As a beauty junkie, I’m always testing out new makeup that I buy myself and brands send me, so I’m doing this post as a roundup of some of the newest and noteworthy.
Did you know I unbox and sometimes give first impressions of my most interesting mail on Snapchat? Follow along: irinabond.
Also, I know I’ve been asked this a million times, but I’m working on an updated everyday makeup routine post, hopefully in video format. 🙂
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Wearing everything pictured above
Earrings // Pearl Cuff // Sunglasses (in matte black) // Dress c/o // Watch c/o
Tom Ford: Blush in Flush
I’ve repurchased the NARS blush in “Orgasm” a few times over the last few years, but I honestly got a little bored of it and wanted to try something new without much glitter in it. My first Tom Ford beauty purchase was the double-ended eyeliner, which I’m absolutely in love with, so I turned to TF for a new go-to blush.
I checked out some swatches of Tom Ford blushes online and ordered “Flush” based on what I thought would work best with my warmer skin tone.
It arrived in the mail, and yet again I was blown away. The price tag is steep, but Tom Ford beauty delivers. You barely have to touch this stuff, and it’s like BAM on your cheeks. That’s what I like — one or two swipes and I’m done (might be too much for some). I’ve got limited time to do my face these days, people! I actually have to be careful with this one and take some of the blush off with the other side of my brush. Highly recommend if you’re ready to delve into the luxury beauty market.
PÜR Cosmetics: Strobe Palettes in Moonlight Glow / Sunkissed Glow and Glow Together Jumbo Bronzer
So strobing is just a trendy new word for highlighting but taken to another level and usually involving lots of shimmer. Think AMREZY.
It’s highlighting the parts of your face where the sun would naturally hit, resulting in a radiant glow… it’s meant to look kind of wet/hot/sweaty. But in a clean way, if that makes sense.
PÜR Cosmetics came out with two cream-to-powder strobing palettes a few months ago and graciously sent them to me to try out. They are beautiful, totally my aesthetic! As I said on Snapchat, the packaging is gorgeous and looks a lot like Tom Ford. The long mirror inside is wonderfully useful.
The effect of these strobing palettes is pretty natural, perfect for what most moms would want from their makeup.
On the other hand, if you want that “Instagram makeup” kind of glow, try the Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey. It’s a powder, tiny packaging (no mirror), and it’s like BAM in your face highlighter.
Here’s a .gif I made with the Moonlight Glow palette, which is cooler/lighter:
And another with the Sunkissed Glow palette, which is warmer/darker:
The Pur Cosmetics Glow Together Jumbo Bronzer has 3 matte shades (top) and 3 shimmers (bottom). It’s a little light for my preferences and skin tone so I’ll probably give it away, but I can see it giving a nice warm color to a lighter shade of skin. As you can see below it barely shows up on my hand.
Something to note is that it’s a rather soft formulation, so be careful with it; I kind of squished mine when I was swatching it.
Laura Mercier: Caviar Stick Eye Color in Rosegold
I’m a big fan of inner corner highlighter when it comes to eyeshadow. Most days I don’t wear eye shadow, but if I do want to put in the effort, I just do some kind of light gold/champagne-y eye shadow to the inner corner of my eyes. It does wonders for brightening my face and making me look awake and fresh and not like the tired mama that I am.
I’m also always looking for a faster everyday makeup routine, thus I wanted to give the Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks a try. No extra makeup brush?! Sign me up.
I went with Rosegold, and my mom actually got one too in Sugar Frost! She’s slowly getting into very minimal makeup, so that was fun.
I’d give this product a 4.5/5 because it’s exactly what I was looking for in terms of ease, packaging, great color selection, and longevity, but in all honesty I can’t get it to be as perfectly blended as a traditional powder eye shadow and a brush. It does smooth out to perfection as you wear it and your skin heats it up, though. Perfect for throwing in your purse and/or traveling.
Pixi by Petra: Hydrating Milky Serum, Makeup Fixing Mist, H2O Skindrink, Cleansing Cloths, Beauty Blush Duo & Lash Line Ink
Love Pixi Beauty at Target! I’m sure you’ve seen it there, and so have I, so I was so excited when Pixi sent me some goodies. They are famous for their Glow Tonic Glycolic Exfoliating Toner.
I have been using their Makeup Fixing Mist, Cleansing Cloths, and Lash Line Ink the most out of this bunch.
I have a huge amount of skincare products, so sometimes the Hydrating Milky Serum makes it into my rotation. It reminds me a lot of my Caudalie serum but at a much lower price point.
This liquid eyeliner is amazing! If you love your cateye as much as me and you love a felt tip, this is worth a try. Since I have lash extensions right now, I rarely line my eyes on an everyday basis, but when it’s date night or a shoot day, I have been reaching for the Pixi liner first. I love how dark the black ink is. Dries pretty matte (not shiny for sure).
Below is what the mist, skindrink, and serum look like applied on skin (L to R).
Below is the Pixi Beauty Blush Duo in Peach Honey. It’s blush and highlighter duo. I’d say it’s perfect for lighter shades of skin.
