Choosing the right foundation shade online can be difficult, especially when photos of swatches differ from how the shades look on the models. On the Huda Beauty website, I bought 3 minis of the Easy Blur Foundation: 440G Cinnamon, 450G Chocolate Mousse, and 500G Mocha.
The minis are ordinarily €16 each, but buying three dropped the price in the online shopping cart to €30. Each mini has 10ml of product, whereas the full size is 30ml for €37. This was the best option for me considering I rarely use up foundations and I’ve gotten gradually darker towards the end of summer. It isn’t the worst thing to have various colors in small sizes to mix with foundations to tailor my shade.
SHADE CHOICE
I was surprised to see the lightest of the three I chose was the best fit for me, especially because I look significantly darker than the model for shade 440 Cinnamon. In addition, my concealer shade 7.1 Crumble is recommended to be paired with the 450 Chocolate Mousse foundation. I tried 450, which can technically work too in the barest amounts, but the more that color is built up, the easier it is to see that it’s darker than my current skin color. 500 was obviously too dark.
My recommendation when choosing a shade is to pick based on the arm swatches on the website. Those seem most accurate to me, within the Deep Tan spectrum of shades at least.
COVERAGE
One of the best aspects of this foundation is how much coverage I get from using the barest amounts and how lightweight it feels on the skin. Using a synthetic brush worked better for me in trying to get a light-medium amount of coverage. I could not get less than that with a brush, but the brand states that this gives “medium to buildable” anyway. I like high medium coverage, but in my opinion, less is more with this foundation. It’s supposed to be “blurring,” but it can look heavier than it feels because of the coverage level even with so little product used. The ability to easily spread it across the face evenly and lightly is important to how the final outcome will look. So, I start small with as little product as possible all over the face, and then only add more to the areas of discoloration.
FINISH/LONGEVITY
Testing this throughout September was interesting because the weather here had various conditions that were sunny enough for me to get sweaty, it was often rainy and windy, as well as cloudy and cold. I prefer using this in warm weather because it has a natural finish that gets glowier throughout the day. It can look borderline oily in some spots, but it still looks pretty at the end of the day and without touch ups. As it got colder this month, I produced even less oil and the finish was a bit more matte than I want. It took so many hours just to get a little glow. On colder days, it was nice combining this with my N1 de Chanel foundation, keeping the Easy Blur in the outskirts that I want soft matte but having the glow from Chanel in the center. Another thing I like about this foundation is the transfer resistance, though I don’t know how it holds up on people with other skin types.
USE WITH POWDER
Although I don’t need it, I figured I should test this a few times with powder to be able to report on the results. Using finishing powders and my weaker setting powders didn’t change the performance at all. It still got glowy in the warm weather. However, I used the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder on a day that was warm all day, but got cold at night. The powder kept me looking way more matte all day and I could see the blurring action. I personally didn’t like it because I want the glow, but for someone looking for full coverage and a matte finish, combining the foundation with the powder is the way to go. In the photo demonstration, the powder side is slightly lighter because I was wearing the darker foundation shade (450 G) with the Blondie powder instead of Kunufa. Blondie was just easier within reach.
USE WITH PRIMER
I tried this foundation with my typical skincare underneath and nothing else. I’ve also used this with skincare plus the Benefit Porefessional Hydate Primer. I know Huda has an Easy Blur primer, but I did not purchase it. All I can say is that I actually prefer the results when I’m not using primer with this foundation. The Benefit one acted a bit as a barrier and I didn’t have as many “glowy” spots. However, I felt like it sat more on top of the skin and didn’t look as natural.
The brand recommends using the primer, foundation, and powder all together. That might be necessary for those who want to look poreless, flawless, and filtered. For my needs and what I’m looking for in makeup, the foundation alone is enough.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Now that we’re moving towards winter, I’m less happy using this foundation alone. At the best of times, in summer, this reminds me of the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation and N1 de Chanel. I still prefer those two over this foundation (because of the glowier finish and being more forgiving of texture on the skin during that glow phase), but considering this is €20 and €40 Euros cheaper, this is a fantastic alternative for someone who doesn’t want to pay luxury prices, yet have a similar performance. I continue to really like the Huda Beauty brand, and I appreciate the fact that they made minis not just for a few colors, but literally all 29 shades! I can’t think of a brand besides Huda and Fenty that has done that (in a range with over 15 shades). I don’t know if this option will be available to other retailers, but I recommend giving this foundation a try, especially if you have access to a mini.
That’s all for today! I hope you’ll click follow and return next week!
My collection of Chanel products has grown since moving to the EU and having access to the products at reduced prices via the retailer Parfümerie Pieper. If I was still in the US, I would have tried to redeem them with reward points via Ulta.
*DISCLOSURE: Non-highlighted links in bold blue font (Example) are standard non-affiliate links. Links marked in bold black font with a light blue background (Example) are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to get a commission if purchases are made directly using my link. The only affiliate links in this post are brush related. I have no ties to Chanel. All products were purchased by me and my opinions are my own.
The Tarot of Chanel Matte Powder Blush in Blood Orange
My desire to buy this partly stems from my fascination with the occult (from the fantasy sense and not actually taking it seriously), and partly from my desire to have an easier-to-apply orange blush from Chanel. Last year, I purchased Beige et Corail, but it wasn’t easy to wear between not being pigmented enough and the firmness in which it was pressed.
The color surprised me, because on my skin tone it looks more like a peach than a blood orange. It at least appears slightly darker on my cheeks. I’ve had this for over a month and honestly haven’t used it much outside of testing purposes. I am still glad to have an easier shade to wear, but I think I’m all set on blushes within the orange family from the brand.
Regarding the quality, it is nice. I like it much better than the blush in the Les Beiges trio containing a blush, bronzer, and highlighter. The powder is much softer and easier to pick up with any of my brushes. It’s blendable and buildable with a soft matte finish.
The quality is there, but I would not have been missing much if I skipped on this one, though it is a limited edition collection item. Chanel tends to be out of my budget, but for anyone that considers their products to be worth the price, as long as it’s the “good Chanel quality,” then I don’t think they’d be disappointed.
Since I nearly accidentally threw out the brush, I should note that Chanel does include a brush with this blush. It doesn’t fit inside the compact, and is instead housed in its own velvet pouch that is inside the unicarton/box. The blush comes in a pouch as well and seems to be fragrance free.
Chanel Joues Contraste Intense Cream-to-Powder Blush in Rouge Franc
I’ve heard that is one is a permanent edition to the Chanel line. Out of the five colors, I was drawn to Rouge Franc (purely for its eye-catching vibrance), Rose Radiant (the type of warm pink I like), and Grenat Profond as a gorgeous deep berry. I think the latter would have been too cool for my skin tone, and Rose Radiant didn’t look pigmented enough to be able to appear true to color on my cheeks. So, I only purchased Rouge Franc.
I bought this at the beginning of the month. In contrast to the Tarot blush, I’ve used this one surprisingly more than I expected. I can achieve a somewhat sunburned or flushed look to my face. At times, it looks more orange-red. Other times, perhaps when paired with cooler makeup or pink tones, it looks deep reddish-pink. In any case, I like the color more than I expected.
In the first series of photos, it’s applied over Huda Beauty’s Easy Blur in 440G. With the green tank top, I’m wearing the N1 de Chanel Foundation in BD91 mixed with some of the 440 Easy Blur on the outskirts of my face. In the last photo, I’m using the HB Easy Blur in 450G. I wore it during different times of day with varying amounts of sunlight. This product can look way more punchy in person than how it looks on camera when I tried to build up the blush in the last two photos. However, I enjoy when it looks more subtle, so how it’s depicted in the first two photos is the look I try to achieve each time. The point is that for such a strong color, it can be sheered out. The formula is also not as “intense” as the name suggests. There’s pigment, but it’s not opaque as one blends it into the cheeks.
When I watched reviews to decide if I wanted to get this product, I heard that it’s best to use a synthetic brush and to watch out for the intense rose fragrance added to the formula. Regarding the scent, I weirdly mostly smell it from the outside of the compact. If I put my nose directly up to the powder, it’s not any more intense than when it’s further from my face. It has also lessened over time, but parfum is listed high in on the ingredient list, so those that avoid it should be warned. As for the brush situation, I haven’t had problems using the Bisyodo CF-FD Brush (Sokoho goat hair) nor the Sonia G Mini Base (a mix of synthetic and natural). In fact, the denseness of the Bisyodo brush really helps to pick up enough product and sheer it out to a thin even veil. I think the important thing to note if you’re not using a synthetic brush is to make sure the brush is a densely packed goat, fox, or perhaps even kolinsky. I wouldn’t try it with a squirrel brush or even a goat one if it has too much bend or give to it.
This is a cream to powder formula. Although I agree with others that the closest comparison is to the Armani Neo Nude Melting Colour Balms, these are still different enough that I would not call them dupes. The Chanel blush is more solid in texture than a cream, and if I press down hard enough I can leave an imprint. However, it’s not as squishy as the MAC Glow Plays either. Product can be picked up much easier onto the fingers or a brush than the Armani and MAC blushes. Also, if I don’t clean my brush enough between uses, I start to see some of my foundation come onto the surface of the blush the way it does with the MAC Glow Plays too.
I like the way cream blushes keep my dry skin looking hydrated, but I hate when they don’t set down on the skin. Using this Chanel formula avoids that problem as it doesn’t feel wet or oily on my cheeks. It also is marked to last for at least 18 months after opening, which is longer than a lot of cream or liquid products. The color fades a bit, but will still be visible all day, as long as I am wearing a foundation that is transfer resistant.
If Chanel expands the range, I know I will want to buy more. However, the colors would need to be different enough from what I already have from Armani, MAC, and Suqqu (discontinued Melting Powder Blush formula). The blushes from those three are the most similar to the look I get on the cheeks. Chanel’s formula is the easiest to apply of them all, but the price difference for the ease of use doesn’t completely even out. It would have to be the most perfect color ever for me to get another. However, I’d still recommend it to luxury lovers.
That’s everything for this week! Thank you for reading!
It’s that time of year again! The holiday makeup launches have started rolling out and this is the first of them that I’ve purchased! Let’s get right into the review, and I’ll save my overall thoughts, suggestions, and discuss my ordering experience towards the end.
*DISCLOSURE: Non-highlighted links in bold blue font (Example) are standard non-affiliate links. Links marked in bold black font with a light blue background (Example) are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to get a commission if purchases are made directly using my link. The only affiliate links in this post are brush related. I have no ties to Hourglass. All products were purchased by me and my opinions are my own.
I am including some demonstration photos. In the photos with the black shirt, I’m wearing the Huda Beauty Easy Blur Foundation in shade 440 G Cinnamon. I used Eternal Light to set the concealer under my eyes. In the photos with the dark gray shirt, I’m wearing the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation in Shade 14. In these pictures, I’m wearing Eternal Light all over the face, so the pictures with the blush (and no highlighter added) still look a bit highlighted due to the use of that finishing powder. I’ve gotten a little darker this summer, so I wanted to show how the products look on different foundations and with lighting coming in from different times of the day.
GILDED STROBE LIGHT – Hooray! Hurrah! Finally, the right highlighter color for me from Hourglass! I had said that Divine Strobe Light from the Tiger palette was “perfect,” but I don’t wear that depth of highlighter anymore, and prefer for it to basically be a shimmery version of my skin tone. Prismatic Strobe Light from the Volume III trio was too dark, so I’ve been hoping for the brand to release something in-between. I’m so glad that day is finally here! That being said, this strobe line is beautifully reflective, but it enhances texture more than I’d like. The powder is ultra smooth with fine shimmer, but the shine effect can be a bit much for me if I’m not careful and over apply. However, I’m still happy to have this. I have ways to tone down highlighters and I could always just use it to bump up the intensity of other highlighters if I want.
DESERT FLUSH – A dark medium muted option! Hurray! Thank goodness this blush is one solid color combining “deep beige” with “peach”, because this is already on the cusp of what should be included in this palette in terms of depth (not in terms of color because a peach was absolutely needed in the line). It’s a buildable shade that shows up on me, but I have to use my dense brushes to pack on the color so I can wear it on its own. One such brush is the Sonia G Cheek Pro. In winter-spring, this color should be easier to wear. In any case, I find this shade useful to tone down or pair with Red 0. I am sometimes in the mood for a light blush, but this is pushing the limits of what I’d feel comfortable wearing in public by itself. I foresee myself combining this with other blushes from other brands.
ETERNAL LIGHT – I’m going to repeat what I said about Eternal Light from a previous review. This finishing powder is a golden brown color that matches my face perfectly! It gives a subtle luminous sheen, but also has a few flecks of gold glitter throughout. The difference this time, in the Lotus Palette, is that the larger gold specks seem to be way smaller than they are in the Volume III trio palette. In the past, the specks forced me to use it as either a mixer shade with bronzer or as a barely there highlighter. I’m thrilled I can actually use this shade as a setting powder now! I don’t know if it’s just my palette, or if all Eternal Light shades are now made with more refined shimmer.
As mentioned earlier, I set the concealer under my eyes with Eternal Light in the photos with the black lace shirt, and used it all over my face in the photos with the dark grey shirt. The matte blushes can look a bit flat on my dry skin, but using the finishing powder all over imparts some glow and makes them look more flattering.
RADIANT ROSE STROBE LIGHT – I normally don’t like pink highlighters, but this is actually pretty! It pairs so beautifully with the Red 0 blush. When used sparingly, this looks a bit gold too (or at least golden copper). I had to actually build up the color in my face demo photo for the rose tone to be clearly visible, which of course increased the emphasis on texture. Contrary to how it appears in my photos below, the reflectivity of this shade isn’t as strong as Gilded Strobe Light when used in smaller amounts. I like that part about it.
I used all the shades from the palette on my eyes in this photo above.
RED 0 – I’m honestly shocked that this shade is in this palette because Red 0 is such a special color for Hourglass. It’s their “exclusive pigment replacement for carmine.” They’d been working on the formulation of this color for years, first introducing it in their lipsticks. I would have expected them to pull the same stunt as Butterfly and put it in Dragon, but they didn’t. I give major kudos for that.
The description calls this a brick red, but I don’t agree. It’s a deep reddish/pink or deep rose. How it appears on my skin can be affected by my undertone, but it doesn’t look brick red in color when eyeballing it in the palette either. This shade is ultra pigmented, and I have to use a light hand and airy brushes to wear it subtly, the way I prefer. For example, with the Chikuhodo REN-7. I also want to note, regarding the color, that this is quite similar to a lot of blushes I’ve gotten recently (Chanel’s Deep Rose from the trio and Guerlain’s Deep Nude), but the tone is the slightest bit different. It makes me like it that tiniest bit more.
Of all the shades in this palette, I think this has the most potential to be added to the permanent blush line. If they do, I’d recommend swatching it in stores because it wouldn’t surprise me if they alter it to make it less pigmented, so that it’s easier for a wider range of people to be able to wear it. It’s already intense on me if I use even an airy goat brush and apply two light layers instead of a single one with squirrel or fox.
