January 2018 Favorites & Empties Recap

It's been a couple of months since I've done a monthly favorites post. While this will be considered January's favorites and fails, this is really more like a "mid-Winter favorites" edition.


First, a quick note about my utter failure of the brand focus for January. You'll see the best of the best reflected here, but the concept is one I'm not loving. It turns out that the brand that I picked for January (Smashbox) doesn't excite me. I found a few new loves, but my new favorite product out of the bunch was a CCO pick which is discontinued.


Primers, Foundations, and Concealers:

1- Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer (a new discovery), 2- Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Pore Minimizing (rivals Benefit's Porefessional), 3- L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base (does the job that I hope someday soon injectibles will take over), 4- Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer (a lovely drugstore concealer I've been reaching for), 5- Smashbox Studio Skin 24 Hour Waterproof Concealer (a fantastic discovery), 6- Guerlain L'Or Primer (is a HG, especially when paired with) 7- La Mer The Soft Fluid Foundation (I do love this, despite the price), 8- Kiko Skin Tone Concealer (is my favorite color corrector, sorry to see the local store closed), 9- Lancome Teint Idole Foundation (is too much on its own, but I've found an ideal mate in), 10- Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil (too much on its own but my new favorite mixing oil), 11- Too Faced Hangover Rx 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer and Setting Spray (perfect for winter), 12- Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer- Radiance (one of my new favorite discoveries, I just wish I didn't have so many radiance primers at the moment), 13- ColourPop No Filter Concealer (quite nice, just oxidizes a bit)


Powders:

1- Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Finishing Powder 05 Fair (the raves were real), 2- CoverFx Illuminating Setting Powder (is part of my project pan but I do like it under my eyes as it turns out), 3- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light (my HG undereye powder), 4- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (my new HG)


Bronzer, Contour, and Brows:

1- Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow (the bronzer is outstanding on my pale complexion), 2- MAC Studio Sculpt Defning Bronzing Powder in Delicates (a new cool-toned favorite), 3- ELF Brow Kit in Light (multitasker-- I use the pomade on my brows and love the powder as a contour), 4- Benefit Browvo! Conditioning Primer (is something I love when I'm using it but always forget to repurchase), 5- Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz in Medium Brown (no words necessary)


Blush:

1- Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow (has a lovely peach blush that leaves a healthy glow), 2- Smashbox Soft Lights in Prism (my absolute new favorite discovery and I'm gutted that the brand was foolish enough to discontinue it), 3- Physicians Formula Butter Blush in Plum Rose (a lovely nude blush only for fair complexions), 4- Clinique Cheek Pop in Nude Pop (one of my all-time favorites), 5- Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Blush (it's back in the philanthropy collection!)


Highlighter:

1- theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer (I'm sadly very late to this party), 2- Laura Geller Baked Highlighter in French Vanilla (a true favorite), 3- NYX Love You So Mochi Arcade Glam (a shockingly wonderful new discovery)

Eye Primers, Liners, and Mascaras:

1- Too Faced Glitter Glue (my go-to for glitters and shimmers), 2- Smashbox 24 hour Shadow Primer & Photo Finish Lid Primer (a wonderful duo of primers- one new, one an old favorite- that I've been enjoying), 3- Inglot AMC Gel Eyeliners in 77 & 78 (love these eyeliners and have been loving a teeny wing lately), 4- NYX Slide On, Glide On Eyeliner in Jewel (love this on the lower lash line with pinky looks), 5- NYX Metallic Eyeliner in Rose Gold (a great new Spring 2018 release), 6- Anastasia Beverly Hills Darkside Eyeliner (how did I ever live without this?), 7- Anastasia Beverly Hills Metallic Luster Liners in Liquid Silver and Liquid Gold (so lovely to use on a daily basis), 8- Urban Decay Subversion Lash Primer (my favorite lash primer to date), 9-Chanel Le Volume Mascara in Ultra Black (I'm so sorry to see my final tube done and gone. I love this so much)


Eyeshadow Palettes:

1- NARS Wanted Palette (Admittedly, this was an impulse purchase but the roses and pinks just called my name. Look for a full review from me soon), 2- LORAC California Dreaming Palette (this is new to me- I put it away, unused when I was able to nab it on sale. This seemed to be the perfect month to pull it out, and I'm thrilled), 3- NYX Love You So Mochi Palettes (these are the shocker of the spring for me so far. So, so good!), 4- Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette (I've been feeling rosy looks, so this came out to join the mix)

Lips:

1- NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita (I was on a pinky nude kick this month and happy to pull this old favorite out), 2- Clinique Pop Lip Color- Nude Pop (this is in promo packaging but this is a lovely nude for daily wear), 3- Shea Moisture Luscious Lipstick in Tea Rose (one of my all-time cool-toned MLBB favorites), 4- Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Primrose (my best discovery of the month), 5- Butter London Sheer Wisdom Lip Oils (Ballet Blush pictured but several shades are stunning), 6- By Terry Baume de Rose (any version- I used the original potted, original gloss, and tinted glosses), 7- Hourglass GIRL Stylo in Creator (another lovely pink), 8- NYX Butter Lipstick in Root Beer Float (my favorite discovery from the Holiday 2017 kit), 9- bareMinerals GenNude Liquid Lipsticks in Smooch and Slay (my two favorite shades of the line, this shows the types of colors I'm into this time of year), 10- NudeStix Intense Matte Lip & Cheek Pencil in Belle (finally, a great discovery from the Macy's box!), 11- Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Babe Alert (my favorite of the line), 12- Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow (this ended up on my lips just about every day. I'm obsessed)




Now, a quick note on my empties. I've been tracking my personal Project Pan on Instagram, but here's some analysis on the regular products I've used up- and the dollar value.

This didn't include any decluttered items, so it's shocking to see my monthly total over $900. I've decided to track these stats this year with the hopes of making my future spending conform with it. I know the bath/body will diminish once it gets warmer.

What have you loved or used up?

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in 705 Jennifer's Pink

Today I'm happy to be sharing with you one of my sort-of rare purchases: a traditional drugstore lipstick.

L'Oreal recently brought out a series of Colour Riche lipliners, and I think these lipsticks might be new to go alongside. After I got a coupon for a L'Oreal lip product (yes, I love coupons), I decided to splurge on one lipstick to try the formula.

Today I'm going to be sharing 705- Jennifer's Pink. This is part of the Exclusive Pinks collection that's aligned with various celebrities.

I have nothing against Jennifer Lopez, but the celebrity association makes me not want to purchase a product.

OK, let's talk basics for a moment. These retail for $9.99 each at Ulta, and you receive 0.13oz/3.6 g of product.

Jennifer's Pink cried out to my Fall instincts- but it turned out to be different than I thought!

This looked like a deep berry and needed to be on my lips ASAP.

Let's go to the swatch and I'll reveal the big twist:

It's a Sheer Matte. What? Sigh. Not that the color wasn't beautiful, but I was looking for that deep berry. Let's look at it on the lips.

Jennifer's Pink is a beautiful shade, but I wish I'd done more research on the formula before purchasing. My pursuit of the berries continues.

L'Oreal Infallible Paints Metallics Chrome Cherries & Paints Matte Metallics Brick Metal

For a second, short post today I wanted to share two more of the L'Oreal Infallible Paints that I've picked up. In my earlier posts, I mentioned wanting to try more shades- these are the two shades that I selected.

First up, the L'Oreal Infallible Paints Metallics #338 Chrome Cherries.

This is a true red chrome, and one of the more wearable shades in the range. I believe it's an Ulta-exclusive shade.

I find metallic reds to be flattering for some reason. I reach for these mostly around the holidays, so it's nice to have a glossy version.

It's lovely, but it's not a M-F daytime shade for me.

I also picked up the L'Oreal Infallible Paints Metallics Matte in 378 Brick Metal.

I think I actually prefer this formula because it's drier- and easier to control.

Brick Metal is a gorgeous coppery red- it looks downright orange next to Chrome Cherries.

See how rich and pigmented that is? It looks even better on the lips.

This is the easier-to-wear version of matte metallic liquid lips. And I prefer it so much.

Bottom Line: I think I actually prefer the matte version, which is crazy for me. I find these to be one of the best drugstore lip products, but I think I'm done with collecting any additional shades.

L'Oreal Infallible Pro Matte Liquid Lipsticks 372 Petal Devotion & 374 Kitten Paw

Back in late July, I featured the new L'Oreal Infallible Pro Matte Liquid Lipsticks on the blog for the first time, vowing that I'd eventually purchase more shades. I have, and will continue to do so.

In that post, I noted two shades that I saw on L'Oreal's site but not in the Walgreens where I first found the display- 372 Petal Devotion and 374 Kitten Paw. I've got them for you today.  I purchased mine from Ulta, and I suspect that they're a retailer exclusive.

