Current Product Obsessions

Here’s a couple of my current obsessions. I haven’t pulled out my Yves Saint Laurent Rebel Nudes Glossy Stain in 106 in months. I grabbed it last week and was reminded of it’s amazing pearly iridescent pink nude glow. It’s glossy yet lasts for hours. The shade is so perfect for me, I just could stare at it’s pink nude glow. Review here.

I recently grabbed the LAURA GELLER Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Diamond Dust. It’s this amazing pearly shimmery pink glow in a beige base. Kind of like MAC Vex on steroids. It has a thin texture I really like. I will be posting about it in the next few weeks I promise. 

Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatments are among one of my favorites lip balms. Bloom is a fabulous new pink tint that has become my most reached for of all the shades released to date. See review and swatches here.

Renee Rouleau was one of the first brands where I bought a huge portion of their line. I’ve loved most everything I’ve tried. They’re simple yet well done and formulated products. They recently revamped and repackaged their entire line, added new products and I grabbed their new Vitamin-Infused Cleansing Emulsion. I love it. It’s a creamy hydrating cleanser that leaves my skin hydrated and soft and my baby’s butt. Perfect for the second cleanse. 

Kat Burki’s Vitamin C Nourishing Cleansing Balm is this amazing light cucumber scented cleansing balm. It’s light, refreshing and just plain fabulous. Review here.

I been going through Tom Ford’s Cream Color For Eyes in Platinum like it’s going out of style. It is my easy one step way to look polished enough for work when I’m running behind. The best part is it lasts all day long without creasing, which for cream eyeshadow is remarkable. I recently grabbed Spice to add to the collection and it’s nice to mix them together. Review of Platinum here. 

MAC’s Strobe Cream in Peachlite is quite good. It’s a light, hydrating formula that adds this amazing pearly peach luminescence to the skin. It has a light fresh scent, perfect for Spring. Review here.

The Ordinary by Deciem has many amazing qualities, besides being simple affordable and effective skincare. Their new Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution is quite nice. It’s cheap and effective. What I wanted Pixi Glow Tonic to be. More to come.

A Glimpse in My Palettes

Here’s a look into my current makeup palettes. I prefer depotted shades because 1) Palettes take up less room 2) I remember to use all the shades because they’re there in plain view and 3) I don’t have to rummage through a whole drawer looking for a specific shade. I do love special packaging, but I will ruin it to put that shade in a palette if I know it’s a keeper forever.

One thing I love about Japanese or Japanese inspired brands is that they make depotting so easy. They have holes in the packaging and easy light glue. You can just pop the pan out by poking them through the hole in the back. You don’t have to ruin the package depotting it and then you can put it back in the case if you want to in the future. Everyone else should learn from this and make their items easy to depot. It’s the way makeup has been going for years, even with the non pro makeup artists.

I wasn’t originally going to list the shades, but I figure I’ll get asked so might as well. I’ll do left to right, top row to bottom row. Yes I know it’s a lot of browns and nudes and might be boring for those color adventurers. I love browns/nudes in every shape and form.

Eyeshadow

Surratt-Chinchilla, Vision, Zibeline, Brunatre. Natasha Denona-Skin, Satin Skin, Satin Tan, Smoky Topaz. L’oreal Holographic King’s Ransom(DC’d and old).

Surratt-Soie, Idealiste, Haute Chocolate, Griege, Ombre, Brun Noir. NARS Kalahari L shade. YSL Couture Mono #11.

SUQQU Yuushakuyaku Top L, Bottom L. SUQQQU Kozuecha Bottom R, Top R. SUQQU Rengazome Top L, Top R. SUQQU Trio Toutouseki Bottom Brown. THREE 4-D Plus Palette 03 Glitter shade. NARS Kalahari R shade. Addiction Penny Lane.

SUQQU Yuushakuyaku Top R, Bottom R. SUQQU Kozuecha Top L, Bottom L. SUQQU Rengazome Bottom R, Bottom L. SUQQU Trio Toutouseki Middle Pink. THREE 4-D Plus 02 Glitter shade. Armani Maestro 32. YSL Couture Mono #17. Addiction Marron Glace.

THREE 4-D Plus Bottom L Browns from-X01, 01, 03, 02. Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess Grey Enhance shade. SUQQU Trio EX-05 Sumichazumi Middle Brown with the Bottom Black right below. THREE 4-D Plus 03 Bottom R with Bottom L from X01 right below. Burberry Pale Barley new version. Edward Bess Intimate. Addiction Christmas Love.

