Beauty Roulette: Fourth Update, and Ask Me (Almost) Anything Part 2

Here's the fourth update for my spring Beauty Roulette! I decided to put some of my items, like the Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter in Sol, on the back burner while I enjoyed other products. Honestly, it was the smart thing to do; it enabled me to finish other body lotions and to feel less frustration about how gross Sol smells. My spring empties is going to be full o' body cream, but I don't think my tub of Sol will be there.

ANYWAY.

MAC Ruby Woo has officially bit the dust! I used it all the way down to the tube's edge, then scooped out the rest and gave it to friends. (I know myself: I will avoid using any lipstick that requires a lip brush.) I was really shocked by how far I got with my Clinique Pink Honey lipstick until I realized that I often reapply it between classes, so I'm using more than I originally thought I was. I'm also making steady progress on my MAC Strobe Cream, but I still don't think I'll finish before the semester is over. Testing other brow products slowed down my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz usage, but I sure I'll have that baby finished within a month.

Not pictured here are the two face sunscreens I was comparing, Isehan Perfect Strong Moisture and Blue Lizard Face. Unfortunately, neither ended up working very well under makeup. But the Isehan has an extremely thin, liquid texture that makes it far more comfortable and invisible on my skin. The Blue Lizard sunscreen provides excellent protection, but it gives my already-white face a ghostly pallor and it feels quite heavy and thick. So I've purged the Blue Lizard product.

Other News!

I'll be making another self-indulgent Ask Me Almost Anything video. This time, though, I'll try to keep my answers to 60 seconds or less, since I droned on in the last video. Feel free to send me an email at the address in the sidebar, or leave a comment on this post, with your questions. I'm open to most questions, though I have some boundaries I won't cross.

After this post, I'll be taking a mini-break from blogging for a few reasons. I should be posting again in about 2 weeks, around the time the Glossier Giveaway winner is announced. I'll still be around to respond to comments and post on my regular forums/social media. Til April, then! :)

REVIEW: Glossier Phase 2

Wearing the Perfecting Skin Tint and Stretch Concealer in Light and Generation G Lipstick in Like; skin prepped with Soothing Face Mist before application.

I was more than a little skeptical of Glossier.com when their brand first launched, and I admit that I remained unimpressed for some time after the first wave of products was released. Boy Brow was very meh on me, Balm Dot Com dried my mouth out and felt heavy on my skin, and the ingredients list for the two masks terrified me. But the slick marketing pulled me in again, and I decided to test out the Perfecting Skin Tint. Lucky for me, that tint has become a staple in my collection. So when Glossier launched two new makeup items--the Stretch Concealer and the Generation G Lipstick--in a new "Phase 2" set, I decided to give them a shot.

The Phase 2 set comes with a pot of the Stretch Concealer, a tube of Generation G lipstick, and a tube of Boy Brow, all in the shade of your choice. Each item is $18 individually while the full Phase 2 set is $50; unlike the Phase 1 set, you save a few dollars by buying the kit. (ETA: I accidentally fibbed--Boy Brow is currently $16, so you're only saving $2 when you buy the kit.) I already reviewed Boy Brow in a previous post, however, so I passed on the set. Instead, I bought the concealer in 10 Light and the lipsticks in Like and Jam.

Generation G Lipsticks

Jam normally applies even smoother. I just hadn't exfoliated my lips for a while before I took this picture. Sorry. :(

Glossier claims they're going for a "soft, popsicle-stain flush" with this product, and they outright state that "no lipstick in the history of lipsticks looks like this." It's meant to have the pigmentation and comfort of a tinted balm with the look of a stain. And man, does that sound gorgeous!

It's true that the Generation G lipsticks have a flushed, stain-like look on the lips, and that's kind of cool. But saying they wear like a tinted balm and suggesting "no lipstick in the history of lipsticks looks like this"? Eh, you're pushing it. Tinted balms don't generally hydrate my lips, but good ones are practically imperceptible and non-drying. Generation G lipsticks are weightless when your lips are parted, every-so-slightly sticky when you press them together, and a tad bit drying. I find myself wanting some balm on top after a couple of hours, though I can manage without it. They can also apply a tad patchy or uneven if you try to swipe on just one layer; I found that my best bet for even color payoff was slathering the lipstick all around my recently exfoliated mouth a few times.

With that said, these lipsticks do have a very pretty effect on the lips without being as fiddly as most traditional liquid stains. They're vaguely soft-focus and fit with Glossier's "sheer, easy, and full o' silicone slip" standards. It might sound weird, but they kind of "veil" the lips: even when I wear Jam at full opacity, my lips still look like lips, not like they've been painted on my face. (Not that that's a bad thing--I often love a lipstick that looks like car lacquer.) This sheer stain effect means that, while these have totally average wear, they fade evenly. There's also a video of a Glossier employee applying some of the Generation G in Jam to her cheeks, and yes, this is a lipstick formula that works well for that due to the slip

This finish means that all four shades look pretty good on most skintones...and because the folks at Glossier are no dummies when it comes to marketing, they've proven it on their product page. Could we please have an option to zoom in on those shade photos, though? Some of us have shitty vision.

