Category Archives: *Brands: Drugstore

Tinted Brow Gel Review & Comparison: Glossier Boy Brow vs. Essence Make Me Brow vs. Benefit Gimme Brow

I’ve been meaning to put together a post comparing Glossier Boy Brow, Essence Make Me Brow, and Benefit Gimme Brow for a while now, and with the news of a Benefit Gimme Brow recall, now seems like a good time to make it happen.

First, my brows: I have relatively full brows, so I am generally looking to fill in the tails a touch, groom, and add polish. I don’t need to create a brow anywhere that I don’t already have brow hairs or fill in any truly sparse areas. Most days I use a pencil in the tails then go through the whole brow with a tinted gel.  All three of these products work well as that tinted gel – for that reason, I consider them to be functional dupes, though there are some noticeable differences in formula and color options.

I purchased all products featured in this post. All referral and affiliate links are individually marked; unmarked links are not affiliate.
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Milani Brow & Eye Highlighter Review, Swatches, Comparisons

Purchased – Affiliate Links

Earlier this year, Milani released three Brow & Eye highlighters, which have a variety of uses. Milani -->describes --> the shade I bought, 01 Matte Beige / High Glow as following:

Both sides can be used underneath the brow bone as a highlighter. Matte Beige can be used as an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base. High Glow can be used in the inner corners of the eyes to brighten.

I purchased this pencil primarily for the matte end, which appeared to be (and is!) a more yellow shade than the other nude pencils I own, which suits my skin color very well. First, here are both ends of the Milani pencil:

And here’s a comparison of the nude/beige liners and chubby pencils I own:

The MAC & NYX are very similar in color – and a bit too dark for me. The Rimmel is a little darker still.  The Jordana and Milani shadow pencils are similar in color – too pink for me – but note that they’re not dupes; they have very different textures. The Milani brow highlighter is definitely the best color for me – just a bit lighter than my skintone. It’s a great color to use as a browbone or inner eye corner highlighter; I’ve also used it as a reverse lipliner (blended well!) and on the inner rim of my eye (no irritation, but it doesn’t last very well there).

Overall, I’m pleased with the purchase – it’s a great color, but I do wish it lasted better on my waterline!

*I purchased the product(s) featured in this post. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

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Sinful Colors Summer 2014 Destination Colors

Purchased – No Affiliate Links

Ruby Mine // Orange Crush // Face the Facets
Bring it Sheer // From Sheer to Eternity // Sheer Genius

Good morning! Today I have super quick swatches of a rainbow of colors from the new Walgreens-exclusive (per Nouveau Cheap) shades from the Sinful Colors Summer 2014 Destination Color display. The red, orange, and yellow are textures, and the green, blue, and purple are sheer toppers (though the green and blue are too milky to work over darker colors, however). Continue reading →

Wet n Wild Fergie Summer 2014: Mixing Metals Eyeshadow Review & Swatches

Purchased – No Affiliate Links

Wet n Wild Fergie has released a few limited edition eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks for Summer 2014, and today I have the Centerstage Collection Photo Focus eyeshadow palette in Mixing Metals.  My previous experiences with the Wet n Wild Fergie eyeshadows have been less than stellar (one, two), but I guess third time is the charm, because this palette is great! Continue reading →

Wet n Wild Summer 2014 LE ColorIcon Bronzer/Blush Review & Swatches

Purchased – No Affiliate Links

Hold Me Close // Dusk Til Dawn // Everything Under the Sun

Wet n Wild has released a small collection for Summer 2014; it includes three limited edition ColorIcon bronzer/blushes which I’ll be reviewing today plus six nail polishes.  First, let’s take a look at the three limited edition bronzers compared to the three permanent bronzers. Continue reading →

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains: Quick Review & Swatches

Purchased – No Affiliate Links

Hello! I am in DC visiting my best friend K. and we happened across a display of the new Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains at Target (which will be permanent).   We each purchased one, and I have swatches and a quick review for you.  Please note that these are all iPhone photos; I didn’t bring my camera with me.

I purchased the shade New York Scene, a neutral red, and my friend purchased Barcelona Nights, a hot pink / fuchsia.  These are two of the brighter shades in the range, so please note that the lasting power, evenness, etc may be different for the more muted shades. Continue reading →