Tag: makeup

I honestly could write an entire book about the products at Sephora I love and would recommend for the sale, but I decided it would be way more fun for me to write (and for you to read) about the products I’m just excited about right now. And I’ll just limit that list to products that also happen to be available at Sephora so they’ll be on sale starting this Friday for Rouge and 30% off Sephora Collection for everyone. I still love many of my favorites from my April sale post, and I also did reviews of newer products at Sephora on Monday this week. I have one more Sephora sale related post coming up next week and then we shall return to regularly scheduled programming (concealer tournament is coming back!).

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.

Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur Loose Setting Powder in Mint (Sephora, Laura Mercier) – This is my most frequently used new loose powder. New being the important word because I’m still using my beloved but discontinued Givenchy Prisme Libre powder, and I haven’t found anything quite the same yet. However, I have been absolutely loving this Laura Mercier powder specifically because the color is perfect. The mint tone subtly neutralizes redness showing through makeup and helps when a base pulls too pink without being lime green (seriously why are some green powders so bright?). I still rely more on blue correctors for orange foundations, and if I have a foundation that’s still too orange after I used a blue corrector, I’ll throw on a blue powder.

But a lot of the time now, the foundation matches my neck, but I still have some surface redness peeking through that just makes everything look a little off or a little too pink. So I can use this to make my face and neck much more harmonious by cancelling any red tones. I also have been loving using the Caliray So Blown primer with just a little bit of the Mint powder for a blurred and even no makeup situation that’s very, very fast to do.

*I’m including a link to the Laura Mercier site because you can use my affiliate code YOURGREENFRIEND to get 20%, which would be a better deal if you’re not Rouge.

Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting and Laminating Eyebrow Gel in Deep Brown – I have very thick, fluffy, stubborn brows that really don’t like to stay where I put them for even a few minutes. So, I usually use a tinted brow gel so I can get the tint I want and then a clear brow gel to get the hold I want. This is the first tinted brow gel that I’ve used that can reliably tint my brows and also hold them all day so I only need to do one step! Deep Brown also doesn’t pull warm, which I really appreciate. I still absolutely love the clear Rare Beauty brow gel, but now that it comes in a tinted version, I love it even more.

Marc Jacobs Legally Bronze Talc-Free Blurring Powder Bronzer in 20 Light Medium – Anyone who knows me knows I love this bronzer. If I’m looking for a bronzer that’s going to give me that sun-kissed look like I have an actual natural tan on my green skin, this is the one. There’s only one other bronzer I’ve been using lately which I’ll talk about next. This bronzer shade is just so hard to find in a formula that works this well. It’s blurring, it builds easily, and it just always looks good. 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.  Green friends who have tried this bronzer range have also confirmed that 20 is a better shade than 10 for them because 10 is pretty Cheeto on us, even if they have a paler skin tone than I do.

Fara Homidi Essential Bronzer in Bois – When I do a cooler toned look and want a bronzer that’s really harmonious, this is the bronzer I reach for. I haven’t touched any of my other rosy bronzers since I bought this. This adds a little bit of warmth in a way that makes a cool look feel cohesive instead of like I added sun-kissed glow on top (which I’ve tried – it really sticks out in a way I don’t like). When I’m doing something more neutral, beigey, or on the warmer side, I always reach for the Marc Jacobs bronzer. But when I have a lot of cool toned purple or silvers or grey, I much prefer the way the Fara Homidi looks.

There is quite a bit of mica in this formula, so you can build it up a bit too much where it starts to look too shiny and almost grey. I like to apply a setting or finishing powder first on all my cream/liquid layers and then apply this on top. My other caveat for this one is that it is really expensive, so I got the refill instead of the actual case. It’s been working great so far but you do have to be careful to line up the refill into the case or it’s impossible to close. If I were getting this on sale at 20% off, I would probably just get the version with the case.

Natasha Denona HY-GLAM Brightener in B2 – I have spent years trying color correctors and brighteners because I have very, very dark undereye circles. They’re a deep yellow-brown color that really can’t be corrected with the normal peachy shades made for blue/purple undereyes. I’ve tried Kosas, Sarah Creal, a bunch of K-beauty products, and so many others. So far, Natasha Denona in B2 is far and away the one I’ve used the most (when I’m not testing concealers by themselves). This works as a really solid color corrector for me because it’s a cool pink tone and it also gives meaningful coverage so it works as a corrector, not just a brightening shimmer or a sheer color veil.

I do think this formula can be a little drying if you are part of the super dry skin with especially dry undereyes club. I think it makes a big difference how you prep for this product, which brings me to my favorite companion discovery – the Innisfree Vitamin C Niacinamide Brightening Eye Serum. It has a cooling metal roller that helps with puffiness in the short term. And the formula seems to make a huge difference in how products look on my undereyes because it hydrates and smooths out the undereye area before I’ve done anything else. I also really think my under eyes are more hydrated and less puffy overall since I picked this up in the last Sephora sale. And that’s with getting very limited sleep this year.

Marc Jacobs Drawn This Way Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in You Wish – I’m always on the hunt for an eyeliner that is super easy to use in a shade that’s not quite black and not quite brown. And I think I found it! This liner works with almost any eye look without the starkness of pure black or warmth of many brown liners. You have enough time to play with this before it sets down if you want to smudge or soften it, and then it stays put all day. I’ve found that I can also use it for tightlining with no transfer or other issues. This has honestly become my default eyeliner (although I will be picking up that new purple shade of the Sarah Creal eyeliner because I do also love that formula).

Westman Atelier HydroBalm Sheer Tinted Lipstick with Peptides and Hyaluronic Acid in Soda and Onyx – To quote past me – “Every time I put either of these on, I immediately think “damn, that looks good” which is very rare for me.” These are some of my top shelf lip products (literally they sit on the top of my vanity shelf, whereas most things are in drawers or cabinets or somewhere on the floor). I’m always testing tons of new lip products, but I go back to the HydroBalms when I want something that I know will look and feel great every time and is super easy to throw on. This formula is smoothing, nourishing, and  comfortable, as long as you’re okay with a slight mint sensation. I find that these don’t emphasize any dryness or lip lines, and because it’s a sheer tinted lipstick, I don’t have to worry about doing a whole lip routine for them to look good. I can even wear them without any makeup as a lip balm.

