Dior Beauty seems to be reformulating all of their products and the latest I’ve tried is the new Rosy Glow Blush ($40 each). Now available in six shades: Pink, Coral, Rosewood, Cherry, Berry and Mahogany. There are lots of mixed reviews on the new formula. After testing all the colors here are my thoughts. I also swatched the coordinating Addict Lip Maximizers to go with each blush shade. I know the Lip Oils are the more popular lip option from Dior these days but I really prefer the Lip Maximizers for the texture and colors.
I think the new formula performs just as well as the original for most of the colors. Color-wise the Original 001 Pink pulled a deeper more pigmented pink on my skin while the new 001 Pink pulls more true to pan and has a lighter baby pink finish. I think they are both really pretty on the skin. I like to use the pink on top of other blushes to add a pop of color.
Texture and finish depends on the color. I really love the colors Coral and Rosewood. The pigment is easy to control as these blend easily and layer nicely for more color. Coral makes for a really nice peachy summer color and Rosewood is your perfect year-round neutral.
I found the deeper bold shades to be really intimidating in the pan and initially thought Cherry, Berry and Mahogany were shades I would never wear. I didn’t buy them at first, but in the effort to try something new and different, and to give you a thorough review of the formula, I decided to order them anyways!
Cherry was a nice surprise with a red flush. Application is smooth and easy to blend out.
Berry has an intense color very contrasted with my skin but blended out ok. I wouldn’t call the application seamless – it did take some work to blend but it’s workable.
Mahogany was a streaky patchy mess and took a lot of blending to try to even out. Even after blending it still looked very uneven on my skin. I tried it as an eyeshadow and there is something about the undertone that doesn’t sit right with my olive skin.
Overall really happy with Pink, Coral and Rosewood. There are lots of beautiful powder blush formulas that launched this season and I think there is something for everyone.
That wraps up my Dior Rosy Glow Blush review! I think they’re beautiful. I don’t know that I would call them must-haves but they perform well, quality is there and I think the bold colors are fun for a more colorful look. The formula is really nice, but color-wise I feel like I’m more drawn to the Gucci or Armani powder blushes this season.
Have you tried the new blush launches this season? What formula is your favorite? Or are you reaching for colors in your current stash?
I have four of the balms plus the quad that I tested to review. You can find them now at Sephora and Pat McGrath Labs.
Divine Blush Legendary Glow Colour Balm
There are six shades of the Divine Blush Legendary Glow Colour Balm. I was sent 3 to test and purchased an additional shade to try. These are glowy balmy twist up sticks that give a soft wash of color with a dewy glass like finish. I’m usually not a fan of balmy dewy cheek products. They’re often too glossy in finish, have a sticky feel and rarely last long especially in humid weather.
Paradise Peony is a beautiful soft peachy pink
Divine Rose is a soft rose pink
Peach Lotus is a soft peach
Forbidden Fleur is a berry plum
After testing these I have to say that I don’t think they’re for me but they are exactly as described so I feel like I can’t give these a bad review. They’re hydrating and dewy and perform just like you’d expect a balm to. Colors sheer out once blended and give you that radiant fresh glow. Unfortunately on me it’s too glossy and glass like. Texture is on the thicker side which makes them adhere to the skin and stay put much longer than expected. However my hair gets stuck constantly on the cheeks.
On the lips they’re lovely but I prefer her other lip balm formulas for the lips instead. You can see them applied in action below. For skintone reference I’m wearing the Skin Fetish Foundation in Light Medium 14 (reviewed here). It’s still one of my favorite foundation formulas for a classic medium coverage finish.
Colors are absolutely beautiful and very wearable. The finish is just not for me, even if I layer a powder blush on top.
