MAC always has these huge holiday collections filled with limited edition shades of products, new formulas, minis, and plenty of value sets. Unlike other brands, whose holiday items tend to be cheaper quality, MAC’s standard seems to be the same across the board. The brushes are the only things I’ve heard negative things about, and I’ve liked the holiday makeup I’ve bought over the years. This time, I decided to pick up just a few things.
Sugar Crystal Lip Oil Stick in Glisten Up
The cute packaging and uniquely shaped bullet with the gorgeous oil-slick colors is so enticing! I was very curious to experience this formula, because it’s a new innovation for MAC.
As seen in the swatches, the purple-blue-pink shimmer specks are an overspray. One swipe was enough to remove it completely from the slanted portion, and I can see that it’s clear from the inside, similar to the look of the Winky Lux Flower Lip Balms. I believe MAC’s formula is a little more complex and modern than those. I am at least happy that the sides of the lipstick will continue to look sparkly as long as I don’t touch it. I honestly didn’t want that shimmer on my lips. I get a particle or two each time I wear it, but it’s essentially a clear product. It has a pretty shine, but it’s not very glossy or oily looking.
The surface feels gel-like, soft, and comfortable as I move it across my lips. The bullet doesn’t tug and I get a similar sensation to the k-beauty melty formulas, but the bullet continues to hold its shape and doesn’t look overly emollient on the surface.
I have super dry lips, so I’m always happy to have a product that deeply nourishes and hydrates my lips, in addition to making them look supple and moisturized. Unfortunately, this is not one of those products. It keeps my lips moisturized on the surface for a couple of hours, but it’s not that much better than a typical lip balm and my lips lose that hydrated feeling much quicker than my regular lip oils. I have to reapply a lot throughout the day.
Although I don’t see parfum listed on the website ingredient list, this contains Citric Acid and Vanillin, and it has a mild candy gumdrop type of smell. I get enjoyment from looking at it and using it, but it’s not going to become a staple product in my collection. I think this would make a fun gift for someone, but more as a novelty item. Perhaps others with less severely dry lips will consider the formula to be good enough. I can only speak about my experience using it.
Jelly Shine Eye Shadow in Ice List
Based on the name alone, I was expecting a gel wet-feeling product. It’s supposed to have a “hybrid, jelly-like texture,” but the shimmer particles make it so that it feels dry to the touch with every swipe. I honestly would have called BS on the texture if I hadn’t been able to scrape the product out with my nail and then completely smooth it back out on the surface of the pan with my finger. It has some slip to it, but it’s not wet like the Colourpop Jelly Much eyeshadows, it doesn’t have the creaminess of a MAC Paint Pot, nor the softness of the MAC Glow Play Cushiony Blushes.
As someone who enjoys an interesting tactile experience combined with high performance, I was a little disappointed by how this felt. The results made up for it though. Ice List doesn’t look that impressive on me when I use it on my bare lids, but it really sings when paired with other eyeshadows!
When applied straight from the pan to my lids, it has a scattered effect type of look. I cannot get an opaque application without applying the eyeshadow damp first. I think this is a good quality for a topper to have, so that it suits more people’s eye makeup preferences. I’m not the biggest fan of toppers, but if I can get one to show less of my skin or eyeshadow underneath, I’m fine with that.
I have a lot of impressive sparkly eyeshadows from indie brands, so my expectations were low. I didn’t think a product like this would make such a difference, but it’s great for bumping up the impact and drama of an eyeshadow look. One such example is when I was completely satisfied and happy with my eye makeup using Clé de Peau eyeshadows, but when I added Ice List on top, it took the look to a whole new level!
This can be a little messy to use if an extra chunk comes off, as I sometimes get it in my lashes. It adheres well (I always wet it though), so I don’t notice much fallout throughout the day. However, when I have to take it off is when the sparkles go everywhere and it’s so difficult to get every speck off my face despite using my tried and true Bioderma micellar water with a Makeup Eraser cloth.
M·A·CStack Elevated Mascara (travel size)
MAC has the Foreseeable Future Eye Kit that includes a full size of this mascara, plus full size of the Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liner. I did not buy that set, but I figured I could include this mascara review as part of the holiday collection because of that kit.
The M·A·CStack Mascara is one of my favorites, so I was eager to try this one because I assumed it would be a similar formula, just with a curved brush instead. There are actually more differences than that. For instance, the first M·A·CStack has a “mousse-like texture…for endless stackability” and the Elevated M·A·CStack has a wetter formula “featuring argan oil.” The M·A·CStack has a silicone brush and the Elevated M·A·CStack has a bristle brush.
In the beginning, I really did not like the Elevated M·A·CStack because I felt the formula was too wet and thin. It wasn’t sticking as well to my lashes, so I was lacking volume and couldn’t build it up that much. After about a month or so the mascara liquid became thicker and/or less wet (it gained more grip), and then I started to like how it looked. Although my preferred technique is to build up a lot of mascara in one go, with the Elevated mascara I got better results by applying a first coat and waiting for it to mostly dry before adding a thicker second coat.
Below is another example of how it looks on my lashes. It’s from my Cle de Peau post.
Although this mascara works better for me now than it was in the beginning, and it does a decent job of lifting the lashes, I still prefer the normal version of M·A·CStack. The M·A·CStack is quicker to apply and get the volume and length I like. The only thing to note is it may not be suited to those with sensitive eyes. I have no issues wearing that mascara unless I lay down to take a nap. Then, my eyes get irritated. Although I don’t see flakes on my face when I wear the M·A·CStack, I can only assume that some of it gets in my eyes when I’m in a laying position and causes irritation. Also, when I’m trying to remove the mascara, my eyes are fine as long as I get all of the particles completely out. If a dot of it gets in the back, my eyes will again feel uncomfortable and a little irritated until I remove it. I don’t know if the Elevated version does this as well, considering I have tried my best to just not nap while I’m wearing makeup. I do not wish to intentionally test this out either.
MAC Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick in Posh Pit
Since this is a MAC centered post, I figure it’s a fitting place to add photos of this lipstick. It was not included in my first review of the Lustreglass lipstick formula from my Makeup So Good I Had to Buy More post. I bought this shade in April, but I don’t see it on the US MAC website, so I’m not sure if it’s discontinued. It’s listed as out of stock on the MAC DE site, but I can still find it at other German retailers.
A short summary of my thoughts is that I consider the Lustreglass formula to be a more emollient version of the Lisa Eldridge Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours. The amount of color this gives can be built up, but not to full opacity. The texture is light and buttery feeling and the shine level looks beautiful when first applied, but it’s not that long lasting on me. The tradeoff for this remaining comfortable on my desert dry lips is the fact that I have to reapply a lot.
Final Thoughts
This marks the end of the reviews. If these products were amazing and staple-worthy, I would consider the holiday collection to be brilliant. As it stands, this isn’t a bust either because MAC is holding true to what they usually do. This is the brand that released the Snowflushed duochrome highlighter in 2019, and chose to make a minty shade of highlighter this year. They tend to take more risks with the colors in their holiday collections, and I too am more prone to trying things outside of my comfort zone during this festive time.
The products I got were fun, and it helps that I got them on sale too!
That’s all for today! Thank you for checking out my blog! Also, I’m wishing anyone who celebrates it an early Happy Thanksgiving!
The D&G Blush, ABH Highlighter, VBB Lid Lustre, and PML Quad are not pictured here, but they will be discussed in this post.
After the bombshell that was dropped regarding the Louis Vuitton Beauty line and their prices, I started to think about which items in my collection were the most expensive, which ones I thought had the prettiest packaging, if the prettiest was actually the most luxurious looking, and which ones had the most weight. I was surprised to discover that so few items fit into all of these categories.
I was happy to see the people I follow enjoying their La Beauté Louis Vuitton products, but some felt they needed to justify their reasons for making the purchase beyond just stating, “I wanted it, so I got it.” Across the board, customers who thought the items were or were not worth buying seemed to at least come to the consensus that the price (besides paying for the brand recognition), was largely due to the packaging. The lipstick components were said to be fully metal, along with the bespoke metal packaging of the eyeshadow quads. “You could hurt someone if you hit them with this,” was stated more than a few times by various people.
How a product looks and its weight are my top two criteria for feeling like the item I own is luxurious. Looks are subjective, but weight can be measured and precise. I started to think about the heaviest packaging in my collection (proportionate to its size dimensions) in order to answer the question…are these automatically the most lux?
Lisa Eldridge Rouge Experience Refillable Lipstick (68 grams)
In order to highlight how great this packaging is, I need to do a deep dive into comparing it to another brand. Please, bear with me on this, especially if you’re a fan of LV. I don’t judge anyone on how they spend their money, and this is just me working out why I am perfectly satisfied with Lisa’s lipstick being the height of luxury for me.
Lisa Eldridge took great pride explaining in her launch video how her refills were mono material, made of 100% aluminum and could therefore be recycled without degrading once repurposed, unlike the vast majority of other brands’ refills that have mixed metal with plastic.
According to Google: “You cannot usually recycle a lipstick refill that has both plastic and metal components together, as most curbside recycling facilities cannot separate the mixed materials and are not equipped to handle small, complex items.”
There is plastic inside the forever case by Lisa Eldridge, as this has a click closure, but she wanted the actual refills to be sustainable.
I cannot compare the LV lipsticks from personal experience, but it is my understanding that the refills are all metal as well and come with plastic caps that can be removed when recycling. The lipstick cases have an aluminum shell and brass detailing, but the magnetic closure that is so satisfying to use (and adds to the weightiness of a product) keeps it from being recyclable as well.
Summarized from Okon Recycling: Recycling magnets is technically possible, but challenging as it involves disassembling the magnet and removing any non-magnetic materials. However, there are some magnets that cannot be recycled.
So, it sounds as if both LV and Lisa Eldridge have cases that aren’t realistic to recycle but have refills that are fully recyclable. The LV lipstick case has a lot of expensive details like the product names and logo being etched in, the monogram flower-shaped refill bottom, etc. Lisa Eldridge has her logo etched at the top of the cap, allows the customer to personalize the base of the case with their initials etched in (up to three letters), and the case shape had to be custom made as well. Perhaps some prefer the sleeker LV design while others appreciate the vintage inspiration of Lisa’s more.
LV’s Lipstick Case + Refill is $160 and the refill alone is $69. Lisa Eldridge’s Lipstick Case + Refill is $63 (engraving price included) and the refill alone is $30.
Sure, LV’s refill costs the same amount as other high end and luxury lipsticks in their completed form, but considering the details I listed above, is the LV case really $100 better that other brands’ cases, particularly Lisa Eldridge?
It can’t come down to the actual lipstick formula, because that’s part of LV’s $69 refill price.
At the time that I bought the Lisa Eldridge lipstick, I felt it was incredibly expensive. It is still the most expensive lipstick in my collection, based on what I paid and not the retail price. I rationalized my purchase because of the sustainability aspect, all the custom elements, the personalized touch, and how heavy it felt.
Taking branding completely out of the equation and thinking about the components alone, I do feel like this product by Lisa Eldridge is among the most luxurious out there, and I am no longer gritting my teeth at the price.
It would be nice if I liked the lipstick formula more, but there is some hope for me! I wrote a comment on Instagram that the brand responded to, and while the Velvet formula won’t be put in the refillable form, there might still be the possibility of the Lucents that I enjoy so much!
There are other things they’ve been “working on” that has taken years, such as making the empty eyeshadow palettes available for purchase alongside the eyeshadow singles, the return of the liquid blush in better packaging, etc. So, I’m prepared for this to take a while to happen.
If I can get the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours and/or Baume Embraces as refills, I will definitely get more use out of mine!
Whenever I think about heavy makeup packaging, the Olivia Palermo Eyeshadow Palette immediately comes to mind. I’ve had it for years, yet I’m still not sure how I feel about the pattern, and I’m not sure what it’s technically called (perhaps wicker, woven link, basket weave, oyster strap, etc.). It just makes me think of the types of patterns I’ve seen for watch straps, which isn’t too terribly off track. Apparently Olivia drew inspiration for the packaging, “by a vintage Art Deco bracelet she was given for her 21st birthday.”
The eyeshadow palette has a magnetic closure and mirror, which further increases the weight, on top of the fact that the packaging is metal.
Although I’m not sure if they could have created a different pattern that I would like more, I can say it’s at least cool, unique, and easily recognizable. Plain flat gold is always beautiful to me, but this packaging looks different from any other I’ve seen. Well, almost. As of a year ago, Hatice Schmidt released a refillable lipstick range called, “The Gift,” with a case inspired by jewelry and the pattern reminds me of a curb chain/Cuban link style. So, there are at least two jewelry inspired components from brands that I know of.
I bought the Olivia Palermo lipstick at the reduced price of €32 (originally €40) from Niche-Beauty, and the eyeshadow palette for $28 (originally $58). I’ve discussed how I procured the eyeshadow palette in a past review, but it was during the time that I started working on this post that I felt the compulsion to finally get the lipstick. I have checked in on the brand on and off over the years, waiting for them to release additional products. Earlier this year, I saw a notice on the official website that the beauty products would no longer be sold and that they were turning the website into an influencer style page (oliviapalermo.com now redirects to her affiliate shopmy page). I assumed that meant the brand was shutting down, especially since I’ve only heard two beauty reviewers reference the brand one time each within the last three years. However, I was shocked to see the products appear on the Douglas website in either August or September, and then I saw them at Niche-Beauty as well. I don’t know if Olivia has better sales in Europe, or Germany specifically. I’m not even sure if she still has products available elsewhere in the US.
I felt Lisa Eldridge’s lipstick deserved to be in the post, but Olivia Palermo’s lipstick is the only one in my collection that is heavier. OPB’s lipstick is less expensive, but it isn’t refillable and the central part of the lipstick component is made of plastic. The outer packaging is what makes this seem so fancy.
Regarding the eyeshadow palette, it definitely screams luxury. It isn’t something you want to carry around in your purse or travel with it. Olivia wanted the old Hollywood glamour look and feel to her products, so this is something that you would want to keep on a vanity.
This is by far my most luxurious palette, and though it doesn’t have some of the additional premium features of the LV Quads, it makes me feel a lot more content about my collection and avoid FOMO. If I want heavy eyeshadow packaging, I certainly have it with this product!
This is my golden pebble! It is tiny in size but mighty in weight!
Chantecaille is another brand with nicknamed “pebble” packaging, but theirs is plastic, thin, and it doesn’t feel substantial, even though they cost the same amount!
I bought my WA bronzer at 20% off, so the title of most expensive bronzer in my collection belongs to Hermes, even though I only bought the refill. Had I paid for the compact too, that wouldn’t have helped it to feel more luxurious than the Westman Atelier bronzer, considering Hermes’ thin plastic packaging.
