Essie Nail Lacquer: Haute in the Heat

Essie Haute in the Heat

Essie's Haute in the Heat was a surprise winner for me. I was obviously attracted to the color (hence I bought it) but I expected it to be a raspberry pink shade, more appropriate to spring and summer. Once I applied it, however, it turned out to be a lovely, refreshing twist on a red that is actually perfect for this holiday season. To me, it looks like a bright berry red with pink tones that come out in certain lighting. Very sweet and pretty!

 
Essie Haute in the Heat (natural lighting)

Essie Haute in the Heat (with flash)

L'oreal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure Mono Eyeshadows: 106 Breaking Nude, 107 Macaron Vanille, 200 Over the Taupe, 204 Golden Nude, 502 Quartz Fume

L'oreal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure Mono Shadows

L'oreal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure Mono Shadows

Watching my fair share of British YouTubers, I sometimes end up lusting after products that are not available in the US. Case in point- the L'oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadows. What started off as a passing interest turned into a hot pursuit once I learned the exclusivity of these items. Fuel to my fire were the consistently stellar reviews that I came across in my search. I don't think I came across a single negative opinion of these shadows. To my luck, I was able to get a great deal on them on Ebay so that I am now able to bring you my own review.

L'oreal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure Mono Shadows, clockwise from bottom left: 502; 106; 107; 200; 204

I was, of course, drawn to the neutral shades. No surprise there.

106 Breaking Nude (matte)

106 Breaking Nude is a medium nutty taupe shade in a matte finish. The color is quite lovely as it has that gray-lilac undertone that can lean warm or cool depending on how you pair it or blend it out. The texture is soft, smooth, and a bit powdery but I have not had any issues with fallout. The pigmentation is great.

107 Macaron Vanille (matte)

107 Macaron Vanille is a peachy nude "bone" shade, also in a matte finish. It's not my favorite shade as I don't have much use for ones like this but I think it would be great for under the brow or for a clean professional eye look. As with 106 Breaking Nude, the texture is smooth and powdery-feeling but without fallout. Again, good pigmentation.

200 Over the Taupe (frost)

200 Over the Taupe reminds me of a warmer, lighter version of MAC's Satin Taupe. It is an interesting warm taupe brown with pink-mauve undertones. It has an incredibly frosty finish that I find to be quite unfortunate. The color is beautiful but the frost makes it rather difficult to wear. When I put it on the lids, all I see is the harsh silver sheen. When I blend it out, the color loses its dimensions and ends up looking flat and muddy. The texture of this shadow is very soft, creamy, and a bit crumbly, much like a pressed pigment. However, it lacks that bit of tackiness that I like about other pressed-pigment-like shadows, such as The Body Shop's now discontinued eyeshadows (as reviewed here) or L'oreal's Infallible Eye Shadows (as reviewed here and here). Because it is missing that quality, it ends up spreading over a wide area during blending, which contributes to the muddiness of the color. As I have already said, it is truly unfortunate as this shade had such potential. In fact, it was the one that caught my eye in the first place.

204 Golden Nude (frost/shimmer)

204 Golden Nude has the same issues as 200 Over the Taupe. It is a lovely warm golden nude shade with high shimmer. However, the finish is so frosty that once on the lids, it just looks tacky. When blended, it loses all of its original appeal.

502 Quartz Flume (satin)

Lastly, 502 Quartz Flume is a deep cool gray-purple shade in a satin finish. It is also reminiscent of MAC's Satin Taupe. In fact, I think if 200 Over the Taupe and 502 Quartz Flume had a baby, it would be Satin Taupe. Anyway, this particular shade comes in a wavy textured pan that adds a nice touch of luxe. I don't know the difference between the textured versus smooth pans. I believe they all belong to the same range of eyeshadows. Whatever the case, this shade is very smooth in texture but does not feel powdery like the matte shades, nor creamy and crumbly like the frost finish shades. It has good pigmentation when I swatch it but when I try to blend it out on the back of my hand, the color wipes right off without depositing any color. It is difficult for me to say much about how it performs in actual wear on the lids because the shade is so dark that I use it only in a very small area along the lashline. I have noted, though, that it is far less pigmented going on the eyes than I would expect from looking at it in the pan or from my swatches.

