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Tom Ford Eye Color Quads New Shades Review + Swatches

February 18, 2019

Tom Ford Beauty launched seven new Eye Color Quads ($88 each) late last year. I apologize this has taken me so long to post. I felt overwhelmed with all the options but finally have a roundup with thoughts on each one for you today. I’ve been a huge fan of the eyeshadows since they first launched. The new color additions offer some beautiful more trendy options for you to create more unique beauty looks. I’ll say up front that I still think the best ones are previously launched colors including Nude Dip, Honeymoon, Golden Mink and Seductive Rose. The new ones offer a more diverse color range outside of neutral territory. I bought three of them in Supernouveau, Leopard Sun and Virgin Orchid. The Tom Ford Beauty team then sent more as press samples so I have all seven swatched for you today.

For those not familiar with the Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quads I’ll give a little overview. These are among the most expensive that I’ve tried and I think as long as you love the colors in each palette they’re 100% worth the splurge. There are different finishes and textures in their palettes. Quads like Honeymoon and Nude Dip have a pressed metallic finish different from all the other quads. This round Virgin Orchid and Daydream have the same texture. For the other quads there are mattes, glitters, shimmers and satin formulas. In my experience everything has really good pigment, colors are easy to layer, lasting power is very good, glitters apply best when pat on the lid with a finger.

Thoughts on the new shades plus swatches, Top Row: African Violet, Leopard Sun, Supernouveau and Virgin Orchid. Bottom Row: Photosynthesex, Daydream, Pretty Baby.

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Leopard Sun is my favorite out of all the colors. This has a very warm mix of colors so it surprised me that I found this one the most wearable for me. It has a sparkling glitter gold, a yellow warm gold shimmer, a rust shimmer and a medium brown shimmer. When layered together it creates a sunset looking eye.

This is the only one I photographed a makeup look for. I did test each one separately on the face but didn’t take photos since it was over a long period of time. If you want more looks with others let me know. Below wearing:

Hourglass Vanish Seamless Liquid Foundation in Nude + Sand mixed
La Mer Loose Setting Powder
Marc Jacobs O!Mega Bronzer in Tantric
Tom Ford Highlighting Duo in Moodlight mixed and blended on cheeks
Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quad in Leopard Sun
Anastasia Brow Wiz in Caramel
Tom Ford Lip Color in Autoerotique mixed with Lips and Girls in Uma
Tee by Reformation

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African Violet has such an interesting mix of colors. It has a sheer satiny bright violet, copper glitter, warm shimmery bronze and soft orange. The violet and orange are on the sheer side but it works out in my favor as blending and layering them with other shades from other quads helps to add warmth and life. You can definitely layer for more intensity as seen in the swatches below.

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Supernouveau is a neutral cool tone quad with a warm shimmery champagne, steel dove grey blue silver shimmer, mauve satin and washed out black. This one gives a nice alternative to the black/grey/white smokey eye. It’s very cool-toned on me. I need a creamy base to make colors adhere and stand out on my skin.

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Pretty Baby is one I thought I’d love the most but I have a hard time pulling off this much purple in one eye look. For me it requires a bit of mixing with warmer or neutral shades. It has the most beautiful mauve pink shimmer, a lilac satin shimmer, a duo chrome glitter violet-blue-pink and a deep shimmery smokey brown.

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Photosynthesex is another super unique quad I thought would be hard to wear but when the colors are layered together it makes for a really pretty night out kind of look. I like finishing this one with the green glitter on top and the dark matte green can be deepened in color with a damp brush. This has a yellow shimmer, a glittering duo chrome green brown, a deep warm brown shimmer and bold emerald matte.

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Virgin Orchid is a cool-toned quad of metallic white, shimmering golden pink, mauve satin and deep plum shimmer. I love the formula of this quad but found it too cool-toned and too pale for my skin tone for a single eye look. Quality is excellent, I do think it needs more colors added for me to make it work on my complexion. The mauve shade is what makes it too cool, but I simply take the color from another quad like Nude Dip or Honeymoon and it warms it up for me. Alternatively I can use the mauve in this one to neutral out palettes that are a little too warm for my liking.

