Danessa Myricks Beauty and Mented Cosmetics are brands I’ve been curious about over the past year and I decided to try a few things from each of them! This is also the first time in a long while since I’ve purchased something other than eyeshadows from Coloured Raine!
Danessa Myricks Balm Contour in Deep 1
Danessa Myricks is a makeup artist and her products are intended for use in a professional setting. By that I mean there is a learning curve to these products. They aren’t beginner friendly. I absolutely did not like this product until the sixth or seventh time I used it. The issue is that I just needed to find the right tool; in my case it was the Sonia G Mini Base brush from the Keyaki Set. I didn’t like the results when I used my fingers, a dense contour brush, a dense concealer brush, a Beautyblender, and the Tati Blendiful. A heavier application gives a more intense sculpted look, but I prefer the controlled yet natural looking blend which a medium density brush can provide.
When it comes to this shade match, I was surprised how orange it was considering most contour products are cool toned to create a shadow. If I want to use a warm color to contour with, I prefer to have one that is more shades darker than my skin tone. However, if I exchanged or purchased Deep 2 instead, then I believe it would be too similar to cream contours I already have in my collection. So, I’m glad I chose Deep 1, but I wish it wasn’t as warm so I could use it on all areas of my face. I don’t mind using warm contours on my forehead and cheek bones but I hate them on my jaw and nose.
I also tried the underpainting technique (applying a heavy layer of dimension creating products to the skin first and applying a light layer of foundation on top to shape the face in a less detectable way) but I think I need a darker shade if I want to continue using it in that way. Deep 1 is a touch too subtle on me with underpainting, but perhaps I just need more practice.
Danessa Myricks Dew Wet Balm in Clear
There are four other shades of these balms, but they contain shimmer. Based on website photos, I was concerned the shimmer/glitter particles might be too large for my liking, so I thought getting the clear one would be a safer bet. This reminds me of a stickier version of the clear balm in Pat Mcgrath’s Highlighter + Balm Duo. With my hair down, loose strands have stuck to my face while wearing this. Although this product is intended to be worn alone or with makeup, it looks too much like I have Vaseline or lip gloss on my cheekbones if I’m bare faced, so I prefer to use it with makeup.
This product, like many highlighting balms, disturbs my makeup underneath. Thankfully, the shine is still visible under foundation. I figured out that I like this product when I’ve applied it to my cheekbones, then I take whatever foundation is left on my brush or sponge and apply it over the top of the Dew Balm. It still gives me shine without the Vaseline look or sticky texture. I can leave it like that or use the Dew Balm as a wet base to apply a highlighter on top of it for a very intense shine. I have an example of what it looks like as a base for a powder highlighter in the Mented Bronzer section.
Mented Cosmetics Bronzer in Vacay
Mented has four shades of bronzer. I suspected Vacay, intended for medium/tan skin tones, would be only a shade or two darker than me while Yacht Life, intended for deep skin tones, would be darker than I wanted and too similar to Fenty’s Mocha Mami, which I already own. Vacay turned out to be as light as I thought. If I really pack it on, it does work as a subtle bronzer. The undertone of the powder is a bit on the pinkish terracotta side, so in many photos featured here today, I’m actually wearing it as a blush. I believe Vacay is actually lighter than Mented’s Clay Too Much blush.
This formula is so smooth and reminds me of the Airbrush Bronzer from Charlotte Tilbury, but at a fraction of the cost. I am extremely tempted to buy Yacht Life and assuage my curiosity as to whether I would like it better than Vacay (and to find out how similar it really is to Mocha Mami), but I have to remind myself that I have enough bronzers as it is. It has been difficult to talk myself out of it and I’ve had it in my cart via Ulta about to check out at least three times by now. If I didn’t already have the Charlotte Tilbury bronzer, which is still the smoothest one I own, I would have absolutely purchased the other shade from Mented.
Mented Cosmetics Lip Liner in La La
I forgot my lip product no-buy when I purchased this, but I’m secretly happy to have it. I like that it’s retractable and I was able to get this for $9. It’s the kind of shade I love using all over my lips. It isn’t too drying and doesn’t look as bad as it could over my non-exfoliated lips, which is nice. It stays in place. The Tower 28 lip gloss contains oils, so I was surprised to see how well it lasted with that gloss on top, as long as I didn’t eat or drink anything.
Propa Beauty lipsticks impressed me with their brown-skin friendly versions of lighter shades with wearable pinks and oranges. Mented’s range impressed me with their nude lip shades. If I wasn’t on a lip product no-buy, I would be looking further into Nude La La, Dope Taupe, Foxy Brown, and Mented #5. I watched a Q & A session with one of the brand owners and she was explaining how Mented wanted to create nudes that weren’t just brown. Shades that matched, for instance, the darker pigmented brownish purple of my natural top lip. I always tried to get shades to match the pink in my bottom lip, but after seeing that interview, I became so intrigued by the idea of matching the brownish purple part instead. I intend to do my best in sticking with my no-buy and will perhaps try another Mented lip product in the beginning of 2022.
Coloured Raine Bronzers in Cinna-Bae and Naughty Spice
These bronzers look very similar on the skin, but Cinna-Bae is on the warm side and Naughty Spice is more neutral.
Between the two, Cinna-Bae is absolutely better suited for me. It’s the right tone and depth. Coloured Raine did a fantastic job with their product photos to help me decide that this was the best shade for me. I still purchased Naughty Spice in case I was wrong. I also wasn’t sure how pigmented they’d be, so I thought having a darker version as well couldn’t hurt. I am able to build up Naughty Spice and use it as a Bronzing-Contour. In the photo above, I applied somewhere between a light to medium amount of Naughty Spice. I used a medium amount of Cinna-Bae. It’s nice to know I can still use both though. Also, these are labeled as bronzers but on Coloured Raine’s Instagram they say these can be used as setting powders and contours as well.
The bronzers are smooth and blend well, so it’s tempting to get additional shades to try the other uses, but I refrained. I would say this formula reminds me of Fenty’s Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzers. It doesn’t beat out my top 3, but I think it’s still very good quality.
Coloured Raine Focal Point GlowLighters in Bourgeois and Just Peachy
In my Kiko Milano review, I mentioned that there are only a few brands I trust to make a shimmery blush that I like, and unfortunately Coloured Raine is not one of them. On the individual product pages it says the Focal Point Glowlighters can be used as blush, so I thought these would be like the Nabla Skin Glazing formula that are highlighters but also come in blush tones like Adults Only and Lola that make them suitable for blush too. At the very least, I thought they might be similar to MAC’s Extra Dimension Blushes which are very shimmery but still flattering. I was wrong.
I own two of the Coloured Raine x Power Blush and Highlighter Duos, and while I thought the highlighters were too glittery for my taste, I thought the matte blushes were decent. If Just Peachy and Bourgeois were a matte formula, I know I would enjoy them because the tones are so pretty, but in this formula they are unbelievably metallic! I’ve been struggling with my camera lately and with flash off, it could not begin to show just how metallic looking they are in person when the light hits them, nor the intensity of the shades. If I try to use the lightest amount of Just Peachy, my cheeks look slightly peach from straight on, but when I tilt my head and a little light hits my cheek, all I see is a blinding gold. As pretty as the color itself is, I don’t want a gold blush. If I apply enough product to get the peachy tone to show at all angles, then it looks like I tried to use a metallic eyeshadow for blush. It’s the same case with Bourgeois. The burgundy base color is overshadowed by the intense hot orange shimmer.
Both blushes without flash.
Bourgeois with Flash On.
As blushes or blush toppers, these are unwearable for me. It comes down to the reflectivity of the shimmer. The Focal Point Glowlighters also come in traditional highlighter shades of golds and bronzes. This formula is much better suited for highlighting purposes. For those who like highlighters at this level of intensity, getting one of their standard shades (pictured below from their website) would be my recommendation.
Coloured Raine Large Powder Brush
This brush is the biggest in my entire collection and also the heaviest. I think this brush is weighted because the ferrule is very heavy in a way that isn’t proportional to the heaviness of the ferrule of the Angled brush. I’ve only had one other makeup brush that was weighted in order to create a better balance for how the brush should be held and applied to the face, to intuitively allow the user to apply the right pressure with the brush. I’m not sure if the ferrule weight of the Large Powder brush was chosen for this reason, or if it was purely to allow this brush to be able to stand upright on a flat surface with ease.
As mentioned before, the flat bottom of the handles let these brushes stand upright. The handles are plastic. The bristles are synthetic. The coffee color gradient of the handles are as pretty in photos are they are in person. The fibers are soft, but as wide as the bristles are splayed, they are not densely packed. They are long and floppy and bend dramatically with light pressure from a single finger.
I don’t mind the floppiness from the Powder Brush because the volume of the brush combined with the placement where I grip the brush (towards the base of the ferrule) allows me to sweep a light dusting of powder all over my face quickly without the bristles bending enough to impede the application. It’s a pretty good brush considering the $13 price.
Coloured Raine Angled Blush Brush
This brush technically cost $5 instead of $10 because I purchased it in the $21 bundle price with one of the bronzers. I expected this brush to work well with the bronzers since they were grouped together, but I despise this brush. I admittedly don’t favor angled brushes, but some like the Chikuhodo FO-4 are exceptions. On top of that, these bristles are not dense enough. They don’t give me enough pressure to blend. The floppiness of the brush impedes my ability to use the product. I can still use this brush with a lightly pigmented blush that wouldn’t require much blending but I recommend skipping this one. A better alternative is the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush which goes for around $15 individually, but Target has a set of three brushes and a holder for $20. The set includes the Real Techniques setting brush which I own two of and have been using almost exclusively for years to set my under eye concealer with powder. And full disclosure, the Target link is not affiliated and I make zero money from sharing it.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been curious about other Danessa Myricks products, like the Twin Flames multichromes, Color Fixes, and Vision Flushes. All the reviews I’ve seen, combined with my own experience, leads me to believe I can create beautiful looks with DM’s makeup if I’m willing to invest time into learning how best to use them. I foresee myself continuing to explore more from the brand in the latter half of 2021.
As for Mented, I’m definitely excited to try more from them in the future, especially since they’ve been made available at Ulta. It was tough for me to skip out on the blushes, but I haven’t seen enough videos and photos online to be able to tell which shades, if any, are my style. If new shades get released, I’ll be all over them!
I’m always interested in the new things Coloured Raine comes out with. In a “Behind the Beauty” episode a while back, the owner hinted at a Queen of Hearts 2 palette coming out, so I am still looking forward to that and more from the brand.
That’s everything! Thank you so much for spending your time with me today! I already had that impromptu Saturday review, but I wanted to keep the Monday schedule consistent and still make this post available today.
Excluded from this Declutter post will be all lip balms, lip treatments, and my own custom and handmade lip products I’ve made. Also excluded are a few limited edition lip products I have hidden away that I’m keeping for the packaging. The Declutter portion is primarily to give swatches of old products before I toss them, so that section will be more about arm swatching and less about the reviews. Products that are still good will be lip swatched, but first, let’s start with the products that excite me the most: new Propa Beauty Lipsticks!
*This is the reason I’m deviating from my normal Monday scheduling. Propa Beauty is having a sale and I didn’t want anyone who keeps up with my blog to miss it! This review and declutter was 99% completed anyway, so I decided go ahead with this surprise Saturday post! Credit to Brit Clarke on Youtube for writing about it on her community tab. Her code is BRITCHES15, but I have other codes listed further below as well, and affiliate codes do stack on top of the current sale! A non-affiliated link to the Propa Beauty website is here. And just in case it needs to be said, I have no affiliation with Propa Beauty. I have not been paid to review them, nor received PR. I just think their lipsticks are fantastic and lip products normally don’t excite me, so that’s a testament to the brand.
My first review of Propa Beauty can be found here. The brand’s satin lip formula has been highly praised. They were created to be brown-skin friendly in the undertones, while still offering shades for everyone. The lipsticks appear much darker in normal lighting than they actually appear on the lips. How they look with flash on in photos is a more accurate depiction of the shades.
