Category: Beauty

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)” →

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

If you are like me and have been waiting for a glowy bronzer to be released, then the **Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder could be worth checking out. Although it is listed as a **Nordstrom exclusive, you can also find the Luminous Silk Bronzing Powder directly from the **Armani Beauty website. The brand suggestions for picking a shade made me concerned that none of the four shades would work for me. The recommendations are based on their Luminous Silk Foundation shades.

• Shades 90 and 100 – Armani Luminous Silk Shades 1.5 to 5.25
• Shades 100 and 110 – Armani Luminous Silk Shades 5.5 to 8
• Shades 110 and 120 – Armani Luminous Silk Shade 8.25

I’m unsure who at Armani decided on these suggestions, but they don’t seem accurate. To explain why these suggestions concerned me, the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation goes much deeper to shade 15. So why wouldn’t they create shades for their foundation in shades 8.5 through 15? Clearly, someone at the brand didn’t think the shades would work for that deeper range.

So anyway, I ordered shade 110, and I wear 8.75 in Armani’s Luminous Silk Concealer. I have tested the foundation in shade 9 in the past, and it was too neutral for me, but it has a workable depth. Basically, I’m darker than the suggested foundation shades for the darkest bronzers in this range. Despite the confusion, shade 110 works well for my skin tone without any difficulty. So the deepest bronzer shade, 120, is not a lost cause for those darker than me. If you need more shade references, I wear NARS Tahoe most often, and Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4 is also a good match.

**Armani Beauty 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 Website

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

Continue reading “Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder 110 (Swatch)” →

NARS just released a reformulation of their iconic powder blush ($34), and it’s now talc-free. I’ve only used this once (pictures are further down), so I can’t tell you much about it yet. I wanted to go ahead and share some pictures of the new packaging and some swatches I got the other day while I was in Sephora in case anyone is curious about this release. The new compact is now refillable but is the same soft-touch material NARS typically uses for its packaging. There is a small hole on the back to pop the pan out (see picture further down). The refill pans are available for $24 on narscosmetics.com, but only in 5 shades. I’m very confused as to why they would bother to make the packaging refillable and only provide 5 shades as refills. The pans are already loose and must be added to the magnetized compact, so why can’t every shade be available?

If you swatch the new blush formula, you’ll likely notice that its texture is almost creamy and thick compared to the old formula. To me, my old formula (liberte) feels thinner and drier. My Liberte is over a year old, but I think it still performs the same as when I purchased it. I’ve also never experienced NARS blushes drying out before the 24-month shelf life of most of the previous formulas.

Continue reading “New From NARS! Talc-Free Blush in Dolce Vita (Swatch)” →

As a blush (I don’t use it for lips), the Smashbox Halo Cream Cheek and Lip Tint lives up to the brand’s claims. Smashbox says this tint will give you lasting color with blendable, sheer to medium coverage. They also claim that the formula will remain comfortable to wear because it is infused with a primer oil complex. Lastly, it has a matte finish that “refracts light to help create a blurred, soft-focus look.” Unfortunately, despite agreeing with the claims, I wouldn’t recommend it because the primer oil complex does present some problems. Let’s get into it.

Smashbox Halo Cream Cheek and Lip Tint Sunset, $28

Sunset is described as a muted coral 

Continue reading “Smashbox Halo Cream Cheek and Lip Tint Sunset (Swatch)” →