The bronzer should be available in the US by June. The pressed powder is already available worldwide.
The luxury beauty community was up in arms about Givenchy reformulating their loose setting powder because it left a sheen on the skin (which emphasized texture and wasn’t as blurring). From what I’ve heard, it sounds like the loose powders intended for fair to medium skin tones contained a lot more Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, but mine called Popeline Mimosa seemed to only have shiny particles in the darkest square, which is practically the only section of the container I use. I put tape over the lighter squares, and only have a few holes open for the orange color. It bothered me that I could essentially use only 1/4 of the product, and I prefer using pressed powders over loose ones. When I heard about the brand’s new pressed version that is supposed to be more similar to the original formulation, I was interested.
I’m not sure if the original pressed powders were ever available in the US, but the deepest shade in that line was called 06 – Flanelle Épicée and is still available via the retailer Flaconi. In the current version, the deepest is called 06 Organza Ambré and I was willing to give this powder a try considering the original bright pink corner was replaced with what I thought was a peach color. It turned out to be closer to salmon.
The brand also resolved the issue of the brush-holding flap lifting upwards and covering the mirror, because it now flips to the side.
I’ll discuss the powder more a bit later, but I’d like to first talk about the Bronzer because it’s the product I actually bought first. I enjoyed the silkiness of it and ability to customize it so much that I had hope that the pressed powder could be even more useful to me than the loose one.
DISCLOSURE: All products in this post were purchased by me with my own money.Unhighlighted links in bold blue font (Example) are normal 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 on the website after being redirected there. The price of the product is not affected by these links, and anyone who uses them would be supporting this blog. Sorry for this interruption, but an explanation about affiliate links are required by the FTC whenever they are used. The only affiliate links in this post are for brushes through CDJapan, not Givenchy. And for anyone else wondering, I usually reserve non-link font colors like (Orange) for updates, (Red) for subject titles, and (Purple) for product titles.
Givenchy Prisme Libre Bronzing and Sculpting Powder in 003 Organza Bronzé
Organza Bronze is currently the darkest of the Bronzer Powders available. It works for me, but I think this really doesn’t go deep enough, and I’m hoping they will expand the range. It has been out for a few weeks already in Europe, but I heard it will come to the US by June.
The four colors are supposed to allow one to, “add tan, warmth, modeling, and brightening.” In the top left corner is supposed to be the bronzer shade, which is basically my skin tone. I can’t use this as a bronzer unless I mix it with the darkest block. Then, it does add subtle bronzing. I’m glad this is such a blendable product that layers and builds well because I have tried other “customizable” powders in the past that formed uneven mixtures that didn’t look seamless on the skin. This product really is customizable.
In the bottom left corner is the brightening square. I have tried using this as a highlighter before, and it adds a super subtle sheen, but isn’t enough for me to replace using an actual highlighter in my routine. As a glow enhancer to turn this soft matte product into a radiant bronzer, this doesn’t do a whole lot either. It makes it less matte, but I don’t think there’s enough oomph to satisfy a true shimmer-bronzer lover. What this does is literally lighten the color of whatever mixture I try to create. So, if I go overboard on the darkest color, adding this will lighten it up, but so will the bronzer shade.
In the bottom right corner is the modeling or sculpting block. It is the darkest section of the pan and is a cool-leaning neutral shade. It works perfectly as subtle contour in the sense that it isn’t overly gray. This color choice aids in the ability for it to mix with the other shades without going muddy. This isn’t guaranteed to be the case with Mousseline Bronzée or Popeline Bronzée though.
In the top right corner is the warmth-adder. If I want my bronzer to be less subtle, then I must rely more heavily on the darker quarter. That dark powder has just enough coolness that mixing it with the lighter browns combine into a neutral shade. If I’m feeling like having a little extra warmth, I can easily add this burnt red color to the mix. However, it works quite beautifully as a blush, which I first discovered when watching Brie Moore use it that way in her YouTube video.
How I’ve been using this the most has been to contour with the darkest shade, then mix all the browns together for a subtle bronze, and finally using the red color as blush. This tailored approach is much better suited for me than swirling all four colors together. The combined color is a bit too light for me anyway. This means that the nice and soft synthetic brush Givenchy includes in here has very little purpose for me. The shape makes it very cumbersome to try and isolate one of the four shades alone. It can be done, and I’ve used it in the darkest square to contour under my cheekbone, but I’d much rather stick to my Face 11 brush from the brand called Number Eight. The candle tapered shape is ideal for dipping into a small section, but dispersing the product in a wider area. Small cheek brushes also work, like the HSC-2 Hana Sakura Brush for those that want an even subtler application or the Chikuhodo FO-2 that will give a stronger application and still fits in each square despite being a flat top brush with a decent amount of surface area.
I think this is a great product. The powders are super refined, blendable, soft, layer well, and last all day without fading. They’re not splotchy, they’re multi-purpose (I’ve even seen someone use them as eyeshadows), and I think the black packaging with the bronze details makes it look luxe even though it’s so lightweight. Only time can tell whether I will continue to find the customization element necessary or if I will go back to using my individual makeup favorites. The one major negative for me is simply the fragrance in here. This bronzer is so heavily perfumed and even though it’s not a bad smell, it’s stronger than I want in a makeup product and I can still smell it briefly while it’s on my face. I hope the scent will dissipate within the package over time.
Givenchy Prisme Libre Pressed Powder in 06 Organza Ambré
The first thing I thought when I saw the four colors for this shade of pressed powder is how it reminded me of my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Sunny Side that was a limited edition product first released in 2016. The photo below is from my review from 2020.
I contemplated bringing Sunny Side back to Germany with me after seeing it again in person in the US, but considering this is 9 years old, it has no functional use except for nostalgia and collecting purposes. It can remain where it is on my “retired products” shelf for things I loved but will not use on my face.
Unlike Popeline Mimosa that was too light for me to use all 4 shades together, I am able to wear the four shades combined from Organza Ambré (at least under my eyes).
The salmon color in the bottom left of the compact doesn’t look strong in swatches, but it can clash a bit with my undertone if I accidentally use too much of it. Givenchy included that color to, “correct and conceal shadows.” I played around with different combinations blended onto my arm to see which ones had the highest likelihood of suiting me. In that process, and then confirming it under my eyes, I discovered that combining the yellow in the top left with the deep caramel brown on the bottom right looked the best for brightening. According to the brand, the yellow is intended to, “correct blue tones,” while the brown, “unifies the skintone.” The combination of the yellow, brown, and a bit of that orange (reminds me of the Crayola shade Macaroni and Cheese) is semi color-correcting. However, the orange, which the brand says is supposed to, “boost the skin’s radiance,” isn’t deep enough to be successful using it on its own on top of my Givenchy concealer. Combining the orange and salmon though works. My favorite combination is simply the yellow and brown together.
I’m quite satisfied with this powder, paired with the Prisme Libre concealer, but it doesn’t do as nice of a job on top of some of my other concealers (for instance the KVD Good Apple). Also, the only difference I can see between this powder and the reformulated loose one is the lack of sheen. It looks nice and blurs a little, but it doesn’t have noticeable extra blurring or anything special enough for me to see what all the hype was about. I’m honestly not even sure if this reformulated, but fully matte, powder is as close to the original as some people have been saying it is, considering how similar it is to the mini I own.
This isn’t the kind of powder I want to put all over my face because it’s too mattifying for my dry skin. However, I did it for the sake of this review. Even though combining the four shades works under my eyes, it’s still too light for my whole face. It doesn’t look drying on the majority of my face, but it’s unflattering in areas that are my most dry and have the most fine lines. It’s mainly around my mouth that the powder actually emphasizes texture.
It’s interesting that I like the bronzer so much, but not the powder, considering they are practically the same formula. The only notable differences is that Zinc Stearate is higher up the list for the pressed powder and Kaolin is higher on the list in the bronzer.
The reason the bronzer doesn’t look too drying is specifically due to the areas I use it, which is the perimeter of the face and cheeks. If I tried to use the bronzer all over my face, and especially around the mouth, I would probably dislike it too.
So, this continues to be a powder that I only use under my eyes to set concealer and pretty much only with the Givenchy concealer. Though I got this for 20% off, I wish my curiosity hadn’t gotten the better of me and that I skipped buying this powder entirely. I like the Guerlain Parure Gold Powder more than this! That one felt drier, but at least it didn’t look dry.
Since the bronzer and pressed powder have nearly identical ingredients, I feel validated in assuming that if I liked the bronzer formula then I should like the pressed powder too. My mistake was not taking placement into consideration.
That’s all for today! Thank you for reading. I hope you’ll join me again for next week’s post!
Anyone who read my post containing the LH Cosmetics Bronzer will recognize why I was attracted to this bronzer. This type of embossing is my kryptonite! It was already in my possession before I realized why I felt so compelled to own it. Plus, the packaging was stunning! I never tried By Terry products before (excluding lip product samples), so that was an extra incentive to buy this. I was lucky enough to catch a sale not too long after launch and could purchase it for 44 Euros via the retailer Niche Beauty.
The color 4 Deep Bronze is a red toned bronzer that is quite a few shades darker than my skin tone, but it blends into my skin quite well, especially since I use my sheerer brushes with it. I have a bit more red in my skin right now after getting more time in the sun this summer, but this shade of bronzer might be too red for me by the time it’s spring. We shall see.
This bronzer is super soft to the touch and feels somewhat buttery for a powder (though not quite to the level of the Westman Atelier Butter Bronzer. I’m impressed with the quality, as it is very refined. I’m happy to know the high price tag wasn’t just for the pretty packaging. The finish isn’t flat matte. It has the tiniest bit of sheen that gives a healthy-skin type of appearance, but I wouldn’t call it luminous.
There are two reasons it makes my top 15, but not my top 10. The first is because this is heavily fragranced. The smell reminds me of Irish Spring bar soap. It’s not an offensive smell and it doesn’t linger on the skin after it’s applied, but I’d rather not have that wafting in the air every time I go to use it. The second reason is just the color. I wish there was a golden orange-yellow-brown color available and not just deep red-brown. It has a great formula, but if it’s not a color I love then there isn’t much reason to use it over everything else I own and prefer. To a luxury lover, I would recommend giving this a try, provided one can find a good shade match.
Because I like the formula of this product, I was tempted to get the Starlight Glow CC Highlighter, but I heard it has visible shimmer particles, so I skipped it.
2024 Bronzer Collection Ranking
This list does not include every bronzer I’ve ever tried or owned. I did not include bronzers from face palettes, unless the brand sells the item individually as well. Not included in this ranking, despite my owning them or having owned them in the past, are the Huda Tantour, Glossier Cloud Paint Bronzer, and Benefit Hoola. Huda’s and Glossier’s are unranked because they were shipped to the US (so I haven’t used them yet). I did not include Benefit’s bronzer because it has been so long since I used it that I don’t think I can accurately compare them to the others. Plus, I need a shade from Benefit that’s between Caramel and Toasted. That’s why I never repurchased it.
The names in bold lettering were added to the ongoing ranking list in 2024. Last year’s Bronzer Ranking/Declutter and 2023 Bronzer Review Mega Post can be found HERE and HERE.
Hermès Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer (cream)
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer (powder)
Kosas The Sun Show Bronzer (old version/discontinued)
Victoria Beckham Matte Bronzing Brick
Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick
Glowish by Huda Beauty Bronzer (discontinued)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Cream Bronzer
Hatice Schmidt Labs Bronzer
Colourpop Super Shock Bronzer
Gucci Bronzing Powder
Dior Forever Natural Bronzer
Vieve Modern Bronzer Duo
Westman Atelier Butter Powder Bronzer
By Terry Tea to Tan Sun Powder
Armani Luminous Silk Bronzing Powder
Mented Bronzer
Nars Laguna Talc-Free Bronzing Powders
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer
Pat Mcgrath Divine Powder Bronzers
MAC Sunstruck Bronzer (Matte)
Covergirl Trublend Bronzer
Nars Laguna Cream Bronzer
Nabla Skin Bronzing
Nars Powder Bronzer (old version/discontinued)
Armani Luminous Silk Bronzer Drops
Rose Inc Cream Bronzer
Glossier Solar Paint (might be discontinued in favor of the Cloud Paint Bronzers)
Danessa Myricks Power Bronzer
MAC Sunstruck Bronzer (Radiant)
Melt Contour/Bronzer Stack
Jaclyn Hill Sun Bathe Pressed Bronzers (discontinued)
Kosas The Sun Show Bronzer (Current Version)
Kaleidos Contour Trio
LH Cosmetics Infinty Bronzer
I Heart Revolution Tasty Coffee Bronzer
r.e.m. Hypernova Bronzer
Fenty Sunstlk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer
The Makeup by Mario Perfector
Coloured Raine Powder Bronzers
Makeup Revolution Glow Splendour
Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer Stick
I still get the desire to use everything in my top 30. However, the bronzers I use the most are the ones I still have with me within the top 11.
