Tag: beauty favorites

2025 Product Fails And What I’d Buy Instead

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on 2025 Product Fails And What I’d Buy Instead

I was going to do a full “worst products of 2025” post, but honestly I didn’t have enough fails to do one. It was an amazing makeup year, and I’ve had way more great products than bad ones. That said, I’ve been collecting the products that really didn’t work for me in a bin all year, and these are the five that really stood out as not working for me (and what I’d recommend instead). In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Instead of the Sephora Collection Color Shifter Strange Botanicals Palette, Try the Half Magic Eyeshadow Singles – This palette is such a cool concept. I bought it on sale because it was really inexpensive, and I thought it would be a fun way to try Sephora Collection palettes. But all of the mattes are patchy, hard to blend, and super uneven. The shimmer shade is fine, but pretty flat. It’s the kind of palette that makes you feel like you’re really bad at doing your makeup, and then you remember you own other shadows that basically apply themselves (like my beloved Byredo Bibilophilia palette).

Sephora Collection Strange Botanicals, Half Magic Blushing Lizard, Wet Pebble, and Sparkle Puff

The one topper shifter shade in the palette is actually really pretty (it’s the fifth shade in). It’s smooth, shifty, and performs well. But I think it’s better to just find your perfect shifty topper and buy that because you probably already own a bunch of mattes you love that perform way better. Specifically, I would recommend the Half Magic single shadows, especially since they have way more shades to choose from. I have Blushing Lizard, Wet Pebble, and Sparkle Puff. Look how much prettier and sparklier and smooth they are than the Sephora Collection Shades. I’d rather buy one amazing topper that can also be a gorgeous single shadow than buy a whole palette where I only reach for one pan.

Instead of the Make Beauty Heat Stroke Blush, Try the the Make Beauty Cream Stroke Blush – I wanted to love the dewy Make Beauty Heat Stroke Blush stick especially since I have dry skin. The formula ended up being more work than I want to do with a blush stick. The formula can get patchy and a little sticky, and even though the finish is nicely dewy, I don’t love how it sits on my skin. It also was really hard for me to find a shade that I thought would work well with my olive undertones, and even with Swelter being the best option I could find, it still doesn’t feel quite right on me.

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Heat Stroke Blush in Swelter, Cream Stroke Blush in Major Mauve and Hypernude

The Cream Stroke Blush sticks, though, I’m so happy with. I have Major Mauve and Hypernude, and I love this formula so much more. It’s easy to swipe on, easy to blend, and the finish is blurring without being too matte. It’s not sticky at all and lasts much longer than the Heat Stroke blush. The shades also actually look great with my olive undertones. Major Mauve is a terracotta leaning mauve (they describe it as an “Earthy Mauve”) that works perfectly with my olive undertones. Hypernude is peachy beige that definitely leans orange/warm on me but is perfect for when I want to do a warm look on purpose because it doesn’t go all the way to Cheeto orange like a lot of blushes do. I’m so glad they came out with this new blush stick formula, and I’m planning on grabbing Chroma for the summer. If you’re looking for something dewier that has a great formula, I’d recommend the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush.

Instead of the Ulta Beauty Collection Pressed Finishing Powder, Try the Canmake Abloom Face Powder – I was really excited about this one because I am always hunting for great affordable powders, and powders are my most read category on here. On my skin, the Ulta Beauty Collection finishing powder looked textured and drying without actually doing anything blurring, smoothing, or setting. It also feels a little too pigmented to work as a soft-focus finishing powder. If you’re looking for an Hourglass or Givenchy style powder, this is not the one. If you want to something similarly affordable that is actually a great finishing powder, I’ve been loving the Canmake Abloom Face Powder in shade 3. I’ve been using it just as much as my favorite luxury pressed powder from Givenchy, and it’s been working the exact same. Related, I’ll be doing a bunch of KBeauty reviews soon – let me know if there’s any products or brands you’re interested in reading about!

Ulta Beauty Collection Pressed Finishing Powder and the Canmake Abloom Face Powder

Instead of the e.l.f. Black Cherry Sheer Slick Lipstick, Try the Finding Ferdinand Delicious Balms – This one is supposedly a dupe for Clinique Black Honey, and I have worn variations of this shade family for years. Now that I understand my undertones and color theory better, I can see why it has always felt slightly off on me. I also know that it turns weirdly orange on some of you, and generally just isn’t a universal shade. Beyond the shade, I really do not like this formula. It feels a little drying, it does not apply as smoothly as I want a “sheer easy balm lipstick” to apply, it can look patchy, and it’s just not comfortable. And honestly, I didn’t love the original Clinique Black Honey formula either for the same reasons.

