Laura Geller Baked Blush n Brighten in Peach Delight

Today's post is emblematic of the types of products I want to take the time to review but always get lost. I actually purchased this during the Spring 2017 Ulta 21 Days of Beauty, but haven't had time to talk about it until now.

I went on a Laura Geller bender this past winter and spring. After testing about 80% of her line, one of my favorite products is the Baked Blush n Brighten baked blushes. Today I'm sharing with you one of my favorites- Peach Delight.

Let's talk basics first. For $28 at Ulta or the brand's website, you receive 0.16oz/4.5g of this baked powder blush that was made in Italy (standard for the brand). On Ulta, I see a total of six shades; LauraGeller.com has 11 listings although not all are in stock.

Peach Delight is described as "vibrant pink flecked with peach shimmer." I think it's more like the color of a nice, ripe red grapefruit on the inside.

The small mirror included in the packaging pulls it a bit lighter.

I've tried a number of these blushes and several of them produce a similar sheen on the cheeks. I'm a big fan of the line, especially for a more natural flush. If you don't like shimmery blushes (or only do matte), steer clear.

I find these to produce a soft effect on the cheeks. This swatch gives you a good idea:

I think it's just an effortless look- which is what I've come to appreciate about the line as a whole. They last during the workday for me, but don't confuse these with an ultra-pigmented, ultra-longwearing blush. They're just right for a polished look though.


Bottom Line: These aren't matte. These also can look somewhat similar. You can probably achieve a similar look to many shades if you look at the Milani baked blushes, but I think investing in your favorite shade is a worthwhile splurge.

It Cosmetics It Girl Palette for Holiday 2017

This is probably the palette that grew on me the most this year. I was first entranced by the sparkling packaging, but when I saw the neutral insides I decisively dismissed it.

Yet I couldn't get it out of my head.

Say hello to the It Cosmetics It Girl Palette for Holiday 2017, retailing for $48 at an Ulta near you.

The holo-reflective box and crystal-studded top of the palette would seem naturally to pair with bold, vibrant shades inside, right? At the very least, glitter, right?

Sigh.

Yes, it's anti-climatic, but I've come to love this palette and think it's going to be an at-home workhorse for me.

One quick piece of advice- keep your box to protect that palette top! Those crystals are glued on.

Oh yeah, the glue. This palette reeks when you take it out of the box at first. It's the glue that bonds the crystals to the palette. I highly recommend taking it out of the box for three-to-five days and airing it out before using it. I've left mine out of the box for about three weeks at the time of writing this (six days before it publishes), and the stink is now gone.

Back to the palette- I wouldn't travel with this, but I'm going to store it in the box in my Alex 9 drawers in order to protect the crystals for as long as possible.

Putting aside the inevitable disappointment of this being a neutral palette, let's dissect. It's actually incredible for the everyday makeup user- and for someone who can't wear bold colors to the office. I find myself reaching for this day after day for office-friendly makeup. In that way, it really does have, as it claims, "it's your IT Girl essentials, all in one!". I'm not nearly as perky but I think it's a solid palette that would make a fantastic last-minute gift. Or would be a great Boxing Day usage of Ulta gift cards.

There are two Superhero eye foundations (aka bases)- the two large matte shades above the quads. YES to making these lovely matte shades twice the size of the others. They weigh in at 0.07oz each. I think they're superb.

There are two quads- one more brown neutrals and one rosy neutrals. Each has two shimmer and two matte shades, each weighing in at 0.03oz.

In the middle, you have a gradient blush that I have to be very careful with not to grab too much pigment. Yes, she's pigmented.

Let's look at this. First up, the left (brown) quint.

I'm going to call it right now, I'm likely to pan Beautiful and Lovely. I've worn this quint to work four different times, and they lasted all day. I didn't photograph at that point, and I'm writing this the day after having the allergic reaction so I can't put anything on my eye to recreate it. These are good.

Now, the rosy quint:

These are all really nice and I've tested them once. I found that they performed the same as the other quint- but I'm not into rosy hues this time of year. I'll dip in probably in February if I'm being honest.

Here's what the blush looks like, all mixed up:

It's a beautiful, cool-toned pink.

This isn't the most exciting palette, but I think it's fantastic. I had no idea that It Cosmetics eyeshadows were this silky, lovely, and pigmented. It makes me want to pick up another palette- darn it. I hadn't tried anything from the brand before this year and I've been really pleased with everything in my collection at this point. I'm glad I couldn't get this out of my head- if not for the fragile crystal top, I could totally travel with this and do my entire face. It really works for me as a fair-complected individual.

I'm so glad I gave this a shot after laughing at first. It Cosmetics, I've got my eye on you!

Becca Apres Ski Glow Face Palette for Holiday 2017

Today I bring you yet another one of those holiday releases that I wasn't going to buy, yet showed up when I was running merrily through Ulta during a 20% of coupon spree. Call it the red haze of shopping, but after one swatch of Icicle, I was done for.

