L.A. Colors Holiday 2017: Color FYX Color Correctors & Shine v Matte Palettes

If your family's anything like mine used to be, there was always a last-second scramble to find stuff for the stockings. I've always been interested to check out the L.A. Colors drugstore offerings, and the stupidly low pricetag brought me in this year. I've got four of the items- which cost me a cool $12 in total. I picked mine up at Walgreens on a whim.

I know we're more than a month off from Christmas, but I wanted to post reviews on these since they caught my eye and there will be lots of people in the stores this weekend, why not?

I'm more than aware that L.A. Colors is usually found online, in Dollar Tree, or occasionally at the drugstore. Other brands have shown that price point doesn't necessarily correlate to quality, but I won't trash these on performance the way I would if a luxury palette had the same performance (that's a spoiler alert).

L.A. Colors Color FYX Color Correctors Set ($6)

This kit caught my eye, partially because of the potential extreme value. There are five color correctors in this kit, which retails for $6. Even if not all of these will suit your complexion, that's an awesome deal. I haven't found that many color correctors that I haven't liked in general, so this was an easy pickup.

The kit gives a cute overview of color correcting.

 Let's dig into the kit itself- these are small, but are a nice size. They're more than a deluxe sample but not too big. Each contains 0.09z/2.5g of product.

There's a nice lilac, a deep orange, a deep yellow, a deep green, and a glittery white in this kit.  Rather than showing each one in depth, here's what the doefoot looks like:

Holo nails are Kiko 03 Blush Rose ($6)

Here's a group swatch, and I'll break down how these shades work with my NW13-15 complexion.

These really remind me of the L.A. Girl correctors. Down to the glittery white corrector. The yellow's like the regular yellow (not the light one). I used to own most of those, but decluttered because the shades don't work for me.

Out of all of these, I can probably make the lilac work the easiest, can work with a light hand with the yellow, green, and white. If you wanted to try to the L.A. Girl but don't want to pay $4.99 (at Ulta) each, nab this set. I tested the yellow and lilac- they perform comparably to the L.A. Girl. Consider this set QBB approved.

Next up, the L.A. Colors Shine v Matte Palettes ($2, 3 shades available)

Consider these the ultimate impulse purchase. Each of these contain 12 shades (6 shine, 6 matte) and have a net weight of 0.28oz/8g of product. Normally I'd pass, but given how nice Wet n Wild is at low prices, I figured why not. If they're good, they'd be an awesome stocking stuffer!

Let's start with the boring one- 41710WAG- Close to Nature.

So, the back of this palette brought me the distribution company- Beauty 21 Cosmetics. When I Googled it, I got an answer that made me laugh. Your QBB knows her brands. This umbrella has both L.A. Colors and L.A. Girl- so the previously-mentioned color correctors are the same, and this formula is similar to the quads I've played with previously. OK.

The pans have a different design, depending on the formula. The "Shines" have that pretty diamond stamping, and the mattes are blank. I had to break the palette into the two formulas when I swatched. So, first I'll show you a close up on the pans (I went down, starting with the top left, then came back to that bar going across), and then the corresponding swatches.

Here's how these swatches swatch:

Here's the mattes:

I''l note that shade #5 (the middle shade in the vertical stack) is cooler than it photographed.

Overall, I'd call this a workable palette and worth $2. Is it better than Wet 'n Wild? Nope. But can I work a neutral look out it? Yes. I like that there's skin-tone shades for me. The shimmers work much, much better with some Fix+.

Next up, 41711WAG- Sweet Romance.

*cough* Modern Renaissance vibes *cough* I had really high hopes for this because of the mauves in the palette.

I mean, look at these shades, right?

Sadly, it's a huge sad trombone.

I mean, come on!

Well, maybe the mattes perform better. Even if they're more like neutrals and not as interesting as the shines.

They do, but they're pretty meh.

