September 2017 Favorites

I love doing my monthly favorites... I hope that they're fun for you to read as well. I've been testing so many new products that I've tried to keep my favorites streamlined. Any links are to previous reviews that I've done on the blog for your reference.

Eyes:

Eyeshadow: I really kept reaching for three palettes this month- Natasha Denona Lila Palette, PUR Trolls Palette, and LORAC Mega Pro 1. I'd expect these three to keep popping up from time to time. I'm also still a huge fan of all of the MAC Girls Palettes.

Eyeliner and Mascara: Other than my favorite trio of ABH liners, I also reached for the long-discontinued Chanel Perle de Lune and was thrilled to bring the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Eyeliner back into my life via the Ulta sale. Nothing like keeping it simple.


Cheeks and Face:

Blush: Dose of Colors Blush in StateMint brought me back down the rabbit hole into old habits. Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Bliss found its way back into my drawer, and I purchased a full-sized version of Tarte Paarty. When I wasn't wearing a light pink nudey blush, I was also wearing Natasha Denona Blush Duo #15.

Bronzer: I've been reaching for two bronzers- both from the drugstore- this month. I'm so close to finishing my Physician's Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer in Light Bronze and L'Oreal Glam Bronze 01 is my cool-toned go-to.

Contour: I feel sort of like I'm cheating since I only bought this halfway through the month, but Catrice Prime & Fine Professional Contouring Palette has been my go-to since I purchased it when I want an effortless contour. I've been testing other products, but I love this little guy. Look for a full review soon.

Highlighter: I wasn't very committed to highlighters this month. Fenty Beauty Metal Moon and Becca Prismatic Amethyst probably found their way onto my cheeks the most frequently.


Lips: 

Basics: I continue to worship Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Primer, as it now allows me to comfortably wear matte liquid lips. I've also been using up my Fiona Stiles Ultra Luxe Nourishing Lip Balm.

Lipstick: I'm still fairly boring when I'm reaching for lipsticks. Hourglass GIRL Stylo in Peacemaker and Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Uber Beige are still my go-tos.

Liquid Lipstick: I discovered how much I like two formulas this month. Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Lipstick in Freshly Baked ruled my daytime looks, whereas I've been playing with Dose of Colors Matte Liquid Lipstick in Berry Me at night. I can't wait for it to cool enough to wear it out during the day.

Lip Gloss: It was all about Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow this month. Period. End stop.


Base Products:

Primers: I've been trying to finish primers this month, so the only constants are my Too Faced Hangover Rx 3-in-1 spray- which is a must, the L'Oreal Magic Base to fill in some fine lines, and the Milk Makeup Blur Stick.

Concealers: Tarte Shape Tape. Any questions?

Foundations: I rediscovered how much I love the Chanel Perfection Luminere Velvet foundation this month. I continue to enjoy La Mer The Foundation (tell me if you'd like my thoughts), It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream and bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Hydrating Gel Cream.

Powders: I forget why I stopped using Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light under my eyes. It's one of two powders (the other being the NYX one I talked about yesterday) that set my eyes this month). In terms of all-over powder, it's been either the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder or MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural.


Nails:

Color: I'm going back to my roots here. I had one of a few shades on my nails most of the month. Thanks to Glossybox for bringing Morgan Taylor Magician's Assistant into my life. I've also been loving some CVS finds- Pop-Arazzi Pewter Perfect & Staying Up Slate. I also pulled Chanel Alchimie out for the few days it was cool (Side note: whoa, that's digging in the archives to find that post!). I also put China Glaze Pearl Jammin' on my nails as soon as I purchased it (there's something fresh about muted pastels in fall).


Skincare and Bodycare:

Skincare:  I ran out of Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum and my skin showed it almost immediately. I now have a $80 staple in my routine. I also continue to enjoy First Aid Beauty Coconut Smoothie Priming Moisturizer.

Bodycare: I rediscovered my love for L'Occitane's almond line this month. In particular, I've been loving the L'Occitane Almond Milk Lotion. In the shower, I fell in love with Le Petit Marseillais Shower Gel in Mandarin and Lime.


That's it for my beauty favorites- but I'd love to share a few non-beauty items with you as well.


Non-Beauty:

Style-wise, I've been loving the combination of my Sam Edelman Felicia Flats, and will be picking up other colors. These come in wide, which is wonderful. I've also been wearing my Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote on a daily basis.  This might be TMI, but I've discovered how lovely the Delimira Womens' Plus Size Maternity Bras are. I'm not pregnant, nor have I had a baby recently. However, I am a thirty-something who is naturally "blessed". Those bras give me nighttime support and actually help ease some of my back pain.

What have you been loving this month?

