Tag: complexion products

5 Products I’m Decluttering And What I’m Keeping Instead

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on 5 Products I’m Decluttering And What I’m Keeping Instead

I was originally going to do something else this week, but I realized I had so many products sitting in my declutter drawer that I just don’t really want in my collection anymore. Most of these products are perfectly fine (and you might love them) but they got replaced by something that works much better for my skin and preferences. I never end up reaching for them, and they would be much better off with a friend. In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Instead of the Dior Forever Skin Perfect Stick in 1.5N, I’m keeping the Rare Beauty Soft Matte Foundation in 10 – The Dior stick foundation formula is totally fine, but the shade is just a bit too warm and orange on me. I can get away with a complexion product that’s a little too warm if the formula is nice enough, but this one doesn’t play super well with any of my blue color correctors, which is normally what I do if something is too orange. The Rare Beauty Soft Matte Foundation is what I’ve been reaching for instead. Since it’s a liquid foundation, it’s not technically a one-to-one replacement for a stick foundation, but it fills the same role for me when I want that more matte satin, perfected skin kind of base. I have only had it for a little while (I got it in my Sephora sale order) and have only worn it a couple times, so this isn’t a long term review. The shade match is so much better, and it blends in without needing any color corrector. I also just like the formula better. This is one of my favorite matte foundation finishes I’ve tried in a long time because while it is matte and blurring, it’s not too drying. It really looks nice all day. I even tried it without primer or anything hydrating underneath  just to see what it would do, and even on my very dry skin, it only broke up a tiny bit. I also really like the packaging, which is a pump that locks. This makes it really easy to travel with or throw in a bag. I could not get the swatches to show up true to color no matter what lighting (indoor, outdoor, any room) I tried but I can confirm that my husband literally couldn’t even tell the Rare beauty swatch was on my arm.

Dior Forever Skin Perfect Stick in 1.5N and Rare Beauty Soft Matte Foundation in 10

Instead of the Bubble Secret Agent Color Correcting Balm Redness Fix, I’m keeping The Saem Cover Perfection Pen Concealer in Green Beige – The Bubble corrector is one I might not recommend for anyone, but if you love it, let me know in the comments. It has this weird watery texture, and when I blend it out it turns into this beigey orange that’s also green, it doesn’t do a good job of cancelling redness. I end up with a weird orangey red blotchy situation that is not what I’m looking for at all. The Saem one is so much better. It’s a perfect beigey green that actually neutralizes redness while still blending into my skin instead of sitting on top looking obvious. I also like the texture so much more. It just makes a lot more sense on my skin, and I would never use the Bubble over the Saem. 

Bubble Secret Agent Color Correcting Balm Redness Fix and The Saem Cover Perfection Pen Concealer

Instead of the ColourPop So Juicy Plumping Glossy Lip Oil, I’m keeping the NYX Jelly Job Lip Gloss in Jelly Frost – I know the ColourPop gloss/oil  is supposed to be plumping, but for me, it’s just really uncomfortable without doing any plumping. If a lip product is going to sting, it needs to also look good enough for me to work through the pain. This one doesn’t make my lips look better or nourish them, and it hurts. It doesn’t last especially well (probably because it’s more on the oil side than gloss or balm), so overall it’s just not a product I enjoy using. The NYX Jelly Job gloss is such a better drugstore option for me. It feels nourishing, lasts well for a gloss, and I really like shade Jelly Frost specifically because it has a slight blue tone to it. It’s not a pH adjusting gloss that turns bright pink, and that tiny bit of coolness is really helpful since I can use this on top of lip products that lean too warm for me. 

Milani Cheek Kiss Blush Stick in Luminouso and Lisa Eldridge Blush Balm in Cinnamon Bun

Instead of the Milani Cheek Kiss Blush Stick in Luminouso, I’m keeping the Lisa Eldridge Blush Balm in Cinnamon Bun – This one is an easy declutter for me. Obviously the shade is not right for me, but honestly the texture is just as much of a problem. It looks patchy and splotchy on my skin and never really in the way I want it to. The Lisa Eldridge Blush Balm in Cinnamon Bun is so much better on me. Caveat that I understand this is much more expensive but it’s so worth it to me. Cinnamon Bun is this perfect sunburned rusty reddish brown that looks so natural and so at home on me. It gives me that healthy, warm, I’ve been in the sun look without going Cheeto. I also love the formula. It goes on so quickly and easily and blends seamlessly with my skin. You can hopefully see how much smoother it is than the Milani. I actually love the formula so much that I now have four of the Lisa Eldridge blush balms, and I’ve been using them almost daily. 

