When I saw Pat McGrath’s Holiday 2024 collection (Luminous Legends) revealed, I immediately knew I wanted this palette. No matter what this brand releases, I always feel like there is something for me. And I don’t just mean from a personal preference standpoint. As a woman of color, there are so many releases in the luxury beauty category that just won’t work for me. I have never had that issue with Pat McGrath, and I really appreciate that. Now, we can talk all day about the brand cutting some corners on packaging and some of the customer service and shipping issues I’ve heard about. But when it comes to the products themselves, I am continually pleased with shade selection and formulation. I also know there are a lot of complaints about repetitive colors being released, and I get it. If you already own something similar, it is disappointing when there isn’t something you want to buy. I don’t think it means the brand is doing anything wrong or out of the ordinary. However, I don’t buy every Pat McGrath release because all of the items don’t suit my preferences. So, that likely helps me stay excited about the brand’s products. So, with that said, let’s get into some swatches of the Dawn Divinity 5-pan Eye Shadow Palette from Luminous Legends.
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer 2025, Revlon Colorstay Full Cover Concealer, NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, Makeup By Mario SurrealSkin Awakening Concealer, and Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Concealer
For me, the answer is no. Makeup can’t be absolutely creaseless. I often think about this because people frequently ask for recommendations on creaseless concealers. I share swatches and my thoughts on the most crease-resistant formulas I’ve experienced further down, if you’d like to skip to that section. I’m sure you’ve seen those questions on various platforms. You can minimize creasing, and some products are less prone to creasing, but that varies from person to person. We move our faces constantly throughout the day, so things can and will shift. However, when we find a foundation and concealer that work well for us, it shouldn’t be very noticeable from a regular viewing distance. Another indication that a foundation and concealer work well for your needs is when the settling or creasing you see can be blended again later in the day without losing significant coverage or looking dry. These are, of course, only my personal opinions as someone who only tests makeup on myself. So, when I saw the Makeup By Mario Masterclass from this year’s (2024) Sephoria and someone in the audience asked about creasing, it felt like a good opportunity to share this information from a professional makeup artist’s perspective.
If you don’t know, Mario Dedivanovic owns the Makeup By Mario brand. He is best known for being the makeup artist for Kim Kardashian but has also worked with Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Katy Perry, Priyanka Chopra, Demi Lovato, Gabrielle Union, and the list goes on. Over his almost 25 years in the makeup industry, he has not only worked on various skin tones but also on various ages. Mario Dedivanovic got into the makeup industry in 2000 when he started working at Sephora, and by 2001, he was assisting makeup artists who worked on “Sex and the City.” Source: Rachel Syme. (2020, August 31). The Makeup Artist At Ground Zero Of Internet Beauty Culture. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/07/back-to-school-with-mario-dedivanovic
I’m giving you his background because while I agree with his thoughts on creasing, and mention it often (especially in my concealer reviews), he has much more knowledge of makeup and how it works across different skin types and ages. The quote below is transcribed from the video that I posted above by the automated program that YouTube uses. I went through and added punctuation as it made sense to me, but I’m by no means trained to do this kind of thing. It might look strange, but I did my best 😆. I didn’t want to alter what he said too much, so hopefully, my added punctuation didn’t do that. The video linked should start at 36:50, where he begins his answer to the person in the audience. (see update below to understand why I’ve crossed this out) I encourage you to watch at least that part if you’d like to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
“…yea, not to put as much makeup into the under eye creases. But here’s the thing guys when a face has creases, when a face has wrinkles, we can’t you know, we can’t remove that. We have to understand that that is there, that’s part of the the person, that’s part of yourself. And so you can only enhance things a little bit you can conceal things a little bit, but you can’t remove it. Um the lines and wrinkles and so you want to find ways to work around it, but the general rule is any deep lines or wrinkles, you don’t want to put makeup into those areas heavily because they are going to start creasing. And that’s okay things can crease, you just take a finger or a sponge and you just pat it out a little bit, you know, throughout the day if it’s, if it’s a problem. I think a lot we see a lot on social media. We see so much perfection you know, but there’s lights and there’s tricks and cameras and things like that. And so you have to always remember to stay grounded in the real physical world, and that you know we’re not living our lives 100% on social media. And so we want to look good in the real world. Um so if you can, it helps a little bit to release that sort of um pressure to feel like you need to have everything so perfect…”
Update August 17, 2025: Sephora cut the Sephoria Masterclass video down to make it shorter, and some of Mario Dedivanovic’s conversation about foundation and concealer creasing got cut out. Linked below is the new, shorter video. In the new, shorter version of the video, he reiterates his comments about creasing at the 12:28 mark.
