YSL Archives - The Beauty Look Book

YSL Loveshine Lip Oil Sticks

April 14, 2024

YSL Beauty revamped their cult classic Rouge Volupte Shine into a new formula called the Loveshine Oil Lipsticks ($45 each). It seems they’ve kept a lot the same with the formula. They’ve revamped with new packaging and new ingredients including Fig Pulp for sensitive lips.

I hauled quite a few of the shades as I loved the original and was very curious about these new ones. Their marketing and rebranding is genius! Most of the shades look like they are new, but they’ve kept a couple of the originals including 44 Nude Lavalliere and 150 Nude Lingerie.

The Loveshine formula is quite sheer with a glossy balm-like finish to them. Lasting power for colors isn’t really going to be long unless you layer on top of a long-wear lip liner but the hydration does seem to linger long for soft supple lips.

Overall these new Loveshine lipsticks perform the same as the Rouge Volupte Shine to me. The pigment of the newer formula seems to be sheerer than the originals with a lot of the lighter neutrals pulling very similar on my lips. I found that I really loved the darker brighter shades I had ordered and if I were to do my haul over I would have picked all the brighter colors instead.

I wasn’t able to get photographs edited and posted on the lips here because of time, but I wanted to get swatches and a review up before the Sephora sale ended for those who have been asking. I did post a try-on reel here which I’ll also link below.

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A post shared by Sabrina Shorb (@beautylookbook)

What I’m wearing:

Foundation Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick Shade VI
Powder Givenchy Prisme Libre Shade 3
Eyeshadows Patrick Ta Major Dimension III + GVXE Loose Pigment in Dazzle
Eyeliner NARS Longwear Eyeliner in Mambo
Mascara YSL Lash Clash Mascara (waterproof version)
Brow Pencil Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil Shade 2.5
Bronzer YSL All Hours Hyper Bronzer Shade 02 (also reviewed here)
Blush Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Love is the Drug
Nail Polish is Olive and June Quick Dry in Sandy

Onto the shades I picked:

201 Rosewood Blush is a sheer rose pink (looks warmer in tube, but cool on my lips)
202 Peachy Glow is a taupe rose nude (also pulls cool on my lips)
203 Blushed Mallow is a cool mauve
204 Melted Honey is a sheer pale beige
205 Nude Self is a berry rose
207 Scenic Brown is a berry brownish shade
209 Pink Desire is a pretty warm brighter pink
44 Nude Lavalliere is a cool-toned pale pink
150 Nude Lingerie is a warm peachy pink

Quick note that my arm is ultra fair right now which makes everything look warmer than they do on my face. I’ve had some interesting conversations with some of you about skin tone and tans – and a number of you are my skin twins with winter skin tone vs summer skin tone. A lot of colors (foundations included) are straight up orangey on me now. With most of my foundations I have to do a bit of mixing with the elf Halo Glow Filter or Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filters in lighter shades. I also have to do a LOT of blending into my neck area. I haven’t been this fair in skin tone since I left San Diego, but since I tan easily I suspect I will be back to my most-of-the-year-round color very soon.

Feedback from some of you about these new Loveshines is mixed. There are a lot of you who are COMPLETELY obsessed with this sheer effortless swipe and go kind of vibe. I love it too, but a part of me wishes the pigment were maybe 10% to 15% more intense. I think the undertones and colors are SO beautiful but I wish they showed up better on my lips. Then there are a handful of you who have messaged me that you bought some and returned them because they were so sheer they did not show up on you.

I love what I hauled, although I might have skipped a couple of the shades due to similarities in my selections. I can think of an occasion to wear every shades I picked up. I would say my top three: 209 Pink Desire, 150 Nude Lingerie and 205 Nude Self.

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Available now at Sephora.

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YSL Beauty

YSL Beauty Haul – New Bronzers, Shadows + Lipsticks

March 29, 2024

I’ve been hauling lots of newness from YSL Beauty as they’ve revamped quite a few products for the face and added new shades of lipsticks to their lineup. I hauled a few of their eyeshadow palettes a while ago and finally put them to the test. There’s a lot that I’ve shared tutorials for on my Instagram Reels. If you haven’t seen them I’ll link them below.

