Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Metal Moon & Universal Gloss in Fenty Glow

Today I'm happy to share my initial purchases- and thoughts- about Fenty Beauty. This was clearly the largest, most buzzed-about line to launch in 2017. I found myself walking after work to the nearest Sephora to check it out. At that time, I picked up one item. Several days later, I came back for a second. I'll be back for more.

I picked up two items from this first launch- the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Metal Moon and the Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer. If you're curious, the gloss came first.

Let's start with the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter.

Highlighters are one of the key products in the line. I have one of the two single-pan highlighters- Metal Moon.

It's almost impossible to capture in a photo, but the hexagonal packaging has a blue pearl. It's truly beautiful.

For $34, you get 8g/0.28oz of product. It's about the same as a Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, but for $4 less.

Metal Moon is described as "mega fine white gold." In the pan, it looks straight up white.

This shade hasn't gotten the best reviews, but I think this shade was meant for me. It's suited best for someone who is very fair, and who prefers a subtle highlight. It's the anti-Trophy Wife.  Know anyone that meets that description? Yeah, I thought so too.

Here's a swatch of Metal Moon- with the lights turned down so that the natural sheen is visible.

I love it. I know I've mentioned working in a conservative workplace; I can use this safely for work. There aren't that many recent releases I can say that about!

Here's an iphone photo of my highlighter popping. Sorry for the side eye (literally).

See how it glistens? Now, let's deal with that texture. That's 100% the foundation and not the highlighter.

This won't be my last highlighter purchase from the line. Gloriously golden Trophy Wife continues to haunt me. I went back and forth when I picked up Metal Moon. Don't think that I have any intentions on wearing it as a highlighter- it has no business on my fair skin. However, it needs to get on my eyes. Now. (But I did find an Inglot shadow that helped to curb that lemming right now.)  I also want to grab one of the duos eventually.


Now, onto the Gloss Bomb.

There's only one lip product at the moment- a $18, 9ml Gloss that's touted to be a universal shade.

This was actually the first thing that caught my eye from the collection. The applicator's actually interesting as well, It's a hexagonal tube with an oversized wand:

I'm not the only one to make this comparison, but it does remind me of Shape Tape.

Let's go to the swatch:

I tried to show this on my lips, but have had mishaps the five times I've reshot. So let's just talk about this instead. It's a hydrating formula that rides comfortably all day on my lips. It's gorgeously natural- but you feel it on your lips for sure. I'm so happy to have this in my collection and actually recommend it above all other products.


As a bonus, here's my $0.02 on the primer and foundation. I got a sample from Sephora of each because I can't justify purchasing another foundation right now- but I was curious. I got samples of the two lightest cool-undertoned shades (110 &170). I made sure my face was extra moisturized in advance, having watched various reviews on YouTube.

I really, really love the primer. So much that I kind of want to purchase it during the VIB sale in November. I'm honestly hammering on the size of my primer collection right now so I don't want to compound what I perceive to be an issue. But this felt like a hydrating moisturizer. It didn't feel sticky but I know it did good things for me because I didn't look overly dried out with the foundation.

Ah, the foundation. I didn't have to set it because it self-set (love that), but I just wasn't in love with how my skin looked. The oddest thing happened during the day. I felt oily in my T-Zone, but didn't look it when I checked. I was really wierded out by that. I think it's a nice foundation that photographs well, but it's not something I feel the need to race out and purchase to replace one of my overflowing drawer's staples.

Extra bonus: I won't be purchasing any of the Match Stix ever. I think they're nicely pigmented and blend well, but I don't use cream contour or highlight. If you're fair, avoid the pre-made trios. I'm NW13-15 and need the lightest "conceal" shade. At my age (mid-30s), stick concealers have no business anywhere near my eye area. I'll leave that to you 20-somethings. In short- they're nice and appear to be great quality for what they are, but it's not a product that works in my life.

It's All About That Catrice Base: HD Liquid Coverage & All Matt Plus Foundations, Liquid Camouflage Liquid Coverage Concealer, and Prime & Fine Primers

Today's post started out in my head as a first impressions of a new foundation from Catrice Cosmetics (HD Liquid Coverage Foundation), and evolved into a review of all of the base products I own from the brand. Sometimes that just happens.

For those who aren't familiar, Catrice Cosmetics is a European drugstore band. It was introduced into the US market late in 2016 via the brand's website, Ulta.com, and select Ulta stores. Luckily, one of the stores that has a full Catrice setup is only a 15 min detour between my home and my childhood home. As a result, I've been able to grab a few items.

I will preface my review with this caveat: the shade selection is terrible. It's pale girl friendly but not WOC-friendly. So, I'm sorry to those who can't find a shade match.

The HD Liquid Coverage Foundation ($10.99, Ulta.com) is a new release from Catrice. It's more expensive than the other foundation I have. But since I've had such a great experience with the All Matt Plus foundation, it was worth splurging on in a recent Ulta order.

It's quite a thin formula, as I accurately predicted given the packaging. It took quite a few dots but it did give me a nice, airbrushed look.

