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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palettes 2024

September 10, 2024

Hourglass dropped three limited-edition palettes and I literally cannot believe it’s already that time of year. There are three palette combinations in the Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette for this year ($90 each). This year they finally launched palettes with mostly new shades and I could not be more thrilled. You can find them now online at Hourglass Cosmetics for the early access. They will be launching globally at other retailers from 9/20.

The three palette options this year include:

Dragon Palette (lightest)
Evil Eye Palette (medium tone)
Lotus Flower Palette (deeper tones)

You can order a customized palette online at Hourglass, but I ordered these as the pre-made options. For skintone reference I am wearing the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5. I wear the Hourglass Veil Skin Tint in Shade 9 (reviewed here).

Dragon Palette

The Dragon Palette has the lightest tones and variations but I think it’s a versatile one and can be worn on light/fair to tan skin tones. I love this one – it really surprised me because it looks very ordinary in the pan but the shimmers and diffused quality of the powders are really flattering. It’s warmer than last year’s Jellyfish palette.

Dream Light Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder – a soft light pearl with a soft opal sheen
Peach Fusion Ambient Lighting Blush – soft shimmery peach
Divine Light Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder – pale transcluent powder with a pink tone
Mauve Haze Ambient Lighting Blush – soft mauve pink
Soft Bronze Ambient Lighting Bronzer – mid-tone neutral warm bronze
Sunlit Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – metallic champagne

Look below wearing the Dragon Palette on the cheeks, Dragon Bronze on the eyes topped with the Hourglass Voyeur Eyeshadow Stick in Phoenix and Urban Decay Moondust in Cosmic Craze + Phantom Glossy Balm in Crave

Evil Eye Palette

The Evil Eye Palette is the medium tone palette of the three. At first glance I thought it would be nearly identical to last year’s Leopard. Side by side swatches show the tones are indeed different with a cooler pink highlight, more neutral/pink tones vs warmer shades. They are similar but I think there are noticeable differences.

Soft Light Finishing Powder – sheer soft peach beige
Rose Gold Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – metallic rose pink champagne
Pink Fusion Ambient Lighting Blush – soft cool pink glow
Oasis Glow Ambient Lighting Blush – shimmery light apricot/peach/tan
Vibrant Coral Ambient Lighting Blush – pink coral
Natural Bronze Ambient Lighting Bronzer – medium neutral bronze

Look below wearing the Evil Eye Palette on the cheeks, Hourglass Scattered Light Eyeshadow in Reflect, Phantom Gloss Balm in Lucid + Pat McGrath LUST Gloss in Peach Perversion.

Lotus Flower

The Lotus Flower Palette is the darkest variation this year. It’s more neutral in undertone compared to last year’s Snake palette. On my medium tan skin tone the new Lotus Flower pulls warmer than what I see in the pan, but it will probably be more neutral on darker skin tones. I love the colors in this palette, but not so much on my skin tone. The shades are stunning for sure, but since the tones are darker they do require an ultra light hand for my skin tone.

Gilded Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – a stunning warm golden shimmer
Desert Flush Ambient Lighting Blush – burnt peach
Eternal Light Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder – warm amber tan
Radiant Rose Strobe Light Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder – metallic copper rose shimmer
Red 0 Ambient Lighting Blush – deep berry pink
Bronze Heat Ambient Lighting Bronzer – deep bronze

Look below wearing the Lotus Flower Palette on the eyes and cheeks + Phantom Glossy Balm in Slip

My two favorites are the Dragon and Evil Eye. These arrived at the perfect time as I’ll be traveling soon and will most likely bring one of these with me. Are they worth the price or the splurge? I think they are. I love every single color and each palette has enough shades for a full face look – I often use at least 1 or 2 of the shades on the eyes too.

By popular request, here are side by side swatches of the 2023 palettes vs this year’s 2024 launch:

In case you want a closer look at previous palette launches, here are the blog posts (there are lots more, but here are the more recent ones):

Holiday Palettes 2023: Jellyfish, Leopard and Snake

Holiday Palettes 2022: Butterfly, Elephant and Tiger

Holiday Palettes 2021: Face Universe, Face Universe Unlocked, Edit Vol III

Holiday Palettes 2020: Sculpture Palette, Sculpture Unlocked (quad)

I ordered these palettes the second they launched at the Hourglass website. Since then they’ve added a few more holiday items including a Holiday Brush ($52, 2 variations), new Glossy Balm Duo ($55, Trace and Mystic), Brush Set ($150), Full Face Set + Bag ($270) and a few other sets you can check out here.

