Let’s Do Some Window Shopping (bareMinerals, NARS, Armani, Tarte)

My thoughts on new beauty releases: bareMinerals Blonzer shade expansion, NARS Light Reflecting Eye Brightener, Armani Power Fabric Concealer Reformulation, Tarte Mini Big Ego Palette, and Tarte Mini Tartelette Fresh Picked Palette.

If you follow the beauty industry closely, you know that sales and new releases are happening constantly.  Here are some sales and new products that caught my eye.


  • MACCosmetics.com – 25% off for Loyalty Members (free to sign up). Ends at 3:00 AM on 27 June 2023.
  • Smashbox.com – 25% off ends on 18 June 2023.
  • BobbiBrowncosmetics.com – 25% off ends on 16 June 2023
  • Toofaced.com – 30% off with code SAVE30 ends on 17 June 2023.
  • Kosas.com – 20% off ends 20 June 2023.

bareMinerals Blonzer and Brush Set, $37.44 at QVC: bareMinerals has recently added 2 new shades to their Blonzer range, Kiss of Spice and Kiss of Mauve. As far as I can see, they are only available on QVC in this set that comes with a brush. If they were ever available from bareMinerals directly they must have sold out. The Blonzer by itself retails for $26.00, so it may be worth it to wait for the new shades to become available separately. I do like the bareMinerals gen nude blush formula but this range didn’t have a shade that I was really excited to use. Unfortunately, this shade expansion hasn’t changed that. Kiss of Rose is the closest in the range of something I’d like to wear but since I have MAC Faux Sure I decided against buying it. They are not formula dupes by any means, but they are both glowy and are close enough in color that I’d get the same overall look.


UPDATE September 2024: I ended up buying the NARS Light Reflecting Eye Brightener in the shade Magic Hour. Click here to check out my review.

NARS Light Reflecting Eye Brightener, $34.00: When I first saw this I assumed it was a corrector, but the brand intends this to brighten and illuminate rather than to neutralize. That isn’t a bad thing, just something to keep in mind if you are looking for a corrector. Of course, depending on the color some of these shades may work for you to neutralize, but that just isn’t the intended function. For instance, the brand claims that it “Targets dark circles and dullness to give the illusion of a dramatic lift that glides on seamlessly.” There is a big emphasis on its ability to illuminate and a mention that it can soften dullness. You can use this alone, over your concealer, or under your concealer. It is supposed to be crease-resistant and long-wearing so it has some major claims to live up to. For me, I don’t see where this would fit into my routine, but if you like a brightened under-eye, maybe it could be worth a look.

Continue reading “Let’s Do Some Window Shopping (bareMinerals, NARS, Armani, Tarte)”

Bobbi Brown Skin Corrector Stick (Dark Peach Swatch and Comparison to Original Undereye Corrector Formula)

Bobbi Brown Corrector Stick Dark Peach Swatch Medium Dark Skin
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Dark Peach Swatch on Medium Dark Skin (5.75 Golden Honey)
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Dark Peach

Early last year Bobbi Brown added the Skin Corrector Stick to their lineup. So far, it has not replaced the cult classic Undereye Corrector that comes in pot form. Unfortunately, the original formula did lose some shades (16 cut down to 12) but it is still being sold. I’ve always had trouble with the original formula creasing badly, so I was very curious to see how the Skin Corrector Stick would perform in comparison.

According to the product information, the shade dark peach corrects brown/grey/greenish discoloration. My undereye discoloration is a greenish-brown, so I stuck to the dark peach shade that I have in the pot form when I purchased the Skin Corrector Stick. The shades are close, but the pot form is a touch lighter and has more yellow. This makes more of a difference for me on the face than under the eyes, but I rarely use it on the face so it doesn’t bother me. Under the eyes, I do enjoy the extra brightening that I get from the Corrector in the Pot. For reference, my best foundation matches are NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Tahoe, Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4 Hazel, and MAC Studio Fix Fluid C8.

Continue reading “Bobbi Brown Skin Corrector Stick (Dark Peach Swatch and Comparison to Original Undereye Corrector Formula)”

Review Update: Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Concealer (Swatches W310, N345, N385)

Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Concealer N385 Swatch Medium Dark Skin

I’m excited to finally be writing this update for the Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Concealer after realizing that it was not the cause of my under-eye irritation. I say finally because my first post about it was back in March and while I wanted to post this update sooner, I wanted to be absolutely certain it wasn’t a problem. Initially, I was convinced that this concealer was causing a feeling of soreness under my eyes. However, after I stopped using it for a while the issue didn’t go away. Turns out the skin irritation was because of a skincare product. I’ve had a consistent skincare routine that was working for years, but my recent move to the Northeast pushed me to try some different moisturizers.

I want to reiterate that I did make sure to rule the Givenchy Prisme Libre Concealer out as the issue before using it again. I am by no means encouraging anyone to ignore skin irritation for the sake of using a certain product. It’s also important to keep in mind that one person having a problem with a product does not mean it will be a problem for everyone. So anyway, I’m glad that this concealer was not to blame for any discomfort because it’s a good one.

The main thing I want to share today are swatches of 2 additional shades of the Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Concealer (W310 and N345). This is a solid medium coverage, radiant finish concealer that works well for my dry skin. I do think there is a potential for building this for higher coverage, but on me, that causes creasing that looks bad. All things crease to some degree. To me, it’s bad when you can see lines created by the creasing from a distance. If you don’t tend to have issues with creasing, or if using a setting powder typically takes care of any creasing, you may be able to get more coverage out of this. For a point of reference, this isn’t as radiant on me as the Armani Luminous Silk Concealer, but it does have more coverage than the Armani. If you are looking for more details on this concealer, you can read my original review here.

