REVIEW: Make Beauty Custom Finish Effects Matte/Dew

The forum and "Big YouTuber" hype machine doesn't usually get to me. Sure, influencers with a million plus subscribers will sometimes rave about a product that piques my interest, but seeing a cringe-worthy shade range or a bad-for-me ingredients list almost always turns me away.

I can't say the same for bloggers, Instagrammers, and smaller creators I follow. Since they're less likely to be swayed by sponsorships and more likely to use under the radar products that fit my aesthetic, I'm prone to lusting after their favorite products. And when The Critical Babe kept posting about this Make Beauty product that promises both a mattifying cream and a highlighting cream, I was sold. The ability to customize my look? Oooooh!

Make Beauty Custom Finish Effects retails for $27. It arrives in a shiny, plastic black compact with a mirror; both attract fingerprints, obviously, but they're easy to clean and have that sleek, simple look I prefer.

When you open up the compact, you'll see a beige side and a pink side. Because I'm a dipstick used to seeing white or off-white cream highlighters and mattifiers, I initially thought they'd sent me a blush-and-bronzer combo by accident. Double check the instructions, though, and you'll see that they recommend applying the "peach formula to areas in need of shine control or matte finish, and the pink formula to areas in where you want moisture or a dewy finish."

It's actually smart to make the two sides completely different colors in the pan so you don't mix them up. Rest assured, they apply clear. As far as textures go, the matte side has a very thin, silicone-y feel to it, while the pink side feels stickier.

Let's talk about the claims. For starters, Make states that this product "will not clog pores" and is "hypoallergenic." Both of these are marketing phrases that don't actually mean much. A look at the ingredients list shows a number of components that some people find irritating or clogging, such as talc, ethylhexyl palmitate, and fragrance on the matte side, while the dew side contains various oils, waxes, and more fragrance. I didn't have any issues with breakouts or clogging, but it's worth noting.

Make also claims that this product can be used on top of foundation and powder. I found this to be partially true. In the above before-and-after photo, you can definitely see that the dewy side (applied to my cheeks) gives a subtle, slightly wet glow. It's somewhat similar to my beloved Glossier Haloscope, though I had to apply more of the Make product to get this look.

The matte side, though, didn't work quite as well. If you click on the above photo and look at my nose, you'll see that it gave me a bit of a "polka dot pores" look. This softened a little throughout the day, but it still didn't "reduce the appearance of lines and pores" like Make claimed it would, and it made my nose look a bit patchy and dry. I also applied the matte cream to my eyelids, and while it looked nice for the first hour, it quickly creased all over my lids and "grabbed" flakes from my mascara.

These creams also have dramatically different staying power. The dew effect lasted pretty much all day, while the matte effect lasted only a few hours on me, and I say that as somebody with fairly dry skin. In fact, my nose didn't just look shiny after a couple of hours, it looked shinier than usual. I could apply more of the matte side to tamp down the shine, but honestly, I'd have been better off just leaving my nose Make Beauty free.

I think the Make Beauty Custom Finish Effects creams work a little better on foundation-less skin. On this day, I went to work with the matte cream on my nose and the dewy cream on my cheeks. With no foundation to butcher, the matte side actually looks okay, but again, it became a grease slick by the time I was done teaching. The dewy cream is barely-there, natural, and slightly glowy.

So I only like half of this product, and that officially makes it a bust for me. But hey, that half is pretty damn nice. If Make Beauty sells it separately and they come out with a few more products that interest me, I might consider investing. You can never have enough dewy, glossy skin.

RATING: 3 out of 5

Make Beauty products are now available on Amazon.

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.

REVIEW: Milk Makeup Blur Stick

It probably seems a little weird for me to review a mattifying, pore-filling product when I'm incredibly dry-skinned and don't have too many visible pores. I do, however, have a nose that is irritatingly more oily than the rest of my face, and since my face is rather parched, my fine lines are generally very visible. Also, I got this as a free sample and there was a ton of buzz around it. Forever intrigued by Milk Makeup, despite the fact that only a couple of their products have actually worked for me, I decided to give the Blur Stick a shot.

A full size Blur Stick contains an ounce of product and retails for $36. While Milk's prices per unit are about right for Sephora, I will point out that their sticks tend to be quite hefty, and this one is no different. Seeing as this little sample has been used several times and still looks almost new, a full-size Blur Stick should last you a while. It has a slight citrus scent, but it's nothing overwhelming, and I can't smell it when it's on my face.

Milk makes several claims about this product. They say it is "colorless, oil-free, and silicone-free." In the most technical sense, they have two out of three right: this applies completely clear, and I'm not seeing any oils in the ingredients list. I do see silica, though, which is an oxide of silicone; hence, if you're extremely sensitive to silicone, this still may not work for you. As for its actual effects, Milk states that the Blur Stick will "minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines," provide a "smooth, matte finish," "lock in your makeup," and "will not clog pores." I've also noticed that some of their product posts and videos on social media have mentioned that you can use it on bare skin, under makeup, or over makeup, so I tried all three for this review.

For reviewing purposes, I photographed the Blur Stick when applied to bare skin; in this instance, I brushed it on my nose, in my smile lines, on the slightly larger pores on my inner cheeks, and around my eyes. Here's a before and after macro shot. (The "after" picture is a bit blurry because I suck at standing still, but you can still see some of the effects.) The results:

• Minimizing Pores: A slight effect. This did make my pores like a tad smoother and smaller, particularly on my nose, but it's not as "filling" as some other primers I've used. I had no problem blending blush on top.
• Hiding Fine Lines: No effect in real life, but a moderate effect in photos. Actually, this looked a bit bad on my smile lines in real life because it settled in to them. But in these photos, my smile lines definitely look less visible after applying the Blur Stick.
• Eye Area: Very slight effect; it mostly made my undereyes feel a bit smoother and made my eyelids look a tad more matte. Again, I had no problem blending makeup on top of it.
• Mattifying: This certainly gave my nose, eyes, and cheeks a very soft matte look. It's super natural, which is kind of nice for days when I'm not wearing foundation. I did test it as a blotter after wearing foundation for a few hours, and while it did seem to take off some of the excess shine, a blotting sheet or a powder is more effective and easier to use.
• Works on bare skin, under makeup, and over makeup: This worked about the same in all three instances for me. That said, I think I preferred it most on bare skin. The Blur Stick is quite slippery feeling on my face, and I wasn't really fond of the feeling of foundation on top of it.