Blush

MAC Seduced at Sea, Estee Edit First Lover, Becca Mineral Sweetpea, NARS Douceur, THREE 08 Eternal Traveler with THREE 17 Wind Swept Soul right below.

Marc Jacobs Flesh & Fantasy, SUQQU 02 Hanachaori, Makeup Revolution Nude, Urban Decay Video, THREE 07 Magical Thinking with Surratt La Rosee Du Soir right below.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Habanera, Armani Sheer Blush #4, Addiction #29 Noah.

Highlighter

NYX Duo Chromatic-Lavender Steel, Crushed Bloom. Makeup Revolution Ulta Pro Glow Palette Pink Shade 2nd from Bottom L. Urban Decay Fireball.

Natasha Denona Light, Makeup Geek Psychedelic.

Random Eyeshadows

L row top to bottom: MAC-Silver Sun, Smut, Urban Decay Bust.

R row top to bottom: Makeup Geek I’m Peachless, Urban Decay-Fireball, Suspect, MAC-Patina, Vex.

YSL Volupte Tint-in-Balm 01 Dream Me Nude: Review & Swatches

I have wanted to own a YSL lipstick forever, their cases are exquisite and so beautiful. Like little pieces of art. I just have yet to find that right YSL shade in the right formula for my preferences. The Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Tint-In-Balm is a new formula and the little lip shaped cores drew me into grabbing Dream Me Nude. Details per Nordstrom:

What it is: A new hybrid lipstick combining melting balm care with glowing sheer color.

What it does: A unique dual formula leaves lips nourished with a lasting kiss of tint. The lip-shaped heart of the lipstick running from top to bottom delivers instant balm care. With macadamia and apricot butters, mixed with passionfruit, coriander and jojoba oils, the care is comfortable and nourishing. The outer core of the lipstick provides a lasting kiss of sheer color that is vivid yet transparent.

How to use: Apply to clean lips or layer over lipstick. The more you apply and reapply, the more the lasting tint intensifies on your lips. Day after day, the nourishing formula promises melting balm care with each application.

Dream Me Nude is described as a neutral mauve. That’s accurate. It has faint shimmer visible in sunlight, however it’s not really noticeable on the lips. The inner lip shaped core is a sheer bright pink. This smells like pomegranate. The color payoff is very sheer, a tint for sure. Dream me Nude adds a mauve pink tint sans shimmer with a glossy sheen. It’s not sticky at all and is very hydrating. Like an oil based balm except very thin in texture. It’s not heavy feeling at all.

Due to the nature of the product I do have to reapply it every hour or so. Pretty typical for this type of product for me. There is only downside I found to this product. Like the Tint-In-Oil, this turns a bright raspberry shade on me by the end of the day. Like it has the same color enhancing, pH adjusting, color changing lip balm ingredients. If I wear it once it stays true to color, if I apply eight times that day it turns a brighter berry by the end of the day. I personally hate cool toned berries, mauves, magenta, raspberry shades or anything similar. They’re just not my cup of tea. So, if you don’t mind that color changing aspect and like the previous mentioned shades, plus the glossy tint style formula then by all means check it out.

Did anyone else experience this color change on them? I’m wondering if it was just me.

Top to Bottom: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Petal, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Bloom, YSL Volupte Tint-in-Balm 01 Dream Me Nude:

YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush 06 From Nude to Naked: Review & Swatches

I thought the new Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Duo Sticks were cute. I grabbed #06 From Nude to Naked. I think these are Nordstrom exclusives as I haven’t seen them anywhere else. Details per Nordstrom:

What it is: Two playful and enigmatic colors that can be used alone or blurred together.

What it does: These colors come in a compact balm that glides easily over lips or cheeks or both. They features a smooth matte finish to bring lips and cheeks to life.

How to use: Use one color on your cheeks and the other shade on your lips to bring contrast yet keep your look within one color family. On your cheeks, use the lighter shade placed about the apples of your cheeks and the darker shade on the apple itself, then blend with a brush or with your fingers to achieve a subtle gradation and blush effect. You can also create an ombré lip by using one color on the top lip and the other shade on the bottom lip.