The NARS ’24 Karat Collection for Holiday 2024 has been released on their website, and while it is a beautiful collection, I won’t be buying anything. Since I’ve already tried the Afterglow Sensual Shine Lipstcks, I figured I could share some swatches and quick thoughts. I also stopped into my local Sephora @ Kohl’s and swatched more lipsticks featured in Holiday 2024 sets.
NARS Sensual Shine Lipstick Dolce Vita, $32
The Sensual Shine Lipstick is featured in the Afterglow Lipstick and Mini Liquid Blush Duo ($35, SOLD OUT) this holiday season. The full-size lipstick in the shade Aragon is included in the set, so you’d only pay another $3 for the mini blush. It is a great price if you are interested in these products. Dolce Vita is the shade I have to show you in the full size, and I have 4 more shades that I could swatch from a sample card. However, I have a swatch of Aragon at the end of this post with the lip products that I swatched while at Sephora.
As usual, Westman Atelier has me scratching my head about whether I’m happy about this purchase. You may understand what I mean if you saw my review of their Vital Pressed Skincare Powder. This brand hasn’t missed with packaging for my taste, and this is no exception. The concealer is housed in a heavy, coated glass bottle with a doe foot applicator. The length of the doe foot is short, but I haven’t personally struggled to use it. So why am I confused with this one? My problem is not that it is a bad concealer. I was just having trouble justifying the price in my head after spending some time getting to know the formula. The truth is that I have cheaper concealers that can match the performance of this for my 41-year-old, dry eczema-prone skin type. Let’s get into the details.
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Update October 2, 2024: Sephora has updated the size information to reflect the correct amount of product. I want to start by pointing out a discrepancy in the Sephora product information. The Sephora website lists this concealer as having 10mL of product, but my box and the bottom of the concealer state that it has 6mL. I have included a photo of my box so you can see the size for yourself. Hopefully, you could tell in the images at the beginning of this post how small it is, but if not, check the size comparison below. The Lancome concealer I used is only for reference in size and shade. The formulas are not dupes.
The name of this blush might be a little misleading, but I’m not sure I could have done a better job naming them. Of course, they could have just called them powder blushes, but where’s the fun in that? 😆 There is one shade in the range with noticeable shimmer, so the glow/luminosity is apparent. If you look at the other shades, there is a minimal sheen that you can see in the pan due to some mica in the formula. The finish is natural, and it smooths the skin. I would say they have a little radiance to them. I just don’t think of glow when I wear them. They are close to looking matte without being dry or textured, but at least when looking in the mirror, I don’t think “glow.” You can see the radiance in my swatches, but it doesn’t translate that way when blended out on the cheeks.
I’m not wearing highlighter in either of the looks shown below. The glow is coming from my base products and the way the light is hitting my face. In the first photo, I am wearing 30 Offbeat, and my foundation that day was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation in the shade 365C. In the second photo, I am wearing 40 Mania, and my foundation is the NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation in the shade Tahoe.
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L to R: L’oreal Worth It (601) and L’oreal Worth It Medium (635) Colour Riche Lipsticks
If you have to avoid products with lanolin or fragrant lipsticks, these will be a pass for you. But for many, the L’oreal Colour Riche Lipstick ($6.99 @ target.com) is still a cult classic from the drugstore. From what I can find, the Colour Riche line was released in 1985. In 2015, L’oreal released a collection of shades to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Colour Riche Lipsticks. If you are curious, I found a blogger (Simon Simons of Smoonstyle.com) who featured some of the shades in that collection.