Continue reading “Review Update: Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Concealer (Swatches W310, N345, N385)”

Fantasy Makeup Declutter, Vol 2 (NARS Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder, Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer, and Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer)

NARS Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder Bay, Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer 6.5G Brittle, Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer 4WO
NARS Soft Matte Powder in Bay, Huda Beauty Luminous Matte Concealer in 6.5G Brittle, and Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer in 4WO

Today I wanted to talk about some products that I think are good products but they just aren’t the best for my personal preferences. I should probably declutter them, but because they have redeeming qualities I just can’t seem to do it. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk about the NARS Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder and the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer on my blog yet so this will be a quick review of those. However, the Dior Forever Correct Concealer will be a product update if you follow my blog regularly. If you want more information on that concealer, it has a full review posted that you can check out by clicking here.

Continue reading “Fantasy Makeup Declutter, Vol 2 (NARS Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder, Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer, and Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer)”

MAC Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer (NC43 and NC45 Swatches)

MAC Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer NC43 and NC45 Swatches Medium Dark Skin

We’re getting back to MAC today! This concealer is one that I have a love/hate relationship with and wish it worked better for me. I think it is a good formula but I also wish that it looked a bit more hydrated on me. In fairness, the Studio Fix 24-Hour Concealer has a natural matte finish, but I like to use matte concealers because it means I can typically skip setting powder. In fact, I can skip setting this with powder and it doesn’t compromise the wear.

While I agree with most of the claims on this concealer, one issue is that I don’t agree that it can be built to full coverage. It dries very fast and once it sets, adding any additional product on top causes it to lift and become patchy. So the best result I’ve been able to get is starting with as much product as I think I’ll need and blending with my fingers. The dry down is more manageable with finger application but even then, this doesn’t give me full coverage. If you don’t have dark circles or dark hyperpigmentation, you may find that this method gives you full coverage. However, for me, I really feel like I need a second layer and this formula just doesn’t layer well enough to do that.

Continue reading “MAC Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer (NC43 and NC45 Swatches)”

Dior Addict Lipstick Swatch (716 Dior Cannage)

Dior Addict Lipstick 716 Dior Cannage Swatch Medium Dark Skin

To be blunt, don’t spend $45 on this lipstick. The Dior Addict Lipstick in 716 Dior Cannage is a beautiful color with a great shine and is very comfortable to wear but it just doesn’t last. I’m talking about 2 hours before it needs to be touched up.

Dior Addict Lipstick 716 Dior Cannage Swatch Medium Dark Skin

Dior is claiming 6 hours of wear and shine, which I have not experienced since I started testing this back in October. However, since the brand only used a sample size of 25 people to determine this, I shouldn’t be so surprised that the claim seems off the mark. I drink water and tea all day, so I do put lipsticks through a lot, but I can get 4 hours of decent wear out of my favorite formulas before feeling the need for a touch-up. On the upside, I do like the amount of pigment, and the fact that it feels like a balm is great for my dry lips.

Wearing Dior Addict Shine Lipstick in 716 Dior Cannage Lipstick

Update December 18, 2024: As I mentioned in my Best and Worst Products of 2023 Post, this isn’t a product I’d recommend because I think there are better lipsticks on the market for less money. However, since I bought it, I’ve been using it and it does work into my looks very easily. It is also easy to reapply it without a mirror, and I’ve never caught myself in a mirror looking crazy after having done so 😂. It is good that it is easy to reapply because it disappears quickly. I drink a lot throughout the day, which will make things wear down faster, but I get better wear out of other formulas.

716 Dior Cannage Comparison Swatch to Chanel Rouge Allure 209 Alter Ego

Continue reading “Dior Addict Lipstick Swatch (716 Dior Cannage)”

New Feature On My Website

I wanted to share a page I added to my website (Makeup Swatches), that features swatches of products that don’t appear in a dedicated blog post. Sometimes there are products that slip through the cracks for whatever reason but I’ve already taken photos of them. So I figured this would be a good way for me to share those items that might not get reviewed, but I think people would still want to see swatches for.

The two images below are just a preview to give you a sense of what I have posted so far.

page preview
page preview

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. 

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

Estee Lauder Pure Color Creme Lipstick Swatches (Covetable 818, 561 Intense Nude, and Level Up 488)

For some reason, Estee Lauder recently made the decision to reformulate the well-loved Pure Color Envy Lipsticks. The new line of lipsticks is now called the Pure Colore Creme Lipstick but they are still offered in 3 different finishes (creme, hi-lustre, and matte). I’ll only be talking about the creme formula today. The Creme lineup comes in 31 shades and retails for $36.00.

A note on the packaging before we get into the formula. I miss the dark blue tube of the old Pure Color Envy Lipstick. This new one is the same size and shape, but all gold. I just don’t think it looks as elegant and it is ever so slightly lighter. It still has a magnetic closure which is always a nice touch, but I do think they lightened the weight of the tube a bit.

If you’ve read some of my older lipstick reviews you may recall that the Pure Color Envy formula is my favorite lipstick of all time. Some of my favorite things about the previous formula were the coverage, shine, graceful wear down, and nourishing feel. So does the new formula live up to the old one? Not really. Let’s get into the reasons why.

Continue reading “Estee Lauder Pure Color Creme Lipstick Swatches (Covetable 818, 561 Intense Nude, and Level Up 488)”