October 2017 Favorites

Much like September's favorites, I'm going to try to keep it simple here. I was all over the board in terms of testing new products this month (I hope the diversity of posts- and the frequency- was a tipoff to that.) Consider this the best of the best.

Eyes:

Eyeshadow: Quite unexpectedly, Tarte Clay Play found its way into my heart this month. I find it such a quiet but reliable friend that can rescue most looks gone awry. I also became obsessed once again with putting highlighter on my eyes- in this case, Fenty Beauty Trophy Wife. I've been looking for the perfect gold for years and this is it. I haven't talked about it in this space yet, but my Inglot Eco Palette was a go-to. Marc Jacobs The Lolita continues to be that go-to when I don't know what else to do.

Eyeliner and Mascara: I'll continue to give a written nod to the perfect ABH trio of liners that are the foundation of my work. I continued to enjoy my Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Precision Longwear Eyeliner and the Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara.

Cheeks and Face:

Blush: I got in a rut this month. I think Fiona Stiles Soft Cheek Veil in Valley was on my cheeks all but a few days, and Physicians Formula Butter Blush in Plumrose the other days. It was a neutral month, ok?

Bronzer: I finally finished my Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer this month, and I remembered why I love it. L'Oreal Glam Bronze continues to lurk around.

Highlight: I don't remember what I was wearing before it came into my life, but aside from the days when I was testing something else, MAC Whisper of Gilt has been my BFF. I get it, y'all.

Contour: Kat Von D Shade and Light palette. Enough said.

Primers: I wore quite a few, but nothing's fab enough to shout out. I have a quiet routine, but I'm not going to write the same thing every month.

Concealers and Correctors: I'm trying a new concealer that I'm not yet ready to shout-out... wait for the review.

Foundation: I discovered a new HG foundation this month- Inglot HD Perfect Coverup Foundation. Look for a full review soon. I also rediscovered how much I enjoy MAC Studio Fix Foundation, which is a true classic. An old HG, Chanel Perfection Luminere Velvet, just wouldn't stop jumping into my hands in the morning.

Powders: I rotated through a few powders this month. After taking the sifter off, I rediscovered just how good NARS Soft Velvet Loose Powder in Flesh is. I also continued my love affair with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light, RCMA No Color Powder, and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light.



Lips:


I'll be honest, I've been playing with holiday releases for most of this month (for example, all 6 LORAC kits), so I don't have any favorites! I'm looking forward to giving my lips a break in November!

Nails:

I  pulled out some classic shades this month- Chanel Rouge Noir, Chanel Atmosphere, and Chanel Particuliere.

That's it- it's a light October because of all of the testing.  I'm doing something different this month- an entire month-long everyday makeup drawer. Wish me lujck.

Beauty WTF: Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter and Glow Violet Vixen Stained Me Blue!

Disclaimer: This post isn't meant to "get" a brand or a retailer. It's simply a horriffic experience that I'm trying to raise awareness of. Because having a sore and stained hand is one thing- your EYES is another league.

This quick post is an SOS because the brand has not responded to multiple inquiries via multiple platforms, nor has the retailer that sold me this product. (Sephora).'

Quick note: the only things that have been done to photos is cropping and watermarking, ZERO alternations to color balance or other editing have been done.

Has anyone else been stained BLUE by Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in Violet Vixen?

I was doing this last night- a comparison swatch between the new Wet n Wild ColorIcon Liquid Eyeshadow in Moonlight Majesty and Violet Vixen.

When I took a wipe to my hand, this is what I discovered in horror. Photo uncropped- all I did is watermark.

I took three oils, three other cleansers, two scrubs, and actually scrubbing my hand with a rough object to try and manually exfoliate until I CRIED to get it to here:

I posted that photo on Instagram and implored the brand for help. NOTHING.



My hand HURTS today and it's still stained.  Look at this photo I shot. Even with studio lights really washing out the color balance there's a freaking blue line.

This is a consumer SOS- anyone else have this issue? Did the brand help you? Did Sephora? Or did they also ignore you?

Most importantly, how the heck did anyone get their staining gone? Thank goodness it was my hand or not my lids.

Please share with others- this is a serious issue that could be harming consumers.

Stila Aqua Glow Serum Foundation

Although I don't need any more foundation, I couldn't resist a recent sale on Ulta.com that allowed me to scoop this up and give it a good test.

Let's go to the box for the claims.

