The Everyday Brown Lip

November 03, 2016

I'm still on that 90s brown lip trend bandwagon, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. I've got some deep browns and some more medium neutrals, but for everyday I can't stop reaching for some more sheer options. These five products basically live in my workbag so I can pull any out on a daily basis to reapply.

Glossier Generation G, 'Leo' | This is my new favorite shade from the Generation G line. It just launched recently along with Zip, a warm red. This is the perfect warm cocoa brown, and the sheer, blotted look it gives the lips is just perfect. Glossier also improved the formula and packaging of the Generation G's so they glide on more smoothly and are more moisturizing, and the packaging feels a bit sturdier. You can get 20% off your first Glossier order here.

Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Colour, 'Milky Way' | I got this shade during the fall last year, and I'm still hooked. While this formula isn't exactly sheer, it does let a bit of your natural lip shade shine through in a really flattering way. Milky Way is a perfect more cool-toned brown that's a really nice twist on the 90s trend. This looks especially great over a more pink-brown lip liner, like MAC Whirl or Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk.

YSL Volupte Sheer Candy, 'Lush Coconut (01)' | My sister actually passed this on to me, and I'm pretty sure I had a brighter pink shade in the same formula that I gave to her. This sheer nude brown is as pretty as the packaging suggests, and it has some soft golden shimmer running through it to enhance your lips as well. It has a lovely smooth formula that feels quite nourishing on the lips, and it smells really good, too.

Clarins Lip Perfectors, Gloss + Balm, 'Rosewood' | I loved the original Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Rosewood (06) so much that I had to get the balm version in the same shade. They both feel so lovely on the lips. The gloss is definitely my favorite gloss formula - it's not sticky or thick at all, so definitely one to try if you're usually not a gloss lover. And the balm feels just as nice. The only difference is the amount of shine left on your lips. Rosewood is such a beautiful, chic shade - it's basically "my lips but brown-er."

What's your favorite kind of shade to wear everyday? Do you have any recommendations to feed my sheer brown lip addiction?

Tarteist Pro Glow Contour & Highlight Palette

November 02, 2016 in Makeup

I've been pretty good about only buying products that fit in my pretty minimal makeup aesthetic (the amount I buy is in no way minimal, I mean minimal as in "no makeup makeup"). I haven't touched a contour palette in probably over a year (unless you're counting my custom Surratt palette), but when the new Tarteist Pro Glow Palette popped onto the scene, something in me just couldn't resist. I even ordered it from Tarte's website because I just couldn't wait for it to be available at Sephora or Ulta.

It's the inclusion of a cream contour shade, as well as a good selection of highlighters, that won me over. I'm a highlighter junkie, so I figured even if I didn't use the contour shades, I'd definitely use the highlighters. I really appreciate a contour kit that actually has shimmery highlighters as opposed to those light setting powders - they're never light enough for me to highlight! All the shades included in the Tarte palette looked like they could work for me, too, unlike some of the Anastasia Glow Kits that I so desperately want but can't justify for just one or two shades. The palette comes with four powder highlighters, one powder contour, and one cream contour shade. It has a pretty good mix of warm and cool tones, so I think it would suit a large range of skintones. Many early reviews I'm seeing are people rejoicing to have found a "deep skin-friendly" product, but I'm finding the shades work wonderfully on my paper white skin, too.

The powder shades feel super buttery and pigmented, with the exception of Fire, the left highlighter in the middle row. It's only slightly less buttery than the rest. It's probably the least flattering on my skintone so I don't even mind at all. Both contour shades are quite neutral and work well as contour shades on me, although they're not as ashy as something I normally would go for. I'm embracing giving my skin a little extra color, though. The cream shade, Shade, is slightly cooler than the powder shade, Sculpt. I was worried about the cream contour shade being too dark for me, but it blends out so beautifully that it hasn't been a problem. I just have to draw a small line under my cheekbone from my ear to even with the end of my eyebrow, and it'll blend out to the perfect contour shade for me.

My two favorite highlight shades in the palette are the two on the right side, Strobe and Stunner. Strobe is a beautiful white gold, and Stunner is an amazing purple-y-silver color. I've been mixing the two together as my everyday highlight. The highlighters are quite intense, but they're easily sheered out (as I really tend to pack them on - I love a strong highlight). They're also not chunky/glittery whatsoever - they give the illusion of smooth, dewy skin. I don't have too many texture issues with my skin, but these don't emphasize any uneven texture I do have.

