Review: bh Cosmetics Spotlight Highlight Palette! (Swatches!)

Shine Bright on a Budget!

Welcome back! Today I'm super excited to share my thoughts on the NEW bh Cosmetics Spotlight Highlight Palette! It retails for $16.99 but bh Cosmetics is notorious for crazy good deals and sales so you can potentially get it for less. It comes with 6 gorgeous shades that are suitable for most skintones. I've had it for a little while now and I am in love! :-)

The pans are very large and they come encased in a compact palette with a mirror. Something to point out is that the palette has a somewhat strong chemical smell. I think it's packaging related though. The texture on these highlights is very creamy, kinda like a super pigmented metallic shadow. Dimethicone is the fourth ingredient on the list which adds the "smooth" texture and application to the highlights. It goes on the skin beautifully and a little goes a long way, specially if you wet your brush before applying. 

Here are the swatches! My favorite shade is the last one, Vivid. It's a beautiful light pink highlight with high shine and intensity! It looks almost wet on the skin! The shade selection includes every highlight tone you would ever need. I mean... it wont stop me from getting others haha but it's so convenient to have them all in one palette!

The picture on the left was taken with flash and the one on the right is in natural light. I love how the white-gold shade looks in the inner corner.

Bottom line: I'm really impressed with this palette. Typically, higher end highlight palettes are about $40 or more and this one retails for less than half of that. The formula is lovely, very buildable so if you're looking for a blinding highlight you can definetely get that look with it! I plan on taking it on my trip to the Dominican Republic because it has everything I need to get the glow I want! :-)

Review: Flower Beauty Shimmer & Strobe Highlighting Palette! (Swatches + Look!)

Drugstore Highlighting Palette!

I saw a few of my favorite influencers rave about the Flower Beauty Shimmer & Strobe Highlighting Palette so I went to my local Walmart to snag it up! I mean... when you spot a highlighting palette at the drugstore for only $13 you gotta get it, right? haha. For the price you get three highlighting shades and a brush, all in beautiful white and rose gold packaging...sold!

The formula is so silky! They actually remind me of the metallic/shimmer shadows in the Covergirl TruNaked Palettes, really smooth, thin feeling but lots of sheen. I love the different shades they included because they're suitable for most if not all skintones. They apply great dry but it you want to blind a friend or two definitely apply them wet! What I appreciate the most is how long they last! I've used this palette early in the morning and by the end of the day the highlight is still pretty noticeable.

Here are the swatches! I wanted to show you how they looked in natural light vs with flash. With flash you can tell the level of shine it has on the skin, so beautiful! I'm wearing a mix of the champagne shade + the golden one in the picture below. I love how it looks on the skin, it melts into your makeup instead of just awkwardly sitting on top.

Bottom line: I'm a huge fan of this palette! I like the variety in the shades and how you can mix and match them to create your perfect highlight. It's a perfect travel palette too! I'm really impressed with the formula and the price is amazing too. Check it out on your next Walmart trip! :-)

Review: Milani Strobelight Instant Glow Powder in Dayglow!

Time to Glow!

Back to back highlighter reviews! Check out my previous post for my thoughts on the NEW E.L.F Shimmer Highlighting Powders by clicking here! Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on the NEW Milani Strobelight Instant Glow Powder in Dayglow. I ordered mine from the Milani website for $10 and there's a total of four shades to choose from. I love Milani products so I definitely needed to get my hands on this one! I decided to only order one to give it a shot and here are my thoughts! :-)

First off... the packaging is gorgeous! From the gold accents to the wavy print... it looks high-end! It reminds me of the Make Up For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighter design.

On the left it's swatched dry and on the right it's swatched wet. The top is in natural lighting and the bottom is taken with flash. Dayglow is a beautiful champagne shade with a golden undertone. The texture is really smooth, no glitters or shimmers just a beautiful sheen!
To apply I prefer to spritz my fan brush with setting spray and apply it wet for a more foiled look. But you can also wear it dry for a natural glow to the skin. I love this shade on my skintone! I love it so much that I also wear it as an eyeshadow and inner corner highlight, haha.

Bottom line: I love this shade and how it wears! It stays put for an entire work day without fading too much. I really like how multipurpose it is and how beautiful it looks as a shadow. It's buildable and doesn't sit oddly on the skin. Also, since it doesn't contain glitter/shimmer it doesn't emphasize texture. You really look like you have a healthy glow... who doesn't want that? ;-)

Review: E.L.F Shimmer Highlighting Powders!

Never Enough Highlight!

