Reviews and Other Stuff

FASHION & BEAUTY

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette Review + Swatch

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette review

 

Happy holidays! Christmas is almost here and I am definitely feeling the holiday rush. I have been extremely busy lately and had to catch up not only on my personal schedules but also with last-minute gifting. This has got to be one of my busiest Christmases ever. I really can’t wait to relax, chill, and cuddle with my kitties.

 

I don’t know why, but with all the holiday rush and the chilly temperature, I found myself dreaming of Summer and Spring, lol. I was actually looking for some beauty items as gifts to my dear friends, and I saw a face palette that looked really pretty and very Summer/Spring-like but one that I decided not to have some time ago. However, I regretted not making that purchase soon because I realize that it’s a palette that is so totally worth it. Oh my, nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy, lol.

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette

The Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette (0.48 oz: 55 USD) is a beautiful face blush palette that I should have grabbed since the day of its release. Not sure why I was hesitant about this palette before, it must be because of its dark burgundy blush shade that made me feel apprehensive about it. I also remember that I was eyeing the Tan Bronze & Glow Palette more than this palette because I thought that that would be a much better fit for my face and complexion. Well, whatever my reasons were, I’m glad that I finally pulled the trigger on this cruelty-free, paraben-free, and gluten-free palette.

 

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette review

This blush palette contains four shades with two different textures: two creams and two powders. The creams are protected separately by another clear plastic covering. One of the cream blushes looks dark red or very burgundy. It’s called “Cream Blush” and at first, you may find it to be not an ideal blush shade because it definitely looks “too red”. The way to apply it is to dab a little of it on the cheeks since it’s extremely pigmented. It definitely gives a nice doll-like flushed cheeks. One that looks cute not only for Spring and Summer but also for this Winter to combat the paleness. The other cream blush is a slightly luminous peachy shade that looks very wearable especially if you’re into that natural peachy cheeks look.

 

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette

 

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette swatches

 

The two powdery shades look more like a hybrid blush and highlighter. The Glow Extreme is the most blinding one out of all the four shades, and it definitely makes you look glowy and sparkly in a very glamorous way. It feels very fine and smooth to the touch and there’s no fallout. It’s a glowy champagne shade that complements all the other three shades in the palette. It is perfect as both highlighter and blush. Although on my skin, I like to use it as a highlighter. The Duo Glow shade, on the other hand, is a glowy coral champagne that is definitely perfect as a highlighter/blush mixed. This is the shade I like to use to highlight and add a pop of color on my cheeks when I’m in a hurry.

 

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette review swatch

 

Nothing excites the holidays than giving a nice beauty gift to a beauty lover, and with this chilly season, the Natasha Denona Bloom Blush & Glow Palette is definitely one that will make all of us beauty enthusiasts look forward to several festivities. I highly recommend this palette for its hydrating creamy formulas that are long-lasting, extremely pigmented, and will give you that natural healthy gorgeous glow.

 

Are you a fan of this palette too?

 

Happy holidays everyone! Wishing you a safe, healthy, happy, and very Merry Christmas.

 

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Rahua Hydration Shampoo + Conditioner Review

rahua

 

Hi everyone. Advance Happy Thanksgiving! I can’t believe we’re approaching the holiday season pretty soon. Time goes by so fast. Anyway, let’s discuss this haircare brand that I’ve seen a lot on Instagram lately. The Rahua brand of haircare has been popping out of several folks’ Instas and I must admit, the packaging has really caught my eye. I find its interesting bottles/design to be not quite the typical ones I’ve seen in most haircare products, not to mention its overall color and presentation. I honestly had no idea what this brand was all about, but I’ve read that its name is pronounced as Ra-Wa, a haircare brand based on the benefits derived from the Amazon. One of its main ingredients is Rahua oil, which is packed with omega-9 fatty acids that have long been used by indigenous women in the area. So the brand is all about sustainability, being vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free, organic and plant-derived.

 

Rahua Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner

 

For this review, I decided to try the Rahua Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner, which are both winners of the Allure Best of Beauty 2019.

 

Hydration Shampoo (9.3 oz: 34 USD)

 

Rahua Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner

 

The main ingredients for this shampoo are the following: Morete Oil for conditioning and hydration, Sacha Inchi Oil for sun damage protection, Rahua Oil for strand strengthening/hydration, and also Mango sugars to facilitate more hydration. It is good for all hair types, and as you can see, it’s a shampoo that is meant to deliver hydration and moisture, thus, preventing frizz and adding softness and shine.

 

Now, for my experience, I find this shampoo to have a very pleasing sweet scent. For some, you may find this to be cloying, but I don’t. Something about the scent of this made me nostalgic about smelling some overripe tropical fruits (mangoes, guavas, etc) even including wild berries and burnt candies – a life reminiscent of being in a tropical island. Also, it’s the kind of scent that you may find at the spa, the type that may make you curious and wonder as to what that is. Anyhow, the texture of this shampoo is very light and you can tell that it’s all-natural just by feeling the clumps of its ingredients on your hands as you slather it all over your hair. I wouldn’t say that this is very creamy, it’s actually more like thick and whipped. It foams well, but not as foaming as most shampoos. It cleanses well too, but if your hair is oily, you may want to do two washes with this. After rinsing, this gives an overall clean feel on the hair, which doesn’t leave any residue but it’s not super moisturizing as well. In fact, this does seem to have a tiny bit of drying effect on my hair. I can understand why people say this leaves their hair dry as opposed to being moisturized because this is a natural shampoo and is very very light. So, this left my hair quite volumized actually. A similar product to this would be the Briogeo Blossom & Bloom Ginseng + Biotin Volumizing Shampoo, seen HERE, which I also like. But if you’re looking for a really moisturizing shampoo, this may not be the one. I suggest you try the Kerastase Discipline Sulfate-Free Smoothing Shampoo, or the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo, and also the Bumble & Bumble Hairdresserโ€™s Invisible Oil Shampoo (high-end), and the L’oreal Evercreme Deep Nourish Shampoo (drugstore) for the ultimate hair hydration.