This palette underwhelmed me so much that I wouldn't suggest spending $2 on it. Sorry, L.A. Colors. 2 or 3 decent shades out of 12 is too few by any estimation.

Now, it's all up to the colorful one (41715WAG-Prima Donna) to restore my faith in this investment.(OK, that's melodramatic because we've had one ok palette and one pass. I'm not mad at them for $2.)

We all know that purples are the hardest to formulate, and colorful palettes like this are usually either really good or really bad. Holding my breath.

Because these colors look so, so pretty.

WOW! Pleasantly surprised, especially with the performance of that grey-green and the purples. Already sold.

Let's see if these mattes can hang.

No, not the most full-pigmented mattes in the world. But really nice washes of color at this price point.

Out of the three, Prima Donna is my favorite one and the one that I'd recommend throwing in your family member's stocking. It's perfect for that younger makeup fan in your family, or for someone who wants a light wash of color.


So yes, there are decently performing products in those kits that look tempting in the drugstore.

Laura Geller Filter Corrector Color Perfecting Balm

Quick side note: remember how I didn't plan to post daily? I started reshooting and pulling products I wanted to feature and noticed I have enough for daily posts through September at least. Don't get used to it long-term though!

This is one of those products that it makes me so sad to have to reshoot photos because of the damage done by regular usage!

For a hot minute over the past couple of years, we all got obsessed with color correcting. As someone who struggles with redness, I've always been down with green correctors. Like most trends, I feel like it had to reach its peak before getting back under control. I've been focused on working down my ridiculously large corrector stash lately and it really takes something different for me to part with my money. The newish Laura Geller Filter Corrector Color Perfecting Balm ($32) qualifies.

Can I take a quick moment to say how much I even appreciate the box? It's the little details that make this a standout product.

I picked mine up online from Ulta and purchased sight unseen. The design is really interesting- it's a vertical stack of three potted corrector balms. Overall, it feels really well put together.

I'll be honest- I really don't like potted products. They tend to be drier, and since you correct before foundation they tend to be difficult to work with. However, these are very emollient. Well done, Laura Geller!

Before I get into the products, let's talk quantity and price. For that $32, you get a total of 4g/0.14oz of product that was made in the USA.

That's exceptionally expensive. The Maybelline Master Camo palettes with 6 products contain 0.21oz and retail for $12.99, the Stila Correct & Perfect Palette has 0.46oz for $45, it's the size of 3 Bobbi Brown correctors (which retail for $27 each), the Sephora-exclusive Tarte palette has 6 x0.11 oz correctors for $45 ($36 on sale), and the individual Becca correctors are $2 less and contain 0.16 of product.

I'll be honest, that math just changed my entire opinion of this product. More on that later.


The top layer has a hidden mirror (nice touch) and a peachy corrector.

There's also a little booklet in the package that shows you how they suggest using the product. Spoiler alert: put peach under the eyes.

Here's a swatch of the peach corrector.

I'll be honest, it's too dark for me except when I'm self-tanned, or if I work it incredibly carefully and in a tiny amount.


The second layer is a blue corrector.

This is the most white-based corrector of the three, and easiest to wear with my complexion. Here's a swatch.

I don't own any other blue correctors. According to the little booklet, it's supposed to eliminate yellow undertones and provide brightening.

The third and bottom layer is a traditional green corrector.

Here's a swatch. In terms of green correctors in my collection, it's dark.

And here's the little booklet:

OK, now that I've tried to objectively show you the product, let's get into my real opinion.

Who is this product really meant for?

Not me. This is marketed as a universal corrector and I strongly, violently disagree. It's only because I'm incredibly comfortable with correctors that I can make the green or peach work.

Let's look at a group swatch, and then I'll explain:

First off, the peach would make my dark circles darker without any self-tanner. This is a medium-to-deep shade. I can make the blue work-but I wonder if skintones darker than medium can pull it off because it's so white-based. The green is way too deep for fair-skinned people like myself- this is more of a medium-deep green, based on my experience.

