REVIEW: Benefit Lolli Tint

Getting my hands on Benefit Lolli Tint was...interesting. While I enjoyed Benetint, I had less luck with Posietint, making me hesitant to dish out $30 for a brand new, full-sized bottle. Lucky for me, a seller on Reddit was purging her barely-used bottles of Chacha Tint and Lolli Tint at a great price. I jumped on the deal, oh so excited to get my new goodies!

Then this happened:

Is...is that a boot print on my package? Wow. Just wow.

Needless to say, the stuff was not usable, nor could it be exchanged. The seller was kind enough to refund me--even though this mess was totally not her fault--and I fumed for a good 24 hours.

Then a friend said, "Oh, hey, I have Lolli Tint and I never use it; wanna swap for this lipstick I want?" Huzzah! The tint was obtained!

Benefit charges $30 for 12mL of product, which isn't bad as far as stains go. The packaging of Benefit's tints is the subject of much debate: it comes in plastic bottles with a nail polish-type applicator. A lot of people reeeeaaally hate this packaging, but I don't mind it; I had no problem swiping the stuff on my cheeks and lips, then blending it in with a finger. If you're concerned about keeping the product sanitary, you can use a clean finger or a spatula to remove some from the brush tip and apply from there.

Benefit describes Lolli Tint as a "candy orchid" color that will work well on your lips and cheeks. This is a relatively accurate depiction of the color, at least on swatching: it's a creamy, dreamy, soft purple color that makes me weak at the knees.

Wearing Lolli Tint, though, wasn't the purple dream I expected. While this stain looks like a cool, bright pink or even a soft lavender on other people, it looks like...plain pink on my cheeks. It's not bad, but it's definitely not the color I expected. The same goes for my lips: it sort of "darkened up" my natural lip color.

The formula is quite thin, so I only applied the stuff to one cheek at a time, then worked quickly to blend it out. This didn't bother me because it's par for the course with stains. What did bother me was that I didn't get much pigmentation with one layer, despite the fact that I am very pale-skinned; I had to add three layers of product to my cheeks and two to my lips to get it to show up fully. I can't imagine this working on anybody with a deeper skintone.

My biggest problem with Lolli Tint is that it just looked awful on me. On my cheeks, it highlighted texture I didn't even know I had--see the tiny red "specks" in the macro shot above. Instead of looking like I was blushing and cute, I looked like I had a terrible fever. The stain did last for 5-6 hours, but because it was hideous, I wasn't too thrilled by that.

This was also a poor excuse for a lipstain. Again, it made my lips look darker, not cool pink or lagender, and after an hour, all of the color had gathered in the center of my lips. It also left my lips completely parched.

The frustrating thing is that I didn't really have these problems with the original Benetint. Benetint sat well on my lips and cheeks and was the perfect "in from the cold" color. It left me with high expectations for other stains. Lolli Tint? Totally not matching up.

RATING: 1 out of 5

Bury Me With My Highlighters

As I've aged and gone deeper and deeper in to Holy Shit My Skin is Dry territory, I've developed a slight obsession with highlighters. More specifically, I'm on a never-ending quest to find the best cream-and-liquid highlighters for my stupidly pale skin. And trust me: I've tried dozens. You name it, there's a good chance I've tried it (or immediately written it off because the shade was too dark or sparkly). I like to pretend that I'm absolutely satisfied with what I have, but why lie? I'm always looking for something even better!

I've got 6 highlighters rotating in my current arsenal. All of them have distinct positives and negatives, which I'll outline in this post. I'm also going to provide some suggestions for similar products/shades if your skin is not as stupidly pale as mine, but you want a similar look.

ON POWDER HIGHLIGHTERS: I don't wear them anymore, but Shiseido High Beam White and Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candlelight are two of the best options for pale/light skin on the market. If you want something more glittery, try The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer, but use a very light hand.

ON DRUGSTORE OPTIONS: There are no drugstore options on this list for two reasons:

1. There are very few cream/liquid highlighters available at the drugstore.
2. Most of what is available at the drugstore (Hard Candy Living Doll, Revlon Skin Lights) is too dark for my skin.

