All About The Glow

I may let go of my summer wardrobe as the seasons change, but I refuse to let go of my glow!

Some gorgeous formulas and finishes help me out here (sadly, angelic luminosity is not in my genes, my grandmother aside). A typical day finds me using two to three of these products. An extra dry skin day has me frantically piling them all on to achieve a semblance of humanity. Unshockingly, this sometimes backfires. 

But! This is human error, not the fault of the luxurious, buttery products I'm about to knock your socks off with. Let's take a look at some pictures and swatches!

Top row, L to R: Rivage, Crique, Laguna

Bottom row, L to R: Corniche, Galet, Casino

First up is the NARS Bord de Plage Highlighting and Bronzing Palette ($59 for six .12 oz pans). 

The product description reads:

'This palette of four, limited-edition, wet/dry highlighters and two Sun Wash Diffusing Bronzers creates a smoldering summer look. The highlighters work with skin to create a universal glow, as light-diffusing bronzers add natural-looking warmth. Together, they create a second-skin luster that amplifies and intensifies. Attract opposites with sheer dimension.'

I have not tried these wet yet, but I've been using Casino every day on the outside of my face for definition and a mix of Rivage and Crique on the high points of my face to finish off any makeup look. The deeper gold of Galet makes a stunning eye shadow, and when I'm wearing a warmer toned look I've been going for Laguna dusted over the spots on my face that the sun hits naturally (cheekbones, forehead, nose, chin). These are so easy, and so lovely. I anticipate this palette lasting quite some time, so I found it to be worth the investment!

       

     

Left to right, direct sunlight: Rivage, Crique, Corniche, Galet, Laguna, Casino

Left to right, indirect sunlight: Rivage, Crique, Corniche, Galet, Laguna, Casino

Left to right, in shade: Rivage, Crique, Corniche, Galet, Laguna, Casino

Bottom to top, direct s: Rivage, Crique, Corniche, Galet, Laguna, Casino

Next up is Clinique's new foundation formula, Even Better Glow Light Reflecting Makeup ($28 for 1 oz).

This is a revamp of their bestselling Even Better makeup with a less matte finish. The original formula is still available as well!

This version caters to dry skin types and promises 'light reflecting' qualities. I can attest to this - although I haven't found the wear time to be incredible, and this occasionally separates on my skin if I don't prep properly with moisturizer and primer, I've found this to be a nice lightweight formula for days when I don't want to look as though I'm wearing much but still want a bit of polish. It includes SPF 15. I wear the shade Bone, and find it to be a little on the light side for me currently - as I start getting less sun, I think it will be perfect!

Clinique Even Better Glow Makeup in Bone

I stalked this next product for WEEKS. I couldn't find the new NARS Liquid Blush in Orgasm anywhere! 

It's been sold out online and in store at Sephora basically since it first came out. I finally got lucky and came across it randomly while shopping Ulta's recent 20% sale. Talk about serendipity! It's available online at Ulta as well, linked above, and is priced at $30 for .5 oz.

This is the most efficient pick me up shade that you could possibly put on your face. It's transformational. The original Orgasm powder blush was more of a peachy pink with fine gold shimmer - this definitely leans more to the pink side, away from the peach.

Nars Liquid Blush in Orgasm

The Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm in Coral ($33 for .12 oz) has been a favorite of mine for a while now.

The formula is intensely moisturizing, and the color adjusts to a perfect peachy-coral shade (somewhat sheer, because it is reacting with the chemistry of your lips). It has mango butter and SPF 10 to keep your lips in good shape. I will say that it is on the pricey side, but I'm using mine up fairly slowly and treating it as a luxury item, so I'm happy with the purchase!

Dior Addict Lip Glow in Coral

Becca's First Light Filter Face Primer ($38 for 1 oz) has been a staple in my beauty routine for the past several months - it's moisturizing, lightweight, and blurring.