This a chubby mini cream blush that retails for $34. It’s not as dry as NARS Multiples, but it’s not moist and really creamy either. It’s in-between. It has a semi matte finish. One side is a neutral light medium nude, the other side a light medium rose pink. Both go on matte, they look like they have a touch of shimmer in them, but it’s not noticeable at all on the skin.

This has a fruity scent to it. Like a mango or something similar and sweet. The blush is actually pretty pigmented. It lasts about 6 hours before fading. Being a double toned blush you can use this multiple ways. Swipe with the nude shade down like a contour, or just mix together. So you can get various looks from it. In all honesty I didn’t notice a big difference between keeping them separate or mixing them. The tones are so similar between these two shades.

I also tried these on my lips, the finish is a semi matte with a thin texture. It wasn’t overtly drying, but if worn all day it did become drying to some degree. It didn’t have an adverse taste. I felt this product actually worked well as both a blush and matte lip tint. It was moist enough to be a lip product yet dry enough to be not a slippery shiny cheek product. Plus, it’s really cute, tiny and easy to carry around for use all day. You need to take it with you to retouch as it doesn’t last all day.

Top to Bottom: YSL Mixed, Separate; Cle de Peau #4 Cream Blush; Charlotte Tilbury Formantera:

YSL Couture Mono Eyeshadow: #4 Facon, 11 Exces & 17 Dedale:Swatches &Review

YSL recently came out with some new single eyeshadows called Couture Mono Eyeshadows. I decided to try several browns: Facon, Exces and Dedale. They come with the signature YSL gold case, they are slim and the sponge tip applicator and brush snap into the lid:

These are finely milled and smooth. There is a little variation between shades as far as texture goes. Facon or #4 is a light neutral milk chocolate brown with a hint of silver/white shimmer. So it’s not matte, yet not really a full on satin. The texture is buttery, smooth, applies evenly, blends well and is well pigmented. Exces or #11 is a medium dark cooler brown with more of that very tiny silver/white shimmer. This one is a satin, it’s buttery like Facon, pigmented, blends well and applies evenly. It also applies darker and a touch cooler than it looks in the pan. Dedale or #17 is odd, it looks like a shimmery medium bronze brown in the pan. When you swatch it you see a medium bronze brown with copper shimmer. I thought it would apply really warm or copper, yet when applied on the lids it’s more neutral medium brown than copper/bronze and the shimmer becomes less apparent. So try this one on your lids besides just swatching it if you’re interested in it. You can see in the comparison swatch how much less warm it is than a typical bronze. There’s no fall out, this shade is less buttery in texture and feels slightly thinner, but it applies even and blends well, it’s silky and pigmented. I wouldn’t consider this one a metallic or frost shade, satin would fit the way it looks on the lids.

Overall, they are a great formula, they wore and performed well, the colors are great staple browns. I like the brush and applicator in the cap, since I usually remove them anyway and don’t use them. It keeps them out of the way. They retail for $30 for 2.8g of product. They had other shades that looked nice, they just weren’t my colors. These colors were actually hard to photograph, the tones and shimmer changed in the light easily, especially Dedale. So I have some pictures in sunlight to show the shimmer, others indoors to show color better, and some comparisons.

L to R #4 Facon, 11 Exces, 17 Dedale:

Top to Bottom #4, 11, 17:

#4 Facon:

#4 With Similar Shades:

Top to Bottom: YSL #4, Cle de Peau #111, Bobbi Brown Blonde, Charlotte Tilbury The Sophisticate(Upper R shade), Surratt Ombre, Surratt Greige:

#11 Exces:

#11 With Similar Shades: 

Top to Bottom: YSL #11, Edward Bess Intimate, Armani Maestro #32, Le Metier de Beaute Mulberry:

 
#17 Dedale:

#17 With Similar Shades:

Top to Bottom: YSL #17, Surratt Haute Chocolate, Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess(Bottom R shade):

YSL Pop Water Glossy Stains: Plump Up, Wet Nude, Eau de Corail: Review & Swatches

This new third generation YSL Glossy Stain collection called Pop Water came up recently on Nordstrom. I was never a fan of the original ones as they were too pigmented for me and I just prefer lipstick at that pigmentation level in a gloss. I loved the Rebel Nudes as they were a touch sheerer and had really unique colors and shimmers. I heard the Pop Water Glossy Stains were the sheerest so I grabbed two to check them out. I also grabbed the Plump Up that came out with this collection as well. They all retail for $36 each, and as far as I understand they are a Nordstrom exclusive.

