Category: beauty

beauty · luxury

Beauty Review: BITE Champagne Discovery Set

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Happy Thursday, darlings! I’m relaxing before a hectic week and I figured I’d tell you about a product that I’ve been reaching for – consistently – over the past few days. I purchased the BITE Champagne Discovery Set a few weeks ago. I’d sampled the BITE Multistick in Cashew a while ago, so I knew that I loved the shade. However, this set seemed like a good way to get a lot of bang for my buck.

The set contains, as mentioned before, the Multistick in Cashew but also has a Lip Pencil in shade 036 and a lip gloss in Champagne. The Multistick and lip pencil are both listed as being “matte rose taupe”, while the gloss is a “metallic champagne with nude and gold”.

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Lip gloss, lip liner, and multistick

Swatch (from top to bottom: Champagne Pearl lip gloss, Multistick in Cashew, 036 lip liner), with and without flash

I tried different combinations of the multistick, gloss, and liner on my lips, but I had to add my trusted dark brown liner because, to be frank, I looked like a caricature without it. There’s something about lighter-toned lipsticks that just isn’t flattering on me. However, when blended with a deep-colored liner, the colors immediately become more wearable.

Lips filled with BITE’s 036 lip liner (no other product)

Multistick in Cashew layered over 036 liner

Multistick, lip liner, and a generous application of dark brown liner blended in (from local beauty supply store)

Same as above, but Champagne Pearl gloss in the center of the lips

Anyway, back to the products. The multistick isn’t exclusively for lips: it can be used as eyeshadow or blush. So, I applied it from lash to brow, blended lightly, threw on some gel eyeliner and mascara, and took a pic. I like it better as an eyeshadow, though it’s a nice nude (when paired with a lip liner).

Multistick as eyeshadow

The lip liner is a nice mid-toned neutral, and, to its credit, it’s a cool nude, which can be difficult to find. I love the texture and how perfectly it matches the multistick. The liner would be great for “lightening up” some of my deeper toned lip looks and making them more suitable for day wear.

The Champagne Pearl gloss smells minty and has a nice taste. The shade is very close to Extraordinary Smile, a liquid lippie that I purchased from Glow by Melodye a while back. You can see the review on Extraordinary Smile here, but I took a side-by-side pic. Champagne Pearl is a tad lighter, and has a smoother texture than Extraordinary Smile, but the lighter hue means that it will need (you guessed it) a dark liner to be more wearable. Even then, it’s giving me early 2000s vibes, so it’s a bit dated for my taste, though kind of cute in its own way. This gloss is very golden – like, really, really golden – and very shiny. This is definitely one that is more suited to evenings out on the town.

Champagne Pearl with dark brown lip liner

For comparison: Champagne Pearl by BITE on top, Extraordinary Smile by Glow by Melodye on the bottom (with flash and without flash)

So, all in all, this was a pretty versatile set. With a couple more products thrown into the mix, the colors are all extremely wearable and can easily go from day to night. I don’t think I’d purchase the set again, but I look forward to using these products and trying some more from BITE Beauty in the future.

beauty · luxury

Beauty Review: Fenty Beauty Lil Mattemoiselles Lipstick

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Happy Hump Day, beloveds! It’s time to review some beauty products because, let’s face it, we’re overdue!

Today, I’m reviewing the Fenty Beauty Lil Mattemoiselles Lipsticks. Now, I’ve reviewed Fenty Beauty twice before: first when reviewed the Killawatt Highlighter, then when I reviewed the Lil Match Stix Duo.

I’ve enjoyed all of the Fenty Beauty products that I’ve tried so far, so I was excited to give the Mattemoiselle lipsticks a try. I didn’t want to commit to the full-sized lippie (since I already have far too many lipsticks in my collection) so I got the Mini Mattemoiselles.

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The set includes two mini lipsticks, in the shades Spanked and Griselda. When Fenty Beauty first launched the lipstick line, I was immediately drawn to the intense eggplant-hued Griselda, while I wasn’t as excited about Spanked, described as a “dusty rose” on the Fenty Beauty website.

(L to R) Spanked and Griselda, with flash and without

Swatches – Griselda on top, Spanked on bottom (with flash and without)

However, being a curious soul, I wanted to give both lipsticks a chance. I was impressed with the pigment and the texture: these are matte but not drying. I loved how they glided on and how they didn’t leave my lips feeling dehydrated. My thoughts on the lipsticks are as follows:

  • Spanked is a great everyday shade, but it doesn’t flatter my complexion unless I wear a dark liner with it (blended well, of course). The color is a bit too warm for my taste, but it’s a very classy, elegant shade that works well for the office or casual looks.