Also, I'm generally cool with Glossier's minimal plastic packaging, but the Generation G lipstick is the first product in the range to make me think, "That looks cheap." The white plastic tubes lack any heft and the plastic appears thin. In fact, the lipstick even has a vague plastic taste. It won't weigh down your bag or take up a ton of room in your lipstick holder, but overall, I'm just not wowed by the packaging.

Still, this is an nice natural matte lipstick for people who love that smooth finish and easy application. They're great for work or lazy weekends. I'll likely toss a tube of Cake (the peach shade) in to my next order.

PS: I noticed that the actual Generation G lipstick tubes say "0.04 oz," but the Glossier website said 1.13oz when I first copied the information from the website. The error has since been corrected. For comparison, a $32 NARS Audacious lipstick contains 0.14oz of product and an $8 Flower Beauty lipstick contains 0.12oz of product. The Generation G lipsticks are definitely on the small side.

RATING: 4 out of 5

Stretch Concealer

Direct sunlight on top, indirect sunlight in middle, flash on bottom. From left to right: Glossier Stretch Concealer and Perfecting Skin Tint in 10 Light, Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer in Fair Neutral, and OCC Tinted Moisturizer in Y0.

While the Perfecting Skin Tint is a smidgen dark for me in swatches, it applies a bit lighter when sheered out, and I can get away with it because it's so sheer. The Stretch Concealer looked darker to me in the pot and clearly had more coverage, so I was a bit nervous. But I noticed that, in the few Phase 2 Set videos that popped up around the release date, a lot of people were using a lighter shade in the concealer. (For instance: people who used the Skin Tint in Dark, the third shade, used the concealer in Medium, the second shade.) This gave me hope.

The hope was a little misguided, though, because yes, it matches my face and not the rest of my body. I can still get away with it if I'm wearing something sheerer/darker like the Perfecting Skin Tint, slash, if I'm only using it under my eyes, but the shade is a stark contrast to my paler, more yellow foundations. People my skintone can get away with the Perfecting Skin Tone in Light, but the Stretch Concealer in Light is a better fit for NW15 folks.

 Regardless, I still tested this bad boy out on both my undereyes and my super-persistent cheek zit. (Lovingly, I have named this zit Fernando.) The formula contains cocoa butter, so it's slightly dewy and very emollient; this made it a truly awesome light coverage undereye concealer. As the ad copy suggests, it looks like skin, not makeup. It blends best with the warmth of your fingers, though you can also dab the product on with a brush. I think this would be an excellent choice for my great skin days when I just want to look a little brighter on my undereye area.

I was not at all impressed with how this covered Fernando, though. It looked dry and a little patchy over the blemish, and despite Glossier's claims that the coverage is buildable, I couldn't get more than a slight softening effect. I think this is because it has that emollient formula: if you try to layer more on, it's just going to slip around. As you can see in the photographs, Fernando and my little chin pimple scar are less noticeable with the concealer on, but they're definitely still there.

The staying power of this product is also so-so, though again, this is to be expected from a very creamy and dewy formula. I found that I had to reapply the product to my undereyes and my blemishes after around 4 or 5 hours on a comfortable spring day. Applying powder on top did give me a more matte finish, but it didn't increase the wear time.

The Stretch Concealer is excellent for the undereyes, not so great for blemishes. It's not as buildable as they claim, but it's very workable on normal to dry skin, which is a plus. Hence, it's a decent concealer, not a fantastic one. I will note, however, that the price is fair: you get a standard 0.17oz of product for $18.

RATING: 3 out of 5

If you're interested in purchasing this product (or any others) from Glossier, feel free to use my affiliate link in this post--everybody with an account gets one, so this isn't a paid post, I swear. You'll get 20% off your order, I'll get $10 in credit. If that's not your thang, just go to Glossier.com to get your products, no affiliation required.

Affiliate Link: Glossier

Is anybody else obsessed with samples? Oh, and here's a lemmings board.

A lot of people dislike beauty samples. There's a sense that you quickly accumulate too many; they take up space that could be used for holy grail products or they spill out of your drawers and bags and make a huge mess. In many cases, a sample is too small for you to really get a feel for the product. And of course, what you get in sample form is often limited: you'll get tons and tons of packets of a few select types of skincare, maybe a dollop of foundation, but it's rare to get a deluxe mascara or a multi-use tube of eye cream.

But I've discovered that I'm weirdly obsessed with samples. Obviously, I get more in to the deluxe sizes than the little foil packets, but there's something really fun about gathering all kinds of random shit to try throughout the week. That Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream sample, for instance, will easily last me 4+ days if I budget the product appropriately. (I've gotten in to the habit of pricking sachet samples with a pin and covering the hole with tape; it really helps prevent waste.) And even though I don't travel too much, I love the idea of my skincare basics taking up as little space as possible in my luggage. That way, there's more room in my bag for me to bring back stuff I don't need.

I do think, however, that I need to start running through some of these, my obsession with patch testing be damned. I'd love to see the above tray empty by the end of the spring semester--here's hoping!

Speaking of things I don't need: here's the spring 2016 lemmings board!

1. Glossier Priming Moisturizer, $25.00 at Glossier (affiliate link) -- Despite the fact that I am still relatively sure shea butter doesn't like my face, my weird lust for this product won't fade. I blame my love for the Perfecting Skin Tint. I'm going to try the sample packets of the product I have hanging around (they toss one in to every Glossier order right now) and see how it sits on my skin; if I enjoy it and it doesn't seem to break me out, I'll probably cave and get the full tube.

