Pixi

Pixi MatteLast Liquid Lip: Lightweight, Long-Wearing $14 Liquid Lipsticks

August 15th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

My friends, we are living in an era of crazy lip colors.

Yes, it’s true. And I love the craziness! — the
greens, blues and other-worldly purples. It’s opening minds — boom! — and more and more makeup mavens are thinking about beauty in unconventional ways.

Still, sometimes I get a hankering for an old-fashioned flattering pink or coral like the ones in the new Pixi MatteLast Liquid Lip line. They’re $14 each and available now.

All five are fabulously wearable and fairly comfortable for a liquid lipstick.

The Pixi MatteLasts have a thin, watery consistency similar to the NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments (which are THE BEST liquid lipsticks out there right now IMO), so you only need a few drops for full coverage. As long as you’re careful to apply the littlest amount, they don’t feel suffocating or heavy, either, like most other liquid lipsticks feel.

The unscented, unflavored formula is also easy to apply quickly, which is fortuitous in this case because, wow! — these dry in less than a minute.

I still prefer my NARS Powermattes, though, because even though the Pixi MatteLasts feel fairly lightweight on my lips, the NARS Powermattes feel even lighter, and they’re much, MUCH more moisturizing.

Despite being a little drying, the MatteLasts are still pretty good, and they cost $12 less than the NARS version.

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2 Rosy Reasons to Pause at Pixi: The New Moisturizing Rose Caviar Essence and Rose Flash Balm

August 8th, 2017 by Karen 13 Comments

pixi rose flash balm rose caviar essence — $24 Pixi Rose Flash Balm radiance booster and $24 Rose Caviar Essence moisturizing serum

SPOILER ALERT!

I need a Game of Thrones moment before I get into these new skin care products from Pixi (wasn’t Sunday’s episode righteously epic?!), so here’s a shout-out to one of my favorite fictional families, House Tyrell, and their strong women, especially Olenna Tyrell, who was a freakin’ savage till the end.

The symbol of House Tyrell was a rose, and ‎these two new products from Pixi are roses as well. They’re both $24 each and available now. There’s Rose Caviar Essence — a moisturizing, brightening serum with rose oil — and Rose Flash Balm — a multipurpose moisturizer with rose extract that also works as a primer and face mask.

Both of them are lightly scented like a single stemmed rose. Ah…

Pixi Rose Flash Balm

Flash Balm is Pixi’s version of a cult classic from Clarins called Flash Beauty Balm, a product that I never quite understood. I’ve heard makeup artists say that it perks up lackluster skin, which Pixi Rose Flash Balm is also supposed to do, but eh, I don’t really see the perkiness.

I do, however, like how moisturized it makes my skin feel and that it doesn’t leave an oily film behind. I also think that my pores look slightly less intense when I use it.

Pixi Rose Flash Balm ingredients
Water/Aqua/Eau, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Propylene Glycol, Octyldodecanol, Tapioca Starch, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Triethyl Citrate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Sucrose Cocoate, Glycerin, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Rose Extract, Bisabolol, Ethylhexylglyercin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Citrate, Red 40 (CI 16035)

Pixi Rose Caviar Essence

The Rose Caviar Essence, though, is SO COOL! See how the product looks like it has these tiny flecks? Those are flower and plant oils suspended in a weightless gel.

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Pixi GelTint & SilkGloss: Lovin’ These Lush, Low-Key Lip Combos

July 19th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

pixi geltint silkgloss swatches — These Pix GelTint & Silkgloss combos are my jam right meow! From the top: BerryTint & Sweet Gloss, PinkTint & PrettyGloss and BeachTint & FreshGloss ($12 each)

I love ya, matte lips. I really do, but, like in most long-term relationships, sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder, so…we gotta take a break. Just for a bit. Because when it’s hella hot out like it’s been here lately, matte lips just don’t seem right. But glosses and lip tints, like the Pixi GelTint & SlickGloss combos ($12 each), which are both, do.

Maybe it’s because hot weather puts me a minimal makeup mood, or maybe it’s because of these natural-looking colors. All I know is that on brows/mascara/gel blush/gloss days, I love these doe-foot duos.

pixi geltint silkgloss — Hello, pretties!

