There seems to be this rave of new products out in the makeup world:  Beauty Balms.  Not really a foundation, not a primer, or a moisturizer- it’s an all in one super product that eliminates several steps to your makeup routine.

When I first applied this, it felt like a silicone primer mixed with a tinted moisturizer.  It applies very smoothly and feels amazing on the skin.  For me, it didn’t have enough coverage to act as a foundation and it was so shiny that it emphasized my pores.  I used mine as a primer and it worked well in giving me a dewy finish, but on its own it was just way too shiny (it would be great for super dry skin).

Supposedly it can work as a tinted moisturizer, primer, spf, and skincare complex (promotes cell health and skin’s elasticity)

What is it?

A multi-benefit BB cream that tints, primes, nourishes, prevents, and protects skin in one easy step. 

What I love:

• The silky smooth texture
• The extra moisture needed by my winter parched skin
• The coverage was better than most tinted moisturizers
• When I used as a primer, it gave my skin a dewy finish
• Is nice having skincare properties included, making this a multi-tasker

What I hate:

• The shiny formula emphasized my pores
• Not really sure how to include this in my makeup routine except for “no makeup days”

• Rating:  4 out 5
• Product: 3 out of 5
• Packaging: 5 out of 5
• Quality: 4 out of 5
• Price:  4 out of 5
• Would I buy again?   Not sure…

Price:   $32

Where to Buy:   Sephora  .  Amazon  .  eBay

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When I first saw these creamy eyeshadows at my local CVS, my first thought was “look at all the pretty colors!”  These remind me so much of MAC’s paintpots back in the day when they had colorful ones.  (not sure why they stick to just the boring colors now- *sigh*)

What are they?

Colorful cream eyeshadows that come in 10 shades and last up to 24 hours. 

What I love:

• The rich pigmentation and vibrant colors
• Fair price
• Apply easily and do not feel sticky
• Fun names (not a big deal, but still well thought out )

What I hate:

• Purple color does not show up well
• Not enough neutral shades

I must say that I’m VERY impressed with these cream eyeshadows- especially for the price.  Even the packaging is the perfect size- it’s easy to get my fingers into

The only downside is that if you try to blend the shimmery colors too much, the color starts to disappear.  However, the matte colors are incredibly pigmented and blend very well.  I really don’t have much negative to say about these eyeshadows! Good job Maybelline.

• Rating:  5 out 5
• Product: 5 out of 5
• Packaging: 5 out of 5
• Quality: 4 out of 5
• Price:  5 out of 5
• Would I buy again?  Yes (except the purple one- it sucks.)

Price:   $6.99

Where to Buy:   Most drugstores   .  eBay

In my quest of hydrating my parched and chapped winter lips, I found this tinted lip treatment that actually keeps my lips super soft!  I used to use my beloved Bourjois Night Lip Balm, but since they quit selling in the US (boo!), I had to find an alternate product.

Now I admit this little tube is not cheap, but it’s been the only thing keeping my lips from feeling like sandpiper every night.  They come in 5 different colors for just a slight tint on the lips.  The one I bought was “Plum” as it had the most color…

What I love:

• Very emollient formula that doesn’t feel greasy
• Slightly tinted color for those “no makeup days”
• Smells and feels amazing!

What I hate:

• The price.

I realize that $22 is WAY too much for a chapstick basically, but if you have super dry lips and want something with a little color then these lip treatments are quite nice.   I’m not sure if I would buy any more just because I hate spending that much, so I will continue my quest for something cheaper   It is an amazing product though and Fresh did a great job with their product!

• Rating:  4 out 5
• Product: 4 out of 5
• Packaging: 5 out of 5
• Quality: 5 out of 5
• Price:  1 out of 5
• Would I buy again?  If it were cheaper…

Price:   $22.50

Where to Buy:   Sephora  .  Amazon  .  eBay

NYX says “If you’re addicted to smokey eyes, this kit is custom-made for you. It contains a palette of pigmented eye shadows to create gray smokey eyes, purple smokey eyes, bronze smokey eyes and natural smokey eyes.”

First off, the packaging is made of a sturdy plastic, which makes it ideal for travelling as all the products are kept secure. The packaging is very simple; plain black with white text, and the front reveal small windows to view some of the eyeshadows (similar to their NYX Nude on Nude Palette).  The palette is slightly bulky, but it does contain a lot of different products.

The top section of the palette first reveals a range of eyeshadows which are split into 4 main smokey eyes – classic, purple, bronze and natural. Each section contains 8 individual eyeshadows as well as a quad at the top of each;  the eyeshadows are made up of a range of different finishes. Underneath the eyeshadows is a compartment that contains 6 face products – a matte contour powder and highlighter, bronzer with shimmer and 3 blushes which all contain shimmer. They also provide a small black eyeliner and two applicators (double ended sponge tip and a lip brush).

There is a drawer at the base of the palette, which pulls out to reveal all the cream products: 16 lip glosses, 12 glitter creams, 1 green correct, 1 lavender correcter, and 2 shades of concealer.

Overall, the products in this palette are of great quality. The eyeshadows , for me personally, are the standout of this palette. Most of them are very pigmented and blend easily (with the exception of a couple), and contain a nice selection of different finishes. The face products are also good, but I personally would have preferred a matter bronzer and a highlight with shimmer as opposed to the other way around. The white matte highlighter looked chalky and unflattering. The blushes are also very good in quality, but again I would have like to seen a matte blush or a different shade (as all three blushes were pink).

