Nikki From HR

Sneaking in one last post before the new year. 🙂

The good: Things were off to a great start with the Revlon Colorstay Flex Wear Full Cover Concealer, and I find it to be high coverage, easy to use, and long-wearing on my 41-year-old, dry eczema-prone skin type.

The weird: After only a week of using it, I discovered that the formula for the shade Deep (060) had seemingly gone bad. I also bought the shade Medium Deep (050), and that formula is still the same as when I opened both tubes in September. I’ll talk you through the details.

I am impressed with the coverage and performance of this concealer, and I don’t need to set it with powder for my dry skin type. It does get dry looking by the end of my day (@ 10 hours), but that is not surprising considering the matte finish and my skin type. On the upside, it never felt tight or dry. Color selection is a slight issue (for me) because the Medium Deep (050) is too light, and the Deep (060) is too dark. Latte (055) falls between the two shades but has a cool undertone, so I can’t make that work. Deep (060) was passable by itself in September when I still had my summer tan, but it was still a little dark even then. It is not abnormal for me (Estee Lauder 4W4/NARS Tahoe) to mix shades, and I often buy two. So I can tolerate the need to mix Medium Deep and Deep.

Continue reading “The Good and The Weird: Revlon ColorStay Flex Wear Full Cover Concealer (Medium Deep 050 and Deep 060)” →

Today, I wanted to revisit some makeup products that have been on the market for a while. These are products that I don’t always have an occasion to talk about, but I still use them. For two of them, the formula stands out to me; for the other, it is the color that has me continuing to use it. So let’s talk about and see some pictures of the Covergirl Trublend So Flushed High Pigment Blush in Sweet Seduction ($8.98 @ Walmart), the Maybelline Made For All Color Sensational Lipstick in Mauve For Me ($5.64 @ Walmart), and the Dior Addict Shine Lipstick in 716 Dior Cannage ($46 @ Sephora). For shade reference, my best foundation matches are Estee Lauder 4W4 Hazel and NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Tahoe.

Also, if you like hearing about makeup that has been on the market for a long time, here are other “What’s Old at X” types of posts that I’ve done.

• What’s Old at Sephora (VIB Sale April 2021)
• What’s Old at the Drugstore (L’Oreal Infallible 24HR Eye Shadow in Bronzed Taupe)
• What’s Old at Sephora, Vol 2 (VIB Sale April 2022)
• What’s Old at Sephora, Vol 3 (VIB Sale April 2023)
• What’s Old at the Drugstore (L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipsticks – Worth It and Worth It Medium)

Swatches (Covergirl Sweet Seduction Blush, Maybelline Mauve for Me Lipstick, and Dior Addict Shine 716 Dior Cannage Lipstick)

Continue reading ““Old” Makeup That’s Still Good In 2024 (Covergirl Sweet Seduction Blush, Maybelline Mauve For Me Lipstick, Dior 716 Dior Cannage Lipstick)” →

The Lip Favorites Set Created for Macy’s retails for $25 and features 1 full-sized and 4 mini-sized lip balm and lip oil products. The set came with a $5 coupon for any future $20+ beauty purchase at Macy’s. Unfortunately, this set is sold out, but since all of its products are permanent, I figured I’d go ahead and talk about what I liked and didn’t like from the set. For reference, I have dry lips that prefer lanolin-based lip products. However, none of the featured products have any lanolin or lanolin derivatives.

This set features the Clarins Lip Comfort Oil Pitaya, Clinique Almost Lipstick Black Honey, Lancome Lip Idole Butterglow Keep It Glowy, Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm Rose, and Wander Beauty Lip Retreat Oil Oasis Glow (full-size). I will list the prices and sizes of the full-sized products so you’ll know the retail price and the amount of product you’d usually get.