Some of the items are exclusive to certain retailers so you may have to shop at different places for all of these. I’ll share all my thoughts, hits and misses below.

All Hours Hyper Bronze

The All Hours Hyper Bronze Powder ($65) has launched exclusively at Nordstrom in the US. They’re also available in the UK at Selfridges. There are 5 shades total and according to their shade reference chart I ordered Shade 02 and 03. This is a long-wear blurring powder with a satiny finish. There is a very subtle shimmer to it that I only notice on arm swatches. On my face it looks more matte.

Right now Shade 02 looks better on my skin as it’s more neutral in undertone but it’s pretty close to my skin tone so it’s barely there. Shade 03 shows up better with more contrast but the undertone is very yellow/gold which almost looks muddy.

I do like the soft blurred effect. Pigment is medium and very easy to blend for a natural blurred bronze look. These are packaged in a very thick sturdy mirrored compact with chevron pattern and gold logo.

I give the formula a solid A but I’m not 100% sold on the colors. Bronzers can be tricky depending on your skin tone and undertone. Since I’m not my usual tan yet, I like the undertone of 02 and wish 03 had the same undertone.

For skintone reference, I’m wearing Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6 + 6.5 mixed with the All Hours Hyper Finish Powder in 03. Swatch comparisons below to a few others like the Gucci Bronzers, Dior Natural Bronzer, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Matte Bronzer, Sisley and Westman Atelier.

All Hours Hyper Finish Powder

As a huge fan of the YSL base products like the Touche Eclat Concealer I had high hopes for the All Hours Hyper Finish Setting Powder ($65, also exclusive to Nordstrom right now) and ordered Shade 03. This is a great blurring powder with a soft matte finish. Shade 03 is just the slightest bit too dark as it oxidizes very slightly but it’s still a very good match.

It blurs, smooths, sets. This also comes with a compartment underneath with a sponge. It has a beautiful finish with longwear. It is fragranced with a fresh kind of scent. I like it but it’s not the best one out there. I still prefer the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish or Sisley Blur Expert Powder for a pressed blurring powder. The NARS Light Reflecting Powder is also better in my opinion.

Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadows

The Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadows ($68 each at Nordstrom and Sephora) have been on my radar for quite some time. They seemed incredibly expensive for a 4-pan palette although the textures felt really silky and smooth to the touch in testers. I picked up 2 shades and was sent 1 in PR. I like 200 Gueliz Dream the best out of the ones I tried.

After playing with these I have mixed thoughts. The mattes are BEAUTIFUL in texture and pigment. I think the silky smooth finish is really pleasant to apply and they blend and layer really well. The sparkle glitters are absolutely stunning but they have such a lightweight texture without any substance. If I apply them onto a creamier base by themselves they adhere well. As a topper on top of the mattes the glitter just doesn’t have as much impact and they feel like they are going to fall straight to my cheeks. They actually do have decent lasting power and the fallout is minimal. For a sparkle topper Natasha Denona, Pat McGrath and Too Faced Natural Nudes palettes are much better in quality, wearability and color payoff. I also think these are a better buy – they’re a lot more versatile.

Colors are beautiful. Quality is good. I just don’t really love the sparkles in these.

New Shades Rouge Pur Couture + The Bold High Pigment

YSL added yet more shades of the Rouge Pur Couture ($48) and The Bold High Pigment ($48). All the new shades are neutrals.

This time they added their best selling 44 Nude Lavalliere in both formulas. I shared a video wearing all 4 formulas of 44 Nude Lavalliere (I’ll link below). It includes their original Rouge Volupte Shine (now discontinued), new Loveshine and both high pigment versions.

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For the newer shades of lipstick they added neutrals. Rouge Pur Couture 14 is a lighter pink nude (washes me out completely), N15 is a chestnut brown, N44 is a very cool-toned blue baby pink. The Bold High Pigment 16 is my perfect neutral pink brown, 17 is a cool rose, 44 is a cool-toned pale pink.