Here's a swatch of the lightest shade, 010 Light Beige:

For reference, I was about a NW13-15 when I took this photo.

Here's a glimpse of just the foundation, before setting with some Laura Mercier translucent powder. Yes, it did oxidize a bit- but this is also just how pale I am.

Overall, good coverage. I would either pull down my neck or use a very light powder.

It wore pretty well over the course of the day and didn't break up, using the Catrice primers.

Bottom Line: If you can find a shade to match you, I recommend trying this foundation. It feels lux for a budget price.

I only purchased the HD Liquid Coverage foundation based upon my experience with the All Matt Plus foundation ($8.99, Catricecosmetics.com)

This is such amazing packaging- it's a glass bottle with... a PUMP.

I have shade 010 Light Beige, and this has become one of my go-to foundations on the weekend. It does stand up to my summer combo skin and doesn't break down. I will admit that it's quite light though. Here's a swatch:

It doesn't oxidize, either. I'd put it in my use up pile when it disappeared from Ulta's website, but now that I know it's on Catrice's site... I really do like this a lot.

Bottom Line: I highly recommend trying this out. It's a true matte, light drugstore foundation that stands up to all-day wear.

I also have one of Catrice's concealers- the Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer ($5.99).

It's supposed to be a full coverage concealer. The wand is flat, and the formula is similar to Urban Decay's Naked Skin concealer.

The shade's a bit dark for me (005 Light Natural) and it requires a couple of layers. Here's a swatch:

It has a formula that would work well under the eyes, so I tested it (again) when I tried the HD Liquid Foundation.

Clearly my dark circles were out to play. I took this before I set- and yes, it creased because I didn't set right away. I hate putting this photo up, but I'm being real.

Bottom Line: proceed with caution; I know of plenty of others who like the concealer as-is.

Just to wrap up this part of the post- here's a comparison swatch of the HD Liquid Coverage, All Matt Plus, and the Liquid Camouflage Concealer.

Now, let's talk some primer.

The Catrice Prime & Fine Pore Refining Anti-Shine Base is a white, water-based fluid primer. It gives a soft finish but has no silicone in it. I find that it holds onto my makeup for a full day. It's oil free, and works for a full day even in the summer.

It blends out beautifully:

I also pair it in my trouble areas with the Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing Primer.

It's a potted primer similar to the Winky Lux, Tarte, and L'Oreal versions.

It's a silicone primer that is lighter weight and feels more emollient than any of the others that I mentioned. I like it, but it's not my favorite in this category.

I have to be careful when I blend it out. This swatch is rather heavy:

Bottom Line: Catrice makes some awesome primers, and I look forward to trying some of the others.

I advertised this post as base products only, but I'll give you a peek at one of the other amazing product I've tried- the Liquid Metal eyeshadow.

That doesn't look like a $4.99 shadow, does it?

Bottom Line: I think Catrice is a value brand worth exploring. Its shade range for base products is limited, but the products punched well above their weight. Although it's mostly an online-only brand here in the US, it's worth checking out.

Winky Lux Whipped Cream Primer

After shooting photos for more than 70 posts (luckily, some of these are permanent collection items and I don't need to worry about posting them immediately), one might wonder why it is that I decided to start with this one instead of some of the posts I've been teasing on Instagram. It's because this caught my eye, ok?

Let me be honest about how my purchase of this product went down. I was scrolling through Nordstrom.com's New Arrivals in the beauty section and scrunched my face in confusion when I found this listing. I'd never heard of this brand, and any primer claiming to be whipped cream is a product I'm game to try.

At just $20 for 13g/0.46oz for a cruelty-free, paraben free, and gluten free product made here in the USA, it was a relatively affordable gamble. (Note: This is the Nordstrom price; it's cheaper on their website by $1.)

A little bit of internet research later, I was left feeling a little behind on my makeup game. This brand has been around for a minute, and already had ASOS and Forever 21 as distributors. It seems that their take on the "Flower Lipstick" (originally from Korea) was what popularized the brand. I thought about purchasing that, but it would've melted because Nordstrom uses USPS 50% of the time for my shipments, and products melt in a metal mailbox.

Back to the Whipped Cream Primer. When it arrived, I was a little surprised at just how small it was. I placed it next to the L'Oreal primer and felt better.

Let's look at the claims.

This whipped, silky skin primer blurs pores and prolongs makeup wear. Apply in a circular motion with fingertips and wear alone, or under foundation for a flawless look and baby feel every day. For best results, pair with Winky Lux Diamond Complexion powder.

Now, onto the ingredient list:

Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polysilicone-11, Silica, Cyclohexasiloxane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Acrylates Copolymer, [+/- (May Contain): Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Red 6 (CI 15850)].

OK, so we've got a silicone primer claiming to blur pores. Got it. And that also makes me feel a lot better about the size of the primer.

Here's a shot of the primer so you can see the texture:

It's more of a "dry" whipped cream, as you can tell. That said, I see where it got it name from.

I've grabbed a bit here on my hand so you can see the "body" of this primer- it stands on its own.

There are some thicker silicone primers, and there are some fluid ones. Clearly, this is the former. I'm not mad at it.

