February-March Faves and Fail

It has been a hot minute, has it not? And by that I mean this blog has been a bit of a ghost town. My sincerest apologies. I know I have explained on the blog before that this period of time gets pretty hectic, and I don't have much room to sit down and prepare posts.

Enough excuses. Just know that there is more to come. As for my favorites, some are things that have already been in my collection, but I have since really come to appreciate. Others are brand new. Most of them, oddly enough, were purchased at Target.

None of them are eyeshadows, which is shocking to me. Eyeshadows are typically my makeup favorite. Right now I am holding off, though, because I am currently trying some Sydney Grace shades. I want to devote an entire post to them, so we will forego any discussion of eyeshadow for now.

Let's get this show on the road. As always, click on the pic for higher-res. 

The first is the PIXI Milky Mist. It cost $15 at Target, for 80 mL of product. I bring this one with me to work. I am very much a fan of facial mists, and I especially enjoy the fact that this provides hydration. Though I have combination skin that can get quite oily throughout the day, I find that the lines on my face are more pronounced by the end of the day, and my skin just feels tired, which this spray helps with. As of now I am not sure if I would repurchase, because there are plenty of facial mists out there, but in the meantime I am very much enjoying this one. I have been using it for a month now.

Soap and Glory Puffy Eye Attack Gel, $14.00 for 18 mL. So this one has pretty mixed reviews on the internet. I am always on the hunt for eye gels, because my eyes are prone to getting a bit swollen in the morning. On my sensitive eyes it seems to prep my skin pretty well. It doesn't sting my eyes in the morning, but at night if I removed makeup and rubbed the skin and then applied the gel, it most certainly stings, which makes sense. It absorbs quickly and doesn't leave the skin sticky. I personally like this gel, and appreciate how it calms my eye area in the morning and night. However, I am always open to different alternatives.

Good Chemistry Body Mist in the fragrance Brainiac. I bought this about a year ago after trying out the tester. It cost $10.00. In addition to a positive first impression from using the tester, the name of the spray was intriguing and reminded me of the Justice League/Supergirl/Superman villain. Brainiac is unlike anything else in my collection. While I usually wear gourmand, creamy, and very sweet fragrances, Brainiac seems very masculine at first, and peppery. It eventually wears down and you can smell a bit of Vanilla. Even though this is a body mist, the fragrance lasts the whole day, which I appreciate. It is a really cool, clean scent, and I would recommend checking it out.

Next, we have a new shade of Butter Blush from Physicians Formula, in the shade Saucy Mauve. It seemed to me that the initial Butter Blush release from PF wasn't very successful, because the shades were a bit too chalky and similar. I think PF is trying to rectify this. Saucy Mauve is similar to Wet 'n Wild's Blazen Berry, but not as sheer. It also lasts the entire work day for me, which is about 7 hours. Now how can I get Butter Bronzer to stay on that long?? I have been using Sauvy Mauve as my only blush for about two weeks now, and I don't know why. I just think it goes with both cool and warm toned looks. It provides warmth and color to the face and has a somewhat lustrous, natural, finish. I highly recommend it.

Then we have two brushes from Elf, both $3.00 each. The left is a tapered highlighting brush, which I now use to set translucent powder under my eye. The other is a concealer brush, which I use now to blend in concealer under my eye. They have replaced my Real Techniques brushes, which I think are not precise enough for that area of my face. The elf brushes are quite fluffy and soft, which is important when working on such a sensitive area of skin.

Makeup Revolution, Supersize Concealer in the shade C1. C1 is the second lightest shade in the range, with neutral undertones. The concealer cost $10.00, and you get more than double the amount of product in the original, which is excellent. I used up the original sized Conceal and Define in about 3 months. I just wish they didn't make the supersize option an Ulta exclusive. Maybe one day.

Alright, so my last two favorites are part of a team, in a way. One "major" makeup revelation I had these past two months has been cream/gel eyeliner. I am a total convert, and no longer want to mess with eyeliner pens. Mac Pro Longwear Fluid Line in Blacktrack, which cost $18.00, is working for me. I use it with the Luxie lip brush. I feel that this option gives me the most control. I also think it is the more economical version, as I was getting overwhelmed with the amount of dried up eyeliner pens that were piling up. My only caveat about this product is that is does leak to my lower lid when I inadvertently apply too much product towards the outer corner of my lid. But that does not happen too often.