FYI, I also have another shampoo+conditioner brand that I will be reviewing soon, and those seem to be quite very hydrating, so, stay tuned for that.

 

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Hydration Conditioner (9.3 oz: 36 USD)

 

rahua hair review

 

This conditioner contains the same ingredients as the Rahua Hydration Shampoo above, only that the scent and the texture of this are slightly different. First of all, the scent is not that sweet compared to the hydrating shampoo, and second, the texture is more smooth and creamy.

This is a conditioner for all hair types and it’s doesn’t weigh down the hair. I love that this definitely adds moisture but it still keeps the hair light and clean. Also, this definitely prevents frizz while it also adds softness and healthy-looking shine. I would say that I like this more than the shampoo above because it doesn’t make my hair oily and heavy, however, the perfect combination of both this conditioner and the Rahua shampoo above actually made my hair look nice.

 

Rahua Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner review

 

 

So, bottom line, if you want an interesting haircare that is based on sustainability and is made of clean ingredients, with the effects of thorough hair cleansing (clean/volumized), and with a unique blend of tropical scents, though not necessarily very hydrating, then you will enjoy this Rahua haircare line. I do think that this is more of a Summer type of haircare, not just because of the scent, but also for its volumizing effect. For me, personally, I love the effect that this does to my hair, and since I tend to have oily strands, my hair looks very clean, volumized, bouncy, frizz-free and definitely lively with this one.

The Rahua Hydration Shampoo+Conditioner are currently available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Space NK, Net-A-Porter, Barneys New York, Harrods, and Dermstore

 

rahua hair care review

 

Have you tried this brand already? What are your latest haircare finds?

 

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Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette, Gorgeous Glowing Beauty Review & Swatches

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette Gorgeous Glowing Beauty swatch

 

During my busy travels, I found myself constantly needing to downsize the amount of makeup I packed. Not only for space-saving reasons, but also because whenever I travel, I tend to not travel for pleasure. Most of the time, I’m running around doing errands, so I barely have any moment to put some colors on my face. Yep, the struggle is real. Add that with jet lag, and that’s when I start to fumble around, sleepy, disoriented, trying to decide which eyeshadow would look best (given the number of minutes I have), and that’s if I haven’t lost them somewhere already.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette Gorgeous Glowing Beauty Review

 

So, I made it a promise to myself to pack light and to carry beauty products that are more compact. You know, the all-in-one type. Luckily, with the Sephora Holiday Bonus Sale that happened a while ago, I was able to score some compacts that are made to be for full-face makeup. One of them is this Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette in Gorgeous Glowing Beauty (75 USD). A lot of us fell in love with the Instant Look In A Palette since the time it was first released because it allows us to create an almost full-face makeup (sans lipstick, brow enhancer, and eyeliner) in a small handy palette.ย 

 

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette Gorgeous Glowing Beauty complete face

 

The shade for this holiday season is the limited-edition Gorgeous Glowing Beauty. It’s got a combination of matte and shimmery shades for the face, cheeks, and eyes. The compact itself is cruelty-free and it has five shades at 0.07 oz each, and two shades at 0.21 oz each.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette Gorgeous Glowing Beauty holiday 2019

 

1 Eye Brighten: shimmery rose gold, brightening/primingย 

2 Eye Enhance: slightly shimmery coppery bronze, adds dimensionย 

3 Eye Smoke: matte maroon, adds definition to the eyes, and can create a smokey eye look

 

4 Face Bronzer: medium brown

 

5 Cheek Swish: shimmery champagne pink

6 Cheek Pop: slightly warm rose-pink, for the apples of the cheeks

 

7 Face Highlighter: shimmery luminescent gold

 

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette Gorgeous Glowing Beauty Review

 

This palette will definitely be overused pretty soon. I love the whole look of it and I can truly get a complete makeup look with just this handy compact. Also, I can create different looks with this, going from a natural look to a nighttime glam. The shades may seem to be not as pigmented at first glance, but it is definitely pigmented upon swatching. The colors do somewhat vary in tone once applied to the skin. For example, the #6 Cheek Pop blusher is definitely much more pigmented once on the cheeks, and the #1 Eye Brighten seems to be quite shimmery and has a slight pinkish tone that tends to blend with my skin, so, with that, I use the #7 Face Highlight as my inner eye brightener. The #2 Eye Enhance is definitely well pigmented and enough to define the eyes or even create a smokey eye look. The #5 Cheek Swish seems to slightly blend with my skin tone as well and is quite close to the #1 Eye Brighten, so it doesn’t show as a blush on me, but it’s more of a cheek highlighter which I like to put on top of the #6 Cheek Pop for a nice subtle glow.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette Gorgeous Glowing Beauty Full face complete face

 

Overall, the look of this palette can go from natural to very glam. The tones are earthy yet dramatic, beautiful, and totally wearable. The shades stay for the whole day on my skin without using a primer, and there are no fallouts from the eyeshadows. This is one of those palettes that you’ll be constantly reaching for, and it’s also ideal for traveling, which is just what I need.

 

This palette is limited-edition and is still currently available at Nordstrom and at charlottetilbury.com

 

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette Gorgeous Glowing Beauty

 

Have you tried this already? What are your favorite beauty compacts for traveling?

 

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