saváge

beauty, Review

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

Review, beauty

DESIxKATY by Dose of Colors

Hi, yes. Hello. I’m back..

And not only am I back. I have the Dose of Colors DesixKaty collaboration ready for you along with makeup looks.. See, I’m a good blogger right?

Don’t answer that.

If you’re an avid makeup junkie or beauty enthusiast, you’ve likely heard of this thing called YouTube. It’s an incredible platform where you can stream videos of almost ANYTHING. Want to learn how to contour? YouTube. Want to learn how to apply false lashes? YouTube. Want to watch a 10-minute video of kittens sleeping? YouTube.

Two of my favorite makeup guru’s on YouTube who happen to be besties are Desi Perkins and Katy Degroot (Lustrelux). I've been watching Katy on YouTube way back when she lived in Oakland YEARS ago. She (I think) is my twin soul, so when she befriended Desi Perkins (who is my skin tone twin) I was delighted by their constant interaction. But when they both collaborated with DOSE OF COLORS….

I lost my mind.

After locking myself in a room for their first drop, I was able to purchase most of the set. The only problem I had, was that DOC took almost a month to ship the entire collection to me. I get it—Mercury was in retrograde, orders were lost and items were back ordered, but it was frustrating. Either way, after a painful 3+ weeks of waiting I finally received my package.

Now here we are, ready to blog, review and swatch, just in time for their re-stock on Sunday, September 24th.. Ladies and gentlemen, The DesixKaty collaboration:

Everything about this collection is Fire. From the packaging all the way to the products themselves, this collection is incredible. So let’s get started:

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“THE GIRLS”
An eyeshadow quad with 4 luxuriously shimmery colors, all named after their dogs (Naturally). ($28.00)

SUZ- crisp bright champagne shade. A super creamy texture that is formulated to be used WET. One drop of water on your finger is all you need. 

HARPOON- A cool tone green base with green and gold reflects. This unique shade is formulated to be used WET.

TURBOSAN- Start sparkling with this ultra-luxe shadow that is packed with shimmering reflects. For intense color payoff and a glistening finish, apply with finger.

NOLI- A sultry bronze shade thats infused with gold reflects. This perfect bronze shade is a powerfully pigmented formula that glides onto the lids for a silky-smooth finish.

L-R: Suz, Noli, Turbosan, Harpoon

REVIEW: The only thing that is inconvenient about this quad is that you’re going to get the best color payoff when using your finger to apply, wet or dry. There are a number of factors that will affect your eyeshadow application: long nails, little eyeshadow experience and Cheetos. Not everyone will have the experience to apply these shadows onto their eyelid correctly using just their fingers. So, there will be a learning curve involved for some users. Also, if you’re not careful, any eyeshadow left over on your finger can possibly interfere with the rest of your makeup application, so please be careful! Otherwise—these colors are absolutely BEAUTIFUL and perfect for a glamorous night out.  

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“FUEGO” and “MIRAME”
‘My highlight brings all the boys to the yard - And my light is better than yours- and they’re like - It’s better than yours -  I can teach you - but I have to charge’ ($28.00 per highlighter)

FUEGO – Light Champagne Gold
MIRAME – Rose Gold

L-R: Fuego, Mirame

REVIEW: These ladies brought some serious GLOW to this collection. I’ve layered these highlighters together and separately, and both colors are soft, gentle but with a nice BLINDING effect. With one layer, you can achieve a healthy glow without looking oily. Or you can layer the highlight over and over again for a wet look. 10/10 if you have to pick one product from the collection, I recommend the highlighters.

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“NO SHADE” and “MORE CREAMER PLEASE”
Lipsticks with a Creamy/Matte finish ($16.00 per lipstick)

NO SHADE – Light peachy nude
MORE CREAMER PLEASE – Deep nude with a brown/peach undertone

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“HOT FIRE”, “SAVAGE” LIQUID LIPSTICK & “OVER THE TOP” GLOSS
Liquid lipstick with a velvet matte finish that glides on smoothly and stays put throughout the day.  ($18.00/liquid lipstick & $15.00/gloss)

HOT FIRE – Fiery Orange Red
SAVÁGE – Rich Black based Burgundy
OVER THE TOP – A mega-shine clear gloss infused with reflective gold reflects

Considering that Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks are my favorite formula, I knew from the bottom of my heart that these liquid lipsticks were going to be amazing.

L-R: No Shade, More Creamer Please, Hot Fire, Saváge

REVIEW:
Now, as a tanned lady myself—I have a hard time finding a few things: the right foundation color match, the right concealer color and the perfect nude lipstick. And then I met “More creamer please”.. I found my soul mate! Not only do these lipsticks feel creamy, they finish creamy. More Creamer Please is on the warm peachy side and is the truest nude I've ever worn. I’ve always had a hard time with nudes because I’ve always had to mix lip liners and lipsticks for the perfect color, until now. I’m so happy that this collection includes a deeper nude for the ladies blessed with melanin.

No Shade is a little bit too light for me, but I can see this being absolutely perfect for people with lighter skin tones. It's beautiful!

Hot Fire is just a bit too neon for my skin tone, so I do have to line my lips with a blue based red to keep my skin from looking too tan. But I do love the color, and I'm excited to add this color to my kit, it’s bright and playful for any night out.

Now Saváge is definitely not for the weak. If you want an ox blood, dramatic lip color, please.. Be a savage and go with Saváge for the night, you'll definitely turn some heads.    

Over the Top is the most beautiful shimmery golden lip gloss. It looks really glittery in the tube but It’ll leave your lips looking juicy and fresh with a soft honey-like tint.

OVERALL REVIEW:
Buy this collection.. Or If you’re interested in one or two of the products in the set, I say just go for it. I promise, you will not be disappointed. The collection compliments a wide range of skin tones and use high quality ingredients. Almost all products in the collection are vegan and ALL products are cruelty free. But don't be a slacker and wait. Pick up the collection on the Dose of Colors website, or at Naimies online when they restock on Sunday, September 24th.

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GLAM SHOTS

PRODUCTS USED:
Eyes:
Noli, Suz, MAC: Soft Brown & Texture

Foundation:
Fenty Pro Filt’r Foundation in 310

Lips:
More Creamer Please & Over the Top gloss

Highlight:
Mirame & Fuego layered on top of eachother

Contour:
ABH – Tan contour kit

Lashes:
House of Lashes – Boudoir