Continue reading “Lip Favorites Set, Created for Macy’s (Holiday 2024)” →

The Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder in Translucent Tan ($54, 10.5g) is a sheer, vegan, cruelty-free, talc-free powder, and it partially lives up to the brand’s claims. I had difficulty finding reviews of this powder that went into much detail. It seemed that people either loved or hated it, but I couldn’t find much information about why. At this point, I’ve been using this powder for over 3 months, and I think it is ok. I’ve tested it during both summer high temperatures and, more recently, when it has been in the 20s at times. First, some background about me for context: I’m 42 and have dry, eczema-prone skin. My best foundation matches are Estee Lauder Double Wear in 4W4 Hazel and NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in Tahoe. The TL;DR is that the formula is fine, controls shine well, and works well for touch-ups, but other powders perform better for me for less money. Now, let’s get into the details. 🙂

Continue reading “Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder (Translucent Tan)” →

I thought discussing 2024 favorites before Black Friday (rather than at the end of the year) would be more helpful, so here we are. This time, I decided to only pick from the makeup I reviewed in 2024. I’ll also link to some of the end-of-year wrap-ups and favorite posts that I’ve done in past years. If you are curious about some things in heavy rotation, regardless of what I reviewed, I’ll list those at the bottom. Alright, let’s get into it. 🙂

You can also check out my makeup favorites from 2025 by clicking here.

Recap of Every Post From 2024

1. Top 10 Posts of 2023 (And What I Think Of The Products Now)
2. Bobbi Brown Bronzed Nudes Eyeshadow Palette
3. Estee Lauder Futurist Soft Touch Brightening Skincealer 4W
4. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Icon K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick and Lip Cheat 90s Pink
5. Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Care and Glow Serum Concealer 405W
6. Too Faced Cocoa Bold Lipsticks (Ganache and Chocolate Lava Swatches)
7. Tom Ford Soleil De Feu Glow Highlighter 02 Oasis Swatch
8. Tom Ford Traceless Soft Matte Concealer 5WO Tan Swatch
9. Make Up For Ever (MUFE) Artist Bronzer (40 Warm Pecan Swatch)
10. Smashbox Halo Cream Cheek and Lip Tint Sunset (swatch)
11. New From NARS! Talc-Free Blush in Dolce Vita (Swatch)
12. Armani Luminous Silk Creamy Bronzing Powder 110 (Swatch)
13. Review Updates (Armani Bronzer, Estee Lauder Skincealer, Lancome Serum Concealer, and Tom Ford Highlighter)
14. Concealer Ranking (Dry, 40+ Skin)
15. MAC Studio Fix Every-Wear All-Over Face Pen NC44 (Swatch)
16. Bobbi Brown Talc-Free Powder Blush and Bronzer Powder (Sand Pink, Gallery, Golden Natural Swatches)
17. Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Sale (Fall 2024)
18. Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Concealer 435 Bisque W (swatch comparison and review)
19. Patrick Ta Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation – 18 Golden Neutral
20. NARS Light Reflecting Eye Brightener (Magic Hour Swatch)
21. NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation (Syracuse and Tahoe)
22. The Wanderlust List Vol 6 – Gucci Glow Powder Gel Highlighter (03 Warm Gold, 04 Opal pink, 05 Warm Bronze)
23. What’s Old at the Drugstore (L’oreal Colour Riche Lipsticks – Worth It and Worth It Medium)
24. Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Blush (30 Offbeat, 40 Mania Swatches)
25. Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Concealer (T2 Swatch)
26. NARS Afterglow Sensual Shine Lipsticks & More from Holiday 2024
27. Can Makeup Be Creaseless?
28. Pat McGrath Luminous Legends Dawn Divinity Eye Shadow Palette (Swatches)
29. Revlon Powder Blush Mauvelous 003 (Swatch)
30. Milani Gilded Mini Eyeshadow Palettes Whiskey Business and It’s All Rose (swatches)
31. Bobbi Brown and MAC Cosmetics Eyeshadow Sticks For Holiday 2024
32. MAC MACximal Sleek Satin Lipsticks – Creme In Your Coffee and Paramount Swatches
33. Pat McGrath Luminous Legends Eye Shadow Duos (Celestial Jade, Petallic Passion Swatches)
34. Armani Beauty Lip Powder Longwear Satin Lipstick 107 Sensual (Swatch)
35. Revisiting Some Old Makeup Favorites
36. Makeup Fails (Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder and Smashbox Photo Finish Intensify 24 Hour Shadow Primer)
37. Foundation Round-Up (Dry, 40+ Skin)
38. Favorite Makeup of 2024
39. Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder (Translucent Tan)
40. Lip Favorites Set, Created for Macy’s (Holiday 2024)
41. “Old” Makeup That’s Still Good In 2024 (Covergirl Sweet Seduction Blush, Maybelline Mauve For Me Lipstick, Dior 716 Dior Cannage Lipstick)
42. Sephora Collection Colorful Powder Luminizers (Swatches and Review)
43. The Good and The Weird: Revlon ColorStay Flex Wear Full Cover Concealer (Medium Deep 050 and Deep 060)

