What I Wore on my Face Today

I keep drafting face of the days, and then deciding not to post them. I think some of the reluctance comes from the fact that I was not able to take pictures of my actual look after a full day of work. To remedy this, I am providing pictures of the products, so that I can actually discuss the panning being done on the product as well.

I really have been liking my looks this week. Today I was pressed for time so I opted for a one shadow look, no concealer, and bronzer and contour. That did shave a bit of time off of my routine.

Here are the products (excluding eyeliner and mascara) that I used on my face:

I did't photograph my face and eyeprimers, either. Face was Cerave AM w/ SPF, and eye was Wet 'n Wild. 

Let's go left to right. Left is a picture of the blush palette I use. The two blushes I've been mixing are the two brown ones: MUG Puppy Love and Pixi Beach Rose. 

Then, we've got stick foundation from Golden Rose. I am such a fan of this! There's been a slight learning curve, as this high coverage foundation is very pigmented, so I actually can use a light hand with this, making my makeup routine even easier. 

The three eyeshadow singles are Brulee by Wet 'n Wild, Painterly by MAC, and Rose Gold by Ardency Inn. I set the eye primer with Brulee, then used painterly on my lid, and then used Rose Gold on top of Painterly. Love the look. 

Highlighter was Lilac Geode, and I set certain trouble spots with Innisfree No Sebum powder. 

I would say it is quite obvious that Lilac Geode and Rose Gold get a lot of love. 

Swatches of the foundation are below. I think it's a pretty good color match on my face, especially when blended. 

So that's it! I only wish I remembered to spray my face with Setting Spray, because I did feel like I got a little oily, but not too bad, by the end of the day. 

Beauty Blogger Pet Peeves

Beginning this post, I realized how often I want to preface these things with updates about the weather. It's completely mundane, somewhat irrelevant, and yet I find it important enough to discuss. Whatever. Did you know it's going to warm up later in the week, if you leave on the East Coast?

I wanted this to be a relaxing round of Pet Peeves. This is not an "Unpopular Opinions" post, nor self-aggrandizement in any way. Just a commentary on certain trends that I don't find to be helpful.

1.) Creative liberty with the term "drugstore." I've definitely talked about it on my blog before, but this tendency to equate "affordable" with "drugstore" is so misleading and annoying. Let me get this out of the way. Colourpop is not drugstore. An American buying Makeup Revolution from Ulta is not drugstore. Hush is not drugstore. This all has to do with accessibility. The drugstore was, and still is, a place where many can buy affordable make up. We know what the drugstore brands are. We do not have to pay shipping costs for them. I make a point of not conflating the two because no, Colourpop is not accessible in the same ways Covergirl is, so we need to stop pretending that is the case.

If I am going to be really salty, I think some bloggers do this to appear to be open in terms of using all price points. But there is still a stigma with drugstore products and brands, that definitely comes across as classist at times. And to suggest that Colourpop has the same "drugstore" connotations as a brand as Revlon is very unrealistic.

2.) Another pet peeve is a type of swatching people do. Now, I do a little of both finger swatches and brush swatches on this blog- whatever suits my fancy. But there is nothing as quite as disappointing as when a blogger offers as their swatches the product on the tips of their fingers. What purpose does that serve? We can see the color, but not the texture or finish. Ultimately, it feels really very lazy.

3.) Presenting only one kind of technique. This really depends on the skill level of the blogger, because maybe they only know one technique, or only care to know one technique. But then again, there's good technique and bad technique, which may work out differently for different people. I just don't like when one kind of style or technique becomes the only one to do.

For example, I cannot stand a shimmery color on my brow bone. I think it's gross. I've got hair there, mingling with a frosted shadow- and in a lot of videos I've seen, that bit of skin always comes out looking textured. I find it not that great of a technique- but so many people do it!

Another one is this thing about setting eyeshadow primer. Don't get me wrong, I do this. I prime my lids, and then set my brow bone and crease with a light powder. If I am wearing shimmer, I leave the lid alone so the shimmer will stick to the primer.

However, let's say you want your crease color to deepen a bit. You don't have to set your lid with a powder! It all depends on the effect you want!

4.) Selectivity in advocacy. This has come up time and time again, especially in the wake of the Tarte scandal. People continuing to use Tarte, people promoting brands with just as limited shade ranges, bloggers and racial slurs. I think so many people are worried about self-promotion and controlling a narrative they don't have control over. But for me, it just makes it easier to avoid giving my time and money to trash. #wayharsh

I think that's enough for now. Any pet peeves that I missed?

Faves for February- March (+1 fail)

My faves continue to be a repetitive, because I keep purchasing what I like. Still, there have been some new items that I've really been enjoying.

My faves for the months of February and March are:

Maybelline Total Temptation Mascara: Yes, part of the reason I love it is because of its scent. It's got a lotion-y smell which I love, but don't necessarily smell coconut (as advertised). Still, it does an excellent job of adding color and definition, and some length, to my lashes, especially when they are being quite chaotic.

Aden + Anais Ultra-Gentle Lotion: I am in love with this lotion. It is exactly as advertised- gentle, with the softest, most neutral scent. It makes me think of clean warm blankets. It absorbs quickly and keeps my hands and legs soft. I bought this at TJ Maxx, but I most certainly will repurchase.

