Dupe Alert: Drugstore Version of Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose!

Favorite Dupe So Far!

I've missed out on the release of Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose multiple times in the past! Everytime it launched with a collection I would tell myself "Buy it!!" but... $30... I couldn't bring myself to do it haha. Granted, I've splurged on higher end blushes in the past within the same price range but Stereo Rose seemed the most dupe-able. I first heard about the Milani Baked Blush in Rose D' Oro being a dupe on youtube and since then I've been hunting it down! I finally purchased it at my CVS for about $8 which is a fraction of the price of the Mac one! Skinfinishes cost $30, plus Stereo Rose is limited edition so once its gone its gone. I'm super excited about this dupe and the fact that its so accessible!

Since I don't own Stereo Rose I did my research and compared swatches online, and let me tell you... it's pretty much identical! Milani describes the blush as a pink & gold shimmer which is completely true! It has a beautiful gold veining with a bronze-pink base that looks gorgeous on the cheeks. I fell in love instantly when I tried it and haven't been able to put it down since. Just like the rest of the Milani baked blushes the formula is amazing! It's longwearing, pigmented and even though it has shimmers it doesn't emphasize your pores.

The packaging is a 10! I love the gold packaging with the mirror underneath the product. Another great thing about Milani Baked Blushes is how unique they are, no two blushes are alike because of the veining. Here's a closeup:

Gorgeous! Here is the swatch:

The shimmer is noticeable but its not chunky glitters. On the cheeks it leaves a stunning glow, looks sunkissed! I've been pairing this blush with my Milani Baked Matte Bronzer in Sunset and it's the best combo!

 

Bottom line: I'm so in love with this blush! It's a must have and the quality is awesome, but what else do you expect from Milani? I'm looking forward to adding more of the baked blushes to my collection because the shades look so pretty! If you've been searching for Stereo Rose look no further, just pick up this blush because from the swatches I can't tell a difference. I'm sure Stereo Rose must be selling on ebay for $50+ but why pay anywhere near that if you can have this for less than $10! :-)





Review: Lorac Pro Palette 2 + Swatches!

The Cool Toned Palette!

I love when companies release palettes that are unexpected! Lorac did this when they came out with the Lorac Pro Palette 2. They slowly got us excited with sneak peaks and then BOOM! it was released at Ulta! The palette retails for $42 just like the first Lorac Pro Palette and comes with a mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer which is pretty good! This is a more cool toned palette with more jewel tones when compared to the first palette. I was pretty excited when I started playing with it and here are my thoughts:

The top row is all mattes and the bottom is all shimmer/metallics. The left half is more on the neutral side and then you have all the darker, jewel tones on the right side. I was so intrigued by the plum and navy shades, specially now that fall is sneaking up on us!

The left side is full of a bunch of beautiful neutral colors, perfect for everyday use. The light brown shade looks amazing in the crease, so does cool gray. Rose and Mocha looks really pretty all over the lid. I found myself using that side of the palette more than the right side because sadly... the darker mattes are very difficult to blend.

I've tried using plum to add dimension but it's really difficult to work with. Plus, when you try to blend it you just end up blending it away with all the work you have to do. The same goes for the navy shade. Those colors are suppose to be the stars of the palette, in my opinion, and they aren't as good as the rest. It's a bit disappointing because without those you just have a regular neutral palette which you can find elsewhere for less. Granted, the Lorac shadows are an amazing formula as far as pigmentation! So the colors are buttery smooth and gorgeous but... some colors work better than others. Here are the swatches:

This is just one swipe over primer so the color payoff is great! But as far as performance there's an inconsistency.

 Bottom line: If compared to the first Lorac Pro Palette I would prefer it over this one. I don't have any problems with the first one and all the colors are consistently good! I was really excited about the color selection is this one but it just didn't WOW me. I won't return it because the neutral colors are stunning and different from the first one. But the palette as a whole is just lacking a tiny bit. At the end of the day I don't feel inspired to use it because of the outcome. Do you have the Lorac Pro Palette 2? If so leave your thoughts down below! :-)



Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams!

Matte But Never Drying!

Ulta recently had an awesome sale on their NYX products, 40% off the entire line and I took advantage! I had my eye on these NYX Soft Mate Lip Creams for a while now so I picked up these two for an amazing price! These normally retail for $6 and come in 22 beautiful shades. The NYX site claims that these are neither a lipstick nor a gloss which is right on point. I couldn't come up with a way to describe them because its such a unique formula! Its truly a creamy consistency with great pigmentation that dries to a completely matte finish.

Application is super smooth and easy with the doe foot applicator. The formula seems to be on the thicker side at first glance but it's really a thin consistency once on. It's super comfortable and what really surprised me is that it doesn't dry out your lips one bit! Your lips stay moisturized and feeling amazing throughout the day. They do emphasize fine lines and such (not too much though!) but the formula doesn't make it worse like other lip products do. Another great thing about these is once they set they don't move! That makes them last a good 4 hours before you need to touch up.

These smell so yummy and sweet like... cheesecake! haha. It's definitely more noticeable than the NYX Butter Glosses so if you're sensitive to sweet scents you've been warned! Here are the lip swatches:

*Antwerp-  a midtone pink with a hint of coral, really pretty!

*Prague- a bright magenta/berry color, reminds me of a more wearable version of Mac's Rebel!

 

Bottom line: This is an amazing product! The formula is an A+ and the color range is gorgeous! For a night out this would be perfect because it stays on. I'm cant wait for another sale to pick up some other colors! The selling point for me is the fact that your lips stay moisturized throughout the day. So if you've been wanting to try out the matte look this product is the way to go! :-)