Huda Beauty Cream Lipstick in Money Maker and Sweet Cheeks

Huda Beauty Money Maker Power Bullet Cream Glow Hydrating Lipstick Money Maker Swatch
Huda Beauty Money Maker Cream Lipstick

If you aren’t familiar with All Tingz Kay on YouTube, I’m happy to introduce you to her channel. I had seen a few people using the Huda Beauty Power Bullet Cream Glow Lipsticks, but it wasn’t until I saw Kay feature the shade habibi that I decided to check them out for myself.

I went to Sephora expecting to just get the shade habibi, but after seeing it in person, it was slightly too cool in tone for my preference. The shade money maker is just a little warmer than habibi, so it works better for me. I did really like the range of shades and I may purchase sweet cheeks at some point as well.

I think the shade range has a lot of nuance that will help a lot of skin tones find a shade that works. On the downside, I do think that it is easier to make sense of those nuances in person. If you are interested in this line of lipstick and you can safely visit a Sephora, I’d recommend doing that. The Sephora I went to is allowing testing with some restrictions. You can swatch things on your hand, but you have to use a disposable applicator to take the product from the tube.

If you can’t get to a Sephora or don’t feel safe doing so, the brand has taken some of the guesswork out of making a choice. They have them broken into two color categories: sweet nudes and bossy browns. Then within those categories, the colors are labeled as being light, medium, or rich. The shade I picked, money maker, is medium and falls in the bossy browns.

Update March 27, 2022: I recently purchased a new shade, sweet cheeks, and have added some new information below. Sweet cheeks is a medium shade and is part of the sweet nudes.

Keep reading for swatches and my thoughts.

Continue reading “Huda Beauty Cream Lipstick in Money Maker and Sweet Cheeks”

NARS Voyageur Eyeshadow Palette in Quartz (Sephora Exclusive)

I just have some swatches for you today. I didn’t have the best experience with the NARS Quad Eyeshadow in Taj Mahal, but 4 of the 6 eyeshadows in this palette remind me of the NARS single eyeshadows. So I’m hopeful this will work out just fine.

I knew when I purchased this palette that I was making a compromise with the two topper shades (top left and top middle shades). I don’t really enjoy them, but jordan (top middle shade) does have some base pigment. So I’m crossing my fingers that it will work decently for me. Unfortunately, it is rare for me to like an entire palette, but I do enjoy them since they typically take the guesswork out of coordinating colors.

Continue reading “NARS Voyageur Eyeshadow Palette in Quartz (Sephora Exclusive)”

Does matchmymakeup.com Really Work? (Foundation Shade Matching Website)

Matchmymakeup.com is a website that uses science, technology, and engineering math to determine foundation shade matches. But does it work? Let’s talk about it.

UPDATE, March 16, 2022: The matchmymakeup website seems to have updated its match terminology. When I used the website today, the only options it listed were ideal and best possible matches. I have a tiny website, but I couldn’t help but wonder if they read my review 🤔. Maybe not, but that would be cool 😄.
UPDATE, October 1, 2022: I no longer know how to feel about this website. Every time I’ve visited over the last several months my matches have been different. It seems that they may be having trouble ironing out the scientific method they are using.
UPDATE, December 28, 2023: Someone from The matchmymakeup website did reach out to me and thanked me for the feedback on their website and asked me for some more information about the trouble I had with my matches. I was pleased that they were so open to my comments and were interested in more feedback to try to improve on what they have in place. I revisit the site often and it looks like they have done more updates to their system and that may have a lot to do with the fact that they have added more products to the database. it does seem to me that they are doing what they can to provide accurate matches. I think the biggest roadblock is that each person’s skin tone is going to alter how a shade looks, so it will still be a matter of trial and error for anyone using the website.
Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4 Hazel vs MAC Studio Fix Fluid C8 Swatches on medium deep skin warm olive skin
Estee Lauder 4W4 Hazel vs MAC C8
Continue reading “Does matchmymakeup.com Really Work? (Foundation Shade Matching Website)”

Lancome Teint Idole Ulta Wear Foundation Stick (450 Suede Neutral)

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation Stick 450 Suede Neutral

If you were around to read my Lancome Makeup Round-Up back in February, you may be surprised that I’m posting about this brand. At the time, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be purchasing any more Lancome products, but nevertheless, here we are.

