Nikki From HR

I initially talked about this highlighter and shared a swatch in my Sephora Friends and Family Sale Haul, but I hadn’t used it yet. Now that I’ve had time to play around with it, I’m back with my thoughts.

LYS Aim High Liquid Highlighter in Brave, $19.00

This formula gave me some problems. Despite that, it is a flattering shade for me, it is kind to my texture, and once finessed it has a beautiful finish. I would definitely call this a finicky product. It is quite liquidy and a little bit goes a long way, so you have to be careful not to squeeze out too much product. Also, you have to make sure to shake it well before using it (which isn’t a big deal). The problem is that when blended over certain foundations it can leave harsh lines around the edges and disturb the product underneath.

Once it sets (and it sets quicker if using powder foundation), blending the harsh edges gets difficult without causing some patchiness. It is hard to get a feel for when to stop blending before it starts to pick up the foundation, but also make sure it blends into the rest of my makeup. Because of this, it hasn’t always been possible to get a seamless blend.

I first found out about this product from my friend Lili and she had the same experience that I did with shade 60 Warm Plum. In Lili’s review, she also tested the shade 30 Warm Coral and had a much better experience. Her review was my basis for trying this product, so if you want more details and to see both of the shades on someone darker than me, please check that out by clicking here.

The brand uses words like airy and creamy to describe the Melting Color Balms and I would say they missed the mark for the shade 60 warm plum. I found this formula to be quite dry. It actually feels like you are not getting any product regardless of the tool, but eventually, somehow you do get pigment. From there it is buildable as the brand promises but the darker you are the more work you’ll have to put in to get your desired intensity. Lucky for me, I didn’t feel like I needed to build it much. After I manage to get the product on my brush, I felt like I only needed that one application for one cheek. So I did need to load my brush with the product again for the other cheek. I don’t need to build beyond that one layer to be satisfied with the color. When I build this shade too much, it starts to look like a bruise on my skin tone. So the light, buildable nature of this shade ends up working out for me personally.

These are some items I wanted to give a shout-out to because they are easy to use and affordable. Sometimes you are just looking for something that is simple and does the job. These are some products that come to mind when I’m in a rush and want to use products that I can’t mess up.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Desert Escape

I’ve done a full review on these lipsticks (click here to see it) and I reference them often, so I won’t say too much here. For me, the shade desert escape in particular works as an everyday color. I can always count on it and it seems to work with every look. I know that won’t necessarily be true for everyone trying this shade, but they have such a good shade range I thought it was worth mentioning anyway.

I was determined to take the rest of this year off, but I was starting to drive myself crazy, so I’m back at it.

I wanted to talk about some older products that I don’t hear mentioned much anymore, but they still manage to take up permanent residence on the brand’s bestsellers list. To keep it simple, I went by the brand website’s best seller list rather than retailers like Sephora and Ulta. Let’s revisit some Nars products.

If you like this kind of post, please check out my other best seller posts on MAC, MAC Vol. 2, Maybelline, Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, and Clinique.

As we say goodbye to another year, I wanted to share my favorites from 2021. I know this post may seem premature, but as Black Friday sales start to roll in and supply chains continue to be stressed, I figured it would be ok.

I had trouble trying to narrow down my list, so I decided to limit myself to products that I purchased in 2021. I have already posted reviews for all of these products, so the original reviews and swatches will be linked. Let’s get into it, my friends.

Sigma Warm Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette – Click here for my full review

I love a buildable matte and I typically apply lid colors with my fingers, so the Sigma formula really works well for me. The warm neutrals palette is my favorite in terms of color selection, but the ambiance palette is a close runner-up.

Laura Mercier Rose Glow Highlighter – Click here for my full review

While I do have to be careful with this, I still love it.  If I apply too much it can start to look icy, but it never accentuates texture on me. As of November 12, 2021, this is still available for purchase at Saks Fifth Avenue. You can also purchase it from Bergdorf Goodman, but it is on backorder.

Sephora Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Palette (Captivate) – Discontinued

Update May 18, 2025: Sephora has discontinued the Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Palettes and replaced them with the new Sephora Collection Colorful Face Bronzer, Blush, & Highlighter Palettes. I swatched the two darkest palettes (02 Medium to Tan and 03 Tan to Deep) in store and added that picture to my original review, here.

This palette is a little dark for me, but it blends so easily that I can work with it. The powders melt into the skin as promised. Check this one out for sure. I hope it sells well enough that they can expand the shade range, although there is also a lighter version.

It is currently sold out online likely because it is 30% off during the VIB sale that ends on November 15th. But you may be able to find it in your local Sephora if you’re interested.

Coloured Raine Bronzer (Cinna-Bae) – Click here for my full review

This bronzer really impressed me. Cinna-bae is very pigmented, but the ease of blending means I don’t have to be careful with it. This is a bit darker than it appears in the image below. It can be hard to color balance a group shot correctly for each product. I love Coloured Raine and hope they continue to release products as great as this one. I’m still hoping for single blushes since their highlighter formula is too much for my taste.

I’ve briefly mentioned the cult classic, Bobbi Brown Corrector here on my blog as a reference when talking about another product I use under my eyes. So many people love this corrector and swear by it that I thought for sure it would be foolproof. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get this product to work for me.

Bobbi Brown Dark Peach Corrector, $33.00

The formula creases on me almost instantly and then settles into fine lines not too long after that. Even if I can manage to apply concealer and set it with powder before I see any creases, it only takes about 10 minutes before they inevitably show up. According to the Bobbi Brown website, dark peach corrects brown/grey/greenish discoloration. I do think it does a nice job of masking my discoloration and I never had to pile it on to get that result.