Coffee and Makeup

The Morphe Moon Stone Palette is one of 4 color options available in  Morphe’s ChromaPlus 12-Pan Palette series. It is a cool toned neutral palette that’s heavier on the mattes than on the shimmers. All of these are “regular” powder eyeshadows as opposed to the 6-pan palettes that have Molten Metal shades, which can be used wet or dry. That formula is not available in the 12 pan palettes.  The…

Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Shimmer Stix What it is: Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Shimmer Stix are 6 newly released shades expanding the line of the original Gloss Bomb Stix. They are sheer to medium buildable color payoff lipsticks with a glossy, sparkly finish, a balmy, moisturizing feel, and the same sweet tropical scent as the originals. Price/Quantity:  $25 for 0.12 oz / 3.6 g Availability: Fenty…

What it is: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Dewy SPF 30 provides sheer to light coverage in a buildable, layerable, lightly hydrating formula that contains a combination of chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients.  Price/Quantity: There are two sizes available. The larger one is $50 for 45 ml / 1.5 fl oz and there is also a smaller one that is $25 for 15 ml / 0.5 oz. Availability:…

Sephora Collection Wild Khaki Nude Mega Mix Palette The Sephora Collection Wild Khaki Nude Mega Mix Palette is a warm brown neutral palette with a touch of green. It contains 2 cream-powder matte hybrids, 3 true powder mattes, 3 shimmers with sparkle, and 1 smooth shimmer with all fine particles. This selection of shades is one I’d describe as “everyday glam”. I thought this palette was better…

What it is: Ouai Hair Gloss is a hair treatment you apply in the shower similar to the way a conditioner or hair mask is used, to increase shine, treat damage, protect color, and act as a heat protectant. It is left on for about 5 minutes and rinsed out. Conditioner may be used or skipped afterward depending your hair type and needs. It is supposed to be most effective when paired with heat…

Sephora Collection Rebellious Rosey Nude Mega Mix Palette The Sephora Collection Rebellious Rosey Nude Mega Mix Palette is a soft, warmer, pink-themed palette with several shimmer textures, a cream-powder matte, true powder mattes, a matte with fine sparkle, and a true self-adhering glitter.   Visually to me, this shade selection stands out from the other palettes in the collection but I didn’t…

What it is: Fenty Skin Cherry Dub Blah 2 Bright 5% AHA Face Mask is an exfoliating, cherry-scented, gel mask that is applied to dry skin and rinsed off after 10 minutes. It contains a variety of acids to immediately help smooth out dull skin and is supposed to help brighten the complexion and combat dark spots with regular use. This is purely a chemical exfoliator, as there are no gritty…

Sephora Collection Fiery Warm Nude Mega Mix Palette The Sephora Collection Fiery Warm Nude Mega Mix Palette is a warm brown, bronze, and gold eyeshadow palette that contains 3 types of mattes and 5 shimmers with varying degrees of sparkle. There are no true glitters but one of the shimmers has some glitter particles in it. Compared to the Fearless Cool Nude Palette, I enjoy this one a bit more.…

Sephora Collection Fearless Cool Nude Mega Mix Palette The Sephora Collection Fearless Cool Nude Mega Mix Palette is one of several newly released, budget-priced palettes featuring the ability to rearrange rows of shades within palettes to customize them to your liking. This one mainly contains cooler-toned browns and taupes with various formulations ranging from a cream-powder hybrid matte to…

What it is: Elf Brow Laminating Gel is a waxy, strong-hold, brow styling product that can be used lightly for a natural look or heavily for a bolder look. Price/Quantity: $8 for 0.27 oz / 7.8 grams Availability: Elf, Ulta, Target, Walmart, Amazon Shade Range: Only one shade (clear) Packaging: Twist-open tube with an added double sided applicator. The main applicator is a spoolie and the two…

The Huda Beauty Icy Nude Palette is a cooler toned palette with lots of pinks, greys, silvers, and a hint of peach and gold in the right side column. It’s possible to get some depth out of this palette but for the most part, it is not a very smoky or dark palette. A good majority of the mattes stay in the light and medium range and the shimmers are also quite light and reflective.  As with most…

What it is: Supergoop Mineral Matte Screen is A VERY lightly tinted, mostly transparent, all mineral sunscreen (titanium dioxide 1.3% and zinc oxide 17.4%) with a slight matte finish and the feel of a slick silicone primer. Price/Quantity: There is a larger size which is $40 for 1.5 oz (45 mL) and a mini size which is $24 for 0.68 oz (20 mL). Availability: Supergoop!, Sephora, Ulta, Amazon,…

Elf Power Grip Matte Primer What it is: The matte version of the original Elf Power Grip Primer. It is a clear gel foundation primer with a semi-tacky finish that helps to smooth the look of pores and texture when worn under foundation. The sticky feel is supposed to help “grab” onto foundation and make it wear longer while the matte formulation is supposed to help keep shine at bay throughout…

What they are: Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Vinyls are thick lip glosses in stick form that coat the lips quite heavily for a glassy, high-shine finish that smooths over the look of lip lines. This is not plumping formula but the thickness of the product has a plumping visual effect.  Price/Quantity: $26 for 2.7 gram / 0.095 oz Availability: Tarte, Sephora Shade Range: 16 Shades. 8 of them are…

What it is: Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint is a lip and cheek stain in a water-based jelly stick. It dries down quickly, feeling almost like nothing on the skin. It is not sticky at all and also does not feel moisturizing, hydrating or slippery. It feels like a “water stain” but instead of being liquidy, it has a giggly, gelatin-like texture.  Price/Quantity: $24 for 5g / 0.17…

What it is: Make Up For Ever HD Skin Setting Powder is a loose powder that is supposed to be blurring, mattifying, lightweight and undetectable, and it is boldly claimed to fight shine for 24 hours.  Price/Quantity: $43 for 18 grams / $22 for 7 grams Availability: Make Up For Ever, Sephora, Kohl’s Shade Range: 12 Shades. 8 of them are complexion shades, and 4 are color correcting…

What they are: Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oils are sheer, lightweight lip oils with a thinner but still very smooth and glide-y consistency and a slight minty tingle.  Price/Quantity: $26 for 4.5 ml / 0.15 fl oz Availability: Summer Fridays, Sephora, Kohl’s Shade Range: 4 shades Packaging: The product comes in a heftier plastic container with a soft frosted finish and feel. The lid twists open…