Fenty Beauty by Rihanna

Photo courtesy of: Fenty Beauty

A few years ago we all heard that Rihanna signed with a beauty agency to create her own line of beauty products. Knowing all things Rhianna, we all knew she wasn’t going to release anything less than excellence.

Ms. Robyn Rihanna Fenty snatched our scalps when she released “Fenty Beauty”, boasting 40 foundations shades, F-O-R-T-Y-F-U-C-K-I-N-G-S-H-A-D-E-S OF FOUNDATION. She thought of every undertone for every single person: fair, medium, warm, tan, deep, pink, red, yellow, green and blue! Along with the very INCLUSIVE range of foundations, Riri released a collection of Match Stix: stick concealer, contour shades, highlights and blushes. She also released powder highlights, mattifying blotting powders, blotting sheets, a lip gloss and brushes. UGH—this woman makes me sick, she’s so perfect.

I wasn’t able to purchase everything in the collection but I was able to snag a few things:

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Pro Filt’r Foundation
($34.00)

Shade in 310

The first thing that came to mind with this collection was that Rihanna really focused on skin. She wanted to set the foundation (no pun intended) for the rest of her line to flourish. However, even with 40 foundation shades, the journey to finding the ‘right’ shade is still a challenging one. The Pro Filt’r Foundations oxidize after your first application, this means that once the foundation formula is combined with oxygen, the color deepens a shade darker. So, to test out a color that “matches” your skin tone takes trial and error. I purchased: 310, 330 & 340 hoping to find a shade that matched my undertone, and after color testing-- 310 seemed to be the shade that settled into my skin the most naturally.

This foundation is medium to buildable coverage and finishes demi matte which gives your skin a shine free finish without looking cakey. As per the product description, “The oil-free formula is made with climate-adaptive technology that’s resistant to sweat and humidity, and won’t clog pores so that wherever you are, it’s going to work on your skin.” For someone like me with oily/combination skin—a demi matte is a heaven send. After a full day of testing the foundation, my makeup didn't melt off and still felt comfortable on my skin without flaking (Hallelujah!). I’ve been wearing this foundation a few days in a row and it’s climbing to the top of my most used foundation list. 10/10 for everyday foundation.

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Match Stix
($25.00)

Fenty came out with 10 Match Stix Shimmer Skinsticks and 20 Match Stix Matte Skinstix that all magnetize together so you can mix and match or purchase a trio without losing track of the product. The shimmer skinstix are meant to be used as highlight sticks and/or blush sticks. The matte matchstix are meant for concealing and contouring. Both Match Stix are a cream to powder finish, creamy, blendable and meant for all skin types. I purchased one of each Match stick: Chili Mango, Rum, Sand and Truffle. My favorite? Hands down, Chili Mango cream blush. This color is amazing on tan skin tones and is subtle while still giving off a beautiful bright finish. My vote: 10/10

Now for the contour and concealer sticks. So. Great color payoff, creamy and blendable. The concealer stick isn’t the smoothest under the eye area, when I tried to use the concealer stick under my waterline, it tug my skin a lot and that's a big no-no for me unfortunately. I still personally suggest using a liquid concealer for your under eye, but for your forehead, nose and chin, the stick works fine. The cream contour in “Truffle” was a great shade for me, the cream blended out fine while using a beauty blender and I can foresee using this stick for special occasions. If you’re a fan of cream contouring, the stick is easy to use. My vote: 7/10

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Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter
($34.00)

Other than the 40 foundation shades, everyone talked about these highlighters! The most talked about highlight was Trophy Wife which is an electric gold highlight and is super editorial. While I thought Trophy Wife was incredible, I purchased the shimmer duo in Mean Money & Hu$tla Baby. Mean Money is a soft champagne sheen and Hu$tla Baby is supercharged champagne shimmer. A lot of people were underwhelmed with the light sheen on Mean Money but I actually love it. It’s more of a soft-focus powder vs a highlight, but I thoroughly enjoy Mean Money for a soft filtered glow. If you need a highlight that shines bright like a diamond (I’m killing it with the puns today) Hu$tla Baby is the color you want.  It’s luminizing but at the same time provides you with a dewey glow. 9/10

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 Gloss Bomb Universal Lip
($18.00)

I was surprised that Fenty only released one lip product. Although looking back on the entire collection, because every product was focused on skin—this gloss bomb was perfect. And as you can imagine with the word “Bomb” in it’s name, this gloss is ridiculously shimmery, glossy and soft with a rose nude tint. This gloss is not sticky, it glides on smooth and it smells like sweet tarts! The smell so sweet and sugary it’s almost like you have a pixie stick lip gloss, it’s the best! 10/10    

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OVERALL REVIEW

My favorite items from the collection are hands down the foundation, the blush stick and the highlighters. If you have oily/combination skin like me, the journey to find the right foundation shade is worth the effort. The Killawatt highlighters are fun, bright and give you a natural glow without any chunky fall out. I was disappointed with the matte match stix, and I really really wanted to like them. I’ve never been a big fan of stick concealers or cream contouring (yes, i know i'm a hater) so I am aware that my rating is biased based on my own preferences.

