Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

An All-Matte FOTD With the Buxom Suede Seduction Eyeshadow Palette

June 24th, 2016 by Adia Goss 13 Comments

Yes, you read that right — all matte! — which is a big jump for me because, as you guys probably know about me by now, I live for the GLOW. I like my eyeshadows sparkly, my blush shimmery and my lips glossy.

But I felt like challenging myself today with a look using all matte products, and the Buxom Suede Seduction Eyeshadow Palette, which is available now at Ulta for $40, has five neutral matte shades.

I really how it turned out! I’m surprised! I think it’s a classic makeup look. I certainly won’t be abandoning my hoard of glowy things, but I can incorporate more matte finishes into my makeup routine. I think this makeup would be very appropriate for a job interview or for some kind of professional pictures. I remember a while back that Marcella emailed Karen and all of us interns asking for advice on makeup for a job interview, and if I’d known about this Buxom palette then, I definitely would have recommended it!

The shadows are very soft and easy to blend. Plus, the colors aren’t too warm or cool, so they’re super versatile.

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Sometimes Your Survival Depends on a Pretty Pink, and for Those Times There’s the NARS Survival Kit 1

June 23rd, 2016 by Karen 15 Comments

“I need makeup to survive!” she exhaled, placing the back of her left hand against her forehead melodramatically and tipping her head.

OK…so maybe eyeshadow, blush, gloss and mascara aren’t as important to your day-to-day survival as, you know, food and water, but they’re handy to have around! — especially when they come in chic limited edition packaging like they do in the new NARS Survival Kit 1.

The new limited edition set will cost $59 when it arrives in the Promised Land, also known as Nordstrom stores and the Nordstrom website, July 1st with a compact containing two powder eyeshadows and two powder blushes, a mini lipgloss and a mini mascara.

NARS Survival Kit 1

Naiade Eyeshadow
Audacious Mascara
Kalahari II Eyeshadow
Off Limits Blush
Mata Hari Blush
Party Girl Lip Gloss

I’d like to make a shout-out to Kalahari II, one of the eyeshadows in this kit. It’s a glistening taupe-plum, and I think it’s one of those “Ya gotta have it!” pieces from NARS. I’ve been wearing it for years (it’s also in the permanent collection). It lasts all day long and looks amaze-balls with bronze eyeshadow and/or liner.

nars survival kit 1 swatches — NARS Survival Kit 1 swatches

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Try the $4 Miss Spa Deep Recovery Pre-Treated Gel Lip Mask for Smoother Lips and a Fun Experience

June 23rd, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 8 Comments

Wearing the Miss Spa Pre-Treated Gel Lip Mask Deep Therapy ($4.00) — Wearing the Miss Spa Deep Therapy Pre-Treated Gel Lip Mask ($4.00)

Now that summer is here, there are many things I’ve been enjoying that I don’t usually do during winter…like drinking iced coffee without getting strange looks. I also haven’t had a head cold since April, at least, and I’m on the prowl again for the perfect plus-size maxi dress.

But one thing I can never seem to find, no matter the season, is a cure for my dry, flaky lips.

My bag usually has at least two or three different lip balms in it, and I literally hoard them at home, but none of them really, really work. They help, but they aren’t a solution, so now I’m looking for answers outside the realm of everyday lip moisturizers.

I’ve tried exfoliating my lips, but this time I’m going with a more popular approach. I’m testing a mask!

So, face masks are nothing new, as I’m sure you’re aware. Single use sheet masks, in particular, have been extra popular lately (Jen liked this one by Amore Pacific), but have y’all ever tried a lip mask before?

They sound weird, right?

But this affordable little treasure — the Miss Spa Deep Therapy Pre-Treated Gel Lip Mask — was too hard to resist (I’ve seen it at Target for about $3).

This was my first time trying a mask like this, and I was a little surprised when I opened the package for the first time at how thick the mask is.

I assumed it would be a thin sheet mask that would just cover my lips, but as you can see, it’s a little bigger than that.

The Miss Spa Deep Recovery Pre-Treated Gel Lip Mask — I didn’t expect the illustration on the front to be quite so…literal.

