Author: Nikki

The NARS Light Reflecting Eye Brightener is one of the brand’s newer products. I figured I’d finally post my thoughts on it since they have a sale going on right now. You can get 20% off by using the promo code SUMMER on their website. The sale ends at 3AM EST on September 14, 2024. [Update September 13, 2024: If you are also curious about the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation, click here to read my review of the shades Syracuse and Tahoe in that formula.]

This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **).  I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site.  Learn more here.

**The NARS Eye Brightener retails for $34 and is only available in 6 shades. It would be amazing if they expanded the shade range in the future. I bought the shade Magic Hour, which is the fourth darkest shade and is described as medium-deep. It was hard to decide on a shade because the next shade down (impossible dream -medium) was a better depth for me but showed up way too pink against my olive undertone. Magic Hour is a little too dark and orange for my skin tone (NARS Tahoe, Estee Lauder 4W4), but I thought that made more sense than something looking so pink. It would work more effectively for me if the shade was a little lighter. When used as a corrector before concealer, it is too dark and deepens the color of my concealers. I also can’t use it as an all-over brightener for the same reason. I was, however, able to test it with concealers that are lighter than my skin tone to get to know the formula.

Continue reading “NARS Light Reflecting Eye Brightener (Magic Hour Swatch)” →

This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **).  I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site.  Learn more here.

The brand-new **Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation from Patrick Ta has many people up in arms. There are many complaints about how glowy it is and that it doesn’t look good on textured skin. I have to say, based on the name alone, I feel it should have been obvious that you are in for a lot of glow. On the other hand, I get that several people review new releases even if they aren’t suited to their preferences. So, I think this foundation is getting somewhat of a bad reputation, but it delivers on what the brand claims. Before we get into some pictures of what it looks like on my dry, eczema-prone, 41-year-old skin, I want to also point out that this is ideal for dry, combo, and normal skin types (according to the brand and Sephora websites). So, if you have oily skin, this might be something you want to pass on by.

Another big complaint has been the price, which is $58 for the standard 1oz size for foundations. I can’t tell you if it’s “worth” $58; that is a personal decision, but I can tell you that the packaging is very luxe. It is a heavy glass bottle with a pump and a metal plate displaying the logo and name. It feels more expensive than his **$52 Creme Foundation and Finishing Powder Duo, and more importantly, I think it is a good formula (especially for my dry skin type). Would it possibly have made more sense to people if this had been priced closer to his previous foundation? Yes, I think so.

Continue reading “Patrick Ta Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation – 18 Golden Neutral” →

This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **).  I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site.  Learn more here.

Lancome claims the **Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Concealer ($31) is a crease-resistant, natural matte finish, full coverage concealer with up to 24 hours of hydration. The website also lists some additional benefits, such as sweat resistance, ultra-blendable, comfortable wear, suitability for sensitive skin, and the fact that it doesn’t cling to dry spots. As with many brand claims, they are promising a lot, and I’m shocked to tell you that several of these claims are true for me. I disagree that it provides full coverage, and for my personal facial features, it is only crease-resistant when used for spot concealing. As I mentioned in my concealer ranking, I have chubby cheeks, and when I smile, a lot of crinkling happens around my eyes. That causes me to work a little harder to keep concealers from creasing in the eye area. So, anyway, I need to pair this formula with powder to prevent creasing under my eyes, which is typical for me. However, it wears well without powder when applied to the face to cover dark spots. When I wore it without powder on the under-eye area, it was easy to re-blend with a brush or my fingers, and it looked good. This, however, causes a loss in coverage throughout the day.

Getting back to the coverage. If you have intense darkness, medium is the best you will get from this concealer. It does have a slight blurring effect due to the matte finish, which can make it appear to have higher coverage. However, if you tend to use color correctors, I don’t think you’ll experience this as full coverage, either. I do think it will be buildable to full coverage for some people, but since they are claiming full coverage, I have to disagree. This formula builds on itself well for me, but I’d still call it a medium coverage concealer.