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017 Beauty Exclusives: Laura Mercier Read My Lips Collection- Roses

Today we have the next lip kit that I purchased during the Early Access at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017: Laura Mercier's Read My Lips Duo -Roses. No Glitter Tuesday while I work my way through the Nordstrom Beauty Exclusives. I want to get everything reviewed during Early Access, if possible. (That might not happen, but I'm trying!)

Here's the basics: there are two versions of this lip kit from Laura Mercier, both retailing for $28 (a $50 value). There is the roses kit that I picked up and a nude kit that I passed on since I'd already purchased the Bobbi Brown Nudes kit. For $28, you receive two full-sized products: a Plumberry lip pencil (which I hadn't tried before) and a Velour Lovers Lip color in Aphrodisiac. I've been familiar with the Velour Lovers line for awhile- I previously reviewed two of the shades here.

That's why I chose this kit to be review #2- I knew I could test on Sunday since I know and like the formula already. What I wasn't expecting was to get multiple compliments on the shade- so your girl knows her colors I guess.

Let's start with the Plumberry Lip Liner. This is a wooden pencil liner (which I don't prefer these days and find a bit dry, to be honest... but that's all wooden liners). These contain 1.49g of product and normally retail for $25 each. Plumberry is a permanent collection item, so you don't need to purchase the kit to get the shade.

It's a lovely light berry liner. I'll swatch both at the end of the post, but for now, let's just see what my lips look like filled in with it:

I see that bit that's not perfect, but neither am I.

Let's move onto the Velour Lovers lipstick in Aphrodisiac. These normally retail for $28 each, and this shade may be exclusive to the kit. I didn't see it on the brand's website, on Nordstrom's site, or at Sephora, Macy's, Blue Mercury, Neiman Marcus, or Bloomingdales. This shade is a gorgeous rose that's slightly darker than mid-toned yet not overly dark. I had a feeling that this wouldn't go goth on my pigmented lips and was in my sweet spot.

Overall, I like the formula on these lipsticks. They're not as drying as the average matte shade but have good longevity. I find my prior purchase to be comfortable for a matte. That said, I'm putting my lips through a lot recently so they're not in great shape in terms of hydration (I need some By Terry back in my life apparently).

Let's take a look at what this looks like on my lips, without the liner (this is important):

See, these aren't 100% matte- which I adore. This is an easy-to-wear shade that I can reach for year-round. I really like it.

Now, let's put that lipstick over the liner. Wait until you see the difference!

That's the same lighting conditions!

Let's take a look at the hand swatch (Liner, lipstick, both):

So, despite the somewhat similar appearance, you've got a number of looks in this kit. I really appreciate when brands give me choices in just two products.

Laura Mercier is one of those quietly good brands. I don't gravitate towards the line for most things (setting powder noted as an exception), but I usually like everything I try from the line. Perhaps it's product overload or the lack of in-your-face marketing, but I really should make an effort to try more.

Bottom Line: This is a good deal for a slightly-drying but lovely matte lipstick that doesn't fail me often. I mentioned my other review earlier; I passed one of the two shades onto a friend but still reach for the other quite often. It's my continued love of that lipstick that convinced me to grab this set after initially passing. This formula is fairly long wearing- and I may have to revisit it in the future.

Laura Mercier Velour Lovers Lip Colour: Aroused & French Kiss

If there's one thing that you've come to expect from me: I'll always go for a glossy lip over matte lips. It's mostly because my lips are very sensitive and most mattes tend to be drying.

We're living in a great era, my friends. You can now have pigmentation, longevity, and your choice of finish in lipstick. The newest generation of mattes are somewhat friendly to my sensitive lips.

Laura Mercier Velour Lovers Lip Colour ($28, 3.6g) are one of those newest generation of lipsticks. I stumbled onto the formula at my local Sephora after one of those trips where I felt like I needed to buy something but I didn't know what. As it turns out, I loved my original purchase so much that I went back for a second lipstick so I could review a pair (that's my preference so I can tell if certain things are a quirk of a certain shade or a line's trend.

According to the brand's website, this is what the line is supposed to be:
 
"A highly pigmented, moisturizing lip color with a satin matte finish. Velour Lovers Lip Lover is a revolution in matte lipstick that couples delicate mattifying powders with moisturizing mango butter that creates a velvety texture that is smooth, creamy and long-wearing. Formula is buildable, offering medium to high coverage with a matte, sateen finish"

Let's talk packaging for a moment.

These are in matte dark brown rectangular packaging with the brand name on the cap. Shade information is on the bottom.

Let's start with my original purchase, Aroused. Sephora lists this as an exclusive shade on their website. I didn't notice it at Nordstrom, so I'll take Sephora at their word.

Although I really don't like the shade name (seriously, Laura Mercier, I thought you were classy!), I love the lipstick. It's called a "pink coral". I agree. Here's how it looks on my lips inside:

I think this is such a pretty color to pair with a neutral eye that I've been reaching for it frequently. Here's a look at Aroused on my pigmented lips outside:

Gorgeous, right?

