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theantibridezilla · 6 years

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Test Drives: Tarte, e.l.f., NYX, NudeStix & Profusion

So, over the weekend I attended a family wedding and I had an awesome makeup look for it. Unfortunately, we were running behind so I didn’t have a chance to take a pic of my makeup or my new hair color (not the ombre wig from my last beauty post). And since today was a fairly low key day for me, I decided to recreate the look and show off a new hair color. Well, I didn’t do a complete recreation of my wedding guest makeup but I decided to rock a look inspired by something I saw on IG from Jordan Liberty. I’m a pretty big fan of him because I feel like his philosophy is “skin is in”. He barely uses foundation on his models and he doesn’t do any of the over the top IG type makeup tricks, which is really refreshing.

I say “inspired” rather than “recreate” because what I did is definitely a reverse of his and halfway through I decided to do some things differently so this is a loose translation. More importantly, today I finally had some time to test out a few things that have been piling up in my makeup arsenal. We’ll be discussing Tarte’s Shape Tape Contour Concealer, e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Correct & Set Eye Powder, NudeStix’s Nudies, NYX Cosmetics’ Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette, and Profusion Cosmetics’ Highlight & Contour Palette. As usual, I’ll let you know what I bought and what was gifted to me by the brand, and full makeup details will be at the end.

Tarte Cosmetics Shape Tape Concealer in Tan-Deep (purchased)

So, pretty much everyone loves this concealer and I can see why. It has serious staying power and is perfect for contouring because it doesn’t crease and will last all day. It blends/buffs away very easily and a little can go a long way. It’s a liquid cream so it goes where you need it to and the applicator allows for precision placement as well. I genuinely do like how this does a pretty good job of hiding my under eye bags and dark circles (even when I forgot to use my orange color corrector).

My one gripe with Shape Tape is why in the love of all that’s holy did the product development team at Tarte think that this thing needed to be loaded with cheap fragrance. I really have to wonder what this product smelled like before the fragrance is added that caused everyone who smelled it to think it was too offensive for the product to hit the shelves without it. Although it doesn’t stop me from wanting to use it, I just find adding fragrance to color cosmetics to be strange and very unnecessary.

e.l.f. Cosmetics Correct & Set Eye Powder in Banana/Deep Tone (purchased)

This is e.l.f.’s answer to a flashback-free setting powder that can also double for baking. It’s meant to be a budget friendly accessible option for those who can’t get Ben Nye’s Banana Powder, Sacha Cosmetics’ Buttercup Powder or even Laura Mercier’s setting powder. It’s actually available in three shades to try to meet the needs of multiple skin tones. While I think this is an honorable endeavor, I’m not crazy about this powder.

First, it’s not really yellow but more of a peach-ish shade. And for me, yellow really is preferred if I’m going to prevent the dreaded flashback. This is important because when I bought this in the store last week, the floor assistant made a point of telling me that I could use this for baking. But it’s been my experience as a clearly brown girl, that if I use a setting powder that’s too pale, I get flashback. Second, this is an incredibly small container. At $4, I understand not getting something massive. But it’s so small that if you’re going to bake and use a sponge to apply that powder, good luck getting a sponge with enough surface area to fit into that jar. Third, it left a slight ashen cast to my skin where I applied it (under eyes, bridge of nose, chin & forehead) which was visible under my ring light. So, halfway through taking pics with my ring light, I went back and completely touched up my face with my Laura Mercier setting powder to correct that problem.

Profusion Highlight & Contour Palette (gifted)

About a month ago I finally swatched this palette for review. I liked it, but I remember at the time complaining about how I felt these weren’t richly pigmented. Well I stand corrected! Today I used the Profusion palette in place of my Kevyn Aucoin Flame or Sahara highlight. Profusion is very pigmented, and a little can go a long way. I used the color Baked on my cheekbones, bridge of my nose, chin, cupid’s bow and brow bone. It’s a great, warm gold tone which is in my opinion ideal for warmer skin tones or brown skin girls.

NYX Cosmetics Strobe of Genius Palette (gifted)

Earlier this year, I swatched these colors from NYX and was on the fence about whether I liked them or not. My concern was that the purple shade was a tad pale, and it turns out I was right. It’s not really ideal for warmer skin tones like mine. I ended up looking a bit ashen when I initially applied and I had to buff quite a bit to blend it out so it wasn’t so stark. Although I went on NYX’s site and saw that they also have Strobe of Genius in a warm palette, so that might create better results for people with warmer tones.

