk can be an iffy note for me too, but the musks from Kayali are great. So, the combination of everything in Elixir just works for me (at least in the beginning). It’s got a depth/richness to it. It’s sexy and dark. The florals keep it from leaning too masculine and too heavy. If you’re more interested in the apple though, just know that it creates a synergy with the other notes and doesn’t stand out as distinctly apple on its own. To help the apple stand out or to smell fruitier overall, I would suggest pairing it with Juicy Apple.
One spritz keeps Elixir within a more intimate cloud around me. Unfortunately for me, after an hour, most of the sweetness disappears and I’m left with more of the musky-earthy kind of smell. I’m grateful for the vanilla to help it along. At this point it’s still not bad, but it’s a lot less intoxicating than how it starts.
By two hours, I can only smell this if my nose is pressed up right to my skin. This perfume is supposed to be incredibly long lasting, but only the patchouli lasts all day. Four hours in, every other note is undetectable.
The photo below shows how much of my perfumes were used prior to starting this review. I like Elixir, but I almost never use it! However, I think with this scent profile combination, it was intended to be layered with other fragrances. For example, there’s vanilla in here, but it’s not as pronounced of a note as it is in other Kayali fragrances. I assume it’s there to help branch Elixir with other Kayali perfumes together without being overpowering. So, I expect to have a much bigger dent in it this year.
S tier essentially means that I would repurchase it if I ran out and might even consider buying a larger size bottle if my fragrance collection was smaller.
A tier is for the perfumes that I like enough to be happy if I was gifted a bottle, but not enough to repurchase myself (purely because I would want to use up the S tier ones instead).
B tier has the scents I like when I’m in a particular mood. They aren’t scent profiles I wear that often, but I will still enjoy them while I have them.
C tier falls into two groups: the perfumes that are nice yet boring or the perfumes that don’t contain enough good notes to outweigh the ones that either do nothing for me or I even dislike.
D tier is for the perfumes that I really don’t like. It might start off nice but dries down to something I despise. It’s more common for me to come across a D tier fragrance as a free gift with purchase sample that I didn’t choose. Usually, if the notes are to my liking, the worst it ends up at is C tier. Utopia Vanilla Coco is the rare unexpected disappointment.
F tier is for the perfumes that I find to be vile. It would be something I’d have to immediately wash off my skin or to change my clothes. Since I always look at notes before I buy I perfume, it’s likely I expected an F tier fragrance to work for me, but it somehow didn’t. In this case, chances are high that it just didn’t mix well with my body chemistry and is unlikely to be universally disliked by everyone. A perfume rarely gets into F tier for me, but an example is every Juicy Couture fragrance. I tried at least five and they always smelled amazing on my friend, but terrible on me.
Over time, my preferences have slightly changed. My perfumes have had time to mature. Seasons change. New memories and scent associations have occurred. So, it’s only natural that the order of my Kayali perfume favorites shifted a bit.
On a final note, I just wanted to share that for the Huda Cyber Craze event this year, I bought a notebook and the fragrance case that is supposed to hold three 100 ml bottles. It’s listed as rose gold, but to me it’s more like a rosy bronze. It makes for a very secure makeup bag with the two dividers inside. Naturally, it’s way bigger than the Yum Pistachio Gelato Fragrance case that I’m using a bit more as intended by holding all my trial and travel size perfumes. I just wanted to share pictures and comparisons in case anyone has been interested in getting those from the website. I tend to like Huda’s non-makeup merch too.
I was not the only person confused when I was scrolling through the GlamJunkiescom Instagram page thinking I just saw a newly launched collection of Pat Mcgrath 5-pan palettes, only to read the description and realize it’s a collaboration trio of palettes between Kiko Milano and Sara Sampaio!
I haven’t purchased a single thing from Pat Mcgrath in 2023, which is wild considering what a huge fan I am of the brand. The color stories just didn’t entice me enough. However, the Kiko Milano Dazzling Drama palette seemed practically made for me, so I bought it. In the collection, there is also Dazzling Sunset and Dazzling Daydream, but I didn’t get them because they had colors too similar to what I own from Pat Mcgrath. I just wanted to see if Kiko managed to recreate the look and performance of PML’s shadows for less money. If you’re curious, please continue reading! Also, I’ve included a few bonus reviews at the end of this post!
The palette sizes, unicartons, and packaging materials are identical. The texture of the shimmers and press/ribbon pattern on the non-shimmer shades look just like the 5 pans from Pat Mcgrath. Visually, the only identifiable difference is that Kiko’s pans are smaller.
The palettes from both brands are made in Italy. From what I can see, the ingredients are the same too, just in different amounts/order. The biggest discrepancy is that the “mattes” from Kiko have silica and kaolin as the final ingredients. Bold Bordeaux looks like a matte shadow in the pan, but it’s a satin. It’s smoother than Purple Passion, which is the actual matte. Despite having such similar ingredients, Purple Passion doesn’t have the same creamish-powder feel that made me fall in love with Pat Mcgrath’s cream-powder formula from her quints. Kiko’s feel stiffer, less creamy, and not as smooth or easy to pick up, but the finish manages to look the same.