I’ll start with Plump Up which is supposed to give you a plumped up lip and shine that lasts for up to six hours. Usually a plumper is worn alone or under a lip color, so I tried it both ways. Used alone it did add a glossy shine that felt like the majority of Glossy Stains, thin at first then dries down to being slightly sticky and thicker. It goes on clear though it has very slight pink shimmer in it. The shimmer is not at all noticeable on the lips, only in the sunlight really. This has a very slight tingle on the lips, much less than other other lip plumpers I’ve tried. I personally don’t use lip plumpers, I don’t like the tingle, it makes an extra step, and the effects are never really worth it for me to use one. I did not notice any increased plumping effect from this gloss. I even tried it on half my lips for one day with a balm on the other half. There was no difference I could discern between the two as far as my lips actually being plumped, I could tell the difference in the texture, as well as the tingle, but for the effect is was meant to provide I did not see it and therefore would say skip this product. It was moisturizing and comfortable, but was essentially like a clear Glossy Stain. I tried it under the other two Pop Water Stains just to see if it gave any effect that way, same on half my lips with balm on the other side. I noticed no difference in duration of wear, moisture levels, or plumping.

If you haven’t tried a YSL Glossy Stain yet, they are a unique product. They’re like a gloss/stain combo. They have the glossy effect with the power of a stain. Depending on which range you pick from they are either as pigmented as a lipstick, or sheer like a gloss. They have an angled sponge tip applicator, go on thin like a gloss, and then they dry down and get a bit tacky and sticky. The glossy effect does last well with these in general. The stain then lasts after the glossy part wears off. The color in the tube and on initial application will get darker as it dries so remember how light it seems on first pass will not stay. The color changes a touch.

So onto the differences between the three Glossy Stain lines. The original Glossy Stain is the most pigmeneted, I’ve never bought one for several reasons. I like shimmer in general and I never saw one that had shimmer, and if I’m going to wear a lip product that pigmented I prefer lipstick at that point, as highly pigmented glossy items are too high maintenance for me. As I have not tried them I am unsure if they are drying or not. When the Rebel Nudes came out the colors were so enticing I decided to try a Glossy Stain. The Rebel Nudes are sheerer, they have really unique shades with shimmer that I love. They are a little drying though. The two Pop Water stains I tried are the sheerest of the three lines, there’s no shimmer in these two(I’m assuming none in the others either), and they are actually really moisturizing. The Pop Water stains are like that sheer summer stain, and they are really comfortable to wear.

Wet Nude I was unsure if it would be really nude nude or some other type of nude color. Wet Nude is a sheer peachy/pink/nude shade, cream no shimmer. It’s not too light to wash me out, it adds a sheer wash of peachy/pink to my lips. Eau de Corail is pretty much what I thought it would be, a pink coral. It’s sheer with no shimmer, this is not a really pigmented bright gloss, so if you want a hint of color not a big pop of coral pink then this is worth looking at. They are sheer, glossy, and moisturizing. Perfect for summer.

L to R Plump Up 200, Wet Nude 208, Eau de Corail 203:

Plump Up:

Wet Nude:

Eau de Corail:

L to R Plump Up, Wet Nude, Eau de Corail:

Stain left on my arm after I used a wipe to remove:

YSL Preview: Pop Water, Plump Up & Couture Mono Eyeshadows

I’ve been testing a few YSL things…

I need some better light for pictures, then I can do the YSL Pop Water Review. My initial thoughts, skip the Plump Up, the stains are nice, sheer and glossy, hydrating unlike the Rebel Nudes stains. L to R: Plump Up, 208 Nude Wet Nude, 203 Eau de Corail. I like them more than I thought I would, Wet Nude is almost more pink too, it’s a pink/peach/nude, Eau de Corail is what I thought pink/coral. Both are sheer not shimmery at all, sheerer than all other YSL stains, more hydrating than any as well.

I need to play with the Couture Mono Eyeshadows more, but first impression silky, pigmented, they seem great. L to R: 4 Facon, 11 Exces, 17 Dedale. They have a sponge tip applicator and brush in the lid, you can snap them back in after use. Facon is a almost matte mid tone brown, kind of like milk chocolate, very very faint shimmer, almost negligible, it has a buttery feel. Exces is a satin deeper neutral brown, some shimmer, buttery feel. Dedale is a warm brown with copper shimmer, lighter than Exces, darker than Facon. It’s the most shimmery of the three, and sheerer and less buttery. Dedale is also a bit less pigmented with application, it also applies warmer than it looks in the pan, the copper really takes over. I like 4 and 11, I’m on the fence with 17.