NudeStix Nudies in Naughty ‘n Spice (gifted)

I got this from The Makeup Show earlier this year and decided to give it a try. Originally, I was thinking of using this as a lip color because it’s meant to be an all over stick that can double as blush, eye shadow or a lip color. But the dusty rose hue was a bit too stark against the bold blue eye I created. So, for this particular look, it was a no go. I ended up using NYX’s Lip Lingerie in Teddy because it offered a better neutral for me. But I like that this stick is very creamy and even though it offers a matte payoff, it’s also pretty hydrating.

Winners & Losers:

This time e.l.f. and NYX came up short because of too-pale formulations. While I hate the fact that Tarte thinks chemical fragrances are a good idea, I do love the Shape Tape and will be keeping it in my core beauty arsenal. Profusion made me take back my original impression so I’m a believer in them now. And on a day where I’m doing a less colorful eye, I’ll definitely test the NudeStix Nudies again in the hopes that it’ll work with a more neutral eye.

Makeup Details:

Primer: e.l.f. Cosmetics Poreless Finish Face Primer Foundation: NYX Total Control Drop Foundation in Deep Sable Brows: NYX Love Contours All Deep Brown Brow Shade Brow Concealer: ELF Cosmetics Complete Coverage Concealer in Dark Eyeshadow: Lid Base—Makeup Forever (M-600), Lower Lid—Sephora (Blue Lagoon), Lid Crease—Kat Von D Strobe & Light Eye Palette (Sytry), Center Lid—Kevyn Aucoin Electropop Palette (Hardwire), Outer Corner—Pixi Beauty Fairy Dust, Inner Corner—Naked Cosmetics (Sierra Nevada), Lower Liner: Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Quad in Sage (Define) Eye Liner: Wet ‘n Wild Megalast Liquid Liner in Black Lashes: Kawaii Girl Cosmetics in Odaiba + Ebisu Under Eye & Contour Concealer: Tarte Cosmetics Shape Tape in Tan-Deep Setting Powder: e.l.f. Cosmetics Correct & Set Eye Powder in Banana, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder in Deep Blush: NYX Cosmetics Ombre Blush in Feel the Heat Contour: e.l.f. Cosmetics Aqua Beauty Blush & Bronzer in Bronzed Violet Highlight/Bronzer: Profusion Cosmetics Highlight & Contour Palette, NYX Cosmetics Strobe of Genius Palette. Lips: NYX Cosmetics Lip Lingerie in Teddy

Full disclosure: I’m an influencer for Kevyn Aucoin, Pixi Beauty, and e.l.f. Cosmetics. I am also the owner/founder of Kawaii Girl Cosmetics. Occasionally I post affiliate links so I may receive compensation on some of my posts.

#beauty #makeup review #makeup look #jordan liberty #product review #beauty review #NYX COSMETICS #elf cosmetics #profusion cosmetics #nudestix #tarte cosmetics #makeup for melanin girls #cocoa swatches #bridal beauty #wedding makeup #bridal makeup #bridal #wedding

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domytriesthis · 6 years

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Actually getting to one of my boxes in the month it came in! Boxycharm this month has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. ColourPop! So exciting! Wait, tarte? Ug. I want that palette! Not the one I got? Um...okay? In this regard, I'm finding Boxycharm much like any other sub box: it will have its hits (ColourPop palette) and misses (last month's Bellapierre mascara). Also, like other boxes, it seems to have its go to brands (Cover FX, Dr. Brandt, Pru, Pretty Vulgar), if next month's spoilers are any indication.

So in this month's box: ColourPop Semi-Precious Palette ($26), The Browgal Insta-Tint Brow Gel ($22), Adesse Hi Definition Liquid Lipstick ($24), Dr. Brandt pores no more Vacuum Cleaner pore purifying mask ($42), and tarte tartiest pro glow liquid highlighter ($29). Total Value: $143. But let's get one of them out of the way now: I won't be reviewing the tarte for a couple reasons: 1. It's tarte and I'm still not supporting tarte (you know the foundation that caused such an uproar? They still haven't expanded beyond 20 shades for each line. Yea, they were soooo apologetic over all that...not); and 2. It's a liquid highlighter, which I won't use. I am very much a powder girl where I can be. So the tarte's future is in a giveaway for the YT channel.

The rest, however, is ready for review, so let's get to it!

ColourPop Semi-Precious Palette :: So, I wanted the My Little Pony palette, but after trying this, I'm not mad at it. The shadows are creamy with no kickback and very little, if any, fallout. They are blendable, play well with others, and are amazingly pigmented. I am in love and very happy with it.

The BrowGal Instatint Brow Gel :: I like the brush on this, but the color is almost non-existent. The gel is stiffer than either the Nyx Control Freak or tarte, but it's not a stiff, plastering gel, so it works. I'm using this mostly to clean up my brows after I apply foundation, and to get gel in the brows. After that, I need to use a pencil to fill in and define. I like it, but not sure I'd purchase it at the price it's listed at, especially since the Nyx and a pencil gives me the same look for less. I am glad that I didn't get the blonde color though.