Here are swatches of the new Rouge Pur Couture + The Bold High Pigment compared to the other shades I have in both formulas.

New shades on me:

Out of all the neutrals I love The Bold High Pigment 16 and Rouge Pur Couture 15. If I had been able to try the others in person I would have passed as they’re a bit too cool-toned for my complexion but I know a lot of you struggle to find cooler-toned neutrals so these might be perfect for you!

Formula wise the Rouge Pur Couture is creamier and smoother while The Bold High Pigment is thicker and has longer wear time. I just checked the prices and I have to say I’m shocked at all the price increases these days. The last time I bought these they were $45 which is still steep. They’re now $48 which to me gives me a bit of sticker shock.

If you have any of the lipsticks or eyeshadows on your radar Nordstrom is offering 15% off a lot of their beauty products right now (limited-time price matching sale) and the Sephora Savings Event is just around the corner starting April 5 if you’re a Rouge Beauty Insider.

Overall some great new products I had fun testing out. Not all must-haves for me but still definitely very good in terms of quality and color-payoff.

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Have you tried any of these yet? What did you think?

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Lips Sephora YSL Beauty

YSL Rouge Pur Couture + Bold High Pigment Lipstick Haul

November 6, 2023

Today’s the last day of the Sephora Savings Event! If you had anything on your wishlist today is the last day to save for Beauty Insiders! Use code TIMETOSAVE to take advantage of the 10% to 20% savings depending on your tier.

I hauled some of the new lipsticks from YSL Beauty and think the formulas are among the best they’ve launched. I picked out some of the new Rouge Pur Couture Caring Satin Lipstick ($45 each) and a few of The Bold High Pigment Lipsticks ($45 each, not new but there are new shades).

Rouge Pur Couture

above left to right: N1, N3, N5, N8 and N12

The YSL Rouge Pur Couture Caring Satin Lipstick is one of the best lipstick formulas I’ve tried. They are scented like the fruity lipsticks from YSL but it’s not quite as strong. I posted an Instagram Reel last week with a try-on haul of this formula and you girls seem to LOVE these tones! To me they are like a more pigmented less glossy version of the Rouge Volupte Shines. The new Rouge Pur Couture is creamy, smooth and opaque.

Based on the online swatches and stock photos, these look very different on me compared to what I see swatched online. N8 and N12 pull a lot warmer on me. Out of all of these I like N3 and N5 the best.

Also please keep in mind these may look very different on you if you’re cool or warm, lighter or darker. Neutrals are tricky with undertone and lip tone. I have a neutral golden undertone with pigmented lips.

N1 is a neutral beige nude
N3 is a pinky peach beige
N5 is a light cool pink
N8 is a warmer pink
N12 is a nude with slight mauve tones

Swatches on the lips, also wearing:

Foundation – Armani Luminous Silk Foundation 6.5 (review here)
Concealer – Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Concealer Shade N6
Powder – Givenchy Prisme Libre Shade 3 (see it in action here)
Bronzer – Dior Forever Natural Bronzer Shade 5
Blushes – Armani Luminous Silk Glow Blushes 50 +51 mixed (swatches here)
Eyeshadow – Patrick Ta Major Dimension III Mattes (swatches here)
Brow – Benefit Precisely My Brow 2.5
Mascara – Tarte Tartelette Tubing Mascara
Nail Polish – Chanel Le Vernis in White Silk (holiday 2023 review here)

A lot of you wanted swatch comparisons to the Rouge Volupte Shine so I pulled what I still have to swatch for you below. Some of them have been discontinued and I don’t remember the shade names but I have listed the numbers. Also added a couple of the Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick.

Swatch comparisons:

The Bold High Pigment Lipsticks

I picked up a few of The Bold High Pigment Lipsticks and really love the formula. It’s a satin almost matte finish (not quite matte). Super opaque and full coverage. Shades are indeed bold and more on the dramatic side. 12 Nu Incongru looks like a soft pink online but it’s a bold cool pink and I kinda love it. 13 Nude Era is a neutral-cool tone beige nude and kinda makes me look like a corpse but if I added darker liner I think I could make it work. 1968 is described as a nude pink but it’s really more of a warm pink almost reddish.