Perhaps most importantly, I absolutely love these colors. Soda is a pigmented cool brown and Onyx is a perfect sheer purple brown berry. Neither of these go orange. I’ve written about Soda and Onyx before so I won’t go on a whole monologue here about them but I would absolutely pick these up if I didn’t already own them.

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Believe – Despite my constant blush testing, this is my most worn blush of 2026. It’s the one I always throw in my bag when I’m travelling and is one of the only blushes I’ve worn and gotten compliments on. It’s a perfect true mauve that turns into a rosy beige on me. It feels so at home on my skin and never goes orange. I also really love this formula. It’s long wearing after it dries down, it has a subtle amount of radiance that isn’t too dewy, and it’s really easy to work with once you get used to how pigmented it is. I also recommended this blush in this shade in my April favorites, and it deserves a spot here too.

Sephora Collection will be 30% off during the sale, so I wanted to do a little bonus section with a couple of products I’m super excited about (and bought at full price – would buy at full price again, but you should get these on sale).

Sephora Collection Cloud Blurred Matte Lipstick in 01 Cloud Whisperer – This is another great shade for rosy/mauve/purple/cool-toned looks because it’s a rosy cool toned pink that isn’t too purple or too brown (not that I don’t love a purple or brown lip!). I actually always bring this lipstick while I’m traveling because I know it’ll work well with my go-to rosy-beige look. The formula is also super comfortable and non-drying even though it has a beautiful blurred matte finish. I very much recommend this formula in general, especially with the 30% sale because it’ll be around $11.

Sephora Collection All That Glimmers Eyeshadow Palette – This has a surprisingly interesting mix of wearable neutrals and some more interesting colors that make this more special, like an olive green and a blue shimmer. It’s really easy to make an everyday look or something more fun (or honestly both, you can wear blue eyeshadow whenever you want!). There’s a mix of satin feeling shimmers and glittery sparkly shades so it does have some variety even though it’s an all shimmer palette. You can use these for one and done looks or wear them together – they’ll blend much better than Sephora Collection palettes I’ve tried in the past. I’ll be honest that I’ve been reaching for the Danessa Myricks palette constantly, but every time I’ve used this one from Sephora Collection, I’ve really loved the look. It’ll also be $14 on sale so if you’re looking for something under $20 at Sephora, this is my pick.

What’s in your Sephora sale cart? As always, all links are affiliate links that support the blog and some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

So why did I embark on the ridiculous task to map out 24 skin tints and foundations and almost destroy my skin the process? Today, almost everything is described as skin-like, natural, radiant, or buildable, and it’s difficult to know how those words compare or what they actually mean. As I was trying to come up with the base products I was planning to recommend for the Sephora sale, I realized that having a chart like my Tubing Mascara chart would be way more helpful than reviewing each one alone – a foundation can look dewy next to one product but relatively natural or even matte next to another. Something can seem sheer until you put it next to something that’s REALLY SHEER.

So, like a normal totally sane person, I put all 24 skin tints and foundations on my face at the same time so I could compare them on the same skin day on top of the same skincare. I compared the patches as they settled over the course of a few hours, essentially doing 24 head to head wear tests. This helped me confirm placements for the map but rest assured this is informed by many, many wear tests (some over the last couple of years depending on how long I’ve had a particular formula).

After trying many ways of organizing these, I decided to place them all on the map on these dimensions:

• X-axis: visible coverage from one normal application, sheer to full. I have more info on the level of buildability for each in the individual reviews.
• Y-axis: how visibly matte, glowy, or wet/dewy the foundation looks, even after it’s set down (if it sets down at all). I’ll talk about whether it feels drying, hydrating, or sticky in each of the reviews.

For reference, I have super dry skin with texture and fine lines. Keep in mind everyone’s skin and the climate can affect finish, wear, comfort, etc. but I hope that this will give you the info you’re looking for if you’re looking for a new base product!

My arm is also a different color than my face so I will do my best to describe shade matches in addition to the swatches – the thing I learned doing this is that arm swatches can be super misleading because of this which is why sometimes a swatch looks perfect but then it looks bonkers on you. I shall be doing more in store testing in 2027!

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.

Before I get into 24 foundation reviews, a couple of “that’s too long, I’m not reading that” shout outs: I know I said I wasn’t going to pick a favorite, but I do absolutely have a favorite neighborhood of the map. The area with Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, MAC Skin Tint Stick, m.ph Le Skin, Armani Skin Tint, Lisa Eldridge Skin Tint, and Ciele Tint & Protect really showed me how much I personally gravitate towards a light to medium coverage product that has a “my skin but better” kind of finish. If you also have dry skin and just want your skin to look good without looking overdone, I highly recommend one of these.

I fully expected both the REFY Skin Base Hydrating Gel Skin Tint and the L’Oreal Tinted Serum to be luminous and glowy and amazing. The REFY ended up being super flat looking on me, even though it feels like it never dries down. The L’Oreal Tinted Serum is actually matte on me, like…completely dries down to the least reflective base product I’ve tried in a long time. I know other people love both of these, but I have tested them so many times, and just need to be honest about where they fall on the map.

Less Coverage + Radiant

Shiseido RevitalEssence Skin Glow Foundation SPF 30 in 130 Opal – Starting off with the dewiest and the sheerest, this is the one I’d pick if you’re looking for something that keeps looking radiant all day. It doesn’t really set down and stays moveable, so if that would bother you, I’d move down in the chart. But if you want a visible wet glow, I really love this one – it’s beautiful on the skin even though it doesn’t provide that much coverage. 130 Opal works well with my undertones, and this is so sheer it’s not a huge deal that it’s not a perfect match.

Givenchy Prisme Libre Glow Serum Foundation in 0.5N – The Givenchy Foundation has almost as much glow as the Shiseido, but with much more coverage (relatively speaking). This was super promising when I first started testing it, but it really seems to settle in lines and emphasize texture as I wear it throughout the day. It also stays pretty sticky, and it doesn’t seem to do well with powder. I would love to know if you’ve had better experience with this one but I’d rather sacrifice a little bit of dewiness and move down the chart to get some of the “still-dewy with similar coverage without being…wet” options. 0.5N is a bit too light but based on the swatches it seems like the best option (maybe 1.5W would be better?).