I only have two complaints with the palette and they both have to do with the packaging rather than the formula. The first is that the palette's material is that same rubbery matte material as NARS compacts, so it'll get dirty quite quickly - you can see in the photo of the closed palette that it already is getting dirty, and I've only had it for a week. The second is that there's no extra cover for the cream contour shade. I suspect this is why the palette opens up in the center, so you can cover the contour shade if you're working from the right side of the palette, but I'm still worried about getting powder fallout stuck in the cream. Neither of these are dealbreakers though, as the products themselves are lovely.

If you're looking for a new contour palette, and you're a highlight/glowy skin fiend like me, I'd highly recommend the Tarteist Pro Glow Palette.

What's your favorite contour product?

Skincare on Trial

November 01, 2016 in Skincare

Hi, my name is Kelsey, and I am a skincare addict. I'm always after the best thing for my skin - I have this vision in my mind of how I want my skin to look. It's glowing, bright, and impossibly even, and I pretty much want to look like I've slathered it in rosehip oil all day long. I buy and accept a lot of skincare products while I'm on this mission for the perfect product, and lately it's gotten so overwhelming that I thought I'd put a post together to start getting my thoughts out there.

Skinfood Yuja Water Line | That glowing and bright look I was talking about? These products have basically got that covered. Yuja extract helps the skin retain moisture and it works to brighten the skin, so basically that's everything I look for in my skincare. I've got the Toner,* Emulsion,* and Serum* to test out, and so far so good. I'm planning on putting together a more thorough post on these because they really have been promising. You can also find select Skinfood products at Ulta.

Klairs Cosmetics | Klairs is such a lovely Korean beauty brand that really meshes with my overall beauty aesthetic - their motto is "simple but enough," which really speaks to me. I was sent their Midnight Blue Calming Cream,* Supple Preparation Facial Toner,* and the Mid-day Blue Sun Lotion.* All three are winners for me so far. I had an allergic reaction to a product (not mentioned in this post) that left my chin broken out in sore, flaky hives and dabbing on a bit of the calming cream a few times per day soothed and cleared them up quickly. The toner has also really been helping me achieve that impossible vision of what I want my skin to look like - I just feel like it helps to even out my skin's tone and texture with every swipe. I love using it morning and night, but I feel like it really shines in the morning before makeup application. And the sunscreen is probably one of my favorite facial sunscreens as it doesn't feel chalky on the skin, but rather creamy and moisturizing.

Marlonda Currie | I've also recently been sent a couple lip care products - Marlonda Currie's Lip Exfoliator* and Lip Hydrator.* My lips are extremely picky about what I put on them, and so far these two products haven't caused any problems. The exfoliator is a thick sugar scrub that almost has a paste-like consistency. I really like it because it sticks to the lips more than something like the Lush lip scrubs. The hydrator is really lovely too - it's not as thick as my usual Glossier Balm Dotcom, so it works nicely underneath lip products and still keeps my lips hydrated.

Drunk Elephant | I mentioned on my Instagram Story last week that the day I ran out of my cold-weather moisturizer also happened to be the day I got a promotion at work. I took the opportunity to treat myself to something that had been on my wishlist for awhile, the Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream. And because I can't just order one thing, I also threw in (she says, like it didn't cost the same amount I pay for a week's worth of groceries) the Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil. Together the two have been solving all of my dry skin woes, and I feel ready and prepared for the dry winter air. The oil is light but still extremely moisturizing, and it smells faintly nutty. The cream is the most beautiful texture and melts into the skin. I've been layering it over the oil morning and night lately, and it's the most beautiful combination.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma | This month I was super excited to receive two products from Perricone MD's Cold Plasma Line, the Cold Plasma Face Treatment* and the Cold Plasma Eye Treatment.* They are meant to be the ultimate anti-aging treatment, and while I'm only 24 I still really like the effects of anti-aging products on my skin - they really plump it up, evening out texture and really boosting hydration levels in a way that I think any age could benefit from. The Cold Plasma face product is meant to be used underneath a moisturizer, so I've been treating it as a serum step. It definitely benefits from being put under something because honestly, I really don't like the smell - it smells like a mix of fish and something metallic to me. But the smell doesn't linger and quickly disappears once you put another product on top. So far, the results of the product make the smell 100% worth dealing with. It smooths out my skin so much that it really feels like porcelain. It really diminishes the look of my pores, and the splotchy redness I tend to have around my nose is virtually gone by the time I wake up in the morning. If you want to try these or anything else from Perricone MD, they've kindly given me a 20% off code to share - just use KelseyDPMD at checkout until November 22!

What new skincare bits have you been trying out?

*Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.