BRONZE HEAT – This is the darkest bronzer created by Hourglass thus far. It’s slightly darker than the Transcendent Light finishing powder, but it’s more of an undertone difference than depth difference. Transcendent Light looks deep brown – pink on me. Bronze Heat is neutral brown with a splash of red. Even though I prefer yellow/golden bronzers, I think Bronze Heat still looks good. I’ve gotten some sun this summer though, so the tones in my face have some red to it right now, which is probably helping it to match. I’m curious to see if I’ll still like it when I’m back to my normal skin tone. Solar Bronze, though lighter, is still my favorite bronzer from Hourglass so far. I’d love a deeper version though. In general, I’d still love to see a truly rich bronzer option, but the tweak to this year’s color is enough that people I follow that are a little darker than me that couldn’t wear last year’s bronzer have reported being able to use this year’s. So, even a small change made a difference. I can’t discredit that.
In these photos though, I had to pack on the product to get it to show. My favorite brush to use with these Ambient Lighting Edit Palettes, ever since I got it, is the Eihodo No. 153 which I used in the left picture. For the right picture, I switched to the much more dense Chikuhodo FO-2. They both fit so well into the size of these relatively small face powders.
Overall, I’ve noticed no differences in quality between the powders in these palettes and the ones in the past. The matte ones can look a bit too matte, which is when pairing them with the finishing powder helps. They’re all so smooth with the benefits that come from being a baked powder. I have no longevity issues. These continue to be lovely powder products! The consistent performance of these products year to year is how I’m able to confidently post this review after having used it for barely more than a week, instead of my longer testing process.
COMPARISONS
I don’t have access to my full Hourglass collection, so I could only compare things to my Tiger-Butterfly custom hybrid palette, the Snake palette (in Leopard packaging), and Lotus (in Dragon packaging). This year’s deep blushes are finally distinctly different from each other, and previous years. The highlighters and bronzers are super similar though, with just slight undertone differences.
The list of all my previous Hourglass reviews and rants (especially the Holiday palettes), can be found HERE.
HOW DID HOURGLASS DO THIS YEAR?
Before I can begin to answer this question, I wanted to point out some things I mentioned wanting over the years to see how Hourglass answered or ignored feedback from plenty of customers that shared the same thoughts as me.
2021 I hoped for less repeat shades, I believed there should be 3 palettes per year with one of those clearly designated as suitable for tan to deep skin tones (or darker, or for there to be at least a deeper extension of the permanent bronzer range). I also wanted more accurate representation of the shades in promotional images. 2022 I wanted a true bronzer for dark skin tones and not a translucent powder than could be used as bronzer. I didn’t mind if the brand released a mini or repeat of At Night in the deeper palette. I mentioned being willing to spend $100+ instead of $85 to make every shade in the palette customizable. I mentioned that it would be nice if they used their “miscelare technique” to mix two medium or darker colorful shades in a series of blushes instead of pale beige bases with a single color. 2023 I wanted a deeper bronzer option (since so far the depths are similar and the undertone is just changed), a dedicated true Deep/Rich palette option (even if it’s too much for someone like me), and some dark brown blush color options (less pinks and corals with the occasional orange). I hoped they would continue with palette cover customization, though choosing individual shades is still the ultimate dream. I also wished for a rabbit and/or panda cover art which would tie-in with the brand’s collaboration with the Nonhuman Rights Project.
So what did we get in 2024?
We got almost no repeat shades!
We have 3 palette options again with better designated colors per category (fair/light, light/medium, and tan-deep). Not being able to choose all 6 shades is okay if presets will continue to be good (ex: not having deep blushes in the fair palette like they did with Butterfly).
The brand decently represented the accuracy of shades in their website photos.
Hourglass gave us another dedicated deep bronzer, though it’s barely darker than Transcendent Light, and mostly another tone change.
They opted out of using the miscelare process, ensuring that every tan-deep palette will work the same for everyone instead of some people, who would normally be able to wear the shade, being unable to because their swirl had too much of the lighter color.
Hourglass gave everyone a peach and/or nude option. Everyone seems to love that. The Evil Eye colors had the typical Hourglass pinks and were too similar to each other in one palette. The Dragon and Lotus palettes were better at having distinctly different shades.
What are my hopes for 2025?
I would love if the brand would continue with adding more nude blush options (especially a deep skin friendly one with some brown along the lines of Chanel’s Brun Roussi Lumiere, MAC’s Coppertone, Format, and Burnt Pepper). All the reviews and comments I saw were positive regarding having less vibrant options. The only semi-negative part was Desert Flush not being deep enough to use alone for those with deeper skin tones, so ensuring they are at least dark medium in depth would be great.
I am still looking for Hourglass to make an ultra deep bronzer in at least the permanent collection, if not the Ambient Edit Palettes. I’m not that much darker right now, yet the bronzers are close to being too subtle on me, so this still isn’t dark enough for a ton of people.
I’d still be fine with Hourglass making At Night a repeat in the palette or for them to release a mini. Better yet, I would love the two colors within At Night to be mixed into one solid color and with an increase in pigmentation. That would be fantastic!
I would still love a rabbit and panda themed cover art.
That’s it! I really don’t have any major criticisms or requests. I think this is the best the brand has done so far. Back in 2021, I was worried that listening to customers was just performative and that we wouldn’t continue to see much work towards inclusion. I’m happy to say that someone over there seems to be putting in effort regarding this topic. It’s not even about wokeness. It makes financial sense to create products for customers when the demand is clearly there.
LOGISTICS
This was the first year I had to order my palette outside of the US. I’m happy to say it went smoothly. It cost €90 (VAT included). Influencer promo codes were able to be applied to the order. Shipping was free, but I added €5 for expedited shipping. I wanted to buy a gift box and gift bag in Dragon print, but they kept getting taken out of my cart on the payment page, so I assume they aren’t offered outside of the US. My package was delayed a few days, but that was due to the weather conditions in Germany at the time and not the fault of Hourglass.
If Hourglass continues with this upward trajectory, I will likely purchase next year’s iteration of holiday palettes too. Now that I have to spend even more than usual for these palettes, it’s that much more important for the brand to nail the colors and also offer shades different enough from previous launches.
That’s everything! Thank you for reading! Be sure to click the follow button if you’d love to be updated whenever a new post from me drops!
Today’s post is a discussion about which categories of makeup require splurging in order to get top tier quality products versus which ones are attainable at affordable prices. My opinion about this has changed over the years as formulations have improved. A decade ago, it was a common belief that high end makeup was guaranteed to be better than what could be found at a drugstore, but this concept is outdated.
I’m prefacing this by acknowledging everyone’s idea of “affordable” and the “worth/value” of a product will be different. When I use the term“drugstore,” it will be synonymous with inexpensive makeup pricing, just to give an all encompassing baseline term. I’m writing from the viewpoint of shopping within the US. There are some drugstore brands that are sold at much higher pricing internationally. For instance, the L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer that I ordered from Ulta that is normally $14.99 is €25.99 on the Douglas website in Germany. There are also some products I reference that are not available overseas, which means in some countries there may not be any top tier inexpensive options to purchase.
Also, others might have personal experiences with makeup that contradict mine, but that doesn’t make either of us wrong. The industry is ever changing with new products being produced every day. An affordable brand could release a line tomorrow or a week from now that makes what I deemed “better quality only within the high end category” no longer true. So, this post is intended to be a fun generalized analysis of current times within the makeup world and not statements of fact for every person.
My hope is that this can be a guide for anyone who wants to buy products that are considered the best of the best while spending the minimum amount of money necessary to get them.
Foundation
Verdict: Drugstore unless you need something to last an extended amount of time, and unless you can’t find a shade match. For these reasons, I still need high end options.
Whether it’s a liquid, powder, or cream, it’s my experience that the drugstores have very good foundation options nowadays. It’s not surprising when we think about how major parent companies have labs that can share formulas with multiple brands under their umbrella. For example, many people say that L’Oréal foundations and mascaras are similar to Armani Beauty products (also owned by the L’Oréal Group/ L’Oréal Luxe Division). Another example is that I’ve seen some Bobbi Brown highlighters that perform similarly to some from MAC Cosmetics, and some from MAC reminded me of Tom Ford (all three being under the Estée Lauder Companies Inc). MAC’s Strobe Dewy Skin Tint is allegedly Becca Cosmetics’ Light Shifter Dewing Tint Tinted Moisturizer. It stands to reason that if there’s formula sharing among companies that have both drugstore and prestige products, then one can get a top tier foundation at the drugstore.
One outlier is that sometimes the drugstore is lacking shade options on the lightest and deepest ends of the spectrum, so even if there are amazing formulas out there at affordable prices, that doesn’t guarantee someone will be able to find their shade in order to wear it.
The other outlier is that some drugstore foundations don’t have the wear time that a more expensive foundation has. I’ve had drugstore base products that started breaking apart on my face in under eight hours. I’ve had some that transferred badly, which made my makeup look way more worn in than it was supposed to be. I’ve had some that changed in smell and performance quicker than the typical 1 year after opening date. So, these are some of the downsides to more affordable options and reasons why I end up purchasing foundations between the mid to luxury tiers. I usually don’t have any trouble with longevity when it’s a prestige foundation.
Recommendations: I know there are some good drugstore foundations in theory, but I don’t have any I want to vouch for. For some pricier options, I’ve been a long time fan of Nars foundations across the board. Newer ones I’ve been wearing more frequently have been from Chanel (No1 de Chanel Camelia) and Fenty (Eaze Drop Liquid).
Concealer
Verdict: Drugstore unless you need something full coverage in an extended shade range.
Since concealers are basically foundations, just in stronger concentration of pigments, it makes sense in theory that good ones exist at all price points. However, the L’Oréal Infallible concealer is the only drugstore option I’ve found that works for me. The trouble can be twofold: one issue being that there aren’t many drugstore concealers that are full coverage (and don’t fade or crease horribly on me), and/or that because there are typically less shades offered by brands in concealer ranges versus foundation ranges, the chances are higher that I won’t have a close enough match. It’s not uncommon for me to see that my closest matches are too light while the next shade up is too dark. This second issue can be true of every range no matter the cost. It’s just even harder for me to find a concealer in my depth and undertone that’s inexpensive. Ranges either aren’t deep enough or skip too far between shades to work for me even when I try to mix them and not have the products combine into a brown color with a greyish undertone. So, for those who don’t need more than medium coverage, don’t have mature/aging eyes, and are within the range of the most catered to skin tones, the drugstore will have high quality options.
Recommendations: My drugstore pick is the L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer. My prestige recommendation is the KVD Good Apple Concealer. I did a concealer review/declutter/ranking post HERE.
Face Primer
Verdict: Drugstore
At the bare minimum, a face primer should just be able to smooth the canvas to make foundation apply better and stick better to the face, which in turn should improve the longevity. The ingredients used to accomplish this tend to have the secondary effect of either hydrating or mattifying the skin. All other claims of pore shrinking, skin blurring, color correcting, etc are extras and typically aren’t the best to accomplish in a primer form (with the exception of green ones to cancel out redness). So, when it comes to doing the basic requirements of a primer, the best ones can be found at affordable prices, and that has to do with the inexpensive raw ingredients. The most sought after primers on the market tend to have ingredient decks that are made up of mostly silicones, which are not difficult or expensive to get. Even I have purchased cyclopentasiloxane and various viscosities of dimethicone for my own DIY makeup projects. DIYers can easily have access to silicone gel too, and glycerin which is a super common ingredient as well. Some of the most well known primers come from Smashbox and most of theirs are silicone based, especially the original Photo Finish primer. There’s a reason E.L.F was able to create a dupe of the one from Smashbox, plus dupes of Tatcha’s liquid and balm Silk Canvas primers. Nyx is another brand with primers that perform nearly identically to what’s considered the top tier of primers. As for more hydrating formulas, it comes down to water and glycerin for lighter weight products and there are cheap oils and butters as options for the creamier ones. So, this is one category that isn’t necessary to overspend on.
Recommendations: I like the Nyx Marshmellow Smoothing Primer, but the last one I was using before I started skipping primer altogether was the Benefit Hydrating Porefessional.
Eyeshadow Primers and Glitter Primers/Glue
Verdict: Drugstore for Glitter Primers/Glue, but Prestige for regular Eyeshadow Primers
When dealing with eye primers, I personally have not had luck with cheap options, with the exception of the Coloured Raine Eye Base. It’s my theory that the difference between face and eye primers, which should function in the same way, is that there are multiple makeup layers that go down on the face before powder, so it’s not as easy for oils to break things down (especially if multiple products layered on each other claim to be mattifying). With an eye primer, there are less layers on top which allow oils to have an easier time breaking up eyeshadows, liners, etc. This is why it’s harder for me to find an effective eye primer in general, and my favorites are all within the mid to high end range.
I once owned a Juvia’s Place eye base that I did not even open yet, and within several months the formula separated completely in the tube. I had a Nyx primer that worked well, but started to smell within six months. When it comes to glitter primers or glitter glues though, the inexpensive options seem to work just as well as high end ones. That’s why I’ve constantly repurchased the Nyx Glitter Primer. The only downside is the terrible packaging in which the tops always bust open eventually, no matter how carefully and with low pressure I try to squeeze out product.
It’s very possible that there are high performing less expensive options that I just haven’t tried yet (for example, I’ve heard good things about eye primers from the Sephora Collection brand and Ulta’s brand even though the Ulta eye primer I tried was too emollient for me). This is admittedly not a category I’ve explored that extensively. I just stick to using and repurchasing the same ones that I know work for me.
Recommendations: The Coloured Raine Eye Base or MAC Paint Pot. The one I’m using the most currently is mid-range, but since I no longer support that brand I will not name them here and will not repurchase it.
Bronzer
Verdict: For powder bronzers, I recommend prestige for the ultimate smoothness and blendability. For creams and liquids, I think there are some great inexpensive options.
I haven’t tried many powder bronzers at the drugstore because for the longest time there were no deep or rich options. Considering the purpose of that product is to bronze the face or look sun-kissed, apparently the industry decided no one with dark skin needed or wanted something like that. So, the only five drugstore bronzers I can recall trying was the deepest shade of Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer (still not dark enough plus way too shimmery), Covergirl Trublend bronzer (lovely but went bad within exactly one year), the L’Oreal Infallible Powder Foundation that I used as a bronzer before they released their actual bronzer line (good but still bottom of my rankings), and two bronzers from Makeup Revolution/Revolution Beauty that were also nice but could not outrank all my high end ones. Technically Coloured Raine has affordable bronzers, but I consider them more of an indie brand. I liked their bronzers for a time, but they also rated among the bottom of my collection.
This all leads me to acknowledge that there are absolutely good decent bronzers at the drugstore, but since bronzer has become one of my makeup obsessions and favorite things, I want the best of the best in terms of finely milled powder that’s ultra smooth and practically blends itself. In the powder formula, I can’t say I’ve seen this accomplished by drugstore or even mid-range brands. I can tell too much of a difference with the powders. One might say I’m too picky, but that’s how I feel.
Regarding cream and liquid products, the Colourpop Super Shock Bronzers ranked third out of my whole collection! The consistency and performance started to change around the one year mark, so longevity is still a potential issue. I even liked their Sol Body cream bronzer formula, but just couldn’t find a good enough shade match. I’m not sure if Juvia’s Place can still be called affordable or drugstore, but their bronzer formula was also wonderful. Unfortunately, I decluttered it because of the too-obvious sparkles within it. I’ve heard high praise for ones from Milani and Elf too, so the drugstore has options across the board with bronzers. However, I’m extra picky about the powder formulas. If someone wants to splurge, I would say it’s more worth it to splurge on a powder bronzer over a cream/liquid bronzer.
