MAC Face and Body, Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer, Smashbox Halo Healthy Glow Tinted Moisturizer, Urban Decay Hydromaniac Tinted Glow Hydrator, and Tower 28 SunnyDays
As summer approaches, many of us start hunting for lighter coverage makeup that doesn’t feel heavy. I want to warn any long-time readers of mine that this post may be redundant for you. This post is an updated version of reviews I published in 2022, with the addition of only one new product. If you have dry skin and prefer to avoid extremely dewy finishes (like me), finding the right skin tint or tinted moisturizer can be challenging. In this post, I’ll discuss two skin tints (light coverage, minimal hydration) and three tinted moisturizers (light to medium coverage, hydrating) that give me a more natural look, feel light on my skin, and don’t go overboard with the amount of shine. For shade reference, my best foundation matches are NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Tahoe and Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation in 4W4 Hazel.
One quick tip before we get started. You absolutely don’t need to buy a skin tint or a tinted moisturizer if you already have a foundation. You can mix some of your everyday moisturizer into your foundation to sheer it out. You can also apply less foundation than you typically do and sheer it out that way. Some foundations don’t spread as easily as others, and that’s when mixing in a moisturizer or serum can help.
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I took me a long time to give **the Lancome Hypnose 5 Eyeshadow Palettes a try. I have enjoyed Lancome single eyeshadows in the past, but they have discontinued most of that range. I’m happy to say that the quality and performance of these eyeshadows are excellent. I will warn you, the matte formula does not swatch well, but it really does perform great on the eyes (where it matters). Lancome claims that the Hypnose 5-Color Eyeshadow Palettes are highly pigmented, long-wearing, smudge-resistant, crease-resistant, and non-flaking. They are also promising a soft and smooth texture with palette variations that offer day-to-night colors. I must say, the only thing I somewhat disagree with is the day-to-night color scheme, as it can vary based on personal preference and skin tone.
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The brand new **NARS Light Reflecting Luminizing Powders ($42) were first released as an Ulta exclusive but are now available on the NARS website. I assume they will eventually make their way to other retailers, but for now, I’ve only seen them at Ulta. This formula comes in 5 shades (Eros, Heavenly, Electra, Ophelia, and Total Eclipse). I purchased the shade Ophelia, which I thought would work best for my NARS Tahoe/Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone.
Update June 13, 2025: Thanks to Lili for helping me figure this out. The ingredients for the single highlighters (Light Reflecting Luminizing Powder) are different from the highlighters in the Hot Escape Cheek Palettes. I’m not sure why they kept the names of the highlighters from three of the summer palettes when the formulas are different. As I have continued to use this highlighter, I started to wonder if the undertone or shade is just slightly off. Then, I was swatching the Hot Escape Cheek Palettes in-store this past Saturday, and the highlighters from the palettes felt a little softer and seemed less metallic. So, when I discussed it with Lili, she discovered that the ingredients were different.
Morphe recently launched a new line of makeup brushes, and I was excited to check them out. I did try some eye brushes from their last brush release (Vegan Pro Series), but the handles were too long for me, so I was happy to see them shorten the handles this time around. The marketing calls them “reimagined,” and they are made with synthetic fibers that are silver ion-infused, which have antibacterial properties. If you wash your makeup brushes regularly, you shouldn’t need to worry about bacteria, but I suppose it can’t hurt to have some extra help.
Morphe Makeup Brushes ($6-$18 for Individual Brushes and $18 to $98 for Sets)
I’m reviewing 12 of the new Morphe Brushes for you today. I’ve listed both what the brush handle says and, in parentheses, the brush’s name as it appears on the Ulta website. I have at least 1 comparison brush for size and shape reference for each of them. While some of the comparisons may not be direct use comparisons, I wanted to provide some size and shape context, as zoomed-in pictures make the brushes appear much larger than they actually are. I experienced some lighting issues this week due to frequent cloudy and rainy conditions, which resulted in some images not being as crisp as I would have liked them to be. However, I think you can still see the size and shape fine. One last note before I get into the reviews: I have washed these brushes multiple times. They are easy to clean, dry fairly quick, and hold their shape so far, but of course, it could be months or even years before you can really tell how durable they will be. Update October 21, 2025: The brushes are still holding up well and keeping their shape.
NARS Total Seduction Eyeshadow Sticks Strip Down and Sparked
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**The NARS Total Seduction Eyeshadow Sticks ($32) are a newer product for the brand, and in March, they expanded the range with 8 new shimmer shades as part of their Hot Escape Summer Collection. I hadn’t tried the formula yet, so I purchased one of the existing matte shades in Strip Down and one of the new shimmer shades in Sparked to try. Both formulas are supposed to be long-wearing, smudge-proof, crease-resistant, and water-resistant. Where the claims differ is that the matte formula is transfer-resistant with high impact color, and the shimmer is fade-resistant and fallout-free. Many of these claims seem redundant to me, but ultimately, I agree that they are long-wearing and don’t budge once they set. The matte finish works pretty well for me, but I do have some trouble with the shimmer finish (Sparked) before it sets.