IT Cosmetics Do It All Hydrating Sheer Tinted Moisturizer Balm in Fair Warm 120 – This is my go to for when I want something that looks like my skin but nicer. It’s pretty sheer and a little radiant without being too dewy or shiny. It settles down more than the Shiseido and really blends in with my skin. I find this formula so easy to work with (it’s been a staple for my five minute full face routine especially when I’m low on sleep and need something that looks good fast). Fair Warm 120 is honestly a really good shade match for me, although I think part of that is because it’s sheer enough that getting a perfect shade match isn’t crucial.

ciele tint & PROTECT SPF 50+ in 03 Light (Sephora, Ciele) – When I had all 24 of these on my face at the same time, this is the one my husband said looked the best. And I do think that if you want glowy skin with some actual coverage (even if it’s only light and buildable to medium), this is a fantastic option. It does wear really well, and it settles down to a skin-like finish that’s radiant without being wet. 03 Light is a little too warm for my undertones, but it’s light enough coverage that I can make it work or I can always add a little bit of blue.

Armani Skin Tint Longwear & Care in F3 – I know I’m going to say this about a lot of these, but I also really love this one. I’ve actually almost finished this, which is saying a lot (I mean look how many foundations and skin tints I have). This has light coverage but it can definitely be built up, and it stays radiant and glowy without being sticky. Like the Ciele, it also actually sets down and doesn’t transfer everywhere (looking at you Givenchy). F3 is a little warm and not especially olive, but it’s super wearable with its coverage level, and I think it’s still probably the best match in this formula. I still like to add a little blue, but other than a couple of these, that’s pretty par for the course. As you’d expect, the skin tint is more luminous than the Armani Luminous Silk foundation, which has more coverage and less dewy finish.

Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint in T1.5, T5, and T9 – Is the Lisa Eldridge Skin Tint also one that I love very much and is one I’ve repurchased and wear all the time? Yes, yes it is. It has about the same amount of coverage as the Armani Skin tint but dries down a bit more, so it really just looks like my skin but hydrated and perfect. It doesn’t stay wet or pick back up and works so well with any other makeup I’m using. As I talked about in my dedicated Lisa Eldridge brand review, none of these shades are really my shade but I can make any of them work if I mix them together. It’s worth it to me for the texture and the finish. I also love using 1.5 as a mixer with basically anything else even though 1.5 on its own is a bit too light.

mixsoon PDRN Collagen Tinted Moisturizer in No. 21 Soft – The description of this sounded so promising, and I’ve loved having it around when I’m having a bad skin day. It’s a little heavy and thick, but unlike some of these other “dewy but with not super sheer coverage” products, it’s actually very nourishing and hydrating instead of just staying sticky and wet. It’s more radiant when I first put it on, but it settles into a glowy finish that looks really nice. I definitely prefer the way the Lisa Eldridge Skin Tint looks on my skin in general, and it’s one I reach for more even though I like how the mixsoon tint makes my skin feel. Shade 21 is a little too light and bright for me even though shade 21 is usually a pretty good bet. I’m hoping this will be a better match in the winter, especially when I’ll want this for my extra dry skin.

MAC Studio Radiance Skin Tint Stick in Light Medium 1 (Sephora, Ulta, MAC) – I was so pleasantly surprised when I got this because this shade is absolutely perfect. Like I’ve never had something that matched me like this before, and if you want a reference for the actual shade of my face right now, that’s it. I really hope the green is showing up in the swatches but my undertones but actually make it harder to see because it’s actually at home with my undertones and doesn’t do anything weird when it hits my skin. I also do really like the formula. It has sheer coverage when you first apply it but I can get it to build to medium coverage (I think this is really meant to be a skin tint in stick and not go full coverage). It starts out fairly radiant and then settles into a slightly glowy but not too glowy finish as it dries. It looks really smooth even on my textured dry skin, and even though it has lighter coverage than some of these other ones, it looks so nice and it’s so easy to apply and blend. *It’s entirely possible it looks great on my skin because it’s actually the color of my skin but a lot of you that I’ve chatted with seem to love this too.

m.ph by Mary Phillips Le Skin Weightless Serum Foundation in Medium 130 O – This is one of my new favorites. The coverage of the m.ph foundation is light to medium, and the formula has a slight sheen that’s pretty close to the MAC stick’s radiance. It’s more radiant than the Armani Luminous Silk foundation (which I’ll get to next), and it’s far less wet looking than the Shiseido or Givenchy. It also actually dries down. It sits so well on my skin when it settles in, and it just looks so natural and skin-like. Medium 130 O is definitely olive and would have been my absolute perfect match until the MAC stick showed up (it’s just ever so slightly a better match). I think both are going to be a bit too dark for the depths of winter, but for my Spring/summer/fall skin, I’m so thrilled to have ones that match so well.

Armani Luminous Silk Natural Glow Blurring Foundation in 4 (Sephora, Armani) – I have to be honest that I did like the original Luminous Silk foundation better than this reformulated version, even though I do like and wear this version often. It sets down beautifully and looks like my skin with foundation but not in a bad way. In a “I refined my skin and made it look better on purpose” kind of way. This has light-medium coverage; more coverage than the MAC stick but still in the same general family of coverage and finish. Honestly, shade 4 looks pretty good when I’m wearing it by itself. I noticed it was slightly too peachy pink only because the MAC and m.ph are such good matches for my undertones. I still have a feeling there’s a better shade match for me, but this one works really well (especially with a little bit of blue).

More Coverage + Radiant

Versed Skin Solution Multi-Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 in 4W (Ulta, Versed) – I still have pretty mixed feelings about this one. It has surprisingly substantial coverage for a skin tint – it can build to almost full coverage even though you can also apply a fairly sheer layer if you really spread it out. That said, it really does stay really wet looking and doesn’t set all the way so if you build it up, it somehow ends up both looking really shiny and cakey. But it is very radiant in a thin layer and can look really beautiful if you don’t use too much (really, don’t use that much!). 4W is a pretty good match for me in the summer even though it’s a little bit too yellow and deep right now. I can make it work in a sheer layer though.

Hung Vanngo Red Carpet Skin Luminous Longwear Serum Foundation in 5 – I reviewed this pretty recently so I won’t go too in-depth but the summary is that this is a ton of coverage from a very small amount of product, and it stays very dewy on me. Which sounds like a really great thing to have on hand, but it bunches up and emphasizes every little thing on my face. I promise I tried this with the smallest amount possible with many different application techniques but it just doesn’t work well with my skin. If you’re into this formula though, shade 5 does actually have some green in it.