It also has a fresh citrusy scent, which helps me wake up a bit during early morning makeup application. The glass bottle lends a luxurious look to my vanity, which I appreciate!

The brand description reads:

'A wake up call for the skin, First Light Filter Face Primer brightens lackluster and dull skin and instantly refreshes the complexion. It’s perfect for flaunting a fresh canvas for all-day makeup wear. Cool Light Technology softly scatters translucent, cool violet light to brighten and even out imperfections. Mineral-rich spring water, prickly pear flower, and sodium hyaluronate capture moisture to hydrate and revive skin. Ginger energizes the complexion and the fresh citrus notes create an awakening experience. The primer looks violet but goes on sheer, and the energizing citrus scent is the perfect first step for your morning routine.'

Becca First Light Filter Face Primer

Finally, I'm trying out a relatively new purchase - Urban Decay's The Illuminizer Translucent Pressed Beauty Powder ($34 for .31 oz). 

I've been looking for a setting powder that doesn't dry my face out or take away whatever glow I've successfully faked with the previous steps of cosmetics, and this seems to be doing the trick (so far). This is a very fine, soft powder - super easy to apply!

The brand description reads:

'Naked Skin The Illuminizer Translucent Pressed Beauty Powder instantly illuminates, giving skin a radiant look. Formulated with synthetic white sapphire, it gives The Illuminizer a multidimensional finish. Because these pigments are semi-transparent, they reflect light beautifully while still letting your skin show through. Special technology in the pigments also helps the formula to glide on and stay put.'

Fancy. I like!

Urban Decay The Illuminizer Beauty Powder

Swatch time!

Nars Bord de Plage Palette is swatched above, and the rest of the product swatches can be found below. I tried to photograph in several different kinds of light to give an accurate idea of product appearance.

The Urban Decay Illuminizer powder is swatched rather heavily, as is the Becca First Light Primer - keep in mind that these go on relatively sheer for real life application.

The Nars Liquid Orgasm blush is SUPER pigmented! This bottle will last forever and a day. The swatch reflects one pump, with two back and forth finger passes to smooth out.

Clinique Even Better Glow and Dior Lip Glow are pigmented but give a sheer finish, as mentioned and seen below.

From left to right, direct sunlight: Dior Lip Glow in Coral, Clinique Even Better Glow in Bone, Urban Decay The Illuminizer Powder, Becca First Light Primer, Nars Liquid Orgasm Blush

From left to right, in shade: Dior Lip Glow in Coral, Clinique Even Better Glow in Bone, Urban Decay The Illuminizer Powder, Becca First Light Primer, Nars Liquid Orgasm Blush

From left to right, indirect sunlight: Dior Lip Glow in Coral, Clinique Even Better Glow in Bone, Urban Decay The Illuminizer Powder, Becca First Light Primer, Nars Liquid Orgasm Blush

From bottom to top, direct sunlight: Dior Lip Glow in Coral, Clinique Even Better Glow in Bone, Urban Decay The Illuminizer Powder, Becca First Light Primer, Nars Liquid Orgasm Blush

And that completes my roundup of must-have glow products for the summer! Tell me, how do you get your glow?

Happy hauling!

- Taylor

The Wishlist - Eight New Beauty Launches To Try

1. Milk Makeup Blur Liquid Matte Foundation - $40 for 1 oz

From the brand: 'Blur’s got you covered. From blurring pores and fine lines to providing weightless full coverage, Blur Liquid Matte Foundation does it all. It’s vegan, oil-free, and silicone-free, and glides right onto skin with the Dab + Blend Applicator for a smooth, matte finish that looks and feels as light as air. Plus, it features airless, no-drip packaging to minimize air exposure and eliminate spills — allowing your foundation to stay fresh, the color stay true, and all of it to stay put. As always, this product is cruelty-free.'

This foundation looks creamy and amazing in the pictures I've seen. I have high hopes that this will work for my dry skin despite being a matte finish due to the lightweight texture. Already available online and just arrived at my local Sephora - if it isn't at yours yet, keep an eye out, it should be there soon!


