Pale Products and More

When the recent thebalm 50% off sale happened forever ago, I knew I wanted some eye palettes but was unsure of anything else to pick up. When I saw they had glosses, I was intrigued since I've never heard of them before. I figured why not and took the plunge.

For awhile now I've been wanting to try the Rms Beauty Living Luminizer. While I was looking at that product I decided to check out the rest of their products. A youtuber I watch had mentioned their Un Cover-Up Concealer/Foundation, and usually I am very weary of buying foundations without swatching because even the lightest looking product usually ends up being dark af. But for some reason I wanted to give this one a go, and so I bought it.

It retails for $36 for .20 oz. which is....shocking considering most foundations come in the standard 1 fl oz. Although this is marketed as a concealer as well, so compared to other pot/cream concealers, this seems to be about standard. It kinda sucks though since I use it as a foundation I'm going to go through it super quickly, but it is what it is.

To my surprise, the shade 000 works! It is described as the "lightest shade for true snow whites" lmao why are foundation descriptions always so cringey. Anyways it seems to be pretty neutral toned, maybe ever so slightly leaning yellow but not much. It is said to be "completely lightweight and hydrating" and to "reduce the appearance of pores", as well as "covering imperfections and redness". It also claims "coverage that will never look heavy or dry".

I applied it with my Real Techniques sponge over my Smashbox Primer Water, and set with Too Faced Hangover 3-in-1 Replenishing Primer and Setting Spray (I've been using this as a primer lately as well, but since I know how the Smashbox one performs I wanted to use that one to test the foundation). PLEASE I kno I look like a dumb bitch let's look past it.

rms on left

rms on full face

It applies easily, I dip my sponge into the pot then apply to my face. Coverage is sheer to light, which I'm a fan of so its not an issue. Looks nice as it goes on, but it really smells like shit, like crayons. If I'm paying a mid range price, I'd expect mid range quality which definitely includes scent. It has a very dewy finish, but not overly so. My pores were definitely visible and didn't seem covered at all, nor emphasized- just visible.

A little while ago Butter London products were half off I believe? I had been interested in their Lip Serum Oils so I picked a couple up (spoiler: I want the rest of the shades!!!)

The Butter London Sheer Wisdom Lush Lip Oils retail for $22 for /08 fl oz and are supposed to  be a "sheer wash of color" that will "revitalize, firm, and condition your lips". Lately I am soooo into glosses/stains/sheer products so this description is such a yes for me. They've also got all kinds of oils and extracts and good shit. To compare to other "lip oils"; Too Faced Sweet Peach Lip Oil goes for $19 for .14 fl oz, and Lancome Juicy Shaker Lip Oils are $22 for .3, so it seems like these Butter London ones are little on the pricey side for the amount you get.

I personally love the packaging, which has a little window that shows you how much product is left, as well as a twisty bottom that you click (and lock!) to dispense product.

The color Dusty mauve is excatly that but more pink, and Royal Blood is a wine shade, although on me it pulls slightly more red toned than purple.

Dusty Mauve on top Royal Blood on bottom

Application is easy and the product goes on soooo smooth. I'd say pigmentation is a little more than sheer, but definitly not saturated or opaque by any means. It gives the perfect amount of color and looks so plump on the lips. They fade beautifully as well, not patchy at all. Instead they just sort of wear off the lips leaving a very slight tint not settling into any lines or anything like that.

Dusty Mauve

Royal Blood

Dusty Mauve has slighter more even application which is typical of the lighter sheer products. Ignore the bump near my bottom lip I literally got a bug bite there some time between finishing my makeup and taking these pictures like honestly...

Dusty Mauve

Royal Blood

During the Sephora sale awhile ago now I splurged a teeny tiny bit and bought a couple products I wouldn't normally including this; the Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder. Hourglass products have always intrigued me, but their price tag has always kept me away, so I figured the sale was a good time to dip my toes in.

