Nikki From HR

In hindsight, I should have never dipped my toe into the world of Tom Ford Beauty. While most of the products I have tried from this brand have been great, I struggle to justify the price tag of any of them. Except for two items (Olive Smoke Quad and Bronze Isle Quad), I purchased my Tom Ford products at the Cosmetics Company Outlet, an outlet store for brands under the Estee Lauder Companies’ Umbrella. Keep in mind that the discount you see varies depending on the in-store promotion currently being offered. For the 40-50% discount I received on my purchases from the outlet, I can see myself repurchasing them in the future. However, at $60 for the Traceless Soft Matte Concealer, $95 – $100 for the Highlighters, and $95 for these Eye Color Quads ($100 for limited edition versions), I won’t be paying full retail price for this brand anymore. And let me tell you, it has been a bit of a rollercoaster coming to that conclusion, especially with these eyeshadow quads, because I really like them and get a lot of use out of them. That is why these became “Sleeper Hits” for me. My first impression was that they are nice, but definitely not worth the retail price. But now, over a year later, they have become a go-to and are one of my favorite eyeshadow formulas to use.

The Tom Ford Eye Color Quads in Honeymoon, Golden Hour, and Peach Dawn contain Tom Ford’s wet/dry baked formula, which is made in Italy. Using this type of formula is more expensive, as it is only manufactured in Italy, where the process is specialized and the labor costs are higher. I wanted to point that out for additional context on price, although there are still cheaper baked eyeshadows available. If you aren’t familiar with the wet/dry formula, it means that when applied dry, the eyeshadows give a soft, sheer look, and when applied wet, they give a bold, dramatic finish. I don’t personally use eyeshadows wet, so I’m not sure how much that helps this formula. However, I don’t think that they apply sheer when applied dry. They have enough opacity for my skin tone to see the colors as they appear in the pan. I can agree that they are soft, though.

Another touch of luxury makeup that Tom Ford includes is a pouch with every compact, along with two double-ended brush/spongetip applicators. My Honeymoon Quad is in red packaging because it was part of a limited-edition collection. It is a permanent quad, though, so it is housed in the traditional brown packaging if you were to buy one now.

Continue reading “Sleeper Hits, Vol 4: Tom Ford Eye Color Quads Honeymoon, Golden Hour, and Peach Dawn (Swatches and review)” →

Tarte recently discontinued their 12-pan palettes and has rereleased them in slimmer packaging. The Tarte Tartelette Toasted Eyeshadow Palette ($49) is a warm palette featuring 6 matte shades, 1 matte shade with lots of shimmer, 4 shimmer/metallic shades, and 1 satin shade. I’m not going to go into as much depth on the Tarte Tartelette Toasted Palette because I’ve had essentially the same overall experience as the Tarte #trippinwithtarte Palette that I reviewed in July 2025. However, the Tartelette Toasted Palette does perform a little better, and more of the shades work well for my NARS Tahoe/Estee Lauder 4W4 Skin tone. The shimmers perform much better in this palette, with no hard pan and a nice shine that doesn’t accentuate texture. The Tartelette Toasted Eyeshadows worked well with both natural hair and synthetic brushes, and the shimmers applied with more impact when I used my fingers (that’s typical). Well, except for the shade Flame, which looked great whether I used a brush or my fingers. The shade Simmer was better with fingers, but it wasn’t far off in performance with a brush. The sparkle in the shade, Crackle, is a turn-off for me. I’m not entirely sure how to use it. Candle is the dry, flaky shimmer with fallout in this palette (similar to Turks & Caicos from the #trippinwithtartepalette), but it does look smooth on my eyes. It is somewhat sheer but not patchy or necessarily weak in pigment. The mattes are all powdery, with the shade Fireside being less so (I’m guessing because it was designed for liner purposes). The mattes blend easily, and both my Urban Decay Primer Potion and MAC 24-Hour Eye Base eyeshadow primers worked well with the Tarte formula. As I’ve mentioned, Urban Decay makes it easier to blend matte eyeshadows, but MAC intensifies colors more. I tend to use MAC more as my default because I’m ok with blending a little longer if it gives me more color intensity. Both of those eye primers also keep the Tarte eyeshadows from creasing, and I haven’t experienced any fading.