And finally, I have one fail, but it is major. Target and CVS are now carrying the Creme Shop, which used to be a K-Beauty brand (I think). I bought their wispy mascara for $9.00, and all I can say is....Nope. Stay far away. This product did literally nothing for me. And this is what it looks like:

A clumpy nightmare.

So, that's all I have on the docket for today. Have you tried any of these?

Thanks for reading!  😊

Beauty Bookmark 4: Chartreuse is the New...Blue? (text post)

It's has been a while, hasn't it? I caught myself a nice little cold this past week, and spent the weekend recovering from it. I've sort of been out of the makeup/beauty sphere for as long as I've been in this funk, so naturally I missed a couple of things.

I hope you don't mind that I am opting to not include any pictures of these releases. Most of my bookmarks come from the Trendmood account, but to keep reposting pictures seems redundant. It's also time consuming and I am a very lazy person.

The last beauty purchase I made was actually one of those magnetic sewing containers, which I am going to repurpose as a z-palette. Other than that, I have not added anything to my collection. But after browsing Instagram, I have bookmarked some things. Lessgo.

1. Ace Beaute's Flair palette ($39.00). I anti-hauled this brand in the past because- as much as I liked their release- I was not convinced of the value. They just put out this new palette that contains a chartreuse, as well as rich blues, oranges, reds, and berries. Now, I am strongly tempted to make a dupe post on this, but the only thing I would not be able to dupe are the three blue shadows, because I don't own any. And if you take those away, you are left with an expanded version of their Classical Paradise palette. With that in mind, I know I personally won't be getting this, though I can honestly say the palette looks beautiful, and it's definitely inspiring.

2. Wet 'n Wild's Four New Dupe Palettes. Allegedly, these are dupes for Prism, Soft Glam, Lila (ND), and the Tropical palette (ND). To be honest, I have tried this formula and the shimmers are nothing compared to the older, softer formula. They're not bad, though, and I do think it's great that they are bringing fun color options to the drugstore. Keep on keeping on, Wet 'n Wild.

3. I also bookmarked the new The Tribe palette from Juvia's place. Another bright light green! This seems to be a color we are going to see a lot, which I think is interesting. For me, this type of color seems like either a lid or a transition color, like yellow. I have my own version of it from the BH Cosmetics Back to Brazil palette, and I have a couple of greens, browns, golds, and oranges, so this palette would be a bit redundant.

However, another interesting thing Juvia's Place is doing is making mini palettes. Now that I find to be quite, quite promising. I remember saying a while back how I wished their palettes were smaller. Hmmmmm.....looks like I was not the only one. The downside is they seem to be downsizing the palettes in order of their releases, so they're starting with the first palette they introduced, The Nubian, a super neutral palette. Like, super, super neutral. So while I love the idea of mini palettes, I know I will have to wait until Juvia's releases a more colorful one. I just hope they don't do what Natasha Denona sometimes does with their mini versions, which is to take all the interesting shades out and make a repetitive little shrug of a palette (like their mini Star palette.) Fingers crossed.

4. Physician's Formula has two or three new palettes coming out that are part of the Butter line. They seem to have a nice balance of neutral and color, but I will be skipping only because I don't know what the formula is like (of the butter ones) and I don't need any of the colors.

5. Christmas palettes- ones that feature green and red. So far, Give Me Glow, Linda Hallberg, and Pat McGrath Labs all have these types, but as festive as they are, I would be the type of person to enjoy them during the holiday, and then move on to something else when the festivities are over. The nice thing about the Give Me Glow Christmas Morning Palette is that you can take the shadows out, and replace them as needed, which is useful. I am also obsessed with silver for some reason, and need it on my eyelids, so if Give Me Glow can sell Santa's Sleigh as a single I would be much obliged.

6. Finally, we'll end with a very general overview of whatever the hell Colourpop is doing. Their release reminds me of the Fairy Oddparents episode where Timmy accidentally released all the Anti-Fairies into the world. Yes, Colourpop's swarm of supershock shadows are, in my mind, anti-fairies. I have no doubt that the colors and quality are good- I've read plenty of reviews. But when a release is so numerous and massive, I have no recourse but to just ignore it. I'm the type of person to just buy something when I am looking for something specific, so if CP has that, then fine. But they don't now. Is there is a reason why Colourpop is not selling a silver pressed shadow? We need to talk, CP. Don't be an anti-fairy.

