After hearing some rave reviews about these Covergirl Shadow Sticks, I decided to check them out. I love a good purple eyeshadow, so I bought the shade 960 unruly.
960 unruly
This formula is creamy enough to glide on the eyes without tugging. Unfortunately, it does dry pretty quickly. I’d suggest doing one eye at a time so you can blend before it dries down completely. It has good pigmentation and doesn’t take much product to get the true color. I was surprised by the finish. To me, it appears mostly matte with a hint of sheen once applied to the eyes. I expected it to be shinier with more of a shimmer finish. I’ve only used this product with my fingers, so I’m not sure how it might perform when used with a brush.
Since I have sensitive skin, I’m constantly having trouble finding an exfoliating routine that doesn’t cause irritation. After coming across this article, The Best Exfoliating Acids for Sensitive Skin, on POPSUGAR, I decided to take a closer look at lactic acid. The POPSUGAR article breaks down which acids work for different skin concerns. Even if you don’t have sensitive skin, you may find the information helpful for other problems like acne or inflammation.
I currently use products that contain salicylic acid and niacinamide, so I did some additional research to make sure trying lactic acid wouldn’t cause an issue. I learned from The Skincare Edit that you can use acids and niacinamide together if you alternate them. So now I’m curious to see if alternating my products will improve my results. If so, I won’t need to incorporate anything new.
In non-beauty news, an updated article from theInventory, details phones under $500 that don’t suck (according to Gizmodo). They are calling these budget phones, which of course, depends entirely on what you can afford. But it caught my eye because I don’t know if I can bring myself to pay the price for another iPhone once my current XR stops working. Time will tell.
Videos to Watch
I’m not really into the “clean” beauty scene, but when I am interested in brands that market themselves that way, it can be difficult to find good reviews from a dark skin perspective. I recently came across the YouTube channel Keeping up with BB and have been enjoying her videos. She posted her 2020 Clean Beauty Favorites and it’s worth a watch if you have been interested in brands like Saie, Ilia, Vapour, and Fitglow Beauty.
I clearly have a bronzer problem. In May, I talked about the new release of bronzers from NARS in one of my window shopping posts. I claimed I wasn’t going to buy the matte version. Well, that was true. At the time, I ended up getting the satiny version in the shade Punta Cana. But right before Christmas, I finally broke down and decided to try the matte version in the shade Samoa.
NARS Matte Bronzing Powder in Somoa
Despite typically preferring a satin finish, I like this matte formula better than their traditional finish. It is definitely a matte powder, but it gives a healthy look to the skin. The most comparable bronzer that I’ve tried is the Bobbi Brown bronzing powder (swatches here). They remind me a lot of each other, but the NARS formula is denser likely due to the oils in the ingredients.
Pictured above are Samoa (matte formula) and Punta Cana (regular formula) swatched. I thought it would be helpful to see the two side by side so you can see how the finish differs. Hopefully, this is helpful if you are trying to decide between the two. The colors look similar in a swatch but Punta Cana applies deeper and more neutral than Samoa on me. Punta Cana is much more like it looks in the pan than it looks in the swatch.
If you’re curious to see how Punta Cana compares to other brands, I posted a round-up of my bronzers over the summer.
What’s your favorite bronzer finish, matte or satin? Let me know in the comments below.
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.
Don’t let the title scare you away; regardless of skin tone, the information in this book can be helpful. The publishing of this book is a necessary addition to the few makeup guides still available in print. I found out about The Beauty Bible for Women of Colour by Funmi Fetto from Vikeejeah on Youtube. Vikeejeah and four other YouTube Creators collaborated to each cover three products mentioned in the book. You can findall the videos from the collaboration linked in the list below.
I do want to mention that some of the write-ups in the book are more helpful than others. Some anecdotal parts aren’t that helpful in terms of how a product works, but I haven’t noticed any items that I felt wouldn’t be workable for deep skin tones. Overall, I have enjoyed reading through this book and am excited to check out some products I haven’t tried before.
I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the products covered in the book that I have tried. The book does cover skincare and hair care, but I’ll only be focusing on the makeup portion.
Foundations
Two of the foundations in the book that I have used are the Estee Lauder Doublewear and Nars Natural Radiant Longwear foundations. I already have a review of the Estee Lauder doublewear foundation, so if you want more details from a dry skin perspective, you can check that review out.
As for the Nars Natural Radiant Longwear, it is still fairly new to me, so I’m still getting a feel for it. You can tell in the swatches below how matte the Estee Lauder is compared to the NARS’ Radiant finish. The one issue I have had with the NARS formula was that it accentuated texture really badly until I got my shade right. It looks much better on me now that I’ve switched to the shade Tahoe instead of Huahine and Syracuse. You can see me wearing the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear in the shade Tahoe in my profile picture (on the sidebar, at the bottom of the page on mobile, and on my about me page).