Recommendations: Since there are so many I love, it would be easier to list my last two dedicated bronzer posts HERE and HERE. My current most used ones are from Charlotte Tilbury (cream) and Hermes (powder).
Blush
Verdict: Drugstore if performance is the only criteria, but high end and luxury if blush is one of your top favorite categories of makeup.
Blushes have come a long way over the years, and I’ve often said the drugstores have many good options. For example, the Covergirl Trublend blushes are quite blendable and refined. The Colourpop Super Shocks and Milani Cheek Kiss Cream blushes are of fantastic quality. If performance is the only criteria, there’s not as much need to spend extra on an expensive blush. However, blush is one of my top favorite categories of makeup, so I want my favorites to be housed in the cutest or most luxurious packaging. This is why I tend to still buy high end and luxury blushes. Plus, powder products that are costly tend to be milled the finest, which makes blending nearly effortless. Pricier ones usually have more refined shimmer as well. So there tends to be a correlation between spending more on a blush and the quality being higher. However, it could still be considered nitpicking with affordable options being great versus high end and up being superb. “Great” is going to be good enough for most people.
It should also be noted that many luxury blushes aren’t as pigmented and need to be built up, which can be a downside for those with deeper skin tones that need stronger pigmentation in order for things to show up. Medium to high end artistry brands tend to have blushes where the focus is on longevity and what looks best in photos or videos. So, their blushes might not be glowy enough for someone who wants a healthy shine and sheen to the cheeks. Someone’s personal taste will be the bigger factor as to whether they think affordable brands or more expensive ones will be better regarding blush.
Recommendations: There are far too many I love and am obsessed with. For the affordable ones, I recommend Covergirl Trublend (I used to really like the Covergirl True Match blush too back in the day) and Colourpop’s Super Shocks. I was even impressed with Essence “The blush” for such a low price. For low/mid range I recommend the LYS Cream Blushes, Rare Beauty Liquid Blushes, Glossier Cloud Paints, and Sephora Soft Matte Powder Duos. For mid/high end I recommend the One/Size Cheek Clappers, Bare Minerals Blonzers, Benefit Cosmetics Blushes, and every kind of blush from MAC. For high end and luxury I recommend Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes, Armani Neo Nude Colour Melting Balms, Suqqu Blushes, Chanel Blushes, and Dior Rosy Glow Blushes.
Highlighter
Verdict: For powder and liquid highlighters, the drugstore has decent options, unless you prefer subtle highlighters that gleam rather than sparkle (though high end brands sometimes intentionally choose large glitter particles). For cream highlighters, I think it’s even easier to find inexpensive options.
I pretty much said everything necessary in the verdict portion. Since brands of all pricepoints are capable of making the blinging highlighters and metallic shining ones that I don’t enjoy, what is considered a good quality or sophisticated highlighter is subjective. Those that like those types will not have any problems finding them at the drugstore. What is a little less common and harder to find are the subtle refined ones that blend easily without leaving behind a stripe across the face, ones that gleam or look wet on the skin without being oily if wet or patchy if dry. I have also noticed drugstore highlighters are more likely to fade and lose their luster as the day goes on, but that’s what differentiates the bad affordable ones versus the good ones. For cream formulas, I like the highlighters that set down on the skin with low transfer. For liquids, the best ones won’t disturb the other makeup underneath. In these cases, it’s more easy to find among the expensive brands, but isn’t exclusively in those categories.
I’ve heard great things about, though never tried myself, some of the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter dupes from ELF and Juvia’s Place. Tina did a great battle showdown of two expensive brands versus inexpensive ones, which I recommend watching if you’re interested in this topic specifically.
I think the reason lower priced brands are able to compete in performance with their higher priced counterparts is because of all the shimmering alternatives. Mica and “pearl powders” can be costly, but there are several synthetic options which are cheaper. A finer milled product also doesn’t matter as much to someone who likes easily noticeable highlighters. Sometimes drugstores have their highlighter products made in Italy, but more often than not it’s the PRC which cuts down on the production cost as well. So, personal tastes can effect how easily someone will find a fantastic highlighter at the drugstore.
Recommendations: In the affordable range, I recommend the Colourpop Super Shocks. I was once also impressed with the Essence Coffee to Glow Highlighter Beans. For mid-tier, I can vouch for the Nabla Skin Glazing Highlighters. In the high end and luxury sphere there are too many to name, but the non-sparkly highlighters from Charlotte Tilbury have been my most used in the past twelve months. I have a review of my top seven HERE.
Face Powder
Verdict: The best drugstore powders aren’t available for all skin tones nor all skin types, so spending more might be someone’s main option.
I have heard endlessly about the Airspun Coty Loose Face Powder and various Nyx Powders as fantastic drugstore options. I have no doubts that the drugstore has products that can rival more expensive ones. However, many inexpensive translucent powders have such a high amount of titanium dioxide that it can give those with dark skin flashback on camera. It can even look ashy in normal lighting situations. The brands that make colored powder options tend to not go very deep or have such huge gaps between shades that I would have to choose between ones that are way too light or way too dark. This is not a situation where mixing two products can fix things that well.
Another issue I have is that drugstore options tend to be focused on being oil-controlling or making customers look super matte. As someone with dry skin, this makes them unusable for me. If it wasn’t for the need to set my concealer under my eyes, I don’t think there would be any setting powders in my collection since they aren’t needed. I like having a finishing powder at most for areas that aren’t in the eye zone. So, even though there are inexpensive powders to choose from, they’re not going to be “the best” for everyone. What may be a nice alternative is getting a mini/travel size of high end powders. That brings the prices closer to drugstore level and I have yet to finish any of my travel size powders since I need so little of it for my skin. For those that go through powders easily, this won’t be a sustainable solution.
As for finishing powders, I’m unfamiliar with any popular ones from the drugstore.
Recommendations: For a setting powder, I recommend the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish or the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Powder in the loose form. For a finishing powder, I recommend the Dior Powder no Powder. From my recollection, the only affordable face powder I’ve liked has been Colourpop’s Pretty Fresh Face Powder. I had a small size of Ben Nye powder a very long time ago that I liked when the lines under my eyes were less deep, but prices have gone up so I’m not sure if this stage brand is considered affordable and several months ago the company filed for bankruptcy (so I’m not sure if they will go out of business or not).
Setting Spray
Verdict: Mid-Range and Affordable Options
I don’t have the most extensive setting spray collection, but I can say the Sephora Collection 16 Hour Setting Spray works just as well as the One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Spray. They both are great at being waterproof with the water just rolling down the face without disturbing the makeup, but neither lives up to the transfer-proof claims. It’s possible that for protection from both, a more expensive setting spray is required. However, the best performing sprays to really lock in makeup tend to be harsh on the skin. I don’t think this is really a category where you can have a sophisticated formula. The ingredients tend to be cheap and drying with various alcohols and often fragrance to try and cover up the strong scent. This is why some setting sprays have been compared to hair sprays, which also tend to get the job done at affordable prices. So, I think all that spending more really does is make a more pleasant experience due to the packaging’s better sprayer/mist mechanism and nicer perfume options.
Recommendations: As stated, I recommend the Sephora Collection Makeup Setting Spray or the classic Urban Decay All Nighter. Newly added to the list is the MAC Fix+ Stay Over Setting Spray.
All Liners: Eyes, Lips, Brows
Verdict: Drugstore
Makeup that has its origins from ancient times, like kohl, is going to be so perfected in current days that there is no reason drugstore brands wouldn’t have killer formulas for them. It is especially true that the ingredients used to make liners and brows involve primarily pigments and waxes, the latter being very inexpensive. A brand could tout that they have some special wax that’s more environmentally friendly or “safer” by clean beauty fear mongering rhetoric, but the ones chosen in these products will all pretty much perform the same way. Some formulas are intentionally stiffer or intentionally softer and that’s not an indicator of quality, just preferences. Some formulas are more budge-proof than others, but that comes with their own pros and cons. Some formulas go bad quicker than others because of less stable preservatives used, but that’s typically due to “clean beauty” reasons once again, not quality.
For me, liquid eyeliners are probably the harder of the liners to get in good quality, but not impossible. It can simply be a matter of the cheaper components leaking and/or not being airtight which can dry out the liquid and make them unusable faster.
So, for these reasons, I think it’s absolutely easy to find all kinds of liners at the drugstore and them being pretty much the same quality across the board. Packaging is the biggest distinguishing factor, no matter what the marketing tries to say. If anything, buying clean beauty leads to the biggest upcharges in both the drugstore and beyond.
I intentionally did not include brow pomades, brow gels, or brow powders in this list (just liners) because I can theoretically see there being a possibility of differences, but I haven’t tried enough of those forms to be able to comment on them.
Recommendations: My favorite lip liners are from Palladio, Coloured Raine, and Nyx. My favorite drugstore eyeliners in liquid and retractable pencil/pen form are from Nyx. I’ve always been partial to the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid liner, but Sephora’s waterproof liners are admittedly better and less expensive. I’ve tried a good number of mid through high end liners in the pencil and retractable forms and just don’t see a difference between them and drugstore ones. When it comes to brow products, I have used plenty of the top bestselling ones in the mid to high end sphere and yet I still recommend ELF’s Instant Lift Brow Pencil and Nyx Micro Brow Pencil. I’ve had the Elf Ultra Precise Brow Pencil snap on me, but I’ve had several high end ones dry out and break too. The reason I still go back to using the Benefit Precisely My Brow sometimes (my most repurchased brow products are from ELF, Benefit, and ABH) is purely because the liner is slightly softer than Nyx but firmer than the one from ELF and I can get them during Ulta’s 50% off Beauty Steals which drops the price to nearly drugstore range anyway.
Mascara
Verdict: Generally Drugstore
I’m always drawn in by the claims and marketing of prestige mascaras, but I’ve enjoyed so many drugstore mascaras over the years and been disappointed by enough mascaras at any price to say that the higher a mascara costs doesn’t equate to a rise in quality. Expensive mascaras aren’t guaranteed to be smudgeproof, non-flaking, and non-clumping. Although my current mascara favorites are the MAC Macstack and KVD Full Sleeve, I’ve had great success with multiple Essence mascaras and have repurchased the 18 hr Volume Stylist Lash Extension Mascara with Lengthening Fibers six times since 2019. I even used a waterproof Essence mascara for my wedding. Beyond that, I have a history of liking Maybelline and L’Oréal mascaras too. I recommend not splurging on mascara.
Recommendations: Essence Volume Stylist 18Hr Lash Extension Mascara plus the others mentioned already.
PowderEyeshadow
Verdict: Low to Mid-Range and up. I don’t recommend going for cheaper options. I personally like indie eyeshadows and high end, but not always luxury.
Besides a few rare exceptions like ELF Bite Sized Eyeshadows and Flower Beauty’s Jungle Lights Palette, I tend to not like drugstore eyeshadows. That isn’t to say that there aren’t good ones that are still relatively affordable such as Colourpop Eyeshadows, BH Cosmetics, etc. That also isn’t to say that high end brands can’t come out with duds either. There just tends to be a correlation that pricier eyeshadows are buildable, softer not chalky, easier to blend, better at layering, lasting longer on the eyes, less creasing for shimmers, more refined, the sparkly ones being more reflective, less chance of being patchy, etc. Eyeshadows need pigments or dyes, binders to hold it together, and hopefully preservatives and other ingredients for stability. It’s also nice to have additional ingredients that give the shadows a silkier feeling, help with adhesion, etc. These extras I call the “fillers” but sometimes adding even more titanium dioxide or other ingredients are intended to stretch out the formula and try to achieve a certain color without having to use as much of the actual pigment. This can lead to the shadows performing fine on someone with a light skintone because of the lack of contrast to the base powders used, but can give a chalky dusty look on someone with more melanin. So, what’s considered great for others could look off on someone else purely because of that issue.
Sometimes the higher cost can also be attributed to them using more expensive pigments like duochromes and multichromes. At a certain point though the upcharge is based on packaging and not formula. That’s how lower priced brands can still compete and have wonderfully performing eyeshadows when they save on having basic packaging that’s thin lightweight plastic or cardboard. More expensive brands can do a bit of both at a level of “good” or better.
I like pigmented yet easy to blend eyeshadows, and I find that my favorites come from the indie and high end sphere. Luxury priced eyeshadows tend to be more liked by people that prefer the smoothest and softest eyeshadows that aren’t meant to look intense on the eyes. The ones with the most refined particles where nothing looks harsh. So, in some ways people are paying for preferences because the ultra smooth satins aren’t offered as frequently by mid to high end brands. We’re more likely to see an all-matte palette or all-shimmer palette over one that is predominantly satin.
For some people, the inexpensive eyeshadows are good enough and spending more isn’t worth it. For some who are willing to spend a decent chunk more for nearly faultless quality aren’t going to be satisfied with what’s at the drugstore. I don’t recommend “cheap” quality like off-brands from places like Alibaba or those giant Coastal Scents palettes that literally smelled like chalk had flimsy packaging and no names on any of the shadows. Affordable shadows can be found. My favorites tend to cost more though.
Brands change formulas every so often, so it’s often the case that a brand I loved for eyeshadows will eventually change theirs and I won’t like it anymore. This could be due to trying to cut costs, make the shadows more emollient (which causes extra creasing), switching to a vegan formula, switching to a “clean” formula, etc. These are some of the reasons I stopped enjoying Coloured Raine, Glamlite, and Juvia’s Place eyeshadows as much. The same could be said somewhat of Urban Decay. So, with my recommendations below, they might not hold true later this year, next year, or in the future. Even brands like Pat Mcgrath and Natasha Denona like to experiment with different formulas. Some do it more successfully than others and sometimes it comes down to them changing something that used to be someone’s eyeshadow preference, but it no longer is.
Recommendations: Pat Mcgrath palettes, Oden’s Eye palettes, YSL Mini Couture Clutch Quads (from 2024), and Clionadh Cosmetics single eyeshadows. There are so many palettes and single eyeshadows from many more brands that I love, but I don’t consistently like everything they make, so it’s hard to vouch for them across the board. At some point in the future I intend to do more brand eyeshadow rankings and eventually an eyeshadow collection/declutter post.
Cream and Liquid Eyeshadow
Verdict: Drugstore
This isn’t my area of interest because I prefer powder shadows for the ease of blending and smoothing them out. As far as I can recall, the only liquid/cream eyeshadows I’ve tried that were affordable were from Sydney Grace, the Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo, and Colourpop Shadow Stix. There may have been more that I just don’t remember. The Sydney Grace ones, which are close to drugstore pricing, are pretty great and give me the confidence in saying affordable options are out there. My personal favorites though are the Lisa Eldridge Liquid Lurex ones because I have enough time to work with them, smooth them out, and they layer well on each other without cracking or creasing. The few additional pricier ones I’ve tried didn’t make me feel like they were that vastly different enough to warrant the upcharge. For instance, I like the Danessa Myricks Color Fixes, but they perform similarly to the ones from Sydney Grace.