While scrolling through the what's new section on the E.L.F site I noticed a brand new highlighting product and immediately placed my order! These are called the Shimmer Highlighting Powders and retail for only $6. E.L.F claims that these will give a luminous glow to the skin while also creating a soft focus effect. Are those claims true? Let's get into those details! :-)

I first ordered the middle shade in Sunset Glow not knowing what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised! After trying that one I needed the others, haha.

*The formula is buildable

*I find spraying your brush with a setting spray works best when applying them

*They look stunning on the skin when worn wet, not so much when dry

*They make great eyeshadows too!

If I had to compare the texture to another highlighter I would say it's very similar to the LORAC Illuminating Highlighters but the E.L.F ones have shimmers. If you apply them dry chances are you'll end up with shimmers everywhere so definetely wet your brush first.

Here are the swatches. They don't look like much when swatched dry but trust me when I say they look stunning when applied wet! You can see in the pic below that it's noticeable but not too intense.

Bottom line: I really like these! It's a buildable product and the color selection is suitable for most skintones. The price is also amazing! Their baked highlighters were a miss for me because I couldn't get them to show up so if you had the same issue these are worth a try! :-)

Review: Stila Star Light, Star Bright Highlighting Palette!

Unique Formula!

All the Holiday sets and palettes are releasing and I've made a promise to myself to only buy whats different! A lot of them are starting to look identical to previous years which I'm not mad about because my bank account will thank me later haha. So what's so unique about this product you ask? It's a bouncy texture! I was so unsure on how to apply these highlighters but once I figured it out I completely fell in love with the palette! :-)
Basics: I purchased it from Sephora.com for $39 and the claim is that these will leave a naturally radiant glow to your skin. Lets get into my thoughts!

I appreciate how sleek the packaging is! When I first saw the shades I was concerned that I would only be able to wear Kitten (the middle shade) but this palette is pretty versatile! You can mix the shades to create the perfect highlight and even wear them as shadows!
They are a bouncy formula, kinda like colourpop! It's such a cool concept because when swatched it doesn't look like much but on the skin it's sooo intense yet natural! It melts into the skin beautifully and you can build it up to the intensity you prefer.
I used my mini beauty blender to apply and that was perfect! After 8 hours of wear it still looked stunning!

Kitten is my favorite! Below I'm wearing Kitten on the left and Transcendence on the right. Kitten is definitely more illuminating while Transcendence is a more subtle opalescent glow. I haven't tried Bronze because it's a little too deep for me right now but it would be beautiful for the summer.

Bottom line: I love this palette! I took a leap of faith when ordering it but I'm so happy I did! It's simple to use, just make sure to use a sponge rather than a brush. It stays put and you can even layer a powder highlight over for added glow! If you've been eyeing this palette I'd say go for it! :-)

Review: NEW Tarte Blush in Sensual & Exposed Highlighter!

NEW from Tarte!

I'm finally getting a chance to review these two products today! (Wohoo!) I've had them since June guys... June. Let's get into the basics and then I'll tell you my thoughts right after.

The Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Sensual is part of their Naughty Nudes collection which is a total of four matte nude shades (sooooo pretty btw!). It retails for $28 and it's described as a golden nude which I totally agree with. Just like their other Amazonian Clay blushes this one lasts all day long! It's very blendable and buildable which I completely appreciate and why I love the Tarte blushes so much!

The Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Highlighter in Exposed retails for $28 as well and it's their first highlighter in single form. It's a beautiful golden champagne glow with a creamy texture but... it didn't last on my skin! :-( After about hour 3 I didn't see it at all on my skin plus the highlighter itself doesn't go on as intense as a Becca highlight, it's more on the natural side.

Here are the swatches! The blush has quickly become a go to for days when I don't know which one to wear. It never competes with the rest of my makeup look and it's the perfect color for everyday. The highlighter swatch is lovely! I really love the color, just wished it was formulated a bit better.

Bottom line: I'd say yes to the blush and pass on the highlight if you're looking for something super blinding. If you're highlight preference is on the more natural side than this one would be perfect for you. If you own any of these items leave me your thoughts on them below! :-)

Must Haves: Wet n Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powders! ( Precious Petals & Crown of My Canopy)

New at the Drugstore!

Wet n Wild killed it when they released these NEW Megaglo Highlighting Powders! I was searching high and low for these and I couldn't find them anywhere. Luckily my friend found them and was nice enough to purchase them for me... you're awesome! I saw a post on instagram confirming that they will be back in stock by the end of July so what better time than to post my review? ;-)

These retail for $4 each ( best $4 you will ever spend btw!) and can be found at most drugstores. Both shades are super gorgeous! They have such a smooth formula that makes application easy breezy. It's also a buildable product so depending on your mood your can wear it very subtle or blinding haha.