Okay, I did not mean for this post to be so rambly. There is plenty I missed, like a Pizza Palette, but honestly if I don't see the potential in it, I am not going to post about it.

P.S. If I do get gift money for Christmas this year, a small little part of me is debating whether I should get a Pat McGrath palette. I know that would be super ridiculous. I know. But still....

Okay, now I'm going. Thanks for reading.

Five Cold Weather Faves

Even though we are getting a bit of a reprieve from this extremely chilly weather, I know that the following favorites have been helping me through the worst of it. I present to you, my cold weather faves:

1.) Cerave AM Lotion. Now, I have talked about this on the blog a lot. Even when it has not been cold out. But especially now, keeping the skin hydrated and protected is important, and the fact that it contains 30 SPF helps. Of course, I know people wear a lot more than that, but for me I feel this works.

2.) Revlon Candid Foundation, in 110 (Porcelain). This is a new purchase that I was drawn to simply because of the packaging. It comes in a pump-tube, which seems pretty smart. The shade is a hair too dark, but it is not really noticeable. The finish is really natural. Revlon claims that the foundation contains ingredients that protect against pollution and "blue light," and contains no oil parabens, or fragrance. Some have noticed that one of the ingredients is, in fact, a fragrance, but this honestly smells like nothing to me. I've been really liking this foundation, and find that it doesn't turn greasy on me at all.

3.) Burt's Bees Intensive Lip Mask. This is a new purchase, but even though I have been upping my water intake, I still feel like my lips have been super chapped. Though I recently started using this, I really like it so far. I will probably provide an update on prolonged use with it, though.

4.) Physician's Formula Butter Highlighter in Pearl. When winter hits and my skin gets drier, I look for more cream/liquid products to use, and this one takes the cake. Its got the slightest purple shift, but the overall pearl reflect looks very natural on the skin. Natural, but noticeable. On that note, PF's release from the summer- the butter highlighter in Full Moon, has been also used a lot by me this winter, for the same reasons.

5.) Glade Limited Edition Candle in Nutcracker Delight/Praline Hazelnut. Okay, I am by no means a "candle person." But since the fall hit I have purchased this candle three times, in various sizes. I will probably buy another soon in the next two weeks. This scent is part of promotion for the Nutcracker movie, which I will not be seeing. I wonder if Glade sells anything comparable to it. Anyway, this has a sweet warm scent which isn't overpowering, but definitely lingers. According to the Glade site, it has tones of: cinnamon leaf, almond butter, almond flower, hazelnut, maple water, praline, sandalwood, tonka, and buttercream. Yummy. I am someone normally very sensitive to candles and fragrances, but this one has been my favorite.

So that's it! What have your cold weather faves been?

Physician's Formula Anniversary Eye Palette: Classic Nudes (Review and Swatches)

This was a kind of random purchase that I did mention a while ago on this blog, when PF was rolling out its 80th anniversary collection.

Amazon had the palettes for a dollar off, so I paid $6.50 for this. I had never tried the PF matte formula, and I heard the shimmers in the two anniversary quads were special, so I thought to give this a try.

Before I get into my verdict, let us look at some pictures:

If I had to make a prediction, the sudden influx of colorful palettes are eventually going to make people nostalgic for some neutral love. And neutral love is exactly what this palette offers.

The palette is housed in a metal and plastic tin, with a cover that can be folded all the way back, which is great. I normally don't really care about how sturdy the palette is for travel, but the design of this palette, and the type of palette it is, really make it excellent for being on the go. I have taken this to work with me a couple of times just in case I needed to touch up my eye look.

I had never used the PF mattes before, though I knew their matte quads were cult-classics. Still, I was really pleasantly surprised with how well the mattes blended on the eye. My own quibble is that the brown looks a lot darker in the pan than how it goes on. I like the color a lot, but it could be a bit misleading.

When I originally anti-hauled this product, I pointed out that having the white metallic and yellow metallic was a missed opportunity, because those shades are so close together. I still agree with this, and wish we had two metallic shadows with greater color discrepancy. Still, the quality of the metallics is really nice. They are high-sheen and are not that messy compared to other shimmery shadows. However, they feel almost gritty to the touch. The white one is more sheer and gritty than the yellow gold.

That being said, I have created really elegant, simple looks with this palette, which is sometimes just what I want- to go back to basics. Of course, the highly metallic, foiled like nature of two of the shadows does make this a step up from your run of the mill basic neutral palette.