That’s everything! Thanks for reading this final post for 2024. I hope you’ll return in 2025. Happy New Year!
The retailer Purish was having a birthday sale in July. I didn’t know anything about the Berlin based company until this year when I realized I could get some harder to find indie products on their website. Along with some Danessa Myricks products I plan to review at some point in the future, I bought items from Nabla and LH Cosmetics that I’ve been eying for a long time while in the US, but didn’t want to deal with the shipping costs. I’ll be discussing them in the order that I tried them, rather than grouping by brand. I hope you’ll find these reviews interesting and helpful!
Nabla Close-Up Blurring Blush in Satisfaction
I love Nabla’s Skin Glazing blushes and have long wished for a shade extension. So, even though these new blushes are a matte formula, I felt compelled to try at least one of them. The shade I chose can be iffy as to whether it will work for me or not. The color reminded me of Too Faced’s Cloud Blurring Blush in Velvet Crush, Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed, and Sephora’s Duo Matte Blush in English Rose. It might even be similar to MAC’s Gingerly, but I would need to see it again to know for sure. In any case, some of the above work for me all the time or just in winter, so I took the chance. The only one I have with me to compare in swatches is Sephora’s English Rose. I intentionally mixed the two split pan colors together to get as close to Nabla’s Satisfaction as possible. English Rose can look completely different if I use more of the pink within the duo.
If I just use Satisfaction on my bare cheeks, it’s a little ashy looking, especially because it’s a matte formula and I have dry skin. However, when it blends into my foundation, the color warms up further and looks just as I hoped. I like vibrant poppy blushes, but sometimes I like having just a flush of pink. Sometimes, I want light pink cheeks like an anime character. It all depends on my mood! In order to get as much payoff as it looks in the photo below, I had to really pack it on my cheeks. A normal amount is very subtle.
I have no blending issues or longevity issues with this. The part I dislike is actually the smell. It smells like a mix between chalk and chemicals, though not as strongly as the MAC Bronzer issue when those launched last year. I used to smell it only when I first opened the compact and then it would dissipate in the air. I noticed a similar thing with the LH palette that’s being reviewed next. What a strange coincidence! By now though, after many months, I only get a slight whiff of the chemical smell if I put it right up to my nose.
I like the color of this blush, but I have to admit that after comparing it to the Sephora duo, I like Sephora’s more. The Nabla blush is supposed to be blurring, but I don’t find that to be the case. Sephora’s is a soft matte, which is a more flattering finish for my skin type as well. Plus, with English Rose, I can tailor the color to be similar to Satisfaction or more vibrant if I’m in the mood for more of a punch. The times I don’t feel like mixing is when I’m most likely to use this. I don’t foresee myself buying additional shades.
LH Cosmetics Reload Palette
There are elements that I really like about this palette, but I’ll start with the issues first. I love how Flow and Silence look in the pan, but if you keep blending those shades back and forth, they turn much darker. Flow becomes a dark purple and Silence turns dark grey. I even used it as an outer corner deepening/smoking shade in the fourth eye look below. It doesn’t matter whether I use primer or not, it stays the pan color when first placed and patted on (which is how I could get them to look alright in swatches), but the moment I blend, Silence turns grey. It’s not an issue of dirty brushes either. I literally tried it with a brand new brush. Considering I already have Offline to deepen eye looks, and I don’t really have much in the way of mid tone mattes since Flow and Silence don’t count, I’m unable to create the kind of looks I intended without reaching for other palettes. The eyeshadows are still pretty, but more dramatic than anticipated.
Thankfully, I have no issues with the colors of the other mattes. I was also able to use three different bases for the eyeshadows and the performance didn’t change. The shadows are pigmented and require a bit more time to blend than I’ve been used to lately, but the final result is worth the effort. At least, that’s what I thought in the beginning, but I’ve only used this palette one or two more times after my initial rounds of testing were completed.
The shimmers are on the thicker side, but I suspect it’s for adherence purposes. I don’t feel the need to apply them damp to increase intensity on the lids, nor to keep them together. I don’t have any fallout issues with these. I also like that there is a warm toned option with Reset and an option to go with the pinks with Energy. The shimmers pick up easily on a brush, spread and blend nicely, and they don’t have enough slip to them to cause creasing on me.
The color story allows one to take the color scheme in different directions: monochrome pink look, neutral, neutral plus one color, blue-green, warm or cool, etc. It’s just a shame that the variety is lessened by Silence and Flow. I would have loved to put a true olive green in the crease, have Moss on the lid, and deepen it with Offline. I’m not disappointed by the performance, only let down by the shades because this could have been a palette I reached for quite a bit due to the convenience of having colors I love all in one palette. Because I have to pair it with something else, the reality is that I use it less than I’d like.
I also need to mention that these have a bit of a chalky smell. This palette is not cheap (even though I bought it at half price) and the eyeshadows are made in Italy, so I don’t think this was cheap to produce. However, that’s what I associate with this type of smell. I only smell it when I first open the palette and the kickup flies through the air. So, it’s not a big problem, but an aspect I don’t like. Especially when I think about Huda Beauty 9-pan palettes that are a similar size, and cost 29 Euros at full price, compared to the Reload palette that’s 49 Euros at full price. The formulas are completely different, but I like quite a few of Huda’s Obsessions palettes and if both brands had a palette comprising of similar colors, I would choose Huda’s.
Nabla Cupid’s Arrow Longwear Full Colour Stylo in Arrow #12 Khaki and Arrow #13 Mauve
These weren’t on my radar until I saw Angelica Nyqvist using them more frequently in her videos during the summer. Since they were on sale and I realized the colors I wanted would compliment what I was missing from the LH Reload palette, I figured I may as well try them.
For starters, the experience is slightly different depending on whether or not an eyeshadow primer was used underneath everything or not. What is the same for both is that liquid eyeshadow goes on top of the Nabla stylos well when used as an eyeshadow base. When this product is used as an eyeliner, it holds onto the skin very well. It’s budge-resistant and water-resistant. When I first apply it, I try to keep my eyelids closed to allow it to set and try to avoid creasing. It only takes a minute to set on an un-primed eye. In one instance on a primed eye when I had to scratch around my lashes, I placed my thumb near the lid to hold it steady and got transfer on finger. Essentially, the more emollient a primer is, the longer it takes to set. In this instance, it was closer to 10 minutes.
On a primed eye, Khaki essentially looked the same, but Mauve was warmer and leaned pink (as opposed to no base where it looks cooler toned purple-mauve. I can draw the stylos on smoothly to apply them without needing primer, but if I want to blend the edges or smooth it out with a finger, it takes too much product off and I can see my skin discoloration underneath. On a primed eye, it’s easier to draw smoothly, but blending the edge also removes the primer with it and I can see bald patches left behind. So, it’s best if I draw product on, but use a lighter powder to blend out the edges.
On a non-primed eye, applying the Nabla Stylo and adding another powder eyeshadow on top doesn’t result in as much creasing, but over a primed eye it settles in my deepest eye crease. The bottom line is that I prefer to use this product as a creamy easy-to-glide-on eyeliner, and perhaps as an eyeshadow base in areas that I don’t have lines yet, such as the mobile lid. To use this as a standalone eyeshadow is too finicky for me. It’s easier to use a powder or more traditional form of cream and liquid shadows.
LH Infinity Bronzer in Forever
This purchase was made specifically because of Kackie Reviews Beauty. She took my curiosity and tripled it with her gushing about how great it is in multiple videos. With only four options available, I chose the darkest one. The shade Forever has enough depth for me, but will not work on someone with a rich skintone. It’s debatable how well it would suit someone within the deep category. My other concern was whether or not the color would be too warm of an orange, but I was compelled. The stars had aligned and now seemed like the time to get it.
It’s a bit silly, but I will admit that there was something visually drawing me in too. There was some reason I couldn’t stop wanting this product from the moment it launched. It wasn’t until I finally bought it that it clicked. The pattern in the pan is similar to the limited edition version of Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors! In my review, I talked about how I experienced regrets for over a year because Champagne Gold was discontinued, and how I immediately bought it when it popped up on the Hautelook/Nordstrom Rack website.
I don’t think I ever made that review comparing and discussing the situation between Lunar Beauty’s Moon Prism highlighter and the Makeup Revolution highlighter packaging debacle, but this crystal pattern I’m apparently obsessed with is on the outside of both compacts and I bought those back then despite never using the highlighters inside! And now, I believe I have solved the question why my inner makeup goblin couldn’t let the LH bronzer clear out of my mind. I think that experience of FOMO from the Becca days has continued, and now when I see makeup with that pattern I feel like I am missing out if I don’t get it. I’m finally aware of the psychology behind it, so I hope I’ll be better equipped to not let that be a factor in the future! As I’ve got the product now, let’s chat about it!
This bronzer feels very smooth to the touch. It isn’t as buttery as the Westman Atelier one, nor as creamy clay-like as the Glowish bronzer. The closest comparison I have is to the Kaleidos Symphony Contour Trios, which in turn feels like a lighter pressed version of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders. The LH bronzer has medium-buildable pigmentation and lasts all day.
Whether I get a smooth and diffused application or an uneven concentration depends entirely on my brushes. Because the surface of the bronzer has mounds and divots from the pan design, if the brush I choose doesn’t pick up an even layer (or I don’t swirl or sweep it around to coat it evenly), it will stick to my skin unevenly when I apply it and require me to spend a bit of time buffing. I tested a lot of new brushes with this bronzer specifically, so I was able to see that the density of the brush doesn’t matter as much as the even coating. I can use a dense brush for a strong yet blended look, or a fluffier brush to look seamless with the skin. In the photo below, I built up the bronzer so it would be more obvious on camera. It can also be built up to look smoother than I depicted, as I hadn’t learned the brush trick at the time I took the photo.
Because of how warm the color is, it’s harder to be able to tell I’m wearing bronzer, as it blends into my warm colored blushes (as seen in the right photo above).
Even when I use my best bronzer brush with this though, and even though I can get it to look smoother, it’s still doesn’t look as seamless as some of my other bronzer favorites.
This photo was taken a month later in the peak of summer, so I’m a little darker. The bronzer color matches better after having gotten some sun, and I used my best brush with it. A tiny bit of foundation, concealer, and the bronzer are all that’s on my face.
This is described as a luminous bronzer, but it doesn’t have much of a glow. I consider it slightly more radiant than a soft matte bronzer. There aren’t traditional shimmer particles that I can see, just sheen from the mica. It has even less of a sheen than some of my semi-glowy favorites.
To show the undertone compared to other orange bronzers, I have swatches of Kosas, a true luminous bronzer, and Armani’s Luminous Silk Bronzing Powder that has some shimmer particles as well as the mica-like sheen. “Forever” is the darkest option from LH, but Kosas and Armani both have a deeper option in their lines. Just something interesting to note.
I like this bronzer, particularly at the discounted price I paid. However, there are tons of bronzers I like. I estimate this would rank no higher than top 30’s or 40’s among my collection. It’s good, but didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. The sheeny finish isn’t strong enough on my face for me.
Nabla Beyond Jelly Lipstick in Ardor
Among the YouTubers I watch that review Nabla products, this particular formula has always been highly rated. So, getting it at half price was more than enough of a reason for me to buy it!
The lipstick component has a beautiful design with clear elements and black and gold touches that makes me think of timeless elegance. In the hand though, it feels like acrylic plastic, which I haven’t decided if I like or not. The fragrance used is an incredibly strong combination of fruit and florals. It’s pleasant, but also distracting. In the beginning, I didn’t like the fact that I could still smell it on my lips for hours after applying it. Thankfully, the smell goes away over time and is no longer an issue.
Its formula reminds me of the YSL Candy Glazes and Fenty Gloss Bomb Stix. It has a comfortable gel-like consistency that feels moisturizing on the lips and has sheer color that can be built up to medium coverage. Of the three lipsticks I mentioned, the one from Nabla feels the stickiest. It can last through a meal (depending on what someone eats), but it definitely needs a touchup after a second meal. When my lips are in a drier state prior to putting this on, within a few hours (even if I don’t eat) my lips will absorb some of the moisture it provides and I will have to reapply, despite still feeling the presence of the sticky layer on my lips. This has a few ingredients that my lips like, and my lips feel softer even after the lipstick has been removed, and that softness lasts until the next morning. So, this formula is hydrating and moisturizing, but I have balmy lip color products that are more nourishing. The reason I love this product though is for the color and how the jelly texture smooths out any dry or peeled looking skin on my lips. The retail price is 23 Euros, but I’ve seen it for 16-18 Euros on multiple websites for at least half a year. So, it’s a product I’d recommend to anyone who wants a less expensive option for a jelly or melty type of lipstick. In fact, of all the products I’ve reviewed in this post, this one is my favorite.
