Brand New Bite Beauty MULTISTICKs - Blondie, Macaroon and Cocoa ::: Review & Swatches!!!

I recently got Bite Beauty’s brand new “Multistick”s in 3 full-size shades complimentary from Influenster; Makeup Gods must be quite happy with me as I had been really itching to try these :-) If you indulge in beauty products but are not familiar with Influenster yet I highly recommend it. It’s really wonderful! I have gotten several other voxboxes from reputed brands, but this was definitely the most generous one.

These multisticks launched just a few days ago exclusively on Sephora.com. They retail at a price of $24 each for 0.17 oz. of products, so compared to their Amuse Bouche Lipstick formula you get 0.02 oz. of more products for $2 less. 

Ever since Bite Beauty discontinued their Rouge Crème Lipsticks I have been holding a harmless grudge. That formula was a one of my most favorite lipstick formulas. Even though it is an interesting product I was not really keen on spending my money on lipstick-like product; let’s face it - I have a dangerous number of lipsticks!! But I am beyond happy that I was selected for this VoxBox. Needless to say, my review will be 100% honest. Actually, I have to admit that when I began to use these I approached it with some reservation. Like I said, ever since they discontinued Rouge Crème I have been sad. I also did not really enjoy the Amuse Bosch formula which replaced the former. But after using these for almost 2 weeks now, I have to admit that I have been quite enjoying the formula of these multisticks!

Let’s talk about the formula first and then I will discuss the shades and application! On Bite Beauty website it is stated that they have 35% powder in each bullet and are made to create a soft focus look with a cream-to-powder finish. They are definitely very pigmented, very creamy and super easy to apply. On your lips you will be able to get opaque, even application in just one swipe. Despite being creamy and relatively soft these don’t move or bleed on your lips neither do they become greasy on your cheeks. I have used Blondie and Macaroon both on my lips and cheeks and they have definitely held up decently during my almost 12-hr work day. I will discuss the wear-time in detail in a little bit. The packaging is typical Bite Beauty bullet in grey elegant tubes! They feel quite sturdy.

“WOMEN HAVE ALWAYS USED LIPSTICKS ON EYES AND CHEEKS. I WAS INSPIRED TO DEVELOP 
A BLENDABLE FORMULA THAT PERFORMED EQUALLY WELL ON LIPS, EYES AND CHEEKS.” - Bite beauty founder Susane Langmuir.  It is very true that man/women have been using lipsticks as blushes for as long as makeup has been a recognizable activity. So, in my mind these are by no means an innovative product. But yes, they took a timeless idea and put it in a convenient packaging. They are designed to use on eyes, lips and cheeks with equal ease and performance. Here’s my thought – these are extremely enticing and user-friendly in theory but it will actually depend on what type of makeup look you like.

Wearing Cocoa on outer V, Blondie on inner lid underneath MUFE I-544, Cocoa as contour shade,
Macaroon as blush and on the Lips

Application on eyes: it was very easy to apply and blend. I even did a look using Blondie on the inner lid and cocoa on the outer V. I loved the final look – it appeared like one of those very chic, high fashion looks. But unfortunately it did not last all day. By 5-6^th hour, it creased and did not look nice anymore. I don’t see myself using these on my eyes, especially when I have a long day ahead.

Application on lips: Hands down, my favorite application! Creamy, even, opaque layer in just one swipe. It lasted the entire day, applying lip balm over it around 4-5 pm definitely helped but even without it, my lips do not become overly dry. I am also surprised to see how easy to layer it over or under another lipstick to get a custom shade. I have using Blondie a lot by mixing it with my somewhat dark, unflattering nude shades. I am in LOVE.

Wearing Cocoa as contour shade and on the Lips

Application on cheeks: I have a weak spots for cream products. I find them super easy to apply. I had very dry skin so naturally I found creamy products very useful on my skin. But as I age, my pores are getting quite bigger and I can no longer wear creamy products on my cheeks every single day. But that aside, I do like these. Very easy to blend and offers really good wear-time. I was also able to use Cocoa as my contour shade. I am not really expert in contouring but I was able to get the desired look. The contour did not last as long as the blush though.