If you can find this on Amazon, I think it is a great buy. The mattes are unlike anything I tried before, and are truly easy to work with. The shimmers are lovely, too. The quad gets my recommendation.

Thanks for reading!

I Depotted the Physician's Formula Butter Palette

Depotting the products in this palette was something I had considered as soon as it arrived in the mail. I am learning that I am not a fan of all-in-one face palettes, but I had assumed that it was a guarantee that all the products in this palette would be equally fabulous and therefore worth keeping them all together in that packaging.

That was not the case.

It is pretty clear, for someone very familiar with the texture and scent of the original Butter Bronzer, that what is included in this palette is a watered-down, less pigmented, stiffer, version.

I also discovered that the formula of the silver glitter highlighter, Galactic, was incredibly soft, as it ended up cracking in the pan on me the second week of owning the palette. After I did not do anything to it.

With this in mind, and considering the bulkiness of the palette, I decided to depot. And I know there were concerns about the product drying out, but the new palettes I placed the product in have the same amount of "protection" than the original, so I am not bothered.

1.) How did I do it?

Before using a depotting tool to lift out the pans, I pried out the layer of plastic that held the pans from the cardboard base. This easy to do. The plastic was relatively thin and flexible so I was able to cut around each pan with a scissor. Once I had an individual shade, I pulled pack the plastic to make space to stick my depotting tool in and pop out the pan.

The only one I did not do this for was Galactic. Because that product was already broken and a mess, I used my depotting tool to deposit the product into an empty Colourpop Super Shock Shadow container, which I then pressed.

2.) Results:

We have Full Moon and Butter Bronzer in my large highlighter z-palette. I was not thrilled about putting the bronzer there, but I don't have anywhere else to put it. 

Ideally, I want Full Moon to be in a single, because it is hands down my favorite. 

Natural Glow Blush with the rest of my blush. I think the placement of this works. 

Finally, Galactic in the Super Shock Shadow Container. Hopefully I breathed new light into this product, and I will use it as a gittery eyeshadow, perfect for that glossy eye look.

Physician's Formula Butter Palette: Review and Swatches

Hello!!

I have a lot of thoughts about the new Butter Palette from Physician's Formula. What prompted me initially was the idea of having high quality face products in my collection that also came with a fragrance, all for less than the price of one of these full size individual products. At Walmart one can purchase this for $12, but because my Walmart always seems behind with these releases, I bought it off the PF website for $14.50. Not in love with that price difference, but whatever. I was excited.

So how did I fare with this palette?

1.) Fragrance: I enjoy the coconut smell of this- it's not as creamy and sweet as my Lavanilla Vanilla Coconut Rollerball. But scent wise I think it is very similar to the scent of the Sol De Janiero Bum Bu cream product, just not as intense.  I like it.

2.) The palette itself:

• Bronzer (light/medium): To be honest, this does not smell the same as my previous full size of the Butter Bronzer. Not only that, the powder itself seems a lot more stiff and I am not getting a whole lot of color pay off with this.
• Natural Glow Blush. This is basically a highlighter-blush. It's pigmented enough, and can be used for a more subtle, easy glow.
• Full Moon. This one is the winner for me, and makes everything worth it. I have never tried their butter highlighter formula before, but I was shocked when I touched this. It's creamy, but does not crumble when I press my finger lightly on top. This is a really elegant golden sheen. I thought the highlighter from BH Cosmetic's Zodiac Palette would be a color dupe, but while they are similar they are not the same. (I like the Butter Palette one better)
• Galactic: As pretty as this one is, it is pure glitter on your face. It is a striking look, and can be pretty, but I want to use this on my eye lids as a glossy look and see what happens. I don't know how much use I'd get with it on my face. 

Can you depot?

Yes, with a depotting spatula. I already depotted the blush quite easily, but I am keeping it with the palette. 

So, let's do pros and cons, excluding the fair price of it.

Pros:

1-Limited edition highlighter shade in Full Moon is gorgeous. It glides on the skin and stays there, and does not emphasize texture. 

2- Fragrance is nice and is sure to appeal to many different preferences. 

3- If you are careful, you can depot. 

Cons:

1- This is not the same Butter Bronzer. If you buy this hoping to try the formulation of the BB, prepared to be disappointed. 