Recommendations: While I mentioned several that I like already that cream and liquid eyeshadow lovers will probably enjoy, the only one with a formula that could make someone like me to find value in having some are the ones from Lisa Eldridge.
Lipstick
Verdict: Drugstore unless lipstick is one of your makeup favorites.
Rouge is one of those ancient inventions, and therefore can be expected to have a perfected formula in modern times. The important things to note when reviewing lipstick is the longevity, comfort level, the finish, and color which are things that don’t necessarily indicate quality. For example, a cream lipstick isn’t going to cling as long to the lips as a matte lipstick, so the wear time is much shorter. A brand could use more expensive pigments and “higher quality ingredients,” but they all perform pretty much the same way. If anything, perhaps drugstore matte lipsticks might be more drying than higher end ones, but that dry formula could be due to the focus on longevity and not necessarily due to being cheaper with cheaper ingredients. If a lipstick goes rancid, it’s more likely caused by the lack of preservatives due to the clean beauty movement rather than it being inexpensive. Lipsticks aren’t one of my points of interest when it comes to cosmetics, but I’ve tried enough of them to believe that when most people are looking for “the best lipstick” they mean the one that suits their preferences the most as a testament to their “quality.”
When I’m looking for my perfect lipstick, I’m searching for the opacity level I want, the comfort level I want, the shine (or no shine) level I want, the perfect color, an acceptable wear time, something without ingredients I’m adverse to, something that won’t dehydrate my lips past a certain level, something that won’t lead to feathering or too much smearing, etc. Even regarding scent, some people want to smell the makeup alone without added fragrance and some people want to have a sweet or perfumed smell. Brands of all price points are capable of doing both. I could buy a $100 lipstick and still not find one that matches all of those things I’m looking for. A brand could have 5 or more different lipstick formulas in their range and I could still not find a lipstick I like. There are brands people swear by and attest to their quality, but if it doesn’t tick most of the boxes, I won’t like it.
I love luxe packaging, so I do sometimes splurge on lipstick. When it comes to the formulas though, drugstore brands and up have all pretty much got it nailed. There isn’t a way to guarantee happiness with a lipstick based on the criteria of how much it cost to buy it.
Recommendations: I’m reluctant to list some because lipsticks are just too subjective. I can at least say the two I’ve been using the most lately have been Lisa Eldridge’s Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colour (because I like moisturizing lipsticks that are not fully opaque and have luxe packaging) and one from YSL because it was on sale and has stunning packaging that I was able to personalize. Seeing my name engraved on it made me happy enough to want to wear it more often. It’s not even logical. I also still vouch for the Propa Beauty lipsticks I was obsessed with for a time. However, I’m not sure if their website is still being kept up to date. I stopped hearing about the brand for a long time now.
Lip Glosses, Oils, and Balms
Verdict: Drugstore unless there are lip sensitivities and issues that require more than basic formulas.
In the same vein that lipstick formulas have been perfected by now, it’s my belief that this category of lip products have as well. There are amazing lip glosses, lip oils, and lip balms at the drugstore. I’ve even made my own balms and lip oils before, so if I can do it there’s no way a drugstore brand wouldn’t be able to nail one either. Some that I used to repurchase a long time ago were the Burts Bees Lip Balms, Maybelline Baby Lips, and Nyx Butter Glosses.
In my case though, as it’s been for the last eight or more years, I have severely dry and sensitive lips as well as an allergy to lanolin. This means that what is normally great for people doesn’t do much for me. There are certain oils that don’t moisturize or hydrate my lips whereas some others work better. Lanolin is also a miracle worker for a lot of people, but it makes my lips start burning, splitting, and peeling because of my sensitivity to it. The damage usually takes about a week to recover and involves many reapplications switching between using Vaseline Lip Therapy and oils that work well for me like sunflower seed oil and sweet almond oil. Many people turn up their noses to mineral oil because it’s cheap or seen as harmful by the “clean beauty” lovers, but it works well for my lips too. So, quality is subjective and I believe most people would have no problems getting something good that’s affordable.
Because of my specific issues, the best I can find are all mid-range and up. They’re more likely to make their glosses not just pretty in finish but also nourishing/conditioning for the lips such as Suqqu’s Treatment Wrapping Lips and Lisa Eldridge’s Gloss Embrace Lip Glosses.
It may be just a coincidence, but even though I’ve liked plenty of drugstore lip glosses, my top tier favorites happen to be black founded and/or black owned brands: Ami Colé, Pat Mcgrath, Fenty Beauty, and certain gloss lines from Juvia’s Place.
Recommendations: I used to swear by the Nuxe Reve de Miel, but it’s my belief and suspicion (after four of mine went bad super quickly) that the brand uses less preservatives than they used to six or so years ago. They grew spotty in under the six month open jar/canister time frame. The Sara Happ balms are the next best balms for me. I’ve also really been enjoying the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces. The Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balms and Ami Colé Lip Treatment Oils/Glosses have reached holy grail status for me as well. The results of the Avene Lip Cream don’t last super long, but I still like it. On the inexpensive end, the best ones that semi-worked for my lips are from Colourpop (the lip balms, lip masks, Luxe Lip Oils, and So Glassy Lips). The Vaseline Lip Therapy I recommend if you need major lip repair and are willing to diligently keep reapplying it a few times a day and for the first few days.
I have a long unstable history with Viseart, but the bottom line is that I own a lot of their eyeshadows and I continue to keep an eye out for new launches. Over the years, I kept curating my collection, only keeping the shades I felt were the most useful to me. When I was preparing to go overseas, I needed to evaluate which ones would have to stay behind, which is where the idea for this post originated.
The eyeshadows in the top left gold rimmed palette are my older ones that are more fragile. I excluded them from the custom palette, in addition to the Neutral Mattes that already had several damaged shadows from when I depotted shades from the older packaging to the newer Slimpro empty palette.
Below are the two custom palettes I curated. I couldn’t make just one because of the different pan sizes. Viseart currently has three eyeshadow pan sizes they sell.
Viseart has a lot of nearly identical shades, and some colors don’t look the same on my skin as they do in the pan. So, I had to swatch everything and choose the ones I liked the most. The color story in the revised Grand Pro 1x palette looks very heavy on the midtone neutrals, but that’s because I realistically don’t use a lot of the lighter colors. If I have one or two, that’s generally enough. However, the nuances between those various browns and pinks were so nice I couldn’t decide between them and decided to just take them all.
Since I had to analyze my collection and think about the palettes they were part of, I’m in a better position to be able to rank them in their original forms, similarly to the way I discussed my Pat Mcgrath Palettes, Huda Beauty Palettes, and Oden’s Eye Palettes.
Omitted from the ranking portion are the individual eyeshadow singles I bought, since they came from palettes I didn’t own in their entirety.
Ranking List of All the Viseart Palettes I Ever Owned:
Each of the thirteen above are linked to their previous reviews, swatches, or discussions.
Dark Mattes (purchased in January 2016)
This is my number one Viseart palette based on the original formulation and not the current Dark Mattes Slimpro palette. Viseart’s eyeshadow formula was always simplistic, but the original ingredient list used to include Octyldodecanol, Myristyl Lactate, and Isononyl Isononanoate, which are all emollients. I haven’t tried the current version of this palette, so I don’t know if it feels or performs in the same way. However, there was a period of time that I felt Viseart’s quality went down, so they’re not impervious to production issues. I think it would be a safe bet to guess that the original and new ones look and feel the same, but perform a little differently. It could still be good, but I don’t know from firsthand knowledge.
I loved this palette so much because of the gorgeous color story and insane blendability. It was my go-to Fall palette for so many years. The bottom row of blues and greens were a little less pigmented and took longer to blend, but overall it was a great palette.
After about five years, some of the shades eventually became hard to use (it’s only promised to be good for two years). I tried to replace it with the Dark Edit palette. Ironically, the Dark Edit is at the bottom of this list. Yikes! More on that later.
The remaining shades I still own from the original Dark Mattes were working extremely well before I left, particularly the oranges. Viseart’s orange shades set the bar that I compare to other brands. It’s similar to the way I consider Oden’s Eye an authority on greens.
Petit Fours – Violetta
This is among Viseart’s relatively newer palettes. Whatever quality/production/formula issues they seemed to have between 2020 and 2021 (allegedly) might have been over with by the time this was produced. To me, this is the most interesting color story the brand has released, or at least among the quads. For starters, it has a duochrome which is not a common feature among the brand’s palettes. Seeing the shade Verrerie next to all the other shimmers in my custom palette, one can see that the finish of it is different and it’s evident how much it stands out from the pack. Viseart also tends to love including brow bone shades and other light eyeshadows. For the ratio to be this high of dark colors is another uncommon, but very welcome, attribute. This selection of colors allows the user to truly be able to take a look from daytime to nighttime. It can go from relatively light and ethereal to deep and dramatic. Each shade is distinctly different, yet they all pair well together. It was a holiday release that gives me Christmas vibes reimagined without the use of straightforward reds or greens.
In terms of performance, it’s their best shimmers yet. There’s no creasing, fading, or any other kind of longevity issue. The only reason this isn’t in the number one spot is because it’s the newer of the two. It hasn’t stood the test of time like the Dark Mattes palette, and there is less variety purely because of there being less shades. If you’ll allow me some leeway, we can consider this quad tied for first. The best part is the fact that what’s available online right now should still be the same quality as the one I own.
Bijouxette Étendu
This was another unusual release because of how colorful it is, and not being filled with a ton of light shades. There was a time when I loved having a neutral matte crease and outer corner paired with a shimmery lid shade. This palette is perfect for that style. Creating looks within the same color family is possible, but I think the second best style option is to go for pairing multiple colorful shades together. I love the combinations I showcased in my initial review for Bijouxette. Back then, I called it a jewel-toned rainbow palette, but I want to add that it also has a tropical flair.
The mattes are very pigmented, but blend and layer well. They’re buildable and long lasting around the eyes. The shimmer finishes are a mix of the semi-toned down ones Viseart is known for, combined with ones that are more impactful and intense like in Violetta. However, the level of smoothness makes these shimmers the best Viseart has done (out of the ones I’ve tried), tied with the Violetta shimmers. I’ve always been impressed that they are smooth without having a dimethicone slip to them that other creamy/buttery formulas often have, which means I don’t have to deal with creasing.
This palette is a little bolder than what I reach for most often, but it’s one I have no regrets buying and I’m still happy I purchased it.
Petit Pro: London Étoile
This is very much my type of color story, and the quality is great (though Brixton takes more effort to blend than the other mattes), so this was bound to be rated highly. It has a range of depths among the neutrals and sophisticated colorful shades. It doesn’t offer a ton of variety, but enough to keep things interesting. The colors in here can be duped by other shades in other palettes from Viseart, but it was nice to have it all curated in one place. This is why I didn’t include the shades in the small custom palette. I would rather bring the whole thing, in the pre-arranged colors, during the next wave of products I return with from the US. When I’m in a very specific mood fighting between my desire for something demure, but still wanting my eyes to be the star of my makeup look, this is when I want to use this palette the most.
Petit Pro: Soleil
The purple shade in this palette is a little rougher to the touch, drier, and takes a bit of blending, but it’s a pretty color. The thing is, Viseart has made so many shades that look identical to it or near enough to duping itself, that it’s not as special. While the shimmers were a little more unique to Viseart at the time it was released, I also have similar colors from other palettes of theirs. That just leaves the cream matte (very replaceable) called Patile and bold yellow called Pastis, which is hard to build up adequately on my eyes. Although this was a likeable palette at the time that I originally owned it, I don’t think it’s as interesting anymore, beyond being a handy supplemental palette for travel. The options give strong sunrise and sunset vibes, making me think even more about vacations when I look at the color story. In terms of quality, it’s quite good with the exception of the two laborious mattes.
Petit Fours: Peridot
I like the colors in this palette, but the matte barely shows on my eyes and the deep green doesn’t provide enough depth for me. So, I don’t think this is as successful as a quad. As a supplemental palette though, this has been more useful. At the time, this was a very good option, but I can name plenty of other green palettes by now that have more to offer. Even though the quality of this one is very good, other brands have matched theirs with the added benefit of other ingredients in their formula that make them feel smoother, softer, or creamier to the touch. This makes other brands’ shimmers a more pleasant experience since I tend to apply those with my fingers. For that reason, I feel that this palette should actually rank lower, but the quality prevents me from being able to do that.
Petites Shimmers Coy
I was so enamored by this color story because it represents the shimmering nature of fish scales, colorful koi fish, and whimsical spring time. These eyeshadows are thinner and sheerer than the brand’s usual shimmer shades, making them well suited for producing a watercolor effect on the eyes (which is not my usual preference) or like toppers because the sparkle level was turned up a notch on some of the shades. They are so beautiful to look at that I forgot the most important thing about a palette is to choose one with colors I would actually wear on my face. Nearly all of them are light colors, I’m not interested in the cool toned shades, and I have to spray them to get the opacity level I’m used to. Plus, there are no true mattes. This palette really isn’t for me, which is why it’s lower. However, the great quality is undeniable and the eyeshadows work in the way they were intended, and can even be used in other ways for those willing to put in the effort. So, this palette doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near the bottom.
Theory II Palette- Minx
I’ve shocked and surprised myself in numerous ways regarding this palette. For starters, I could have sworn I reviewed it, but I can’t find details of it anywhere. What I had instead was a review of Natasha Denona’s large 5 pan (#4), which was extremely similar to Viseart’s Minx. I purchased Minx a month after that review and felt that the quality was even better than Natasha’s. So, in 2017 I decided to sell my ND quint on Mercari (my first sale on the app). In those days, these palettes had too simple of a color story for my tastes and I didn’t need two near identical palettes. I still ended up selling Minx a month after selling Natasha’s. However, I have to say that based on my preferences now, I would have appreciated these colors a lot more today. The brand made it so simple for consumers and professionals alike giving a light, medium, and dark shade plus corresponding shimmers. This was still during the time when Viseart’s eyeshadow quality was so good. The blend and ability to layer the colors together was great. Viseart’s shimmer level was more in line with my past, as a former lover of satins, but they were still pigmented and nice. They reminded me of the shimmers from Melt Cosmetics. In fact, both brands are notoriously not complimented on their shimmers. However, whether I like them or not varies from palette to palette. This was a better palette than I’ve given the brand credit for in the past.
Neutral Mattes 01
This is where the rankings start to get really tricky. I purchased this from Boxycharm in the original square packaging, but I can’t confirm if it was made in the current formula or if it was the last of older stock. I don’t know if I’m remembering correctly that the Viseart shadows still had a packaging change within the square shapes before they were replaced by the SlimPro palettes. In any case, the quality is actually very good, so I’m going to guess it was in the original formula. My biggest gripe with this palette is that the colors look way too similar on my skin. The first row looked like white, two off-whites, and cream. The middle row had a brown that didn’t look as deep on me as it looked in the pan, an orange, an ashier brown that looked similar to the deep one, and another brown that swatched cool toned grey with a splash of brown. The final row had black, blue-grey, regular grey, and another brown grey that had more grey in it. This was supposed to be my ultimate neutral palette. Had the eyeshadows looked true to color on my skin, it would have been. However, this palette could be boiled down to five colors: a light color, brown, orange, grey, and black. I always used the same shades, so the remaining seven were pointless to have. The only reason this palette is still in my collection in its entirety is because they’re too fragile in their depotted state to be sold. Objectively, on people with different skin tones, perhaps this palette is true to color. In that case, I can see why it’s Viseart’s best selling palette of all time. It even looks normal on the dark arm photo on their website. However, this palette was too repetitive to be considered worth the price, had I paid full price for it.