Update June 1, 2024: You can read my review of the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear foundation by clicking here.
L to R: Estee Lauder Double Wear 5W2 and NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Tahoe
As we continue in the new year, many of us may be trying to practice healthier habits. Like many people, I struggled with weight loss in the past. I didn’t want to continue calorie counting forever and I didn’t want to feel like I was depriving myself. Eventually, I was able to lose 66 lbs and keep it off. I feel like my focus on making lifestyle changes rather than dieting is what made the difference for me. This article from The Every Girl stood out to me as something that may help someone get into that “lifestyle change” frame of mind. Here are 15 Ways to Eat Healthier This Year (Without a Diet).
I often get frustrated when I hear people talk about passive income. I find that they often leave out the crucial point that there is a lot of hard work that has to be done first. But, if you understand passive income only works if you already have some money or have made money through hard work first, I think this article, 31 Smart Passive Income Ideas That Actually Work on GatheringDreams.com is a good place to start for good AND realistic information.
Videos to Watch
Former makeup artist for MAC and NARS, Melissa Alatorre, walks us through the newly reformulated Make Up For Ever primers and gives techniques for use.
Now that I live in a much colder climate, I’m on the hunt for a rich night time moisturizer that will pull double duty in helping me with some hyperpigmentation. If you too struggle with dark spots, Dr Alexis Stephens shares the BEST Moisturizers for Hyperpigmentation on her YouTube channel. She details what makes these moisturizers effective and gives recommendations for light, medium, and heavy weight moisturizers.
Words to Think About
It’s ok to gain insight and perspective from people who don’t think exactly the way you do.
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.
I know what you are thinking. My favorite eyeshadow formulas are usually of the hard-pressed variety. Back in June, when I swatched the Sigma Cor-de-Rosa palette for you guys, I pointed out that the matte eyeshadows have a looser formula. While that is still true, I have enjoyed that palette enough to stop caring. So despite knowing the mattes would likely be the same, this Warm Neutrals Palette caught my eye on the Sigma website, and I decided I had to have it.
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 Palette was 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.
I have only had a chance to use this palette a few times, so I’ve only got initial thoughts and swatches for now. Enjoy!
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As expected, some of the mattes are loose, but to me, they are not as messy as the Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadows. I also switched back to my go-to primer, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and it works better with these shadows than the Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. I’ll tell you a little about the shades that I’ve used. If I skip a shade, it means I haven’t had a chance to try it.
I have wanted to do a review on these brushes for a long time, but I always felt like I didn’t have enough to say about them. Then I decided to review them anyway, however concise, so more people will know about these underrated brushes.
Long story short: I feel like they give me the results of my natural hair brushes, but their synthetic fibers make caring for them a breeze. They are high quality with a price to match, but they are not prone to breaking, shedding, or becoming misshapen.
Smashbox Brushes
UPDATE April 26, 2025: Unfortunately, Smashbox has discontinued most of these brushes except for the Blurring Foundation and Blurring Concealer brushes. I have listed some alternatives for the buildable Cheek Brush below. The affordable options already listed for the other brushes may still be available, but I haven’t had the time to verify availability or source additional options to list. Stay tuned for those updates. As of May 15, 2025, updated suggestions for all discontinued brushes can now be found below. I have also noted when an alternative is made of goat hair, sometimes referred to as natural hair. If there is no notation on the type, the brush has synthetic fibers. If you are interested in a Sigma Brush as an alternative, wait for a sale before buying it. The brand’s website offers sales with discounts of 30% or more, as well as smaller percentage sales throughout the year.
Unlike natural hair brushes, you can wash these brushes made of synthetic bristles as often as you want without causing damage. I have found that they clean easily (with slight staining on the white-tipped style) and bounce back to their original shape after washing. Smashbox runs sales often, so if you are interested in any of these, I’d suggest signing up for their loyalty program. I believe joining the loyalty program gives you a 15% off code, but if you are patient, the brand definitely runs better sales than that. Macy’s also sells these brushes, which are often included in 50% off promotions and their regular 15% off sales.
Again, although they are pricey for synthetic bristles, I have found them to be workhorse products. I’ve been using the blurring foundation, precise cheek, and buildable cheek brushes for about two and a half years without any issues. As I share the brushes, I will let you know if I have a favorite affordable alternative.
This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **). I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site. Learn more here.
Nikki From HR 