Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup
A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict
The three semi-transparent Lip Glosses in Sigma Beauty’s new Enlight Collection fit with the collection’s neutral vibe.
Violet Hint, rosy Tint and plummy Tranquil hit the “your lips but better” bullseye, and because they’re very sheer, your natural lip color shines through, with just a hint of added tint.
So you know when you’re just driving along and flipping through the radio stations and every song that comes on sounds like an obnoxious video game or, like, somebody is shouting at you because they’re either in love, falling out of love or about to get cray-cray in da club with Grey Goose and strippers?
Then, when you can’t take it anymore, you turn to the easy listening station and ah… Everything is peaceful, mellow and serene again. 🙂
That’s how I feel about these three blushes from the Sigma Enlight collection — the cheek color equivalents of a sleepy Norah Jones ballad.
And that is not a bad thing. Nope, not at all.
I mean, sure, when I see a bold, bright red pan, assuming I’m in the right mood, BRING IT. But I don’t always like being challenged by my blushes, and on those days, these neutrals should do the trick.
This is my first time wearing Sigma’s blushes, and I like ’em. Like MAC’s, they go on with very little patchiness, and they barely need a flick of the wrist to blend.
All three are supposed to warm and calm your hectic makeup routine…
OK, I can get down with that. Like “Ommmmm” for my cheeks!
Peaceful, a shimmery, peachy beige, is the lightest of the three and looks more like a highlighter on me, so I wear it on my upper cheekbones. I think this one could look really pretty on pale skin.
And I have a feeling that Mellow, a medium pinkish beige with a sheen finish, will be the most universally flattering.
#Realtalk: I’m riding on a huge Urban Decay Naked high right now, primarily due to Naked3, which finally went on sale online (FINALLY) today, and it’s already sold out. HOLY WOW!
If you missed it, you can sign up here to be alerted when it’s back in stock.
Needless to say, if it’s Naked, I’m on it!
Wait — that sounded a little dirtier that I thought it would.
Anywho! My reignited fire for all things Naked is why I’m extra stoked about RyGos’ abs the new Revealed Palette by Coastal Scents.
I didn’t know much about the brand before this week, only what I’d heard on YouTube. It seemed like for a hot second there, the Coastal Scents 88 Palette (with, like, every color imaginable) was hella trendy.
I recently started testing a few things from the line, and uh, yeah, so far, I’m not seeing any shortages of pigment. None of the products are too expensive, either, and the aren’t tested on animals.
So, why the Revealed palette? Well, if you eyed Urban Decay’s Naked and/or Naked2 palettes but didn’t spring due to their price ($52 each), Revealed could be an option. It’s only $19.95.
Does anyone ever have fun at work holiday parties? I envy you if you do, because when I worked in the city, I did not.
It was a stuffy office bloated with big egos and rife with corporate intrigue!
OK, not really. 🙂 But it was very hard to unwind around my bosses, and when I absolutely, positively couldn’t wiggle my way out of it, I’d show up to make an appearance, say “Hi!” to whoever might notice my absence, and peace out quietly as soon as I could sneak out the door…
The parties are better now at my current gig as assistant to the CEO of Tabs the Cat Industries, LLC.
Tabs usually invites all of his kitty modeling peers and industry heavyweights (like Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s feline associate), and of course there’s always an open bar where the catnip cocktails flow freely…
I don’t really get to par-tay like a rockstar because of my admin duties, like making sure the guests get home safely and that no one steals anything (don’t get me started on the time a Ragdoll pilfered Tabs’ fine art collection).
Long story short, these occasions are usually quite entertaining, and they give me an excuse to wear party makeup.
Thing is, I can’t go really over the top since these are technically work gigs. I still have to look somewhat responsible, which is why Jouer’s Party Perfect holiday kit might work perfectly.
When I showed this three-piece set to our CEO, he promptly sent this memo: “Mrrroow. Meeeeow. *Purr*”
That’s corporate shorthand for “Chic and sophisticated. I approve.” 🙂
The limited edition release comes with three Jouer makeup essentials for classically simple party looks, and it comes with a roomy zippered leopard-print canvas bag, inside which you’ll find…
Jouer’s Hydrating Lipstick in Meg, a creamy, moisturizing honey pale pink with Brazilian Cupuacu Butter. Perfect for a classic nude lip.
Because my lips are so pigmented, I like to bump it up with a lip liner, and top it off with a sheer pink gloss for extra shine.
The set also comes with Liquid Shimmer Eyeliner in Leopard, a bronzed chocolate liquid liner that softly shimmers to take your cat eyes up a notch from basic black.
I’m really hoping to feel some holiday magic this year because last Christmas was a blur. You know all the fun (sometimes frantic) things that come with the holidays, like spending time shopping for meaningful gifts, carefully wrapping presents (as opposed to just slapping things together with tape) and decorating the tree? Last year, everything I did was last-minute. This year, I want to take the time to really savor the holidays and make them a priority, you know? Life is too short.
That magic I mentioned? — there’s actually some happening now over at Laura Mercier counters, where the White Magic holiday collection is available.
The 17-piece limited edition launch heralds the holidays with shimmery pastels, illuminated skin and shiny, glossy lips.
When I look at these products, I think of the word, “glow.” But not in a bronzed, beachy way. I’m thinking more in terms of regal, otherworldly winter ice queens riding silent sleighs across snow-covered fields…
White Magic is one of those collections with a healthy dose of shimmer and pastel.