While this product is incredibly lightweight and easy to use, it doesn't have the best staying power. Here's another macro shot of my face after about three and a half hours of wear. As you can see, my concealer has creased as per usual; the pores on my cheeks and my smile lines are fully visible. The one area where it really held up was in mattifying: my nose and eyelids are getting a little shiny, but they're definitely more matte than they'd be without the Blur Stick. Of course, you can layer a bit more Blur Stick on to your skin to get more blurring--it went on clear over this blush, for instance--but some people might find that 3-4 hour wear time a nuisance.

As a final note, I did not experience any clogging or breakouts with this product, and when you run the ingredients through Cosdna, it doesn't list any major cloggers. However, Milk warns that this product is "not recommended for those with a sensitivity to citrus or coconut oils," which makes me think this may aggravate skin that's sensitive to coconut-based ingredients or citrus.

I think I'll finish this deluxe sample up, just because it's an easy way to get "summer satin skin" on my no foundation days and the tube fits in my purse. But while the Blur Stick isn't terrible, I'd hesitate to recommend it to others. I just think there are better mattifying, blurring, and pore-filling primers on the market.

RATING: 3 out of 5

You can buy Milk Makeup products at their website.

NOTE: I stole the comic in the header from Kate Beaton's hilarious Hark! A Vagrant! strip. I swore I'd get HAV in here some day and now I have.

Recent Disappointing Products

My beauty life tends to go in phases: either I'm trying a bunch of new products and I really like almost every one of them, or I'm trying a bunch of products and they're all utter crap. August was unfortunately another month full of not-so-good stuff, and to be honest, most of it was so "meh" to me that I didn't even have the patience to write full, exhaustive reviews for every one of them. Instead, I thought I'd do another disappointing products post! These are all products that would rank at 2 out of 5 or less in a full review.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo -- I normally use drugstore dry shampoos, but I heard so many good things about the Living Proof option that I decided to give it a shot. Although the travel size is almost double what I usually pay for dry shampoo ($12 for 1.8oz), I got at least 10 good uses out of this bottle. And this dry shampoo does something pretty impressive: instead of just making your hair less oily and more textured, it actually makes your hair feel cleaner to the touch. My praise stops there, though, because it certainly doesn't make my hair look cleaner. I've used a lot of dry shampoos, but none of them has left this much white residue in my hair. And it's resilient residue, too: I've restyled my hair two or three times in a row after using the PhD Dry Shampoo, brushing it all the way through every time, and I'll still find massive white flakes all through my hair. I'm glad to be done with this junk.

Lit Cosmetics Clearly Liquid Glitter Base -- As a glitter primer, this stuff is hard to beat. Unlike other options on the market, it's completely weightless and not sticky in the slightest--it feels like water going on your lids. Yet it holds your glitter on all  night and is easy to remove when you get home. My beef with this product is that it seems to go bad so damn quickly. I'm on my second bottle in two years, and it's already taken on a weird, jaundiced yellow color and a rank smell. I thought I was having some bad luck, but a few of my friends who wear glitter far more often have mentioned that their bottles also start to go off after 6 months or so. It's still the best glitter primer on the market, in my opinion, but I wish it lasted longer.

Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Eye Lifting Cream -- I'm rarely impressed by eye creams, but I still think they're fun to try, so I was excited to see this pop up in my Sephora Play! box. After using it for about 2 weeks, however, I had to give this Caudalie cream the axe. I began noticing clogged pores around the outer portion of my eye, where I pretty much never break out; as soon as I stopped using this eye cream, they began to fade. It's not like this did much for my eyes when I was using it, honestly--it has a lightweight texture and is soothing and moisturizing, but so are a lot of other eye creams. Save your $62.

Namaste freshly applied (top) and after 4 hours (bottom). The lipliner is NYX Nude Pink.

Tarte Tarteist Cream Matte Lip Paint in Namaste -- I got this deluxe sample with a Sephora coupon code much earlier this summer, but because I'm always trying to space out my new products, I didn't try it until the fall semester rolled around. I understand why these are so popular, to be honest: they contain massive amounts of silicone, which makes the formula weightless and very smooth. It almost feels weird to spread this on my lips because it reminds me so much of a face primer. The color is gorgeous, too, especially with a bit of lipliner around the edges to add depth and warmth. Unfortunately, this formula emphasized dry patches and, to a lesser extent, fine lines. It dried out my mouth within an hour and began to smear and fade after three or four hours. There are much, much better matte liquid lipsticks available at this price point.

MAC Satin Lipstick in Twig -- This lipstick shade is apparently all the rage right now, probably because it's the sort of mauve shade one of the Kardashians is wearing. (Kylie? Kendall? I'm having trouble "keeping up" with them.) I love MAC lipsticks and usually have zero problems with the Satins, but this one was really dry on me and totally parched my lips. I also found that the shade was completely unflattering on me. It turned damn near gray on my mouth and made me look dull and washed out. The shade issue is certainly dependent on skintone, but again, the formula left something to be desired as well.

