UPDATE March 4, 2023: I was shocked to find out Dior reformulated the Forever Skin Correct Concealer. I have tested out the new formula and posted a review. The short and sweet review is that the new formula performs even better for me than the original. It is easier to blend, creases less, and transfers minimally. If you’d like more details, you can check that post out byclicking here.
This Dior concealer has received a fair amount of hype since its release in January 2020. One of the big reasons I wanted to give it a try is that even after a couple of years, I still hear people raving about it. I initially just purchased shade 4WO, but I ended up purchasing the shade 4.5N to see if mixing a custom shade would work better for spot concealing. I had to do this because there is no 4.5W or 5W shade that I could have tried. Ideally, it would have been nice to see a 5WO shade. I’ve been trying this concealer out since September 2021, and I have to tell you, it took some serious experimenting before I came to love it. Now that I know how to use it, I actually prefer it to my MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. There is a lot to like about this concealer,r but as with all things, there are some drawbacks. Hopefully, I can give you the rundown so you’ll know if this concealer might work for you or if you should choose something else.
Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer in 4WO (left) and 4.5N (left)
Pat McGrath Divine Rose Blush, Lancome Stick Foundation (410 Bisque W), Laura Mercier Rose Glow Highlighter, and MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Mascara
Today I wanted to talk about some products that I just can’t seem to part with, but I could stand to declutter. This is a fantasy declutter because I have no intention of donating or selling any of these products. There are times when I don’t hesitate with letting go of items that don’t work. When you try a lot of makeup (or anything really) there will definitely be items that don’t work out, it’s inevitable. Whether it is because of the formula or the shade, I’ve come to realize that there is something about all four of these products that just aren’t right for me.
As always credit for this overall concept goes to Emily Noel on Youtube. I originally saw her older videos about What’s OLD at the Drugstore. I did this for last year’s sale and figured why not turn it into a series. So as the name implies, none of my recommendations are the newest things to the market. The sale dates are 1 April 2022- 11 April 2022 depending on your membership tier.
Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder, $39.00
This powder has been lurking around since at least as far back as 2016. For years so many people wanted Hourglass to create their ambient lighting powders in skin tone shades. Well, Laura Mercier did just that. The line started out with 6 shades and has been cut down to 3 recently. Shades 1, 3, and 5 are the new permanent lineup, although Sephora currently has shade 2 in stock. While this new range is unfortunate, I hope that more people can discover this great product and the brand can afford to expand the range.
Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder (shade 5, medium to deep)
I have dry skin and this is my preferred setting powder but it can also be used as a finishing powder. When using this as a setting powder, I get the longevity and dried down feeling I prefer, but the glow of the powder keeps my skin from looking dry or looking matte. As a finishing powder, I apply this if a foundation is accentuating my texture. I find that layering this on top improves the look of things and makes the texture appear smoother. Laura Mercier claims that this powder has a “diffused, soft-focus finish” and I guess that is the benefit that helps with the look of texture.
If you are a Sephora VIB Rouge, I would pass on this sale and wait for the VIB Sale that starts on April 1st. The VIB Rouge members will get 20% off during the Sephora sale. Unless of course Macy’s carries a product that is not available at Sephora. Nordstrom is price matching the Macy’s sale (if they carry the same item) so if you prefer Nordstrom, you can also shop through them. Now let’s get into a couple of recommendations.
You know me, I like to give recommendations that I don’t hear a lot of talk about. Today I want to talk about a blush and a highlighter. Liberte is one NARS blush that I rarely hear about anyone using. They did include the shade in the limited edition Afterglow blush palette, so maybe it will start to gain some traction. MAC Lightscapade is a highlighter that used to get a lot of buzz and that has definitely died down. I’d imagine that this particular shade of the mineralize skinfinish line is still popular for those with lighter skin tones.
Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty is well underway at this point, so I won’t go too much into that. But, if you by chance have never heard of the sale, during the sale you can get select high end beauty products for 50% off. Since it will be $18.00 on March 31, 2022, I wanted to share my experience with the MAC Studio Radiance Face and Body Foundation.
I honestly have had a hard time getting my thoughts together on this foundation. It is so well loved that I really wanted to love it too. I guess it is not so much that I don’t like the product as much as it doesn’t suit my preferences. There has been some debate on whether or not this shade expansion is also a reformulation. The brand has stated that this formula is the same as the original Face and Body. I did try Face and Body back in 2014, and regardless of a change in formula, I didn’t like that one either. Since it was so long ago, I can’t directly compare them, but my thoughts are the same on both. This formula is so sheer, I don’t understand the point of taking the time to put it on.
When I hear people talk about the MAC Face and Body Foundation, the phrase “skin-like” always comes up, and I can absolutely agree on that point. When I apply this with a brush I get the promised radiant finish and it does, in fact, look like skin. The problem for me is that I just want more coverage. When building the coverage, I get a light coverage at best. The brand claims this is a sheer buildable formula, so I can’t say that it doesn’t perform as intended. I did try applying this formula with my hands as is commonly suggested for more coverage. This didn’t work for me at all. Oddly enough, using fingers resulted in the formula setting to a matte finish on me. I do have dry skin, but other than that, I can’t explain it. 🤷🏽♀️
Update May 1, 2025: The Estee Lauder Double Wear Matte Powder Foundation has been reformulated. At the end of April 2025, I saw the new formula pop up on the Macy’s and Nordstrom websites.
Estee Lauder has been relaunching many of its legacy products into sleeker blue compacts. The Double Wear Matte Powder Foundation is the newest product to get the treatment.
New packaging for 2022 on the right
The new compact is refillable and has gone up in price to $46.00 (up from $43.00). The refills retail for $35.00. The formula has remained the exact same and you get the same amount of product, this is purely a packaging update. The new shade range however did shrink by 10 shades. As usual, my go-to shade (4W4) has been axed from the lineup. They do still have the shade 5W1 which I can also get away with, so I’ll show you that shade in this post. There are still 31 shades in the range which is still decent. Since this is a relaunch, they have the sales data from the last lineup to know which shades are selling. Not much comfort for those of us who may need to pick a new shade, but that’s the way it goes.
New refillable packaging for 2022
Update May 1, 2025: The Estee Lauder Double Wear Matte Powder Foundation has been reformulated. At the end of April 2025, I saw the new formula pop up on the Macy’s and Nordstrom websites.
Discontinued shades: One shade had been discontinued sometime before January 2022 so in total there are 11 shades that are not in this new range that did exist at some point.
7C1 Rich Mahogany
6N2 Truffle
5W1.5 Cinnamon
5N1.5 Maple
5C1 Rich Chestnut
4W4 Hazel
4N3 Maple Sugar
3W2 Cashew
3C1 Dusk
1W0 Warm Porcelain
1N0 Porcelain
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have seen my review of this powder back in January. If you have, then the rest of this post will be a repeat of a review you’ve already read. I just wanted to give you that heads up.
Estee Lauder claims that this powder is soft and weightless, and I definitely agree. It feels like I have nothing on when I wear it alone as a powder foundation. That does translate to less coverage than some people might be looking for given the Double Wear name. This powder was designed to be a buildable multi-use powder, so it does start off as light coverage. Not a lot of powder picks up on the brush, which helps it function well as a setting powder. Getting into the buildable claim, it does build on itself with no issue. You can achieve a medium coverage if you apply it with a brush and apply two layers. If you use the included sponge you can get more coverage, but I don’t think it ever quite gets to the full coverage that the brand claims. The sponge also applies the product heavier, so just one layer gives me medium coverage. A second layer with the sponge does improve the coverage a little, but some of my scars still peak through. But again, it looks heavy applied with the sponge and accentuates texture on me.