VIEVE Skin Nova Complexion Balm in 140 Light Warm – If you’re looking for something that has more coverage and is radiant without being too glowy, the VIEVE Complexion Balm is a great choice. It’s radiant without being wet, and it sets down to a really nice satin finish with a little bit of radiance. It also has quite a bit of coverage for this type of finish. It’s medium and buildable, although you can sheer it out if you want to. I just don’t wear it that often because 140 is just straight up peachy pink on me, and I’ve found so many other things that are a better match that it doesn’t make sense for me to wear it that often. But I really wish I could find a shade that worked!

MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream and B.B Cream Pro SPF 42 PA+++ in No. 13, 21, 23, and 25 (Ulta, Yesstyle) – Speaking of finding a shade that works, somehow, the foundation I own the most shades of out of all these is the MISSHA BB Cream. I love its hydrating, balmy texture. It’s a little thick, similar to the VIEVE, and looks more obviously like makeup than the truly skin-like tints, especially with its medium coverage. But it settles into a glowy finish without staying wet, and I’ve been wearing it a ton since finding a shade that works. Shade 25 is shockingly orange on me, 23 is closer but a little too peach, and 13 is too light and bright. Shade 21, as I should have known, is a great match. I’ll probably be giving away the other three, but I’m so happy to have something like the VIEVE in a shade that actually works. This and the VIEVE both have a pretty strong fragrance so be aware if you don’t like that, don’t get either of these.

about-face The Performer Skin-Focused Foundation in F2 Olive and L2 Olive – I’ve loved the about-face foundation since it first came out, mostly because it was one of the first foundations to offer olive shades that were actually olive. F2 is still a really fantastic shade even though it’s a little light for me. Now that I have a lot of actually olive, actually green shades, L2 looks actively orange, which sometimes happens with olive shades that are a little bit too deep. It could also be because I’m getting more into my winter shades. That said, this is a beautiful medium-coverage foundation that has a little bit of radiance without being too glowy. It’s more reflective than some of the others, like the Luminous Silk Foundation, but it’s still in the general natural-finish area. It has a really thin, serum-like formula that my dry skin really likes, and this is one of the foundations I still reach for when I’m not quite sure what I want to do and just want something that I know is going to look good and be easy.

L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Skincare Infused Foundation in W2.5 -If you’re looking for something closer to medium/medium-full coverage that’s buildable and on the slightly glowy but not quite dewy side, this is such a great option. It helps that it’s also affordable, but I just find it really hard to find something that has this much coverage and still has a slightly radiant finish. Especially compared to everything else in this quadrant, it’s one of the least makeup-y looking products. It’s similar to the about-face in that it settles to a really nice satin but slightly radiant finish, and it looks great on my skin. It doesn’t look as heavy as the VIEVE, MISSHA, Hung Vanngo, or Versed. W2.5 is a pretty good match, and if I’d never tried the MAC or m.ph, I would still think it’s a really great match. Those are just so perfectly green that now W2.5 looks a little peachy in comparison. But it works great, and I can also add a little blue if I need to. This is also way more skin-like and less matte-looking than the Nude Tinted Serum and about half the price.

MAKEUP BY MARIO SurrealSkin Natural Finish Foundation in 3W – On me, the Makeup by Mario foundation is solidly in that not quite matte, not quite glowy natural skin finish. I would say that of all the foundations in the chart, REFY and this are the only ones I’d actually describe as having a natural finish, whereas all the others are either more glowy or more matte. It’s smoothing, it’s flattering, it looks like my skin, but it still has solidly medium coverage that noticeably covers my freckles without looking like it’s high coverage. I think other people find it more glowy, but with my dry skin, it just settles into this really lovely natural (again, actually natural, not marketing natural) finish. 3W was a really good shade match in a vacuum, especially when I first tried it because I didn’t know how close of a match I could actually get. I still really like this shade, but I always add a bit of blue color corrector now, and that makes it work really well on my skin tone. Anything I’ve said before about this not needing any color corrector? I was wrong. I just hadn’t been introduced to the likes of MAC and m.ph yet.

Less Coverage + Matte

REFY Skin Base Hydrating Gel Skin Tint in 140 N (Sephora, REFY) – I’ll be honest that I haven’t worn this much since I initially tested it. There’s just no contest between this and most of the other skin tints on the chart. The others (except for the one I’m going to talk about next) give such a beautiful skin like finish and generally have around the same amount of coverage. I expected the REFY to be dewy and luminous, but instead it just looks really flat like it’s sitting on top of my skin. It’s not matte matte, but it’s just on the dryer side of a natural finish. Shade 140 N is also pretty orange on me, but I think even if it were the right shade, there’s something about the way this dries down that just doesn’t work with my skin.

L’Oréal Paris True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum Foundation in Light 2–3 – I honestly do not understand this product. It starts out a little glowy, like you’d expect, but then it dries down so matte. It’s one of the most matte products in this entire group. The formula feels so nice and weightless but it looks so dry and bunchy and weird on my skin. I love the regular True Match Foundation which has more coverage, is a much better shade match (Light 2-3 is too dark and orange on me), and has a much nicer finish. I know some people think this is radiant (and I’m sure it is on their skin!), but every time I try this, it’s incredibly matte in such an unflatting way.

More Coverage + Matte

Prada Reveal Skin Optimizing Soft Matte Foundation in LW5 – This is one of the most smoothing and blurring formulas out of the 24. It starts off a little glowy but dries to the most beautiful soft matte finish. It has medium buildable coverage (although it has less coverage than some of the others in this quadrant like the Rare Beauty, Westman Atelier, and Basma). I reach for this one the most of all my matte foundations because it just looks so nice and feels super comfortable all day. LW5 is slightly too light for me, but it’s totally workable and I think is likely my best shade in this range.

Westman Atelier Suprême Bio-Complex Liquid Foundation in Atelier F5 (Sephora, Westman Atelier) – I don’t want to bury the lede here – I did a head to head wear test of this vs the Prada, and Prada won. This also has medium buildable coverage but has a bit more coverage than the Prada. It’s also soft matte after setting down, it’s smoothing, and it looks great on my skin. F5 is my best shade because it’s actually really yellow green, but I find the shades in this range are so saturated that none of them is quite right for me.

Rare Beauty True to Myself Natural Matte Longwear Foundation in No. 7 and No. 10 (Sephora, Ulta, Rare Beauty) – Even though I reach for the Prada foundation more often than this one, I really do love this foundation and think it’s such a great matte option if you have dry skin and want coverage and blur. It’s medium to full coverage and more matte than the Prada and the Westman but has a really beautiful skin-like finish for how matte it also is. I’m always surprised when I wear it just how nice it looks. Shade 7 has a great undertone but it’s way too light for me, and 10 is a bit too warm and deep right now (It looks great in the summer), so I’ve been mixing them together.