For a quick refresher of the claims on this formula, it's touted to be 16-hour wear. I find these to dry down to full matte (any shine in photos is because I was too impatient/didn't want to deal with removal issues). Like every other matte liquid lipstick, they're slightly drying. I love using the Anastasia Beverly Hills lip primer to help combat that.

372 Petal Devotion appears to be a mid-toned warm pink in the frosted tube.

These types of colors tend to pull a lot darker on my pigmented lips. Consider that a spoiler.

Honestly, the applicator is one of the excellent things about this product. It makes precision so easy.

Swatch time:

Remember what I said about things pulling darker? I struggled with grabbing representative photos. Here we go:

So, you can see how matte liquid lips tend to dry out my sensitive lips very quickly. Still, I think this is a lovely rosy mauve that's honestly a staple in any liquid lips collection. I'm happy to have it in my collection, but it's not terribly unique.

Now, let's talk about shade 374 Kitten Paw.

I don't know how to describe this one.

Greyed lilac? It has a purple hint in the tube but I honestly thought this would be wearable.

Maybe it was wishful thinking. Here's a swatch:

So yeah, there's a white base in there. I cringe to show this on my lips but it will demonstrate my point.

Ick. It reminds me a lot of the Infallible Lip Paint that's lilac. I just can't see this being flattering on me ever.

Take a look at these tubes again- I'm just not sure how the lilac and the tube really correspond, but they do. Insert a shrugging Emoji here I guess.

Here's a comparison swatch:

I still think this is an excellent drugstore liquid lipstick, but my experience with Kitten Paw has made me pull back on just buying blindly from the line. It's still the same formula, but I don't want to make another $10 mistake.

Bottom Line: Still love the line, but do your research first on shade!

L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara

There has been a new mascara taking the internet by storm, causing a stir and resulting in a crazed quest to find it.

It makes your lashes dark, long, and beautiful.

Oh, and it's drugstore.

Have you met the L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara? Sorry about the wonky packaging, but that's how it arrived from Amazon.

This mascara retails for $9.99 and comes in two formulas: regular and waterproof. There are also a number of shades- two of the waterproof (Black and Blackest Black) and four of the regular (Black, Mystic Black, Blackest Black, and Black Brown).

I've been testing Blackest Black in both the regular and waterproof versions (because Summer). Please note the wear on the tube- that tells you I've been playing for weeks.

Yes, the packaging looks familiar. But let's look at the wand.

It's a large, full wand that reminds me of something... let's take a look.

Yep, that's it. On the top is the L'Oreal mascara and on the bottom is a deluxe sample of Too Faced Better than Sex mascara. That used to be my HG; I'm more of an Urban Decay Perversion girl these days.

That said, this mascara is incredible. Take a look at this layered volume:

And I have exactly one coat here:

I've found my new favorite. It doesn't flake and it's beautiful. I'm blessed to have decent lashes, and when I layer this my lashes are so long. I can't believe that this is drugstore!

Bottom Line: Buy into the hype; it's real. Run, don't walk to your nearest retailer and scoop this up. I've already gotten a backup. It's a beautiful mascara.

New Summer 2017 L'Oreal Lips: Infallible Metallics Paints & Infallible Matte Metallics Paints- and a new Pro-Matte Liquid Lip as a bonus

I took my time earlier to share with you the all-new L'Oreal Infallible Matte Paints yesterday, and now it's the other three finishes. Phew.

First up, the L'Oreal Infallible Metallics Paints (MSRP $9.99). These are the most accessible of the three new Paints formulas that I've found, with displays of four colors at just about all mass retailers (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart, Target, Ulta).

First up, 330 Moon Lust.

This is the lightest of the three Metallics Paints that I have, and probably the most wearable. It's hard to describe in terms of shade- it's a bit of a nudey pink with peach?

The tube is fairly representative. All of these Paints have the same component, and applicator.

Here it is, swatched. First, in studio lighting:

And now, in ambient lighting:

But the real test is how these look on the lips. First, in studio lighting:

Now, in ambient:

This is my favorite of the Metallic Paints, and the most muted of the metallics. I haven't yet worn these out but I would feel comfortable running errands in this one. Work? Not so much in my office. My only complaint is the very nature of any metallic shade- hella lip lines!

Next up, 332 Galactic Foil.

This is the darkest shade that I purchased to test, and quite honestly- I was nervous.

This is a red berry shade that's again- way out of my recent nude loves.

Here it is, swatched under studio lights (spoiler: these metallic shades jump under studio lights):

Here's that same swatch in ambient lighting:

Finally, here it is on my lips:

I'm officially tucking this one away until Fall when I'm craving these deeper shades. I mainly purchased this to test formula in comparison to Moon Lust. I'm happy to say that they both perform equally.

