Beauty Product Reviews | Page 2

Favorite palette- a must buy

This was the second ND palette I purchased. I loved Sunset and I was nervous about buying the Gold palette because of the price and I was afraid it would contain too many dupes with Sunset. I'm so glad I purchased it bc it's my favorite palette hands down, I use it almost every day. It looks like the colors are similar (lots of different matte browns and gold/bronze shimmers), but in fact, the colors have really interesting undertones which show up on my lids. There are 6 mattes, a chroma crystal top coat, three shimmers, three metallics, a duochrome and a foil gold. The textures are what really make this palette stand out. I can create so many looks with just a swatch of color over the lids and a dip of shimmer in the center; or I can create a more complex look with the different textures. Also, the undertones of the colors create beautiful variations.

Additionally, the teal colors are a great addition to the golds, coppers, bronzes, mustards and variety of brown shades. The duochrome of gold teal is stunning on the lid.

Overall I've used this palette more than Sunset and am constantly inspired by it and reach for it above all my other quads and palettes. I'm truly happy I purchased it.

Use these!!! Must have for brush cleaning

I religiously wash my brushes, but I never thought I needed brush guards until I "splurged" the $12 and got a multi-use set. Just wanted to leave a review that I purchased the small set and the medium set and they are a game changer! I have beautiful brushes from Wayne Goss and Sonia G and these guards allow the brushes to air dry while keeping their shape- they literally look brand new post washing thanks to this genius item! It's a must have for any brush honestly. And You can even use them for travel to protect them inside a pouch. But mostly I just adore how they make my brushes look post drying- absolute perfection!!

Exquisite soft and versatile brushes

So this was a splurge- what can I say, they are stunning. Wayne Goss brushes are amazing and these are the perfect combination of incredibly soft yet they actually pick up product and hold their shape. Some squirrel hair brushes are so delicate I'm afraid to use them or even "splay" them out - but these seem to take it and bounce back.

Effortlessly soft, I use the large brush for all over powder, for blush and bronzer. It's incredibly versatile and molds to my face while melting powders for a flawless finish on my skin.

The medium brush I use for highlighter or for setting my under eye with powder or for getting into smaller places like around my nose.

The small brush is supposed to be used for eyes I guess, and it does a beautiful job with a wash of color - I also like to use it as a contour brush (then blend it out with a larger brush) or for finishing my eye looks by using it to drag the eyeshadow out and blend any harsh edges.

I have the WG eye set (and a few multiples of certain brushes I love- 03, 16), the face set and his holiday brushes (the "Airbrush" the 00 and an older holiday brush that is really delicate and isn't on the site anymore.. forgot the name). I also own Chikihudo brushes and Sonia G. (face and eye), so part of me thought this was just a splurge bc wow they are beautiful--however I ended up actually reaching for them and didn't feel they were duplicative of any of the brushes I already own.

Aside from their function- wow the calligraphy style is a sight to behold, the detail work is just beautiful. You feel like an artist holding them. Thank you Wayne!

Perfect for travel and fabulous looks- a marriage between Gold and Sunset

I have the ND Gold and Sunset palettes and was a bit nervous about buying this, as I didn't want to be duping (or semi duping) all the metallics, shimmers and duo chromes I have in the other two in just slightly different shades of gold and bronze and reddish bronzy gold.

I am so happy I purchased this palette. The mattes are so so creamy and belndable and the shimmers, duochromes and metallics are out of this world. I especially love Deep Dive and Rhodium which are stunning and add a different take to the palette. Similar to the fun green golds and stunning deep aqua in the gold palette; these additional colors make the color story more versatile than just variations on orange, gold, etc. These are literally all my favorite eyeshadow colors and while I might carry an inner corner highlight along with it, the beach color is the perfect neutral transition shade for almost any of the special shades. It truly feels like a "complete' palette.

This is my first "Travel" hard case palette I have (aside from the minis of nude and glam) and I love how durable it is. I never travel or even take my other palettes out of the vanity due to their price point and also their seeming fragility.