Luxe Eyeshadow Quad in Passion Fleur
I ordered the Luxe Eyeshadow Quad in Passion Fleur and absolutely love it. I am not a fan of purples on me but the matte eggplant is really pretty and very wearable as a liner or crease color. I think the other shimmers in the palette are just breathtakingly beautiful. They are very sparkly but they’re not glitters. Lasting power is excellent and the shades layer beautifully together. A solid thumbs up and I kinda like that it’s not the traditional bronzey or peachy eye palette you usually see for summer (even though I live for those kinds of shades).
I do think if you’re a fan of dewy cheek products (I know a lot of you are) that you will really enjoy the balms for Pat McGrath. I can see myself maybe wearing one layered with powder for a nice evening out if I want to look fresh and glowy. But for everyday they just aren’t my cup of tea.
You can find them now at Sephora and Pat McGrath. Have you tried these yet? Are you a fan of cream or balmy cheek products?
Happy Monday! Doing another round of Q&As for my Ask Sabrina series! I think I might do this every other week going forward! Also hosting another giveaway!
1) Do you ever wish you were in a different line of work? If you weren’t a beauty influencer/blogger what would you be doing today?
Yes of course! There are some days when I wish I was doing something different but I am really happy being my own boss. I left the corporate world when I was 33. I am grateful everyday that I found something of my own to do and that I can make a living doing what I love. Being self-employed has a lot of challenges and as a team of 1, it can get overwhelming. I’ve been doing this full-time for 9 years now and there have been lots of ups and downs. Things have changed so much since I started blogging but I think every industry goes through lots of changes.
If I weren’t a beauty influencer today I have no idea what I would be doing. When I left my corporate job I was actually interviewing for several other finance positions in other companies. I ended up withdrawing my applications after several rounds of interviews to pursue blogging full-time. A lot can happen in 9 years. If I weren’t a blogger I might still be working in a corporate 9-5 type job but then who knows? I might be doing something completely different too.
2) Do you have packing tips for city trips? What about European travel?
I think packing tips depends on the city. Every city I’ve traveled to is so different! For summer trips I would recommend packing comfortable walking shoes (ie New Balance or APL sneakers are my favs right now). I love the Celine sneakers I splurged on last year, but they are leather so they can get hot. They are really comfortable though and there was no break in period. They only have whole sizes and as a true 6 and a half/36.5 I went with the 36 and they fit perfectly.
A good crossbody bag or tote is essential for me. I’ve been loving the Loewe Puzzle Bag (in small) and love it as an over shoulder bag. I like that it has a zipper closure at the top so you can keep things more secure. Summers are usually hot everywhere but some areas have chilly nights so I’d recommend packing layers like a lightweight denim jacket or sweater. I love the Jenni Kayne Cropped Cabin Sweater. The AG Robyn Denim Jacket is one of the softest jackets I own. It runs very fitted though so I’d recommend sizing up 1-2 sizes.
It’s been so long since we’ve traveled to Europe! I really want to go back. In 2015 we did a month trip to Europe covering 10 cities (I think). If you’ve been a long-time reader you may remember Andrew allowed me to bring 1 backpack for travel. Yes, it was pure insanity, but we made it work. His logic was that since we were going to Paris, Rome, Athens, Istanbul and a Mediterranean cruise and back to Paris that we were going to be in and out of lots of airports. Having a back pack would shorten our travel time and be more convenient than having to check luggage, wait at baggage claim etc.
We traveled in the summer so I rolled everything as tightly as I could and packed tanks, swimsuit, shorts and maybe 2 pairs of shoes (plus the ones I wore on our flight).
I don’t think we’ll ever pack that light again. We had lots of fun but had to buy extra luggage for our trip back because I did some shopping and we didn’t have enough room in our backpacks to bring souvenirs home. I guess the short version is that I don’t have good packing tips for Europe. Backpacking is do-able but I did not look cute the entire trip.
3) Favorite luxury purchase this year?
Oooh tough one! I’ve been really loving the Chanel Coco Crush ring and necklace I splurged on. You can see them here.
4) Best bronzer / your fav right now? One cream, one powder.