Precious Petals is the champagne shade and Crown of My Canopy is more of a rose-gold highlight. I actually use the rose-gold one as a blush topper because it's a little too dark to be a highlight on my skintone and I love it! Precious Petals is very similar to Becca's Opal which is awesome since Wet n Wild is a fraction of the price! 

I've tested out both of these and as far as longevity goes they last pretty well! Another thing I love about these is how well they melt into your skin. The last thing you want is a streak of highlight that doesn't blend.

Keep your eyes peeled for these when they become available again! They are worth every cent and if the packaging didn't say Wet n Wild they would easily pass as a higher end product! :-)

Review: Tarte Rainforest of the Sea- Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette!

Get Your Highlight On!

Now that I'm officially a highlight lover I've been testing out a bunch of new ones, including the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea- Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette! It's $42 and sold at Sephora. It's a great value since it comes with 3 universal shades, which are beautiful btw! I've had it for about a month or so and I'm a huge fan. I love the shades and find that you can build up the intensity to your liking.

The packaging is so freaking cool right?! I love the blue and gold, it just looks so sleek and adds on to the value. 

It does come with a really nice size mirror, perfect for highlighting on the go. 

There's three shades:

Sunlight- a champagne gold

Filtered light- a matte sand

Moonlight- a rosy pearl

I find the middle shade to have the weirdest texture. It feels so dry, reminds me of sandpaper. It's meant to set your under eyes which I tried before but wasn't a fan because it made that area look so dry. It sucks that the powder didn't work for me but I'm happy that it's the smallest one in the palette haha.

Now the highlighters are so creamy and smooth! They feel like a cream to powder formula and they go on incredibly. The pan size is pretty large which I appreciate for the price. I love to apply them while my skin is still wet ( before my foundation dries or after setting spray) to get that foiled wet look!

Here are the swatches! *sigh* so pretty!

In this look I'm wearing moonlight which is my fave! I decided to wear it a little more subtle for work but still looks amazing nonetheless.

Bottom line: I adore this palette! I wish I could swap out the middle shade for something else...maybe another highlight. But overall I still think it's a great value and the highlighter shades are simply beautiful. I would recommend it if you're looking for a variety! :-)

Review: L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Contour & Highlight Palette in Light!

NEW Contour Palette!

Contour has landed at the drugstore, aside from NYX of course! ;-) I found the L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Contour & Highlight Palette at my local Walgreens and guys... it was pricey! It was within the $12-$15 range which is crazy for a powder duo and a brush that I will never use. I gave it a shot anyway and here are my thoughts! :-)

I have the shade light and I was super impressed by the contour shade! It adds the perfect shadow to the hollow of my cheeks, very blendable! Now... the highlight shade not so much. It's not a brightening shade on my skintone so I can't really use it to set my concealer. It's not a shimmery powder neither so I can't really highlight with it. On the back of the palette there's a diagram showing you where to place it (forehead, nose, chin and cheeks) but it honestly did nothing for me.

Here are the swatches! The palette comes with a brush shown above that is awful. It's meant to help you highlight and contour at the same time but it just doesn't work for me. 

Bottom line: Almost $15 and I only like one side of it? It's not worth it. I like the contour powder but I have other palettes I prefer over this one. I think they could've left out the brush and just added something else, a banana powder or even an actual highlight. This is a pass for me my friends! :-)

Review: bh Cosmetics Carli Bybel 14 Color Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette!

Affordable & Amazing!

bh Cosmetics has the best collaborations! From ItsJudyTime to Missy Lynn and now Carli Bybel! I love the creative process that goes into someone personalizing a palette or lipstick + it being super affordable for the everyday consumer is pretty cool too! I've watched Carli Bybel for a while now and I remember her using bh Cosmetics products from the get go so it's awesome to see her release her own palette. I was iffy at first, I thought it would be another neutral palette but after giving it a try I truly love it!
It retails for $20 but bh Cosmetics has many incredible sales so I managed to get it for only $12.50! Think about it: $12.50 for 14 shadows and 4 highlighters? That's a steal!

The shadows are very nicely pigmented and what I love the most is how easily they blend out. The quality is pretty great and I find the color selection to be suitable for anyone. The only thing I would change is the darker brown color. It takes a lot of building up to smoke out a look. Other than that the palette is fab! I personally use all the pans as shadows including the "highlighters". The first one will work as a highlight for sure but the other three are too deep for my skintone. Here are the swatches:

Here's a look I came up with using the first highlighter on the lid and both purple-mauve tones in the crease!

PS: It's a good day when your husband compliments your makeup, specially your eye look! :-) haha.

