Jessica Revitte

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Balm

April 22nd, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 22 Comments

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of our all-time favorite permanent collection products.

I’ve got dry lips.

Like, Sonoran Desert dry.

Many have tried to figure out why, I assure you, and many have failed. Between the overall dryness of my skin, to its tendency to eczema and how my lips aggravatingly seem to need to really get in the mood for our six-month winter here in the arctic tundra that is Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, my lips are wrinkled and peeling for way more of the year than I’d like.

I’ve gone through favorite lip balms like Taylor Swift goes through boyfriends. (Too soon? Sorry, T, just shake it off.)

I repeatedly feel like I’ve found “the one” and love it for weeks — months, even — and go through a whole slew of backups only to see my lips eventually reject the formula seemingly out of the freaking blue. It drives me nuts. What I don’t do is write songs about it… Maybe Taylor can help me with that?

Anyway, when Maybelline released their main Baby Lips line a few years ago, I tried one of the original tinted formulation balms and wasn’t that impressed. It looked great, but because of my lips, it felt like the balm itself was just sitting on top of my dry lips, rather than sinking in and really making a difference.

So I gave them a pass until I noticed a new product in the Baby Lips fam called Baby Lips Dr. Rescue, which I spotted while ~~getting some much needed “mommy alone time”~~ running errands. I grabbed the clear balm and applied it immediately in the car.

*queue angels singing*

It felt INCREDIBLE.

[Continue reading…]

Here’s My “Light Bright” Busy Mom Makeup — How Do You Get Ready in a Flash?

April 21st, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 27 Comments

Hurry fast rushing 10-minute makeup — Me getting ready, every day that ends in Y!

I’m pretty sure it’s no secret that I’m a working mom. I’ve mentioned this aspect of who I am in several posts because it is a CONSTANT struggle that I’m forced to confront on a daily basis. I would do anything to be home full time, but that’s not our reality, and as a result I find myself regularly coming up with ways to look awake! alert! peppy! — you name it. It’s something I think about.

I also think it’s no secret that your world gets turned upside down when children bless your life. Fellow mommies know that things change in both anticipated and unanticipated ways. I knew, for instance, that the morning struggle to get ready would be far different after my maternity leave, but what I couldn’t have guessed was that I’d find teeth marks on my YSL lipstick tubes (my son thinks they’re great for teething!), or that I’d look up from cleaning to find my daughter attempting to sneak into my makeup collection to play because she was “looking for something [she] lost in [our] bedroom.”

Suuuuuure…

Before I had children, I promised myself that makeup would still be “my thing” as a mom. Everyone needs an escape, and a “me time,” and this would be mine.

Unfortunately, “my thing” is also a hobby that happens to overlap with the hectic morning rush, so I’ve started to gravitate toward products that I refer to as my “light bright” favorites.

Why, do you ask? Because they’re light and bright and make me look awake! alert! peppy! (I think I’m trying to convince myself that I’m all of those things by typing it more than once… *drinks more coffee*)

[Continue reading…]

Blur the Line Between Drugstore and High End with Maybelline’s Master Contour Kits

April 19th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 23 Comments

Maybelline Master Contour Kit in Light to Medium 10 — Mid-application of Maybelline’s Master Contour Kit in Light to Medium 10

I seriously love me some Maybelline. The first palettes I gravitated to as a tween makeup lover were Maybelline, and, as an adult makeup lover, the brand continues to be, by far, the most purchased affordable makeup in my collection. At their price point, I often find their quality to be unrivaled — finely milled powders, fabulous cream shadows that apply like By Terry’s Ombre Blackstars and long-lasting pigment for days.

First time I saw the new Master Contour Palette in Light to Medium 10, which goes for $12.99 (available in Medium to Deep 20, as well), I was immediately reminded of Estée Lauder’s 2016 Bronze Goddess Summer Glow Multi Palette, which retails for over four times as much!

Comprised of a contour shade, a coordinating classic pink blush and a champagne highlighter, this gem poses as an excellent and wallet-friendly substitute to some similar, considerably more expensive summer 2016 releases.