Practically Pure White Shades

Dim daylight on top, flash on bottom. From left to right: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl, MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna, MAC Strobe Cream.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl, $41 for 1.7oz 

THE RAVE -- This is the most expensive-per-unit highlighter on this list, but it's also the most cost-effective if you look at it critically. A small amount of this super-glowy, slightly-shimmery creamy liquid will go a VERY long way. The packaging is a sturdy, clear, plastic bottle (so you can gauge how much you have left) with a pump that's easy to control. Makeup artist Lisa Eldridge helped boost this product's popularity, yes, but it's so gorgeous and buildable that it was destined for cult classic status regardless. Becca Pearl is my go-to highlighter for photography and nights on the town.

THE DOWNSIDES -- The Becca SSP liquids contain avobenzone, a sunscreen that may cause irritation or breakouts in some skin types. I haven't had any problems with flashback, but I'm incredibly pale; people with darker skin tones will want to really test this sucker out in flash photography if they're interested in wearing it for, say, a wedding. A lot of people advocate using this all over your face and/or mixing it in to your foundation, but I think the slight shimmer makes this a less than optimal choice.

IF YOU'RE NOT SUPER PALE -- Becca has many SSP shades. Opal is the go-to for people with medium/tan skintones, and if you're darker skinned, you've got two great options: Rose Gold and Topaz. I think the Rose Gold shade is limited edition...if it is, they need to make it permanent, because there's nothing else quite like it.

MAC Cream Colour Base in Luna, $21 for 0.12oz

THE RAVE -- One of the newest additions to my collection, Luna is the culmination of years of lust and waffling. I've owned other CCB shades before (namely Pearl and Hush), but sent them off to better homes in favor of paler pastures. Luna, however, is straight up white and glowy. It is one of the best options for the palest of pale skins. Luna is very buildable: you can use a small amount for a natural glow (one of my male friends does this, and it's virtually undetectable on his skin), or you can layer it for a stronger shine. I also find it incredibly long-lasting, in part because of the slightly sticky texture. As a bonus, the small pot = travel friendly.

THE DOWNSIDES -- That sticky formula will get on some people's nerves, particularly if you're an oily-skinned person. It can also feel a bit heavy on the skin if you apply too much. If you're easily squicked by pot packaging, this is definitely not the product for you.

IF YOU'RE NOT SUPER PALE -- Again, the MAC CCBs come in many shades; Hush and Shell are nice options for light to medium skintones. If you're very dark skinned, you'll want to look to another cream product, like Illamasqua's Gleam Cream in Supernatural.

MAC Strobe Cream, $10 for 1oz

THE RAVE -- This is the cheapest and most versatile product on this list. While it's most often used as a highlighter, it's technically a moisturizer, and a decently formulated one at that. This stuff works great under foundation for a little "boost," if you're dry and dehydrated like I am this winter. The super-thin formula makes Strobe Cream just about impossible to overdo. It's my go-to for work because it looks so seamless and natural. I like to mix some of this in to my body lotion before a special event to give a little extra glow to my skin.

THE DOWNSIDES -- The full-sized bottle is a bit of a trap: you pay more per ounce than you do for the travel-sized bottle. Strobe Cream tends to dry and cake up around the opening of the tube, leaving a disgusting gummy residue; I have to wipe it with a baby wipe about once a month. Because this is a moisturizer, it might eat away at some of the foundation underneath, particularly if you're oily skinned.

IF YOU'RE NOT SUPER PALE -- MAC occasionally releases limited edition "bronze" versions of Strobe Cream, usually with the summer collections. Burberry Fresh Glow has a very similar effect and comes in two different shades.

Slightly Tinted

Dim daylight on top, flash on the bottom. From left to right: Makeup Forever Uplight #11, RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, Benefit High Beam

Makeup Forever Uplight #11, $29 for 0.55oz

THE RAVE -- Any time somebody asks for a highlighter that's dewy rather than sparkly, I give MUFE a shout out. The Uplights are some of the best and most underrated highlighters on the market today. The gel formula is incredibly light and blendable, and like the Becca SSP, a little goes a long way. I find that few highlighters look quite as luminous and "lit from within" (whatever that means) as MUFE Uplight #11. This shade has a definite pink tinge to it.

THE DOWNSIDES -- The packaging for this stuff is HORRENDOUS: the pump is always getting clogged with dried-out product, and it's difficult to control how much is dispensed. This gel formula dries quickly, so you have to work fast.

