All posts tagged: beauty

MAC Blush Palette 2016 Update

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About two years and a few odd months ago, I hauled a sizable MAC purchase, which was kindly arranged for me by my friend Laura, who works there. I purchased the large/double palette with eyeshadow and blush inserts, along with three powder blushes that I never got around to adding to. Over the holidays, Laura sent me three more—out of the goodness of her heart—and it made me want to do a MAC Blush Palette update. Here’s what she picked out for me! MAC Powder Blush in Peachykeen, Breath of Plum & Breezy Swatched, L-R: Peachykeen, Breath of Plum, Breezy Peachykeen is a “very baby peach” sheertone shimmer blush. Breath of Plum is a “light plum” sheertone blush. Breezy is a “plum with pearl” sheertone shimmer blush. Not an expert on MAC blushes, but here’s a helpful guide I found at Nordstrom: FROST (F): Iridescent, lightly shimmering color. Adds highlights: provides a frosted ‘bloom’ to the cheeks. MATTE (M): Flat matte finish. Goes on lightly. Builds well. Blends with the skin. SATIN (S): Light-refractive sheen-style …

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip

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I know I look like I’ve been on a little bit of a ColourPop streak, but I literally placed only 2 orders towards the end of last year and have divvied up the items so that they don’t get too overwhelming. 🙂 Right now, I’m going to talk a bit about the ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip, which is a new product to me. They’re pretty much the same as the matte liquid lipsticks that have been popping up all over the place lately: a lipstick with a pigmented, opaque gloss-like consistency that dries matte. I do, however, really like this formula way more than the other ones I’ve tried thus far. I’ve seen a lot of other liquid lipsticks I wanted to try, but one major aspect of me picking ColourPop was the price point and their “no animal testing policy.” There’s still a hint of seediness to this whole out-of-nowhere, overly-hip weird operation, in my opinion, but nothing that strikes me as overly sinister. But anyway. I got 3 shades, (from top to bottom): …

New Discoveries from Indie Lee

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The Indie Lee Blemish Lotion and Calendula Eye Balm aren’t necessarily new items, but they are new to me. I was wrestling with a weirdly relentless bout of acne and was a little desperate for a spot treatment, so in the bin the Blemish Lotion went. I was also looking for a replacement for my current eye cream, which is by One Love Organics. It was okay, as far as moisture went, but I was also in the mood to try something else. The Blemish Lotion ($26; shop here) is a talc-free spot treatment, where you let a 100% natural solution of colloidal sulfur, zinc oxide, salicylic acid, magnesium aluminum silicate, camphor, and iron oxide settle onto the bottom of a bottle of water and isopropyl alcohol. You dip a cotton swab in the settled sediment and apply to spots, over a few hours or overnight. I swear, this has been a game changer for me. I tend to get really persistent spots around my nose area, but this calmed them down after just one …

My Christmas Present to Myself: The RMS Beauty Round-Up

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I have already lamented my weakness over at Twitter a few weeks ago, when I confessed to buying a selection of RMS Beauty items and blamed it on Black Friday. In truth, I have been drooling over these items for months and months, always relegating them for one reason or another to the “not right now” list. It was a mistake on my part, at least for some of them, because they are, quite frankly, amazing. RMS Beauty, one of the better known niche green beauty brands, has a handful of items in their product catalog. Some of the more famous and well-loved ones are the Living Luminizer ($38) and the “Un” Cover-Up ($36). They have a selection of color makeup items, some skin care and brushes, and most recently, a 6-free nail polish range. I went the safe route, and argued for “value.” I reasoned that getting the Glowing Gift Set was probably the best choice since it had the aforementioned best-sellers as well as your choice of Eye Polish (a cream-based eyeshadow; $28) …

To the Rescue?

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I purchased the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue because I was picking up something for my sister, and I needed a lightweight base that had SPF. My favored Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint is pretty much perfect for me for daily use, except for its lack of SPF. The bareMinerals Complexion Rescue is a “tinted hydrating gel cream” with non-chemical Broad Spectrum SPF 30. It is also formulated without oil, silicone, parabens or fragrance. I got the shade “Natural 05,” which I guesstimated from a shade finder they had on the bareMinerals website. Natural 05 is “for medium skin with neutral tones” and according to Shelbey, is similar to “Medium Beige” in the Original foundation, which is what I wear. As you can probably see from the photo, “gel cream” is a pretty accurate descriptor for the texture. It’s not really my favorite, because it still feels heavy when I apply it, even if the coverage isn’t necessarily so. bareMinerals claims that this is “the best of a BB, a CC, and a tinted moisturizer” and provides a …

A(nother) Bunch of ColourPop Stuff

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I think this is my last ColourPop update for now. I don’t really know what possessed me to try the blush and highlighters from the range… but here we are. I also picked up a stray eyeshadow and lipstick, which I figured I could just fit on over here instead of making a whole other separate post. I guess I’ll start with the Lippie Stix and the Super Shock Shadow, since they’re both items that I’ve previously tried in a different shade. Lippie Stix in Tootsi Tootsi is a “cool-toned grey beige (“greige”) in a matte finish” and is pretty similar to one of the the Ultra Matte Lips I bought called Trap. I don’t really know what to say about this—I like the matte lipsticks by ColourPop, though I maintain that they are not “true” mattes. In any case, I’ve been having fun with this shade, true matte or no. Super Shock Shadow in Central Perk I believe Central Perk was part of their fall collection. It’s a “dirty maroon in a matte finish,” …

Give Me Lip: A Melt Cosmetics Lipstick Review

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I’d been looking at Melt Cosmetics for a while now, especially after they released their eyeshadow stacks, a very celebrated product that I felt like I currently had no room for, considering my already overgrown makeup collection. Melt Cosmetics’ lipsticks, however, were always some of the favored mattes by true blue makeup fans. Around Black Friday, Melt Cosmetics had a 30% off sale, and I snagged a code from someone I followed on Tumblr, who was kind enough to share tips re: application and who also let me know which shades he favored. Luckily, I had picked 3 of his 4 favorites! Swatched, L-R: Laced, Catsuit, Space Cake Laced Laced is part of Melt Cosmetics’ Nood Collection, and is a greige-y type of color. It’s often compared to Lime Crime’s Cashmere, which I love the look of but refuse to buy. After looking at swatches, I don’t think they’re all that similar, but I do think Laced is a beautiful color regardless. Unfortunately, my tube of Laced arrived damaged. Melt Cosmetics has a decent return …