I swatched 2 of them on the lips below.

Overall lots to love. If you like neutrals I think you’ll like some of the Rouge Pur Couture shades. They do have a slip to the texture and shiny finish so the lasting power isn’t going to be as long as The Bold High Pigment. Rouge Pur Couture does last longer than the Rouge Volupte Shines though.

I did a Sephora haul online and in store! I received most of the items (one package is still in transit) and while I won’t have time to test or review them before the sale is over, I’ll share them below. Some of the items have sold out or are only available in store but if you missed out not to worry – I think there will be plenty of great holiday sales coming up soon!

Haul Picks Linked

I’m pretty excited to try the new Huda beauty picks and the Urban Decay moondust shadows! Did you splurge on anything exciting during the Sephora sale? What did you pick out?

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I bought the lipsticks at Sephora. Also available at YSL Beauty, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

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Lips YSL Beauty

YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick (new shades)

July 17, 2023

YSL launched new shades of the Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick ($39 each) and they are stunning! I tried this formula when it originally launched in Shade 02 for a pretty clear juicy shine but the other shades never really stood out to me. There are new colors in Shades 13, 14 and 15 and they do not disappoint! I ordered a few other shades too and love every single one.

The formula of the YSL Candy Glaze is a jelly-like lipstick lip gloss. They have a twist click top and recommend six clicks for one application. They are on the soft side for the formula. Not as soft as the Makeup by Mario MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serums though.

Pigment and color payoff is pretty impressive for a glossy lip stick (although 02 Sweet Pink is pretty much clear on me). They have a slightly thick almost jelly like texture so the lasting power is very good for a glossy lip. They are sweetly scented with a candy mango like scent. They feel very comfortable on the lips and have less slip than the Rouge Volupte Shines which I still love, but I actually like the Candy Glaze formula better. Shades I hauled:

02 Sweet Pink is a clear milky pink
04 Nude Pleasure is a caramel peach brown
05 Pink Satisfaction is a deep rose pink
13 Flashing Rosé is a healthy medium rose pink
14 Scenic Brown is a 90s neutral brown glaze
15 Showcasing Nude is a perfect nude pink

Two sets of swatches to show the color and shine

Swatches of each shade below, also wearing:

Foundation YSL Bare Look Tint in Shade 9
Concealer YSL Touche Eclat Shade 3
Powder Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Medium
Bronzer Gucci Bronzer Shade 03
Eyeshadow Natasha Denona Eyeshadow Mini Nude Palette
Mascara YSL Lash Clash Mascara
Top Reformation Dillon Top (wearing a size 6, could have also worn a size 4)
Nail Polish Chanel Le Vernis in Diva

Shade 13 Flashing Rose is my favorite that I’ve been wearing on repeat. It’s also the one many of you keep asking about from my Instagram stories!

A few of you asked if I had any issues with the product melting and I can’t say that I have yet. The heat is so extreme here we are outdoors for a very limited time (ie walking from the car to a restaurant or store). I have the lipstick in my purse but we are usually only outdoors for a short time or under a shaded patio with fans blasting. Evenings outdoors are more tolerable and I haven’t had any melting issues. YMMV depending on how hot it is where you are.

You can see them in action here too!

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A post shared by Sabrina Shorb (@beautylookbook)

Bottom line perfect. The new shades seem to be only available at Sephora and YSL Beauty so far. Other shades can be found at all other retailers like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

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P.S. If you’ve been looking for the Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadows they just launched at Bloomingdale’s. I’m not sure if I will be purchasing any, currently debating whether to buy these new ones or the Cle de Peau Eyeshadow Quads.

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Sephora YSL Beauty

New Shades of YSL Rouge Volupte Shines for Spring

April 2, 2021

The YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick Balm is one of my favorite lip formulas of all time and I am beyond thrilled they added more colors, available at Sephora. There are eight new shades in their Burning Chilis collection and I hauled a handful immediately. I have a closer look at six of them along with a roundup of a few other YSL Beauty staples I have in rotation right now.