This has a tiny mirror that I don’t use, and a magnetic closure. The brand has highlighters and face powders in this same style of packaging. I haven’t used their cream sticks or drops, but they don’t look as luxurious to me. The only other Westman Atelier packaging I have handled are the powder duos, which are certainly substantial and pretty to look at, but I don’t think it compares to this gold compact.
When it comes to the prettiest bronzer packaging, I think of Gucci’s and Charlotte Tilbury’s powder one, even though they are much lighter in terms of their size. However, I would never call something that’s a solid gold color ugly. So, it may as well be my most glamorous bronzer.
Fara Homidi Essential Bronzer Refillable Compact (106 grams)
This compact is about the same size and weight as the Westman Atelier Butter Bronzer. The amount of product from FH is 3.5 grams and the amount of product from WA is 8 grams. That is close enough to accounting for the 6 gram difference when I weighed the two products, which is why I’m still including it in this post.
Aesthetically, I find the Westman Atelier bronzer to be more appealing. Shiny things get me. However, I still think Fara’s is classy and pleasing to hold in the hand. Her other products come in red and blue packaging of the same weight. I don’t like the red, but the blue is very eye-catching. If the next product she releases is in purple or green packaging, it just might surpass WA’s as a favorite compact for bronzers.
D&G Cheeks&Eyes Match Blush (91 grams)
I have plenty of blush packaging that is bigger than this, and therefore heavier. However, for this small size, this is very heavy! Nothing really comes close to the weight, but I have to say that Gucci’s powder blush packaging is quite nice too, even if it’s lighter. Visually, I like Gucci’s more as well. In fact, I have a lot of blushes that aren’t luxurious feeling, but I love them anyway (such as YSL’s Make Me Blush Bold Blurring Blushes and Too Faced Cloud Crush Blushes). So, this is one of the few categories where my heaviest blush might be the most luxurious, but it isn’t necessarily my favorite packaging. I do like it a lot though!
I have to add that this packaging feels like a mixture of plastic and metal components. I believe there’s something in the base of this compact adding weight artificially, especially since it doesn’t even have a magnetic closure. It has a push button instead.
Victoria Beckham Beauty Products: Matte Bronzing Brick (166 grams), Eye Wardrobe (116 grams), Cheeky Posh (37 grams), and Lid Lustre (41 grams)
Similar to Olivia Palermo Beauty, VBB has a certain aesthetic that they maintain across most of their products. I like the horn brown/tortoise pattern, and it can be fashionable, but I don’t automatically associate it with luxury because of how many cheap products I’ve seen made in tortoiseshell style. The gold colored trim helps to elevate the look of the packaging, but it is the weight and feel of these components that make them undoubtedly luxurious.
The Bronzing Duo and Eyeshadow Quad are among my heaviest based on size. The Cheeky Posh blush is small and doesn’t have that much extra weight, but I figure that’s because the component isn’t refillable like the other two. I’m including it because it has the same style of packaging as the others, and I still feel bougie when I handle it.
I rarely buy single eyeshadows, so I don’t have much to compare in terms of weight. The prettiest I own is probably the Charlotte Tilbury Hypnotizing Pop Shots, but those have lightweight plastic packaging and they are powders, which I don’t believe is fair to compare. It would be interesting to see how the glass packaging of Charlotte’s Eyes to Mesmerise stacks up, but I don’t own that. I no longer have the glass packaging of Maybelline’s 24 HR Color Tattoo, but the best I’ve got is Melt’s Gel Liner (47 grams) and a MAC Paint Pot (56 grams). I like glass as a component material, but it’s not uncommon to find for eye products. The Lid Lustre packaging has an elevated look compared to MAC’s, for example. The Melt Cosmetics Gel Liner that has the gold lid and butterfly print around the rim with the glass base is prettier to me, while also being slightly heavier. However, the font for the brand logo makes it look less sophisticated. I don’t think eye related categories of makeup follow the trend of weight indicating how luxurious a product will look and feel.
One thing about VBB packaging that does take away from the experience is the issue with the closing mechanism. I heard this was a problem in the past, and I never had an issue with my Bronzing Brick, but my eyeshadow quad doesn’t always stay shut when I snap it closed. Sometimes it’s fine, but other times it likes to pop back open with the slightest touch. I haven’t heard about anyone else having an issue with the quads, so perhaps I’m unlucky in getting one of the few faulty ones.
Pat Mcgrath Mothership Palettes (392 grams) and Eyeshadow Quads (122 grams)
All the previous components I’ve discussed had metal or a mix of metal and plastic packaging. The Mothership Palettes are fully plastic, but they are quite hefty in weight. The palettes are big for only holding ten eyeshadows, but that black shiny lacquer with the gold bottom still look lux to me. My Victoria Beckham and Olivia Palermo palettes are the only ones I can recall from my collection that aren’t made of plastic or cardboard. In fact, the Victoria Beckham Eye Wardrobe quad is only six grams less than a Pat Mcgrath quad, but Victoria’s compact is almost half the size! I still chose these PML products as the next heaviest in the luxury category, though I have to admit that I have some lightweight quads that look fancier because they are gold colored. For example, Tom Ford (the trim technically), Guerlain, YSL (trim), Prada (mixed gold and silver), Lisa Eldridge, etc. I find it difficult to equate weight with luxury in the eyeshadow category because of how many bulky heavy palettes brands have released over the years. So many of Jeffrey Star’s earliest palettes, Plouise, and Glamlite’s Food palettes were huge. I also recall when Stila had the Luxe Eye Shadow Palette in Happy Hour, which was a similar weight and size to the Mothership Palettes, but I bought it for $36. I can’t remember what the full retail price was, but it cost nowhere near the same amount as a Mothership.
So, I’ve come to the conclusion that weight doesn’t automatically equate with luxury in this category either. However, because of how uncommon it is to find hefty quads and palettes that are reasonably sized (Olivia Palermo, Victoria Beckham, and Pat Mcgrath), the ones that are weighty feel extra special to me.
Beekman 1802 Milk Tint SPF 43 Tinted Primer Serum
I didn’t want to include skincare, but this technically falls under the makeup umbrella. If I count it as a primer, it might be the heaviest I ever owned (even heavier than the glass bottle of Rituel de Fille Thorn Oil). Beekman’s looks like ceramic, but it’s colored glass.
I have to say “might be the heaviest,” because I don’t recall how it compares to the Guerlain L’Or Radiance Primer (now called the Guerlain Parure Gold 24K Radiance Primer), which is definitely the most luxurious looking primer I ever bought. The look of the Beekman product doesn’t appeal to me at all, but I was so impressed by how it felt in the hands. I had to leave it behind though because it was so heavy that I didn’t want to bring it back in my luggage.
If this counts as a skin tint, then it’s a lot less special. Plenty of brands make glass bottle complexion products. That’s why I didn’t include any true foundations or concealers in this post, because the prettiest bottles in my collection tend to look and weigh around the same.
When it comes to heavy primer packaging being the most luxurious, I have to say the Guerlain primer squashes that theory.
This bronzer is larger than the one from Westman Atelier, but it weighs the same. The reason I decided to include it anyway is because it’s still substantially heavier than the remaining bronzers in my collection. Plus, the highlighter component is a similar size and even weightier. I cannot think of a single highlighter I own that comes in heavy packaging, other than this one.
I have noticed over the years that ABH has gradually been upgrading the packaging of most of their products. Their two most recent mascaras felt like either super heavy plastic or a mix of metal and plastic. The Smooth Blur Cream Contour Stick has a brushed gold colored metal cap and additional gold details. The Smooth Blur Matte Bronzer and Glow Seeker Highlighter have a magnetic closure and they feel quite substantial in the hand. I’m impressed with the packaging and find it to be quite pretty, but this is still another example of how weight doesn’t necessarily equate with a luxurious look. This packaging feels so much more substantial to hold and interact with than pretty much all others in the drugstore, mid-range, and high end categories. It feels like it should cost more than it does, and it looks appropriately high end to me, but not quite broaching luxury territory. I still think the Gucci Bronzer packaging tops it, despite it being lighter in weight, because it looks classier overall. As another example, MAC’s Sunstruck Bronzers look so beautiful, even though they are in lightweight compacts as well.
Final Thoughts
Based on my own personal collection, I’ve confirmed that in certain makeup categories, the most luxurious packaging is the heaviest. At the same time, I have many other products with a timeless and elegant look to them that are lightweight and made of plastic or other inexpensive materials. Essentially, the weight of a product enhances the luxury experience, but it does very little to elevate plain looking packaging. The best example of this is the Beekman 1802 Tint.
If I can get an Olivia Palermo palette that retails for $58 and feels ultra lux, but I can also buy a limited edition plastic Chanel quad for $86 and still feel like that’s luxurious as well, would that be considered silly? Should I be raising my expectations for all luxury brands? At the beginning of this experiment, I would have said yes. However, I now see that if Chanel, Dior, Gucci, and other designer brands used higher quality materials, their products would likely fall in the LV Beaute range of prices (if not more). Some examples of that are the Chanel 31 Le Rouge lipsticks in the glass case, Dior Rouge Premier Lipsticks with the ceramic case and “formula infused with 24k gold,” along with the Guerlain Rouge G Exceptional Piece lines. There is only so much a person is willing to pay for a product from a luxury brand if the materials are the same as a mid-tier brand. So, that keeps designer brands from going overboard with their prices. There are also advantages to using lightweight materials, such as them being more convenient to take on-the-go for customers or makeup artists with large kits, sitting at attainable prices for aspirational shoppers, thinner packaging contributing to less waste of materials and sustainability efforts, etc.
So, when I really think about it, I wouldn’t be able to buy as many products in the luxury category if the components were more expensive to make or if they were made from higher quality materials. In fact, the majority of the products in this post were purchased with some kind of discount. Of course, I would love to have all my luxury goods in weighty packaging, but if that means I would have to accept those products being less likely to go on sale and/or accepting that the prices of them would double or triple, I am unwilling to do so.
The Dior Powder-no-Powder is one of my favorite makeup products of all time, yet the most I was willing to spend was €45 (essentially just paying full price) to get my name etched onto the compact. If I had the opportunity to buy it in a gold colored compact with a magnetic closure or some stunning limited edition pattern for €100, I don’t think I’d be willing to do that. This tells me that despite a product having a holy grail formula that is unable to be duped, I still have my limits. Some makeup will just never be worth it to me to buy, past a certain pricepoint, no matter what it’s made of. That means I cannot use the product’s weight, materials (including formula), or looks to justify a super high spend amount. However, I know that when a product gets hyped up, it can be much easier for me to consider crossing that price threshold if I can make a case for it being top tier from every other angle. I bought one of the Chanel Boutons quads directly from Chanel because so many influencers were told by their SAs that the collection would be extremely limited, and I feared missing out. Less than one month after launch, I found the quads at multiple retailers for a minimum of 30% off. FOMO works similarly to getting caught up in the hype of a product. I sometimes make purchasing decisions that I normally wouldn’t.
This is why I decided to make this post. I know there are others like me who enjoy luxury makeup and don’t have the biggest budget to work with. There are those who will be tempted by the exclusivity of a certain new beauty line and would normally not even consider getting anything at those prices, but the hype may be wearing down that resolve. To those that want to be talked out of buying makeup at $100 or more…just remember that luxury makeup with fantastic formulas and high quality packaging can be found at a lower price. This post is full of examples of this. If one brand is out of your price range, you might be able to get similar products from another prestige brand. Other amazing and beautifully packaged products are just around the corner.
I hope this topic has been interesting, and even helpful.
I said in my Prada review ten weeks ago, “For now, I’m content with the two products I have.”
Yet, here we are again!
The contentment did not last. I couldn’t stop myself from buying Pansy to mix and match with Primula. I also watched a lot of balm related videos on YouTube, and the Prada balm kept ranking among the top. So, despite the fact that I’m on a restricted low-buy regarding lip products, I bought one anyway.
The triangular compact mirror was a free gift with purchase via Douglas.
Prada Dimensions Holo Nude Eyeshadow Palette in Pansy
I thought these shades were going to be on the darker side of medium, but the darker pink and shimmery/satin brown are lighter than I expected on myself. I still consider this palette to be pretty, especially the triangular eyeshadows in the bottom left and right sides of the palette. I don’t know how else to describe that shimmery brown, which has a pink tone to it. In my previous review, I also said that Primula had the prettiest Holo shimmer among the three quads Prada launched, but I might have to reconsider that statement.
The quality is on par with Primula. The shadows are incredibly creamy feeling, as though it’s a cream-to-powder formula. The eyeshadow payoff is the soft buildable type. I don’t get fallout, fading, or creasing, and they are easy to blend.
The downside, is that I can’t build any depth using this palette exclusively, but I knew that before I bought it, plus I intended to use these shades with Primula.
Prada Optimizing Care Lip Balm in 11 Noisette
I love how this balm color looks on my lips! It is so rare to find a light shade that is dark enough for me to not need to wear a lip liner with it, without being too saturated/vibrant, and also contains enough pigment to show true-to-color. I’m always looking for a medium-toned pink, but they end up being too cool-toned, have too much mauve, too much of a white base and looking milky or ashy, or too sheer to appear different from my natural lip color. I am super happy with this shade!
Without eating, and with a normal amount of drinking, this lasts about 4-5 hours on my lips before I feel the need to reapply. My lips feel nicely moisturized and hydrated while I wear it, but I do have lip balms, oils, and glosses that are better at conditioning my lips. However, I’d still place in somewhere in my top 15 or 20. I also don’t consider it to be that sticky.
There are two flaws, with one being far more significant than the other:
As beautiful as the color is, it’s not perfectly smooth. The color can sometimes settle into the lines of my lips, so I need to really rub and blend them together to get the color to smooth evenly back out. I notice this during the initial application, and then it’s good until there isn’t as much left on my lips, so I need to reapply anyway.
My biggest issue with this balm is the added fragrance. It not only smells overpoweringly strong of florals, but I can literally taste the perfume! It even makes my tongue tingle when I accidentally get some of it in my mouth! I try my best to avoid putting the balm too close to the inner rim of my mouth, but I still manage to taste that gross floral perfume anyway.
I admittedly only did four all-day wear tests because I could not handle anymore attempts to eat food while I had remnants of the balm on. Most balms aren’t so gross tasting that I have to bother wiping everything off my lips before eating, but Prada’s is. After I quit doing wear tests, my M.O. has been to put on the balm for photos and then wipe it off after I’m done. This is the only way I can continue to use this product! The color is gorgeous. The formula is quite nice and cushiony on my lips, but the parfum and additional aroma ingredients (limonene, geraniol, linalool, citronellol, etc) seriously impact my desire to wear this. I don’t understand how this doesn’t bother more people, besides apparently myself and State of Kait.