Nabla Skin Realist Tinted Balm in Shade 6 Dark
I had only seen three reviews for this product since 2021, and it was enough to make me want it, yet not enough to want to buy it without a discount. My reasons for that were the lack of reviews available and I felt very uncertain about the shade options. At the beginning of the post, I mentioned buying all these products during the Birthday Sale, but this one is from the Purish Black Friday sale when it was half off. Considering we’re in winter and I’m at my driest, now seemed like the perfect time to finally try it out!
In the photo above, I have the skin tint on in the left side of the yellow line and the Dior Powder no Powder on the right side with no foundation underneath. For me, I barely see a difference. This “tinted balm” only looks better compared to my bare face, so it doesn’t get any accolades for that. The name of the product implies that it will offer low coverage, but in the world of the Fenty Eaze Drops, Danessa Myricks Serum Foundation, and even Lisa Eldridge Skin Tint, the ones I buy usually have more coverage than I expect. This isn’t a deal-breaker though, considering it has similar coverage to the Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Glow Foundation and I made that one work. My issue is that it fails to deliver on the radiance in multiple ways.
Another look of the Tinted Balm. In this photo, I’m not wearing a highlighter, but I do have on a satin blush.
The Skin Realist isn’t matte, but it doesn’t give me nearly enough glow, even though I leave it unpowdered. This contains hyaluronic acid, which essentially does nothing for me in this region of Germany that isn’t that humid. The only time I get this to look to the glow level I want is if I fully prep my skin beforehand and use a ton of this balm. Then, it looks closer to a natural finish foundation, but it still takes six hours before my skin starts producing oil and looking luminous. Unfortunately, by that point it also starts to look like “end of the night” makeup, even on days when I’ve done nothing strenuous. If I actually do laborious housework or go for a long enough walk to start sweating, it makes everything on my face start to fade and break apart. This really isn’t a longwear product. When I try to counter this by using a setting spray, I lose the benefits of prepping my skin and the most I can get is a soft matte look again. I feel this product requires too much effort for a skin tint (and especially one that touts being a makeup-skincare hybrid product).
On the Nabla side in the picture above, I used at least double the amount of product as the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Serum Foundation side. Danessa’s product looks more skin-like while still offering more coverage (which is easier to see by looking at both sides of my mouth). Considering I actually have more hyperpigmentation on the “DM” side, Nabla’s should look better, but to me it does not.
I was relieved to discover that this had low transfer despite the “balm” name. It fully dried down on my skin. However, this product just isn’t suited to my preferences in a complexion product. I have several low coverage foundations and skin tints that give me a prettier finish on the skin, fully set, and have better lasting power. I wouldn’t call this bad; it just couldn’t compete with what I already own.
I didn’t have the most success with these newest additions to my collection from Nabla, but I continue to recommend the brand’s Skin Glazing line, lip products, and their face brushes are pretty nice despite being synthetic.
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!
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.
I thought of this title because most products take me a long time to decide how I feel about them. Whether my initial impression is good or bad, I always get the feeling that the results could be better if I test them under various conditions and with different techniques. So, that’s why it takes me quite a while to solidify my thoughts. However, with the two makeup items I’ll be featuring today, my thoughts haven’t changed from that first use and onward!
Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick in 12 Tan
First of all, what a mouthful of a name! Charlotte Tilbury certainly likes her over-the-top names and product descriptions on her website, but I’m not complaining. It’s funny to me.
I’m going to start off by saying that I do not use this product as a foundation. I’m an avid beauty YouTube watcher and saw a ton of reviews for this before it became available at Sephora’s Deutschland website (and on sale, hurrah!), so I saw how greasy looking this was on anyone who put it all over the face prior to powdering. Regardless of the reviewers’ opinions, I thought the glow looked beautiful on everyone, which is why I wanted to buy this…as a highlighter.
It’s important to explain that while I lived in Florida, I had dry/normal skin. Now that I’m living in Germany, with much less humidity (so drier air) and colder temperatures for the majority of the year, my dry skin issues exacerbated to the point where my natural finish foundations and slightly dewy ones look matte on me. Some of my products would turn glowier as the day went on while in Florida, thanks to sodium hyaluronate/hyaluronic acid, but moisture never broke through during German winter, no matter how long I wore them. The only foundation I have with me currently that makes my skin look glowy, but still takes several hours to happen, is the N°1 de Chanel Revitalizing Foundation. My desire was to find a product that would give me glow at the very beginning, so I could enjoy my Chanel foundation more and start using my other foundations again.
That’s where this Charlotte Tilbury product comes to play. I’ve been using powder highlighters to try and get a glassy wet-skin looking glow. It’s a decent solution now that we’re in summer, but it’s not as effective when my skin is extra dry in winter (plus fall and spring really). I’ve always hated cream highlighters because they tend to be too emollient and remain dewy feeling on the skin, as well as disturbing my makeup underneath. Liquid highlighters I’ve used don’t disturb things as much and most dry down fully, but they also tend to look super shimmery or metallic, which can look too obvious/stark on a minimal makeup day. I am so happy to say the Unreal Skin is the product I’ve been waiting for all this time!
It wasn’t too long ago that I reviewed Dior’s Forever Glow Star Filter, with the comparison to the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter. Dior’s product was the closest I’d ever come to perfection, but the drawback was having to use specific techniques to make it work because it’s technically darker than my skin tone and the next available shade up is too light. So, despite thinking I could stop looking for a glow product, I took one more chance by getting the Unreal Skin Tint.
I am typically within the 12 to 13 shade range of Charlotte Tilbury complexion products, depending on the line, as well as the time of year. I had a difficult time deciding whether to get shade 12, 12.5, or 13 in the foundation stick, but decided upon the lightest of the three since it’s a sheer and therefore flexible coverage product that I wanted to highlight with anyway. 12.5 could have possibly worked too, but I think I made the right call choosing 12. When I did a swatch with my finger and rubbed it in, the darker base color became visible. The lighter sheen and that base combine to form a better shade match for me than all the liquid highlighters I own. It never looks that dark when I put it on my skin because I use a brush to blend it in, which doesn’t completely remove the reflective layer. The difference can be seen in the top swatch of the third column of the photo below. I reapplied that swatch with my brush instead of my finger.
My reasons for preferring this product over the Hollywood Flawless Filter is that the color suits me better, the amount that I use is self-setting and dries down with almost no transfer, it looks more skin-like even though it’s a shinier and a more reflective product. It feels lightweight on my skin, so that I completely forget it’s there on minimal makeup days. Neither product disturbs my makeup underneath, but I’m impressed by the fact that I don’t have to warm up the product on the back of my hand first, nor rub the stick onto my brush bristles before applying it to my face. I can just drag the stick directly onto my skin and then blend it out with my brush without ruining even my KVD Good Apple Concealer, which notoriously doesn’t play well with a lot of my products.
The left photo has no bronzer, no highlighter, and just a thin layer of the Chanel foundation. The right photo has the Armani Bronzer on and the Charlotte Tilbury stick as highlighter on the cheekbones and above the brow.There’s also the tiniest bit on the cupid’s bow, chin, and nose.
The Unreal Skin looks a bit more pearly in photos than in person, but it’s also more detectable without blush. I used a combination of a Glow Play blush and Powder blush from MAC in the photo below and then it took on a more natural appearance, despite having applied the CT stick to such a large area on my cheeks (mainly for demonstration purposes). If I was going to use this product while skipping blush, I would have applied it more precisely to a smaller zone. I wanted to be able to show that even if it’s in a larger section of the cheek, using a powder product of any type on top will tone down the glow.
This is the completed makeup look. These last photos were taken a bit later when the sun wasn’t shining as brightly through the window, so I look a bit darker overall and warmer in color with the addition of blushes and bronzer built up. Plus, I usually skip wearing my Dior Powder-No-Powder for review pictures because Shade 5 warms up and slightly darkens on me too (I don’t have Shade 4 with me), but I wanted to depict what I interpret as a minimal makeup look and show how finishing powder differs from the CT glow on me.
I have to add that because of my dry skin, the type of skincare I use, and the small amount of the stick I end up applying, this product dries down enough that I don’t need to powder it. For those that use dewy primers, dewy foundations, have oily skin, or end up with thick skincare products that sit on top of the skin instead of fully sinking in, the results could be very different. Those that live in humid climates may also need to set it, which would diminish most of that shine.
Purely for testing purposes, I confirmed that using the Unreal Stick as a skin tint is too shiny for me. As a primer, putting a natural finish foundation on top (may as well be matte on me) tones down some of the shine. However, it’s still too much for my liking. Adding some face powder to strategic areas gave me the appearance of a natural finish foundation, but I still prefer how it looks when I just use this product as highlighter. Using it as primer makes the end result feel heavier on my skin and is just enough extra emollience to make the foundation transfer more heavily than usual, as my husband can attest to after I greeted him on the testing day!
The amount of glow in the completed look photo (in the neon tank top) might be too much for some, but I absolutely love it because I don’t get any shinier throughout the day. There was a heatwave and it was 87°F /31°C at the time I took those photos, but that didn’t effect the performance at all. The Chanel foundation does its thing and will make other spots more glowy, but I don’t get oily looking or greasy when I apply the amount that I do. This isn’t the type of product I think anyone would enjoy the look of when built up, unless it gets powdered after.
Technically, the Unreal Stick emphasizes texture, but it’s nearly negligible, especially for how glowy the product is overall. It’s not much of a problem for me because the areas I apply the product to aren’t wrinkly spots, though I do have some bumps and moles. I’m only mentioning this because it may be more of an issue for someone trying to use this product as intended, as foundation. In my case, I avoid applying it to my forehead, since the bumps there become more noticeable if it’s not powdered down (as seen in the maroon shirt photos). I’m happy with this product because it still emphasizes less than many other highlighters I’ve used, and even less than the Dior Forever Glow Star Filter.
So, now, I can genuinely say that I’m finished looking for a skin-glow-aiding product. In the event that I notice any changes over time, such as the stick drying out in the tube or the product expiring before its 12 month period-after-opening, I will update this post.
The final aspect I wanted to mention is that the component isn’t weighty, but it’s not cheap feeling to me either. I heard some complaints about the packaging not being luxurious enough, but I see Charlotte Tilbury as a high-end brand and not completely in the luxury sphere. I think the packaging is pretty. I also think the component comes apart based on the rattling sound it makes when it’s not fully twisted down. I wouldn’t be surprised if there becomes a refill option in the future. Quite a lot of Charlotte Tilbury products are refillable.
Armani Luminous Silk Bronzing Powder in 110
This product has been out for a while now, but I really thought 110 would be too close to my skin tone and that 120 looked too much like a contour color, based on photos I’ve seen online. I still think 110 isn’t that far off from my skin tone in terms of depth, but the undertone makes it to stand out more. More specifically, on my bare skin it stands out a lot. On top of foundation, especially mine that are a little darker and more golden-orange, the color appears subtler. This bronzer can be intensified by building up a few layers though. I’m also glad it shows up significantly more than the Armani Luminous Silk Glow Liquid Bronzer Drops in 110 ever did!
No bronzer in the left photo compared to a normal bronzer application in the right photo. A heavier bronzer application can be seen in the Charlotte Tilbury section further up.
The section I used a few times, seen in the photo below, doesn’t look as sparkly compared to the untouched areas in the pan. I began to wonder if the shimmer ran all the way through the product or in smaller amounts the further down one goes. It looked like the sparkle was solely on the outermost layer, but after a few additional uses, I started to see shimmer again. So, even though the very prominent gold specks can be partly rubbed away in the pan, it will return. What’s most important to me is that this powder imparts a sheen, which I love my bronzers to have. I’m not a fan of obvious shimmer particles in places other than my eyes. However, like those “sequin” eyeshadows that are matte formulas with random shimmer specks that get flicked off the skin when blended in, some of the gold particles in this bronzer don’t stick to the face. If I’m not in a bright setting, the shimmer that does linger around isn’t that noticeable. So, I’m accepting of this, but I know in the back of my head it will remain a point against this bronzer compared to others in my collection that I love. This type of issue is why I ended up not keeping Yacht Life from Mented (matte with golden shimmer) over Vacay (warm tone pink leaning soft matte bronzer). Armani’s bronzer having a sheen, which Mented’s does not, is the saving grace.