Touche Eclat

YSL has some of the most elegant complexion products and concealers to create a beautiful glow. The items in their Touche Eclat lineup are my favorites. I love the Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow Foundation for a fresh natural glow with good lasting power. I use the shade B40 Sand (neutral undertone) and like that it also has SPF in it. It makes the skin look fresh and dewy.

For concealer the Touche Eclat All Over Brightening Concealer Pen is a classic I think everyone should try. I love this under the eyes to brighten dark circles or tired looking eyes. A little goes a long way in the click-brush applicator. It’s 100% worth the splurge. I use Shade 3 Luminous Peach or 4.5 Luminous Sand. It’s easy to blend with fingers or a sponge and does not crease.

I also adore the All Over Glow Powder. It comes in one versatile shade and for my skintone I can use it as a blurring finishing powder with a hint of glow.

New Rouge Volupte Shine

For the new shades of Rouge Volupte Shine there is a good mix of neutrals and modern bolds. The formula melts into the lips flawlessly with a lightweight veil of hydration. Color is sheer-medium but buildable with the prettiest shine. They make the lips glow! You can create a day or night look with the colors:

Colors I hauled:

121 Beige Satin is a medium brown beige
122 Burnt Zellige is a brown red
123 Nude Transparent is a golden beige with a hint of shimmer
124 Rose Loulou is a fresh rosy pink
127 Rouge Studio is a bold pink red
130 Burnt Suede is a pretty rosewood

All the colors are beautiful it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I love 123 and 124! You can find them available now at Sephora. I highly recommend picking up at least one new shade, or saving them to your wishlist for the upcoming Sephora Spring Savings Event coming soon!

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Sponsored by YSL Beauty.

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Hauls Nordstrom

New Beauty Launches to Put On Your Radar

January 16, 2020

I’m excited to share my first beauty haul of the year! I’ve been testing out some new products that recently launched at Nordstrom and I’ve partnered with them today to share my thoughts plus a new year beauty look. Nordstrom is truly one of my favorite places to shop for beauty – I’m constantly checking their New Arrivals page alongside their Gift With Purchase section. I hope you find today’s haul post helpful! Everything featured in this post are items I purchased myself.

Charlotte Tilbury Queen of Glow

One of the newest launches from Charlotte Tilbury is her Queen of Glow Eyeshadow Palette. There were several limited-edition quads over the holiday but I found them too warm for my complexion. Queen of Glow has a better mix of golds and champagnes for my complexion without the red tones. There are 3 shimmers and 1 matte. All the colors are ultra pigmented, smooth and long-lasting. I think it’s gorgeous!

Closer look wearing: NARS Tinted Glow Booster in Simos + Tangsi mixed, Charlotte Tilbury Color Corrector Medium, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Powder Medium, NARS Blush in Tempted + Orgasm X Mixed, Anastasia Brow Wiz in Soft Brown, Cle de Peau Liquid Eyeliner, Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Palette in Queen of Glow, Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss in In the Buff

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish! Color Corrector

I also ordered her Magic Vanish! Color Corrector in Medium which isn’t new, but new to me. It has a brightening peachy look to it and it’s super opaque. I found it a good color for my medium olive tone skin – a tiny little dab on the fingers patted under the eyes conceals any darkness and it blends without caking. Do note that a little goes a very long way so you don’t need a lot. I use this instead of concealer on days I need extra coverage or brightening. It’s very peach in color – it doesn’t match the skin. The colors are designed to counter darkness and pigment in the skin.

New NARS Blushes

above left: Orgasm X, right: Tempted

There are some new blushes from NARS this season. I wanted to order all of them but limited myself to 2 colors in Orgasm X and Tempted. Orgasm X is a deeper brighter version of Orgasm and has that peachy gold shimmer to it. It’s quite opaque but easy to blend. Tempted is a pretty soft nude shimmer, on my medium olive skin it looks like a neutral highlighter with a bit of depth. It makes my skin glow! If you’re fair and are looking for a good nude blush to wear, I highly recommend looking into this one!