Available now at Hourglass Cosmetics. Holiday Launches arriving on 9/20 to Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty and all other Hourglass retailers.

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Lips NARS

NARS Explicit Lipstick Review

September 6, 2024

NARS revamped their lipsticks with a new formula and refillable packaging style called the Explicit Lipstick ($40, $24 for the refills). These are satin finish with a lightweight formula that offers medium-full coverage and rich color payoff. The NARS team sent a selection of the bold shades to try and as a neutral-lip lover I ordered nudes. Available now at Nordstrom, Ulta Beauty, Sephora, NARS and all NARS retailers.

These new lipsticks are a solid win. Classic in formula. Unscented. Hydrating and lightweight. Even after swatching 10+ shades my lips are still fully intact with no dryness or peeling. I do think the formula being on the lighter side almost makes them feel a bit thin but they have impressive smooth coverage. They’re hydrating and comfortable on the lips. I do wish they were just the slightest bit creamier or thicker but I do really like that the texture isn’t too soft or melty. They seem very sturdy.

Many of the lighter neutrals and medium brown tones look extremely similar but there are noticeable variances in undertone. I was thrilled to find that I could actually wear every single shade. Even the lighter ones (yay!!!).

I split the swatches into two categories: the neutrals and the bolds. For skintone reference I wear the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation in Vanuatu (review here). In this post, I’m also wearing the Total Seduction Eyeshadow Sticks in Strip Down and Mambo along with the Patrick Ta Major Dimension III on the eyes and Deep Throat Blush on the Cheeks.

Here are the Neutral shades I tried:

Adulterous is a nude blush pink
Blame is a peach pink nude
Envy is a beige
Indecent is a neutral-warm beige tan
Liason is a peachy nude
Exposed is a cool beige
Dirty Talk is a warm coral pink

Bold Shades:

Unashamed is a cool mauve
Devious is a cool rose pink
On Top is a chestnut reddish brown
Excess is a reddish brown
Body Heat is a tan brown
Rendezvous is brown rose red
Desirous is a classic red

Overall a solid A. I don’t know that I would call these the best lipstick formula ever, but they are exceptionally good and I think every color I tried is wearable. I would say my top 5 are: Blame, Liason, Adulterous, On Top, Devious.

I also added swatches of the Total Seduction Eyeshadow Sticks ($32) to this post. These launched over the summer and I love the colors but am still not sold on matte creams. In general I don’t like cream matte shadows because they tend to look dry on my lids, especially when they dry down. These are creamy matte eyeshadow sticks with impressive pigment and once they set they do not budge. Since they set quickly you have to work very fast to blend and on my lids they aren’t forgiving. These are wearable and easy to blend for a matte, but I still prefer a powder shadow format for mattes. I think you can get a similar effect with the Patrick Ta Major Dimension III Palette (swatched here).

Overall love the new lip launch for a classic effortless kind of lipstick. The matte cream shadows sticks are very good, but for a cream I prefer some shimmer or for a matte I still prefer powders.

Available now at Nordstrom, Ulta Beauty, Sephora, NARS and all NARS retailers.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Press samples provided for review.

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Bronzer + Blush Chanel

Chanel Joues Contraste Intense Cream-To-Powder Blush

September 4, 2024

Chanel launched a new blush formula called the Joues Contraste Intense Cream-To-Powder Blush ($52, available at Chanel.com). It’s available in five shades and the formula is phenomenal. I picked these up my local beauty boutique and fell in love with the soft cushiony texture. These are soft creams that have a nice dry down in powder form. In a world of dewy blush trends it’s challenging to find a cream formula with a good dry down and satiny finish and the new ones from Chanel are exactly what I’ve been looking for. They almost have a subtle blurring effect on me and I love the classic shades.

The name has the word “intense” in it but these really aren’t that intense. They are buildable on color but 3 are more natural and 2 are intense with the bold bright shades, but they are very easy to blend out.