2. Face Stockholm Cream Blushes, $25 at DermStore -- I was initially a little miffed by how warm my London cream blush ended up being, but you know what? These really do have a fabulous texture. It's soft, rich, and jelly-licious, and it blends beautifully on the skin. I'm particularly interested in the shades Rio (a soft purple pink) and Goteborg (a mauve).

3. CoverFX Custom Cover Drops, $44 at Sephora -- These were all the rage when they were first released, and I barely resisted purchasing a bottle for myself. Not only was I waiting for more reviews to pour in (and they did, with plenty of complaints about how messy the packaging is), but I was also expecting more shades last fall as per some industry gossip. New shades haven't dropped, however, and I remain interested in giving these guys a shot. I'll likely give this product a shot during Sephora's next VIB sale in April.

4. Tauer Phi Une Rose de Kandahar, $139.00 at Tauer Perfumes -- I thought I would get sick of my 5 mil decant of this fragrance after a year, but I haven't tired of it. It's the fragrance that made me give rose perfumes a second chance, and for that reason, it will always have a special place on my heart. Weirdly enough, I have a hard time plonking down this kind of money for a full bottle of fragrance when I'm so keen on splits and decants...but guys. This is spicy, rich, exotic rose done right!

5. Makeup Forever Ultra HD Concealer, $27 at Sephora -- Do I need another concealer? Hell no. Do I want to try another concealer? Of course! I'm told that the shade range for this product runs incredibly light and it's a really pigmented product, so I'm interested in seeing how this compares to my current favorite, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer.

6. Milk Makeup Eye Marker, $20 at Milk Makeup -- I've been curious about this product ever since it popped up on Sephora. I'm not usually excited by eyeliner, but I ran out of my Wet n' Wild liquid liner, and I love the idea of drawing on your eyes with something that looks so much like a real life Sharpie. Just imagine trolling people with that on the subway! This is another product I'll likely pick up during the upcoming VIB sale.

7. Colourpop Brow Pencils, $5 each at Colourpop -- My overall experience with the Colourpop brand has been "meh," but I know why I'm interested in these: there's a broad shade range. Most budget brow products have 3 or 4 shades, and they're often unbearably warm, but Colourpop has released at least 8 different shades, some warm and some cool. If I eventually decide to plonk down my money on these, I'll likely get the shades Dope Taupe and Bangin' Brunette.

Inspiration: Empire Records

We all have those movies, books, and albums we were totally obsessed with in our tween years, the things we were so blindly in love with that we look back and cringe. At the top of my list is Empire Records, yet another 1990s coming-of-age film surrounding a bunch of attractive teenagers with quirky, cool jobs in a struggling local record store. It's a pretty typical film; it's not so-bad-it's-good like Showgirls or underrated enough to warrant my endless recommendations a la Bound. So why do I sometimes feel a little embarrassed by how much I once loved (and still kind of like) this movie?

I think it's because Empire Records was so aspirational for me. 11-year-old Renee wanted to wear Liv Tyler's Doc Martens while listening to Ethan Embry's GWAR albums and spouting wisdom a la Rory Cochrane. It's all dated, yes, but even though I should have grown out of it, part of me still wishes I could look back on the days when I worked in a cool shop and snarked at my co-workers. (I actually worked in a grocery store. My bosses wouldn't let me leave my cheap polo shirt untucked, let alone allow me to headbang with customers.)

I decided to rewatch Empire Records for the first time in at least five years to see if I still love it. And no, I really don't love it anymore...but I can see why I did. And man, can I appreciate the fashion.

Let's start out with an assortment of truly delightful coats and very, very 90s makeup! I'm also digging that "sheer blouse over a dark bra" look in the bottom left. Logically I know that trend should've died with the 90s, but I'm not-so-secretly thrilled it's back in style, even if it's only visible on Instagram.

Holy shit, does anybody remember when everything was covered with smiley faces?! Also, those thick chains everybody wore for bracelets and necklaces--I totally had one! Um, anyway, let's just take a moment to appreciate Liv Tyler's beauty. I love her fresh complexion and soft, berry-toned lips in this movie; she looks like she belongs in a modern Glossier advert.

One of the great things that came of my Empire Records obsession was my lady boner for women with shaved heads. To this day, I think few things are more striking than a good-looking woman with close-cropped hair; it's one of the reasons why the Milk Makeup Gender tutorial stuck out to me. Let's all blame Robin Tunney. Oh, and you can also blame Empire Records for the sometimes fawkward wig she wore in The Craft. Sorry 'bout it.

Debi Mazar doesn't have a very big part in this movie, and it's a shame. She wears this incredibly cool black coat with a Mandarin collar that is, alas, very hard to photograph--you can see the top of it here on the right. Also, she's another person I've had a mad crush on for years.

It's surprisingly hard to get shots of Liv Tyler's full outfit in this movie! Anyway, it's very stereotypically 90s with a plaid skirt, fuzzy cropped sweater, and Doc Martens. But I'm only a little ashamed to admit I purposely duplicated this outfit when I was in middle school. Also, more gratuitous Robin Tunney!