Influenster sent 3 shades! When I opened the box for the first time, I was a little bit not-so-happy with the shades. But, now I do really understand why they choose these 3 universal shades – one for pale, one for medium and one for deep skin tones. If I would have personally picked these, I would have selected different shades.

Blondie: It is a nude beige type of a shade. As you can see, it is almost is similar to or lighter than my skin-tone so I thought I would not be able to wear it. I like it as a blush because it gives me just that little bit of color that is perfect for a normal work day. I actually have been wearing this on my lips as layer underneath other shades that are somewhat unflattering on my skin-tone. I love how it makes them wearable.

Macaroon: This definitely is my favorite shade among the three. It’s a very pretty blush pinky/rosey shade. I almost want to call it a coral shade! Anyway, very pretty shade; opaque, excellent on the lips and blendable, great as an everyday blush shade on me as well. I absolutely love it.

Cocoa: This is a cool tone extremely deep brown shade. I respect those men/women who rock these deep vampy shades but I am not cool enough to wear them outside the house yet; may be some day!! I did use it as contour shade on my forehead, cheeks and jawlines. It is a very strong and deep shade so I have to make sure I have blended it enough. I will still continue to use it sparingly but I can see how it can be a very useful shade for deep skin-tone beauties.

So, overall I really like them. Do I really need them though? That will depend on what’s your approach to makeup. If you are a minimalistic with your makeup and don’t like to fuss around with a lot of products in the morning you will definitely enjoy these. But if you are like me and love trying different products, then you are going to get bored using the same products for three different purposes and end up using them just as lipsticks! Personally I am not really thrilled about this being a “multi”sticks! But I will surely keep using them as lipsticks and occasionally as blushes. I love the formula and I think the price is at par with other bite products.

Did you try these? What’s your thought? I am not sure if I want to buy another shade but “Papaya” looks so very flattering for my skin-tone!

Love

~Arrru

500 point perk from Sephora ::: DARE TO BE BOLD from Make Up For Ever!!!

I was thinking about posting my views on the Multisticks that I got from Bite Beauty. Instead, I am going to talk about a current 500 Point Perk from Sephora that is actually worth talking about :-) If you have 500 point in your account, you might want to keep reading :-)

This is the “Dare To Be Bold” Beauty Insider 500-Point Reward that is currently available on Sephora.com. I am putting a lot of emphasis on the availability as these rewards get out of stock very,  very quickly. I got mine from my Local Sephora inside JC Penny.

Let’s talk about the contents! Make Up For Ever is definitely one of my very favorite brands; I really adore the brand as a whole. It is a very professional brand and has such an artistic, edgy and eccentric approach to their products! They have incredible range of shades in each of their products. Almost all of the products seem so professional that it sometimes intimidates me! There are three new products that I have been really wanting to test out (especially the Excessive Lash mascara and Artist Rouge lipsticks), plus this box has a total of 5 products (6 if you consider the HD foundation samples) which is definitely rare for these 500 point perks.

Ultra HD Foundation: After a lot of deliberation, I have zeroed on this foundation to wear during my sister’s wedding events this coming October and I had already bought it in full-size. The sample here comes in a few shades and for the most part, mixing one or two shades, you will surely be able to try it at least once. I love this foundation!

Excessive Lash Mascara: I know that this is what attracted me to this box; however I haven’t opened it yet.  I am going on vacation pretty soon and I am trying not to open it right now. It may dry up you know. I like natural lash looks and I did like their Smokey Extravagant Mascara so I have a feeling that I will like this!

