I’ve been slowly testing products that people asked me to test since y’all loved the first edition of this post. I finally have thoughts to share on these two cushion foundations, two blushes, and a lipstick that a few of you asked me to grab in my ongoing attempt to find an alternative to Marc Jacobs Eat It Up. I’m planning on doing this every month, prioritizing chat members’ requests, but I’m always on the look out for things to review!
In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own. Swatches are under a ring light to show true to color (photo #1) and then standard lighting to show the formula a little better (#2) for all the products.
TIRTIR Mask Fit Aura Cushion in 21W and Parnell Cicamanu Serum Cushion in 23W – I’ve been working through testing four cushion foundations, and so far these are my top two picks by a mile. One of the other cushions I’ve been testing is the TIRTIR Mask Fit Red Cushion that I keep seeing everywhere. I don’t recommend that one for dry skin, and a bunch of people told me to try the Mask Fit Aura Cushion instead. It’s way better but between the TIRTIR Aura and the Parnell, Parnell easily wins for me.
I did a few side by side tests with Parnell on one side and TIRTIR Aura on the other, then asked my husband which side looked better. He picked the Parnell side every time. It looks beautiful on the skin, doesn’t break up weirdly, lasts well all day, and makes my skin look better. The TIRTIR Aura is still much better than the Red Cushion, but I find it can break up more throughout the day and just doesn’t look quite as good even on first application.
Shade-wise, TIRTIR Aura in 21W is the closest match I’ve found so far across all the cushion foundations I’ve tried. It’s on the edge of being too light, and it’s still a little yellow, but it’s workable. I tried 20N in another cushion foundation and that was definitely too light so I know I’m getting close. Because 21W was a little light, I picked up 23W in the Parnell. The depth is better, but the shade itself is a little too orange. I’m betting 23N would be a better match for me, but I can make 23W work with a little blue corrector. The good news is that I can wear both the TIRTIR Aura and Parnell without it being too obvious that the shades are off. They blend in well enough, especially if I’m just tapping them on and going.
Dolce&Gabbana Cherry Glaze Bar 24H Glow Blush Stick in Demure Rose – This is one of the products I got the most questions about because it went viral, and everyone wanted to know if any of the shades were actually olive-friendly. I can confirm that Demure Rose is a really pretty everyday pink, but I wouldn’t call it “demure”. In a heavy swatch, it looks much brighter than the name suggests. It’s more of a pinky red than a muted rose. Once it’s blended out, it becomes a very beautiful rosy pink with a lot of glow. It’s still a little warmer than my ideal blush, and I’d absolutely buy a mauvier version if Dolce&Gabbana made one, but this doesn’t turn into the peachy orange situation I’m always trying to avoid.
The formula is also why I keep reaching for it. You can swipe it on, tap it on, or pick it up with a brush. It’s pretty pigmented, so I usually prefer to swipe a brush across the stick and then apply it that way instead of drawing it directly onto my face. The finish is the best part. It has this beautiful glowy sheen that makes my skin look better, but not in a glittery or greasy way. One day while I was testing it, my husband asked if I was wearing highlighter because my skin looked so glowy, and it was literally just that this blush makes my skin look so nice. It also sets down and lasts all day while maintaining its glowiness, which is really hard to find!
nuse Mousse Care Cheek Handy in 05 Dimdumb – This is usually around $10 on YesStyle, and I’m so happy that a bunch of you told me to buy it while I’ve been on my hunt for the perfect muted mauve blush. I wanted something cool-toned, soft, mauve, easy to wear, and nowhere near orange. I don’t want every review to turn into “you need to run and buy this immediately,” because most of the time, you really don’t. But this is one of the rare times where I’m going to say it anyway: if you’ve been looking for this exact kind of blush, you need to get this.
The color is perfect. It’s one of the only times I’ve bought something described as a soft mauve and it actually showed up as a soft mauve on me. It doesn’t turn peach. It doesn’t turn orange. It doesn’t become weirdly bright pink. It’s just this beautiful muted mauve that looks so at home on my skin. I also love the formula. It’s a liquid blush, but it sets down into this skin-like satin finish that looks beautiful and wears really well. It’s easy to work with, it’s buildable, it dries down, and it lasts all day. I have a bunch of nuse blushes now, and I’m probably going to keep buying more because the formula is exactly the kind of thing I want from an everyday blush.
Compared to the Dolce&Gabbana Cherry Glaze Bar, these are very different products for very different purposes. The Dolce&Gabbana is glossy, glowy, and more of a fresh summer pink. The nuse is softer, cooler, more muted, and much more “perfect everyday mauve blush.” I’m very happy to have both. But if you’re looking for a liquid mauve blush under $15, I can’t recommend this one enough. This might be my favorite blush shade I’ve found all year.
Gucci Rouge à Lèvres Satin Lipstick in 219 Mary Mauve – The last product I picked up because you all asked me to is the Gucci Rouge à Lèvres Satin Lipstick in 219 Mary Mauve, mostly because I’ve been trying to find something with the same general vibe as the Marc Jacobs Heart On lipstick in Eat It Up but without the taste (I really can’t handle it, and I’m still jealous if you can).
In swatches, these aren’t exact dupes. Gucci 219 is redder and rosier while Eat It Up has more of that brown-purple depth that made me love the shade in the first place. But on the lips, they’re close enough that I really don’t think most people would notice the difference. And I love color nuance of course. But if you wanted the same moody, wearable, not-orange lipstick feeling and couldn’t deal with the Marc Jacobs taste, Gucci 219 is a really good alternative. The formula is also equally nice, though the Gucci is a little less balmy. The one thing I’ll say is that the Gucci lipstick is also fragranced, but it bothers me much less than the Marc Jacobs taste.
What should I test for the next round? As always, all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.
Makeup and Skincare Reviews 