I like the smoothness of the powder, how easy it blends in, the sheen-like appearance on the skin. It adheres well and doesn’t fade all day. I even applied this to my forehead while I was sweating and I was worried that my brush would create hard-pan on the surface or that it would look textured on my skin, but it applied normally. The powder is easy to pick up, even with my delicate squirrel hair brushes. I just lightly tap into the compact and can get plenty of product on the bristles. If I’m wearing a foundation that requires me to to build up this bronzer to get it to show, then I switch to a larger saikoho goat hair brush to pick up even more product, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a dense brush.
The compact is pretty on the outside and has a big heavy mirror housed under the lid which makes the packaging feel weighty overall. It certainly exudes luxury to me. For size reference, it’s about two millimeters smaller in circumference than the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream Bronzer packaging.
The only drawbacks about this bronzer for me are the gold particles and the color. I wish it had slightly less of an orange tone, because it looks even warmer on my complexion once it’s actually on my face. That’s all. Otherwise, I have no complaints about the formula. It’s far too soon to rank it with my other bronzers, but what I can say is the consistency feels like a mix between a soft matte, like the Hermes, and the almost clay-like appearance of the Glowish and Hatice Schmidt Labs bronzers. I don’t consider this a holy grail product, but I like it and I feel like it was a good purchase. I should preface though that I did not pay the full 52 Euros for it. I got it on sale for 37 Euros, thanks to an “Armani Cosmetics Promotion [for] Europe” via Selfridges.
I hope these reviews have been helpful. Thank you for reading!
The photo above demonstrates some of the various stages that I was testing different makeup products and practicing techniques in the weeks prior to the wedding. The very first example is what I would consider my typical amount of makeup, versus the last photo where I put in way more effort with a ton of extra steps that were necessary to create the look I envisioned for myself.
In Part 1, I explained which strategies I chose and showed the specific makeup products used. In Part 2, I’m going into greater detail listing the actual order of the steps I took. That includes all the details about the eyeshadows that I left out of the previous wedding post. I will also include photos of alternative wedding/special occasion looks in both the cold winter theme, classic looks, and a few colorful ones now that we’re in spring.
The makeup artists were upfront about either not being available on the day of the wedding or not having their own products to match me. I was a bit nervous about having to do it on my own, considering I’m just a makeup enthusiast, but many loved ones reassured me that I knew my own face better than anyone else and they were confident I could pull it off. I hope that this post will be inspiring to anyone else in a similar situation where you have an important event coming up and aren’t sure where to start or would just like to see extra ideas.
My Wedding Makeup Step-By-Step
First, I applied skincare (and this would normally include sunscreen though I skipped it), allowing ample time for everything to absorb in the skin before moving onto applying primer(s).
I then applied color correctors to the spots I have discoloration, put on the liquid contour for my nose and under the cheeks, and added liquid blush. I left them only halfway blended since the foundation would go over everything anyway as part of the underpainting technique.
I made a mixture of foundation shades and applied it to the outer perimeter of my face. The lighter foundation color, I applied to the central zone of my face.
The eye primer came next before I filled in my brows with my brow pencil of choice.
I applied my skin tone shade of concealer to my under eyes and areas of discoloration. I applied a combination of my skin tone shade and a lighter color to my under eye area again, the bridge of my nose, center of my forehead, and chin. I use the lighter concealer color alone to highlight under my eyebrows.
After setting those concealer areas with powder, I did a first round of setting spray to lock those in.
In the photo series above, I saved my eye makeup for last, but I switched the order on the day of the wedding to do the eye makeup next in case I had a mishap with eyeliner, if mascara got on the lids, etc.
1. First, I applied Viseart’s Illusion shade from the Peridot quad under my brows on top of where I laid down the lighter concealer shade.
2. Then I applied Melt’s Rubbish shade from the Rust palette in the space under the Viseart shadow, but above the crease.
3. Next was Melt’s Rust shade from the same palette tightly in the crease, not going past the previous shade.
4. I lightly added Log from Natasha Denona’s Gold Palette, building up the outer corner and moving halfway inward. I chose this placement because of my particular eye shape.
5. I then built up the depth and smokey factor in the outer v area using Xtreme Black from Pat McGrath’s Mothership III: Subversive palette.
6. I smudged the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil along the outer quarter of the lower lash line before using Deep Shade (actual name) from the same PML palette on the rest of the lower lash line.
7. I smoothed on the Nyx Glitter Primer to the empty space on my lids and applied Bronzed Mink from PML’s Bronze Bliss palette to the outer half of the lid, taking care to not cover up the dark shadows in the outer corner.
8. I added Divine Dahlia from PML’s Interstellar Icon Quad on top of Bronze Mink to tone down the warmth of that shade.
9. The next step was picking up Nude Moon from Bronze Bliss on my brush, spraying it with MAC Fix+ and applying it to the inner half of the lids.
10. I placed Skinshow Fever from Mothership III: Subversive in the inner corner, under the brow arch, and the inner third of the lower lash line for highlighting purposes.
11. For extra sparkle, I added Lunar Luxury damp from Bronze Bliss to the inner corner. I applied the waterproof eyeliner to my upper lash line, along with two coats of waterproof mascara to my upper lashes, but only one coat on my lower lashes. Had I used the Clionadh multichrome, I would have placed a small dot that was eyeliner width to the center of the upper lash line.
Going back to my base, I applied powder contour under the cheeks and along my jawline. I applied a cooler toned contour to my nose, and on top of the other contoured spots.
I applied bronzer along my forehead and slightly above the contour under my cheeks.
I used my face powder and the Beautyblender Puff to clean up a small section of my sculpting work without going too far in. Just about one inch inward from my ear.
I applied my intense highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones.
I applied the mixture of powder blushes to my cheeks.
I applied my more subtle highlighters to the top of my cheekbones again, bridge of my nose, above the brows, and any remaining product on the brush to my forehead and chin.
I used my blurring finishing powder in any areas that needed extra blending/blurring.
I lined my lips with the lip liner of choice, filled it in with liquid lipstick, and added a lighter lip product to the center of my lips. During trial sessions, I even added highlighter, but didn’t end up doing it on the wedding day.
I put the leftovers of foundation from my brush and applied it to the spots on my neck that would be seen.
I applied highlighter to my collarbones and shoulders.
Lastly, I finished up with a generous amount of setting spray to my face. Had I remembered, I would have sprayed my neck and the spots I applied body highlighter.
And that’s everything! It’s a lot of steps, but worth the time and effort for one of the most important days of my life!
Just as unexpected problems can arise on important days, unfortunately, nearly every day that I set aside free time has been a dark day. I’ve done my best to play around with artificial light, take photos during the brightest part of the day for natural light, and do some color adjusting with the photos, but I’m dealing with cloudy days constantly over here. Times like these, I miss Florida haha.
Recreation of my Wedding Makeup/Neutral Glam: Used all the products I still have on hand. Photo Setup: (1) In front of an open window on a cloudy day. (2) In a room with warm light and a second cell phone’s flashlight was lit behind the camera. (3) In front of an open window with warm white bulbs overhead.
Here are the additional looks!
Frost Queen: Milky Hydro Grip Primer and Armani Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer, Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 10, Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish Airbrush Concealer in Maple and Umber, Chantecaille Perfect Blur Powder in Med/Deep, r.e.m. Beauty Hypernova Satin Matte Bronzer in Cocoa-Nut, REM Beauty Highlighter Topper in Miss Mars, Hindash Beautopsy Palette (nose contour), Armani Neo Nude Melting Color Balm in 60 Warm Plum and Hourglass Ambient Light Blush in At Night, ELF Instant Lift Brow Pencil in Deep Brown, Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liner, KVD Full Sleeve Mascara, Juvia’s Place Lip Liner in Brownie, Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lip Color in Sorcery, Colourpop Hocus Pocus 2 So Glassy Lip in Boys Will Love Me, the eyeshadow shade Memory (Metallic) from the Tati Beauty Textured Neutrals Volume 1 palette, and shades Nowhere, Christmas Eve, and Snowflake from the Oden’s Eye Christmas Eve Palette. Photo Setup: In front of an open window with a warm white bulb overhead on a partly sunny day, but near sundown.
Playful Pinks: Milk Hydro Grip Primer, Nars Light Reflecting Foundation in MD3.3 Caracas, KVD Good Apple Concealers, Huda Faux Filter Corrector in Mango, Nars Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder in High Tide, GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzing Powder in 04 Deep Tan, Dior Backstage Powder No Powder, Hindash Beautopsy Palette (nose contour), Dior Rosy Glow Blush in 012 Rosewood and Nabla Skin Glazing in Lola, Pat Mcgrath Labs Skin Fetish: Ultra Glow Highlighter in Divine Rose, Suqqu Treatment Wrapping Lip in 05, Coloured Raine Lip Liner in Decadent, Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 05, KVD Full Sleeve Mascara, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner, MAC Fix+, Melt’s eyeshadows from the Gemini II Palette with shades Bela, Sweetheart, Gemalas, and LX Queen, and the Rust palette with shade Antique. Devinah Cosmetics Eyeshadows in shades Empress, Pixy Stix, and Gelicide. Pat Mcgrath Labs’ eyeshadows from the Mothership III: Subversive palette in VR Pink and from the Celestial Nirvana 5 pan Palette in Nude Allure in the shades Mercurial Rose and Coral Kiss. Photo Setup: In front of an open window on a less cloudy day, but during late afternoon hours and a warm white bulb overhead.
Chocolate-Gold Glam: Milk Hydro Grip Primer, Armani Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer, Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation in 13.5 and 14, L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer in 415 Honey, Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder in Blondie, Gxve Beauty Check My Glow Multi-Dimensional Illuminating Highlighter in Karat Country, Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Bronzer in Terracotta, Dior Powder No Powder, Chanel Blush Lumiere Illuminating Blush Powder in Brun Roussi, ELF Instant Lift Brow Pencil in Deep Brown, MAC Macstack Mascara, One/Size Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen, Palladio Waterproof Lip Pencil in Coffee, and Kaleidos Cloud Lab Lip Clay in Sienna. Hindash Beautopsy Palette (nose contour and no contouring anywhere else). Viseart’s Illusion shade from the Peridot Quad, Deep Shade (actual name) and Gigabyte from Pat Mcgrath Labs Mothership III: Subversive, Clionadh Cometics’ shade Lux, and Devinah Cosmetics’ shade Ambrosia. Photo Setup: In front of an open window on a less cloudy day with a warm white bulb overhead.
Flower Garden: Haus Labs by Lady Gaga Triclone Skin Tech Foundation in 425 Medium Deep Neutral, Tatcha the Liquid Silk Canvas Fenty We’re Even Concealer in 410 W and 385W, Givenchy Prisme Libre Powder in 5 Popeline Mimosa, Dior Powder No Powder, Hindash Beautopsy Palette (nose contour), Victoria Beckham Matte Bronzing Brick 05 (regular contour), Gucci Bronzer in 04, MAC Glow Play Blush in Peaches N Dreams, Sephora Blush Duo in 02 Peach Blossom, Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo in Tanlight, Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 05, L’Oreal Telescopic Lift Macara, Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, Danessa Myricks Infinite Chrome Micropencil Eyeliners in Jade, Amethyst, and Lemon Quartz. Devinah Matte Eyeshadows in Courtney and Meraki, Clionadh Cosmetics Stained Glass Shadows in Mural, Patina, Quest, Noble, and Spire. Coloured Raine Lip Liner in Pine and Suqqu Sheer Matte Lipstick in 112. Photo Setup: In front of an open window with the sun poking out randomly on and off from behind the mostly cloudy sky, and a warm white bulb overhead.
Spring Purples: Milk Hydro Grip Primer, Glossier Futuredew, Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation in 27, KVD Good Apple Concealers, ELF Camo Color Corrector in Orange, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish in 2 and 3, Hermès Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder, Dior Backstage Powder No Powder, Hindash Beautopsy Palette (contour), ColourPop Pressed Powder Blush in Potted and Gucci Cheeks & Eyes Powder Luminous Matte in 06 Warm Berry, Hourglass Metallic Strobe Powder in Infinite Strobe Light, Lisa Eldridge Enhance and Define Lip Pencil in Sorcery and Lisa Eldridge Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colour in Painterly, Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 05, KVD Full Sleeve Mascara, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner, Melt’s eyeshadows from the She’s In Parties Palette with shades Total Immortal and Last Caress. Clionadh Cosmetics Multichromes in shades UV and Tracery. Sydney Grace Eyeshadows in Dear Reader, Flannel, and Sovereign Reign. Photo Setup: (1) In front of a window on a partly sunny day. (2) Same as the first, but from the opposite direction. (3) In front of an open window on partly sunny day and a warm white bulb overhead.