Next, let's get a little more innocent.

The other shade that I selected was teased in my Sunday Dreaming section: French Kiss.

French Kiss is described as "Bubblegum pink."  It's a mid-toned, cool pink that instantly brightens up your complexion. My first thought upon looking in the mirror after putting it on was "fresh pink."

Here it is, on my lips:

 And here it is, outside (on a rare sunny day):

While I was admiring the shade in the rearview mirror at a red light, the shade NARS Marisa popped into my mind. It also made me wonder if my definition of bubblegum is different than Laura Mercier. I'd call French Kiss more of a milder hot pink.

Just for comparison, here's a swatch of both shades together:

Overall, this is one of the most moisturizing mattes that I've tried. It plays with my lips far nicer than say, Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvet formula or any MAC Matte. Wear time is excellent- probably 6 hours or so before fading. I never make it that long without sipping on something during the day anyhow.

 I can see myself continuing to explore this line since they appear to be sensitive lip-friendly mattes.

Laura Mercier Paris After the Rain Palette

Today I'd like to share with one of the first products I actually picked up for Spring 2016- and one of the items that I think is perfectly situated for the winter-spring transition. I also haven't seen very many reviews, so I'm happy to share this albeit a bit late in the game.

First, I have to show this photo to you- this is how long I've been sitting on photos! Yes, that's snow, and it's pre-camera purchase.

Laura Mercier's Spring 2016 collection is anchored by the Paris After the Rain Palette ($55). Laura Mercier's website describes this as "A gorgeous palette with 8 matte and multi-chrome finishes with endless eye look possibilities. The Multi Chrome Pearl Topper can be used to help blend a strong base colour, intensify a subtle base colour or illuminate a matte colour."

I call it gorgeous and quite unexpected for Spring. Let's take a look. I'm going to be honest- I've reshot these photos a few times, so the palette is showing some wear. That's one of things I want to talk about in-depth.

Row 1 (Matte Eye Color): Saint Germain, Tour Eiffel, Champs Elysee, Le Marais
Row 2 (Multi Chrome Pearl Topper): Arc de Triomphe, Rue de Rivoli, La Madeleine, Montmartre

I adore the Parisian names- there's something about this palette that feels glamorous.

Let's look at the mattes first:

Overall, these are buttery for mattes and blend well. They're perfect on their own, or as an anchoring base. But warning: these are soft. Make sure you tap your brush and be ready to do cleanup. You also will need to be careful not to overblend- you can blend them into nothing.

Next, the gem-like Multi Chrome Pearl Toppers:

Aren't they beautiful?

Here's the deal. There is a lot of fallout, but just spray your brush with a little Fix+ before picking up pigment and you'll be fine. Also be prepared to do a bit of cleanup.

Now, this is a bit hazy (due to the atmospheric conditions) but worth showing because of the sun:

These are gorgeous.

I love layering these shades for a totally smoky eye with a twist.

There's one major downside to this palettte- I think it has gone over that buttery line into way too soft. Take a look at my palette after I re-swatched (with better lighting):

Did I not tell you these have a ton of fallout and are prone to overblending?  It's a shame since this is literally the perfect size for travel. That texture is the only thing that makes me not want to bring it with me when I travel.
Overall, this palette is the perfect size for travel and a lot of fun in this in-between (okay, FINE it's still winter but a girl can dream, right?) time. Just be careful with the Multi Chrome Pearl Toppers and you're ready to go. The more I play with this palette the more I fall in love.

Coming Soon to QBB: Summer 2014!

I just wanted to give you a quick peek at some items that I've recently received and will be featuring on the blog soon.  Despite the weather, it seems that we've gone straight past spring into Summer 2014!


Butter London Lolly Brights Collection:

Ladybird, Sozzled, and Wink Eye Pencil- Holland Park


Laura Mercier New Attitude Collection:

Lip Gels: Clementine, Flushed, Heartbreaker, Temptation


And finally.... Tom Ford Summer 2014 Collection:

The Eye and Cheek Compact- Unabashed.

So while this blog has gone mad for Burberry, there are other brands in my life that I'll be bringing to you soon.

Laura Mercier Summer 2014 New Attitude Collection: Reckless Nail Lacquer

I don't often get personal on the blog, but I'm not sure how many posts I'll get done this week. Although I spent all of Saturday swatching and photographing, I woke up on Sunday with a sinus infection. Because of work, I have to do 90% of my posts the weekend before, so this week is likely to be a bit thin.

Laura Mercier and Guerlain are the first two brands roll out their Summer 2014 collections.  Laura Mericer's collection is the New Attitude Collection, and includes 2 baked eye quads, two new eyeliners, four shades of Gel Lip Color, and 2 nail colors.

