I found quite a few great hits out of my recent beauty refresh haul. A few personal recommendations plus a few IG posts plus a little blind shopping led to this month’s fab list of beauty obsessions: (click “Continue Reading” below to read the product reviews)
- MAKEUP: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in “Fenty Glow” – $18: Rihanna’s new beauty venture is a total success in my opinion because of this product alone! Not only is this universal color such a gorgeous accentuation of your natural lip color, but she nailed the wide, super soft applicator and moisturizing formulation! I knew I was going to love it so much that I bought 2 before even trying it… and glad I did!
- MAKEUP: Huda Beauty Lip Strobe in “Shameless” – $18: My mom recently texted me begging me to try this new product by Huda Beauty. She raved that she receives multiple compliments every time she wears it. Ordered, tried and agreed! This super high intensity, ultra-pigmented holographic lipgloss is such a pretty color! I found that when I blotted some off after applying it at full intensity, that the color changed slightly and I liked it even more! I also tried adding a a few dabs of this gloss to another nude gloss and it morphed a neutral into a magical mesmerizing shade! Thanks for the awesome rec, Mom! 👌
- MAKEUP: iEnvy by Kiss Trio Medium Lashes – $14.70 for 3 pack: Hairstylist to the stars Jen Atkin raved about these lashes recently so naturally I hit “Buy Now”. Normally, I use the full strip lashes as individual lashes are overly time-consuming to apply. However, these trio lashes were a happy medium between the full strip and the individuals. Surprisingly, they were not very difficult to put on and only took about an extra 2 minutes total. The result was natural looking gorgeous lashes that were accentuated exactly where I personally needed the added oomph!
- HAIR: Bumble & Bumble Pret-A-Powder Tres Invisible Dry Shampoo with French Pink Clay – $29: I was so bummed when I heard Bb was doing away with their old powder formulation dry shampoo. Wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt, I bought this new spray formulation to give it the old college try. Verdict: not as travel-friendly as its powder predecessor but still gets the job done. However, I found this new version is a little harder to blend in leaving a little more white residue behind. Good thing I stocked up on the powder version before they scrapped it 😏
- SKIN: Clinique Pep-Start Pout Restoring Night Mask – $17.50: The promise of soft lips overnight was all I needed to hear. I put this gloss on my lips, went to sleep and woke up with super smooth smackers! It’s also great in a pinch for a quick 5-minute rescue – just be sure you wipe it off before applying your lipstick.
- SKIN: IT Cosmetics Secret Sauce Clinically Advanced Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer – $68: This was the perfect time to test out this product because my skin has been feeling a little dry in patches. I lathered this all over my face and neck before going to bed. When I woke up to hit my 6 a.m. Soul Cycle class, my skin had a beautiful moisturized glow to it.
- SKIN: Dr. Brandt Needles No More No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel – $42: I’m always in search of ways to make my eyes look less tired than they actually feel. This product is a step in the right direction but based on the instructions, you have to use it on bare skin, which forced me to forego my normal moisturizing eye cream. I can see myself using this when I really need help in the sleep deprivation department, but as a daily product, I think I’ll stick with my moisturizing eye routine.
- MAKEUP: NARS Hardwired Eyeshadow in “Outer Limits” – $26: Ahhh sparkle! This is such a pretty light champagne gold color with pink flecks sprinkled in. It pops a lot better when placed on top of a shadow base (I like MAC’s Painterly Paint Pot).
- MAKEUP: Smashbox Brow Tech Shaping Powder – $25: I was intrigued by this product because of the liquid eyeliner tool format. Unfortunately, the applicator was the only thing I liked. There was some dust fall-off onto my cheeks & under eyes during application. My personal preference is a bold precise brow rather than a soft powder-filled brow. This product is much better suited for the person who likes that soft slightly filled in brow. With my oily skin, I also noticed some bleeding of the product as the day went on. Thumbs down for me, sadly.
- MAKEUP: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in “Mean Money/Hu$tla Baby” – $34: Another success from Rihanna’s new line is this highlighter duo! I love this golden combo – Mean Money being the softer, more subtle champagne color & Hu$tla Baby the high impact peachy gold glow. Shine, baby, shine!!
