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.
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.
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.
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.
Soooo I went a little concealer crazy this past year. I used to have 2 concealers and didn’t seem to be bothered by that. Then for some reason, I got it into my head that I needed to try out more formulas. Admittedly, I’m still not the most experienced with concealer but since these were shades that I personally had trouble finding swatches of, I’m hoping this is helpful anyway.
L to R: Pat McGrath M21, Armani Luminous Silk 9, Dior Forever Skin Correct 4.5N and 4WO, Too Faced Born This Way Cookie
I am in my late 30’s 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 women of color, I also have discoloration around my chin area. If I do wear a foundation that doesn’t cover it well, I do rely on concealer to pick up that slack.
These are just some quick swatches of the new baked blush and highlighter palette from the Pat McGrath x Bridgerton 2 collection. A lot of people have complaints about this collection (myself included) so I’m not thinking it will sell out. However, on the chance that I’m wrong, I wanted to go ahead and get some swatches posted. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to test these products out.
Pat McGrath Blushing Delights Blush and Highlighter Palette
If you are new here this is something I like to do occasionally. I revisit products when I have additional thoughts or new experiences with them. Things can change throughout the seasons or application preferences can change so I want to make sure to give you any new information that may help. Today we’re talking about 2 MAC Cosmetics best sellers. Let’s get right into it.
Studio Fix Fluid in C8 and NC45
UPDATE JUNE 12, 2024: This information is based on a discontinued formula. MAC released a reformulated version of Studio Fix Fluid in 2024. If you are looking for reviews, you can spot the difference because the new formula now comes with a pump built into the packaging.
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in C8 and NC45
So I’ve polled the audience. I’m the only person that thinks this foundation looks sweaty. Everyone I ask says this foundation looks natural but more perfected. My husband says he can tell it is more matte than when my skin is bare, but he doesn’t think it looks sweaty at all 🤷🏽♀️. He of course sees me the most often and up close, so I wanted to share his thoughts in particular.
Do what you will with that information 😂. But seriously, I wanted to let you guys know that I’m alone in this assessment of the MAC Studio Fix Fluid. Just in case my initial review was holding anyone back from trying this foundation. You probably won’t look sweaty.
I know I can’t be the only one to have this problem. While I don’t get excited about these foundations, I think they are all beautiful. I tend to like how my makeup looks when I wear them and I would definitely recommend them to others. The foundations I’ll be discussing today are the It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better, NARS Sheer Glow, and MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundations. The biggest issue that I have with all 3 of these formulas is that the color matches aren’t my favorite. Obviously, the color match will be different for everyone, so I’ll be pointing out any other drawbacks that keep me from using these as I go. So let’s get into some details in case you are curious about any of these foundations.
Nikki From HR 