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My Favorite Products From Sephora Collection

June 23rd, 2016 by Carolina Braina 31 Comments

Sephora Collection Best Products — Wearing the Sephora Wonderful Cushion Matte Lip Cream in 04 Wonderful Fuchsia on my lips and the Sephora Retractable Brow Pencil in 06 Soft Charcoal through my brows

Poor Sephora Collection!

I feel like it’s the Cinderella of all the brands you can find at Sephora.

I mean, I don’t know about you, but 99% of the times I go to Sephora, I don’t even look at their own brand.

1% of a bajillion times is still quite a few times, though, so over the years I’ve actually managed to find some real gems.

So get ready, Sephora Collection. Polish your glass slippers because today’s your day to shine!

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red & 03 Strawberry Kissed ($14 each)

Sephora Cream Lip Stain 01 Always Red Swatch — The Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red is my go-to for holiday dinner parties as it remains pretty much intact even if I end up eating my own body weight in one meal

Sephora Cream Lip Stain 03 Strawberry Kissed — 03 Strawberry Kissed is a shade I prefer using in the summer months, and I included it among my five bright pink lipsticks to try this summer

Sephora definitely knows how to make liquid lipsticks, that’s for sure! I’ve tried three different types, and they all rock.

I’ll start with the one I think is the most popular, which is the Sephora Cream Lip Stain.

I have it in two shades, 01 Always Red and 03 Strawberry Kissed, and they’re both equally good.

Even though they’re completely matte and transfer-proof, they’re not overly drying or uncomfortable.

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The $325 NARS Cult Survival Kit: 11 Full-Sized Classics to Survive Work Days, Date Nights and the Zombie Apocalypse

June 22nd, 2016 by Karen 27 Comments

nars cult survival kitnars cult survival kit — The new limited edition $325 (yes, that’s the price) NARS Cult Survival Kit

Oh, NARS… You totally feel me dawg. I like how your new splurge-arific Cult Survival Kit, despite costing $325, doesn’t actually contain anything one might expect to find in a real life survival kit.

No water purification tablets, matches, heirloom seeds or weapons.

But you DO get full-sized versions of 11 NARS products.

Granted, would you really be carrying a fancy white lacquered box filled with makeup goodies into the sunset while roving gangs or zombies were chasing you? Probably not…although I might, because that’s how I roll. 🙂

Should the world fall apart, I’d like to wear a little gloss — just a little — until the zombies eat my brains.

nars cult survival kit — Everything comes in this sturdy white lacquered box

This kit is $325 bones, dude! But before you wave your hand and say, “Oh, hell no, girl,” check it: everything in it is full sized, and they’re all NARS cult classics handpicked by the man, the myth, the legend himself, François Nars.

Even at $325 for this kit, you are saving a little money, because if you were to purchase each of these items separately, it would cost you $361, so not only do you score $36 in savings, you also get a chic keepsake box.

nars cult survival kit open — What’s inside?

OK, so what have we got up in this mix? To start, two blushes — matte red Exhibit A and golden peach Orgasm (yes…Orgasm).

nars cult survival kit orgasm exhibit a — Blushes in Orgasm (left) and Exhibit A (right)

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Makeup and Beauty Products That Are Completely Worth the Splurge!

June 22nd, 2016 by Jen Clark 13 Comments

makeup worth the splurge — Save money or buy makeup??

Save money, or buy aaallll the makeup? That is a question I ask myself probably way too often.

When you follow as many beauty blogs and watch as many YouTube videos as I do, it’s hard to not have a giant makeup wishlist! In fact, I have a giant memo on my phone right now of things that I want.

It’s a problem.

A lot of the time, the things I want are on the pricier end, and it’s hard to know whether it’s worth the money or not.

I dug through my collection to look at some of my more high end items to see which ones are worth their high price tag, and I definitely found a few!

makeup worth splurging — My roundup of splurge-worthy items!

1. Clarisonic Mia ($99)

I will always splurge on my skin, because when your skin is well taken care of, your makeup always looks better, and you also feel better with less makeup on!

My all-time favorite skin care purchase of all time has to be my Clarisonic Mia ($99).

Ya, it’s hard to fork out the money, but I’ve had mine for years and years, and it’s still going strong! After I wash my face using my Clarisonic, it feels sooo clean and soft. Nothing else makes my skin feel as good as this does. Totally worth the money.