Artist Rouge Mat in M-401: I loved their N9 Natural Rouge Lipstick (I think these are being discontinued or already discontinued and I am so tempted to buy the N9 while it was still available) so naturally I am  very happy to test it out. And red is always my safest as I am yet to try red that looks horrible on me! This is a very soft, kind of creamy formula; it’s quite thin as well so it feels very lightweight on the lips. It is in matte finish. I have tried this two times now. Last weekend, I wore it and completely forgot that I wiped it off to wear the gloss and take picture! And at the back of my head, I was thinking that it did not really last long :-) Silly me! But today, I collected a bit of courage and wore it to my semi-conservative office :-) and I am so happy to report that it lasted the whole day. I applied it around 7 am and it was almost intact till 5 pm without any touchup. It started to dry my lips a bit but I applied a coat of lip balm and it fixed the application immediately. It is bright very neutral true-red!   Also, the packaging is quite fancy looking! :-) Overall, I am pleasantly surprised as to how much I like it!

Artist Plexi-Gloss in 209:  I tried this formula in 202 that I got in one of the Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip set. That was a very pale color so I don’t wear it often. The formula is quite thick but not in a bad way. When first applied it feels a tiny bit heavy and thick on the lips however over time (say 5-10 minutes) it starts to mesh with the skin, and gives a very smooth, fuller look to the lips. It also appears super glossy at first but it fades and looks healthy later on. When I first apply it, I did not like the look or even the feel, however after 20-30 minutes it surprised me! It gave me such a nice moisturized feel to my lips. My only concern is the flyway hair that gets on my lips, then touches my face and leaves streaky tiny lip-gloss marks on my face :-(

Aqua XL Eye Pencil in I-24: I had my eyes on this product for a long, long time. But really how many blue/teal types of eyeliner do I need? I am pretty sure I have at least 4 to 5 eyeliners from different brands. Hence, never tried to buy it in full-size. Anyway, these claim to be waterproof and they are! It may be TMI, but I cried for a solid hour while wearing this, and surprisingly it was still intact for the most part. It got paler at my outer corner and very inner corner and that typically happens with me no matter what eyeliner I use. But it did not move or smudge or make a mess even when I was crying! I am happy with it.

Artist Shadow in I-544: I almost thought I had this shade in one of palette I reviewed here. I don't reach for that palette very often, but I know that they are some great shadows. I-544 is a nice cool pewter shade and I think every skin-tone will be able to pull it off; for me I have been wearing it a lot in my everyday looks! I got the same exact shade in this month’s Play! By Sephora (reviewed here) but that’s okay as I can give one to my sister :-). I like to apply these with my fingertips. It’s in a plastic packaging which is not really ideal, and at some point I will try to depot it! These eyeshadows are very costly individually and this will surely last you quite some time.

Overall, I really like this Point Perk! Like the name suggests it is full of bright, bold colors that are right up my alley! :-) I hope this quick post helps some of you if you are thinking of picking it up while it is still available. Here is a quick link to the Sephora website – Make Up For Ever "Dare To Be Bold"

One more work-day till the weekend for me! Yayyyy!

Love,

~Arrru

Play! by Sephora ::: August 2016

When I opened my blog today, I realized my last post was published on Monday, Aug 8th. I have not posted anything in two weeks and for some reason my subconscious mind chose to completely ignore this fact! I really apologize for that :-(

Today, I have the Play by Sephora Subscription Box for August to discuss. This is my fourth month getting this box and honestly, it has not been as great I had hoped for. I was not at all thrilled by this month's box and hence I did not even have the enthusiasm to take better picture in better light. This months theme was "Eyes" and I like that I did not get another hair product. But I am a little disappointed as I was really waiting in anticipation for some great playful products for the eyes :-)

MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Shadow in I-544: I love this brand. It is a very professional and very artistic brand. I have a palette from them (reviewed here). Although, I don't reach for that palette often, I know that they are some great shadows. This is a nice cool pewter shade and I think every skin-tone will be able to pull it off. I like to apply this with my finger tips. These are very costly individually and this will surely last you for quite some time.

