Review: Nabla Soul Blooming Palette

Monday, December 9, 2019

I've had Nabla Soul Blooming for six months and it's about time I reviewed it! During this time, I really put this palette through its paces.


Review: Anastasia Beverly Hills Eye Primer

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

 Today I want to review the Anastasia Beverly Hills Eye Primer which I've been using intermittently over the last few months.

Makeup Revolution x Alexis Stone Transformation Palette

Wednesday, November 6, 2019


Last month I made a couple trips to Ulta in search of a newly released palette from Makeup Revolution, the Alexis Stone Transformation Palette. I adore transformative toppers, since I already have quite a few matte eye shadows, it opens up the possibilities for endless combinations of color just waiting to be discovered.


Natasha Denona Mini Gold Palette

Wednesday, October 2, 2019


I'm quite fond of Natasha Denona mini quints, with my latest purchase of Mini Gold I now have four out of six of them. I rarely pan shadows so the smaller amount of eye shadow suits me just fine and the mini palettes often feature the shades that I was the most interested in from their larger counterparts. Win-win, in my book. 

Some Eye Shadows that Work Great as Blush (and Some Others That Do Not)

Monday, September 23, 2019

Over the last few months, I've been using some of my eye shadows as cheek products and thought I'd share my results.

5 More Favorite Discontinued Eye Shadows

Friday, September 20, 2019


Earlier this month, I wrote a post about my favorite discontinued and hard to find eye shadows. I lied to you. I knew even as I hit the "Publish" button on the post that I was lying to you. That post wasn't the complete list. I had such a hard time narrowing down my favorites that I saved the last five, the best five, for a separate post.

Mixed Feelings: A Selection of Products

Monday, September 16, 2019

Good afternoon! Today I have a spread of six products that I don't love but I wouldn't say I hated either. They're somewhere in the middle, but unsatisfactory enough that I wouldn't repurchase any of them.


Natasha Denona Mini Nude Palette

Saturday, September 14, 2019



Natasha Denona released a mini quint last December and I'm only now getting around to writing a review. I had saved the Mini Nude palette for traveling during April & May and since it was the only eye shadow I brought, by the time we returned home I was a little tired of seeing the same five shades.

10 Favorite Eyeshadows That Are Discontinued or Hard to Find

Wednesday, September 11, 2019


A few months ago I wrote a post about my favorite eye shadows that were still available to purchase, today I have ten shadows that I adore but are discontinued or pretty much unobtainable at this point. 

Brand Overview: Mizuho Brush

Thursday, August 29, 2019


I first started adding Mizuho brushes to my CDJapan cart two, maybe three years back. I liked them enough to buy a brush at a time but there were hits and misses in the range which kept me from wanting to make a big haul. Over the years I've ended up a handful of brushes, enough to do a bit of an overview.


Review: Viseart Neutral Mattes 2 Milieu

Sunday, August 25, 2019


A few weeks ago, I ordered the new Viseart Neutral Mattes 2 Milieu Palette when it launched at Muse Beauty Pro.  Muse Beauty Pro had a 15% sale going on that really appealed to me, since I don't spend much at Sephora so it's unlikely I'll reach Rouge 20% anytime soon. 15% is as good as I'm going to get. I didn't spend much time debating it (I never do with Viseart!) and it arrived just a few days later.  

50 Words or Less Reviews: Products that Didn't Work Out

Tuesday, August 13, 2019



It's been a while since we had an installment of 50 Words or Less Reviews, no? I had a flurry of products that were disappointing in the last few months.


A Few More Sun Products

Monday, July 22, 2019


Much as I hate to come to grips with it, summer is halfway over. I've tried six more sun protection products (seven if you count my longsleeve shirt with UPF50!) since my last sunscreen roundup at the start of the season. All mineral sunscreens and half of them made in the US.


INC.REDIBLE Just Do You Eye Pigment

Sunday, July 7, 2019


Earlier this year during the Sephora VIB sale (yikes, I guess it's been three months!) I picked up a pigment from the brand INC.REDIBLE. Glittery copper goodness in the form of the shade Just Do You. 


The packaging is the sort of thing you'd see near the check out of H&M. Or housing Pat McGrath makeup. 



Appearance wise, the product looks like Armani Eyes to Kill, L'oreal Infallibles, and WYCON eye pigments. Those pressed pigments came with a plastic tamping piece. Just Do You doesn't have this, which worries me a little - will it dry out? Already, this pot of Just Do You feels like a halfway dried out Colourpop Super Show Shadow. 





The base is invisible and has some slip. It evades smooth bristles like synthetic and Kolinsky.  The particles are medium sized, a bright shiny red copper with gold reflects. The best tool to apply this is your fingertip, for full opacity. 



Left, over primer. Right, Just Do You over NYX Glitter Adhesive Primer.




Left to right (top): INC.REDIBLE Just Do You, Mehron Copper Metallic Pigment, Laura Mercier Fire Glow, Pat McGrath Copper 005 Pigmet.




 I liked how that between my sticky primer and the binding agents in the pigment, I didn't have any issues with glitter fallout when I used my finger to pat it on the center of the eyelid. It wore very well for 8+ hours for me.

Other products in this look: Viseart Dark Mattes, Colourpop Nut Creme Color Gel, Urban Decay Rockstar.

It's a pretty copper to have if you're missing that in your makeup collection. I think I could have made do with combining Laura Mercier Fire Glow + Pat McGrath Copper Pigment from my stash. The Laura Mercier shade was limited edition though, so not an easy find.

INC.REDIBLE Just Do You Lid Slick Eye Pigment is $10 at Sephora.

Product featured was purchased by me. Post contains affiliate link. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy. 

