Hello loves! This week we take a look at one of the first contour palettes to hit the drugstores. Contouring became a huge trend in the past few years but has been a professional makeup trick for decades. Contouring follows the rules of shadowing and properties of light and dark that is often demonstrated in traditional fine arts. But you don’t have to be Van Gogh to sculpt the face. It really is simple and comes down to the idea that you want to put dark in places you want to recede and light any place you want to come forward. Our goal is to use shading to create the illusion of a shadow that in turn sculpts your face.

A general contour technique that most people use is to put your dark shade in the hollows of your cheeks (if you make a ‘fishy’ face the part that is sucked in), the sides of your nose, and your hairline. You would keep the light underneath your eyes, on the chin, forehead, and center of the nose. A shimmery light shade would be placed on the tops of the cheekbones, down the nose, and on the cupids bow (the downward triangle above your lips).

I purchased the pro contour palette in the shade light because I am very fair but it comes in medium and deep as well. The compact comes with a matte contour shade and a shimmery highlight shade as well as a mini flat brush.

prices range from:

$11.97 at walmart.com (currently on sale on the website!!)

$11.99 at target.com

$12.99 at lorealparis.com

$12.99 at ulta.com

$12.99 at walgreens.com

I have tested out the palette multiple times and I’ve found it to be a really great beginner contouring palette. I love the contour shade because it has a cool undertone (all of your contour shades should be cool-toned because shadows are cool). The highlight is a warm champagne with a microshimmer that gives a very nice sheen to the face. In some ways it reminds me of Jaclyn Hill x Becca’s shimmering skin perfector in Champagne Pop just not as intense. I generally like a really beaming highlight and this one can build up to be quite glowy. Most people who are trying contouring for the first time will not want to jump right in to the Anastasia Glow Kits (expect a review soon) and I think this highlight is the perfect stepping stone. It will allow for the cheekbones to glow and it is very hard to build it up to be too much.

Both shades start light but you can build up to your liking which I think is a perfect feature. Someone who is new to the technique will find it easy to learn the craft because it will look very natural, but someone like me can make it dramatic with a touch more work. And it is super affordable considering you are basically getting two products in one!

The one thing I absolutely despise about this palette is the brush. It has a V shape and because of that applies product patchy and looks awful. Just throw it out as soon as you open it. If you aren’t looking to buy a new brush just to contour, most drugstore and some high end powders and blushes come with similar brushes but have a more flat edge (even l’oreal powders and blushes come with these). Many of them are just like small versions of the coveted Nars ‘Ita’ Brush. One of those brushes is perfect to get in the hollows of your cheeks and the sides of your nose so keep those in your collection rather than the one in this palette.

As always let me know what you’ve thought about the product if you’ve given it a try. Expect a new post next monday. Please give me any suggestions for products I should try, reviews or posts you’d like to see. Thank you for your support!

love & lipstick kisses💋

 

Hello loves! I know its been far too long since I posted. I missed a week with the stress of school and work and then I decided I would change my posting times to Monday evenings instead of Friday afternoons. I hope this works for you all & you find it a better time to take a minute and read my posts!

But this week we are back on track and have tons of fun new products headed your way with my uncensored reviews. I feel like I’ve purchased basically every new summer product on the market (check out my instagram for a sneak peek) in hopes of showing you all the hottest new sh!t and whether it really deserves to be considered that.

This week we take a look at one of the drugstores most famous foundation lines. True match is one of the most popular lines of foundation and many people think of it as their absolute holy grail. My roommate uses the regular and always looks flawless. I love the lumi because I have super dry skin so when I saw there was a cushion version, I jumped on it faster than I am proud to admit. Ive been trying out for about a month now and think I have finally gathered my thoughts for a review.

One of the best things about the true match line is the wide range of colors. They are categorized by warm, neutral, or cool undertones. The one thing that bums me out is the lumi cushion has less of a diverse color selection than the original foundation.

prices range from:

$14.99 at walmart.com

$15.99 at target.com

$16.99 at loreal.com

$16.99 at ulta.com

$16.99 at walgreens.com

Cushion foundations are intended to release product in a very controlled amount while giving a light glowy coverage to the skin. They are originally a Korean beauty invention and are like the cousin of BB and CC creams. I tested this one out in the shade N2 and found it was a perfect shade once it settled on my skin which is the entire point of the true match line (& I think Im buying in).