It retails for $38 for .16 oz; for comparison Becca Pressed Skin Perfector is $38 for .28 oz and Stila's Heaven Hue Highlighter (review here) is $32 for .35 oz. The shade Incandescent is an "opalescent pearl". I think it swatches warmer than it looked when applied.

btw I have brown hair hello

Overall this gets a 10/10 from me. This really does the job beautifully. Its pretty much my every day highlight I'd say I use it 5/7 days of the week. Its so easy and its like I know my highlight will look great without even thinking about it.

As soon as I saw Rihanna's shade range I knew I was going to have to try out the foundation, like are you serious. Then I saw official swatches where 100 didn't actually look that light and I was slightly put off, but THEN I saw reviews when it came out where it DID look super light so I figured fuck it why not try it.

It retails for $34 for 1.08 fl oz. which is a little more than standard. It claims to be a
soft matte, long wear foundation with buildable, medium to full coverage, in a boundary breaking range of shades." The shade 100 is for "very fair skin with neutral undertones". I also got a sample of 110 which is described as "very fair with cool undertones" which I'll show swatched. On my skin, 100 looks more yellow than neutral.

top is 100 bottom is 110

I applied this with my Real Techniques sponge, primed my skin with my Smashbox Primer Water, and set my face with my elf setting spray. I didn't powder and wore this for 5 hours for this review. On other occasions I have worn this 8+ hours, but I had things to do later this day and you can probably tell why I didn't want to keep it on, lol.

left side applied

full face foundation applied

It goes on fine, but once I was done applying it, it looked pretty patchy. The color is pretty good, but the product clings to some slightly dry patches. Once I was done with my makeup, my face looked pretty shitty to be honest. My pores were pretty big, and the overall look was patchy and dry, but I tried to give the benefit of the doubt.

full face done

After 5 hours I essentially looked like shit. I've worn this a handful of times and each time I always regret it. I was patchy, dry, textured, etc. (not to mention Urban Decay Perversion is the worst lower lash mascara, which was not helping me from looking a mess). Pictures don't even show how bad it honestly looked. The edge of where my blush is looks super weird, I've never had a foundation do that (it can be seen in the second pic). You also can't tell in the pictures, but it oxidized slightly, not necessarily darker, but the undertones just make it look off. Also it creased in the corners of my eyes like what foundation does that ever.....




And I decided to wash my face before I went to work, so that ends the test. When I wore this foundation before for longer, it just continued to look worse and worse.

Overall this gets a 1/10 from me, simply for the shade being nice and light. Everything else sucked and this is definitely gonna be the last time I wear this, so glad I only got samples.

It was that time again...the time where I need one or two staple products from Jolse and end up with a haul. I'm not complaining though! As usual I'll give my first impressions/brief initial thoughts on the products. Sometime after this post individual reviews on a lot of these products will be posted.

How do people do aesthetically pleasing flatlays they are so hard smh. Also I realize you can't even see what the jar product is I am a Mess. Also the appealing background of my trashed floor, love it.

• Elizavecca Milky-Piggy Hydro-gel Bouncy Eye Patches: I love eye patches but I rarely have them so I picked these up. 20 come in the box and they feel nice ad squishy. Not sure if I noticed any visible results, but my undereyes felt nice and moisturized, and my concealer looked bomb. 
• Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patch: I've used these before, I love them. They significantly reduce the appearance of pimples overnight.
• Cosrx Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser x AHA Whitehead Power Liquid: this was bundled for a cheaper price, I was only going to get the AHA orignally. So far the cleanser is okay, it leaves skin feeling pretty tight though, so I need to look up the pH/(test it myself for once?). Too early to see anything from the AHA but I'm hopeful as my skin has been breaking out/textured lately.
• Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid: This is HG for me, my bottle had expired so I needed to pick up another one. It improves the texture of my skin soooo much. It also keeps my blackheads away but I still do get a few.
• Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream: bought this to be a final step in my nighttime routine as I feel like I'm lacking the needed moisture. So far seems really moisturizing and I only need the smallest amount, so it will last forever. I have to be careful not to overapply as it can leave me greasy in the morning if I do.
• Etude House Drawing Eye Brow in Gray: my usual shade, gray brown, was out of stock and I'm impatient so I got this instead. I sometimes feel like the shade gray brown is a bit too warm, so I figured this one would work. Here's swatches comparing the two.

gray on left

I recently went to Lush and somehow ended up spending way more money than I expected, lmao. One of the things I picked up was one of their new Jelly Masks.