Ya know, I do like pastels, and I think a little shimmery white or baby blue on the lids close to the lash lines can look very artsy, particularly with thick cat liner, but generally, with my tan and warm skin tone, I think they get a little lost on me. But I think they can look phenomenal on gals with lighter skin, and on younger women (shimmer isn’t always so forgiving on mature skin).
The collection isn’t all pale colors and shimmer, though. There are moments in which darker, more intense colors break through, and those are the ones that make me do grabby hands. 🙂
Like Mocha Myth lipstick, which is like an updated version of the classic ’90s brown lip…
It’s a dark, neutral reddish brown — totally something someone could have worn back in 1994 with a plaid shirt, hoop earrings, jeans and Timbaland boots, except that back then, the lipsticks were almost always matte. This one’s smooth, comfy and creamy, with a metallic finish that seems fresher. I bet it would look striking on gals with darker skin tones, especially as an everyday lip shade. And it’s great for dry lips.
Pinkish purple Flamingo lipstick also caught my eye. (It’s referred to as Girly on Laura’s website… Not sure if that’s a typo.) It’s a lot like one of my favorite MAC lipsticks, Syrup, except that Laura’s is slightly sheerer and more pink.
Now, I know that a purple-toned lipstick might sound a little scary, but it depends. Find the right one, and you can use it as a nude lippie. I think the pink in this one makes it wearable and flattering.
And then there were three…
Thrice as naked.
More naked than you’ve ever been before! (Well…)
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! No, not really. But it is the third coming of Urban Decay’s famous Naked palette, appropriately named Naked3 ($54).
First impressions: WOW! I have been literally champing at the bit to see this palette in person, and so far I have not been disappointed by it.
The 12 all-new neutrals, all of which have rose tones, come in UD’s typically soft, easy-to-blend formula (and matte, pearl and glimmering metallic finishes). Sure, that means there’s some fallout, but on the flip-side, the shadows are ridiculously easy to blend, and if you do your eyes first, clean up, and continue with your face makeup, it’s all good.
I think the colors are definitely different enough from the shades in the O.G. Naked palettes (one and two) to make this one worth considering.
Many of the shades have a purplish taupe tint to them, at least on my skin, which I like. I think they’ll go well with purple smokey eyes and other purple looks. I have a strong suspicion they’ll also complement bronze and gold shadows nicely.
For the most part, I think these are neutral enough to work well on cool and warm skin tones, but if you’re on the far warm end of that spectrum, you may want to work in your own mattes for transition colors, because some of these shades, like Nooner and Limit — those might be a tad too cool-toned.
I’m really jazzed about the colors on the far right, the darker colors. Those are gonna be a blast to play with in smokey eyes.
Of course, I still love black, brown and purple smokey looks, but I really like the idea of becoming a part-time rose gold smokey eye aficionado.
In case you ever need to spot your makeup from a mile away…
Yeah…the pouch that comes with Topshop’s $24 Lipstick and Blush Set is bright.
Yellow highlighter bright. Bright like a beacon of makeup hope to guide you through troubled waters…
I want to stamp “FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY” across the front and keep it in my go bag under the bed, along with El Hub’s machete and SAS Survival Handbook.
I’m pretty sure El Hub will say that the makeup is extraneous, but he’ll have to adjust. He doesn’t know it yet, but you better believe we’re making room for blush and lipstick.
The tiny two-piece kit comes with one neutral pink cream blush and an orangey red lipstick. Classic colors that don’t appear to belong in such cray-cray packaging, but whatevs. There’s some good stuff here.
There isn’t anything I don’t like about Morning Dew, the cream blush in the kit, and I’m finicky about cream blushes. On bare skin, foundation, layered on top of powder — it handles any face makeup I throw at it, and it always looks smooth, never patchy. It even manages to last all day long, too.
Two more thumbs up for Rio Rio, the red lipstick. Smooth and pigmented, it fades slowly over 4-5 hours to a super pretty matte stain.
You may want to pair it with a lipliner, though, to keep it from straying outside of your natural lip line, because it is very creamy. If you can, try the Pro Longwear Lip Pencils by MAC. They’re long-lasting and comfortable, and if you’re looking for a shade rec, I really like Rio Rio with Kiss Me Quick.
I’ve been trying to focus on this palette’s awesome $5 price (regularly $10, but it’s on sale now online for $5) and 18 fallout-free, easy-to-blend powder eyeshadows today, but instead I keep thinking of frickin’ cyclohexane…
Can you see it? Those two shapes on both sides of the middle? C6H12.
What do you mean, “That’s so weird, Karen”?
Is it? I don’t know… I guess those chemistry classes scarred my psyche worse than I thought.
Duuuuude, it’s like one those posters that looks like a bunch of random dots, but if you stare at it long enough a picture appears. Everyone and their brother had one of those in their room when I lived in the dorms. It was usually hanging next to a Bob Marley or Pulp Fiction poster…or a print of something by Monet.
I hated those things (the dot posters). No matter how long I stared, I could never see the pictures. My friend would be all, “Do you see it, Karen? It’s the Statue of Liberty,” and I’d say, “Uh…yeah! There it is! I see it now!” When in reality all I saw were the dots. 🙂
The Studio 18-Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Palette is a little like those dot posters because it has some crazy shapes, but it’s way cooler than that. It also has a lot of high quality makeup and a fantastic price. I can wear the rich, pigmented shadows either alone or atop pencils or cream shadows, and with the help of a primer, they last all day long.
I don’t think these swatches truly convey just how bad-@ss these are. I know they look kind of weak, but that’s more the fault of the packaging than the shadows themselves.
Hear me out…