Bottom line: This is a great palette and an even better value! The colors mesh so well together and I love how easy to blend they are. There's so many palettes that I've tried where colors just blend away these shadows stay vibrant and over primer the look will stay put all day. I'm happy that I have it and I highly recommend it! :-)

Dupe Alert: Affordable Alternative to Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal!

More Options For Less!

Today I have another dupe to share with you! Pardon my lack of posts recently, with the holidays and... life happening I've been short on time but hopefully these Dupe Alerts can make up for that! ;-) I'm very excited about this dupe because you can't detect a difference between the two products. Highlight makes the world of difference when your makeup is looking a little dull and Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal has been everyone's favorite highlight for the job. I have a little baby size that I've been loving! The full size retails for $38 but the alternative that I found is only $8 currently!

I love me some bh Cosmetics! They have amazing products at even more amazing prices. The Wild & Radiant- Baked Illuminating & Bronzing Palette is a great example of that. You get four universally flattering shades for only $8! You can use these wet or dry and I even love to use them as shadows. The one I wanna focus on today is the one on the top right. It's a gorgeous champagne shade, so silky and so smooth! Becca Opal feels more buttery but on the face the difference is undetectable.

Here they are swatched next to each other. They last so well and look stunning on the face! With the palette you get so many choices, you can even concoct you're own perfect highlight shade if Opal isn't for you. This is such a great deal all around, I highly recommend it! :-)

Review: City Color Cosmetics Intense Exposure Highlighting Powder!

Gorgeous Highlight For Less Than $5!

Yes... you read correctly! A highlight under $5 and it's amazing! City Color Cosmetics has so many awesome products including their Intense Exposure Highlighting Powder which I'm reviewing today for you guys. I've been using it non-stop (trying to give Champagne Pop a break haha) and I truly love it! It was a bit scary when I first swatched it but on the skin it's glowy and just beautiful! :-)

You get 10 g of product which is more than a Becca Skin Perfector Pressed. The Packaging is simple but personally if the product is good I don't need all the bells and whistles!

In the pan and in the swatch it looks like a stark white color which is why I was originally frightened to try. It's a beautiful pearl shade with no glitter nor shimmer, just a gorgeous sheen that lights up your face!

Below you can see how glowy my cheeks look! It's not too intense nor is it too sheer, it's just right! It's just enough luminosity for my liking and it makes the perfect inner corner highlight too.

Bottom line: This is now one of my favorite highlighters! If you've been wanting to give highlight a try but you don't want something too intense I'd recommend this one! It does build up but still looks really natural since it doesn't have shimmer or glitter. It's so smooth going on, I love using a fan brush to apply it. For less than $5 this is a great choice! :-)

*Use coupon code ReinaRivera at checkout for an extra 10% off!*

Review: L'oreal True Match LUMI Powder Glow Illuminators! (Ice, Rose & Golden!)

Highlights At The Drugstore!

Highlights... at the drugstore?! *jumps up and down* L'oreal got me excited when I saw not one... but three highlights to suite many skintones! That's how you release a product! haha. I loved the packaging and the price was right during the ULTA 40% off sale a few months back. They normally retail for about $12 which is pretty high for drugstore. But there's always a sale! :-)

I got all three and I've used them for a while so hear are my thoughts! The powder isn't the silkiest feeling if you compare them to Becca highlights for instance. Nor are they the most pigmented but they are buildable and beautiful on the skin! They have tiny shimmers throughout the powder that add dimension to your cheekbones which I love. They last and I really appreciate the different tones they offer! I noticed the best way to apply them is specifically with a fan brush. It gives a gorgeous natural, subtle highlight. With that said if you prefer a "wet look" or an intense highlight these are not the ones for you. Let's get into each one!

Ice: this is the cooler toned highlight, better suited for lighter skintones. I have a light-medium skintone and it looked really pretty on! I love the colors, in the light it looks white with a shift of lilac. In the swatch is every color swatched alone plus the all of them blended together towards the end.

Rose: this is the neutral toned highlight, pretty much can work on anyone. This one is my favorite! I love the rosey champagne color it becomes when you swirl all the shades together!

Golden: This is the last one and it has a warm undertone, suitable for deeper skintones. I actually used this one a lot during the warmer months and loved it! I looked more like a bronzey blush topper, a little to dark to be a highlight on my skintone but really pretty nonetheless.

In this picture I'm wearing Rose so you can tell that it's not the most intense highlight but I actually like it that way. I have my days where I need a little something but I don't want a lightning bolt across my face haha so this is perfect! If you wish to intensify them they also released liquid illuminators to pair with each powder so that's an option for ya!

Bottom line: I'd say give these a try! I really enjoy them. Would I pay full price for them? Maybe not, I find $12-$15 to be too expensive for the drugstore but that's the best part about shopping at the drugstore... sales and coupons! :-)