L-R: 106 Breaking Nude, 107 Macaron Vanille, 200 Over the Taupe, 204 Golden Nude, 502 Quartz Fume

L-R: 106 Breaking Nude, 107 Macaron Vanille, 200 Over the Taupe, 204 Golden Nude, 502 Quartz Fume

I am sad to say that as much as I wanted to love these shadows, I am not sold. They were so promising on swatches but I was very disappointed with the application and actual wear. The frost finish of 200 Over the Taupe and 204 Golden Nude is a huge deterrent for me as I find it to look cheap and unprofessional. Furthermore, once blended, the shades lost their impact. They ended up blending so much into one another that the colors got all muddled. I had to go over the shades multiple times in order to get the look that I wanted, which is more effort than I have the time or interest in investing. These might work better for people with more lid space (I don't have much) so that there is more room to do targeted blending and surface area for the shadows to disperse over.

204 along the inner corners, 200 across the lids, 106 along the outer V, 502 smudged close to the lash line, and 107 as the blending shade along the crease

Lower lash line: 204 along the inner third, 502 along the outer 2/3

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Color: Brilliant Bordeaux

Sally Hansen Nail Color in Brilliant Bordeaux

Before Sally Hansen's Brilliant Bordeaux, I was a bare nails girl all the way. When I finally decided to dabble in nail polish, this was the first to grace my nails. What an excellent choice it was. Brilliant Bordeaux remains one of my favorite polishes. The shade is as the name suggests, a gorgeous deep crimson wine red with microshimmer. It is romantic and classic, yet vampy and edgy, and oh so perfect for the fall and winter seasons.

It is also a dream to apply. The formula is the perfect consistency, exactly as creamy and as fluid as you need to spread it evenly across the nails without any streaking.

I don't even know if they sell this anymore as I don't see it for sale online. If you can get your hands on this one, I totally recommend it!

Sally Hansen Nail Color in Brilliant Bordeaux (ambient light)

Sally Hansen Nail Color in Brilliant Bordeaux (with flash)

Project Pan: More Repeats

Oh how satisfying it will be to finally throw these out! Here are some previously reviewed items that I have used up yet again:

Project Pan Item #49: Seche Vite

Project Pan Item #50: Swedish Skin Eye Cream

Project Pan Item #51: Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover
(Truth be told, I've gone through several more of these...)

Project Pan Item #52: Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser

Project Pan Item #53: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye

Project Pan Items #54, 55: Estee Lauder DayWear Creme

Physicians Formula Touch of Glow Nude Wear: Concealer Nude

I'm not going to lie, it was the irresistible rose gold and bow packaging that compelled me try the Physicians Formula Nude Wear line. Lucky for me, I happened to love the products I've tried from this collection. Up for review today is the Touch of Glow Concealer in its sole shade, Nude.

The Touch of Glow Concealer is a twist-up highlighting concealer pen. As you can perhaps see, I'm just about done with my first tube (Project Pan Item #48). It is now a staple in my regimen, and I have several more tubes ready to go!

The consistency is quite thin and fluid, which makes for light coverage and foolproof blending. There isn't any shimmer to it but I do find that it highlights and livens the face. It smooths over the skin and helps it appear more creamy. I've stopped using foundation altogether since I've discovered this. I use it in under my eyes, on my nose, and above my lip to even out and brighten the center of my face. I just pat it all in with my fingers. I love that it offers a fast, easy way to freshen up my complexion without ever looking heavy. In fact, once it's blended in, it doesn't even look like you have makeup on. It has been great using this in targeted areas in lieu of all-over foundation, which I never felt looked natural no matter how light the coverage. If you're after something similar, then you might want to give this a try.

This isn't for you if you want perfect-looking skin. The coverage is much too light for that. Truth be told, it won't conceal anything, not even undereye discoloration, so it is misleading for this to be marketed as a concealer. This also probably isn't for you if you're any darker than a light-medium complexion. The shade is perfect for me and I would describe my skin is light-medium.