• Medium to full, build able coverage with a natural, radiant finish.
• Advanced multi-reflective color pigments play with light to instantly even skin tone and reduce the appearance of imperfections
• Contains an Electrolyte Balance System, a carefully combined complex of Ionized Water, advanced Hyaluronic Acid and essential minerals to help hydrate and nourish for skin that glows with healthy radiance. 
• Fragrance-free.

And now the directions:

Shake well before use. Using your fingers or brush #33, blend over face, building where more coverage is needed.

So, I totally discarded the directions and did my own thing. That's makeup, right? I dabbed with my finger and then used a damp beauty sponge. I used 2.5 pumps for my entire face, and that gave me an even medium coverage.

I was prepared to detest this foundation. Here's the truth: I fell in love with the finish so much that I did a whole cream products face because I didn't want to powder!

Like some of the other recent posts I've done, I took the following in-post notes in real time to capture my thoughts as the day progressed. (Yeah, we'll get to that creasing concealer soon. It's in the bad pile.)

Application: Similar consistency to Bobbi Brown serum foundation. More body than NYX dropper foundation and Catrice. Nice medium coverage in one coat- don't want to powder.

0h30: Rest of makeup on, cream products blended nicely on top. I'm rocking a very natural, summer-appropriate look today.

2h30: Overall, looking good. Serious issues around my nose- add that to the "must powder areas." Blame that on tester error. Everywhere I see foundation without powder otherwise just looks like natural, radiant skin.

3h30: Hmmm... a bit more wear.

4h30: Oh my goodness, where did it go?!? Breakdown on my cheeks even. That said, I need to try this powdered all over for a fair try.

5h30: OK, this is odd. My forehead is in-tact; my cheeks, nose, and chin broke down. Time to take this off.

Given that I always powder, I decided to give this a second chance. It wasn't the most long-wearing foundation, but using Laura Mercier translucent powder prolonged the breakdown until about 7-8 hours.

I don't think this is meant for me this time of year, but I'll pull it back out of the drawer after the heat and humidity break. If you have normal-dry skin (I morph from that to a combo-oily beast with our heat and humidity each summer), I think you'll like it. Likewise, if you don't need to powder your foundations, I really think you should get a sample to try. I love the overall look the first few hours.

Let's talk about the mechanics of the foundation for a second. This is a dropper foundation:

It performed about the same (although a little worse in the long run) than the other droppers in my drawer (that's the NYX, Bobbi Brown, and Catrice if you're wondering).

In terms of shade match, I went with Fair, the lightest.

Not an exact match, but workable with my NW13-15 skin. This is a fairly limited range, with only 10 shades. Not a fan of that.


Bottom Line: Given the number of foundations that I have in my drawer, it says something that I'm determined to make this work overall. I think I tried it the wrong type of year for me- and don't recommend it for oily skinned friends.

Glitter Tuesday: Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadows for Summer 2017:

Welcome to Glitter Tuesday (back after a minor Nordstrom sale disruption)!

Just a spoiler alert, we're going to work our way through all of the Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadows before we start playing in glitter pigments and I finally reveal my Lit Glitters collection.

Today we're going to explore Stila's Summer 2017 offerings. They released three duochrome shadows for the summer, with a slightly different formula. Like the others, they retail for $24 each and are available at the usual retailers.

There are three shades: Sunset Cove, Sea Siren, and Into the Blue.

Let's start with the lightest (and one of my favorites), Sunset Cove:

Sunset Cove is a pink glitter with green duochrome. It's really tricky to capture, hence the plethora of photos. It's easy to distinguish from Sea Siren when they're side by side, but they might look similar apart,

I think you can see the green shift in some of these photos. On the eye, this translates into dancing light- and is totally wearable for someone like me.

I just wanted to remind about the applicator. You can use it on the eye directly. But the next photo shows you how I use it.

Yes, I use a Bath & Body Works candle lid as a palette. It's cheap and easy. All I do is pick it up with a tiny brush like a MAC 228.

Let me show you how it subtly glows on the eye:

Gorgeous and totally summer-appropriate. The other pink shadow? Colourpop Say I Do. I adore this shade so much and am close to being brave enough to wear it into the office.



Next up, Sea Siren. This is a light purple with a blue shift. I know it looks similar to Sunset Cove, but I swear that they're quite different.

I think this looks a little warmer than it translates on the eye.

This is a cool-toned shade with quite a bit more pigment than the last shade I shared.

Let's jump straight to it on the eye. I kept the blurry open eye shot in because the blue shift is especially apparent.

This is such a flattering, cool-toned purple shade. I think it's a great shade for spring and summer- and even the depths of icy winter. I look forward to wearing this a lot more than I have.