Wet 'n Wild Natural Finish Setting Spray: This is my third time buying this, but before it was just the one kind of setting spray. They now have Matte and Natural. This is identical to the original, just with a more aggressive sprayer. I need to hold this pretty far from my face so my face does not end up soaked. Still, it is my favorite formula of setting spray.

The Too Faced Peanut Butter & Jelly Palette: I actually found one for $16, and I could not help myself. I love everything about this. I know Too Faced is accused of pandering to people, and yes, I am a total sucker for cute. But I also love and look best in rust and orange tones, so I am not mad at it.

Golden Rose Stick Foundation in the Shade # 01. This was a blind buy. I was really interested in stick foundation, and the ratings for this were rather high. So I got it. It is very creamy, but it is a great match and only a little is needed.

Jordana Sculpt N' Go Creamy Contour Stick in the Shade #01. I've been using this in conjunction with the cream foundation, as a bronzer, even though it is advertised as contour. I don't care. I like it a lot, and when I use it I feel like an instagram tutorial person.

Becca Lilac Geode Shimmering Skin Perfector. If there was one item in my entire stash that I would consider to be "my precioussss" this is it. I know I am going to pan it and use it up eventually but I don't care. It is so gorgeous and makes me look so naturally glowy I love it.

Sonia Kashuk Tools No. 1 Brush: This is the only brush I use for highlighting. It's very fluffy, but the ends of the bristles taper off to a point, so it is very easy to sweep this across the face and get a natural finish.

Elf x Christian Siriano Lip Oil in Pink: I know I did not mention this one before. His collection just dropped at Target, and I knew I wanted to get something from it, but I found the palettes a bit pricey, and definitely not up my alley. I opted to buy a lip oil, as I have never used one before. It's just sheer enough to cool down the color of my lips, and does moisturize. I quite like it.

One fail, which is not really so much a fail, is the elf Brow Pencil in Neutral Brown. The actual product is not too bad. I can't really load up my brows too much with color, because they are dark already. I just add a bit of color to the ends of them, to shape them. I didn't like this so much because of the spoolie- it is far too large and its bristles are far too soft for my liking.

So, that's it! In other news, Urban Decay has just released it's Bleached...I mean Beached palette, so you know I will be very excited to roast this!

There Are Only Three Things I Would Get During Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty

Only three. 

1.) Stila Liquid Eyeliner , $11 (3/24)

2.) ABH Brow Wiz, $11 (3/31)

3.) Mac Fix Plus, $13 (4/7)

See, these are indisputable classics that are not gimmicky and are pretty functional (I mean, for makeup). The only reason, besides them selling out, that I would not try to get 1 and 2 is because a.) I already have a brand-new, unopened backup of my Physician's Formula liner, and b.) Shop Miss A has some brow products that look like ABH's and are really well-reviewed. And they cost $1.00....so. Something I need to look into.

Which really leaves the Mac Fix Plus as something I am very interested in. I have a couple of facial sprays I have used in the past and am currently rotating through:

Used up:

Urban Decay All-Nighter, mini-sized (Wasn't that impressed)

Pixi Makeup Fixing Mist. (Liked, but at $15 a bit too pricey)

Too Faced Rx Setting Spray (this was the tiny sample bottle from Ipsy that had like two uses. Not enough for results).

Still working through:

BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Makeup Setting Spray

Flower Beauty Mattifying Spray

Hard Candy Mattifying Spray

Wet 'n Wild Natural Finish Setting Spray.

This is my third purchase of the WnW one, which is my favorite. I like the BH one because it is pretty refreshing, but can make my face sticky. I haven't been in love with the matte sprays because it has been so cold where I live that I have not been dealing with much oiliness, so the finish on my makeup gets rather cakey when I use those sprays. 

So I don't know. I guess I am curious. I like the idea that I can buy a full-size of it, at a price that is comparable to all the other ones in my collection (except for WnW which is like $5.00. I wish they'd put more product in it for a slightly higher amount of $!)

We'll see what happens. Thanks for reading. :)

It's Time to Anti-Haul Again

Why? Because I've decreed it.

As per yoozsh, I've been squirreling away posts on products that I see on Instagram, until I've got enough to discuss.

We'll start with this new collab with Colourpop and a blogger I've never heard of. It's a summer/mermaid collection, comprised entirely of neutrals. There are two separate eyeshadow quads, one warm and one cool, which is smart, but I don't want this. It does not seem fun to me. Some pics are below:

So..summer?

Next is the $80 ofra All in One palette. Right off the bat, this claim is impossible. It's not going to be everyone's all in one. It appears to have three highlighters, including the one that looks like they already sell in a single, two bronzers, a contour, and some eyeshadows. Now, I have no desire to buy this because I have too much highlighter, I've got blush and contour. I'll concede that the eyeshadow colors are a lot of fun, especially compared to what else has come out so far. However, notice that the "fun" colors aren't mattes? I have a feeling that even though Ofra charges so much, it still has not worked out how to manufacture decent color mattes. Actually, this feeling can be corroborated by an excellent review on their last colorful large eyeshadow palette, by BelleBlushh, found here. Until Ofra can figure out matte eyeshadows, count me out.

Add caption

Moving on, the palette by Popsugar's (which is a brand of some sort allegedly) Beauty line looks super ridiculous and boring. It costs $42.  And I read they use the phrase "spirit animal" in their branding, so we're done. If you need a quick pic, here you go:

Who though this was a good idea???