I love all the new shades I picked out, as well as the “old” ones. They are so comfortable and can go from sheer to fully opaque depending on how many layers are added. Moxie is a pink-toned Mauve. It’s a little lighter than I usually go for, but it’s a nice addition to my collection. Prowess looks a lot more pink-orange brown in person, though my camera just picks up the terracotta tones to it. Prime Time is probably my favorite red in a long time. It’s a bright rosy red that looks like it has a touch of orange in some photos, is more red in some photos, and more of a deep pink in others. Of the three, Prime Time looks the best on me on camera, but I think Prowess looks the best in person. However, I don’t think I can chose a favorite among them. There are plenty of discount codes available and domestic shipping is free for purchases over $25 ($45 for international). I highly recommend them, but if you live in a warm climate like I do, please be aware that this formula is soft and they may get hot while in transit. I recommend not immediately opening them or wearing them upon delivery, as the lipstick bullet could be too warm at that point and move or break from the pressure of being used. Some people recommend putting them in the fridge or freezer to re-solidify, but I haven’t tried that myself. I just let the products sit in a cool area for at least an hour. One more thing to note is these have some staining power. I didn’t have the swatches on my arm for long but after quite a bit of rubbing with a makeup remover it still left some outlines that only came off with more vigorous rubbing.
When deciding the shades that were best for me, I found it helpful to see how it was on a variety of skintones and over different colored bare lips, so I will link some of the videos I watched below.
Pale/Fair: Original andNewfrom Amy Loves Makeup code AMYLOVES Light-Medium: Original and New from Angelica Nyqvist code ANGESCHKA Medium-Tan: Original and New from Kelsee Briana Jai code KBJ15 Tan: Original and New from Karen Harris code KHMAKEUP15 Tan-Medium Deep: Original and New from The Fancy Face code FANCYFACE Deep: Original and New from Oheema code OHEEMA
Lip Linersand Lip Crayons
On my lips, the Tarte Tartiest Lip Crayon in Latergram looks similar to the Wayne Goss The Essential Lip Pencil in Mauve. These are colors that don’t look the best all over my lips on their own, but I like to use them to cover the darker pigmented parts on my lower lip, almost like spot concealing. While my lips are in their typical dry and unmoisturized state, these pencils don’t glide on the skin easily. In the case of Latergram, it’s because this sample has dried out a little from when I first got it. For the Wayne Goss, it’s because it has more of a waxy (rather than creamy) texture, which gets caught on every raised/partially peeled dry patch. When working with a surface that will have friction, creamier formulas are better. The MAC Lip Pencil in Nightingale is another wood pencil. I had an easier time applying it to my lips than the Wayne Goss, but the Wayne Goss was less patchy and more pigmented. I don’t know if that’s just because the MAC pencil is older or if that particular shade performs differently to other MAC pencils. I’m keeping it for a little longer because it was a gift. I’m also keeping the Wayne Goss pencil, but I tossed the Tarte one as there wasn’t much left anyway in the deluxe sample I had.
I don’t know how I got the Colourpop Lippie Pencil in Starship. I can’t locate it in my Colourpop order history, so I’m wondering if it was a free gift with purchase. I also have no clue how long I’ve had this because I found it still in the box, but in a lip drawer I never check. I could have gotten it six months ago or up to two years ago. I thought it was a twist up pencil based on the color, but it’s the kind that needs a pencil sharpener. It was the first time I ever saw a wood pencil that wasn’t black or brown. The texture of the product, how it glides and spreads all feel nice, but this shade of pink is too light for my taste, so I decluttered it.
I love the tone of pink in this Mented Lip Pencil in La La! It’s complimentary to both the darker and lighter parts of my lips. It’s a retractable pencil, which is my favorite form of lip liner. If you try to take it off before the end of the day, it will require some oil because this will not come off with water alone! The same can be said of the Nyx Retractable Lip Liner in Nude Pink and Dark Red. These are very easy to use, creamy, pigmented, and budge-proof. The Nyx liners are described as long lasting on the Ulta website, but the Mented pencils are cited as being waterproof. I’ve always liked the Nyx Pencils, though they don’t offer as many shades that compliment my skin tone as the Mented. However, they are $5 compared to $12. So, I recommend the Nyx for a great budget-friendly option, but I do prefer the Mented because of the tones of shades. When it comes to matte formulas, these are my top 2 favorites of all the lip liners I’ve ever tried.
I bought this particular Palladio Waterproof Lip Liner in Coffee nearly two years ago from Amazon. However, the first one I ever bought was years earlier when the brand was still available at Ulta. The smell and consistency are unchanged, but because it’s currently the oldest lip liner in my collection, I will need to replace it soon. I believe this was closer to $4 when I first bought it at Ulta, and my thoughts when using it was that it “just works.” I didn’t think it was particularly special beyond the fact that it’s dark, waterproof, and doesn’t skip when I line my lips. A shade like this would only ever be used by me to outline, so I don’t need it to do anything else beyond that. The price on Amazon is $6.99, so I’m not sure if I will repurchase this again, try to find a warmer or neutral dark brown like the shade Bare from Mented appears to be, or see if Cocoa from Nyx is more to my liking. I do like to just have one dark brown liner in my collection as that’s all I need.
This mini of the Bite Beauty Lip Crayon in Glace came from the Play by Sephora Isle of Beauty boxes (July 2019) that they sold outright in December 2019, which is when I bought it. I love the satin formula, which isn’t surprising considering it’s from Bite Beauty. The color is a touch too light for me to wear all over my lips, but I like spot concealing my lips with it. Unlike the Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien, which is similarly creamy but much more emollient, I don’t have to worry about the color moving around as much. The color of the Nars pencil always shifts around and moves back off the pigmented parts I try to cover, but it was the perfect camouflaging shade for photos, which is why I used it for so many years. In fact, I’ve been replacing these in my collection every 2 years, but I’ve only paid for it one time. This particular pencil and shade from Nars tends to be available as free gifts with purchases or point perks.
Unfortunately for me, I discovered that my newest replacement of my full size Nars pencil (still about a year and a half old) was not the same shade of Rikugien I was used to. The replacement is even more sheer and the shine is more reflective in the light, which works to still cover the pigment spots through light, not opacity. When looking at the actual pencils, I see visible shimmer on the tip of the new one and the shade is isn’t as pink as it used to be. It appears that the minis and/or full sizes of Rikugien were reformulated. I don’t like the newer one and if the full-size is the same, I wouldn’t be interested in repurchasing this anymore. It’s for the best because Nars might be discontinuing the Satin Lip formula altogether. I saw them in the “Last Chance” section of their website, which rather than discontinuing the product, could just mean they’re trying to get rid of their old stock and intend to release new batches or repackaged/reformulated batches in the future.
My old pencil from Nars smells waxy now, so I’m getting rid of it. My newer pencil smells like mineral oil, so I’m also getting rid of it. I’m glad I have the Bite Beauty Glace shade as a satin lip concealing alternative, but I’m going to have to toss it soon as well. Because I have lip liners that do the job, I won’t be replacing it.
Lipsticks
I am of course keeping all six of my Propa Beauty Lipsticks in the shades Limitless, Victress, Her Magic, Prowess, Moxie, and Prime Time. Because I have these, I’m finally ready to get rid of my expired Bite Beauty lipsticks that I had been keeping for nostalgic reasons. What I have remaining is from the original Luminous Creme Lipstick collection in Shiraz which was the first nude-pink lip that I felt was perfect for me from the shade to the formula. From the Amuse Bouche collection I have Jam, which was sent to me from a friend. It was the first item I ever had available to me before being released to the public. Lastly, I have Kale which I just kept because I never had a lipstick in a shade like that before. I wasn’t confident enough to wear it publicly or share photos online, but it was my one “fun” shade. I decluttered the rest of my Bite Beauty lipsticks long ago, but those three were the most sentimental. Now, I’ve let them go. They were so old, but somehow still smelled nice. Kudos to Bite Beauty for making more “natural” and “food-grade” products that preserve so well.
I’ve also let go of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Palette Vol. 1, which I’m fairly certain is the only lip palette the brand ever produced. Despite how useful this kind of product would be to makeup artists, it wasn’t well received by the masses and ended up on the shelves of TJMaxx, where makeup goes to die. I bought it at the height of my makeup experimentation days. I intended to teach myself how to mix unique custom shades and see the changes to undertone by blues and yellows on pinks, purples, and reds. Despite my initial excitement, I only used it once. The downside to mixing custom shades was that I was wasting tin pans putting only a few drops worth of lipsticks into them. If I was supposed to make a custom color each time I used the palette, instead of mixing it and setting it aside to use again, there would be no way I’d remember the combination of shades I used, nor the proportions. If there was a well that contained 4 empty spots to hold custom shades, I think that would have improved things. The palette came with a dual ended brush with a lip brush on one end and a cosmetic spatula on the other. It also came with a metal mixing palette. Mine smells very strongly of crayons so I won’t even be swatching these, just throwing them out. Because this launch didn’t do well, I was surprised to see Makeup by Mario come out with a lip palette too and I foresee it not selling well either.
The Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in (Sheer) Plaid was one of my favorite reds. It was the combination I liked of giving good color payoff without being too opaque, for making an impact but not as boldly as a more pigmented matte version would. The Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in Sheer Ladyflower was discontinued, but I held onto it so I could try to find a replacement shade from a different brand. Both products are too old to wear, and as much as I liked them, they weren’t worth replacing at full price. I only bought these while Urban Decay was having issues selling them, so they were discounted to like $9. I think Urban Decay has great formulas, but anyone could find as good (or even better) lipsticks for less.
The MAC Matte Lipstick in Chili is new to my collection and was a free gift with purchase from Ulta. The color is stunning, but very bold. I don’t think this particular shade looks as nice on me as Limitless or Prime Time from Propa beauty do, but perhaps in the future I could find a blush or eyeshadow look that will compliment this lipstick shade. It’s also nice to have a MAC lipstick I can actually wear. All other MAC lipsticks I’ve bought have been as gifts or for collecting limited edition bullet lipsticks.
Sephora Frosted Kisses Lipstories Set
I forgot to change what I was wearing before taking lip swatches. Teal and mint color clothing makes my skin look red/orange on my camera for some reason.
This set contains the shades 36 Spring Break, 31 Golden Gate, 71 Treat Yourself, 23 After Hours, 69 Werk It, and 58 But First…Coffee. My first ever Lipstories Lipstick was Yum Yum, which is part of their satin formula. It’s another example of keeping a lipstick that’s too old in order to find a color dupe in the future. Her Magic from Propa Beauty is even closer to the kind of shade I wanted, so I’m now able to let Yum Yum go.
Other than Yum Yum, which I did get a few uses out of, the lipsticks in this set remained unopened since I bought them in December 2019! I’m finally trying these shades out for the first time, which means it’s also my first experience with the matte and metal versions of the lip stories. The only reason I’m not fond of the metals is purely how they look on my lips. I’m a bit picky when it comes to glitter in gloss, and I definitely don’t like the look of it as lipstick. I decided to keep Treat Yourself because of how beautiful it looks as a topper shade. I’m not keeping Werk It, because there isn’t as much color to that shade and it doesn’t show as well as a topper either. After Hours, Golden Gate, and But First…Coffee are the matte shades, and despite being called “matte” they all have a sheen to them, which I like. I decided to keep the latter two because they’re more unique in my collection. As gorgeous as After Hours is with Treat Yourself, I don’t want to keep a red shade I know I wouldn’t use on its own. It’s the kind of red I used to be drawn to, but now I prefer ones that lean a little brown, as I think it’s more flattering on me. Spring Break is a satin that’s a bit more sheer than the others and I haven’t made up my mind about the color, so I’m keeping it for now.
Overall, I recommend checking out the Sephora Lip Stories because the packaging is cute, the formulas are great, and they retail for the low price of only $9 each! Plus, I’ve seen them go on sale fairly often. My holiday set was $14 for 6, plus it stacked for an additional 20% off!
Liquid Lipsticks and Lip Stains
I remember liking the formula of the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink in Seductress and Self-Starter because they did not budge. It used to drive me nuts getting lipstick on my teeth or transferring onto other things, which liquid lipsticks generally help avoid. The downside is that I didn’t like these shades on me. Occasionally I used Seductress to cover the darker pigmented spots on my lips, but that was it. I did not get enough use out of these and they are very old by now.
For a time, the Dose of Colors Matte Liquid Lipstick in Mondaze was my favorite liquid lipstick. It was mostly transfer resistant but still pretty comfortable on the lips. I purchased mine from Ulta, but they are no longer available there and this is also too old now.
