Nikki From HR

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. The new palettes are offered in 3 versions: 01 Light to Medium, 02 Medium to Tan, and 03 Tan to Deep. I swatched the two darkest palettes (02 Medium to Tan and 03 Tan to Deep) in store today, so I wanted to share that picture for anyone interested.

Brand new to the Sephora Collection lineup, this face palette in their Microsmooth formula also comes in a lighter version called Enchant. Their Microsmooth face powder has been raved about for years so I had high expectations for this release. I liked the color selection of the darker palette (Captivate) and I actually thought that I’d be able to use every shade. I don’t have that thought often when it comes to face palettes.

Continue reading “Sephora Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Palette (Captivate) – reformulated” →

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this brand, but this is my first time giving Violet Voss a try. This small palette caught my eye as I was on the hunt for green eyeshadows. I’ve only used four shades in this 10-pan palette so far, but I wanted to go ahead and share swatches. I’m pretty sure it was just released in the last few days, so hopefully, this is helpful for those interested.

Continue reading “A New Fun-Sized Eyeshadow Palette from Violet Voss (Wild Dahlia)” →

The L’oreal Infallible Eyeshadows were definitely a cult classic from the drugstore at one point in time. Occasionally, I’ll hear someone mention the shade amber rush, but for the most part, they don’t come up too often. I used to really love the shade bronzed taupe back when I was newer to eyeshadow. I started to wonder if I would still feel the same about it now that I’ve been exposed to so many other formulas. I originally purchased this eyeshadow on the recommendation of Emily Noel on YouTube, who is also the inspiration for these “What’s Old at X” type of posts.

L’Oreal Bronzed Taupe Eyeshadow, $6.46 @ Walmart

Continue reading “What’s Old at the Drugstore (L’Oreal Infallible 24HR Eye Shadow in Bronzed Taupe)” →

Let me first just say that you absolutely don’t NEED to buy any lipstick today. There will be another sale in the future when you either want or need a new lipstick.

But, for those who do want to participate, let’s talk recommendations.

UPDATE August 13, 2025: I have an updated lipstick recommendation post that you can check out by clicking here. This post was originally posted in 2021, so although I have updated it with links to more current recommendations, you may want to check out the 2025 version.

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Drugstore Pick: **Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick, $10.99

While this lipstick is technically part of Ulta’s National Lipstick Day promotion, it still costs less to buy this lipstick at Walmart ($6.87) or Target ($6.89) with no special sale required.

Continue reading “It’s National Lipstick Day! (lipstick recommendations from $11 to $45)” →

This is a newly released quad from NARS inspired by one of their cult classic blushes. Taj Mahal blush is described as a “burnished orange with golden shimmer.” NARS now has 8 color variations of these quads, so there are other options if this one doesn’t speak to you. The brand promises high impact color in one swipe, but that has not been my experience with the Taj Mahal Quad. Let’s talk about it.

Continue reading “NARS Quad Eyeshadow in Taj Mahal (Swatches)” →

After hearing great things about this lipstick line for so long I decided to try it for myself. This is a softer lipstick formula so I took some advice that I read in Lili’s review post and didn’t try these until they had some time to sit at room temperature. I was glad I took her advice because these are, in fact, very soft.

In my opinion, the brand has priced this lipstick well at $12.00. While it is more expensive than a mass-market/drugstore lipstick, the Propa Beauty Lipstick is priced from $2.00 to $3.00 below other Indie brands (independently owned, no parent company).

• Juvia’s Place, $14
• Mented, $14.99
• Hue Noir, $15
• Winky Lux, $15

Swatches L to R: Prime Time, Profits, Moxie, Victress, Her Magic

Continue reading “Propa Beauty Luminous Satin Lipstick Swatches” →

I don’t know about you, but I have no luck finding drugstore bronzers. It seems like they always either have an ingredient I can’t use due to sensitivities or they don’t have a shade that would work. I’ve heard a lot of praise for this L’oreal Lumi Bronzer and since I do like a satin finish over matte for bronzer, I decided to check it out. Most of the reviews I either read or watched mentioned that the product had shimmer running through it but that it wasn’t really noticeable once applied. The problem I ran into was finding a review of the shade 03 Deep on someone who actually had a deep skin tone. Seeing the bronzer in person, I was really worried about the amount of shimmer it has, so I wanted to know if anyone had tried the darkest shade. I could never find one, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try.

L’oreal Lumi Bronze It, $7.97 at Walmart (as of January 25, 2022)

To be fair, the product description from Ulta claims that the L’oreal Lumi Bronze It has a “barely there shimmer.” The Amazon description calls it a “shimmer bronzer,” but also states that it has a “sublte, barely there shimmer”. So the fact that there is shimmer isn’t something that is hidden or surprising. The downside for me is the fact that the shimmer is only subtle or barely there in low light conditions.

To its credit, this bronzer blends very easily. It is pretty loosely pressed and does kick up some powder. I found it necessary to tap excess product off my brush before applying. It does also show up nicely on my skin tone (Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4), but I have trouble understanding how this would work for someone who is actually “deep.” I consider myself to be in the medium deep/dark range of a good shade range.

Continue reading “L’oreal Lumi Bronzer 03 Deep (Swatch)” →