Tag: beauty

Two years ago, I wrote about my favorite setting and finishing powders for dry skin. Since then, I’ve tested a lot more powders, decluttered a lot of them, and gotten much pickier about what I actually want powder to do, so I went through everything again. I narrowed it down to 5 pressed powders and 11 loose powders. I’m starting with the pressed powders, and the loose powders are coming next because I had a lot more to say there with my recentish love of blue, green, lavender, and pink powders.

For this post, I’m focusing on pressed setting and finishing powders together because I tend to use very lightweight powders that are basically all finishing powders that also do a little setting. Two of these are still in my top picks from the last time I did this, and there are three other newer favorites that earned their spot in my collection.

In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own. I skipped swatches, and you’ll just have to trust me you really can’t see the differences in photos but I did try! 

Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur Talc-Free Waterproof Translucent Pressed Setting Powder in Translucent – This is still my favorite pressed powder for actually setting my makeup. I feel the exact same way about it that I did two years ago, which is that no matter what I do, it never feels like I put too much of this on. It sets just enough, takes down shine just enough, and never makes my dry skin look heavy, cakey, or flat.

The biggest thing for me is that it’s actually translucent. It doesn’t add coverage, change the color of my makeup, or make anything pull weird on my olive skin. It does have a tendency to hard pan, but you can easily fix that with a piece of tape. I wouldn’t recommend this if you have oily skin and want serious oil control. It’s only doing a small amount of setting and mattifying. But for dry skin, especially if you want powder without looking powdered, it’s still the one I reach for the most.

*You can use YOURGREENFRIEND for 20% off on the Laura Mercier website, which I’m pretty sure happened specifically because I love this powder and talk about it all the time. Thank you as always for your support and making it so I can do this!

Kosas Cloud Set Baked Setting & Smoothing Talc-Free Powder in Airy – This is also still one of my favorites, and I’m 0% surprised. If the Laura Mercier is my favorite true pressed setting powder, Kosas is the one I reach for when I want something softer and a little more finishing powder adjacent. It has a tiny bit of coverage, a tiny bit of glow, and it smooths everything out without taking the life out of my skin. I have the shade Airy, and on me it doesn’t pull orange, peachy, dusty, or dry. It just makes my makeup look a little softer and more finished.

Compared to Laura Mercier, this feels more like makeup in the best way because it adds that little bit of coverage that the Laura Mercier doesn’t. I still use both constantly. Laura Mercier is the one I grab when I want the most invisible setting, and Kosas is the one I grab when I want my skin to look smoother and a little more perfected.

Givenchy Prisme Libre Blurring & Color-Correcting Matte Pressed Powder in 3 Voile Rosé – The Givenchy loose powder I talked about in my original post was discontinued, which is rude because it was absolutely perfect. I’ve tried a lot of powders since then, and while nothing is exactly the same as the original loose Prisme Libre, the pressed version in 3 Voile Rosé gets very close.

I’ve reviewed this before and said it was about 95% of the way there, and I still feel that way. It blurs, lightly mattifies, and brightens without making my dry skin look powdery. It’s especially good for summer dry skin because it takes down just enough shine without turning everything matte.

This shade gives me a little bit of brightening, but it doesn’t look obviously pink or chalky on me. It’s not doing a ton of oil control, so if you want a powder powder for oily skin, this probably isn’t it. But if you loved the original Givenchy loose powder and want a pressed version that captures a lot of what made that formula special, this is the closest thing I’ve found.

CANMAKE Marshmallow Finish Powder Abloom in 03 Plumeria Wreath – Annnnd this is the powder that made me realize I didn’t actually need the Givenchy pressed powder. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I have the Givenchy. It’s beautiful. It feels fancy, and I love using it. But the CANMAKE Marshmallow Finish Powder gives me such a similar effect that I use them interchangeably. If I used this and the Givenchy with my eyes closed, I’m pretty confident I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference on my face. The Givenchy is gorgeous, but I’d be just as happy with the CANMAKE, and it’s so much less expensive.

It has that same smooth, softly blurred, slightly glowy but not actually glittery finish. It takes down shine without making my skin look dry, and it makes my makeup look more polished without looking like I added a visible layer of powder. I have shade 03, which has pink, yellow, white, green, and blue in the compact. That combination works really well for me because it brightens without turning chalky, pink, peach, or weird on my olive skin. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette Volume 1 – This is the powder I use all the time and never talk about because it’s $75, but going through all my powders reminded me how much I really do love this palette. Volume 1 has mini pans of Dim Light, Incandescent Light, and Radiant Light. You can use the shades separately, but I usually just mix all three together and use it as my final step.