Wearing Tempted + Orgasm X mixed together

New from Bobbi Brown

For the lips I picked up some of the new Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Glosses in In the Buff (soft nude pink, one I’m wearing in this post), New Romantic (soft mauve) and Wild Card (bright coral peach). They’re sheer so the color is subtle. They feel wonderfully smooth with a cushiony feel and glide on the lips nicely. I find them hydrating but not heavy.

YSL lip love

YSL also launched a new formula called Rouge Volupte Rock N Shine and as a huge fan of the original Rouge Volutpe Shines I knew I had to try some of the new ones. These have a silvery shimmer in the center in the shape of a star. The shimmer is visible and noticeable making the overall color look a bit lighter and more shimmery than what you see in the tube. 1 Nude Solo is a pale nude pink, 3 Pink Flow is a soft baby pink, 10 Pink Bass is a deeper rose pink. They’re glossy with a high shine finish. Pigment is sheer-medium.

NARS Tinted Glow Boosters

Last but not least is my first look at the NARS Tinted Glow Boosters. There are four shades total and I picked up the two middle shades in Simos (medium) and Tangsi (medium-dark). My foundation match in their Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation is usually Vanuatu, but I’ve lost my tan this season and wear Punjab. My best concealer match is still the Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger. The Tinted Glow Boosters sheer glowy skin-toned bases with a very slight shimmer to them. The shimmer is very subtle and almost disappears on the skin.

I’m the closest match to Simos right now, but I tan very easily and to add a bit more color I’ll mix in a few pumps of Tangsi to blend all over.

Below left, one pump of Simos (top) and one pump of Tangsi (bottom)
Below right on the face, Simos

You can use these a number of ways but I like it best mixing Simos and Tangsi together then applying with a beautyblender all over like you would a sheer foundation. It offers minimal coverage and glow, almost like a tinted moisturizer without the moisturizer aspect.

I have mixed in equal pumps of the Tinted Glow Booster with foundation like the Armani Luminous Silk (I wear 6.5) or NARS Natural Radiant Foundation to give it a more translucent look. I have some swatches below to a few other shades. It’s thicker in texture than the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow, it’s not nearly as luminous or opaque as the Hollywood Flawless Filter.

I hope you enjoyed this haul post with some of thoughts and swatches! Have you tried any of these new launches yet? What did you think?

You can find all my haul picks now online at Nordstrom.

Many thanks to Nordstrom for partnering to sponsor this post. As always all opinions are my own.

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Eye Makeup

New Mascara + Primer Testing: Pat McGrath, Marc Jacobs, Sisley + More

February 28, 2019

I have another mascara + primer roundup today! As much as I love and swear by waterproof formulas like Chanel Le Volume Waterproof, L’Oreal Lash Paradise Waterproof and Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme (sold out everywhere!), so many of you prefer regular formulas because they’re easier to take off. I have straight lashes and live in a city that has high humidity so I really prefer waterproof most of the time so it’s beach-proof and sweat-proof. For me it’s worth the extra time and effort to remove every evening. Still I understand it’s a total pain to remove which makes it not worth it for everyone (I swear by these Almay pads to remove the most stubborn of waterproof makeup, make sure you pick the waterproof remover version). The good news is there are a lot of new formulas that launched I think you might want to check out. A couple of these aren’t entirely brand new but new to me.

Home decor / style note details at the bottom of the post, but for all those asking my nail polish is OPI Another Ramen-tic Evening.

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Pat McGrath cannot do wrong in my eyes and she launched the new FetishEyes Mascara earlier this month. I received an early sneak peek and have been testing it for a couple months now. It’s a great non-clumping, defining mascara. It adds length and doesn’t smudge. For me it doesn’t quite add as much volume or drama as other formulas do but it’s a solid one and I truly appreciate that there is zero clumping. Curl holding is not the best, but also not the worst. If you don’t have issues with straight lashes I think you will have no problem with this formula. If you haven’t tried anything from her FetishEyes Collection I highly recommend her Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner (the two available in the Xtreme Duo bundle on her website).