Continue reading “Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Concealer 435 Bisque W (swatch comparisons and review)” →

This year’s Fall 21 Days of Beauty starts today (August 30, 2024) and runs through September 19, 2024. If you are a regular Ulta shopper, you likely already know about this. For those of you not familiar with this sale, during Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty, you can get select high-end beauty products for 50% off. It can be a great time to restock your staple products or maybe try something new. Each day, different deals happen for that day only (ending at 11:59 pm CT). Certain deals are online only so be sure to pay attention if you prefer to shop in-store. If you can purchase in-store, that is really the best way to do it, in my opinion. Then, you can just buy the one item you want on the day it is available, and you can avoid the temptation to add things to your online cart that weren’t on your radar before. The free shipping threshold for Ulta online is $35, but in the past, diamond and platinum Ultamate Rewards members qualified for free shipping on any of the beauty steals.

I’m only talking about the deals on products I have experience with, but there are many more offers than I have here. So check the Ulta website to see everything.

• Wednesday, September 4 – Bobbi Brown Powder Blush $18 (regular price $36): I’ve reviewed and swatched the shades Sand Pink and Gallery. Long story short, this is a nice talc-free blush formula with a good shade selection.

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• Friday, September 6 – bareMinerals BAREPRO Powder Foundation $21 (regular price $42): I’ve reviewed and swatched the shade Medium 35 Warm, but the shade Medium Deep 40 Warm is a better shade match for my NARS Tahoe skin tone. Medium 35 Warm is ok for a winter shade, but Medium Deep 40 Warm works for more of the year. Although it feels comfortable to wear, this formula looks too dry and textured on me. Despite this, I would recommend it for normal and oily skin types, but I will warn you, it is messy. There is a lot of powder kick-up, regardless of the kind of brush I use. There is less mess if you use the included sponge, but in my opinion, a brush gives a better finish. There are also a lot of reviews saying the powder is fragile and shatters easily, but I have not personally had that issue. I have traveled with this powder, but it was a road trip both times, so I’m not sure how it would go if you were flying and your luggage was thrown around.

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• Saturday, September 7 – Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation $26.00 (regular price $52): I already have a full review and swatches of the shades 5W1 Bronze, 5W1.5 Cinnamon, and 5W2 Rich Caramel if you want the full rundown of this foundation from skin prep to removal. That review also has a picture of me wearing shade 4W4 Hazel, which became my preferred shade after the brand expanded its shade range some years back. This formula is still a beautiful matte medium (buildable to full) coverage foundation. My dry skin needs extra prep to wear it, but the longevity and transfer resistance is still unmatched.

Continue reading “Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Sale (Fall 2024)” →

Welcome back! 🙂 I know it’s been a while, and I expect it to take some time to get back into the swing of things, but regardless, I’m back at it. So, let’s just jump back in with some new talc-free formulas from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.

I believe this new formula from Bobbi Brown was released at the beginning of 2024. I purchased mine in April 2024 and think they had already been out for a few months by then. The old formulation contained both talc and lanolin, and both have been removed, so this will be a welcome change for some people. On the other hand, the new talc-free formula now contains coconut oil, which will be an issue for those needing to avoid coconut products.

Continue reading “Bobbi Brown Talc-Free Powder Blush and Bronzer Powder (Sand Pink, Gallery, Golden Natural Swatches)” →

Some Background Information To Keep In Mind

I am in my early 40s, and my skin type is dry, sensitive, and eczema-prone. I look for medium to full coverage because I do have darkness both under and in the inner corner of my eyes, as well as the occasional acne scar that I want to cover. Like many people, I also have discoloration around my mouth and chin. If I wear a foundation that doesn’t cover that discoloration well, I rely on concealer to pick up that slack.

