2018

Summer Wishlist

June 26, 2018

Rounding up some things on my summer beauty and accessory wishlist! I’ve been obsessed with finding the perfect beach tote and am still on the hunt for one, if you know of any favorites let me know in the comments! Some other things on my radar recently:

Byredo Triple Gagnant Bois Hair Perfume Set ($120) – mini hair perfume trio perfect for travel and this comes in two options! Bois has Bal D’Afrique, Gypsy Water and Mojave Ghost. There is also a Fleurs version which has three different scents.
Chanel La Base Mascara ($32) – part of the New Eye Makeup Collection, I’m not sure if this is a reformulated version of their mascara base or a repromote but I’ve ordered it to test!
Chanel Longwear Eyeshadow Primer ($32) – Also part of the eye makeup collection, have ordered to test, will review once I’ve received and tried it!
Madewell Tie Front Keyhole Camisole ($58) – I’ve been loving all things Madewell lately, I already own this top and love it, I also want it in black and pretty much everything else they have right now.
STS Blue Distressed Boyfriend Denim Shorts ($39) – Probably my favorite brand for affordable denim shorts, I bought so many last year and this year I love the distressed versions. I pretty much live in shorts here in Florida so I’m stocking up! I also love these from 7ForAllMankind but they’re a lot pricier.
J.Crew Circle Straw Crossbody Bag ($128) – This is the year of the straw bags! I see them everywhere and love the way they look. I already own this in the light color, contemplating the dark option for something different!
Tory Burch Sienna Strappy Sandals ($158) – I already own the other two colors in White and Multi-Color and I really love them, these are a nice alternative to my go-to Miller Flip Flops, her sandals are expensive but the quality is so good, mine have lasted for ages and still look nice.
Rodin Olio Lusso Mermaid Luxury Illuminating Liquid ($50) – This looks like the prettiest shade of tan illuminator! I’m trying to wait to see more swatches online as I suspect it could be too light for my summer tan.
La Mer Moisturizing Matte Lotion ($260) – This has been on my radar for months, it sounds perfect for Florida weather but I’m trying to use up some other things before buying this. I do think Andrew would use it regularly though, he loves their Moisturizing Soft Lotion more than I do.
Chanel Paris-Deauville Eau de Toilette ($130) – One of three new scents that launched from Chanel. I promised myself not to buy perfume without testing it first, but I have this on my list for the next time I’m in a city that has a free-standing Chanel boutique.
Tory Burch Miller Canvas Tote ($348) – I love all things Tory Burch and love the simple look of this one! I’m desperately trying to find a cheaper alternative.
Le Specs Bandwagon Sunglasses ($59) – Obsessed with colored sunglasses! These look promising, especially for the price.
Replica Beach Walk Dry Body Oil ($60) – I bought this last year and love the way it smells. I want to buy another bottle, I especially loved that it comes with a spritzer. The only downside is that it’s not travel or purse friendly.
Charlotte Tilbury Pretty Pink Lipstick Set – This is not officially out yet but will launch during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale next month with three new colors! The sale catalog has finally been launched online – sale details, dates, beauty exclusives preview and what’s on my radar in my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2018 page here.
Chantecaille Sirena Bronzer and Highlighter ($78) – This has mixed reviews but I can’t get over how pretty the embossed pattern looks! I’m going to have to investigate. Texture looks interesting for summer.

What’s on your summer radar or wishlist right now? I’m also doing a blog giveaway today (and stay tuned for another fun one at the end of the week as well). Two people will be selected to win a $100 eGift Card to Nordstrom. Enter by completing at least one of the tasks via the Rafflecopter widget below. Ends 6/29/2018 11:45 PM EST. I’ll pick the winners within 48 hours after giveaway ends and e-mail them. Selected winners must respond to e-mail within 48 hours after I contact them or another winner will be selected in their place. Open internationally, but you must be 18 years or older. Not sponsored or affiliated.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Lips NARS

NARS Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer Review + Swatches

June 25, 2018

New lips just launched from NARS in a few different formulas and today I’ve swatches of all the new NARS Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer ($26 each for 0.17 oz/5.5 ml, currently available at NARS and Barneys New York). There are 10 shades in this formula and 1 special-edition color Orgasm (reviewed here). In addition there are 5 new colors of the Velvet Lip Glide (reviewed here) and 5 new shades of the Powermatte Lip Pigment (to be reviewed soon). The NARS Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer is an opaque, rich color, full coverage gloss with a high shine. They come with a flat applicator with a sponge tip on one side and plastic portion on the other. One will dispense a lot of color while the other blends it out more. There are 10 shades total, 6 creams and 4 sparkles. I believe there are hits and misses with this launch formula-wise.

