An Ode to Burberry Rosewood

If I had to choose just one shade to wear all over for the rest of my life, I would without a doubt pick Burberry Rosewood. This cult classic rosy brown shade just works anywhere, on the eyes, lips, and cheeks, for a defined, neutral look. I love me a good pinky brown, and Burberry just does it so well. I love the shade so much that I have it in three of their formulas.

My first introduction to Rosewood was in the Wet and Dry Silk Shadow. I'll admit I only bought Rosewood because my first choice, Pale Barley, was out of stock at the time, but I think it was fate. It's become my quick, everyday shadow when I want to look a little more chic and put together. Somehow my products always look less used in my photos, but trust me, this guy's got a good dent in it. The formula is beautifully light and buildable and has the perfect amount of sheen to it, and it lasts all day without creasing on me. 

Once I fell in love with the powder eyeshadow, I decided it would be most practical to also get the Rosewood shade of the Eye Colour Contour Smoke & Sculpt Pen. I use cream products more often than powders, so I needed this beloved shade in eyeshadow stick form to really use every day. This goes on sheer and is super sheeny - it gives a glossy lid look without feeling like a sticky mess. It does crease a bit, but it's so blendable that it's easy to pat back into place. Now my go-to look is a base of the eyeshadow stick with the powder eyeshadow on top - Rosewood overload. I also love quickly scribbling a bit of this on my cheekbones for a super easy, glowy, and sculpted cheek. It has a bit of that Tarte Exposed quality, where you think it's going to do nothing but makes you look so pulled together after.

My last Rosewood product is the Liquid Lip Velvet in Dark Rosewood - slightly different shade, but still that same rosy brown goodness. I love the Lip Velvet formula - they're aptly named. It's a whipped mousse-like formula that feels weightless on the lips and is incredibly comfortable. They don't totally dry out my lips, but they do have some transfer. I love Dark Rosewood and it's always a good autumn standard. It's a little deeper than my usual neutrals, but it stands out without being too crazy.

Do you have a favorite makeup shade?

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The Everyday Lip: Feeling Mauvey

I've written many Everyday Lip posts before, and although the shades are always pretty similar, I don't think the shades have ever been so cohesive as they have been lately. I'm a huge Mauve Enthusiast, a term I'm coining here and now, Mauves are the perfect neutral-ish shade that stand out a bit but aren't too "out there." I gravitate towards them most in the colder weather when I especially love all things cool-toned and berry-toned.

The one I've been wearing the most often has been the NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in Save the Queen. I can't get over how much I love these lip products - they're the most comfortable liquid lipsticks I've tried. They have a very matte finish, but feel like nothing on the lips and don't make them shrivel up and dry out. My favorite way to wear them is lightly blended into a lip balm for a lighter stain effect. This shade is also one of the most purple of the ones I'm featuring, but it still looks quite natural on the lips.

Another favorite from NARS is their Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Do Me Baby. This is one of their newer shades that came out earlier this year. It's a bit rosier and a teeny bit warmer, so it looks beautiful year-round. I love the Velvet Matte Pencil formula as well - it does get a bit drying after awhile, but the shades do not budge and are weightless.

My next two favorites are from Nudestix. I've spoken about my love of the Gel Color Lip + Cheek Balm in Pulse before, and it still rings true. I love the formula of this - it's balmy, a bit sheeny, and moisturizing. Pulse is the perfect mix of mauve and nude that makes it ultra-wearable, and it goes with just about anything. I love reaching for this one when I want a more glossy look.

The Nudestix Magnetic Matte Lip Color in Rose is a recent addition, but I can already tell it's going to become an everyday grab. The Magnetic Matte formula is insane - it feels so creamy going on the lips and sets to a weightless, incredibly matte finish. It doesn't move at all and performs like a liquid lipstick, without the drying effects. This is the formula I reach for when I need my lipstick to last all day. Rose is such a beautiful slightly mauve-toned rose nude. 

NARS Save the Queen, Do Me Baby, NUDESTIX Pulse, Rose, Bite Beauty Glace, Pat McGrath Realness, Hourglass My One Desire, Glossier Jam

If you took Nudestix Rose and deepened it a bit, you'd get the Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Glace. This formula is lovely, creamy, and comfortable. It's not quite matte as the name suggests, but rather has a satin finish. It does fade throughout the day, but it does so evenly and it's easy to reapply. This is one I had forgotten about until only recently, and it's a favorite once again.

