REVIEW: Too Faced Lip Insurance

I've used eyeshadow primer for so many years that I can't quite imagine going without it. It creates a smooth surface for easier shadow application, grabs on to color, and prevents creasing--what's not to love? And for years, my go-to eyeshadow primer has been Too Faced Shadow Insurance. Despite the fact that I don't wear eyeshadow every day, I've managed to go through three or four tubes of the stuff.

Lip primer, though? It's never really appealed to me. I think it's because I favor satin and matte formulas with a lot of pigment, which tend to really stick to the lips. Also, I do the apply-blot-reapply-blot method, which makes most lip colors last longer on their own. Then Lena from Faceonomics kept posting about the Too Faced Lip Insurance on Instagram.

That prompted me to read more reviews.

And eventually, Sephora sent out their yearly "$20 off $50" code for VIBs, which made me buy it.

(Okay, okay, so the hype made me buy it. Sue me.)

The Too Faced Lip Insurance retails for $20. It comes in a green and gold plastic tube, very reminiscent of their Shadow Insurance primer. It has a soft doe foot applicator and a stopper inside that's meant to pull off excess product, but I still recommend wiping off the applicator a bit because a little goes a long way.

The Too Faced Lip Insurance primer has a very thin texture and is completely colorless. It glides on to the lips easily and dries down within 15 seconds. Now, the company claims that this primer will "promote suppleness" and "pamper lips," but that's not really the case. As you can see in this before-and-after picture, it actually makes my lips feel and look a bit dryer before I apply any product. They're also smoother to the touch.

Neither of these results are shocking. This formula contains jojoba oil and vitamin E, yes, but talc and silicones top the ingredients list. Hence, you get a formula that feels soft and powdery to the touch, but can be drying. This slight dryness is tolerable and isn't visible after lipstick application; still, it prevents me from using it every single time I apply my lipstick, since I'm definitely a bit parched at the end of the day.

I found that every product I tried over this primer applied relatively well. Smoother formulas, like the Sephora Rouge Gel lip liners and MAC Amplified Cream lipsticks, went on with their usual glide. Dryer formulas, however, like my NYX lip pencils and my Besame Classic Color lipsticks, tugged a tad more than usual going on. The color still looked even and application wasn't more difficult, but you could certainly feel something "grabbing" at the lipstick and liner.

Once applied, I find that the actual finish of my lipsticks isn't much affected by the primer; at the most, some formulas are slightly more matte. The above photo, featuring two layers of Besame American Beauty over the Too Faced primer, is a good example. Again, I favor matte and satin lipsticks, so people who use much glossier, creamier products may have a slightly different experience.

Too Faced claims that this primer will prevent feathering, fading, and transfer. The first two are definitely true. In the photo above, I applied the NARS Audacious lipstick in Michiyo over the primer and went about my day. The photo on the left shows how the lipstick looked right after application, while the photo on the right shows how it looked after three or four hours of regular eating and drinking. There's a bit of fading in the center of my mouth if you expand the image, and the tiniest bit of feathering around the images, but overall, the color is staying put.

Transfer resistance, though? That's not happening with this primer. I find that my lipstick still ends up on my sandwiches and cups throughout the day, and I have absolutely had a line of lipstick end up on my chin while I'm eating. This is a primer that holds on to the color from the back, sort of like velcro; it does not seal in the lipstick.

In the long run, I think this is a solid primer that I'll reach for when I won't have much time to reapply my makeup. It won't stop transfer and it can be a little drying, but the extended wear and reduced feathering balance it all out for me.

RATING: 4 out of 5

Too Faced Lip Insurance is available at Sephora.

Duping Too Faced Melted Peony

Truth time: I love a lot of lipstick formulas that other people hate. This is partially because I am willing to exfoliate my lips daily and deal with a more drying formula in exchange for a matte finish and an apocalypse-proof wear time. I always try to make this clear in my reviews.

But even I stumble on to products that are just too damn wrong for my lips. Meet Too Faced Melted Peony: the most perfect sorta-nude-lip for me, with a great balance of peach and pink. The color is gorgeous...the formula is atrocious. Seriously, I have never put anything so drying or finicky on my lips before--and I wear Ruby Woo on the regular!

And so I went on a long and arduous quest to find a dupe. Most supposed dupes were way too pale and beige, or bubblegum pink with no peach, or in yet another formula I hate with a burning passion. Finally, somebody mentioned Bite Beauty's High Pigment Pencil in Bouquet. Great! I love the Bite formula! After searching numerous swap and sale threads for an on-the-cheap tube, I managed to obtain Bouquet via swap.