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Daydream is the only one I had performance issues with. It has the most beautiful shimmer finish but if you blend at all, color disappears as it sheers out so much it almost looks like it’s being pulled off. If you layer color on top of color it’s best to apply in more of a patting motion and softly blend. I also don’t wear blues or violets like this so color scheme isn’t really my thing for this one.

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Overall my favorites are Leopard Sun and African Violet – surprising to me as I’m a neutral eyeshadow lover but find myself gravitating towards warmer shades these days. Each palette as with all Tom Ford Beauty products are very expensive and quite the splurge. If these are within your budget I’d recommend buying if you think you’ll use or love the colors. I think these are on the more edgy and bold side, but the color scheme is unique and very different from everything else you see on the market today. This is what I feel makes his quads special. In the case with most of his quads I mix and match a lot of them together. If you’re new to his line and want to know which one to try first, I still think the ones I listed above at the beginning of this post are his best ones. I cannot pick just one, but my most-used two are Nude Dip and Honeymoon.

You can find the new Tom Ford Eye Color Quads out now. I bought mine from Nordstrom and Sephora. Also available at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Bloomingdale’s and all other Tom Ford Beauty counters. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Supernouveau, Leopard Sun and Virgin Orchid purchased by me. Others are press samples.

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Diptyque Fragrance Home / Interiors

Diptyque Roses Collection: Centifolia + Damascena Candles

February 11, 2019

Every year I look forward to the Diptyque Roses Collection they launch for Valentine’s Day. This year they launched two new limited-edition candles called Centifolia and Damascena, available in a few different forms:

Individually in the full size ($72 each for 6.7 oz)
Individually in the small sizes ($36 each for 2.46 oz)
Also in a Small Candle Duo Set ($72)

The jars are frosted tinted glass with the prettiest rose patterns on the exterior. Nothing would have stopped me from buying these and I bought these sight unseen just for the packaging.

As much as I love Diptyque I don’t consider myself a pure rose fragrance lover. I do really like the rose notes when it’s blended with other notes like it is in their Baies candle. Same goes for many perfumes that I love and wear. For me rose is best when it’s blended with something other than floral notes. If you love all things floral and true pure rose then these will be perfect for you. Alone I found these very strong, floral and powdery. I do think they are beautiful but they’re not my favorite. The Mini Duo Set seems to be sold out most places but this morning I still saw it in stock at Barney’s New York. You can still buy the mini sizes individually.

Centifolia is the softer variation and out of the two, I like this scent the most. It has the tiniest bit of spice to it and I found it really interesting to read more about the flower itself, per Diptyque, the flower is from the “Grasse region of France since the 16th century, the Centifolia rose is also called the May rose for the month in which it is harvested. It comes by its Latin name (centum=one hundred + folio=leaf) because of its profusion of petals, said to number one hundred.”

Damascena has a beautiful color combination of the bright pink and orange. This one is very potent, floral, powdery and sweet. I found it a little too overwhelming for my taste. If you love pure rose scents you will absolutely adore this!

Top from Abercrombie, Nail Polish is Opi Rice Rice Baby

I have no regrets purchasing both. I will burn them to the end but will most likely combine with another scent like Baies or something woodsy like Byredo Tree House. Compared to previous limited-edition rose candles Diptyque has launched I find these two to be more of a pure powdery floral rose while previous years seem to be a little bit sweeter and softer.

The jars will be used to recycle for me as well. A quick note on the frosted glass jars if you’re new to recycling them – I’ve owned a few others in the white frosted glass and the finish can be a little delicate. I’d definitely recommend you take care with the exterior when cleaning as they can wear off or scratch off if you use a stiff sponge. It’s not so delicate that you have to baby it, but if you want to recycle, after your first burn, make sure you trim your wicks with a Wick Trimmer before you burn to avoid burning the sides or tops.

To clean them and recycle after they’re done burning I take a small butter knife and remove the metal circle that’s at the base if it hasn’t popped out already. To clean the sides I soak hot water and dish soap and wipe out with a paper towel. I repeat until wax is completely gone. Don’t use boiling water as it can crack the glass. Hot water from the tap works just fine to soften any residue and the soap helps clean the sides. Anytime I recommend this method someone without fail tells me freezing them is the better method but it has never worked for me.

