The Anastasia Beverly HillsMaya Mia palette was released in the last few months of 2014, but it’s only made its way into my collection recently via a beauty blogger swap.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Maya Mia palette
At first I felt the colouring of this palette was really coordinated, except for that aqua shade thrown in the mix. What a bizarre colour to chuck in there. While I haven’t actually used the aqua shade yet, I can say that the other shades have been glorious. Glisten, Sienna and Caramel are pure perfection!
It’s pretty rare that I like a foundation right out of the gate, and even moreso continue to like it after several weeks of testing it. But when you decide to wear that a particular foundation to your cousin’s wedding – well… that’s when you know it’s up to snuff!
And that foundation is Make Up For Ever‘s new Water Blend foundation for face and body!
Make Up For Ever Water Blend in Y225 and Y245
Water Blend is a “a lightweight, water-gel, face and body foundation that provides sheer to buildable coverage with a natural-looking, dewy glow and [a] flawless finish”. It’s formulated with 80% water, so you will need to shake this thoroughly before you use it on your face.
Make Up For Ever Water Blend foundation
Let’s cover a few things right out of the gate. This is a sheer coverage foundation that can be built up for extra coverage, but, because of the consistency, I really don’t feel like you’re ever going to get true full coverage (and really, why would you buy something labeled sheer if you wanted full coverage anyway?). For me, sheer coverage is what I look for in foundations so I was really happy to find that this not only promised that, but delivered it as well. Water Blend gives me an even skin tone without looking cakey or thick. And that’s the best part – this foundation does promise natural coverage and it delivers! (Face shots just below.)
Make Up For Ever Water Blend foundation in Y225 and Y245 – swatches
Although I can appear quite pink-toned on my face, I like using yellow based foundations to counteract my pinkness and honestly I think it just brings me up to a more neutral level of skin tone. Y225 (Marble) is a winter shade for me, whereas Y245 (Soft Sand) is more of a summer colour (and I use the same colours in their Ultra HD formula as well). I found it had a bit of a gloopy/gelatinous feel when pumped onto my hand and that it applied best with a damp sponge. I also liked it best when applied without a primer, which is kind of unusual for me since I usually get “itchy face syndrome” (yes, I made that up) when I wear foundation without a primer. No such problem with this one!
Left shot: no foundation, right shot: wearing Water Blend in Y245
This is one layer of Water Blend applies to my face. You can see it evened out my skin tone, but it’s still letting my freckles shine through. It won’t cover deeper redness (for example, around my nostrils) – you’d need a concealer for that if you’re looking for that kind of coverage.
Wearing Make Up For Ever Water Blend in Y245
Wearing full makeup with Water Blend as my foundation. Tutorial on this look coming to my YouTube channeltomorrow! – here’s the link!
And this was me wearing at it at my cousin’s wedding with my shitty front facing phone cam!
Final Thoughts
On me, I feel this foundation is flawless – it really, REALLY does not look makeup at all.. It’s one of the most lightweight, comfortable foundations I’ve ever worn. (It is also *very* reminiscent of Bourjois’ Healthy Mix Serum which has been a longstanding favourite of mine.) It also lasts and entire work day (7:30 am – 5:00 pm), doesn’t make me look or feel extra greasy and it didn’t build up or cake into my forehead lines or around my nose (almost completely unheard for me!).
I was also astounded to find that it did not transfer to a tissue. One of my habits when testing a foundation is to touch my face halfway throughout the work day with a piece of tissue just to see if any product comes off. In general, every foundation has left some kind of residue on the tissue – EXCEPT THIS ONE. What kind of witchcraft has Make Up For Ever done with this foundation??Although the price is a little elevated on this foundation compared to their Ultra HD, keep in mind that you’re actually getting more than your average amount. A typical bottle of foundation is 30ml/1 ounce, Water Blend has 45ml/1.5 ounces of product!
If you couldn’t already tell – I’m in love. Water Blend has completely knocked it out of the park for me!