IF YOU'RE NOT SUPER PALE -- Unfortunately, Makeup Forever only makes two Uplight shades in the "dewy" finish: #11, seen here, and #12, a soft yellow. They may go ashy on dark skin tones. If you really want the dewy effect, but you're worried about how such pale shades will sit on your skin, try getting a sample and mixing a small amount of the Uplight with your foundation.

RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, $38 for 0.17oz

THE RAVE -- If you have dry skin and your highlighter loves to settle in to your fine lines, this may be the product for you. The RMS Beauty Living Luminizer is always slightly see-through, even when you layer on tons of product, which means you'll always see your skin through the product and it'll never look heavy. It has an incredible glow to it and, although it's slightly sparkly up close, it tends to look quite natural and gorgeous in photographs. I let my mom borrow this on the rare occasions when she wears makeup, and it always looks beautiful on her. Although it looks close to white in the swatch photo, there's a slightly yellow-gold pearl in here that warms the product up.

THE DOWNSIDES -- This product is basically mica and a few other ingredients in coconut oil, so it's not the best option for people who are oily skinned, live in humid climates, or are allergic to coconut oil. The brand's creator and namesake, Rose Marie Swift, apparently thinks makeup that lasts all day is a bit unnatural, so this is not a luminizer that's designed to last all day in extreme conditions.

IF YOU'RE NOT SUPER PALE -- RMS Beauty's Buriti Bronzer is basically the same product with a different coloration. The warm, bronzey tone is fantastic for accentuating dark skin. As an added bonus, it's less expensive than the Living Luminizer.

Benefit Moon Beam, discontinued

THE RAVE -- The shade of this highlighter is like no other. Depending on the light, it can be a soft, glowing peach, a luminous pink, or a sparkly fuchsia. It's INCREDIBLY frosty and noticeably shimmery, so it's not for people who like a natural look. I personally wear it on my rare "heavy makeup" days, or when I'm spending the night in a dark drag bar. It looks absolutely incredibly in low light and photographs like a dream.

THE DOWNSIDES -- The most obvious downside is that Benefit discontinued this product because they hate us and want us to be unhappy for reasons. Benefit's other highlighters--High Beam and Sun Beam--are pretty, but not as unique as this one. Also, the infamous Benefit packaging sucks bigtime: you apply the product with a brush akin to a nail polish applicator, and it feels weird and makes it difficult to dot the stuff on evenly.

IF YOU'RE NOT SUPER PALE -- You should still be okay with products like Moon Beam, since it's not exactly designed to look "natural." I haven't found anything quite like it yet (somebody, help me dupe this!), but if duochrome is your thing, try some of your satin-finish eyeshadows on your cheeks.

25 Tops: MAC Impassioned

Having recently reduced my stash yet again, and having found the strength to purge lipsticks (LIPSTICKS!), I've decided it's time for a new project. Here's the deal: I currently own about 40 lipsticks. While that's nothing compared to my stash circa 2011 (I owned at least 200; photographs of the collection looked like something from an extravagant makeup counter), it still seems like a bit much for one face. My goal is to reduce my lipstick collection to 25 tubes, tops, by figuring out which shades and formulas best suit my tastes.

My main focus is going to be my lipstick collection, but I'm also going to retry other products in my stash and see if I want to purge those as well. After photographing these products and testing them out for a full day, I'm going to decide what I want to do with them: definitely keep, maybe keep, or definitely purge.

This morning's victim was MAC Impassioned. An opaque, pigmented coral-pink lipstick with a cream finish, it's one of the most recommended and popular products in the MAC range. While I've always liked the shade, I've rarely worn it. I can sort of see why: it doesn't seem to flatter my skintone as much as some of my brighter reds and cooler fuchsias. It appears more blue-toned and fuchsia in real life, but photographs as a beautiful tropical punch sort of color. I don't own anything else quite like it, so for now, Impassioned is going in the MAYBE pile.

Cargo Key Largo also goes in the MAYBE pile. It's a beautiful coral color, and Cargo's blushes are the only powder formula I think I've truly loved. Nothing blends or photographs just like them. But I rarely wear Key Largo because it doesn't match much in  my collection, and I'm inherently drawn to creams, not powders. Definitely going to have to think about this one.

