Bare Minerals Face Color: Bare Radiance

Bare Minerals Face Color in Bare Radiance

For quite a long time, I wore Bare Minerals exclusively. I used their standard face kit and bought separately the liner, mascara, and this blush. That was all I used. I've expanded my makeup possibilities quite a lot since then, but I do still like Bare Minerals products and switch back every so often. As you can see, I'm down to the very last bit of powder on Bare Radiance, which I'm glad about because I'm trying to use up my things (I started Project Pan but have been failing miserably.)

Bare Radiance is from Bare Mineral's range of All-Over-Face colors, which are meant to provide illuminating color to the face. It is a very pretty warm mauve-pink so I use it as a blush. It is quite shimmery in the pot but it doesn't leave very obvious shimmer on the cheeks when applied lightly and blended out. I think the shimmer is only obvious under bright light. If applied over stickier products (such as rich moisturizers or heavier foundation), then I imagine it might come out more frosty-looking like in my thick swatch below. It provides just the right amount of pigmentation. I don't feel there is need to worry about overdoing it as it leaves a soft wash of color, but the color is certainly buildable.

It is a mineral product that is supposed to be natural and good for the skin. My skin, though more or less clear with just the occasional pimple, is quite sensitive and prone to itchiness, dryness, and redness. I never had any problems with this product irritating my skin.

It retails for $18 for 0.03 oz, which isn't by any means cheap. However, a little goes a long way and this product should last a long time. As I mentioned earlier, I was using just a couple of Bare Minerals products exclusively. Even after at least two years of near-daily use, I still had product left. I would recommend this product to someone who is intent on using mineral make-up. It is from a trusted brand, works well, and is a pretty color. However, though the color is lovely, it is not unique. To someone on a budget, I would say there are other great, comparable blushes available for a much less.

Bare Radiance

The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Eye Colour: Pink Opal, Molten Bronze

The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Eye Colours in Pink Opal and Molten Bronze

As I believe I have already mentioned, I am infatuated with loose shadows. I'm not sure why. I just like them. I bought these mineral eyeshadows from The Body Shop on separate occasions a while back. I believe I got them both on sale.

Pink Opal (04) is a warm medium-toned mauvey-pink while Molten Bronze (06) is a deep warm chocolate brown, which I don't find it to be bronze. Both include shimmer. The pink shade is a little intimidating for me but once applied and blended with the brown, it is much more subtle. If you want the strong pink color, that can easily be achieved as well. The brown is beautiful and universal. Both yield wonderful pigmentation and are smooth and easy to apply. I didn't experience fall out with either one.

What I really like about these is that the shimmer is subtle. I find that most loose shadows are very shimmery, sometimes even frosty, but when applied dry, these go on with just the hint of sheen. Please note that my swatch, particularly of Pink Opal, may look frosty but it is because I applied these a little wet so the swatches are thick and stickier. Please note further that the shimmer you see on my eyes is from the highlight color (Urban Decay Sin) that I used on my inner corners.

Each 1 gram pot goes for $13, which I feel is on the pricier side. I would recommend looking for these when they go on sale. The products are very nice but there are definitely cheaper options available. The shades aren't unique so I imagine it should not be difficult to find more affordable dupes. Pink Opal is no longer available on the Body Shop website, so it may have been discontinued. Molten Bronze, my preferred color of the two, is still for sale.

Pink Opal on top, Molten Bronze on bottom
Please note that my swatches may look frosty because I applied these a little wet.


Pink Opal on center of lid, Molten Bronze on outer half
Please note that the shimmer you see is from the highlight color (Urban Decay Sin) that I used on my inner corners.

Maybelline Expert Wear Palettes: Chic Naturals, Modern Metallics

Maybelline Expert Wear Palettes in Chic Naturals & Modern Metallics

I am ashamed to admit I have been going crazy on beauty splurges. I have more than I can ever use, but I can't stop wanting more! Walgreens is having a Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off deal for Maybelline (as well as Revlon and L'oreal) this week, so I ended up with these palettes in neutral shades, of course.

Chic Naturals Palette in Designer Chocolates

Chic Naturals L-R Colors: Base, Lid, Crease, Liner

The Chic Naturals (40Q) palette in Designer Chocolates (how could I resist this name?) features a cream base color, a light sandy brown lid color, a purplish-pink raspberry crease color, and a medium brown liner shade. All have some shimmer but it is most obvious in the crease color.

Modern Metallics Palette in Chai Latte

Modern Metallics L-R: Base, Lid, Crease, Liner Colors

The Modern Metallics (22Q) palette in Chai Latte (another irresistible name) features a light tan base color (similar to but lighter than the lid color of the Chic Naturals palette) , a bright bronze lid color, a light-to-medium brown crease color, and a warm chocolate brown liner. Again, all have some shimmer but it is most obvious in the bronze lid color. The liner shade features bronze shimmers.

I am quite happy with these shadow palettes. I like the colors a lot because most of them are very good neutrals. The medium browns especially provide enough color to add depth and definition to the eyes without going too dark. They're great for daytime/professional wear. Though I have a whole lot of neutrals in my makeup collection, I have had a hard time finding medium brown shades that aren't too light or too dark. Another difficulty I have encountered is that a lot of my other neutral shadows have strong undertones, such as pink or purple. These Maybelline palettes feature true warm, medium browns (Chic Naturals liner color, and Modern Metallics crease color), and I think they're great finds.