This isn’t really a setting powder for me. It’s my one true finishing powder. I use it when I want my skin to look airbrushed, when I want everything to blend together, or when I’ve finished my makeup and it just needs that last smoothing layer.

This just makes my skin and my makeup look better, so it’s really an investment in all my other products. That’s how I’m justifying it, and honestly, I stand by it. This is also the powder I reach for when I’m having trouble blending cheek products together but don’t want to add more blush, bronzer, or coverage. It smooths everything together without adding obvious color. Of all my finishing powders, if I could only keep one, it would be this.

What’s your favorite pressed powder right now?  As always, all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

Summer makeup is all about looking like you spent more time on your face than you actually did. When it’s this hot outside (90s F here), I’m trying to use as few products as possible. Since I know myself and that I’m still going to use some kind of tinted sunscreen/skin tin and/or concealer, a brow product, and mascara, I need everything else to be super minimal. I want one product that can do almost everything else: cheeks, forehead, and lips too. 

That’s where cream blonzers make so much sense to me, and I’ve been super into them lately. I want a single cream product that adds color, warmth, shape, and a slightly more alive look without making me think too hard. The problem, as always, is that a lot of bronzy blush products go very orange on me. My olive skin turns “warm and sun-kissed” into “why does it look like I put Cheeto dust all over my face” very quickly. I pulled together four cream blonzers I’ve been using for my minimal, too-hot-for-anything-else summer face. I don’t know why I haven’t seen more people talk about this category, because this is exactly what I want from summer makeup. 

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.

Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick in Coco – This is the one I would tell the green friends to look at first. Coco is annoying to describe because it’s not just brown, pink, purple, or tan. It’s kind of all of those things at once. It has this rosy purple-brown tone that works as a contour, but it has enough of the rosy/warm shift of color that I can blend it higher into the blush/bronzer area and not feel like I’m wearing a gray stripe on my face.

On me, this is the perfect olive skin version of the cream blonzer idea. It gives me some sculpting because it is cooler and more muted, but it still gives a faded, sun-kissed, slightly reddish warmth without turning orange. The formula is also beautiful. It blends easily, sits down well, and looks smooth on the skin. It also lasts very well. The only thing that keeps this from being my ultimate go to is that this is the least dewy and least comfy on the lips (it’s not supposed to be because it’s not a lip and cheek product, but I’m team use products how you want unless they come with warning). 

Lisa Eldridge Velatura Balm Dewy Lip and Cheek Stick in Cinnamon Bun – This is the one I reach for the most. The color is not quite as perfect for me as Coco, but it goes on so easily, and no effort is the name of the game when it’s hot out and you’re trying to do 5 minute makeup in your car. 

Cinnamon Bun is sheerer than Coco, as well as warmer, redder, and glossier. It is less sculpting and more “I went outside and got a little flushed.” It gives me a glossy red-brown wash of color that makes it look like I actually slept and drank water (I didn’t), and it works really well on both lips and cheeks.  I can put it on without overthinking placement, blend it with my fingers, and end up looking better in about 20 seconds. I really do love this formula (I have 4 shades and might just grab the 5th one for an in-depth review at this point). It’s also absolutely the best of these as a lip product. 

That all said, the biggest downside for this one is wear time. It doesn’t last as long as the other three on me, but for quick summer makeup, that’s not a huge issue, and it just looks so pretty. 

Haus Labs Color Fuse Glassy Blush Balm Stick in Glassy Cinnamon – This was the first product that made me fall in love with the whole cream blonzer category, so I still have a soft spot for it. Glassy Cinnamon is the warmest one here and the closest to orange in the swatch, but blended out it turns into a really pretty terracotta brown. On my skin, it gives more warm bronzy blush than anything close to contour, so I like it best when I want the look to very sun-kissed.

The formula is great. It blends easily, lasts pretty well, sits down nicely, and works well over other products. I have three of these and use them all the time. I’m just more hesitant to recommend this specific shade to green friends because it has the highest chance of pulling orange of everything in this post.

