#1y11

What does #makeup mean to you? For me, it brings back the color in my life when times are tough. ___ Where the mirror meets the soul. Follow @BeautyBodyPearl for makeup photography, skincare reviews, and melanin beauty tips. Remember to swipe left on every photo, because I do swatch them all! ___ My skintype: Oily most of the year, but leans normal/combination during the winter months. Never sensitive, but susceptible to hormonal acne scarring. ___ My skintone: Tan/medium deep with neutral undertones. @Sephora ID: #1y11 Foundation Shades: MAC #NC45 / NC44.5 / Fenty360 / Fenty370 / NARSHuahine / Maybelline330 / Estee Lauder DoubleWear 5n1 / Too Faced Born This Way Mocha / Smashbox Studio Skin 3.35 (at Pat McGrath Cosmetics) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wxgtWp0Fb/?igshid=bgvx8r0rbrnj

I took this photo of my first @MentedCosmetics lipstick in 2017 before I discovered my passion for makeup. As the #Afropunk sky in Brooklyn grew dark, I was thrilled to see a booth for Mented. (I recently read about this black-owned brand in @Essence magazine and was planning on purchasing.) Almost three years later, Nude La La has been very well loved. Out of my massive makeup collection, this shade is still my boyfriend’s favorite. In the midst of neon cut creases, beaming highlighter, and the #beatforthegods world of #Instaglam, Mented took a risk and decided to go (or glow!) the opposite direction. Their products are simple, yet efffortless — and often what I reach for to look polished. Congrats, Mented Cosmetics, for reaching 100k followers! ___ Where the mirror meets the soul. Follow @BeautyBodyPearl for makeup photography, skincare reviews, and melanin beauty tips. Remember to swipe left on every photo, because I do swatch them all! ___ My skintype: Oily most of the year, but leans normal/combination during the winter months. Never sensitive, but susceptible to hormonal acne scarring. ___ My skintone: Tan/medium deep with neutral undertones. @Sephora ID: #1y11 Foundation Shades: MAC #NC45 / NC44.5 / Fenty360 / Fenty370 / NARSHuahine / Maybelline330 / Estee Lauder DoubleWear 5n1 / Too Faced Born This Way Mocha / Smashbox Studio Skin 3.35 https://www.instagram.com/p/B1FOK5hJvrC/?igshid=13soeq0qba4ev

(Swipe left for my VIDEO swatches of these bronzers!) Everyone was excited about the return of the #EbonyBronzer from @Covergirl. But does it live up to the hype? What #covergirlfullspectrum bronzer is the best shade for medium brown skin? Swipe left for my thoughts. Ask me anything about bronzers in the comments below. I’ll answer! ___ Where the mirror meets the soul. Follow @BeautyBodyPearl for makeup photography, skincare reviews, and melanin beauty tips. Remember to swipe left on every photo, because I do swatch them all! ___ My skintype: Oily most of the year, but leans normal/combination during the winter months. Never sensitive, but susceptible to hormonal acne scarring. ___ My skintone: Tan/medium deep with neutral undertones. @Sephora ID: #1y11 Foundation Shades: MAC #NC45 / NC44.5 / Fenty360 / Fenty370 / NARSHuahine / Maybelline330 / Estee Lauder DoubleWear 5n1 / Too Faced Born This Way Mocha / Smashbox Studio Skin 3.35 (at COVERGIRL) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz6jzZjJfWI/?igshid=q9btz55woo4m

(Swipe left for my VIDEO swatches of these bronzers!) Everyone was excited about the return of the #EbonyBronzer from @Covergirl. But does it live up to the hype? What #covergirlfullspectrum bronzer is the best shade for medium brown skin? Swipe left for my thoughts. Ask me anything about bronzers in the comments below. I’ll answer! ___ Where the mirror meets the soul. Follow @BeautyBodyPearl for makeup photography, skincare reviews, and melanin beauty tips. Remember to swipe left on every photo, because I do swatch them all! ___ My skintype: Oily most of the year, but leans normal/combination during the winter months. Never sensitive, but susceptible to hormonal acne scarring. ___ My skintone: Tan/medium deep with neutral undertones. @Sephora ID: #1y11 Foundation Shades: MAC #NC45 / NC44.5 / Fenty360 / Fenty370 / NARSHuahine / Maybelline330 / Estee Lauder DoubleWear 5n1 / Too Faced Born This Way Mocha / Smashbox Studio Skin 3.35 (at COVERGIRL) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz6exnepure/?igshid=1kf94kanv69wi