The Kat Von D (KVD) Everlasting Liquid Lipstick Minis in Sanctuary, Hawkwind, Madrid, Exorcism, and Damned were part of a set many years ago, along with a black shade I got rid of already. Even though these have been too old to use, I kept them around in order to remember which shades I liked or to find color dupes. Sanctuary was the kind of shade I never thought I would like, but I thought it was so pretty on me. Hawkwind and Madrid were also my favorites, though I mostly used Sanctuary. The KVD formula was less drying to my lips than some of the other liquid lipsticks I tried in the past, however, it wasn’t the most comfortable and sometimes I used a balm underneath, which affected the ability to be transfer-proof. I still liked Sanctuary and Hawkwind enough that I considered buying the full size many times, however, I knew I wouldn’t use it enough to be worth. I couldn’t even finish up the minis before they went bad!
The Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment in American Woman was either a deluxe sample or 100 point perk redemption from Sephora. I didn’t like the color, so I never used it.
My thoughts on the Juvia’s Place Wahala Mini Liquid Lipstick in Shakara hasn’t changed from my review in December. It’s a pretty color, but I only like it with a lip liner and gloss on top. Because I don’t feel comfortable wearing this kind of shade on its own, I admittedly haven’t used it again since that review. I think I’ll keep it anyway.
The MAC Perpetual Holiday Versicolour Stain was a gift from one of my best friends (along with the MAC Lip Liner mentioned earlier). There was a time when I was very into purple lip products, but they didn’t survive past declutters. There was also a time I was interested in lip stains, and this one from MAC is on the better end of formulas I’ve tried, but not enough for a repurchase. I like having at least one dark reddish purple in my collection, so I’m happy to have it while it’s still good.
I think this may have been the first time I opened the Colourpop Lux Liquid Lip in Prince Naveen. The color is pretty, but I only bought this as part of a set with a Tiana Blush because I wanted the box it came in. I can’t say how I feel about the formula because the smell was too offputting to try, like rotting broccoli. I can’t find record of when I purchased this anywhere, but the collection launched October 2019, so perhaps this did go bad and doesn’t normally smell like this.
It wasn’t too long ago that I reviewed the Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Baroque, but the shade Refine is new to my collection. The Refine shade is part of the Jen Luvs collaboration with Ofra, which I always wanted to support, but I didn’t want to pay for shipping. The Ofra formula is very comfortable on the lips, but the top layer is not transfer-proof; the topmost layer leaves an imprint. However, to actually take the lipstick completely off without lingering residue, an oil-based product is required. Refine was intended to be a mixing shade to make lipsticks more neutral. As a mixer, it does change the color in a way that improves it, but never enough to make a shade I’ve deemed unwearable to become wearable. The change isn’t dramatic enough, so perhaps I should have chosen the darker mixing shade from the collab instead. I like that you can make touch ups and layer without leaving any discoloration. It’s a good formula, but I can’t find a shade to suit me.
Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip Liquid Matte Lipstick in Syruptitious is still good considering I forgot I had this in my collection and it was still in the box in the back of a lipstick drawer. The Beauty Bakerie formula is another that requires an oil remover. I love how this particular shade looks when wet, but the color it dries to is not my taste. Just like with Ofra, I wish I could find a shade to suit me, but for $20 each, it can stay a mystery. I don’t wear liquid lipsticks enough to justify the price except when there is a sale, which I believe is how I got Syruptitious.
Lip Glosses, Toppers, and Oils
I really should toss my older Fenty Gloss Bombs, but I don’t have the heart to do it yet. The older minis are 13 months old but the full size is 19 months. I still want to get more use out of them. I specifically tried to use up the Full Size Fenty Glow, but as I discovered, there is way more product in the gloss bombs than a typical lip gloss. Despite how much I’ve used it, the tube is probably still half full. After I toss Fenty Glow, I will likely use Taffy Tease more often for that pink tinge. Because I have Ruby Milk, I will have an easier time getting rid of Cheeky. I don’t have a good brown gloss replacement for Hot Chocolit, which is why I’ve held onto that still as well. I’m still keeping Cake Shake, even though I doubt I will wear it again due to the more visible glitter specks. I reviewed the Fenty Cream Gloss Bomb in Honey Waffles already too, and even though I didn’t like how this shade looked on me, I’m not decluttering it and I still want to find a combination (pairing it with something else) that will allow me to find a nice use for it. I don’t like the cream formula as much as the regular gloss because it’s thicker, the color is patchy, and it has a 9 month suggested amount of use as opposed to the 12 months from the original formula.
The Tower 28 lip glosses are 0.13 oz/ 3.9 mL. According to a google search, 3 mL tubes are the industry standard, but not at the mid through luxury tiers. I have the ShineOn Milky Lip Jelly Gloss in Cashew, and while I’ve only been using it semi-consistently for four and a half months, I’m halfway through with it, which has never happened to me before! I’m glad I’ll be able to use up a full size lip product, but that’s what caused me to wonder if I was doing very well or if there isn’t as much product as it appears. While I was able to find some glosses like Pat Mcgrath, Buxom, and Too Faced between 0.14 and 0.15 oz, the Fenty Gloss Bomb for $5 more has over twice the amount of product at 0.3 oz/ 9 mL. The only one I found smaller than the Tower 28 at mid-range is the 3.1 mL MAC lipglasses.
In my initial review for this, I wasn’t a fan of the texture and the dripping sensation from the mix of the “sticky” substance with the oil contained in the gloss. However, when I go to use this product I swirl the bottom and then swirl at the top before I pull it out, and the resulting consistency became almost a non-issue. Perhaps my tube wasn’t mixed properly, though it still wears the same way throughout the day (not feeling sticking until the oil layer fades), but it’s a more tolerable feeling now. I no longer have the feathering issue, but I also I don’t try to build up the color anymore either. Over time, I’ve actually grown to like this gloss for moisturization/occlusive benefits. As for the actual look and shine to my lips, I still prefer the Gloss Bombs.
I have zero clue when or where I bought the Becca Beach Tint Lip Shimmer Souffle in Papaya/Topaz. I remember leaving it untouched in the box because I was debating whether or not to keep it, gift it, or sell it. It was still in the box when I made the decision to declutter it in my 2016 Lip Product Declutter. So, imagine my surprise when five years later I found this in that lippie drawer I never check! This product has been discontinued for years, but I was curious enough about it to at least swatch it on my hand. I really wish I could have used it while it was still good, but this reinforces the idea to myself why I need to seriously cut back on lip products and why I’m on this lip product no-buy for 2021. The same goes for the Jouer Skinny Dip Long-Wear Lip Topper in St. Tropez that was a past Beautylish Lucky Bag item. I never used the Jouer topper because I planned to sell or gift it, but ended up doing neither. I am decluttering this too because of how old it is.
The Estee Edit Flash Photo Gloss in 01 White Flash was also in the lost drawer and I also never wore it. I think I used a Sephora promo code to get it. I thought the concept was brilliant having a product that could keep teeth looking white while wearing a warm toned lipstick, but I have no clue if it worked or just gave the lips a cool toned tinge. Since the Estee Edit brand was terminated in 2016 or 2017, I didn’t have the guts to test it on my lips considering its potential age.
Because it wasn’t written on the mini size tube, I had no idea the Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Celeste was a plumping gloss until I put it on. The burn was immediate and so intense that I instantly took it off. I had just finished fifteen lip swatches prior to trying it out, so my lips were probably extra sensitive. The gloss is very pretty, but I decided not to keep this because I’m happy with the size of my lips and my lip skin is sensitive enough as is, so I don’t want to subject it to unnecessary things.
I think the mini Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Moon Jelly was a free gift with purchase or promo code redemption. I believe I could have gotten this sometime in 2019, but I’m not sure. It felt minty and very cooling, but I think that sensation was intensified because I applied it right after removing the Buxom plumping gloss. When I tried this a second time, it felt faintly minty but not nearly as much. The shade is like a prettier version of the Sephora Werk It Lip Story.
The BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Maverick is one I used to love and use quite often! At some point I lost it and eventually forgot about it. Of course, I found it years later in that wormhole of a drawer. I switched my acrylic 36 slot lipstick holder for a smaller one, so that must have been how certain lip products ended up in the backs of multiple acrylic drawers. This is a beautiful gloss, but not enough for me to repurchase. I think this might have been a minty gloss too, but it has been so long since I used it, that I don’t remember. It’s too old to keep and even too old for me to want to lip swatch.
I didn’t remember having the Prada Candy Lip Gloss because I stuck it in the Drawer of Doom the moment it arrived. It was part of an Ulta free gift with purchase set from October 2019 that included a deluxe mini of the perfume. I don’t believe this is available for purchase anywhere, and only pops up in gift sets, which is a shame because the shade is very pretty and the gloss feels nice on the lips. It has a strong fruity and slightly floral scent that I surprisingly like! I’m definitely keeping this for now.
The Charlotte Tilbury Jewel Lip Gloss in Rose Jewel was part of a mini set that was my 2020 Birthday Gift from Sephora. I only started using it recently and I really like how it looks and feels on my lips! I’ve rarely thought high end lip products were worth buying for the formula, just the packaging, but the shine level rivals that of the Fenty Gloss Bombs! However, the full size is $32 versus the $19 from Fenty, so I’m okay with enjoying this sample while I have it but not purchasing a full size in the future.
The Colourpop Lux Lip Oil in Local Time smells like licorice or anise. I wasn’t sure if all of the Lip Oils smelled like this or if it was just this particular one, but I saw some comments around reddit and other sites where people mention that some people can smell the licorice smell but others don’t. There’s barely any color to this, but I bought it as a lip treatment anyway. It feels nice on the lips and makes them look juicy and hydrated. The consistency feels like a less slippery/goopy version of the Juvia’s Place Nubian Glow Lip Balms, but also less oily than the Tower 28 Lip Jelly. It gives my lips a little bit of the prune look like the one from Juvia’s Place, but not to the full extent. Despite the scent, I’m keeping this in my collection. I will probably use more of it when I finish my tube of the Tower 28.
My opinion of the PUR x Barbie Gloss in Boss Gloss hasn’t changed since my review. I prefer the Fenty Gloss Bombs over this because of PUR’s pink metallic looking glitter, but the two are quite similar. This has a nice fruity scent and I will happily keep it in my collection. In the reverse, since reviewing the Juvia’s Place Wahala Mini Lip Gloss in Petty Betty, I like it a bit less. I still think it’s pretty on its own, but only in a very light layer. If too much is applied, it looks extra milky and cool toned. The main reason I liked and kept it was to keep Shakara wearable, but I haven’t even worn them together again since the review. I haven’t tried this on top of other lip products either. I’m tempted to declutter it, but I won’t as long as I still have Shakara in my possession.
Lastly for the lip glosses, I bought the Pat Mcgrath Labs Mini Lust Gloss Trio in Sunset Seduction that contained the shades Love Potion, Sunset Rose, and Flesh 6, but I set Love Potion aside to give away. Once again, I forgot about my lip product No-Buy and purchased it during the April VIB sale, which brought the price below $10. Just like with the Charlotte Tilbury, I thought it probably wouldn’t live up to the hype, but I was wrong! Now, I understand why people like it. It feels lightweight on the skin but has such a shine to it. The tone of Flesh 6 is so beautiful. This is the prettiest shade of gloss I’ve ever had. I love it! I love how shiny it is without large particles of glitter. I love the level of pigmentation where it’s still sheer but has just enough color to be distinctive on the lips in that warm medium-rose shade. If I didn’t have so many lip glosses already, I would want to purchase the full size. Perhaps during a sale in 2022, after half of my remaining collection will likely be decluttered, I will buy it. It’s the lack of glitter that puts it over the top for me! Sunset Rose looked more cool toned on my lips than I thought, despite this being described as a warm shade. Perhaps it is the shimmer and how light it is that is effecting how it looks on me. I will still keep this anyway, along with Flesh 6.
Last Minute Add-Ons
As much as I try to gather everything together for declutters, I always seem to misplace something. I forgot to check my traincase for lip products, so these are the ones that were in there, in addition to the Oden’s Eye Alva Matte Lip Stain in Ripe Papaya that was part of my mystery box that came as I was finishing this post. My Oden’s Eye review was supposed to be up before this one, but I posted this early. It will include more details on Ripe Papaya, but from my first impression, this formula is not comfortable on the lips. It looks and feels drying, but it looks amazing under a gloss. It doesn’t budge or transfer. I needed oil to remove it. Also, my first thought when I applied Ripe Papaya is how similar it looked to Propa Beauty’s shade in Limitless. This is essentially a matte version of it. They call this a “lip stain” but it’s not the watery formula lipstains are known for having. These are definitely liquid lipsticks.
