Category: Commentary

Happy New Year! I thought it would be fun to kick this year off with what I want to see some of my favorite brands do this year. I think it will be fun to look back at the end of the year and see if anything I am hoping for actually happens. For some context on my background, I have a long history in retail both as a cashier and as a store manager; I’ve operated my own small business selling makeup bags and brush rolls; and I’m an experienced government buyer (sometimes called a contract specialist or purchasing agent). So while I’ve never worked for a beauty brand, I do have a strong understanding of retail, logistics, and supply chain operations. My point in telling you this is that I’m considering not just the consumer perspective, but I’m also attempting to consider what may be happening behind the scenes of these brands.

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1. I’d Like To See Smashbox Release Powder Blush and Bronzer in Single Compacts

Smashbox has no problem formulating blushes and bronzers, they just always typically appear in palettes. I personally like single products over palettes although I know that palettes give the brand a larger profit margin. They did come out with a liquid blush (Halo Cream Cheek + Lip Tint**) in 2022 that is available as a single product, but they didn’t get much attention. The reviews for the Halo Cream Cheek Tint seem mixed, so the brand could still use a reliable blush in its lineup. They could maybe even resurrect the luminous blushes and sunlit bronzer from the now-defunct Becca. The Smashbox x Becca branded highlighter** and corrector** have remained bestsellers in their categories at Ulta and Sephora and have become bestsellers for Smashbox on their own website.** Since that seems to be working out so far, why not take it further? The wish for the sunlit bronzer to make an appearance from another brand is partly selfish, it is one of my favorite products. However, I stand by my thought that it would be a good product for the brand to release.

Smashbox still relies heavily on its face primers and from what I can see, promoting those is where they spend most of the marketing budget. But I think if they took even a small slice of that budget and focused it on creating and promoting some single-color cosmetics, it could be a good move for them. I think that many consumers still like the idea of brand loyalty. I’m specifically thinking of the type of consumers that don’t read beauty blogs and hang out on beauty forums. Expanding the product line to have these types of basics could help foster that feeling in the less adventurous consumer that makes up a significant portion of beauty sales. Then even if people come to them for the primer, they may stay and buy more from the brand.

2. I’d Like To See MAC Revitalize The Sheertone Shimmer Blush Formula

Even with the huge emphasis on glowy skin, there are tons of makeup consumers that don’t want to use cream products (like me 😂). It is past time to capitalize on that market and give people an easy to use blush with a glow. MAC does still sell 3 Sheertone Shimmers**, but that isn’t nearly enough. I do have a swatch of the shade Peachtwist. You can see below how it compares in finish to burnt pepper (matte finish) and breath of plum (sheertone finish). Ambering Rose and Sweet as Cocoa were cult classic sheertone shimmers (especially for women of color) that unfortunately, MAC has discontinued. If the brand has no plans to bring back some of those fan favorites, they could at least release some new more modern shades. MAC’s blush line used to be much more extensive and I’d love to see it return to its previous more vast range.

MAC does have the baked mineralize blush finish (see swatches here), with some of those shades being the closest they currently have to a powder blush with a glowy finish. But that formula is also limited in number and some of the shades are a matte finish. The shades that do have a sheen like love joy and love thing don’t provide as much glow as some may be looking for these days.

MAC does still formulate and release new blush shades, however, they are always grouped into a limited edition collection. The limited edition shades have also been typically either matte or the Glow Play** formula. Consumers are loving the Glow Play formula, so they can play off that popularity and release a powder version of them. They could call it Glow Play Velvet and they could either tweak the existing formula into a baked version or use their existing baked formula (Mineralize Blush**) as a jumping off point. Since those formulas are already available and the packaging already exists, they don’t have to start from scratch. I’d also love to see an expansion to the existing Glow Play formula, but I feel like I’ve talked about that a ton in the past year already lol. I have two posts featuring the shades Groovy, Heat Index, and Rosy Does It if you want to know more about them.