Grande Pro 1x
The quality in this palette is inconsistent. I went extremely in-depth with the positives and the negatives in my original review. The short version is that many of the darker shades were stiffer and harder to blend. The light and mid-toned colors were thinner and worked better, but needed to be built up a bit. Columns 3-5 were perfect. The vibrant eyeshadows were the toughest to use and driest feeling, with the exception of the orange (Pumpkin). It’s no surprise because the brand really nails oranges. The performance being all over the place is why I couldn’t rank this higher. I appreciate that I get more variety in this palette than the Neutral Mattes and I can essentially replicate those colors by using the shades in this one. However, the better performance is why Neutral Mattes is higher.
Warm Mattes 10 SlimPro
I didn’t have this palette long enough to review it or even take a photo. I kept six shades and sold the remainder in a custom palette. I don’t know what I was thinking when I got it. It seemed like a good idea in theory because I like warm shades, but it was just too repetitive for how the colors looked on my skin. It was in the current formula and still good quality, but not as useful as I hoped. The Neutral Mattes had various depths from light to dark. In this palette, the darker options didn’t go as deep as I needed. Considering I could also recreate some of those looks from Warm Mattes using Grande Pro 1x colors, and at similar quality for those particular shades, this had to drop lower in the rankings.
Boheme Dream
I kept seven and sold five of the eyeshadows from this palette. It wasn’t a surprise though. The pinks, silver, and light blue were never of interest to me, which is why I held off on buying the palette for so long. So, I intentionally purchased it on sale with the plan to recoup some money by selling the ones (in unused condition) that I didn’t want. I had no issues with the quality of these eyeshadows. The reason this ranks lower is because the overall color story was less cohesive and more of a supplemental palette. In addition, the Viseart older shimmers are decent but make the palette even more lacking for me with the absence of mattes. Even though I kept one more shadow from this palette than the Warm Mattes, I think the matte formula is more impressive compared to many other brands than their shimmers are to other brands. So, by default, it took position number 12 on the list.
Dark Edit
The same issues I had from Grande Pro 1x regarding blending the dark shades and showing patchiness on camera rather than real life were happening with this palette too. The purples and black matte specifically were so annoying to try and look non-patchy, smooth, and stay adhered to my eye area, that it put me off buying Viseart palettes for a very long time. It is overall the worst performing palette from them I own, and the only one I would say is actually objectively bad. There’s something wrong with the way my batch was formulated. There were more duds than good ones. The bottom row of shimmers were the only ones I could call great or good. It’s such a shame because I think this selection of colors is even better than the Dark Mattes because it gets rid of the blues I didn’t use often and had the benefit of including shimmers, so I could make a complete look. However, I knew immediately when I made this post that Dark Edit would be at the very bottom.
That’s the end of this ranking! I hope it’s been helpful, though it’s admittedly tricky recommending things from Viseart when the old and new eyeshadow ingredients are not the same. Their eyeshadows are not one of my top 5 favorites anymore, but I’m still interested in seeing what they release and I continue to be curious about their launches. For those interested, but wary about the quality, I recommend trying to catch one of Viseart’s sales. Sometimes they have select palettes up to 60% off, though a 40% discount applies to more palettes during their sales. It’s how I ended up with so many from the brand.
I reviewed the first launch of Hermès Blushes (found HERE) when the brand released only matte finishes. Then, during the Summer of 2023, they added three shimmery blushes to the Rose Hermès line. Considering I felt that the matte blushes were equal to, but did not surpass my favorites, I was unwilling to pay full price to try a new one. All of my blush favorites are under $40, so the refill price of $48 was pushing my limit. I waited months for the refills to be released so that I could add a metal sticker to the bottom and pop it in a magnetic palette, but it took so long that I stopped checking for them by the end of 2023. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon it on the Selfridges website and saw it was finally available!
I have to admit that sometimes my inability to purchase something (sold out, limited edition, early teased product that won’t be released for months, only available in certain countries, etc.) intensifies my feeling of missing out. With enough time, I can reason with myself that I probably won’t love the item enough for it to be worth buying. That logic didn’t work in this instance, but I am very lucky that the outcome was in my favor! I actually like this blush so much more than I expected and I feel like it’s at least more worth the high price than the matte ones!
Hermès Silky Blush Powder (refill) in 58 Rose Cuivré
The shade that I purchased is the deepest of the three shimmery blush options. The right half of the photo above shows that the base color is medium-dark. When the light hits the shimmer, the blush looks medium peachy-pink instead, depicting how much the shimmer can lighten the overall look of the blush. This is one of the reasons I wasn’t certain if this shade would be too light for me. Shimmery blushes can sometimes look too ashy or like a pure highlighter on me, regardless of how deep the base color is, such as Nars’ Orgasm X.
Upon swatching Rose Cuivré, I discovered that it looks similar to MAC’s blush shade in Pinch Me, which was also similar to the first Hermès Blush I bought called Rose Feu. At least, Pinch Me and Rose Feu looked similar when applied on bare skin. When applied over foundation, Rose Feu darkened and looked slightly more red and less of a deep pink.
One of the things that I’ve come to realize is that Hermès makes the silkiest and softest feeling pressed powder products. Their bronzer is still my number one favorite in my collection. The matte blush was very good, but on par with my other favorites. This iridescent formula though is the silkiest feeling shimmer blush I own. It’s even softer than the Gucci blushes. The particles are so finely milled. There are no large sparkle or glitter particles. Visually, it looks like the MAC Sheertone Blush formula, except so much softer and more refined. I can also use my softest blush brushes, such as my grey squirrel ones that don’t pick up as much product as goat, because it’s still able to grab a decent amount of product and it doesn’t require a dense brush to buff the blush smoothly into my cheeks. Lightly sweeping the product into my cheeks produces a beautifully blended result. It adheres well to my skin and lasts all day.
I skip wearing highlighter when I use this because the glow is easy to see. It gives a pearly effect, but thankfully does not look too silvery for me to wear. It’s right on that cusp of looking slightly cool, but still flattering on my warm undertone complexion. I could possibly still enjoy this blush if I was a few shades darker, but I don’t know if this is deep enough for someone in the deep-dark category or beyond.
The sheen from this is what I imagine it would look like if my beloved Dior Powder No-Powder was made into a blush formula. The textures are not the same, since the Dior powder is much harder pressed in comparison. It just has the slightly blurring quality and is one of the few other products I can think of that gives off a sheen that’s nearly pearly-looking, yet works for my skin tone. Considering the Dior powder has holy grail status with me and is my favorite finishing powder of all time, that’s high praise for the Hermès blush to conjure that image for me. I figured this product would make a great blush topper, but as one can see in the swatch photo, the luminosity lessens considerably on top of another blush. I think it becomes an issue of too much pigment and not enough of the shimmer in the mixture. If I add more of Rose Cuivré on top, it turns too deep and intense. So, this blush looks better when used on its own.
When it comes to luxury goods, there are a lot more factors to consider than just the performance or quality as to whether it’s “worth the price.” As much as I am enamored by this blush and impressed by the quality because it’s the finest shimmer powder one I own, it’s not the absolute perfect color tone for me. I intend to get a lot of use out of it, just like with the brand’s bronzer, but I still have blush colors that are my favorites from other brands. It was worth it to me to buy this refill, and I will probably even put this in the Hermès blush compact that currently houses Rose Feu when I get it back from the US. However, I still wouldn’t be able to justify the $84 for this. Good lord, did the price go up since last year? Weren’t they $77? Hermès being the luxury brand that it is, the price could be considered next to nothing for their regular customers. So, it’s all about perspective.
I hope this has been helpful to anyone still curious about this shade. Technically it has been out already for a long time, but at least now the refill option keeps the cost down for those more interested in the product itself. One final note is that this contains fragrance.
That’s all for today! Thank you for giving this review a read!
The compact photo above is better at showing the depth level, but the compact photo below is more accurate to the undertones.
I have more than enough makeup for one person, even though I currently only have access to about a quarter of my collection. For that reason, I tried my hardest to not be tempted into buying this Chanel product. I love their blushes, but I don’t use them enough. I have heard fantastic things about their highlighters, but most are too light for me (and the one I bought wasn’t as refined as I expected). I don’t own any bronzers from the brand, so that would be a new experience.
I watched a video from French for a Day to talk myself down from Chanel products in general, but even she seemed excited for the trio. It was ultimately the assurance that this would work on my skin tone from watching the video from I Am Jamila that kept me interested in this product. In addition, so many people I follow on YouTube and Instagram continued to rave about it even beyond the initial release, indicating that it’s not just temporary hype. The final nudge I needed was a small discount from the retailer Parfümerie Pieper, and I was sold!
Chanel Les Beiges Poudre Belle Mine Ensoleilleé in Deep Rose Gold
The blush is nice. It’s not difficult to nail a blush formula though, so I expected it would be good. It’s not my favorite tone of pink, but it’s pretty. For those that have the Guerlain Terracotta blush in Deep Nude, this is basically the same color.
The bronzer is also pretty good. If you’ve seen my ranking of bronzers that I purchased in 2023 exclusively, I would say it performs as well as MAC’s Sunstruck bronzers, Pat Mcgrath’s Divine Powder bronzers, and perhaps even Nars Laguna Talc-Free Bronzing Powders. This means that it’s among bronzers I like a lot, but not quite enough to make the top 10. I didn’t watch French for a Day’s actual review of the trios until I finished my first draft of this post, and in her opinion the powders are average quality for Chanel. That doesn’t make them bad, just not the best that the brand is capable of producing. I felt strangely reassured when hearing this because it matched my feelings, after using this product for a while, that perhaps this being called “phenomenal” is an over-exaggeration.
I had mixed feelings about the highlighter initially. I love a subtle highlighter, but this is too subtle for me to want to use alone. It’s along the same vein of the Guerlain Météorites, but even less shimmery. I built it up as much as I could in the photos above. What made me start to like this highlighter is that it offers something I don’t have in my collection, which is the ability to turn the bronzer and/or blush into a glowy one without changing the color or making it overly shimmery. It lightens the color, but not by much. I have a few products that I mix with others to achieve this effect, but they are pigmented products that will alter the final color by adding more of a brown tone, warmth or make it cooler toned, etc. This one is sheer enough to transform other products too. In practical usage, I don’t know how often I would pair this with other products besides the ones in this compact, but the option is there.
In the previous photos, I was wearing the Lisa Eldridge Foundation which is a little dark and leans orange on me. In the photo with the blue shirt above, I’m wearing a combination of the Givenchy and Armani foundations, which are a better match (and it’s also a slightly sunnier day, so this is why I look a bit lighter). As for the Chanel products, I wore the amount I normally would, rather than building it up for photos, like the previous ones. The sheerer application of blush with the highlighter on top accounts for the depth differences in the photos.
I have no issues with fading or longevity with this product. These aren’t the smoothest powders I’ve used, but they blend pretty well, especially with a fox or saikoho goat brush. I also have some smaller sized brushes that can fit well in the compact, so it isn’t too much of a hassle having all three colors that close together. A tip I learned for getting into the blush easier is to turn the compact 180 degrees so that it’s the top stripe and the highlighter is on the bottom instead. Then I can dip the angled part of my brush into the blush and can see what I’m doing from top to bottom rather than trying to avoid the brush getting into the bronzer while having the back of the brush hitting the edge of the compact.
Sometimes luxury products look pretty, but don’t feel luxurious. This does feel like a luxury product in the hand, and because the retailer I purchased from included a few Chanel samples, just like the official Chanel website does, I still had the luxury experience.
Having three products in one feels like the pricing is appropriate, especially for a brand like Chanel. I posed the question in the title as to whether this was worth me buying. Considering the discounted price I paid, I think it technically was. However, from a personal standpoint looking at all the makeup I own and factoring in how often I’ll use this palette, perhaps it wasn’t. Time will tell, but for now, I am happy I made this purchase.
DISCLOSURE: I posted several links, including the retailer, but they are normal links, not affiliate links. I paid for these myself and these opinions are my own. At this time, I have no personal or professional connections to the companies or influencers mentioned.
Thank you for reading! I hope it has been helpful.
YSL Beauty has been making eyeshadows for years, but I heard they were mediocre. It wasn’t until they created smaller versions of the Couture Clutch palettes in 2023 that my YouTube and Instagram feed became flooded with posts about them. I could not escape the hype for these. Praises were thrown all year after they launched, many calling them the best luxury eyeshadow formula, so I believed there had to be some truth to it.
The two factors holding me back from buying any were the color selections and the price. So, when the brand released four new quads, I was very interested in Over Brun, which is basically the warmer version of Stora Dolls. Only a few weeks after they launched in Europe, all the quads (including the new ones) were discounted at various retail websites. The lowest I saw, in the month of July that I started working on this post, was 32 Euros for the older ones and around 38 for the new ones. That was the push to get me to finally try these eyeshadows out!
*DISCLOSURE: A highlighted word section like this indicates that it is an affiliate link. If you click it and choose to make a purchase, I will get a commission. Words that are bolded in blue font alone like this are regular non-affiliate links. I have no affiliations with YSL, no affiliate links with the brand, and I purchased all products discussed in this review with my own money. My opinions are my own. I feel it’s important to clarify this, especially since I hold the product in high regard.
I purchased my quads in four separate orders through the retailer Beautywelt DE. The packages came with a few free samples, shipped the same day of ordering (except the last one that took a week to be shipped), and arrived the next day! They had a discount code featured at the top of the website, but I found a better one on the first Google search results page and it was not a one-time-use code. What luck!
Yves Saint Laurent Couture Mini Clutch in 700 Over Noir, 710 Over Brun, 810 Over Orange, and 300 Kasbah Spices
Over NoirOver BrunOver OrangeKasbah SpicesOver NoirOver BrunOver OrangeKasbah Spices
Like the Guerlain quads, the shades are numbered in a clockwise direction instead of up and down from left to right.
Kasbah Spices, Over Brun, Over Orange, and Over Noir from left to right.
I didn’t anticipate needing to review these individually, but my experience has not been the same! So, we’ll start with the best one.
Over Brun is practically perfect. I’ve testedit with concealer as primer, MAC paint pot, and an eyeshadow base. It performs the same with all of them. I have no issues with longevity. There has been no fading, creasing, or fallout even with the sparkly shade! I’ve had no need to spray my brush to get the sparkly shadow to stick to my eyes or be intensified. The eyeshadows are all easy to pick up on my natural hair brushes, even squirrel ones. If I’m applying shadows to my lower lash line, I don’t need to press hard or make multiple passes due to the lash hairs being in the way. The shadows adhere on the first go. They blend well and quickly.
I should specify that I use laydown/packing brushes with this formula, such as the Koyudo Pine Squirrel Eyeshadow Brush. I’ve seen some people talking about issues with fallout while they’re using fluffy crease brushes or synthetic ones. Using different tools could effect the experience. It also depends on which quad one buys.