So, I didn't bother to shoot the wear of my foundation on the three times I tried it out, but had a similar result each time. In the AC, it's awesome and does blur my pores visibly like it claims to do so. Once I went outside in a humid environment with a heat index pushing 100, it was too much for a primer like this. It didn't help my foundation stay any longer, but I wouldn't expect a primer like this to do that.

Bottom line: it's a nice silicone primer. I didn't notice any breakouts, and I liked the way my foundation looked. It's not right for the summer climate around here, but I'll be pulling it out this fall to enjoy. This is a new brand to Nordstrom, which meant it was new to me. I'm looking forward to testing more from the brand in the future.

Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base Primer

While I'm waiting for the discoloration on my swatch hand to fade, it seems perfect to discuss a green product. In full disclosure, I found this post photographed and saved as a draft when I restarted the blog. I checked to see if the product had been reformulated in the interim. It hasn't, so my feelings on it are still valid.

Let me be blunt: I am a naturally pink human being. That said, I suffer from mild rosacea on my cheeks that requires a hefty quantity of concealer to cover. So when Clinique's Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base SPF 15 ($23) was recommended to me, I was so happy to give it a try.

It's a great value- $23 for 1.35oz of a multitasking primer/sunscreen/corrector. I assume that the SPF is functional since I never burned while using this tube up. That's about all I can say about this product in a positive manner.

Let's take a look at just how green this is:

For those who don't understand color theory, it's supposed to cancel out red. So, I blended it out on my very pink skin:

Do you see problem #1? There's essentially no difference between the area on which it was applied and my bare skin. Using this primer didn't reduce the amount of concealer that I had to use- which is the main reason why I was testing this primer out! I have other primers that perform much better for just priming.

Problem #2 is just that: it's a mediocre primer when paired with my usual foundations. Perhaps it has much better performance with Clinique's own line but I really didn't like this as a primer.

So, it's a poor primer and doesn't color conceal. That leaves just sunscreen; I swear by SPF50 rather than 15! Overall, this product just doesn't perform up to expectation. I'll still be pushing for an effective color corrector, but this Clinique primer just isn't it.

Lancome L'Absolu Rouge La Base

Normally, I tend to blog about items that I've fallen in love with. Unfortunately, this won't be one of those reviews.

I was absolutely over the moon to discover Lancome's L'Absolu Rouge La Base on the 50% off table at the Lancome outlet last month.  Here was a current product that retails for $30 that I was able to snag for the thrifty price of $12.25 plus tax.  Score of the century, right?

Wrong.

I've been playing around with La Base ever since and feel that it's one of the most underwhelming products I've ever tried. It didn't harm me, but I can't figure out a single benefit from the product.

First, I tried it as a primer. Call something La Base and I'll use it as a primer.  My lipstick (I tested multiple brands and formulas) actually wore quicker. I give it an F as a primer.

I take extra points off for the awful smell. I can't identify it, but hate it in the tube and loathe it on my lips. It's not pleasant.

Then, I tried it as a lip balm. Surely if it's a failure as a primer then it's a great balm, right?  Wrong once again. It has no hydrating properties and requires near-constant application. With every application comes the awful scent.

Simply because I spent $12.25 on it, I'll continue to experiment. I'm so glad that I didn't spend $30 on this.

Have any of you tried L'Absolu Rouge La Base? Did you get it to work for you? How?

I really hate being harsh on a product, so I do wonder if I'm just not using it properly. As it stands, there are $1.99 chapsticks that do more for your lips.  I do give high marks for the posh packaging though...

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

I'm a fairly recent convert to the virtues of primers in terms of my makeup life.  It's only been within the past two or three years that I started using them regularly, and they have changed my makeup life.  After being loyal to my Nars primer (that went on and on forever it felt), I've been changing it up over the past few months.  Smaller sizes, deluxe samples, and GWPs have been my friend in this quest.

This product isn't quite a deserted island fave since I've found other primers that also work well, plus the price point is a bit painful.  But Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer is hard to beat.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer is a white-toned primer in a frosted glass bottle. Under the glossy black cap is a pump top.  Controlling the amount of primer dispensed is relatively easy, unlike squeeze bottles.  In my opinion, that's a huge advantage.

Look carefully and you can see where I spread it on my hand:

Once applied, it does become translucent, and it gives the skin a new texture.  It's difficult to describe the texture other than soft, lovely, and smooth.

Although luxurious packaging and velvety finish are great, the true test of a primer is how well it works.  I'm happy to report that Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer aces this test as well.

I've tested Veil Mineral Primer with a tinted moisturizer, two liquid foundations, a gel foundation, and a cream foundation.  In all cases, I still had foundation to remove from my skin at the end of my day.  Due to my work hours, I'm demanding on makeup and expect performance of 16 hours on average.  This is by far the most consistent primer I've used.  The SPF15 is a bonus.

Bottom line: love. If the full size is too expensive, grab the travel-sized like I do.

Pricing/Availability:  $52/1.0 oz, $18/0.33 oz  via Sephora, Barney's New York, HourglassCosmetics, and others.