The other two "featured products," Maybelline Great Lash BIG and Benefit High Beam, are getting PURGED. I really like Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes, so my mother tried to buy me a tube as a gift...and accidentally got the wrong product. It's the stuff of my nightmares: wet, sloppy, and beyond flaky. I've been trying to use this tube for almost 3 months...it's time to admit defeat and just toss it. Benefit High Beam remains one of my favorite highlighters, but my tube is at least 4 years old (they no longer produce this "travel size" tube with a doe foot applicator). It's begun to turn and has started to dry up, as evidenced by the patchy application on my cheek. Perhaps I'll repurchase a tube of this stuff one day, because when it's fresh, it's fabulous!

My Makeup Bag

I'm one of those women who really should get out of the habit of carrying a makeup bag. It was a necessity when I was in graduate school because I almost always rolled out of bed after 2 hours of sleep and slapped on a full face of makeup whilst riding the bus to the office. Now that I'm seeking employment and rarely spend my nights at other people's houses? Not quite as necessary. I could get away with my lip color and a powder compact. But I stubbornly cling to the carry-a-makeup-bag tradition in the hopes that I'll have more adventures, find exhausting but gainful employment, and never be without an essential touch-up item.

One thing I definitely need to put in this bag, though, is a travel packet of makeup remover wipes. I'd never rely on a makeup wipe to clean my face on a regular day, but if I get stuck somewhere and can't access my complete skincare routine? Girl.

First, the non-makeup stuff I carry! I always worry about running out the door with messy, smelly hair, so I carry my spin pins, a bobby pin, a ponytail holder, and a solid perfume. The solid perfumes from One Hand Washes the Other are a godsend because they won't leak or melt and make a mess out of my bag! My emergency skincare treatment of choice is the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Daily Moisturizer for Face, which is creamy enough to moisturize my face, but light enough to mix with other products. I've only seen that product in kits, but keep your eyes peeled at TJ Maxx and Marshall's! Last, but not least, a mirror my friend Jessica gave me. I'm paranoid about food getting stuck in my giant horse teeth, so I check that mirror more than I'd like to admit...

And the makeup! A few of these items rotate in and out: the sample Chantecaille gloss is there in case I want a bit of shine, I'm due to replace the Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara with a new mini, and I switch the Becca Beach Tints every month or so--they're sheer enough to work with most lip colors. The Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Soft Blonde isn't the Holy Grail that Shu Uemura Hard Formula in Seal Brown is, but it's still quite pretty and very travel-friendly. I do think I need to find an alternative to the Palladio Rice Paper Sheets...they aren't terrible, but they kick up a good bit of powder when I pull them out, which defeats the purpose of carrying a pseudo-mess free powder.

The other items are major loves of mine and definite makeup bag staples! Benefit High Beam has been one of my all-time favorite highlighters and all-around wonder products for years, and it really breaks my heart that they no longer sell this $10 travel size. :( On the bright side, many of the kits contain mini-High Beams! I also keep a travel-sized Anastasia Clear Brow Gel to hold my crazy brows in shape and, if the need be, to add some shine to my lashes. That's one of the few products I own a full-sized AND travel-sized version of, because I never ever want to be without it. Lipstick Queen Jean Queen is a Holy Grail that stays in the makeup bag because it's suitable for any and all makeup looks. And of course, my base products: the Tarte BB Tinted Treatment in Fair and the Clinique Airbrush concealer in Fair. Both of these products are sheer, lightweight, and absolutely bulletproof.

Swap Haul

I have no idea why people are willing to swap with me. I always take FOREVER to send out my end. I get sick, work sucks my brains out, or--in the case of these past 2 weeks--HR makes a boo-boo and my direct deposit needs some fixin', leaving me with zippo money to send out packages. I'm JUST now sending out 2 packages. People have the patience of saints, I swear.

Regardless of my eccentricities, here are some lovely items I've received over the past 2 weeks from exceptionally sweet MUAers. There's some lovely new nail stuff: Revlon files, OPI toe separators (guess I have no excuse not to paint my toes now), some polishes, a great pair of lashes, mascara samples from Chanel and Anastasia, Urban Decay face and eye primer cards, and an itty bitty Benefit Pore-Fessional primer sample. I also received a lot of surprisingly nice skincare stuff by Clarisonic, Clarins, Burt's Bees, and Aveeno (this little bottle is going in my purse/work cargos!). The full-sized products include several Urban Decay sale items, which were an extra 20% thanks to Friends & Family: the Brightening Complexion Potion, YDK eyeshadow, and Confession lipstick. I also swapped for 2 pencils--Benefit D'Finer D'liner and a Shiseido corrector pencil in the lightest shade--and MakeupForever Uplight highlighter in #22.