Versed Everything Balm Complexion Color in Canyon – This is the most affordable by far and also the one I’d get if you want your look to lean more blushy than bronzy. Canyon is the closest to a regular blush because it has so much more pink in it, but it still gives that soft sun-touched effect. It’s not as sculpting as Coco or as rusty as Cinnamon Bun, but it’s the least likely of these to go orange. It also really makes my skin look so pretty in a very effortless way. The formula blends seamlessly, sets down much better than I expected from this kind of balm format, and works well on the cheeks and the lips. 

Because it’s so much pinker, I like this the least on my forehead compared to the others, but none of these are perfect. I’m hoping this helped you pick one if you were in the market because you definitely don’t need all four of these! But I would love more muted red/rosy browns, red-browns, purple-browns, and not-orange bronzy blushes personally if y’all have any recommendations for ones you love! 

As always, some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

I very rarely buy this much from one brand all at once. Usually, I build up to a brand review over time. I’ll buy one thing, use it for months, buy another thing, keep testing, and then eventually write the review once I feel like I have enough real experience to give y’all a “real person wearing this in real life all day” review. That is one of the things I really care about here. I never want to swatch something once and call it a review. I want to know what happens when I do my makeup in the car, when I put something on at 5 a.m. and need it to last until 11 p.m., when I’m chasing my toddler, when I’m trying to get ready quickly, when I’m doing a long workout, and all the other normal life things that make makeup behave very differently than it does in a perfect first impression scenario.

All to say, I know these products just launched, and I would normally take way more time with them. But so many of you wanted to know what was worth buying, which shades were olive-friendly, which formulas were good, and whether the relaunch was worth the wait, so here we are. I bought everything myself, and I did buy more than I normally would because of the questions I got on Substack (thank you for all the questions and feedback!). 

One note on the packaging before we get into the products: across the board, the packaging is very fun. These feel like little art pieces, and if I had a smaller collection or displayed my makeup, I would probably love having them out. As someone with a lot of makeup and not enough storage, they feel super bulky. They’re harder to store because they’re all interesting shapes and not flat, compact products, which also doesn’t make them easy travel products. They’re also much lighter than I expected. I’m not mad about that because heavy luxury packaging is not always the easiest to use, especially if you have any dexterity issues. But I was expecting the blushes and lipsticks to feel weightier in the hand and less drugstore-weight.

And with all of that, here is my review of a bunch of the new Marc Jacobs products, starting with the products I’m super excited to keep using, then moving into the ones I can take or leave, and ending with the one that honestly makes me mad.

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. 

Legally Bronze Talc-Free Blurring Powder Bronzer in 10 Light and 20 Light Medium – The bronzer in Light Medium is easily my favorite thing I bought from the Marc Jacobs Beauty relaunch, no question. I originally bought Light because I figured Fair would be too fair for me, and then I was chatting with people on Substack and someone mentioned that Light Medium was the perfect bronzer color, so obviously I had to know and bought that one too. They were right.

The formula is really great. It’s buildable, blurring, and easy to throw on. It’s not so sheer that I have to work forever to see it, but it’s not so pigmented that I’m scared of it, and it blends out easily without looking patchy. Light is honestly pretty orange on me. It’s not horrible, and it doesn’t look terrible once it’s blended out because the formula is so good, but it’s not the bronzer color I was hoping for. 

Light Medium though – I am not exaggerating when I say I have considered getting rid of almost every other powder bronzer I own because this is what I always wanted bronzer to look like on me. It has this rosy brown tan thing going on, but in certain light there’s also a slightly green, olive-friendly undertone that makes it look like it was made for my skin. It gives me warmth without turning orange even a little bit. I swatched it next to some of my other favorite bronzers (shown here next to the Gucci 01 classic for reference), and hopefully you can see how special it is. Most bronzers on me either go too orange or too pink or otherwise don’t look like bronzer is supposed to look on my skin. they look closer to blush. Light Medium actually looks like bronzer on me.

I’ve worn Light Medium every day since I got it, and this is the product from the relaunch I would buy again immediately. If you have similar undertones to me but you’re paler, I’d look at Fair before Light. If you’re a light-medium olive who struggles with bronzers turning orange, Light Medium is really, really special.

Born Star Cream-to-Powder Long-Wear Eyeshadow in Serving – This is the next product I loved, and mostly because of the formula. It goes on super easily with a finger or a brush, doesn’t need a ton of building, and stayed on me all day without creasing, even without primer. It’s such a great one-and-done eyeshadow because it gives enough impact to look like I did something special without a ton of effort. 