Bottom line beautiful and romantic! I just think some scents are best when layered or blended with other notes, with these I prefer them when burned with something else. I still think they’re gorgeous, they’re just not my absolute favorites.

The Diptyque Roses Collection is limited-edition. They have other options including the scented ovals, scented liners and more. You can find Diptyque Centifolia and Damascena candles out now while they last. I bought mine from Nordstrom. Also available at Diptyque, Space NK, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Barney’s New York and all other Diptyque retailers.

P.S. Right now there’s a cute GWP available at Diptyque, I’m not sure how long it will be available but just wanted to let you know. Also Space NK’s beauty bag event is coming up soon!

Have you tried these yet? What did you think? Do you love rose notes or prefer it blended with something else?

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Natasha Denona

New From Natasha Denona: Mini Nude Palette, Transformatte Foundation + Matte Liquid Lips

February 7, 2019

A few new items have launched from Natasha Denona including a new eyeshadow palette, foundation and liquid lipsticks and I have a roundup review today! I also revisited a few of her Blush Duos (shopped my stash) and had been wearing them recently. I got so many compliments on how natural but fresh my complexion looked I thought I’d add them to this review. After some testing I have some hits and misses. What’s covered today:

Mini Nude Eyeshadow Palette ($25 for 5 shades)
Transformatte Pore Vanishing Matte Foundation ($45 for 0.94 oz/ 28 mL, 35 shades total)
Mark Your Liquid Lips Matte Liquid Lipstick ($25 each for 4 mL/0.135 oz, 19 shades available)
Blush Duo ($38 each)

Mini Nude Palette

I’m starting off with my favorite item in the launch which is her Mini Nude Palette. This actually isn’t something I’d call nude, it pulls a lot warmer but it’s still beautiful. It has a mix of mattes with her pressed pigment metallics. Pigment is really good, texture is easy to blend, colors stay put on the eyes. There will be some fallout with application because of the finish of the shimmers/powders but it’s easy to clean up. Colors layer beautifully:

Bronzage is a shimmery warm light copper sparkle
Quoin is a matte camel beige
Lumino is a metallic sparkle ivory
Sienna is a duo chrome bronze silvery taupe
Soil is a deep warm matte reddish brown

Quick close up look of eye makeup with flash:

Transformatte Pore Vanishing Matte Foundation

Her Transformatte Pore Vanishing Matte Foundation is a really good one. It comes in a pump tube. This is a medium coverage soft matte finish foundation. Her team sent over a selection of shades to try and my match right now is 30W. There are 35 shades to choose from with different undertones. I tried this back in the summer when this launched and got a few samples. My shade back then was a mix between 31W and 42NY. Colors do oxidize slightly on the skin once it sets, but once it sets color stays consistent. On me it has a blurring effect that has good coverage but still lets the skin look like skin. It’s matte but not flat. I think it does noticeably smooth out my pores but I think I should note that both Andrew and my brother informed me that even when looking at my bare face, they do not think I have any. I know for a fact I do have them and I can see them.

Lasting power is really good. I tested my samples over the summer and it held up well. Right now the weather is very mild for Florida. By the end of the week sweater weather might be over for a bit. For me this is another hit.

Bare skin vs. one layer of the foundation applied. It smooths out the skin, covers redness, and covers most of my sun spots and freckles. 30W applied below (no powder or concealer, just the foundation).

Mark Your Liquid Lips Matte Liquid Lipstick

Up next are her new liquid lipsticks called the Mark Your Liquid Lips Matte Liquid Lips. I had a solid feeling these would be a miss for me as I do not like liquid lipsticks and for the most part they don’t suit my preferences. After testing I can say that these are not for me. They’re not bad, I just don’t like liquid lipsticks. They have a similar vibe to the Anastasia Liquid Lipsticks and Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks. The formula of the Natasha Denona ones is pretty much the same – high pigment, full coverage, very matte and budge proof. I tested Giselle first and left it on the entire day. Lasting power was AMAZING. It lasted through snacks, lunch, drinks, coffee and did not even transfer when I tried to wipe it off with a tissue. The best thing about these is the lasting power – no transfer to teeth or anything. I received a handful of colors and Giselle was the only one I could wear. All the others dried down to a darker and almost grey finish. Definitely not true to what you see in the tube, but this is the case for all liquid lipsticks I’ve tried (ABH and KVD included).