Revisiting the Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer

The Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer (I hate writing that damn name) was a long-time love of mine when I was in graduate school, slash, immediately outta there. Obviously, it was a huge bonus that it was fair enough for me out of the tube, plus slightly yellow in undertone and easy to apply with fingers. But my main attraction to the product was the lightweight feel and the all-physical SPF30. When I got rid of my half-full tube, it was only because the sunscreen had expired.

And then I forgot to repurchase it. Whoops.

Three years later, a lot of new foundations are due to come out and my skin is dryer than it was several years ago. I figured this would be a great time to re-test an old favorite. I didn't treat this like a formal review when testing or photographing, so I won't be giving this product an official score, but I hope you'll still find this post helpful!

Let's talk about this BB cream at a base level (ahahahaha!) first. For $36, you get a full ounce of product that's available in four shades, ranging from very light to slightly dark. I'd love a darker shade in this line, especially since it's hard to find a decent physical sunscreen if you're ebony skinned, but I'm overall okay with the price and the base shade range.

What does make me tilt my head is the claim that this is some kind of "treatment." Above are the ingredients plugged in to Cosdna; you can see the two sunscreens at the top and everything else below them, all fitting on one screen. On the one hand, it's great that you can see a full ingredients list on one page. It's short, and there's not a massive amount of irritants here, so if you're sensitive skinned (and not allergic to silicones), this might be a great option for you. That said, there isn't anything on this list that actually treats the skin. Tarte claims that people who used this product felt like their skin was smoother and softer, but that's probably due to the massive amounts of silicone that give this primer its slip, not any actual treatment.

You'll also notice the diamond powder listed on this. In a few of the photos where I'm wearing this product, you can see tiny white flecks on my face: this is most likely the diamond powder shining through. Annoyingly, it's often visible in HD photos, but in standard definition and selfies, it's invisible and adds a soft glow to the skin. Just something to note if you plan on being photographed wearing this.

The coverage on this product is quite sheer, but that makes sense, since it's technically meant to be worn under another product. If you have a powder foundation, for instance, and you want to add some slip and SPF to your skin before applying it, this is your product. That said, I have always worn this product on its own without any major issues. I find that this provides enough coverage to make my face almost match my much paler neck.

As mentioned, the Tarte BB primer has a very silicone-heavy texture, and you can tell when you touch it. It has a powdery sort of feel and it smooths over the skin easily. I find the feeling of silicone-y bases very weird when I'm rubbing them in, but to be honest, it makes this product completely weightless. Wearing this makes me feel like I'm wearing nothing at all, so it's a prime summer option in that respect.

Unfortunately, this product clings a bit to my dry patches, making my skin look extra-flaky. It's not as bad as some foundations, and it's only visible if you're within a foot of my face, slash, photographing me in HD. That said, this BB cream will probably look much worse when it's not so warm and humid out. Also, I have certainly found foundations that don't emphasize my dry skin--there's no real need to cling to this one.

I will note that plenty of Cinema Secrets Moisture Spray softens this product up a good bit, though again, I don't think that will be enough when winter rolls around. And if you are not very dry skinned or very oily, I think you might like this product. In fact, I'd recommend it to people with more balanced skin who are looking for a sheer, light SPF product. It's just not a good fit for my skin these days.

Natural light on top, flash on the bottom.

Before I return this tube to Sephora, here are some comparison swatches! All of these products are roughly the same depth, but have different undertones. NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia has strong yellow undertones, while MAC Full Coverage in NW10 has strong pink undertones. Buxom Show Some Skin in Tickle the Ivory and the Tarte BB in Fair are very similar, but I'd say that the Tarte is a hair more neutral and the Buxom is a little more yellow.

PS: By this time tomorrow, I should  be hanging out with not only my partner, but also my new niece. Again, posts may become sporadic for a while. Thank you for your patience!

REVIEW: Becca Backlight Priming Filter

This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill! After months of dragging my feet due to skin issues, distractions (aka other shiny products), and general laziness, I have now tested the Becca Backlight Priming Filter. It has been photographed, faffed over, and written about. To the people who have emailed me or left comments asking when the Hell I was going to finish this post: thank you. I dedicate this review to you and all of your patience.

The Becca Backlight Priming Filter costs $38 for a full ounce of product, making it cheaper than many other high-end options. It's packaged in a beautiful frosted glass bottle with a pump. I'm normally not a huge fan of glass because I'm clumsy and prone to breaking things, but I'll note that this bottle seems particularly sturdy: I've dropped it a few times (ha ha ha no one is surprised) without issue.

Oh, and the pump is really well designed. One full pump of product is the perfect amount to cover my entire face and the very top of my neck, but if you want to use a little less, it's easy to disperse half a pump instead.

The Priming Filter has a thin, lotion-like texture that feels very smooth when you apply it. It's weightless on the skin. While there is microshimmer in this product a la the Burberry Fresh Glow primer that I despised, it's far more refined in the Becca product, and it only registered faintly on my bare skin when I was in front of a strong light source. The actual "base" of this primer feels hydrating, but be forewarned that this is a primer, not a moisturizer: it will not eliminate your dry patches because that's not its job.

The champagne color of this probably won't register on most people's skin, but because I'm paper white, I found that it darkened my foundation a hair--see the header image for an example. Most people aren't as pale as I am, I know, but if you are, be aware that you'll either want to blend down your neck or use a lighter foundation than usual to compensate.

This primer does contain added fragrance. To me, it smells like a mixture of various Bath and Body Works body splashes, like Cucumber Melon and Sweet Pea made mad love and had a vaguely floral baby. I don't like added fragrance and this one smells very weird to me, but because I can't smell it after application, I'll tolerate it. There's also a hefty dose of ethylhexyl palmitate in here; my skin loves that ingredient, but some people break out horribly from it, so please patch test if you aren't sure how it will affect your skin.

