February 2020 - Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: February 2020

Kaja Beauty Bento Bouncy Eyeshadow Trio Review & Swatches

February 28, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

When I first reviewed the Kaja Beauty Bento Eyeshadows, I mentioned how lovely the Orange Blossom shade was, but I thought that its shimmers were a little too much for my lids. I did promise you guys that I will be testing their matte finish Beauty Bento Eyeshadows to check and compare them with the shimmery ones, and to see how they fare with other eyeshadows as well.

As an overview, the Kaja Beauty Bento Eyeshadow (3 shades/0.03 oz: 21 USD) is a trio of curated stacked eyeshadow shades. Each compact contains a mix of shimmer and matte finish colors, but for the matte finish compacts, there is only one shimmery shade and the other two are mattes. Kaja Beauty is Sephora’s K beauty products, and so far, I have really good experience with their formula, pigment, and longevity. To read my other Kaja Beauty reviews, click HERE for the Stamp Blush, and HERE for my initial impression of this brand.

Shimmer Finish

Rosewater – Rose tones. A gorgeous pink, purple, and champagne shimmery trio.

Orange Blossom – Golden tones. A bit too shimmery for my liking, but it’s a beautiful trio of champagne, coral, and golden shimmer of shades.

Matte Finish

Glowing Guava – Mauvy pink tones. This is such a beautiful stack of matte beige-pink, shimmery mauve, and clayish copper. An ideal shade for Fall and Winter.

Chocolate Dahlia – Neutral cocoa. If you like the neutral everyday brown and nude taupe with a golden champagne shimmer, then you’ll love this gorgeous and pigmented trio.

I find the Kaja eyeshadows to be highly pigmented even just at one swipe, and they last really long. They never irritated my lids and the shimmers are very fine and they adhere well on the lid with no fallouts. Their quality is really outstanding and I find that they’re comparable, if not better than most high-end eyeshadows. When it comes to their finishes, I do find the matte finish to be more wearable for me just because it looks better given my lid space and forehead structure. Additionally, I find the packaging of the Kaja Beauty Bento Eyeshadows to be very very cute, very functional, and definitely space-saving. I like that they’re easy to travel, easy to use, and they make for a cute decor on my vanity. Also, they’re sulfate-free, paraben-free, phthalates-free, and an Allure Best of Beauty Winner.

Have you tried any of these eyeshadows before? Which trio is your fave?

*Thanks to Kaja Beauty (Sephora) for these Beauty Bento Eyeshadows.

Stay tuned for more Kaja Beauty reviews.

SHOP THIS POST

Pat McGrath Labs Obsessive Opulence MatteTrance Lipstick Review & Swatches

February 25, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

There’s always something about a Pat McGrath Lipstick. Whether its the gorgeous luxurious casing design or the saturated long-wearing pigment, a lot of us have fallen in love with Pat McGrath’s lip products. If you’re a fan of her MatteTrance Lipsticks and a collector of such, then you’re going to love her Obsessive Opulence Collection (0.14 oz: 38 USD) released last holiday 2019. These lipsticks feature a few of Pat McGrath’s MatteTrance bestsellers but now encased in an updated ultra-gorgeous and elegant colorful baroque-style packaging. They still have that signature Pat McGrath golden lip bullet design and they’re still at the same price point.

The PMG MatteTrance Lipsticks are award-winning matte lipsticks known for their lightweight comfortable texture and high-impact colors that last for several hours. The shades are really well-saturated at one swipe and the consistency is not drying on the lips. There is no scent detectable on these lipsticks and they don’t bleed. They are pricey though, but once you find the right shade for you, then it’s worth investing in a few. I will be reviewing my favorite PMG MatteTrance lipstick shades soon, so stay tuned that. In the meantime, let’s take a look at the new packaging of Omi, Christy, and the gorgeous 1995 shade.

Christy – Matte beige nude. It seems more like a light coral nude to me. Hard to pull off on my light-medium skintone, but a gorgeous shade nevertheless.

Omi – Matte mid-tone rose. The perfect rosy mauve shade for my lips, and the one that fits my lip shade the most out of all the PMG MatteTrance Lipsticks.

1995 – Matte warm light-nude. This has a slight brownish undertone that works as an everyday nude color for my light-medium skintone. Befitting to its name, this is a shade that will take you back in time, yet it’s still hitting trends nowadays. If you’re a 90’s kid, then you’re going to love this beautiful nostalgic shade. Think TLC, Spice Girls, and All Saints vibe. 🙂

These gorgeous Pat McGrath Obsessive Opulence MatteTrance Lipsticks are definitely a must-try and a must-have if you don’t own one yet. The updated gorgeous bullets make for a nice decor in your vanity and the quality of these lipsticks do not disappoint.

Are you a fan of Pat McGrath lip products? Which matte lipstick brands do you prefer?

SHOP THIS POST

Chanel Spring-Summer 2020 Beauty Favorites

February 21, 2020 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

As we step closer and closer to Spring, there are some exciting beauty launches that are popping up lately. One of the latest releases is the Spring/Summer 2020 Beauty by Chanel. They’ve been releasing some exciting new beauty goodies and here are my top picks.

Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 354 Warm Memories – I was wavering between this and the Elemental quad, but this particular eyeshadow compact really stole my heart. Something about this fleshy pink, nude-ish, beige monotone quad with a coral gold shade makes me want to stare at it over and over again. I love just how natural the shade looks on my skin and three of the shade are matte, which works really well on my lid. Also, the coral gold shade is microshimmery, so it’s not over the top. This will definitely get a lot of wear during the Spring and Summer.

Illuminating Powder in Éclat Du Désert – What a beautiful highlighter this is! I am actually stunned at the beauty of this and even more so when I swatched this on my skin. This feels so buttery soft and smooth, and it really highlights the high points of the face in a naturally flattering way. I love how you can just dab a bit of this on the cheekbones, temples, nose, chin, and this gives a soft glow. You can also layer this and you can get a blinding look, but I don’t think you can use this as a finishing powder because this seems a bit too glowy for that.

Rouge Allure Velvet Extreme in 132 Endless – This lip color has a very interesting shade. This looks like a red-orange shade with a bricklike tone, but may also have a very slight hint of rosy pink in it. On my lips, the rose pink tone shows a bit, but at first glance, this looks like a deep red with a bit of orange. I do think that this shade varies a lot depending on your natural lip color, and since this shade looks deep, you can definitely pull this off not only during Spring/Summer but during Fall and Winter as well. On the other hand, the pigment and lasting power of this are outstanding because this is a Rouge Allure Velvet Extreme lipstick, which is a high-performing matte lipstick from Chanel. I do think that this color is a deeper version of Pat McGrath’s Beautiful Stranger MatteTrance Lipstick, which I absolutely love. Anyways, see some other shades of the Rouge Allure Velvet Extreme lipsticks here.

Le Vernis in Mirage – I also wanted to try the shade Daydream but I wasn’t sure if it’s going to work on my skintone. This shade is absolutely beautiful and it’s perfect for any season, however, this looks very similar to Smith & Cult’s “A Short Reprise” nail color, so, if you already have that, then you can probably skip this one. I feel like this type of shade is going to be the new nude especially for those who are reluctant to use nude nail colors in the Summer, since those may make the fingers/hands look too washed-out especially if you have a light-medium, medium, or deep complexion.

Are you excited about this latest collection? What are the beauty and skincare products you’re looking forward to this coming Spring/Summer?

These Chanel Spring-Summer 2020 Beauty Collection is currently available at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Chanel.com

SHOP THIS POST