Otherwise, I loved everything I picked up in the collection. The color range is noteworthy because beauty brands very rarely create collections with all people of color in mind. Fenty has a foundation with no pigment for people with albinism all the way to a set of foundations for deep shades for red, neutral and cool undertones. It’s incredible, inclusive and well intended for women to look and feel confident in their own skin. Well done Fenty.. Well done.

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GLAM SHOTS

Products Used
Foundation: Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Foundation in 310
Cream Contour: Fenty Matte Match Stix in Truffle
Cream Concealer: Fenty Matte Match stix in Sand
Cream Highlight: Fenty Shimmer Match Stix in Rum
Cream Blush:  Fenty Shimmer Match Stix in Chili Mango
Powder Highlight: Fenty Killawatt highlighter in Hu$tla Baby

Eye Makeup: 
Eyeshadow: Dose of Colors Turbosan
Lipstick: Dose of Colors Saváge

Mastering the Master palette by Mario Dedivanovic

I have been WAITING for this palette. Like ~ W A I T I N G G G G ~ for this palette to come out. Makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic is famously known for his work with Kim Kardashian and the Kardashian family, but he’s also worked with classic beauties like Chanel Iman, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Bosworth, Gabrielle Union, Kelly Ripa and Jourdan Dunn to name a few. With his undeniable talent and ability to SLAYYYYY, it was obvious that Mario’s next steps would be to build his own brand with a beauty product. And if you follow Mario on his social media channels (Like I do) you know that he has a longstanding personal and professional relationship with Anastasia Soare, so when Mario hinted at a collaboration, it was only natural that Anastasia Beverly Hills be the brand platform. 

I woke up early AF to put in my order for 2 palettes. Thank goodness because (as I predicted) the palette sold out in a matter of hours. And on the glorious day when that blessed package came to my office, my heart was beating with excitement as I jumped up and down screaming “It’s here!! ITS HEEEEEERRRE!!". My male colleagues who do NOT understand my infatuation with makeup were concerned for my health and mental state due to the box of “powders” at my desk….. *eyeroll* boys smh…

Ugh, Its just SO pretty! Isn’t is pretty??? Just look at it! I was too scared to touch it— does that happen to anyone else? When I buy makeup, sometimes I have this fear that I’m going to ruin it by touching it. I’ll sit on my bed and stare at my makeup for an eternity hoping it will tell me its secrets…Is that not okay? 

Alright so here goes my review:

PACKAGING:
Like most Anastasia palettes I own, the eyeshadows are in a cardboard case with a mirrored cover that flips all the way around so the palette can sit flat on the table. As a makeup artist and lover of organization, can I tell you how MF CLUTCH this is? The only time I take out a palette that doesn’t sit flat is if it includes a powder that is detrimental to the process, and/or if the case is too hard to break apart. Otherwise, I depot you and put you in a Z-Palette with the rest of my friends. 

COLOR:
This palette comes with 12 neutral shades combined with a range of jewel tones in both matte and metallic finishes:

Hollywood (metallic wheat gold with a satin finish)
NYC (rich chocolate brown with a satin finish)
Kim (tan with a satin finish)
Muse (rose gold with a satin finish)
Marina (champagne with a metallic finish)
Claudia (slate with a velvet finish)
Lula (soft taupe with an ultra-matte finish)
Isabel (burnt orange with an ultra-matte finish)
Violeta (dark chocolate with an ultra-matte finish)
5th Ave (gold leaf with a metallic finish)
Bronx (metallic olive with a satin finish)
Paris (gilded brown with a satin finish)

SWATCHES:

FORMULA:
Soft, pigmented and SO pretty! Most ABH eyeshadows are soft and pigmented so this palette has the same quality in powders. But because the powders are so soft and luxurious, you have to be careful of fallout during the application process (Press, press, press and tap tap if you know what I'm sayin'). Otherwise, you can apply these eyeshadows dry or wet and still get the same quality pigment. 

LONGEVITY:
When prepped and primed well, the eyeshadows last a strong 6-8 hours without fading. Especially when foiling your shadows with the shimmers and Metallics, the pigment stays pretty true to color for hours. Check out this glowy look I did on my friend and fellow MUA Maria using: Hollywood, Lula, Isabel, Violeta & Kim. 