That’s all for today! Thank you for stopping by! I hope you’ll click to follow or bookmark this page to come visit again!
Also, I seem to be having an issue with WordPress. For some reason, images have a hard time loading for those viewing my blog within Germany. The customer service advisors were unhelpful and the only way that even I was able to get around loading issues was to use a VPN. If you live in the US or most other countries, it should be working fine. The issue, as far as I’m aware, is a DE issue for some reason.
Since the brand’s highlighter is one of my favorite products, I was excited to see the release of their new blushes and bronzers in similar packaging with the same pattern and soft looking texture. I won’t harp on the highlighter because I reviewed it in-depth in my Best Highlighters Showcased post just a few months ago, but I wanted to at least show it again in different lighting.
Although the texture isn’t exactly the same as the new products, because it’s a shimmer that feels slightly emollient to the touch, the others are a soft matte that feel like they still have a bit of slip to them.
r.e.m. Hypernova Bronzer in Cocoa-Nut
This is the fifth shade option out of six bronzer colors. Cocoa-Nut is described as, “very deep with warm undertones.” Warmth can mean it has anything between a yellow, orange, or red undertone. In this case, it’s red and a bit warmer than looks natural on me. I can still pull off this shade if I use it sparingly, but the color does impact my enjoyment of this bronzer. It’s possible the 4th shade called Solar Storm described as, “tan with warm undertones,” might work better for me, or just as easily could be too light.
I purchased this from Selfridges because, at the time, Sephora DE only carried the four lighter shades.
I recommend using an airy brush with this because it’s quite pigmented. It blends well, but it doesn’t have the best sticking power (which shortens how long it lasts throughout the day). Although I love the soft texture and it has a natural looking finish, I prefer bronzers with a little more of a satin sheen to them. I’ve also been spoiled to own so many bronzers that have an even more effortless blend.
r.e.m. Hypernova Blushes in Jupiter Moon and Sun Pop
The blushes perform identically to the bronzers, though they have slightly less pigment. For that reason, although they are nice, I’m even less impressed. The blushes eventually become one with the skin, melting into my foundation, which looks pretty while it lasts, but it does fade as the day goes on. I love the Jupiter Moon shade because it’s in the family of reddish brown blushes, which I can pull off as long as it isn’t too red. I can list some that I still love more in terms of finish and performance such as Benefit’s Terra and Pat Mcgrath’s Paradise Venus. It’s still nice and I plan to continue using it on and off. In this case, I recommend using a medium density brush like the Sonia G Cheek Pro so that it has enough blending power while remaining buildable if you have a lighter skintone. The shade Sun Pop, however, looks ashier on my skin and even looks more powdery in the swatch. I think it has to do with the vibrancy of the pigment as it’s akin to neon/fluorescent oranges/corals. All the promo images I saw in the beginning show this shade as looking orange, but in person it’s clear to see it’s coral. To be fair though, I had a hard time capturing the color accurately on camera because it does tend to pull orange in photos.
Just like the bronzers, I’m intrigued to see if there are more out of the eight options I’d prefer on myself. However, my blush collection is too large to justify buying more and at full price. Ironically, these I bought via Sephora DE because none were available at Selfridges on launch day.
I don’t usually include so many photos of the same products, but I was unsatisfied with how the pictures turned out. Every day I attempted to take pictures was a cloudy day. So, they were either too dark or too washed out with the lights I tried to use to compensate. Below are the newest ones and most color-accurate.
You can click on any image to enlarge them.
That’s all I have for today. Thank you for reading!
There were a lot of factors to consider when it came to doing my own wedding makeup. I scoured the internet for tips and tricks, but at times the answers were contradictory. I thought I had a good plan in the beginning, but as I practiced doing multiple looks, I realized I needed to make some changes along the way.
Today, we’ll cover the things that should be decided on in advance and what I ultimately chose to do. The conclusions I came to won’t be the same for everyone since it depends on each individual’s personal tastes, skin type, skin texture, skin tone, undertone, priorities, etc.
Although I was inspired to create this post with weddings in mind, this topic is for anyone with an upcoming special event/occasion where photographs will be taken. I was not in a position where I could afford to forget something and run to grab it at the last second, so hopefully these topics will help others avoid having to make last minute decisions and purchases too.
DISCLOSURE: All makeup products in this post were purchased by me with my own money. The only affiliate links in this post are for a few of the brushes mentioned towards the end. 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. This means that I would make a commissionif purchases were made directly using my link. Whether you click to shop through them or not, I appreciate you visiting and I hope you find the information I’ve provided to be helpful!
Red – Titles/Topics, Purple – Products Used, Green – Additional Options to Consider
Deciding Between Looking Better in Person or Looking Better on Camera
We had a micro wedding (less than 25 people) and the majority of the guests were non-makeup wearers or neutral-color wearing minimalists. I was concerned with looking overly made up in person compared to the group, but also recognized that full coverage and full glam faces result in the most photogenic pictures. I would love to look as natural and fresh-faced as possible, but I think I look the prettiest with “a beat face,” so to speak. So, I decided that I ultimately would start researching ways to look best in photography since pictures last longer and can even serve to replace memories in the minds of those who see them. If it was possible, my plan was to still try and find a balance between the two goals. This balance involved using other techniques such as color-correcting so I could use less concealer and foundation to hide my skin discoloration, using underpainting techniques to have my sculpting attempts look as natural as possible and reduce the need for as much powder on the surface layer, using full-coverage makeup paired with brushes that apply less product so that I could build up to the minimum amount of makeup I needed in small layers instead of packing it on heavily all at once.
In the age of social media, it’s safe to assume the majority of people prioritize how makeup will look on camera versus how it looks in real life, as discussed on the Mixed Makeup YouTube Channel. However, this is still a question everyone has to ask themselves because the degree to which direction one leans will dictate how they have to proceed with the next steps.
After Choosing to Prioritize How One Looks on Camera…
When I do a full-face in the type of soft tones that are typical of bridal makeup, I don’t feel satisfied with my appearance. So, looking natural was less of an option for me. In addition, if I wanted things like blush to be seen on camera, I had to get comfortable packing on way more than usual because blush gets washed out so easily. As described by Kackie of Kackie Reviews Beauty, the key is applying makeup in a way to add more dimension that the camera can pick up even when pulled back. I had to practice applying more than usual, taking pictures, and then adding more and photographing that to learn how much would actually be needed on the day. Blush, highlighter, and eyeshadows were the things I had to work on amplifying dramatically in order to get photos I was satisfied with (at least on my own camera).
One of the first big decisions I had to make was deciding what finish I wanted for my skin. A matte base with strategically placed glow seems to be the consensus for what photographs the best. However, I did not anticipate the climate when I chose what products to bring with me when I moved overseas. The products that looked the best on camera for me in Florida were extra dry looking on me in Germany and I didn’t bring my dewier foundations because I have them in my darker summer shade. This led me to buy a new foundation (N°1 DE CHANEL Revitalizing Foundation), the only one that mimicked the appearance of natural oils peaking through my face, and it remained that way through the end of the night. It basically looked like a natural-finish foundation on my dry skin. I used the Glossier Futuredew, to ramp up the glow in typical places I highlight, the MILK Hydro Grip primer for hydration and lasting power, and the Benefit Porefessional Hydrating primer in my T-zone for a smoothing effect without a silicone texture. I have all three of these products in minis (and a travel container).
I did have the Nars Light Reflecting Foundation with me, but my research scared me away from using it. Since Nars is an artist brand, I always assumed their products looked fantastic on professional cameras, but I kept coming across warnings against using too many light reflecting products. Considering how dark it is in Germany, I knew the chances of flash being used was high, so I didn’t want to look crazy on other people’s cameras either (even though Nars’ foundation is supposed to be photo-friendly and produce no flashback, but I didn’t know if that would still be the case if paired with other light reflecting products). So, I didn’t use that one just to be safe. Skipping it turned out to be necessary because I tried using it in strategic spots and it still wasn’t luminous enough for my liking while not in Florida. Lisa Eldridge was one example of someone who discussed light reflecting products in flash photography and Pete Coco Photography cautioned against using shimmers in studio settings, but I saw more mentions of light reflection from various articles and blogs.
For those curious, the top foundations I wanted to use if the climate was more like Florida would have been the Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation or Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation (this one only starts to look good for me if oils break through and my skin is prepped for maximum hydration including using a facial oil). The Lisa Eldridge foundation is extremely similar looking to the Chanel one I opted for, but without as much luminosity. I also own two lighter coverage products that make my skin look beautiful in person: the Fenty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint in Shade 18 and the Rose Inc Skin Enhance Luminous Tinted Serum in Shade 100. I was looking for high coverage, but if I had to recommend another option it would be the one from Fenty. I normally dislike their foundations, but this newer one finally agrees with my dry skin. The Rose Inc one unfortunately can come off extra warm colored on camera. Sometimes I look orange in photos even though I don’t in person. It’s also random when it happens as well. I’m not sure if it’s some interaction with a specific product I might sometimes pair with it. So, that’s why I don’t recommend that one.
Deciding On the Color Scheme and Undertones of the Makeup
I had quite the dilemma trying to figure out what colors I wanted to use as a person with warm undertones who was planning to wear cool toned accessories and have blue and purple flowers in my bouquet. I like wearing eyeshadow that matches what I’m wearing in some way, whether it’s clothing, a purse, jewelry, etc but I never like how cool toned eyeshadows look on me as much as warmer ones. At the same time, I didn’t want the winter aesthetic I planned for my look to clash with my natural warmth and make me look extra warm by comparison. I did a test run using my go-to makeup and just switching to a cool toned blush, but I didn’t like the outcome. My second solution was to wear neutral makeup to bridge the two types of looks, but after doing another test run, I just didn’t feel my makeup was as pretty as it usually would be.
Experts say that although anyone can wear any color they want, we tend to find shades in our undertone to look prettiest on ourselves. For instance, Lisa Eldridge says it’s nice to match the wedding scheme/theme, but not if it’s against your coloring. Ultimately, I felt that if I didn’t wear the kind of shades that were natural for me, I would have regrets looking back at pictures thinking my everyday makeup looked somehow better than what I chose for my own wedding.
Many makeup artists recommend trying to look like an enhanced version of yourself, and not looking like someone else. This concept is what helped me solidify the decision to use warm tones, just ones that didn’t veer too far off from neutrals. This idea of trying to look like myself also had me wondering how I could possibly incorporate a pop of color into my look because that’s “me” too. Even when I’m on a nude colors kick, I still end up popping on a multichrome or some other colorful indie brand’s eyeshadow. Considering the wedding colors were blue, purple, and ivory/cream/whitish (we couldn’t really nail that one down), I thought it might be a good idea to add a blue-purple multichrome into the eye look. I really wanted for it to be one from Clionadh Cosmetics like Etched or Spire, since it’s my favorite brand, but the reason I love theirs is how intensely they stand out. In this situation, every technique and position I tried to place the multichrome was just too much.
Because all my other makeup was in natural tones, my eyes were instantly drawn to the spot with the multichrome and stole attention from the rest of the look. Eventually, I was recommend by someone on Instagram to try putting the tiniest dot in the center. This worked in low light in a very pretty way, but the second actual lights hit my eyes, it was still too much for what I wanted. Ultimately, as much as incorporating color into my looks is something I’m known for doing, I wanted something classic and timeless for my wedding. So, I decided to go back to the neutral glam idea for eyeshadows and using my slightly warm tones of makeup for everything else. My blush was still a mix of everything. I used a liquid blush and then ended up using powders on top further into the makeup process. For those curious, it was three shades from MAC: a whisper amount of Breath of Plum for a slight cool-toned wintery cheek look, a normal amount of Pinch Me as the main color and a natural looking pink on me, and the tiniest bit of Burnt Pepper to add a little more warmth that compliments my undertone and depth of my skin color.
The eyeshadows I ended up going with were mainly from Pat Mcgrath Labs. I intend to do a part 2 to this post, which I can hopefully complete and upload within a few weeks. In there, I’ll post more details on the step-by-step process.
