I thought it’d be helpful to swatch some of MAC’s transition shades side by side since it can be hard to see the undertone differences on the website. These are shades I find suitable for my skin tone (MAC is C7/C8 and sometimes I can get away with NC45). The brand does offer both lighter and darker colors than what I have swatched here, so if nothing here suits your skin tone, all is not lost.
L to R: cork, saddle, brown script, soft brown, texture, uninterrupted
Top, L to R: cork, saddle, brown script, soft brown | Bottom, L to R: texture, uninterrupted
L to R, Bottom to top: brown script, swiss chocolate, bougie babe (LE)
L to R: brown script, swiss chocolate, bougie babe (LE)
I know that Bougie Babe was a limited edition shade, but anyone who does have it may want to know how it compares to some of the permanent shades. All of the shades swatched with the exception of bougie babe are still available in the permanent range. The refill pans like the ones pictured cost $8. If you want any shade in regular packaging, those cost $18. Unfortunately the shade brown script can only be purchased as a refill pan.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around and checking out more of my content.
Brands A-Z: Check out this index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
MAC Cosmetics: I likely have some swatches you’ve been searching for if you love Mac as much as I do.
Shop My Stash: Join me as I share swatches of my products and occasionally search for alternatives to new releases.
**Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
If you haven’t heard yet, Hautelook is on its way out. The sales that the Nordstrom owned company typically features will be incorporated into the Nordstrom Rack website. Nordstrom Drops Hautelook from Bloomberg.com
I’m not a minimalist nor do I have plans to become one, but I still find a lot of value in the videos from Ronald L. Banks.
After striking out with 2 different glowy primers to help with my dry skin issues, I’ve been on the hunt again. I found this video from Kelly Gooch that has some good recommendations to look into.
Words to think about
This is a quote I refer back to often. In honor of being blessed enough to celebrate my 38th birthday yesterday, it seemed fitting.
“For sure we live in a youth-obsessed culture that is constantly trying to tell us that if we’re not young and glowing and “hot,” we don’t matter. But I refuse to buy into such a distorted view of reality. And I would never lie about or deny my age. To do so is to contribute to a sickness pervading our society—the sickness of wanting to be what you’re not. I know for sure that only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fullness of life. I feel sorry for anyone who buys into the myth that you can be what you once were. The way to your best life isn’t denial. It’s owning every moment and staking a claim to the here and now. You’re not the same woman you were a decade ago; if you’re lucky, you’re not the same woman you were last year. The whole point of aging, as I see it, is change. If we let them, our experiences can keep teaching us about ourselves. I celebrate that. Honor it. Hold it in reverence. And I’m grateful for every age I’m blessed to become.” — Oprah Winfrey, What I Know for Sure
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around and checking out more of my content.
Brands A-Z: Check out this index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
MAC Cosmetics: I likely have some swatches you’ve been searching for if you love Mac as much as I do.
Shop My Stash: Join me as I share swatches of my products and occasionally search for alternatives to new releases.
As long as your lips are in good condition, the Rouge Allure Velvet Extreme lipsticks are what Chanel promises. But fair warning, anyone with dry or chapped lips will have to treat them before even looking in the direction of these lipsticks. The brand claims this “extreme matte lipstick features a non-drying texture that glides smoothly onto lips with intense, longwearing colour.” The glide onto the lips part, greatly depends on your lips. The lipstick does have slip, but it will catch and drag if you have dryness or chapping.
These originally stood out to me after trying a sample. I was impressed that such a powdery, matte formula didn’t dry out my lips. To me, this is a comfortable formula. It doesn’t look powdery on the lips, but that’s the feel compared to other matte finishes. For reference, the other mattes I’m familiar with are Maybelline creamy mattes, MAC mattes, and Urban Decay comfort mattes.
L to R: Chanel 114 epitome, 116 extreme, and 122 chestnut
As I mentioned, if you have dry lips, then I would treat them by applying a lip balm and letting it sink in for a few minutes before applying these. If your lips are chapped, either exfoliate or wait until they’re in better shape. These lipsticks don’t dry out my lips, but they do drag if I don’t use a lip balm or lip primer first. Lately, I’ve been using Chanel Rouge Coco Baume, but MAC prep and prime lip also works for me. MAC’s lip primer doesn’t interfere with the formulas longevity the way the lip balm does. The formula is long wearing either way, but less so with a balm.
L to R: Chanel 114 epitome, 116 extreme, and 122 chestnut
On the downside of things, the bullet shape is less precise than the typical lipstick shape, which I think could be an issue for small lips. For some, the $40 price tag may also be a downside. I’m torn about that because while it is a lot, the formula on all three shades that I own are consistent. That precision and quality control isn’t always present at lower prices. So as with all things, you’ll have to decide if that matters to you. Lastly, these are scented, so if you don’t like fragrance in your lip products you’ll want to pass on these.
I think if you are in the market for a very matte lipstic, these are worth a look.
Do you like matte lipsticks or do you prefer a different finish? Let me know in the comments section below.
**Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
Although this isn’t an exhaustive round-up of the entire brand, I wanted to talk about the current products that I own from Lancome before I let them go. This is a great brand that I can truly show appreciation for, but I’ve just come to realize that it’s not for me. I always have a good experience using their products and I’m always able to find items that suit my skin tone. But on the downside, I’m continually disappointed by the packaging when considering the price I paid. That is saying a lot considering I never pay full price for Lancome, and I still come away feeling like I overpaid. As a military spouse, I can get Lancome products for 15% off and I don’t have to pay tax. The products I’ve tried just feel lighter and cheaper than brands in a comparable price range like NARS and Bobbi Brown.
Cheek & Contour Brush #25, $40
Lancome cheek and contour brush, #25
This brush was such a disappointment despite getting it for $32 instead of the $40 retail price. It is a natural goat hair brush, which commands a higher price, but that is where the price justification ends. It is not as soft as it should be at this price and I’m not impressed with the construction of the brush. It is technically put together better than a drugstore brush, but it doesn’t feel like a $40 brush to me. I can’t tell you how the small/contour end works. Since I never intended to use that part of the brush, I never tested it.
Overall it doesn’t look as nice to me as other comparably priced brushes and the longer I’ve owned it the more it sheds. As an example, my Estee Lauder blush brush is natural hair, cost $42, and doesn’t shed at all. I’ve had the Estee Lauder brush since early-2019 whereas I just got the Lancome brush in March 2020. I guess I should give it some credit because it picks up just enough product and it does blend well. The problem is that I have used much cheaper brushes that I can say that about.
Dual Finish Highlighting Powder, $41
Lancome 05 Dazzling Bronze
Even though this formula is too intense for my taste, I think this is a really nice underrated formula. It comes in a nice range of shades and has a unique creamy texture. I do have dry skin which I think makes some highlight formulas appear more intense. In the height of summer when my t-zone produces some oil, I notice that highlights melt into the skin making them appear less intense. You can see swatches and my full review here.
Color Design High Pigment – True Color Eye Shadow, $22
Lancome Color Design Eyeshadows in Gold Lamé (left) and Canyon (right)
This is one of the nicest eyeshadow formulas I’ve used, but I still don’t manage to use them enough. That just happens sometimes, we can think something is objectively better and still prefer something else. For a point of reference, this formula reminds me most of the bareMinerals Gen Nude formula but is less dense. They are somewhat hard pressed, but at the same time I wouldn’t lump them in with old school MAC eyeshadows. I wish the lids were a flip top instead of sliding up to open, but that is just a personal quirk. You can see swatches and my full review here.
Teint Idole Ultra Stick Foundation, $43
L to R: 415 Bisque W and 435 Bisque W
Lancome has just released an updated formula for their stick foundation and in doing so has dropped from having 29 shades to just 22. The above shades, 415 Bisque W and 435 Bisque W, didn’t make it into the new lineup. Both of these shades are available in the liquid version of Teint Idole Ultra so I decided to go ahead and show swatches of them. The brand seems to do a decent job keeping their shades consistent across formulas, so maybe that is still helpful for someone.
Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Stick Foundation (discontinued) L to R: 415 Bisque W and 435 Bisque W (heavy swatch, wet)
Lancome Stick Foundation (discontinued) L to R: 415 Bisque W and 435 Bisque W (blended, dried down)
As far as my untrained non-cosmetic chemist eye can tell, they have removed the sunscreen ingredients and the tambourissa trichophylla leaf extract (also called rosabora) from the new formula. Based on the below ingredient listings, I have a hard time believing the new formula will perform much differently than the old formula. However, I recognize that I am not a cosmetic chemist and that, at times, any change no matter the size can make a difference.
INGREDIENTS CYCLOHEXASILOXANE ● PHENYL TRIMETHICONE ● ISOHEXADECANE ● POLYETHYLENE ● METHYL METHACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER ● ALUMINUM CALCIUM SODIUM SILICATE ● CYCLOPENTASILOXANE ● ARACHIDYL PROPIONATE ● ACRYLATES CROSSPOLYMER ● PERLITE ● ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE ● DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE ● LAUROYL LYSINE ●[+/- MAY CONTAIN CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / IRON OXIDES ● CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE ● MICA ●
Past Experiences
Despite my occasional disappointment in packaging that seems cheap, there are some exceptions. But even when I do like the packaging, it usually turns out those are the times I don’t like the product inside. For instance, I love the L’absolu Rouge lipstick ($32) packaging, but the scent of it bothers me. Fortunately, in my experience, the scent of the lipstick doesn’t linger after application. It just bothered me so much I didn’t even want to open the ones that I owned in the past. I also think the packaging of their liquid Teint Idole Ultra Foundation ($47) is quite nice, although the formula didn’t work out for me when I tried it. And taking it way back, I did like the packaging and included brush for the Audacity in Paris eyeshadow palette ($68).
So there you have it. As it turns out Lancome just isn’t a good fit for me personally. I do think they excel at formulating great makeup, and that for some people, it will surely tick all the boxes. For me, however, it just doesn’t live up to the price tag. I also think that someone who hasn’t tried as many products as I have over the years, would have a totally different take on the brand. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this brand, but for now, I’m done buying from it.
What are your thoughts on Lancome? Let me know in the comments below.
Oh and last thing. If you are a Lancome fan, or have your eye on something, they have a 25% off sale on the website that ends at 1:59 PM PT February 12, 2021.
**Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