The amount of fragrance in the foundation, I can ignore. The highlighter is powerfully scented, but I power through because it’s unlike any other in my collection. However, the lip balm’s perfume is nearly as strong as the highlighter and I cannot tolerate having them both on at the same time. I get an instant headache.
The packaging is beautiful and luxurious. I love all the details with the logo on the cap, around the sides, the Prada green color on the inside of the cap, the shade name near the opening of the tube, the magnetic closure, and the fact that this is refillable. Sure, the price is high. However, I would have said it was worth it if not for the scented aspect. I cannot recommend this product based on the experience I’m having with it. I seriously hope the fragrance will dissipate over time or that they reformulate these in the same colors, but make them fragrance-free. I bought this at 20% off, but I would repurchase a parfum-free version at full price in a heartbeat. This had the makings of being a holy grail product. What a shame!
Prada Reveal Skin Optmizing Refillable Foundation (sample) in DN75
I got a foundation sample card in one of my orders and DN75 was the closest match out of what was available. I would say it’s still a shade too light for me. I assume either DW75 or DW80 would be better for me, but I don’t plan on buying the full-size because the finish is more matte than I would like. It if looks like this on me in the summer time, I can imagine how dry and dehydrated I’d look in winter. My hydrating setting sprays could help, but I will just stick to using the foundations I already have.
I have noticed during longevity tests that this foundation gets more dewy on me as the day goes on, but I’m not sure if that has to do with the hydrating skincare I use (such as hyaluronic acid) taking effect. This kind of thing happened to me with the Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation, but I prefer to have a hydrated look from the start and it staying the same all day, instead of having to suffer through looking dry in the morning and then by afternoon I’m glowier in a way that looks worn in, the way this Prada Foundation does.
According to what’s written on Prada’s website, this foundation has, “buildable medium coverage and a long-lasting soft matte finish,” plus, “…the technology-powered formula instantly enhances radiance and hydration with additional overtime care.” So, perhaps this “additional overtime care” explains the dewy phenomenon. Looking more radiant is welcome to me, but I don’t like being able to actually feel the moisture increase on my face. This foundation is not transfer-proof, and I agree with the medium coverage claim.
Because of the fragrance and dewiness throughout the day, I’m glad I was able to use the sample and didn’t have to commit to buying it first. I tested this foundation 3 or 4 times, as there was plenty in the container and I was able to use tape along the sides to keep it as fresh as possible between uses.
That’s all for today! I truly do think I am slowing down on buying more from Prada, especially if there’s going to be fragrance in those products too.
The photo above shows all the lip products I purchased or was gifted in 2023. I was systematically trying to review everything new that year, but ran out of time once I got engaged. Since I was moving overseas, I suddenly had to do a declutter and decide which items I would be bringing with me, whether I completed reviews for them or not.
Then, in 2024, I was trying to balance between reviewing newer and older items. It got overwhelming trying to juggle reviewing 25 lippies in a single declutter style post. My collection was getting out of hand again, so I decided to go on a low-buy. I switched gears and started focusing on posting smaller batches of lip reviews.
For today, I will finish reviewing the remaining interesting lip products from 2023, in addition to describing the process of how I whittled down my collection. At the end, I’ll show what my current collection in 2025 looks like and explain which items wouldn’t make the cut if I had to do another declutter.
I only got rid of the expired lip products, which were a few Propa Beauty Lipsticks, the Melt lipstick, and Sephora Collection one. I also left behind the MAC lipsticks, except the one from the Whitney Houston Collection, because I had them mainly for collector purposes and knew I wouldn’t wear them. That’s where I would have loved to stop, but the baggage weight limit required me to leave behind even more. Because my remaining Propa lipsticks were oldest, it pained me, but I had to leave them. I also dropped the Juvia’s Place lipsticks because I was fairly sure they ship to Germany and that I would potentially be able to replace them if I really missed them during one of their massive sales. It turns out, I did not miss them.
Of the remaining bullet lipsticks, I will showcase the only older ones that haven’t been previously reviewed.
Hourglass Unlocked Satin Crème Lipstick in Dahlia 318
The luxury-packaging-lover in me is still happy that I bought this lipstick, but I was never satisfied with the brand’s shade options. The initial excitement customers had surrounding the launch seemed to have disappeared so quickly afterwards, even when the brand extended the range. I can’t recall any beauty YouTuber that mentioned the lipsticks again even one month post-review. Considering how long it has taken me to talk about this, I can’t say I blame them!
The real reason I never bought more is truly because I didn’t think any other colors would suit me based on how the shades looked in Youtube videos and Instagram versus the photos Hourglass put out. At a $38 retail price, I wasn’t about to take anymore chances. I mean, Dahlia looks a bit darker than the bullet, but on my lips it is such a brighter pink!
Photo Credit: This picture is from the Sephora DE website.
Over time, the color has gotten even bolder. The dye called Red 27 is the one that is used in all the ph-adjusting products. This contains Red 28, which looks extremely close to that tone of fuchsia, which I’m not a fan of seeing on myself.
I love the amount of shine the satin finish gives. It’s not too creamy as to slide around everywhere. The pigment level covers enough of the dark pigmented spots on my lips for me to be happy. I believe this used to have a typical vanilla scent, but after having it so long, it smells slightly sweet, waxy, and spicy. I think mine is reaching the point of being too old to wear.
It feels very nice on the lips, but gets drying towards the later hours of the night. I think it’s because it has a slight staining effect and stains tend to dry out my lips. It feels comfortable for the majority of the day though. Touch ups are still a must for anyone that wants to keep the moisturizing glossy layer, but be forewarned that this will definitely transfer onto whatever it touches.
Besides the packaging and the finish, I really liked the shape of the bullet as it was easy to apply and stay within the lines.
Overall, I do still like this, but I won’t be buying additional colors because I prefer more non-tradtional lipstick formulas and because of the shade range.
Suqqu Sheer Matte Lipstick in Houjitsu 112
It’s so interesting that this is a “matte” line, but for this limited edition shade, Suqqu added fine shimmer that gives this a somewhat metallic look. In the same way that many matte cream blushes still have a creamy (and therefore minimal wet sheen) look to them, the lipstick looks almost satin. Although I can’t do it effectively with this shade, I can see how other colors could help create a soft and pretty blotted lip look.
The combination of waxes, oils, and silicone based ingredients makes this lipstick feel very comfortable on the lips. It easily and smoothly glides across the lips without tugging. It also leaves a very minimal imprint on glasses or anything else the lips touch. For a sheer lipstick, I consider the staying power to be decent, but a few touch ups are necessary throughout the day. I really like this formula! Even though it doesn’t feel drying, if I try to wear this two days in a row, my stubbornly dehydrated lips will punish me for it. This is not unusual for me, and it’s why I wear balms and glosses far more often than lipsticks, but I wanted to mention it anyway.
This is not a fully opaque lip product, but it can be built up a decent amount. In this case, sheer doesn’t automatically mean subtle. Although this particular shade is discontinued, Suqqu has a permanent range of color options. Just know that the brand does not sell the lipstick together with the lid/case. Ordering the lipstick alone will get the customer the lipstick bullet in the base with a small clear plastic cap on top. They sell the matte black and gold covering/lid separately under the name “Sheer Matte Lipstick Cap” for around $4. Because of the unique six-sided shape, no other case will fit over it except the one Suqqu makes. When I was living in the US, I could only buy Suqqu from Selfridges, and it takes them forever to restock them. So, I couldn’t get the proper top for the lipstick until five months later!
I appreciate the brand’s efforts to produce less plastic, but no one who buys high end or luxury goods want to spend so much money to then be forced to keep a cheap plastic covering over the product for nearly half a year! There should be a guaranteed way to ensure every customer’s first lipstick will come with a proper case. This honestly ruined my initial experience with the lipstick and it’s why I never included it in my other Suqqu reviews. This is also why I decided that if I ever wanted to try a line of Suqqu lipsticks again, I would buy the case as soon as I saw it offered even if I didn’t plan to get the actual product until much later. That’s what I did with the Moisture Glaze in 2025!
This was an easier category to sort through because my dry lips can only tolerate very few formulas. I tossed the expired ones: Ofra, Rare Beauty, and Kaleidos’ Wild Apple and Skinship. The Juvia’s Place lippies didn’t suit me without a lip liner, so I left that behind. The Oden’s Eye ones aren’t as comfortable as Kaleidos Lip Clays, so it seemed smarter to hold off on bringing them. I didn’t declutter the Colourpop x Sailor Moon one for nostalgia, but it had to at least stay behind. The Huda set was new and the formula reminded me of the KVD ones I used to like. However, since I hadn’t done a proper wear test beforehand, and didn’t want to take products with me that I was unsure about, I left them too.
It came down to bringing my Lisa Eldridge Velveteen Liquid Lip Colour (which I used along with other products on my wedding day) and the Kaleidos Lip Clays. I wanted to bring all eight left, but space dictated that I narrow it down to six. I was pretty adamant about keeping those too, but when I had to whittle down the top favorite lip products, liquid lipsticks made no sense to keep a lot of considering how infrequently I used them (even in favorite shades). Mahogany and Sienna were all I had room for, along with Lisa Eldridge’s Muse. I have not purchased any additional liquid lipsticks after that Lisa Eldridge purchase.
Lip Balms (plus lip primer and a satin lip pencil)
Summer Fridays, Nars Satin Lip Pencil, MAC Lip Primer, Nars, Makeup by Mario, Tart, Cay Skin, Kaleidos, Vacation, Beekman 1802, Rare Beauty, MAC Glow Play, Colourpop
This category had so many products I hadn’t yet tried or reviewed, that I decided to only take new balms with me, plus my Nars Satin Lip Pencil. I hoped I would love at least one of the new ones enough to make it worth leaving behind my favorites (the Nars Laguna balms for the look on the lips not the formula) or repurchasing old favorites. Unfortunately, I was missing having a good conditioning balm and needed to buy quite a few in 2024, which are not pictured above. In 2025, I ended up bringing one of the Nars Laguna balms back with me.
Beekman 1802 Goat Milk Lip Balm, Vacation Strawberry Jello Salad Lip Balm, and By Terry Baume de Rose (in pot and liquid form)
I basically roped all of these together because they were not memorable. I took the photos a year and a half ago and only remember that the By Terry one had a rose scent, the strawberry smell in the Vacation balm was very mild, I couldn’t smell anything in the Beekman balm, and absolutely none of these were conditioning enough for my lips. The By Terry lip products were quite old and had been lost in my collection (both samples), so perhaps I didn’t give those a fair enough try. The others, I recall being unhappy with during the testing process and would not recommend them.
Nabla Viper Lip Masks
These were a 2024 Black Friday purchase. I was curious about the formula, coming from a brand I respect, but this was a rare time that I specifically sought out a product with added fragrance. How could I resist Cookie or Peach ‘n Apricot? Even Midnight Orchid smells fantastic, and I’m not usually a fan of florals. Coconut Cream has the mildest scent, but it’s also good. I missed the delicious scents of Laneige products and hoped these would be an even better alternative. I believe this is!
This consistency is a firmer wax, making it less Vaseline-like than Laneige Lip Sleeping Masks. It isn’t as easy to spread if I put it on directly from the container. However, after it has been on my lips for a while, I can rub them together and the warmth will help finish spreading the product and evens out the layer. I noticed Coconut Cream and Midnight Orchid seemed slightly more emollient, but it might just be because they were the last ones I opened and are fresher.
From what I can see in the ingredient lists, these four are mostly similar, but Peach ‘n Apricot has the order switched around in a few places, plus it has a lot more natural fragrance ingredients than the others (limonene, linalool, geraniol). They all contain flavor/aroma, but Midnight Orchid and Cookie contain vanillin and Coconut Cream has menthol. I feel the slightest bit of a cooling sensation from Coconut Cream, but it’s barely noticeable. This might be because there’s so little of it as the second to last ingredient.
This doesn’t feel as moisturizing or hydrating as my favorite lip balms, but it does a good job of sealing the moisture in and conditions them a little. I’ve been able to eat and still have about half left on my lips. There is enough dye to make Cookie, Peach ‘n Apricot, and Midnight Orchid look like different colors in the container, but they are all clear/slightly milky on my lips. These also have hardly more shine than a typical chapstick. They’re thick and waxy/balmy, but not sticky.
I can wear this when I want to indulge in the various scents, but I don’t use it on days when my lips need intense nourishment.
Lipglosses (and a few lip oils)
Top Row: Fenty. Second Row: Prada, Huda, Vieve, Dior, Kaja, Sigma, Milk, Juvia’s Place, Pat Mcgrath, Suqqu, Nars, and Pur Cosmetics. Horizontal Row: By Terry and Anastasia Beverly Hills Bottom Row: Lunar Beauty, Colourpop, Charlotte Tilbury, Lisa Eldridge, Ami Cole, and Too Faced.
I love all of these glosses, but as a low-pigment product, I had to prioritize the best ones and ones that still needed to be reviewed. It’s actually easier to show a photo of which ones survived the first round of declutters (left side) and which ones got left behind purely for being old (right side with the exception of the extra Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balms that I just had too many shades of).
The only “old” ones that passed the first round were the Charlotte Tilbury mini size gloss and the heart shaped Pat Mcgrath Glosses, but since my combined total of lip products weighed 3 pounds…then 2 pounds after whittling it down some more, I had to leave Charlotte’s behind (I kept PML Flesh 6) along with dropping the Fenty glosses, the brand new Kaja one I had no attachment to, and Lunar Beauty. The latter was left behind because I decided not to feature that brand on my blog and would not need to keep it around to review it. I kept one Suqqu Treatment Wrapping Lip, the Sigma Lip Cream, a colorless mini of the Too Faced Pillow Balm, and the original shade of Ami Cole Oil/Gloss since it was full and would last longer. I was halfway through finishing Bliss. I now have a backup in 2025 in the shade Happy that I will not open until my current one is finished. I technically have two more backups in the US.
Lip products are surprisingly heavy!
I was planning a giant Lisa Eldridge lip post, so both glosses had to come. I kept PML’s Bronze Temptation that I had in my purse during my wedding and kept Colourpop Hocus Pocus 2 So Glassy Lip in Boys Will Love Me for the unique color. Vieve Lip Dew was kept to review.
Rather than repurchasing Fenty’s Gloss bombs last year, I ended up getting different versions in the form of the Gloss Bomb Stix in Spice Cold and the Gloss Bomb Oil in Coppa Cookie, both of which have been reviewed.