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Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara has been raved about my SO many of you. You’ve told me it’s your HOLY GRAIL. I bought the pink packaging one at Sephora and really love it. The regular formula does not smudge but we have had a cold winter here (it has been down to 40s/50s) and even though it’s warming up the humidity isn’t what it normally is. I am worried it will smudge with the humidity so I’m going to investigate in the waterproof version soon. This one adds the most volume that I’ve tried for a non-waterproof formula. It will hold the curl too.

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Marc Jacobs launched a Velvet Primer to go with their Velvet Noir Mascara. I feel like most primers have done little for my lashes except the L’Oreal Lash Paradise Primer which is great, but not necessary. Even most high-end ones just didn’t do enough to wow me so I had low expectations for this Marc Jacobs Velvet Primer. It exceeded every expectation I had. Paired with the Velvet Noir Mascara it helps the mascara adhere SO much better and makes the mascara look much better. I haven’t tried it with other formulas but am going to. For now I’m thoroughly impressed. I think it’s worth checking out.

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The YSL Faux Cils Volume Effect in The Curler just came on my radar. I don’t know how new it is (or if it’s really is new). It’s described as a “curling mascara featuring a unique hybrid brush that dramatically curls and defines lashes for an unparalleled full fan effect.” The description alone plus all near 5-star reviews sold me. It didn’t work for me or knock my socks off. It doesn’t hold the curl or curl my lashes. I really do love the brush and how it’s curved and has rubber bristles. It just didn’t live up to the description for me. I like that there’s no clumping, it defines nicely and doesn’t smudge. I just don’t see enough volume and for me there is no curling effect or hold.

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Last but not least is the Sisley So Volume Mascara. For some reason I did not think this was new but the press email I received says it is. I’ve tried a few other formulas from Sisley and they’re all ridiculously expensive. This one has a thick chubby wand with bristles and does indeed add serious volume. It has ingredients to soften the lashes which is nice. Once applied it doesn’t have that crunchy feel most mascaras have but it stays put. I haven’t used it long enough to see if it is indeed strengthening but I don’t know that I would be able to tell with any formula. I like this because it adds volume with one stroke. It doesn’t hold the curl as well as waterproof formulas but doesn’t make mine go straight immediately. It’s also included in the Rachel Goodwin x Les Stars Collection bundle.

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I hope you found this roundup helpful! I think mascara is always tricky for me to write about because even with reviews it’s hard to tell how one may or may not work for you. We all have different lash lengths, density and eye shapes. I’ve tried so many that worked for others that didn’t for me so I know it can be the case for you as well. I still really prefer waterproof formulas so they’ll hold the curl for me. I end up with raccoon eyes most of the time so I’m surprised I found some non-waterproof formulas that didn’t smudge this round.

A few notes on other items featured in the post. On the nails is OPI Another Ramen-tic Evening, Mirrored Trays here, Coffee table here, my favorite eyelash curler is from MAC. Flat zip pouches in the Marc Jacobs photo are from The Daily Edited.

What’s your favorite non-waterproof mascara formula? Always love reading about your recommendations!

Press samples from Sisley, Marc Jacobs and Pat McGrath.

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Older Posts

YSL

YSL Loveshine Lip Oil Sticks

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YSL Beauty Haul – New Bronzers, Shadows + Lipsticks

All Hours Hyper Bronze

All Hours Hyper Finish Powder

Couture Mini Clutch Eyeshadows

New Shades Rouge Pur Couture + The Bold High Pigment

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YSL Rouge Pur Couture + Bold High Pigment Lipstick Haul

Rouge Pur Couture

The Bold High Pigment Lipsticks

Haul Picks Linked

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YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick (new shades)

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New Shades of YSL Rouge Volupte Shines for Spring

Touche Eclat

New Rouge Volupte Shine

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New Beauty Launches to Put On Your Radar

Charlotte Tilbury Queen of Glow

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish! Color Corrector

New NARS Blushes

New from Bobbi Brown

YSL lip love

NARS Tinted Glow Boosters

New Mascara + Primer Testing: Pat McGrath, Marc Jacobs, Sisley + More

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