I just want to quickly note some things about the scent of this palette and the packaging for those who haven’t read my Tarte #trippinwithtarte Palette review. After I open the palette, I can immediately smell the vanilla scent. The formula has both vanilla planifolia fruit extract and vanillin. Luckily for me and my sensitive nose, the smell does fade quickly after application. It features a fantastic mirror that spans almost the entire size of the palette. The only downside to using the mirror is that the scent of the eyeshadows is in your face.

I also had a little trouble getting this to show up true to color, due to the reflective packaging. The picture above is taken in warm artificial light, and the picture below is taken in natural daylight. Unfortunately, the color I see in person is somewhere between the two. The warm artificial lighting showcases how shimmery the shade Crackle is, but you’ll see in the swatches how some of those particles dust away.

Click “Continue Reading” for the full review, which includes a shade-by-shade breakdown and swatches.

Continue reading “Tarte Tartelette Toasted Eyeshadow Palette (Swatches)” →

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I first talked about the Smashbox Always On Mood Board Eyeshadow Palette in Earthy Vibes ($39) back in May of this year. In my post featuring that palette, I mentioned that the palette was worth the discounted price that I paid for it ($23), but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for the retail price of $39. Over time, I was also able to buy the other 3 variations of the Smashbox Mood Board Palettes at the Cosmetics Company Outlet, an outlet store for brands under the Estee Lauder Companies’ umbrella, for 40% off. If you are unfamiliar with the line, they are mini palettes featuring 8 shades in a mix of matte, shimmer, and metallic finishes. The packaging is a combination of paper and plastic, has a mirror, and a click closure. There is nothing fancy about the packaging, but it is along the same lines to me as **Smashbox’s 4-pan Halo Sculpt + Glow Face Palettes, and their long-discontinued CoverShot Eyeshadow palettes. The Cali Contour Face Palettes feel a little bit more substantial, but I think that is due mainly to the larger size. Smashbox is a cruelty-free brand and lists these palettes as vegan. Although they don’t mention it in the marketing, I don’t see talc listed as an ingredient on any of the boxes.

Continue reading “Smashbox Always On Mood Board Eyeshadow Palettes (Swatches of Bougie Vibes, Cozy Vibes, Earthy Vibes, and Fiery Vibes)” →

I don’t usually discuss the Allure Best of Beauty Awards, but since I have actually tried (and reviewed or mentioned) quite a few of the products that won awards for 2025, I thought it would be fun to chat about them. Let’s jump right in.

How it works

If you are unfamiliar with the awards, it is a designation that brands do use in their marketing, so it does seem to carry some weight in the industry. Allure starts the process in October every year, and brands submit their products for consideration. This is something to keep in mind, as a brand cannot win an award unless it submits its product. After Allure decides which of its editors will test which products, the brand sends them, and they organize the testing. The actual testing of the products begins in early December. If you want even more detail on the process, Allure has a write-up that you can read by clicking here.

This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **).  I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site.  Learn more here.

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2025 Best of Beauty Base Winners (click here to see all base winners)

BEST LIQUID FOUNDATION – **Patrick Ta Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation, $58

This was a very polarizing foundation release, both because of the price and the formula. As someone with dry skin, I still found this formula to be too hydrating and shiny. However, I prefer a more natural or satin finish over a dewy one. If you have very dry skin or prefer a luminous finish, you may want to consider this one.

I have a full review with pictures of me wearing the shade 18 Golden Neutral and a comparison swatch with my go-to foundation (NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Tahoe). You can find that here 👉🏽 Patrick Ta Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation.

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BEST LIQUID BLUSH – **MAC Strobe Beam Liquid Blush, $30

Continue reading “Allure Best Of Beauty Winners 2025” →

The Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Healthy Glow Blush Stick ($42, 9g) in Cherry Glow is easy to blend and luminous, as the brand promises. However, I couldn’t test the long-lasting claim because I just don’t like how it looks on me. This is an issue I mentioned in my Morphe Cloudlight Soft Glow Veil Powder Review, but I’m just not a fan of adding too much shine to my look. I use a heavy oil-based moisturizer, and I think that may make things appear extra glowy on my skin. But regardless of the reason, I could only wear this for about an hour before I went back and added a powder blush on top to tone down the shine. It is easy to use and I had no problems with blending or it moving my foundation. I picked the blush up with a brush directly from the stick and applied it from there. The glow was expected because of the marketing and the way it appeared when I swatched it, but for some reason, I still expected something closer to the finish of the Juvia’s Place Blushed Cream Blush, which sets to a more satin texture. Don’t get me wrong, the blush looks beautiful and skin-like. It is just a personal preference issue for me. Let’s get into the swatch, what it looks like on me, and a comparison, so you can decide for yourself what you think of the Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Blush Stick.