Ami Colé Lip Treatment Oil in Bliss and Excellence (Original)
This is currently (and has been for over two years) my favorite and most nourishing lip product in my collection. I was able to let go of my Nuxe Reve de Miel and Sara Happ balms because this product. It contains Baobab, Camellia, Pentaclethra Macroloba,and Passionfruit Seed Oils, which are all oils I have very little experience with. However, my current number one foundation contains Camellia, and that oil is in a few of my favorite hair products too, so it makes sense that Camellia oil is amazing for my lips as well! As for Passionfruit Seed Oil, it’s in my favorite Cleanser/Treatment from Lisa Eldridge.
The hydration level is such that I can wear this once and then skip wearing a lip product for 3-4 days before my lips will start to show signs of chapping. It also softens the skin, which means I have an easier time removing the dead skin/chapped skin off of my lips. This was such a miracle product while I was still struggling to create a routine and was frequently forgetting to put anything on. The formula helps repair my lips when they’re in a bad state, but it instantly looks smoother and plump from the glossy shine. It’s a thick product, and its biggest downside is that it’s very sticky. However, that stickiness is what helps to keep a sealing layer to lock in moisture. It also helps this product to last longer on the lips without needing as many reapplications, as well as remaining on the lips overnight while sleeping.
In addition to it being a lip treatment, I get the benefits of the sheer color. Bliss can look a bit too light if I use too much, but I still find it to be pretty. I left it behind in the US because of the second flaw, which is the leaky packaging. There is never an excess of product around the rim when I put the applicator back in the tube, but sometimes I would randomly open it and product will spill out as if it overflowed, or I will in fact find that it leaked outside of the tube enough to feel sticky (though not enough to form a puddle). I don’t know if it has to do with air bubbles/suction that I hear while I try to close it. For this reason, I always try to keep these stored upright. The original shade, now called Excellence, was unopened before I moved. So, I brought that one to Germany with me. Between the two shades, I have used up close to one tube’s worth of product. This is a rare accomplishment for me, proving how much I actually use these Ami Cole lip oils/glosses. The only reason I haven’t gone through them faster is because my husband can’t stand when I have sticky lips, and even if I try to wipe these off, he can still feel the remnants. So, I have fewer opportunities in which to use this product.
I am so sad about the fact that Ami Cole will be closing its doors in September. I have some lippie backups, so I will try to enjoy them for as long as I can before they go bad.
Dior Addict Lip Maximizer in 039 Intense Cinnamon
I feel a cooling sensation on my lips that lasts several hours after I put this on, which I don’t enjoy. It’s at least better than having a plumping burning sensation that I would like even less.
I don’t get a smooth color application right away. It takes some work by rubbing my lips together to get it to look even. It’s also easy to go outside my lip lines, especially when trying to smooth it out. However, it’s still better at creating an even look of color than the Fenty Cream Gloss Bombs. This one, once smoothed, will stay that way until it’s gone or until I feel the need to layer on some more.
This is fairly sticky on the lips and it does not improve my lip dryness. My lips look moisturized with it on, but when the product is removed, I can see all the chapped parts (plus a bit more than before). My lips look so nice with it on that I’ve been tempted a few times to try other colors in the range, but I prioritize conditioning over looks. So, it wouldn’t make sense for me to buy more. This is one of those long hyped products in the luxury beauty sphere, so I’m glad I could at least experience it, even though it wasn’t a great purchase for me.
Clarins Lip Comfort Oil in 01 Honey
This lip oil was far too hyped up for me to never try it. I was just waiting for a great discount, which is why I eventually got one in October 2024. I chose the classic honey color (basically colorless on the lips) which smells deliciously sweet! I like the big applicator paired with the strong stopper that prevents too much oil from coming out, but allows one to cover the lips quickly with the larger surface area.
It leaves a nice moisturized coating on the lips that has some adherence, but it not being sticky means it has an easier time coming off than lip oil hybrids. I try to give it the best chance of lasting on my lips by putting on two layers instead of just one. This amount doesn’t feel goopy, doesn’t drift past my lip line, and feels medium-weight on the lips. Three layers would be too much for me. I still get a good amount of shine from two.
I’m happy to say the ingredients hydrate quickly enough that even when I forget to reapply after a meal (since it usually lasts through drinking, but very little remains after eating), my lips continue to feel soft and smooth. It doesn’t last through the whole night as an overnight treatment and doesn’t hydrate enough that I can skip wearing anything on my lips for more than a day, but as a nourishing product, this is among the ranks of the better performers in my collection. I sometimes wonder if I should try other Clarins lip products, but since I don’t see anyone raving about them, I’m going to continue to push my curiosity aside.
Lip Liners
Coloured Raine, Juvia’s Place, Mented, Nyx, Palladio, Lisa Eldridge, and Em Cosmetics.
I don’t consider myself to be too picky about lip liners. I just want something that glides easily on the lip line, feels comfortable enough to fill in my lips if I want to, adds definition, and is at least water resistant. What made the cut were Coloured Raine in Decadent and Pine, Juvia’s Place in Brownie, both liners from Mented, Palladio in Coffee, and Lisa Eldridge in Sorcery. I later ended up later buying her Sculpt & Shade Lip Pencil in 3W.
Unfortunately, Coloured Raine went out of business. I would say those lip liners were my top favorites, but I’m pickier about lip liner colors than formulas. There are no shortage of good ones, so I’m in no rush to replace them.
CURRENT LIP COLLECTION 2025
Bullet Lipsticks2025
Row 1 (L to R): Mented, Lethal Cosmetics, Nabla, and MAC. Row 2 (L to R): Charlotte Tilbury, Hourglass, PML, and Lisa Eldridge. Row 3 (L to R): Suqqu and YSL
I wouldn’t declutter any of my bullet lipsticks, however, I wish I hadn’t bought the Lisa Eldridge Rouge Refillable lipstick in the shade Lisa, and I could have done without Ashes of Roses and Simone. I have the Lethal Cosmetics Lipstick for collector purposes. I bought the Hourglass and Suqqu (Sheer Matte) to satisfy my curiosity, but I wouldn’t be sad if they were out of my collection. Lastly, I wish I hadn’t bought quite so many YSL lippies. I should have stuck to just one single engraved lipstick and skipped buying the Loveshine Balms. I love the Candy Glazes, but if Shade 16 (Watermelon High) was released at the same time as Shade 15 (Showcasing Nude), I wouldn’t have bought 15.
Lip Balms 2025
Yellow Box: Eadem Top Row (L to R): Summer Fridays, Nars, Rabanne, Lisa Eldridge, Nars, Makeup by Mario, and Nabla (stacked in a line). Bottom Row (L to R): Labello, Nuxe, Rom&nd, Nivea, Prada, and Lancome.
I intend to declutter the Labello and Unscented Nivia lip balms because they add no color and are the weakest at conditioning my lips. I’m keeping the Makeup by Mario purely for reference purposes. I replaced my old Summer Fridays balm, and I could have done without having an extra Rabanne Balm (or at least without one that is practically clear on my lips). I am also keeping the Nuxe stick balm because I haven’t even opened it yet.
Lip Glosses and Oils 2025
Row 1 (L to R): Fenty. Row 2: (L to R): Nuxe, Fantasy Cosmetica, Vieve, Sigma, Pat Mcgrath, and Suqqu. Row 3 (L to R): Colourpop, Lisa Eldridge, Ami Cole, Too Faced, and Clarins.
The Fenty Gloss Stix is my favorite of their lip formulas, so I could declutter the lip oil. The Nuxe lip oil was disappointing, so I should get rid of it, but the shape is so cute that I feel compelled to hold onto it for longer. The Too Faced Kissing Jelly could also be decluttered, since I prefer the Pillow Balm formula.
Liquid Lipsticks and Lip Liners 2025
Liquid Lipsticks: Kaleidos and Lisa Eldridge. Lip Liners: Coloured Raine, Juvia’s Place, Mented, Palladio, Lisa Eldridge, and Charlotte Tilbury
My liquid lipstick pile is unchanged and my lip liner pile has grown slightly. I intend to keep them all the same until they are bad and need to be tossed out. The Mented lip liners are probably too old, but I haven’t been using them anyway.
The only unreviewed lip products I bought between 2024 and 2025 are the Suqqu Moisture Glaze, MAC LustreglassSheer-Shine Lipstick in Posh Pit, Nuxe Lip Oil, and Nuxe Lip Moisture Stick. So far, the only unreviewed lip products I bought in 2025 are the Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Lips Healthy Glow Nectar Oil (forgot to photograph) and the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Kit that contains minis of the K.I.S.S.I.N.G Pillow Talk Deep (Intense) lipstick and Lip Cheat Pillow Talk Deep lip pencil.
The Charlotte Tilbury lip products will likely be reviewed in the future. The others I forgot about, so I don’t feel compelled to really review them unless someone requests them.
Anyway, that’s everything! My lip collection has been fully updated! I have too many lip products, which is why I’m trying my best to cut back on purchasing more.
I’ve always liked the fantasy genre, so this brand intrigued me from the moment I first heard about it. What took me so long to finally make a purchase was just the fact that my obsession with eyeshadows calmed down ever since my botched Low-Buy in 2022. It was easier to avoid overspending if I ignored trying new-to-me brands. Leaving the US also played a role, since I had less access to a lot of indie brands. However, I finally looked into Monolith EU’s website, and started trying different indie brands again through that online retailer.
I purchased the Druid Palette in September last year and loved it so much that I considered buying additional eyeshadows. The issue was that I didn’t love a lot of the full color stories of the others palettes enough to be worth the upcharge from Monolith beyond the 19% VAT. Although Fantasy Cosmetica sells eyeshadows individually on their own website, Monolith does not. When Black Friday rolled around, I considered ordering their single eyeshadows and have them shipped within the US, but the discounted prices were such that it made more sense to actually buy the palettes in full! During my two week vacation, I tested out the Fighter, Warlock, and Bard palettes so that I could decide which of the eyeshadows I’d keep and which ones I’d leave behind, but I took them all!
All four palettes discussed today are part of the “Classes” series. At the time that I’m writing this, there are nine in total. I’ve played a few MMORPG’s in my early years, and it’s a bit funny to me that none of the characters I’ve been are in this collection of nine! I love playing a healer type in any game whether it’s a main healer like a Cleric, a partial tank-type like a Paladin, or a damage dealer like a Mage or Psychic. I’ve played a Shaman, which I guess is closest to a Druid. I’ve also been an Archer and low level Hunter, which is closest to a Ranger. Mage is probably closest to the Wizard. My point is that I’m shocked there still hasn’t been a Cleric, Paladin, or Priest! Perhaps one of those could be coming next.
First, let’s talk about the palette that turned me into a fan of this brand, which is Druid.
Druid Palette *NEW stained glass style*
I put “new stained glass style” in the title because that’s how it was listed via Monolith. However, I don’t know what the original palettes used to look like. The oldest videos I’ve seen have palettes that look similar to mine, so I don’t know what the differences are supposed to be.
I have learned, based on these four palettes, that the Fantasy Cosmetica formulas has the kind of balance I love between high pigment and ease of use. The mattes are opaque, easy enough to blend (minus Old Growth) and layer well on each other. It’s not on the same level as Pat Mcgrath or YSL, but it’s almost on par with Oden’s Eye, which is great. The array of colors in this palette excited me as much as the Earth Palette from Lethal Cosmetics, but I prefer how these eyeshadows from Druid perform way more!
Some of the shimmers are on the satin side, but always in interesting shades to create a statement in at least that way, while the other shimmers are sparkly and impactful without looking chunky. They are creamy enough to spread easily and smoothly, but not emollient or slippery enough to crease on the eyes. How the eyeshadows look at the start of the day is how they’ll appear at night.
As I mentioned, the only matte that is harder to blend out is Old Growth. Wherever the shadow gets placed, it doesn’t really want to move from that spot. I remember the time period when Colourpop used to make this kind of shade a lot, and many of them had this issue as well. I think it has to do with the red-brown pigments used.
The only shimmer to give me an issue is Regrowth, which has a tendency to try to hard-pan. This eyeshadow has a red base and gold shimmer, but the hardpan is how I ended up with a matte looking outer corner in the 4th eye look above.
The most “boring” shimmer is Bear Form which is a metallic brownish orange. It’s pretty, but doesn’t have any special effects. Another one that appears like it should be straightforward is Serenity, but it has a yellow to green shift. It looks lime green in the pan, but it looks very yellow on my eyes.
One of the stars of this palette is Balance, a transparent-based eyeshadow that can be used like a topper. It has pinkish-purple, aqua, and green shimmer. The other star is Transformation, the multichrome that goes from red to purple and then greenish blue. Green is the predominant color on my eyes.
This isn’t a perfect palette, but I really like it.
Fighter Palette
This is the most neutral color story available out of the Classes palettes. Therefore, I’m not surprised that this is also the palette with the most “traditional” type of shimmers. Glory is very much the standout. The base color is very sheer, but I can faintly see it’s yellow-brown, and the shift goes from pinkish-purple to blue. Might is also a fun color with its dark purple base and gold shimmer, but it looks like a very blackened purple when I use it on my eyes. I’ve noticed it hasn’t been as easy to see the gold on my eyes, and it looks like it’s wanting to hardpan like Regrowth in the Druid palette.
The three shimmers in the middle row of the palette are wetter and fairly thick. According to the brand’s description, Blade is a, “multidimensional shimmer – silver base with green and purple shifting sparkles.” Realistically, it’s a dark silver. I can faintly see purple specks if I rub the eyeshadow across my skin super thinly to sheer it out. I don’t think anyone would be able to tell there was any nuance to the silver when it’s on my eyes.
Fervor is a red with silver sparkles. The silver gives this eyeshadow more of a twinkling effect, but it’s still my least favorite color in the palette. It’s objectively pretty, but I’m not a fan of these kinds of reds.
And then finally, Victory is a, “multidimensional shimmer – warm brown with pink and silver sparkles.” Again, it looks pretty much orange to me. I can see some of the pink at a very sharp angle that I’m not so sure anyone else would be looking at me from.
Once more, the mattes are wonderful. Warrior is a little less blendable than the others, but it’s still good enough for me.
I go through phases of liking neutral palettes. Something about the curation of these colors and the way they look on the eyes paired together is very intriguing to me, no matter what my mood is. The only outlier for me is Fervor, but I can always swap it out with an eyeshadow single from another brand.
Warlock Palette
This palette is a surprise hit for me! Six of the shades are the kind of colors I only like when paired with certain other shades. This color story is thankfully grouped in a way that makes them all work. This was one of the biggest reasons I couldn’t just depot a few shades when I was planning which palettes to bring back with me.
The shade I was pining for the most was Ritual, a true multichrome that shifts yellow, green, and blue. It reminded me of a Clionadh shadow, but nothing I swatched looked close enough to it. It had a similar flip but didn’t look the same head-on. I think perhaps it’s like Weathered, but I don’t own that shade from Clionadh. In any case, it’s a gorgeous color!