In short, this is really meant for medium skintones, otherwise it's really difficult to work with.

I kept it for the blue, to be honest.

What about the formula?

It's certainly balmy. You'll note in the photos how torn up it looks. Here's what one light dab of my finger looks like:

Yikes! It's nice and emollient, but a little goes a long way. I think it would be easy to blow through this product extremely quickly, but it does a nice job on the face and doesn't appear to interfere with foundation.

I do like the performance, but it's not summer-shipment friendly. This is a melty product.

Is this a good value? Nope, nope, nope. It's nice and compact and travel-friendly. That said, I was onboard with the product until I did the math earlier. It's really, really expensive for what you get- especially for non-medium skintones.

It's in-store at Ulta now- if this interests you (I do like the blue), I recommend checking it out in-person before buying.

It's Not Easy Being Green: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Neutralizer

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'm going to be bringing you a few of these green-themed posts today. First up, the most expensive per swipe green color corrector that I tried during my crazy testing: the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Neutralizer ($38, 0.08oz).

Price Index: $475/oz

First, it's not fair to compare this to most of the other items. Anyone familiar with YSL's famous Touche Eclat will understand what I'm saying. This has the same type of brush applicator as the non-color correcting items. With that comes a very thin formula.

Color-wise, this is a light mint with a distinct white base. It swatches more opaque than it wears:

It's one of the lightest in tone, which makes it perfect for my NW15 skin. However, it's a very light, emolient formula- like most products dispensed in a click pen.

The Wear Test: I knew as soon as I started playing with it that I wouldn't be maximizing this product's potential because of my needs for a heavy-duty redness reducer. I felt incredibly wasteful trying to cover as much of my skin as I needed to with such an expensive item. I was also indecisive- does one brush and blend with the applicator? Or brush, then blend with fingers? Or another brush?  I tried different techniques without a lot of great success.

I couldn't photograph it well because it was THAT thin.

One of the best parts of this one is that it didn't give my skin an overall green tint when blended, but I also questioned if I was blending it away. I was really disappointed with it for my purposes- it was way too sheer. However, I knew this going in with my Touche Eclat experiences in the past. Because I felt like it blended out so much to be effective for my needs, I hesitate to be too critical.

Bottom Line: This is by far and away the most expensive product per ounce. It's no wonder that it's meant for spot correcting rather than heavy-duty or large-area correction (my needs). I'll be looking at the other Neutralizers for spot correcting since the formula feels awesome- but I won't be repurchasing this one.

It's Not Easy Being Green: Cover FX Correct Click Color Corrector & Becca Backlight Targeted Colour Corrector

Much like Kermit the Frog said, it's really not easy being green. For the more than the past month, I've been testing a bevvy of green products on my face all in the name of color correction and science.

It also seemed like perfect timing to launch these posts right around St. Patrick's Day on Thursday.

I'm going to do something scary today: show you my uncorrected skin.  I've mentioned in many of my posts that I suffer from a mild case of rosacea. I've actually used it as a blush in the past with a thin foundation. I'm going to be honest: I have a lot of anxiety about this. I accept my skin, but given how cruel the internet has been to me and this site before, it is taking all of my courage to do this.

I remember early color correctors- large green concealer bullets. (I actually tested one of those just to be fair). I always loved the idea but hated the execution.

I'm thrilled that a bunch of companies have released lines of color correcting products new for Spring 2016 that join an already-robust offering of products. Please keep in mind that I'll be showing you Green products right now- meant for redness reducing for intense spots. Each of these brands are releasing products for brightening, dark spot reduction, sallowness reduction along with the redness reduction.

These posts have obviously been in the works and in testing for a very long time. I tested each one of these products for a minimum of three days, and with different foundation formulas during the trial period. One of the reasons why I wanted to create these posts, and ultimately a mega post is to compare different formulas side by side; although these are the green versions other correctors from the same collection are likely to share the same characteristics.