There’s a lightly tinted liquid lip tint on one end and a sheer, non-sticky gloss with a smooth, lightweight formula on the other. You can wear the tint or the gloss by themselves, or you can layer the gloss on top of the tint, which is what I usually do. They smell and taste faintly of yummy mint tea, and all three duos are new to Pixi’s permanent line.

pixi pinktint pretty gloss — PinkTint & PrettyGloss

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These Pixi Sheer Cheek Gels Are Perfect for Way-Too-Hot Mascara/Brows/Gloss Days

July 18th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

pixi sheer cheek gel natural flushed rosy — Barely-there cheek color that’s oh-so-hot. From the top: Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in Natural, Flushed and Rosy ($14 each)

You guys…it is SO FREAKIN’ HOT.

As I’m sitting here, literally not doing anything except existing, I’m covered in sweat, and I feel the sweat running down the valley between my boobs.

Boob sweat. It’s a real thing.

Now, what does that have to do with the Pixi Sheer Cheek Gels? Actually, a lot! LOL! Because when it’s BEYOND hot like this, I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup. I draw the line at mascara (waterproof, of course), a lip tint or gloss, filling in my brows, and using a tiny touch of concealer and blush. That’s all I can handle. (“That’s all,” she said, as if that wasn’t still a lot.)

I like these gel blushes because they’re perfect for those way-too-hot-mascara/brows/gloss days, or, whenever you need to look presentable and fresh-faced but can’t bring yourself to try too hard.

pixi sheer cheek gel swatches natural rosy flushed — Swatches from the top: Natural, Rosy and Flushed

They come in these little 0.45-oz. tubes, and it doesn’t seem like you get a lot for $14, but you don’t need to use very much. I do a little squeeze for each cheek and gently blend the edges.

You don’t get a ton of color — I’ll tell you that right now — and if you’re expecting Insta-glam intensity, you’ll be disappointed. The effect is sheer and natural-looking, and very similar to the effect I get from Clinique Pop Oil Lip & Cheek Glow, except without the oil, as Pixi’s blushes don’t have it (they’re oil-free).

I like to wear gel blushes on bare skin, as opposed to wearing them on top of other products, to keep things easy and minimal. Whenever I layer them on top of foundation or tinted moisturizer, the gel ends up moving stuff around, so I don’t even wanna bother. But you could wear these Sheer Gels on top of face makeup if you wanted to… Just be sure to pat them, instead of sweeping, to protect whatever you may be wearing under them.

pixi sheer cheek gel review rosy — Wearing sheer red Rosy

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The Summer of Skin Care! Glycolic Acid Goodness With Pixi Glow Mud Cleanser, Glow Tonic To-Go, and Overnight Glow Serum

June 30th, 2017 by Karen 24 Comments

In the many late-night hours I’ve spent ~~watching kitten videos~~ reading about skin care on my phone, a topic that has repeatedly come up over and over again is glycolic acid.

Actually, acids in general. In the skin care world, they’re a big deal, especially when it comes to anti-aging products.

There’s a ton of info available about them online, but this is basically what I’ve gathered: skin goes through a cycle of shedding and renewal, where it sheds old cells and generates new ones, and, as we get older, the cycle slows down. But glycolics kick the cycle into higher gear again, which improves skin tone and mellows out pigmentation, among other things.

In a nutshell, glycolics are today’s anti-aging all-stars, and if I’ve learned anything from skin care goddess Caroline Hirons (a.k.a. my BFF in my mind), it’s that you gotta get an acid up in the mix if you want to get “serious” about anti-aging.

A couple of the skin care peeps I follow, Caroline and Stephanie Nicole, recommend a potent glycolic acid toner called Biologique Recherche P50 1970 Toner, which I want to try eventually, but it’s supposed to be super strong, so I started with a few over-the-counter products first from Pixi.

You know Pixi. They’re a cruelty-free, paraben-free line available at Target, and all of their stuff comes in the cutest green bottles. I love how it all matches. 🙂

Anywho, they have a bunch of glycolic acid products and good-looking ingredient lists. The glycolic acids are usually listed up near the top along with the percentage included, which isn’t something that all brands do (and that’s frustrating!). Pixi also often adds soothing aloe vera (also up near the top of the ingredient list) to help offset the exfoliating power of glycolic acid.