The greenish shift that Patron has reminds me of Transformation from the Druid palette, if that one had a dark pink base instead. I’m not always into pinks, but this is the kind I can get behind!
Arcanum, with its “acid green to light blue shift,” and Offering, with its “deep blue to pink shift,” are listed as duochromes, but they’re not as nuanced on my eyes. When I hold Arcanum at a sharp angle, I guess I can see blue, but on my eyes I can only see yellow and green. Regarding Offering, I consider it a deep steel blue-grey with purple shimmer. I really can’t see pink.
There’s usually at least one problem child in the palette, and in this one it is Eldritch. It’s the same issue with it just having a lot of pigment and requiring a bit more time to blend. Technically, Profane is also not perfect since it’s thin and I have to build it up, but colors that are practically neon tend to be like this for me.
Overall, this is probably the palette that intimidated me the most, but I think it’s my second favorite (Druid is at the top).
Bard Palette
Bard might not look like a rainbow palette because of the way the eyeshadows are arranged, but it may as well be.
I still appreciate the brand’s choice in veering away from standard primary and secondary colors. For example, Performance is more of a golden and slightly orange leaning yellow. It’s similar to the Singe Beauty brand color. Stories is a super rich red, that is on the verge of purple. Enrapture is like a slightly toned down desaturated orange and Inspiration is a kind of murky muted green. Aside from needing to build up the yellow a green a bit, I have no issues with these mattes.
Mythic is a stunning orange color in a smooth texture. If Pat Mcgrath wanted to make an orange version of Gigabyte, I feel it would turn out looking like this.
Wanderer has a bronze base with red and pink shimmer. It’s thick with a squishy consistency. Legend has the same texture, but with a sheer purple base and blue shimmer.
Charismatic is a pretty peachy color that shifts from pink to gold. A color like this is common among indie brands and even mainstream ones, but I like this opacity level. Sometimes brands have an iridescent version of this color that I don’t think looks as flattering on me. Unfortunately, this is another shimmer that’s starting to form hardpan.
The final showstopper in this palette is Lore, which goes from a bright golden green, to greenish-blue, and then a darker cool blue.
I don’t know how frequently I will use this palette, but I am still glad I bought it. I’m pleased with having all four, though dealing with the shadow sealing or forming hardpan might start to annoy me in the future. I can try to avoid it by strictly applying shimmers with my brush, but the habit to apply shimmers with my finger is very strong.
Bonus Shades and Enchanted Autumn Tinted Lip Balm
Before we bring this review to a close, I just wanted to mention that I received two Fantasy Cosmetica singles from Monolith as a free gift when my Singe Beauty blush order was delayed. As I mentioned before, Monolith doesn’t sell singles, so it was interesting to receive them. They unfortunately don’t have names written on the sleeves, nor the pans. At first, I thought they were the gold and silver from the Fighter palette, but they aren’t the same. Now, I’m wondering if they are from the Enchanted Autumn palette that I believe launched around the same time. Perhaps they are the shades Libra and Harvest Moon. In any case, the beautiful colors are another reason I was so interested in trying more Fantasy Cosmetica eyeshadows.
I included a photo of Pomander, which I’ve reviewed before in my Battle of the Lip Balms post, mainly because it is still a Fantasy Cosmetica product and should be part of this brand spotlight. They have brushes, fragrances, lip products, and candles. So, Fantasy Cosmetica is branching out.
This has been a great experience. Among all the indie brand eyeshadows I bought between 2024 and 2025 (Nomad Cosmetics, Cosmic Beauty, Lethal Cosmetics, Fantasy Cosmetica, and ShellWe Makeup), the Fantasy Cosmetica quality is my favorite of the five, and will be a brand I continue to keep my eye on. Since their products are made in China, I hope they will be able to manage through this tariff situation. I heard they were among the first indie brands to alert customers of potential issues via social media.
That’s all for today! I hope you’ve found this post to be helpful!
Lisa Eldridge recently launched her summer collection consisting of an eyeshadow palette, three lipsticks, and two tote bags. The only items I’m missing are the Toasted shade of lipstick and the Olive/Lavender tote.
There are currently three tiers in the brand’s reward program, with Emerald being the highest. Emerald members were able to shop a day early and could add one of the bags to their orders for free without a minimum spend amount. Otherwise, all other customers could get the tote for free with a purchase of €90 or by paying for it outright at the cost of €18. So, I ordered the Desert Gleam palette and Rae from the official website and added the free Olive/Camel tote.
Niche-Beauty sells Lisa Eldridge products, and frequently has 20% off codes available, but one can only get a tote there by hitting that €90 minimum spending price. So, it turned out for the best that I placed my original order with the Lisa Eldridge website, and then when the new products launched at Niche-Beauty a week later, I bought Lili.
Desert Gleam Palette
Dunes and Acacia are Seamless Mattes. I wrote in-depth descriptions of the different formulas in a past review, but the short version is that these mattes are similar in texture to Natasha Denona’s cream to powder formula, they are more pigmented than the Velvets, and have the tiniest bit of a wet (but not shimmery) sheen. Dunes is very difficult to see when applied to my eye area because of my skin tone, but I can tell it’s there because of the blurred look it has, especially when applied to the edges of a darker shadow to soften it up. Acacia is now my darkest matte from Lisa Eldridge. Although I wish it was the tiniest bit darker, it at least successfully adds depth to my eyeshadow looks and I can build up the intensity.
Most of the time, the Seamless Mattes are creamy and a joy to work with. However, the shade Supernaturally from the Fawn palette was stiffer, drier, and less pigmented. So, that shade is one I stopped using out of frustration. Within the Desert Gleam palette, I got hard-pan on Dunes*, and I’ve had to scrape off some of the surface after just a week of use. It is normal for all the mattes to look like they’re going to hardpan, but this is the only time I’ve actually been unable to pick up product and needed to clear off the surface. I alternate between using brushes and my fingers with all Lisa Eldridge eyeshadows, but this is the first time I’ve encountered this problem. Going forward, I will just use brushes with this shade to try and mitigate the issue. I’ve had no troubles with Acacia though.
*Update: I was chatting with Fedaro Beauty, who has reviewed this collection as well, and I remembered one change I made this week that could have affected Dunes. For many years I’ve been using the officially branded Makeup Erasers that are microfiber cloths. However, I switched to using Marushin cotton cloths that were free gifts with purchase from my Fude Bobo orders. Microfiber absorbs more oil than cotton, so it is actually possible my fingers had more oil residue left on them between uses than usual and could be responsible for the hard-pan on Dunes. This may be a long shot in providing an explanation, but since this is a possible cause, I felt it was important to share this theory.
Dunesafter I scraped off some of the surface.
Sahara is in the Velvet formula, which gives an even and soft layer of color. I prefer to use my brush to pack on the shade and build it up. I’m honestly surprised it shows up as well on me as it does, because I thought it might be too light of a color. I’ve also seen how this shade can look a lot more khaki-yellow on some people, but it’s greener on me. The Velvets are smoother in feel, and swatch beautifully, but over an extended amount of time, I have noticed mine got drier. Sahara is too new for me to have this problem, but it’s something I wanted to mention that I have noticed out of my oldest Velvet eyeshadows. I can still use them, but building up the color to get the payoff I want takes more effort than before. For those that enjoy soft or muted eyeshadows, this is unlikely to be an issue.
I forgot to mention that in the first eye look in this photo, Sahara was used on the lid before I added Chrysina on top. So, it looks warmer and slightly darker than the first eye look in the photo below where only my eyeshadow primer is under Chrysina on the lid.
Chrysina is a Luminous shadow. It looks silvery green in the pan, but there’s still a touch of gold that I can see at certain angles in the light. For this reason, I like this shade more than I expected. I would go as far as to call this a duochrome, though it’s nowhere near as intense as Mercurial, which is another Luminous eyeshadow.
Ablaze and Firefly are Metallics, but Firefly looks so much smoother in the pan, as seen three photos higher. The textural differences don’t affect anything. I just thought it was interesting. Ablaze is an easily wearable golden brown that is perfect for creating neutral eye looks. I have a lot of warm golds in my collection, but I don’t have many shades of gold with this tone, as silly as that might sound. It’s still not a necessity for me to have in my full collection, but I think a shade like this aids in keeping the palette color story versatile. Firefly seemed intimidating to try and incorporate into my eye looks, but as long as it’s framed by Sahara or Acacia in the crease, it works. Ablaze is also neutral enough that it doesn’t clash if they are used next to each other.
I have no issues with longevity or creasing, I can use these with any of my eyeshadow primers, and I can use the shimmers with a damp brush to build intensity. I have no problems with these eyeshadows, other than what I already described with the shade Dunes and the Velvet formula in the long-term.
When I first saw the Desert Gleam palette, there was no way I could talk myself out of getting these shades, despite it reminding me of my eyeshadows from Natasha Denona. It has a similar vibe to the Mini Gold, it reminds me a lot of my custom version of Metropolis, and I also have the Yucca palette. However, when I actually swatched the shades and compared them, they were different enough on my skin tone for me to not consider them dupes.
Please excuse the fact that the skin under Bia wasn’t completely dry, so it looks a little more intense than usual.
If I’m being 100% honest with myself, I prefer the Natasha Denona Mini Gold Palette over this one. I’ve come to accept that high contrast makeup looks better on me, and there are greater depth differences and more color/shade distinctions between the eyeshadows in Mini Gold than Desert Gleam. I’m still attracted to the Desert Gleam colors, and I’ve gotten quite a lot of compliments while wearing the products in this collection. However, I think the ND shades are even more my style. In terms of performance, the Mini Gold eyeshadows aren’t creamy feeling, but they still blend very well, layer well, and build quicker because they’re more pigmented. It’s kind of a moot point because I believe the Mini Gold has been discontinued, so it’s not an option to purchase for anyone who doesn’t have it already. What I’m essentially trying to say is that even though I have products I technically like more than Desert Gleam, I would still feel like I was missing out if I didn’t pick up this palette.
Rouge Refillable Lipsticks in Lili and Rae
Lisa Eldridge and I share the same nickname! Even though I rarely wear red lipstick, I still wanted this one for the name. What can I say! I’m easily swayed!
The way this lipstick performs is no different from the first round that launched at the beginning of this year. They glide over the lips easily and feel like a cross between a balm and a lipstick. This shade is vibrant, but I can still see the discolored/darker pigment spots on my lips underneath if I stick with only one swipe. So, an additional pass or two is needed to be opaque. It feels quite comfortable on my lips, though I get minor chapping by the end of the day.
I own an engraved lipstick case already, so I only needed to purchase these in refill form. My cap/lid for Lili is very loose, so I keep it stored in all the original packaging to prevent any accidents in my makeup pouch, but I’m contemplating raiding my husband’s tools to find pliers that will tighten the cap a little (hopefully not too tight to the point that I can’t pull it back off)!
For some reason, Rae feels much creamier than the other four lipsticks I have from this line. It feels more moisturizing as well, which increases my comfort level while wearing it. However, this one does not have the same kind of grip to it that keeps it longer-lasting like the others. Even if I’m not eating or drinking, within a few hours there is noticeably less lipstick on my lips. I think my skin absorbs it. So, I find myself needing to reapply more frequently. I can’t explain why this is happening because Rae has the same ingredients as all the rest. It’s my favorite shade though, so I’m going to just deal with it! I normally don’t like wearing dark lipsticks because I feel like most of them age me, but this is an exception!
So, that is everything reviewed except the Tote bag. I don’t have much to say about it except that it’s made of a nice material, feels sturdy, and it has a cute and functional zip pocket on the inside. It terms of size, it’s a few millimeters smaller than my smallest canvas shopping bag. I wanted a fancy reusable grocery bag, but this looks almost too nice for that purpose. That’s all I use totes for, so perhaps I could reserve it for times I shop at the city market instead.
I don’t think I’ve shown the pencil case before, which I also like from the brand. I find myself using and liking the Lisa Eldridge accessories, so it’s a big draw for me continuing to purchase from the official website to get them.
Now, that’s everything! I hope this post has been helpful. I tried to complete it as soon as I could, and it helps that I’m already familiar with these formulas from Lisa Eldridge, so I don’t have to test them for as long.
I visited the US in April and was reunited with the rest of my makeup collection, along with all the things I shipped there during 2024. Those products consisted of Japanese brushes that I didn’t want to pay extra customs fees for, reward point and gift card redemptions only applicable to US sites, products only sold within the US, etc. I had older makeup I still wanted to bring back to Germany, but I needed to decide which of the newer ones were worth coming along too. That’s how the idea for this post began! However, some of the makeup I brought back will be discussed in other posts, and I added some of my newer makeup purchases to this review instead.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Matte Bouncy Blush in Worth
It was difficult to photograph this color accurately because it looks darker in the pan than it actually is. I own the liquid version of Worth, and have reviewed it before, but I left it in the US. Since the liquid is sheer, I wasn’t surprised that I also needed to pack on a lot of this cream-to-powder version to get it to show up on camera.
I’ve been into subtle and/or nude blushes lately, so I expected to love this. I tried pairing it with so many different things expecting that perhaps my foundation shade mattered or that the undertone was clashing, that the color of my eyeshadow looks could be throwing it off, etc. I just wasn’t enjoying wearing it. The answer I settled on as to why that was the case is that it’s matte. I knew it would be from the name, but I’ve used shimmer-free creamy and bouncy type of blushes before that still had a natural emollient gleam to them from just being a cream product. Examples of this are the MAC Glow Play Blushes and Armani Neo Nude Color Melting Balms. Even within the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush line that comes in dewy or matte finishes, the matte one still has some life to it. So, I wasn’t expecting this blush to have zero shine, especially from a product that has Synthetic Fluorphlogopite as the first ingredient.
The longevity is fine. The blush blends into and becomes one with the skin. For the best results, I use my densest synthetic brushes with it.
I borrowed the photo above from my Charlotte Tilbury x Genshin Impact post where I reviewed the Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. By the time I started using that spray, I already knew that my issue with the Rare Beauty Blush was the fact that it’s matte. However, I was still taken aback when I saw with my own eyes how much of a difference some extra shine truly makes. I love how this blush looks when I use Charlotte’s spray over it. So this product changed from a miss to a hit for me!
Eadem Le Chouchou Exfoliating + Softening Peptide Lip Balm in Fig Sauce
I mentioned in my Project Pan that there are only 5 brands I’m purchasing from in the lip category this year. One exception was this balm because I would have bought it ages ago if it was sold in Europe. I could only find one website that would ship it to me, but then I would have had to pay at least double the price. The tradeoff for having to wait a long time to get it from USA’s Sephora was that I could buy it on sale and with a gift card.