Beauty Sightings: Sex and the City, season 1

I have a love-hate relationship with Sex and the City. On the one hand, I can see how it brought third-wave feminism to the forefront of pop culture and promoted the idea that strong, powerful women are still mere mortals. On the other hand, I found many of the storylines unrealistic, close-minded with regards to sexuality and gender stereotypes, and yes, even a little anti-feminist by promoting phrases like "I can't be in a committed relationship/marriage because I'm selfish." But truth be told, I've rewatched every episode a dozen times. The show is generally light-hearted, makes me laugh, and contains numerous beauty sightings, though they can be tricky to spot.

Season 1 beauty sightings are especially difficult to capture. The video quality didn't really go up until about season 3 or 4, so any screenshot that can capture the rough textures and colors of the items is bound to be grainy and blurry. Still, I managed to spot a few products I definitely recognized; about half of the rest look very similar. Those who are going to help me with brand names and products, please do! This show ran from the late 90s to the early 2000s.

Carrie's purse gets smacked out of her hand in the first episode. Several gold-cased lipsticks and gold-capped lipglosses pop out--they appear to be Estee Lauder--and a mascara-looking object in a thin white tube with a blue stripe. Anybody recognize the mascara-looking thing? Also, on the right, there's a tube of concealer with a satiny silver cap...I think it might be Clinique?

I can't recognize the silver compact, but a makeup artist friend of mine said that the round lipstick shape and silver-and-black tube are signature 90s Dior. Can anybody back this up for me?

A makeup artist with a bag of tools, and she's holding a sponge, a brush that appears to be from Estee Lauder, and something in a red compact. My immediate reaction was "Kevyn Aucoin!", but I'm pretty sure KA's beauty line launched closer to the time of his death in 2002--this season was filmed in 1988.

Carrie seems to keep a lot of her makeup in this wicker basket. There's also a vanity behind her--it looks like there are some serums and an eyeshadow and blush/gloss in black compacts, but they're hard to see.

Early-episodes Miranda has relatively light, natural brows. Here we see her running a spooly through her brows before she runs off to work.

Anybody recognize this lipstick packaging?

The ladies testing makeup. I'm dying to know what brand these products are! They remind me a lot of Estee Lauder, but of course, I can't be sure. The window in back seems to say "Desse," which isn't a boutique or store I recognize. (Then again, I'm not a New Yorker.)

Carrie in the same boutique holding a compact, most likely an eyeshadow.

Samantha's vanity, which cotton rounds, a powder compact, nail polishes, and lipsticks. Anybody recognize any of this stuff.

Carrie's plummy-pink lipliner. The writing is actually embossed silver. Liners are some of the hardest things to recognize because they're so tiny and their packaging is rarely distinctive.

Carrie's bathroom table. There's a Laura Mercier compact, a lash curler, and a bottle of Benetint. Makeup 411 notes that they used Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage on Sarah Jessica Parker, but I think that's a powder compact. I have a really hard time recognizing the foundation or the hair products. I'm 95% sure the pot of cream on the far right, which keeps popping up, is Ponds. (UPDATE: Emmeleine has pointed out that the cream might actually be Olay. Thanks!)

I don't recognize the liner, but those pots in the center are almost definitely La Femme cake glosses and blushes. EDIT: According to Amanda, the liner is very similar to old-school Stila. Thanks, Amanda! I think the small bottle with the white cap might be another Benefit product...High Beam or Posietint, perhaps?

Carrie applying mascara. I'm pretty sure that this is YSL--confirmation?

 Sam applying a really beautiful plum-nude lipstick.

Favorites: Top 5 Cream Eyeshadows + new jewelry

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a big eyeshadow person. It's sort of strange, because the above pictures prove that I was mega in to eyeshadows when I was first getting in to makeup; actually, the first "real" piece of makeup I owned was a teal Max Factor eyeshadow that my mom gave me. But I think that, as I've gotten older and blinder, I've come to focus less on my eyes and more on my lips. When I do play up my eyes, it's usually via my lashes or my brows. Yet as the years have gone by, I've come to realize that I have a deep fondness for cream shadows: they're multi-faceted and pigmented, which are big things for me with most makeup, but they're also quick, easy, and surprisingly modern. Here, then, are my five favorite cream eyeshadows--all of which are permanent shades!