Most of the colors have a beautiful smooth application. There are some however that apply streaky on bare lips and settle into fine lines. Color descriptions and thoughts on which ones are the best below. First a look at the shades and swatches.

Shown above from left to right:

Santo Domingo is a medium to light muted dusty pink, it settles into fine lines at first but once you let it set on the lips, it smooths out
Conquest is a perfect medium bright warm pink
Valencia is a bright coral hot pink, this also settled into my lip lines
Red District is the best cream formula, it’s a perfect bright red, smooth, opaque, glossy
Mississippi is a sheer mauve plum, it takes a few layers but applies smoothly
Baden Baden is a gorgeous deep plum, but alone it was streaky, I’d recommend applying it over a matte lip pencil
Abruzzo is a high sparkle metallic wine plum with gold and silver flecks, I thought this would be too glitzy but this is a truly stunning color, smooth coverage and no texture
Everglades is one of the scariest lip colors I’ve seen, having actually driven through the Everglades a couple times I’d say this color evokes the same feelings I had driving through alligator territory (they are probably the most frightening living creatures I’ve ever seen)
At First Sight is a sheer sparkling white silvery gold, it’s pretty sheer, almost transparent but has the prettiest sheen
Cape Town is an iridescent duochrome orange, pink loaded with multi-color sparkles, it’s very metallic but smooth

Overall the shimmers performed better on my lips formula-wise. I would say the cream colors Valencia and Baden Baden are the higher maintenance ones for me as the color settled into fine lines if I applied these on bare lips.

Close up lip swatches on bare lips. For skintone reference I’m wearing the MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC37, Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Concealer in 3w1 (reviewed here) and Armani Luminous Silk Powder Foundation #4 on top to set.

All the lip swatches side by side:

Overall some beautiful colors and lovely formulas (patchy colors aside). There isn’t really any detectable scent to these. Lasting power is pretty good, they are thicker than the Velvet Lip Glides due to the high shine so they adhere better to the lips. Lasting power is pretty good, not as good as their Powermatte Lip Pigments, but for a gloss they stayed put until I snacked. My favorites are Santo Domingo, Red District, Abruzzo and At First Sight. Compared to other lip glosses these are among the most full coverage that I’ve tried. Ones like the Pat McGrath LUST Glosses or Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss are a lot sheerer. Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Glosses are probably the most similar (but hers are thicker), Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquid is also thicker with a more lipstick feel.

You can find the NARS Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer now at NARS and Barneys New York. Starting July you will also be able to find them at other NARS retailers like Sephora and Nordstrom. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

NARS Full Vinyl Lip Lacquer provided courtesy of NARS for review.

105 Comments

MAC

MAC x Aaliyah Collection Review + Swatches

June 21, 2018

The MAC x Aaliyah Collection launches in stores today with limited-edition pieces for eyes, lips and cheeks. I wanted to share some quick swatches and first impressions as I suspect some pieces will sell out quickly. The overall vibe is what MAC calls moody, deep and neutral. I’d say it’s just that. The color scheme has more of a fall vibe but I think there are some stand out pieces that I think you should not miss. The items in the collection include:

Lipsticks ($18.50 each) in four shades – Try Again (matte), More Than a Woman (amplified), Street Thing (frost), Hot Like (amplified)
Lipglass ($17.50 each) in four shades – Brooklyn Born, At Your Best You Are, Li Li’s Motor City, 1 in a Million
Lip Pencil ($18 each) in two shades – Nevermore and Follow Your Heart
Age Ain’t Nothing Eyeshadow x 9 ($32) – Age Ain’t Nothing (mix of finishes)
Bronzing Powder ($28) – Baby Girl (pearl finish)

Up first are the lip products. There are four Aaliyah Lipsticks, three of which are very creamy and smooth, one is semi sheer and a little patchy on my lips. From left to right we have Try Again (matte nude brown), Hot Like (perfect red cream), More Than a Woman (the perfect wine plum cream), Street Thing (shimmery sheer black). All of these have that signature soft vanilla MAC lipstick scent.