So Here's My Stuff

In my recent Beauty Community Pet Peeves video, a lovely reader pointed out that the beauty and bed rooms of many bloggers and YouTubers are homogenous: swaths of pure white Ikea furniture, a burning candle in the background, and at least one inspirational quote framed, pinned, or posted on the walls. As silly as it sounds, I sometimes see these beautiful rooms and think, "Man, I wish my bedroom looked like that!" It just seems so elegant and functional.

Then I remember that I am tacky as Hell and I have a weird obsession with repurposing things, soooooo why not be happy with what I've got? After all, this is where I really live, where I do my makeup and prep my lesson plans and sleep at night--why not show it for what it really is?

So here are a few beauty-related parts of my bedroom.

I keep most of my fragrances in a drawer away from the window and air vent  to prevent spoiling, but I like to keep a few on my bookshelf in case I'm in a hurry in the morning. I do pick the cheaper frags, though, because if they DO spoil...well, I won't be totally heartbroken. Currently taking up residence amongst my tchotchkes and photos are the Dolce & Gabbana Eau de Toilette, Lady Gaga Fame, Ghost Deep Night (long discontinued, I believe), and a small box containing some TokyoMilk roller balls.

Yes, the shelf is totally tilted. I'm finally at the point where that doesn't bother me.

I keep some of my makeup in a jewelry organizer that hangs on the back of my closet door, but 95% of it is right here on my desk. If you want a nice acrylic organizer, definitely check out Marshalls or TJ Maxxx; they abound there.

As for, "Why your desk?" Well, I do most things at my desk or in bed, and doing makeup in bed is a bit tricksy, so there's the obvious choice. Also, I like to sit down when I apply makeup and there's zero room in here for a separate vanity. Desk it is!

By the way, this is my version of a "makeup basket." It's actually the lid from a tin that held a men's wallet. Is it elegant? No, but it's definitely functional; the small lip on it keeps products from rolling around, but also makes it easy to grab stuff without having to reach deep in to, say, a jar or a drawer.

Speaking of the makeup basket: somebody please force me to do a review on that Becca Backlight Priming Filter. I have been staring at it for days, but actually forcing myself to use it under makeup? That hasn't happened yet as of this writing. MAKE ME DO THE WORK, GUYS.

[CLOSED] GIVEAWAY! Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint

The Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint has become my go-to base for work. Easy to apply, incredibly sheer and natural, and undetectable on my skin, it helps me feel more like a human being without the fuss. I know a lot of people are dying to try this product out, so I thought I'd give a bottle away! The bottle in this photo is mine, but you'll obviously get a brand new bottle in the shade of your choice.

Entering is, as always, super-simple: comment on this blog post and tell me when you think you'd wear a product like this. Make sure your name is on the comment, because that's how I'll announce the winner. (I don't recommend just typing up your e-mail; you're asking for spam.)

Please be aware that there are some rules for this contest:

• You must be at least 18 years old and located in the US to enter.
• You must be prepared to provide me with your full name and address if you win.
• You may only enter once.
• Entries will be finalized on April 15th, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. I will use Random.com to pick a winner.
• You do NOT have to be subscribed to this blog to enter, but I will announce the winner in a blog post, so it might help to bookmark BOGL for the next month if you've entered. If you do not respond to that blog post within a week, I will draw a new winner.

Also, I want to remind everyone that I pay for these giveaways out of my own pocket. That's not me trying to guilt you, that's just me saying that I have to have the money available to send the products out. And because I have to wait until a winner is selected to order the appropriate shade, there's a chance the product will be out of stock for a bit. Hence, it may take me a few weeks to get the goodies sent to you after you win. But they will be sent! :)

Best of luck, and thank you for supporting Bad Outfit, Great Lipstick!

REVIEW: Milk Makeup

Milk Makeup first appeared on Sephora's website last month, apparating like a fun and funky makeup genie from a bottle. The brand caught my eye immediately with its minimalist packaging and promises of unique, easy-to-use products for on-the-go hipsters. Because as much as I enjoy spending a lazy weekend hour applying my makeup, I am always pressed for time when I wake up 20 minutes late on a work day and need to get myself together before I hit the bus stop.

I was interested in a lot of the Milk Makeup range, but I decided to start with products that might fill gaps in my collection (and were available at the time, since they seem to be rolling the line out over the course of the spring season). I grabbed the Coverage Duo in Fair, the Weekend Lash Stain in 8-Ball, and the Gel Brow pencil in Pilsner.

Let's start with the Coverage Duo, because I wasn't actually able to wear it: my skin responded badly during patch testing. Milk promotes this product as a multipurpose base product, with 0.33 ounces of liquid concealer and 0.08 ounces of cream concealer, housed in super-portable packaging. Now, they call it a liquid concealer, but if you watch their tutorial videos, the models who use this product often apply it in a thin layer over most of their face like a foundation. And the idea of a grab-and-go concealer and foundation drew me in.

But when you think about it, this is rather pricey. Most foundations are a full fluid ounce, while you get a third of an ounce in the Milk Makeup Coverage Duo. (Again, they promote it as a concealer, but it behaves as, and is demoed like, a foundation.) The cream concealer is also super tiny, especially compared to my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (0.22 ounces) and my Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer (0.16 ounces). I put a dime on the cream concealer and placed the pod next to a Becca Beach Tint for a visual size comparison.