The dry-down color change is most apparent with Shoko Kiss, in the tube it’s a caramel brown. Once dried it’s a grey taupe.

2 Meltedonce dried is a greyed beige nude
3 Shoko Kiss is a caramel brown taupe
4 Ebony dries to a deep grey brown matte
8 Au Naturale is a pale peachy nude
9 Giselle is a warm rose pink
24 Dahlia is a deep rose

I do really like the color of Giselle on my lips which dried down even further to more of a neutral-cool color rather than the warm peachy pink you see arm swatched below. I have a makeup look wearing Giselle further down. I still don’t like matte looking lips so for me these were a miss.

Blush Duos

The Natasha Denona Blush Duo’s aren’t new but I think they’re really nice. They are so under-rated. I’ve had them for a long time and used them on and off but completely forgot I had them! I started using one of the pink ones recently and received so many compliments about my complexion I thought I should use them more. These are powder duos with a soft sheen. There are several variations and the only downside is that she repeats one of the colors #02 Toutou in quite a few of them so if you are interested in more than one color, there might be a good chance you’ll get Toutou multiple times. There are a few pink ones available. Different options are available at Beautylish and Sephora.

Pigment is smooth and super easy to blend or layer. Finish is soft and diffused. The pink one applies sheer on the arm but it looks a lot better on the face.

Makeup look below wearing:

Foundation – Natasha Denona Transformatte in 30W
Powder – MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
Blush Duo – Natasha Denona Blush Duo in Toutou + Sheer Peachy Nude blended
Eyeshadow – Natasha Denona Mini Nude Palette, all shades
Lips – Natasha Denona Liquid Lips in Giselle
Top – Madewell

I really love the Mini Nude Palette although I keep waiting for a truly neutral or neutral cool palette from her. If you already own a lot of warmer shades you can probably shop your stash. Pretty much nothing would have stopped me from buying it as I like more of her eyeshadows. Transformatte is a win for me. Blush duos are wins, although I do think it’s a little odd she repeats shades in so many of the colors. Liquid lipsticks are a miss as I don’t like how liquid lipsticks perform, darken once they dry down or look super matte.

You can find all the Natasha Denona items I featured today at Sephora. Some of the items are also available at Beautylish. Have you tried any of these before? What did you think?

Press samples include the Transformatte Foundation and Liquid Lipstick. Eyeshadow Palette and Blush Duos purchased by me.

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Bobbi Brown Lips

Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip Review

February 4, 2019

Bobbi Brown launched a new lip formula called the Crushed Liquid Lip Balm ($26 each for 6 ml/.2 fl oz). These are saturated balm-like colors with a liquid lipstick kind of vibe. There are 14 color options with neutrals, bolds and brights. They’re very comfortable on the lips with a moisturizing but lightweight feel. The Crushed Liquid Lips are scented just like her regular lipsticks – it’s a little fruity with a lipstick scent mixed together. Finish has a soft shine cream with medium to full coverage. Everything applies smoothly and all the colors are very wearable for any kind of occasion or mood. There were only two shades I felt was a little streaky because of the contrast to my lip but it smooths out with a little extra blending. Lychee Baby and Cool Beets needed a little more blending but they weren’t too high maintenance.

I love everything about these. I love the packaging where you can see the actual color from the tube. The applicators are really cute too with a beveled tip sponge – it’s not your typical sponge tip, I think the design is really well made.

Colors and swatches below. I feel like the reds look really similar on me:

Lychee Baby is a soft peachy nude, this one requires a little blending but you’ll see in the lip swatches it smooths out, I thought it would be too pale for me but it’s not!
Hippy Shake is a pale cool mauve pink
Juicy Date is the perfect pinky brown cream
Give A Fig is a pinkish fig pink
Peach and Quiet is a medium bright pink peach
Mango Mood is a bright coral red
Main Squeeze is a bright pinkish red
Cherry Crush is a bold deep red cherry
Big Apple is a bright red
Bitter Sweet is a mauve plum with blue tones
In A Jam is a berry mauve plum with neutral tones
Smoothie Move is a brown pink
Haute Cocoa is a cocoa brown
Cool Beets is a dark purple in the tube, it applies more like a berry stain, this one also requires a little blending, I think it would be flawless over a matching lip liner pencil

All swatched on bare lips, the colors cover the lip entirely. They don’t bleed or migrate.