3. I’d Like To See More Mini Size Foundation and Concealers Being Offered

As someone who regularly falls between shades, it would be nice to see more mini sizes being offered so I could save some money when I need to buy two shades. This is something that is happening more often but I’d like to see it from even more brands. It’d also be nice if the mini came in all the same shades as the full size, which doesn’t always happen. There are some brands that only pick select shades to make in mini sizes, which leaves a lot of people that can’t take advantage of the minis. The two items I featured above, bareMinerals Tinted Moisturizer** and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer**, have both sizes available in every shade which I appreciate. And again, this is something that is becoming more common, but I’d like to see mini sizes of some of the top-selling foundations like MAC Studio Fix Fluid, Estee Lauder Double Wear, NARS Natural Radiant Longwear, Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation plus Concealer, and the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24HR Foundations. It’d be nice to see mini sizes for the Too Faced Born This Way, Rare Beauty Liquid Touch, ABH Magic Touch, and MAC Pro Longwear concealers.

Continue reading “5 Things I’d Like To See From Brands in 2023” →

When you are learning about makeup and how to apply it to yourself, you inevitably end up mimicking other people’s styles and techniques. However, once you get the basics down and begin to experiment with the “rules” in order to come up with your own style, there are some things you end up dropping. That’s what I wanted to talk with you about today. I have realized that these techniques don’t suit my personal style, don’t suit my skin type or face shape, or take more time than I’m willing to spend doing my makeup.

1. Using 3 or More Eyeshadows In Every Look

The only exception to this one is when I am testing a new eyeshadow product. It is important to know how shadows layer, blend and build when I’m reviewing a product for this blog but not as much for personal use. I have found that eyeshadow is most flattering on me when I only use 1 or 2 shades. I feel like I look my best in one-and-done eyeshadow looks, but occasionally I’ll use a blending shade to blend out the edges. My rationale for this is my slightly hooded eyelids. Taking one color from the lash line and blending it out makes it appear as though I have more lid space than I actually do. It makes my eyes look brighter and that’s ultimately what I’m going for. If I’m not careful, deepening the outer-v can start to make my hood look heavier than it is. And on a day-to-day basis, I don’t want to have to be careful, I prefer to get my eyes done quickly and get going. I even started limiting how many dark eyeshadow shades I purchase because they just don’t get enough use from me.

2. Wearing Eyeliner

This mostly has to do with the application, I just can’t be bothered to take the time to do eyeliner 😂. My eyelids have a natural puffiness to them right at the base of my lashes, so it makes lining incredibly difficult. There are some products I’ve been able to work with like the MAC Technakohl Liner, Stila Smudge Stick, and the L’oreal Laquer Liner, but it still doesn’t feel worth the time to me. I find that wearing mascara gives me enough lash line definition to be happy and it’s easier for me to work with.

3. Applying Undereye Concealer After Foundation

A lot of people I see do their makeup on YouTube applying foundation first and then under-eye concealer. I’m the opposite and now exclusively apply my under-eye concealer first. I always get a better blend and if the concealer is slightly too light, adding the foundation second keeps me from looking like I have raccoon eyes.

4. Using A Beauty Blender

I love the finish of using a beauty blender, but I feel like it dries my face out. As someone with dry skin, I can not afford to do anything drying if I can help it. I also prefer the experience of using brushes over sponges.

5. Setting My Entire Face With Powder

If I am wearing a matte foundation I skip powder altogether, but there are some foundations that need setting because they feel tacky on my skin. But instead of setting my entire face I just set the areas where I’m going to apply bronzer and blush. This keeps my driest areas from looking too dry and textured.

There is nothing groundbreaking or special about not doing these techniques, I just thought I’d share in case you needed a push to stop doing something that may be annoying you.

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Are there any techniques that you’re using because you’re “supposed to” and not because you like them? Let’s talk about it in the comments section below.

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If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like down below.  If you’d like to check out more of my content, here are some places to start. 

• Brands A-Z: Check out this index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
• MAC Cosmetics:  I likely have some swatches you’ve been searching for if you love Mac as much as I do. 
• The Wanderlust List:  Join me as I search for alternatives to new releases.

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