All foundations are different, but some just work so much better than others. The drugstore does have a couple of awesome foundations that I love, but for the most part, higher end foundations just seem to work better.

2. Chanel Vitalumière Aqua Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Sunscreen Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 ($48)

When I got married a few years ago, I wanted to find the perfect foundation for my wedding day, and I found Chanel Vitalumière Aqua ($48).

It’s the most gorgeous foundation I have ever owned. When you blend it into the skin, it actually just looks like you’ve got beautiful skin. It doesn’t look like makeup; it’s crazy.

I don’t have this one in my collection at home too often just because of the price tag, but when I do, I fall in love with it all over again.

Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua Foundation — Chanel Vitalumière Aqua Foundation ($48)

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My Picks for This Year’s Best Spring and Summer Makeup Launches

June 22nd, 2016 by Adia Goss 24 Comments

best spring summer launches — Some of my picks for “The Best Spring and Summer Makeup Launches”

Whew! There has been so much good makeup lately.

I mean, I used to get more excited about moody fall colors, but this year the spring and summer collections have been incredible! Literally, every time I turn around, I’m seeing another gorgeous collection.

If your head has been spinning a little like mine, then I hope you’ll like my picks for some of the best spring/summer makeup launches. I’d also love to hear yours.

I think I’ll start with lips, because I think a new lipstick or gloss is probably the easiest way to update your look.

Lips

First up, the Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint by Tarte, and I have the shade called Double Tap (here are swatches of the full range in this post).

I’m wearing cool-toned nude Double Tap in these pics, but I usually go for warmer-toned peaches and pinks. Thing is, this mauve is just so pretty and different from the rest of my stash. It’s opaque and not sticky at all.

Next, Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick, and I just mentioned the shade called Swinger in my roundup of my favorite liquid lipsticks, so I’ll be brief now: the color and formula are AMAZING. This one is perfect for summer.

Of course, I couldn’t talk about this season’s new launches without mentioning beautiful ColourPop Dohee.

Here’s a snap of me wearing it from my Spring Haul video.

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The NARS 413 BLKR Cheek & Lip Palette

June 21st, 2016 by Karen 24 Comments

Another lovely day, another lovely NARS cheek palette.

Whoops! I misspoke. I meant to say, “another lovely NARS cheek and lip palette,” because the new NARS 413 BLKR Cheek & Lip Palette doesn’t only contain blushes. It also comes with a gorgeous matte lip pencil.

So what is heck is a 413 BLKR? Is it a secret pager code, or the code to a hidden door at NARS headquarters, where if you type it on the keypad, François Nars answers the door and says, “Bonjour ma chère! Have a macaron, and let me do your makeup, you gorgeous girl”?

Um…no, although that would be dope, wouldn’t it?

413 BLKR is the physical address of the NARS flagship store in New York, and it’s also the name of a special collection of NARS products inspired by New York.

The NARS 413 BLKR Cheek & Lip Palette also contains three brand new cheek colors and, if you have a thing for rosy, plummy tones, you just might freak out. But in a good way.

Starting from the left, there’s a light opalescent pinky rose blush that can also double as a highlighter on darker skin tones, then a mid-toned satiny rose with hints of plum and gold, then a satiny deep plum, and finally, on the far right — sigh! — good old golden tan Laguna. Because, obvs, it just wouldn’t be a NARS blush palette without Laguna up in the mix…

Side note: The cheek powders in this palette have that traditional NARS powder formula, unlike the formula of the powders in the Dual-Intensity Palette I reviewed yesterday.

So these blushes aren’t as compressed into their pans as those Dual Intensity Blushes, and you should see more powder particles partying (moving) when you swipe your brush atop the pans.

As you know, Laguna has been around since the Cretaceous Period (can anybody even remember a time before Laguna?), and the 413 BLKR Velvet Matte Lip Pencil has been kickin’ it old-school since 2012, so the fresh and summery rose and plum blushes are the new recruits.

If you wear many rosy purples, plums or cooler-toned hot pink lip colors, these cheek colors should go really well with any of them. I bet you’d get a lot of mileage out of this palette.

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