I tried hard to find one downside and was hard pressed to find any. Lasting power isn’t like a liquid lipstick since it has a balmy feel. You will have to reapply but I found they stayed put well for a few hours. They adhere better to the lips compared to a stick balm like the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines or YSL Volupte Shines. I think these have a solid A+. I mixed Lychee Baby and Juicy Date together for a perfect neutral. I’m not sure that I could pick a favorite, but when I tested these I started from light to deep. I was impressed with every single color.

Below wearing Lychee Baby with new hair highlights! It’s been three months since my first appointment and I went in for something different and a little bit lighter. Makeup worn:

Foundation – Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation in Buff
Powder – La Mer Pressed Powder in Light
Blush – Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Brilliant Nude + Incandescent Electra mixed
Eyeshadow – Tom Ford Iris Bronze
Brows – Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Duo in Taupe
Lip Color – Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip in Lychee Baby
Sweater – Everlane Cashmere Waffle (other colors/styles reviewed here)
Denim – Madewell (also shown here and here)
Makeup Bag – The Daily Edited

You can find the Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lip Color Balms out now. There are 14 colors available and they retail for $26 each. Available at Bobbi Brown, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Sephora, Neiman Marcus and all other Bobbi Brown counters.

Crushed Liquid Lip provided by Bobbi Brown for review.

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Becca Highlighters

Becca BFFs Collection Review + Swatches

January 29, 2019

Becca just launched a cute BFFs Collection called Made With Love by Khloe and Malika. This collection was created in collaboration with Khloe Kardashian and her BFF Malika Haqq. There are new highlighting palettes, a new lipstick formula and mini X and O shaped highlighter. I think the concept is super cute with two sets of color options. I’m a huge fan of Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors and their Be a Light Palettes. I had high hopes for this launch. In the collection we have:

Glow Letters Highlighter ($18)
Made with Love by Khloe Collection
- Khloe Bronze, Blush and Glow Palette ($44)
- Khloe Ultimate Lipstick Love ($24 each) in Cupid’s Kiss and Hot Tamale
Made with Love by Malika
- Malika Bronze, Blush and Glow Palette ($44)
- Malika Ultimate Lipstick Love ($24 each) in Yours Truly and Brave

Glow Letters

Up first is a look at the Glow Letters Highlighter. This is a shimmery bronze and champagne mix of X and O shaped pressed highlighter shapes. I love the color and finish – it gives a beautiful glow without being overly frosty. The golden color is SO so pretty. I just hate the cardboard box packaging and presentation. I think this would have been better if it had been a pressed powder like their Shimmering Skin Perfectors. I give the product itself a solid A+ rating so I can overlook the box it comes in. I think I am just being really picky with this one.

Swatches also next to the two palettes side by side.

Made with Love by Khloe Collection

The Made by Khloe Collection has one Bronze, Blush and Glow Palette and two Ultimate Lipstick Love lipsticks in Cupid’s Kiss and Hot Tamale. The palette is generously sized in a large mirrored compact.

The colors are really pretty but I had a hard time getting into the palette. Becca launched a Bronze, Blush and Glow Palette with highlighting palette similar in concept to the Be a Light finish and shape. The Khloe Palette has:

Soft Focus Highlighter in Glow Up which is a shimmery champagne vanilla
Radiant Blush in Fierce a shimmery pale peach
Radiant Blush in Fabulosity which is a more coral peach shimmer
Satin Matte Bronzer in Koko Bronze which is a very soft sheer tan matte bronzer

The palette to me feels like three highlighters + one bronzer. On my skin tone I felt the colors looked too frosty when I wore 3 or all 4 of the colors layered. If I blended a lot or used with a super light hand I could wear this. It’s not a bad palette. I think the quality is excellent. Finish of the powders is smooth and super pigmented. I just couldn’t wear them all together easily like I could the Becca x Chrissy Palette which I still really love.