I am also not going to buy the Staple Palette by Give Me Glow Cosmetics. Though Makeup Struggles did not like this when it first came out, the brand is saying the shadows are reformulated, and the swatches look pretty nice. The palette is a tad expensive for my liking, at $54. Though I do like the color scheme, I pretty much have this palette in my Queen of Hearts palette, my Zodiac Palette, and my Colourpop and Coastal Scents singles.

Let's end with a really difficult one for me. This one is the new stack by Melt, called Baby Girl. It is $58, comprised of reds and corals, and is inspired by Aaliyah. Now, this has been a really difficult palette to photograph, I think. All of the images I've seen online have this searing brightness to them. But if you get swatches of them in regular lighting, the palette looks pretty standard:

Actually, Kelly Gooch on youtube was anti-hauling these today, and mentioned that she has a Colourpop single called Making Moves that mimics the vivid pink-coral tones of this palette. I have this as well! I also have tons of oranges and some reds in my collection courtesy of a couple of palettes, including the Modern Renaissance, so no, I would not pay $58. Even if I did not have those colors, I would opt for more affordable options because I simply do not see the value. 

Speaking of value, I am not going to add pics of Pat McGrath's newest release of 6-pan palettes, because I shocked really at how boring they were. So yeah. Just saying. It's not, quite literally, for me. 

So, that's my little anti-haul! Thanks for reading. 

Dupe Alert? Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly and Milani Earthly Elements

Let's get this right out of the way, first: the Milani Earthly Elements (EE) palette contains no actual purple elements. So, it is not an exact dupe of the Too Faced Palette. However, certain shades are very, very similar, that one could replicate the same look.

The Too Faced PB & J palette is sold at full retail price for $32.00. However, many discount outlet stores are selling it for half price, which is $16.00, and which is the price that I paid.

The Milani Earthly Elements palette cost $11.00. So, in terms of the way I am going to evaluate it, the way I see it the Too Faced palette was only $5.00 more.

We'll go shade by shade. Only the Too Faced palette has shade names, and all Too Faced swatches will be on the left, with Milani on the right.

Soft & Sweet is a very light matte peach, with sparse bits of microgitter. It's "dupe" in the EE palette is a satin that is light peach as well, but pinker than the PB & J palette.

Peanut Butter is a light matte orange-brown. Its dupe in the Milani palette is more brown than orange, and less warm.

Peanut Butter Cup is a gorgeous mid-toned brown with golden shimmer and some sparkle. It's potential dupe is the next shade in the EE palette, which is cooler toned.

Peanut Brittle, the star of the palette, is a high-impact metallic copper. The closest in the EE palette is a shade very similar to the brown shimmer, just more red-toned. These are not close at all.

Nuts About U is a dark orange matte, very similar to Realgar from the MR palette. It's potential dupe in the EE palette is lighter and brighter.

Rich and Creamy is a pale golden shimmer, which I wish was a bit more pigmented. A potential dupe was scraped out by me ages ago- it appeared to be a champagne "shimmer," but really it was just pressed glitter that flew everywhere and had no pigment, so I exorcised it from the palette. Therefore, I don't have any comparison photos to show you.

Overall, I do see significant overlap with these two palettes, but not enough for me to think buying the PB & J palette was a waste. That palette has a matte cream, a dark shade, and greater variation in the shimmers. It also has that purple, which I don't seem to mind! The formula seems excellent as well. However, this exercise is also an illustration of the fact that Milani is an excellent brand as well, and there are some looks you could make with one palette that you could definitely make with the other.

I did notice that the Milani mattes, as nice as they are, needed to be built up a bit more, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Its shimmers definitely need to be applied with a finger and used with primer, which is not too much extra work.

Though I wouldn't say this palette as a whole is a dead-on dupe, I do think the Earthly Elements palette is a good buy for someone wanting to create trendy warm toned looks.

Thanks for reading!

March Haul (sort of)

Hello hello!

Today I thought I would do a quick run-down on little things I bought in the last couple of weeks that I plan to provide official reviews on the blog for. Not everything will get an official review, though.

I am calling this a haul but I did not buy this stuff all at once. Oh well.

I felt like I got a lot of skin care this month:

Cerave Lotion PM- As I said before, I really love this!

Soo'ae Avocado Jelly Mask- I bought this when my house lost power during the storm and my family and I stayed a night in a hotel. I didn't bring all my stuff with me, and wanted to get a face mask at Walmart. I've only used this twice, but this reminds me so much of Nickelodeon Slime (tm). It is very heavily fragranced, which concerns me, but the smell is not bad.

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Sleeping Mask- I forget which blogger recommended this, but this damn thing was thirty dollars. I mean. It is very cooling on the skin, and my skin does feel soothed and smoother. It feels like a very Grown Up product, with heavy green glass packaging and everything, but it has the consistency of a very gelatinous pudding. I like it, but I am not going to provide an in-depth review because I don't have the documentation to provide any claims about skin care like this.

St. Ives Cleansing Stick in Cactus Water and Hibiscus- When they announced these a couple of months back, I was excited, thinking it would be more like a balm that I could apply to my face and then rinse off. It turns out, it does not make the cleansing process any faster for me. You still need to wet your face, apply, scrub with your hands, and then rinse off. It is really no different than a standard cleanser, just in stick form. While the novelty and scent is fine, if you already have a tried and true cleanser, there really is no need to try this.