BASMA The Foundation Stick in 035 – The important thing to know about the BASMA foundation stick is that how you apply it really matters. I’ve done so many tests with this over the time that I’ve had it, and even today I noticed how different it looks when you draw the stick directly on your face versus using a brush. I think it looks so much less heavy and less makeup-y if you pick it up from the stick with a brush and then blend onto your face. It still looks pretty if you draw it on directly,  but I’d really recommend applying it with a brush instead. 035 is genuinely olive, although it’s a bit too dark and warm for me in the colder months. It’s not quite as green as the MAC or m.ph, but it still looks good, and I know a lot of people have been able to find their shade in the BASMA range. This has medium coverage that builds toward full, and it’s a little more matte looking than Rare Beauty, but still in that same general soft matte zone. Plus if you’re looking for something in a stick that isn’t radiant, this is a fantastic choice.

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear Foundation in 186N and 206W (Sephora, Ulta, Fenty) – I really wanted to love this because it is one of the few matte foundations that’s actually matte but looked great when first applied. It has a medium to full coverage that is easy to build. I think my skin’s just too dry for this one – it felt painfully drying and started breaking up on my face in all my wear tests. 186N is a pretty good shade made but it’s not quite right. 206W is a bit too peachy orange on me. I can tell it wants to be green, I think it’s just too deep for me. Either way, I get much prefer the Prada and the Rare Beauty foundations for a low-shine blurred matte look, but I’d love to hear what folks with less dry skin think of this one!

Where would your favorite foundation land on the map, and what would you like me to test next? 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.

I had originally planned to do a drugstore lip round up because I recently bought 6 Maybelline lipsticks (and a bunch of Morphe lip liners – review coming soon). I just had to know, and I figured y’all did too. But as I was testing those, I started swatching them against other things I’ve been loving and wearing this fall, and realized I’d much rather do a whole post on the grungy fall lip colors I’ve discovered. Finding browns, mahogany reds, and black honey type shades that don’t turn orange on warm olive skin is actually a pretty tough task, but this year, we’ve been blessed with so many good ones. I shared some of the favorites I’ve already found this year in my National Lipstick Day Awards Post, and I’m so excited to have found even more of these shades.

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.

Maybelline Moisturizing Serum Lipstick in 103 Make It Work and 105 Speed Walk (Satin formula) – This formula is super comfortable and moisturizing without being super slippy and getting all over the place. The pigment is super even and it’s really easy to apply. It sets down slightly after I apply it, so it feels a little more secure than a super creamy lipstick or balm. That said, it’s not transfer-proof or staining or anything like that. You definitely need to reapply after eating. I actually liked this formula and the matte one I’m going to talk about next so much, I got a few and went back for more.

Make It Work is a warm, bricky terracotta brown shade that has just enough red to give the vibe I want without going orange. This is the warmest I’d personally go with my olive undertone, but I think it’s gorgeous for fall. It reminds me of Lisa Eldridge Cinnamon Bun with that reddish brown blonzery quality. Like that blush, this works great with warmer eyeshadows. This is exactly what I’m looking for when I want a warm fall brown that isn’t actually that warm.

Speed Walk is deeper than Make It Work and has significantly more purple even though it’s still reddish brown. It’s more of a mahogany with a slight berry lean but it’s honestly difficult to describe because it’s kind of red, kind of brown, and kind of purple. I’ve really struggled to find this kind of grungy mahogany color that works well with my skin, and this one just looks right. I will say because this is slightly deeper and more pigmented, it’s a little bit harder to apply than Make It Work, but it’s really easy to smooth out. I also have Blind Date, which is a pretty standard bricky raspberry red type of shade that doesn’t look great on me. Upstate is described as a light cool brown, and it swatches more orange than it applies. It’s actually a pretty cool (pun intended) nuanced brown pinky purple type of color, although it definitely hasn’t replaced Laka Boy for me.

Maybelline Moisturizing Serum Lipstick in 007 Avenue A (Matte formula) – This has the same lightweight blurring matte formula as the Merit Lip Blushes. I love this kind of formula because it’s matte without being dry or flaky, which is especially important with my very dry lips. I was super impressed with the texture of this formula, and I wish they had more shades I thought would work on me.

I do think Avenue A is really special. It’s a deep chocolate brown that’s fairly cool toned without being weirdly grey. It’s the 90s grungy lipstick of my dreams but in a formula that’s easier to throw on and much less high stakes than this color can be with a traditional matte lipstick formula. If I was cool in the 90s and 2000s (I wasn’t), this is exactly the kind of lipstick I would’ve hoped I was wearing. It’s not the most cool toned brown in the world, but it doesn’t go orange even on my fairly pigmented red/orange lips. If you have less pigmented lips, or cool-toned lips, I think this would look even more amazing on you. I also have Hold the Door, which is described as a mid toned mauve. I would call it more of a slightly desaturated browny, almost a little warm mauve, but it’s definitely still mauve. I just wish it was a little lighter.

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Lip Oil Stick in Journey (Sephora Ulta Rare Beauty) – This is another shade that’s hard to describe because it’s a kind of brown and also kind of berry and also kind of a cool black shade when you build it up. It’s one of those Black Honey but for olives colors that I personally am always looking for but it’s grungier than the typical blackened cherry balms that are getting more common. It’s much more brown than it is berry, but there’s still some purple tones in there. It’s pretty pigmented and deep so you definitely have to be a little careful applying it (especially because this stick is pretty huge) but I think it’s worth it.

The formula is really nourishing and comfortable without being too glossy. This shade is a little patchy when I first apply it but it smooths out well. I’ve honestly been wearing this all the time because I love this kind of shade and this formula is really nice. If you’re looking for something less high stakes to try, I also have the shade Dream, which is a perfect everyday mauve color I love throwing on (especially because I can put that one on without a mirror).

Anastasia Beverly Hills Kiss Theory Lip Balm in Figment (Sephora Ulta ABH) – If you want a balmy pigmented gloss in a stick but you don’t want a giant tube like the Rare Beauty, you might love how tiny this one is. It’s basically the opposite type of packaging, and it makes it seem almost comically tiny in comparison to the Rare. It’s truly very small, but it’s also priced at $18 to compensate so I’m not too mad about it. The small, narrow bullet format does also make it easier to not get this balm everywhere. I still find that this particular shade applies unevenly. It’s not patchy in the same way Journey is, but more that the pigment kind of collects in some places and builds up. Like these other deeper shades, it smooths out beautifully without too much effort but I wouldn’t put this on without a mirror.