I think More Than A Woman is the most perfect wine color I’ve ever tried. Plum wines are hard to pull off for my complexion – so many are either too blue or turn fuchsia on my lips. Try Again almost looks almost deathly on my olive complexion. Street Thing was the worst for my lips – it swatched nicely on the arm and as I was swatching I thought to myself I wish this color was in eyeshadow form, powder or cream because it would make for a unique black shadow with shimmers.

There are four Aaliyah Lipglasses. They don’t necessarily match the Lipstick colors exactly but can be worn alone or layered on top of the lip colors. We have left to right: Brooklyn Born (soft champagne pearl), Li Li’s Motor City (orange cream), At Your Best You Are (sheer wine), and 1 In A Million (sheer/patchy deep plum brown). My favorite is Brooklyn Born which has the smoothest pearl and actually didn’t wash me out. At Your Best You Are is another perfect plum for me. Li Li’s Motor City is fun for summer but with my olive skin sometimes orange can be a hard color to pull off all the time. 1 in a Million is so pretty color-wise but pulled streaky as it contrasted with my natural lip tone quite a bit. If you have deeper lips the contrast won’t be as obvious. I think if I were to add a deep liner underneath and blend it would smooth out.

There are two Aaliyah Lip Pencils which I think were odd color choices given the range of lipstick and lipglass colors. Nevermore is a deep blackened purple which would go well with Street Thing or 1 in a Million but would contrast sharply with all the other shades. Follow Your Heart is a standard brick red which would go well with the reds, but not so much with any of the other shades. Still they are creamy and soft in formula.

Finally there is one item for eyes and one for the cheeks.

MAC launched an Aaliyah Bronzing Powder called Baby Girl which I have mixed feelings on. On my complexion it applies nicely but it has a very stiff texture and sheer finish. The color is going to be better suited for women who are light to medium in skin tone, I think it will be too light to show up on deeper skin tones. It works for me but I feel like it would have been better to have at least 1 more shade option. For this particular bronzer it looks nice – but I think there are much better options including the Becca Sunlit Bronzers or Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzers to name a few.

The Aaliyah Times Nine Eyeshadow Palette called Age Ain’t Nothing which is excellent in pigment and texture. Some of the other Nine Eyeshadow Palettes have great colors but aren’t the best in terms of texture. This one in the Aaliyah collection is smooth and well pigmented. The colors can create a variety of looks. I find myself gravitating towards the bottom two rows but every single color blends and layers well together. As usual my recommendation for palettes are to buy only if you think you’re going to use most of the colors. Texture and quality-wise it’s really good.

Overall some nice pieces, but I don’t feel like I really gravitate towards most of the colors. The three stand outs for me are the More Than A Woman Lipstick, Brooklyn Born Lipglass and At Your Best You Are Lipglass. These aren’t seasonal colors but I can appreciate a really nice wine-colored lip. And for Brooklyn Born I feel like the texture and shimmer are so smooth they add a really pretty shine. Whether or not you like these colors I hope this post along with all of mine helps as a reference guide especially if you don’t have in-person access or can’t get to a counter right away.

You can find the MAC Aaliyah Collection out now. Everything is limited-edition. Online at MAC, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard’s and Bloomingdale’s.

Many thanks to the MAC team for providing the MAC Aaliyah collection provided courtesy for review.

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Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Pretty Youth Glow Filters, Cheek Hug Brush + Collagen Lip Bath

June 20, 2018

Charlotte Tilbury launched Part 2 of her Beauty Filters collection focused on lips and cheeks. I picked up all three of the items including the Pretty Youth Glow Filter Kit in Pretty Fresh and Seduce Beauty ($60 each for blush duo + brush) along with the new Collagen Lip Bath ($35). I reviewed Part 1 last month on her Bigger Brighter Eyes Collection. Part 2 for lips + cheeks do not disappoint color and quality-wise.