Maybelline Master Contour Kit in Light to Medium 10

[Continue reading…]

Nail Understated Poolside Elegance With the Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Collection for Summer 2016

April 13th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 17 Comments

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Summer 2016 — Wearing Estée Lauder Gelée Bronzer under my foundation, Summer Glow Multi-Palette on eyes and cheeks, and Lip and Cheek Summer Glow in Peach Glow on lips and cheeks.

For a makeup lover like myself, there is no more exciting sign of ☀ summer’s impending arrival than the annual appearance of Estée Lauder’s glowing, beachy Bronze Goddess collection and its effortlessly radiant sunlit nudes and bold brights.

This year’s release, which ranges from bonzing gels and powder bronzers to shadow palettes, fragrances and highlighters, has some seriously vintage poolside vibes, and I am loving it! ☺

Throw on your shimmering body oil, floppy hat and vintage sunglasses, and let’s take a look at some of the collection’s sumptuous summer treasures.

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess 2016 Gelée Bronzer, Summer Glow Multi-Palette, and Lip and Cheek Summer Glow in Fuchsia Lights, Peach Glow

For me and many of the makeup lovers I know, it’s the highlight and bronzing palettes launched with the Bronze Goddess collections that set our hearts aflutter.

The classicly chic Summer Glow Multi-Palette ($50) comes in a tortoise-shell box and houses a soft pink illuminator, a rosy hued blush and an approachable bronzer. Although it was surely designed with faces in mind, it’s worth noting that the shades also work wonders on eyes as well (particularly the highlighter and bronzer). What a way to tie your look together when you’re in a hurry. ☺

The Gelée Bronzer ($32) has an interesting formula that reminds me of Hard Candy Cheeky Tint in Surfer Babe, except that Surfer Babe applies a transparent wash of iced tea color, while Gelée Bronzer deposits a highly pigmented shade a bit more like a liquified form of a powder bronzer.

Emollient and easy to blend, this bronzer gives you a long “working time” before it sets, but BEWARE! A little goes a long way, which you can see in these swatches.

I prefer to use products like Gelée Bronzer under my foundation to allow the slightest glow to show through; this in turn neutralizes some of the orangey-ness that often accompanies pigmented liquid bronzers.

[Continue reading…]

Let’s Chat! What’s Your Makeup Comfort Zone?

April 12th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 46 Comments

Call me crazy, but I have a habit of thinking about habits.

Is that weird? Like, I notice things about myself, and then I spend a fair amount of time pondering whether it’s just me, or whether everyone else has the same quirks, and because I have a job that involves a lot of long-term quiet focus, my mind inevitably wanders…

“Am I the only one who does [INSERT QUIRK HERE]?” Or, “I wonder how she feels about [INSERT PONDERABLE TOPIC HERE]?” Or, “Why would the writers of The Walking Dead play with my emotions like that?!”

Of course, because I totally adore makeup, I most often find myself thinking about what’s hot now, or how we wear what we wear, or why we wear what we wear. For instance, where do the trends come from?? It’s sort of a chicken/egg situation, right? Because I think you could argue that sometimes the trends come directly from cosmetics companies (color correcting), and sometimes they come from us (strobing).

Anyway…now that I’m here helping Karen (and Tabs, who’s a real taskmaster, BTW!) on Makeup and Beauty Blog, I want to chat with you about something that’s been rolling around in my noggin.

Here’s my question: What’s your “beauty comfort zone,” so to speak, when it comes to lipstick colors?

My makeup comfort zone is pretty big where lipstick is concerned!

And I don’t just mean traditional lipstick. I’m also talking gloss, glitter, liquid lipstick (because it seems like errbody is talking about liquid lipstick right now) — you name it.

MAC x Halsey, that masterpiece of a grey lipstick, got me on this subject, because as wearable as it is for a grey lipstick, my brain automatically said, “Nope, that is not something you can wear everyday.”

Later after I thought about it some more, I wondered…why? Where was the girl who at 15 decided “I’m going to wear bright red lipstick to high school!” and did it fearlessly (despite the whispers in the hallway)?

Where was the girl who decided that bright purple lipstick was totally okay in the office on a Tuesday, just because?