Making Sure Base Techniques are Down Pat
After using my various primers, the next step for me was to color correct the areas of hyperpigmentation. Most of the time, I don’t bother with color correcting because I prefer to just lean on full coverage concealers for that job. However, I wanted to avoid my base makeup looking heavy, since I knew I would be putting more layers of product than usual. I only had two options with me: the E.L.F. Camo Color Corrector in Orange and the Huda Beauty #Fauxfilter Color Corrector in Mango. Although I prefer Huda’s on a regular basis, the ELF one worked better with the KVD concealer, as well as me wanting more intense color-correcting from using a darker color.
I would normally recommend using a color-corrector under the eyes too for those who have intense dark circles like I do. In my particular case though, I already know the ELF formula creases/gathers like mad in areas with lines, which is why I only use it in smoother areas of my face. So, I had no choice but to skip that step on myself. For those that don’t have discoloration issues like I do, color-correcting is not a necessary step. The most coverage one can achieve using the least amount of products is better, so if you can skip it, then please skip it. Ultimately, even I would have skipped this step, but I tested out how my makeup looked with color correcting versus going without it and the results spoke for themselves. I decided it was a step worth doing because I wanted as close to a flawless base as possible.
Although I settled on a foundation, the color match wasn’t as spot-on as I hoped, considering it was a bit more orange rather than yellow/golden and just slightly darker. I had purchased shade BD121, so my only other option was to buy BD91 to mix with it. The brand makes shade BD111, but it’s exclusive to the Chanel website and was sold out. Thankfully, using a ratio of roughly 2 parts BD121 to 1 part BD91 gave me a better color match. At least, that’s the mixture I used on the outer perimeter of my face and then used BD91 by itself in the central part of my face for a more natural gradient of color. My foundation application did not come first immediately after priming and color correcting though.
The other technique I wanted to utilize was under-painting. I have a naturally round face, besides it being chubby. Trying to create a chiseled look is by nature going to be easier for those with a clearly visible bone structure. Although I still have slight indent in my cheek area, I have an undefined jawline made weaker by having a rounder face. There’s only so much one can do to make a believable contour on a face like mine. One of the most believable options, if done correctly, is underpainting: to do the contouring and highlighting as a cream or liquid step first before applying foundation on top (and following it up with powder products afterwards too). Funnily enough, I learned about this technique about ten years ago when under eye concealers weren’t full coverage enough for me. I don’t think it’s necessary to do a full-face of underpainting like you see in TikTok and around social media as a fad, only the specific areas that need extra help to again minimize product usage. So, I bought the darkest shade of the most affordable foundation I could get my hands on (that I knew would work well). This was the Sephora Best Skin Ever Foundation in 68N. I would have preferred for it to be cool-toned, but “cool” shades in the darkest colors tend to be red instead of blue-grey so I figured neutral would be good enough. I could have used a concealer as well, but considering how much I spent on those Chanel foundations (even though they were discounted), I wanted to save as much money as possible. I could have also tried to use an actual cream contour, but I figured using a foundation would look even more natural on the skin and potentially blend better as cream contours can sometimes be too emollient. The 68N shade worked well enough for my cheekbone and jaw area, but since my nose is a lot more yellow than brown, it looked a little more red in that spot that I like. So, I just had to apply the product even more sparingly and make sure to use more greys when I contoured with powder later.
Besides applying contour, I also used a Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush sample of Joy as an underlayer of blush to help ensure longevity for the whole day. Plus, this particular shade is bright without being overly vibrant, which tends to work well for me. Using this underneath wasn’t overkill when I used the MAC blushes later. In fact, I still had room to go heavier with my blush.
After the liquid blush is when I would apply my foundations. I think some people recommend doing highlighting with concealer (product several shades lighter to bring those areas forward and not the shimmery type of highlighter) underneath foundation, but the KVD Good Apple Concealer formula that I used can sometimes melt/fade away with other products. The foundation on top of this one would have been covered up too completely, so I applied the mixture after foundation. I could have tried to use a different concealer for underpainting, but I was running out of time and just wanted to stick to what I knew. I began practicing applying the makeup on an off nearly two months before the wedding (with more consistent daily testing in the final three weeks). It’s not useful to test out all new products at once, since it would be too hard to tell which products were interacting badly with others, or were only working well depending on what it was paired with. I could only test a few combinations at a time. So, even the two months wasn’t as much time as I thought. In retrospect, three months would have been ideal for me.
The theme of this sections is to make sure the base techniques are nailed. Part of that was my realization that in all the bridal makeup photos I liked, they really utilized highlighting for color in addition to the glow factor. However, I’ve never liked an overly brightened under eye on myself. When I was younger without so many lines to worry about drawing attention to, that was a different story. So, I had to think about what’s more natural for myself and my style rather than just sticking to the template of instructions on how most people do wedding makeup. I thought perhaps I could use my typical Tan 167 all over and apply my new Tan 161 (this specific shade was on sale which is why I chose this one for my highlight option) on top in strategic spots to highlight with, but I didn’t like the outcome. It was still too stark of a contrast for me to be comfortable with no matter how great it could have potentially looked on camera. What worked best for me was applying my near skin-tone shade 167 and then using a combination of 167 and 161 mixed together as the highlighting concealer color on top. The transition was more natural, which I ended up liking a lot better than using 161 alone (though I did use 161 alone to highlight my brow bone area). I then set my concealer with the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder in either Medium (which I bought in the travel size) or a combination of Medium plus my usual shade in Tan. I tested out plenty of different powders and the one that worked the best to keep the KVD concealer creasing the least and not fading at the end of the night was this Charlotte Tilbury powder. The Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder was a close second since it worked so well with other concealers I was testing at the time (Fenty We’re Even Concealer and L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Concealer). However, the results of the KVD and CT combo won out.
I would normally use the back of my hand as a spot to mix shades, but since I wanted to have leftover mixtures reserved on the side for touch-ups, I started to wish for a makeup mixing palette or plate. Since I didn’t bring any with me and didn’t want to buy one, I used the top lid of the Charlotte Tilbury Cream Bronzer compact (pictured in the foundation photo above). It has a surface that’s easy to wipe down with a makeup wipe or makeup eraser cloth. Also, when I mixed with my brushes, I got too much product on the bristles, so I started using the brush handle to mix shades and then wiped off the handle onto my microfiber cloth. That way, I’m able to pick up smaller amounts of product with the bristles and even switch to a smaller brush for spot applications where needed.
Securing the base is important, but so is recognizing whether the recommended techniques have to be tweaked to your specific preferences and what makes you the most comfortable. It’s okay if you hate contouring to skip doing it. It’s okay to go with a sheer coverage foundation and then just use concealer in areas that require more coverage. The most important thing to do is to practice techniques as much as possible before the wedding or special event if you’re doing your own makeup. Sometimes products don’t perform the way we remember them and the last thing you want is to discover that on an important day. You want to thoroughly test your full look in every step in order to make sure you can replicate the same results every time, in every type of lighting, and in every weather scenario.
To Bake or Not to Bake, Setting Spray vs Fix+
Continuing the theme of getting used to wearing more makeup that usual and utilizing techniques I normally don’t, I had to decide whether or not to utilize the baking technique. Since I already narrowed down my concealer, it was just a matter of doing a wear test all day to see if my makeup looked better with or without baking. As it turned out, with my products and my skin type, baking really wasn’t necessary, or at least not in the traditional sense of loading a ton of powder on and then dusting it away after five minutes or so. I ended up not even needing to powder my whole face since I was utilizing setting sprays too.
My process was applying my concealer to my under eyes and face area before using my normal brush to powder-set those spots. As the days were counting down to the wedding, I started to utilize more skincare such as using the Lisa Eldridge Skin Enhancing Treatment Cleanser as a mask, which made my skin more hydrated and strangely enough need more setting powder under my eyes. So, after setting my concealer I would wait until I noticed creasing before patting the creases back out with my Sonia G Jumbo Concealer Brush, and then using the Charlotte Tilbury powder with my Beautyblender Power Pocket Puff to lightly apply a thin layer in the areas I highlighted with the concealer mixture (skipping hyperpigmentation areas that didn’t need extra powder) and also slightly under my contour to sharpen those spots and “clean them up.” The puff still came in handy because some days during the trials it was even necessary to go as far as to spray the silicone side of the BB puff with setting spray, press that into the concealer creases, reapply a little more concealer, and then set it with powder using the velour side of the puff. This was during the trial days I started using different skincare that I should have been testing much earlier in the process. So, this is all I need in terms of baking, but those that have combo or oily skin will probably need to take additional steps to lock the makeup into place. The puff also comes in handy while on-the-go. Instead of me needing a face powder brush and an under-eye powder setting brush (plus technically I could use other areas of the puff for other types of powder products), I just needed this on hand in the “Emergency Bride Kit” for touch-ups.
After I apply my liquid and cream layers, I set my face with setting spray, finish applying all my powder products, and then set my face again. I tested a few sprays before I moved, but the only one I brought with me was the One/Size On ‘Til Dawn Waterproof Setting Spray. I had the mini size and as I started testing, I got paranoid that I would end up using it all before the wedding and it’s not available for purchase in Germany. So, I ended up buying the Sephora Makeup Setting Spray for my trial runs. What I like more about the Sephora spray, besides the lower price, is that it’s unscented. The One/Size spray has a slightly floral, but not overwhelming smell.
I’ve tested both of the waterproof claims by splashing water on my face and have seen how the water rolls off my face without leaving streaks in my makeup. In terms of making things transfer-proof, that wasn’t the case with One/Size unless I just wasn’t using enough of it. The Sephora Spray only seemed to make my makeup transfer-proof that was in lighter layers and on lighter makeup days. It didn’t seem to work with a full face of everything. I haven’t tested the One/Size spray in the same scenario of a lighter makeup day, so perhaps they are equal. On my actual wedding day, I still stuck with using the One/Size product. We ended up doing a second day of photos, so the picture below shows what I looked like by the end of the night. On my wedding night, I got home at nearly 3 am, so I don’t have a photo for that. All things considered, I think it held up pretty well. It rained on the actual wedding day, but my makeup didn’t budge. I just transferred some of my nose contour onto my husband’s nose. I had to wipe it off him a few times, but it didn’t transfer any further after that.
I always use MAC Fix+ if I want to dampen my shimmer eyeshadows. It can make the face look hydrated, which is what I need, but sometimes it can cause makeup to not last quite as long and break down a little faster. So, I was too scared to use it on my face (nor did I have the time to test it with everything), so I just used it for my eyelid shades. At one point during my trials, I tested spritzing my highlighters with setting spray and my sample of Fix+ to see if I could intensify the look without leaving a stripe on my face. I ended up deciding to just skip that step as the Charlotte Tilbury Face Architect Glow Glide Highlighter worked well enough as a base highlighter. Others might prefer using a liquid highlighter, but powder products are always easier for me and I was planning to do a technical enough makeup application, so I’d accept easier options wherever possible. Throughout the practice days, I used some combination of multiple other highlighters shown below. On the actual day, I ended up sticking to just Charlotte Tilbury by adding the Pillow Talk Multi-Glow highlighter and I used the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo on my shoulders and collarbone. Since I ended up wearing a faux fur shawl/stole and my hair was down, that final step ended up being pointless. It couldn’t be seen on my body. I also forgot to spray setting spray to those spots on my body afterwards, which could have potentially helped lock the highlighter into place.
Although I didn’t end up glowing as intensely as the models in the inspiration photos I procured from Google, seen below, I was still happy with my makeup choices. I applied highlighter to my brow arch, slightly above the brows on either side of the forehead, one specific spot on the bridge of my nose that I build up with contour and another spot lower down, and the tops of my cheekbones.
I mentioned earlier that I used the underpainting technique to contour. Then I used the powder contour in the Kaleidos Symphony Trio for more depth. It’s not grey toned enough to give an actual shadowed effect, so I added a mix of Feel + Real from my Hindash Beautopsy Palette to create the shadowing for my jawline, under the cheekbones, and nose contour. I didn’t use the Kaleidos powder on my nose, only Hindash’s product because I didn’t want it to be overkill in person.
When it came to bronzer, I was dead set on using the Hermès Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder because it’s the highest quality powder one that I own. However, in test photos I kept feeling like I was looking too warm toned. With a few days to spare, I tried some of my other top powders like the Glowish Soft Radiance Bronzer Powder, but that one was too red toned. Ultimately, the one best suited for my undertone is the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun Kissed Glow Bronzer in Tan. Even though it’s a cream product, it went next to and slightly on top of my powder contour with no issues. This meant that my bronzer was going to be natural looking in person and likely too subtle to see much of it on camera, but it was a better alternative for me than having my face pull too orange.
