Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer

I know, another drugstore concealer. I've been testing a few of them, especially since I'm looking to make a few changes in my routine.

Say hello to the most recent viral sensation, Makeup Revolution's Conceal and Define Concealer ($7, Ulta). Call it exceptional timing with other brands that we won't mention setting fire to their own empires, but customers were on the hunt for a good, inexpensive replacement with an inclusive shade range.

There are 18 shades in the range, which promises full coverage and long wear. For your $7, you receive 0.11fl oz of product.

I really love this large doefoot- it does call to mind the high end product they're coming for with their advertising (and admittedly the product I'm having issues with supporting right now). I've been testing a few new concealers and have come to the conclusion that I like the oversized doefoots, especially since I'm usually getting ready pre-dawn. Every second matters.

I picked up two of the shades on launch day from Ulta.com: C1-fair skin, neutral undertone, C3- fair skin, pink undertone.

I'll readily admit that I expected for C1 to be my shade, but at $7 I was willing to take a chance. This time of year I'm NW13.

Yup, C1 for me.

Now, let's do a quick comparison to a bunch of fair concealers in my stash so you can see where these fit in.

It's not as light as Tarte Fair/NARS Chantilly (they're very close in color, it's a formula preference to be honest, and I'm trying very hard to get back into the NARS), but it's a nice natural looking undereye.

Now, let's talk about the wear. I didn't photograph it in-use, but the fact that I've been wearing it every single day under my eyes since I got it should tell you what I think. This performs all day, doesn't crease that much (at my age, everything's starting to crease, and my undereyes were still rehabbing from the damage from the Maybelline Fit Me. Check out last week's post for details.), and is overall a nice concealer. It's more full-coverage than the Smashbox, which is what I had been testing for most of January.

Bottom Line: At $7, you really do need to try this out. It's already one of my favorites in my expansive collection, and it holds serve against high end favorites. I'm sold.

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?

Makeup Revolution Slogan Palettes

These two palettes were total "I did it for the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty GWP" impulse buys. Everything about them is different from what I usually reach for.

Makeup Revolution brought out two Slogan Palettes ($8 each, comes with an eyeshadow primer as well) and the price was right. It's been years since I've tried (and decluttered) my other Makeup Revoution palettes.

Update: These are currently $3.99 on Ulta.com. You're welcome.

There are two versions for sale (I got a third as an Ulta GWP subsequently but I won't be covering it in this review). The #Slay palette is warm, whereas the No Photos Please is a cool-toned palette.

I think the packaging is kind of fun- you'll see that it's shifty in my photos. Sort of a LED-like appearance.

Let's start with everyone's favorite, trendy color palette- the warm one.

#Slay contains 9g of product between 10 rectangular pans. I happen to think the clasp on these palettes is difficult to open and close, but it might just be me.

You get a plastic overlay with the shade names- which is unfortunately becoming a standard. I'll forgive it from Makeup Revolution at this price point.

Here's the Slay palette, without the overlay. It looks pretty and on-trend.

I used a key word there. Let me show you the swatches and you'll see why looks can be deceiving.

Killed It? Killed the performance? Ay. Pefect? Perfect what? I know I'm going in on an $8 palette and mattes are harder to perfect. Still, we've recently seen Maybelline kill the matte formula at the drugstore for around the same price.

To call this patchy, poorly pigmented, and a poor performer would be accurate. These shadows didn't fare better on the eye either.

I want to talk about something else that happened. Impress flaked and cumbled apart after a single swatch:

It's still usable, but that's interesting to see the formula scaling off like that. Once I gently blew that off, there's plenty to use- but the formula's completely different than the other shades.

#Slay? More like #Fail. This is a hard pass for me and not even going into my collection. I feel like the mattes have been possibly overpressed.

Hopefully the No Photos Please palette will save us today.

Like its sister (hopefully evil twin), No Photos Please has 9g of product across 10 pans.

Here's No Photos Please:

Take a close look at the pans- I think you're going to see something significantly different with the #fail palette.

My brain goes somewhere else when I see a palette of cool shimmers like this. Ooh... ahhh... look at the taupes and the purples.

Please don't fail me.

In case you're wondering, Adoration came closest to doing the odd flaking thing- but for the most part this palette didn't even kick up much.

To be fair, I'd like to see how similar cool-toned mattes might look to compare with the #Slay palette because the metallics did the best of the bunch- and this is all satins, shimmers, and metallics. This palette's worth $8 for sure- and it's gorgeous. No, I can't get a full eye look since there aren't any mattes.

I wonder what Makeup Revolution's thought process was with releasing this pair because they're so badly mismatched.The mattes range from passable to awful, whereas anything with shimmer (which is easier to formulate) is so pretty.