There are two nail shades in this collection- Reckless and Attitude. I passed on Attitude because I have several similar shades in my stash that I prefer already.  Attitude is a highly metallic light blue- think Chanel Sky Line, just slightly lighter and a lot frostier/metallic.

Reckless is a red-based orchid creme.  In my opinion, it's another beautiful take on Radiant Orchid. I have a real weakness for purple polishes, so it shouldn't be a shock that I selected this shade.  And in truth, I was slightly short for a GWP with my Gel Lip Color purchases, so Reckless came home with me.

It's been awhile since I've purchased a Laura Mercier Nail Lacquer and the bottle has gone through a redesign for the better.  The bottle is the same shape, but the bulky square cap is no longer attached to the brush.

I figured that I had multiple dupes in my collection.  Turns out that I didn't.

Butter London Molly Coddled is lighter, and JINSoon French Lilac is much redder.

This shade photographs significantly cooler on the nails than it swatches or appears in the bottle. I tried multiple locations and flash settings but couldn't get it to look as it appears on the nails in real life.

That is two coats on my nails, topped with Formula X topcoat.

Overall, I think this is a lovely shade. The formula is much better (in terms of opacity) than I remember from Laura Mercier's nail line.  I love the redesigned bottle and find it easier to work with.  This has improved my perception of Laura Mercier nail line significantly. Although I have a few polishes from earlier releases, I don't reach for them and haven't really found them to be a good value at $18.  I'm not sure when the reboot happened- readers, if you know please let me know in the comments- but it was well needed. After this experience, I'm more likely to consider purchasing them in the future.

Laura Mercier Summer 2014 New Attitude Collection Preview

Somehow I feel a little guilty to be blogging about Summer 2014 makeup before I've finished all of my Spring 2014 reviews.  I'm just a tad behind, but the stragglers are mostly nail polishes anyhow.

I picked up a few items from Laura Mercier's Summer 2014 New Attitude Collection. The most exciting thing of all is... Girrrl, the Gel Lipsticks are back!! And they've been reformulated! They were one of my favorite formulas before the reboot, and these new shades are positively divine.  Since I'm a Laura Mercier Gel Lipstick collector, I'll have plenty of comparison swatches for you shortly.

Here's a quick sneaky peak at my selections:

I swore I was done buying lipstick backups (I actually have a backup of Dollface from the 2012 Gel Lipstick collection), but I can already tell I'm going to need an extra of at least two of these.  They're that amazing.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eyeshadow- Orchid

Today I bring you one of my favorite formulas for eyeshadow sticks- Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks. They retail for $26 and contain 0.05 oz of product.

I find the Caviar Sticks to be the eyeshadow stick formula on the market that's regularly available.  With a primer, I need extra-strength makeup remover to remove this at the end of 18 hours. Color payoff and pigmentation are top-notch.

Orchid is the perfect light purple for light blue eyes.  Here are some swatches:

Outside

 

 

Inside, with flash (look similar to outside!)

Inside, no flash

Orchid is one of my favorite shadows in my collection, and I highly recommend it everyone.

Late Summer Skincare Routine (PM)

Like my morning routine, this will be changing with the seasons- although not as much as I originally thought.  I've been swapping out my Shiseido Softener for the First Aid Beauty pads in an effort to get my skin at its best

• Caudalie Makeup Removing Water: This is my first experience using a "Makeup Removing Water," although similar products (like the NARS version) have piqued my interest in the past.  I'm nearly through my second bottle of this- and will keep it on-hand. It's very gentle yet effective.
• Shiseido Facial Cotton: Once you try these, you'll never go back to regular cotton again.  These are a pampering treat for my skin. This is the third full pack I've used this year.
• Laura Mercier Oil-Free Makeup Remover: This stuff is amazing- it will take off even the most stubborn makeup.  Just a little bit for the remaining waterproof mascara is all you need.
• Neutrogena Hydrating Makeup Removing Wipes: One of the places where I save money is by using drugstore-brand makeup removing wipes. I've bounced around, but usually alternate these with Boots No.7 wipes. I haven't seen a difference between high-end wipes and these, and I'd rather save money where it's possible.
• Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Creamy Cleanser: See the morning post for mini-review.
• First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads:  See the morning post for a mini-review.
• Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum: Review pending.
• Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Eye Cream: This is the eye cream that re-invigorated my interest in skincare. Full review pending because it was a game-changer for me personally.
• Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream/Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Emulsion: It will be clear at the end of the month why I've got 2 night creams in rotation.  For those who aren't clear on Shiseido's vocabulary, the Emulsions (Day/Night) are significantly lighter than the Creams.  These are part of my HG skincare routine which I've been using faithfully for the past year.
• Shiseido Benefiance Lip Treatment: See morning post for mini-review.