I would be fine with the “mattes” feeling different, as long as they performed as well. Unfortunately though, these two shades end up looking identical on the eyes because the vibrant color (Purple Passion) darkens and Bold Bordeaux turns smokey dark grey-purple when blended. It’s like there’s a dark base in them that’s used to create the illusion of opacity, but when I attempt to blend the shadows on my eyes, the purple tones get blended away and I’m just left with the darkness.
In the first eye look, Purple Passion is in the inner half of the crease with Bold Bordeaux on the outer half. In the second eye look, I used Purple Passion in the crease alone and tried my best to not blend it as much, yet it still darkened. I’ve tried different eyeshadow bases and using no base at all and it didn’t change the outcome.
I used Jade Journey on the lower lash line in the first look and all over the lid in the second look. In that second look, I put Illuminating Nude in the center of the lid and inner corner too. Radiant Plum is the lid shade in the first eye look.
The Kiko palette swatches beautifully. If I saw these swatches alone, I would have thought the quality of this palette was the same as Pat Mcgrath’s, but it’s only a match for the shimmers. I was able to show the vibrancy of Purple Passion because I didn’t have to swipe or blend back and forth on my arm, which would have caused it to darken. I am most disappointed by those, but the shimmers are great. Kiko’s shimmers don’t feel as wet, but they have nearly the same pigment level and sparkle as Pat’s quint formula.
I love the green shade! It is pretty much a dupe of Galactic Conquest from Pat’s Sith Seduction palette that I skipped buying because I only wanted that green. Now, I don’t feel FOMO since I have a decent substitute!
Radiant Plum and Illuminating Nude are the kinds of colors I see from all brands and I have similar enough shades from PML too, so they aren’t as special even though they perform well. In fact, this whole color story reminds me of Viseart’s London Etoile. Ever since making that comparison, I became less excited about this palette and just wished to have access to that one again. In some countries, that palette ranges from 24 to 28 Euros compared to Dazzling Drama costing 26 Euros. I would recommend the Viseart palette over this one.
Compared to Pat Mcgrath, Kiko’s eyeshadow is 7.7 Euro per gram vs 9 Euro per gram, so I see the price savings. It’s a collab product, so it should technically be cheaper if it wasn’t tied to a celebrity. However, is it really saving money if I only use the shimmers? With Pat Mcgrath, I normally don’t have to worry about shadows not being true to color. For me, I’ll stick with PML.
As promised, here are some bonus reviews. Since Kiko is on the more affordable side of makeup, I thought I would include some of my previously unreviewed drugstore purchases from this year.
Nyx the Marshmellow Setting Spray
This has the same smell as the brand’s Marshmellow primer, which I like, but the scent is strong. I can still smell it for several hours after putting it on, which is why I count this as a negative aspect.
It’s a mattifying setting spray, but it’s only semi-effective. I don’t know how well this would hold up on someone with oily skin. It doesn’t feel like it dries out my skin and it doesn’t leave it feeling tight or uncomfortable. It prohibits my dry skin from letting moisture break through if I pair it with a foundation that essentially does the same thing, but if I’m using a dewy foundation, then my face will continue to glow (just less than usual). It basically helps low transfer makeup to improve on the transfer resistance, but it’s not tough enough to make an easily transferring foundation become transfer proof.
I decided to put my theory to the test and use the same foundation all over by face, but only spray one half of it. I waited four hours and then pressed a napkin to my face. The left half (the side with no spray) has slightly more transfer than the right half that was sprayed. However, the difference isn’t enough to make me want to use this product and I am content with just skipping the setting spray step altogether. If there’s a time when I need my makeup to be locked into place, I’m going to reach for others first.
My only other complaint about this product is the sprayer. A lot comes out, and forcefully at that. I wish it would spray like a mist, but I’m considering transferring the liquid into a different bottle so it will be more enjoyable to use.
Essence Call Me Queen Mascara and Essence Lash Without Limits Extreme Lengthening & Volume Mascara
Both of these mascaras gave me an initially bad impression. I discovered that opening and closing them, then setting them aside for at least a week was the trick to getting a better outcome. When I first opened the tubes, they were too wet. The formulas had a hard time building on my eyelashes. Two weeks is the sweet spot for the mascaras to thicken, which is enough to get at least satisfactory results. Unfortunately, within a month of opening each, they both started to form clumps and started to be a bit too thick. It takes me five minutes to get them looking nice per eye. Ten full minutes to apply mascara is too long for me, especially when I can get it done much quicker with my favorite Essence mascara: Volume Stylist 18h Lash Extension Mascara.
Lash Without Limits gives me a little more volume and a fluffy look to my lashes. Call Me Queen still gives volume, while also adding the tiniest bit more length, but the shape of the applicator makes it slightly harder to apply mascara to my innermost lashes.
I would consider the amount I used in the photos to be two coats, even though I repeatedly went over the lashes so many times. Because these mascaras are so wet, they are both prone to smudge onto my lid/lash line if I squeeze my eyes shut too tightly before the mascara has time to dry. I don’t notice flaking, but any clumps that stick to tips of my lashes have the potential to fall on my face later in the day.
My preference between the two is the Lash Without Limits, but I would not repurchase either of them purely because of how long it takes to get them to look separated, as clump-free as possible, and with enough length and thickness built up.
That’s all I’ve got for today! I hope you’ll return next week to check out another new post!
Lili's Beauty Blog 