2-The blush is not really a blush, but a third highlighter shade

3- packaging is bulky

4- Galactic is highly shimmery, and I feel I could only use it on special occasions

5-packaging of cream products (open palette, no lid) might speed up drying them out.

Overall, I think this was a fun release, and though I don't agree with everything PF decided to do with it, I will happily use it this summer. 

On to the pics:

BH Zodiac Highlight (l), PF Full Moon (r)

Galactic (far right)

Physician's Formula Matte Lacquer Gel Eyeliner: Review

All I wanted was the Lash Serum eyeliner. But all the shops were out. And at Target, what was available was a curious new product by Physician's Formula (PF) that I paid $9.00 for but is now discounted at $5.00 on their website. The product? The Matte Lacquer Gel Eyeliner.

This is a design dupe (and probably a formula one, too?) for Benefit's much-maligned Push-Up Liner. I have never used that liner, but the name of the PF product intrigued me. I have eyes that are difficult to line. Would this make it easier for me?

Let's look at the applicator:

What you are looking at is a felt-like tip with a slanted edge, that contains a slit for the product to dispense out of, by twisting the end.

The problem is that the product does not come out as a solid that is the same shape of the slanted edge, but rather a ball of product.

I feel there is a huge learning curve to this product. It allows you to line very close to the lashline, but for me it is impossible to make a straight line all the way to the inner corner of my eye. I have to stop half way. This concept would work for people whose lids lie flat across the eye, but that is not the case for me.

The issue is I love the formula.



It dries down- but not immediately- and it will not budge.

So I am conflicted. This is by no means an easy product, and probably one that is going to be discontinued soon, but if Physician's Formula could find another way to repackage and sell the formula of this eye liner, I'd be a happy camper.

Until then, I am going to use this as I can, and perhaps get better at it as I go.

Thanks for reading!

Why does the new Physician's Formula Foundation Smell the Same as the Wet 'n Wild One?

Let's first look at some pics of the swatches of the PF foundation. I got the color LC1, the lightest in the range:

It comes in a sturdy glass bottle, with 1 fl oz of product. It is dispensed with a doe-foot appliator. 

My main quibble is that the foundation's scent bears a strong resemblance to the Wet 'n Wild Photo Focus foundation, but not as intense. I decided to investigate by looking at the ingredients. 

PF Healthy Foundation ($13-$15.00)

Octinoxate 3% Inactive Ingredients: Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Isododecane, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Propanediol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Schinziophyton Rautanenii (Mongongo) Kernel Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylene Brassylate, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Silica, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Evodia Rutaecarpa (Wu-Zhu-Yu) Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Cellulose Gum, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Retinyl Palmitate, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, BHT, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

Wet 'n Wild Photo Focus Foundation ($5.00-$6.00)

Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Water/Eau, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Sodium Chloride, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Hexyl Laurate, Polysilicone-11, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Laureth-12, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, [+/- (May Contain/Peut Contenir): Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Mica, Iron Oxides/CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499].

Interesting! In terms of humectants, solvents, and other base ingredients, the two share a lot. It is important to note that both companies share the same parent company, so they have access to the same manufacturers. What is interesting to me is the price difference. Do the extra ingredients in the PF foundation warrant the greater price? It does seem that the additional ingredients in the PF foundation are for skin-care.

After using both, I prefer the PF formula one by and large. While it isn't a perfect color match, it is close, and it feels a lot better on my face than the Wet 'n Wild Foundation, which felt cakey and unpleasant. 

I found that the PF foundation wore really well throughout the day, and I did not feel oily at all. The product did not break up on my face. It was smooth sailing.

Will I Buy It: Items from the Physician's Formula Anniversary Collection

This collection caught my eye, because I love it when brands do this. They go through an image shift, and come up with interesting products to celebrate that.

In this case, PF is going back to its roots, releasing a vintage spin on some of its pre-existing products, as well as bringing out some new ones.

So, um, I won't be buying.

Let's start with the Mineral Glow Pearls, in the shade Pearl:

This is a new shade, limited-edition (yawn), in a slightly different design and three dollars less than their permanent mineral glow pearls. Unlike their permanent ones, this one is not formulated with Pearl Extract, Kaolin (clay), or Shea Oil, so I am wondering if this will be a very shiny, translucent product. I have never used any of this, and I really don't intend to. I don't need any more highlighters.

And the brand font reminds me of Willy Wonka.