OVERALL REVIEW:
I am a FAN.. The colors in his palette work well with most skin tones— there's so much variety in terms of color and texture and it’s just PRETTY! It’s so GATDAMN pretty! And at $45.00 a palette, sold at AnastasiaBeverlyHills.com, Sephora and Ulta— this palette is a must have and will be a staple for your kit.     

Thicky Thick - Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick Foundation

Photo courtesy of: Hourglass.com 

There's something so satisfying about purchasing a new foundation, especially when you’ve found a color that matches well and provides amazing coverage. Hourglass released their new Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation sticks, and while there are a ton of new foundation sticks on the market, I was particularly interested in the Hourglass foundation stick because: 

1. They are known for their foundation quality
2. This foundation is meant to adjust to body temperature
3. I don’t personally own any Hourglass foundations— so I took this opportunity to add to my collection. 

As a naturally tanned goddess, I have a hard time finding colors that match my skin tone perfectly. With 28 shades to choose from I was excited to pick out my new best friend. I want to commend companies like Hourglass and Cover FX (another classic fave) for catering to multiple skin tones while still providing maximum quality. 

PACKAGING:
Can we say sleek? This chocolate brown casing is sturdy, sleek and built in a triangle tube to provide a comfortable grip and easy application. The foundation itself was also in a triangular formation, and while that’s different compared to the other foundation sticks in the market, it made the application process precise, fairly simple and hassle free. Plus it’s easy to throw in your bag and good when you need to apply foundation on the go.

COLOR:
I matched with Golden Amber.. I know I’m a tan goddess, but HOT DAMN did I get dark over the summer. Golden Amber is a bit darker than I usually go, but the medium deep color with a neutral undertone fit my skin tone perfectly so I was juiced.

SWATCH:
Not my best swatch, but with a slight hand (and in one swipe) I was able to produce full coverage. So. Much. Pigment. sooooo. muuuuuuuch. PIGMENNNTTT!!!

FORMULA:
Don’t say I didn’t warn you :) The foundation is FULL COVERAGE! You can dilute the product with a face oil or moisturizer, but stick to skin, this foundation is THICKY THICK. This stick is meant to be a foundation and concealer all in one, so the formula is infused with double the pigment for instant coverage. 

LONGEVITY:
This product is long-wearing and waterproof, it provides 12 hour lasting power for special occasions where you need all day full coverage. The innovative formula adjusts to your body temperature to blend into the skin effortlessly. I wore this foundation to the Beyonce concert (I danced HARD ya'll) and an outdoor wedding in 80 degree heat and it didn’t smudge, or melt off. Can we say Impressive? 

OVERALL REVIEW:
Will I buy more? Yes. Will I buy again? Yes. While pricey at a smooth $46.00 a stick, you could purchase multiple colors and use the sticks for contour and highlight. Otherwise, buying this foundation for full coverage is well worth the price tag. 

DOSE of Colors Hidden Treasures Palette - Gemstone Metallic REALNESS

Its that time of the year again, Weddings, Proms, (Insert life event here) Showers, Fundraising events, etc.. Basically anytime you'll need a full face of glam, and a bottle full of wine at your fingertips. DOSE of colors recently released an eyeshadow palette called 'Hidden Treasures'. Where you can find natural jewel toned eyeshadow colors for your everyday glamour session.  

PACKAGING:
Look at that Beaut! The packaging is designed to look as though you've opened up a treasure chest and found 10 metallic and matte gems to cover your eye sockets for a night out on the town. 

LONGEVITY:
I recently used a few colors from this palette on a bride and
1- the colors are PIGMENTED AF!
2- With a primer or concealer to lock the color onto your skin, the colors stay on for a really long time. My Bride had her makeup on starting at noon and had a full face of makeup for a good 8 hours before fading. 

COLORS:

Pearl – Off white Shimmer
Coin – Golden Metallic
Key – Brown Matte
Crown – Burnt copper – Metallic
Ruby – Deep red – Metallic
Gemstone – Chamapagne – Metallic
ONYX – Black – Matte
Map – Mauve Matte
Locket – Tan/Beige Matte
Diamond – Nude/Pink Metallic

Check out my close ups so you can enjoy the colors in all its shimmery glory:

SWATCHES:
Jesus GAWD have you seen these swatches? HAVE YOU??? Check out my swatches below :) When I said these eyeshadows were pigmented, I was SO serious. These eyeshadows come off almost like a foil without having to use a wet brush. It's beautiful! After I swatched these shadows in the light, I turned up the Drake album, faked a few salsa moves and WAS. KILLIN EM! 

