Category Archives: *Brands: Mid & High End

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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Olive Undertones & Blue Mixers, plus a review of MUFE Chromatic Mix Foundation Mixers

When I started wearing makeup, I couldn’t figure out my undertone. I am caucasian and have light skin (somewhere in the vicinity of MAC N15 without a tan), dark hair, and dark eyes. I tan easily and rarely burn; I feel like silver and gold are equally flattering; I’m not sure if true white or off white looks better on me – my preference is for black; and the veins on the underside of my wrist don’t look particularly blue or green. Long story short, I realized that I have olive undertones that are sort of a cool yellow/green – I was confused because I have surface redness and if I am tan, golden overtones.

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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My Favorite Brushes – Face Edition

Purchased – Affiliate Links

Hi all! First, a quick note about the blog – I’ve been unusually swamped at work, which means less time for posting. I do apologize for scarcity of posts lately – hopefully everything will be back to normal soon!

Today, I’m going to talk about my favorite face brushes (favorite eyes, brows, and lip brushes are here). I think of my face brushes as being in two separate categories – brushes for powders, and brushes for creams.  For powder products, I generally prefer natural hair, as I feel like it picks up product better and distributes it more easily. For cream products, I prefer synthetic hairs, as they’re easier to clean (yet still soft). Continue reading →

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 869 Vie d’Enfer: First Impression & Swatches

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Dior Fluid Stick

Dior Addict Fluid Stick

Dior has recently released a new product, the Dior Addict Fluid Sticks (is it just me or is that a really terrible name?).  They’re advertised having “the high-impact colour and long wear of a lipstick, combined with the shine of a gloss.”  Texturewise, they remind me of the Maybelline Color Elixirs (reviewed) and L’oreal Extraordinares (reviewed), which are both supposed to be gloss-balm-liquid lipstick hybrid. The packaging of the Fluid Sticks is somewhat reminiscent of the Maybellines as well; both have a lipstick-shaped cavity for the product, and if you weren’t paying attention, you might mistake the product for a traditional lipstick with a clear lid. Continue reading →

It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Matte Luxe Transforming Eyeshadow Palette – Swatches & Quick Review

Purchased – Affiliate Links

I’ve been lusting after the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty palette since I swatched it at Ulta a little while back, and due to the (still ongoing!) 25% off Friends & Family sale on the It Cosmetics website, I decided to bite the bullet and buy it.  I’ve only had it for a couple days, but due to the aforementioned sale – which ends at midnight on April 8th – I thought I should post swatches now rather than later.

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