Makeup:

Please see pictures below!

I bought the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair, which is cooler toned. Even though I kept two Maybelline concealers already, I felt that the Better Skin and Age Rewind were better for my face and under-eye, not for spot concealing. I was, still am actually, dealing with a pretty bad hormonal blemish on my forehead, and needed something pigmented enough that would not budge if I set it with powder. The Fit Me Concealer did a great job with that.

Today the Golden Rose Stick Foundation, purchased from Amazon, in the shade 01, arrived in the mail. I have never tried a stick foundation before. It is a really good color match, and I do plan on giving a very in-depth review of this product, especially considering that one can purchase it for only $7.00. Prior to this, I had never heard of the brand before, but it seems to be well-reviewed (and I am talking honest reviews).

Finally, I am so excited that today I found, for $16, the Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly Palette. Even though the palette has been out for quite a while now, I think I can still add my commentary to the conversation because this is my blog and I feel like it. It is such just such an adorable palette and I've already started using it a bit, and I am impressed so far!

Swatches of the two face products. The Golden Rose foundation on top, and the Maybelline concealer on the bottom. 

Okay, thanks for reading. Buh-bye!!

Highlighter Collection Post

I have not updated my inventory for quite a while. I really ought to. But before I do that, I am going to present to you a comprehensive post on my highlighter collection! I was inspired greatly by one of my new favorite youtubers, Nisipisa.

The truth is, I have way too many highlighters. Such is the case. A tale as old as time.

The way this post is going to be organized is by type.

We'll start with highlighters in palettes:

• The highlighter in the BH Cosmetics Zodiac Palette. I did a post yesterday on this. It is super pigmented and intense. I shudder to think what this would do if you were to wet the brush. Only a teeny bit is necessary to get some gleam, for it can quickly build up and become textured. Overall, I do enjoy this.
• The six highlighters in the Carli Bybel Deluxe palette. Okay, so I don't feel completely overwhelmed, I don't think of these as highlighters. I find the formula too thick for my liking, so I consider them to be giant eyeshadows...that I barely use 😓

Then we have smaller palettes of highlighters:

• Milani highlighting palette in Holographic Beams. I really have been using this a lot lately, especially the pink shade. These are iridescent, without being dry or excessively sparkly. I want to hit pan at least in the pink shade, I have decided. 
• The highlighter in the WnW Fair Trade Coffee trio, which I bought at the suggestion of Miss Kimberly Clark. And though it fades quickly on my more oily days, the highlighter is a bit white and shimmery, but in a way I think is tolerable. I don't really use this very much, as it's more of a memento? Keepsake? Makeup collectible? 

Singles! This is where we get...ahem...crazy

• Wet 'n Wild Precious Petals. This is a light golden peach highlighter that is a tad too dark, so I use it either as a blush "topper," or mixed with the Mary Lou-manizer. It has that very metallic, "wet," finish.
• Mary Lou-Manizer by The Balm. First, I bought this at full price, which makes me mad. Second, this is taking forever to pan. As much as I like this pale gold, slightly shimmery, but incredibly intense highlighter, I always seem to forget it is in my collection. 
• ittse, Hustle and Glow. I love the formula on this one. It is also a pale gold, but highly metallic. 
• Vanessa's Vanity Sparkler in 6 pm. This is not so much a highlighter as a pressed duchrome body shimmer and I think it is gorgeous. It is a peach reflect with gold and peach shimmers. 
• Revlon Color Charge in Highlight. One of my more recent purchases. I reviewed this mostly positively, though I think the line is over priced and nothing special. It is a light rose-gold powder. 
• Milani Strobelight in Afterglow. I used this a lot in the summer, but have since tried other things. It is a pink-toned light powder, highly reflective and metallic. Somewhat emphasizes texture, so a light hand is needed. 
• Wet 'n Wild Midnight Mermaid highlighting bar. For whatever reason, I can't seem to declutter this. I don't know what I would wear this, but I do like the intense gold sheen. The drawback is the slight grey/green tint to the powder, but that may be your cup of tea. 
• Colourpop pressed powder highlighter in Here Kitty Kitty. It's a warm champagne-toned highlighter. I bought this because Temptalia actually gave this an A+, and I wanted to see what that was all about. Basically, this is a dupe for Mac's Soft and Gentle. I think. Here Kitty Kitty is highly reflective without showing texture, and lasts a long time, too. I really like it. 
• Becca, Lilac Geode. I bought this in a moment of weakness, but I don't regret it. It is a gorgeous powder that does not show texture and lasts a long time. It's just barely a duocrhome, a golden sheen with a cool-pink base (? is that the right term). It's just so pretty. 
• Finally, we have Wet 'n Wild Liquid Highlighter in Halo, Goodbye. Also reviewed on the blog. At first appears to be a pale pink sheen, but is layered with shimmer. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It lasts quite a bit, and does not appear textured- hooray! 

And then we have eyeshadows that I sometimes use as highlighters if I feel like it:

Actually, for now, the color Crown by Coloured Raine is absolutely spellbinding as a highlighter. I was blown away by how good it looked. Crown is an intense white metallic, but clearly with gold and even a hint of pink reflect. 