Oden’s Eye has the Alva Cream Lip Stain version as well. They look stunning on the website, and appear to be more of the lip stain consistency I was expecting, so I will likely try one in the future.
Two mini lippies were from the Best of Rare Beauty Lip and Cheek Set that I reviewed here. The Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream in Transform has gotten no use since that post. The Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm in Support has been used a few more times since that point, but I thought I would have finished it by now. I was so ecstatic about it in my original review, but as soon as I got my Propa Beauty lipsticks and Tower 28 Cashew gloss, I reached for those over the balm. It’s still the best tinted balm I’ve ever had and I will still keep and use this up. I’m also keeping Transform, but I doubt I will even use up that mini before it goes bad, just purely based on the infrequency that I wear such bold red lips. The Colourpop lip products were from the Sailor Moon Daylight Kit I reviewed here. I bought it mainly for collector purposes, so I didn’t expect to get much use out of the Ultra Blotted Lip in Usagi. If I kept the Ultra Glossy Lip in Moon Tiara out of the box, I would probably use it more because it’s a pretty gloss that feels nice, smells nice, and adds a nice warm gleam on top of other lip products.
Declutter Results
I kept 44 lip products and decluttered 31 (I found more to declutter after this post). It had been so long since I was able to hold all the lip products, excluding lip balms, that I own in the topmost visible container and not need the extra drawers! This is very exciting for me!
The Declutter Pile
Of the remaining 44, 12 will need to be tossed before the year ends due to age, Prince Naveen is only being kept as a collector item and will be moved to my retired collectables shelf, and 4 might not stay in my collection because I’m not crazy about how they look on me. So, I’m expecting to have my collection drop below 30 by 2022.
Ofra is a small Florida based company best known for their highlighters and liquid lipsticks. I wasn’t aware of the brand until four years ago when Ofra had their first collaboration with Youtuber Nikkietutorials. Since then, they’ve continued to partner with influencers: Nikkie, Kathleenlights, Samantha March, Jen Luvs, and more. I imagine Ofra is doing very well considering their products are available at Ulta. Then again, Ulta recently announced they’ll be carrying Jaclyn Cosmetics despite Jaclyn only having one successful launch after the disastrous lipstick release. That combined with Ulta selling KVD despite the brand struggling for the last two years and taking on Hourglass at their lowest dip in popularity has me questioning what it takes to be stocked at Ulta.
In any case, after my most recent order of the Blushzer, regular blush, liquid lipstick, and brush, I decided I had enough products from the brand to do a full review!
Glow Goals Highlighter (Nikkietutorials Collab)
I have this in Ofra’s older (but not oldest) packaging. It’s a bit difficult to see on camera, but this champagne colored highlighter has a light pink tinge that shows that shade in swatches but isn’t as detectable on my face. I tend to not favor pink highlighters, so I’m glad this looks essentially gold on my skin. This highlighter is a little softer pressed and even though I used the Wayne Goss Air Brush to apply Glow Goals and Rodeo Drive in my photos, the brush picked up way more product with this one and I was left with a far more blinding strip of color. Of course, it makes sense that Glow Goals would be extremely striking considering how much Nikkie loves her highlighters. On occasion, I like an intense highlight, as long as it isn’t glittery. This is definitely one of the most blinding shimmer highlighters I have in my collection and I love the fact that the particles are so fine. Because of the $35 price tag, it’s easy to want to compare this to Becca. The consistency and texture of the powders are different, but the result is similar. If someone wants a more intense version of Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors, I recommend trying this one.
Rodeo Drive Highlighter
This is a warmer champagne/gold shade. I like that I have a bit more control with this product and can use a light amount for an everyday look or build it up to be much more intense. The amount seen in the photo above was created using one dip into the pan, which is the perfect amount for my usual tastes. Ofra considers this a “universally flattering shade,” and I honestly think this is as close to one as any brand can really get. It would be those on the lightest and darkest ends of the color spectrum who may not like how this looks on them. The result I get when using this shade reminds me even more of the effect Becca highlighters can give. One of the benefits Ofra offers over Becca is that the current packaging is magnetic with moveable pans, so I don’t have to keep these highlighters in their bulky packaging. I can put them in my custom magnetic face palette. Other benefits are that they sell refills (which uses less plastic for repeat buyers) and also mini sizes for those of us who never hit pan on powder products anyway, or would just rather spend $18 for less product.
Chick-Lit Blush Duo (Samantha March Collab)
I saw some photos of this blush online that made it look darker than it really is, so I began to wonder if perhaps this is one of those light blushes that could still work for me (like MAC’s Melba and Mocha). Unfortunately, this was not the case. I think this would look better on anyone at least two shades or more lighter than me. I liked the way it looked when I mixed this shade with the right side of the Squad Blushzer, pictured below. This was basically useless in my collection, so I’m glad to know I can keep Chick-lit as a mixer shade. I found it interesting that the shimmer half of Chick-lit has a darker base color in it than the matte/satin side, but combining the two leads to some icy looking results that I’m not into. It reminds me of the Clinique Pop Blushes, but I like the quality of this one better. Mixing them both also leads to me picking up too much product in the pan, which is quite easy to do as these blushes and blush duos from the brand creates quite a bit of kickup. The large packaging suddenly makes sense to keep the powders contained within the compact so it doesn’t waste product, but as I have a hard time panning anything, I don’t mind losing product.
Ride or Die Blushzer in Squad
While there are other products from Ofra that I’ve been curious about for well over a year (e.g. the Bali highlighter, beauty sponge, and liner), this duo drew me in to the point that I could only resist for about a week after it first launched!
As deep as these halves look, they don’t give intense pigment upon the first application once it’s blended. One pass of the blush, for example, sheers out to a soft medium pink flush. And for this bronzer to show enough to add warmth to my face, I have to really layer it on. This means that someone a few shades darker than me could wear this, but also those much lighter than me could as well.
I mentioned that this blush is sheerer than it looks upon initial application. While it’s great to have a blendable blush, I think it’s mainly due to the fact that this doesn’t stick to my skin very well. I’ve tried it over bare skin, different primers, and different foundations. The result is that this starts to noticeably fade around 3-4 hours and is gone around the 6 hour mark. I rarely have issues with blushes fading on me, so I thought it was a bit strange. However, if I use a setting spray, it does lock this product into place. Out of all the blush products I’m reviewing today, I’m the happiest with this one because I love the shade.
B-29 Coral Crush Pressed Blush
I have mixed feelings about this blush due to this specific color. I like that this is deep enough to show on me, but the particular tone isn’t my favorite. Like the Squad Blushzer, this shade has a bit of kickup. It has a little easier time sticking to my cheeks, but it will fade in five hours unless I use a setting spray. Coral Crush is smaller than Ofra’s newer blush releases. This was $15 for 4g as opposed to $29 for 10g.
#22 Blush Brush
This is a blush brush in name, but the item description says this is a highlighting brush. I find it’s far too big to highlight with, especially considering how intense Ofra’s highlighters can get. I wouldn’t want an even bigger stripe of this on my cheekbones. The pointed tip makes it suited for the split pan products as a typical blush or bronzer brush might be too big.
This isn’t that soft of a brush and it’s a bit scratchy. The bristles have the look and feel of a low grade goat brush, but it’s actually synthetic. I was a bit surprised because I’m used to synthetic brushes feeling softer than this. Also, it sheds quite a lot. While it’s normal for a natural hair brush that’s been hand bundled to lose a few hairs, I’ve only had a synthetic brush shedding issue from my lower quality ELF brushes, so I was once again surprised considering the price of this brush. At least I got it free with my $35+ purchase.
The washing process can free the remaining straggler hairs from natural bristle brushes, so I hoped that washing this brush would do that as well. Unfortunately, washing this brush only increased the shedding and letting it air dry caused the brush to puff out and become too rounded to be useful. So, I recommend using the aloe vera method or a brush guard after washing to maintain its shape (and I have since done that with this brush to reshapen it). Ofra makes some nice products, but this brush just isn’t one of them.
I’d recommend the ELF Pro/Studio line (with the black handles), EcoTools, or Real Techniques over this one. They’re less expensive, synthetic, and softer. For synthetic bristle brushes at a higher price point, I recommend some of Tarte’s brushes and Scott Barnes. I used to use It Cosmetics for Ulta brushes, but my less expensive brushes are comparable in quality. Also, I enjoyed Smashbox’s original line of brushes (which was mostly natural hair) and while their line is completely synthetic now, I’ve heard great things about the new ones. I haven’t tried them myself yet though.
Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Baroque
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I have no intention of purchasing lip products this year (with the exception of balms), but this was on sale for $8 and would let me reach the free shipping minimum, so I decided to buy this so I could test out the formula. This shade is described as a nude pink with gold flecks. I haven’t seen any shimmer in this at all and despite looking warm toned in the tube, it’s not as brown or warm on my lips as I’d hoped. I don’t mind that it’s a light shade, but the undertone isn’t my style, even when I’ve paired it with other shades of lip liners.
I still did a few wear tests on it. This formula is very comfortable on the lips. Some liquid lipsticks show a discolored patch if you try to touch it up, but this one doesn’t do that. It isn’t completely transfer-proof (it left a faint imprint on my glass when I was drinking tea), but I had great results from the time I put it on until the time I ate. Without retouching after eating, the lipstick is susceptible to transferring a lot more, but I don’t expect any lip product to last past eating. I give this kudos for only really disappearing in the center-most part of my lips.
While it doesn’t feel drying, at around the eight hour point it starts to look drier than it feels, so that’s when I’d remove what’s left and replace it with a balm. I’ve also tried this with a Tower 28 gloss on top, and while the lipgloss doesn’t displace the color underneath, once you eat, it makes the lipstick especially easy to remove to the point that reapplication is definitely necessary.
In the future, if I want to buy liquid lipsticks, I would definitely consider this brand, but hopefully I’d be better at choosing a shade. I also think Ofra’s reputation for having fantastic highlighters is well deserved. Those two types of products are my recommendations.
That’s all I have for today! Thank you for reading!
In my last Juvia’s Place review, I mentioned that I wasn’t getting anything new lately because of the pressed glitters that Juvia’s Place kept putting in nearly all of their palettes from part of 2019 through 2020. However, there was a big sale during the holidays and I folded.
Nubian Glow Gift Set
This collection consists of the Nubian Glow Palette, the Mango Lip Balm, and Guava Lip Balm. They were all packaged in their own boxes within this set.
Shade 5 is a pressed glitter, so I did not use that in any looks.
I think the shades in this palette are beautiful but I find that the quality of all the lighter mattes in all these palettes I’m reviewing today are not what I’m used to from Juvia’s Place. Although they swatch nicely, they seem thinner and I can see my skin through the shades. It takes a lot to build them up. In the second look above, you can see the section in the crease where I had to use the nearly white ABH primer to keep the shade appearing somewhat bright. What looks to be the darker mustard-orange shade above it is actually still the yellow matte shade just over MAC Paint Pot. It started off looking like the yellow below it but darkened within minutes. The orange shade on the lower lash line is also over the ABH primer because it wasn’t showing as bright as it looked in the pan. I’m used to Juvia’s Place shadows being very pigmented regardless of the kind of shade it is, so I’m a bit disappointed. The shimmer shades look nice, but I had to wet them or use glitter primer to make them stand out. I prefer shadows that make an impact without having to do that. The kind that wetting only intensifies further, not the ones that won’t shine without it. Although I can still make the mattes work, I’d rather not use them again. Without the mattes, which I feel is needed for me to make a complete look, I know I won’t reach for this again unless I depot the palette. I will keep shades 1, 3, and 6. At the reduced price, it still makes the palette worth it in terms of cost, but I really didn’t need anymore golds in my collection. I wanted this for the full color story.
I really wanted to try the lip balms after Angelica Nyqvist’s video describing them as the most realistic smelling mango and guava scented lip balms she’s ever tried. The mango one really does smell nice. I’m not certain if I’m sold on the guava, but at least the smell is pleasant. I like how hydrating these made my lips feel. I applied a lot and within a few hours it actually made my lips prune a bit (the way fingers get pruned when submerged in water too long). The wrinkling effect wasn’t so bad as to look unappealing, but I would probably only wear this at home and as a quick lip prep step before applying a different lip product on top afterwards. The consistency feels like a lightweight version of petroleum jelly, which makes sense since the first ingredient listed for this product is polybutene (a petroleum derivative). Hydrogenated polybutene is the third ingredient as well.