Charlotte Tilbury Pretty Youth Glow Filters

The Charlotte Tilbury Pretty Youth Glow Filters are duo cream cheek palettes and the kits come with the Cheek Hug Brush at Nordstrom. It is only because of this brush that I think these palettes are worth the high price tag of $60. (The blush is available individually at Charlotte Tilbury’s website though.) In terms of quality and pigment both colors are really good but to me it seems as though there is very little product. These each contain a highlighter and blush – the brush is perfectly shaped and very well made to pick up both colors and apply them in a perfect blush/highlight motion. I simply swipe across the palette and apply in a swipe up method on the cheeks, then blend/buff with either my fingers or a separate blush brush. Texture is a silky cream finish. It’s truly a cream to powder like the description states. Color on me is medium to sheer.

Seduce Blush is the more neutral/muted option with a soft champagne and pinky-nude. There is a slight hint of shimmer in the pan but on the cheeks it’s very diffused and satiny.

Wearing Sunday Riley The Influencer Foundation 190, Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Shadows in Star Gold and Rose Gold mixed together, Collagen Lip Bath.

Pretty Fresh is a brighter option with a paler rose shimmer and brighter pink. This one is my favorite of the two. It can be built up for more color but blends out to a very nice flush.

Closer look at the Cheek Hug Brush:

Overall these had medium lasting power on me. I’m still experimenting with primers and bases to find what will last through the humidity. I felt like I had it all figured out last summer. Then we had about six months of truly mild weather here and I feel like I’ve forgotten what worked in humidity! I think these blushes are both excellent. I still really love her Filmstar Bronze and Blush Glow for texture and finish and think if she had made these Pretty Youth Glow Filters colors in powder form I’d snap them up in a heart beat and that others would too. I’d say in terms of finish/texture the lasting power and pigment, the Pretty Youth Glow Filters is similar to that of the Sisley Phyto-Twist Blush sticks.

Some swatch comparisons:

Collagen Lip Bath

Then there is the Collagen Lip Bath which all of my friends were texting me about asking if I had tried it and if I thought it was worth the price. I love all of Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Lustres and Lipsticks so had high hopes for this even though it looked like it was basically a clear gloss. As soon as I opened my heart both sank and then rose back up.

When I removed the wand I was completely shocked at how little product there actually was in the tube. The wand takes up 1/2 the space! Then the actual wand itself is shaped like the top of a heart which is the cutest applicator I’ve ever seen. After getting over the shock of how little product there was I swiped it and fell in love. It makes my lips look lush and plump without any tingle or sting. They truly look super healthy and plump in the best way I’ve ever seen. It’s supposed to have peppermint extract to cool, but for some reason I did not feel any cooling sensation. It’s basically clear even though it’s a soft rose tint in the tube. Below is what my lips look like with clearish gloss, they almost always turn rose pink.

So in terms of performance and what it does, I 100% love it. I’m still peeved at how little product there is and I feel like I’m one who rarely gets upset about product weight. I still really like it and will use it up entirely in no time at all.

Overall beautiful. In my mind Charlotte Tilbury can do no wrong with the quality and color choice of her products. I think the Pretty Youth Glow Filters and Collagen Lip Products are beautiful additions to her line. I’d recommend them for anyone who wants a soft pretty and natural feminine glow. I do think the price points are a little steep, especially for the amount of product you get. I do feel the Cheek Hug Brush is really well made and makes the duos worth the splurge. For creams they aren’t too emollient but if you have super oily skin you might want to try before you buy if you can. As for the Collagen Lip Bath, I love it, but I don’t love the price. I wish it came in a squeeze tube like the MAC clear lipglass. The brush tip is nice and the design quite innovative but not a game changer to make it worth the steep price.

For other recent Charlotte Tilbury reviews:

Hollywood Flawless Filters Review + Swatches
Star Gold, Rose Gold, Duchess, American Sweetheart and English Beauty
Bigger Brighter Eyes Collection Review

You can find the Pretty Youth Glow Filters and Collagen Lip Bath out now at Charlotte Tilbury counters. I bought mine from Nordstrom. Also available at Charlotte Tilbury and Beautylish.