The photo on the left shows the primer on my bare skin, and the photo on the right shows the primer under a thin layer of Buxom Show Some Skin foundation. If you enlarge these photos, you'll see that the bright camera flash has highlighted some of the shimmer on my bare skin, but only slightly. (The white speck you're seeing on the right side of my face in the foundation image isn't glitter; I took these photos when my skin hadn't been exfoliated in a month due to moisture barrier damage, so some dead skin flakes were popping up.) Overall, the effect in both images is soft and glowy. I'll also note that, when my applied my Buxom foundation, it seemed to glide over this product, giving me a very smooth and even application.

So far, this all sounds like the mystical magical unicorn pee of a dry-skinned person's dreams, right? Well, I'm about to shatter that dream.

First, while this product looks really stunning in photos, I don't think there's much difference in real life. In fact, I don't see any difference: in the mirror, my skin looks the same with a layer of Becca Backlight Priming Filter as it does without. This makes it a shoe-in for special events where you'll be photographed, but if that's not a regular thing for you, why bother?

From left to right: 15 minutes after application, 3 hours after application, 5 hours after application.

Second, this product doesn't do much to extend the wear of your makeup. Now, I understand that the real pull for this primer is that it's going to give you a glowy look, but Becca does claim that this will extend your makeup's longevity as well. Honestly, my makeup wore as per usual: I got slightly dryer on most of my face and my nose got quite shiny at about the 4 hour mark, but that's an every day occurrence for me. It neither improved nor diminished my foundation's staying power.

Third, that smooth application I described earlier doesn't happen with every foundation. When I tried applying my Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint over this primer, the primer actually balled up and settled in weird "flakes" on my skin. You can brush the balled-up product off, but it feels disgusting, and really, why use it if that's going to happen? Enlarge the header image and you'll see what I mean: there's a layer of white Backlight Priming Filter "flakes" around my jawline.

I'm giving this product a 3 instead of a 2 because I think it does improve the application of some foundations, and it will be a great choice for people who want an extra glow in photographs. I also can't fault the overall texture or packaging of the product. But the fact that it balls up under some foundations and doesn't give a noticeable glow to my skin outside of photos limits how useful it will be to the average consumer. Despite my initial excitement over this product, I ended up being disappointed.

RATING: 3 out of 5.

This product is available at Sephora.com.



SIDE NOTE: My partner will be visiting me for the next two months, so posts may be sporadic. Thank you for your patience!

Sample Rundown #11

My Sample Rundown posts seem to have unintended themes. It might be an entire post of "Holy shit, this is not for my skin type," or four or five products that were mediocre. This post's theme will be, "It's a really wonderful product, it's just not for me." We've got two makeup samples and two skincare samples to discuss, so let's move along!

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick -- I got this sample of Kimchi, a bright blue-based pink, in my first Sephora Play! box, and I've also tried Meringue a little while back. Honestly, my views on this formula haven't changed much. It's a very pigmented and smooth formula that doesn't dry out my lips, has good staying power (especially if you apply, blot, and reapply), and comes in a great range of colors. A few people have mentioned that the brighter shades bleed and smear on them, but that wasn't an issue for me, especially if I used a lipliner--Kimchi stayed flawless on my lips for a good 5 hours. I will note that they gave this product a citrus-type flavor and smell that I dislike; it's very plasticky to me. This isn't a lip formula I'm going to rush out and buy, especially since there are formulas I like just as much for a fraction of the price. But it's a solid new range.

Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream -- This is the one product that disappointed me. I've heard rave reviews of this cream that claimed it brightens up the eye area, but I didn't notice much of an impact. It does have a very light texture and it doesn't burn my eyes, so that's nice. I didn't notice any difference in my fine lines or early morning puffiness, however.

Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer -- I've been using this primer off and on for about 2 months, and so far, I'm decently impressed with it. Like most lash primers, Tarte Opening Act coats the lashes and applies as a stark white. I find that it's best to apply your mascara shortly after using the primer to prevent clumping, so work one eye at a time. I got a tiny bit of volume from this primer (with the increased risk of spider lashes), but mostly, it provided a lot of length. It didn't make my mascara flake off or smear more, either. I actually want volume more than length, so a full size of Opening Act wouldn't serve me, but it's still an effective product.

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel -- I was terrified that I was going to love this product or experience a major reaction to it. Luckily (?), I found this product very gentle and effective, but just not for me. This gel-textured moisturizer contains not only vitamin B, but a whole host of beneficial ingredients, like healthy fruit extracts selected to even out skin and retain moisture. Actually, I keep referring to the ingredients list as "angelic:" no major cloggers, no fragrance, no drying alcohols, etc. The lightweight texture of B-Hydra is really beautiful; it soaked right in to my skin and didn't leave any residue. This did not provide enough hydration for me on its own, so I stopped using it, but I could see it being a go-to for people with oily skin. It's also worth trying if you have normal or combination skin and want something weightless for the warmer months.

Face Mist Comparison

As I've aged and my face has gotten dryer and more dehydrated, I've realized that ingredients like alcohol denat do not like my skin. This has made it a little difficult to find facial mists and skincare sprays I like, since alcohol denat is a popular ingredient in these products. I'm also sensitive to a few very odd things, like large amounts of niacinamide, which cuts out a lot of the nicer moisturizing mists. But I've managed to find a few mists that center on a very basic moisturizing ingredient, glycerin, and are free from alcohol denat or added perfumes. I've got three bottles hanging out in my collection right now.

First up, the social media darling: Glossier's Soothing Face Mist. Available at Glossier's website, a 4oz bottle will cost you $18; at $4.50 an ounce, it's the most expensive option on this list. But it does have a chic factor that the other two lack. This is partially due to the cute packaging (which you can cover with stickers, if you feel so inclined, courtesy of Glossier), but this spray also has the lightest feel. Two or three sprays will soak in to the skin rather quickly with no stickiness or residue. The Soothing Face Mist makes my skin feel a little softer and look a bit less flushed, but I didn't notice any major benefits to using it over makeup. I'd have expected a finer mist from this product, too, given the price. Weirdly enough, this stuff can burn if you get it in your eyes, so keep your lids shut for a good 10-15 seconds after you spray!