In order to cut down on post length, I'm going to do these one at a time- or in batches. First up, Cover FX's Correct Click Color Corrector.

 Cover FX Correct Click ($18, 0.19oz)


Price Index: $94.74/oz

My first thought upon opening this box was "is that it?" This is a very tiny little twist up stick-style color correcting stick. Here is it next to my deluxe mini Benefit Shy Beam Highlighter.

That said, it doesn't take a lot due to the consistency. It's a lighter green, and applies in a thin, even line:

This is very much a solid stick- think of it like a stick concealer on the dry end of the spectrum. I had to actually apply straight to my face so that my body heat could heat up the bullet enough to leave product where needed. With a stick/cream, you should be able to pick up product from the bullet with your brush and stiple it on. I couldn't do that with this one.


The Wear Test: I wasn't crazy about the stick format- I can easily see this tugging and breaking while awkwardly gliding over the skin. One would think that a solid concealer (vs a highly fluid form) would provide significantly fuller and long-lasting coverage, but that wasn't my experience here. It ended up being very light and patchy. It blended but left distinct lines as you can see in the photo. It lasted a paltry 8 hours or so; when I wasn't wearing a longwear, full coverage foundation I could see my cheeks getting redder as the day went on.

This is my first experience with this brand, and I'm left wanting more. I had high hopes for the reinvented stick corrector, but I'm left empty handed. 

Bottom Line: This is a pricey option based on the mini size of the item. This provides light coverage and blends pretty well with a light hand and good brush. I'd recommend this mainly for someone with light redness instead of a heavy-duty need. In all fairness, my skin was pretty darned angry when I was trying this one out so it was probably a rougher than average trial.

And on the other end of the spectrum, we have  Becca Backlight Targeted Colour Corrector ($30, 0.16oz), which can be picked up at Sephora.

In terms of portability, I adore this little cutie.

Price Index: $187.50/oz

This pot-based corrector was actually a bit tricky to track down, as it's sold only at Sephora (where it's been quite popular) and on Becca's website. This shade has been sold out on Sephora.com for awhile, and I tracked down the last one within 25 miles of me. Needless to say, this set me up for high expectations.

This cute little concealer pot comes in four colors, with the color name listed on the bottom:

1

Very cute and portable. There was one quirk- when I first opened it up, I saw this on the surface:

I'm not sure if that texture is intentional or not, but I didn't notice any texture issues once I started using it. I was a bit concerned when I ordered it, since it looked really dark. Turns out, I didn't have to worry about that.

I think I'm old school; there's something so nice and precise to be able to control the application with a concealer brush. That swatch took 2 passes to build up. I'm a believer that less is more, so I was already feeling good about this one. It's also very creamy- it reminds me of a great cream eyeshadow.

The Wear Test: I probably put this one through its paces more than any other corrector. Two of the three days I partook in Happy Hour- something which usually brings about red cheeks. Add in that I was on Hour #13 for the day upon arrival at Happy Hour, and it was set up for failure. Well, I'm thrilled to report that it didn't fail me! Even worse, on Day #3, I wore pink makeup. Becca's Corrector was up to the task.

In terms of application, I painted little lines on my face, then used my Sephora Collection Airbrush Concealer Brush to blend it out. It blended well and didn't leave a green or white cast to my face. It was up to the task for 12+ hours each day. The form allowed me total precision- something that I crave with my makeup. I went with a light hand partially to test the effect of this product- plus it's easier to photograph that way.

Bottom Line: This is an excellent corrector that blends out well. I subjected it to some of the worst conditions throughout the entire test period and it performed admirably. The only issues I have with it are accessibility (it was hard to find) and the price point. $30 for a pot of corrector is starting to feel pricey, but that might just be me. Ultimately, however, this was one of two products that irritated my skin so I'm left at the drawing board.