So yes, it's very portable and small, and it'd easily fit in your purse. But if you break it down to dollars-and-ounces, you're definitely paying for the cutesy packaging and portability.

Here's the Coverage Duo swatched up against the OCC Tinted Moisturizer in Y0, Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint in Light, and Buxom Show Some Skin in Tickle the Ivory. This is too dark for me by about a shade, but it's also very very very pink. I'd peg it at about NW15. So even if I had gotten past the patch testing phase, this product would not have worked on my skin tone.

Despite the fact that I couldn't give these concealers a full test run, I was able to feel the texture and get an idea of the coverage and performance. The liquid concealer is incredibly thin and provides light coverage; it's also easy to blend in to the skin. The cream concealer has an interesting and pleasant texture, kind of like a marshmallow that turns to liquid under your fingers (no, really!). It provides medium coverage. Both feel very emollient, though the liquid stays a little dewy on my skin and the cream dries down to a satin finish.

I also wanted to talk about this liquid concealer applicator for a moment. The Milk Makeup line seems to be quite fond of these rollerball applicators, probably because the idea is that you can just swipe the product where it's needed, smear it out with your fingers, and go. In theory, it's a nice idea, but I have three major problems with it:

1. It's messy. As soon as you start rolling the liquid concealer, you're going to get product all over the packaging, and it can actually smear in to the cap.
2. Sometimes the rollerball puts out a ton of product, and other times you have to roll it for almost a minute to get the liquid out.
3. This isn't very sanitary if you're using it the way it's advertised--the only way you can really clean the rollerball is to rub it on a makeup wipe, and then you're wasting some of the concealer in the process.

Next up is the Weekend Lash Stain in 8-Ball, a jet black mascara that's designed to give you a natural look while lasting for days at a time. This is the product I was the most excited about, because while I don't sleep in my makeup (guys, please don't do that), I do sometimes work for 12+ hours or run around in 95 degree, 85% humidity weather, and a long-wearing, not-makeup-y mascara would be a homerun for me. I'm also a huge fan of mascaras in squeeze tube packaging because it makes it easier to manipulate the product and get every last drop out of there.

Unfortunately, this mascara did not wow me. As soon as you pull the thin, slightly-slanted wand out of the tube, you'll notice it is absolutely dripping with mascara. Wipe it off on the rim of the mascara tube and you'll make a mess; wipe it off on a tissue and you'll be getting rid of half of your mascara.

Even after dabbing off the wand, this product is a nightmare to apply. The formula is so, so liquidy that it clumps your lashes together and smears all over your eyelid. I had to use a lash comb immediately after applying to separate my lashes, scrub my lids with my ELF Makeup Remover Pen, and make sure I applied eyeshadow after mascara so it didn't get ruined. I'm completely baffled by a product range that claims to be low-maintenance, then puts out a mascara that's this much work.

To be fair, you don't have to fuss with this much after it's actually on your eyes. It lengthens a bit and looks very black, but is overall quite natural, which is what a lash stain should be. It doesn't smear or flake throughout the day, and as long as you use an oil-based makeup remover, getting it off of your face isn't that hard. But quite frankly, I don't think the 10 minutes of faffing around is worth it when I can get similar results from a quick coat of Maybelline Full n' Soft. I'm still not sure if I want to keep this product or not, but I'm leaning towards "return."

Natural light on top, flash on the bottom.

The product I expected to feel the most "meh" about, the Gel Brow pencil, actually ended up being my favorite of the bunch. I got the middle shade, Pilsner, which is a dead-on-balls accurate color dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown. (The Shu Uemura Hard Formula pencil in Seal Brown applies a bit lighter to my brows than the other two, but it swatches really red/purple on my hand...I need to just give up swatching that pencil, cause it never works.) There's also a taupe blonde shade called Pale Ale and a darker brown called Dark Brew. I love that the shades are named after beer, but I wish they had a good option for redheads.

The spoolie on the end of the pencil is very serviceable, though not the softest of the bunch, and the lids don't snap on quite as tightly as I'd like. Beyond that, I'm loving this pencil. It definitely has a gel-like texture that smooths over the brows easily without looking flaky or chalky. I can get my brows done in a minute with this pencil because it's so pigmented and soft: brush brow, apply pencil in soft strokes, brush again, repeat process on other brow. The one caveat is that the soft formulation makes it impossible to draw on individual brow hairs, so if that super duper natural brow look is your game, I don't think this product will work for you; it's always going to apply like a "smear" of color. A nice smear! ...but still a smear.

In the above photos, I'm wearing the Gel Brow pencil and the Weekend Lash Stain on the left and am bare-eyed (man, that sounds funny to me) on the right side. I think the done-up brow looks faboosh: emphasized, strong, and appropriately ashy-colored without looking very fake or drawn-on. The stained lashes are definitely black and noticeable, but the amount of work I had to do to get them that way was not entirely worth it.

Milk likes to promote their products as "high concept and low maintenance," designed for cool, young urban people on the go. But "high concept" doesn't necessarily mean "smart concept." It's fine to have some gimmicks, like fun video tutorials and a quirky little paper that can blot your t-zone and roll your weed, but you can't rest on those laurels--at the end of the day, products need to work.

Dear Milk Makeup: if you start focusing more on products that really are fast and functional, and less on products that just look neat in pictures, let me know. I'll give them another shot.