Nubian Royal Palette
Considering how the Nubian Glow went for me, I am surprised to say I didn’t have as much trouble using this palette. It’s a bit funny considering purples are among the hardest shades to formulate. The mattes are still on the thin side, but they remained true to color without needing the ABH primer. I intend to depot this palette as well and keep everything except shade 6 because that’s the pressed glitter. If you like pressed glitters, you might want this palette because shade 6 is the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen, but I’m not going to put my eyes at risk. They’ve gotten irritated too many times from “safe” products, so I’d rather not use things that aren’t considered safe in both the US and EU.
The Mauves Palette
And we’re back to the formula issues. Shade 1 isn’t just lighter than Shade 3; it’s less pigmented too. Shade 4 was a struggle to even swatch because it did not want to go on my finger or on a brush. It’s as if it immediately hard-panned. Shades 2 and 3 show up, but I find that none of the mattes in this palette wanted to be layered over each other. Once the color was deposited onto the lid, any additional shade was a struggle to get to stick. 5 and 6 are beautiful and I’m fine with having to spray them to make an impact. I’ll be keeping shades 5, 6, and possibly 3.
Sweet Pinks Palette
What I find most interesting about these shades is that the mattes have a corresponding shimmer that pairs very well together. Shades 3 and 4 match very well. 1 and 6 have similar pink-coral vibes. 2 and 5 are a bit more on the fuchsia pink-purple side. I haven’t seen matching pairings like these in the other palettes. While I still have the issue of these mattes not showing as well without a lighter base (as can be seen in the crease of the first look versus the second look in the photo below), it’s not as problematic compared to the difficulty level I had with the Nubian Glow or Mauves palettes. Also, while I am happy with the whole corresponding shadow idea, 3 and 5 look so similar on the eye, especially when next to each other in the top look on the lid below. When there are as few as 6 shades, I prefer to not have any duplicates. That being said, when I depot this, I’m planning to keep all 6 shadows.
Wahala II Palette
Besides Gobe, I didn’t swatch any other pressed glitter from the Wahala II palette. Unlike the glitters from Nubian Glow and Nubian Royal, which are pressed tightly together in a sandy texture that isn’t too sticky, these glitters have a stickier base that was so incredibly difficult to remove the majority of the glitter specks off my arm. There was no way I was going to deal with that three more times with Goals, 419, and Kolo (which I touched to be sure they were pressed glitters and removing a tiny amount off my finger still proved difficult).
Yab, Too Much, Lit, and Wasted had the same pigmentation deficiencies I noticed from the other 6 pan palettes. Oya looks dark plum in the pan, but on the lids it’s almost black! I wish it was actually the dark plum shade I expected. Other than those, I really enjoyed the other shadows! I was so happy to have two multichromes (Fake and Money) and surprised to also see three duochromes (Amebo, Dope, and Bold). Even the regular shimmers are more in line with the Juvia’s Place quality I had gotten used to and they didn’t need a spray or glitter glue to make an impression.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes brands change their eyeshadow formulas. That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing, as it may better suit the preferences of other people. For instance, I tend to like Natasha Denona’s more recent eyeshadow formulas (post-Lila). On the other hand, I loved Kaleidos’s formulas until Lunar Lavender. I had an easier time using these Juvia’s Place shadows than Lunar Lavender, but I still prefer the formula of their older palettes. Considering the pressed glitter issue and my issue with the lighter mattes in particular, I think I’ll have a little break from Juvia’s Place eyeshadows (or at least the quads and 6-pans).
Besides the few other lip products I reviewed earlier in the year, the items I’m discussing today are the only other lip products I purchased in 2020! It wasn’t even a matter of having to wear a mask in public being the deterrent. I’ve just always been more of a balm girl. I’ve purchased many lipsticks and lipglosses in the past, only to let them go no more than 25% used because I’m always reaching for balms instead. Last year, I decided to go on a serious lippie low-buy and it nearly worked! However, in November and December, those holiday deals were what got me!
PROPA BEAUTY
Propa Beauty is a new brand that received a ton of attention in 2020 within the indie beauty community. I heard nothing but positive things about their satin lipstick formula, so when I saw their Black Friday deal, it was too tempting to resist. At the time I’m writing this, the satin lipsticks are the only products they have available, but one of the Youtubers I watch said they have another lipstick formula in the works.
Victress – This shade has, “deep rose petal tones.” It is one of the two lightest colors available, and in the first photo taken with flash on, you can see the color that will actually show on the lips. Because it is so light, I didn’t expect it to work for me, but the brown tones keeps this wearable. While people of every skin tone can use these lipsticks, they were formulated with darker skin tones in mind and that really shows with this shade. It’s lighter than the lip colors I normally wear, but it has just enough pink to keep it from looking like ‘concealer lips.’
Limitless – The, “toasted pumpkin-tones,” in this shade are so pretty! This is one of the most obviously orange shades I’ve ever had in my collection, but the brown tones keep it grounded and prevent it from being too bright for my comfort level. I’m so glad I bought this and I intend to utilize this shade a lot when pairing it with my orange and Fall-inspired eye looks.
Her Magic – This shade is described as having, “deep rose-tones.” The other lipsticks tend to lean brown or orange, but this is one of the few pink toned lipsticks currently in Propa’s collection. I almost bought the full-size Rare Beauty lip balm I discussed a few months ago, but I’m glad I waited because I like the tone of this shade even more!
I was very pleased with all three shades. Her Magic and Limitless are my favorites, but I easily recommend any that might catch your eye.
TOWER 28
I have the ShineOn Milky Lip Jelly Gloss in Cashew. This is another brand whose lip glosses I heard nothing but good things about. I was so excited when it finally arrived but the first few times I used it, I hated it! This formula feels like a combination of a sticky humectant with a lot of oils. I am used to applying lip gloss from edge to edge without fear of it moving. This gloss feathers, so I kept getting a dripping sensation on my lips and would have to wipe the edges, even though I remained within the lines upon the initial application. By the third time, I figured out where I have to apply so that when it spreads, it will stop exactly where I want it to. Also, I kept hearing everyone say this gloss is more lightweight than the Fenty Gloss Bombs and that it’s not sticky at all. I don’t think there’s much of a difference in terms of thickness. The Tower 28 gloss has a different feel because of the oils. And while it doesn’t feel sticky if you apply the initial layer, as time goes on and the oils start to wear away and I’m left with an incredibly sticky layer. I realized this when I tried to combat the dripping feeling by dabbing the excess product off my lips. The napkin removed the oils but what was left behind was the stickiest gloss I’ve ever had!
Tower 28 applicator on the left. Fenty Gloss Bomb applicator on the right.
I was so tempted to buy the mini set of 4 glosses initially, but I’m glad I did not. On my pigmented lips, the amount I will texturally be comfortable using isn’t enough to add significant color to my lips. I have enough sheer glosses from Fenty, I definitely don’t need additional ones from Tower 28.
Now that I know the right amount of gloss to use (slightly less than the amount on the wand from one dip in the tube), I will get more uses out of this product because it’s still hydrating. I can ignore the stickiness. It does have a very pleasant scent that I wasn’t able to easily identify, but I suspect it is from the apricot oil.
FENTY BEAUTY
All the Gloss Bombs currently in my collection.
Fenty Gloss Bomb Cream Color Drip Lip Cream in Honey Waffles– This is the newest lip product release from Fenty. The cream version has more pigment, no glitter, and is a bit thicker in texture than the traditional Gloss Bombs. Those also have a sweet fruity/Starburst candy type of smell. The Cream Bombs are supposed to smell like peaches and cream/vanilla. It was very nice at first, but after using it several times, my tube smells like peaches mixed with chemicals. It isn’t unpleasant, more of a ‘makeup smell,’ but it’s not the same as when I initially used it. I also noticed the scent faded in my other Gloss Bomb minis from December 2020, whereas my older holiday minis smell exactly the same as when I bought them. Those were created for Holiday 2019, but my purchase history shows that I didn’t buy them until April 2020, so they’re only eight months older. I’m guessing Fenty used less fragrance or a weaker fragrance in the Holiday 2020 batch. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just something I thought was interesting.
In the initial reviews I saw for this product, Honey Waffles was the prettiest shade on every person from light to dark. It wasn’t until I already made my purchase that I started to notice the reviews where Honey Waffles gave the ‘concealer lips’ effect on the ladies closer to my complexion. Even though Fenty Glow is my favorite Gloss Bomb shade, the cream version looked on the cool side of pink, so I picked Honey Waffles instead. Regardless of the shade, and despite how much I thought I wanted a product like this, I’ve realized it isn’t for me. The color looks patchy and gathers in the lines of my lips. I tried this with lip liner and still wasn’t thrilled with how it looked. The only way I can enjoy this is to use a thin layer. Normally, the amount I pick up on the tip of these applicators is the perfect amount to apply to my lips. With Honey Waffles, I have to wipe off a quarter to a half of the gloss back in the tube. Then I use what’s left to spread the gloss as evenly as possible onto my lips. As long as I continue to use this method, I will keep using Honey Waffles. I have tried to mix this shade with the other gloss bombs and aside from Ruby Milk, none of the other combinations helped. I will continue to experiment and see if there is a lipstick shade in my collection that I would enjoy putting on top of this gloss. Then again, I’d still have to watch out for the uneven pigmentation issue.
Fenty Glossy Posse Mini Gloss Bomb Set: Holo’daze Edition
I am missing Baby Brut because I gave that shade to a friend.
I am fairly certain in my review of the Holiday 2019 Mini Gloss Bomb set, I said I wasn’t going to purchase this one because the glosses are too sheer to look different on my lips. Well, look at me now!
Cake Shake – I didn’t expect to get much color out of this shade, but I wasn’t prepared for the ramifications of wearing the least pigmented Gloss Bomb: looking like I have random bits of glitter all over my lips! It looks accidental rather than intentional. You won’t catch me using this one again!
Taffy Tea$e – This shade is the main reason I couldn’t get this set out of my head. Something about the color in the tube is so alluring to me! It looks like there is no shimmer in the tube, but upon closer inspection there are light pink particles of glitter in there. Even though this shade looks completely different in the tube than Tower 28’s Cashew, they both have pink tones that are light and milky looking on me, so they look similar on my lips. I think a shade like this would look even more pink and stand out more on someone with a lighter lip color.
Ruby Milk – This is the most pigmented shade of all the gloss bombs. I like it much more than I expected. I thought it would have a metallic finish, but it just leaves some shine and glitter. This shade can be built up to slightly more opacity, but I like how a minimal application looks.
The verdict for the set is that I don’t think anyone is missing out by not buying it. I’m glad to have it because I needed to satisfy my curiosity. It’s unfortunate that I used my Sephora points on the Tower 28 gloss and Fenty Cream Bomb when those two aren’t my favorites, but at least I didn’t spend much out of pocket. I can also confirm that the regular Fenty Gloss Bombs keep their title as my favorite lip gloss formula!
In 2020, I went on a lip product low-buy. For 2021, I’m going to attempt a complete lip product no-buy (excluding my holy grail Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm in the pot jar that finally became available on the Nuxe US website again)!
Those are all my thoughts for now! Thank you for reading!
It’s a bit late to post about last year’s holiday items, but as these products are still available and on sale, I really wanted to post my thoughts on them.
Pur x Barbie Palette
I received this palette as a birthday gift. Until this point, I hadn’t tried anything from PUR, but I heard mixed reviews about their eyeshadow formula. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed using this palette! The shadows have a decent amount of pigment, are smooth, and blendable. I am very happy that the orange mattes are distinctly different on my eyes and although the orange shimmers are similar, Trendsetter is actually a duochrome that shifts from the lighter orange in Dream House to a slightly darker red-orange. I’m not sure if I should even call them “shimmers” because they have a semi-flaky texture that reminds me of metallic foiled shadows. I don’t know if I’m a fan of the textured look when applied dry on the eye or even with my finger. In order to get them to look the smoothest, I apply them with a wet brush, which changes the texture, but then it becomes sheered out. That’s when I apply an additional layer on top using my finger. The wet shadow underneath meshes with the dry powder applied on top to keep it smooth yet have that extra layer of pigment. All of the “shimmers” are like this, excluding Icon which is more of a satin formula. The foiled shadows also leave a ton of glitter particle fallout as the day progresses. I recommend using something like a glitter glue/primer to help with adherence.
