I’ve got a short one for you today. Charlotte Tilbury just released a new collection of lipsticks and lip liners and I bought the shade 90’s pink in both the K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick and the Lip Cheat Liner. I have done a full review of this K.I.S.S.I.N.G Formula that you can read by clicking here. I do find 90’s Pink is consistent with my experience with both the shades Glowing Jen and Nude Romance.
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Estee Lauder is promising just about everything with its new **Futurist Soft Touch brightening Skincealer ($38). They say it has a soft radiant finish, is long-wearing, has medium to full coverage, is non-creasing, will plump fine lines, and it will improve your skin’s hydration over time. That is a lot to deliver on (and I left some things out), and honestly, I think they should have promised less. I’m not even sure how many people pay attention to the claims, so maybe that isn’t much of an issue for some people. For me, I was looking for it to deliver on its claims of a radiant finish, ability to plump fine lines, having medium to full coverage, and lasting throughout my day with minimal creasing.
The All Nudes Eye Shadow Palette Collection from Bobbi Brown consists of three 5-pan color options. The options are Rosey Nudes, Smokey Nudes, and Bronzed Nudes which is the one that I have.
Shades L to R: Latte, Sunrise, Iced Caramel, Pecan, Black Coffee
These 5-pan palettes come in a sturdy, weighted compact with a great mirror. The palette has 3 matte shades (Latte, Pecan, Black Coffee) and 2 metallic shades (Sunrise and Iced Caramel). The metallics are easy to blend as one-and-done eyeshadows or in combination with each other. I’ve also had no issues combining them with other brands, so that is good if you are someone who likes to mix and match with what you already have. The texture of these Bobbi Brown metallic eye shadows is slightly creamy and a little dense. They are between a MAC frost finish and a Pat McGrath Metallic (not the special shades). It has the firmer press of the MAC frost finish (I.e. amber lights, cranberry). Still, it has a similar creaminess and density that you would find in the Pat McGrath metallic formula (I.e. enraptured and metallics from the Bronze Borealis quad). Please keep in mind that this is just a point of reference, the Bobbi Brown metallic formula does not have the same level of shine or dimension as a Pat McGrath shadow (in my opinion). I would also say that the Bobbi Brown formula has more shine than the MAC frost finish and takes less building to get the opacity I want.
Happy New Year! To kick off 2024, I thought it would be fun to give you any updated thoughts I have on the products from my top 10 most-viewed blog posts of 2023. Let’s get into it!
L to R: Revlon rum raisin, raisin rage, desert escape
Not only is this post my number 1 most viewed for 2023 but it is also my most popular post of all time. If you are in search of a fragrance-free traditional bullet lipstick that feels comfortable and moisturizing but still has decent pigment, you might want to check these out. The Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick line comes in several different finishes (cream, pearl, and a separate matte line), and comes in tons of colors. I also have swatches of Make Me Blush and Extra Spicy if you want to check those linked posts out.
MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation (C7) and Studio Fix Fluid (C8)
I do love the formula of the MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation and it has so many shades in the range but I just can’t find one that I love on me. C8 has a good undertone but is too dark, C6 is passable in the winter but too peach, C7 is too red on me, and NC45 is the most workable but there is still something off about it. As far as the formula is concerned, I am still amazed at how nice it looks on my dry skin. It is more matte than I prefer these days, but somehow it never looks too dry. It does feel tight the entire time I wear it, but that is the nature of the powder’s oil control.
The MAC Studio Fix Fluid is still a very nice matte option that works decently for my dry skin type. It has a skin-like look which is impressive to me for a matte foundation. It does get a little tight around the 3-hour mark, but I consider that pretty good for a person with dry skin wearing an oil-controlling formula. When thinking about my top foundations, Studio Fix Fluid is not as flattering as NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in terms of radiance and it is not as smoothing and blurring as Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Foundation. So the formula falls in between my two favorites and it can’t outdo either. My biggest issues with it are how much it transfers and like the MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, the shade selection. C8 in the liquid Studio Fix is also too dark but it is my favorite shade option from MAC. NC45 is too dark and orange and NC44 makes me look washed out no matter what bronzer or blush I apply to bring life back to my face. You can see me wearing both C8 and NC45 by clicking here.
I had trouble deciding how to wrap things up for 2023. It has been a crazy year for me and that definitely caused me to rely very heavily on old reliable products most of the year. I did test some new products but then I often found myself going back to old staples with a few exceptions. I truly believe that most products on the market these days tend to work well. A certain product may not work for a certain skin type, color, or style preference but that doesn’t make the product bad. However, thinking back on the new things that I tried this year, everything strikes me as either being just fine or not right for my dry skin. I’m not overly excited about anything in particular. Makeup in general is still exciting for me but I guess this year it served as more of a utility for me. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad about makeup being seen in this way, I am just typically more excited to experiment than I have been this year. So for my 2023 year in review, I’ll start with a couple new makeup products that I did end up incorporating more regularly (“best”), a few “worst” of 2023 products, and then highlight my old reliable products that were in heavy rotation.
2023 Best Makeup Products
PAT MCGRATH DIVINE ROSE III BLUSH
If you are unfamiliar with the Pat McGrath Divine Blush formula I have done a full review of Paradise Venus (here) and a comparison of Paradise Venus, Nude Venus, and Divine Rose (here). The Divine Rose III shade was released at the same time that the brand released its bronzers back in April. While I like this formula, it is the shade I enjoy the most about this product. I just feel like it is very flattering on my Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone. Divine Rose III is buildable and although matte, it never looks flat or dry even on my dry skin type. I have found this shade and Divine Rose to have a firmer press in the pan than Paradise Venus. When I use Paradise Venus, I have to be careful and there is powder kick-up in the pan that I don’t experience with Divine Rose and Divine Rose III.
As I mentioned in my previous Sonia G reviews (Builder Pro, Classic Crease, Soft Cheek), I don’t have much experience with Fude Brushes. If you don’t know, Fude refers to Japanese makeup brushes handmade by artisans. If you are interested in knowing more information on different types of Fude brushes, my go-to sources are my friend Lili’s blog (Fude Collection Series) and Alicia Archer on YouTube (her Fude Q + A may be a good place to start). I’ve also mentioned that a great starting point for anyone interested in this brand is the blog written by Sonia G herself (www.sweetmakeuptemptations.com/). I’m happy to share my experience with these brushes for those interested to know my thoughts. However, Sonia does an excellent job at describing the functionality of her brushes as well as showing how they compare to each other and other brands on the market. In my experience, her descriptions are accurate and she is fully transparent if a brush is a re-release. For instance, the Fundamental Classic Cheek brush was previously released as a part of the 2020 Mini Keyaki set. So if you are interested in Sonia G brushes I can’t recommend checking out her blog enough.
Ok, now we can get into my experience with these brushes.
I’m starting to wonder if lipsticks are tested by people who don’t eat, drink, or talk for hours. I know brand claims can be out there, but I honestly don’t know how anyone is getting 6-hours of shine and 8-hours of color out of the MAC Lusterglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick.
NARS Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder Bay and Urban Decay Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator 60 Medium Dark
I originally reviewed the Urban Decay Hydromaniac Tinted Moisturizer in July of 2022 and was less than impressed. The shade range had a lot of gaps and the shade I picked (60 Medium Dark) is very orange. I don’t like it any better now than I did then when used on its own, but by pairing it with the NARS Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder (Bay) I’ve found a way to use it. As I mentioned in my other Better Together post, I’m not suggesting that you should buy two products to make something work. I am only hoping to inspire some experimentation or at least a willingness to consider that products have a learning curve.
Nikki From HR 