I could actually see myself throwing this in an overnight or weekend bag without worrying that the precious shadows would be crushed. I also love the price point.

Great formulas for an ethereal look

This is my first ND face palette (I have Sunset, Bronze, and Gold eyeshadow and a few of the minis), and I was a bit nervous due to reviews of the previous "tan" face palette being too dark and bright for everyday looks on fair skin and also my own experiences with creamy textures that never seem to lay correctly on my face (either they are too slippery or they highlight texture).

For color reference my skin is 3.75 in GA Luminous Silk and "Fair 3" in CT Light wonder foundation. I used the CT under this, without powder and got to work. Overall I think this would be a wonderful "weekend away" palette that you could use on eyes and cheeks as a base for glowing skin; but I took one star off because, at least for me, despite the name, I still needed a bronzer (and quite frankly blush) to finish the look and also I think the color story is a bit off. The putty/cream highlighter is cool toned crystal white (think 'candlelight' from Kevyn Aucoin or 'incandescent' from Hourglass) with a pink shift, but the powder highlighter is a slightly warmer champagne gold. The blush is more of a bronzy contour with a warm ruddy brown color and the 'bronzing' powder is a bright warm metallic copper. I love all these colors, but I would use them sparingly and only in certain places with each other. See a full explanation/description below:

The 'bounce cream glow' texture is really interesting- there isn't a cheap "slip" like there is in most cream formulations: it truly is a putty. I used my finger to dab in it and I was able to really work it into my skin- which gave it a subtle, very buildable glow without highlighting texture. It gave a true 'lit from within" with a slight pink shift. I loved it as a highlighter that could build to a highlighter/blush combo (with the pink on the apple of my cheek). I loved how I could play with the product to build it up to create a more intense look or more a subtle sheen. It reminds me of the PML "triple highlighter" that had a white bubble highlighter with a pink shift- but that is way more bright. I did take a brush and lay that over the cream highlighter and it had a larger impact. I also eventually used this on my inner eye corner and on my cupid's bow- fabulous!

The "blush" is the same putty texture that blends well into the skin with fingers and I used it both with fingers and then a Wayne Goss 01 brush to buff it in. I used it more like a contour under the highlighter into the hollow under the bone of my cheeks and it looked better the more and more I buffed it into my skin and upwards into the highlighter. It truly blends well. The only issue, is that this isn't really a blush for my skin tone and it really only works well for me along the cheek bone and into my temple. It blends seamlessly into the highlighter to create a glowy depth.

The Super Glow Nude powder is a finely milled traditional highlighter. As described above it has a more warm champagne gold color, which is beautiful on it's own, but blended on top of the Bounce Cream glow tended to overpower the pink shift and the cream color. It worked better as a highlighter over the warmer toned bounce cream blush (see above- more of a tawny red based brown contour).

Super Glow Bronze powder is really bright! I tapped some on my eyelids and it was fabulous. On my cheeks I used a very light hand with a squirrel hair brush and it didn't really show up as more than sparkle. I think this would be a fabulous bronzer for darker skin tones as a one and done bronze highlighter.

I finished my look with a bit more of a pink powder on the apples of my cheeks for a blush and used a Kevyn Aucoin bronzer in Tropical Days (as it has a bit of a shimmer) all over to give warmth and depth to my face. Then mascara, liner, lip balm. Great look.

Dries out lashes

I usually only stick to positive reviews.. but I wanted to just put it out there that this dried out my lashes like crazy... they felt like straw afterwards. It also flaked off midday and did nothing for “curling”.. I always curl my lashes anyways, but I was hoping it would at least keep the curl I had created- nope.. straight straw. I had high hopes and bought the mini to try it out as so many people rave about this product. It is extremely drying.