Continue reading “Favorite Makeup of 2024” →

Some Background Information To Keep In Mind

I am in my early 40s, and my skin type is dry, sensitive, and eczema-prone. I look for medium to full coverage because I have darkness around my mouth and forehead, and the occasional acne scar I want to cover. I often don’t take the time to spot conceal, so I want my foundation to do most of the heavy lifting around my face. I occasionally try lighter coverage products, but they aren’t my preference.

Creasing will happen, especially as we age and expression lines and wrinkles deepen. I’ve talked about this in most of my concealer reviews and a dedicated post about makeup creasing, but everything will eventually settle into lines. When the pigment starts collecting in the lines so much that I can see it from a distance, I consider that a deal breaker.  You may be surprised that I need to powder some foundations despite having dry skin. Sometimes, that is for better longevity and others to tone down an overly luminous finish. I use both a moisturizing serum and a heavy oil-based moisturizer, so that does come into play with how foundations perform. Keeping that in mind, you may be able to get better longevity or need less powder if you use a gel cream or silicone-based moisturizer. You may also have varying results if you use primer, which I don’t.

I have a warm olive, medium-deep skin tone (sometimes medium or tan, depending on the shade range). For shade reference, my best matches are NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Tahoe and Estee Lauder Double Wear 4W4 Hazel.

I decided not to even attempt to do this in a ranking style like I did with concealers. There are so many variations on formula, finish, and coverage that it didn’t feel like I could make sense of it that way. I have embedded a Google Sheet with the prices, shade range, notes, etc.  I have also linked to reviews and swatches that you can click on for further information if I have it.

One last note on the terminology I used for finishes other than matte formulas. I think the terms natural and satin are used interchangeably, so that is how I list them. To me, a natural/satin finish looks slightly drier than my moisturized skin and lacks the more smooth/blurred look of a matte finish. A radiant finish looks like freshly moisturized skin, and a luminous/dewy finish looks wet and sometimes oily.

Click the continue reading link to see the spreadsheet.

Continue reading “Foundation Round-Up (Dry, 40+ Skin)” →

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**Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder – Peach ($53, 8g)

When freshly applied, the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder is mattifying without being dry-looking and blurring. As you can imagine, that impressed me.  However, I always end up with a shiny nose after about 3 hours. I have dry skin, and in the winter, it gets very dry.  In the summer, I can get slightly normal through the t-zone; I’m mostly dry, though.  My point is that I get shiny after a few hours, regardless of the season. So, for the mattified blurred effect of this powder to only last for 3 hours is baffling. I just can’t imagine who this is mattifying, but there are a lot of good reviews on it. The only thing I can think of is that it’s one of those instances where it’s drying me out so much that it’s making my skin overproduce oil.  The other issue I have is that despite its lack of longevity, it still feels dry and tight on my skin.

Continue reading “Makeup Fails (Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder and Smashbox Photo Finish Intensify 24 Hour Shadow Primer)” →