I have to talk about the metal applicator because it feels amazing applying this lip balm! I don’t like when products have a cooling ingredient that makes my lips feel cold for 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the brand. Instead, I only get that wonderfully cold sensation during the application process and then I can go about my day. This really adds to the experience, so much so that I’ve even put other products on my lips and then used this applicator to spread it out! Perhaps one day I’ll buy some empty tubes off the websites I’ve found by typing, “metal applicator cosmetic tube” into Google and transfer some other glosses into them.
This is a very nourishing product and lives up to its reputation as a lip treatment. It fills the lines and smooths over the lips. It’s thick, but not goopy in a gel or oil way. It has more of a creamy-waxy feel. It adheres fairly well to the lips, which helps it to last longer before needing to be touched up or reapplied. I still consider this a little sticky, but it’s not to Ami Cole levels. It has decent color payoff, enough for me to understand someone wanting to buy multiple shades, but I wouldn’t want to buy more than one extra.
The results I get are similar to Ami Cole glosses, which is to say my lips feel softer and more hydrated the next day, but this does not completely remove all of my chapped skin. I can always spot a few areas on my lips that are still chapped the next day. So, this hasn’t claimed a spot in my top five, but I still like it a lot.
Gxve Beauty Eye See in Color in Rich Girl
This was the only quad from the brand that I found appealing, but my immediate issue is that I don’t get enough depth from the darkest brown in this palette. While it theoretically shouldn’t be a problem to grab a dark eyeshadow from any other brand, I know I will subconsciously not reach for this palette since it is technically incomplete for me.
The completed look is pretty, but I couldn’t bring myself to choose this to pack in my suitcase over my many other options.
If the eyeshadow formula was superb, I would have considered taking this with me anyway. My issue is that the shimmers are a bit lackluster. There is still beauty in a lower impact shimmer if the intended eye look is supposed to be sophisticated or demure. I think the quality is fairly good, though it could have benefited from being a bit creamier. The mattes were fine. My brush picked up a lot of product, but with how soft they look on my eyes, I think someone would be surprised to know how much I tried to build up these eyeshadows. They are drier shadows that appear to be finely milled, but something about the formula just doesn’t feel modern.
This palette is long-lasting on me. It doesn’t take long to get a blended look. However, this isn’t for me. I do appreciate that the holder of the pans is easy to remove, so I could technically keep the compact or turn it into an empty magnetic palette if I inserted a magnetic sticker sheet. I could also technically add metal sticker pans to the bottom of the eyeshadow holder to pop it into a larger empty magnetic palette. Removeable packaging is always interesting to me.
In any case, this quad wasn’t a flop, but it also wasn’t good enough to keep around.
As a random side note, the Gxve Beauty website used to sell merch as well. I ordered one of the Signature Hoodies during a 50% off sale (just like I did with the palette). It has fleece lining on the inside, so I’m excited to wear it come winter. The website says products are now exclusively at Sephora and things are so frequently for 50% off that I really don’t know how the brand will continue to stay afloat.
I don’t know where these are being sold now. If they are discontinued, I’m glad I was able to snag one as a piece of makeup history.
Glossier Cloud Paint Bronzer in Coast
I liked the Glossier Solar Paints, but wished to have a version without shimmer. The Cloud Paint formula is one of my favorites for cream blushes, so to have a matte Cloud Paint in a bronze color seemed like it would be an instant win.
I picked Coast because it is the second darkest option and has a golden tone, which I wanted. The darkest color, Drift, looked like it would be too red for me despite being labeled by the brand as a deep neutral bronze. Coast is just too subtle for my skin tone right now. While I was in Florida, I didn’t do a good job of reapplying sunscreen. My skin had a slightly redder tone and was darker, so the bronzer really isn’t visible in photos as it was already so subtle in person. I have a photo below, but I apologize for the lighting being very off. I couldn’t get a clearer picture during the trip and my skin looks even redder in the photo than it was in real life (plus I was wearing the Beekman 1802 skin tint that’s red).
I don’t mind having a subtle bronzer, but my biggest issue wasn’t the color. I felt it just didn’t blend seamlessly enough into my skin. While it’s true that I didn’t bring my holy grail synthetic bronzer/contour brush with me, I came to realize that the watercolor kind of finish that’s beautiful and natural in a blush isn’t what I want in a bronzer. So, I left this behind. What a shame!
Tarte Tartelette Tubing Mascara vs Too Faced Ribbon Wrapped Lash Tubing Mascara
Back in 2014, during my short lived time making YouTube videos (all listed as private now), I kicked off my Mascara Showdown Series with a battle between Tarte’s Lights Camera Lashes and Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascaras.
I determined that Tarte was the winner because of the length, but the mascara I actually repurchased the most was from Too Faced. I don’t know if it’s because I ended up preferring the balance between length and volume or if I was just able to get the Too Faced mascara on sale more frequently. I eventually stopped buying the one from Too Faced because I started to get clumping and flaking issues that I never had before. I don’t know if the formula changed or there was a switch in manufacturers, but I moved on from that mascara.
The KVD Full Sleeve Long + Defined Tubing mascara made me interested in tubing mascaras again. I had a deluxe sample of the one from Tarte, so when Too Faced released theirs I thought why not…let’s do another showdown between these brands over a decade later!
I never curl my lashes, so sometimes the mascaras look better or worse depending on how my eyelashes are naturally shaped that day. I’ve used the Tarte mascara five times and I can say that even if it had amazing results, what puts me off from it is how long it takes to dry. If I try to layer up even more product, then it takes even longer. I can touch my lashes thirty minutes later and it still doesn’t feel fully set. This is a big problem when I’m trying to photograph multiple eye looks in a day and in the process of removing my eyeshadow with a Makeup Eraser cloth and Bioderma, my eyelashes clump together, the color smears, and the stickiness makes it difficult to remove the rest. Part of the benefits of tubing mascara is the ease in which one can remove it with warm water. I can remove them with micellar water as well, so I’m not surprised that some of the Tarte mascara comes off. The annoying part is the weird middle ground where some of it comes off and smudges while the rest still clings on with a tight grip. It makes it so that I am forced to fully remove it every time when I want to do a new eye look, whereas with other tubing mascaras and even regular mascaras, it’ll come partly off and I can easily reapply more mascara because they didn’t turn my lashes spidery and hard. This is a makeup reviewer problem, but having to wait so long for it to fully dry is an issue overall. One time I made the mistake of applying this mascara not far enough in advance of watching a heartfelt scene in a show. The side with the Tarta mascara was a mess and got in my eyes. The side with Too Faced did not.
I didn’t like the Too Faced Ribbon mascara when I first tried it, but every time after that (at least 15 times so far), I have enjoyed it. Just like the showdown from many years ago, I found that Tarte’s mascara was better at lengthening, whereas Too Faced’s mascara was better with building volume while still giving nice length. It can start to clump if I build this up a lot, so I have to be careful about finding the balance between satisfaction and knowing when to stop.
I like the one from Too Faced, but I think I still prefer my tubing mascara from KVD. It gives better length than Tarte and if I’m patient enough I can build up the volume to similar results as Too Faced, though it can also start to form clumps if I take things too far.
The Tarte mascara is a miss. The Too Faced mascara is a hit.
Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush in 077 Candy
I reviewed the cream blush stick version of Candy already, and updated the original post, but this still feels like a good place to talk about the powder blush since it’s a miss for me.
This new powder formula is definitely an improvement on the original formulation and first reformulation, in terms of being more pigmented and less hard-pressed. I also think this square packaging is cuter and easier to use with larger cheek brushes. The reason it’s a miss for me is purely due to the color. I loved the addition of shimmer in the Bronzed Glow shade from version 2 of these blushes, but the base color of Candy being so light means that it unfortunately does the same thing as Nars Orgasm on me. I can see the pink shade at one angle, but when it hits the light, the gold reflect is nearly all I can see. So, it appears as if I tried to use a highlighter as blush! This kind of shimmer is not that refined either, which makes it unsuitable for my preference as even a blushlighter or blush topper.
The saving grace for me is that I can add the Candy blush stick on top to help the shimmer become one with the skin, plus boost the appearance of the pink color.
I’m happy using the Candy shade of Glow Stick on its own, but going forward, I will never wear the powder version of Candy by itself. Based on my continued enjoyment of the previous powder blush reformulation, and acknowledgement that the new one has improvements, I still recommend the powder blush. I just can’t recommend Candy or Toffee to anyone close to my skin tone because of that highlighter effect. Bronzed Glow still gives me hope that Dior can nail a shimmery blush in this new formula in the future if the base color is darker.
That’s everything I have for this week. Thank you for visiting and reading!
I owned and reviewed eight of the brand’s Hangover Pillow Balms prior to Too Faced dropping them from the Hangover line. They renamed them just Pillow Balms, redesigned the packaging, and revamped some shades while introducing a few new colors. Besides the two I’ll be reviewing today, I also purchased the brand’s Kissing Jelly Gloss, which I believe they released in 2023, but I didn’t buy it until late last year.
Too Faced Pillow Balms in Pink Pineapple Kiss and Hot Cocoa Kiss
I enjoy the formula of the balms, but I only brought the original clear version with me when I moved because the other shades I owned were a pale milky color that was not all that flattering on my lips, or they were sparkly with no base color. However, when I recently returned from visiting the US, I brought Vanilla Kiss and Holiday Wine back with me. Holiday Wine is the most pigmented of all that I’ve tried and Vanilla Kiss had the prettiest sparkle.
When the new ones launched, I was excited to potentially own some with more pigment. As it turned out, Pink Pineapple Kiss is still a bit light for me, but at least it doesn’t look milky, so it’s an improvement. I would consider this a neutral light-medium toned pink. It is supposed to smell like tropical fruit, but to me it smells more strongly of mango than the original Mango from the previous line (and that shade/scent was discontinued).
Cocoa Kiss from the prior line was much lighter than the new Hot Cocoa Kiss. It is a much better color on me! The brand states that this has a chocolate smell. I think this smells exactly like a Tootsie Roll! It’s very nostalgic for me, but considering how artificial Tootsie Rolls are, I can imagine that a lot of people who didn’t grow up with those candies might find the smell unpleasant. Chocolate is one of those things that a lot of people hate when it smells artificial, but then again, Too Faced gained notoriety with their Chocolate palettes and bronzers, so they have been known to produce that scent well enough. I think the scent is still an improvement from how the previous Cocoa Kiss smelled.
I don’t own Juicy Watermelon Kiss, but based on the website photos, it appears to be a richer and more vibrant version of the old Watermelon shade. Banana Kiss doesn’t seem different from Banana, but I cannot confirm. I don’t own either one.
Even though the Pillow Balms have deeper color options now, these are still lightly pigmented lippies. I don’t think it’s necessary to own more than a few unless you want a larger scent variety.
The original formula and this one seem identical to me. They still have the minty-cool sensation when first applied. There’s still a tiny bit of flavoring. These hydrate quite well and are a bit sticky because that top layer locks in the moisture. I am relieved to say Too Faced didn’t ruin a good thing. In fact, they made a few minor improvements with the scents and colors, so this is a product I can still recommend.
Too Faced Kissing Jelly Gloss Juicy Lip Oil/Gloss Hybrid in Sour Watermelon
The scent of this is like a Watermelon Jolly Rancher, which I like. My lips get smoother quicker with this lip oil than the Pillow Balms, but it doesn’t feel as deeply nourishing as I wear it despite it containing so much sunflower seed oil that my lips love. I don’t know how well the good ingredients are actually penetrating the skin of my lips. It’s certainly moisturizing, but it isn’t long wearing. Lip oils typically lack longevity, but the hybrid ones I own from other brands (like Ami Cole) have better adherence. So, the fact that this is a little less sticky as the Pillow Balms and other hybrid lip oil/glosses explains the weaker lasting power. It grips the lips at least well enough to not give a runny or dripping sensation if this was an oilier product.
The Kissing Jelly glides smoothly across the lips, but it can feel goopy if too much is applied. The Pillow Balms can cause that white ring around the inner lips if there’s too much, but an uncomfortably wet feeling is the worst that I’ve had with the Kissing Jelly. No white ring.
One of the downsides to this product is that despite there being so many “shade” options, it looks pretty much clear on the lips. So, the color is negligible and I chose mine based on the scent I wanted and trying to avoid getting one with glitter. Otherwise, I would have gotten the Piña Colada scent. The other thing I don’t like is the packaging design, which looks a bit juvenile to me. It’s supposed to be cutesy, but I think the Pillow Balms are a better reflection of how to do cute packaging while still looking like the pricepoint that was paid. The Pillow Balms are only $3 more than the Kissing Jelly, but they also contain 1.5 more ml of product. The Pillow Balms look on brand, but the Kissing Jelly look like they could have been made by Colourpop.
Essentially, I think the Pillow Balm is better for someone like me with extreme dry lips. The Kissing Jelly is better for someone who wants a thinner product and whose lips are still dry, but at manageable levels.
That’s all for today! I hope you’ll stop by again to read more posts written by me!
I’m calling this a Part 3, even though Parts 1 & 2 were solely about blushes (plus one more about the fails). This post is intended to showcase additional colors of products I’ve already reviewed before. If this is your first time visiting my blog…welcome! Herzlich Willkommen! I will have links to the original reviews in each section (ex: in bold blue) if you’re looking for in-depth information about each product. In a way, this particular series is for the email followers and regular visitors to get any updated information and see how additional colors look.
Chanel Joues Contraste Intense in Rose Radiant (Rouge Franc)
I was so eager to try this on, that I only took one good photo of this in new/untouched condition. Unfortunately, it was in a room with ultra warm lighting. Once I realized this, I tried very hard to color correct the picture, but I couldn’t get it to look accurate enough and had to take a new photo instead.
This is the color I wanted most all along. I just didn’t think it would show up on me until I saw how it looked on someone a little darker than me. I’m very happy with this blush and I like that its appearance is subtle. Although I still like Rouge Franc, I didn’t like it enough to put it in my Project Pan. This one, however, is included in it.
Suqqu Blurring Colour Blush in 105 Akanezome
I’m including this here because I have so many Suqqu blushes, but this is technically a new formula and Akanezome is the only color I have in the Blurring Colour Blush line. My list of various Suqqu Collections, which consist mainly of blushes, can be found HERE.
I gave up on trying to take photos in front of the window. Time with sunlight streaming in is too limited in Germany and my pictures get washed out. The part that is important to see among the various photos is that this blush shade works for me despite how light it looks in one half of the pan. I do mostly concentrate on swirling my blush brush into the darker corner for more impact.