Annnnnd I love it.

Daylight on top, flash on bottom.

Here are ze swatches. As you can hopefully see, Melted Peony and Bouquet aren't exactly alike, but they're super similar: Melted Peony is a bit paler and more peach, Bouquet has more pink and is brighter.

I swatched a few other shades in the same-ish color family for comparison. Bite Velvet is brighter, cooler, and more pink than Melted Peony. MAC Faux is actually a muted neutral pink on me, but because it has more brown in it than these other shades, it looks crazy dark in these swatch photos.

Here's how Bite Bouquet looks on my lips. Again, it's definitely a bit brighter than Melted Peony, and it reads more as a peach-pink than a nude. But I think it's a pretty damn good replacement. In a sense, any time I could wear Melted Peony, I can now wear Boquet.

I'll continue to try nude lipsticks because I'm a lipstick fanatic and I love to try ALL TEH THINGS, but for now, I'm oh so happy with Bite Bouquet!

Oh, and yeah, I'm wearing a shit ton of glitter on my eyes. God bless you, Lit Cosmetics Clearly Liquid Base! (The actual glitter in this picture is a limited edition Wet n' Wild product...which may or may not be eye safe. Oops. Do your research--check for it around Halloween!)

Painting for the Back Row

Have you ever been to a drag show? If not, you're missing out on some mega-super-fantastic SERIOUS fun! This year, I not only watched the fantastic drag show at one of my local universities, I also pitched in and helped a bit with the makeup for a truly hilarious "Gangnam Style" routine. The task was to essentially paint the back-up dancers like baby drag queens, which, hey, no problem...except there were a few more dancers than I expected: five. FIVE! But with plenty of help from lovely friends and my amazing ability to pilfer cosmetics from the collections of others, we were able to get it done.

All of these lovely ladies were kind enough to use their own foundations and concealers, except for the few ladies who didn't own foundation or concealer at all. They were all beautiful, of course, so it wasn't even really necessary.

Plenty of saturated colors were needed, so I started with Too Faced Shadow Insurance on all of their lids before applying various shades of Mehron Aqua Color in a cat-eye shape. I set the Aqua Colors with matte powder eyeshadows by Ben Nye and Wet n' Wild. The huge lashes are from Mehron and were definitely a splurge, but they were totally worth it! Several of the dancers kept their sets. Eyebrows were liberally darkened with various shades of Maybelline Define-a-Brow (which I admit I'm not a fan of--most of the shades seemed quite red, and I had to click the pencils up a zillion times) with the exception of the two blonde ladies; for them, I used my own Clinique Superfine Liner in Soft Blonde.

The cheek colors are La Femme powder blushes in various mixtures of Flamingo Pink, Coral Spice, Terracotta, Purple Passion, and Fuchsia. Three highlighters were used liberally on the cheekbones: MAC Cream Color Base in Luna for the palest ladies, MAC Glimmer Shimmer in Orange Twink over warm blushes, and Hard Candy Glow All the Way Luminzer in Doll Face over cool blushes.

Three shades of lipstick were used: NYX Strawberry Milk, NYX Louisiana, and MAC Coral Polyp. The original plan was to add MAC Clear gloss on top, but they were already quite shiny/bright, and we were running out of time. No-brainer right there.

To finish them off and give them a majorly Shellac'ed appearance, I had them close and cover their eyes (as Mehron Aqua Colors are not waterfast unless you use certain mixing mediums) while I sprayed them with liberal amounts of ELF Studio Makeup Mist & Set.

The fantastic drag king seen here, Papi Choulo, did his own makeup using Ben Nye Creme Colors.

I didn't have much time to my makeup, unfortunately, because it was a rainy day that involved lots of running around. But I did manage to slap on some MAC Party Parrot right before the show started! The two lovely gents with me are my good friends Dan (out-of-drag queen Scarlet Fairweather), who made several special appearances, and Joe, who helped organize the festivities.

Tips for "No Makeup Makeup"

It's probably one of the most popular subjects in the world of beauty and fashion, and it's certainly one of the most sought-after YouTube tutorials: how do I make myself look amazing with makeup without looking like I'm wearing said makeup? And while there are a number of great how-tos floating about the internet, the fact of the matter is that what works best for you is really going to depend on your skintone, your preferences, and what you perceive as your "flaws." I do, however, have some basic tips for this sort of look, which always earns me loads of compliments, some of which are admittedly borderline creepy. (And I quote: "If I could, I would steal your skin, bottle it up, and sell it!" Erm...thanks?) Please remember that these are tips, not rules, and you are always encouraged to experiment and find what works best for you.