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e.l.f. Black Cherry, Finding Ferdinand the Black Balm and Lucky Cat

The Finding Ferdinand Delicious Balms are absolutely what I’d recommend instead (and you can use my affiliate code liftbakelove10 for a discount.)I showed the Black Balm and Lucky Cat in the swatches, but there are more shades if you’re looking for something warmer, cooler, more berry, more lavender, etc. The formula is so much better. They go on smoothly, feel comfortable, actually nourish the lips, and they smell amazing. The shades feel more dialed-in and nuanced than all the Black Honey dupes, and it’s much easier to find something that works for your undertones. I also like mixing the Black Balm and Lucky Cat to get a deeper black cherry tone that works for me.

Instead of the Ulta Beauty Collection 5-Pan Eyeshadow Palettes, Try the Colourpop 9-Pan Palettes – Ulta’s small 5-pan palettes are absolutely fine for an affordable eyeshadow palette. There’s nothing terribly wrong with the one I have, but it’s also just not amazing. And since they’re $14, and ColourPop’s 9-pan palettes are also $14, I would go with a ColourPop 9 pan every time. Not only because the formula is better, but you also get more shades. The eyeshadows are easier to use, have more consistent pigmentation, and overall just more fun to work with. Hopefully you can see how the mattes in the ColourPop shades are smoother and more pigmented and the shimmers are sparklier. Both brands go on sale often, but even at full price, I would choose ColourPop every time for the formula. If you’re willing to spend a little more for a mini palette that feels truly high quality, I love the Natasha Denona minis. I absolutely love the Mini Retro and Mini Glam palettes, and I would happily spend the extra $10 for any of those.

ColourPop Going Coconuts on the top (plus the four on the right) and Ulta Beauty on the bottom of the first five

What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog and some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

Products I Didn’t Expect to Love But Keep Reaching For

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on Products I Didn’t Expect to Love But Keep Reaching For

I’ve been testing a bunch of new products lately for some upcoming roundups and posts, and I wanted to share 5 of them that have genuinely surprised me with how good they are. I didn’t expect any of these to wow me as much as they did, but I’m so glad I tried them. In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Josh Rosebrook Vital Balm Cream – My skin’s been feeling unusually rough and irritated lately, and I grabbed this on a whim hoping for something calming and nourishing. I swear it worked overnight. My skin looked and felt noticeably smoother and more moisturized the next morning. Even my husband commented that my skin looked better, and my makeup applied better too. It has this an extremely thick and rich texture that somehow doesn’t feel suffocating (even though I thought it would). It somehow just calms everything down, and I’m seriously impressed.

Milk Makeup Hydrogrip Primer – After a few all-day wear tests, I can confidently say that this works amazingly well to keep my makeup looking great all day. It seriously extends the wear time of makeup, especially in tricky spots like my nose where foundation tends to fade first. It isn’t drying, layers beautifully under multiple foundations I tested, and spreads easily with a smooth, slightly tacky finish that helps makeup grip and stay in place. I also tested it side by side with the ELF version. They’re almost the same but I find the Milk lasts even a little longer (you definitely don’t need to run out and grab this if you have the ELF though!).

Makeup Forever Artist Color Crayon in Endless Cacao, Dior Contour Stick in 01, Westman Atelier Contour Stick in Biscuit

Makeup Forever Artist Color Crayon in Endless Cacao – This might be the only contour shade I’ve found that actually looks like a shadow on my olive skin. It doesn’t have any weird orange undertones as you can see from the swatches compared to the Dior and Westman Atelier contour sticks. It’s cool-toned and just sheer enough to build up and blend without any harsh lines. The crayon format makes it super quick to use, though it’s a super chunky for detailed contouring. I’m a little worried about how usable it’ll be when the tip wears down, but for now, it’s doing the job really well. It also doubles as a lip liner or eye pencil if you’re into multipurpose products, but again, I don’t know how easy that’ll be with how chunky of a stick it is.

Finding Ferdinand Lashlift Mascara (*gifted) – I hadn’t used this for awhile but am trying it again for a future tubing mascara round up, and I had forgotten how much I love it. This tubing mascara was the first that I tried that was much lighter weight than the Thrive mascara. I love that my lashes don’t fall as quickly and keep a curl much longer than with the Thrive. This is currently in my top spot because not only does it hold a curl longer than the Thrive mascara, it holds a curl longer than all of the other tubing mascaras I’ve tried and stays the entire day. I’ve bought a few of these myself, but the current tube I’m using was gifted by the brand.

