Category: Beauty

These are my personal favorite blushes from the drugstore.  In my opinion, these blushes are great, not just good for the price.

e.l.f. Primer Infused Blush in Always Rosy, $7.00 

Update January 17, 2025: This blush has been reformulated since I last used it, so I’m unsure if the new formula performs the same and the shade may be different.

This blush actually is listed as a bestseller on e.l.f.’s website.  They have also recently added 3 more for a total of seven shades.

The e.l.f. always rosy blush has a beautiful formula.  I don’t really think there is a noticeable difference in performance and wear time due to it being primer infused.  The texture of the powder is definitely smoother than other blushes I’ve tried, but I just don’t notice that it made a difference overall.  I found it easy to pick up with any brush and easy to blend.  I immediately felt like this reminded me of a more pink version of the Mac blush in the shade Mocha.  I feel like Mac Mocha has more red to it than this shade.

These powders are firmly pressed in the pan so they do not kick up powder, but are still easy to pick up on a brush in my experience.  This formula does not accentuate texture but still has enough shine to actually highlight the face.  The closest thing in texture I’ve used was the MUFE Artist Face Color (click here for a swatch and review of shade H106).  Ibiza is my personal color preference, but if you like a pink toned highlight, Maldives performs just as well.

The NARS Highlighting Powders are $38.00 at narscosmetics.com and are available in six shades.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Today is another day in what is certainly theBalm’s longest 50% off sale.  The sale originally started back on April 7 but has been extended several times since the original end date of April 12.  If you aren’t familiar with the brand, they typically have these sales 2 or 3 times a year.  No company is immune to times being hard right now so I’m sure that has everything to do with the sale extensions.

theBalm is a brand worth checking out if you are sensitive to either talc or parabens and like supporting cruelty-free brands  Over the years I’ve tried a sampling of theBalm’s products and by far my favorite product of theirs is highlighter.  The more recent release of the shade Bonnie-Lou Manizer is the swatch I am sharing with you today.

Today I’m sharing some swatches of my Laura Mercier Illuminator Palette with you.  Although this particular palette is a holiday 2018 limited edition release, all three shades it contains are available in the brand’s permanent lineup.

From Left to Right:

Indiscretion is described as a warm rose gold highlight

Devotion is described as a cool pink highlight

Addiction is described as a gilded gold highlight

The permanent single shades retail for $45.00 on Laura Mercier’s website, but she traditionally releases a palette every holiday season with multiple shades if you want better value.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

While I do think Urban Decay’s newer color schemes should be released under a new name (rather than being part of the “Naked” line), from a business perspective, I can see why they stick with the Naked theme.  People love the Naked series and it has a lot of hype behind the collection.  So having that name attached guarantees both new and repeat customers that might otherwise overlook a new product line from the brand.  Like it or not, it seems to be working for them.  I enjoy Urban decay shadows and these are no different.

The Naked Cherry Palette typically retails for $49.00 but today (April 23, 2020) it’s been marked down to $24.50 on urbandecay.com.  According to the Urban Decay promotions page, this sale ends May 2, 2020, 11:59 PM PST.

What are your thoughts on the Urban Decay Naked palettes?  Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Lancome Dual Finish Highlighter in 04 Dazzling Bronze and 05 Sparkling Peche

Lancome makes great products and these highlighters are no exception.  Unfortunately, they still aren’t my favorite highlighters.  I have tried to make these work, but they are just too intense for my taste.  No matter what brush I use to apply them, I have to go back over them with whatever foundation tool I used that day to tone them down.  Once I take that step, I think they look beautiful on my skin.  I have other highlighters that I don’t have to do this extra step with, so I use these less and less.  I do have dry skin, and I suspect someone with more normal to oily skin may not have as much of an issue.  Unrelated to performance, but important to me at this price point,  I think the compact feels a little cheap.

Lancome Dual Finish Highlighter Swatches in 04 Dazzling Bronze and 05 Sparkling Peche

If you are looking for an intense highlight, I would check these out.

The Dual Finish Highlighter comes in 5 different shades and costs $42.00 on macys.com.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Estee Lauder Ultimate Mineral-Infused Matte Bronzers were the limited edition release for Summer 2019’s Bronze Goddess Collection, but you can still find some inventory hanging around.  Keep reading for swatches and my thoughts.

I used to have both the shades 03 Brazen (medium deep) and 04 Hot Spell (deep).  I will insert a picture of the two shades swatched next to each other, but I will warn you that it is blurry.  I still own 04 Hot Spell and was able to take a new picture of that swatch, which is also below.  Two lighter colors were also released as part of the collection, 01 Halo and 02 Suggestive.  They retail for $40.00 and last I checked all 4 shades are still in stock at Macy’s. As of June 11, 2021 the only in stock shade I could find was 03 Brazen at Saks Fifth Avenue. As mentioned, this was released in the summer of 2019, so calling an Estee Lauder counter would be the best way to find out if any inventory is still around.