Cover FX custom cover drops N20 - comparison swatches

I'll keep this brief, but I had to share comparison swatches for Cover FX custom cover drops in shade N20. I am late to the custom cover drops hype train, but I really wanted to try them. I went to Sephora to get color matched because I wasn't sure what shade I would be. The guy at Sephora color matched me to N20.

Let me be the first to say that N20 is not my shade and color matching at Sephora is a total crap shoot.

BB and CC cream comparison swatches for fair skin - Purito, Skin79, Missha, It Cosmetics

It can be really hard to color match yourself to a BB or CC cream when you don't have access to to a store or counter with testers, so I have a quick comparison swatch post for you today.

A few words before we begin: I have fair netural-cool toned skin, my skin is dry and sensitive, and I intermittently struggle with eczema and acne. Also, I bought all of these myself with my own money. I got ~5 samples of the Purito BB cream free with eopenmarket orders.

The contestants: 

1. Purito Snail Cleansing BB Cream - SPF 38 / PA+++, one shade, dewy finish
2. Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm (BB) Hot Pink - SPF 30 / PA++, one shade, virtually identical in color to the Skin79 VIP Gold BB cream, satin-dewy finish
3. Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm (BB) Green - SPF30 / PA++, one shade, natural matte finish
4. Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream in 13 Light Milky Beige - SPF 25 / PA++, 4 shades, satin finish, full review here
5. It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ in Fair - SPF 50, 5 shades, dewy finish

A guide to Sephora holiday 2015 makeup gift value sets (part 2)

photos of sets are from Sephora.com, compiled by me

Welcome to part 2 of my guide to Sephora holiday makeup value gift sets! Please read part 1 for an explanation of my methodology and the first part of the list.  I suspect this post might will be a tedious read, so please go ahead and skim to the sets you are most interested in.

Going from best to worst value, let's get started!

100% + value makeup sets

ARDENCY INN MODSTER Eyeliner Trio - retail $29

• 3 x 0.04 oz Eyeliners in Black, Coffee, Gold (FS) - $19 value each
• Stated value - $57
• Value - $57 (197%) correct value!

Smashbox Try It Kit- Primer Authority - retail $28

• 0.25 oz Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer - $9 value
• 0.25 oz Hydrating Under Eye Primer - $21.97 value
• 0.14 oz Photo Finish 24-Hour Shadow Primer - $6.83 value
• 1 oz Primer Water - $16 value
• Stated value - $53
• Value - $53.80 value (192%)

Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Studded Kiss Lip Set - retail $42

• 0.10 oz Studded Kiss Lipstick in Gold Blooded (FS) - $21 value
• 7x 0.04 oz Studded Kiss Lipstick in Noble, Halo, Bachelorette, Sexer, Wolvesmouth, Coven, NaYeon - $8.40 value each
• Stated value - $91
• Value - $79.80 (190%)

A guide to Sephora holiday 2015 makeup gift value sets (part 1)

photos of sets are from Sephora.com, compiled by me

I wait every year for holiday gift sets to pick up mini products at a more affordable price. Makeup shoppers know that there are killer deals to be had with holiday value kit releases, but it can be hard to tell which sets are a good deal and which sets feature crappily inflated numbers.

In years past, I have loved Robyn at Brightest Bulb In The Box's value set guides. I wish she would get back to blogging, but in the meantime I decided to pull together the Sephora 2015 holiday makeup value sets and do a Robyn-inspired hard look at the numbers. Not all of these are holiday-specific sets, but they are all available now at Sephora.

I suspect this post might will be a tedious read, so please go ahead and skim to the sets you are most interested in. I have also divided this post into two parts to help with the length- click here to read Part 2!

Methodology:

• Sets currently available at Sephora (many are also available at other retailers like Ulta, Nordstorm, Macys, etc), pulled from the Sephora Makeup Gift Sets section of the website
• Makeup value sets (no palettes, skincare, hair, or nails sets)
• Sets contain items that I can price from products available in the brand's regular line and have the necessary data included in the description
• I don't credit value for freebie mini brushes and makeup bags. I think most makeup addicts have a crap ton of little applicators, double ended brushes, and shedding glitter makeup bags. Feel free to mentally add value for these items if they would add value for you.

Going from best to worst value, let's get started!

300% + value makeup sets

Tarte Lips For Daze LipSurgence Set - retail $34

• 3x 0.10 oz LipSurgence matte lip tints in Haze, Craze, Emblaze (FS) - $24 value each
• 2x 0.10 oz LipSurgence lip tints in Glaze, Praise (FS)- $24 value each
• Annoyingly rhyming names - -$24.00 value (jk)
• Stated value - $120
• Value - $120 (353%) nailed it on the stated value!