In total, that brings my count to ..12. Not counting the Carli Bybel highlighters. I simply cannot buy any more highlighters. The ones I am closest to panning? Mary Lou and Hustle and Glo, but even that is going to take me a long while.

Thanks for reading! 

Sunday Night Update

Hi all!

I'm not a fan of Sunday nights too much. A lot of stressing about the week ahead, so I decided to relax a little by writing a post all about random things.

First, today I discovered that if you own the BH Cosmetics Zodiac Palette, in addition to excellent matte and shimmer shadows, you get an extremely pigmented highlighter that is basically a dupe for Becca's Vanilla Quartz. Need proof? Vanilla Quartz is a white gold with a yellow reflect. Now, these are swatches of the BH one:

Now, I was never going to buy Becca's Vanilla Quartz. But a full size of it costs less than this palette, which is something to keep in mind.

What else?

I did do a look on Saturday incorporating green, but I felt like I could not get a decent picture of it. I think I should have done an all matte look, rather than a shimmer on the lid, which can be a bit tricky to photograph. I'll see what pictures I have and decide if any are worth sharing.

In terms of what I used a lot this weekend, I continued using the bronzer/contour side of the Wet 'n Wilde Dulce de Leche duo. I really like it, especially as it is getting warmer out, the color is a bit more noticeable on my face, compared to the Shiseido bronzer, which is very light.

I was gifted a couple months ago a Kylie liquid lipstick mini. Today I decided to mix it with Elf's Christian Siriano gloss and I really liked the effect. The gloss is super hydrating and has some coverage, but it is a bubblegum pink shade. Because it is very sheer, I found it just cooled the tone of my lips. Mixing it with the Kylie gloss dries the formula a little bit, and makes the color look a bit warmer and darker. The dual color lip colors by Laniege came to mind when I did this.

This weekend eyes were nothing notable. My allergies were in full force so I didn't really feel like applying too much too my eyes.

Tomorrow I do plan a cooler look, somehow using Glass Bull by Colour Pop, and maybe a purple blush.

Before we wrap up, let's get into the things I have bought and will not buy!

I bought a stick foundation from the brand Golden Rose, in the shade #1. I honestly have no idea how this is going to work. I am all out of The Ordinary's Serum foundation, so I thought I would try something very different. At first, I was going to pick something up from Max Factor, but I didn't think I'd find my shade match.

I also picked up a fragrance from Bath and Body Works. I am obsessed with Marshmallow Scents, and Beach Nights Summer Marshmallow seems right up my alley. I am super excited to try this out and to pretend I am at the beach when really it is still March and freezing...

The only recent release I find interesting is Melt's new stack, Baby Girl. It is a red-toned, coral stack with different finishes. I find the bright red/orange/brown mix exciting, but I do think the stacks are way too expensive for me. If I want a bright red, I would probably just look towards getting a single from someplace else.

So that's it- thanks for reading!

Thoughts About ABH's Soft Glam Marketing and PR

So I happened to notice something quite interesting today. A lot of beauty youtubers who are reviewing the Soft Glam palette by ABH are also reviewing the Amrezy highlighter in the same video. These bloggers include:

Alissa Ashley
Nicole Renee Cutler
RawBeautyKristi
Jkissa

in addition to other smaller youtubers.

In the beginning of Alissa Ashley's video, she didn't even state she was going to review the highlighter, just the palette. In the middle of the video is when she pulls it out to use. Jkissa states from the beginning she's reviewing both. I don't know what that could mean. None state they got it as PR. Jkissa says that "some" were sent to her for consideration, but she does not specify which. Super helpful. Rawbeautykristi has the same disclaimer in her description.

Why I noticed this in the first place is that it is kind of a weird choice, you know? Think about the Modern Renaissance palette. Pretty much all reviews/videos featuring the palette treat it as singular. The Subculture palette was reviewed singularly. So why are we doubling down now?

I don't think it's because anything is necessarily wrong with the Amrezy highlighter. It is reportedly excellent quality, with gorgeous and distinct packaging. It could be sales are affected because of Amrezy herself, but I don't know much about her. If that's the case, bundling the highlighter and eyeshadow palette in PR might be a good idea?

That being said, I don't know if the two items were actually bundled together in PR. They were released around the same time, so perhaps ABH thought it would be more economical to send them both out together.

But that still is not an explanation as to why youtubers are not making separate videos for each.

Wouldn't that work to their benefit? More content, more views?

In my opinion, I think youtubers are reading the room. I think they don't think people are enthused either about Soft Glam or the highlighter, or both, so it's just easier to kill two birds with one stone. And I don't think they are enthused about the palette either, given it's a very neutral palette, and not necessarily exciting.

I think it's so interesting to figure out what exactly they feel about a product. In this case, the fact that they don't even want to give either product a spotlight is very telling. I was not going to buy them, but the way youtubers are presenting both for review does not encourage me to buy them, either.

What do you think of this? Does my hypothesis hold water?

Thanks for reading!

Products You Didn't Know I Bought

Good evening! Today I thought I'd make a post about products I have been using, bought a while ago, but for some reason never even mentioned them on the blog. The reasons for not mentioning these products vary. Let's get into it.


1.) Wet 'n Wild Cushion Foundation. Yes, I actually bought one of these! The advertised "coconut derivative" formulation reeled me in. The problem with this is that it does not match me, and I can't tell if I like it. I do know I enjoy the product a lot more than the Photo Focus foundation, though.