P.S. You can buy just the blush duo individually without the brush at Charlotte Tilbury for $40.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

17 Comments

Skincare

Clean Skincare With Farmacy Beauty

June 18, 2018

A growing number of readers have asked for more reviews on clean beauty and I was thrilled to partner with Farmacy Beauty to try more from the line. I’ve tried and loved a few items from the line before including their Green Clean, Honey Potion and Green Screen but was really excited to learn more about the other products in their lineup. As many of you already know, I love trying a wide range of skincare to help with different issues as I age and have adapted to different climates, but am really particular about what I use. The Farmacy Beauty philosophy is something that has really impressed me – as a brand they care about the environment on all aspects of their products, from how it’s made, ingredient sourcing all the way to the packaging. Their “clean” philosophy means their products made with gentle, safe and non-toxic ingredients. They are paraben free, formaldehyde donor free, synthetic fragrance free, mineral oil free, phthalate free and also cruelty free. You can read more about that here. I have six products I want to talk about today. After putting new to me products to the test for several weeks now I have found some solid winners. Up first are three things that I’ve used for nearly a year now and really liked.

Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm

The Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleanser is gentle cleansing balm that removes makeup and impurities. It’s made with Echinacea Greenenvy which is a patented plant the team discovered in New York. The plant has 300% more natural antioxidants compared to regular Echinacea which helps support collagen production, improve hydration and reduce the appearance of fine lines. It’s a solid balm that melts into the skin once you massage it. It feels like a creamy oil once you start working it into the skin and removes all traces of face makeup after your rinse with warm water. As much as I really love traditional cleansing oils I find solid cleanser balms a lot easier to use and less messy. There’s no drip from your hands to the elbows and it also solves the issue of oil running into your eyes on accident. With other balms I often have to do two rounds to remove longwear makeup. This one takes off everything in one go. The packaging has a removable plastic lid with a place holder for the spatula which is perfect for people like me. I’m always misplacing spatulas! One 90 ml jar will last a long time. It also comes in a smaller 50 ml option.

Honey Potion

The Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask is probably one of their best-known products and happens to be the only honey-based face mask I have tried that I actually like. Since it is made of rich honey and hydrating it is thick and gooey but it spreads easily with their metal magnetic spatula. I truly appreciate the fact the spatula sticks to the lid so it stays in place. With this one you massage into the skin and it turns into a white color and warms up on the skin. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then rinse off. Most of my masks are clarifying or purifying, but this one is one of the few hydrating masks I like that does not leave a film. Skin is left very smooth, supple and fresh looking. There are two sizes which includes a 1.7 oz/50 g and a 4.1 oz/117 g jar.

Green Screen

The Green Screen Daily Environmental Protector is a sunscreen with SPF 30. It’s a non-greasy sunscreen that is white in texture but disappears completely once blended. Long-time readers know I’m really particular about all sunscreens. Any white cast is a no-go for me and this one works perfectly even on my olive/tan skin. Active ingredients include Titanium Dioxide 2.4% and Zinc Oxide 5.82%. I found that it works well alone on non-makeup days but also layers really well with their Honey Drop Moisturizer and the combination isn’t heavy, even if I add foundation on top.

Below I have it all over the face and also swiped heavy on the cheeks. There’s no white cast once blended, it disappears 100%! I also did not see any white flash back when photographed with a flash.

Clean Bee, Honey Drop and Green Screen

Next are three new to me things that I’ve tried. One is the Clean Bee Ultra Gentle Facial Cleanser. This is something I bought a few months back and have been using it on a regular basis. I’m halfway finished. I am a cleanser fanatic – especially with the Florida heat, I clean my face more frequently than the average person because of the sweat, heat and humidity. I rotate depending on what time of day or when I’m cleaning, but I always clean in the morning. Before a workout if I’m wearing makeup. After workouts to remove sweat and at night before I go to bed (usually during a bath or shower). This one is gentle and non-stripping but really effective. I can feel my pores being cleaned out with this one which is something I’ve never really actively felt with other cleansers. It’s free of soap, PEG, alcohol, formaldehyde and artificial coloring. It smells like clean honey. Even though it does a thorough job at cleaning this doesn’t dry out the skin.

The Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizer is probably my most favorite new skincare discovery. Moisturizers in general are tricky for my skin type. I have combination skin which is prone to getting oily with extreme heat but it is also prone to getting dried out with air conditioners constantly on everywhere I go. Finding one that is hydrating enough but not heavy has always been a challenge but I have luckily found several that I love. This one is pure love. It has their Echinacea GreenEnvy for hydration. It also has these tiny little Cupcuca Butter Beads you can see inside the product. It melts once it touches the skin to help soften skin. It also includes ingredients to support firmness, elasticity, help reduce water loss and keep the skin looking plum. After putting this to the test I would say it does all of the above for me.

Last but not least is the Sleep Tight Firming Night Balm. This is the first time I’ve tried a night time leave-on balm for my face. I wasn’t sure I’d like it as it’s pretty emollient but a little goes a VERY long way. It smooths over the skin nicely and leaves a veil of moisture that surprisingly did not make my face stick to my pillow. I tried using this around 2-3 times a week over the past few weeks. I wake up with smoother and well-rested looking skin. It truly does a good job at keeping skin hydrated and removes any tight feeling you might have from dryness or a strong air conditioner blasting. I only need a tiny bit but you can definitely apply as much as needed depending on your skin type. It’s non-irritating, did not clog pores, doesn’t have a strong scent (it smells natural) so it doesn’t interfere with my sleep.

For those who want to try before committing to the full size they have a few amazing travel sets available with minis. I do think their full size products are reasonably priced and think the Honey Potion Mask and Green Clean Meltaway Cleansing Balm are going to be the most versatile regardless of skin type. However The Mighties Set has four of their most popular items in minis. The sizes are large enough to give you a decent sampling of the product. They are also perfect to travel with on shorter trips. There are a couple of other mini sets available on their website as well.

Overall I love this line. I have yet to try everything in their lineup but I have been really impressed with what I’ve tried so far. Their products are gentle but effective. I like that they care about their ingredients, the environment and the processes used to make their products. They have a few other face masks I’m really curious to try!

Shop the post below.

Sponsored by Farmacy Beauty. As always all opinions my own.

17 Comments

MAC

MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Full Face Kit + Hot and Heavy Face Powder

June 17, 2018

MAC has quite a few new launches this month and I’m working as quickly as I can to swatch them for you! Up first is the MAC Patrick Starrr summer collection with the Summer Starrr Full Face Kit ($49.50) and Hot and Heavy Face Powder ($34). The items are limited-edition and the whole vibe of this launch is warm.

The Summer Starrr Full Face Kit comes at an incredible value price. You get an Eyeshadow Quad called Heat Stroke, Bronzing Powder in Give Me Life and two Lipglasses in Cream Pie and Fashion Punch. Colors for the lips and cheeks are very wearable for any skintone, the quad is more trendy and VERY warm with reds and oranges. Heat Stroke has four very pigmented and smooth eyeshadows. I’m one who still cannot really pull off the full-on reddish eyeshadow trend although every single one of my friends embraces it. And also everyone else I see wear it looks AMAZING while I do not. The NARSissist Wanted Eyeshadow Palette is still one of the few pinkish-toned palettes I can actually wear. Below is a closer look at Heat Stroke Eyeshadow quad. I tried it a number of ways and colors are just not for me.

The Lipglasses are both light and neutral. They’re creams without shimmer. I feel like the Fashion Punch color has been launched before in the older original packaging. It’s a beige cream. Cream Pie is a neutral pink cream. I’ve swatched them below next to the Patrick Starrr Holiday 2017 lipglasses as well since he had two neutrals.

The two cheek products are warm and summery. The Give Me Life Bronzing Powder is part of the Full Face Kit. It’s a warm matte brown that has a soft semi-sheer finish. On my skin it’s warm but not orangey. It’s a lot more wearable than it looks from what I see in the pan. The best item in the entire collection to me is the Hot and Heavy Face Powder which is available separately. It’s a soft golden champagne shimmer which is perfect! Shimmer is fine and smooth without any heavy frost.

