Covergirl Trublend Bronzer in 420 Warmth and 400 Ebony (Swatches)

Covergirl Trublend So Flushed High Pigment Bronzers 420 Warmth and 400 Ebony Swatches
CoverGirl Trublend Bronzers (L to R) 420 Warmth and 400 Ebony

I resisted buying these bronzers for a long time, but I finally broke down last month. I have a soft spot for CoverGirl, I think because it was a brand that got me started with makeup. I did mention these back in a Window Shopping Wednesday when they were newer to the market. A purchase like this is a big reason I don’t often do Window Shopping Wednesday posts because they end up becoming a shopping list of sorts. Anyway, I’m always paying attention to what CoverGirl releases. I was curious to see how these bronzers compared to the ones previously part of the CoverGirl Queen Collection. While I don’t have those older bronzers to do a direct comparison, I’m hoping it is still helpful to see what the new colors look like. The claims are big for the CoverGirl Trublend So Flushed High Pigment Bronzer (they seriously could have chosen a shorter name 🙄). The brand claims it’s comfortable, high pigment, easy to apply, cream-like, lightweight, and blendable, and I mostly agree. We’ll talk about the application and blendability near the end, which is my only slight disagreement. Alright, let’s get into some swatches.

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

Continue reading “Covergirl Trublend Bronzer in 420 Warmth and 400 Ebony (Swatches)”

Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in 689 Mitzah (Swatches)

I know that small eyeshadow palettes from luxury brands aren’t for everyone, but they are definitely a favorite of mine. I love smaller eyeshadow palettes and quads in general, but Dior eyeshadow palettes never fail me. I just find them easy to use and flattering to wear.

The empty tray on the right usually holds a double-sided sponge tip and a double-sided brush. Sorry, I’ve already gotten rid of them and don’t have them to show you. I haven’t used them since I tried my first Dior palette back in 2016 or 2017 so I wouldn’t be able to tell you much about how they work anyway.

Update February 28, 2025: This is the old formula of the Dior 5 Couleurs; they were reformulated in 2023. You can spot the new formula by checking for corn starch in the ingredient list. If it has corn starch, it is the new formula.

Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette 689 Mitzah Swatches on Medium Dark Skin
Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette 689 Mitzah
Continue reading “Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in 689 Mitzah (Swatches)”

Skin Tints/Tinted Moisturizers for Dry Skin (Smashbox Halo Healthy Glow Tinted Moisturizer, Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer, and Mac Studio Radiance Face and Body)

MAC Studio Radiance Face and Body C5, Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer 5W2, and Smashbox Halo Tinted Moisturizer Medium Tan Swatches (Skin Tints)

Now that summer is underway, many of you might be looking to lighten up your makeup so it feels like a good time to talk tinted moisturizers. Whether you are looking for something with less coverage than normal or something that just feels lighter on the skin, there is a product here that would work for you. I’ll be talking you through my experiences with Mac Studio Radiance Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation (C5), Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer Long-Wear Makeup SPF 19 (5W2 Rich Caramel), and Smashbox Halo Healthy Glow All-in-One Tinted Moisturizer SPF 25 (medium tan). For context, I have dry, eczema-prone skin, so hydration is a huge plus for me, as well as how complexion products sit on top of texture/dry patches. For shade reference, two of my best matches are Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4 Hazel and MAC Studio Fix Fluid C8 and you can see me wearing them by clicking here.

Update June 11, 2025: I posted an updated round-up of Skin Tints featuring Mac Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation, Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer Long-Wear Makeup SPF 19, Smashbox Halo Healthy Glow All-In-One Tinted Moisturizer SPF 25, Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen, and Urban Decay Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator. You can read that by clicking here.

Continue reading “Skin Tints/Tinted Moisturizers for Dry Skin (Smashbox Halo Healthy Glow Tinted Moisturizer, Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer, and Mac Studio Radiance Face and Body)”

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Dreams Luxury Eyeshadow Palette

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Dreams Quad Swatches and Review
Pillow Talk Dreams

As usual, I am late for the party. I’m sure by now you have seen several other reviews about the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Dreams Quad. It did appeal to me when it was first released, but I was trying my hardest to resist buying more from the brand. I only have a handful of products from Charlotte Tilbury and while I like all of them, they just don’t hold my attention as much as other products that I have. The quality and performance are there and I do like the packaging, they just don’t seem to rise above other favorites of mine. So, I told myself this one would be no different so I shouldn’t bother spending the money. Then along came a sale and here we are 🤔.