If you are a fan of Lancome and are interested in anything, now is a good time to place an order. They have a friends and family sale going on that ends at 11:59 PM PT on August 31, 2021. If you don’t have an account you can get 25% off and those who do have an account (free to join), get 30% off. They have revamped their brush line since I posted my round-up, but you can check that post for an overview of products I have tried from them. I also have stand alone posts for their Color Design Eyeshadow Singles (Gold Lame and Canyon Swatches) and their Dual Finish Highlighter Illuminating Powders (Dazzling Bronze and Sparkling Peche).

Now let’s get into my thoughts on the newly reformulated Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation Stick.

UPDATE October 13, 2021: I decided to purchase a lighter shade with a warm undertone in hopes that it will match me better. I figured it would be helpful to show you swatches of the new shade (410 Bisque W) and how it compares to 450 Suede N for those that may be in that range of shades. Click continue reading below to see all the swatches.

Continue reading “Lancome Teint Idole Ulta Wear Foundation Stick (450 Suede Neutral)”

Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer (5W)

Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer in 5W Swatch on Medium Dark Skin
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer in 5W

I had pretty high expectations for this concealer. I typically have good experiences with Laura Mercier complexion products, so I was hoping this would work out well. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully test it out because I had an allergic reaction to something in the formula. I do have a few thoughts that I can share based on the two times I was able to wear it.

When I was doing my own research into making this purchase, I couldn’t find anyone with the shade 5W. So, I figured I could at least share a swatch of the shade and compare it to MAC NC45 (pro longwear concealer) for anyone in my shade range that may be curious.

Continue reading “Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer (5W)”

Sephora Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Palette (Captivate) – reformulated

Sephora Microsmooth Multi-tasking Baked Face Palette in Captivate Swatches

Update May 18, 2025: Sephora has discontinued the Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Palettes and replaced them with the new Sephora Collection Colorful Face Bronzer, Blush, & Highlighter Palettes. The new palettes are offered in 3 versions: 01 Light to Medium, 02 Medium to Tan, and 03 Tan to Deep. I swatched the two darkest palettes (02 Medium to Tan and 03 Tan to Deep) in store today, so I wanted to share that picture for anyone interested.

Sephora Collection Colorful Face Bronzer, Blush, and Highlighter Palette 02 Medium to Tan 03 Tan to Deep Swatches
Swatches of the Colorful Face Palettes in 02 Medium to Tan and 03 Tan to Deep, which replaced the discontinued Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Palettes

Brand new to the Sephora Collection lineup, this face palette in their Microsmooth formula also comes in a lighter version called Enchant. Their Microsmooth face powder has been raved about for years so I had high expectations for this release. I liked the color selection of the darker palette (Captivate) and I actually thought that I’d be able to use every shade. I don’t have that thought often when it comes to face palettes.

Continue reading “Sephora Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Palette (Captivate) – reformulated”

A New Fun-Sized Eyeshadow Palette from Violet Voss (Wild Dahlia)

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this brand, but this is my first time giving Violet Voss a try. This small palette caught my eye as I was on the hunt for green eyeshadows. I’ve only used four shades in this 10-pan palette so far, but I wanted to go ahead and share swatches. I’m pretty sure it was just released in the last few days, so hopefully, this is helpful for those interested.

Violet Voss Wild Dahlia Eyeshadow Palette Swatches on Medium Dark Skin
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What’s Old at the Drugstore (L’Oreal Infallible 24HR Eye Shadow in Bronzed Taupe)

The L’oreal Infallible Eyeshadows were definitely a cult classic from the drugstore at one point in time. Occasionally, I’ll hear someone mention the shade amber rush, but for the most part, they don’t come up too often. I used to really love the shade bronzed taupe back when I was newer to eyeshadow. I started to wonder if I would still feel the same about it now that I’ve been exposed to so many other formulas. I originally purchased this eyeshadow on the recommendation of Emily Noel on YouTube, who is also the inspiration for these “What’s Old at X” type of posts.

L’Oreal Bronzed Taupe Eyeshadow, $6.46 @ Walmart

L'Oreal Infallible 24HR Eyeshadow 890 Bronzed Taupe Swatch
L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe
Continue reading “What’s Old at the Drugstore (L’Oreal Infallible 24HR Eye Shadow in Bronzed Taupe)”