I do really love this color. I expected something closer to Rare Beauty Journey because this is described as a “deep plum noir,” and it’s that sheer blackened cherry in the swatches. At least on me, this is actually a mahogany reddish brown that’s much closer to Maybelline Speed Walk, but with even more red. It’s also not very sheer at all, despite being called Figment. Even though it wasn’t what I expected, it’s a beautiful color especially for fall, and the formula is super glossy and nourishing without being sticky.

I like this formula enough that I actually did pick up the shade Toyed just to see if the wonky pigment application is a shade issue or something else. And Toyed applies so beautifully and easily and looks incredible. So, I think Figment’s pigment doesn’t jive with this formula, but I can get it to work (which is worth it to me for the color). But if you like the idea of this formula and want it in an everyday cool toned dusty purple mauve, Toyed is what I’d get.

Essence Juicy Bomb Glossy Butter Balm in 05 Choco-lot to Handle – This is one of the prettiest cool toned brown balms I have ever discovered. It’s got a tiny bit of purple in it so it stays brown and doesn’t turn orange. It really looks like it belongs on my face even though it’s not technically a natural color on me, and I just think it looks so pretty. I’m always looking for this kind of cool-toned brown that just works, and this is definitely it. On me, it’s a pretty sheer layer, but I think if you have less pigmented lips, this might show up stronger. I love that I can wear this with a full look and it looks great and I can also wear it with a little concealer and mascara and it still pulls everything together.

The formula is balmy and comfortable without being drying, but I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly nourishing treatment like some of these other products. It doesn’t do much for my lips in terms of smoothing, plumping, long term nourishment, etc. and isn’t something I’d pull out if my lips actually needed some help. But for the color? 10/10 would purchase again, and I’m going to be keeping an extra in my jacket pocket. And at $3.99, I can definitely justify having a few extras of this one. The only thing to keep in mind is that it won’t retract once it’s twisted up.

Dior Addict Lip Glow Balm in Blackberry (Sephora Ulta Dior) – This is a much sheerer version of that Black Honey berry vibe that Journey is going for. It has more red and berry than a blackened quality, but that makes it a particularly good “my lips but a little bit more berry like I wish they were” type of shade. It’s much less dramatic than a lot of these other shades but gives that same type of effect.

This is much more moisturizing and comfortable than the Essence and does a ton more to smooth out my lip lines. It’s also sheer enough that I can throw it on without a mirror and can use it as an actual treatment vs just using it for the color. If I could put the Essence color in this Dior formula, I’d be so happy. It is a little minty, but not noticeably plumping, and it doesn’t bother me, but if you can’t handle mint I’d skip this one. I have it on good authority from one of my wonderful friends that it was a little too minty so I’m passing that along.Other than that, I do think it’s worth the price, but I think it’s even more worth the price to get it on sale (like the upcoming Sephora sale).

ColourPop Pokémon Fresh Kiss Glossy Lip Balm in Umbreon – This is actually the product on this list I’ve worn the most and is one of my favorites on this list. I try to avoid reviewing limited edition products because I tend to take a really long time to test products and by the time I’ve reviewed something, you usually can’t get it anymore if it was limited. And then how am I helping you with my months long tests to review? But I’m making an exception for this one because it should still be available*, and it’s really special.
*Editing Rebecca – it somehow sold out in the time between when I finished the draft and when I started editing before posting tomorrow, but it looks like it’s still available at Target. This is why I don’t like limited edition products.

This is a sheer grey balm with lots of fun sparkle. It has just enough gray pigment to desaturate some of the red-orange tones in my lips without making my lips look grey. It just makes them look exactly the right color with mauve blushes and cool-toned eyeshadows. Or honestly just my face with no makeup at all. I truly love how my lips look with this pigment and the sparkles on.

This balm is super comfortable and hydrating. It’s pretty glossy, and I think that also has to do with the reflective glitters in it. It does have a pretty strong brown sugar boba scent that is very spot on, but if you don’t love a fragranced product, you may need to skip this. I love this so much I actually grabbed the Eevee version, which is perfectly pretty but a little too warm and it’s a shade I feel like I’ve found a hundred times before. It also has a coconut cream pie scent, which I don’t mind, but I know a lot of you really don’t like coconut. I would 10000% buy another Umbreon, but I don’t think you need Eevee unless you really love Eevee, in which case, the packaging is really cute.

My next few posts will be round ups ahead of the Sephora sale – please leave a comment if you have any review requests!

We’re back with the next two matches in the concealer tournament! If you missed the first two matches, I started with 16 concealers I’ve been testing, some for years and some much more recently. As always, I’m happy to do follow ups with anything I didn’t include here or anything that’s launched since that you’re super curious about! Important reference for concealers – I have dry 35+ year old skin that has fine lines. If you have oily skin, you might love the ones that lose specifically because they don’t work as well on my dry skin.

For the actual tests, I wore one concealer on each side of my face, both under my eyes, to spot conceal, and as foundation on different days. I kept the rest of my makeup the same. I also switched sides just in case. I’ve also been posting (way too) close up pictures in my Substack chat and having everyone vote on which side looks better without telling them what they’re looking at.

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.

And here’s where we are in the bracket:

Round 1, Match 3: Vieve Modern Radiance Concealer in Light 1 vs. Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Concealer in 02 Fair Golden – I’ve liked the Vieve concealer since I tested it and the Haus Labs was new to me so I really thought the Vieve would sail right on through. Shade wise, the Haus Labs is lighter and brighter on me, while Vieve Light 1 is a little peachier. They both work when they’re blended out. The Haus Labs shade is labeled as being for olive undertones, but I’d say it’s just more golden (though better than a lot of other concealer shades). 

When I applied them, the thing that really stood out to me was that the Vieve stretches way more. It’s really easy to blend and looks a lot more skinlike, so if you like using your concealer all over as foundation (which I do!), it works really well for that. The Haus Labs doesn’t want to stretch nearly as much especially if you let it dry a little bit before blending. But that also means it has noticeably more coverage that really sticks around. 

