Buy High: Smashbox Blurring Foundation Brush, $32.00
Buy Low: e.l.f. Ultimate Blending Brush, $6.00
Smashbox Blurring Foundation Brush vs elf Ultimate Blending Brush
Both of these brushes work well for those who like to apply foundation in a buffing motion. They can also be used to stipple for more coverage when needed. I truly feel like I can get the same results from both of these brushes. The biggest application difference is coverage level. The e.l.f. Ultimate Blending Brush has a shorter handle and the closer your hand is to your face, the more pressure you use. This translates to heavier coverage. If you are aware of that you can be careful to use less product and that will lessen the coverage you get. If you like higher coverage that won’t be an issue. The Smashbox Blurring Foundation Brush gives you more flexibility in coverage simply because you’ll naturally hold the brush further down because the handle is longer. The Smashbox brush also has markings on the handle that indicate where to hold the brush depending on the coverage level you want.
The Nubian 3 Palette by Juvia’s Place is a little underrated in my opinion. In a time when so many people are complaining that makeup releases are all looking the same, I do not think this palette got enough shine when it was released.
When it was first released I feel like there were some criticisms about the color story not being coral enough. Every color exists on a spectrum of the shades mixed to create them. So for instance coral is a color that falls in between red and orange. So with orange being a mixture of yellow and red, every coral created is going to have different amounts of yellow, orange, and red present in the mixture. What that means, is that some corals are going to have more of an orange tone to them because they have more yellow and others are going to be pinker in tone, because they have more of the primary red pigment.
The Swatches – Juvia’s Place Nubian 3 Coral Palette, $20.00
Juvia’s Place Nubian 3 Coral – 1st row
Juvia’s Place Nubian 3 Coral – 2nd row
Juvia’s Place Nubian 3 Coral – 3rd row
So to me, there are 6 corals in this palette that range from a light pink coral to a deep red coral. It is also important to keep in mind that we all see color differently and that is fine. The way shades appear on different skin tones will also matter. But to me, this reads as a coral palette. I also think that the addition of varying tones of gray gives this palette a unique twist on being neutral without the ever-popular warm mid-tone brown.
I started making this iced tea for my husband a couple of months ago and it has become a staple in our house. He is a person that only really drinks water, Red Bull, and Pepsi. He was looking for a drink that still had some caffeine and sweetness but was a healthier option to having a second Red Bull.
I consider this a recipe remix because I add one regular tea bag to it for the depth of color and to soften the flavor of the green tea. In my opinion, green tea takes getting used to and since he doesn’t drink green tea, I thought easing into that flavor would be smart.
Ingredients:
6 green tea bags
1 black tea bag
1/4 cup honey
2 cups hot water (175°)
4 cups cold water
Method:
Heat water to 175° (if you don’t have temperature control, boil and let cool for about 3 minutes)
Brew tea for 3 minutes
Squeeze excess water from tea bags
Add honey and stir until dissolved
Add 4 cups cold water
Refrigerate until cold
I know it’s not groundbreaking, but it really surprised me that my husband likes it so much given that he either drinks something super sweet or water. So to see him like something that is in between the two extremes seemed like a recipe worth sharing.
Let me know if you give it a try.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
If you follow the beauty industry closely, then you know that new releases are happening all the time. So let’s discuss what new products are on my radar this week
e.l.f. x Jkissa Fur-Ever Eyeshadow Brush Set, $25.00: When it comes to affordable brushes e.l.f. has some of the best. This caught my eye because I don’t have a lot of experience with the e.l.f eyeshadow brushes and this set has me curious. I do like the face brushes I have from the brand, but I’ve only used one of their eye brushes and that was years ago. So far the reviews I’ve seen have been positive.
Fenty Beauty Slip Shine Sheer Shiny Lipstick, $22.00: I’m a fan of tinted lip balms especially on days when I only want to do my brows and wear a little something on the lips. The brand is promising sheer color, shine, and moisture. I can’t fully tell, but it looks like every shade has some shimmer in it, even if it is not overt. I don’t typically like that in a lip product because it often feels gritty and sticks around on the lips even after the color has worn off. There are a few products that have shimmer particles that aren’t an issue, but I find that harder to come by. In concept, I would think that these will be similar to the Maybelline Shine Compulsion Lipsticks ($5.98 – $7.99) and the L’oreal Colour Riche Shine Lipsticks ($7.18 – $10.99), both of which I think are great products. If you don’t know, Ulta Beauty has the highest prices for drugstore cosmetics. So that is why I gave such a wide price range for the two drugstore lipsticks. Walmart and Target have the best prices on drugstore makeup.
The packaging of this palette is really nicely done. The Palette feels sturdy and it has a good quality mirror. The double-ended brush that comes with the palette is the same great quality that you’ve come to expect from Sigma Brushes. The palette overall is a little thick, but that is what allows the brush to have a space to sit inside the palette, so it doesn’t bother me.
