Tag: dewy makeup

Winter Favorites for When Your Skin is Dry and You’re Really Tired

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on Winter Favorites for When Your Skin is Dry and You’re Really Tired

This winter my skin has been extremely dry and textured, and it’s been one of those stretches where a lot of my usual makeup just isn’t cooperating. Everything either clings to and emphasizes texture, or somehow makes me look more tired than I already am. These are the things I keep reaching for when I want to look more alive with minimal effort. In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

MAKE Beauty Diffusion Dew Skin Tint in 1.5 – Shade wise, this is definitely not quite right on me because it’s way too saturated and too warm. But I still can’t stop wearing it. I’ve mostly stopped thinking of it as a skin tint and started using it as a primer because it makes my (very dry this winter) skin look so much better. It’s extremely sheer, like the original Glossier Skin Tint. At first, I’m wondering if anything is happening. But every time I use it, my skin looks healthier and more hydrated and more even. It blends in about five seconds and so seamlessly, even with the horrible shade match. I’ve found with a bunch of beigey green color corrector, I can get away with this as my only base product, but I do wish they’d come out with more shades. I will note that this has a bit of sparkle/mica/shimmer to it that might bother you if you’re not looking for it, but my skin really needs all the help it can get right now.

MAKE Beauty Diffusion Dew Skin Tint in 1.5

Makeup by Mario Soft Plumping Blush Veil in Berry Punch – This is such a perfect winter blush for me. It’s one of those blushes that makes it look like you slept and drank enough water (couldn’t be me). The shade is such a good berry plum shade that gives that “cold girl” look without looking like you’re wearing a ton of blush. It goes more purple on me than I can get in the swatch but I love how it’s not super bright. The formula blends so seamlessly you can’t see where it starts and stops, and it works really well even over powder. I love to throw it on half way through the day and wake my face back up. I’ve used it alone, under, and over things, and it’s been great every time. It also sets down and lasts pretty well for being a dewy finish product. I discovered during swatching that this actually stains a really pretty soft pink which is one of the reasons it seems to stay so well.

Makeup by Mario Soft Plumping Blush Veil in Berry Punch and Westman Atelier Light Up Highlight Stick in Biscuit

Westman Atelier Light Up Highlight Stick in Biscuit – I normally don’t get this excited about a highlighter but I’ve been loving it so much. Biscuit is a perfect light beige that makes my skin look glassy and hydrated without any weird shifts happening. It also doesn’t emphasize texture and doesn’t mess up any of the products that are underneath. I catch myself in the mirror and think it just looks so pretty. I can swipe it on and blend it out with my fingers or brush or sponge, and it gives that glossy healthy sheen. The only annoying thing is you have to buy the shade Biscuit from the Westman Atelier website, but for me it was worth it because it’s exactly the finish and shade I want and I use it constantly.

Ravie Beauty Soft Definition Longwear Eyeliner in Umber, drawn on (left) and blended out (right)

Ravie Beauty Soft Definition Longwear Eyeliner in Umber – I really need eyeliner to make my makeup look complete, but I am also so terrible at eyeliner. I have given up on it a million times. This is the first eyeliner that has made me feel like I can actually do eyeliner. The formula is soft and blendable, but it still gives definition. I can tightline with it, I can do a thin line, I can smudge it out, I can apply it with 3 hours of sleep. It still looks intentional every time. You have a ton of play time with this formula, which is the main reason I like it. If I mess up, I can blend it away and try to get the look I want without it being a huge mess. That said, once it sets, it sets. I still have proof of these swatches on my arm the next day, even after a shower. I also bought their brush, and it makes it so easy to do my eyeliner. If you want a strong graphic liner, I wouldn’t recommend this. But if you want a soft defined line you can play and practice with that still looks like you know what you’re doing, I highly recommend this.

dae Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream with Taming Wand – I am finally getting into the postpartum hair regrowth stage (yay!), and I have a ton of short little hairs on the top of my head. My hair had been looking absolutely ridiculous no matter how I tried to style it until I picked this up. It smooths everything down so fast, it smells amazing, and it doesn’t make my hair crunchy or sticky. My hair looks so much more put together whether I’m wearing it up or down. I really never knew I needed something like this, but now I can’t go back to not using it all the time.

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.

Setting Spray Showdown Round 2: One/Size, MAC, Milk, Danessa Myricks, Milani, and Hourglass

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on Setting Spray Showdown Round 2: One/Size, MAC, Milk, Danessa Myricks, Milani, and Hourglass

Welcome back to the Setting Spray showdown! This is the second full round in my setting spray showdown series, where I’m testing popular formulas side by side to see what actually makes a difference in real life. I’ll be doing the same makeup, with the same lighting, for at least 16 hours for each test. I’ve also been testing all of these setting sprays for months before doing these elimination rounds. For this round, I did all of the matches in this post since I’ve already talked about each spray at length in previous posts. In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Round 2, Match 1: One/Size On ’Til Dawn Mattifying vs MAC Fix+ Stay Over – This one was honestly frustrating to kick off this round with because these are two of my favorite setting sprays, and I’d genuinely recommend either depending on what you want. If you’re looking for a more matte, smoothed, blurred finish and maximum hold for your makeup, One/Size absolutely delivers. It mattifies, blurs, and keeps everything in place all day. But the MAC Fix+ Stay Over surprised me by keeping my makeup staying looking good just as well as the One/Size while also having a better skin finish. It managed to smooth and blur while still maintaining a hydrated, skin like, slightly dewy finish, and my makeup still stayed together all day. I was really impressed that it held its own against the One/Size while also making my skin look hydrated and natural, so MAC is moving on. Note that I have dry skin and it’s the winter, so if you have combo or oily skin, you might really like One/Size.

