Sephora Collection Rouge Balms (Review & Swatches)
I feel like Sephora’s housebrand Sephora Collection keeps pumping out products that are so often ignored (and I know I’m not the only one who’s mentioned that before!) and are a fraction of the price when compared to high end brands. Allow me to shine a light on their brand new Rouge Balms!
With eight different shades to choose from, the Rouge Balms should be able to offer up a shade that appeals to you (I have four of the eight in this post). They’re marketed as a balm with an SPF of 20 which is pretty amazing since I recently lamented the fact that not nearly enough lip products (especially balms) have any kind of sunscreen in them.
The Rouge Balm “hydrates as it protects lips with an SPF 20 wax concentrate, yuzu extract, and a vitamin E derivative. The creamy gel texture delivers fresh and vibrant color in one swipe with a dazzling, juicy shine from light-reflecting pigments.”
I do think the term balm is a bit “out there” for this product… it’s far more pigmented like a true lipstick. The formula is soft and emollient while delivering a metric ton of colour (I mean… just LOOK at the swatches above!). The formula does have a bit of a shine so I’d liken this to more of a cream formula lipstick with a sheen.
Sephora Collection Rouge Balm Swatches
My Thoughts
The Sephora Collection Rouge Balms have an incredibly comfortable formula. I found these easy to wear and definitely hydrating – just like a balm! You will notice there’s a lot more slip to this product than a typical balm (twhich usually feel fairly tacky to me) and there’s a heck of a lot of pigmentation. If you’re looking for something more sheer, this wouldn’t be the product for you. If, however, you want some sun protection in your lip products and a punch of colour, this is *definitely* something you want to look into.
A note on the packaging though: I love the soft hourglass shape of the exterior packaging as well as the fact that they’re colour coded to match the lipstick inside… but there’s NO NAME anywhere on the tube to indicate which colour you’ve got. There’s a sticker on the exterior metal casing of the bullet that has a code number (for example, B06) that then relates to the number listed on Sephora’s site. But if you forget the shade name, you’re out of luck!
My favourite shades out of the lot I tried are definitely Gentle Coral (you saw that one coming didn’t you?) and Soft Red. Do any of them pique your interest?
The Sephora Collection Rouge Balms can be purchased on sephora.ca for $15.50 CAD or on sephora.com for $12.50 USD.
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.
VIDEO: YouTube Made Me Buy It
BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette (Review & Swatches)
Amid much fanfare (and drama – holy hell – for that story, please see this post), the BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection has fully launched now in stores.
The Champagne Collection adds Champagne Pop in both a liquid and a poured creme format to BECCA‘s permanent lineup. There was also the eyeshadow palette which I owned and returned (again, those details are in that other post), and finally, this limited edition Champagne Collection Face Palette.
The palette is a solid palette, that’s for sure. It’s got some heft to it and it feels luxurious – which I hugely appreciate. The mirror inside (not pictured) is ENORMOUS. I had heard a few people saying just how wonderful the mirror was and I was like “oh whatever, it’s a mirror”. But seriously… the mirror is AMAZING! It’s not only enormous, but the reflection is razor sharp. Easily one of the best mirrors I have ever owned (and that really feels like such an odd thing to say…).
Sadly, the shade names are just a flimsy overlay that I promptly threw out. That being said, the names are on the back of the palette, so you’re not totally stuck if you throw out the plastic bit like I did.
Okay so… I have to say it… what in god’s name is up with the format of this palette? Who in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to off-center the highlighters? I don’t see the need to have the BECCA/Jaclyn Hill repeated off to the side of the palette when it’s on the TOP of the packaging. This looks so skewed and weird and it’s really, REALLY offputting to me. It just looks like the poor thing is unbalanced! ACK! Anyway… with that off my chest…
The blushes included in the palette are all brand new shades. Rose Spritz is in their new luminous blush formula (I’ve previously reviewed Snapdragon), whereas Amaretto and Pamplemousse (that’s grapefruit in French) are mineral blushes.
Also in the palette are two highlighters in BECCA‘s well known shimmering skin perfector pressed formula. Champagne Pop is the shade we’ve all become absolutely infatuated with (and I’m so glad it’s part of the permanent lineup!) as well as its limited edition little sister, Prosecco Pop. Prosecco Pop is much more golden when compared to the peachyness of Champagne Pop.
(Tutorial on this look coming on Thursday to my YouTube channel. Direct video link here!)
My Thoughts
So the reality is that the BECCA x Jaclyn Hill face palette is limited edition and will not be made permanent. That being said, I have no idea if the popularity of the shades will eventually make BECCA consider making them permanent (as they did with the original Champagne Pop). From my perspective, it would be a waste of time and money to formulate new shades without at least *hoping* to make them permanent in the future. That being said, no one should rely on that. If you like the shades in here, then rest assured that aside from Champagne Pop, all of the other shades are unique to BECCA‘s lineup. This also makes it a very cost effective bundle because BECCA‘s products do not run cheap.
As for the quality of the products, I found them to be completely on par with their other products in the same category. I was especially pleased with Rose Spritz – it was the shade I was least expecting to like and yet it’s become the shade I’ve used the most since I got it. On a fundamental level, Pamplemousse is the shade that originally drew me to the palette and it’s a lovely, lovely colour to wear. Amaretto is an equally fun colour to wear, although I realize it looks exceptionally pale in the shot I showed above – I blended it out to look natural in daylight, but then it appeared to not show up as much on camera – still gorgeous though.
As for the highlighters, I’m not as sold on Prosecco Pop. I was expecting it to be similar to MAC‘s Whisper of Gilt, but found that it could pull very yellow on me depending on what other face products I was wearing. This is a personal thing though and should not deter you from getting it if you’re into the shade. Champagne Pop is, of course, as lovely as ever.
So now you know I love this face palette! Let me know what your thoughts are. Did the drama deter you from picking this up? Or are you as drawn to the shades as I am? Let me know!
Sadly, it seems Sephora Canada is already sold out, but for those of you in the USA, you can pick this up for $52 USD at sephora.com.
Swatch Sunday: Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance
Although I had never owned an Anastasia Beverly Hills palette before, I knew that the Modern Renaissance palette was going to be MINE!
It’s chockful of warm tones, namely a few RED shades. I can’t even express my excitement that makeup companies are finally starting to produce red eyeshadows in easily available commercial palettes. SO EXCITED!
A Challenge Week will be forthcoming with this palette, in the mean time, please check out the swatches!
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Swatches
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette can be purchased at sephora.ca for $55 CAD or on sephora.com for $42 USD.