All posts filed under: Reviews

Quickie: Make Up Store Lipstick in Redwood

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I don’t have a lot of nude lipsticks because I feel like they wash me out, but this Make Up Store Lipstick in Redwood is strangely a great pale pinky nude lipstick for me. At first I didn’t want to wear it a lot because I felt like it was too light but it turns out, I just have to get a bit used to it. It actually has some mauve-y quality to it, but it’s definitely more pink than mauve or lavender on the lips. I think it’s a great companion for bolder eye looks like a good ol’ smoky eye or something that makes use of brights like this one using Addiction’s Deep Forest: The texture is pretty great. It’s a “creme” finish and glides on nicely. Comparatively, it feels a lot like the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks, or the MAC Creamsheens, but it doesn’t apply patchily as I find the Creamsheens do. It’s definitely not weightless, but it isn’t heavy either. Weirdly, this is how it looks like on the Make Up …

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Peachy Scene*

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Here’s a quick look at the Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Peachy Scene* which I got from a BDJ Box a few months ago. The bullet will tell you how much I don’t use it. The color is actually really pretty, it’s just that the scent is quite overwhelming and the frost finish doesn’t help this lipstick’s case. Here are a couple of swatches. Peachy Scene is in between YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in Rose in Tension and MAC’s Betty Bright, from the Archie’s Girls collection. Rose in Tension is much darker and obviously rosier, whereas Betty Bright is a little lighter, pinker, and a ton brighter. I can’t say I’ll miss this from my collection, honestly. Because as lovely as the color is, I can’t get past the smell. It smells like vanilla frosting, which sounds amazing, I know, but I don’t like makeup that smells like baked goods. It doesn’t smell like your typical vanilla smell from MAC. Like, it smells like the baked good you’d use the vanilla for. LOL. Does that make …

Smashbox Image Factory Air Blush Whipped Cheek Color in Dusty Rose

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This blush by Smashbox is one of the things I bought on a whim but I rarely ever use. Digging it up to review it, I’m reminded of why I impulsively bought it in the first place. For one thing, it is pretty gorgeous. Dusty Rose gives such a natural flush to the cheeks, with such a pretty color coupled with a beautiful texture. If you couldn’t already tell from the name or the picture, this has a pretty mousse-y consistency—a lighter texture than cream blushes. It is blendable and light, though fairly pigmented and is layer-able without much issue. I usually use a stippling brush when I apply it, though it goes on fairly well when used with fingers. Dusty Rose is a warm, rosy color that adds enough warmth and pinkness to the skin. It really looks like you have no blush on. Because it is whipped/a mousse, it dries down to a sort of velvety finish. On the face, it is noticeably natural, too. Does that make sense? I’ll call it that …

Drugstore Finds: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum & Correcting Concealer

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The Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation and the Bourjois Healthy Mix Correcting Concealer are two of my favorite face products at the moment. I was starting to swear off liquid foundations as the weather was just getting too hot and humid, but I couldn’t resist the Bourjois counter in Vietnam. It’s a little bit more pricey than retail in the UK, but it’s worth the little extra, because these are just so good! I got both in shade 53, which is 53 Light Beige for the foundation and 53 Dark Radiance for the concealer. I don’t like going lighter on foundations, so I didn’t want to risk it and got one of the darker shades available there. The consistency of the serum foundation is very smooth, though it’s not runny. It’s a gel, to be more specific. The concealer takes a bit of work. I like to warm it up between my fingers. I use it both on my under eye darkness and some blemishes, and it works great for both. It doesn’t really last …

Drugstore Finds: Wet n Wild Eyeshadows in Nutty and Penny

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Here are two of my favorite drugstore finds, the Wet n Wild Single Eyeshadows in Nutty and Penny. Notorious for being MAC dupes for Satin Taupe and Expensive Pink respectively, both shadows perform very well on their own, too. Nutty is a somewhat frosty taupe, a beautiful in-between brown and grey shade. It is quite cool in my eyes, though I have trouble estimating color temperature. Penny is quite a pretty golden-pink shadow. It has a coral pink base and shifts golden, depending on the light. The complexity of both shadows are more evident in a 3D setting; in other words, on the eye than as a swatch. I used Nutty all over the eye in the following look: I think it’s quite a pretty neutral that adds the right amount of depth and textural dimension to the eye. I don’t think it’s an exact dupe of MAC’s Satin Taupe, but it’s close enough: On the left pair of swatches, Satin Taupe sits on the left of Nutty. Penny is a bit more exciting, I …

shu uemura Glow On Blush in Soft Mauve 225

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Here’s a tricky little bugger. I bought the shu uemura Glow On Blush in Soft Mauve 225 after seeing it on a beautiful blogger, who sang it praises and I WANTED THAT GLOW. I wanted it! Unfortunately, I forgot to take into account the difference in our skintones, hers being quite pale. I am not pale. So. There. I had such a big problem with this blush, because it was so light and didn’t want to show up, no matter what I did. Enter, the Illamasqua Blush-Up Brush: It’s a dense, stiff brush that is just perfect for people like me who insist on wearing too-light colors. Ta-da! Aaaand here is a very heavy swatch: Soft Mauve 225 is a really pale lavender and it looked to be like the impossible dream. I don’t get a “true-to-pan” color on my cheeks, obviously, but I like the effect it lends. I’ve yet to try it under a cream, neutral base, but I’ve worn this mixed with other blushes, to great results. The blush itself is a …

Drugstore Finds: Soap & Glory’s Sexy Motherpucker

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The Sexy Motherpucker is a gloss crayon by Soap & Glory. I was able to get my hands on three shades. Since the formulation is so sheer, it’s a little hard to describe the shades, so I’ll go by their names: Nudist, Fuschiaristic, and Plum Jam. These swatches aren’t very helpful either, huh? As swatches, they don’t look like they differ very much. Just random variations of the same nude gloss. On the lips, however, there is a significant difference. At least, in my mind: Each shade lends a different mood to the face. I think they’re actually arranged from most favorite to least. We’ll see, but I usually don’t like a lot of warmth in my lip color. Who knows why. These are different from your usual crayon, because it’s a gloss and not a matte lip color, or a stain or a balm. If I’m not mistaken, NARS also has a gloss lip pencil, but I haven’t tried those so I can’t compare. The Sexy Motherpucker is easy on the lips! Very comfortable …