If there’s a basic palette out there that everyone needs, it’s the Sonia KashukEye on Neutral 02 palette. (Sidenote, why the heck is it 02? Was there a 01 at some point?) Some people may balk at the price tag (it’s $20 USD) since it’s a drugstore-bought item at Target, but this palette is full of mattes that help complete EVERY look. Brow bone highlighting shades? Got it. Transition shades? Got it. Outer corner or lid shades? Got it. Need a black or dark tone to deepen up your look? Got it.
Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral 02 palette
You cannot go wrong with this palette. It’s not the most exciting thing to look at, but it definitely is one of the most useful ones!
Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral 02 Swatches
Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 1Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 2Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 3Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 4Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 5Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 6Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 7Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 8Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 9Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 10Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 11Eye on Neutral 02 – Swatch 12
This isn’t a new product by any means, but I was super late to try out the Kat Von DEverlasting Liquid Lipsticks so I figured why the heck not share my thoughts?
I’ll start this review out by saying that I have (slowly) learned over the last few years that I am not a tremendous fan of liquid lipsticks. I like the longevity of them, but I really, REALLY struggle with the dry as paint feeling on my lips. Oh sure, I *love* matte lipsticks, but they have a certain amount of give/pliability to them that a matte liquid lipstick just doesn’t have. So keep that in mind while you’re reading this review.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II
The Kat Von DEverlasting Liquid Lipsticks come in beautiful gothic-esque packaging that always makes me smile. The tube and handle itself are beautifully etched with designs that really help add to the overall feel of this product – much like KVD herself, this product oozes old world gothness that I’ve always appreciated.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II
The Everlasting Liquid Lipstick “gives lips long-lasting wear and high-pigment color. Its creamy, color-rich formula glides over lips like a gloss but dries to a true matte finish. It’s infused with natural comfort-enhancing ingredients, including vitamin E and sunflower seed so you can flaunt lasting matte color that leaves lips feeling comfortable.”
One of the things I like the most about this liquid lipstick is that the colour glides on flawlessly with the doefoot applicator. It’s opaque in one swipe and it layers really, REALLY well in case you make a mistake – this is rather unexpected with a liquid lipstick as I usually have intense layering problems that often result in crumbling.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II – swatch
The colour I have in this post is Lolita II. It was the original “manufacturer error” that resulted in a change in shade from the original Lolita. Lolita II is described as a terracotta nude, whereas the original Lolita was more of a chestnut rose. On me it goes very warm terracotta with a hint of brown.
Wearing Lolita II
The shot above is after about 6 hours of wear. It has been touched up on my inner lip, but the outer rim has not been altered at all.
Close up of Lolita II to show wear and tear after several hours of wear
The one thing I think worth mentioning with this liquid lipstick is that it does tend to fade on the inner rim of my lip quite quickly. For me, this is actually a good thing since I despise that paint-like feeling at the center of my mouth, but it does mean you’ll need to re-apply the colour there a bit more often. (Again, the shot above was taken after six hours of wear and the only place that had been retouched was the inner corner of my mouth.)
I think Lolita II is a beautiful shade, but I’m also a bit confused about the hype behind this. Is it because it’s a warm, deeper nude that has everyone excited? Or was it more because this colour turned out to be wrong shade when it was originally packaged as the original Lolita? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s gorgeous, but it’s not the “OMG!” shade I was expecting based on the hype!
Final Thoughts
For me, because of the fading on the inner rim, this ended up being one of the more comfortable matte liquid lipsticks I’ve worn in recent memory. It does beat out my Too Faced Melted Mattes, but not my beloved Melteds (which aren’t a matte liquid lipstick, so maybe the comparison is irrelevant). I also found it less drying than my Smashbox Always On liquid lipsticks as well. For me, being able to wear this lipstick for roughly six hours was pretty impressive – I’ve never managed to wear a liquid lipstick that long without wanting to scrape it off my lips! It also didn’t crumble or look patchy at all – huge blessing!
This is one of the easier formulas of liquid lipstick to put on and I think it must have something to do with the formula because the wand applicator is pretty standard. Overall, I like this product more than other liquid lipsticks I’ve tried, but I’m not like… jonesing to add more to my collection because I’m just not an enormous liquid lipstick fan, you know? I’m sure we all feel that way about certain products!