When I transitioned from a regular, casual user to the makeup MONSTER that I am now, I relished in the idea of a makeup dupe. As YouTube videos continued to demonstrated the purpose of new makeup categories such as #bronzer and #highlighter, my makeup spending increased dramatically and in order to stay in my budget, I started exploring dupes. The problem is that purchasing dupes to save money can be counterproductive. Often (though not always,) the product that costs more is going to be of better quality. I find that especially the case with complexion products, such as foundation, concealer, and powder. So while you may have spent less when purchasing the dupe, the look is diminished and may take longer for a similar result. And when it comes to searching for color cosmetic dupes, the effort to find that identical shade and formula can often double your spending. Last winter, in my quest for a suitable dupe for @FentyBeauty’s #stunnalippaint in Unveil ($24,) I purchased three drugstore lippies plus a liquid lipstick from @sephoracollection. Almost double the cost — and I still don’t have the #fentyunveil color that I originally wanted. Don’t be duped by the dupe. ___ Where the mirror meets the soul. Follow @BeautyBodyPearl for makeup photography, skincare reviews, and melanin beauty tips. Remember to swipe left on every photo, because I do swatch them all! ___ My skintype: Oily most of the year, but leans normal/combination during the winter months. Never sensitive, but susceptible to hormonal acne scarring. ___ My skintone: Tan/medium deep with neutral undertones. @Sephora ID: #1y11 Foundation Shades: MAC #NC45 / NC44.5 / Fenty360 / Fenty370 / NARSHuahine / Maybelline330 / Estee Lauder DoubleWear 5n1 / Too Faced Born This Way Mocha / Smashbox Studio Skin 3.35 (at Sephora Corporate Headquarters) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzvoIbkl8Wm/?igshid=drx59yv71at4

(Swipe left for the shade names!) Here are some swatches of the recently released Covergirl TruNaked Queenship Shadow Sticks. I used to hate the concept of cream eyeshadow, but who really has the time to complete a full eyeshadow look everyday? With these colors, you can simply swipe on the eyes, blend with your fingers, and go! ___ Where the mirror meets the soul. Follow @BeautyBodyPearl for makeup photography, skincare reviews, and melanin beauty tips. Remember to swipe left on every photo, because I do swatch them all! ___ My skintype: Oily most of the year, but leans normal/combination during the winter months. Never sensitive, but susceptible to hormonal acne scarring. ___ My skintone: Tan/medium deep with neutral undertones. @Sephora ID: #1y11 Foundation Shades: MAC #NC45 / NC44.5 / Fenty360 / Fenty370 / NARSHuahine / Maybelline330 / Estee Lauder DoubleWear 5n1 / Too Faced Born This Way Mocha / Smashbox Studio Skin 3.35 (at COVERGIRL) https://www.instagram.com/p/BztJn8BFrkm/?igshid=kdkmsq3jl6e4

I got my hands on the new #wetnwildxpacman Game Over eyeshadow palette. It’s the only neon/bright palette that I own. If you’re scared of color, or prefer neutrals, I would recommend that you pick this up. I personally prefer small pops of color as opposed to an entire bright lid, and at just $10, you can’t go wrong. These shadows are buildable, which is perfect for someone like myself who prefers a simple wash of color or something more muted. This can be layered to produce maximum vibrancy, but I would not purchase this palette with the expectations that this will be a one swatch, bold pigment dupe for #anastasiabeverlyhillsriviera or #abhxalyssaedwards. ___ Where the mirror meets the soul. Follow @BeautyBodyPearl for makeup photography, skincare reviews, and melanin beauty tips. Remember to swipe left on every photo, because I do swatch them all! ___ My skintype: Oily most of the year, but leans normal/combination during the winter months. Never sensitive, but susceptible to hormonal acne scarring. ___ My skintone: Tan/medium deep with neutral undertones. @Sephora ID: #1y11 Foundation Shades: MAC #NC45 / NC44.5 / Fenty360 / Fenty370 / NARSHuahine / Maybelline330 / Estee Lauder DoubleWear 5n1 / Too Faced Born This Way Mocha / Smashbox Studio Skin 3.35 (at Essence Music Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzlZxY8F3CM/?igshid=1exik5mvwd6jb