The shade isn’t what I expected based on the swatches online, but it’s still really pretty. Serving ends up being an everyday warm brown on me, but not too warm. I’m a little disappointed it isn’t pinker, but the good news is that it doesn’t go copper or  Cheeto dust on me. It also has a little bit of a mauve undertone, which makes it work really well with the berry, mauve, and rosy blushes I tend to wear. It has a bit of a blue reflect but it’s not super strong. 

If you want something similar but a little cooler and more pink, I’d look at the Half Magic Single Eyeshadow in Blushing Lizard. Blushing Lizard is also sparklier, much less expensive, and has a stronger reflect. Serving is smoother and more everyday to me, while Blushing Lizard gives you more obvious sparkle and dimension. I’m very happy I bought this, and I would buy more shades because the formula is great. I just don’t think there are many other colors I actually need, especially with the eyeshadows I already own. I’ve also heard a lot of the other neutral shades run warmer than this, and Serving is already pretty warm on me.

Money Shot Multi-Use Illuminating Gel Highlighter – This is lower in the ranking not because I don’t love it, but because I really wouldn’t tell everyone to run out and buy it. The formula is awesome. Even though it’s a gel, it actually sets down and stays all day. I was worried it would stay tacky or move around, but it wears way better than I expected. It works exceptionally well tapped over another eyeshadow as a topper.

I wouldn’t use it all over the eye on its own. When I put it directly on my lid without primer or another shadow underneath, it looked a little patchy and pooled in some places. It just wasn’t as smooth as I wanted it to be. Over something else, though, it’s perfect. The color/effect is exactly why I love it. I love a super sparkly eyeshadow so much, and this is right up there with my favorites. It’s very sparkly, cool-toned, and has this blue-purple-green reflect that is basically the sparkle of my dreams. In person, the blue comes through much more than it does in photos. The blue reflect helps cut anything too peachy or warm, and it gives that bright, shiny sparkle I’m always hoping for.

I did also use it as a face highlighter, and I think it’s really fun if you’re a person who likes a very sparkly cheek and has an occasion for that. I’m not into that kind of look, so for me, this is really an eyeshadow topper. I’m really happy I got this, but I completely understand that a blue sparkly gel highlight situation is not for everyone.

Joystick Buildable Cream Blush Stick in Last Word and Self Centered – I can really take or leave these. The formula is really pretty, balmy, sheer, and easy-to-build up. The finish looks nice when I first put it on. The problem is that my face eats these so fast. On me, they last maybe an hour, even if I set them with a powder blush, which is disappointing.

I’m still happy I picked up Last Word. It’s a cool purple that actually stays purple on me, which is weirdly hard to find for green friends. A lot of purple blushes end up looking pink once they’re on my face, but this actually adds purple, so it works really well when I want to cool down a blush look or dial back some yellow without using a purple powder. Sometimes I just really don’t want to add more powder and want to bump up the dewiness of a look instead, and this is perfect for that.

Self Centered is fine, butit’s warmer than I expected and not as mauve as I wanted. On me, it’s more of a terracotta/bricky learning mauve, which is pretty, but also very much something I already own in formulas I like much more. I also think the formula Last Word is smoother and easier to work with, while Self Centered looks a little patchier on me. I’m keeping Last Word because the color is really useful for me, but I’d skip Self Centered unless that warmer bricky shade is really missing from your collection.

Heart On Long-Lasting Soft Shine Lipstick in Eat It Up – This one is so frustrating. The formula is beautiful. It feels balmy and nourishing, swipes on easily, and looks smooth on the lips. It is comfortable and wearable in every way I want this kind of lipstick to be. And the color is perfect. 

I swatched Eat It Up against MAC Alone Time, Victoria Beckham Pose, Ravie Zinnia, Ravie Dahlia, Merit Bespoke, Merit Archival, Merit 1990, Merit Slip, Bite Beauty Pepper, Bite Beauty Chai, Givenchy 16 Nude Boisé, Lisa Eldridge Toasted, Westman Atelier Soda, Westman Atelier Onyx, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Blush Balm Lip Tint in 90s Kiss, YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick in 15 Showcasing Nude, MAC Pink Peppermint, MAC Signature Move, MAC Velvet Teddy, MAC It’s Personal, and Queen of Musia Becky Sharp, and nothing was quite the same.