Okay so here’s the surprise that I neglected to mention at the top – lucky you for reading this far! 😉
I actually have two of the shade Lolita II and I’m giving one away! I picked one up as a sample from Sephora a month ago, and then I received a full size one from PR for review. I decided to test out the small sample one and left the big one alone (except to take the photographs you see here in this post – it has not been opened at all) so I could give it away to one of you guys. This will be a short giveaway since I do have a huge one happening right now as well.
Giveaway Rules
This giveaway is open internationally!
This giveaway starts on October 5, 2016 and runs for one week.
Please be aware that all entries will be double checked to ensure fairness.
One winner will win a Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II.
The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail. If they fail to respond within that time frame, I will pick another prize winner. (And so on.)
“Giveaway accounts” will not be considered for this prize. (If you want to know what I mean by that, please click here.)
It’s finally autumn (YAYYYY!), which means it’s time to bust out some deeper, darker and more intense lip shades. I know you might be anxious about trying something new, but I wanted to introduce you to some shades that I’ve found to be quite flattering, although they may not be the first shade you’d gravitate towards.
Try something new this season!
I’ve found myself gravitating towards these shades in the last few weeks and I wanted to share them because they’re kind of off the wall colours. I know a lot of people are going to think some of them are unwearable, but hopefully I can change your mind!
Too Faced La Creme in Berry Naughty
Try a purple without going completely down the rabbit hole: Too Faced‘s La Creme lipstick in Berry Naughty looks dark AF in the tube, but it comes out a glossy purple-pink that has a slight sheerness to it that makes it more wearable. The La Creme formula is also incredibly comfortable to wear and it smells like sweet lemons!
Too Faced Melted Matte in Evil Twin
Although it may look like a straight black lip, Too Faced‘s Melted Matte in Evil Twin has a purple edge to it that helps make it slightly more wearable without looking too “witchy” (which I usually feel is more blue-toned). This is my boldest suggestion in this entire post, but I know there’s a few people out there who are intrigued by wearing a blackish lip! Since this product is a liquid lipstick, you won’t have to worry about it bleeding outside your lip line, and for me, that’s INCREDIBLY important if I’m going to be wearing a colour as deep and dark as this one.
Gosh Cosmetics Matt Cinnamon
Probably the most tame colour in this roundup, Gosh Cosmetics‘ Matt Cinnamon is a gorgeous balance of brown and pink. It’s boring as hell to look at in the tube, but the comfort of this lipstick alongside the colour make this an absolute beauty to wear. (I only recently tried this one out in a GOSH Haull + First Impressions video and I’ve been wearing it ever since!)
Wet n Wild Stoplight Red
It’s really, REALLY hard to beat Wet n Wild‘s price tag on their Megalast lipsticks. They’re around $2 and they deliver incredible colour and pigmentation. If you’re not keen on trying out a black lip but still want to wear something vibrant, go for a red (this particular one is Stoplight Red) as we head into the holiday season.
Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone
Never in my life did I think I would need a grey lipstick… until I tried on the SmashboxAlways On Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone. It might take some getting used to, but I found myself rather in love with wearing a grey lip – there’s something that feels really, really badass about wearing this colour! (If you want to see it in action, you can check out my essence F/W haul.)
Looking at the swatches all together, the lipsticks I chose are a really, really weird mix. However, they’re definitely the shades I’ve been drawn to as of late. If you’re ever worried about wearing a “different” colour, whether it’s dark or vibrant, just remember that half the battle is getting used to seeing yourself in that shade. So buy the product, try it on at home and then just carry on as you normally would. Every now and then you’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and you’ll eventually get used to seeing yourself wearing that colour. Once you’ve gotten over that hump, the next step is to wear it in public. And just remember – a strong smile works wonders at portraying confidence in how you look. 🙂
Let me know what colours you’re into this fall and if you’d wear any of the ones I mentioned in this post!
