Category: Beauty

MAC Flirting With Danger Mineralize Blush (swatch)

Published on by Nikki2 Comments

I looked high and low to find a swatch or review of this blush on someone closer to my skin tone and finally, Lili came to the rescue. If you are a regular here, you should know Lili by now if not from me mentioning her and her blog, then from her helpful thoughts in the comments. We both have dry skin and typically have similar experiences with products. However, we differ a little on the MAC Mineralize Blush formula, so I would suggest checking out her post to get her perspective as well.

MAC Mineralize Blush in Flirting With Danger, $33.00

MAC describes Flirting With Danger as a burnt red orange.

MAC Mineralize Blush Flirting With Danger Swatch on Medium Dark Skin
MAC Mineralize Blush in Flirting With Danger

This blush was as hard as the glow play formula to photograph. When I have this issue photographing them on the color wheel tends to help. Putting the shade against red and red-orange on the color wheel does reveal that there is more depth a cooler lean to this shade. UPDATE: It was so hard to figure out how to explain this color and I thought I had it down but of course a better way to say it just came to me. So my apologies if this ends up being confusing. It is not that it is cooler, it is that the tone has been deepened rather than being a bright red.

It is still very much a warm red-orange shade but on my olive undertone, I lose some of the orange tones for some reason (when sheered out) and it just looks like a red. You can see the red-orange come out more when it is compared to another shade further down in the post.

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MAC Rosy Does It Blush and What Clout! Eyeshadow (swatches)

Published on by Nikki2 Comments

When I decided to post about these products I had no idea a MAC sale was on the horizon, but as luck would have it, one started yesterday. Right now on maccosmetics.com loyalty members can get 25% off their purchases (no code needed). It is free to join the loyalty program but if you don’t want to join you can still get 15% off your purchase. The sale ends at 3:00am EST on 3/15/2022.

If you are a MAC fan like I am, then you’ve likely also seen them do better sales than this one. So it may be worth it to you to hold out for 30-40% off which we did see them do last year.

I purchased a new Glow Play Blush and a Powder Kiss Soft Matte Eyeshadow this past summer when I made my way out to the Cosmetics Company Store (CCO) to do some shopping. If you aren’t familiar with the CCO (Cosmetic Company Store), it is a discount outlet owned and operated by Estee Lauder Companies. You can find several of their brands like MAC, Too Faced, Clinique, Origins, Smashbox, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, and of course, Estee Lauder being stocked at a discounted price. Sometimes the inventory is discontinued and other times it is just overstock. If you are not sure if you are near a CCO, you can check here (Tanger outlets) and here (Simon Premium outlets) to find out. If you have one near you, it can be dangerous 😂, but it is definitely worth checking out. Just to give you an idea of the deals the Glow Play Blushes retail for $31.00 and I paid $12.00 for mine at the CCO.

MAC Glow Play Blush in Rosy Does It, $33.00

MAC describes Rosy Does It as a jewel tone purple.

MAC Glow Play Blush in Rosy Does It Swatch on Medium Dark Skin
MAC Glow Play Blush in Rosy Does It
Continue reading “MAC Rosy Does It Blush and What Clout! Eyeshadow (swatches)” →

Givenchy Le Rouge Deep Velvet Lipstick – 37 Rouge Graine

Published on by NikkiLeave a comment

This is only the second lip product I’ve ever tried from Givenchy and I must say yet again, I like it. If you are curious, the other formula I tried was the Givenchy Le Rose Perfecto Liquid Balm that I reviewed back in 2020. I purchased this from Givenchy’s Holiday 2021 release so my case is a limited edition version in black velvet casing with a gold tube. However, the lipstick shade is part of their permanent lineup and typically comes in red velvet casing with a silver tube.

Givenchy Le Rouge Deep Velvet 37 Rouge Graine Swatch Medium Dark Olive Skin
Givenchy Le Rouge Deep Velvet 37 Rouge Graine

Givenchy Deep Velvet Lipstick – 37 Rouge Graine, $38.00

37 Rouge Graine is described as a deep garnet red.

Givenchy Le Rouge Deep Velvet 37 Rouge Graine Swatch Medium Dark Olive Skin
Givenchy Le Rouge Deep Velvet 37 Rouge Graine
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Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick – 440 Irresistible

Published on by Nikki3 Comments

If you’ve been around a while, you have likely heard me reference this line of lipsticks as my all time favorite formula. I stopped using them a few years back after finding out I have a wheat allergy (the formula contains wheat bran extract). Well about a year ago, I got it into my head that since the wheat ingredient was far down on the list I shouldn’t have an allergic reaction. So I repurchased what used to be my most used shade.

UPDATE April 19, 2023: Estee Lauder has discontinued this line and now has a reformulated line called the Pure Color Creme Lipstick. I have written a review and shared a swatch of the new formula in the shade 818 Covetable and 561 Intense Nude. You can see that review by clicking here.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick 440 Irresistible Swatch Medium Dark Olive Skin
Discontinued formula – Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in 440 Irresistible

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipstick – 440 Irresistible, $33.00

Estee Lauder describes 440 Irresistible as a dusty mauve with a cool undertone.