Round 2, Match 2: Milk Makeup Hydro Grip vs Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm Spray – I want to be fair to Milk because on its own or compared to plenty of other sprays, it really does work well, but head to head, Danessa Myricks made it obvious which of these two was moving on. The Milk side looked good at the start, but it looked way more textured as the day went on and the makeup seemed to fall apart faster. By end of day, it looked a more broken up on that side, almost like I hadn’t used a setting spray at all relative to the other side. The Danessa Myricks side, meanwhile, stayed noticeably smoother, blurred, and put together all day long. Everything stayed melded and cohesive instead of separating and getting textured. Way more easily than I expected, Danessa Myricks is moving on.

Round 2, Match 3: One/Size Powder Melt vs Milani Make It Last Dewy – This was another round where I really struggled to pick a winner. Right after spraying, Milani Make It Last Dewy looked more natural, while One/Size Powder Melt looked noticeably glassier and glowier. Both melted my powders together nicely, but the Milani felt like it slightly thinned the makeup, while One/Size kept everything more intact at the start. By my 6:30 p.m. check in though, most people I sent photos to actually preferred the Milani side because it looked smoother, even though the One/Size side held the makeup a little better. By the end of the day, both sides honestly still looked great and I’m not sure you’d really be able to tell the difference. So, I’m giving this round to Milani for that tiny bit of a smoother, less textured, more natural finish overall, and the huge price difference between them. The One/Size is still one of my favorites, and I will absolutely be finishing this bottle, but I feel confident recommending the Milani for a dewy, melt your makeup together spray.

Bye round: Hourglass Veil Soft Focus moves on. Because of the number of sprays in this showdown, one of them had to get a bye round this time, and Hourglass Veil Soft Focus is the one moving on automatically based on how the bracket shook out. I don’t mind at all, because it was one of my favorites from Round 1, and I’m excited to see how it stacks up against the Milani Make It Last Dewy.

Who’s moving on from this round: MAC Fix+ Stay Over, Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm Spray, Milani Make It Last Dewy, and Hourglass Veil Soft Focus.

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.

Setting Spray Showdown Round 1, Match 3: Milk Hydro Grip Dewy Setting Spray vs. e.l.f. Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on Setting Spray Showdown Round 1, Match 3: Milk Hydro Grip Dewy Setting Spray vs. e.l.f. Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray

This is the third match of the first round in my setting spray showdown series, where I’m testing popular formulas side by side to see what actually makes a difference in real life. I’ll be doing the same makeup, with the same lighting, for at least 16 hours for each test. I’ve also been testing all of these setting sprays for months before doing these elimination rounds. For this round,  I tested the Milk Hydro Grip Dewy Setting Spray against the e.l.f. Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray. In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.

Today’s match is one I’ve been excited about because I’ve seen so many people say the e.l.f. is a dupe for the Milk. During my testing of them up to this point, I honestly liked them both pretty evenly, although I have been reaching for the Milk more. It’s actually almost half way empty even with all the setting sprays I’ve been test. Both sprays have a nice even mist, which I was pleasantly surprised by since the Milk is a mini and the e.l.f. is drugstore. Both sprays also smelled really nice, like being in a spa. Right away, the Milk spray felt more hydrating and the e.l.f. dried down noticeably faster. It honestly felt a little dry even before makeup was fully set.

By 11:30 AM, there was a super clear difference. The Milk side looked much more natural and hydrated in a way that made my skin look really healthy. The e.l.f. side looked dry and emphasized texture in places that normally don’t show any. It wasn’t stark, but I could definitely tell when they were side by side. When I asked my husband which side looked better, he chose the Milk side too without knowing which was which.

By the end of the day, the finish on both sides looked honestly looked pretty similar. The Milk side had basically caught up to the e.l.f. side in terms of looking too dry and textured instead of soft and blurred or staying dewy and hydrated. One thing that did stick out was the difference was in how the makeup held up. The Milk side stayed intact, while the e.l.f. side had much more wear and breakdown. Even though the finish evened out after 16ish hours, the Milk side still clearly held my makeup together better, and I could tell a huge difference side by side.

Who’s moving on?
If you want a setting spray that keeps your makeup looking hydrated, natural, and fresh while locking it in for the day, Milk Hydro Grip is the clear winner. The e.l.f. Power Grip does an okay job, but it couldn’t match the performance of the Milk, especially in how it handled texture and wear over time. The finish became dry way earlier and didn’t keep my makeup looking great all day. Even when the finish looked the same at the end of the day, the Milk side held the makeup itself noticeably better. I promise I found a drugstore gem, but for this one, the Milk Hydro Grip moves on!

Stay tuned for the next round and more chances for drugstore products to move on! 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.