[Continue reading…]

Look Perfect Naked With Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector

April 11th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 35 Comments

Urban Decay One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfectors (SPF 20)

In the summer I’m all about light, dewy coverage.

I know, I know, I work in an office…but when I’m not stuck sitting at my desk, and I’m out somewhere actually having fun in the sun ☀ and the warm weather, it’s nice to not feel weighed down by a heavy base product, and even though I’m a fair-skinned SPF freak, it’s always a relief knowing that my foundation, BB cream or tinted moisturizer are also there to add a little extra oomph where sun protection is concerned.

Urban Decay recently released the most beach bag-friendly base product a girl could want, an oil-free formulation with SPF20 that’s meant to even out your overall complexion and blur imperfections while keeping you looking natural and fresh, and it’s called Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector (I dare you to say that one five times fast!).

Available in 6 shades for $34 each, it’s ideal for speedy makeup application or touch-ups on the go after a day at the beach or an afternoon by the pool.

UD’s official description says it all…

“We’re not exactly what you call low-maintenance when it comes to beauty (and we’re not ashamed to admit it). But we’re more than happy to take a shortcut or two — as long as it doesn’t look like we did. THIS is one of those times. Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector combines all the benefits of skin treatment and protection with the coverage of a sheer foundation. This multitasking cream is the best of both worlds”

Urban Decay One and Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector — Wearing Urban Decay One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector in Light

[Continue reading…]

New Summer 2016 Urban Decay 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil in Walk of Shame and 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Heartless

April 8th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 15 Comments

Wearing Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Walk of Shame on my waterline, layered with Heartless below the waterline and in the inner corner of my eye... — Wearing Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Walk of Shame on my waterline, layered with Heartless below the waterline and in the inner corner of my eye

From day one, I have been in love with the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.

The insane color selection (last time I counted, there were upwards of 40 shades!), the “glide-on” texture, the creamy and blendable formula and that everlasting finish have consistently made the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils my #1 go-to’s where liner is concerned.

And because Urban Decay is Urban Decay and exceptional when it comes to keepin’ things fresh and releasing new and exciting products, they’ve launched some totally awesome eye pencils with their Summer 2016 collection. A new formula designed with your waterline in mind — quite logically named 24/7 Waterline Eye Pencil — and a fierce shade in the classic range, Heartless, both of which are available for $20 each.

[Continue reading…]

Bring Out Your Inner Makeup-Loving Mermaid With the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Makeup Brushes

April 6th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 13 Comments

Color correcting with the Tarte Double-Ended Color Correcting Brush

In addition to a whole boat load of amazing marine inspired products, Tarte also introduced a set of fabulous brushes fit for Ariel herself with their Rainforest of the Sea collection.

I tend to feel like brushes don’t get enough love… I mean, it seems like we generally only talk about them when we’re complaining about washing them (guilty as charged). On top of that, I’m one of those former kids that just loved finger painting and can’t get enough of my (clean) god given applicators when I’m putting on my makeup each morning. BUT, an artist is only as good as their tools, and a good makeup brush can make all the difference.

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Face Brushes

Tarte Double-Ended Foundation Brush ($34) — This brush was designed with the brand’s Sea Water Foundation in mind. Each end is composed of duo-fiber bristles with a different intended purpose. The smaller side of the brush is ideal for facial contours and concealer application. I personally prefer working with smaller tools, so I also find this side helpful when applying foundation across my entire face (particularly with Sea Water Foundation, as it requires speedy blending before it sets). The larger end of this brush can be used to buff and blend, and per Tarte creates an “airbrushed effect.”

Tarte Double-Ended Highlighter Brush ($34) — This brush would be ideal for fans of strobing. The precision end allows you to really pack on highlighter wherever you desire — on the tops of your cheekbones, brow bones, the inner corners of your eyes or on your Cupid’s bow. The larger fan-shaped end still deposits a fair amount of product; however, it creates a more diffused effect. I can see the large side of this brush working equally well for blush application as it does for highlighter. (And, if I’m honest, this is my favorite of the bunch!)

[Continue reading…]