Another tough one! I would say Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream in 392 is my favorite for cream and Gucci Eclat Soleil Luminous Bronzer Shade 3 is the one I’ve been reaching for in terms of powders. Also really like the Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Crème Contour and Powder Duo which has both cream + powder in one compact (I like She’s Sculpted).
5) What are the top 5 beauty products you cannot live without?
This changes all the time, but right now: 1) Dior Lip Maximizer in 038 Rose Nude 2) Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch 3) NARS Orgasm Blush 4) Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder 5) Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eyeshadow Palette
6) Best summer perfumes?
This will be a dedicated post! I’ll share my top 3 though: Celine Parade, Loewe Ibiza Eclectic, Creed Virgin Island Water
7) Botox update please! Do you still like the results? Any regrets? Will you do it again?
I’m at the 1 month mark and have so much more movement in my forehead. I can raise my eye brows now a bit and my 11s are coming back. My deep forehead wrinkles are still not fully back yet but I’m starting to see them re-appear. I have no regrets. I will 100% do it again. I don’t know that I will get the same areas done and for sure will ask for fewer units.
When I did my first update 1/2 of you told me you get it done every 6 months. The other half said that was insanity and that it only lasts 3 months. Based on my experience I do think I will need it ever 3 or 4 months for a refresh which means the next appointment will be in August.
8) What’s your summer skincare routine?
I feel like this could be a full blog post too! I haven’t changed much in my routine except I haven’t used retinol or acids as much because of increased sun exposure with it being sunnier right now.
Summers in humid areas are brutal on skin! On one hand I get sweaty and oily when outdoors. My skin also becomes dry with the constant air conditioning or extreme heat from outdoors.
I rarely use anything at night because I like to let my skin breathe. I still use Sunday Riley’s Good Genes but in moderation since it’s an acid.
9) Are you a reader? What are your favorites?
I am not a reader. It has been a very long time since I’ve read a book (longer than I care to admit). I do like to listen to podcasts or watch them on YouTube while I’m editing photos. I feel like the older I get the less patience I have to sit and read. I know it’s terrible but reading takes so much time (I am not a speed reader) and I would much rather watch or listen to something. If you have any books you absolutely loved please let me know. I might pick up one or two to read.
10) We love Ollie! Did you put him through training? He’s so well behaved! Does he sleep through the night? Did you crate train? Does he have separation anxiety?
We put Ollie through a 2 week board and train when he was 5 months old. It was life changing. They were so good to him and he learned so much. He learned to listen, sit, lay down, stay, walk without tugging or impulsively jumping and lots of obey commands even with distractions. We are thinking of sending him back for a refresher soon.
For crate training we failed. We did keep him in a crate for as long as we could but he just never stopped crying. When he was around 4 and a 1/2 months he started sleeping with us. He has a little bed in the corner of our bedroom that he sleeps on sometimes. But he also jumps up and likes to sleep on my feet. All of the pets we’ve had decided they like to sleep on my feet, or on my head lol.
He does sleep through the night but he has night time zoomies and it doesn’t matter how much activity or exercise he’s had in the day, even with evening walks, he spends at least 30 minutes to an hour going nuts before he goes to sleep and it’s only at night. It’s like he doesn’t want to miss out on anything.
Doodles seem to have a lot of separation anxiety and Ollie does since he’s half poodle. He’s getting better though. When he was a puppy he would follow us everywhere around the house and would not let us out of his sight. Andrew likes to bring him with us everywhere we can. We can now leave him at home for short periods of time. He has kitty to keep him company at home. They play with each other all the time and it makes my heart melt.
That wraps up this week’s Ask Sabrina! I’m giving away one box of beauty goodies to one reader! Open to US and Canada readers 18 years or older. To enter complete ALL the steps in the widget below. I’ll pick a winner on Thursday 6/29 and email them directly. Not sponsored or affiliated.