The packaging is nice and I really enjoy that there is a mirror. I never used the sponge because I just find the ones they give to be difficult to work with & personally I think if you like sponges you are much better off buying a 50 pack of beauty sponges at target. I found my favorite way to apply it was with a dense brush. I would press my brush on the cushion and dot the product on my forehead, cheeks, and chin. Once blended in, the first layer was a light  coverage and very dewy. It would be perfect for someone who wears little makeup and just wants to even out their skin. Whenever I didn’t feel like putting a full face on to class, I could just quickly apply this and it looked like my skin just even and luminous. I think it’ll be me go-to for summer.

Since I often do where a full face of makeup, I would apply a second layer with the exact same technique as the first to build up the coverage. The best part about building it up was that it stayed looking like skin and looked really glowy. (in the swatches, the first is a single layer and the second is two layers) The most you can get out of this foundation is a medium coverage, so if you love a super full coverage this isn’t for you. Also if you have super oily skin you probably wouldn’t like this foundation because of the glow and it wouldn’t last on your skin. Since it is fairly light coverage and similar to a CC cream, it doesn’t last all day but as it fades it doesn’t look patchy or cakey.

My final thoughts are that its a perfect light foundation. I think tons of people would love it for summer when makeup tends to be a lot lighter and suitable for the heat. It is best suited for people with normal to dry skin or anyone who likes a healthy glow!

As always let me know what you’ve thought about the product if you’ve given it a try. Expect a new post next monday. Please give me any suggestions for products I should try, reviews or posts you’d like to see. Thank you for your support

love & lipstick kisses💋

For our final drugstore liquid lipstick review, we are taking a look at the maybelline vivid matte liquid lipsticks. With Gigi Hadid on every advertisement for maybelline these days, I definitely came in with high hopes for the product (I’m supposed to look like a Hadid after I wear it, right?). The lipstick comes in 10 shades. I have 9 of them, I am only missing Nude Flush.

prices range from:

$6.99 at target.com

$6.99 at walmart.com

$7.99 at ulta.com

$7.99 at walgreens.com

$7.99 at maybelline.com

 

I decided to wear pink charge paired with a fairly neutral eye look. My mom and I were heading to the mall to do some shopping. As we pulled into the parking space, I applied the lipstick in my rearview mirror. As soon as I put the applicator near my lips I had an unpleasant first impression. The product is scented so heavily it is nauseating. I am usually fine with scented products, sometimes I don’t enjoy the taste that scent causes but the scent itself never bothers me. This lipstick smells sickly sweet and I could hardly tolerate it. But as always, I kept with it because I want to give every product a fair shot.

I wore the lipstick around the mall for about an hour and a half. By the time we were  back in the car, the lipstick was not dried but still looked matte. I liked the matte look but I didn’t love the somewhat oily texture. When I rubbed my lips together, the product moved (you can even see the fact that it gets patchy in the swatches of the darker shades).

My mom and I then headed to lunch with one of our close friends. When I took a sip of my drink, the product was left behind on my straw. While eating chips and salsa, I spilled it all over my face (if you know me, you know this isn’t a rare occurrence). I wiped my mouth with my napkin and all of the lipstick was left on the napkin. Although most of these things wouldn’t be a big deal with a regular lipstick but as Ive explained in previous posts, a liquid lipstick comes with certain implications of longevity, matteness, and a dried texture.

So as far as I can see this liquid lipstick is just a regular lipstick with a different type of application. Im still not a fan of the oily texture and I absolutely despise the scent. It not a bad product it just doesn’t live up to the expectations that come with buying a liquid lipstick.

As always let me know what you’ve thought about the product if you’ve given it a try. Expect a new post next friday. Please give me any suggestions for products I should try, reviews or posts you’d like to see. Thank you for your support

love & lipstick kisses💋