Sephora Favorites Superstars - retail $75

• Beautyblender (FS) - $20 value
• 0.1 oz Benefit They're Real Mascara - $8 value
• 0.21 oz Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight (FS) - $22 value
• 0.042 oz Lancome Drama Liqui-pencil Eyeliner in Noir Intense (FS) - $23 value
• 0.06 oz Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Highlight - $9.23 value
• 0.16 oz MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer Hydrating Primer - $5.76 value
• 0.05 oz NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Himalia (FS) - $29 value
• 1 oz Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water - $16 value
• 0.016 oz Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black (FS) - $22 value
• 0.06 oz Tarte the sculptor contouring face slenderizer in park ave princess - $16 value
• 0.035 oz Tarte The slenderizer bamboo contouring brush (FS) - similar brushes retail for $34 (note: I don't give credit to mini freebie brushes, but I am counting this one because it is a full size real brush)
• 0.24 oz Touch in Sol Stretchex Stretch Lash Effect Mascara (FS) - $22 value
• 0.05 oz Urban Decay Eye shadow in Lounge (FS) - $18 value
• Stated value - $207
• Value -  $244.99 (326%) 

Matte beige eyeshadow mega comparison - Urban Decay Walk of Shame dupes

I have been looking for a dupe of my beloved Urban Decay Walk of Shame eyeshadow for a long, long time. Today I have for you a mega comparison of all of the similar eyeshadow shades in my collection. This post compares Too Faced Fresh Linen, Too Faced All I Want for Christmas (LE), Urban Decay Foxy, Urban Decay Walk of Shame, Wet N Wild Brulee, Stila Wind, Inglot 353 M, Smashbox Vanilla, and Bare Minerals Ahhh.

What I like about WOS

Walk of Shame (WOS) is my perfect all over base lid shade. WOS is a pink toned light vanilla beige that is the perfect match for my skintone. The texture is smooth and silky, forgiving on dry eyelids, and is pigmented. If you want to see more a more detailed description of the formula of WOS, check out my comparison to Wet N Wild Brulee and my review of Urban Decay Naked Basics.

Liquid lipstick mega price per ounce cost comparison

With all the new liquid lipsticks coming out on the market, I thought it would be helpful to put together a mega price per ounce comparison. It can be hard to figure out which product is a good deal or more expensive than other formulas, so I made a cheat sheet to help you shop.

In this post, I have 27 liquid lipsticks available on the market today with data from Sephora, Ulta, and brands' websites. For each lipstick, I have the full name, retail price in USD, ounces of product in the tube, and the price per ounce, sorted alphabetically by brand. Using price per ounce (PPO) lets us compare apples to apples and find out which liquid lipsticks are a good deal and which ones are more expensive.

Who owns who? Corporate ownership of global makeup brands

Welcome to my research into corporate ownership of global makeup brands! I have been working on this post for quite awhile - I became interested tracing the corporate ownership chains of color cosmetics brands by researching similar formulas of brands owned by the same corporate umbrella and it snowballed into a huge project.

Why does it matter? My philosophy is that customers and consumers deserve to be informed and that being more informed leads to better decision making. If you have been curious about why certain brands have formulas similar to other brands or how brands change over time, this list will hopefully add some illumination to your buying decisions.

A few notes: 

1. This post is focused on cosmetics brands, but many corporate owners also hold skincare, haircare, and fragrance brands in their portfolios. Feel free to click through the links I posted and see what other brands a company has in its portfolio!
2. Most major fashion houses who have cosmetics lines have separated corporate ownership of their cosmetics line, fashion/accessories lines, and their fragrance licenses. Confusing, I know. 
3. If I left out a brand you are curious about, please leave me a comment and I will do my best to add it!

This list is (to the best of my research) a demonstration of who owns well known global makeup brands. I think a few of them will surprise you! Get a cup of coffee and a snack, this is a long one.

It Cosmetics your lips but better waterproof lip liner stain - comparison swatches

L to R: It Cosmetics YLBB lip liner Buff Nude, Blushing Nude, Pretty In Pink, Perfect Red, Romantic Rose, Cherry Flush

I have had my eye on the It Cosmetics your lips but better (YLBB) waterproof stain lip liners for awhile - the idea of a staining lip liner is really interesting. I swatched all 6 shades my Ulta carries to compare the colors and test the staining and waterproof claims. For some reason, the 7th shade, Spicy Nude, doesn't have a spot in the store display. It Cosmetics lip liners retail for $20 for .017 oz of product.

Mega bronzer comparison on fair skin [review] [swatches]

I absolutely adore bronzer - it gives my face a healthy glow with more dimension. Today I wanted to share my bronzer collection with you all and show you my favorite bronzers for fair skin. I own bronzers at many different price points and with different finishes, so hopefully you can find one that suits you. Disclaimer: I bought all of these myself with my own money.

Keep reading for comparisons and swatches!

Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm swatches

Today, I have quick swatches of the new Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balms from Bare Minerals. The line of tinted balm stains contains 8 shades and retails for $16 for .11 oz.

Bare Minerals Pop of Passion swatches (L to R): Nude Passion, Peach Passion, Pink Passion, Rose Passion, Candy Pop, Tangerine Pop, Punch Pop, Plumberry Pop