The shade Barbie Style is medium pink and Timeless is medium red. Although I can tell the difference when I use them separately, because they’re the same depth, I find them to be too similar to use together in an eye look. Motivate and Innovator are both dark brown shades, but I prefer to use Motivate for warmer looks and Innovator if I’m going for something cool-toned.
This palette is great for anyone who wants to dabble a bit into color eyeshadows. The shadows are colorful yet soft with enough neutral shades to keep the looks grounded. Although I love shimmers, I can see myself using this palette mainly for the matte shades.
Pur x Barbie Confident Glow Signature Illuminating Highlighter
Seeing the eyeshadow palette in person made me curious about the highlighter, so I bought it afterwards. I don’t believe it’s available at Ulta anymore, but at the time of writing this, PUR still has it for sale on their website. The formula of this highlighter is very soft and I was happy to see that whether I used exclusively the gold shade, the pink, or both swirled together they basically look the same on the skin. Since I tend not to like the look of pink highlighters on me, I was worried about keeping the shades separated when I apply them, but Pink Taffy has gold shimmer in it which keeps it looking warm toned and not much different from the Bubbly shade. The base color isn’t very strong in either shade, so it blends into my skin nicely.
All the Barbie highlighter swatches are over Kiko Milano’s blush in Candy Cane and Make Up For Ever Velvet Matte Foundation in Macao.
When I apply a heavy amount side by side to my cheekbone (as shown above), there is a minimal difference between them. It’s even less noticeable when I use my usual amount. Since I didn’t purchase this with the intention of having two different highlighters in one, I’m happy that they are similar so I can just swipe my brush in the pan and not have to worry about the shades mixing.
Pur x Barbie Glossin Boss Gloss
I received this as a free gift with purchase from Ulta. I had the option to choose between this shade or the lighter one called Girl Gloss. Boss Gloss has about as much pigment as a standard Fenty Gloss Bomb, plus noticeable glitter particles. The predominant glitter color is a hot pink/magenta that has an almost metallic affect on the lips. It’s a bit sticky, so I wouldn’t normally wear the amount that it takes to look a bit metallic (double layer). I’m happy to have this, especially at the low cost of $0.
KikoMilanoHoliday Gems Highlighter Palette
I really wanted this, even though I could clearly see in photos that the texture looked glittery. I was so happy when I got it in person and saw that after touching the powder, it looked like more of a wet sheen, rather than sparkly! That’s not to say it isn’t glittery, because it is, but it’s not at the level that would prevent me from wanting to use it (excluding the golden brown shade).
These highlighter swatches were all over the Kiko Milano Unexpected Paradise Aspirational Mauve blush. Kiko didn’t give them names, but they are numbered instead. Highlighter #2 was so subtle in my initial photo that I retook the picture. Although I applied a generous amount, the base color is so close to my skin tone that you can’t see it and all that shows are the sparkles.
As is common with highlighters on me, they look similar, especially on camera. However, there is a faint enough difference that I can say I like shade #1 and shade #3. #1 is my typical highlight color. #3 in person has a warm sheen that compliments my skin tone. #4 is okay, but I find it to be a touch ashy.
I’m happy to report this blush had no detectable scent! It’s supposed to smell like vanilla, according to Kiko’s website, but I don’t smell anything from the powder. Unlike the Unexpected Paradise blush, which is on the texturally softer side with some kickup, this blush has very little kickup. I wouldn’t say it’s hard-pressed, as I can pick up the product easily enough with any brush regardless of the bristle type, but it’s on the medium side and harder than my other Kiko blushes. Although this shade is a much brighter pink than I’d typically go for, I didn’t think the other two shades would show up on my skin tone (though it’s difficult to tell via online photos which is the only way I have access to these products) and the pretty packaging was a major factor in me purchasing this. I did get this on sale, which happened very quickly after being released on Ulta’s site.
After a little while, this blends into the natural oils of my skin and looks better than the initial application. For that reason, I definitely like it. Even when it first goes on it reminds me of winter wind-kissed cheeks!
I have mixed feelings about this blush. In warmer lighting, this blush looks extremely metallic. I like the color, but it’s as though I put a metallic eyeshadow on my cheek. In brighter and slightly cool lighting, it looks more like a shimmery eyeshadow instead, but in a somewhat nicer way. Regardless of the light, this does emphasize texture and accentuates my pores, which is normally not a problem for me. For those looking out for fragrance, this has a pleasant fruity scent. I don’t smell it once it has been on my cheek for a bit, but the smell lingers in my blush brush.
I don’t see myself using this again, but I wanted it for the Wonder Woman theme anyway. This is the only Wonder Woman collection I’ve seen within my price range (*cough*House of Sillage*cough*) that excited me. So, I’m holding onto it for collector purposes.
Kiko MilanoUnexpected Paradise Blush in 03 Aspirational Mauve
This blush smells a bit like coconuts and sunscreen or tanning oil. The smell is very artificial but it fades quickly on the cheek. There are three shades in total. I thought MAC was the only brand that could make mauve and plum blush shades I like on me, but after wearing this one, I’m beginning to accept that perhaps mauve is a generally nice color for me! Although it’s the darkest shade they had, it gives me a flush of color that I can’t overdo, even if I really pack this on. However, this will probably not work on someone more than a few shades darker than I am.
Here are all the blushes swatched together with flash off and on.
That’s everything! It was fun to try PUR and Kiko Milano for the first time. I don’t think any of these products will end up being holy grail status, but I’m happy to have and enjoy them.
I’ve been a Juvia’s Place customer for three years now, but it wasn’t until 2019-2020 that I actually started using what I purchased. Most of my experience with the brand is through their eyeshadow palettes. The quality is great but the color stories always threw me for a loop. I never knew how to pair colors together in a way that I felt was cohesive and made sense. Depotting the shadows helped because it was easier to have access to other complementary shades. Now, I’m actually getting use out of them!
Lip Products
I’ve heard amazing things about Juvia’s lipsticks and lip liners that were released this year. I’m not very adventurous when it comes to lip products, so I had no intention of possessing any, but due to an error on Ulta’s part, I wound up with a mini Lip Duo.
Wahala Mini Lip Duo
A strange but unimportant thing I noticed is that the lip gloss in the set came with a plastic shrink band but the liquid lipstick did not. I don’t know if it’s just mine that was like that or if all of them are supposed to be that way.
Shakara is a gorgeous color, but right on the cusp of being too pale for my preference. Using a lip liner is enough to make Shakara wearable for me, but my favorite combination is pairing it with a lipliner and gloss. Petty Betty isn’t the kind of pink I normally gravitate towards, but it pairs well with Shakara and is still nice on its own.
Juvia’s Place Eyeshadows
I used to have the Saharan palette, but I gave it to my sister. I even gave my unused/unswatched Tribe palette to her because I was uninspired by the color story after seeing it in person. It wasn’t until I watched LonDen Makeup Artistry’s video that I suddenly felt the urge to give it a chance and repurchased it. I’m so glad I did!
The only eyeshadow palette I haven’t depotted yet is The Chocolates, but I intend to soon.
Juvia’s Place currently has 11 mini six pan palettes. Other than the Mariposa collab, the minis don’t have shade names. Whenever I’m referencing them, I refer to them from left to right by row. I’m missing shade number 6 from the Violets palette. It broke when I was depotting it and I wasn’t interested in that color enough to try and salvage it.
The shade names in green are from the Tribe palette, which has been discontinued. Blue is for the Magic palette, Purple for Masquerade, and lilac purple for the Violets.
What I like most about Juvia’s Place eyeshadows is the level of pigmentation. I never have to worry about shades not showing up on me. They also last a long time without fading. The mattes and shimmers are equally easy to work with. There are frequent 30-40% off sales on their website, and even periodically at Ulta, so you can always snag their products at a discount. So far, Wahala and Wahala 2 are the exceptions to the discounts. They’re already a great price. The only reason I haven’t purchased them is, once again, due to the color stories. Another deterrent is that Juvia’s Place has been putting a lot of pressed glitters in their palettes this year, which I try to avoid.
Blushes
When I said Vivid Azalea from Wayne Goss was the most pigmented blush I’ve ever come across, I completely forgot about my Juvia’s Place Blush palettes. When I saw these in person, I realized right away that they were not going to work for me. Both palettes have the most unique blush shades I’ve seen, which is a great thing in terms of bringing something different to the makeup world. However, this does make them less wearable to the average consumer, as only a few of these will look natural and on someone and not everyone is into wearing avant-garde blush looks for the remaining shades that are too bright, light, dark, or too different of a tone to give a natural flush.
The Saharan Blush Palette Volume 1
When I realized these blushes were a bit too out there for me, I utilized the palette by scraping some of the powder out and combining them with other brands’ blushes to create custom blush shades for myself. I intended to get more use out of these by using them as eyeshadows and depotting them into my magnetic palette with Juvia’s Place shadows, but I typically break every pressed matte shade from Juvia. That’s the only reason I haven’t done so already. I can always press them back, but I’ve contemplated whether it’s worth the hassle.
Abywas clearly far too dark for me, so the best use I’ve found for that shade was as a contouring-blush. I used a fluffy blending eyeshadow brush to slowly and lightly build the color into the hollows of my cheeks.
Neo is the most “natural” shade for me in this palette, though I’ve struggled to use a light enough hand to apply that shade in a way that I would feel comfortable wearing it. In the second photo above, I applied with a light hand but it was still incredibly pigmented. In the third photo, I used a Makeup Eraser cloth to remove some of the color in order to tone it down a bit.
Lila and Zara look very similar in the pan, but Lila has much smaller shimmer particles, so it looks less glowy and a little more subtle.
Zane was the most difficult to apply to the cheek without looking patchy. I kept over applying in the process of trying to get it to look smooth.
Toby was the easiest to apply evenly. However, I’m not a fan of this color blush on me.
The Saharan Blush Palette Volume 2
I bought the Saharan 1 on August 2019, and even though those shades were not what I expected, I still bought the Saharan 2 in December 2019 because I was hopeful that this palette would suit me better. In some ways it does, because I prefer a blush that’s too light over a blush that’s too dark on me. However, these are cooler-toned blushes. Warmer tones look better on me. There’s also the issue of Yara being invisible on my skin.
Tau is the most natural-looking blush of the bunch on me. I tried to apply a subtle amount like I did with all the other blushes, but I could have built up this shade more heavily. It’s very unique for orange, as orange is typically warm, but this one is muted as though it has a cool pinkish undertone to it.
I was happiest with the way Bee and Sola looked on me, as I prefer to wear standard blush colors on my cheeks. I expect a shade like Bee to be too light for me, but because it is so pigmented, it definitely shows on my skin tone and without a grey cast! Unlike Zara and Lila from the previous palette, which I would never use as blush or blush toppers (just highlighter), Sola works as a highlighter, blush, and blush topper. The only potential issue is that it takes some blending when using Sola as a blush because the shimmer doesn’t spread evenly. It’s as if the shimmer is still moveable on the skin but the base pigment stays in place.
I’ve used these blushes as eyeshadows. The mattes are heavily pigmented for blushes, but they need a little building up on the eyes for full pigmentation. This does make for easy blending though. The shimmers in this formula are a slightly thinner version of the regular eyeshadow shimmer formula. They don’t require glitter glue or wetting them, but those methods can be used to intensify them. In the eye looks below, I only used MAC Paint Pot.
Juvia’s Place consistently has great quality products at affordable prices. I do recommend giving them a try!
I already posted about the Fenty Sun Stalk’r Bronzer here and the Cream Blushes here, but these are additional photos of those products. Mocha Mami is in the first picture alone and in the second photo is a lightly applied mixture of Strawberry Drip and Rose Latte along with Mocha Mami. I’m a fan of all three products.
Today, I will be focusing on the other Fenty Products in my collection!
Fenty Glow – (shimmering rose nude) I have this shade in the full size. During the initial launch, the gloss bombs were, and I believe still are, very hyped up. Fenty Glow is specifically marketed as a universally flattering shade. I do love the way it looks on me! The gloss bombs are thick without being goopy. It’s the kind of formula that clings to the lips and will last longer than thinner gloss formulas. If your hair gets in your face, it will stick to the gloss, but when I open and close my mouth, I don’t get that sensation of my lips getting stuck the way some sticky glosses can. The sparkles in this are nice and fine. All three of my gloss bombs have a sweet fruity scent.