Suqqu’s Blurring blushes are in the same compact as the Pure Color ones and discontinued Melting Powder blushes, but they are matte black on the outside instead of shiny black. Regarding the quality and performance, I really can’t tell a difference between the Pure Color and Blurring Blush formulas. My guess is that the Blurring Blush line just has more subdued tones, especially with the kinds of shades that are available to mix with in the compact.
YSL Make Me Blush Bold Blurring Blush in 06 Rose Haze and 83 Spicy Berry
The review containing Peachy Nude, Restless Rose, and Nocturnal Nude can be found HERE.
Because of the way Rose Haze looked on me when using the virtual try-on tool, I just couldn’t let this color go. It still looks pretty and is visible on my cheeks (even more so in person than in photos), but the light color combined with the matte finish makes this look a little less appealing on my dry skin than if it had a shimmery finish. Peachy Nude, being a little darker, doesn’t look as dry on my skin from my perspective.
Sometimes I want a light and subtle blush. It happens so infrequently though that there isn’t a reason for me to have too many of them. If I didn’t have a color like this from Sephora, Nabla, Chanel, and Pat Mcgrath already, I’d have felt more content in adding this to my collection. By now though, I do feel a twinge of regret, although the consolation is that I got it deeply discounted.
The scarcity tactic for this shade absolutely worked on me. It was the last thing I purchased from Selfridges before my Selfridges+ subscription ended. I must also admit that my discussion with Olive Unicorn Beauty about purple blushes led me down the path of wanting a higher quality and newer replacement for the singular purple blush I owned, my four year old blush called Potted from Colourpop. I have raspberry colored blushes and mauves, but Potted was my only true purple. I loved it, but the formula became less smooth over time and it’s a matte blush. Spicy Berry is a satin, which I prefer, so I bought it.
When I look at Spicy Berry up close, it looks cool toned and I could almost swear I see the faintest tiniest tinge of blue shimmer. However, when I hold it at a different angle, it looks more like a dark raspberry or deep magenta. Warm purples suit my skin better. Because my foundations are a bit golden and I discovered that orange mixed with purple or mauve turns into more of a pink color on me, I wasn’t that surprised to see how the blush shade appears on my cheeks.
All of these YSL blushes are pigmented, but Spicy Berry is extra pigmented. The photo above on the left shows how my cheek looked with just two taps of the blush onto my cheek with the rephr Koyo brush, which is a relatively airy squirrel and saikoho goat mixed brush. In the second attempt on the right, I made sure to tap just once at the top and apple of my cheeks and then switched to a clean brush to buff everything in. The result from that is exactly how I hoped this would be and it looks more like Potted this way. If I want a more visible color, I can just add Nocturnal Nude or another orange leaning blush on top because of color theory and how purples and oranges mixed together turn dark pink on me. The other alternative is applying a little more, but toning it down with the remnants on my foundation brush or using a blurring finishing powder.
I am very happy I bought this shade, but be forewarned that at this level of color intensity, it does have a tendency to look a little patchy. Blending it out or mixing it with other things can cover up it and fix it.
YSL Loveshine Candy Glaze Stick in 16 Watermelon High (YSL Lippies)
The Candy Glazes are my favorite of YSL’s lip formulas. I knew I should have stopped at buying number 14 and 15 because these are so sheer, but I couldn’t help myself once I saw 16 (which was part of this year’s shade expansion). It’s basically how I wanted 15 to look on me, but that one is a little light and milky on my pigmented lips. This color is a perfect light-medium pink nude for me! So, even though I know I could have gone without having this, I don’t actually regret buying it.
MAC Intimate Nudes Collection: MAC Lustreglass in Signature Move and MACximal Sleek Satin in Hodge-Podge
Both of these lipstick formulas are new to me and I only have one of them in each formula. However, they’re both from MAC’s Intimate Nudes range of lipsticks. After loving the way Signature Move looked on me, I purchased Hodge-Podge next because it’s a unique color for my collection. So, I think this can count for being in the category of a lipstick so good I had to buy another!
I love the shine level (when first applied) and the lightweight buttery feel of this lipstick. In addition to the sheer partly buidable coverage this has, these attributes remind me of the Lisa Eldridge Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours. This just feels like an even more emollient version. I find that this has more pigment than the Lucents, but no matter how much I try to build up color over the darker pigmented spots on my lips, this does not cover it completely. I don’t mind this, but I wanted to be clear that the buildable aspect has limitations. This MAC formula also does not have the same staying power as the Lisa Eldridge Lucents.
After only an hour, my moisture-greedy lips absorb some of the lipstick and I can feel that there is less slip when I rub my lips together, in addition to the shine having dulled down. Even though there is less lipstick on the surface, my lips continue to feel moisturized. However, if I want the color to be noticeable, I definitely have to reapply after eating, and sometimes after finishing 1-2 cups of water. This is definitely not a long lasting formula. I end up feeling compelled to do touch ups every 3-4 hours (more or less frequently depending on my eating/drinking habits). By the end of the day, there are only the subtlest signs that my lips are drier than before. I can wear this a second day with no issues, or wear a lip treatment to bed to return my lips to a well conditioned state. So, that makes this one of the better lipstick formulas I’ve encountered, but the shorter wear time is a big tradeoff. Because I can get lip nourishment and sheer color from products like the YSL Candy Glazes, I feel like I own enough of these types of products. I foresee myself buying one or two additional shades in the future, but only if they are part of a limited edition collection or have some type of special packaging.
To me, this color is a muted yellow-brown. However, sometimes I could swear it looks a bit olive or that it leans a stronger grey depending on the lighting. How we perceive color is in relation to other colors, so sometimes I think Hodge Podge looks good when I have no other makeup on versus my foundations that tend to lean even warmer. The tones and depth of this shade is like a desaturated version of my skin, so it doesn’t look like full on concealer-lips/foundation-lips, but I don’t feel confident enough to wear this in public without a lip liner. Maybe it’s due to my preference for high contrast looks on myself, and Hodge Podge looks too flat.
In the second photo above, I demonstrated how this pairs with my two darkest brown lip liners. The one from Coloured Raine is warm, so it looks like a better compliment for my undertone. Palladio’s is cool, so I think it pairs better with the actual lipstick.
Although I can get this to fully cover the darker spots on my lips after I first apply it, the color wears down just enough to faintly see those spots after a lot of talking or repeated lip movements over time. So, the coverage level on me is high, but not full.
Regarding the performance, I don’t have to worry about reapplying anything from just drinking, though it will leave obvious imprints on surfaces and will not make it past a meal. After about two hours, similarly to the Lustreglass, some of the lipstick gets absorbed and it feels noticeably less creamy, though not to the levels of being considered drying. It feels super comfortable to wear, but I can still see that at the end of the day my lips show the beginning stages of wear before chapping. So, it still dries my lips like nearly every bullet lipstick formula on me, but at least while I’m wearing it, it looks smooth and shiny to the eye. In fact, my lips look smoother wearing this formula than the Lustreglass after several hours of wear (even though the Lustreglass is actually more moisturizing).
I like this lipstick formula, and it’s a relief to finally have some MAC lippies I’m not afraid to wear for fear of having my lips dry out. However, I don’t feel the need to purchase anymore (unless it’s part of an eye-catching limited edition collection).
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Hot Cocoa (Vanilla Mint)
I said in my Battle of the Lip Balms post that I wouldn’t buy another of these because my collection is so large, but I wanted one with a yummier scent and with a bit more color. Plus, there’s a 12m PAO, which mine has passed, so getting a discounted replacement during the holidays wasn’t quite so bad.
This has flavoring and smells like a tootsie roll, hot chocolate from a powder pack, or some other kind of highly processed chocolate. I don’t recommend licking this, but I did it for science and it does taste like a tootsie roll (plus Vaseline and wax)! I think it’s fun to have a hot cocoa scented lip balm, and I enjoy it. My husband doesn’t agree.
Lisa Eldridge Eyeshadow Singles: Supernaturally, Smoke & Mirrors, Dorian, Talk to the Paw, Posh, and High Maintenance
I was actually working on a Lisa Eldridge post separately, but then realized this was a better place to put the content since I have reviewed at least the eyeshadows before.
I’ve had Smoke & Mirrors from the Vega palette for over a year. Dorian and Supernaturally are from the Fawn Palette and I’ve had them since September 2024, but I didn’t start using these three until December last year. I was honestly a bit disappointed by the ones from Fawn, and it almost stopped me from buying Talk to the Paw, Posh, and High Maintenance from the limited edition Betty palette. However, I had hope the formula of those would be better after watching a few reviews on YouTube, like this one from Beauty with Substance.
Supernaturally is a Seamless Matte, just like Smoke & Mirrors, but it’s so much stiffer, drier, and less pigmented. Even though it’s natural for certain brown shades to have a hard time showing on my brown skin, this color is even sheer when I swatch it on the palm of my hand. Fired Earth and Troubadour are others in my collection that have better color payoff as well. So, I don’t know if Supernaturally was intended to perform, apply, and feel differently than the others.
Dorian is a Lustre, yet it is so dull! It looks like a matte shadow until light hits it directly at the perfect angle. Based on the website description of this formula, it seems like this is supposed to be the most subtle of the shimmer types. Based on my experience (and photos of Taffeta Fan) it seems like Dorian is the only one that can’t take on a pearly effect and isn’t as shiny as even Talk to the Paw despite it being a deep brown as well.
As I mentioned before, Talk to the Paw and High Maintenance are Lustre shadows. As seen in the swatch photo below, they are clearly less shiny and shimmery than Lisa’s Luminous formula, but they still pack more of a punch than Dorian.
I wanted a deep smokey shimmery brown all over my lids, so Talk to the Paw fulfilled the wish (though technically a taupe) that Dorian could not.
Posh is a Luminous shadow. It has the shine factor I want (once it is applied damp and/or with my fingers), but this particular shade has a hard time appearing pink (or mulberry mink) in tone on me unless I pair it with other shades in the same color family. This is not unusual for me when it comes to light pink shimmer eyeshadows looking more like a silver instead.
In the dry application, the individual shimmer particles are easy to spot. In the damp application, the shimmer looks smoother.
Below are swatches of the other shades in my collection that I kept with me.
And here are the swatches of the shadows I left behind.
I went through my Clionadh eyeshadows and found similar shades to the purples from the Betty palette, but nothing close enough to call a dupe because my Clionadh ones are duochromes and multichromes with strong shifts. I learned from Fedaro Beauty that there are much closer similarities within the Viseart Coy palette, but I left those shades in the US. What this indicates to me is that I don’t currently have those colors for a reason. The types of purples in Betty are just not my favorites. It was definitely for the best that I focused on the three shades I wanted most. I probably could have talked myself out of getting the three I did anyway, but because these shades are limited edition, I did not want to miss out.
Lisa Eldridge Liquid Silk Eyeshadow in Gaia and Phoebe
I planned to only get Gaia, but I enjoyed it so much that I felt compelled to own at least one more too.
Gaia works as a subtle one-and-done liquid eyeshadow, but I was more entranced by the color because it reminded me of one of my favorite eye bases from a brand I don’t support anymore. It’s so smooth on the lids. I have enough time to blend out the edges before it fully sets and it mixes well with other shades. It doesn’t crease, nor fade, and it doesn’t look drying on my lids. It usually stays put very well in my deepest eye wrinkle/crease. This formula is the reason I’m excited to try the brand’s upcoming liquid concealer!
Since I reach for powder eyeshadows 49 times out of 50, buying a lot of these wouldn’t be practical for me. I use matte liquid and cream eyeshadows even less than shimmery ones. However, when I tested this out as an eyeshadow base and it worked wonderfully with no issues, this became my replacement for the product that shall not be named! The only downside is that I needed a lighter shade to prime under my brows. That’s why I purchased Phoebe, but since it’s less pale than I expected, I have mostly been using Phoebe as an eye base/primer by itself. Gaia doesn’t get used as much anymore, but Phoebe is now a staple in my collection!
I have additional pictures of both of them used together in the Benefit mascara section, but I realized everything I photographed was during the testing phase, so I didn’t have any of me actually trying to create a seamless transition between the two shades.
The photo above is that demonstration. I have to put in more effort to get 100% full coverage considering the super dark sections in my eye area, so how this looks in this quick low effort example is satisfactory for me. There are plenty of great matte liquid eyeshadows at a lower price from other brands, so I consider this a semi-splurge type of product unless you’re someone with mature eyes. Then spending this amount of money for this product might be well worth the cost. There are also great primers available for a cheaper price, but since I prefer having an eyeshadow primer that covers the discoloration around my eyes (in a shade that isn’t that crazy far off from my skin tone) without having to resort to using an actual concealer, this product is doubly important to me.
*JUNE 29, 2025 UPDATE: I started using Gaia almost exclusively and within three months I was struggling to get product out. I had to uncork the stopper and mix it a little to start reaching product again. It still periodically moves to a spot along the sides that I cannot reach with the applicator, so I have had to uncork it an additional two times, which is not an easy task! I had to use tools because it’s very tightly in there to keep the product from drying out. So, if you think you might have used yours up quickly, I recommend removing the stopper and checking. By this point, six months after purchasing it, I estimate I’ve used up half of the product.
Benefit Cosmetics BADGal Bounce Mascara
I’m reaching a bit on this one to have this fit the theme, but I’ve been a fan of the original Benefit BadGal mascara, so I felt compelled to give the new Bounce version a try!
I conveniently had a free mini of the original from a past purchase, so I was able to compare it to the travel size of Bounce. Both are dry formulas. The original Badgal Bang has a plastic applicator that starts with a small round tip that gradually widens. It also has a bendy part on the wand that allows me to better angle the applicator to avoid accidental smudging of the mascara. The Bounce version has one side with a bunch of brush bristles that curve and another side with straighter spikes that act a bit like a comb. I’ve tried to figure out how best to apply mascara with it, but I just prefer the original wand. The Bounce wand creates a fluffier wispier look, but it takes so much time to build up the length and thickness I want. It’s also tricky applying the mascara to my lower lash line because the brush part is too thick to get that close, but the comb part has more gaps, making it easier to miss the finer thinner hairs of my lower lashes with repeated swipes. I can get it to look good, but it takes extra time. I wonder if adding a bendy portion to this wand could have made it better.
I don’t recall my past minis and full-size tubes of the original BadGal Bang having an issue of flaking, but this newest tube does flake a little. However, the Bounce one flakes even more. For this reason alone, I don’t intend to wear the Bounce anymore and if I had to choose a winner, it would be the original!
That concludes everything in today’s post. I hope this has been helpful!
Today, we’ll be looking at seven lip balms I’ve yet to review on this blog! As it’s winter time and most people’s lips on this side of the globe tend to be in a more vulnerable state, now seemed like the right time to tackle this topic! Hopefully it will be helpful for anyone with lips as difficult to keep conditioned as mine.