TIP #1: Be aware of your weaknesses. Try to push past them, but don't beat yourself up over them.

You've probably noticed that, despite the fact that this is supposed to be a makeup-less makeup look, I have rather strong brows. This is my weakness: it's almost impossible for me to put on my makeup and not give myself a strong brow. My eyebrows are naturally quite light, fine, and messy, and as my good friend Sara once mentioned, it is nigh-on impossible to walk out of the house without doing your eyebrows if you've gotten used to penciling them in. I am therefore well-aware that when I do this sort of makeup, I will almost always end up looking like I'm not wearing any makeup...except for heaps of brow pencil. And I don't beat myself up over that. At the end of the day, it's not so much about how well you replicate a certain look, it's about how good you feel when you walk out the door.

TIP #2: Always, always, always use products that work well for your skintone.

If you want to look like you're not wearing makeup, one of the worst things you can do is use a foundation that's too dark or a blush that's a completely unnatural tone (ie, a bright orange blush that stays bright orange on your cheeks--nobody blushes orange). This can be tricky if you're on the "extreme ends" of the skintone spectrum, ie very fair (like me) or very dark. Most foundations, concealers, and powders won't come in shades that suit your skintone, and most blushes and brow products will either be very difficult to blend out so that they look natural or just won't show up. Take the time to test a lot of products and figure out what works for you; it took me several years to find just a few products that matched me perfectly.

TIP #3: Watch out for "extreme" finishes, like extremely matte, extremely dewy, and extremely shimmery.

Your skin may naturally be quite oily or dry, but the trick with no makeup makeup is that you want to look like your skin is naturally balanced and healthy: not super-oily, but with that slight "glow of youth." And glitter is most certainly not something that just pops up on your skin! This means that, for the most part, you'll want to use products that are demi-matte or satin finish to best mimic the appearance of real skin; you can then add highlights with a product that is glowy, but not glittery, to the points where you need it. Exceptions to this rule would be people with very oily and very dry skin, who will need a more matte or more moisturizing base, respectively, to keep their skin looking nice throughout the day.

TIP #4: If you don't absolutely need it, don't use it.

I used foundation for the FOTD that heads this post because I was experiencing some skin sensitivity and therefore had a bit more redness to my face than what is usual. But for the most part, when I do no makeup makeup, I skip foundation altogether and just use a bit of concealer on my undereye circles and the occasional blemish. This is one of the hardest parts of no makeup makeup: it's meant to look "real" and "natural," so if you have to be willing to let your supposed "flaws" shine through a little. Almost nobody, without makeup, has a uniform skintone with no variance in color or texture, huge Kardashian-style eyelashes, or glossy coral lips. If your brows are already quite lovely, brush them in to place, maybe set them, but leave it at that. If your lips are naturally quite pigmented, just use a bit of lip balm. If you have freckles, let them shine through. Remember that the point isn't to look hyper-real and flawless: while beautiful, those types of looks always indicate that you're wearing makeup.

Products Used and Recommendations

1. I used a small amount of Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($18, Sephora) on my eyelids and undereyes to prevent them from getting super-shiny and oily. If you use a face primer, you can also run that over your eyelids, brows, etc. If the skin around your eyes is dryer, consider moisturizing it 10-15 minutes before you apply your makeup.

2. Because there are next to no color cosmetics in this look, I moved right on to perfecting my base. On this occasion, I used a thin layer of Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Luminous foundation ($40, VapourBeauty.com) to even out my skintone. With this kind of makeup, it's best to stick with very sheer, thin foundations like this, then add concealer wherever necessary. Other foundations I've used for this sort of look include MAC Face & Body ($27-$33, MACCosmetics.com) and Revlon New Complexion ($10-15, drugstores). I also recommend using your figures to apply your foundation, as this tends to spread the foundation thinner (making it look more natural) and can make this look a quick no-brush option.

3. VOBALF evened out my sensitivity redness, so I just concealed my undereyes with a sheer, demi-matte concealer: Clinique Airbrush concealer ($19.50, Sephora). If I skip foundation, I tend to use Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer ($45, Nordstrom) as needed; I have a tutorial for this KA SSE application method right over here.

