REFY’s Blur Liner is the latest disruption from this amazing brand, whose goal is to redefine makeup and make the process of applying it simple and non-intimidating.The Blur Liner will give lips that blurred, matte look — imprecise, yet oh-so-pretty. Like the flushed, just kissed lips displayed in your fave Renoir! Your lips will love the light wash of color this liner offers, and your pout will appear bigger as you soften and blend out the lines. You can line and go without a mirror, too! Lip lines will go buh-bye because of this liner, as well, since the Blur-Gel Technology minimizes them and ultimately softens the appearance of your lippies. It’s a lip contouring product that plumps, defines, conditions, and colors your pucker. I prefer to line my lips, and then fill in with the product, then add a little bit of gloss in the center for a full look.
If you are a fan of gothic and rock ‘n’ roll-inspired makeup lines like KVD Beauty or MELT, then you will love Rituel de Fille. The brand’s magical, witchy ethos speaks to me at a glorious volume. Especially during THIS time of year. But even if spooky szn and PSLs are so not YOUR cup ‘o cranberry orange tea, the RdF product offerings are undeniably amazing, such as the new Soft Sorcery Weightless Serum Concealer. It’s being touted as the first makeup formula ever to feature the new antioxidant active deinoxanthin, which is said to self-repair in such extreme conditions that it could have come from Mars. Literally. Because Mars is no joke and said to be inhospitable to life. Per the press materials, it’s a fermented carotenoid works at a skincare-level concentration to improve the appearance of your under-eye area over time. What does that mean in real life terms? It’s autocorrect for the always delicate and very visible under-eye area. You apply the creamy, thick formula and boom! Your skin is smooth and bright. I have dark circles that I find impossible to neutralize, so when this landed on my desk, I heaved a sigh of relief and had hope. This weightless serum x concealer is medium, comfortable wear coverage and literally mimics your skin. It instantly brightens those pesky circles and it hides blemishes, spots, and anything else you want to hide or banish. I found it to be a bit thick in consistency, so I dabbed three tiny dots under each eye and used a brush to blend it out and it was more than enough product. If you use too much, it will look patchy. So be sure to use a minimum of product and buff, buff, buff, and buff some more.
You’ve added another layer of blankets to your bed, the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler,and the sun isn’t showing its blazing hot face as much… but you are. Just because the dog days of summer and the harshest, hottest months are in the rearview doesn’t mean you can stop using SPF on your face and other exposed skin while enjoying cooler temps. In fact, SPF should be a part of your daily routine even when it’s overcast and 10 degrees out! SOL LABS SPF 50 Natural Mineral Face + Body Sheer Sunscreen Mist makes it easy to continues to protect your body’s largest organ. It combines maximum defense from the sun’s oft-harmful rays with good-for-skin ingredients, like aloe and astaxanthin, an antioxidant that combats stressors. It’s so gentle that it can be used on your face and so effective it can be used on all sun-exposed limbs and beyond. The non-aerosol mist goes on light and evenly, absorbs quickly and completely, and the packaging is meant to minimize your carbon footprint. So, yes, it checks off EVERY box.
ISO is a transitional lip balm that can take you from late summer through winter with maximum moisture and minimal mess (ie sticky, tacky lips). Enter the mini editions of Bag Balm’s 125th anniversary gold tins. The tiny, collectible, and reusable tin is stuffed with the mega hydrating formula that the Vermont brand has crafting for over a century. You can keep chapped lips far, far at bay and add a little colorless sheen by swiping across lips. Use any extra product to soothe and soften cuticles, heels, or any other parched part of your body. I even use it on my dog’s nose when it gets crusty. The gold tin is out now, while pink arrives in time for BCA month. The red version is ripe for the holiday season. Once these babies sell out, they will be gone for good. You’ll be relegated to shelling out loot cakes on a third party resale site, so don’t delay scooping up a few tins (or 10 of ’em) for yourself, friends, gifting, etc. You can re-use the tin to store tiny stuff, like safety pins, earrings, or whatever.