Next, we have the underrated contender: Cinema Secrets Moisture Spray. I'm on my second bottle of this stuff, and I paid about $10 for 4oz ($2.50/oz) on Amazon.com for both bottles. (You can also obtain this product from stores like Camera Ready Cosmetics.) Though it's not packaged very prettily, it is decently effective. I like to spritz this over my makeup to soften up my  base products and make them look less powdery. You can use this product under makeup as a sort of primer, or add a few spritzes to your skincare routine, but I prefer one of the rosewater mists on my bare skin, since they also have a comforting effect. Also, if you dislike the smell of roses, you'll definitely prefer this bottle.

Last, but not least, the weird cult classic: Heritage Rosewater and Glycerin Spray. Housed in a hot pink bottle complete with pseudo-scientific claims, it's the definition of tacky, which is probably why I was drawn to it. An 8oz bottle costs $10 ($1.25/oz) on Urban Outfitters. The formula is simple and dirt cheap, but I don't find it to be as soothing on the skin as the Glossier or as smoothing over makeup as the Cinema Secrets. Actually, it kind of makes my skin feel...sticky. That feeling goes away after about 30 minutes and I'm left with the desired softness, but the initial texture makes me less likely to spray it on my face. I prefer to spray it on my body when I feel a tad dry.

In the end, I think which spray you pick is going to depend on what you want from a glycerin spray. In a nutshell:

Glossier wins if you want something a little more luxe and don't mind a price hike.

Heritage wins if you're willing to tolerate temporary stickiness for a lower price.

Cinema Secrets wins if you want a spray that's more about softening your makeup than fitting in your skincare routine.

REVIEW: Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base

Sometimes, you place an order for a new lipstick or a delightful fragrance, and you're just as excited to receive those full-sized products as you are the free samples that come with it. This was how I felt when I placed a Sephora VIB order and added on a deluxe sample of the Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base, a multipurpose primer/highlighter product that's been lauded by incredible artists like Wendy Rowe. In fact, I was so enthralled by the rave reviews from fellow dry-skinned folks that I almost purchased a full bottle a few months back!

Let's talk about that full bottle for the moment. While this sample was free, the full bottle is definitely not; in fact, it's a little pricey: $48 for 1 oz of product. To be fair, this is on par with many high-end foundations and you do get a full ounce, but it's still a luxury product. The packaging is suitably beautiful AND functional, with a see-through container so you can see how much you've used and a pump to keep it all sanitary. This product comes in two shades: the one I have, 01 Nude Radiance, and a darker, warmer shade, 02 Golden Radiance.

Be prepared for lots of shots of my gooey nostrils. Sorry.

Burberry claims that this product can be used multiple ways: it can be used all over your face on bare skin or under foundation to give you a glow, it can be applied like a highlighter, and it can be mixed with other products (like eyeshadow) to sheer them out and amp up their shine. Having heard that this was the primer for dry skin, I decided to test it first as a primer...and if you saw this video, you know I was instantly stymied.

The above macro shot shows why. While MAC Face & Body usually has a slightly glowy finish on me, it looked much drier on top of the Burberry primer. It quickly moved in to the fine lines around my mouth and nose, which is not normal, either. Nor is it common for me to have so much difficulty blending products on top of my foundation. The Burberry primer is also full of micro-shimmer, and while I'll complain about that more later, I want to point out that you can see it through the foundation--look at the two sparkly dots above the corner of my mouth.

The glow on my cheeks is from Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl, not Burberry Fresh Glow.

Further back and with flash, it's slightly less dry-looking, but my base is still not as natural and healthy-looking as usual. A few folks on Makeup Alley suggested that the problem may be MAC Face & Body, which can interact oddly with primers and moisturizers due to its unusual formulation, so I tested it with a few other foundations. Nope, same results: it looked just as dry and awful under Buxom Show Some Skin and the NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation.

Mixing Fresh Glow with the foundation didn't seem to improve matters. It just made me look a bit less dry, a bit more sparkly, probably because it was evenly mixed with the base, not slightly covered up by it. And I absolutely cannot get behind the idea of wearing it on my bare face with nothing else. Get in the light, it turns to pure sparkle, and that's not what I want people to see.

This photo, take 6 hours after I primed with Burberry Fresh Glow, really shows why I can't get behind this product the way many have. I can count the number of times I have seen my foundation looking this patchy, dry, and disgusting on one hand.Where is the promised glow? The "youthful" luminosity? All I see is something that made me look like a zombie.

Honestly, the only way I was able to get this product to work was as a cheek highlighter. Dabbed lightly over foundation, it was decently pretty and shiny, though still too sparkly for my tastes.

Burberry Flesh Glow 01 Nude Radiance on the left, MAC Strobe Cream on the right.

Beyond the dry dry dryness of it on my skin, the sparkliness of this product is my biggest beef. The product page actually claims that this product will give you "shimmer-free, youthful-looking luminosity." Shimmer-free?! Are you fucking kidding me?! You can see the glitter particles on this as soon as you rub it on your skin! And as the above (painstakingly taken) photos show, there is absolutely fine shimmer in Fresh Glow, which is obvious in direct sunlight.

I took the above photos because I wanted to compare Burberry Fresh Glow to a similar product, MAC Strobe Cream. Both products are meant to be sheer and glowy multipurpose wonders. But between the two, Strobe Cream is the clear winner for me. Somehow, the shimmer in it is more refined--I can wear it, on bare skin and in direct sunlight, without looking like a disco ball--and the cream texture actually adds a bit of moisture to the skin. I have long promoted this product as a dual cheek highlighter and all-over skin enhancer, and the photos speak for themselves. To add insult to injury, a 1 ounce tube of Strobe Cream is $10, almost 1/5 the price of the Burberry Fresh Glow.