The texture of these shadows (shades 2, 3, and 4) are like a more buttery version of Pat Mcgrath’s cream powders from the 5-pan palettes that I was obsessed with. These are more buttery than Suqqu eyeshadows, more powdery than Surratt eyeshadows, and more pigmented than both. They’re not damp like a cream, just incredibly smooth. The brand describes the texture as silky. The closest comparison I can think of to describe the consistency of it is the Westman Atelier Butter Powder Bronzer.
In theory, I love that each quad contains a sparkly shade to amp up the drama. These are all called Shade 1 in the top left position. However, I still want a more pigmented glimmer shade for their palettes going forward because I don’t need multiple semi-sheer base eyeshadow toppers when there are only four options to choose from per palette. This was my one complaint when I only had the Over Brun palette. Little did I know that all the other Shade 1 eyeshadows in the YSL quads have even sheerer bases and perform like true toppers! Shade 1 in Over Brun and Over Orange are the odd ones out in a good way. It’s still a bit unfortunate for me that those colors are so similar on my skin.
Over Orange has all the positive qualities that Over Brun has, except when it comes to Shade 3, the vibrant pop of Orange. This particular shade is a bit more powdery, it takes a little more effort to apply evenly without sparse portions. If I’m using a primer that’s on the drier side, I sometimes have to reapply it so I can pat the orange shade back on and have it stick. The way pure pigments and neon eyeshadows tend have rougher texture and have to be handled a bit differently, like the Terra Moon Neon Mattes, explains on the smallest scale what is happening with this shade. It’s the tradeoff for getting this kind of vibrancy. This is me nitpicking a bit though. When the shadows are all working so well, I can’t help but notice the slightest difference. The amount of work I have to put in is still fairly low effort because I don’t use my driest eyeshadow base that often.
I love the terracotta eyeshadow (Shade 4), but the depth level and strength of the orange tone within it make it less easy to differentiate when used right next to Shade 3. So, placement is key when it comes to making distinctly different looks using every shade in the quad.
As for Over Noir, it performs identically to Over Brun, except with Shade 1. As I mentioned earlier, it has a clear base. Unlike the previous formulation, this particular color looks wet and reminds me of the original Fenty Diamond Bomb Highlighter (How many Karats). I rarely enjoy wearing silver or cool toned shadows on my eyes, but this shade is stunning! It also adheres just as well to my eyes as the other new ones. I might sometimes get a few particles that fall on my lashes or under my eyes while applying, but whatever is on my lids or inner corners stay there without giving me more fallout as the day goes on. Although I don’t own Over Dore, I assume this is a feature of all the new quads and part of the slight tweaks they made to the formula when they supposedly reformulated them.
The first two Noir eye looks were done in a rush. I am attending Sprachschule again with limited time during the week to do makeup looks with access to natural light directed through the window. I basically wanted to show what could be done in a rush versus the third one with a little more time. I was also rushing through the eye looks for the Over Orange quad, but since those tones are warmer and not as deep, it’s a lot more forgiving. So, when I say all the YSL quads are quick and easy to blend, there is the tiniest caveat which is that I shouldn’t be heavy handed with any black or dark gray eyeshadow no matter what brand it’s from. I’d also done multiple looks on the same eye with micellar water used in-between. So, the fact that they turned out okay is a testament to the quality.
The new round of YSL quads are phenomenal. However, I have to review Kasbah Spices differently. Starting with Shade 1, I get fallout. Using the same brushes I mentioned earlier doesn’t make it better and applying it damp doesn’t. The only thing that helps is glitter primer, and even then I still get some fallout as the day goes on. Glitter primer is still the better option than how my eyes look without it. This shadow feels smooth to the touch like all the other sparkly shimmers, but it doesn’t adhere the same way. It has more of a scattered effect on the eye, which I usually don’t like. I can change that entirely by wetting my brush at least (seen in look 2 of 3 below). The downside again is that it settles awkwardly in the deepest line in the crease of my eyes.
The rest of the shades in the palette are mattes and they also don’t adhere as well. I’ve tried various primers and bases, just like with the other quads, but eyeshadows in Kasbah Spices performs differently with each primer. The drier the better, it seems. Less dry primers cause settling in my deeper eye crease.
The strangest part about this all is that they feel no different to the touch than the newer launched quads, but they obviously are different. The Kasbah Spices mattes also look dustier on my eyes. The warm orange-brown gave way less depth than I expected. It reminds me of a creamsicle/dreamsicle type of color. I have to spend so much time packing on that color and Shade 2 in the looks above. Shade 4 gives me hardly any depth. I have to basically leave it partly unblended so it can be more visible in photos.
Other than these problems, which might be less of an issue for someone with a lighter skintone, these aren’t the worst eyeshadows I’ve ever used. The fact that I can still get a nice sparkle and enjoy the outcome if I resign myself to making a soft glam type of look makes this an okay quad for me. Ironically, the Shade 2 (all brow bone shades for me) in this quad is my favorite, but I intend to eventually declutter this palette. The equivalent light shadow in Over Orange is a very good alternative option. In fact, I consider Over Orange to be the Kasbah Spices for those with darker skin.
The packaging for all these quads is lightweight, but it still feels luxurious because of the black and gold coloring. Also, I love quilt patterned faux leather purses, so I find the lid appealing, and the bonus is that the raised parts are squishy. It’s a pleasant feeling gripping the quad in the hand. If they made a compact mirror like this, I would want to buy it to keep in my purse because of how enjoyable it is to handle!
Going back to these new eyeshadows, I don’t think there is a more perfect eyeshadow formula out there for me and my needs. They nailed every type of finish. My biggest complaint is the lack of colors available beyond neutrals. Even if this is the best version of them, the colors aren’t different from a ton of other neutral palettes I own. I was already content with Guerlain’s Royal Jungle, Pat Mcgrath’s Bronze Bliss, Tom Ford’s Honeymoon, etc. YSL has a Europe exclusive blue palette, but that’s my least favorite color in the rainbow. So, if the brand comes out with colorful quads that are more to my style, they will have truly done something in my book. It’s one thing to have the best formula, but quite another to have enough shades in that formula to make more than just a few looks. Even if I wanted to use YSL eyeshadows exclusively from now on, I couldn’t because of the limitations. Owning 4 out of the current 12 still hasn’t added enough variety for me to be fully satisfied. I think 12 of the 12 would not either, so I’m still looking to other brands for my eyeshadow desires.
Of the newest two I saw sneak peeked, I think the pastel packaging is stunning, but not my kind of color story inside unless the shades are more saturated in person. The upcoming holiday quad is gorgeous, but I would need to see swatches to know if those shimmer shades will have enough pigment to look different enough from what I own.
Photo Credit of Quad #125 Blooming Lust: Trendmood1 Photo Credit #024 Golden Lace: Trendmood1
Photo Credit of Quad #125 Blooming Lust: Sharonrulala
Regarding my purchases, the only one I regret is Kasbah Spices. At the same time though, I would have never known about the performance difference if I hadn’t tried it for myself. I watched a lot of reviews (trying to be an informed consumer too) and most people could not tell a difference at all. The few that did only noticed it with the sparkly shades. So, it might be the case that it’s only noticeable on someone with oily lids or just eye skin like mine.
I love Over Brun, and that’s what got me into this, so I have no regrets there. Over Noir is the quad I bought specifically to wear for my husband. I had a smokey gunmetal eye look on my first “fancy” date with him. Ever since then, smokey colors with gunmetals or pewters have been extra appealing to him. Ironically, I rarely wear those and don’t have many of them in my collection. I have one particular eyeshadow I saved specifically for those looks, but it’s quite old by now. Over Noir has been hubby-approved as a replacement.
I edited this post to include a photo from that date night I mentioned with the smokey eye look!
Over Orange is one that I like, but technically I could have skipped. It really wasn’t a necessary purchase, but I’m happy with it! I can enjoy using it on its own, but I’ve been liking how it pairs with Over Brun and sometimes use them together. It’s, once again, what I originally hoped I could do with Kasbah Spices, but am using Over Orange for instead.
That’s all for today! I hope this has been helpful. Knowing what I know now, I would have still bought Over Brun and Over Noir at full price because of how strongly I feel about them for myself and for nostalgia. However, I always recommend trying to get things discounted if possible! I would not have gotten the others otherwise.
Welcome, lovers of Japanese makeup brushes! If this is your first time visiting, I’d like you to know that I have a page that’s accessible on the left menu bar with every Fude post linked, as well as a description of the topics discussed in those posts and a list of which brushes are in which posts. For cell phone users, this page is visible by clicking on Navigation. If this is not your first time here, welcome back!
Regarding my measurements, “hair width” is measured from the widest part, regardless of the overall brush shape. I don’t measure thickness. Anything with an asterisk indicates that I had to measure that one myself as those numbers were not listed on the website. All figures listed in inches are converted estimates.
With costs of materials ever increasing and supply of certain hair types being harder to acquire, brush prices also increase. So, the prices I’ve listed might not reflect what is current, though I will do my best to keep them updated.
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EIHODO
Eihodo NO.324 Eyeshadow Brush L [Outlet]
Full Length: 135mm / 5.35 in
Hair Length: 10mm / 0.4 in
Hair Width: *9mm / 0.35 in
Bristle Type: Saikoho Goat
I don’t own the Chikuhodo T-12, but this brush reminded me of that one based on the T-12 photos. I purchased this mainly for the great price, the sleek look to it, and to see how it compares to my favorite packing brushes.
It’s great for picking up eyeshadow and packing it on, but the bristles come to a thin taper towards the tips and the longest hairs bend quite a bit while I’m applying the product onto my eye area. So, it’s not as comfortable on my eyes when I use this brush because I can feel the dragging of it across my lids. It still gets the job done, but I’ve come to realize I prefer thicker brushes of this type.
I wanted this brush badly because of how much it reminded me of the Chikuhodo Z-1, which costs practically 10,000 YEN more than what I paid for this outlet brush! Based on the website photo, I expected them to look a bit more different, but they’re not! What a happy surprise! The hair feels the same. They’re practically the same lengths for the heads, ferrule, and handles. The only difference I can detect is that there’s more hair bundled in my Z-1. The Z-1 is slightly more dense and the No.390 bends a little more while using it and covers a slightly smaller surface area. I feel perfectly content with that!
The soft silky bristles, gentle pickup of product, and wispy nature of this brush makes it great for applying a thin layer of face powder and a sheer application of bronzer. Sweeping gestures and circular buffing motions both feel natural with this brush. Because of the generally large size and wide splay area, if someone wants to use this brush with blush, I recommend holding the brush further back on the handles in order to apply less pressure. Doing that allows one to maintain a bit more precision for blush application, but this one is best suited for light applications of face powder and bronzer.
I paid 9900 YEN for this brush, so I don’t know when there will be another deal quite like it. However, the link for it can be found HERE.
Eihodo NO.400 Powder Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 150mm / 5.9 in
Hair Length: 50mm / 1.97 in
Hair Width: *40mm / 1.57 in
Bristle Type: Saikoho Goat
This brush is so unexpectedly soft and plush feeling! I love the ferrule color chosen for this, which reminds me of the Chikuhodo MK-KO. Per usual with the outlet brushes from CDJapan, I can’t find any flaws.
The brush is ovular shaped, not perfectly round. The head tapers to a smaller point so that I can apply bronzer to the perimeter of my face with the tips using short sweeping strokes. However, when I’m using it to apply face powder, I press it down parallel to the pan so that product gets covered on one side, and then I use sweeping motions across the face. This brush has such a wide splay that I lose a bit of control of the placement if I try circular buffing around smaller areas. That’s why I still end up using sweeping or pouncing motions so that the hair moves in the same direction and it gives that soft cushioned feel while I’m applying product. Because I have my favorite powder bronzer brushes already, I use it as intended as an all-over face powder brush. It feels very airy, but it can pick up a sizeable amount of product, so I wouldn’t say this is for someone who wants the barest veil of powder (like someone could get from a squirrel brush). This gives medium pressure buffing and the amount of hair in this brush makes it feel a little more dense and tighter packed than it feels on the skin in practice.
This brush was absolutely worth the 6600 YEN I paid and was available HERE. Sometimes they restock sold out outlet brushes. Sometimes Eihodo puts the same brush heads on a different color ferrule and/or handle, so I hope anyone interested in this brush will still be able to get their hands on it somehow. It’s very nice!
Eihodo NO.446 Blush Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 143mm / 5.63 in
Hair Length: 40mm / 1.47 in
Hair Width: *30mm / 1.18 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel / Goat Sokoho
I actually forgot this brush had mixed hair because mine feels fully squirrel-filled. This brush is lightly packed and that aspect, combined with the chosen hair length and low to medium amount of pickup, aids in giving sheer washes of product. It’s useful to ensure that pigmented powders won’t be overapplied and can be built up slowly. It’s also best to use it with loose powders or ones that aren’t hard pressed. For my preferences, I only find this brush convenient to use with blush since it’s too small to satisfy me as a powder brush and gives too light of an application with my most used bronzers.
I paid 3700 YEN for this brush and it was available HERE.
Eihodo No. 844 Powder Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 140mm / 5.5 in
Hair Length: 53mm / 2.09 in
Hair Width: *38mm / 1.5 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel / Goat Sokoho
This has one of the most uniquely shaped brush heads in my collection. From the base to the tip, the widest part is about three quarts of the way up, on one side, before forming a rounded top. The other side is widest at around the halfway point and then angles gently, getting smaller toward the top. When I pick up product along the angled side, the majority of product collects lower down and has less product in the tip area. In the demonstration photo below, I purposely rubbed my brush vigorously into the powder in order to show how heavily it can get coated in one particular spot, whereas there’s a light application’s worth on the longest section.
I make sure to start wherever I want powder to be applied most concentrated and press that part of the brush to my skin and then drag the brush along that angle in long sweeps. Because this brush is not dense, I get an airy looking application. I can use this with pigmented bronzers to apply product lightly. I can use this to build up blush. However, I’ve been using it mostly to apply face powder for products that need to be set down. The sokoho hair within this brush is good for that, though it might be tough on the grey squirrel strands long term. It’s a risk I’m willing to take since it wasn’t expensive and I enjoy the softness of this brush.
This brush is huge for eyeshadow use! The bristles are longer than most brushes I see in this shape (as long or even longer than many fluffy crease blending brushes). It’s also wider too, making it too imprecise for my liking. Someone can use it to quickly cover the eye area for a one-and-done eyeshadow look. However, I actually bought it to use with highlighters! I wanted a brush that could pick up even hard pressed powder highlighters, and small enough to fit into products with multiple colors next to each other without mixing into other shades (such as the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi-glow highlighter). Even though it’s a bit imprecise for my eye area, it’s small enough that I can control highlighter placement. So, I’ve been enjoying this brush for that purpose. I still don’t use it more than my holy grail Bisyodo CH-HC brush, but it’s still useful for the second purpose: nose contour. It works perfectly for the sides of my nose, though it’s a bit wide for the bulbous part of my nose (the tip). I just have to put more effort to use the brush carefully there, so it gets the job done. Essentially, this brush is a temporary replacement when my favorites for highlighter or nose contour need to be cleaned. So, it gets a decent amount of use in my collection, just in shorter stints.