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer in 4W (top) and 5W (bottom)
Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Highlighting Powders
Laura Mercier RoseGlow Forbidden Rose Caviar Stick
Since the brand started a 20% off sitewide sale today it seemed fitting to continue on with my best sellers series. To keep it simple, I use the brand website’s best seller list rather than retailers like Sephora and Ulta. I have already done a best sellers post on MAC, MAC Vol. 2, Maybelline, NARS, Bobbi Brown, and Clinique if you’d like to check those out.
I think all of these products are forgotten simply because Laura Mercier as a brand isn’t as hyped up unless people are talking about the setting powder. I am still in love with the Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder (actually wearing it today 🙂) and it’s no surprise to me that it isn’t on the best sellers list. I really hope that more people try this powder out so it can get the appreciation it deserves. Laura Mercier is going to be experiencing some restructuring since Shiseido sold the company. I’m excited to see what happens from here. In the meantime, let’s talk about what products I’ve tried that are currently on their best sellers list.
I was feeling a bit nostalgic looking through some old pictures, and decided it’d be fun to take you along with me.
Urban Decay Born To Run Palette
Urban Decay Born To Run Palette
To me (and many others), this was such a good palette that should have been permanent. This being discontinued makes me sad, especially since Urban Decay seems to be switching all of their eyeshadows over to their new vegan formula. I have nothing against vegan formulas, but I just do not like theirs. I did check out the Wild Greens Palette in person, and while it was cute, the formula felt like the eyeshadow singles that I tried last year (check out those swatches and my review here). I assume my other love, the Naked Heat, will be discontinued as soon as they can get rid of the remaining inventory. At least that is my perception based on the new vegan formula releases and the constant sales of the older palettes. I guess we’ll see what happens.
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Crisis
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Crisis
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Crisis
I have not tried the new formulation of the Vice lipsticks, and to be honest, I’m kind of being stubborn about it because I loved the Vice formula so much. This was one of the best cream lipsticks on the market. I tried several colors over the years, and they all wore well throughout the day and had great pigment. I would say it has a thicker formula, which I personally love, but a lot of the lipstick formulas that are released these days are thinner. I have seen this available on the Nordstrom Rack website, so if you like to shop there, it’s something to consider.
Update: I have swatches posted of the new lipstick formula (Urban Decay Vice Hydrating Lipstick) in the shades Depends on Traffic (cream), Horchata (matte), Liar (cream), and Ravenswood (cream). I didn’t purchase any of the shades because I felt they didn’t have enough shine. You can click here to see that post if you are curious about some of the new shades.
Pat McGrath Eyedols Eye Shadow in Enraptured, $12.50
Pat McGrath Enraptured
This is kind of a weird one because it seems like they are discontinued since they’ve been on sale for $12.50 (marked down from $25.00) for a VERY long time. There are also 4 shades available at Bergdorf Goodman, but they are still the full price for some reason. So I’m not sure if this one is actually discontinued, but as of today, there are still a lot of shades available directly from the Pat McGrath website for $12.50. I’m still recovering from missing out on the 50% off sale that the Pat McGrath website had yesterday 😭. If you are interested in other Pat McGrath products, they do have 25% off select products right now, although these are not included.
Pat McGrath Enraptured
Anyways, this is a beautiful color and the formula is amazing. It is by far the most pigmented eyeshadow I’ve ever used. That could be good or bad depending on your preference, but I still find that it is easy to work with. It is easy to use as a one-and-done shade or for a more complex look it blends well with other colors. I’ve never minded buying single eyeshadows, but I know a lot of people complained about the $25.00 price, but there is no way you’ll go through this very fast since it is so pigmented. I think they were worth the full price, but you can’t beat this quality for $12.50.
If you like this kind of content, revisiting older or limited edition products, check out my Limited Edition Love post. It has a lot of throwback products to reminisce about 🙂.
What about you guys? Are there any discontinued or limited edition products that you’re still loving?
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Nikki From HR 