Pixi Glow Tonic To-Go Exfoliating Toner Pads with 5% Glycolic ($18 for 60 pads)

Pixi soaked these travel-friendly pads with their famous Glow Toner, which I’ve used before and like. I think it makes a big difference in the texture and evenness of my skin. It makes it smoother.

I have these slightly darker spots, which I like to call my “freckles,” but let’s get real here. They’re more likely sun spots from sun damage. I also have larger patches on my cheeks that are slightly darker than my normal skin tone, but not as dark as those freckles (also likely from sun damage). Glow Tonic ever-so-slightly evens out the tone of those larger areas of uneven pigmentation.

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Music Festival Inspired Makeup Tutorial With a Pop of Blue

April 27th, 2016 by Jen Clark 26 Comments

Warm bronze eye shadow with a pop of blue

My social media feeds have been blowing up with cute photos and snapchats of really cool, trendy people at music festivals, so I decided I would (try to) channel my inner cool person and came up with this makeup look I’d wear if I were to go to said festivals.

I love this look so much! I can’t wait to wear it this summer. I think it makes a huge impact, but it’s totally easy to do. And you can customize it if you want to. You could switch out the bronze-y shades for taupes and the blues for some lavender.

Mmm, that would be gorgeous!

I’m using the Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette and the Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Aquamarine Dream.

Yes, I know the Too Faced Palette has a blue shade in it, but I’ve been dying to try out the Pixi palette. The colors make my heart pitter patter.

The Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette, $49

Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Aquamarine Dream, $12

I wanted a really warm crease, so I put “peanut butter” (an almost orange matte brown) from the Too Faced palette in the crease and just above it. By using a really soft, fluffy brush and taking your sweet time blending, you’ll get that diffused look we all aim for.

Too Faced "peanut butter" in the crease — Too Faced “peanut butter” in the crease

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My Most-Used Makeup Products at the Moment

April 14th, 2016 by Adia Goss 28 Comments

I’m always trying new products, but I thought it would be fun to share what have been my most-used makeup products lately. For me, these are the products that “just work,” and they’re the things I reach for when I want to throw something on my face without having to give it any thought. The colors are just right, and they help me achieve my signature look — glowy skin and pinky/nude lips. 🙂

Foundations

I am a sucker for glowy, lightweight bases, and I’ve been constantly reaching for PUR Minerals HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation in Tan and NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna, which may be a tad too light for me, but it’s sheer enough that it still works.

The PUR Minerals foundation is amazing, by the way. Here are swatches and a full review. It’s available now at PUR Minerals for $39.

No brand matches my skin as well as NARS, and I love that NARS Pure Radiant has SPF 30. This was one of my first high-end foundations, and I’ve repurchased it time and again and will probably continue to do so because it’s a great everyday foundation. It’s available now at NARS Cosmetics for $44.

And, just to make sure my face is seriously glowy, I also like to use Pixi by Petra Glow Mist. It adds glow and helps my makeup last a bit longer. It’s definitely one of my favorite facial mists, and it’s available now at Target for $15.

most used makeup — L to R: Swatches of PUR Minerals HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation in Tan and NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna

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Beauty on the Go: My Minimal 7-Product Face

April 13th, 2016 by Anna Oh 36 Comments

My Minimal Face Beauty Bag — My “Minimal Face” Beauty Bag

When it comes to beauty…and really anything…there’s nothing very “minimal” about me. I either go all the way, or not at all! When I’m shopping with my girlfriends, I’ll usually only leave the store with an iced coffee. But, I’m also that same person who will use my entire budget for one amazing jacket or shoe that “represents everything I believe in.” (Yes, I do say this every time I buy something, haha! I’m a very passionate shopper.)

So when I had to pack up my home and move within the week, you can bet I used the least amount of products possible. I grabbed my glasses and a few old and new favorites before getting to work! I even opted out of foundation because I knew I’d be sweating and wearing glasses, and nothing good comes out of that!

A little glow

Pixi Book of Beauty "Minimal Makeup" No-Makeup Makeup — Pixi Book of Beauty in Minimal Makeup

The main face product I grabbed, was the Pixi Book of Beauty in Minimal Makeup ($24), new for spring 2016. The size was perfect, and since I wasn’t adding much else to my face, I only needed a few colors that I could dust on quickly with a large brush.

Lately, I have been all about Pixi, and these Beauty Books have come in very handy.

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