Koyudo Makie Gray Squirrel Powder Cherry Blossom Red
Full Length: 140mm / 5.5 in
Hair Length: 50mm / 1.97 in
Hair Width: *47mm / 1.85 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel
I have only ever used this brush for face powder purposes because it’s the most expensive (at full retail price) brush I own and I don’t want to risk damaging it from rough usage. This is a brush I coveted for so long because it was always out of my price range, so I immediately jumped when it became available during CDJapan’s brush sale at the end of 2022. I didn’t even want to use it to set wet products, so it became a finishing brush for me just long enough to test out, and then it returned to being just a collector’s piece.
The hair feels super silky. There’s enough hair to understand it being expensive (though I believe the majority of that is for the maki-e handle), but it’s not as full as I expected or hoped. It’s not dense. It has a light airy feeling to it and is luxurious when used across the skin. In my opinion, this is an “experience” and “for show” brush more than an everyday one for practical usage. That’s just my opinion considering how delicate the hairs are and my makeup needs. I’m absolutely happy to own it, but I could never recommend it, except to those for whom price is no issue.
I paid 18,000 YEN for this brush that was regularly sold at 30,000 YEN and was available HERE. On rare occasions, this brush comes back in stock in limited quantities, so I don’t know when or if it will return.
Koyudo Saikoho 3D Powder Brush Black Gradation Ver. Black [No Logo]
Full Length: 130-136mm / 5.12-5.35 in
Hair Length: 45-51mm / 1.77-2 in
Hair Width: *43mm / 1.69 in
Bristle Type: Saikoho Goat
I “blame” Tina for wanting this brush. I prefer long handles, so this hadn’t appealed to me prior to seeing her video. When the brand released the gorgeous dyed tips versions, I had to get it! The hair on this brush is so soft. It’s a huge version of cat-paw shaped brushes, which I tend to like. I love the way the contours of this brush hugs my face when applying powder. It can be used to set the face, but I typically use it as a finishing powder brush to smooth everything out.
As a 3D brush, there are zones A, B, and C that they say this brush can be utilized (photos are on the website). I can use smaller 3D brushes to apply highlighter from zone C and bronzer or contour with zone A and blush along the unmarked slanted edge between A and C. For a brush this large though, I agree with being able to use zone A for bronzer and contour but I personally have not tried it. Also, I haven’t ever used zone B no matter what size the brush was. It just doesn’t come naturally to me to think to use that section.
Because this brush is considered precious to me, and I did not want to travel with all my most precious brushes at one time in case my luggage got lost, I left this one behind. I was more prone to leaving powder brushes behind since I use them less often than other styles since I have dry skin and don’t always powder my face. However, I can attest to missing it sorely! If it ever comes back in stock, I recommend getting it!
I paid 5950 YEN for it. The link for it was HERE. The non-outlet version for 8000 YEN was HERE.
Koyudo Blush Brush [No Logo]
Full Length: 155mm / 6.1 in
Hair Length: 40mm / 1.57 in
Hair Width: *30mm / 1.18 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel and Goat
The hair blend reminded me instantly of Koyudo’s discontinued Premium Series, which I was unable to ever purchase, so that prompted me to want to buy this one. It is such a beautiful brush with the shiny lacquer black handles. I believe the labeled version of this brush is called the Koyudo Monochrome Cheek Brush and came in black and white handle versions via the Fude Beauty website. I’m not sure why CDJapan only had unlabeled ones (that still came in a black Koyudo box), especially for the same price as the ones from Fude Beauty. In any case, I still preferred being able to buy this beauty from CDJapan because of points I had accumulated there.
When I posted this brush on Instagram, I was asked how it compares to Hakuhodo’s mix of Gray Squirrel and Goat. Hakuhodo’s mix feels softer because I believe the quality of their goat hair is higher than what Koyudo used. However, I am still very happy with this brush’s softness level. It can be used for bronzer around the perimeters of the face, but I prefer using this mostly for applying and buffing blush. If I need to buff a less blendable bronzer (ones that aren’t within my top 20), then this brush is extra useful for that as well. It has strength from the goat and picks up a nice amount of product, but diffuses beautifully. That’s why I like it with blush as well, for managing to produce a semi-airy effect considering it’s not bundled in an airy fashion. It starts off with a medium application of product rather than light or sheer, while maintaining the look of being well blended. This also makes a fantastic finishing powder buffer brush for someone who prefers a large (but not jumbo), controlled shape.
Owning this brush is like having a backup Sonia G Master Face brush, only softer with slightly longer hair, a wider splay, and a little less dense.
I love ball/pom shaped brushes. These two are a few of the larger sized ones in my collection. I grew to like the Master Face over time, but I like this one from Koyudo even more. Besides the aspects that I like more, factoring in the increased price for the Master Face, it makes it easier to recommend this one over Sonia’s (which is a rare thing for me to say).
This brush restocked a few times, so it’s possible it could come back. I paid 13,300 YEN for it from HERE. At the time that I’m posting this, it’s out of stock at other retailers too.
Koyudo Blush Brush Black Flat Handle [Outlet, No Logo]
Full Length: 165mm / 6.5 in
Hair Length: 50mm / 2 in
Hair Width: *44mm / 1.73 in
Bristle Type: Gray Squirrel/Goat
This brush is so fantastic and I loved it so much that I ended up purchasing two more to gift to loved ones. It feels wonderful to the touch and across the skin. The goat gives the brush a little resistance, making it great to pick up some firmer pressed products. It’s a medium density brush that despite having such long hairs isn’t floppy. It’s not a workhorse brush, but it blends very well during the application process. It’s a good middle ground between softness of squirrel, with only slightly less silky feeling hair and pickup power capabilities of goat. I love that they added these angled tips on both sides for a more pigmented approach to a powder brush.
It’s great for powder foundation (not that I use powder foundation very often), setting and especially finishing powder, bronzer/contour, and blush. With blush application, I use it a little more carefully due to the width since the angled edge prevents me from needing to worry about it getting dragged down too far. I can sweep on the perfect amount of blush I want. For bronzer, I mentioned in the Sonia G section that I have my top two favorites. This is another brush I love for bronzing purposes, but I do admittedly own some that I like for that better. This is beloved as a finishing powder brush and one that I also wish I had taken with me. Even though I prefer it to some of my more expensive finishing powder brushes, I simply couldn’t take everything with me when I moved. So, I will be happy to be reunited with this brush when I return to the US for a visit.
I paid 6400 YEN, which was absolutely well worth the price, and I’d have been willing to pay the full 8000 YEN for it HERE.
Koyudo BP019 Blush Brush [Outlet]
Full Length: 162mm / 6.4 in
Hair Length: 37mm / 1.46 in
Hair Width: *34mm / 1.34 in
Bristle Type: Sokoho
This is a classic brush from Koyudo’s discontinued line that I was shocked to see return to the website, even as an outlet brush. I felt compelled to get it because of the unique head shape. It doesn’t say it on the outlet page, but this is one of Koyudo’s “3D series” brushes. It’s listed as being intended for blush, which it’s absolutely well suited for, but it can apply highlighter using the tips. It also makes an interesting bronzer and contour brush when product is picked up along that angled slant. Shape-wise, this brush is fantastic. The only downside is that it’s made with Sokoho hair. Brands like Eihodo and Bisyodo have much softer Sokoho that I can tolerate, but Koyudo’s is too scratchy for me on the face, even though it doesn’t feel like it would be by just touching the tips of the brush.
I don’t know how often I will use this brush, now that the review is completed. I paid 4104 YEN for it from CDJapan. If this ever returns with saikoho hair though, I will absolutely buy one. Anything with the 3D description from Koyudo has my interest, especially if it’s made with a soft hair type like the Saikoho 3D Powder Brush Black Gradation brush.
BISYODO
Bisyodo B-ES-08 Eye Shadow Brush
Full Length: 133mm / 5.24 in
Hair Length: 4mm / 0.16 in
Hair Width: *3mm / 0.12 in
Bristle Type: Tamage
Handle: African Rose Wood
Ferrule: 24KG
This is more of a liner brush, than for eyeshadow, because it’s so tiny! While it gets the job done, I discovered that I prefer more traditionally shaped liner brushes that are thin (and especially if they have an angled edge). Because this is roundly shaped, I end up stamping and slightly dragging the product in short strokes rather than using longer strokes that I can get from a thin flat brush. The hair feels soft to the touch, but it’s firmly bundled with not much movement. The website states that one could use this to darken the outer V, but it’s too small and too firm for my liking. I don’t like how it feels while trying to apply it that way.
What I found this brush to be most useful for is applying shimmers to my inner corner, highlighting under my brow arch, and stamping on color to a specific spot. When I was considering spicing up my wedding makeup look with the tiniest dot of a multichrome eyeshadow in the center of my upper and lower lash lines, this was the smallest size of brush I could use. So, even though I rarely need a brush like this, it can do what no other brush can. That makes it still worth having in my collection.
Hair Width x Thickness: 8.2 x 4.5mm/ 0.32 x 0.18 in
Bristle Type: Pine Squirrel, Raccoon
Handle: African Rose Wood (Bubinga)
Ferrule: 24KG Plated Brass
This brush is an interesting combination of softness from the pine squirrel and added springiness from the raccoon. The hair is firmest in the center and fluffier around the shorter edges where the tips only reach the middle.
This looks like a standard shaped packing brush, just small in size and slightly fluffy. However, when turned to the side, one can see that the middle is the widest part before the hairs taper to a point. This means it doesn’t pick up as much product as I expected, just on the tips which isn’t that much surface area. It’s good for lightly picking up and blending eyeshadow in one spot, but it’s too small to work across larger zones, like the crease for instance. So, instead, it’s nice to use for deepening and blending out shadows in the outer corner. It’s also good for blending different shades next to each other for a seamless ombre look.
I paid 4000 YEN for this brush and it’s available HERE.
Bisyodo B-ES-11 Eyeshadow Brush (Triangle)
Full Length: 149mm / 5.87 in
Hair Length: 18mm / 0.71 in
Hair Width x Thickness: 12.3 x 6mm/ 0.48 x 0.24 in
Bristle Type: Fox, Raccoon
Handle: African Rose Wood (Bubinga)
Ferrule: 24KG Plated Brass
This brush is good for laying down both mattes and shimmers since it has a nice grip on product. It blends out color well for those with larger eye space, is good for applying crease eyeshadow from the tips or when the brush is used turned on its side. It can also be used for targeted highlighting and nose contouring. The point formed by the tips and firmness of the bristles allow me to apply shimmer to my inner corners without needing to switch to a smaller brush. It’s a soft brush, but the tanuki hair might be too abrasive for people with super sensitive eyes. However, it’s still softer Kolinsky, so I don’t think most people will have issues. My brushes closest to this shape are better for building up color gradually, so it’s nice to have an option that’ll pick up firmer pressed products and deposit it more heavily if I want to build eyeshadow quicker.
Because of the pointed tip, it reminds me of the Mizuho MB120, but this brush is much firmer and applies product more precisely and more concentrated.
I paid 6500 YEN for it at the time (the prices will increase in October 2024) and it’s available HERE.
MIZUHO
Mizuho MB120 Large Eye Shadow Brush
Full Length: 146mm / 5.75 in
Hair Length: 20mm / 0.79 in
Hair Width: 6mm / 0.24 in
Bristle Type: Pine Squirrel
This is another one-eyeshadow style brush, but even with the pointy tip, I can’t easily get into my inner corners precisely enough. It’s great for picking up matte eyeshadow, but picking up shimmers applies too little to my eye at a time for my taste. It’s better suited for someone who likes a thin veil of shimmer or using topper shimmer eyeshadows. I’ve used this for nose contour and like that I can turn it on the side for creating a little sharpness in terms of applying a thin more concentrated line (medium application) than applying with the flat of the brush that gives a light-medium layer of product. It’s the right amount for blended contour and not an actual opaque line.
This brush reminded me of the Houkodou GS-1 for its size, but it’s not as soft and the GS-1 is better at both applying and blending eyeshadow.
I paid 3500 YEN for this brush and it’s available HERE.
SONIA G
A video of the bristles’ thickness, shape, and so on of the Jumbo Bronzer brush first and then the Smooth Buffer brush after can be found on my Instagram page HERE.
Sonia G Jumbo Bronzer
Full Length: *185mm / 7.3 in
Hair Length: 47mm / 1.85 in
Hair Width: *58mm / 2.3 in
Bristle Type: Dyed Saikoho Goat
I very much appreciate the fact that Sonia was transparent about the bristles of this brush being very soft, but a little less silky than her other saikoho brushes. She cited, “The softness of this saikoho is not going to be super silky because the quality of saikoho with that specific length of bristles has decreased since 10 years ago, while the cost has very much skyrocketed.” To me, this brush is just as good anyway. In fact, from September 2022 until October 2023, it became my favorite brush to use with powder bronzers. After that point, a new brush came into the picture, but they’re tied for first place. I love them both.
This brush is stellar because it’s soft on the skin and holds firm while working in the product, but it has such a gentle splay that it makes things look airbrushed. For such a big brush, the shape of it allows me to get around the edges of my face with more precision than one would expect. It’s a brush for someone who wants to build up bronzer and not have a concentrated application, but wants it applied to a large area so it won’t take as long to do the full face. Basically, it’s perfect for someone like me who doesn’t want a sharp edge (no detectable lines or stripes) without putting in that much time or effort into blending.
Although I only ever use this brush with bronzer, the softness on the skin and overall shape makes this a great finishing face powder brush as well, to blend everything together.
The comparison photo on the left is of the Chikuhodo FO-9, one of my biggest face brushes. These are similar in size, but the Jumbo Bronzer brush is denser and therefore feels firmer as it glides across the skin. The FO-9 is my main finishing powder brush of choice (when not using the Dior Powder No-Powder), so that’s why the Jumbo Bronzer is one of my two main powder bronzer brushes. The photo on the right is a comparison of this brush with the Sonia G Cheek Pro. That is one of my favorite brushes, so it makes even more sense why I love this brush too, considering it’s basically a gigantic version of that one. Although I use the Cheek Pro exclusively for blushes, there have been a few times I’ve used it with bronzer when the others needed to be cleaned.
Sonia G Smooth Buffer
Full Length: 166mm / 6.53 in
Hair Length: 26mm / 1.02 in
Hair Width: *38mm / 1.5 in
Bristle Type: Dyed Saikoho Goat
As much as I love the Jumbo Bronzer brush, it’s too big for some of my products. For instance, I can’t use that brush with my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palettes that have highlighters and blushes next to the bronzers. That’s where this brush comes into the picture. The surface area of this brush is still big, to the point where I still have to be careful how I angle it when I use it with the Hourglass palettes, but at least it works. It picks up a good amount of product and buffs well. The outer edge of hair within the brush isn’t as tightly packed as the core, so that can help with achieving a dispersed airier finish despite there not being as much bending or splaying while being buffed in. So, it has the buffing power of a firm brush while giving close to airbrushed results on the face, and packing on quite a bit of pigment at the same time. This cuts down the time I have to spend building up sheer or lightly pigmented products. For that reason, I like using this brush with blushes just as much as bronzer. For bronzer, I tend to use long swiping/sweeping motions around the perimeter, but with blushes I pounce it on or buff in circular motions. Both techniques work just as well.