2.) Cerave PM Lotion. I use this nearly daily, and have been liking it just fine! Nothing really to report.

3.) Aden + Anais ultra-gentle lotion. This is when TJ Maxx really delivers. For $6.00, this lotion is light and super hydrating. The brand makes products for babies and mothers, but I would happily pay for anything they sell. I love this lotion.

4.)  Too Faced Glitter Bomb Palette. My great shame. Why did I do this? It was a moment of weakness and stress shopping, and the palette was $12.00. But still, I could have purchased something I actually really like. Okay, I am exaggerating a teeny bit. The matte white and black are excellent quality, but I had zero luck using them as a "base" for the glitters. The glitters are pretty, but I just need time to figure out how to use them. But I haven't bothered reviewing it for the blog because a.) it has been out for a while now and b.) I am not comfortable with the palette yet.

5.) Katy Perry Covergirl Lipgloss. I was going to write a review on this because when I first purchased it, there were no reviews to be found about it. However, after using it, I just could not think of anything really interesting to say about the shade I got. I liked it, and that was it.

6.) Maybelline Mascara, the Colossal Volum' Express. I actually got this one free in the mail from Amazon, but I still have not mentioned it on the blog. I've used it about three times now, as I like to rotate through my mascaras, but I have not reviewed it on the blog. I don't think I have ever really given a formal review on mascara before.

7.) Hard Candy Be Bold color mascara in Cha-Ching (green). I don't mind the formula or applicator of this mascara, but the color was a bit disappointing. I was hoping for a green that would actually be visible and vibrant, and not a strong grey-toned green.

So, there you have it! Products I have bought, used, but never would have otherwise written about them! Good night!

Shopping my Stash: Thursday (Updated)

This is going to be a very informal shop my stash. I want to commit myself to products that I don't use enough in my collection.

Tomorrow I want a pretty matte look.

And today I made one! I am going to include my thoughts and comments under each product description, with a reflection on how it went. 

Instead of my usual cream contour in the shade Proton, I am going to opt for the powder contour Do Your Research, by Shiro Cosmetics.

This is a completely grey contour powder. Applying it was a bit more tricky, because the small cream stick of Proton really lets me be precise, and I don't like that I don't have much control with "Do Your Research." Mine is only a sample size, but I remembered why I don't completely enjoy using it. 

Instead of cream bronzer, I am going to use the brown shade in the duo from Wet 'n Wild called Dulce de Leche. I also have the Nars (um I don't know where these delusions of grandeur are coming from but I definitely meant by Shiseido) bronzer, but I find the finish on that one to be satin.

No complaints here! I find wear time of this product pretty admirable. It also blends really well. 

Finally, I am going to use the shade First Lady by Black Radiance from the Perfect Tone HD Lip Sculptor line. I've mentioned this on my blog before. It's an interesting formula described by the brand as "gel-creme," so it's pretty emollient, but it has got a matte-powdery quality to it- there's no sheen. I love the fact that is has a strong grey tone.

The lasting power of the lip product is not great, but it is a nice color and formula. I applied it only once during the day, but it did fade considerably in-between applications. 

I have not yet decided what direction I am going to go for eyes. I want to use a matte color, but the only mattes I have been using are oranges and browns. Hm. The issue with it being so early in the morning is that I don't want to waste time thinking too much. One one hand, it certainly is my time to focus and get zen before the start of the day, but on the other hand, it is not the time for crazy artistic expression.

So, I totally did what I said I did not want to do. I put Tangelo Tint by Coastal Scents in the crease, and Burnt Orange from the Modern Renaissance palette all over my lid. Using it, I remembered how easy to work with some of those shadows are. The way it spread over the eye and mingled with the shade in the crease was really nice. 

Additionally, I didn't plan this out beforehand but I did use the blush Coral Cove by Milani. I previously roasted this blush for having no longevity, but I was definitely mistaken. Wearing it over powder makes a difference, and I did sent my cheeks with Coty Airspun. On top of that, the blush lasted more than 6 hours. 

For highlighter, I wore Becca's Lilac Geode.

Overall, the look was a bit too warm for my liking. Tomorrow I'd like to go softer, but I'll make a new post on that. 

What I usually do is go by what color shirt I am wearing, which I don't know as of now. Oh well.

I'll update this post later with my findings about the products.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Revlon Color Charge Highlighter: Review

While I was very unimpressed by the blush offering in Revlon's Color Charge line, I also purchased their highlighter, also a pretty expensive product. I bought it at Walgreens for $14, but it sells at Walmart for about $12. Strangely enough, it does not say how much product it contains on the packaging, and I really can't find information online. I am going to guess about 8 g, as the pan is about the same size as the Mary Lou-Manizer highlighter, which contains 8.5 g of product.

While the blush was awful, I was really surprised by how much I found myself liking the highlighter. It is a thinner, drier formula, much different from the thicker, wetter formulas I've been used to.

Before I get into my assessment, here are some pictures:

The packaging also contains space on the bottom for a brush, which is of pretty bad quality.

A swatch on my wrist, applied with a brush. Even though the highlight is not as intense as the others in my collection, it still appears on my face. The drier, thinner powder doesn't emphasize texture on the skin, which I find pretty nice. 

I applied it on my face at five in the morning (which was actually four because daylight savingsss) and when I got home 12 hours later, only a faint shimmer remained. 