There are two lipsticks are new formulas which are ultra pigmented creams. They’re scented with a sweet almost coconut like scent and vanilla cream. At first swipe I felt they were super thick. The formula is smooth and long lasting though. As long as you don’t swipe on too much it’s not too thick. Cupid’s Kiss is toasted almond nude, Hot Tamale is a hot bright red.

Above wearing:

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation in 230 + 235 mixed
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder to set
Urban Decay Naked2 Palette on the eyes
Anastasia Brow Wiz in Caramel
L’Oreal Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara
Made with Love by Khloe Bronze, Blush and Glow Palette all four shades
Left is Ultimate Lipstick Love in Cupid’s Kiss
Right has Ultimate Lipstick Love in Hot Tamale
Off the Shoulder Top is from Abercrombie

Made with Love by Malika

For the Made with Love By Malika colors you have the same products with a variation in colors. She has her Made with Love by Malika Bronze, Blush and Glow Palette and two Ultimate Lipstick Love lip colors in Yours Truly and Brave. I prefer the Malika product color scheme.

The Made with Love by Malika Bronze Blush and Glow Palette has the same products, I find the palette to be equally glowy but the deeper colors make it easier for me to pull off. Pigment is ultra rich and smooth and easy to blend/layer. Colors include:

Soft Focus Highlighter in Dusted is a peachy pink champagne
Radiant Blush in Yes Girl! is a warm bright coral shimmer
Radiant Blush in Make Me Blush is a shimmering pink rose
Satin Matte Bronzer in Bestie Bronze is a medium deep warm bronze satin matte

True to Becca’s style this palette is still very glowy. Finish is lightweight in feeling so it’s not heavy but it’s still very pigmented. Lipsticks have a similar vibe to Khloe’s while the Malika colors have a different undertone. Yours Truly is a warmer peachy nude. Brave is a classic true red that is neutral-cool.

Same beauty breakdown as above but with the Malika collection colors. Left is Yours Truly for the lips. Right is Brave for the lips. For skin tone reference I’m in between a MAC NC30 and NC35 right now.

Overall thoughts is that this is a beautiful collection and all the items are well made with great color payoff, lasting power, pigment and textures. I think the palettes are well priced and true to Becca’s classic signature glow style. I still love highlighters and will probably look forward to any new ones but at this point I’m finding it challenging to get SUPER excited about them. I have too many, there have been too many launches, most of it has started to look all the same. The only thing I didn’t like was the Glow Letters packaging.

The Khloe palette was a little too glowy for my skin tone right now. To clarify, it’s too glowy to wear ALL the colors in one look. If I mix in a matte blush or just use the bronzer with one other shade it’s very wearable and pretty. I find it interesting that the Malika palette has the same glow finish but with the deeper colors I find them a lot more wearable.

Lipsticks are ok. I think they’re nice but a little thick. I understand they’re super opaque with rich color payoff so it makes sense they’re really creamy. I’m going to check my Sephora to see if there are other colors out yet in store and will let you know if I pick any more up. Price seem a little steep to me, but the product is also nicely sized and has super intense pigment.

You can find the Becca BFFs collection out now. Available at Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Becca Cosmetics.

Becca BFF collection provided by Becca for review.

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Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Palette + Cheek to Chic Blush Review

January 24, 2019

Charlotte Tilbury finally relaunched her Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Palette and Pillow Talk Cheek to Chic Blush at Nordstrom and online Charlotte Tilbury. If you’re like me you probably blinked and missed out a few times as it sold out very quickly. I finally hauled the eyeshadow quad, I’ve tested both the blush and shadow and have a review today with lots of swatches.

The Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Lip Pencil has been a favorite since I first swatched it. She launched her Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick in 2017 and it’s been one of my daily go-to’s. Both are the perfect pink rose nude lip colors for me. The coordinating Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Quad and Blush go nicely with the lips but are significantly warmer on my skin tone.