4. I tend to keep a few mascaras around: a natural mascara, a layerable mascara, and a dramatic mascara. Obviously, the dramatic mascara is not an option for this kind of look, so I went with the layering mascara, which is also my HG: Prestige My Biggest Lashes ($6.50, Ulta). You can keep layering this product for uber-thick, full, black lashes, but I stuck with one coat and combed out the few clumps with my fingers. Always pick a mascara that's tried and true, one that you know won't smudge or flake on your lashes, as smudges and flakes are obvious signs that you're wearing makeup. My current favorite natural mascara is Estee Lauder Sumptuous ($22, Nordstrom); I would also recommend Maybelline Full n' Soft ($6.50, drugstores) and Bobbi Brown No Smudge Mascara ($24, Sephora).

5. Oh, brows, my weakness! I used my beloved La Femme brow pencil ($1.50, MakeupMania.com) and went very full-on, but because this is a harder pencil, you can get quite a natural look if you use a lighter hand. The Shu Uemura Hard Formula brow pencil ($24, ShuUemura-USA.com) is another great option if you prefer a pencil. If you just need a bit of help, considering using a matte eyeshadow to fill in gaps, or just add a hint of brow gel, which--

6. --my favorite is the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel ($21, Sephora). I keep a mini-tube in my purse at all times! It smells awful, but no other brow gel is able to groom and hold my brow hairs so well without making them feel crispy. They also make tinted versions.

7. When it comes to blushes, I will almost always recommend a liquid formula for this kind of look, since they tend to be sheerer and more blendable. My favorites are the Becca Beach Tints ($25, Sephora). If you don't plan on using a highlighter, certain cream blush formulas can add a bit of glow to your cheeks, like a Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow ($24, Nordstrom); just use a very light touch, as many cream blushes are opaque and saturated with pigment. If you have trouble getting liquid blushes to show up on your skin, go for a buildable, matte powder blush that's easy to blend out; Sleek Blusher ($6, SleekMakeup.com) and Lancome Blush Subtil ($30, Sephora.com) are some of my favorite formulas.

8. I always finish off with a highlighter that's glowy, but not shimmery, and hard to overdo. In this case, I used the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl ($41, Sephora). (This is actually a little sample pot that a very kind friend sent me!) If you prefer a powder, consider the Kevyn Aucoin Celestial powder in Candlelight ($42, Nordstrom). MAC Cream Colour Bases ($18.50, MACCosmetics.com) come in a number of highlight shades, if you're looking for something more affordable, but be forewarned: these are buildable and can be overdone.

I've posted two similar no makeup makeup looks with breakdowns/tutorials in the past, so I will link those down below. Here's hoping these posts have helped!

Hyper-Glow post
No-Makeup-Makeup/Minimalism

Review: Too Faced Naked Eye palette

 

 

Too Faced's Naked Eye palette is a collection of 9 eyeshadows packed in a cute cardboard palette that retails for $36 at Sephora. The lid closes with a magnetic clasp and is relatively secure without being a pain in the arse to open. The three shadow pans in the left column are an admirable 2g each, but the 6 shadows in the other 2 columns are under a gram each, which is a bit of a disappointment. Still, you're getting a total of 11.4 grams of product, and with the shade variety you get, that's nothing to sneeze at. Each row could be considered its own go-to trio, but I personally preferred to mix and match the shades, as I think most people will. Note that this palette is probably best for neutral and cool-toned folks, as evidenced by the pinky shades and cool taupes/browns; if you find warmer colors more flattering, you may want to purchase the Natural Eye palette instead.

I have plenty of neutral palettes already, but a few of these shades just sucked me in, namely Lap Dance and Silk Sheets. Every time I wandered past this palette in Sephora, I would swatch the tester on my fingers and sigh with longing. Finally, after seeing one too many awesome FOTDs featuring the beautiful taupes, I caved.

First, I do have two qualms with this palette. The first is the "look cards" that are tucked in to the top part of the palette, which provide instructions on different looks you can do with this palette. Call me stupid, but I could NOT get those damn cards out of the pocket! They were really wedged in there. I even tried grabbing them with tweezers, but to no avail; I just couldn't get the darn things out.