Before we start, I’d like to share photos and a first impression of one more lip balm: The YSL Valentine’s Day Loveshine Candy Glow Collector that I’ve only had for four days by this point. The shade 7b Nude Pleasure is not a new color. It’s just the packaging that is limited edition. It’s made of the same material as the other lippies, but the pink and blue outer portion feels like a soft touch matte. The only other shade available in this packaging is another repeat color called Nude Lavallière.
I have now experienced all of YSL’s Loveshine formulas. This has the thinnest consistency, is moisturizing, but not the best at hydrating. It doesn’t last on the lips as long as the others and I have to reapply quite a lot. It has the sheerest amount of pigment, but still bestows more color to the lips than I expected. At least, this particular shade does. This also has the signature fruity scent that I find very pleasing. I consider this formula to be a sheerer, balmier, and lightweight version of the Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipstick in Caramel Swirl #122.
My favorite of the YSL lip formulas are still the Candy Glazes. This specific balm is nice, so I don’t regret buying it. However, I don’t need more than one from this line in my collection; I bought it out of curiosity and for the limited edition packaging. I am on a lip product low-buy, but this was something I planned to get when I saw the sneak peeks six months ago, so it’s an exception.
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Sweet Mint
Summer Fridays’ range has different scents and colors. I wanted one that was essentially clear, so I chose Sweet Mint. The scent is weak in the tube, but once a thick enough layer is dispersed onto the lips, it’s much more apparent. I also get a minty tingling sensation from the combination of menthone glycerin acetal and peppermint oil that are in this formula.
The consistency isn’t sticky. It has a nice level of shine. There’s more reflect than a traditional balm, but much less than a gloss. I think it’s interesting that this balm contains some mica, which possibly adds to the reflectivity.
The brand says that this can be worn overnight as a lip treatment, but it doesn’t have enough grip to last the whole time. I have to reapply throughout the day and at the end of the night I have a mix of plumped soft hydrated spots and a few dry spots where the product couldn’t stay on the lips as long. This result is quite similar to the Lancôme balm I will discuss later, but this one works better as a conditioning agent for my lips. It hydrates my lips a tad more and holds on a little longer, making my lips softer overall.
I’ve had this since November 2023, and unlike many other lip balms I’ve used that come in squeeze tubes, the formula hasn’t separated. My luck might start to run out since it’s good for up to 12 months after opening, but I’m planning to keep this around a bit longer. In fact, it’s my replacement “bag balm” for when I forget to put on a lippie after leaving the house and have to grab one from my bag.
I am curious as to whether I would like the other shades, but I’m not going to buy more while I have so many other lip products to go through. This doesn’t get holy grail status with me, but I at least understand the hype. I also find it interesting that Morgan Turner didn’t think these were anything special, while living in Florida, until she moved to a colder climate. I had the exact same experience where I thought this was just fine while I was in Florida, but enjoyed it way more once I moved.
One other thing I discovered as a major reparative combination is applying the Clarins Lip Oil to my lips and then adding a bit of this on top. The Clarins works quicker at nourishing my lips than a lot of other products, but suffers from not having enough grip to stay on my lips for longer. Although the Sunday Fridays doesn’t have a lot of grip either, adding it on top helps the Clarins stay on longer overall and form a better occlusive layer. Having Clarins underneath also prevents me from feeling the cool-tingling effects of the Sunday Fridays balm.
Makeup by Mario MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum in Honey Glow and Blush Glow
At the time I bought this, I didn’t realize it was a plumping formula (which I usually avoid). Thankfully, it’s the cooling type rather than the burning one. The cold sensation lasts for two hours before it starts to fade away. I think it makes my lips slightly bigger, but it’s hard to tell as I already have full lips.
This has a click mechanism to propel it upward, but it can’t go back down, and because it’s a melting type of formula, it is very easy for this tube to get messy. I didn’t think anything about how light the component felt in the beginning, but after splurging lately on high-end and luxury lip products, I started to dislike the Makeup by Mario one. Comparing it to drugstore priced lip products in my collection, this is cheaper feeling than some of them and nearly all my mid-range lip products have more substantial packaging. There’s something sleek about it and appealing in a minimalist way, and I’m sure it cost more money to make every tube match the balm color, so I’m not disappointed visually. I’m only disappointed once I pick it up and hold it.
The balm smells sweet, but I can’t put my finger on what it’s supposed to smell like. It contains Vanillyl Butyl Ether as well as fragrance. After a few hours some of the layers sink into my lips, so there’s less on the surface, but the balm hangs on until I eat food.
When it comes to products creating a white rim around the mouth, I assumed it was from formulas that were too emollient. I don’t apply what I consider to be too much, yet I still get the white ring sometimes. Also, this doesn’t feel sticky when I first apply it, but after it has time to settle on my lips, it does become stickier. It’s nice to be occlusive, but watch out on a windy day if you wear your hair down or get too close to someone else’s hair!
It looks shiny on the lips at the start too, but when some of it is gone, it doesn’t look much different from a regular lip balm. Even though this product is hydrating and does a decent job maintaining moisture on the lips, I hate having to reapply because it feels cold for so long. It’s hard to forget it’s there, which is somewhat uncomfortable especially as I live in a cold climate. It’s the reason I try to avoid wearing the Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balm in winter (though the cooling only lasts 45 minutes to an hour, which is more tolerable). If the brand made a non-cooling/non-plumping version, I would consider buying one of those instead. This range has a ton of colors, but they’re too sheer for me to feel like I need more than one.
Fantasy Cosmetica x Makeup Just for Fun Tinted Lip Balm in Pomander
According to the website, this particular shade is “spiced orange scented” and the color is described as “sheer dusty orange.” Both the color and smell actually remind me of persimmons and cinnamon. I’m not surprised that I like the scent considering Fantasy Cosmetica has delved into fragrances already in the form of perfumes and candles. I haven’t purchased those, but I heard only positive things, so I expected scented balms from them to be just as good.
This particular product is part of a collab with Makeup Just For Fun and comes in four other shades and scents. I honestly bought it because I wanted to hit the free shipping minimum through Monolith EU and it had a good review from I Am Jamila.
I think the slight tint of color is very pretty. To me, this is a little sticky, but that helps to keep it on the lips longer. It works better as a moisturizing product for me than a hydrating one. Essentially, it smooths out and softens my lips, but once it wears off it doesn’t have lingering effects that prevent my lips from starting to dry. For example, the top conditioning products in my collection make it so that I can go 1-3 days without wearing anything on my lips before they start to chap. Because it can’t do that, I just won’t consider it a lip treatment. As a normal balm, it feels soothing the whole time I wear it with the extra benefits of a glossy appearance, flattering color, and smoothing aspect. It can’t survive past me eating a meal or drinking too much throughout the day, but I reapply less often than I would assume based off the consistency of the balm. I should specify that after eating and drinking a lot, I have to apply more because the emollient layer is easily removed, but I’m left with a sticky coating on my lips that’s not as comfortable to wear in that barely-there state. The balm technically hangs on, but realistically should be reapplied. I have to also be careful how much product I squeeze out of the tube. It’s not difficult to accidentally squeeze out too much.
I like this enough that I would have considered getting other shades/scents if I wasn’t on a low buy. I’d rank this product somewhere among the upper middle of my lip collection. It’s not a favorite, but I like it more than I thought I would.
Rabanne Lovebalm in Bloody Kiss 068
I didn’t have the patience to wait and take photos first before using this because I was so excited to immediately try it out. I had no interest in this product until Kackie Reviews Beauty talked about it in her video Testing 45 Lip Balms. In September, Ulta had 10x reward points on Rabanne Beauty, so I bought the shade called Kiss My Neck and had it shipped to good old USA thinking I would still be going to Florida. Unfortunately, plans changed, so I don’t have that shade to showcase here today. However, I will update this post in the future to show pictures of the color (though I expect it to basically be clear).
That’s where I thought things would end, except that Hannah Louise Poston ranked it as the best luxury lip balm in her Epic Lip Balm Search video, and curiosity turned me rabid. As soon as it was on sale at Sephora’s German website, I bought Bloody Kiss, which was the only other color I wanted.
I usually avoid buying dark lip colors (especially cool toned ones), but because this can be applied in an ultra sheer layer, I was intrigued to have a balm that could leave me with a light tint or create a wintery-cold type of look.
Unlike my Ami Cole and Too Faced Pillow Balms that are effective at quickly nourishing my lips no matter what state they’re in, this one works slower. My lips look smoother when I apply the Rabanne Lovebalm, but I can see the color gathering in the crevices between chapped skin. In times like that, it’s best that I don’t try to do a sheer layer and to obscure the look by building up its maximum opacity. In the example below, it was nighttime and was wearing off, which was how I could see the spots that color gathered up.
Going back to the treatment aspect, this feels moisturizing from the balmy/waxy consistency and it isn’t oily or sticky. It clings to my lips well enough that eating is all that forces me to reapply (though I can usually get through breakfast without needing to). This grip is a good thing because I can wear the balm overnight and it can continue to hydrate at that slow pace. It takes nearly 24 hours, but by then my lips will be in better condition than the previous day. If my lips are in decent condition at the start, this balm keeps it that way and I have no problems. If my lips are in bad shape, even though this can improve them in 24 hours, I’m going to reach for something else that’s more moisturizing and hydrating to soothe my lips much quicker. So, I like this product a lot and consider it one of my favorites, but it’s not enough to make my top 5. Perhaps it would be in the top 10. Maybe my other shade will rank even higher.
I consider this on the heavier side of lightweight because I can sometimes forget I’m wearing it, but it’s not as light feeling as my other waxy (and admittedly inferior) balms. As a makeup product, the gathering of color in chapped spots isn’t great, but that can be worked around, and lighter shades in the line might not show this problem as easily. I like being able to control the color intensity. This has some shine, but it’s far from glossy. I give the brand kudos for creating a nice makeup/skincare hybrid. What comes to mind is the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces, which I think is an even better formula for my lips than the Rabanne Lovebalm. They are similarly priced, but Lisa’s is 2.8 grams and in a melty formula that I’ll use up way quicker than Rabanne’s at 3.4 grams. Both packaging is luxurious looking, but LE’s is gold toned and lightweight whereas rabanne’s is bigger, heavier, and has the really pretty pink ombre into silver tube. Rabanne’s feels more luxe in the hand, like a taller and skinnier YSL Loveshine tube.
At the start of the Lovebalm review, I mentioned Kackie and Hannah who raved about this product, but in the shade Soul Kiss. Even though I like this balm, I will be sticking with the two shades I have currently.
Lancôme Lip Idôle Squalane-12 Butterglow Hydrating Lip Balm in 53 The Tea is Hot
This product feels like I’m applying a satin lipstick, but it isn’t until I rub my lips together that I can feel the balminess. The finish has some shine, but it’s definitely not glossy. The consistency leans more creamy-waxy than oily-emollient. It’s lightweight enough that I keep forgetting I’m wearing it until I accidentally lick my lips and get the waxy-chemical taste. The scent is candy-like mint, the kind that reminds me of buttery after dinner mints. In addition to fragrance, the formula contains peppermint oil, but I assume it’s intended to give a plumping or cooling effect, though I don’t detect either in practice.
This has a slight sticking quality, but not enough for me to call it sticky. My lips look smooth and I love the color I chose! It’s pigmented enough for me to be satisfied with the coverage, but the other colors I’m interested in would be of similar depth and just different in tone, making it not worth it to me to buy more shades (even at the discounted price I got).
It’s decently moisturizing and hydrating while it’s on my lips, but the issue is that it’s not long lasting. By the end of the day filled with several reapplications, the spots where my lips had the product on longest remain soft, but places where the balm kept wearing off first (ex: corners of my mouth) were dry. Lancôme heavily advertises the 12% squalane and inclusion of ceramides, but I’ve never been able to tell how effective those ingredients are for my lips. I’ve worn products with both of those ingredients that either did nothing or worked well, so it’s impossible for me to know how much of a role they played versus the contributions from the other ingredients. In this particular case, Lancôme’s balm also contains shea butter that I know my lips enjoy, sunflower seed wax that I only know my lips enjoy in oil form but can’t tell if the wax would be as effective, as well as castor oil, canola oil, and jojoba butter and oil that I also haven’t been able to isolate and rate.
Since this works well when it’s on my lips, but I’m very bad at remembering to reapply, I won’t think of this as a lip treatment product. Instead, I will look at it as a makeup product with a few benefits. So, I am happy with my purchase.
Nivea Deep Moisture Balms (Melty Type)
I showed the photo of the unscented above, but I bought the honey “flavor” afterwards, since people were heavily praising the scented ones. The honey balm is yellow, but doesn’t leave any color on the lips. It’s called a flavor, but doesn’t actually have a taste, and its honey smell makes using this far more enjoyable.
It feels nice wearing this and isn’t too sticky, plus it has a nice glossy effect when I first put it on. However, as I wear it and talk, it likes to gather in the corners of my mouth and also form a white ring. Every so often I get the sensation of needing to rub my lips together to smooth the balm layer back out. It’s moisturizing, but it doesn’t have enough grip to stay on the lips past having several drinks. Another reason I have to reapply more frequently is because I have to wipe it off where it gathered in excess and then reapply to the spots I want.
Besides having several ingredients my lips like, the second best benefit to this balm is the 26 SPF PA++. Though direct sunlight isn’t as much of a problem for me anymore, it’s a general rule that I like to have at least one lip product with sun protection in my collection at all times. Lip skin is delicate for everyone, and my lips have their sensitive moments, so it’s especially important to have if I’m going to be outdoors for long periods of time, especially when I go back to Florida. This is the most conditioning formula of the SPF lippies I’ve used in the past, so this was worth it to me to buy this specifically for the SPF.
Labello (Original)
This product is a classic in Germany and maybe even the equivalent fame here as Chapstick brand of Chapstick is in the US. I’ve seen men and women using this around town and even my husband knows about it! I had so many reasons to expect to love this, but it’s just okay. It doesn’t last the longest on my lips. It doesn’t feel that it’s really penetrating deeply enough to hydrate. The ingredient list for this balm is simple, but it contains shea butter, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin e, which should all be things my lips like. Perhaps it needs additives to help make the star ingredients absorb into the skin better in order to work for my lips. Perhaps the added aroma and natural fragrance ingredients (Linalool, Citronellol, Citral) are drying my lips and counteracting the positive effects. I just know that this feels nice in the beginning, but within 3-5 hours I feel the urge to switch to a different balm because my lips feel dry. Within that time frame, the product needs to be reapplied anyway, but that sensation of dryness continues even after adding an additional layer. So, this unfortunately is the worst balm of the bunch for my lips.
Since I called this a battle in the title, I declare the Rabanne and Summer Fridays balms to be the victors! Third place goes to Lancôme.
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