Say hello to the Becca Apres Ski Glow Face Palette for Holiday 2017. This $54 palette contains six face products- three highlighters, two blushes, and one bronzer.  Each pan has 2.55g or 0.09oz product.

Yes, this is just as reflective but it's going to have to do. I happen to like the Becca palettes, so it was worth a try.

Let's take a look at the inside, with the large mirror.

Let's dig in, shall we?

First up is my favorite Becca highlighter of all time, Rose Quartz.

I adore this shade, which is a perfect beautiful highlight on me. I actually bought a backup. By the way, I think it's back for Holiday 2017. Thank goodness. It was the inclusion of this pan that tipped the balance on this whole palette for me, to be honest.

It's so lovely, right?

Next up is a brand-new shade- Icicle.

This is the other shade that lured me in. It's the perfect icy blue for my fair complexion.

I wish that this was available in a full pan, because I'd pick it up. After so many dark, warm highlighters it's nice to get the occasional pan from Becca that just works for me.

Next up is one of two blushes (or so they say) in this palette. Say hellow to Winter Berry.

This scared me. It's limited edition in this palette, but on the skin? Not as scary.

This is lovely- and a nice flush with a light hand. The shimmer is in the pan, but it doesn't translate other than a healthy flush to the skin.

The second row starts with Blushed Copper blush.

I think this is a straight up eyeshadow for me.

It's pretty, and I'll get creative working it into my routine.

Next up, the classic Opal highlighter.

I'm planning to do a full review of this soon- it's a classic for a reason.

Last up is Bronzed Bondi bronzer.

In the pan, this scares me.

But swatched and blended out, I can make this work. It's really more of a summer shade though. This is more of a nod to medium skintones, which I don't mind.

Here's a group swatch:

I wouldn't necessarily say that this palette is cohesive- the top and bottom rows are disjointed. Light and pale skintones would love row #1, medium skintones would love row #2. I think deep skintones would only like the Blushed Copper shade, honestly. It feels like Becca tried to make a palette for everyone and it just doesn't make a lot of sense.

That said, I think the top row's worth my investment and I'm thrilled to have it in my collection. I'd just think twice about gifting it.

Natasha Denona Blush Duo Palettes 15 & 19

Today I'd like to share with you a product I've been testing for four months. Yes, really. I've been meaning to post about them, but there has always been a more exciting new release.

I first became acquainted with Natasha Denona's Blush Duo Palettes ($38, 14g) at a Sephora event back in June. One of my local stores carries the line, and I was interested in playing with more products. I purchased one of the duos and used it for a solid month before picking up the second duo that's in my collection.

Each of the duos come with a highlighting shade and a darker shade that can be mixed to customize your perfect shade. Both of mine share a common highlighting shade, but that's not consistent across the entire range (19 shades at Beautylish, 12 at Sephora).

Let's jump into these.

My initial purchase was Duo #19. Sephora calls this "Strawberry Cheeks- champagne peach shimmer with a matte blushed berry."

I purchased this after a quick test at Sephora- the associate demonstrated how this could produce a really pretty flush.

Take a close look at the texture of my blush- especially the colored side. It was about three months old at this time. Lots of chalkiness and what I discovered to be hard pan. I'll call your attention to the swatches on Beautylish- you can see the texture on this.

After scraping the pink shade, it's much more pigmented. However, that was rather disappointing given the price point for this duo. It's workable, but why?

Before hard pan formed, I picked up a second blush duo, #15. This is a satin duo, unlike the prior matte duo- and I think this is a key factor in my experience.

This is described by Sephora as "Sheer Nude- champagne peach shimmer and a light terracotta cream sheen."

This has been my nude blush go-to for the past two months, and I adore it. Unlike the Strawberry Cheeks duo, this has remained creamy and pigmented.

Although the performance of the matte duo greatly improved once I scraped the pan, for $38 and after three months I shouldn't have to do so. I like the color but am somewhat disappointed in my experience with the Strawberry duo. I wouldn't purchase another matte duo, but my love for the nude duo has made me consider additional satin shades.

Bottom Line: I find these to be an interesting concept, although having two of the same mixing shade is a bummer. I think the satin shades are much more reliable than the matte.

Ofra Holiday Glow Palette

Sometimes even a product junkie ends up on total overload and products get overlooked.

I actually picked up the Ofra Holiday Glow Palette ($49.50, Ulta) during the first week of Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty and only recently got around to testing it out.

I'm going to do a hard pass on many holiday releases, but I've been wanting to try some of the Ofra pressed powder products and I had some Ulta points to bring down the price... so into my cart that it went.