2. First Aid Beauty Hello FAB Tripe Protection Skin Ting with Goji Berry - $34 for 1 oz

From the brand: 'This weightless complexion fluid instantly adds natural looking color to help even skin tone, conceal imperfections and create a flawless look, while helping protect against the harmful effects of the sun and urban pollution. The superfood-powered formulation includes antioxidant-rich ingredients, including Goji Berry, Astaxanthin and Vitamin C to help shield skin from environmental aggressors, along with anti-pollution active ingredient, Alteromonas Ferment Extract. Pure mineral Zinc Oxide helps filter out harmful UVA and UVB rays and helps protect skin from photo-aging.'

This reminds me of my absolute holy grail summer foundation/tinted moisturizer, Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue - heavy on the skincare ingredients, light and soothing in texture. I'm looking forward to seeing how the coverage compares - new foundation roundup will featured shortly.


3. Bobbi Brown Essential 5-in-1 Face Palette - $65 (Nordstrom exclusive)

From the brand: 'Great for travel and touch-ups, this coordinated, five-in-one face palette contains all the products you need to perfect the look of your skin. Bobbi's Corrector brightens and neutralizes undereye discoloration, while her Creamy Concealer lightens and evens out the skin tone beneath your eyes. Skin Foundation Stick provides a seamless, natural, skin-like finish; Sheer Finish Pressed Powder sets makeup for all-day wear; and Bronzing Powder provides a touch of flattering warmth.'

This looks like the most perfect set for travel I've seen in a while! Bobbi Brown's cult classic face makeup options rolled into one palette - corrector/concealer (I can personally vouch for both), foundation stick (have not tried this specific formulation but the colors are excellent), pressed powder (have tried and love for a non-cakey finish), and bronzing powder (not too warm or too grey, a happy medium that will suit most people). I usually end up packing way too many individual products to achieve a finished face when traveling, so I will definitely be picking this up. Another palette for the win!


4. Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment - $26 for .18 oz

From the brand: 'Potency and precision—the new power couple. An innovative concentrate of our most powerful matte yet. Fluid Pigment Complex, liquefied pigment with a zero-gravity feel, introduces infinite matte color saturation with ultra-flexible long-wear. Sensorial, lightweight texture that applies like an ink on lips. Dries down to lock in formula for a smudge-resistant, carefree wear. Matte. Empowered. 20 lip-sealing mattes.'

I tried this on in the shade American Woman and swatched a few of the other shades recently. The wear is very comfortable and not at all drying, and for the most part the colors in the range are fairly everyday shades with a few standout brights/darks. American Woman is a great everyday neutral for me, I would recommend! I will be adding a few of these to my collection.


5. Clinique Pop Lip Shadow Cushion Matte Lip Powder - $19.50 for .04 oz

From the brand: 'Clinique Pop™ Lip Shadow is a weightless matte powder that delivers bold, highly pigmented lip color.'

Although I haven't seen this in person yet, this looks very promising - I've been chasing that super matte but not drying look all summer, and you can't get more matte than a powder! An intriguing concept for the lips. I'll be picking this product up soon and doing an in-depth review.


6. Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick - $24 for .25 oz

From the brand: 'The liquid lip gets redefined with this handcrafted, moisture-rich, high-pigment formula. Bite Beauty’s most nourishing lipstick, Amuse Bouche, gets liquified, while offering rich, high-impact color and a creamy, comfortable application that glides on with unprecedented precision. Created by hand in small batches, Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick is made with natural monoi butter and coconut oil, which melts at the temperature of your lips to glide on for ultimate wear and a satiny finish. With 12 modern, wearable shades you’ve never seen from Bite Beauty, this collection gives everyday lip color an unexpected twist.'