#5: Estee Lauder DoubleWear Stay-In-Place Creme in Antique Gold

If I was judging these based on formula alone, this underrated cream shadow would easily get first place. It's smooth and creamy, and it's stayed that way for well over a year. It also lasts for absolute AGES on me, even without a primer. The downfall, for me, is the shade range: Estee Lauder's shades aren't quite as complex as some of the others on this list. That being said, they're great for days when you're rushed, and my favorite way to use Antique Gold is as a base under gold eyeshadows. It makes them absolutely BLAZE! The LE shades they come out with are also often very, very beautiful.
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Antique Gold used as a base under Urban Decay Baked and Twice Baked powder eyeshadows.

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#4: Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Long-Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Illusoire

I've done a review on the Chanel IdOs in the past, which you can read about here. But the reason why I love Illusoire in particular is because of it's sheer versatility. It reads primarily purple to me, but it also has tones of blue, silver, and black, so I can blend in just about any other shadow for an accent and get a brand new look. A lot of people have reported that Illusoire creases on their eyes more often than other IdOs, but I personally have never had that problem--it performs like all of my other shades. This is an especially lovely shade to pair with the Mirifique Illusion d'Ombre or with Essence gel liner in London Baby.
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Illusoire on the inner half of the lid and bottom lash line; Chanel Mirifique is on the outer half of the lid.

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#3: Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans

I'm normally not a sucker for products hyped by YouTube gurus, but when I kept noticing this cream shadow on Srivinya's eyes, I had to bite, and I haven't look back sense. Easily the must unique and versatile CCS, Skinny Jeans is a difficult-to-describe mixture of khaki green, taupe, and pewter gray that changes  at every angle. It can easily be worn on its own by applying a sheer layer on the lids and a little more in the outer v and crease for depth, but I personally prefer to wear it underneath gold, taupe, and khaki powder eyeshadows to really make them pop, especially the taupe shade from Wet n' Wild's Night Elf palette.
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Worn as a base under shades from the Wet n' Wild Comfort Zone and Night Elf palettes.

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#2: Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in RSVP

Another CCS makes the list, and with just cause: it's obviously a shade I use on a super-regular basis. A seemingly simple, but nevertheless beautiful, golden champagne color, this is my go-to cream shadow on a cat-eyes-and-bright-lips day. I also use this as a base under gold eyeshadows for ladies who don't like a super-bold look, like my friend Laurel (who actually got married today--congratulations!). Unfortunately, my little pot of Heaven has reached its drying point; I've microwaved it for about 10 seconds to restore some of its creaminess, but the fix only works for a week or two. :( I'll be sure to buy a new pot of this bad boy as soon as I have a job and cash to spare.

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RSVP with thick winged liner.

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#1: Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Long-Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Epatant


I was initially hesitant to make Epatant my number one, as I was under the impression that I used Benefit RSVP more often and in more ways. Turns out...that's not the fact at all. Okay, Epatant is in no way a "go to for winged liner," but it's the cream shadow I reach for when I want a quick but super-eyecatching shade, provided the green tones in it won't clash with the rest of my makeup. It's surprisingly versatile--I've even mixed it with lavenders, baby pinks, and taupes--and I'm infamous for spotting it on Chanel sales associates.
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Chanel Epatant: so gorgeous, I don't even care if my images won't rotate properly.

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Swatched, from left to right: Antique Gold, Illusoire, Skinny Jeans, RSVP, and Epatant.

Also, here are a few of my new babies: an antique brooch from a local antique store and some adorable owl earrings from Jolliffe Jewelry!

Favorites: Top 5 Highlighters

Top 5 Highlighters

I say it often and I say it with pride: I am a complete whore when it comes to highlighters. While I have a few that can be sheered out to a more "natural" glow, I generally prefer over-the-top, super-glowy, semi-gaudy products; it's one of the reasons why Shiseido's much-loved "subtle" highlighters have never appealed to me. That being said, I don't necessarily love shimmery, glitterbomb products--in fact, I try to avoid them--and just about all of these are so blendable (when applied correctly) that they appear "seamless" on the skin. Also, a word of warning: I own many powder highlighters, but generally prefer cream products because my cheeks tend to be dry.