Sigma Cor-de-Rosa Palette
Update October 21, 2025: I was shocked to recently notice that Sigma’s 14-pan eyeshadow palettes are now clocking in at $65. Back in 2020, the price was $49. When the Sigma Cool Neutrals Palettewas released in April 2024, it was $52. Now, they are suddenly at $65. Everything is getting more expensive, but this price jump is worse than most I’ve seen. This is one of the 14-pan palettes that comes with a double-sided brush (E58 Diffused Crease and E54 medium Sweeper), which does add to its cost; however, that was already included in these palettes when they were cheaper. There are a lot of reasons to continue buying Sigma eyeshadows. They are cruelty-free, talc-free, and I’m pretty sure their cosmetics were clean beauty before people were calling it clean beauty. I also often enjoy their color selections for eyeshadows; they appeal to me, and more often than not work well for my olive undertone better than other brands. However, the formula has never been good enough for me to recommend it unless it was on sale for 40% off. And this was back when they were $49, meaning I only recommended others purchase them for about $29.40 before tax. Now that they are $65, they would have to be over 50% off to get close to that price. Let’s say this price increase annoys you as much as it does me, but you still want to purchase Sigma eyeshadows. They do still have good sales. I don’t see them doing 40% sales as much as they used to. Now, 30% off is the more standard discount. I have seen higher percentages when they are clearing out old inventory of limited edition collections or discontinued items. They also go on sale at Macy’s, Nordstrom, and JCPenney, so if you are still interested in the brand, I’d keep an eye on those stores.
UPDATE October 21, 2021: In my experience, the Sigma formula is really great for those who like applying shimmer shades with their fingers and prefer a buildable matte eyeshadow. If you are someone who likes super-saturated colors or only likes to apply eyeshadow with brushes, I think these may miss the mark. For a more detailed breakdown, click here and check out my updated Sigma Eyeshadow Palette Review.
My early impressions of this palette are good for the most part. The shimmers I have tried seem to be smoothing on the lid, but I haven’t had the opportunity to try Belle of the Ball or Sunsprite yet, which have more sparkles running through them.
L to R: Belle of the ball, Veranda, Sunsprite, Damask
The mattes are powdery and have some excess powder that is kicked up when you dip a brush in the pan. The lighter-toned mattes I’ve used so far (Hybrid and Apricot) did take some building up, which surprised me. When I was using this palette, I primed my eyes with the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in the original version. I do find that the Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer can intensify the color of shadows more than the NARS primer, so I’m going to try this palette with that next.
L to R: Shakespeare, Apricot, High Society
Since the mattes are a looser formula, a lot of product picks up on the brush fairly quickly. I didn’t have any issues with blending or fallout, but I just expected more punch from apricot and hybrid when I used them.
The Summer 2020 Bronzer Collection from Mac Cosmetics has finally made its way to retailers other than Ulta Beauty. I talk a little about the collection in one of my Window Shopping Wednesday Posts and once the collection got to the Mac website I decided to purchase some items.
MAC Bronzer Collection, Summer 2020
This is a limited edition release, so if you are interested in any items I’d look into them where ever Mac products are sold. If you only want one item, I would suggest trying the Mac Cosmetics website and Nordstrom first, since they both offer free shipping on any order. As of February 3, 2022, the only place I’ve seen the bronzer in stock is at QVC and that is in the shade Beige-ing Beauty. The Sand Tropez shadow is still available on the MAC website in the Goodbye’s section.
I’ve been wearing this foundation since 2014, and I have always found it challenging to find information specific to dry/sensitive skin and see swatches of the shades. So, I wanted to update my thoughts on the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation on this blog.
Wearing Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation in 4W4 Hazel
Depending on the time of year, I go back and forth between shades 5W1 Bronze and 5W2 Rich Caramel. Sometime in 2019, Estee Lauder began releasing new shades, and they created 5W1.5 Cinnamon. Since it seemed to fall in between my shades, I was hoping I could use that shade and get away with it all year. I was disappointed to find out that 5W1.5 cinnamon actually reads darker on me than shade 5W2 Rich Caramel, but it also looks less orange. I am pretty sure that means the undertone of 5W1.5 is better for me, but I have to use 5W1 in the center of my face or I look darker than my body. I think I can get away with it alone, but I feel like I look more like myself, only using 5W1.5 on the perimeter of my face. The brand has since added even more shades, bringing the total number of shades to 56. So, it will still be challenging, but it is a great shade range that likely has something for most people.
WHAT IS THE FINISH, COVERAGE, AND WEAR TIME?
This foundation has a matte finish and is very long-wearing on me. It does have a reputation for being long-wearing across skin types, but there are always exceptions, so keep that I have dry skin. I do not believe it suits my dry skin without some manipulation. Despite the matte finish, the minimal, if any, transfer is unmatched in my experience. The only other foundation I’ve used that I felt was transfer-proof was the now discontinued Covergirl Queen 3 in 1 foundation. I personally prefer to prep my skin as needed to benefit from the transfer-proof nature of the foundation. This starts off looking a little dry, but after about an hour, it starts to look better (still matte, but not dry), and it keeps looking that way until I remove it.
Estee Lauder Double Wear is a medium coverage foundation that can be built up to full coverage. If you apply 1 light layer, you will get medium coverage. Even if you want full coverage, I would still suggest applying this in light layers and only building coverage where you need it. Since the formula is matte, it dries quicker than a luminous or satin foundation, so you want to work quickly or in sections. You can mix this formula with moisturizer or a primer to make it a sheer to light coverage, but this can darken the color of the foundation. If you want to wear it sheered out in this way but have a public-facing job or an event, I would recommend testing it out on a day you aren’t leaving the house just in case it darkens too much for your preference.
Coloured Raine partnered up with the Power, a Starz television show, to release this beautiful collection. It originally launched in September 2019, but they still have inventory that is currently 50% off. I really think they did an excellent job with the packaging and color story. This collection didn’t seem to get as much love as their Queen of Hearts Palette or single eyeshadows seem to get.
Coloured Raine x Power Highlighter/Blush Duo in Call the Shots and Eyeshadow Palette
Nikki From HR 