Pillow Talk Luxury Eyeshadow Palette

The Pillow Talk Luxury Eyeshadow Palette has four shades, a soft shimmery rose pink champagne, a matte warm pink brown, a rose gold glitter and a warm matte brown. The quad gives a very nice pink brown eye look with a rose-gold kind of vibe. Alone it doesn’t have enough colors to complete a full eye look for me, the deepest shade isn’t dark enough to define the eyes. This isn’t a deal breaker – I just add a pencil liner. Pigment is smooth with medium coverage. They layer nicely without any fall out. I definitely need a creamy shadow base like her Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadows first to help the color pop a little more. They’re muted and I think it is intended to be muted, but for a little more pigment a cream base helps. It’s a nice palette but not life changing for me. To me this was a little over-hyped especially since it sold out so quickly multiple times. I have no regrets purchasing it but it looks a lot warmer on my skintone than what I see in the palette/compact. For my complexion/skintone I prefer her Exagger-Eyes Palette because it’s not as pink.

Quality/lasting power is true to all her quads. I had no issues with application. It stayed put on eyes without migrating all day long. Glitter adheres best when used as a top coat applied with fingers in a pressing/dabbing motion.

Swatches:

Comparison to Exagger-Eyes (reviewed here):

Pillow Talk Cheek to Chic Blush

The Pillow Talk Cheek to Chic Blush is one of her more shimmery blushes. Most have a satiny glow, this one has a lot more visible shimmer but it’s not frosty. Swirled together you get a soft warm peach brown with a slight pink undertone. I really love this color and formula. Her Cheek to Chic Blushes are among my favorites (tied with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes) because they make the complexion glow without looking overdone. I own all of hers except one color (The Climax) and think they’re a must-have for those who want a pretty blush that always looks fresh, doesn’t oxidize or darken and isn’t too flat or too shimmery. Lasting power is excellent. I truly appreciate these don’t oxidize especially in humid weather conditions. Swatch comparisons below:

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush in Pillow Talk individual vs swirled
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Sex on Fire
MAC Satin Blush in Sur
Becca Luminous Blush in Blushed Copper

Pillow Talk Makeup look below wearing her Pillow Talk colors plus a few other things:

Foundation is Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation in Buff + Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter in 4 + 5 mixed for a little more color/glow
Powder to set is the Armani Neo Nude Powder in 5.5
Brows are the Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil in Caramel
Eyeshadow Base is the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise in Jean as a base
Eyeshadow is the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Quad all colors
Mascara is L’Oreal Lash Paradise Waterproof
Blush is Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Pillow Talk
Lips are Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat + Matte Revolution in Pillow Talk with Pat McGrath Lust Gloss in Sunset Rose on top for more color (this is almost an exact match to the lipstick, just brightens the look)
Pink Clay cashmere sweater is the Madewell (also have and love this in other colors!)

Pillow Talk Swatches:

One last look:

Overall I think the Pillow Talk blush is a solid winner. I’m lukewarm about the Pillow Talk eyeshadow palette because the colors pull very warm/pink on me. The best wearable pinkish eyeshadow palette for me has been the Urban Decay Naked3. I still have yet to find one that tops either of those.

You can find the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Eyeshadow Palette and Cheek to Chic Blush available now at Nordstrom and Charlotte Tilbury. If you’ve tried these let me know what you thought!

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MAC

MAC in Monochrome Velvet Teddy Review + Swatches

January 22, 2019

MAC recently launched their MAC in Monochrome Collection featuring coordinating colors for eyes, lips and cheeks for some of their best selling lip colors. One of the best everyday neutrals for lips is their Velvet Teddy Matte Lipstick and I was beyond excited to see that they had a matching lipglass! I ran to my MAC store the week it launched and picked up one of everything except the glitter. I have swatches today, but I’ll say up front I think you should go buy the lipglass now. What I hauled, swatches + thoughts. For those wondering, my usual MAC Shade is NC35. Right now I’m in between colors, NC30 is too yellow, NC25 is too pale, NC37 is more on the neutral side but too dark.

Velvet Teddy Matte Lipstick and Best Teddy Lipglass

Velvet Teddy Matte Lipstick $19.50 is the same as their classic Velvet Teddy in the black tubes, this one has special limited-edition packaging in a pretty peachy nude to match the lipstick. If you already own this you don’t need the new one unless you’re like me and love the packaging! On me it pulls more pink on the lips than what I see in the tube. It’s a versatile neutral.