Spanked with dark brown liner

  • Griselda is bold and attention grabbing: my kind of lippie! It’s also more neutral (equal amounts of warmth and coolness) so it flatters my complexion more. It can come across a bit harsh during the daytime, so I’d save this one for the evening.

Griselda – no liner needed

I hit pay dirt when I combined the lipsticks. I applied Griselda and blotted off most of the color in the center of my lip, leaving the heaviest concentration of product on the outer edge of my mouth. Then, I liberally applied Spanked in the center of my lips and blended outward, until Spanked faded into Griselda. It created a simply gorgeous, dimensional pout that works from day to night. Score!

Griselda and Spanked combined – my favorite!

All in all, I love these colors and I can’t wait to try more! Fenty Beauty has yet another hit. They always get it right the first time!

Have you all tried any Fenty Beauty products? Let me know in the comments below!

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More Beauty Reviews Coming!

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Happy Monday friends! It’s been a less-than-productive weekend (aside from working on my writing) because I had some beautiful distractions cross my path. Having my focus elsewhere was great for adding some variety to my daily routine.

But now that things are back to normal, I can get back into what matters – beauty reviews! I purchased a boatload of products that I’m dying to try out, and some overdue reviews from a while back. Yeah, I’ve been slacking a bit, but you have to forgive me: between my birthday and those previously mentioned distractions, I didn’t have much time!

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If you want to get sneak previews of some of the products I’ll be trying, be sure to follow my Instagram and see some of the goodies that will eventually make their way over to the blog. Here’s a sneak preview of the last product shipment I got:

I have some more fun posts coming this week, so stay tuned. Talk to you all tomorrow!

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Beauty Review: Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter

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Yup, I have another Fenty Beauty product to review! I know that all of my reviews are a bit late (I wasn’t eager to hop on the Fenty bandwagon) but I am finally getting a chance to replace my empties and stock up on new items.

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I got the Fenty Bomb Baby Mini Lip and Face set with the Fenty Glow lip gloss and (the product I’m reviewing today) the Killawatt highlighter. The highlighter shade enclosed in the set is Hu$tla Baby, described as a “peachy champagne” shade. The full sized Killawatt Highlighter comes as a duo: Hu$tla Baby is paired with Mean Money, a softer champagne shimmery hue.

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Hu$tla Baby

I swatched Hu$tla Baby and I swooned – the shade is so pretty! It looks peachy before using the flash, and is a shimmery, multidimensional gold when the flash hits it. This is so flattering on so many skintones: I loved how it looked on my skin! The subtle glow lasted all day, and looked incredible. You have to use a light touch when applying this product: it’s super-pigmented and a small amount goes a long way. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one.

Hu$tla Baby without flash, and swatch without flash – blended on the top, concentrated on the bottom

The Mini set is $23, while the full-sized highlighter is $34. I’ll be investing in the large one as soon as my mini runs out. This is such a fun product – I highly recommend it!

 

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Beauty Review: Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint

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In my latest Sephora sample goodies, I received a lipstick that I’ve never tried before. In fact, I’ve never tried anything from this brand. I figured that a review would be fun, since it’s all new to me and I have no bias when it comes to the brand.

The brand, (you already know what it is if you read the title!), is Tarte, and today I’m trying the Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint. I am a huge fan of liquid lipsticks and glosses, so I was stoked to try a new one. I looked up Tarte and I was really impressed with the eco-friendly stance of the brand, so I had really high hopes for this product.

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Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit (photo courtesy of Sephora)

Tarteist Lip Paints come in two different finishes (matte or glossy) and over 40 different shades. I received Birthday Suit, a pinkish nude that I suspected would be a bit too light for my complexion. As always, my eyes didn’t fail me: Birthday Suit was not the nude for my skintone. It was too light, too much salmon/peach, and it came across a bit chalky. To be honest, the color was hideous. That isn’t Tarte’s fault, nor is it Sephora’s: I was sent what was available, and it was free, so no complaints from me!

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My sample of Birthday Suit

However, I don’t believe in quitting, so I figured I would fix it up. A little bit of inexpensive dark brown lip liner, some blending, and I had a wearable nude shade that didn’t look pasty nor did it clash with my cool/neutral undertones. I wore it for several hours before reapplying, and it did a pretty good job of holding up during lunch.

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Before liner and blending: Yikes!

 

After liner and blending: MUCH better!