Just a quick post today to let you know that I added an index for swatches and reviews of eyeshadow products (powder eyeshadow singles, quads, and duos, powder eyeshadow palettes, Eyeshadow sticks, and a MAC paint pot).
The index only features products that I have swatched, reviewed, or both that are currently for sale. If it has been discontinued and I didn’t see it at a retailer, I left it out. If you’re looking for a limited-edition or discontinued product, you can check my Brands A-Z page to see if I’ve featured it.
Disclaimer: I purchased all the featured products with my own money. This site receives a minimal commission from affiliate links and participation in the WordAds program. For my full disclosure policy, click here.
MAC Cosmetics is kicking off its Memorial Day Sale today, so it felt like a great opportunity to bring you a volume 2 for MAC’s Forgotten Bestsellers. I enjoy writing these posts because I get to talk about older products that are good enough to still sell well for the brand. To keep it simple, I use the brand website’s best seller list rather than separate retailers. You can check out the first MAC Forgotten Bestsellers that I posted in 2022 by clicking here. I have also done this for NARS, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Maybelline, and Laura Mercier, if you’d like to check those out.
DISCLAIMER: This post will also be the first post in a long time to include affiliate links. Long story, short, I removed all of my affiliate links a couple of years ago, but they will be returning. I am still an unsponsored blog and do not receive payment in exchange for any blog posts. I will continue purchasing all my products and sharing my honest opinions. While there is nothing wrong with sponsored content, I value the perspective I get from spending my own money on an item. If you click on an affiliate link AND make a purchase, I will receive a small sales commission. There is no additional cost for you, and the purchase price remains the same. If you see two asterisks (**), it is an affiliate link. I greatly appreciate your support if you decide to use my affiliate links to shop.
MAC Future Flame Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette
Technically, the best-selling versions of these palettes are the Embedded in Burgundy (6-pan) and Unfiltered Nudes (12-pan) versions. I apologize if this causes frustration, especially with the 6-pan I will showcase (Nude Board), because it is only available at airport duty-free locations and, I believe, overseas. Its name also seems to differ (Intimate Nudes) on the MAC UK website, but the shade names are the same as mine. I purchased mine at the Las Vegas Airport. However, since the formulas are pretty consistent across the palettes, I decided to just feature the versions that I already own. I have swatched all of the 12-pan and 6-pan versions that are currently available in the permanent range, and I really don’t think there is much variation between the palettes. There is variation from shade to shade, which can be typical of any palette, even among the same finish.
MAC Future Flame Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette
My biggest complaint is that What’s the Pointilism (bottom row, 1st shade) and Flame-Boyant (bottom row, 3rd shade) are a little weak in pigment and build slowly, but they work. The mattes blend easily, the shimmers haven’t given me any trouble with fallout, and they work with fingers or a brush. I’ve used this palette with my usual eye primers (MAC Prep and Prime 24HR, Urban Decay Primer Potion, and Milani), and it has performed well with all of them. It has also gotten along with both natural and synthetic brushes.
MAC Future Flame Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette
Update October 2, 2025: For what it’s worth, I prefer the singles eyeshadows over the Connect In Colour formula. The Connect In Colour palettes don’t list talc as an ingredient, so that could be the problem. Also, today (October 2, 2025), MAC released a new **Dazzle Collection, which rebranded some of their eyeshadow formulas. This release does have some of the older Dazzleshadow and Dazzleshadow Extreme shades, but the formula is different. The new formula doesn’t have talc in the ingredient list. I’d bet that the older single eyeshadows that still have talc won’t be far behind this reformulation.
**The Future Flame version of the Connect in Colour 12-pan palettes has been marked down to $42 for a while, so it may be excluded from the Memorial Day sale. 30% off full price would make it cheaper than its current marked-down price, so it would be better for the brand to take it off sale and give the 30% off. But we’ll see how things happen when the sale starts.
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MAC – Connect In Colour Eye Shadow Palette: Unfiltered Nudes
Like many brands, Clinique has been busy adding new products to its lineup and reformulating old ones. I’ve recently been testing 2 shades of their newly released True Highlight Weightless Illuminator and the reformulation of their Morning Java All About Eye Shadow Quad, and it was all kind of a bust. I still think this brand excels in making products that are easy to use, but with prices increasing, I’m not sure it’s the same value buy that it once was. I still think the quality is good. I’d just rather spend my money on other brands. Regardless, let’s get into my thoughts on these formulas.
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Clinique Highlighter – 02 Starlit Glow and 03 Daylit Bronze
Clinique Highlighter – 02 Starlit Glow and 03 Daylit Bronze
I found the Clinique True Highlight Weightless Illuminator before it had testers in any store, so I made an educated guess on which shade would work for me. Since there are four shades, I figured the 3rd (Daylit Bronze) would work, but it turned out to be too dark. So, not only did it not look like a highlight, but I could barely see that I applied it. I liked the actual formula and thought it was promising. So after a couple of weeks, I decided to try the next shade lighter (02 Starlit Glow), which I initially thought looked too icy to work for me.
Nikki From HR 