Best Teddy Lipglass $17.50 is a creamy pink nude, has semi-thick coverage, high shine and looks like my perfect everyday neutral, not too warm, not too cool – just right in between! I really love this color. It’s not as warm as Lust and Spice.

Swatches, I do think the lipstick is a little weird on me. Sometimes it looks more neutral, other times it pulls more cool-pink-brown. It shifts on me depending on the seasons when my skintone changes.

Swatch comparisons below. I just realized that I don’t have as many of the classic neutrals from MAC anymore. I purged a bunch of older tubes and gave the empties to my niece so she could use them for Back2MAC and pick out her own colors. Swatched left to right:

MAC Liptensity Lipsticks in Clouds in my Coffee and Well Bred Brown
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Very Victoria
MAC Liptensity in Smoked Almond and Doe
Charlotte Tilbury KISSING Lipstick in Stoned Rose
MAC Matte Lipstick in Velvet Teddy
MAC Lipglass in Best Teddy
MAC Lipglass in Soar
Lawless Soft Matte Liquid Lipstick in George
MAC Lipglass in Lust and Spice

Sur Satin Blush

Sur Satin Blush $24 is a semi-sheer brown mauve, this pulls a little too brown on my skin right now, I’ve lost my tan and feel a little on the sallow side, coverage is buildable, but I prefer other brand formulas of blush these days. I find that Charlotte Tilbury Sex on Fire is the color that works best for me for mauve-brown shades. MAC Plum Foolery is shimmery, more pigmented and has no brown. A few other neutrals swatched below:

MAC Blush in Tenderling (discontinued)
MAC Satin Blush in Sur
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Sex on Fire
MAC Blush in Plum Foolery
Marc Jacobs Air Blush in Flesh and Fantasy
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in First Love

Eyeshadows Soft Teddy and Dear Teddy

Soft Teddy Matte Eyeshadow is a warm neutral brown and Dear Teddy Frost Eyeshadow is a warm reddish brown shimmer. Both are sheer to medium in coverage. These days I’m more used to higher impact shadows with rich pigment. These will layer for more color if you apply over a creamy base. They’re on the sheer side for me, which isn’t necessarily bad. I think Soft Teddy is a nice all over lid shade for a contour or depth. Swatches below next to a few other shades:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow in Birkin is almost identical on my skin
MAC Soft Brown is warmer in tone
MAC Sable is almost plum looking, I always considered this warmer but swatched next to Dear Teddy it looks neutral-cool
NARS Faster Pussycat is from the Skin Deep Palette

Makeup look below wearing:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC30
MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC35 to set
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Medium Brown
Eyeshadows used are MAC Naked Lunch, MAC Soft Teddy and MAC Dear Teddy
Blush is MAC Sur
Lipstick in Velvet Teddy with layered Lipgloss in MAC Best Teddy
Top from Madewell (also available here)
Large black makeup bag from The Daily Edited

Overall nice everyday neutral colors you can wear for any occasion. I really love the Velvet Teddy lipstick color and am glad they made a coordinating lipglass. The blush and eyeshadows are wearable, but these days I think there are better formulas out there. Again I don’t want to say that sheer is necessarily bad, sometimes it’s nice to have something softer that you can use as a blending shade or more subtle. I do think the eyeshadow colors are really nice and easy to wear although I would have preferred more color payoff for the shimmer.

Lasting power and quality of everything is true to MAC. Lipsticks and lipglasses last for hours without budging. I can’t go long enough without drinking or snacking to put it to the all-day test, there will be transfer. Although it did stay put for around 5 hours without fading on me while we were out running errands the other day. Blush color fades within a few hours on my skin, but most of their satin formula blushes fade on me by the end of the day. Eyeshadows did stay put without budging though!

The entire collection is limited-edition. You can also find the MAC in Monochrome in other cult classic colors like Heroine, See Sheer, Diva, Candy Yum and Ruby Woo. The See Sheer colors looked really pretty for summer. I might order the lipglass soon. For now I’m really happy with the Velvet Teddy theme.

I bought mine from MAC. Also available at Macy’s, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

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