At the end of the day, the Vieve wore away much more, and I was left with a lot less coverage than I would have liked. The Haus Labs still had noticeably more coverage and also creased less. My substack chat was pretty evenly split on this one both times I posted this match up, but my husband voted for Haus Labs every time I asked. 

A short detour before I call a winner of this match – the new Vieve Skin Nova Concealer in 125 Light Neutral Olive showed up a couple days ago, so obviously I immediately put that against Haus Labs too. I’m not putting it into the official bracket after a couple days of testing because that wouldn’t be fair to the very heavily tested concealers, but I needed to see what happened so here we are. 

First of all, 125 is a better shade match for me than the original Vieve concealer. It’s definitely the most olive of the three of these in person, although in the swatches you can see it’s pretty close to the Haus Labs. Putting them next to each other makes the old Vieve Light 1 look straight up pinky peach, which is kind of nuts given how much I’ve loved it. The new formula is a little thinner and stretchier than the old one, and it looks even more skinlike. It reminds me a lot of the Givenchy concealer in that you can almost use it like a lightweight skin tint with just a little bit of product. It also builds much better than I was expecting. I can get it to around medium coverage just adding one more layer, and it doesn’t look too heavy. 

I managed to test it against the Haus Labs two days (so I could switch sides once), and both times the Haus Labs managed to keep more coverage and wear better, just like with the original Vieve concealer. My husband also picked the Haus Labs every time once again.

I actually think the Skin Nova is prettier if what you want is something really thin and skinlike that you can just kind of throw all over your face, and between the two Vieve concealers, I’d absolutely pick the new one. But I’m confident that the Haus Labs should move on in the bracket!

Round 1, Match 4: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer in 1N vs. About Face The Illusionist Skin-Focused Concealer in L1 Warm Olive – This is another battle where it was a concealer I’ve liked for awhile (Estee Lauder) vs one I bought specifically to test because it was an olive shade (About Face). I really thought the About Face was going to pleasantly surprise me. But it turns out the About Face really stands out against my skin even though it’s for olives, and the Estee Lauder looks way more olive on me despite being labeled neutral. It was actually hard to show this in the swatches because the Estee Lauder blends into my skin and then my phone turns everything pink.

The Estee Lauder manages to both have great coverage and blend out really easily and far. It also sets down by itself but also does well with powder. The About Face has a super pretty finish but the thing that really stood out to me about it was that it loses quite a bit of coverage as you blend it out and it doesn’t build up that well. The first time I tested these against each other, my chat mostly picked About Face despite the less coverage. The Estee Lauder looked a little less skinlike at first (so I wasn’t surprised by the chat vote), but once they’d both been sitting on my face for a while, they looked much closer and the Estee Lauder kept much more coverage. When I switched sides, everyone, including my husband, picked Estee Lauder.

By the end of the day, Estee Lauder looked pretty great coverage-wise but also had creased less. The About Face doesn’t look bad by itself at all (and if it’s your favorite, keep on using it!), but every time I compared them side by side, I preferred the Estee Lauder, so Estee Lauder moves on!

Next up is Givenchy vs. Sarah Creal and Rare Beauty vs. Essence!

I recently went away for about a week to visit family, and since it was super hot and humid and I knew I was mostly going to be doing pretty casual makeup, I tried to pack things that were easy, reliable, and all worked together. I only ended up wearing makeup about half the days, and when I did, it was the same 15-minute look every time.

This is honestly a pretty normal amount of travel makeup for me. I really don’t like to overpack makeup (especially now that I have to bring all of my toddler’s stuff). I don’t like bringing anything huge that would make it difficult to stuff back in a bag or so expensive that I’m going to be upset if something happens to it. I always pick my blushes first and then everything else has to work with them. For this trip I started with Lilybyred 14 and NAMING Taro, so that immediately ruled out anything too warm or orange. Everything else ended up being some version of mauve, beige, pink, or neutral brown. 

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. 

Afform Medium Traveller – I bought this a couple of years ago and I’ve taken it on basically every trip since. I love this bag so much. It has a ton of pockets in different sizes, including stretchy mesh ones that you can really fit a lot in. Some of the compartments are adjustable with Velcro in case you want to create more (or less) space. The rigid bottom is probably my favorite part because everything stays standing up in the bag. The sides also fold down, so I can open this on the counter and use my makeup straight out of it. I don’t have to create a giant makeup explosion in whatever room I’m in and can just zip it all back up.  

All of the makeup in this post fit super easily with lots of room, so I could also add in my BK Beauty travel brush bag with all my brushes too. I’ve never had anything break or leak all over it, and it’s held up really well after years of travel. It’s absolutely very expensive for a makeup bag but I would also immediately buy another one if I lost it, no questions asked. 

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops – I use this as my usual primer at home and have the jumbo bottle because it’s such a standby for me. I happened to have a couple minis on hand already that were either gifts with purchase or came with sets. These are perfect for travel, and not surprisingly, it worked just as well away as it does at home. 

Erborian CC Red Correct – This was a super easy choice to bring as my foundation because I didn’t want to have to worry about something that perfectly matched me. Most all my foundations need a little something to look just right, and I don’t want to have to bring things to fix a foundation when I’m travelling. I had also just been using this a ton as a base layer anyway before I got my current foundation favorite (the new Westman Atelier – I seriously can’t stop wearing it). 

This mostly just gets rid of redness and evens everything out, and I am honestly green enough that using a green color corrector as foundation works completely fine. It’s not very high coverage (you can barely see it in the swatches), but I didn’t really want high coverage when it was approximately one million degrees outside anyway. It held up really well, it has SPF, and the tube takes up barely any space. 

Kulfi Main Match Concealer in Paan Party – I’m currently using so many different concealers because I’m putting together a concealer tournament. I just picked one from the pile I knew was easy and hoped for the best. Paan Party works well for me as a brightening concealer, the formula is really blendable, and it works well under my eyes. It wasn’t necessarily the concealer I would have picked if I were trying to find my absolute perfect shade match, and this doesn’t mean it won anything. It did work perfectly well and is still one I’d recommend though. 

Canmake Marshmallow Finish Powder Abloom in 03 Plumeria Wreath – I always pack this powder. It’s my much less expensive version of the Givenchy pressed powder and one I can bring without worrying about. On my face, they do almost the same thing, and many of you who have bought this powder have told me you love it too. It smooths and brightens without making my dry skin look super powdery and helps blend everything together.