Continue reading “Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Dreams Luxury Eyeshadow Palette”

Makeup I’ve Been Using Lately (Shop My Stash)

Sephora Microsmooth Captivate Face Palette, Pat McGrath x Bridgerton Belle of the Ball Eyeshadow Palette, Colour Pop 100 Aker Wood, Colour Pop Parasol, and Coloured Raine Cinna-Bae Bronzer Swatches
Sephora Microsmooth Captivate Face Palette, Pat McGrath x Bridgerton Belle of the Ball Eyeshadow Palette, Colour Pop 100 Aker Wood, Colour Pop Parasol, and Coloured Raine Cinna-Bae Bronzer

It’s been hard to figure out what to write about lately. When I have brand new products to talk about it is easier to feel like people would be interested to hear about them. However, when they are items that people have already moved on from, it can feel like it isn’t worth posting about. Lately, I just find myself hesitating to talk about older releases or even new releases that are no longer being buzzed about. Well, today I have products that I wanted to talk about so I’m going to do it before I talk myself out of it 😂. A few of them are older products but 2 of them are still fairly new.

Continue reading “Makeup I’ve Been Using Lately (Shop My Stash)”

MAC x Stranger Things He Likes It Cold Blush (Swatch and Comparisons)

MAC x Stranger Things Blush in He Likes It Cold (LE) Swatch on Medium Dark Skin
MAC x Stranger Things Blush in He Likes It Cold (LE)

The MAC x Stranger Things collection is nearly a month old at this point (I know that’s practically ancient in the makeup world 😂) but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to share the blush that I bought. I’m very happy to see MAC release a deeper blush option in a limited edition collection. Hopefully, sharing the He Likes It Cold blush swatch with comparisons to Flirting with Danger and Frankly Scarlet will help those with darker skin tones who may have been hesitant to try it out.

Continue reading “MAC x Stranger Things He Likes It Cold Blush (Swatch and Comparisons)”

If I Could Only Keep One Tag/Shop My Stash

MAC Eyeshadows (What Clout, Couture Copper Dazzle Shadow Extreme, Cranberry, Swiss Chocolate), NARS Savage Blush, NARS Punta Cana Bronzer, Dior Skin Correct Concealer 4WO, Estee Lauder 4W4 Hazel, Chanel Antoinette, Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer, Sonia G Soft Cheek, Smashbox Blurring Foundation Brush, Sigma F79

I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but I always took it way too seriously and got overwhelmed 😂. I’ve been spending the last few weeks shopping my stash and getting reacquainted with a lot of my things and suddenly I felt like I could probably do it. It’s only hypothetical after all. This tag pops up ever so often, but I believe it was initially started in 2018 by Kelly Gooch on YouTube. As Kelly points out in her video, the interesting thing about doing this is that it narrows things down and not necessarily to your favorite products. If I had to just use one product every day (and of course, I want a cohesive look), it really did change the products that I initially would have picked. So let’s see what made the cut.

Continue reading “If I Could Only Keep One Tag/Shop My Stash”

Would-Be Favorites: Petty Complaints, Beautiful Products (Pat McGrath Blushing Delights and Armani Melting Color Balm)

Ok, I have a confession. I don’t really think that the complaints that I have with these two products are petty. It was just really hard to figure out how to title this post. As I was thinking about it, I do think some people would call them petty complaints. The Pat McGrath Blushing Delights Palette and the Armani Beauty Color Melting Balm in Warm Plum are two products that I think I would have considered favorites if I weren’t a beauty blogger. As a reviewer, I pay more attention to small details and analyze products more than I think a “normal” consumer would. If I never wrote a review and never read the brand’s claims (for Armani), I truly think these two items would be favorites.

Pat McGrath Blushing Delights Palette Review and Armani Melting Color Balm 60 Warm Plum
Continue reading “Would-Be Favorites: Petty Complaints, Beautiful Products (Pat McGrath Blushing Delights and Armani Melting Color Balm)”