Month: July 2021

The L’oreal Infallible Eyeshadows were definitely a cult classic from the drugstore at one point in time. Occasionally, I’ll hear someone mention the shade amber rush, but for the most part, they don’t come up too often. I used to really love the shade bronzed taupe back when I was newer to eyeshadow. I started to wonder if I would still feel the same about it now that I’ve been exposed to so many other formulas. I originally purchased this eyeshadow on the recommendation of Emily Noel on YouTube, who is also the inspiration for these “What’s Old at X” type of posts.

L’Oreal Bronzed Taupe Eyeshadow, $6.46 @ Walmart

Continue reading “What’s Old at the Drugstore (L’Oreal Infallible 24HR Eye Shadow in Bronzed Taupe)” →

Let me first just say that you absolutely don’t NEED to buy any lipstick today. There will be another sale in the future when you either want or need a new lipstick.

But, for those who do want to participate, let’s talk recommendations.

UPDATE August 13, 2025: I have an updated lipstick recommendation post that you can check out by clicking here. This post was originally posted in 2021, so although I have updated it with links to more current recommendations, you may want to check out the 2025 version.

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Drugstore Pick: **Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick, $10.99

While this lipstick is technically part of Ulta’s National Lipstick Day promotion, it still costs less to buy this lipstick at Walmart ($6.87) or Target ($6.89) with no special sale required.

Continue reading “It’s National Lipstick Day! (lipstick recommendations from $11 to $45)” →

This is a newly released quad from NARS inspired by one of their cult classic blushes. Taj Mahal blush is described as a “burnished orange with golden shimmer.” NARS now has 8 color variations of these quads, so there are other options if this one doesn’t speak to you. The brand promises high impact color in one swipe, but that has not been my experience with the Taj Mahal Quad. Let’s talk about it.

Continue reading “NARS Quad Eyeshadow in Taj Mahal (Swatches)” →

After hearing great things about this lipstick line for so long I decided to try it for myself. This is a softer lipstick formula so I took some advice that I read in Lili’s review post and didn’t try these until they had some time to sit at room temperature. I was glad I took her advice because these are, in fact, very soft.

In my opinion, the brand has priced this lipstick well at $12.00. While it is more expensive than a mass-market/drugstore lipstick, the Propa Beauty Lipstick is priced from $2.00 to $3.00 below other Indie brands (independently owned, no parent company).

• Juvia’s Place, $14
• Mented, $14.99
• Hue Noir, $15
• Winky Lux, $15

Swatches L to R: Prime Time, Profits, Moxie, Victress, Her Magic

Continue reading “Propa Beauty Luminous Satin Lipstick Swatches” →

I don’t know about you, but I have no luck finding drugstore bronzers. It seems like they always either have an ingredient I can’t use due to sensitivities or they don’t have a shade that would work. I’ve heard a lot of praise for this L’oreal Lumi Bronzer and since I do like a satin finish over matte for bronzer, I decided to check it out. Most of the reviews I either read or watched mentioned that the product had shimmer running through it but that it wasn’t really noticeable once applied. The problem I ran into was finding a review of the shade 03 Deep on someone who actually had a deep skin tone. Seeing the bronzer in person, I was really worried about the amount of shimmer it has, so I wanted to know if anyone had tried the darkest shade. I could never find one, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try.

L’oreal Lumi Bronze It, $7.97 at Walmart (as of January 25, 2022)

To be fair, the product description from Ulta claims that the L’oreal Lumi Bronze It has a “barely there shimmer.” The Amazon description calls it a “shimmer bronzer,” but also states that it has a “sublte, barely there shimmer”. So the fact that there is shimmer isn’t something that is hidden or surprising. The downside for me is the fact that the shimmer is only subtle or barely there in low light conditions.

To its credit, this bronzer blends very easily. It is pretty loosely pressed and does kick up some powder. I found it necessary to tap excess product off my brush before applying. It does also show up nicely on my skin tone (Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4), but I have trouble understanding how this would work for someone who is actually “deep.” I consider myself to be in the medium deep/dark range of a good shade range.

Continue reading “L’oreal Lumi Bronzer 03 Deep (Swatch)” →

I ordered this palette during Sigma’s recent semi-annual sale. While that sale is over, they are currently having a 4th of July sale, and this palette is currently 25% off until July 6 at 8AM CDT. I figured I would go ahead and share some swatches in case anyone had their eye on this palette.

The cover of the palette is textured, but I haven’t noticed any shimmer particles coming off on my hands.

Sigma Ambiance Palette ($36.75 during current sale on Sigma’s website)

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 already own the Sigma Cor-de-Rosa palette and the Warm Neutrals palette, so I’m not expecting any surprises. You can click on the palette names to go and check out those posts for more information on the formula.

Continue reading “Sigma Ambiance Eyeshadow Palette (Swatches)” →