It retails for $13.95 and you get 2.1 oz, its actually a really small container imo. The Just to Clarify version claims to brighten your complexion and smooth away dry skin. It contains papaya, orange, and grapefruit oils, as well as charcoal powder and seaweed. It smells tangy and fruity. Enjoy this super nice pic of it over my toilet, lmao.

The application is really neat its a weird jelly mousse texture that you scoop out. They say to mix it around on your hand but I personally just apply it directly to my face and mix it up right on there. Then you leave it on for 10 minutes and wash it off.

It leaves my skin feeling super smooth and silky, as well as a bit glowy. Overall I like this mask a lot! I'll continue to use it, but I'm not holding out for any long term changes from it.

I can't believe I'm only just now trying Lush deodorants...that's like the first natural deo everyone tries. But whatever better late than never right?

The Lush Aramaco deodorant retails for $6.95 for 3.5 oz. It comes in a little cube type thing kinda like soap. It is supposed to keep you smelling good and all that good stuff a deodorant should do. It smells nice and earthy, but not overly patchoulli-y (as I've seen some people say). Since it doesn't come with packaging, its best to keep in like airtight tupperware to keep it from getting too hard.

Like always I showered at night, applied this deo, went to sleep and reapplied in the morning. Initial application is slightly tricky because the product is so hard (especially because I keep my apartment at 73 degrees...whoops). You just rub the lil chunk against your pits, holding it there for a minute beforehand can soften it a bit. It applies easily and has a really nice like, level of smell- its not too faint but not too strong.

Before I went to sleep (about 4 hours after application) I could still smell the product.When I woke up I could also still smell the product, although the scent had faded- there was no B.O smell. After reapplying in the morning I continued my day and was amazed that in pretty much every scenario (long work day, anxiety provoking school day, chill day) I still smelled great by the end of the day. There have only been a handful of rare scenarios like when it was super hot out and I sweated wayyyyy more than usual, and also had an anxiety provoking activity where I found it to not work as well and I had a little B.O coming through.

I literally only wear this deodorant anymore. For the first time since I started looking for deos without antiperspirants, I apply this once in the morning and don't even think about my deodorant the rest of the day. I always know that there won't be a problem with me smelling, that I'm covered. Best part is it doesn't dry out my armpits or cause any sort of rash at all.

Overall this gets a 10/10 from me. Like I said this is my new deo that I wear everyday, and I haven't even wanted to try any new ones because this one is perfect. I can't sing its praises enough!

The ABH Stick Foundation came out awhile ago, but my local Ulta before I moved never carried the lightest shade, therefore I could never swatch it to see if it was even doable. I recently went to Sephora and was able to swatch it and get a sample so I figured I should review it as well.

It retails for $25 for .32 oz.; to compare the Tarte Clay Stick foundation is $39 for .32 and the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation stick is $42 for .31 oz. It is said to be a highlight pigmented buildable foundation with a natural matte finish. The color Alabaster is for "very fair skin with cool undertones". It looks like it might be a bit dark, but blends out okay.

I primed my skin with my Smashbox Primer Water, applied the product with my Real Techniques sponge, and set my skin with my Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder and elf setting spray. I used a powder because, as is my experience with other stick foundations, it didn't seem to set on its own. I wore it for 8 hours.

left side applied

applied to full face

I took some close up shots right as I applied it, because it already wasn't looking great. Clinging to my cheeks, which are by no means dry, settling into my forehead lines, and overall just looking textured. I usually have this experience with stick foundations.