Lasting power is pretty good, but I don’t think I’d be able to get the full 12-hour wear time and for me that is 100% ok. The lightest beige shade did seem to fade the fastest on me but it’s close to my skin tone. I haven’t given each shade a full day wear test, but the other two I did test for an extended period of time held up well for around 4-5 hours for that fresh look.

These are more on the soft matte side, but they do have a luminous glow quality to them without the shimmer.

Beige Eclatant is a soft beige on me, it’s barely visible in photos but in real life it gives a really pretty soft glow
Rose Radiant is a soft warm rose
Rose Ardent is a cooler toned pink rose
Rouge Franc is a bold hot warm red
Grenat Profond is a berry

Below wearing each shade with a different lip color, also wearing:

Primer – Chanel La Base Illuminatrice
Foundation – Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow BD41
Powder – Makeup By Mario SurrealSkin Soft Blur in 2 Neutral Light
Eyes – Natasha Denona I Need a Warm Palette
Brows – Glossier Boy Brow Arch Pencil in Cool Brown
Mascara – Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara (new)

Beige Eclatant Blush + 31 Le Rouge Satin 1 Rouge Beige (review + swatches here)

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Rose Radiant Blush + Rouge Coco Bloom in 116 Dream (review here)

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Rose Ardent Blush + 31 Le Rouge Satin 2 Rouge Croisiere (review here)

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Rouge Franc Blush + Rouge Coco Flash Nature Getaway in Bisous (from the Takeaways set, swatches here)

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Grenat Profond + 31 Le Rouge Satin 3 Rouge Roman (swatches here)

I tried these with Chanel brushes and I normally don’t have a preference for which brush I use as they’re usually really versatile and multi-tasking. I did really like the small domed one though the Precision Powder Brush N 107 best for these. The size and shape is perfect. They all work well, I just love the shape for this formula.

Left to right: Precision Powder Brush 107, Blush Brush 110, Contouring Brush 109 and Powder Brush 106.

Bottom line love. You can find these out now at Chanel.com.

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Eye Makeup Natasha Denona

Natasha Denona I Need a Warm Palette

August 30, 2024

Natasha Denona has done it again. Just when I think she’s created the most beautiful palette, she creates yet another stunning launch even better than the last. Although I do think each palette is beautifully unique and different in their own way.

Natasha’s latest is the I Need a Warm Eyeshadow Palette ($69) and it has the most beautiful mix of neutral and neutral-warm tones. It’s absolutely stunning and perfect in every way. On my medium tan skin this pulls more neutral-warm but if you are fair this will probably pull more warm. Available now at Sephora and Ulta Beauty.

This palette has a beautiful mix of mattes and shimmers. She has a new formula for her mattes she calls “slip cream matte” and you have to touch the shadows in real life to understand how they’re powders but still creamy at the same time. Shimmers have a good range with smooth shimmers and then some more sparkly metallics.

There’s enough variation in this palette for me to create a full eye look from a soft base, soft crease shades, deeper shades for a soft liner and then a multitude of shimmers for different toppers or layering looks.

Swatches below:

I couldn’t get a good detail shot of the eye look but she has some great videos on her Instagram feed that really capture the details and variations of the shades in action. Here’s a look I did wearing: Mellow, Vim, Flashover, Fervor and Push. Also wearing:

Foundation: Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation 7N
Powder: Makeup By Mario SurrealSkin Soft Blur Setting Powder 2 Neutral Light
Set: Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin Soft Setting Spray
Blush: YSL Make Me Blush Liquid Blush 37 Peachy Nude + 57 Coral Clash
Lips: Huda Beauty Faux Filler Gloss Honey (swatches here)
Mascara: CoverGirl 3D Enhancer Mascara
Nails: Olive and June Starfruit Shimmer Gloss Nail Polish

By popular request I did side by side swatches next to her I Need a Nude Palette (reviewed here) and her Golden Palette (also reviewed here). I think they’re all very different in beautiful ways. Each palette will look different on you depending on your skin tone and also undertone. Her I Need a Nude pulls more neutral-cool on me while her Golden pulls more like a neutral. This I Need a Warm is warmer, but more neutral-warm on my skin tone.