Bite Beauty has always been very reliable for me. I love the concept (lipstick with ingredients safe enough for consumption), and the colors are just beautiful. The shade range here is smaller than their regular Amuse Bouche lipstick line, and mostly come in neutrals it seems. This isn't a launch that I feel I must run out and immediately grab, but I have a feeling I'll end up with at least one of these babies in my bag.


7. Farmacy Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizer with Echinacea - $45 for 1.7 oz

From the brand: 'Designed to promote a vibrant, glowing complexion, Honey Drop delivers powerful antioxidants to help nourish the skin and glides on effortlessly to create a smooth, hydrated finish. A long lasting, lightweight moisturizer combining Echinacea GreenEnvy™ Honey, Triple Hyaluronic Acid Complex and Cupuacu Butter Beads.'

I'm excited to check this new moisturizer out purely because of my love for Farmacy's Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask - I've seen what they can do with honey in skincare, and I'm all in. Bring on the glow.


8. Fresh Vitamin Nectar Moisture Glow Face Cream - $42 for 1.6 oz

From the brand: 'Vitamin Nectar Moisture Glow Face Cream with a vitamin fruit complex is a revitalizing universal moisturizer that awakens skin for an incredibly vibrant, healthy-looking glow. The lightweight formula with an effervescent citrus scent helps to soften, smooth, and minimize signs of tired skin, so skin feels invigorated and recharged.'

More glow! Always more glow! As with the Farmacy launch, I was drawn to this through the gateway drug that is Fresh's Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask. I like using the mask before an event for a hydrated, even-toned canvas for makeup; stands to reason that using the moisturizer as well would only improve the situation! Very excited to try this out.




This concludes my current wishlist, although I add more products to it every single day (it's a real problem). Let me know of any upcoming launches you're excited for, and if you've tried any of these products already!

- Taylor

Nars NARSissist Velvet Lip Glide Set Review/Pictures

This is where I tell you to run, not walk to your nearest Ulta or computer to buy this exclusive set.

You may be familiar with the Velvet Lip Glide formula NARS came out with about a year ago - it features opaque coverage with a super comfortable, gloss-like feel minus the tackiness. Shiny upon initial application, this particular gloss dries down over the course of a few hours to a velvety, plush appearance.

Note - this is NOT a comparable formula to some of the long-wear liquid lipsticks that have hit the market lately (see brands such as Tarte, Smashbox, Stila). Those babies dry down and stay on literally forever. This is a nice in-between, with decent staying power (several hours on me).

I am a huge fan.

Of the original shades released, I most favored Bound, a rosy pink with faintly mauvey undertones on me. Although I loved the formula, I found that the shade range mostly fell on the too-light or too-statement side for my taste (bright fuschias, sheer nudes, blue-pinks). Last year, NARS came out with a holiday set featuring a range of six shades, but the colors all tended to run on the very dark side with the exception of Bound.

However, this summer NARS came out with an Ulta-exclusive set of six shades that absolutely KILLS it as far as wearability! We've got gorgeous coral and rose pinks, both cool and warm undertones, a berry that is so beautiful I almost cried with joy when I saw it.

This came on the scene seven days ago, and this is limited edition (all shades are brand new, no repeats from the permanent line) - who knows how long it will last? GO GET IT NOW. DO IT.


See below for information, pics and swatches!

NARS NARSissist Velvet Lip Glide Set - $45, .72 oz

Shades:

- Rapture (pink coral)
- Night Together (rose pink)
- Californiacation (pink mauve)
- Immoral (fuschia pink)
- Staying Alive (orchid pink)
- Burning Love (cherry red)

Left to right: Rapture, Night Together, Californiacation

         

Left to Right: Immoral, Staying Alive, Burning Love

 

Swatches:

(Left to right: Rapture, Night Together, Californiacation, Immoral, Staying Alive, Burning Love)

Indoor (with flash)

Indoor (no flash)

Outdoor (overcast)

Favorite shade is a toss-up between Rapture and Staying Alive. Let me know if you have any questions, and happy hauling!

- Taylor