My other issue is that these eyeshadows are different sizes. I understand the idea that the 3 shades in the left column are supposed to be both highlighter and lid shades, so you'll supposedly use them up faster, but to be honest, those 3 shades are not the most unique or the best in terms of texture. I give those honors to Lap Dance, Stiletto, and Pillow Talk, with are extra-smooth. That being said, none of these shadows are particularly BAD. They all have the buttery, very-slightly-powdery-but-not-chalky-or-dry texture that appeals to me. They're also very blendable, which was a relief, as I have a tendency to turn neutral eye looks in to muddy messes. As an added bonus, none of these shadows are glitterbombs, but are rather all matte or satin-type finishes, which Satin Sheets being the only shade that reminded me of an actual "frost." I enjoyed this palette, and when my mom (who hasn't worn makeup in 5+ years) and my sister started eyeballing it, I wasn't surprised.

And yet I have decided to purge this palette.

First, let me explain the difference between "sheer" and "not pigmented," since I think those terms get a little mixed up. A product can be pigmented AND be sheer, sheer meaning it's not completely opaque and lets the skin shine through, but still shows up true to color. A great example of this would be the Urban Decay cheek tint in Quickie: it's a neon pink in the pan, and it applies that way, but it's sheer, so you can still see your skin through it. That means the color is bright, but fresh and pretty, not scary. A product that lacks pigment doesn't show up at all, or doesn't show up as well as it's supposed to; consider a red eyeshadow that's advertised as an opaque, bold blue-red, but applies as a barely-there pink. These Too Faced eyeshadows are more like the former: they're sheer, but there's still pigment in them. The problem is that I'm a gaudy ho and just don't care for 99.9% of all sheer products, even if they are neutrals. (I openly admit to being a huge fan of the "heavy neutrals" look of the 90s). It's my own fault, really, considering these shadows are outright advertised as being "soft" and subtle. Um. Oops?

Overall, this palette is a great buy...for someone with different tastes. It's got its design flukes, but they're easily overlooked when you consider the quality and variety of the shadows themselves. I'm not afraid to admit when a product is fantastic, even if it doesn't suit my personal style.

Rating: 5 out of 5

FOTD: No Makeup Makeup

I've had a rough day on the job front: no one will hire me, my latest batch of students thought I was a potty-mouthed prime candidate for What Not To Wear (well, not all of them, but still), and I spend most of my mornings and afternoons with  my cat. In other words, I'm turning in to a cat lady a liiiiiittle too early for my liking. Hence, a kinda-sorta tutorial to chase the blues away!

This probably isn't the best example of "no makeup makeup," as I am physically incapable of not giving myself a lotta eyebrow. But otherwise, I think this is a pretty good example of what no makeup makeup should be: not hyper-polished or striking, just clean, simple, and seamless.

STEP 1: Oh, look! I'm already dressed! That's a step ahead!

STEP 2: Prime your eyelids and undereyes with a creamy primer; I like to use Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($18). Apply a light-coverage foundation, like MAC Face & Body ($33), all over your face and upper neck. Bazingas! Super-nice-but-not-airbrushed skin that still looks completely natural!

STEP 3: Use a small amount of sheer, brightening concealer on your undereyes; my current faves are Clinique Airbrush concealer ($19.50) in 01 Fair, seen here, or some Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer ($42) in Sx02 mixed down with MAC F&B. Press a matte medium brown shadow, like theBalm Sleek (from Nude Tude palette, $34), in to your upper lashes. Realize that none of this is going to show up on a webcam. Touche, minimalism, touche.

STEP 4: Pick a mascara that keeps your lashes separated and fluttery, like Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing mascara ($3.50). Reeeeally rub off the wand before applying it to your lashes, working slowly and with quick, soft strokes to prevent clumping or getting lots of product on your lashes. Fill in your brows with extra-gentle strokes of La Femme brow pencil ($1.50) in Taupe, then smooth the color out with a Q-tip.

STEP 5: Find a sheer liquid blush that looks uber-natural on your skintone--mine is Becca Beach Tint ($25) in Watermelon--and blend that on to your cheeks, focusing primarily on the apples and fading back in to the cheekbone. You can tap some in to your lips for a bit of color, but my lips are already really pigmented ,so there's no need; I just used some Burt's Bees lip balm ($1.50). Dab a small amount of MAC Cream Color Base ($17.50) in Pearl on to the tops of your cheekbones and right under your brow.

STEP 6: Realize your lighting next to a window with weird blinds really sucks. HULK SMASH! (Er, sorta.)


I did this face so I could take some pictures of my truly fabulous earrings, which are my favorites and were made by my friend Jessica. She has an Etsy store with lots of really beautiful jewelry, including some of my favorite necklaces: strands of faux pearls with working clocks. Check her stuff out here!