Because I couldn't find actual details about how much product is actually in this, I am comparing the size of the pan to the Mary Lou-Manizer by The Balm, just to get some idea about product size. Of course, I can't tell the depth of the pan, so I could be way off. 

Overall, I actually enjoy this highlighter a lot, and plan to use it quite a bit. I have been so used to one type of highlighter formula that this is a nice change of pace. As I noted, it is not as intense as the others in my collection, but it is not that subtle, either. It has much more sheen than, for example, Essence Pure Nude.

I really was expecting to hate this based on the performance of the blush, but the highlighter is quite nice! I am not convinced it is worth $14, though. I think $10 would be a much fairer deal.

Thanks for reading!

Worst Blush Ever? 😞 Revlon's No Rules

Many drugstore brands have rolled out new lines, or entirely given themselves a makeover. Covergirl, for instance, has definitely updated its brand to be a bit trendier. And I feel Revlon, my least favorite drugstore brand (second only to Almay) has followed suit.

They released a strange little line called Color Charge, which is their spring line for "bold" and "customizable" looks.

I was in Walgreen's yesterday when I encountered this line. The first thing I noticed was the lip powder, which comes in two shades. I didn't pick them up, though I had hoped upon first glance, before realizing what it was, that this:

was an eyeshadow palette. Alas, I was wrong, and alas, I would still be met with some additional disappointment.

I saw the blush "No Rules," and snapped it up immediately. A purple drugstore blush, I thought to myself, how fun! It's called "No Rules," so it must be bold! Nope. It should be called "No Pigment," because it actually has no pigment. There is no pigment in this TEN DOLLAR (I am so sad right now) blush.

Oh, you need evidence? I shall oblige.

First off, the packaging is super misleading. You think the pan of product actually is the size of the container. Wrong. The space below is a compartment for a tiny brush that I tossed because it shed horribly. 

With flash. What is shown on my finger is after running it across the surface of the blush 5-6 times. In person, it is a very thin layer of powder, as if nothing was picked up. 

Some ingredients and specs below.

And now onto the most disappointing swatch. 

Do you see that vague sparkly strip of lavender with a slight (a whisper) of blue sheen? No? Trust me, it is there. Building this up on my face was a struggle too.

This was such a waste of money, and I think Revlon was incredibly lazy to misfire this way. A purple blush in a collection about being BOLD,  called "NO RULES," and yet we get basically a suggestion of a product?

I don't out-right fail many products on this blog, but this by far is a perfect example of a fail. Avoid.

Product TMO: Face and Eyes (3)

This is going to be a quick TMO post. I've noticed that I am doing a lot more text posts recently, which I hope is okay for some people. Sometimes it's just a lot easier to describe a product than find a photo and insert it and blah blah blah. It really depends on my mood. Anyway, as always, I write these as I collect information about new product releases. Many times they are things I want to purchase as well, but through the art of the TMO and anti-haul, I point out why a person would not need this in their collection, to ultimately save everyone money.

Let's begin.

The first product I am going to talk about is the Benefit Gold Rush boxed blush. Contrary to what I just said, I kind of have to post a promotional image here:

Where to begin? Now, I am not a packaging or brand snob, but I was shocked to learn that this product is going to be almost $30, based on the packaging alone. It looks like BH Cosmetics. And I say that having purchased and enjoyed BH Cosmetics products. The design of the cake of blush itself is okay, but a bit like crumpled up tinfoil. And that is a tremendous amount of gold overspray. How do I know it's overspray? Because Trendmood posted a swatch comparison of this and the other Benefit boxed blushes, and this appeared to be a lighter Rockateur. Nothing distinctive, just a vaguely peachy reddish color. That's it. This is an easy pass for me because I like blushes that are a little more unique- not ones that try to fool you into thinking they are. Gold Rush? More like Fool's Gold heh.

Next, I am not going to show you the entire line, but just two as examples. TAM Beauty (owners of I <3 Makeup and Makeup Revolution) are coming out with makeup eggs that contain eyeshadows and face powders. Overseas, they are five pounds each. Here, that equates to about $8.00.


Eight dollars is not bad, but shipping is another 8 or 9 dollars. So now I am paying $17, which is definitely not worth it. I know some people can separate shipping from the value of the product, or that they are paying for another product/service, but I can't.

While I think this concept is terribly adorable, and while I was so tempted that I had one of these (the Rose Gold one) in my cart, ready to check out, I couldn't. I just have these colors. And no matter how hard I tried to justify the purchase on the utility of the palette alone, I couldn't. I just think the colors in each egg are so similar, that unless you really like the shade, you're not going to use this product. The amount of repetition was annoying. I also just don't think Makeup Revolution shadows are that great. I've seen swatches of their palettes, including the collaborative SophX palette, and I just was not impressed.

Moving on, the last thing I want to talk about is something I was avoiding a post on because it just seemed rather obvious. I am talking about the Viseart Tryst palette.

First, let's look up the definition of "Tryst." A tryst is a "private, romantic rendezvous between lovers." Ooooh, spicy. What comes to mind are dark, intense colors. Smokey eyes. A more intense, saturated Modern Renaissance, perhaps. What did we get? Basically the Sweet Peach/White Peach palette. Observe:

$49

$45

$20

$49

 I am just annoyed at this point.