RATING -- GEL BROW: 4 out of 5

RATING -- WEEKEND LASH STAIN: 2 out of 5

RATING -- COVERAGE DUO: ???

Milk Makeup is available at MilkMakeup.com and Sephora.com.

The Hype Machine: NARS Audacious Lipsticks

The Hype Machine is a series that takes a critical look at well-loved, cult classic, appears-in-every-other-Instagram-photo products and asks: are they worth the hype?

Sometimes--probably in more instances than I'd like to admit--I can be a makeup hipster. I wouldn't say that I write a product off as soon as it becomes the raved-about community wunderkind, but I'm definitely suspicious and curious at the same time. I actually imagine myself circling around hyped-up products like my cat when the furnace kicks on: on the one hand, WTF even is that noise?!, but on the other hand, oooooh waaaarm.

So it took me a while to get a NARS Audacious lipstick and test it out. My first shade was Michiyo, a bright blue-based pink. As noted in The Lipstick Diaries, I really liked this shade on my skintone and I thought the formula was nice. But I'd yet to be totally wowed, especially with the $32 price tag. When the Sephora VIB 20% off sale rolled around and I noticed I was still short a dark, blue-based red lipstick, I decided to give NARS Charlotte a try.

That, my friends, is where the love affair began.

 Natural light on top, flash on the bottom; from left to right: Charlotte, Anna, Michiyo.

Charlotte almost got me hooked on this range. Yes, it was a hair drying like Michiyo before it, but neither was horrendously parching, and both shades were saturated, wore evenly, and garnered boatloads of compliments. I noticed that these lipsticks were better than many of their counterparts in my collection--they wear more evenly than MAC satins and are less heavy than the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks, for instance.

I fell in love with the packaging as well. To some extent, it's typical NARS: sleek and black with the logo embossed on the case. But NARS is infamous for using rubberized black packaging, which gathers fingerprints and dirt like crazy. The Audacious tubes are matte and smooth, making them easy to clean. They're also magnetic so the lid snaps on tightly.

From left to right: Michiyo, Charlotte, Anna.

Now, I said that Charlotte almost got me hooked on the range. Anna was a bit of a wake-up call for me. It seems like a perfect cool pink in most bloggers' photos, so I was suckered in to buying a tube of it. But on my fair skin, this stuff turns straight purple. It's not a bad shade--my mom actually loves it on me--but it's not the color I thought I'd get. In fact, while the Audacious color range is expansive, I find that the "softer" shades run a hair dark for my liking. As such, there's no truly flattering nude pink or beige shade for me here.

Do I think this is the end-all be-all of lipsticks? Probably not, especially if you dislike anything even remotely drying or already have a pigmented satin lipstick range you love. Is $32 a little steep? Definitely. But if you can find a few shades that really speak to you and flatter your complexion, it may be worth the splurge for such a beautiful-looking formula. Just resist the urge to replace every single lipstick in your collection with an Audacious counterpart. I almost fell down that rabbit hole myself.

Almost.

BOTTOM LINE: The NARS Audacious lipsticks aren't the kindest to super dry lips, nor are they the cheapest lipstick you can get. But the color range is phenomenal, and the formula definitely reeks of quality. Save your pennies for a few signature shades.

The Hype Machine is a series that represents my experiences and opinions. It is not meant to be a personal attack on a specific company, product, or consumer. I always recommend that you try products for yourself and see how they work for you. Everybody is unique, after all!

VIDEO: Beauty Community Pet Peeves

This is me complaining about stuff. Let's have a discussion, though--what gets on your nerves? Do you agree or disagree with me? And what are some of the positive aspects of the beauty community that really shine for you?

Josie Maran Skincare Giveaway WINNER!

The winner of the Josie Maran Skincare giveaway is Charlotte Bear. Congrats! You have one week to email me at the address listed on the blog sidebar.

Thank you again to everyone who participated and/or continues to read BOGL. I am truly blessed to have you here! Keep me posted on what you'd love to see as a giveaway prize, and I'll try to remember it for future giveaways!

Moderate Stash: Base Products

I'm constantly trying new base products, but a select handful have become staples in my collection, surviving many purges and out-performing dozens of other tubes and tubs. These are the concealers, foundations, and powders that have stuck with me, and they're either Holy Grail or "I like it enough to use it up" status.

As a reminder, I have dry or dry-combination skin: my undereyes are normal, and my eyelids and nose get oily, but the rest of me is like the Sahara. And for at least half of the year, my skin is also dehydrated. I tend to prefer light coverage foundations that look very natural (but I am on a quest to find my perfect-out-of-the-bottle medium-to-full coverage foundation). My skintone is very fair and relatively neutral, with some cool yellow undertones; I'd be around N5-10 on a MAC scale.