I wanted to love this product. I tried hard to love this product. Honestly, writing this review is a bit scary for me, because I know so many people truly adore and depend on this stuff. But for me, it was an absolute failure. Its only use is as a cheek highlighter, and even then, there are other products that are vastly superior.

1 out of 5

Burberry Fresh Glow is available at Sephora.

Sample Rundown #4

It's time for another Sample Rundown! I've got plenty of skin stuff here...and unfortunately, plenty of disappointments. While some of these products just didn't suit my tastes, I honestly think that a good half of them are just crap. Let's get on to the mini-reviews!

Becca Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector -- While my skin is 95% dry, my nose is incredibly oily. This means that products that look good on the dryer parts of my face are almost always going to melt in to nothingness on my nose. I was therefore inspired to test this cult classic primer on my nose, as I heard it was one of the most mattifying things on the market. Can I just say...wow, what a crock! First of all, you get hardly any product in the sample product: I was barely able to get 3 uses out of it, using this JUST on my nose. I also got zero oil control out of it; instead, it made my foundation pool in to my pores. And I don't even have big pores! A total fail for me.

NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia -- I received several samples of this product, plus a fabulous full bottle, from very kind people. The good news: it was a great match for my neck. The bad news: this formulation didn't work great on my skin. It melted off of my nose, and it looked a bit dry and cakey on the rest of my face. I had to do a LOT of doctoring to get this product to work on my face for more than a couple of others. I'm always upset when something people kindly gave me doesn't work for me, and I'm doubly upset that this was such a great shade for me, but otherwise unusable. :(

Armani Luminesscence CC Cream in #1 -- I labeled this post with "product: BB cream" because I refuse to make a new tag for CC creams. I'm sure you all still love me. ANYWAY! I'm on the fence about this product. On the one hand, it gave me light, slightly glowy coverage, was a good N10-15ish shade, and sat comfortably on my skin. It also photographs nicely, despite the SPF35. On the other hand, it seemed to lack staying power on most parts of my face. I found that this product transferred very easily if I didn't powder or spray it down. In the end, it's a nice CC cream, but it's not worth the huge price tag.

Urban Decay Perversion mascara -- Talk about a divisive mascara! I know some people really adore this, and I can see way. It gives some length and absolutely crazy volume. It's also one of the blackest mascaras I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it's waaaaaay too wet and messy for me. Every time I applied it, my lashline and lids were a total mess, and I had to do major clean-up. Also, if I didn't let it sit for 5 minutes before I touched my lashes, they'd clump together and get spidery. I just don't have the patience for this product.

Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 Eye Cream -- In all fairness, I don't think most eye creams are worth it. Next to nothing will actually get rid of undereye circles, caffeine will only reduce puffiness for a brief period of time, and I get plenty of moisture from my face cream. That said, I enjoy the indulgence from time to time; I've been nursing a sample of the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream for almost 2 years now. This particular cream just didn't impress me. It had a slightly tacky feel on my eyelids, it smelt strongly, and it made my eyes water. On the bright side, I got a week's worth of usage out of this sample packet. Very generous!

Paula's Choice Resist Weekly Resurfacing Treatment (10% AHA) -- I've been using this chemical exfoliant once a week for almost 3 months now, and I'm pretty much in love with it. It's made my skin smoother, more glowing, and less red. First, let's get the bad out of the way: it smells awful, and it feels incredibly sticky and gross on my skin. I rinse it off after about 15 minutes, then apply my moisturizer, in part because my skin is sensitive and I don't like to leave an active on it for too long. But even if my hide was tougher than leather, I'd remove this AHA, because I just hate hate hate the way it feels. So grippy! So sticky! It also makes my skin look a bit worse (see above image) for a few hours, which is why I would never use it before a big event. My skin feels incredibly soft to the touch, however, after just an hour, and I wake up looking fantastic. Some people use this more than once a week, but honestly, "every Friday night" has worked just fine for me!

Kill n' Keep: Mini-Reviews on the L'oreal Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner and Tarte BB Tinted Treatment

First up in my series of mini-reviews are these two little guys: the L'oreal Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner in Carbon Black and the Tarte BB Tinted Treatment in Fair. Hilariously enough, the product I had high hopes for ended up being a total fail, and the product I was initially doubtful of ended up being quite nice.

First up, the product that didn't wow me: the L'oreal liner. I've heard great things about how pigmented and smooth this product was, and it definitely is a beautiful, rich, black color. But unfortunately, it's not even mildly water-resistant.

Being one of those incredibly pale people with uber-light eyes, I have a mild sun allergy, and bright light--especially bright daylight--tends to make my eyes tear up. The L'oreal liner completely disappeared or flaked up at the first sign of liquid, as you can see above.

The packaging is also mildly irritating. The tube is completely nondescript; the only indication of what product it is is found on the little label on the bottom. And while it's nice to find a drugstore liner with a brush tip, the tip on this liner is a bit thick and rather boxy; I've been doing winged eyeliner for years now, but it was a bit of a struggle to get a precise, pointed wing with this brush.

Of course, when I went back and touched up where it had melted off, I fell back in love a little. It's just so rich and black and affordable--only $8 for a liquid liner with a brush! But alas, I know that it will melt at the first sign of rain, sweat, or tears, and that's a no-go for me. I'll use this product every once in a while, maybe when I'm going out or when I'm just darkening up the liner along my lashline, but beyond that, it's a total bust. RATING: 2 out of 5.