The quality of the shadows is nice, especially considering their affordability. They apply smoothly and blend easily. The pigmentation is good, although not exceptional. I was surprised at how nicely some of the swatches came out, but I don't think the shadows come out quite as bright or opaque when applied to the eyes. These shadows wear well. Though I did find the colors to fade over time, I thought they still looked nice after 8 hours of wear. These should make it through the workday and longer, provided your lids aren't too greasy. I always apply shadows over some sort of base, either UDPP or a tackier cream shadow. I believe I had on a Revlon cream shadow for a base on the day I took the pictures of the shadows after 8 hours of wear.

Though each palette includes base, lid, crease, and liner colors, I don't feel these palettes alone are sufficient to cover those purposes. I personally would not use the liner shades for liner, though I do like them as shadows. I also wouldn't use a raspberry shade in the crease as Maybelline suggests. For me, these palettes can't stand alone to fulfill my eye look needs. However, no palette can do that for me so I don't personally find this to be a problem.

In summary, I am happy with these palettes and I would recommend them as safe buys. As drugstore products, they are very affordable but they are not lacking in quality. They feature good neutral colors that would be great for the workplace or other professional settings. If I had to recommend just one of these palettes, I would suggest the Chic Naturals one. I feel it is more well-rounded because it includes good highlight, lid, and crease colors. I don't think the base color of the Modern Metallics palette would work as well as a brow highlight. Additionally, the browns of the Chic Naturals palette (lid and liner colors) seem just a shade or two deeper than the similar ones in the Modern Metallics palette (base and crease). Though I am pretty fair, I prefer the slightly deeper browns of the Chic Naturals palette so I would imagine these would show up better on other skin tones as well.

Chic Naturals Lid color on inner corner, Chic Naturals Liner color on lid, and Modern Metallics Liner Color on outer corner

After 8 hours of wear

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm: Rose

Burt's Bees Rose Tinted Lip Balm

My lips get dry very easily so I try to always have some sort of lip balm on hand. I've always liked the ones by Burt's Bees (other than the Honey one- I think the scent is gross). When I saw that they had a tinted version available, I decided to give it a try.

I have mine in the color Rose, which is a pretty rose red shade in the tube. The color on the lips is very nice as well. It is sheer but it gives my lips just enough color so that I don't look so pale. It is not too pink either, which is a big plus for me because I don't find cool-toned pinks to work with my coloring. I think this is a color that will work well for many complexions.

I also like the packaging! It came in a round cardboard tube that I thought was pretty cool. The tube of lip balm itself is simple and classic, which I like as well. It is not childish or overtly feminine, so it is not an obvious cosmetic product. It's nice to pull out when I don't want to look vain.

There is not much else to say about it other than that I think it's great, and it does exactly what you would expect of a tinted lip balm. The moisturizing properties are as nice as they are with all the other Burt's Bees lip balms. The color is pretty and flattering but also sheer so it is not overwhelming. Unfortunately, I just lost mine so I can't comment on the scent but I don't recall that there is one. If there is, it is probably very subtle. Nice product overall, and a very safe buy!

Nude lips

With tinted lip balm

Flirt! Flowerific Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette

Flirt! Flowerific Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette

Flirt! Flowerific Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette

In the same Kohl's order as I mentioned in the last post, I also purchased two palettes. Here is the one I prefer, in Flowerific. The palette is limited edition but it features eyeshadows from their permanent line so you can find them sold singly.

L-R: Gold Envy, Golden Lady, Solid Gold, Cocoa Luster

I prefer this palette because it features neutral colors in the gold and brown families. The first color in the palette is Gold Envy (#43), an opalescent white with yellow-gold sheen. I think Gold Envy might be considered duo-chrome? The next color is Golden Lady (#38), a shimmery medium brown with yellow undertones that comes off looking bronze. Third is Solid Gold (#37), a shimmery gold shade. Finally, there is Cocoa Luster (#56), a dark cocoa brown with very slight shimmer.

L-R: Gold Envy, Golden Lady, Solid Gold, Cocoa Luster

Golden-yellow sheen in Golden Envy (top swatch)

The shadows themselves are surprisingly nice. They are very smooth, creamy, and pigmented, especially the shimmery ones. I found Cocoa Luster to be the most difficult to swatch. It felt the driest of the four shades and was a little splotchy against my hand. However, I don't recall having any problems with it during actual application. Perhaps it is because I used it for definition of the outer corner so I didn't need too much blending.

This palette retailed for $14.99. Its total net weight is .28 oz, which comes out to 0.07 oz per eyeshadow. Full size eyeshadows by Flirt! come in packages of 0.07 oz for $12 each. That means this palette is a great deal since so you are getting four full-size shadows for just a little more than the price of one!

Overall, I would highly recommend these eyeshadows. They're good products for a great price, and I think the shades are universal. I can't find the palette on the Kohl's website anymore but as I have mentioned, these shades can be found individually. I would recommend looking for the palette since it is a much better deal than buying the full-size products on their own.