If Viseart is the proclaimed upper crust of makeup, than why is it just repeating trends? And for a worse value than what people already have access to? Pass pass pass. 

That's all I got for now! Thanks for reading.

The Lure of the Discount (Nyx)

A long time ago, I anti-hauled the entire Nyx In Your Element line. It was a lot of fun, especially because the backlash was pretty much universal- due to the fact that Nyx was selling them for $30.

But now they're half price on Nyx's website.

Should you still buy it?

Many bloggers, including me at one point, proclaimed that if you wouldn't buy the product at full price, then it being on sale is not a good enough reason to buy it.

But is it that simple?

That is not a talk you in kind of post, at all. But I have learned that sometimes, yeah, I would only buy something if I am getting a discount. Because what if I think that the item is only fairly priced that way?

Hm.

Take the Nyx palettes. No, they were certainly not worth $30. But $15, which is the price range I originally predicted for these palettes, absolutely is. So, if a person was in need of a very specific range of colors, I would not begrudge them at all for thinking the Nyx palettes were a reasonable avenue, now.

The fact is, these look very similar to Colourpop palettes, and I do still feel the palettes suffer from a lot of redundancy, color-wise.

And I realized I ended up purchasing single shadows that basically were inspired by these and the colourpop palettes.

These singles included:
A matte cool pink from Inglot (Air)
A matte purple from Inglot (Air ad Earth)
A matte green from Inglot (Earth)

With this in mind, there is no specific need for me to get these, especially because I slowly am curating a small collection of vibrant, fun mattes, that I will actually use.

But again, do these palettes have potential? Do you have a specific gap in your collection for a specific color range? Then, why not. The discount makes a lot of sense here, because that is what the price should have been in the first place.

Trying to copy a look from Instagram

Hello! Jumping on the bandwagon here by recreating a look I found on Instagram. I have an entire collection of eyeshadow inspiration posts, but I picked the one that looked the easiest to recreate with the colors in my collection:

#indiefebruary day 21. Today's makeup was a struggle. I wanted to do a purple and green look, but the purple was soo patchy that I had to wipe it all off. Luckily Vine Whip is a beautiful bright green that makes me happy just looking at it 😍 I used: • @shirocosmetics Vine Whip over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy • @makeupgeekcosmetics Peach Smoothie and Chickadee

A post shared by Iris (@pickyp11) on Feb 21, 2018 at 1:41am PST

What I liked a lot about this look was its mixing of warm and cool greens, and contrasting it with a light orange brown in the crease! 

I used:

Coloured Raine Angel Face

The BH Cosmetics Zodiac Palette (matte light caramel brown, and highly shimmery teal and green mixed)

The Modern Renaissance Palette (Burnt Orange and Realgar)

ABH Soft Gold

Colourpop Making Moves

How did it go?

My eyeshape is a bit frustrating when it comes to blending things in the crease and outer corner. I complain about this a lot. But I chose the original look because it seemed like a "wearable" daytime way (for me) to wear green.

Making Moves was the most annoying to use because its pigment made it hard to blend, especially the colors in the crease. The shimmers from the Zodiac palette, though, are so gorgeous and smooth.

Would I wear this look again?

Probably not..lol. Or at least, I wouldn't use the dark color completely over my lid. Maybe half way, next time.

Makeup Movie Inspo: Down With Love

When I was in high school, and had HBO, the film Down With Love played constantly. And I loved it. It was kitschy, satirical, cute, and hilarious.

I've been watching a lot of videos, a lot from Georgia Harris, that discuss fictional makeup inspiration. And weirdly enough, there's something about the makeup in Down With Love that even now I can't can't over.

Lessgo.

The movie is set in the 60's, on the cusp of the sexual revolution. Barbara Novak, played by Renee Zellweger,  writes this best-selling novel denouncing "love," urging women to put their wants and desires first. Catcher Block, a writer for a "man's" magazine ends up trying to one-up Novak, but they both end up falling in love.

What do I love about the makeup in this movie?

Simplicity.

Renee Zellweger has very hooded eyes, so what they did was line them with mascara to make her blue eyes pop, and add one light shade on the lid.



This movie's use of color is everything!!!



Below, we have a bit of blue eyeshadow and a light lip color.

We can see white eyeshadow here, perhaps to contrast the black of her dress. Notice Mr. McGregor's inversion of this color scheme. 

But my favorite look from the movie? When Catcher tries to apply for a job at Novak's magazine, as one last appeal to her.

She is wearing all-white, and a dash of blue eyeshadow.

Looking at the stills now, one can easily see her brows are a different color. So the hair change shouldn't have been that big of a surprise.

Now, I don't wear blue eyeshadow. Or white eyeshadow. But what I appreciate so much from this film is how simple looks can be so effective. Of course, this simplicity is from the mod style of the 60's, completely counter to the hippie movement, but I like this so much. I feel like the makeup almost helps emphasize the rapid-fire movement of the dialogue, the jokes, the pace, the visual gags, etc.

Not only that, Novak has very very light blush on the apples of her cheeks, and a slight sheen on the high points of her face. Very simple, and at times Zellwegger almost gets washed out, but the eyes and lips save it.

How do I draw inspiration from this?

My one-shadow looks. Me going heavy with eyeliner on the corner of my eyelid that is most prominent. Choosing one feature to emphasize, rather than all of them.

If you have not already, please watch this film! You won't regret it.

Thanks for reading!