Another recent addition I've already fallen for is the Pat McGrath LuxeTrance Lipstick in Realness. This is one of the most beautiful lipstick formulas I've ever tried. It's simultaneously creamy, weightless, and comfortable. The LuxeTrance lipsticks leave a beautfiul satin finish, too. Realness is very close to my natural lip color, so it's one I reach for often, whether it's a minimal makeup day or I'm doing something more dramatic (read: wearing any eyeshadow) on my eyes.

I'm so glad I finally tried the Hourglass Confession Lipsticks. I've been wearing the shade My One Desire, one of the shades in the Confession Lipstick Set, a lot lately. This is a little more pink and rosy than the other shades here, so it adds a bit more of a girly look to whatever else I'm wearing. These are so beautifully pigmented - I'm going to need to grab some more shades for sure!

My last favorite, as I'm sure you could have guessed, is the Glossier Generation G Lipstick in Jam. This is more berry/purple, but the sheer stain-like finish turns it into more of a mauve on me. These are some of my favorite lip products because they're quite versatile. One layer provides a sheer wash of color, but they can also be built up to a higher opacity. I love that they also have a matte finish - it's not something you see often with sheer products.

Do you like mauve lipsticks? What's your favorite everyday lip color?

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The Best Concealer for Every Coverage Level

As I stray further and further from higher coverage foundations, opting for sheer bases or no foundation at all, concealer is really becoming quite important to my makeup routine. I only have small problem areas on my face, so most of the time I like to leave the clear areas bare and use concealer only where I need it - it creates the illusion that I'm wearing no base makeup at all, which is always the look I'm going for. Depending on how I'm feeling and the look I'm going for, I'll need different levels of coverage. I'm super happy with my current collection of concealers and feel like I'm ready for any occasion.

LIGHT COVERAGE | Glossier Stretch Concealer: When my skin is feeling dry and dull, and I don't have too much to cover, the Glossier Stretch Concealer is always the one I turn to. I've heard it referred to as the "tinted moisturizer of concealers," and I definitely agree. It's got the sheerest coverage out of all my concealers, but it just helps to even everything out. It has a super dewy finish, so it adds life to tired undereyes, looks super skinlike, and moves with your face instead of cracking with too much expression.

MEDIUM COVERAGE | Milk Makeup Flex Concealer: The name makes me feel like they were going for a similar vibe to Glossier's, where it's supposed to move with your face and not crack or shift, and they've bumped up the coverage a bit from the Glossier. Out of all the concealer's I'm mentioning this is my most-used and probably my favorite. I like that it has the doe-foot applicator, so it's easy to dot on wherever. It blends equally well with fingers, a brush, or a beauty blender, and it just looks so natural on the skin. This one is excellent under the eyes and on redness, and I like that it doesn't cake up on blemishes too. It won't cover darker acne scars, but it does a good job of evening everything out.

MEDIUM-HIGH COVERAGE | NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer: For awhile, this was my ultimate favorite concealer - I loved it so much that I bought a second shade to mix for my perfect shade match. Despite having the word matte in the name, it has more of a satin finish that doesn't feel drying - in fact, it looks much less dry on my skin than the cult favorite Radiant Creamy Concealer. This gives great coverage and stays put well on blemishes, although I have to be careful to exfoliate beforehand. If I have a particularly angry spot, this won't cover up all the redness, but it does the job enough for me.

HIGH COVERAGE | Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer: This is a new addition, but I'm already hooked. This is a thick, highly pigmented concealer, but it blends out to not look like makeup at all. I love using a teeny bit of a high coverage concealer all over in place of foundation, and this is definitely a new favorite to do that with. Despite being high coverage, it doesn't get dry or cakey on the skin - in fact, it has a slightly more dewy finish. It works equally well under the eyes, on blemishes, and on redness, which is rare for such high coverage. This is going to be a staple all winter long.

HIGHEST COVERAGE | Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer: If nothing else will cover a blemish, I'll reach for this. It's my go-to for pinpoint concealing because you literally need the tiniest pinprick to get complete coverage. I also like that this doesn't have a super matte finish, so again, it doesn't cake up on blemishes. Sensing a theme here? This also works beautifully mixed into moisturizers for a custom lightweight base. When I first got it I was disappointed in the size, but this tiny pot is seriously going to last forever.

What's your favorite concealer?

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