The last shade is Into the Blue. This is a deep blue with purple duochome- and I've been wearing the heck out of it.

This one is totally unmistakable.

Look at the bubble below- I told you I've been wearing this a lot!

More shots of this glorious shade:

OK, let me share a look that I previously shaded on Instagram that perfectly showcases this shade. I'm just going to drop the mic.

I'm in love.

Here's a group swatch (Sea Siren, Sunset Cove, Into the Blue) in Studio Lighting:

The same swatches, in ambient lighting:

Bottom Line: I really like these three summer shades. Yes, they're a different formula and require a bit of finesse to apply. Sunset Cove is one of my favorite shades in the entire range because it's so wearable. I also like the smaller glitter and wish Stila would incorporate it into additional shades going forward.

Glitter Tuesday: Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow- In a Firenze & Next to Notte

Yay! Glitter! That means it's Tuesday.

Welcome to the first "regular" Glitter Tuesday, which was inspired by my desire to review the entire Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow line.

Each of the Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadows retail for $24 and contain 0.153 fl oz/4.5ml of product. They're retailed at Sephora, Ulta, Stila.com, Beautylish, and Nordstrom.com. There are currently 15 shades on the market, including all of the retailer-exclusive (Ulta: Ballet Baby; Sephora: Violet Vixen- although there is reportedly an issue with this shade right now) and LE shades.

First up, the latest two releases: In a Firenze and Next to Notte. Both of these were a bit difficult to get ahold of- but I was able to get mine from Stila's site. Stock has been sketchy on that site and on Sephora's site. Neither shade is available in-store right now.

Can we take a quick side note to discuss how makeup trends shape our purchases? If you'd told me a year ago I'd buy two glittery red liquid shadows, I'd have told you that you were insane.

With that aside, let's get into it.

I'm so happy my camera grabbed the sparkle on the end of the box here.


First up, In a Firenze. This is the more understated of the two shades.

Looking closely at In a Firenze, it's a dusty, warm rose with silver glitter in it. Very on-trend- and wearable.

The glitter particles are visible, but not distracting. The base appears to be pigmented enough to carry the color when swatched.

This is a nice wand. Some prefer to actually put product on the eye with it, but I prefer using a tiny brush to apply the product onto my eyes for more precise application. That said, it is usable. Likewise, some apply this product without primer; I find Glitter Glue to be essential in preventing fallout.

Now, onto the part that you're all here for: swatches. The first swatch is with a photography light/studio light on, the second is with ambient/warm room light:

This is gorgeous and on-trend; I'd use this with the Viseart Warm Mattes or Naked Heat for certain.

I have a different type of look for you; I probably shouldn't have put this review up first. These can be used for liners and I wanted to show a crazy graphic look with a color like this:

That looks insane, right?  Here's what it looks like with my eye open:

I really love how this sets off my eye color- and now I'm interested in playing with more red shades as a graphic liner. My hoods make this 100% wearable because the glitter's contained within the hidden area.

If you're looking for my bottom line- it'll be after the next review.

Now, on to Next to Notte. I'll be honest: this was a 100% "must have them all" purchase. Because really... a red liquid glitter eyeshadow?

Unlike In a Firenze, which has silver glitter, Next to Notte has red glitter.

It looks like a blood red, and I want to purposely show you a wet swatch:

Under studio lights:

Room (ambient) lighting:

It's gorgeous, but I just don't know if this shade is for me. Unfortunately, this dries down a bit darker- which you'll see.

I was able to test this on the 4th of July, so I didn't feel out-of-place. Here are my actual testing notes:

"This looks stunning in the tube and on my teeny tiny brush (brushes ftw for application). But... where did it go? Hella patchy and... why are you migrating? Took two+ coats for opacity, even with a base of shade #12 of the Viseart Warm Mattes palette. And yes, I always use Glitter Glue."

I think it's pretty, and it took 2-3 layers and a hella buffing job on my behalf. It's the lid shade with the Viseart Warm Matte palette here in these in-progress eye shot:

It dried down to a dulled blackened base with red glitter. It's just not that sparkly on the lid, sadly.

Before I go into my bottom lines, let's gawk at a couple of swatches, ok?

First, with photography lighting:

And now with ambient room lighting:

Bottom Line: First, glitter is awesome and fun. This formula is so amazing that it inspired me to do a weekly tribute to glitter, for crying out loud! In terms of the overall collection, the frenzy on these two has to do with shade, not performance. Next to Notte isn't as blingy, and it's much patchier than others in the line. In term of performance, In a Firenze is the clear winner. That said, I think the OG release offers the best formula overall.