Moving on:
Le Velvet Foundation

First of all, the shade range on this is pretty limited (4), and pretty indiscernible. I myself have never tried this, or poured foundations. PF boasts that it is "15 SPF" which, come on...is not that high. Pass.

The third product in their collection are two eyeshadow quads that feature two matte shadows and two shimmers. Each quad retails for $7.95. The one I had my eye on looks like this:

To begin, I know the matte shades from PF are pretty much raved about. The shimmers though, is where I am going to express major reservations. Those shimmer strip palettes suck. They don't seem to have the same ingredients, though, so perhaps PF made improvements. Whatever the case, I don't think the shade variety was very smart. The top left white frost could have been a warmer red-tone or something. It just feels redundant. 

Lastly, are lipsticks I was interested in because they resemble vingtage lipsticks from Besame Cosmetics or Estee Lauder, both very expensive. However, I think, again, the shade range is laughable:

Swatches I've see show a bit more variation, but not enough for my liking. 

So, though I think this collection is a fun idea, I really think that PF went about it in a very boring way. 

Battle of the (Budget) Bronzers

Hi all! As I continuously evaluate my collection and assess and re-assess all the products within it, I decided to break down the three bronzers I have. Two are "cult status" bronzers, and one I found quite by accident.

Though the title of this post is Battle of the Bronzers, I am not going to rank them, but rather explain the pros and cons of each.

First, lets look at some pictures. I will warn you ahead of time that the Butter Bronzer is not as aesthetically pleasing as it once was...

In both pictures the order of bronzers are: Shiseido Oil Free Bronzer in Light ($10), Physician's Formula Butter Bronzer in light ($14), and NYC 10 Hour Bronzer in Sunny  ($5).

Let's begin!

The bronzer by Shiseido was the one I bought from Amazon, at a steeply discounted price. On me, it leans a little red, and is of a far more stiff and pigmented formula than the Butter Bronzer. That being said, I think it does provide a more realistic looking "sunkissed' effect on my skin than the Butter Bronzer. Its formula also makes it quite long-lasting. It seems to have a slightly luminous finish.

Moving on, I can see why Butter Bronzer is cult-status. It is a pleasure to apply to the face. The major drawbacks is the bulkiness of the packaging, and the fragility of the formula. You cannot travel with this. My picture above displays a depotted Butter Bronzer (in the compact case for Mary Loumanizer), clearly damaged. Like the Shiseido bronzer, I find that it has a slightly luminous finish, but it gives a soft wash of color that makes application fool-proof. I don't want to like BB as much as a I do.

Last is the NYC bronzer in Sunny. This bronzer is formulated with kaolin, and to me that is quite evident due to the smell of the product. Not to say that it is a bad smell, but my first association is chalk. That being said, the product does not have a chalky application. It's color is closer to the Shiseido bronzer, but more matte, and easier to apply because it is not as pigmented.

All three bronzers are enjoyable to use/useful in their own way. I just bought the NYC bronzer, so I still have to continue testing it out. The packaging claims that it lasts 10 hours on the skin, so that is something I will try to pay attention to as I wear it throughout the day!

Birthday Post: Game Changers

Today I am feeling extra retrospective. It is my 26th, after all. I would say it has been almost two years since I have gotten into makeup, so today I want to discuss the makeup milestones- or game-changers, as it were.

For me, game-changers are both positive and negative. They have helped me develop insight into technique, aesthetics, and spending. Please read below for my TOP FIVE GAME-CHANGING PRODUCTS. And here's to birthdays.

1. The Modern Renaissance Palette.

Okay, okay. On the off-chance anyone is actually reading this, you've probably heard of this palette. And all of the glowing reviews. And the hype. I will be honest, is this palette perfect? No, of course not. But it is smart. It is excellent. My last higher-end palette was the Nude 'Tude Palette from TheBalm, which was boring and uninspiring. And the MR palette brought to my attention the concept of "neutral" colors, and using brights subtly. As of now, I have panned Tempera, the cream-colored shade, and I tend to cycle through different mattes, based on my mood. I have purchased single matte dupes from indie and drugstore brands in anticipation of the palette running out. I love it.