I finished my face with my Dior Face & Body Powder No Powder. It blurs imperfections and helps blend the makeup seamlessly into each other. I didn’t use it all over my face, just in key areas that I wanted to touch up. If I had a sparkle-free version of Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder from Hourglass in my shade, I would have considered using that instead or in conjunction with the Dior product. Finishing powders can do wonders for a makeup look, but be sure to test in photos whether the sheen might or might not be too reflective for flash photography!
Waterproof Tests are Required
I’ve always hated waterproof mascaras because of what a pain they are to remove, but I was so certain I would need one for the wedding. I have plenty of favorite mascaras, but according to customer reviews I’ve seen online, apparently getting a waterproof version doesn’t mean it will perform as well as the normal formula. Some of the most beloved mid-range and high end mascaras have terrible reviews for their waterproof counterparts. So, I decided to try exploring the higher rated drugstore waterproof mascaras that I was familiar with in the original form. In my testing, the L’Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise gave volume, but not as much length and was prone to clumping. The L’Oréal Bambi Eye Mascara gave length, but not much volume. I was debating whether or not to try using both, but it ended up not being necessary because I got the results I wanted from the Essence Lash Princess Waterproof Mascara.
Another alternative I considered was the KVD Beauty Full Sleeve Long + Defined Tubing Mascara. I love the length and volume of that one, and in theory tubing mascaras aren’t supposed to come off easily unless under warm water. While the KVD one seems to be harder to remove than other mascaras with regular temperature water, it can still be done. So, I didn’t want to risk a circumstance where I would have even the slightest chance of having my mascara come off. So, I stuck with using the Essence mascara.
When it comes to using eyeliner, I have a few that are supposed to be waterproof (Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner and One/Size Point Made 24-hr Liquid Eyeliner pen), but they aren’t as effective when my eyelids get too oily. I’ve always had great results from Sephora’s waterproof liners, so I purchased the Sephora Collection Hot Line Brush Tip Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. It definitely did the job. I didn’t end up crying, but there was a bit of rain and both the mascara and eyeliner held up completely all day and night.
For the tiny spot I wanted to smudge on my outer lower lash lines, I used the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil. I don’t find them to be as waterproof as my other liners, but I can’t get the smudge effect with those, so this was my best option. One thing I should have considered was getting colorful eyeliners to put on my lower lash line instead of regular eyeshadows. It’s possible I could have still ended up with a mess if I had actually gotten teary-eyed. I lucked out, but that might be something to consider.
I’d like to note here that another option for waterproof eyeliners could be those false lashes eyeliner pens. I went back and forth debating whether or not I wanted to wear fake lashes for the wedding. They look amazing on camera, but they are an absolute nuisance for me to wear, especially for an extended period of time. My eye shape, with my super rounded upper lash line, doesn’t hold onto even extreme lash glues very well. Within an hour max, either the inner or outer corner will lift up. The majority of lashes are too short (in width) for my eyes because I need extra length to account for the higher degree angle of the rounded curve of my eye. If I want to rock a half-lash, I have to use 3/4 length lashes. Then, even if I put the eyelashes properly on my lash line, I can still see them in my field of vision. I still thought that if I practiced putting them on enough times, I could make them work. I also heard of the recommendation to cut the lashes into 3 pieces (also from Mixed Makeup) instead of 2. Since splitting them in half never worked for my eye shape, I was willing to give smaller ones a try. My lashes ended up looking like the Cynthia doll’s hairline from Rugrats! Even when I tried to use the pieces just on the outer lash line, it was so hard to get them to look even since I don’t have perfectly symmetrical eyes. Plus, it’s my inner lashes that need the most help, but it would look just as strange if I had lashes there and nowhere else.
Ultimately, for all the hassle it would cause me on the wedding day, I decided to skip the false lashes. I figured I could just try to cheat the look with more coats of mascara and extending the eyeliner out a bit more. This trick worked well enough for my satisfaction. From all the trials though, I did figure out that the House of Lashes Lash & Dash Glue Liner pen makes for a tough to remove waterproof liner even without putting lashes on top of it.
Brow products are never exciting to me, so I almost forgot to mention that the brow product I used is the Benefit Precisely, My Brow PencilWaterproof Eyebrow Definer in shade 5. Although I don’t recall if I’ve purposely tested the waterproof claims, I know from experience that I’ve never had my brows run or smudge when using this product, so I didn’t think twice about using it on the day.
The last waterproof or transfer-proof thing to consider is the lip product. I’m sure most spouses-to-be would be grateful not to have lipstick transfer onto them. However, I didn’t go that route because my lips were in too poor of condition, even with using masks. There are some great waterproof lip liners that I could have used to cover the entirety of my lips instead of opting for a liquid lipstick, but I decided I didn’t want to go that route either.
My lip combination was to use the Coloured Raine Botanical Collection Lip Liner in the shade Decadent. It’s darker than my natural lip line to give me a slight shaping effect. I consider it a transfer-resistant product, but it only claims to be long-wearing. I then filled the insides with the Lisa Eldridge Velveteen Liquid Lip Colour in Muse. This isn’t like most liquid lipsticks that dry out the skin like crazy, but that also means it’s a low-transfer product rather than transfer-proof or even transfer-resistant. The brand claims it’s “smudge-proof and budge-proof,” but that hasn’t been my experience. The final step for slight shine is from using my Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last very long, but I wanted a little bit of shimmer and a slightly creamy look to the center of my lips. My husband hates lip gloss or any kind of sticky balmy product on my lips (which makes keeping them conditioned even more of an uphill battle). So, for his sake, I held off on using any gloss products until later in the night.
Many makeup artists commented that having some color and shine on the lips looks beautiful on camera. For that reason, I wanted to make sure I carried the Pat Mcgrath Lip Gloss in Bronze Temptation in my makeup touchup kit. On the second day of taking photos (because the weather was bad), I didn’t bother with the other products and just applied this gloss.
I chose the other three products because their tones of pink looked so complimentary with my blush. My PML lip gloss shade is a warm toned one, so that was something easy to carry with me to warm up the look if I wanted. The other lip product I considered swapping out instead of Lisa Eldridge’s was the Kaleidos Cloud Lab Lip Clay in Sienna. That shade went very well with my skin tone, but looked almost too natural. I wanted more of an impact since I don’t often wear colored lip products and usually stick to clear or slightly tinted glosses and balms. The Kaleidos product is also long-wearing and not completely transfer-proof.
Considering the amount of kissing throughout the day and night, the transfer onto my husband’s lips was minimal. It also helps that I was wearing pinks that weren’t ultra vibrant. Food was the culprit that removed most of my lip products.
Tools and Extra Makeup Helpers
I mentioned the MAC Fix+ as something I always have on hand, but another one is the Nyx Glitter Primer to help make my shimmer eyeshadows pop and better adhere to my lids. For any mistakes that need to be cleaned up, I have Q-tips, but for more precise spots I like to use these tiny fine point cotton buds from MyKitCo called the My Small ‘On Point’ Buds. I dip them in a little micellar water, which my tried and true is the Bioderma Sensibio H2O. These are the types of things that are easy to forget when getting ready, that is, until they’re needed.
For my touch-up bag, I kept my skin-tone matching concealer and brush, the BB puff, the travel size mini CT powder, and the lip gloss. I was also gifted a slim compact with a magnifying mirror. I didn’t end up doing any makeup touch ups at all on the wedding day, but it’s nice to have things on hand in case there is an accident. Other random products in my Emergency Bride Kit were bobby pins, safety pins, band-aids, ibuprofen and pain meds (in case my back decided to act up which thankfully weren’t needed), hand lotion because of the constant dryness on my knuckles in this weather and taking pictures up close of the rings, eye drops with a backup pair of contacts, and tissues.
The photo above shows all the brushes I used on the wedding photo days!
Sonia G Mini Booster – Used for darker eyeshadow shades on the outer corner. Needed a small size blender brush for precision and for it to be not too dense to build up the color slowly. Mizuho MB123 – For applying the transition matte eyeshadows. Smashbox Double-Ended Smudger Brush -Used to apply shadows to the lower lash line, smudging the UD liner with the rubber side, applying the shimmer highlight shades to the brow arch and inner corner. Wayne Goss 08 – Applying concealer under the brows and to clean up any other spots around the eye makeup. Sonia G T4 – Extra blending to the eye look with no product on the brush plus blending out the nose contour. Sonia G T2 – Applying/stamping powder nose contour. Real Techniques Brightening Concealer – Used on the first day used to apply highlighter on the collarbone and shoulders, but the next was was used to set my under eye concealer with powder. Bisyodo B-ES-08 Eye Shadow – Was intended to apply the Clionadh multichrome. Real Techniques Setting – My usual under eye setting powder brush. MS-4 Mai Sakura Eyeshadow – Brush to apply shimmers to the lids prior to using my finger afterwards to build up eyeshadow in strategic spots.
Sonia G Jumbo Concealer – My holy grail concealer brush because it gets the most coverage by packing on a lot of product at once, but it can still smooth things out. Amazon Brush? – Used to apply eyeshadow primer to the lids and touch up concealer in other places. Chikuhodo FO-2 – Used to apply the Dior Powder No Powder. Eihodo WP PC-1 PUFF Makie Powder Brush Goldfish – Used to stamp on foundation mainly on the outer perimeter and over under-painted creams and liquids. The denseness and surface area size help with quick blending if needed and also aid in giving maximum coverage from not soaking up as much product. OdensEye Blush – Used to whip across the face the lighter shade of foundation. Functions like a stippling brush. Sonia G Soft Cheek – Applied powder blushes lightly, which was needed since I was building up three shades. Patrick Ta Contour – Applied the CT cream bronzer and is a holy grail product for sculpting around my face. Bisyodo CH-HC – Used to apply highlighter to the face in a light non-concentrated way, but without being dispersed in too wide of an area. Sephora Concealer Pro Concealer #71 – Used to apply liquid contour (the deep foundation shade) around the face. The angle of the brush was helpful, but technically many other brushes could have been used. Eihodo Outlet 153 Highlighting/Blush – Used to apply the contour shades from the Hindash Beautopsy palette over the areas that already had the Kaleidos contour. Was very useful for it’s small size considering the shape of the Beautopsy pans. Wayne Goss F3 – Used to lightly apply the Kaleidos Symphony Trio contour under the cheekbones and along the jawline. Sonia G Mini Base Keyaki Version – Used to apply the Rare Beauty liquid blush for under-painting. Bisyodo B-F-05 Perfect Fit – Intended to apply powder bronzer in a slightly concentrated amount under the cheekbones, but I used it instead to do slightly more blending to the contour areas. Sonia G Jumbo Bronzer – Intended to apply a lighter application of powder bronzer around the forehead, though on the actual wedding day I changed plans and opted for a cream bronzer instead.
Using the correct tool for the job is extremely important. To make things easier, I started narrowing my collection down ahead of time so that I wouldn’t be wasting time digging around looking for specific brushes. I knew which one (or ones) I wanted for each specific type of makeup. This came from practicing those makeup looks as often as I did. The backup brushes I also had on hand, but didn’t end up using, are in the photo below.
Another very important tip is to make sure the brushes are clean or “clean enough” before the big day. Gunked up old product on brushes can effect the performance of the makeup. Things can be harder to blend, not be color accurate, not apply as smoothly or in the right amounts.
All this being said, and for all the effort and planning I did…the funny thing is that I don’t have up-close shots of my face! The photos below are the best I’ve been able to produce. We couldn’t get a professional photographer in time and a coworker of the family graciously offered to take pictures on her high quality camera for us. The pictures were often dark or on some setting I’m not sure what (I’m not very knowledgeable about photography myself). My focus was to apply makeup in a way that would stand out at far distances, and it’s a good thing I did because most of the pictures were taken from father back and the quality dips when trying to zoom in closer. I have some wedding photos that I ended up liking or loving after tweaking them a little, so I’m happy about that. However, I don’t have ones for blog usage that specifically showcase the makeup except the two below. Sorry about that! I had too much on my mind to really think about how the pictures would turn out after a while.
Like I mentioned in the eyeshadow section, I plan to post a Part 2 with step-by-step details on how I completed my wedding look. Over the next few weeks, I plan to create a few alternative makeup looks as well. I hoped to get it finished sooner, but I got bronchitis and was feeling sick for over a week. Then, I took two weeks off of blogging to finish the wedding planning. Unfortunately, we all got Covid immediately after that, which put me out for a while too. And now, since the beginning of March and for the next eight weeks I’m taking an intensive course so I can get A1 certification in German language, as is required for me to have in this moving process. So, my usual Monday postings will likely be interrupted again. I’ll be back as soon as I can!
There are more products reviewed, discussed, and photographed in this post than what is pictured above.