Continue reading “Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Healthy Glow Blush Stick (Cherry Glow Swatch)” →

I was shocked to recently notice that Sigma’s 14-pan eyeshadow palettes are now clocking in at $65. Back in 2020, when I posted about the Sigma Cor-de-Rosa Palette, they were $49. When the Sigma Cool Neutrals Palette was released in April 2024, it was $52. I purchased mine in November of 2024 for 30% off ($36.40), and it was $52 at that time. Now, they are suddenly at $65. Everything is getting more expensive, but this price jump is worse than most I’ve seen. This is one of the 14-pan palettes that comes with a double-sided brush (E58 Diffused Crease and E54 medium Sweeper), which does add to its cost; however, that was already included in these palettes. There are a lot of reasons to continue to buy Sigma eyeshadows. They are cruelty-free, talc-free, and I’m pretty sure their cosmetics were clean beauty before people were calling it clean beauty. I also often enjoy their color selections for eyeshadows; they appeal to me, and more often than not work well for my olive undertone better than other brands. However, the formula has never been good enough for me to recommend it unless it was on sale for 40% off. And this was back when they were $49, meaning I only recommended others purchase them for about $29.40 before tax. Now that they are $65, they would have to be over 50% off to get close to that price.

Continue reading “Sigma Eyeshadow Palettes Are $65 Now 😱 (Sigma Cool Neutrals Palette Swatches)” →

This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **).  I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site.  Learn more here.

**Givenchy Le Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick, $48 (shade 114)

The formula of the Le Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick was nice and felt comfortable on my lips, but the scent of this lipstick was a deal breaker. I have been able to wear Givenchy lipsticks and lip balms in the past, and felt that the smell went away, but that was not the case for the Le Rouge Interdit Satin formula. I’m not sure if the fragrance added to this formula is in fact stronger than in the past, or if I’m just more sensitive to it now. Either way, I couldn’t hang in there long enough to truly test the formula out. Givenchy promises that this lipstick provides 24-hour hydration with a 6-hour color impact, and it comes in a genuine leather case. It is well reviewed, and I’ve had great success with Givenchy’s products in the past, so it may be worth considering for those not sensitive to fragrance.

I have swatches and comparisons below of the shade with Estee Lauder Covetable, Charlotte Tilbury Stoned Rose, Charlotte Tilbury Nude Romance, and Pat McGrath Negligee. Givenchy’s 144 Satin ended up being quite a unique color. None of the other shades I have are really that close.

Continue reading “Makeup Fails (Givenchy Le Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick and Ilia Eye Stylus Shadow Sticks)” →

I stumbled on the 2025 Halloween Collection from Wet n Wild when I was in CVS last weekend. Well, I think Fantasy Makers is the branding that Wet n Wild uses for Halloween. If I’m mistaken, please let me know. I did check the batch code to make sure it was new, and it was manufactured 2 months and 21 days ago. So even if it is not a Halloween release, it is new to the market.

This blog uses affiliate links (marked with **).  I may earn a small commission when you purchase through links on my site.  Learn more here.

There were two different 10-pan eyeshadow palettes in CVS, the Poisoned Forest and the Queen of Brights. The palettes were more expensive than the permanent collection, $7.29 vs the $6.49 listed on the Wet n Wild website for the permanent collection. **The Queen of Brights Palette is $6.19 on the Wet n Wild website. I decided to buy Poisoned Forest. I just couldn’t see myself using the Queen of Brights enough to justify having it. But I did take pictures of it in the store so you can see what it looks like. I’m not sure if Wet n Wild typically releases its limited edition products at online retailers, but as of today, I couldn’t find these online anywhere. Not even on the CVS website, despite buying them in CVS.

Continue reading “Wet n Wild Fantasy Makers 2025 Eyeshadow Palettes (Poisoned Forest Swatches and Queen of Brights)” →