Sephora Collection Totally Juicy Lip Tint in 12 – I grabbed this during the last Sephora sale and totally forgot to report back on how it is. It dries down quickly, feels moisturizing, and leaves behind the most even, long-lasting stain I’ve tried in a while. It’s super low-maintenance and easy to apply. It doesn’t feel as high stakes as some other lip tints I have. There’s a faint scent, but it fades fast and isn’t overwhelming. Shade 12 (described as a deep brown nude) is on the darker side even for my high-contrast coloring, but it’s gorgeous freshly applied and wears down into a beautiful, soft stain as you can see below. I really want to check out some of the other shades now especially since this is only $14.

What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

Viral Products that actually are that good

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on Viral Products that actually are that good

When a beauty product goes viral, I’m often very skeptical—but these five truly live up to the hype. They’ve consistently impressed me by performing exactly as promised and effortlessly fitting into my routine. Let me know if there are other viral favorites I should test out next! In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Products swatched from left to right in the order listed below except for the Givenchy powder

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Contour – I love how natural it looks because it sheers out really nicely and is easy to blend. I can even if I apply it directly from the doefoot to my face without having to worry about it sticking anywhere or getting patchy. This doesn’t look too muddy on me or like I accidentally got dirt on my face. Gentle is described as a cool taupe but it does go fairly warm on me. As someone with olive undertones, I usually end up with a brontour or accidental bronzer so I’m not surprised, and this is at least cool enough that I can I still use bronzer with it. It doesn’t go orange on me, and when it sheers out, it does add some nice definition to my face. The swatch above is without it being blended out so you can really see the color – it does have a little bit of a green grey tinge to it but hopefully you can see how much of a bronzer shade it is on me.

Givenchy Prisme Libre Blurring & Color-Correcting Matte Pressed Powder in 03 Voile Rose – I loved the Givenchy Mini Prisme Libre Loose Setting and Finishing Powder in 3 Voile Rosé and was so upset when they reformulated it. I had to try the powder version to see if it lived up to the loose powder. I wouldn’t say it’s quite as good, but it’s about 95% of the way there. It blurs and mattifies without drying out my skin or looking powdery, which is perfect for someone with super dry skin like myself. It’s only doing a small amount of mattifying (so I wouldn’t recommend this for oily skin as a main powder) but I love how it’s able to do what I want a powder to do without adding any heaviness or getting cakey.  It also provides a bit of brightening for me in this colorway, but I mostly love it because it is just a really fantastic pressed powder. This is one of the more expensive powders I own, but it’s worth it to me because of how well it works and how often I reach for it.

Half Magic Glitter Puck Pressed Fairy Dust Eyes, Face + Body – This is one of my favorite eyeshadows now. It’s absolutely stunning and viral for good reason. It has a wet base so there’s no fallout. It’s incredibly easy to work with and use your finger to apply. I can’t express how sparkly it is. It’s just so pretty. I love using it alone and over other eyeshadows. I’ve tested it over creams, eyeshadow sticks, and powder eyeshadow and haven’t had any issues. Dopamine Sparkle is a light peach with champagne reflects that I love for berry/pink/mauve leaning looks and Cyber Diamond is a platinum silver that I love for cool-toned and brown/beige looks and for the inner corner.

Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek Blush Stain – This is a stain, so once it dries down, it’s incredibly long lasting. That also means that you have to be careful how you apply it if you’re going to use it as a blush. I don’t find that you can wear this over powder, but it works great over a moisturizing primer or skin tint. That all said, the way I really love using this is as a lip stain. It goes on super evenly and is really lightweight. It works well alone or under other products. The stain is very long-lasting but fades without getting patchy. Splash is a beautiful berry shade that is great for olive skintones.

Gisou Honey Infused Hydrating Lip Oil in Glazed Plum – This is as good as everyone says they are. These are very moisturizing, nourishing, and conditioning in a way I didn’t expect. It’s also longer lasting than I thought it was going to be. This shade is very sheer but you do get a wash of color. The glitter is subtle with just enough to add a pretty reflective shine to your lips. I think it makes my lips look amazing if I’m being honest, and it’s not gritty at all. It also smells really nice (if you like honey). I’m honestly thinking of getting more shades even though I definitely don’t need more lip products.

What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.