For comparison purposes, the Chikuhodo FO-2 is denser, has shorter hair, and a smaller surface area. For quite a while now, I started using that brush exclusively for the Dior Powder No-Powder. So, the Smooth Buffer has become my flat-top brush of choice instead. I could use it to buff face powder as well, but my preference for face setting powder is a large airy brush since my dry skin doesn’t need more than a thin layer of product, if at all. With finishing powders, I can apply them a little heavier, but I still don’t prefer to use this brush for that.
I have to add that if you have sensitive skin, even though this brush has saikoho hair, it can feel a little more abrasive than other Sonia G face brushes. Perhaps it’s due to the “newer” long hair quality or the general nature of flat-top brushes with added pressure. Maybe it’s even a combination of both. I bought my brush in October 2022, so it didn’t come from the original stock that was launched in 2020. That being said, I started to notice the occasional poking feeling (it’s not every time, mostly just when I’m in a rush and buffing roughly) around four months ago. So, it’s also possible a few tips on my brush have snapped from admittedly hard use over time. I can’t feel anything but softness when I rub my fingers across the surface of the tips. It’s only when it’s on my actual cheek that I can feel it sometimes.
Sonia G Fusion Eye Jumbo Worker
Full Length: 155mm / 6.1 in
Hair Length: 20mm / 0.79 in
Hair Width: *20mm / 0.79 in
Bristle Type: goat and synthetic
I’ve used this for concealer, but it’s a bit large for that and looser than my beloved Sonia G Jumbo Concealer brush. More specifically, it’s dense due to how many bristles are bundled together, but it splays a lot more around the outsides. This brush will not be replacing it.
I’ve used this to set powder under my eyes. The Real Techniques Setting Brush has been my ultimate choice for that purpose for so many years now. This might be my next favorite (after the Real Techniques Brightening Concealer/Kitten Paw Brush), as it feels super soft and plush under the eyes, but the extra density (medium versus light) helps to further press the powder into the skin.
I’ve used it to blend out the Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Tint that I use as if it’s a cream highlighter. It works, but I prefer other brushes because this one takes longer to blend the edges. It’s much easier using this brush with powder highlighter, such as the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Multi-Glow Highlighter.
When it comes to cream bronzer use, I prefer the Sonia G Mini Base over this one because the Jumbo Worker doesn’t pick up nor deposit as much to the face. Considering it’s smaller than my holy grail cream bronzer brush (Patrick Ta’s Contour 1 Brush), it takes too much time to build up what I can get from the PT brush in the first pass around the face. With the Mini Base, it’s useful for when I’m looking for a pigmented yet softer looking application instead of a sharper one, whereas the Jumbo Worker is too gentle.
Where the Jumbo Worker has the advantage is with blushes. I didn’t think it could top the Mini Base, which I have loved for cream and liquid blushes since early 2021. However, I think the Jumbo Worker might be doing that! The Mini Base gives maximum color payoff that can be smoothed and blended out to a sheerer more natural look. The Jumbo Worker gives less color, but still a good amount, that allows for more control in actually building it up. The finished result is a smooth seamless blend onto the cheeks, and quite fast considering it’s tiny for a blush brush! For lighter colors, I would still reach for the Mini Base, but with darker or more pigmented liquid and cream blushes, I would use the Jumbo Worker. Another example is that when I’ve used the limited edition shade Rust from Glossier’s Cloud Paints, the mini tube squeezes out too much product and I end up having to wipe some away or I end up with a heavier application of it with the Mini Base. With the Jumbo Worker though, it’s perfect. It took some of the excess away and left me with a look that was so natural, exactly as I wanted! This brush also has the advantage of applying powder blush beautifully as well, but I don’t like using the Mini Base with powder. I think it’s due to the Jumbo Worker’s shape having more of a splay with diffuses the powder a lot better.
I admittedly have not tried to use this brush with foundation, even though Sonia G has mentioned that it’s a possibility with this brush. I’m too impatient and prefer large base brushes. And even though I knew I wouldn’t like it, I had to test this with liquid eyeshadow, since this is technically an eyeshadow brush. As predicted, it’s just too huge for my eye area. It brings eyeshadow too high up to look flattering for my eye shape. It fits into the socket well, but some of the shadow gets on the inner lower lash line too because of its size. It also diffuses the eyeshadow too much for my liking, leaving me with a non-opaque application. Someone who wants to have a big wash of color on the eyes would enjoy this brush though.
So overall, this brush is super versatile and would be fantastic to take traveling. I didn’t like it in the beginning, but after figuring out so many great ways to use it, especially with blush, I love it now.
Sonia G Fusion Eye Builder
Full Length: 150mm / 5.9 in
Hair Length: 10mm / 0.39 in
Hair Width: *11mm / 0.43 in
Bristle Type: goat and synthetic
Since the Builder Three (which this brush is intended to be similar to) and Builder Pro are among my all time favorite eye brushes, it made sense that I would be interested in trying a version intended for creams and liquids. The few liquid eyeshadow formulas I have are fantastic, so it’s not a surprise to say that my eyeshadow looked nicely smoothed out after being applied with the Fusion Builder. In addition, this brush got into the inner corners easily, which is definitely impressive, and the edges were blended super well without harsh lines either. I’ve been using the Singe Beauty brushes for this purpose, but this brush does the job better and faster, all while feeling gentler on the eyes.
When it comes to using this brush with powder products, I definitely prefer the Builder Three because it’s the tiniest bit fuller and the way it moves in the crease feels nicer. The Fusion Builder is a bit stiffer, so it doesn’t glide around the contours of the eye with as much ease. One of the benefits of this though is that it picks up harder pressed products better. The black shade in one of my Guerlain quads is notoriously difficult to pick up on a brush and is still not great even with a finger. However, I could get more of it into my brush and onto my outer corners better with this than any other natural hair brush (which I assume is thanks to the synthetic bristles within it).
The Fusion Builder is the left one in each photo. The Builder Three is on the right side of each.
I prefer to use a smaller brush for my lower lash line, but if I wanted to, I have even more control applying eyeshadow there with the Fusion Builder over the Builder Three. I still don’t think I’ll use this with powder eyeshadows, but this will be my go-to brush for liquid and cream eyeshadows instead.
Sonia G The Traditions Holiday Trio
Traditions S1
Full Length: 148mm / 5.83 in
Hair Length: 8mm / 0.3 in
Hair Width: *6mm / 0.24 in
Bristle Type: Yellow Canadian Squirrel
Considering this is a squirrel brush, I was impressed by how much eyeshadow can be picked up and deposited with this brush. It even worked well when I used it with Natasha Denona’s cream-to-powder eyeshadows. I gather up the product and deposit it precisely where I want it to be before switching to larger brush to blend the powder in. Due to its flat shape, it works well for precision application of eyeshadow to my lower lash line. The softness of the hair guarantees a pleasant experience for that delicate area.
When I’m doing an eye look with multiple shimmer shades on the lid and want to blend them into each other to create a fake multi-chrome type of look, it’s particularly good for that. Blending the shimmers into each other nearer to the inner corner and not getting the outer corner messy is harder to do with the fingers, so this brush has a leg up in that regard.
Sonia G Traditions S1 compared to the Surratt Artistique Classique Shadow Brush Petite
Traditions S2
Full Length: 154mm / 6.06 in
Hair Length: 14mm / 0.55 in
Hair Width: *10mm / 0.39 in
Bristle Type: Yellow Canadian Squirrel
This is suited for building up gradual intensity of eyeshadow, but to larger areas at once. It’s relatively thin, whereas I prefer thicker packing brushes. Sonia G already has brushes suited to my style in the form of the Builder Three and Builder Pro, so this still fills a void in her line. Because of its medium size, it can be a one-and-done eyeshadow brush for someone with smaller eyes.
Comparison to the Houkodou GS-2
Traditions 3
Full Length: 155mm / 6.1 in
Hair Length: 15mm / 0.59 in
Hair Width: *8mm / 0.3 in
Bristle Type: White Canadian Squirrel
The way this is tapered, plus the hair type, gives a diffused application to a smaller area than a more traditionally shaped fluffy blender brush would. This makes it handy in the crease for more intricate looks layering multiple eyeshadows while keeping them distinguishable in the gradient, though the amount that gets picked up on the hair and the spring of the bristles won’t apply things completely opaquely on the first attempt. That might be a good thing for those preferring to build up eyeshadow. In my case, I like it more for use in the outer corner since that’s a spot I would use a darker eyeshadow and want to be more careful about how heavy the pigmentation is. Even though it’s useful there, my preference is still a smaller brush such as my holy grail Sonia G Mini Booster.
So, overall, this collection has its uses. It’s less functional for my particular style of makeup application, but I still wanted this as a Fude collector. The handles are beautiful and the hairs are not easily sourced. So, these are more for my enjoyment of just owning them.
That’s all for now! I’m so sorry it took a year to post between Fude 5 and Fude 6. I tried to make it quicker to get out Fude 7, but it still took a long time. Fude 8 is in the works, and I do believe I can get it posted sooner, though it will likely be several more months again. Please consider following this blog so you can be notified as soon as it comes out. I do also post photos on Instagram of new brushes, and sometimes give a first impression. More thorough reviews are exclusive to this blog though.
I hope you have a great day! Thank you for your continued patience.
I have to give credit to The Makeup Archives on YouTube for this purchase after she mentioned these balms are comparable to the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embrace Melting Lip Colours. I purchased the shades Kaya Fig, Dear Apple, and Pecan Brew. I believe the first is from the main collection whereas the latter two are Dusty On the Nude Editions.
These have a lot of ingredients my lips like, but they’re closer to the bottom of the list, and are therefore in smaller amounts than the bulk of the formula makes up. The list also has some ingredients that have the potential to dry my lips depending on the amounts, so I didn’t expect them to condition my lips over time when I bought them. I would be satisfied if I could at least wear them comfortably and have them not make my lips worse at the end of the day, so that was my goalpost for them. Plus, I was curious how similar they truly felt to Lisa’s considering I bought 3 Glasting Melting Balms for less money than a single Baume Embrace.
Before we get into the review, I feel it’s important to talk about how I acquired them. I always want to know if there’s anything I need to watch out for regarding shipping times, customer service, etc. So, I assume most people are like me and want to know as well. I ordered these from YesStyle. I’ve had an account with them for years, but this was my first time actually purchasing. My full order exceeded $55 USD, since I added extra items to my cart, so I was eligible for free shipping. I was allowed to pay with US Dollars instead of Euros and still have it shipped to Germany with VAT included. My order was “shipped” within two days, but the warehouse is in Hong Kong, so it took 9 days to be in possession of the carrier Hermes. Therefore, tracking was unavailable until it reached the hands of Hermes, which was by then when it was in Germany. The following day it was scheduled for delivery. So, it took a total of 12 days to arrive. According to information I found online, some people get their orders fast (in under 10 days) whereas some people could get it after nearly a month. For those saying it took longer, I’m not sure if they bought items that had the “Usually ships within 24 hours” marker on them or if a longer time frame was written. My Oden’s Eye and Kaleidos orders usually take between 2-4 weeks to arrive, as well as anything I order from Ebay or Amazon listed as coming from China (no matter if it’s going to the US or Germany), so it’s possible that’s just how it can be sometimes via YesStyle. Because my order went smoothly, I had no interactions with customer service.
Also, the packaging says “Rom&nd,” but the descriptions all say, “Romand.” I guess that’s to avoid it looking like there’s a typo and keeping it easier to find or to use hashtags and whatnot.
The first thing I noticed when putting this on my lips is that it’s not a lightweight feeling formula. It’s very emollient feeling, but not full-on oily. It’s got a bit of tack to it. When I first apply it, it feels like my lips are heavy and speaking is a bit difficult because of the partial stickiness. The benefit though is that this feels very much moisturizing and hydrating. My lips feel conditioned after wearing it.
These are quite pigmented for balms, though Pecan Brew has probably twice the amount of pigment. It’s not easy to get a sheered out look with that shade. I love that the other two look quite natural. The downside to the pigment part of the balms is that it clings to every dry and peeling patch. I have to pull off strings of color to get it to look smooth and not textured. It’s evident in the swatch picture how building up the color didn’t go on my arm evenly and I had to use my finger to smooth it out. Also, the top layer of product is so easy to transfer, but the closest layers on the skin having a clinging quality that lasts a pretty good amount of time as long as drinking and eating aren’t in the equation. I’m able to apply this before bed, like an actual lip treatment, and there’s still some on my lips in the morning.
Fragrance is listed in the ingredients, and I can smell something, but it’s not a clearly identifiable scent. The closest I could describe it as is vaguely fruity.
These are actually nourishing, which makes them instantly worth me buying! The downside is that my husband hates kissing me with them on. They’re too goopy for his liking. This is why I still prefer the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces, though I will definitely keep using this product for the makeup qualities. I don’t often wear lipsticks because of my dryness issue, so to be able to have colors that will actually improve the state of my lips is a very welcome option. I plan to keep using Dear Apple and Kaya Fig, but I prefer how Lisa Eldridge’s Red Curve looks on me over Pecan Brew. Based on photos I’ve seen online, I assume Scotch Nude is more similar to LE’s Sweet Fig, which is why I didn’t buy that one.
Colors aside, Lisa’s formula is less emollient and a little less nourishing. They end up lasting the same amount of time on the lips as Romand’s during the daytime, but can’t last through sleeping. The LE lippie’s color applies much more smoothly. My lip lines look smoothed out, whereas with the Glasting balms they have a slightly pruned look to them the way fingertips look when soaked in water for too long. I feel the Baume Embrace has a more sophisticated formula in terms of being a makeup-skincare hybrid. Romand’s feel more like a treatment, even with the amount of coloring agent used. I also like being able to put on the Baume Embrace and forget I’m wearing it because it’s not so heavy on the lips. The comfort from not having the sensations of needing to wipe off the edges of my lips every so often makes me more willing to wear LE’s over Romand’s.
I can see why the YouTuber said the Romand Glasting Melting Balms reminded her of the Baume Embraces, but the way they feel on the lips is too different for me to consider them dupes. There are a lot of other melting type tinted lip balms on the market (Tarta Maracuja Juicy Lip, Makeup by Mario Moisture Glow, Nivea Melty Lip Balms, etc.). I even saw plenty of other “melting balms” on YesStyle. The amount of color, the ingredients used, and texture/consistency are the qualities that differentiate one balm from another. I think the Baume Embraces stand on their own enough that they were worth it for me to buy. However, for the lip conditioning aspect and having additional shade options, I’m also glad to have bought these from Romand. They’re a third of the price as well!
That’s all for this week! Have a good one, and thanks for reading!
-Lili ❤
DISCLOSURE: Apparently, I have a referral code with YesStyle which is available for all customers to share. I don’t really know much about it, but I figured I would just link it anyway. The reward code isG9UHT8. I did not sign up for the official YesStyle Influencer Program though. As my love of beauty revolves mostly around makeup, but I never buy makeup from YesStyle, it didn’t seem like the right fit for me. Sunscreens, Hair Care, and Skincare are what I like to use YesStyle for now, but I rarely post about those topics. Anyway, thanks for reading!
Lili's Beauty Blog 