This palette consists of 6 shimmery eyeshadows, 2 matte potted eyeliner shades, one shimmery bronzer, one of the classic highlighters, and four blushes. I'll mention that each of these items are removable; the shades are only labeled on the overlay. I haven't removed the pans to see if they are on the bottom of each pan.You also get a nicely-sized mirror in this packaging.

Although it's cardboard, it does feel quite sturdy.

Let's take a look at the shades in detail.

Here are the eyeshadows:

Millenium Gold is that gorgeous cool-toned gold that I've been searching for as of late. I think it's my favorite of the six shades.

And the blushes:

I have some mixed feelings here- I feel like they're trying to make a universal palette. I can wear Apricot and Pink Satin easily, Candy Apple with a very refined hand- but B-29 is going to waste away. Someone with a medium complexion is going to find Apricot and Pink Satin useless, etc.

The bronzer and highlighter:

And the eyeliner shades:

It's a very pretty, holiday-appropriate palette. Ofra went very safe and classic holiday for this first release.

Now, let's talk about actually using it.

This is where Ofra missed the mark for me- with a palette this size, with this many type of shades, I'd want to be able to do entire look from it. And I can't. I had to pull out one of my new favorites (keep an eye out in a few days for my review of a palette that snuck up on me.) to make this workable. I know this is a "glow" palette, but one cannot make a modern look without any mattes.

Here's a look at the cheek look I did:

That's a mix of Apricot and Pink Satin, with some Blissful highlighter (which I own in a single pan) and the Americano bronzer. It's a lot of shimmer. And shows some serious texture.

I played with this on three different occasions and ended up with similar looks. The palette's very holiday, but I struggle to make a lot of completely different looks. I do really love the way this turned out:

It features Millenium Gold, Bohemian, and Plastic. I could wear this often.

Let's talk a bit about value. The palette retails for $49.50, and claims to be a $182 value.  I think it's a good way to try an assortment of products, but I certainly wouldn't pay $182 for the products individually.

I didn't have any issues, quality-wise with this palette. It's solid, and I could probably travel with this and my Tarte Clay Play palette and essentially be happy for an entire face. It doesn't meet my expectations in that it needed a buddy palette- but I can deal with that.

Overall, I think this is a good introduction to the brand,and it would be a good holiday gift. I'll try to pull this into more frequent rotation during the holiday season.

bareMinerals Take Me With You Complexion Rescue Set for Holiday 2017

Today I'd like to share my thoughts on the first true holiday set I picked up this year. I hate myself for purchasing holiday back in September, but that's how it goes. Let's talk about the bareMinerals Take Me With You 3 Pc Complexion Rescue Try-Me Kit.  I purchased mine at Ulta during the 21 Days of Beauty sale for $39. The packaging claims it's a $67.75 value- which I'm not sure about.

The kit is available in six shades. One quick aside- shame on you, bareMinerals, for skewing this so light. Shades 01, 02, 03, 05, 07, and 09 are available. I'm personally thrilled that my Shade (Opal 01) was available since it normally isn't, but four of the first five shades? There are a total of 16 in the line.

You get three items in this kit: a deluxe-sized version of the Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream, a mini face Smoothing brush, and a deluxe sample of Golden Gate blush.

Oh, and there's a very soft and shiny makeup bag as well:

It's nice, but I feel like my bag would eat that makeup bag up in about 5 minutes.

Let's start with the Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream.

I haven't formally reviewed it on the blog, but it's been creeping in my monthly favorites. This is by far and away my current favorite tinted moisturizer. I've been using it rather quickly. You receive 20ml/0.68fl oz of product, making it travel friendly. To be honest, that's one of the reasons why I purchased the kit- the full size is 1.18 fl oz, making it not TSA-compliant.

I'm going to swatch Opal 01 on my hand here. On the left is a dot; it's blended out on the rest of my hand.

It's pretty much perfect for my NW13-15 complexion. In case you're wondering, I used my full-sized tube to swatch so I can keep the small travel guy as long as possible.

Now, let's talk about the brush. I'm not sure about this, but I'll continue to work with this.

It's travel-sized and would work in a pinch.

Lastly, let's talk about the blush. I may be the last one on Earth, but I haven't played with bareMinerals' loose blushes before.

Having looked at them at Ulta before, this is the shade I would've selected- so I'm happy to have a small size to experiment with. This is the type of item I am thrilled to get in kits because I'll never use a full size and I'm not sure about the formula.

I know this is bareMinerals' niche, but the closure totally impressed me.

Let's talk about Golden Gate. It's a bit deep for my skintone, but I think it might've been too much to ask for them to customize blushes to complexions.

This is the absolute tiniest bit, blended out. I guess it will be lasting me forever. It's a ruddy orange shimmer that's a summer/fall shade for me. I'll keep playing with it, but loose blush sort of annoys me right now. Am I the only one?

Bottom Line: I think this is a good way to try multiple products from bareMinerals. If any of the kits will match your complexion, I think it might be worth checking out.