TMI? Oh well, the colors are beautiful and made me a happy girl :)

PRICE:
$50.00. For 10 eyeshadows, that breaks down to $5.00/eyeshadow. And for colors this pigmented, the Hidden Treasures palette is a STEAL ON THE REAL.

OVERALL:
I have always been a fan of DOSE of colors, so I jumped at the chance to purchase this palette. The only Con that I have is the placement of the eyeshadows within the palette. I understand it's purpose and design, however-- because I am a freelance makeup artist, the placement gives my OCD a little kick in the ass. Most of my palettes are organized in a way that it's easier for me to look and pull a color for my client. With this palette it forces me to search for a color (in my head) in an unorganized way. AGAIN, I am aware that my makeup problems are different from the average makeup enthusiast, but I thought I would voice my opinion here. 

Overall if you like Metallics and need a little shimmer in your life, check this palette out, it's one not to miss!

Glow GLEAM Kit, Review and Swatches

Ok so can we discuss these highlighter palettes by Anastasia Beverly Hills? I had no intention of purchasing these highlighters at IMATS and then bam! I am now the proud owner of the Gleam Glow Kit. Naturally I hovered over the “That Glow” palette for a while but for some reason the soft highlight and rosy tones in the Gleam kit called my name. These colors are meant to complement all skin tones so I had no doubt that the Gleam kit would suit my tan exterior. 

COLORS:
Hard Candy – A rosey pink highlight

Mimosa – Golden peach color

Starburst – Silvery pink highlight  

Crushed Pearl – Light champagne color 

Often times I’ll mix and match a ton of colors for a highlight that can be seen from space :)  For a more intense highlight, just apply water to your makeup brush before swiping the highlight color, this will help make the colors pop. Or you can cover your face in highlight and go running in the dark, the highlight serves as reflective running gear so cars and deer can see you from afar. I’m joking.. But that would be funny if it worked that way :) 

Jeffree Star Androgyny Swatches and Dupes!

I bought my first Jeffree Star liquid lipstick!!!!!!!!! I’ve been a fan girl of Jeffree Star (Makeup artist, musician, model, fashion designer) for a while now and I’m excited to playyyyy. Unfortunately every time I’ve been online to purchase their liquid lipsticks, every color I want is sold out or my computer gets a virus and crashes as soon as I whip out my credit card. It's almost like my laptop knows I’m going to buy another lipstick :/

Fast forwarding to now, I always thought Androgyny was a gorgeous mauve color and the coveting spirit comes over me when i see a product I absolutely love. Low and behold (Thanks to my boo thang Erika) Androgyny basically fell into my lap! I wore my new lipstick that same night and I am one happy customer :) Check out my review below.

Packaging
Hot pink, Stars and Lipstick. If I were a rock star/makeup artist/all around Glamour Diva, I’d choose bold packaging too. The lipstick itself is cased in a clear tube with hot pink and gold stars. The packaging definitely stands out in my lipstick collection and I’m not mad at it. 

Formula
Applying the product onto my lips, it felt very runny. Immediately after application some of the product ended up on my teeth, not the most convenient experience for my first try. After I cleaned the residue, the lipstick dried smooth and set beautifully on my lips. The formula feels like butter, dries matte but doesn’t feel drying on my lips. Compared to the Colourpop/Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks, Jeffree Star’s formula is silky and (while runny) dries comfortably on the lips. 

Color
Jeffree Star’s collection of lipstick colors are very different than your average lipstick collection. The colors are vibrant and unique, Androgyny being one of the more tame colors in the bunch. I haven’t had the chance to purchase more colors, but I definitely will try it out.  

Dupes
While Androgyny is a very beautiful color, it looks a lot like Colourpop’s Stingraye and Chilly Chili. The formula is clearly different, but the color is very similar. If you don’t want to shell out 18 big one's for Jeffree Star but love the color, Stingraye or ChilliChili are more affordable lipsticks with similar colors.  

Longevity
I tried had the lipstick on at around 8:00pm for an art show and past midnight (a hotdog and a few drinks later) the color did not feather, fade (with the exception of the hot dog, and even then I barely had to reapply) nor did it flake. I haven’t tried wearing the colors for more than 8 hours, but based on other reviews, Jeffree Star liquid lipsticks have amazing staying power.

Cons
Aside from the ultra runny formula, the products can only be ordered online. You cannot visit your local Namies of Nigel’s to pick up a few colors, so you’d have to rely on the swatches online to help you decide which colors to purchase. IF the colors are available. These lipsticks are always selling out! (which technically isn’t really a con but you know.. Whatevs)

Overall
Jeffree Star's formula is different from what I’ve tried in the market, so I’m happy I had the chance to purchase this product. The staying power, color pigment and non drying formula makes this liquid lipstick a winner.