The Tarte BB cream, however, ended up being an unexpected like. Not only did it look quite dark when I first squirted it out of the tube, but the texture is so silicone-y that when I first began rubbing it in to my skin, I actually yanked my hands away from my face in shock. Granted, this product is marketed primarily as a primer, something you'd use under a foundation to give it more staying power and a bit more coverage. But because this product is tinted AND marketed as a BB cream, I was fully prepared to treat it like a light-coverage foundation. To its credit, the Tarte BB blended in to my skin very smoothly, provided light coverage, softened up on my dry-combination skin after about 15 minutes, and looked like a decent color-match. But I still didn't trust it, so I set it with some translucent powder.

Folks, I had no reason to worry: this baby stayed put through a walk, blotting with tissues, and a good 5-7 hours of wear. While it looks nice in daylight, it looks especially lovely in flash photography, as seen above. My skin almost appears slightly blurred and soft-focus, though of course, topping it with a slightly mattifying setting powder helped. And I did feel the need to dust a little more powder on my nose (where I actually get oily) after about 5 hours. Regardless, it looks nice and is in a doable shade for my N5-10 skin--a rare treat. I still get squicked by the texture, and I wish it was a bit more "ooh! aah!" in daylight, but overall, I quite like this product. RATING: 4 out of 5.

Primers and Day Creams: a Comparison

A makeup artist friend of mine once said, "People with dry skin shouldn't use primers; sandpaper already clings to everything." It's generally true: makeup stays put on my mostly-dry face unless it's on my nose or my eyelids, which are completely oil slicks. But just because a person with dry, normal, or combination skin is content with how long their makeup wears doesn't mean that they don't have other concerns, namely, adding a bit of a youthful glow to their skin and providing it with some sun protection. I thought it might be helpful to focus on primers for non-oily-skinned people and dissect the findings like the anal-retentive mad scientist I am. Ratings are based primarily on how well they work for a dry-skinned person.

BRAND: Elizabeth Arden

PRODUCT: Let There Be Light Radiant Skin Lotion

PRICE & SIZE: $10-20 for 1.7 oz

AVAILABILITY: discontinued, but easy to find on eBay and in TJ Maxx, Marshall's, etc.

SPF: 15
MOISTURIZATION: light
ABOUT: One of my all-time favorite skincare products, I actually keep an extra tube of this--still in the box and plastic--in the downstairs fridge. This product has a faint watermelon scent and smooths beautifully in to my skin without feeling greasy or heavy. The moisture level is light, so it would probably work for normal and combination skin as well. It's shimmery, but rather sort of "opalescent," and gives my skin a faint, natural glow. I use about two pumps of this day cream on my face and neck for no-foundation days, and sometimes I mix a pump with matte or demi-matte foundations for a sheerer, glowier finish. While I absolutely love this product, I have to mention that people with darker skin (N30-ish and up) have mentioned that this product gives them a white cast.
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5
RECOMMENDED FOR/AS: under makeup; day cream; foundation mixer; dry, normal, and combination skin; fair to medium skin

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BRAND: Urban Decay

PRODUCT: Complexion Primer Potion, Brightening

PRICE & SIZE: $31 for 1 oz

AVAILABILITY: repackaged formulation available at Urban Decay, Ulta, and Sephora

SPF: 0
MOISTURIZATION:  none

ABOUT: This product is a thin, off-white primer with a good slip that feels somewhat powdery to the touch once it sets. I know that it doesn't sink in to my skin because I can still feel it when I touch my face, but it's not heavy or sticky. It does, however, add a noticeable layer of shine to my skin that will shine through sheer foundation and/or concealer, and it also keeps my face makeup looking freshly-applied for a few extra hours. Because this product doesn't moisturize, I wouldn't recommend it to people with dry skin; any flakiness you have will still shine through. If you've moisturized beforehand or have skin that isn't quite as dry as the sahara, though, you'll be fine.
OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5
RECOMMENDED FOR/AS: under makeup; normal, combination, and oily skin

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BRAND: Elizabeth Arden

PRODUCT: Eight Hour Cream Intensive Daily Moisturizer for Face

PRICE & SIZE: ???
AVAILABILITY: appears to be discontinued, or only available in sets; can be found in TJ Maxx, Marshall's, etc.

SPF: 15
MOISTURIZATION: light to medium

ABOUT: This cream feels luxurious and rich, but not the slightest bit heavy or greasy, which is a hard combination to come by. I find that it sinks in to my skin after just a few minutes. While moisturizing and silky, this product doesn't provide an actual glow the way Let There Be Light does, which makes it a bit less of an under-makeup wonder product for those of us with dryer skin. It's also a pain in the arse to find--I've only ever seen tiny bottles of it from sets or kits. It mixes down very well, however, which has made it a staple in my collection; I like to mix a dollop of this cream with some Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer to make the perfect tinted moisturizer. It's a worthy day cream for those of us with dryer skin (provided you use something richer at night) or as a night cream for people with normal to oily skin.
OVERALL RATING: 4 out of 5
RECOMMENDED FOR/AS: day cream; foundation mixer; dry, normal, and combination skin

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BRAND: MAC
PRODUCT: Strobe Liquid

PRICE & SIZE: $31 for 1.7 oz

AVAILABILITY: available at MACCosmetics.com
SPF: 0
MOISTURIZATION: light
ABOUT: Strobe Liquid was, unfortunately, a disappointment for me. For starters, I find the waxy Play-Doh scent rather off-putting. I also find that this product is more tease than result: it looks incredibly shiny on my fingers, but it's not even noticeable on my face, and it feels a bit dry and uncomfortable when I apply it. Because it's shiny on my palms, which are more "normal" than oily or dry, I would hazard to guess that this is a better primer for people with oily skin who maybe want a bit of a shine to show through their matte foundation. It's also an ok foundation mixer, especially if you want to make something like MAC Face & Body a bit thinner and ever-so-slightly less matte. I've heard of people using this as a highlighter on their cheekbones, down their nose, etc, but when I tried that, it wasn't even visible. If you're dry-skinned, consider the richer Strobe Cream instead; if your skin is oily, find a highlighter you love and use it at strategic points on your face.
OVERALL RATING: 2out of 5
RECOMMENDED FOR/AS: foundation mixer; normal, combination, and oily skin