Gucci Beauty has several new launches this season I’m reviewing today! There are new shades of the Luminous Matte Beauty Blush ($49 each) and new Summer Lip Colors ($45 each). This year they also launched a new matte foundation called Eternite de Beaute ($69) which seems to have replaced their satin finish formula. Last I have a look at the Illuminateur de Beaute ($43) which is a liquid highlighter that I’ve been testing for a few weeks. Lots to cover in this roundup! If you’ve been interested in any of these I hope you find this roundup helpful!
Blush de Beaute Luminous Matte Beauty Blush
The Gucci Beauty Luminous Matte Blushes have been a favorite since they launched last year. I still think they are a little overpriced but they perform exceptionally well and the powder formula melts into the skin beautifully for a nice soft luminous yet matte glow.
There are three new shades this season: True Pink, Soft Red and Intense Plum. I think they’re really fun for summer! I ordered mine from Sephora. I swatched and reviewed the first round of shades here. All three new ones and the ones I already own swatched below:
True Pink 07 is a pale baby pink. On it’s own this is a little too pale for my skin tone but it layers beautifully on top of other blushes or bronzers for that brightening pink effect.
Soft Red 08 is not really red at all, but more of a bright coral. This gives the skin a healthy flushed glow.
Intense Plum 09 is a deep plum red. Red blushes usually scare me a little. They tend to pull very bright, very intense and very bold. I decided to try this one anyways and I think I can make it work layered with other shades.
Pigment is very easy to control with these blushes. They blend nicely and also layer easily without looking overdone or heavy. The powdery finish isn’t too powdery – if you’ve played with these you know it blends into the skin with absolute perfection. Lasting power is excellent on these.
Illuminateur de Beaute
The Liquid Highlighter seems to be only available online at Gucci, Selfridges and Harrods at the moment. As soon as it popped up online at Gucci I ordered it immediately. I have dozens of liquid highlighters at this point and don’t need another one but I’ve been really happy with this one. It’s a multi-use highlighter but so far I’ve only used it on the cheek bones. Applying with a brush tends to pull away my base but dabbing and blending with fingers gives the prettiest glow with the perfect amount of shimmer/pigment and a nice dry down. For me it’s a solid win.
Eternite de Beaute Matte Foundation
The Eternite de Beaute Matte Foundation has been really good for me. I like the formula and coverage. It has a matte finish but doesn’t look dry. It blends nicely with a sponge and lasts all day. Two downsides for me are the shade selection for medium skin tones and scent. The heavily scented formula is a turn off for many of you (based on your messages). It’s floral and very strong. Luckily it did not irritate my skin. I wear Shade 305N and while it’s a good match now, there seems to be a big gap between 305N and the next shade 310. On days where I am a little darker/tan I’ve been mixing in the Supergoop! Glowscreen in Sunset to get my perfect match.
This summer Gucci added new shades of lipsticks in the Sheer, Satin and Matte formulas. Some of them appear to be only available at the Gucci website. There are a handful you can find at Sephora, Nordstrom, etc. I didn’t order every shade to try but here are the shades listed as “summer shades” online.
Sheer Lipstick
221 Candace Rose, 505 Janet Rust, 214 Call It A Day, 208 They Met in Argentina
Satin Lipstick
115 Bertha Blossom, 219 Mary Mauve, 220 Suzanne Sunset, 208 They Met in Argentina
Bertha Blossom (Satin) is one of the most perfect baby pink cream lipsticks I’ve tried. For once I’ve found a baby pink rose shade that isn’t too white in the base or too pale. 100% recommend.
Candace Rose (sheer) is a beautiful sheer pink rose.
Call It A Day (sheer, also available at Sephora) is a pretty mauve pink. I also own this in the Glow & Care Shine formula and love it.
They Met in Argentina (sheer) is a stunning warm coral pink. I have this in the the Glow & Care Shine formula but couldn’t find it in my stash to compare. Off the top of my head this Sheer Lipstick formula pulls a little sheerer while the Glow & Care formula seems a bit bolder.