TLS Highlighter Review

So i dont know if anyone noticed, but i love highlighters.. I am obsessed with looking as fertile as possible by using any and all beauty highlighters. Just like many beauty junkies, i am a STAN for Manny the MUA. But really, who isn't? Anyway, he put the world on these new TLS highlighters that blew. my. mind.

Of course i had to try these little babies out on my own, so i bought a little starter pack for my kit. I purchased Glow Gawd, Blushing Bride and Sunkissed. Basically 1 highlight per skin tone range. Check out my review for each highlighter below. Please note that i packed on the product to my fingers to emphasize the pigment. When applied, you actually don't need very much to achieve a glowy look.

GLOW GAWD: 

One of their top highlights, Glow Gawd is a soft golden iridescent color that looks subtly sweet when applied to the orbital bone. There are soft flecks of gold that make the pigment more yellow, and looks great on any skin tone.

SUNKISSED:

Sunkissed is a beautiful golden powder that is clearly on the warmer side, but is perfect for those with a darker/warmer skin tone.

BLUSHING BRIDE:

Blushing Bride is a light pink iridescent powder. this color can soften any skin tone, and reminds me a lot of the Hourglass ambient light powders, and is similar to the soft focus light that the product provides.

Price Point:
Each pot of pigment costs $9.75 per 6 gm of product.

Formula:
This highlighter is a loose pigment made up of mica, titanium dioxide, silica and some pigments include iron oxides. I haven't had any of my clients to react negatively from the product, neither did I, so I enjoyed using these highlighters. Also this highlighter is amazing and a little will go a long way.

Packaging:
The pigments come in a plastic container with a twist cap. The product is contained under a plastic filter/grinder that prevents the pigment from spilling out. 

Color:
Overall, I like the color payoff of these highlighters are very pigmented and you can probably see this highlight from space :) Some of the colors look similar but have a subtle undertone that comes through in it's iridescence. 

Longevity:
I've used this highlight on a client, set her with Fix+ and it STUCK to her like glue. I use this product on myself for dinner and dancing but didn't set my face, and the product stayed on for 6+ hours. <3 <3 <3  

Tips: This product is a loose pigment highlighter and i will say that the product can get messy, especially if you forget to close the filter in its packaging.

I like this product and would recommend these colors to any makeup artist and beauty junkie. Especially for MUA's who are starting their kits, these products really provide excellent quality for it's price point. The packaging is cute and fits in any makeup kit so it's easy to travel with. 

Squeeze, Line and Define with the Tarte Tarteist Clay Liner

I. DIE. For a beautiful winged eyeliner. I envied Amy Winehouse for her courage and commitment to winged eyeliner, It’s the best.. We all know applying eyeliner is not easy, it does take a lot of practice but a good eyeliner will make any artist ugly-cry in amazement.  Friends… Let me introduce you to the Tarte Tarteist Clay Liner. I have been hunting this liner for months.. Unfortunately I slacked on jumping on this product when it first came out and of course, the eyeliner ended up sold out everywhere. The Universe brought me to this liner when I walked into Sephora this weekend. I stopped in the aisle and asked God to deliver me when I grabbed the last box… What can I say, God is good :) 

Now onto the eyeliner! 

Formula: The formula is waterproof and happens to be a hybrid between a liquid and a gel liner. Like most Tarte products, this liner includes Amazonian Clay, this makes the product creamy without being runny, which allows you to define your liner flawlessly without tugging. 

Packaging: You can tell that the packaging for this product was designed with the creative in mind. The eyeliner comes in a squeezable tube and can be applied with the included eyeliner brush. The top of the tube has a tapered round mixing palette so that you can blend the product onto the brush. I Love!

Photo Courtesy of Sephora.com  

Color: BLACK like my soul! After the first swipe of color, you can see the richness of the product. But just like any eyeliner, sometimes (depending on how much product you use) you have to double up on the application to make the color more opaque. 

Longevity: This liner is smudge proof, waterproof and lasted a full work day + a few Happy Hours (+/-10 hours) with very little budging. *flame emojis*

Tips: Be Careful when you squeeze the tube, if you aren’t careful a ton of product will spill out. *crying face emoji*

**Please note that I have combination skin with very little crease in my eyelid. I’ve heard that oily lids, or hooded eyelids have a hard time with this product, but for me, I had no trouble with application or lasting power. 

Overall I love this product and will buy again :)