I wanted to do a post about the products I’ve actually been reaching for over and over when I’m not testing something else. These are the things I’ve been using almost every day, even if they aren’t perfect. They’re super reliable and easy to use, and they also just make me feel pretty and put together with very little work.
In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own and I bought all these products myself. 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.
L’Oréal True Match Super-Blendable Foundation in W2.5 – My arm swatches were not doing this shade justice so I decided to show a photo of half my face with and without the foundation instead. Hopefully it’s easier to see how it actually looks on me. I did a side by side of the photo and then the same photo with this very professional green line so you can see exactly where the foundation starts – it’s on the bottom half of my face. W2.5 is described as a warm light-medium, and it’s a touch too yellow and a touch too deep for me, but it blends into my neck really well. If I weren’t nitpicking the match because I test so many base products, I probably wouldn’t notice. That said, it also definitely doesn’t turn Cheeto orange on me like a lot of foundations described as warm do and so I don’t have to color correct which is awesome. I would skip this particular shade if you’re a cool olive, but if you’re a more saturated warm olive, I think it’s a really good option.
The formula is also just really nice. It self-sets, smooths out my skin, and gives me enough coverage to make a difference without looking like a lot of foundation. You can hopefully see in the photo it color corrects the redness on my face and makes everything match my neck while being pretty imperceptible. It’s basically what I want out of a skin tint, except with more coverage, and it happens to also be affordable.
Lilybyred Luv Beam Cheek Balm in 14 – I was using the Leemember Cheek and Lip Cream in Y03 a bunch before I got this and thought that was a pretty perfect blush color for me. Until I tried the Lilybyred, which is actually the perfect blush color for me. The Lilybyred is a much cooler pinky purple and just works so much better with my skin. The formula is also really easy to use with a brush or fingers and lasts pretty well for a cheek balm. It also works by itself or as a base for another blush without having issues layering. I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by how much use I’ve been getting out of this one.
Soshe Blurring Pillow Bronzers in Bronze Linen, Olive Bronze Drift, Bronze Speakeasy, and Bronze Dusk – I already love the Soshe blushes so much, and these are that same really lightweight cream to powder formula that is my personal favorite. They’re really easy to blend, super blurring, and set down nicely without looking too dry. I’ve mostly been wearing Olive Bronze Drift and Bronze Dusk as bronzers and Bronze Speakeasy as a blush. Bronze Linen isn’t quite right for me because it’s too peachy orange, and I can confirm it also goes orange on some of my green, blue, and purple friends. Most shades are sold out on Soshe’s site but Ulta has almost all of them right now!
I also swatched Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Bronzing Powder in 90, Olive Bronze Drift, Bronze Dusk, and Marc Jacobs Legally Bronze Powder Bronzer in 20 next to each other since they’re all pretty similar. Marc Jacobs in 20 is actually the most traditionally bronzey on me and this helped me see why I still love that one so much. It has enough brown warmth so that it looks like what I expect bronzer to look like on my skin without going too orange (Armani), green (Olive Bronze Drift), or rosy (Bronze Dusk). If I could have Marc Jacobs 20 in the Soshe formula, I’d be so happy. That said, these are all great on me and blended out, it’s really hard to tell the nuanced differences between them.
I also swatched Gucci Bronzing Powder in 02 and 01, Fara Homidi Essential Bronzer in Bois, Bronze Linen, and Bronze Speakeasy so you can see how the rosier shades look against a couple popular rosier bronzers. Honestly right now in the summer, none of these is a good bronzer shade for me. Gucci 02 and Linen are definitely too orange or peachy, and the other three can all be used as blushes or transition type powders.
Bobbi Brown Crystal Eyes Shadow Stick in Pink – I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this one if you want to wear it by itself because it can get a little patchy, but I really like it as a topper. This is one of the sparkliest eyeshadows I own, and I’ve been throwing it on constantly. It’s definitely a super chunky glitter formula rather than a smooth shimmer so I would skip this if you’re not into a chunky glitter. I personally am very into this level of sparkle right now.
It has pretty good staying power, but honestly it’s so sparkly that I don’t really care if it moves around or creases a little. These swatches are absolutely not doing it justice. I have one of the darker shades as well and find that one even patchier and harder to apply, so I’m still not sure I would recommend every shade in the formula. Pink specifically is really easy to use and stays a really pretty pink instead of going orange or peach on me. Did I mention it’s just really sparkly and glittery?
What have you been reaching for lately?
Makeup and Skincare Reviews 