Next up, 336 Liquid Venom. This is my most recent acquisition, and a shade I became obsessed with.

This is a deep red-brown metallic (duh) shade that's warmer than Galactic Foil.

I really feel like these shades are made for people who have darker complexions than I do, but sometimes you have to step out of the box, right? I became obsessed with having this but haven't yet ventured outside wearing it.

Swatched under studio lighting:

And swatched under ambient lighting:

Here's a swatch under studio lighting. This is truly a stunning red-brown shade. I wish I was cool enough to wear this out.

I'm not sure why I felt like I needed this shade- perhaps it's the warm hues I've been wearing- but I look forward to playing with it the rest of this sizzling hot summer.


Just to wrap up our discussion of this formula, here's a studio lighting group swatch:

I have this overall love/hate with metallic lip shades. These are totally trendy and fun- but I'm not sure if I'm entirely comfortable with them. They're a nice alternative to the drying liquid lipsticks. If you haven't checked them out yet, I do recommend trying one to see if they're for you.


Next up, let's talk about the hybrid release of the group: L'Oreal Infallible Matte Metallic Paints ($9.99 MSRP).

So far, I've only found these online at Ulta.com. If these have made it to local stores, please let us all know in the comments. There are six colors, but I only picked up one of them to test.

Meet 376 Flamingo Floss. I couldn't resist. This has the same packaging as the others, but with a brushed metallic finish.

Same applicator as always.

Swatched under studio lighting- this just looks pretty.

Swatched in ambient lighting shows off its chalkiness a bit:

Swatched on the lips in studio lighting (Where it feels 1980s):

Finally, in ambient lighting:

I've tested this around my home a few times and think it's ok. It's very dry like the mattes and emphasizes lines like the metallics. I think I need to play with primers for best performance. This, like the others, doesn't deal well with eating/drinking.

I'm eyeing two other shades to test if/when they eventually hit stores. I feel like the red hues are best suited for this type of formula rather than a medium pink like what I have. But it's a Flamingo shade. I had to.

Finally, let's talk about the all-new L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Liquid Lipstick ($9.99 MSRP, 0.21 fl oz/6.3ml). This formula completely snuck up on me. Unlike the new Paints that I was on the hunt for, I hadn't seen this pop up on the brand's Instagram or anywhere else. I literally ran into them at Walgreens.

I don't normally post display photos, but this way you can see the whole shade array.  Here's a breakdown, from L-R:

352 Shake Down
358 Cowboy:
360 Angora
354 Nudist
366 Stirred
362 Plum Bum
356 Deeply Disturbed
370 Roseblood:
364 Milk and Cookies:
368 Matador

Also on L'Oreal's website but not in-store:
372 Petal Potion- a salmon pink
374 Kitten Paw- a light lilac

To change things up, I purchased shade 360 Angora.

Angora is one of those greigey nudes that I generally stay away from, but I wanted to push myself a bit. In case you're wondering, this is the same packaging (albeit with a frosted component) as the Pro Matte Glosses and Infallible Glosses:

I'm huge fans of the other formulas, so I was really excited to try the liquid lipstick form.

The doe foot applicator likewise looks very familiar:

Let's swatch her. First, let's use studio lighting... no, I didn't wait for it to dry down:

Same swatch, ambient lighting instead:

Here's what Angora looks like on the lips. I had a natural light shot but when I looked closer, it was unusable. Obviously, this is in studio lighting.

Let's talk formula. This takes quite awhile to dry down (about 5 minutes) and I struggled like crazy. It was simultaneously easy to work with the applicator but I found the color patchy unless I worked very carefully with it. That's the issue I had with my initial application photos. I literally put it on outside of Walgreens and it was hella patchy. Layering is a tricky proposition as well.

Does QBB recommend this formula? I don't feel like one shade is enough to truly judge the line, but the color I worked with was non-drying on my sensitive lips. I'm going to try a bold color next and see if the patchiness persists.

Bottom Line: L'Oreal is wearing me and my lips out with all of these new releases! I enjoyed playing with textures and colors that are way out of my comfort zone. I think there's something for everyone.

And a QBB Update: Long after I'd drafted this post, I picked up a few additional products (2x Metallics, 1X Matte Metallics, 2x Pro Matte Liquid Lipstick). I wanted to publish this first set in a timely basis, so I'll revisit these brighter shades in a couple of weeks.