Summer Makeup Prep

Friday, June 21, 2019

It's heating up for me here in the northern hemisphere. In the very hottest part of the summer, day time temperatures are often over 100°F/ 38°C for a week or more at a time. It's a dry heat that can really exacerbate my t-zone oiliness. At the same time my cheeks and now eye areas dry out from the AC, so it's a balancing act to address combination skin when preparing it for makeup. Today I want to talk about two products that I've really liked the last couple of years.


Travel the World: Edinburgh, Scotland

Tuesday, June 4, 2019


I can't believe it's been a year already! Time goes by so quickly when things are good. Our trip to the UK late last spring started with a few days in the city of Edinburgh. I didn't stay here very long, so correspondingly I don't have much to say about this beautiful Scottish city. Just some photos to show you. 
   

Melt Cosmetics Smoke Sessions

Sunday, June 2, 2019


Hey! I'm back. I planned on some posts so things on the blog would continue uninterrupted while I was gone, but that didn't really end up panning out. It happens. Well today I'd like to talk about the palette I bought when I was gone, that I couldn't wait to dig into the day I came home. The extremely sold out Melt Cosmetics Smoke Sessions.


Pat McGrath Labs Subversive MOTHERSHIP III Palette

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

For a long time, I wanted Pat McGrath Subversive but balked at the price. While I have purchased palettes north of the $100 mark, something about paying MSRP feels ever so slightly offensive. I waited for a good discount, even passed by a 20% Sephora sale and my patience was reward with 25% off on the Pat McGrath Labs website.

2019 Newly Reformulated: Missha Borabit Becomes Probio Ampoule

Wednesday, March 20, 2019




I've written about Missha Borabit Long Name Ampoule before - I first received it to try for free from 08Liter and it immediately became an HG product for me. Over the last two years I've bought at least four bottles of the stuff, I've tried to look for alternatives but they just didn't stack up. When I saw that Missha had released a new version of this ampoule now called Probio, I was eager to start it after finishing yet another bottle of Borabit.


Review: Sonia G. Worker Three & Crease Two

Sunday, March 17, 2019



A couple months ago, I picked up two more brushes from Sonia G. Those red handles, how could I resist? I liked the original brushes that I bought last year so much that I didn't overthink this purchase. The only thing that held me back was waiting for Worker Three and Crease Two to be individually available from Beautylish.


Four Mineral Sunscreens, Compared

Saturday, March 16, 2019


I have four sunscreens in my possession, and thought I'd compare them in case you also gravitate towards zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sunscreens. The ones I'd like to chat about are EltaMD UV Physical Broad-Spectrum SPF 41, Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield SPF 50, Farmacy Green Screen SPF 30,  and Trader Joe's Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50. 


Top Ten Favorite Eyeshadows (That Are Still Available)

Thursday, March 14, 2019


I recently posted a photo of my entire eye shadow stash on Instagram and it prompted a question from @anafterglow: what are my top ten favorites? I decided to pick ten that were still available, though truthfully many of my most unique powder shadows were limited edition and long gone. Nothing is worse than seeing something you really like, only to find out that there's no way of getting it - a tad cruel for me to do that to you, right?


rephr Brushes

Saturday, March 9, 2019

At the beginning of the year I ordered a few brushes from the Canadian brand rephr, after seeing a few Instagram accounts mention the Canadian brand of Kumano made brushes. I loved the way they looked with their black on black scheme and I'm a sucker for white goat, in no time at all I had purchased four brushes from the brand.


Review: JungSaemMool High Tinted Lip Lacquer Hyper Matt

Wednesday, February 27, 2019



I've eyed JSM Beauty's High Tinted Lip Lacquers for quite some time now, but they weren't easy for me to get in the United States. Bergdorf Goodman briefly carried the brand, but only some of the core products. I'm pretty much limited to using a forwarding service like KoreanBuddy. So when I had the chance, I ordered three shades in one go.


Ace Beaute Classical Paradise Palette

Monday, February 18, 2019



New to me in 2019 is the brand Ace Beauté. This palette, the Classical Paradise has been on my mind ever since I first set eyes on it, maybe three months back. The shade Golden Apple caught my eye, I'd been looking for a murky khaki brown, the perfect pea soup color. Plus, I will never say no to some saturated burgundies. During a recent sale, I picked up the palette. 

50 Words or Less: Winter Empties

Monday, February 11, 2019

Some things I finished over the last few months!

Review: Rouge Bunny Rouge Milk Aquarelle Liquid Foundation

Thursday, January 31, 2019


For the longest time a JSM foundation (review here) reigned supreme, but no longer! I now have a new favorite base product, Rouge Bunny Rouge Milk Aquarelle Liquid Foundation. This started as a press sample but I quickly ended up purchasing a bottle of my own.

Esqido Gel Eyeliner Review

Thursday, January 24, 2019



Good afternoon!

Over the last three months I've been testing out this Esqido Gel Eyeliner, sent to me by the company to review. These eyeliners jumped out at me because of one little detail on the packaging - that marvelous silicone seal that is supposed to keep it from drying out. I've lost so many liners over the years to the thief that is dry air, I can't even tell you how many I've tossed. 

Travel the World: Hanoi, Viet Nam

Friday, January 18, 2019

My mother and I took my 88 year old grandma to Viet Nam for week, it had been the first time she'd been on vacation in a while. We were hoping to do relaxing trips out of Hanoi, to take a cruise through Halong Bay. In hindsight, I'm not sure if Hanoi was the right place to bring her, while I enjoyed it, it seemed hectic due to some unfortunate planning on my part. 

2018 Favorites

Friday, January 4, 2019

2018 was a pretty great year, makeup wise. I didn't try too many new things (mostly just a handful of new lip formulas and just a few new Manyo Factory products) and mostly just beefed up my Natasha Denona collection in addition to my brush hoard. Here's my favorites from the year!