Valeria Rose (matte, also available at Sephora) is one of the first mattes I’ve tried from Gucci and I’m 10/10 impressed. It has full smooth coverage with one swipe. Looks and feels expensive and has impressive lasting power. I rarely wear mattes but based on the finish of this one I may check out one or two more colors.
I added swatches of some other Gucci lipsticks I have below:
Overall lots to love from Gucci these days. I’m still waiting for an eye palette combination I’ve fallen in love with to try (so far their palettes haven’t really been my cup of tea). For now I really love the new blushes. I’m still undecided about the plum red one for the color as it runs very bold. Every time I use a Gucci lipstick I wonder why I don’t use them all the time.
Have you tried the new launches? What did you think?
Armani Beauty launched their Luminous Silk Glow Blushes ($38) earlier this spring. I’m late to the game trying these but after falling in love with 51 Amore I picked up more shades including one of the new colors 11 Warm Nude and thought I’d put these on your radar.
The Luminous Silk Glow Blush is a soft natural looking blush with a silky smooth texture. If you’re looking for a natural blush that is easy to apply with medium buildable coverage these are the ones to check out! Powders have a finely milled texture which makes it blend right into the skin.
Lasting power is excellent (I love powder blushes in general). I have 5 shades now and all of them perform exceptionally well.
11 In Love/Warm Nude is a neutral nude beige, on me it pulls more neutral-cool
30 Offbeat is a bright apricot matte
50 Euphoric is a golden pink, on my complexion it looks more like a highlighter, but if I layer this on top of another blush or cream blush the pink base shows more
51 Amore is the perfect rose pink
52 Ecstasy is a beautiful cool bright pink
My favorite is 51 Amore. I also love layering these together. The peachy ones 30 and 50 layer really nicely together.
If I had tried them all in person before ordering, I would have probably skipped 11. I think it will work nicely on lighter or cooler skin tones. For my medium tan olive skin it pulls a little too neutral. I prefer Laura Mercier Fresco or Charlotte Tilbury First Love for the perfect neutral blush (on my skintone).
A couple more Armani mentions. I still really love the Luminous Silk Foundation formula. Everytime I use it I am just blown away by how smooth and naturally glowy my skin looks with this base. I use the Shade 6.5. The Luminous Silk Concealer is one of the best full coverage concealers I’ve used. I also use Shade 6.5 which pulls a little lighter than the foundation so it’s perfect for brightening. The Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder is another favorite. It’s a glowy powder but not too glowy for all over the face. However if you don’t like any glow or shimmer all over it may be too much for you in which case I’d recommend trying either the Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Setting Powder or Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder (my 2 holy grail setting powders right now).
It’s also been a while since I reviewed the Lip Power Lipsticks and I don’t think I ever swatched all the shades so here is the lineup of what I have. They’re creamy, full coverage, comfortable and have great lasting power.
I wear Shade 103 and 109 the most. I think those are the most wearable and flattering. They’re also the ones I get the most “what’s on your lips?” questions for. Shade 107 is a newer shade which ended up being a little too dark on my complexion. If you’re all about the 90s brown tones I think you’ll love it. For me I’ll probably save it for fall/winter.
Bottom line, love the Luminous Silk Glow Blushes. I wish they had more colors to choose from but I love what they have right now.
There’s a new blush from Makeup By Mario called the Soft Pop Plumping Blush Veil ($30) and it seems to have exploded in popularity – it’s all over my Instagram feed! As a fan of many products in his line like the MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum, Ultra Suede Lip Pencil and Master Mattes I knew I had to try these new blushes. The colors looked fresh and easy to wear so I picked up 5 to try.
The Soft Pop Plumping Blush Veil is a cream blush with a subtle luminous finish. Not quite shimmery but when swatched on the arm you will see a glow and it’s not just from the creamy texture. They have sheer to medium finish, leaning more towards the sheer side. Finish is dewy but it does have a slight drydown after it sets. It still remains dewy looking on the skin but not as dewy as when you first apply.