For those who may think that I'm positive and diplomatic all of the time- clearly, I'm not. If the No Photos Please palette appeals to you, I recommend the performance- with a primer.

Makeup Revolution Retro Luxe Matte Lip Contour Kit in Vampire Night

I almost feel like today's post is cheating, as it's just a single product. However, I wanted to review and get this up quickly because it's a Halloween-themed item.

Spoiler alert: it's not necessarily a Halloween makeup item. This isn't like the Wet 'n Wild specialty kits.

I picked up the Makeup Revolution Retro Luxe Matte Lip Contour Kit in Vampire Night ($9) at Ulta one evening on a whim. Full disclosure: I own two other of the Retro Luxe Matte Lip Kits; if you'd like to see me review them please let me know.

There were three new, Halloween-themed lip kits on offer; I passed on the pure black and the unicorn. I thought that Vampire Night might be wearable in general.

These little kits are quite lovely in general- you get 2 full-sized items for that $9. Side note: the combo of this shade, black, and rose gold is maddening to capture without some inherent glare.

This would probably make sense, but Vampire Night reminds me of blood-especially when I swatched the lipstick on my hand.

First off, you receive a lip liner- which is quite creamy and nice- weighing in at 1g/0.03oz.

These are really creamy liners- they're quite beautiful. I actually enjoy wearing these liners with other lip products.

The liquid lipsticks are in a plain component with rose gold accents. They contain 5.5ml/0.18 fl oz of product.

This is what the wand looks like:

Now that I've given you a peek at what the elements of the kit look like, let's dig into the actual shade.

See what I meant about Vampire Night- especially where the lipstick got a bit of extra product- looks like blood? It's a subtle Halloween shout-out.

That said, I feel like this is a classic vampy lip.

Zoomed in, that wasn't the 100% best application. I overdrew my lips and it escalated. The camera made it look like dried blood, but it's still a fall color I'd rock.

In terms of formula, these are pretty drying- but that's to be expected. They're difficult to remove, so that speaks well of their lasting power.

That's it for a quick look at this Halloween product- I just wanted to share it with you before it's seasonally irrelevant!

QBB Hauls: Ultamate Fun at Ulta

Some of you are mad at me for the funny title, I know. Today I have another QBB Hauls for you. I promise not all of the posts this week will be hauls, but I've got a ton of them to get through. I'm starting to test these items but I require more than 1-2 times to form a real opinion.

Ulta has been killing it as of late. I think they have the absolute best rewards program out there, and I continue to enjoy being a Platinum rewards member. I truly prefer shopping at Ulta these days, and luckily I live near one. My only complaint is that I wish they had faster shipping.

I have a flurry of online orders that should be getting here this week; I'll combine those into one haul as well. These were all purchases that I made this past weekend. If there's something you'd like to see a review on, please let me know. I really only see one item that I may review.

OK, let's break this down.

• Yet another Tarte Tartiest Pro Empty Palette in Wild Animal. I can't rave about these palettes any more. They're sturdy and have a built-in mirror. At $17 each they're far superior to other empty palettes. I've been converting my collection little by little.
• Two items from Anastasia Beverly Hills- Eyeshadow in Gold Rush and the Liquid Lipstick in Rio. Gold Rush is one of the shadows that's on sale; I picked up a number of the others online. This was the only one my store had left. Funny story about the Liquid Lipstick- I thought I was purchasing the gloss, which was on sale. I thought the total was a bit high at checkout but shrugged it off. I brought it home and noticed it was a liquid lipstick. I was going to return it, but I've been wanting to try it out. Rio's not the color I'd normally reach for, but that's a perfect way to try it out.
• Two self-tanning essentials- Ulta Beauty Sunless Tan Applicator Mitt is similar to the St. Tropez one (which I've used). I also picked up the Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster for Face, which I've also used and loved in the past. I've been going hard with self-tanner, so I need to even my face a bit.
• Two goodies under the It Cosmetics banner. A travel size of the Your Skin But Better CC+ in Light is a shade darker than I normally wear. I've been in love with the CC cream as of late, but with all of this self-tanning, I need to go darker. The It Brushes for Ulta Essential Bronzer Brush was on sale for $18.10, so why not? I really like the brushes I have from this line.
• One total impulse purchase- the Revolution Makeup Unicorn Hearts Highlighter. I didn't even know that this was being released, so I couldn't resist. I know nothing about this.
• I always pick up any of the J.Cat Beauty Triple Baked Shadows that I spot since the brand's online only for me. This is Triple Crown, a lovely berry trio.
• I also picked up the Real Techniques Miracle Face & Body Sponge for self-tanner reasons.

Have you been shopping much at Ulta recently? What are your favorite finds?