The quality is excellent for everything in this launch. Colors are all smooth and apply beautifully. I think the face kit is an excellent value. I also fully support and applaud brand and influencer collaborations like this. It makes me really happy to see these kinds of partnerships! The colors have a good mix of neutral and on trend aspects. That being said, with kits I feel the same way about kits as I do palettes – they can be tricky if you don’t 100% love all the colors. For the Full Face Kit I cannot wear the Heat Stroke Eyeshadow quad by itself. It takes a lot of mixing with cools or neutrals for me to be able to pull off the colors easily – I did test everything for several days and embraced the red eye look at home and while out and about. It was well outside of my comfort zone. The rest of the items are more my vibe although I do think the color are dupeable. If you are looking to add more to your collection at a value price these items are great. If you own a lot of MAC already you may want to shop your stash.

My favorite item is the Hot and Heavy highlighter. It’s the perfect mix of warm gold + champagne for my skintone! I also really like the Cream Pie Lipglass as a wearable pale milky pink. Have you tried anything from this launch yet? What did you think?

You can find the MAC Patrick Starrr Summer Starrr Face Kit and Highlighter out now. The Summer Starrr Full Face Kit runs at $49.50 and Hot and Heavy Face Powder retails for $34. Available now at MAC Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Ulta, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Dillard’s.

MAC Patrick Starrr items provided courtesy of MAC for review.

4 Comments

Lips Marc Jacobs Beauty

Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick

June 15, 2018

Marc Jacobs Beauty launched new lip glosses in stick form called the Enamored Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick ($28 each for 2.1 g/0.074 oz). I’ve been such a huge fan of the Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquers I was eager to try the new formula. I ordered five sight unseen. I picked the neutrals which turned out to be a lot lighter in color than I anticipated but still lovely. My picks:

Sugar Sugar – sheer nude cream
P(r)each – sheer soft peach
One Mauve Time – perfect mauve
Sweet Escape – baby pink
Mocha Choco-Lata – perfect nude beige

These are emollient sheer smooth gloss sticks. They have a very shiny finish and moisturizing feel. Lasting power is medium – they won’t disappear quickly but they aren’t budge-proof. The gloss sticks have a melt-on texture. Packaging is slightly longer than the Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquers but similar in style. The Enamored Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick has a removable pull off cap and the product comes in a twist-up tube that clicks with each twist. The only downside is you can only twist up, you can’t twist back down. The good thing is each click will only push a small amount of color up.

The two lightest shades Sugar Sugar and P(r)each were patchy with the first application, once you have it warmed up a little it smooths out. Close ups of each color below with lip swatches.

Mocha Choco-lata!

Sweet Escape

One Mauve Time

P(r)each

Sugar Sugar

All side by side:

For quick reference my MAC foundation shade right now is the Studio Fix Fluid in NC37. Lip swatches as always done on bare lips.

If you want something light and glossy these are great. I think the color selection is a lot more wearable for me compared to the Le Marc Liquid Lip Crayons. The glossy texture feels similar to me although the crayons are full coverage while these new gloss sticks are a lot sheerer. I’d say if you like the feel of the YSL Volupte Tint in Balms or Chanel Rouge Coco Shines you will most likely really like the Marc Jacobs Enamored Lip Gloss Sticks. In terms of glossy lips though my favorite product this season are still the Pat McGrath LUST Glosses although the formula is completely different and also in liquid form.

They are sheer so depending on how much color you want these might be too sheer if you prefer a lot of pigment. I give them a thumbs up – although I do wish the packaging would click up and down. The only shade I think is iffy is Sugar Sugar – this is mainly because I find pale colors challenging to wear in general. If you see the last photo of my natural lip you’ll see that there is going to be a contrast between pale colors and my lip. This is why you’ll often see a dark ring around the outer edge if the product is slightly sheer or transparent. It’s my natural lip color showing through. Since I have full lips if I cover it entirely with product it makes them look EXTRA huge.

Based on how light and sheer these colors are I was tempted to order the other three shades which are deeper/brighter. I have not seen them at stores near me yet but have decided to pass for now. My top two picks are Mocha Choco-lata! and One Mauve Time.

You can find the Marc Jacobs Enamored Hydrating Lip Gloss Sticks at Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Net-a-Porter and Marc Jacobs Beauty. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

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