On right: after application of Nude Wear Concealer to center of face

I can see this product not working out for a lot of people but I think it's a great option for someone whose skin doesn't need much coverage, yet might benefit from a subtle touch of brightening. In particular, this product would probably be excellent for someone younger. It's the most natural product I've ever used, which is both its blessing and curse. It doesn't hide any imperfections but it does enhance the complexion while allowing your own skin to shine through. Whether or not this suits you will obviously depend on your skin and personal preference. This will also be good for anyone like me who does not have time or want to fuss around in the morning. All you have to do is twist up, swipe on, and pat it in with your fingers, which eliminates the need for any additional tools or brushes. Plus it's so lightweight and natural that I doubt application can go wrong.

I feel that the price is hefty at $12.99 for a pen but drugstores always have sales on. I've also seen it go on sale for 40% off on Ulta twice already. In fact, that sale is going on now so if you're interested, now might be a good time to give it a try!

Physicians Formula Matte Collection Quad Eye Shadow: Classic Nudes

Physicians Formula Classic Nudes Quad

Physicians Formula's matte eyeshadow quad in Classic Nudes has been a recent favorite of mine. I have previously reviewed another of these matte shadow quads, the Canyon Classics, and I'm including a comparison in this post.

Physicians Formula Classic Nudes Quad

Physicians Formula Classic Nudes Quad

Classic Nudes is a warm neutral palette. Clockwise from the top left, it includes: a very warm medium brown; an awesome light nude taupe; a deeper taupe brown; and a cream shade. The light nude taupe shade in the upper right is my current favorite crease/blending shade. I like the warm medium brown as an allover lid color and the deeper shade for adding depth to the outer corners. The cream shade is nice too, although I am more inclined to use something shimmery to highlight the inner half of my eyes. I think it would be a great option for under the brows but that's not something I personally do.

Physicians Formula Classic Nudes Quad

The shadows are a bit powdery but I have not had any issues with fallout. They blend out amazingly, which is what makes that light taupe shade such a dream to use as a blending shade in the crease. I would say they have medium pigmentation, bordering on light, but this is not a weakness. On the contrary, I feel that the lighter pigmentation adds to the strength of this palette as a great, fail-proof option for an everyday neutral eye. You really can't pack on it on so heavy that it'll ever look inappropriately smokey or sloppy. These shadows just make for an easy elegant makeup look.

Physicians Formula Canyon Classics vs Classic Nudes Quad

As for comparison, Classic Nudes is definitely a warm palette while Canyon Classics is cool-toned. They both each include cream shades that look similar in the pans but you can see in my swatches that the one in Classic Nudes has a bit of pink undertone to it. Both palettes also include light taupes but they're all different from one another. Again, the one in Classic Nudes is warmer while the two light taupes in Canyon Classics have more gray to them. There aren't any true dupes between the two palettes but I doubt anyone would be able to notice the slight differences between the creams or the light taupes in actual wear. The deep shades, however, are significantly different between the two palettes as Classic Nudes includes a warm mauvey-brown while Canyon Classics includes a charcoal gray. I personally prefer the warmer palette but I also think the cooler one is quite nice.

Physicians Formula Canyon Classics vs Classic Nudes Quad

Good matte palettes are hard to find, especially in the drugstore. These are great neutral options at price points you really can't complain about. I got mine from Ulta at 40% off so that it was about $4. I'm sure this kind of sale comes around pretty frequently so keep an eye out!

Physicians Formula Classic Nudes Quad

Zoya Nail Lacquer: Brigette

Zoya's Brigette

I recently saw The Breakfast Club and I was captivated by Molly Ringwald's nail polish. It was a mauve-pink, demure and chic. It seemed like such a classic shade, one that would flatter everyone, yet I owned nothing like it, nor was one like it readily available in the drugstore. Thus began my hunt.

Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club

When Zoya was having their 3-free-polishes sale, I jumped right on it. I knew I wanted purple/mauve-based pinks, and I was actually expecting to mix shades in order to achieve the perfect color. I thus ended up with both Brigette and Odette (to be reviewed soon). As luck would have it, however, Brigette was perfect all on its own.

Brigette is a gorgeous tea-rose mauve creme that I fell in love with as soon as I put it on. So did my roommate. It's that universally appealing color because it's subdued yet elegant. It was also such a dream to apply. I was very impressed with the formula, which was rich and creamy without being thick or gloppy.

I highly, highly recommend this polish!

Zoya's Brigette (ambient light)

Zoya's Brigette (with flash)