Creasing will happen, especially as we age and expression lines and wrinkles deepen. As I’ve mentioned in most of my concealer reviews, everything will settle into lines to some degree. For me, when the pigment starts collecting in the lines so much that I can see it from a distance, I’m not happy.  You may be surprised to see that most concealers crease a lot on me, and despite having dry skin, I need to powder the majority of concealers that I use. This may be due to the shape of my eye area or the fact that I use both a moisturizing serum and a heavy oil-based moisturizer. I have chubby cheeks, and when I smile, a lot of crinkle happens around my eyes. So, if your under-eye area is flatter than mine, you may not have the same issues with creasing that I do. 

I have a warm olive, medium-deep skin tone (sometimes medium or tan, depending on the shade range). For shade reference, my best matches are NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Tahoe and Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4 Hazel.

This ranking is obviously totally subjective and unique to my own preferences. It will likely change over time. In this ranking, I prioritized performance on my skin type and issues rather than what I use the most. I have embedded Google Sheets with the rankings, including prices, shade range, notes, etc (one for full coverage and one for medium coverage).  I am new to this, so please let me know if you can not see the sheets.

One last note on the terminology I used for finishes other than matte formulas. I personally think that the terms natural and satin are used interchangeably, so that is how I have them listed. To me, a natural/satin finish looks slightly drier than my moisturized skin and lacks the more smooth/blurred look of a matte finish. A radiant finish looks like freshly moisturized skin, and a luminous/dewy finish looks wet and sometimes oily.

Update June 26, 2025: I recently posted a more concise list for individuals with dry skin who are seeking hydrating and non-drying concealers. You can read that post by clicking here.

Update June 28, 2025: While I can’t include it in a ranking since I have not tried it, I posted swatches of the MAC Studio Radiance 24HR Luminous Lift Concealer in the shades NC42 and NC45. You can see that post by clicking here.

😅 Ok, now on to spreadsheets. Click the continue reading link to see the ranking.

Continue reading “Concealer Ranking (Dry, 40+ Skin)” →

If you are new here, I like to do this occasionally. My reviews of these products remain accurate based on my experience; I have no complete turnaround thoughts on these items. However, I did feel like there were a few details that I wanted to share. I also update the original reviews, but since most people don’t typically go back to a review, I like to post a separate update to let you guys know if I noticed something different in the case of the Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzer or when I’ve figured out how to work with a product differently (Estee Lauder Futurist Skincealer, Lancome Care and Glow Serum Concealer, Tom Ford Glow Highlighter). You can click on the previous links for each item to see my original reviews.

This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **).  I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site.  Learn more here.

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**Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzer – 110, $59 (original review, click here)

As I mentioned in my review, this bronzer has mica particles running through the formula. I still don’t see them on my face when it is applied in most lighting. However, now that I’ve been able to wear it on sunny days outside, I can see the mica particles in sunlight, but I have to look for them very closely. If you don’t like a glowy bronzer, you aren’t likely interested in this one anyway. But if you like a glowy bronzer but don’t want to look sparkly, I personally enjoy the Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzer and haven’t had an issue with it. I will point out, though, that I don’t have to build this up very much for my skin tone (NARS Natural Radiant Tahoe). It is possible that if you like a stronger bronzer look than me or are darker than me (so you may have to apply more product) you would see more sparkle. For reference, the L’oreal Lumi Bronzer (03 deep) is a shimmery bronzer that I can clearly see the sparkles on my skin.

UPDATE November 26, 2024: I will warn you that the shimmer in this formula can also be more noticeable (even in the house) if you apply it with a brush that is too dense. Just something to keep in mind.

**Armani Website

	$ Sale Price $ 59.00 Regular Price
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder – Bronzer | Shade: 110 – Sun Embrace

**Bloomingdale’s

	$ Sale Price $ 59.00 Regular Price
Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder

**Nordstrom

	$ 59.00 Sale Price $ 59.00 Regular Price
ARMANI beauty Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder in 110 at Nordstrom

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Continue reading “Review Updates (Armani Bronzer, Estee Lauder Skincealer, Lancome Serum Concealer, and Tom Ford Highlighter)” →