As part of my review, I looked at some of the comments on Sephora, made by others who tried this lip paint. The consensus was that the formula was drying, and most people really didn’t enjoy the product. I wondered why I didn’t have the dryness that they reported, then I remembered: I used a lip balm about 10 minutes before I applied the lip paint. I tried this later, without lip balm as a base, and I too found it a bit dry. For that reason, I can’t give it a glowing recommendation but I can offer this tip: if you find a shade of Tarteist Lip Paint that you love, just know that you can prevent dry lips by applying balm to your lips first.

Overall, if I had to rate the product, I’d give this product a 3 out of 5 stars. The fact that you need to apply a balm first is a bummer, especially since this product is $20 per tube. For the price, there should be more moisturizing ingredients included. However, it’s a matte liquid lipstick, so too much moisture would probably keep it from having the matte finish that is expected from the product. I hope that Tarte continues to experiment with this formula and perfect it, because I love the company’s environmental and ethical stance, and I would love to support hem in the future! It’s worth a try if you’re committed to using vegan, eco-friendly products and don’t mind using additional products to preserve the moisture in your lips.

 

beauty · luxury

Fragrance Review: Bulgari Omnia Pink Sapphire

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Recently, I ordered a few things from Sephora, and I got a goodie bag chock full of some cool items that I am eager to try and review for you all. I received several fragrance samples in my box, but I was immediately drawn to the pretty pink sample card that stood out from the rest.

As it turns out, this sample was the Bulgari Omnia Pink Sapphire eau de toilette. This is a new fragrance from Bulgari, as in, it was just released earlier this year. As a certified scent addict (you all remember when I did 30 Scents in 30 Days on Instagram, right?), I was all too ready to try this out and see how I liked it.

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(photo courtesy Fragrantica)

As always, I get my information on the scent profile from Fragrantica. I’m pretty good about identifying at least two or three (sometimes more) notes, but I like to guess what’s in it before I double check my guesses against the Fragrantica website. I like testing myself to see if my nose is catching the subtleties. Anyways, I sniffed it and immediately picked up on the citrus and some floral notes, but I couldn’t identify much more than that, until it dried down and I smelled some musk.

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The package that caught my eye

According to Fragrantica, the notes includes pomelo, pink grapefruit, frangipani, tiare, pink pepper, musk, vanilla, and woody notes. It’s starts off bright and heady: it’s flirty and attention-grabbing at first spritz. Then it dries down to a lovely powdery essence that is sweet but keeps those musk notes in the forefront.

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Inside of the Omnia Pink Sapphire sample

Overall, I enjoyed the fragrance, with a few “cons” that I will mention here. I found that the fragrance didn’t last a very long time on my skin (a little under 6 hours) but it’s an eau de toilette, so that is normal. I loved the fruity-floral top notes but found myself disenchanted with the base notes. It felt a bit too sweet, and not the balance of sweet and earthy that I prefer as my fragrance dries down. I asked some “neutral noses” to sniff the perfume, and they approved, so, while the fragrance isn’t cloying, I’m still not completely sold on it yet. At this point, I’m chalking up my distaste for the dried-down fragrance to a persistent sinus headache that has made me dislike a lot of things over the past few days. . . I’ll try it again and if I have a different verdict, I’ll make a follow up post.

 

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Beauty Review: Fenty Beauty Lil Match Stix Duo Mini Shimmer Skinstick Set

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During a lunchtime stop into Sephora, I was searching – in vain – for Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation in shade 420. Fenty Beauty is Rihanna’s uber popular makeup line that continues to break records and shake up the beauty industry. It’s sold out every time I go to this particular Sephora location, and I’m dying to try it, so I ended up just ordering it online.

However, the trip wasn’t in vain: I spotted some new Fenty Beauty products as I walked through the checkout line (I found some cute makeup brushes that I had to get). As it turns out, Fenty Beauty has designed some miniaturized versions of their popular products. I picked up the Lil Match Stix Duo Mini Shimmer Skinstick Set to try out some new shimmer skinstick shades.

The set contains two match stix shades in Sinamon and Starstruck.

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Review: SCINIC First Treatment Essence

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Hey friends! This is a long overdue review, of a product that I’ve used since March (remember that Glass Skin Challenge?)

As you recall, one of the steps of the Korean skincare regimen includes “essence”. This mystery product that isn’t a fixture in most American skincare routines but it’s a must have for a proper Korean-inspired regimen.

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“Essence” is a nutrient-rich solution used after toning the skin but before applying heavier products like ampoules (serums). It prepares the skin for the following steps by hydrating and balancing the skin.