FOUNDATIONS

• NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Siberia. I don't actually wear this foundation: the bottle seen here was received in a less-than-ideal swap, and it was clearly expired from the moment I got it. The color is still accurate, however, so I keep it around for comparison swatches. I have tried the NARS Sheer Glow foundation in the past, and I found it to be a medium coverage demi-matte foundation that was not particularly attractive on dry skin.
• Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint in Light. A super-sheer tint with a very liquidy, silicone-heavy formula that's designed to smooth and soften your skin without looking like makeup. It looks so natural, and it's so stupidly easy to apply, that it has become my go-to for work. The Light shade looks darker and pinker than it applies. This incredibly sheer product is going to work best for people who like No Makeup Makeup, and/or those who want to thin out a heavier base. Full review here.
• MAC Studio Face and Body foundation in White and N1. This is the OG, ride or die, life changer foundation for me, the crown jewel that every other product is compared to. Face & Body has a thin, liquidy formula that is best applied with fingers to prevent streaking. One layer provides light coverage, but you can build it up to medium coverage. The finish is natural to dewy, depending on how dry your skin is; obviously, it will look less shiny on very dry skin. I use a 50/50 mix of these two products to create an N10-ish sort of shade; 2 parts White to 1 part N1 is closer to N5. Tip post here.
• Buxom Show Some Skin Weightless foundation in Tickle the Ivory. A light-bordering-on-medium coverage foundation with a natural satin finish that is, again, stupidly easy to apply. This is the only foundation I currently own that contains SPF, but it photographs just fine. Show Some Skin has decent staying power and a relatively comfortable formula, but it can highlight the driest parts of your face and fade off of your oily bits. I tend to wear this in the warmer months, especially summer. The shade range is really broad, and Tickle the Ivory is one of the few very fair, cool yellow bases I've found that will work on dryer skin. Full review here.

 Natural light on top, flash on the bottom.

CONCEALERS AND POWDERS,

powders have not been swatched because...they don't really swatch well.

•  Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting concealer in Radiant. This shade is very, very clearly not a regular concealer shade; it's meant to be a corrector for dark circles. I like to add a small amount of this to my NARS concealer in Chantilly to brighten up my undereyes. The formula is thin, creamy, and glowy, so it's not the best for zits, but it does bounce back light nicely. I may try a regular concealer shade of this one (since I like the formula so much), and I know my NC15-20 mother uses the Nude shade to great effect.
• Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage concealer in Fair Neutral. I like this concealer, but I don't love it. Yes, it is weightless, and it provides medium coverage without looking or feeling cakey. But I find it can look a little chalky, especially if I overdo the product. Also, Fair Neutral is an NW5-10 shade, and I find that the slight pink tones don't lend themselves to covering blemishes on my face. I think I'm going to use this tube up for light makeup days, but I won't repurchase.
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly. I'm very cautious about using the term "Holy Grail," but I've been using this product for over a year and am truly in love with it. It's a medium to full coverage concealer with a satin-matte finish. The formula is a thick liquid that covers well and stays put when dry, but is still blendable. I do find that it can be a smidge heavy on my undereyes if I overdo it, so I use tiny dots of it on my dark circles and sometimes mix in the Maybelline Dream Lumi pen for added brightness. Chantilly is one of the palest base product shades I've ever seen, and it matches my fair, cool-yellow skin perfectly.
• Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx01. If you need coverage, look no further than the Sensual Skin Enhancer. This is a full coverage cream concealer with a satin finish. Sx01 is another great match for me because it's very fair and neutral-leaning-yellow. The Sensual Skin Enhancer is extremely dense and pigmented, but it's also very flexible: you can sheer it out with different primers, moisturizers, mixers, and tools to get a variety of finishes and coverage levels. This product is best for blemishes (it's a little thick for the undereyes unless you sheer it out) and does have a slight learning curve. Ye olde tip post here.
• Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Finish Powder foundation in 50 Ivory. I think this is the only powder I've ever loved. It is, technically, a foundation, and you can wear it that way; it will give you light to medium coverage with a natural matte finish. I prefer to use it as a setting and blotting powder, because it has the most beautifully soft, un-makeup-like texture I've ever experienced from a powder, and it soaks up oil without caking on my skin. Ivory is about NC10; the next shade up, Classic, will work for NW10-15 skin. Full review here.
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light. This is the lightest and least shimmery shade in the Ambient Lighting Powder range. If you're fair skinned, this satin-finish powder can give your skin a beautiful soft-focus effect. I mostly use this powder when I know I'm going to be photographed.

 Natural light on top, flash on the bottom.

 WEARING THE FOUNDATIONS

Quick and Dirty Winter 2016 Blogsale [CLOSED]

  THIS BLOGSALE IS CLOSED.

For this sale, the cost of shipping and PayPal fees has been factored in to the price, hence the higher prices.

New items added and some prices lowered on 3/2.


USAGE:
I have attempted to show usage/condition via photos. Please Google swatches or ask for more information if you are curious about any of these products, the exact color, etc. Please be forewarned that the outer packaging may be banged up. If you want more pictures or information, please contact me and request it.


HOW TO PURCHASE:
 Send requests to BadOutfitGreatLipstick at GMAIL. I will invoice you (no gift payments, please) and will hold items for up to 24 hours after that invoice has been sent. If you have not paid for your items within 24 hours (or if you never respond to my e-mails), I will open them back up for sale. Items are only  officially "yours" after you've paid. These prices are already extremely low, so I do not haggle.


 PAYMENT:
Payment must be done through PayPal. $10 minimum purchase.


SHIPPING:
US ONLY SALE: I do not ship outside of the US because of issues with customs. I apologize for the inconvenience. Payment must clear before shipping.