Blush Girl Summer continues and is now Blush Girl Fall! Wander Beauty‘s entry into the blush sweepstakes is Blush All Day, which offers JUST the right amount of pigment while hydrating skin — it arrives in time for the upcoming cooler weather! The product’s Soft Sphere Liposomal Technology is what makes the blush so hydrating. You get the pigment and skin benefits, due to hyaluronic acid, squalane, aloe leaf extract, and jojoba esters. The liquid-to-powder formula is light as air and buildable. It glides onto skin and blends with fingers or a brush, and isn’t chalky or patchy. Note that I am fair-skinned and Are We Bare Yet (a soft mauve) shows up feather-light on my skin tone, so it may not work for darker-toned skin. Peach Of Mind (a peachy pink) is bright on me and may look super lovely on darker tones for extra glow. It really depends on the application method, how many layers, and your skin tone.
Aussie beauty brand ÉTOILE is like the SKIMS or SPANX for the makeup world — that is, it provides solutions to all your makeup storage and travel needs. The brand has tons of acrylic organizers, travel bags, and kits. The Every Day Artist Kit plays right into my obsessive need for organization and order, and my maximalism when traveling. It has a pocket that will secure your brushes, a sleeve for palettes, and plastic dividers so you can easily see and store your necessities and extras. It’s chic and roomy AF. You can also conveniently store your makeup at home if you don’t want to display it. It’s also an essential for makeup artists.
The K Beauty category still manages to grab me with its adorable packaging and innovative, fun-to-play-with products. FWEE’s Pudding Pots are a prime example. The lip and cheek tints are all about that blurred, blushed, and faded lip look that is ALL over Instagram. The bouncy, cloud-like texture can be swiped on lips or cheeks and then buffed out like powder. You can mix and “matte” any of the 30 buildable shades and apply with your fingers or use the brand’s Fingerlike Silicone Lip Brush is exactly what its name suggests. It’s squishy and you can dab or spread product for the desired effort.
The only thing better than the fun and creativity that goes along with putting on makeup and shaping your look? Taking it all off at night before you go to bed. There’s something so satisfying about the makeup removal process, when you have the right tools and products. Don’t you absolutely love looking at smeared mascara and eye shadow? Regardless, makeup removal can be environmentally unfriendly, thanks to the convenient yet landfilling disposable wipes, and it does stain your washcloths with mascara or lip hues. Enter The Mitty from Take My Face Off. It’s egg-shaped like your beauty blender, but it’s flat, soft, and durable. It replaces cotton balls, disposable wipes, and boring old’ square wash cloths and is more effective. The pointed corners help remove pesky, stay put mascara and eye makeup. The fabric works with makeup remover, cream cleansers, gels, toners, oils, foams — whatever. It plays nice with every cleansing and skin care product in your arsenal. You can wash it by hand or toss in the machine with other delicates. The Mitty comes in a variety of colors, is soft on sensitive skin, and reduces waste. It’s truly a makeup and skincare MVP that appeals to so many of your senses.
Summer is in the rear view but glowy skin doesn’t have to fade just because the sun and warmth are! You can keep that gorgeous glow on your limbs and decolletage with High On Love’s DRY Body Oil. It was my go-to all of August, because it added just a touch of sexy sheen to any body part on which I applied it. It also had such a soft and subtle scent that was fresh and never overpowering. I have several fall weddings where I will be rocking bare legs and decolletage, and I will be slathering this seed oil-rich, delectable oil on my exposed skin. P.S.: The brand’s products are clean and couples-friendly, too, if you catch our drift!
Lash extensions are amazing. They are fluffy, fluttery, and add a come hither, bedroom element to your eye look. But they are expensive. They are high maintenance. They are time-consuming. They are hard to sleep in. Regular ol’ drug store DIY lashes can be good in a pinch, but they are not meant to live on your lids long term. Enter TAD Beauty, a new brand that is disrupting the lash space with the first-ever, 3-D printed eyelashes. They are crafted with a Memory Flex Technology, so they keep their shape and their curl, even if you sleep with your face pressed firmly in your pillow. Each box comes with five sets of lashes, comprising 60 segments. Each set uses 12 segments. The lash segment has a “microstructure,” which is a comb-like feature at the base that allows it to wrap around your natural lash. The result is comfortable lashes that will last and without the irritation that often comes with flash lashes. They won’t damage your natural lashes, either. I’m just starting out with these lashes, so I will report back next month how they worked out for me…