Cheeky – (shimmering bright red-orange) I have this in the mini size from the mini gloss bomb set that was released for Holiday 2019. I wanted Cheeky and Hot Chocolit the most, so I gifted the other three shades. Cheeky is available in the full size exclusively on the Fenty website.
Hot Chocolit – (shimmering rich brown) I expected to love this shade the most, but it’s my least favorite of the three. I tend to only wear it on top of another lip product that is too light of a shade in order to deepen it up. Hot Chocolit has bright red glitter, which is pretty in the tube, but I don’t like it on my lips. Also, the glitter particles in Cheeky and Hot Chocolit are larger and more noticeable on the lips, which is not my preference.
I wish there was a bit more color pigment to Cheeky and Hot Chocolit. I was tempted to get this year’s mini set, but because the shade differences are so subtle on my lips, I don’t think it’s worth getting more when the current ones I have will suffice. Tower 28 glosses have now reached the hype of the gloss bombs, so I’m more likely to try those in the future than get the new gloss bomb mini set. The gloss bombs are still my favorite glosses in my collection and my overall favorite Fenty Beauty product.
Griselda – (bold burgundy) I have this Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in a trial size. It had the Fenty logo on the bullet, but I cut off part of it to be used in some DIY lip projects of mine. It’s such a beautiful color, and although mine is getting old and the consistency isn’t quite the same, I remember enjoying how smooth it was and thinking that if I wore lipsticks more often, this is one of the shades I would get for some gorgeous vampy looks. I tend to prefer this kind of purple with a red tone over more blue toned purple shades.
Match Stix Matte Contour and Shimmer Skinsticks
Espresso – (contour for medium deep skin tones, cool undertone) This was my favorite contour product in 2019. It’s creamy and blends out nicely. Even though it’s described as cool, it pulls a little warm on my nose which is why I only used this for contouring other areas of my face.
Caviar – (contour for deep skin tones, cool undertone) this is one of the two deeper shades that were introduced to the line in 2020. I bought this because I wanted something cooler-toned, but I underestimated how rich of a color it is. Contour products are ideally only a few shades darker, so this one is too intense on my complexion. It’s not that I can’t wear it at all, but it takes a lot of extra time to sheer and blend it out so it won’t look too harsh on me.
In the photo on the left, I’m wearing Espresso. I’m wearing Caviar in the middle picture and in the last one I have the two shades blended together. I still like this product, but love the Uoma Beauty Double Take Sculpt + Strobe Duo Stick even more. #3 Bronze Venus is a better shade match for me and the formula is creamier, which makes it easier to blend. Bronze Venus is neutral-warm for a contour but it’s deep enough to still have a chiseling effect, even without having enough grey to create an actual shadow effect.
With the contour sticks, I typically draw a line and blend it out with a dense synthetic brush or the mini Tati Blendiful. Occasionally, I blend with a damp sponge, which leads to gorgeous results but I’ve never gotten into the habit of using a sponge consistently.
Blonde – (glimmering gold) I’ve only used this twice and never in public. I like some strong yellow-based highlighters, like Becca’s Champagne Gold, but this one I feel stands out in an unflattering way on my skin tone. It also has very noticeable glitter up close.
Rum – (gilded bronze) This is my favorite of the three because it blends in well with my skin tone and is a traditional highlighter shade. Because it matches so well, the glitter is less noticeable. It just has the appearance of a shimmery sheen. Unlike the contour sticks, I prefer to apply the shimmer sticks to my face by rubbing some of the product onto my fingers and dabbing it onto my skin. I think it looks more seamless when I use a sponge, but I dab the product onto my cheeks first with my finger, just to place it, and then blend with the sponge. When I rubbed the sticks directly onto the sponge and then blended it onto my face, I felt that I ended up with a thicker area of highlighter than I normally would have. I was also unsuccessful in being able to completely remove the stain from Chili Mango off my sponge.
Chili Mango – (sun-kissed orange sheen) I bought this during my search for the best traditional orange shade of blush. I don’t really like how it looks as a blush on me (more sheen than base color), but I do like it as a highlighter.
I have to admit that although these are three very distinct shades, the differences aren’t as pronounced on the cheeks. I always knew this was the case logically, but as I’ve taken a closer look at all the highlighters in my collection (especially Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors which I have plans to blog about in December), it has finally begun to sink in that most highlighters will look the same. Variety is extremely limited in terms of color and being able to identify what brand or shade a highlighter is by the way it looks on the face.
Killawatt Freestyle Highlighters
Trophy Wife – (3D hyper-metallic gold) Sometimes I want things because they are pretty, even though I know full well the product isn’t something I would actually like to use. This highlighter is the perfect example of that because it is the epitome of glittery. It’s an intensely more sparkly version of the Blonde Match Stix.
I wouldn’t wear this as a highlighter, but it makes for a beautiful eyeshadow.
I wear it dry over Nyx Glitter primer and the glitter remains textured but highly reflective. If I use a damp brush, Trophy Wife turns a lighter and brighter yellow but smooths out and looks more metallic. I wore it dry on one eye and wet on the other, and was surprised to discover the difference was immediately recognizable in a video chat. It looked like I used two different yellow eyeshadows. Even my boyfriend (who I was in the chat with) noticed!
Mimosa Sunrise (metallic tangerine) / Sangria Sunset (metallic magenta) – This is from the Foil version of the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighters. It’s not glittery the way Trophy Wife is; it has more of a satin texture. I bought this for the orange shade when I was looking for that perfect orange blush.
I think they’re pretty, but I don’t like them on my cheeks. They’re too dark for highlighters but I can use them as eyeshadows and they are stunning together! They’re actually not the most opaque. They give a wash of color but I can see my skin underneath unless I build up a few layers. To use them as eyeshadow, I recommend dampening the brush. Since this is specifically in the Foil line, the name suggests that using the wet brush to foil it is expected of the product.
Snap Shadows Mix & Match Eyeshadow Palettes
6 Smoky – I love the concept of these palettes with their convenient packaging, but the eyeshadows are lacking for me. The pigmentation level is okay, but the tones are so soft and subdued, which is just not my preference. The difference between Tan Lines and Chestnutz is so minimal on the eye that I don’t recommend bothering to use both at the same time. Also, despite these having warm sounding names, those two shades are way cooler toned grey instead of brown. Patti Cakez was less purple than I wanted and had more of a brown maroon tone. The mattes overall are okay and blend fine, but if I use glitter glue to get the shimmer shades to show up a little better on the lid or try to foil it, it changes the ability for That Deep to build on top of the shadows. To avoid this, I apply That Deep first but if I accidentally cover too much with the lid shade, it’s very difficult to build That Deep back up. The other mattes have the same issue, but since I only use them in the crease, I’m less likely to get my lid shade on them. Second Date is the only shadow that exceeded my expectations. It’s like a sequin shade done right. It feels dry like a matte but there’s so much glitter in it that it looks like an actual shimmer shade on the lid without any sparse areas. The downside to this shadow, at least for some people, is that it’s made with the plastic-type of glitter (Polyethylene terephthalate) and not synthetic fluorphlogopite or other plastic alternative glitters.
Swatches were applied over Nyx Glitter Primer.
8 Pastel Frost – In bare skin swatches, the shimmers are lackluster, and using MAC Paint Pot does nothing to improve the way they look. I used glitter primer to get them to show their maximum potential in these swatches.
Swatches were applied over Nyx Glitter Primer.
Using the two blues next to each other looks like the same shade, except that Durty Denim is more reflective/sparkly. I have some eyeshadow looks coming up which demonstrates this issue. Lei’d Up and Mula-La also look too similar on the eyes, as well as Ice Cream Kisses and Lady Pimp. If these colors weren’t so soft, perhaps this wouldn’t be as much of a problem. Another thing that bothers me about the shimmers is that although I enjoy eyeshadows with dimethicone or other silicone derived ingredients which give it some slip, since I have to use glitter glue, the two products combined actually become too slippery. If I manipulate the shadow too much, it moves and I end up having to apply layer upon layer of eyeshadow to make it opaque. I even tried this over the Anastasia Beverly Hills primer, which typically works very well to make pastel shades show up better. This works with a very thin layer and just patting it on instead of blending (plus you have to apply it wet). However, I learned that applying too much ABH primer just makes these Fenty shadows turn even lighter and harder to see.
Being softer colors isn’t inherently bad, but it drives me nuts that unlike other brands of eyeshadows, trying to intensify them via glitter primer and wetting my brush only has a minor impact. It’s only slightly more improved. I also don’t like the fact that trying to make the shimmers pop prevents me from being able to easily go over those shades again with mattes.
I’ve heard that the new palette additions 9 and 10 are a bit better quality, though they still have shades too close to each other. When you only have 6 eyeshadows in your palette, you don’t want interchangeable shades. It’s not just me that doesn’t like the Fenty Snap Shadows. I tried selling both these palettes at a combined $25 price with free shipping included. I had this deal for 4-6 months and no one wanted it, even at 50% off. It’s one of the only makeup products I’ve been unable to sell on Mercari, even in used condition and even during the pandemic. Softer colors are not my preference, but even that aside, I don’t believe these palettes are worth $25 each. I recommend the $3 ELF quads over Fenty Snap Shadows.
Additional Notes
Fenty launched with foundations, but I don’t own any. According to Sephora’s shade matching Color IQ system, 420 is my shade. However, it was slightly too dark and too orange on me when I tried it in-store. 400 and 410 were still too orange or red, despite them being listed as my undertone. 390 was my closest match, but the matte formula was too drying on my skin. I was very excited when Fenty released their hydrating formula, but when I tried the shades in store again, I ran into a similar shade matching issue and for some reason 390 was more on the pink side than the matte formula. The hydrating foundation still wasn’t hydrating enough and emphasized texture on my face, so I gave up trying.
Although I didn’t have success with the foundation, the product this brand has been highly praised for and made a huge impact on the cosmetics industry, I’m glad I’ve been able to find other products from Fenty that I love. Even when certain products aren’t made for me, I’m always excited to hear about the new launches from this brand.
When Rare Beauty first launched, I couldn’t decide between Joy and Love blush shades and I didn’t want to have so many cream and liquid products all being opened at once. So, I held off buying them and I’m glad I did because this 4 piece set is perfect for me! At these sizes, I don’t feel as guilty about how often I’d get the chance to use them. Plus they’re in the shades I wanted, so I didn’t have to choose one over the other!
When the holiday sets launched, I noticed a discrepancy in the descriptions on Sephora’s website.
In the “What Else You Need to Know” section, one blush is listed as Bliss, but in the “This Set Contains” portion, the blush is listed as Love. Those are two very different shades and was the determining factor for whether I was going to make my purchase or not. When I checked the official Rare Beauty website, that particular set only had Bliss and Joy listed, yet it was clear to see in the product photos that neither blush was light enough to be the Bliss shade. I figured since Rare Beauty was most likely to have the answer, I contacted their customer service phone number and the person I spoke with was very surprised by this. She thanked me profusely for letting them know, took my information, and said she would get back to me with the correct shades as soon as possible. True to her word, I did get an email a few hours later letting me know the blush shades were indeed Joy and Love. She gave me a free shipping code as a thank you, but I purchased the set via Sephora since I already get free shipping and had a Friends and Family sale code to use.
During that sale, I also purchased the Liquid Touch Concealer Brush, which I will talk about now before we move to the set.
The bristles are soft and densely packed. The unique shape and design of the brush allow me to really get into the contours of my face. Although synthetic bristles aren’t supposed to absorb product, I still find myself using more concealer than usual, but the trade-off is worth it considering how quickly I finish applying and blending. When the brush is freshly washed, it glides effortlessly under my eyes and in the corners between my eyes and nose.
After a few uses when there is a little more product buildup on the brush, it doesn’t glide as smoothly, so I switch to a tapping motion to apply my concealer, which works just as well! I thought that because the head size is very large for a concealer brush that it would be too big to apply product precisely, but the head and ferrule shape causes it to squish into the contours of my face. The large surface area also ensures the application process goes quickly. At the $12 discounted sale price, I am quite happy with this purchase! I’ve only washed the brush twice so far, so I don’t have any news to report on the longevity of the brush. Perhaps in a year I will update this post if there is anything to report about how it has held up so far, considering this is now my new favorite concealer brush and I foresee myself using it at least 4 times a week.
Joy on the cheeks and Support on the lips.