2. Kat Von D Innerstellar and Chrysalis Palette. These palettes taught me to calm the eff down when it comes to purchases. I have decluttered both, after depotting the few matte shades that I loved. I hate KvD's shimmers in palettes- never have tried her singles. I got both half price at TJ Maxx's, because it was a high end brand for cheap. That is it. And ever since the laborious decluttering process (she certainly makes it difficult to de-pot), I have been able to resist products like Too Faced tin palettes, and Make Up Forever palettes, etc. etc. successfully.


3. Physician's Formula Eye Booster Serum Eye Liner thing- A game-changer because eyeliner always caused anxiety for me. Aside from very few pencil liners, most would leak by the end of the day, and application was always tricky. For me this has made my life so much easier, and I dread eyeliner less now.


4. Dry Shampoo. I am throwing this category of products in here, with no reference to a specific one. I have tried tons of different brands and the only one I hated was the Aussie brand dry shampoo because the smell was awful. My hair gets oily rather quickly, so rather than feel the pressure to wash my hair every day, I can spray some dry shampoo and go. Easy.


5.  Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. A few weeks ago, I read a post criticizing the vast amount of products it seemingly takes in this day and age to make eyeshadow work. The writer explained that before eyeshadow would be made so priming was not necessary. Do I believe this? Not really. I think technology has improved, and yes there are huge mark-ups in the makeup industry, but from what I remember emphasis on pigmentation and opacity is a relatively current trend. With this in mind, I am a big fan of Pixie Epoxy. I was critical, like many others, that one had to buy another product to make their products work, but then I saw that this could be used with everything. And really intensify shadows that do lack pigmentation. Another benefit is that eyeshadow used to transfer from my lid to my crease, due to the fact that my eyes bulge. With Pixie Epoxy, (as well as Too Faced Glitter Insurance, which I used if the shadow is opaque enough already), the shadow does not budge.

And here's an extra one!

6.) Brown-toned lipstick. I am inspired by a post I just read by Brutally Honest Beauty on brown lipstick. My mother used to love brown-toned lipstick in the 90's and early 00's, so I would use it. And for the last year, I've only been wearing brown toned lipstick: Sin-a-mon and Touchable Taupe, both from Maybelline's Color Sensational line. It is flattering, natural looking on me.

In sum:
My gamechangers are gamechangers because they make my life easier. And when it comes to makeup, it should not be stressful. It is just makeup, after all.

Mini-Reviews: Empties, Purchases, Tossed Things

Another post! I actually have some empties and recent purchases to talk about. Let's get started.

1. Physician's Formula 2-in-1 Eye Booster Liner, $9. I ran out of this liner two days ago, so I ordered another from Amazon immediately. It is the only liner I've found I can use. Because I had Grave's Disease, my eyes bulge a little. They get irritated and water easily. If I wear regular pencil liner, even waterproof, it becomes a mess by the end of the day. Though this liner is not as black as I would like, it stays put and is easy to apply. I have not mastered wings yet, but who cares. Love this liner. Five stars.

2. Assorted Fyrinnae shadows. Am I down the rabbit hole yet? All this started because I wanted a proper mid-tone purple sparkly shade. A very specific need. Wicked Faeries fulfills this. It is a truly beautiful coppery purple shade. I also love Serendipity and have worn it to work three times now, with shades of taupe and red in my crease. Many reviewers will say that there is a learning curve to this brand, and I am inclined to agree. I have learned to buy a larger-sized Pixie Epoxy. I love that stuff, and can use it with other brands. I have also learned to avoid, for me, shades with a grey/black base. They don't work well for me. For example, Lady Glamis was a total disappointment because of this. Reviews made this shade look almost iridescent, like the surface of mica. But it comes off as a sparkly cloudy mess on me. I would definitely order from Fyrinnae again, though the turnaround time is very very long. 4.5 stars.

3. The Ordinary. Okay, so I haven't actually received my order. I placed it three days ago. But I am so excited. I ordered the foundation and the 2% Retinoid and hope it lives up to the hype. When it comes to skin care, I clean and moisturize, use eyecream, and the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. For me, I am a little skeptical and far too lazy for the complicated regimens some list. If I can keep it simple, then good enough for me. I am also on the eternal quest for an ideal foundation. More on that below.

4. L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte. Hated it. Fell for the hype. This stuff dries way too fast and is impossible to mix and blend. Very fussy with primers. Not impressed. I think I'll keep it to use as spot concealer, so that I can layer over it. We'll see how that goes.

5. Liquid Lipsticks, in general. I need to stop trying. I just need to give it a rest.