The lip products were quite good, but some were balms and others were more like a lipstick, making some more pigmented than others. The lipstick ones can initally have a little bit of a tacky feeling on the lips so I do recommend a Chapstick to be applied first. The correctors and concealers, I felt, are good for light to medium spot treating, but are too creamy to be used under the eyes without creasing. The glitter creams were my least favourite part of the palette – the glitter sits of the surface, and after that  glitter has been used, all that remains is the clear gel. They have a patchy application and I personally am not a fan, but they can be good to be used for a party or fancy dress event.

This palette gives you great value, there are so many products that you get and with the exception of a gel/liquid liner and mascara, you can create an entire look with this alone. Most of the products are great quality, so I definitely feel that this is worth the price, even just for the eyeshadows and face products alone.

Rating:

• Product: 4 out of 5
• Packaging: 4 out of 5
• Price: 4 out of 5
• Quality: 4 out of 5
• Overall: 4 out of 5
• Would I buy again? Yes
• Price: $22.00

It has bright, orange based red (#37), Deep, blue based red (#63), dark pink (#16), nude (#24) and warm brown (#61):

#61

#24

#16

#63

#37

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil

If you’re looking for a  creamy concealer that’s easy to use, these Urban Decay ones work great!  I like the convenience of the stick form as it’s easy to swipe directly on your blemish or problem area.  They come in 8 different colors, so there’s a wide range to choose from and they cost $18.   I tried using these under my eyes and no cakeyness so far!

My only complaint with these is the staying power- when I go to apply my foundation on top, these tend to slide just a bit.  No breakouts from them yet either, but I haven’t been wearing them long enough to really test that out.  I’ll update you more on that later!

The color that matches me the best is FBI and I’m about a NW25

Price:  $18

Where to Buy:  Sephora  .  Amazon . eBay

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil

The eyeliners as usual are amazing!  I’ve been using the Urban Decay 24/7 ones for years now and love how they slide easily and are super pigmented.  The color “Perversion” is incredibly black- definitely a must have for every Makeup Geek.  ”Demolition” is a great go to brown color if black is too harsh for your coloring.  ”Woodstock” is pretty, but most people don’t have a use for pink eyeliner…

The price for these are a bit steep, but Perversion is worth the investment.  (You could get other colorful ones from Loreal HIP or Milani or even NYX for less money)

Price:  $18

Where to Buy:   Sephora  .  Amazon  . eBay

Urban Decay High Gloss Lip Color

These lipgloss pencils are a unique idea- lipgloss in a convienent pencil form.  I love how smooth and pigmented these are, plus the colors are really pretty!  My favorite is Lovechild

I do love the idea of these and the convienence of the packaging, but there’s not enough pigment and shine for my taste.  I’d rather use a traditional lipgloss…  But, if you’re looking for a lipstick and lipstick in one, these may be a great buy for you!

Price:  $19

Where to Buy:   Sephora  .  Amazon  . eBay

What I love:

What I hate:

I have had issues with fallout from this mascara. As the day wears on I get some fall out underneath my eyes. I can usually wipe it away but if you like to apply  your mascara heavily on the bottom you might end up with the raccoon eye effect if you use this mascara. I was also disappointed that this mascara did not do much to curl my lashes, I would definitely recommend you use a eyelash curler before you apply this product. Lastly, this is an extremely expensive mascara and not necessarily accessible for all Makeup Geeks.

Laura Mercier says the “Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil is formulated specifically for lining the inside of the eyelid and the base of the lashes.”

The Laura Mercier kohl eye pencils come in a range of colours including:

• Antique Jade
•  Black Gold
•  Black Navy
•  Black Turquoise
•  Black Violet
•  Brown Copper
•  Purple Sapphire

The colour that I am reviewing is Black Violet, which is a very deep purple/almost black shade. The texture of the pencil is smooth and creamy, which makes for an easy application. The pencil is not completely matte, it has a slightly metallic finish, but its not too noticeable when applied.  This pencil is nice and soft, making it easy to apply without tugging or dragging at the eye, and it is easily smudged. This pencil does a good job at being smudged to create a smoky look, but  doesn’t work great on the waterline, as it does fade away. This eyeliner does also smudge and fade slightly after a couple of hours on the top lid and bottom lash line, so I do recommended going over the lined area with a powder eyeshadow to increase its longevity (a dark purple eyeshadow looks great over the top of this liner).

I wouldn’t recommend this eye pencil if your looking for something thats long-lasting, but is a great smoky liner. It is also a bit of a pricy item, and it doesn’t have any special feature (i.e. waterproof, long-lasting), that justifies its price.

Rating:

• Product: 4 out of 5
• Packaging: 5 out of 5
• Price: 3 out of 5
• Quality: 4 out of 5
• Overall: 4 out of 5
• Would I buy again? Possibly, but it is a bit expensive.
• Price: U.S- $19, Australia – $23

Where to buy:  (Amazon)  (eBay)

What is it?

10 travel-sized products from Benefit:
- 0.1 oz Dandelion (soft pink)
- 0.11 oz Erase Paste in No. 2 Medium
- 0.08 oz Benetint (rose)
- 0.08 oz High Beam (luminous pink)
- 0.08 oz Posietint (poppy pink)
- 0.08 oz Ooh La Lift
- 0.08 oz Stay Don’t Stray
- 0.25 oz That Gal
- 0.25 oz The Porefessional
- 0.1 oz Bella Bamba (watermelon pink)

They Describe it as:

This set includes the biggest hits of the season: primers, concealers, lip-and-cheek tints, highlighters, and blushes. This set packs all the Benefit legends you love in conveniently compact sizes.

Rating:

• Product: 4 out of 5
• Packaging: 4 out of 5
• Quality: 4 out of 5
• Overall: 4 out of 5
• Would I buy again? Some individual products yes.
• Price: $ 32