Milani Cheek Kiss Blush Stick in Luminouso and Lisa Eldridge Blush Balm in Cinnamon Bun
One/Size Cheek Clapper 3D Blush Trio in Rich Betch and Morphe Cheek Thrills Multi-Finish Face Trio in Honeymoon Suite

Instead of the One/Size Cheek Clapper 3D Blush Trio in Rich Betch, I’m keeping the Morphe Cheek Thrills Multi-Finish Face Trio in Honeymoon Suite –  Since I bought the Morphe blush trio, I haven’t reached for the One/Size one once. Both of these are trios with a cream blush, a matte powder blush, and a sparkly blush, and the packaging is basically the same. There is nothing really wrong with the One/Size one, but the Morphe one definitely kicked it out of my rotation. The Morphe formula works better for me, is easier to apply and blend, and feels less high stakes. The color story of the Honeymoon Suite trio is a set of cool toned mauve blushes, which looks very at home on my skin. I think the One/Size one might be better in the summer since I do tend to like a red/brown blush (like Cinamon Bun!), but it just always looks a little off on me. The Morphe trio also happens to be half the price, so you could get a warmer and a cooler version if you wanted the option and have spent the same amount of money. 

One/Size Cheek Clapper 3D Blush Trio in Rich Betch and Morphe Cheek Thrills Multi-Finish Face Trio in Honeymoon Suite

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.

The Complexion Products I Keep Reaching For

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on The Complexion Products I Keep Reaching For

I was going to do a post about the products I’ve really been using day to day, and once I looked at the list, it was basically all complexion products. These are the ones I kept reaching for because they either work really well with my skin or help balance out products I already have that don’t quite work with my olive undertones. In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Milk Hydro Grip 12H Hydrating Gel Stick Concealer in 2 – I bought this hoping it would work for my under eyes, and it absolutely does not. On me, it really does not sit well there at all and emphasizes all my texture and lines. But as a spot concealer, I’ve actually been using this a lot more than I expected. It’s close enough to my skin tone (it’s almost a perfect match on my face), it blends in really easily, and it gives me that effect where I can tap a little on something and it just disappears. This was not what I wanted it to be, but it still ended up becoming a product I use all the time. It’s what I always wanted in the Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer but in a good shade for me and works on my dry skin.

Milk Hydro Grip 12H Hydrating Gel Stick Concealer in 2 and Lisa Eldridge Pinpoint Concealer Micro Correcting Pencil in 5.5

Lisa Eldridge Pinpoint Concealer Micro Correcting Pencil in 5.5 – This fills a really similar role for me to the Milk concealer, but in a more precise format. I’ve especially been using it around the outside of my lips after seeing Lisa Eldridge show that trick as a way to naturally created a “lifted lip look”, and now I do it constantly. It just cleans everything up and makes my lips stand out more. I also reach for this if I have one tiny spot or one tiny area I want to perfect. I really like both of these concealers, but this is the one I want when I need more control. I love that Lisa has so many great shades for olive undertones (can confirm this matches my face even though my arm isn’t the same color).

Tfit Translucent Set Finishing Powder in Green – I’ve mostly been avoiding powder because my skin has been so dry and textured lately, but I keep using this anyway. It’s been my go to finishing step when my makeup looks a little off. If my complexion is looking too pink, too red, or just not quite right compared to my neck, this helps pull everything together. If something is clearly too orange, I use blue (more on that next), but if it just looks wrong and I can’t fully tell why, I use this green powder. Especially for the price, I’ve been really impressed with the texture and finish too. I tried to swatch it but it blends in so well with my skin, you can’t see anything.

Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Corrector in Blue – I still use green color corrector for redness, but blue has been the thing that helped me most with foundations and concealers that turn orange on me. I just add a tiny bit to anything that runs too warm, and it pulls it back to something that works a lot better on my skin. I also use this at the end of my complexion steps if my face is still looking too orange compared to my neck. This is one of the most useful products I added this year, and I use it almost every day.

Also, I’m working on a longer post about this, but I want to throw out there that your makeup does not have to match perfectly. It’s okay if it’s a little off, and you don’t have to spend all your time color correcting everything. But if you already have a lot of products that don’t quite work, I really like having one blue corrector I can use instead of buying even more foundations and concealers.

Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin Liquid Foundation in 3W before and after adding Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Corrector in Blue

Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin Liquid Foundation in 3W – This is too orange on me straight from the bottle, but the depth is right, and once I add a little blue corrector, it becomes a much better match. The formula is the reason I keep reaching for it. It sits so nicely on my skin, blends easily, and wears well all day. When I’m not actively testing something else and I just want my makeup to look good without much effort, this is the foundation I grab. I especially like it with the Tower 28 Swipe Serum Concealer in BW from my last post.

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.