YSL Volupte Tint-In-Oil Drive Me Copper #1

YSL recently came out with this tint in oil lip product. It’s a tint suspended in a deep conditioning oil. It has four oils: apricot kernel, coriander fruit, jojoba seed and passion fruit. It retails for $32 for 0.2oz. It has that newer lip shaped curved applicator that came out with the recent Gloss Voluptes. It’s lightweight, not sticky and has a fruity smell. The oil does come off within an hour which leaves you with a slight stain. It starts off as a lighter, barely there base tint that after 5-10 minutes darkens.

Drive Me Copper is a sheer fushia rose base with copper shimmer. The shimmer does feel gritty at first, but the second and third time I applied it, it didn’t feel as gritty anymore.

This is one swipe taken right after applying before it darkens:

This was five minutes later:

I then wiped it off, applied a second layer and let it darken for five minutes:

I did the same with a third pass and gave it five minutes:

This is the stain left after wiping it off:

I noticed the more times I applied it to my lips the darker that fushia base got. By the end of the day I had a very dark fushia stain. I am unsure what color all the bases turn into. I know I was hoping this one was more of a neutral base not fushia because of the copper name. I wouldn’t buy another one without knowing what that base turns into, I’m not a fushia fan but if one was more nude pink or something different I might try it. It was moisturizing, and people who like a light tint will like it, those who want more color might hate it. Overall, it was a bust for me.

YSL Pure Chromatics Eye Shadow Quad #09: Swatches & Review

I got this quad when Sephora has their recent sale. It’s a quad that can be used wet or dry. It comes with a regular sponge applicator and a rubber one as well. The rubber one is interesting. It doesn’t seem to apply the eyeshadow any better or more dense than a regular eye brush. The outside gold case will get fingerprints all over it on the first day.

The colors are starting top L then clockwise: a medium neutral brown with gold micro glitter, a shimmery taupe mauve, a dark grey/black with multi colored micro glitter, and a shimmery neutral brown.

I love the two lightest shades. in a duo they would be awesome. The two darker matte colors with micro glitter are dry and not my favorite texture. They’re not equal in texture in this palette. The two lighter colors are silky and soft versus hard and dry. They all however, have some fallout. Overall, I will only use half the palette and I would not rebuy it. I believe it’s limited edition anyway. 

Top to bottom starts with top L then clockwise as above.

YSL Glossy Stain Rebel Nudes: 101, 106 & New 113

I have tried quite a few of the YSL Rebel Nudes Glossy Stains. I only ended up keeping two as my favorites 101 Nude Provocateur and 106 Beige Anarchist. The rest I tried were lovely colors they were just too bold for me. I never liked the more creme style regular Glossy Stains. They have too much color and are not shimmery enough for me. I prefer regular lipstick for that much color. I recently saw two new colors on Nordstroms 113 Coral Reformer and 114 Wild Pink. I decided to try Coral Reformer or 113 as the other looked a touch darker than I wanted.

Overall they have a unique formula if you’ve never tried it. It’s like a lacquer, but it dries down from a cream kind of texture to a more sticky glossy liquid lipstick style. The Rebel Nudes are still slightly sheer, and they do have a stain like quality as well. They can be a bit drying by the end of the day, but not for short periods of time. I find I have to scrub my lips good the next day after wearing. They last maybe 3 hours or so before I need to touch up. I also notice the color does darken as they dry, so the color tends to be darker on the lips than in the tube. They feel like a long lasting gloss, and have that shine. Yet they also have a stain effect and a slight liquid lipstick feel.

L to R: 113, 106, 101

113 or Coral Reformer is a milky light peach with pink shimmer, it has a slight touch of gold shimmer as well. 106 or Beige Anarchist is my favorite of the bunch. It’s a pink nude, but it has this great pink shimmer and iridescence. It is the most shimmery of the three above. 101 or Nude Provocateur is a nude with pink and blue shimmer. It makes it look like it has a purplish shift in the light. 

Top to bottom: 113, 106, 101.

The color is off in the below photo, but the indoor bathroom light shows the shimmer more.