I use PayPal ship, which comes with a built-in tracking system. :) I package as carefully as I possibly can, but I am not responsible for packages once they leave my hands. With that being said, if you receive your items and feel that you have been mislead about their condition/usage, please contact me and I'll see what I can do to rectify the situation. I'm a very honest person, and the last thing I want to do is appear dishonest!


SANITATION:
 I clean my entire collection about once a month with an alcohol spritz. However, I will not sanitize these items before shipping them out unless you ask me to, because I know some people are very particular about how they sanitize their products. Be forewarned that some of the cream products may have very tiny brush hairs in them, as creams are wont to get, but again, I have kept them quite clean; I'm very, very fussy. If you ask me to sanitize items, I will sharpen pencils and spritz blushes, lipsticks, and foundations with alcohol. I always wipe down the outer packaging with alcohol before sending.

New Items

Dior Fluidstick in Pandore, some cosmetic damage/scratching on tube - $15

Benefit Dandelion Shy Beam DS - $1

Stila Convertible Colors in Tulip and Lilium, 2 gram size - $5 each

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition foundation in 3.0, at least 90% remains - $20

Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 eye masks - $3 each or take both for $5

NARS Radiant Cream Compact foundation in Siberia with case and (unused) sponge - $22, can include box

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Illusoire and Epatant, pulling slightly at edges - $10 each

Rimmel ScandalEyes pencil in Brown, used 1x - FREE with $15+ purchase

Stila Convertible Color in Hibiscus, 2 gram size - $5

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre, 1 ounce size - $10, can include box

Chantecaille Liquid Lumiere in Sheen - $20

MAC Candy Yum Yum - $8

Bite Beauty Pepper - $8

Bite Beauty Pomegranate - $8

Buxom Hooligan and Mistress minis - $3 each or take both for $5

Lipsticks

Lipstick Queen Jean Queen - $5, product has some nicks

MAC Betty Bright - $20

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Minaj I - $8

MAC Lady Danger - $10

MAC Pink Nouveau - $8

Bite Beauty Glace - $5

Cream Blushes - $4 each

BBIA Downy Cheek in Downy Apricot

BBIA Downy Cheek in Downy Lavender

Edward Bess Compact Rouge in Love Affair

Canmake Cream Cheek in CL06

Bases - $15 for all 3 shipped

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in #13 - small tube, can include box, used 1x

By Terry Touche Veloutee Highlighting Concealer Brush in Porcelain - RIS, can include box, will scrub brush tip

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Fair - RIS, at least 50% remains

Miscellaneous

Josie Maran Argan Infinity Creamy Oil - $5, DS

Glossier Balm Dot Com - $5

Glossier Boy Brown in Brown - $8, can include box

Bite Agave Lip Mask - $5, DS

By Terry Baum de Rose - $8, DS

Kevyn Aucoin eyeshadow duo in 205 Rose Gold/Iced Plum - $5

Sample Lot - $5 shipped for all of it

NOTE: The Armani Fluid Sheer and Burberry Fresh Glow Primer are about 50% full. Others are brand new.

Cheapies bin - $1 each, or take all for $5 shipped

TonyMoly Cotton Pact in Delight

Biore UV Perfect Milk, at least 50% remains

Maybelline Define-a-Brow in 643 Medium Brown

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Sparkle Nude, cape has been taped

Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth in 110 Porcelain

Stupid Little Things: Bag Balm

Stupid Little Things is all about the random cheapies, odd tricks, and miscellaneous things that make my day.

Bag Balm is a cult classic beauty product that...isn't technically meant for humans. If you don't believe me, take a look at the picture on the side--yes, those are cow udders. This really is a balm that was designed over a hundred years ago to prevent irritation on milking cows' udders. I totally understand if that turns you off of this neon goodness from the start. That being said, several human beings in my life have been using Bag Balm for years, and when I started testing it out on my own skin a few years ago, I was totally hooked.

Bag Balm has a pretty simple formulation, consisting of lanolin, petroleum, and 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate. The first two ingredients are popular in balms: lanolin is a wax that comes from wool-bearing animals like sheep, and petroleum jelly is an occlusive that holds moisture in by creating a barrier on your skin. The unusual ingredient is the 8-hydroxyquinoline, which has antiseptic properties...and it's also probably the source of Bag Balm's bright yellow color and medicinal smell. (I kind of like the smell because I'm weird, but if you dislike it, no fears: it fades quickly on the skin.)

Everybody uses Bag Balm for different things. Several of my friends use it as lip balm, for example, and I have one friend who will actually rub it all over windburned skin or on top of his zits. I personally like to use this on the driest parts of my body: my cuticles and my elbows. I also use it around my nose when the skin is chapped from a cold or sinus infection. Nothing soothes or softens those patches like Bag Balm! As an added bonus, a teeny tiny bit goes a VERY long way.

I got my giant 8 ounce tub for less than $10 on Amazon.com, but if that huge container doesn't appeal to you or you want something more travel-friendly, there's a 1 ounce tin you can get instead. Personally, I prefer to just depot small amounts of Bag Balm in to small jars when I'm on-the-go.

As a final warning, be careful if you have pets! For whatever reason, cats and dogs seem to love this stuff--my cat will actually lick it right off of my elbows. (She also licks the lotion on my legs and any cleaner remaining on the bathroom floor...so maybe my cat is dumber than I think.)