I tried SCINIC First Treatment Essence because I didn’t know what to expect from this step of my routine and I wanted to try it as affordably as possible. According to the Amazon listing, the product contains “80% fermented yeast concentrate”, which both alarmed and intrigued me.

I gave SCINIC a try during the Glass Skin challenge. Even though I haven’t been able to isolate the efficacy of this product (after all, I used it along with several other new products), I am comfortable saying that I really like it! I enjoyed it so much that I purchased more after I ran out.

The thing about essence is that it really makes the skin feel refreshed and hydrated after using it. I noticed that my skin retained moisture well while using essence but the extra moisture didn’t result in breakouts or clogged pores/congested skin. My skin has been really vibrant with this product in my routine. I’m glad I tried it!

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Review: KoyVoca Glossies

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In late March, one of my favorite indie cosmetic companies, KoyVoca Cosmetics (you remember them – I reviewed them in this post and in this post) announce the upcoming release of their new lip gloss line. The product, Glossy, is, as the company puts it, “[…]the lip gloss you’ve been looking for! Its long-lasting formula provides a glass-like look to the lips.” The company launched 8 lip gloss shades in April and I, ever eager to switch it up from the matte lip trend, made sure that I preordered.

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I ordered three shades: Panther, Princess Cut, and Rude Gyal. I got my glosses quickly after the release date and I’ve had a chance to play with all three, so I’m ready for this review!

For starters, kudos to KoyVoca for quickly shipping their products! Every time I order from them I’m impressed by the speed of order delivery. That being said, I also was very impressed with the size and presentation of the glosses:

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(top to bottom: Rude Gyal, Princess Cut, Panther)

There’s a good amount of product in each tube. These also have a light fruity smell that I enjoyed. Here are the descriptions of the shades as written by KoyVoca:

 

Panther – a blue and purple duochrome with red and blue flecks

Princess Cut – a golden pink with holographic shimmer

Rude Gyal – a shimmery wine

I swatched the shades then I swooned. The colors are gorgeous, perfectly pigmented and thick without being sticky (basically, the glosses are perfect).

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(left to right: Panther, Princess Cut, Rude Gyal)

Here I am rocking each of the shades:

Princess Cut

Rude Gyal

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Panther

I find myself frequently reaching for Princess Cut because it’s such a wearable shade. But my favorite, by far, is Panther. It’s deep, dramatic and memorable.

But all that being said, there are still a few things I want to mention about these glossies. These are VERY long wearing! It takes a while for these to wear off, and they have some real staying power even as you eat and drink. The shine is INSANE: highly reflective! I love that these are true glosses and not semi-shine formulas like a lot of companies are selling right now. The smell is pleasant and the formula is nonsticky, so they are very wearable.

I highly recommend these! Check out all of the shades and see which one should be in your collection!

 

 

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Beauty Review: Bea Luz Exfoliating Booties

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Hey friends! Sandal season will be here before you know it! To get summer-worthy feet, I knew I needed to intensify my moisture and exfoliation regimen. To really amp up the foot-softening process, I grabbed some exfoliating booties from Amazon.

You all know that I have an exfoliating routine that I’ve used successfully during the cold months. That routine really helped keep dry, rough skin to a minimum. But even the best maintenance can sometimes need a little “amping up”.

These exfoliating booties are similar to the Baby Feet products. These work by soaking your feet in a mild acid for 60 – 90 minutes. After soaking your feet, you remove the booties and rinse the solution off, moisturize and go about your day. In 2-4 days, you’ll see the beginnings of skin exfoliation.

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Foot (and polish!) goals

The product has a softly floral fragrance and feels cool on the feet. I put my feet into the booties then put a close-fitting sock over it, so that I could walk around while doing the treatment. While it felt weird, I was pleased that I could still move about as I let these exfoliants do the heavy lifting.

I will spare you my foot photos, but please know that I had lots of dead skin peeling off of my feet. It didn’t peel in the large sheets that I’ve seen others proudly post online, but the results were noticeable. I soaked my feet twice in the week after applying the treatment, and I used my Korean bath mitt to help slough off the dead skin. In less than two weeks, my feet were softer, smoother, and pretty much sandal ready! Needless to say, I was very pleased with the results.

I’ll be using this one more time at the beginning of May, just to make sure that my tootsies are flawless before Memorial Day. I’m excited to see how transformed my feet will be after this next treatment. The price is reasonable at $12.99 for two pairs of exfoliating bootles. I’m already ordering my next pair, so I can refresh the skin during the warm weather.