I checked in after 5 hours and the results were pretty much what I expected. I didn't look horrible, but there was more settling/texture/just general heaviness. Keep in my mind my glasses rub off all my foundations so that's not the issue I'm showing in the full face picture- but instead just how it seems to age my entire face.



At the end of the 8 hours my face looked slightly worse than the 5 hour mark in the same ways; settling, texture, heaviness, etc etc. I was also looking a bit oily.

Overall this gets a 1/10. The color is the only positive for me, I really won't be trying this one even one more time. It did me no favors for sure.

I've been flirting with the idea of buying myself a YSL product for awhile now, but could never pull the trigger. I was particularly interested in the lip stains, since they are pretty much a cult favorite and just looked so damn good in every swatch I saw. I finally gave in and treated myself recently when I was able to swatch them for the first time (lorddddddd), which brings me to this review (as if this product needed another review, there's a shit ton out there).

The YSL Veris a Levres Glossy Stains retail for $36 for .20 fl oz (compare to the Lancome Juicy Shakers which go for $22 with .22 fl oz). Like I said, this was a splurge, okay. I got the shade 5 Rouge Vintage which actually doesn't have any color description anywhere that I can find, which is annoying. I would describe it as a cool toned reddish/berryish color? I'm really bad at colors I don't know. (sorry these pics are a bit old)

When applying, I find that I really have to make sure my lips are not damp at all, and I usually blot the inside of my bottom lip to provide more even application. Otherwise it applies as shown below, somewhat uneven.

an hour after application

This product is supposed to be a "revolutionary" product that "combines the texture and shine of a gloss with the long wear of a stain". I would agree that this is both very shiny/glossy and long lasting. I might even agree with the "revolutionary" claim...

after four hours + coffee

When I say long lasting I seriously mean it. Most lip products do not last nearly as long as me as they do on my people. I usually like to completely remove my lipstick (no matter if its liquid or bullet, satin/matte/glossy) and reapply anywhere from an hour after wearing it to three. For most products anything more I look like a hot mess. Keep that in mind when I say that I am able to wear this lip product for FIVE HOURS before my lips even BEGIN to start looking not as nice. I actually wore this for 7 HOURS and still looked presentable. It even lasts through meals (albeit there is significant fading, and I do usually remove and reapply after eating). This seriously impressed me.

after 4 hours + a meal (salad)

after 8 hours + constant talking/less water than usual

Keep in mind I did not reapply for any of these check ins. My lips felt hydrated the entire time, I did not feel the need to apply a chaptstick over top or anything like that.

Overall I give this a 10/10. Its kind of a miracle for someone like me who has difficulty with lip products lasting. I really wish the price point wasn't so up there, because I literally want all of them.

This blush is literally one of the first blushes I purchased after getting back into makeup. I was pretty much convinced that since I was so cool toned, I needed every single makeup product I owned to be cool toned as well, lmao. That said go past me for buying this because its gorgeous.

The Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Blush retails for $26 for .23 oz; for comparison the Too Faced Love Flush blush goes for $26 for .21 oz and the Tarte Amazonian Clay blush goes for $29 for .2 oz. Its supposed to be blendable, sheer, and glowy basically. I think UD is repackaging or discontinuing these, as Ulta had them on sale for a long time and now does not stock them. They can still be found on Sephora or directly from Urban Decay.

The shade Bittersweet is a cool toned, bright purple with shimmer. It definitely looks intimidating in the pan, but goes on as more of a lilacy pink shade.

It blends easily enough, and does live up to the sheer claim. That said it can also be built, and its hard to overdo it.


Overall it gets a 9/10 from me. Its a perfectly fine product that doesn't particularly wow me, but does perform consistently. I would give it a perfect score if the shade was more true to the in pan color, but that's just a slight thing.