These powders are firmly pressed in the pan so they do not kick up powder, but are still easy to pick up on a brush in my experience. This formula does not accentuate texture but still has enough shine to actually highlight the face. The closest thing in texture I’ve used was the MUFE Artist Face Color (click here for a swatch and review of shade H106). Ibiza is my personal color preference, but if you like a pink toned highlight, Maldives performs just as well.
NARS Highlighting Powder in Maldives and Ibiza
The NARS Highlighting Powders are $38.00 at narscosmetics.com and are available in six shades.
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Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
If you follow the beauty industry closely, then you know that new releases are happening all the time. So let’s discuss what new products are on my radar this week.
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed – Own Your Light (Limited Edition), $38.00: You can always count on Becca Cosmetics to release highlighters. According to the brand’s video on their shimmering skin perfector line, it is the number 1 selling highlighter in the US. I think Becca does a beautiful job formulating products, so if this color speaks to you, I don’t think you’d be disappointed in the purchase. I’ve tried their highlighters in the past and the quality is very nice but was always a but too much for my taste. GlamGirlChelsea showed a swatch of this shade in a live chat she did and although she said it looks good on the skin, it looked lighter and pinker than I typically prefer, so I don’t think I’d like this shade on my skin tone. If you are a lighter skin tone, Mel Thompson also used this in a recent video as well.
Makeup Revolution Splendor Matte Bronzer, $12.00: A new drugstore bronzer option is always good to see, especially considering the 6 color shade range. They have added a pineapple fragrance which may be nice for some, but I skip fragranced products, so this one isn’t for me. Product photos can be deceiving, but the light shade doesn’t look all that light to me. There are other options available for fair skin, but this looks to me like it might be made for more medium, tan, and deep skin tones. If you do have a deeper skin tone and want to see this product in action please check out Andrea Renee on Youtube, she recently featured this bronzer (shade dark) in a video.
Today is another day in what is certainly theBalm’s longest 50% off sale. The sale originally started back on April 7 but has been extended several times since the original end date of April 12. If you aren’t familiar with the brand, they typically have these sales 2 or 3 times a year. No company is immune to times being hard right now so I’m sure that has everything to do with the sale extensions.
theBalm is a brand worth checking out if you are sensitive to either talc or parabens and like supporting cruelty-free brands Over the years I’ve tried a sampling of theBalm’s products and by far my favorite product of theirs is highlighter. The more recent release of the shade Bonnie-Lou Manizer is the swatch I am sharing with you today.
If you follow the beauty industry closely, then you know that new releases are happening all the time. So let’s discuss what new products are on my radar this week.
UPDATE: I did end up purchasing the NARS Matte Bronzer and the L’oreal Age Perfect Radiant Satin Blush. If you are interested in swatches or my review you can check them out with the following links.
NARS matte bronzer (shade Samoa), $38.00: I was initially intrigued to try this formula because I like their sunwash diffusing bronzer and it looks like they may be discontinuing that line in favor of this new formula. So far, the reviews I’ve seen have been positive but I have so many bronzers I’ve been really enjoying lately and they all give the skin a healthy glow. So, I’m not sure I really want to go back in the direction of matte bronzers if that isn’t what I like to use anymore. NARS did also reformulate their more classic formula which does have sheen/shimmer in it, so maybe I should take a look at that formula instead.
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess highlighting powder gelee, $45.00: I’m mostly a fan of Estee Lauder’s foundations and brushes but I do often take a look at what else they are releasing. Every year they release a Bronze Goddess collection and this year is no different. I’m disappointed that they have started to add fragrance to their highlighter formula for the last couple of years and I was crossing my fingers that they wouldn’t do the same this year. If the fragrance is the same as years previous, you can smell it before you even open the compact. The ingredient list for this year’s product does list fragrance, so I definitely won’t be purchasing a highlighter from this release.
