All posts filed under: Reviews

Two for the Show

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I don’t know about you, but nights out strike fear into the part of my heart that gives a shit about how I look. I don’t usually glam up when there’s a special occasion because I don’t like drawing attention to myself, but if you need a quick face upgrade—just so people think you actually made an effort—here are two MAKE items worth looking into. The MAKE Custom Effects in Matte/Dew is a small compact that’s easily tucked into your clutch or handbag. It’s got one side to mattify your face, and another to add a little bit of dewiness. The products are more on the cream side—definitely not a powder—with the matte side similar to the feel of a silicone primer, and the dewy side similar to a really hard balm. It doesn’t catch the light the way highlighters do, but it gives your face a healthy-looking dewiness. The effect is a less-shiny, more glowy version of you! Everyone loves a red lip, and when you’re out of options and time, the MAKE Silk …

Eye Love 3CE!

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I thought I’d go crazy over the eyeshadows at Stylenanda’s 3CE, but I ended up just getting two matte eyeshadows and one cream eyeshadow. I was looking at a shu uemura-style horizontal palette, but resisted the very, very strong urge to pick up yet another neutral palette. The two matte eyeshadow shades I picked up were Salmon Pink, a matte… salmon pink, and Tom Boy, a very dirty olive. Both are so gorgeous, despite looking quite boring. I think they would be perfect for understated editorial looks–much like the campaign materials of 3CE feat. Park Sora. I resisted the cream shadow selection, too, and only got a warm medium bronzey brown called Glamorous. It reminds me a lot of my favorite eyeshadow, shu uemura’s ME medium brown 885, only it’s a lot less red.

Sample Stash Sunday: A Collection of Empties

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I’ve made a few empties posts here and there, but never consistently because I keep itching to throw everything away. However, I’ve recently made a conscious effort to use up my samples—you know, a sample a day keeps the impending destiny of becoming a hoarder away—and sometimes, empties posts are actually useful! The empties I have today are just samples. Samples are exciting, but they are also susceptible to forgetfulness and a future as waste. So, these are what I’ve used up since about late October.

ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows - Not a Box of Chocolates

ColourPop Super Shock Shadows: Not a Box of Chocolates

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One of the reasons I finally made my ColourPop purchase was a set from the holiday collection, Not a Box of Chocolates. I had my eye on a lot of colors in their permanent range, but I was too indecisive to make a rational decision, a.k.a. not buy all of them, so I relied on the convenience of a set. Part of me wishes I had gone with their late holiday release, Barely Blitzed, but that is just a small part. Not a Box of Chocolates features 6 limited edition shades of ColourPop's Super Shock Shadows in 4 different textures/finishes: satin luxe, metallic, pearlized, and matte. They come in this super-cute box—not unlike a box of chocolates—that feels really festive. The box looks really luxe, but it's just a really thick board and a mosaic-like sticker sheet over some foam with holes cut out for the shadows themselves. It doesn't look cheap, necessarily. I'm just saying, don't expect stained glass or anything like that. If you've heard anything at all about these eyeshadows, I'm sure …

ColourPop Lippie Stix Feminist Lumière

ColourPop Lippie Stix: Feminist & Lumière

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I got two of the ColourPop Lippie Stix to try over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, namely Feminist and Lumière. I’ve been seeing this brand all over the Internet, mainly YouTube, and you know I can’t resist a hype, especially if it comes with a $5 price tag. Everything ColourPop sells is priced at $5 each, though from what I understand, they contain considerably less product than usual (e.g. the Lippie Stix have 1.5g and the MAC lipsticks have 3g).

Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Cava

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The Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Cava was pretty much an impulse buy from a Sephora VIB sale. I wanted a new shade off of the Bite Beauty line—from any range at all!—but everything didn’t look appealing enough. Until Cava. Admittedly, it is a really strange shade. Sephora describes it as a “lilac beige,” and I can definitely see that definition working because all I have in my head right now is “mauve, mauve, mauve!” As part of the Luminous Crème Lipstick line, Cava is supposed to be a “lush, long-lasting, moisture-rich lip color.” (It is.) Funnily enough, I have a lip mini with 2 LCL shades that are also on a nuder side of the spectrum, if you will. Because the color is so strange, in the best possible way, Cava is a little tricky to wear. If you don’t play up your eyes enough, there is a tendency for it to pull out the deadness in your face. When paired with the right look, though, this color soars to great heights. I …