On my olive skin, it reads like a muted, desaturated, grungy mauve that doesn’t go anywhere near orange. It is so good. So why am I so mad? I will never get over how this lipstick tastes. The fragrance is there, but it’s not horrible. At first I thought I could handle it. But the longer I had it on, the more I felt like it just wasn’t worth it. The taste lingered in a way that was really not okay. I was still updating friends hours later after taking it off because my mouth had a terrible aftertaste. I truly can’t remember even noticing the way a lipstick tasted this much ever before.

I also have it on good authority that there are other people who could not handle the taste either (hi fellow support group members!!). If you can handle it, I’m so jealous, and please enjoy the fantastic shades. I’m still glad I got to compare it because the shade really is harder to dupe than I expected, but I still don’t think I’d recommend it unless you are truly not bothered by this specific lip product taste. I’m going to keep hunting for a dupe.

What products should I test next? As always, all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored. I bought everything in this post myself. 

I’m about to do a bunch of big roundups so I’m taking a little break and just sharing the makeup I’ve been throwing on every day because I’ve had a lot of very early meetings and a toddler who really doesn’t want to leave on time. These products help me look more awake pulled together fast without having to think too hard or worry that something will look off or unblended. 

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. 

IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm in 120 – I’ve been reaching for this a lot lately because it’s just so easy to throw on, and my skin looks really nice when I wear it. When I don’t have time to work with a more traditional foundation + concealer situation, this gives super pretty sheer, skin-like coverage like a tinted moisturizer but even easier to work with. It blends really quickly and easily and doesn’t need to be powdered. Shade 120 works well enough on me for fast makeup since it’s not too orange or pink that I need to fix it. This is exactly the kind of base product I want when I need to look pulled together without spending a lot of time on my face.

Glossier Cloud Paint Gel Cream Bronzer in Swept – I honestly forgot I had this, and pulling it back out reminded me why I liked it so much. Swept is such a good quick summer bronzer shade for me because it adds warmth and bronze without going too orange or being too gray or contour-y. It’s actually quite rosy on me. The gel formula blends out quickly, looks natural, and doesn’t take much effort at all, which is exactly what I want when I’m trying to pull together a look quickly. 

Victoria Beckham Crease-Proof Eyeshadow Stick in Pecan – This is one of my favorite one and done eye products. I can swipe it on, blend it out quickly with my fingers, and it actually stays all day exactly where I put it. Pecan is a really good brown that stays brown on me, with a tiny hint of green that works really well with my olive undertone. It has warmth, but not in a Cheeto way, and I can wear it alone or tap a shimmer on top if I want it to look like I did more. 

Merit Flush Balm in Postmodern – Postmodern is described as a pink brown but on me, it’s an easy red cheek shade that makes it looks like I did way more with my makeup than I actually did. It’s a bright enough red that it’s a “cheek look” and still actually works with my olive undertone instead of fighting it. It also has enough blue and pink in it that it stays fresh and natural instead of turning orange or tomato-y. I love the Flush Balm formula because it’s so easy to swipe on and blend, and it gives a hydrated cheek look without getting overly dewy. I also love that this works well as a lip product, and I can get a really put together look in about 10 seconds. 

Merit Signature Lip Liner in Bauhaus – I already have this liner in Brownstone, and it’s one of my favorite lip liners, so I knew already that I loved this formula. I’m so excited to have another color in the range. Bauhaus is a deep cool plum, and I truly can’t imagine it going orange on anyone. It’s purple, but in a lip contouring way that I can blur it out and make my lips look fuller and more defined without it looking harsh. It works especially well with Postmodern because it adds a layer of cooler depth and keeps the red cheek/red lip look from feeling one dimension. Unsurprisingly, Merit also knows these go super well together and you can get them in the Cool Plums trio that also comes with the Shade Slick in Tabby. 

Caliray Lipguard SPF 31 Hydrating Gloss Balm in Big Sur – This is the SPF lip product I’ve been keeping in my pocket now that it’s sunnier out and using as my finishing step (especially because my office has a giant window). Big Sur is such a pretty rosy brown-pink with a little warmth that doesn’t go Cheeto orange. Because it’s sheer and glossy, it just adds a light rosy tint. It feels moisturizing, lasts pretty well for a glossy balm, and isn’t overwhelmingly sticky. It doesn’t taste amazing but it’s way better than every other SPF lip product I’ve tried so far. 

*For those of you who saw the Substack note I posted with this actual look and want to know what mascara I was wearing, I can share soon but it’s pretty great.

What products should I test next? As always, some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.