Continue reading “Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick – 440 Irresistible” →

Forgotten Best Sellers: Clinique

Published on by Nikki2 Comments

I’m continuing on with this series and talking about some products that I don’t hear mentioned much anymore, but they still manage to make it on the brand’s bestsellers list. I have already done a best sellers post on MAC, MAC Vol. 2, Maybelline, NARS, Bobbi Brown, and Laura Mercier, if you’d like to check those out. Today I’m revisiting some Clinique products. If you like shopping directly from the brand’s website, there are some Valentine’s Day markdowns. It is 25% off select items, and that ends on 15 February 2022.

I have used some pictures from my old blog (sensitive beauty blog) for a couple of the products I don’t own at the moment. So you may notice the watermark in the Stay Matte Foundation image, or that I’ve lost weight since the swatches for that and the Morning Java eyeshadow quad were taken. So anyway, let’s get to it.

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

**Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation Plus Concealer, $40.00 (WN 82 Latte)

Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2 in 1 Foundation plus Concealer WN 82 Latte Medium Deep Skin Swatch
Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2 in 1 Foundation plus Concealer WN 82 Latte
Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2 in 1 Foundation plus Concealer WN 82 Latte Swatch Medium Deep Skin
Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2 in 1 Foundation plus Concealer WN 82 Latte

I have mentioned this foundation before in my fall makeup edit from 2020 (check that out here) if you want more information. Long story short, this is one of my favorite full coverage foundations for my dry skin. It does transfer some, but it is a trade-off that I deal with because it looks so nice on me.

Update March 4, 2022: I posted more swatches of this foundation in the shades WN76 Toasted Wheat, CN90 Sand, WN98 Cream Caramel, WN114 Golden, and WN125 Mahogany. You can check that out by clicking here.

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$
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Clinique Beyond Perfecting™ Foundation + Concealer, WN 98 Cream Caramel – 1.0 oz/30 ml for Dry Combination to Combination Oily Skin
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Product Update: Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom Lip Colour (114 Glow)

Published on by Nikki4 Comments

I originally reviewed the Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom formula back in April 2021 when it was new to the market. I won’t rehash the entire review, so if you want the nitty-gritty, you can read that by clicking here. Long story short: I still think that this is a comfortable formula with nice pigmentation and a beautiful shine but it has poor longevity and doesn’t wear away evenly.

Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom 114 Glow swatch dark skin
Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom in 114 Glow

As I mentioned in my original review, Chanel claims that the Rouge Coco Bloom formula is long-wearing, but I just can’t agree with them. For $42.00 this should just work as promised. However, even with MAC’s prep and prime lip (which typically helps me with wear time), I only get a slightly better result.

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NYX HD Finishing Powder – Banana

Published on by Nikki6 Comments

NYX Cosmetics makes some bold claims about the HD finishing powder. I decided to give this powder a try while browsing in the store, so I didn’t have any idea of what the claims were before testing it out. I think that ended up being a good thing because it allowed me to form an opinion without expecting anything specific.

The brand claims that this powder has a non-cakey, matte finish that helps soften the appearance of lines and pores. The HD finishing powder is available in three different shades. I purchased the banana shade, which is supposed to camouflage dark spots and dark circles. There are also translucent and mint green shades. The mint green shade claims to help with discoloration and redness.

I can’t tell you anything about the translucent or mint green shades, but the banana shade only delivers on a couple of those claims.

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

**NYX HD Finishing Powder, $12.00

NYX HD Finishing Powder Banana Review and Swatch on Medium Dark Skin
NYX HD Finishing Powder – Banana
Continue reading “NYX HD Finishing Powder – Banana” →

MAC 217S and 224S Eyeshadow Brushes (Review)

Published on by Nikki4 Comments

If you follow MAC Cosmetics, then you may already know that several years back they made the switch to synthetic makeup brushes. Most people are not happy about that switch and the reviews of the synthetic brushes have been terrible. The only good reviews I’ve seen have come from Makeup artists and people that I assume had never tried MAC’s natural hair versions. I got the synthetic 239 brush for free in an order that I placed and I actually liked it, which led me to try these two brushes as well. I won’t be reviewing the 239S at the moment. It has been so long since I have used it, I don’t feel like I can give a good review of it right now. So I’ll have to circle back to that brush in the future.

MAC 217S Brush Review vs MAC 217 Natural Goat Hair Brush
MAC 217 Natural Hair (left) and MAC 217S Brush (right)
Smashbox Shadow Blending Brush vs MAC 224S Brush and Review
Smashbox Shadow Blending Brush (left) and MAC 224S Brush (right)

Keep in mind when reading through my thoughts that my natural hair MAC 217 brushes (I have 2) are about 6 years old. So some of the variations could be due to age. Also, I no longer own the natural hair version of the 224 so I’m working from memory on that comparison. I will also be comparing the 224S to my Smashbox Shadow Blending Brush because it is the closest shape I currently own.

Continue reading “MAC 217S and 224S Eyeshadow Brushes (Review)” →