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BRAND: Shiseido
PRODUCT: Urban Environment UV Protection Cream for Face/Body

PRICE & SIZE: $30 for 1.8 oz

AVAILABILITY: available at Sephora and Beauty.com

SPF: 35
MOISTURIZATION: very light?
ABOUT: I used the "original" blue-bottle lotion for a full year in undergrad when I went make-up free, so I figured it'd be safe to try this new version in the richer, water-resistant cream formulation. Suffice to say that I've fallen back in love with Shiseido sunscreen! At first, this product is a bit off-putting; it feels "heavy" to the touch and when first applied, and it has a bit of a floral scent. It soaks in after a minute or two, though, leaving my skin feeling ever-so-slightly smoother and allowing my pores to breath. I don't know if this product REALLY moisturizes, but at the very least, it doesn't dry my skin out further, and that's saying something. It also provides a great canvas for makeup. People with normal or oily skin may want to skip this particular formulation for one of the thinner lotions instead, as those will probably soak in faster.
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5
RECOMMENDED FOR/AS: sun protection; under makeup; dry and combination skin


 ;

BRAND: Eucerin
PRODUCT: Q-10 Anti-Wrinkle Sensitive Skin Lotion

PRICE & SIZE: $10-15 for 4 oz

AVAILABILITY: available at drugstores or Drugstore.com
SPF: 15
MOISTURIZATION: medium
ABOUT: This product is obviously the cheapest on the list, providing more ounces per dollar and hangin' around on drugstore shelves, but it's also one of the most effective, especially if you have dry skin and are mainly concerned with moisture. This slightly-greasy moisturizer feels a lot like a standard body lotion, but it's incredibly delicate. It's never made my sensitive skin break out in hives, and I've used it on cut-up hands without feeling any pain. It will take a good amount of time to soak in unless your skin is the dryest of the dry, however, and it has a slightly sunscreen scent, which limits its use as a makeup primer. Now that I use sunscreens or glowy moisturizers on an almost daily basis, I use this product as a hand cream instead, especially when I'm heading outside and want some sun protection.
OVERALL RATING: 5 out of 5
RECOMMENDED FOR/AS: sun protection; day cream; dry and normal skin

The Three Ways I Use Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, part 3: Full Coverage

METHOD #3: Full Coverage

  EDIT: 5/11/2015 -- Thanks for all of the continued interest in this series! For more recent tips and tricks on using this product, check out my Kevyn Aucoin tag.

I'm not opposed to boasting about KA SSE's opacity--in fact, I do it often--but it's extremely rare for me to wear it as a full-coverage foundation. I don't find most full-coverage foundations very flattering on my skin, it essentially blanks out my face, and I have to use an extra product to make this method work: a primer. Of course, if you wanted to try this method, you could use any primer you wanted, but the most unique primer I've found, and the one that seems to work best with this foundation, is...

...the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Primer. Predictable but true! It's notoriously expensive for a tiny product; as you can see here, the tube is even smaller than some mascara tubes. But you only need one pump of product to do your entire face, and that's a surprisingly teeny amount of product. Also, if this method ended up working perfectly for you, consider the primer your "regular repurchase" item--many people repurchase their foundation three or four times a year, but because the actual KA SSE lasts for so long, you'd only need to replace it every 2 years or so and would instead repurchase the primer. And again, you can use a different, less expensive primer if it suits you better. This is just the product that seems to work best for me.

I start with by pumping one pump of the primer on to a finger tip. Then I use another finger to pick up some of the primer, which I rub in to my face section by section. What I like about this primer is that it has a creamy, almost moisturizing feel, and it smooths my skin out without feeling slippery or silicone-y. The perfect surface for a thick foundation! (NOTE: Some people also mix the Kevyn Aucoin primer directly in to a dab of the Sensual Skin Enhancer and apply it that way, but I find that this sort of "direct mixture" doesn't spread over my skin as well. Weird, huh?)

I dab tiny amounts of the Sensual Skin Enhancer on top of my primed skin, again going section by section. I usually break my face up in to three sections: cheek and chin, other cheek and nose, and forehead. As always, be sure to use a teeny, TEENY amount of the foundation! The usual suggestion is "a blob of foundation the same size as a grain of rice," and that's a pretty fair estimate.

Once I've blotted on the foundation, I start buffing it in with a soft, dense brush; my personal favorite is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I usually do some sweeping motions to sort of "disturb" the product and keep it from settling on my face as a bunch of dots, then I do small, circular buffing motions to really work it in and make it look more "natural," so to speak. If my skin is exceptionally sensitive, I'll work in smaller sections and sort of "roll" the product in to my skin with my fingers.

I apply a smidge more KA SSE to my undereyes using my fingers, as that part of the face is uber-delicate. The result is this: your entire face is blanked out. Actually, you can get even more coverage than this by using a hair more product and buffing a bit less, but anything more than this is a bit too much for my face. I never contour, as my face is quite thin and can look borderline horsey, but others may prefer to put some "shape" back in to their face after it's been blanked out like this. I do set my skin with a sheer powder and a bit of setting spray when I use this method, but that's because I'm terrified of full-coverage foundations moving and revealing my makeup secrets to the world.

And that's it! That's how I apply the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer. There are tons of other ways to apply this incredibly pigmented, versatile product, so I highly recommend that you do some experimenting of your own and find what works best for you. In the meantime, I hope these mini-tutorials have been helpful. :)

Part 1: Spot Concealing | Part 2: Light Coverage | Part 3: Full Coverage