I have mixed feelings on cream blush in general so my review is going to be biased. Most cream blushes simply do not last on my skin alone. I always have to set with a powder blush on top to make it last longer than 2 hours and even with a powder on top it doesn’t always stay.
Based on the feed back from many of you over the years, I think most of you love cream blushes and a dewy finish (like the Westman Atelier Lit Up Sticks or Chanel Baume Essentiel). If you’re a cream blush lover I think you will really like these.
Here are my thoughts: I love the colors. I think they’re wearable, fresh, easy to wear and there is a good color range to go with a wide range of looks. Formula wise they’re not my favorite. After testing these I would have skipped all of them except Perfect Pink and Just Peachy. Formula is ok, it’s not groundbreaking or exceptional in my opinion. They have an ok lasting power for a cream but for all day wear I need to touch up at the 3 hour mark or else I look like a dewy glazed donut.
Lasting power is definitely improved with a powder blush on top. There is a trend going on right now to apply this cream on top of powder blush and to me it really doesn’t make that much of a difference in terms of lasting power.
Bottom line: Colors are great but formula is ok. I’m not super impressed with the formula and while I don’t think it is bad, it’s not the best for lasting power. Definitely not the best for hot humid weather. If you like the dewy cream blush look I think you will love these.
I’m still working my way through all the new blush launches this season. On my testing list I have the new Gucci Luminous Matte Blushes, Hermes Silky Blush Powder (new shades), Pat McGrath Divine Blush Glow Color Balms and Dior Backstage Blushes coming soon.
Happy Monday! I’m doing a Q&A from the questions you submitted last week. It was fun reading through all the questions! I’ve picked 10 questions to answer. It has been a couple of years since I last did this type of post, perhaps I should start it up again? Let me know!
1) Have you and Andrew considered relocating to Miami since you visit so much? Would you go back to live in SoCal?
I feel like many of you may have read my mind on this as this is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive! Andrew and I are moving to Miami or San Diego hopefully this year. We’ve actually been traveling to Miami so frequently for this reason. We’ve been looking for a place since December. Currently narrowing down the specific area to move to – there are so many options, each with different pros and cons for what we are looking for. San Diego has also been an option we’ve talked about to be closer to my family and our friends back home.
Currently exploring our options with both cities and we will keep you posted!
2) Favorite current luxury handbag? Best crossbody bag? Best raffia bag? Next splurge?
Oooh this is a tough one! I rotate frequently but would say my top 3 are the Bottega Mini Loop, Loewe Mini Puzzle and Celine Pico Belt Bag (review here). All of these are cross body. Each style is also carried in larger options with straps if super minis aren’t your style.
I think Loewe raffia bags are my favorite. I’ve gotten a lot of use out of the Shell Basket (small). For a larger beach tote I’m in love with the Anagram Basket in Ochre (medium).
What’s my next purchase? I’m very happy with my collection right now. However I have had my eye on the Bottega Arco Tote or Loewe Mini Flamenco.
Bottega Mini Loop in White
Celine Pico Belt Bag in Light Taupe
Loewe Shell Basket (small)
Loewe Anagram Basket
3) Best walking shoes when on vacation?
I love APL Techloom Breeze Sneakers or New Balance 327 (also love these) or the 524. Both are very comfortable and aren’t too thick/heavy so your feet can breathe. Leather sneakers are easier to keep clean/maintain but I try to save those for cooler weather as my feet get sweaty.
4) Favorite travel moment / trip?
So many great travel memories for me! I have two favorites. The best travel memory I have was a trip to Oxford England in 2001. I went to Oxford on a study abroad trip in college one summer and made friends that have become lifelong friends. I met my best friend on this trip (we were roomies) and I also met my future husband on this trip (Andrew was one of the TAs).