Holy grail mascara

It’s expensive, full stop. That said, I have been using it for years (both in brown and black) and I adore it. It is a “wet” mascara that truly coats each lash and separates and adds volume... just like every advertisement for mascara claims- except this is the real deal. I’ve used other high end mascaras from Lancôme and Dior and this one always outperforms and lasts longer. My Dior mascaras always dry out after a month or so and this one goes strong for 8-9 months. I know you’re supposed to throw out all mascara after 3 months, but I’ve never had any eye infections nor any performance issues. It looks amazing. And I love how it seems to hydrate my lashes like a balm, unlike other mascaras that dry out my lashes. It is super easy to remove at night as well. Lastly that comb is genius. I remember there was a Chanel mascara years ago that had a “bottom lash” comb akin to this and it worked so well... until they discontinued it. This is literally like painting your eyelashes. It’s beautiful. The brown is perfect for everyday (I have blonde hair) and the black brings the drama. Love this mascara and have been using it exclusively for years - it’s replaced all of my other mascaras- including former HG “ysl effet faux cils” which has a similar consistency, but transfers by the end of the day.

Phenomenal colors, great value

This all over face palette is so beautiful and an incredible deal for the price, it’s also great for travel. The blush Venice is user friendly for creating a gradation on the cheek from the apples to the ear and creates a multi-dimensional look with one swipe. The sculpting powders are finely milled and this is where the palette truly is a great deal because each of these retail for $44 separately. I use the other two darker sculpting powders as eyeshadow and I use my shade as the perfect matte brown/grey contour. I don’t think the colors are warm enough for a true bronzer for me, but that’s fine. The highlighters- wow l, I wish these were sold separately, I would buy them in a heartbeat. The two exclusive shades aren’t glittery nor chunky, but lay down and buff in for a beautiful glow. One is a cooler gold tone and one has a bit of peach which adds dimension to the blush when layered. If you have candlelight you already are familiar with the finely milled powders and build ability. These are no exception and compliment a highlighter collection. Excellent product- I recommended it to a friend who used it and loved it on vacation and I have a backup as well.

Does what it says!!

I have purchased quite a few of Sonia G.’s brushes (it almost feels like I’m cheating on Wayne!) and this one intrigued me- I already had the Sculpt 1 and the Sculpt 3 and each other those are quite frankly amazing at what they do (so much so, that I repurchased the Sculpt 3 again since I use it for contour, highlighter and blush)... but this in between brush is perfect for those “gel” formats of powders that almost seem to hard pan on you. Specifically I have my Tom Ford (super large) bronzer in Terra and I could not for the life of me pick up any of it on a brush after around 9 months- it’s like a film had hardened on top. I even called the store and asked a TF rep who instructed me to “use a disposable mascara wand to scrape off the top” horror of all horrors!!! Back to the brush- as the title says, it does what it says- while still maintaining that Sonia G. Softness and precision, it actually picks up product in difficult powders. Literally saved a few of my precious products from being chucked into the bin. Am so happy I have this brush!!

Expensive but worth it

I bought this at my local Sisley Boutique a while back (don’t kill me Beautylish) but I wanted to leave a review. I’ve had moderate to severe acne my entire adult life and I finally have clear skin (thanks to a good dermatologist) , but now when I do get a blemish or 4, the treatments I usually used ( SA, Benzol peroxide etc) were always super drying - created that “flakey skin around the red pimple which now looks worse than before and can’t be covered up” which then turned into a hyperpigmentation problem (red flat spots) once the pimple was gone. So I tired this product. It doesn’t sting, it doesn’t smell wretched and at first I didn’t think it was working. It is a thick gel consistency that sort of envelopes the offending spot and eventually the spot is gone (it takes a while), the skin is left undamaged both during treatment and after. When I use this product on a pimple, the pimple slowly goes away and I’m left with clear skin after. No peeling, no hyperpigmentation. So yes, it’s super expensive. But if you are looking for a treatment that will leave your skin looking great post blemish, this is the one for you. Also note that I use this as a spot treatment. I wouldn’t use this all over my t-zone (I don’t think it really does much for blackheads), so it lasts forever and is very hygienic in a pump.