I Need a Warm versus I Need a Nude

I Need a Warm versus Golden

Bottom line 10/10. Textures and pigments are stunning, easy to blend, rich in pigment and long lasting. I think this is the best one she’s launched yet and I can’t wait to see her next creation.

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Available now at Sephora and Ulta Beauty.

Palette gifted for review.

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Chantecaille

Chantecaille Cheetah Collection

August 23, 2024

Chantecaille launched a few new items for Fall 2024 in their Cheetah Collection. There are three new Cheetah Lip Veils ($54 each) and a Cheetah Eye Trio ($78). Everything is limited-edition. Available now at Chantecaille, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bluemercury and all Chantecaille retailers.

Cheetah Lip Veil

There are three Lip Veils in this collection and they are absolute perfection. These are hydrating luminous lipsticks with a lightweight feel but intense moisture. The shades are polished neutrals that are easy to wear for any occasion.

Wild Sienna is a peachy brown beige
Desert Lily is a soft pink
Acacia is a perfect rosewood

I don’t own a lot of Chantecaille lip colors but I know they do repeat shades. I still have the Acacia from 2020 so I swatched it next this year’s Cheetah Acacia and the batches are very close but not identical. The 2020 Acacia is slightly more translucent (sheerer in finish) and has a bit more blue undertone.

Pigment is medium but buildable. Formula is ultra creamy and hydrating with a glossy finish but they don’t feel heavy on the lips. These come at a steep price but I think they are well worth checking out. For me the tones are perfect.

Also wearing:

Dior Forever Skin Foundation Stick 3N (in action here on the skin, swatches here)
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Powder Medium
Armani Luminous Silk Cheek Tint 62 + 53 mixed
Natasha Denona I Need a Nude Eyeshadow Palette (swatches here)

Cheetah Eye Trio Swatches

Chantecaille also launched an Eye Trio which has three beautiful neutrals. The palette arrived shattered but I was able to salvage enough product for swatches. The texture and pigment is exceptionally beautiful with both the mattes and shimmer, but the shades are easily dupeable. I found shades that are nearly identical from Natasha Denona I Need a Nude Palette and her Glam Palette also has similar tones (and I love her pigment and textures too). I feel like her My Mini Dream Palette is also similar.

Overall a beautiful collection of neutrals to elevate your everyday look. I love the lip colors.

Available now at Chantecaille, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bluemercury and all Chantecaille retailers.

Cheetah collection gifted for review.

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Fenty Beauty Lips

Fenty Gloss Bomb Stix + Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liner

August 14, 2024

There are new lip launches from Fenty for summer with a new Gloss Bomb Stix ($25) and Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liner ($20). Available now at Sephora, Ulta, Fenty). It’s all pure love for me.

Gloss Bomb Stix

The Gloss Bomb Stix is a high shine high pigment gloss in stick form. They are on the softer side similar to the YSL Candy Glaze or Candy Glow, but not as soft as say the Makeup By Mario MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serums or Hourglass Phantom Glossy Balms.

These Gloss Bomb Stix are scented just like the Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer. They are one swipe wonders. Texture feels a little thick almost like a gloss so they’re definitely not weightless. They almost have a creamy balm feel.

I picked up the neutrals and love all of them except the lightest shade. I’ve found that most pale nude pink beige shades look very pasty on my lips, while warmer beige nudes seem to work better.

Lip swatches below wearing:

Foundation – Fenty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint Shade 9
Powder – Rare Beauty True to Myself Tinted Powder in Ivory
Blush – Rhode Pocket Blush in Teddy
Eyeshadows – Makeup by Mario Master Mattes + Pat McGrath Mothership IX
Brows – Chanel Microfine Defining Brow Pencil Blonde Tendre
Hair – Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium 1 1/4″ Extended Barrel Curling Iron + this hair oil
Nails – Olive and June Quick Dry in Poodle

Blaz’d Donut is a creamy pale pink beige

Two’Lips Kiss is a perfect peachy nude beige

Fenty Glow is another perfect rose tan beige

Is it Fu$$y is a mauve pink

Sp’ice Cold is a perfect brown

High’Biscus is a bright pink rose

Riri is a mauve plum

I think this formula is the best lip launch of the year so far. We finally have a new glossy lip formula with amazing pigment and color payoff!

Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liner

The Fenty Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liners do not disappoint. Formula is very long-wearing. Once they are on my lips they do not budge. I love that they glide on easily with minimal tugging. Pigment is full coverage and smooth. My most-worn lip pencils are from Huda or Charlotte Tilbury these days so I swatched what I thought might be similar. I think the pigment and finish is similar to the Huda Beauty ones with the Fenty being just a little bit more thicker in feel.

I didn’t lip swatch the liners here but you can see Satin Panty in action here for a pretty lip combo. Overall solid A+ for formula, color and pigment.

You can find these now at Sephora, Ulta, Fenty.

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Bronzer + Blush Hourglass Cosmetics

Hourglass Unreal Liquid Blush Review + Swatches

August 6, 2024

Hourglass launched a new liquid blush in dropper format called the Unreal Liquid Blush ($36 each). They also added a new No 15 Blush Brush ($46) which is angled to go along with the new launch. The Hourglass team sent all the shades for review and I have swatches and a closer look today.

These Unreal Liquid Blushes are in a small bottle with a dropper at the top. To dispense there is a soft button at the base you press to dispense one drop. They recommend applying to the back of your hand and picking up product with the brush and applying in a stippling method.

Product is very pigmented but with some fluidity, so it is easy to blend and build. There are seven shades and I think the color range is very good. Tones are very flattering although most of them are on the warm side with 3 being peach/coral so if you prefer cooler tones these might be too warm.

Scene is a nude pink, this pulls very natural on my skin but still shows up
Whim is a bright pink, this one is my favorite
Vision is a warm rose
Moment is an orange
Future is a coral with a hint of pink
Imagine is a burnt orange
Craft is a berry

Formula is very easy to dispense without it overflowing. I also like how easy they are apply and blend. Another plus is these didn’t pull off my foundation or powder off when I blended it on top of my base. The Craft shade took a little more effort to blend smoothly since it has the most contrast with my skin tone. They remain dewy on the cheeks after blending but not as dewy as the Pat McGrath Divine Cream Blush.

The Unreal Liquid Blushes are described as being able to last up to 12 hours but this was not the case for me. While the color does stay on the cheeks for a while, after 3-4 hours or color faded on my cheeks and they looked more dewy than when I first applied it. I do think they will hold up better in cooler weather, but even in cooler weather I don’t see them holding up for a full 12 hours.

Looks wearing each blush shade with a coordinating lip color. For skintone reference I’m wearing the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5.

Scene Unreal Liquid Blush + Tide Unlocked Satin Lipstick + Sense Phantom Glossy Balm

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Whim Unreal Liquid Blush + Reveal Phantom Glossy Balm

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Vision Unreal Liquid Blush + Uncover Lip Liner + Wish Phantom Glossy Balm

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Moment Unreal Liquid Blush + Lucid Phantom Glossy Balm

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Future Unreal Liquid Blush + Dove Unlocked Satin Lipstick + Lucid Phantom Glossy Balm

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Imagine Unreal Liquid Blush + Haze Phantom Glossy Balm

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Craft Unreal Liquid Blush + Impulse Phantom Glossy Balm

Overall I love the colors even if there is one too many peach/orange tones (just my opinion though). I like that the pigment level is easy to control. Lasting power could be improved but that would mean they would have to alter the formula and finish to something less dewy.

The brush is very well constructed and works beautifully for blending. I really love the Hourglass brushes, I own quite a few in my collection and use them all the time. I do think you can use any one in your collection though.

If you’ve been curious about these I hope you found this review helpful!

Available now at Sephora.

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Blushes sent for review consideration.

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Older Posts

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Brand

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palettes 2024

Dragon Palette

Evil Eye Palette

Lotus Flower

NARS Explicit Lipstick Review

Chanel Joues Contraste Intense Cream-To-Powder Blush

Natasha Denona I Need a Warm Palette

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Chantecaille Cheetah Collection

Cheetah Lip Veil

Cheetah Eye Trio Swatches

Fenty Gloss Bomb Stix + Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liner

Gloss Bomb Stix

Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liner

Hourglass Unreal Liquid Blush Review + Swatches

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