I would say the best trip I’ve been on was a month long Europe trip Andrew and I took back in 2015. We would love to go back to Europe for an extended trip. Probably not this year since we are planning a move. Hopefully in 2024!
5) How do you find places to travel with your fur babies?
Ollie has been really easy to travel with and we love it! So far we’ve only taken him with us to Miami which is close to us and super dog friendly. We haven’t taken him on a plane yet as we are not sure if he will fit under the seat for a carry on pet. Kitty has come with us to Miami a couple times but he does not like car rides at all.
It was pretty difficult to travel with Jake and Lucy. The Jack Russell breed is very energetic and they don’t always play well with others. They were always very competitive with each other, I had to take them on walks separately. They also couldn’t see one leave the house without the other so I had to distract one pup and quickly sneak out with the other dog. We did take them on a few road trips and we had fun but it was a lot of work.
When they were young we brought them on a road trip from San Diego to Seattle for Andrew’s work for around 1 week. They had fun in a lot of parks! We also drove Jake, Lucy and Kitty across country from San Diego to Tampa when we moved which took around 5 days. Finding dog friendly hotels on the road was a challenge. All three also travelled from Tampa to Louisville (and back) when we evacuated for a hurricane one year.
6) What is your exercise routine?
I’m embarrassed to admit I have been neglecting my exercise routine for months. It’s currently very sporadic but when we were exercising regularly Andrew and I did weight training 3-5 times per week with cardio mixed in. We found a great a trainer and worked with him for the past 3 years. Our exercises are split by category, one category per workout: Push Day, Pull Day, Leg Day. Sometimes we add in a shoulder day or active recovery day.
We also have a treadmill and assault bike. I’m getting back into it. Right now my chest and triceps are really sore from my last workout a couple days ago. I’ve been interested in trying Pilates but am not sure I have the core strength to do it.
7) What are your favorite make-up looks for a beach day? My eye make-up always runs.
For eyes if I do wear makeup it’s a cream shadow stick like the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick (I wear Golden Amber or Golden Pink the most). Some of the darker shades can be smudged along the lash line to double as liner. I rarely wear liner or mascara because no matter how “long-wear” it is, products simply don’t hold up to REAL humidity or heat.
9) How are you liking Botox now that you’ve tried it? Will you do it again?
I love it. I’m glad I finally did it. I’m still terrified of needles but I know it’s something I can manage. Trolls have been telling me to fix my face for years – well I finally fixed it. It’s not the reason I did it though, it’s been on my list for years. I just nearly pass out at the thought of needles. If you want more I’ve saved the details to my BOTOX Instagram Highlights.
For those who don’t use Instagram I had a Botox injection for the first time ever at age 42. The areas that were done included my forehead and 11s with nearly 40 units. We went to @marissathepa for our first Botox injection ever and I highly recommend her. Andrew got Botox too!
I have been overwhelmed with the positive feedback! So many of you were cheering me on! I am really touched that many of you shared your personal experiences, procedures, frequency, pricing etc. It still makes me a little sad that this is something many of you are not comfortable sharing or talking about openly because of negative judgement from others.
We were both very happy with the results, the feeling and sensation just takes getting used to. The first two weeks I could not move my forehead and it was so relaxed I felt like I had to strain to open my eyes a little. Feedback from many of you was to get 30 units next time for more movement. My deep set lines disappeared on my forehead and in the 11 area.
The one month mark will be this Saturday and I’ll do my next update then. I’m not sure if we will be doing this every 3 or 6 months. Some say they can do it 1x per year. Many of you messaged me that it only lasts 3 months for most of you. If you have any questions please feel free to email or DM me.
10) Best new beauty buy/launch of 2023?
Another tough one! If you count Botox as a beauty buy I think that was my best purchase this year. For new launches I have been really impressed with the La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream. They reformulated it this year and it’s been my absolute favorite skincare item. I still have some left of the original formula and definitely notice the new one absorbs better into the skin, feels better and just overall works better.