MAC Fix+ Stay Over – I had a mini of this literally in my bag already from my last trip, so I brought it as my setting spray. It didn’t win my setting spray tournament, but it still works really well and definitely didn’t disappoint during the trip. 

I’m Meme I’m Multi Stick Shading in 005 Neutral Brown – I love this as a brontour type product. It’s actually neutral and not warm or cool on me like most of these products are (I tend to find things that are ORANGE or GRAY). I love how travel friendly the stick is, and I can apply directly from the stick or with a brush. It blends out really easily, and I like it so much I already have the blush version on the way to try out.

Soshe Blurring Pillow Bronzer in Olive Bronze Drift – I know I just talked about this last week but I really do love the formula enough that it was the bronzer I brought with me. Olive Bronze Drift isn’t my perfect bronzer color of all time, but it’s a really nice option for olive skin and I don’t have to worry about something like the Marc Jacobs bronzer getting broken on a trip. 

Judydoll Highlight & Contour Palette in #02 – This is such an underrated palette. I used the beigey yellow powder to blend and set anywhere where I needed a little more coverage than the Canmake, the highlighter as my highlighter, and the powders when I wanted to blur and mattify my bronzer even more. You can see the bronzer shade is super similar to Olive Bronze Drift but a little less orange, so next time, I’d probably just bring this palette. 

Lilybyred Luv Beam Cheek Balm in 14 Rosy Beam – I also just talked about this last week, but it’s really such a perfect cream blush for the vibe I’m going for. It’s a cool pinky purple that’s just so extremely easy to use and doesn’t turn into anything close to orange on me. I almost always put powder blush over cream blush anyway, and this works really well as the first layer because it gives me the color I want without getting too intense. Those of you who have managed to already get this from last week’s post have told me it’s one of the best blushes you’ve found for olive skin, and that makes me so happy! 

Naming Fluffy Powder Blush in Taro – This is one of my favorite powder blushes of all time. It looks like a very desaturated mauve in the pan but is a perfect beigey rosy blush on my face. I know this blush is always going to look good, so this was the starting point for the rest of the look. The formula is also really easy to throw on and build up and looks so pretty on the cheeks. 

Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Mauve – This is the eyeshadow I’ve brought with me on every trip since I bought it. It’s just so easy to throw on with a finger, blend it out, and then be done. It makes a complete makeup look without being “too much” and looks super natural while covering up the discoloration on my eyelid, so I don’t need a primer. It’s more of a neutral brown with a touch of rosy tones than a true mauve, but that still works really well as a “I put something on but didn’t try too hard” kind of shadow, especially with these blushes. It also stayed on all day in the heat and humidity without creasing. I also intended to use this as an eyeshadow primer for the Moira shadow, but it looked so nice I just stopped here every time. 

Moira Chroma Light Shadow in 02 Tempting – I brought this because I thought I would want sparkle, and I just didn’t end up using it. I would probably still pack it again because it’s tiny and I really do love the formula and the color. 

ColourPop Creme Gel Liner in Sunnyvale – This is my favorite affordable brown eyeliner. I have much more expensive eyeliners I love, but this works great and it’s not a huge deal if I have to replace it. It’s a really good dark brown liner that isn’t too warm or too cool, and it has amazing staying power. It held up incredibly well on my eyes in the heat and humidity. 

Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky Tubes Tubing Mascara in Black – I’m actually in the middle of testing so I figured East Coast summer was a perfect time to continue testing. I’m always trying to find an even better tubing mascara, and this one is actually really great. No smudging, no flaking, my lashes looked incredible, and it’s really easy to remove. It’s everything I want from a tubing mascara, and it’s affordable. I think this probably knocks Finding Ferdinand out of my top three tubing mascaras, even though I still really love that one.

rephr Eyelash Curler – My favorite eyelash curler. It works with my eye shape, doesn’t pinch me, and actually gets my corner lashes. 10/10 no notes. 

Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 5 – This is the brow pencil I’ve been using for years and always have with me. It’s  the best one I’ve found for actually sticking to the skin where I need to fill in my brows and have it stay all day. If you have recommendations for amazing brow pencils, please let me know in the comments because I will test it (I have a lot of brow space to fill in because I have a big chunk of missing brow from a childhood accident). 

Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Flexible Lifting Gel in Clear – Still the best clear brow gel. It keeps my eyebrows where I put them and doesn’t get weird and crunchy. I’m currently resting the deep brown version and couldn’t be happier with it. 

ColourPop HydraPop Glossy Lip Stain in 90s Babe – All of these products have been sitting in a pile on my floor while I’ve been working on this post, and I have gone back specifically to pull this out of the pile and wear it. It’s a super pretty reddish rose that just looks like my lips but better. I have more on why I love this and swatches here. Mostly, it’s super easy to throw on and the stain lasts really well. 

Revlon Super Lustrous Shine Lipstick in 014 Glistening Purple – This is the lip product I ended up wearing the most. It’s a sheerish wash of lavender that really pulls this look together and makes my lips look just a little less red and a little more muted. I’m currently testing the Chantecaille Lip Chics, and those are honestly way more nourishing and last better than the Revlon formula. I’m not trying to imply that this is secretly the same experience as a $50 lipstick, but I really, really love this Revlon color so much that I would absolutely buy it again. The formula is still really nice and nourishing even though it isn’t luxury. 

OleHenriksen Pout Preserve Chillers Peptide Lip Treatment in Maldives Melon – This is one of my favorite lip treatments of all time (and it’s on sale!). I own almost every color/scent/glitter ones even, and I keep them all over my house. I actually had more Pout Preserves in my backpack for this trip. I used this for lip prep and whenever my lips were dry. Maldives Melon Chiller also just smells really nice, and I like the color. I think I like the color of Bora Bora Blackberry Chiller more but they’re not opaque enough that it makes a huge difference. 

And the lip products I love but didn’t use: 

Etude Fixing Tint in 15 Woody Pink – I didn’t use it, but I would still pack it again. If I were only bringing one matte option next time, this would be it. I love this formula too much not to have one with me just in case.

Mac Powder Kiss Lip + Cheek Mousse in Velvet Teddy – I love this product so much. I didn’t even remember I brought it.  

NYX Lip Lingerie Lip Liner Stain in 06 Up To No Good – I really love this. I also didn’t use it at all and didn’t even consider wearing lip liner.  If I packed again, I would pack almost entirely the same products, except for the MAC mousse and NYX stain. 

What’s your makeup packing routine like?

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.