Joy is one of the four dewy blushes currently in the line. In the swatch photo, I had Joy on my arm for about five minutes and it remained wet looking. Essentially, the more product that’s packed on, the dewier it will look. Realistically, you wouldn’t apply that much product in one spot onto the cheeks. So, it ends up more matte than one would expect.
Something about this shade appeals to me so much! Despite being such a bright coral shade, I was surprised to see how wearable it is when used sparingly. These liquid blushes are extremely pigmented. A single drop could be the difference between looking flushed and looking clownish.
Both blushes are long-wearing (I stopped testing after 8 hours). Neither moved my foundation underneath. I could still blend them out after leaving them untouched on my cheek for a minute, though I would recommend working one cheek at a time. They do set to the point of being dry to the touch and no product transferred onto my finger or when I pressed a napkin to my face. Using my finger is my preferred application method, but using a brush or sponge works just as well to create a non-streaky perfectly blended look. A brush will give the most color payoff though, not that it’s necessary considering the amount of pigment these already have.
Love on the cheeks and Support on the lips.
The shade Love is also very beautiful and is one of the four blushes in the matte formula. You can tell Love and Joy are completely different shades in swatches, but once blended on the cheeks, Joy just looks like a lighter and slightly brighter version of Love. This is the case in both photos and in person and it might have to do with being warm-toned shades on my warm tone complexion.
In the left photo, I was slightly closer to my light source than the photo on the right, which accounts for the skin tone differences. Thankfully, the photo on the right is still consistent with the other two blush photos above.
I thought it would be fun to see how Joy and Love look together. In an effort to apply the same amount of product, I used 4 dots instead of my usual 3, which was blush overkill. So, I used what was left of my foundation on my Blendiful and patted that on top of the blushes to tone it down a little. I really liked the end result! It created a nice in-between shade that looked fully matte.
Support is surprisingly pigmented for a “balm.” It’s almost enough to fully cover the dark pigmented patches on my lower lip! It’s more like a sheer lipstick, as the first thought that came to my mind was how similar it felt to Urban Decay’s Vice sheer lipsticks. It’s comfortable on the lips, and although super creamy, it’s not emollient enough to give me that true balm feeling. Regardless of what it is by definition, I love it and will continue to use it! It’s so natural looking on me, which is definitely my preference with lip colors! There is only about half an inch of product in this mini, so when I run out, I might actually buy the full size. It has been a long time since I’ve been excited by a lip product, but this one managed to impress me!
Edit: I forgot to mention this has a scent, but I can’t pinpoint what it smells like. It’s not the same as the lip cream. It’s a mix of sweet and floral. I don’t smell it once the product is on my lips but I don’t know if the fragrance is stronger in the full size.
The lip cream is indeed creamy and comfortable to wear. Although Transform is supposed to be a matte shade, it stays dewy looking if too much product is applied. And if you want it to be more opaque, multiple layers are required. After removing the excess product, it still doesn’t dry down to the point of being transfer-proof. It will remain creamy and transferable on the lips. The flat paddle applicator was also too difficult for me to get to the inner corners of my mouth precisely, so I had to switch to a lip pencil brush. If you like lip creams, you will probably like this product. However, I’m extremely picky about red lippies and although it’s a pretty color, I don’t like it on myself. So, I will not get use out of this product. Even if this was a more natural shade, the balm texture is more of my preference than the lip cream. This has a scent that reminds me of cocoa butter.
Overall, I’m very happy with this purchase! It’s exciting to find a set where all 4 shades are wearable on me and to love 3 of the 4 products. This brand has exceeded my expectations, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else they have in store for us!
Since the end of 2019 until the time of me starting to work on this post, the collections from Colourpop haven’t been dark-skin friendly (or at least the items I’ve wanted haven’t been). Today, I’ll be discussing the bits and pieces from different collections I have purchased that work for me, to an extent.
GARDEN VARIETYCOLLECTION
Garden Variety Palette
The design of this collection is so beautiful! Colourpop really excels at that. The succulents and lettering on the cover of the eyeshadow palette (and even the carton) are raised! I love the packaging and don’t see myself ever getting rid of it, even though I am not a fan of the shadows inside.
The color story is what I expected from the product photos. However, I made the mistake of not recognizing Herbivore, Over the Bloom, Succa 4 U, and Clay Day are a sequin formula, which I despise. It’s unfortunate because I love the base matte color of those shades. I just cannot stand the random “pearl” glitter specks embedded in the shadows.
The shade “Don’t Leaf” is a supershock formula. This was my first time experiencing a supershock shadow in a palette, so that was fun! This particular shade doesn’t make much of an impact on my lids though.
Although I knew the palette would lean on the light color spectrum, I figured I would be able to use them anyway due to Colourpop’s usual pigmentation level. However, these are not as pigmented as I’m used to and I find the shimmer quality to be lackluster compared to my other Colourpop shadows, even the oldest ones. The mattes are better, but they don’t deepen up the look as much as I need in my eyeshadow looks.
From my disappointment, inspiration struck! I decided to swap out most of the shades in this palette for similar, yet better performing Colourpop shadows. I am much happier with the selection I chose!
Whole Nine Yards Blush
I purchased the darkest shade of the four blushes in the Garden Variety palette. It looks extremely subtle on camera, but it shows enough in person that I can use it. I appreciate that despite being so light, it doesn’t have a grey tone or leave a cast on me. I do wish this was matte. It’s a “warm pinky terracotta with gold pearl,” and the gold specks are larger than I’d like in a blush. I prefer smaller refined pearl pigments like the kind in MAC blushes, but I’m glad Colourpop chose gold rather than silver glitter for this blush. Also, Whole Nine Yards is similar to a sequin eyeshadow in the sense that it is primarily matte when applied to the skin, as most of the glitter gets brushed away when blended. So, it isn’t enough to make me stop using it. It just isn’t going to be the first blush I reach for. Plus, I like being able to see the beautiful flower imprint in the powder. That kind of thing gets me every time!
Whole Nine Yards on the cheek with no highlighter, bronzer, or contour. Just the blush over Nars Sheer Glow.
She Grown Pink Jelly Much Eyeshadow
This “warm peachy pink with a gold shift” eyeshadow is stunning! On the innermost part of my arm, which is lighter than my eyelid, you can see the pink tones a lot better. In direct sunlight, it looks even darker pink than in swatches, but on my eye, the peach and gold overtake the look. I still love the way it looks. It takes a little finesse to smooth out the shadow in a nice even layer of product, but the effect is worth it.
The left column shows what it looks like upon initial application. The right column shows how it looks 8 hours later.
I noticed it first started to break apart around the six hour mark, so I would only use this if I was making a quick trip out or didn’t plan to stay long at an event. Of all the products mentioned today, I’ve used this the least, so I don’t know if there are tricks to make it last longer. I will continue experimenting to find out, but I’m happy with this item as it is.
There are three other Jelly Much shades in this collection, but She Grown was the most unique to me.
SAILOR MOONCOLLECTION
Moon Tiara Ultra Glossy Lip
I purchased the Daylight kit, which included Moon Tiara and Usagi. The Moonlight kit has cooler-toned versions of these shades. Moon Tiara is described as a “Yellow Orange with Gold and Pink Pinpoints.” I was worried this would look milky, but thankfully it does not. I still wouldn’t wear this on its own, but I enjoy how it looks over more pigmented lippies.
The formula is a bit sticky and has a pleasant sweet smell. The brush tip applicator was so stiff that I thought it was a solid bit of plastic until I used it enough times for the bristles to loosen up. I don’t mind that it’s not a doe foot, now that the brush tip is more flexible.
Usagi Ultra Blotted Lip
The designs on these lip products are so pretty! I rarely buy lip products because I’m mostly a balm or gloss kind of chica, but I couldn’t skip out on this packaging! Unlike the gloss, this has a doe-foot applicator. Usagi is a mid-tone pink, and I honestly didn’t expect to like this. I’m very picky about lip colors and this is almost too bright of a shade, but it’s right on the cusp. I could wear this on its own without feeling insecure, however, I prefer the way it looks with Moon Tiara on top.
This is my first experience with the Ultra Blotted Lip formula. It is intentionally sheer. To my knowledge, it was originally marketed with the popsicle lip trend in mind. Now, their selling point is that it’s a “buildable diffused matte.” Even though it dries matte, it feels comfortable on the lips.
It’s an interesting formula that I do like. One thing I learned is that if I accidentally touch my lip while it’s half dry, trying to cover the bald spot back causes an oddly noticeable demarcation between the newly covered spot and the surrounding area that overlapped with additional product. What you see in the image above of the blotted lip alone is the best I could do to cover the naturally darker spot on my lower lip. I have extremely dry lips that are difficult to care for without a consistent lip care routine. This blotted lip formula isn’t something I would use on its own if I haven’t created a completely smooth canvas that day. That’s why I like pairing it with the gloss because the shine distracts the eye from noticing color inconsistencies and hyperpigmentation.
Moon Prism Power Glitter Gel
This is pretty. This is also a jar of evil. I’ve complained in the past about my dislike of glitter, but using glittery eye shadows and highlighters this year made me start to like them a little more. However, using this product three times now reminded me why I used to HATE glitter. When I think it’s all off my face, I find more.
I bought this with the intent of using exclusively the larger crescent moon and star shapes. I thought I would be able to separate them from the jar easily. My assumption proved incorrect. This would be fine if I could successfully remove the glitter from my face without finding little specks everywhere for the rest of the day and even the next, despite multiple face scrubbings and showers.
In the photo below, I kept the glitter to the outer corner of my eye. I didn’t want to take a chance putting it anywhere closer to my eyeball since I am a contact lens wearer and the glitters are not eye-safe. By the time I finished taking pictures, the glitter somehow moved to the inner corner of my eye, my cheek, my chin, etc. I will continue to use this in the future, but on very special occasions or special eye looks. This is just my personal issue. This isn’t a bad product. If you like glitter, you will probably enjoy this.
Cat’s Eye Blush
Right away, I have to talk about how cool the packaging design for this blush is! I don’t recall what this type of image effect is called, but it shows three different images when you turn it at different angles. It’s so fun! And the imprint of Luna in the powder is ridiculously cute! I bought both shades, but From the Moon looked too light for me, so I sold it. It’s unfortunate because that shade was matte and I generally prefer a matte blush. Cat’s Eye is a, “pearlized rosey pink with silver pinpoints.” The color is warm, which I like, but the silver glitter isn’t as flattering. I don’t mind because I just wanted this for collector purposes anyway. I have enough blushes that I won’t miss using this if it’s strictly for display only.
Cat’s Eye on the cheek.
MULAN
Gold Lip Mask
The multicolored pattern on the jar is a reflection of the shirt I was wearing when I took the photo. It’s actually a beautiful mirrored gold shade. The mask itself looks pretty in the jar and goes on the lips clear with fine gold sparkles. It does not have a scent. Even though the consistency is thicker than the Moon Tiara gloss, it’s less sticky and feels lighter on the lips. I use this like I would any other balm by wearing it alone.
Jasmine Face Milk
I was initially annoyed that I couldn’t get the lip mask without buying it in the set with this, but I’m glad I finally tried the face milk formula! It’s lightweight and feels hydrating on the skin. The jasmine scent is mild, which I’m glad about. I don’t enjoy heavily scented skincare. I liked this product so much that I bought a different full-size face milk!
CUSTOM PALETTE AND FINAL THOUGHTS
Aside from my Kathleen Lights x Colourpop So Jaded palette and the Garden Variety palettes which are currently holding eyeshadows in the color stories of my choosing, I put all my depotted and single Colourpop shadows in one gigantic magnetic palette. The depotted palettes are: Semi-Precious, Element of Surprise, All I See Is Magic, It’s My Pleasure, Lilac You A lot, Blowin’ Smoke, Blue Moon, Just My Luck, and Uh-huh Honey. The unused shades from the So Jaded and Garden Variety palettes are here as well.
My reimagined So Jaded palette.
I respect Colourpop for staying with the trends and for their business savvy, marketing, and ingenuity. However, my last few purchases have been purely for packaging. I want to keep my collection manageable and buy things I will actually use. Colourpop has made it a bit easy to stay away while they aren’t making things brown-skin friendly. However, I am actively going to try and limit my purchases from them, as I’ve never been blown away by Colourpop’s quality. It’s okay or good most of the time, but I have too many products from other brands of excellent quality to want to settle for just “okay.”
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