ABH Luminous Foundation (400N or 410C), $38.00: I have dry sensitive skin so the marketing for this foundation sounds right up my alley. The brand is promising a luminous medium coverage that feels weightless and still manages to be long-wearing. It sounds like a tall order. I just can’t seem to gauge which shade I should try. Reviews that I’ve seen are claiming the color descriptions are really off. Today I did watch a video from a makeup artist that recommends ignoring the letters that they’ve given the shades and just use the actual shade descriptions to pick one out. I’ll take another look at them with that in mind and see if I still want to give it a try.
This MAC highlighter comes in 5 shades and falls under the Mineralize Skinfinish name. They also have 15 shades of Skinfinish Natural powders of which 12 are all over face powders and 1 is a bronzer. The two are often mixed up, so I just wanted to point out that I’m featuring the highlighter formula rather than the face powders. If looking for Skinfinish natural powders, I have a post featuring medium deep and dark that you can check that out by clicking here.
MAC describes Cheeky bronze as a soft coral with a golden shimmer.
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Cheeky Bronze
It is hard to see the golden shimmer in the picture but it is definitely noticeable if you look at yourself closely in the mirror. I do like the quality of this formula and I think it sits nicely on my skin despite my dryness and texture.
As with most makeup items, from a comfortable distance, it looks much like other highlighters. On me, this shade is very similar to the Patrick Starrr Holiday 2018 highlighter (Baby It’s Gold Outside). Cheeky bronze has more color to it and you can see how coral it is in a comparison swatch, but that goes away once blended out on the face. At least on my Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone, when I wore one on each side of my face, I could barely tell the difference.
You can purchase this shade and the other 4 permanent shades of this formula from the MAC Cosmetics website for $38.00.
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Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
Today I’m sharing some swatches of my Laura Mercier Illuminator Palette with you. Although this particular palette is a holiday 2018 limited edition release, all three shades it contains are available in the brand’s permanent lineup.
Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Highlighting Powders
From Left to Right:
Indiscretion is described as a warm rose gold highlight
Devotion is described as a cool pink highlight
Addiction is described as a gilded gold highlight
L to R: indiscretion, devotion, addiction
The permanent single shades retail for $45.00 on Laura Mercier’s website, but she traditionally releases a palette every holiday season with multiple shades if you want better value.
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Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
While I do think Urban Decay’s newer color schemes should be released under a new name (rather than being part of the “Naked” line), from a business perspective, I can see why they stick with the Naked theme. People love the Naked series and it has a lot of hype behind the collection. So having that name attached guarantees both new and repeat customers that might otherwise overlook a new product line from the brand. Like it or not, it seems to be working for them. I enjoy Urban decay shadows and these are no different.
Urban Decay Naked Cherry Palette
The Naked Cherry Palette typically retails for $49.00 but today (April 23, 2020) it’s been marked down to $24.50 on urbandecay.com. According to the Urban Decay promotions page, this sale ends May 2, 2020, 11:59 PM PST.
What are your thoughts on the Urban Decay Naked palettes? Let me know in the comments.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
Lancome makes great products and these highlighters are no exception. Unfortunately, they still aren’t my favorite highlighters. I have tried to make these work, but they are just too intense for my taste. No matter what brush I use to apply them, I have to go back over them with whatever foundation tool I used that day to tone them down. Once I take that step, I think they look beautiful on my skin. I have other highlighters that I don’t have to do this extra step with, so I use these less and less. I do have dry skin, and I suspect someone with more normal to oily skin may not have as much of an issue. Unrelated to performance, but important to me at this price point, I think the compact feels a little cheap.
Lancome Dual Finish Highlighter Swatches in 04 Dazzling Bronze and 05 Sparkling Peche
L to R: 05 Sparkling Peche, 04Dazzling Bronze
If you are looking for an intense highlight, I would check these out.
The Dual Finish Highlighter comes in 5 different shades and costs $42.00 on macys.com.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
Disclaimer: I purchased all products featured with my own money. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
Nikki From HR 