#5: Urban Decay UrbanGlow cream highlight in Moonshine (semi-discontinued)

If you asked me which of my highlighters was the most unique, I'd immediately point to Moonshine. It appears white in the pan in most lights and essentially has a clear base, but the frost is...kinda hard to describe. The best word I've found for it is "opalescent," since it turns pink and blue when the light hits it. I use it on the incredibly rare days when I'm not wearing blush, or when I really want my cheeks to be the point of interest. There's no way to make this highlighter "natural" thanks to its coloration, but that's what I love about it.

Moonshine is on the tops of my cheekbones.

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#4: MAC Cream Color Base in Pearl, permanent

The MAC Cream Color Bases are, in my opinion, some of the best products they make, but I'm a sucker for anything that's multi-purpose, so my opinion may not be valid. Pearl is my go-to cream highlighter for my "no makeup makeup" looks or when I'm trying to do an evening look in a hurry: foundation, mascara, brow pencil while I'm still in the house, then I throw my concealer, lipstick, and Pearl CCB in to my bag and apply the latter to the tops of my cheeks and underneath my brows while I'm in the car. I don't find that Pearl is at all "yellow" when applied, but it's not as sheer as, say, Luna (which is my drag daughter's favorite) or as golden as Hush (which I also adore).

Pearl is on my cheeks and under the arch of my brow.

#3: theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer, permanent

Mary Lou (as she is popularly called) is probably the highlighter I most often recommend on Specktra and MakeupAlley. This is because it's incredibly versatile: it's the sort of color that will work for most skintones, and it can be sheered out for a subtle candlelit glow or applied more liberally for a more extreme highlight. I tend to prefer the latter, but really, you can sheer this out quite easily; just use a fan or stippling brush, like you would with any super-pigmented product. Mary Lou may look quite scary in the pan due to her dark gold, almost greenish hue--I know that I almost shrieked when I first opened up my compact because it looked so much like a bronzer to me--but trust me, she's a winner. If I want an intense, see-it-from-miles-away sort of highlight, this is the one I go for.

Mary Lou is on my cheeks. Sorry about the flipped image...Blogger is acting funny.

#2: Kevyn Aucoin Celestial powder in Candlelight, permanent

Lately I've been getting a lot of questions about Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight, specifically in relation to Mary Lou. "Which do you prefer," people ask me at least once a day, "Mary Lou or Candlelight?" I think the reason I'm being asked this is because Wayne Goss (GossMakeupArtist on YouTube) recently did a video review in which he compared the two and said they were basically identical. While I am nowhere near as experienced as Wayne, the highlighter whore in me as to disagree. Whereas theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer is super-pigmented (and therefore easy to overdo) and quite yellowy-gold, Candlelight has a more champagne-y color to it and is basically impossible to overdo. I don't know how they do it, but no matter how much of this product I apply, it never looks powdery or glittery, just soft and dewy. I tend to reach for it when I'm doing a more "sophisticated" look--not necessarily natural, but not my usual uber-brights, either. I will note that this product may be a bit too light for darker skintones, as I've heard some complaints from NC/NW45+ folks.

Candlelight is on my cheeks.

#1: Benefit High Beam, permanent (though I think the "travel size" I use is discontinued)

I'm probably getting the side-eye right now, but I honestly love Benefit High Beam. A few small dots are all I need to have an incredible glow that really catches the light. There's very faint, microfine shimmer in this product, but it somehow never looks glittery to me...then again, my eyesight is crap, so don't put too much stock in that. I've had my current $10 travel-sized tube (which, if you can still find it, is much nicer than the full-size tube with the icky nail polish sort of applicator) for over a year now and it's STILL going strong. It's so attractive to me that, when I scour Makeup411.com for inspiration, I almost always end up with a look that uses High Beam. I don't know what it is, but nothing looks quite like High Beam on me, and it's got that intense, almost elfin glow I prefer. If you want something cheaper and more subtle, consider the Boots No 7 High Lights.

High Beam is on the tops of my cheekbones and under the arch of my brow.

And now: SWATCHES!

UD Moonshine, MAC Pearl, theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer, KA Candlelight, Benefit High Beam

Bye-bye!