Adesse Hi Definition Liquid Lipstick :: The color I received is way too nude on me. I mean, my lips literally disappear on my face. It does play well with other lip formulas, is smooth and creamy and pigmented, but I really don't like the doe foot—it's too big and too loos, both which make it harder to control the application. Still haven't decided if I'm keeping this or giving it to one of my girls. Probably the latter.

Dr. Brandt pores no more Vacuum Cleaner pore purifying mask :: This thick cream with blue specks spreads easily, and cools and tingles as it dries down. That cooling sensation continues after it's rinsed off too. Radiance pad came up slightly discolored, but I'm wondering if that's from the clean up the mask did: my pores did not look smaller, but they did look cleaned out. My skin felt amazing in the morning, and everything from moisturizer to foundation applied easier, and my skin just felt better. I really wish this wasn't so expensive because it's an amazing mask.

Overall, domy tried this and is VERY pleased. I'm really enjoying Boxy so far.

There's another shuffle of boxes coming up. I've dropped Lola—over the long haul, half or more was being given away. For any box, I should be keeping more than half or it's not the right fit for me. Besides, there was that whole incident of a "possible" spoiler that ended up not being in the box. That kind of tease doesn't sit well for me. I've also dropped Sephora Play for the time being. There's another box I've wanted, the CurlBox, and my boxes are already too expensive, and we started picking up a Loot Crate and a Loot Wear sub for the hubs, so the $10 for Play is now going into CurlBox (because, yes, I got it! So excited!). And, no, I won't be reviewing the Loots here; that's not something hubs will be into (but we will put his Crate unboxings on the channel). If I did take up another box, I'd consider going back to Glossybox. Or maybe trying something new. Yea, I don't think I'd mind something new some time in the future.

#unboxing #beautysubscription #boxycharm #cosmetics #makeup #eyeshadow palette #bronzer & highlight #lippies #liquidlipstick #skincare #face mask #brows & lashes

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pedropstanacc · 7 years

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alyssa i need your advice!! i have noticed you are quite a make up enthusiast and i was wondering if you could give me some small advice! it could be about basic products or techniques, anything! i am new to make up and i have zero clue and i feel kinda embarrassed about it. sorry for the trouble and love your blog and love towards sehun!

Omg I just saw this! I was a mess when I first started off doing my makeup but I do think it’s better to start small and work your way up.

I recommend investing in a set of makeup brushes but it doesn’t have to be expensive! Bh cosmetics/morphe/colourpop/elf/coastal scents/real techniques have good brush sets. But definitely look up reviews and other recommendations before you purchase anything makeup related.

For foundation I definitely suggest getting a primer to apply before it. But your primer and foundation depend on what you skin type is.

If you’re not sure I would suggest going to like Sephora or ulta and having them see what you can use. My first foundation was Mac and it was pretty expensive but in my opinion expensive foundations look better.

But good drugstore foundations would be maybelline fit me, L’Oréal infallible, nyx total drop control, and lots of people like the wet n wild foundation but it wasn’t for me. But again these could be hits and misses.

Also! For foundation I think the easiest and best way to apply it is with a Beauty blender. It’s like $20 for one but it’s so good 😖😖.

Also nyx and elf are good affordable brands for makeup. There setting sprays and primers are good.

As for eyeshadow I didn’t start wearing that until like the second year of me wearing makeup lol. But if you want to try out new things invest in a nice palette. I’m a colourpop enthusiast and they have wonderful palettes for like $16.

For basic face products I always use drugstore mascara bc paying for a $20-$30 one is just ridiculous lol. My fave is the L’Oréal voluminous lash paradise.

I love Milani and wet n wild blushes so I mostly use those.

Drugstore lipsticks are good too but I’m a colourpop fan so I mostly use there lipsticks.

I use Milani, nyx, and colourpop eyebrow products but brows are important so if you wanna invest in A+ brow products, ABH has amazing og products.

Now these next products are if you wanna step up the game but again I didn’t use them until awhile after I started wearing makeup.

Bronzer, highlight, concealer (I can’t believe I didn’t wear concealer when I first wore makeup skdjdkjsks), setting powder, eyeliner, lashes, setting spray.

This is overwhelming for me so I hope it’s not too much for you! 😭😫 if you wanna message me privately about more questions you’re more than welcome to!

Also I HIGHLY recommend watching makeup tutorials bc they help SO MUCH. Like so so much especially if you want basic techniques for ways to apply your makeup.

#ask

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