I can’t tell if the colors I’m featuring today (Worth It and Worth It Medium) are new releases or repromotes. I assumed they were new since I think Emily Noel on YouTube got them in a recent PR package. However, sometimes, brands send out older releases just to increase awareness. She tried Worth It Medium (635) first in this Brand New Makeup video, and she tried Worth It (601) in this Lip Color Try-On video. Emily Noel is also the inspiration for these “What’s Old at X” types of posts that I do. I’ll list other posts like this if you are interested.
Back to the lipsticks. I have always loved the shades and formula of Divine Wine (762) and Nature’s Blush (840) from this line. However, my gripe has always been with the added fragrance. Oddly enough, I’m not having an issue with the scent of Worth It or Worth It Medium. I also currently own Nature’s Blush (840), but I can’t remember how I handle that one because it’s been a while since I’ve actually worn it. The scent doesn’t strike me as having been changed, though, so I guess my tolerance for it has just shifted. I do think the scent is strong, though, so again, if you prefer fragrance-free lipsticks, these won’t fit the bill. I did add Nature’s Blush to the swatches below as a point of reference. Hopefully, if you are familiar with that shade, it may help. I also have swatches of Worth It and Worth It Medium with Pat McGrath Negligee, Charlotte Tilbury Nude Romance, and Estee Lauder Covetable. Again, just as points of reference, none of the formulas are dupes.
The Wanderlust list is about pausing before buying something new to see if you have a product that already fits that “need.” If you like this style of content, you can check out my other versions of the Wanderlust List below:
When I saw that this highlighter was being released, I got very excited because I liked the shade range, and it was fragrance-free. It is very uncommon for luxury makeup to be fragrance-free. I have sensitive skin and a sensitive nose, and it doesn’t take much to aggravate my allergies, so I avoid fragrance as much as possible. But as you know from the title and intro, this post is about not buying the new item I coveted. Today’s version of the Wanderlust List is a little different than older ones because I had every intention of purchasing the Gucci Glow Powder Gel Highlighter in the shade 03 Warm Gold, but I changed my mind once I saw it in the store. I love how Gucci’s packaging looks in photos, but when I physically pick it up in my hands, I’m always a little disappointed that it isn’t heavier. This highlighter is $59, so I want to be happy with every aspect of it.
Keep in mind that this is only my opinion. Tastes and preferences are very subjective and don’t always stay consistent from product to product. If you already like the Gucci Packaging, I don’t think you’ll have any issues with this highlighter’s packaging. It is not cheaply made; it looks pretty, and I didn’t notice any quality issues with any of the testers in the store. I just, personally, wish it was heavy like Westman Atelier packaging. If that extra weight doesn’t make a difference to you, then this could still be worth checking out.
While I was at Sephora this past weekend, I swatched 3 shades (03 Warm Gold, 04 Opal Pink, 05 Warm Bronze). I’ll show you those first and then wrap up with my thoughts on the formula.
The Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation is another NARS product that I wanted to share my thoughts on since there is still time left to shop their summer sale. On their website, you can get 20% off by using the promo code SUMMER. The sale ends at 3AM EST tomorrow (September 14, 2024). I know this is an older foundation to post a review for, but that’s kind of my thing lol. With how fast beauty releases move, it does seem old. However, it’ll only be 3 years old next year. It was released in January of 2022. 🙂
I briefly discussed this foundation in my Patrick Ta Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Skin Perfecting Foundation review. So you may already know that while the two foundations aren’t dupes, they are both glowy skincare-heavy foundations. I don’t think I remembered to mention it in the Patrick Ta review, but I do still prefer satin and matte finish foundations. So, while I can appreciate the formula of this foundation (and the Patrkc Ta), it isn’t my first choice for formula. Getting back to the current review, the NARS Light Reflecting foundation provides medium coverage, blurs minor blemishes and redness, and wears incredibly well for a glowy formula. I’m over 40 and have dry, eczema-prone skin, so keep that in mind as you read my thoughts.
Nikki From HR 