I took quite a long break from purchasing Juvia’s Place products, but they had an amazing Juneteenth sale with enough items I wanted to make it worth placing the order. Besides a few controversies, it was also the fact that the palettes with six pans and under weren’t performing as well as I was used to. Juvia’s Place and Coloured Raine used to make my favorite eyeshadows in my early blogging days, but both brands have changed things. So, just as I gave it some time before trying Coloured Raine again, I decided to give Juvia’s Place another chance in 2023 to see if it was just a string of bad luck and if I might enjoy their smaller palettes again.
I also bought the Coffee Shop palette, but it isn’t pictured with the group above because I ended up giving it to one of my friends. I wanted to mention that because I told Olive a long time ago that I bought that palette, with the implication that it would eventually be reviewed on this blog, but I forgot I gave it away. It looked so beautiful, but I purchased several neutral palettes at the same time, and with my friend visiting I hoped it would make a nice surprise gift. Anyway, I recommend checking out Olive Unicorn Beauty if you’re a fan of Juvia’s place, bright colorful eyeshadow looks, fun hair dyes, and more.
Eyeshadows
The photo above is an example of my biggest issue with Juvia’s Place shimmers from my previous review until now. This happens with slicker formula shimmers and isn’t any indication that it’s a bad shadow. It’s just unfortunate that my eyes (which produce more oils in the last few years than previously in my life) aren’t compatible with those slip-type and ‘cone’ heavy eyeshadows anymore. I can sometimes mitigate the issue by having a thick matte layer in the crease (or using setting powder) to keep those zones drier, but it doesn’t always work.
The Blushed Rose Eyeshadow Palette
This color story is so beautiful! I wanted it ever since it launched, so I could no longer resist being without it. Shade 2 called to me the most, as it looks so fiery warm and vibrant in the pan, but it’s not as unique on my actual eyes. They’re all so pretty. I’m just not sure they’re as special as I wanted.
I’m happy to say the creasing/breaking down of the shimmers wasn’t as bad with this palette. The matte quality was also better than when I decided to take a break from Juvia’s Place, but it’s still not quite as good as their older mattes. I’m at least glad they’re blendable and of similar quality to their larger “newer” palettes. The texture of the eyeshadows feel softer, which seems like a conscious decision to make them more of a buildable eyeshadow formula rather than ultra pigmented. The color is clearly still there, but it’s not as easy to layer up multiple colors to build up to the kind of depth I prefer. I think the shadows are still good for the price and with a lot of shade variety and nice finishes. I can see why people still love their eyeshadows. The switch is just not to my specific preference anymore.
The Bronzed Rustic Eyeshadow Palette
The colors in this palette look a lot more similar to each other on my eyes than I expected, so that makes it less enjoyable to me than the Blushed Rose Palette. Other than that, my praises and critiques for this palette are exactly the same. The mattes are better than I expected, but don’t give me the depth I want. They’re more buildable and thin instead of heavier and pigmented. The shimmers don’t crease as badly as I feared. The shimmers are more metallic and less sparkly.
The eye looks I created are pretty, but I was a little underwhelmed by this palette.
The Fula Palette
This palette has some really interesting shades, especially the duochromes. I was so excited when I swatched everything and I had high expectations, but wow this one was the ultimate letdown. The mattes were so hard to build. I got my color impact with Nomad and Taza, but Nomad was constantly fading away when I tried to blend it, whereas Taza had a sticking issue wanting to stay where it’s initially laid and doesn’t want to blend out. Marrakesh didn’t give me enough vibrancy of color and I struggled to blend out the edges. Then I had the issue of all the shimmers creasing horribly within hours. The bald patch photo I showed at the beginning of the post was from the first eye look shown below. Preferences are one thing, but I think this palette goes beyond a preference thing. I don’t think it’s as good of quality. Can it be made to work? Of course. I just can’t recommend it.
The Warrior Palette
Since this is one of the older palettes before I noticed a quality difference, and one of the larger ones, I had high hopes it would be great. Unfortunately, even the newer versions of older palettes seem different than I remember. The mattes were easier to blend than in the Fula palette, but still rougher than the Blush and Bronze palettes. They don’t layer as well or build as well either. The shimmers creased, but again, not as intensely as the Fula palette.
The colors in here are beautiful and the eye looks are nice, but I had to just face the facts that Juvia’s Place eyeshadows just aren’t suited for me anymore. Thankfully, the brand has branched out into so many other areas of makeup that I can continue to seek out and use their products. This doesn’t have to be the end.
Blushes
Juvia’s Place Blushed Liquid Blush in Marigold, Rosey Posey (should have been Peach Rose), Coral Rose, and Lily Love
As I mentioned in the beginning of the post, I bought these on June 19th, but I didn’t start working on this post until October. I took out a few products here and there prior to October, but when I initially got my order and saw that barbie pink liquid blush, I assumed I just make a mistake in what shade I chose and put it back in the box. It wasn’t until I started taking product photos and swatches that I realized it was called Rosey Posey, which I knew wasn’t one of the blush shades I was interested in. I checked my order confirmation page, and Peach Rose was the shade I actually ordered, but got Rosey Posey instead. It’s so many months later that I didn’t bother to contact Juvia’s Place customer service to try and fix it.
To give some kind of reference, I’m not the biggest liquid blush connoisseur, but my favorites are from Rare Beauty and Glossier. The ones from Glossier are a little more on the buildable natural side. The ones from Rare Beauty are much more pigmented. I need such a small amount from Rare Beauty to get the full pigment I want. The ones from Juvia’s Place though are equal in pigment or even more intense! I need practically a pinprick amount of Lily Love to cover my full cheek. That one is so unbelievably pigmented! For that reason, I prefer Coral Rose which is similar in tone to Lily Love, but less red, less intense, and a small drop won’t overdo things instantly.
These blushes dry down to a soft matte finish. They come in pretty colors. They’re long-lasting and don’t fade. They’re basically a more pigmented version of the Rare Beauty liquid blushes. That being said, I still prefer the Rare Beauty because they’re overall still easier to use and blend out. With the Juvia’s Place ones, I don’t even know if they disturb foundation underneath because they’re so opaque that anyone can cover up any bald spots or patches easily. That makes them a good thing or bad thing depending on someone’s needs.
One of the things going for these is that the Juvia’s Place liquid blushes cost $18 versus $23 from Rare Beauty, at least in the US. That doesn’t seem like a huge difference, but Rare Beauty blushes can be 26 Euros in Germany depending on the shade, whereas Juvia’s are 17 Euros. So, the overseas prices is where the difference can be larger. Plus, Juvia’s Place frequently has sales on their website and Ulta starting at around 30% off, so the price gap could widen even more.
I bought Marigold hoping it would be a decent substitute for Joy from Rare Beauty, but it’s not quite the same brightness and Joy also has a dewier looking finish that I prefer. So, I would like to one day repurchase that color. However, Coral Love is a decent enough substitute for my beloved Love shade.
I can recommend these, but I have to admit I still prefer the Rare Beauty ones myself.
Lip Products
Magic Lip Oil in Watermelon
I was so excited to try this lip oil because they’ve gotten so popular in the past year, but I just wasn’t impressed with this formula. It didn’t condition my lips. It felt more like a gel than an oil. It barely smelled like watermelon (like a watermelon mixed with chemicals). It doesn’t add any color to my lips, so the slight pink tinge is just for show. The shine disappears fairly quickly and it’s not long lasting in general on my lips either. With nothing good about it except how pretty it looks in the tube and the fun shape of the applicator, it made no sense to keep it. So, it’s out of my collection.
Lip Gloss in Sis!
This is a nice, functional, basic gloss. It has a bit of color and this particular shade looks slightly milky on me, but it’s still pretty, especially paired on top of a lipstick. It’s not as high shine as my favorites, but it’s also not as sticky either. I liked it enough that I bought one for my sister, and I’d consider getting another shade at some point in the future. I just have a ton of glosses that I like and am currently trying to use up that also have a conditioning effect to my lips, so it doesn’t really make sense to buy another at the moment.
Nude Velvety Matte Lipstick in Me and Toffee
I like the somewhat vanilla scent of these lipsticks. They go on the lips smoothly without tugging. They feel comfortable to wear on the lips. They’re not transfer-proof, but last a decent amount of time before touch-ups are required. The shape of the lipstick is interesting to look at, but the shape also seemed to make it easy to apply the product to my lips without going outside the lines. They’re a matte formula but have a slight creaminess to them. My preferred color of the two is Toffee because I can wear it without a darker lip liner. Toffee refused to show true-to-color on my camera unfortunately (in the lip photo but the swatch is accurate). I planned to retake photos while in Germany, but my plastic bag of lip products I intended to bring with me weighed 3 pounds (out of a 50 pound limit). These lipsticks survived the cut where I brought it down to 2 pounds, but ultimately I had to get that lip product bag even lower, so the Juvia’s Place lipsticks unfortunately had to be left behind.
If the colors were perfectly suited to my taste without lipliner, I would have found a way to bring one with me. The shade options were what did it. So, for anyone who is able to find colors they really like in Juvia’s Place’s shade offerings, I recommend giving one a try.
Miscellaneous
I Am Magic Natural Radiance Foundation in BURKINA-#310 [Dark with neutral warm undertone]
I believe this was too dark at the time I originally tried it, but just before I left the US, it was a passable shade match. The finish is quite pretty, a natural radiance just as described, but leaning more on the radiant side. It’s advertised as medium-to-full coverage. It can feel heavy if too much is applied, so the coverage I get for the amount I want to wear is high medium. The scent is extremely strong. There’s supposed to be “Acerola Cherry ferment” in here, and the cherry fragrance they added is a frequent reminder of that. I like the smell, but still wish it was excluded or at least that it was milder. It lingers on the skin for quite a while before I can’t smell it anymore. When I first tried this, it was with the Rituel de Fille Thorn Oil and that made it easy to transfer. By itself, it can actually set down without powder. It just takes a little longer than other foundations I own. I wish I could have been able to bring this with me, and I was very tempted to repurchase it during their Cyber Week sale to have it shipped to my location. However, the reason I left it is because I have so many other foundations I already love and have stood the test of time, plus in closer shade matches to me. They’re all at least double the price of this foundation, so for anyone unwilling to pay those kind of prices, this could be a less expensive option to look into.
Juvia’s Place I Am Magic Concealer in J11 [Dark with a Warm Undertone]
This looks like it should work for me, but it’s a bit too light when it’s actually on top of my dark under eye circles. I love the full coverage aspect to it, but the biggest issue is that it creases fast and too deeply for my liking. I tried it twice by itself with different powders and two other times mixed with other concealers to see if that would help, but nothing worked.
Also, regarding the shades, the next one that was still a warm undertone is J8, which looked like it would be way too deep for me based on the website photos. However, the color wouldn’t change the creasing problem I had with it.
Juvia’s Place Bronzed Cream Bronzer in Caramel
Taken from my Instagram post, since I summed it up best over there, I know I bought the incorrect shade for myself, but the biggest reason I didn’t try to exchange it for a better shade is because this bronzer has sparkles in it. It doesn’t show in swatches, and it’s too hard to see in the container, but those sparkles are way more obvious and look crazy when spread out on the face. I thought I was in the twilight zone because none of the YouTubers I watch talked about it in their initial videos (people with similar tastes to me), and it wouldn’t be until much later in a declutter video or update video that they mentioned noticing it later on and not liking it. It’s such a shame because I loved the feel of it on the skin and the way it blended was beautiful. I just can’t get on board with such a glittery look in a bronzer of all things! If they ever decide to release a version that isn’t, “crafted with shimmering pearls,” I’ll buy it in a heartbeat.
Also, $18 is mid to high end pricing if the price per grams are considered because it’s only 0.3 oz versus brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills that has a cream bronzer at $35 for 1 oz. I don’t mind a small size since it’s so hard for me to use up bronzers, blushes, and highlighters. However, it’s not as affordable of a product compared to what the brand’s prices usually are. This is the same brand whose foundation is $23 for 40ml when most brands’ foundations are only 30ml.
Those are pretty much all the products I’ve tried from Juvia’s Place in 2023. I did also buy their eye primer to compare to the one from Coloured Raine, but the primer separated in the bottle and looked really off-putting, so I didn’t even try it.
This was quite the mixture of good and mediocre performances with the products, but I still have an overall positive impression of the things they make. There’s no way to know whether something will be a hit or a miss from them, but I’m always intrigued.
That’s all for today! Thank you for reading! I wish you a Happy New Year and positive things for 2024!
Lili's Beauty Blog 