SEPHORA COLLECTION Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear Waterproof in Love Affair: It is a very deep plum shade; very nice alternative for black eyeliner shade. It is an average eyeliner, nothing that makes me super happy. It is waterproof but I have not really tested thatt out.

URBAN DECAY Perversion Mascara: This comes with a nice fluffy wand and it gave me a natural fluttery look. It is supposed to be lengthening and volumizing but quite honestly I don't really see much of either. I do like natural eyelashes so I am not really disappointed. However it is not something that I would go out and buy in full size.

ALGENIST Eye Renewal Balm: I have tried a very few of Algenist products in sample sizes and in general, I never had great luck. I have not tried this balm yet, but it is a very decent size jar so that is good! I will update my experience here when I use it.

LANCOME Energie De Vie Smoothing & Glowing Liquid Care Moisturizer: Now, this sounds promising. It's from Lancome so definitely a costly product. Plus, it is a lightweight moisturizer. The consistency of it is described to be thinner than moisturizer but thicker than an essence. That sounds really good especially for summer. But it is such a tiny size. That kind of irritates me a little bit.

CLEAN Reserve Warm Cotton: I typically love Clean perfumes. I try to buy the smaller gift set for emergency gifting purpose. :-) This one is not really great for my taste, It has a typical "Clean" scent however it is very powdery and it does not really last as long as my other perfumes from Clean.

As you can see, it is a decent box. But in my mind it is not up to Sephora standard. When I browse Social Media and come across other 10$ boxes like Ipsy and Birchbox, I don't see anything superb about the Sephora Box. I will keep continue getting this till the end of this year but if I still am not happy I will stop my subscription.

Are you liking your Play boxes?

By the way, I am not really for another Monday :-(

Love,

~Arrru

Rebel Eyes ft. Touch In Sol’s new Metallist Liquid Foil & Glitter Eye Shadow Duo in "Margaret"!!!

Blogging after a long time! I have been so sick past couple of days but let’s not talk about that! Let’s talk about brand new makeup instead :-)

As much as I love bright- bold lipsticks, I equally love bold eye looks! I am not at all skilled at it, but I enjoy playing with colors on my lids. A few days back Sephora started their #TrendingatSephora: #RebelEyes  campaign.” Trending at Sephora” highlights upcoming and currently popular makeup tricks. My absolute favorite has been the #blueeyes trend :-) I love blue eyes (proof here :-)) They were also offering a promo code and I was able to get one of the shades from Touch In Sol’s new Metallist Liquid Foil & Glitter Eye Shadow Duo. I thought I would talk about that today.

Touch in Sol is a Korean Beauty brand and Sephora started to carry it sometime last year. I have only tried “Stretchex Stretch Lash Effect Mascara“ from them. It is a tubing mascara and I absolutely enjoy it. So, when I came across this code, I figured this will be a good product to try.

As I already shared, I got this from Sephora as a Gift with Purchase. It’s a sample set, but Sephora did provide a very generous amount in the set -just look at the glitter pot :-) That is more than what I can ever finish! I am of course, not the best judge on the packaging for the regular size product but it looks very promising. It is actually a double-ended tube containing the liquid on one side and the glitter on the other. The liquid side has a doe-foot applicator and the glitter side has a pedal like applicator. From what I see and read online, it seems super convenient. No more dealing with glittery messy application! Have any of you tried it? Do you like it?

I got the shade “Margaret”. It is described as “champagne” but it actually is more copper than champagne. Nonetheless, it’s a very beautiful shade. The liquid part is very thick and it behaves lie a cream. It applies very quickly and very easily. It has micro mini glitters and is quite reflective on its own. I like wearing it alone during the week. The glitters appear very chunky in the pot but they are quite easy to apply and does not feel chunky on the lids! These are some serious glitters! Very reflective and just the perfect product to wear if you want people to know that you are wearing glitters. Wear time has been really good- every time I have worn this, it has stayed on my lids till the end of the day. There is definitely some fall-out but I like the glitter effect so I can deal with the fall-out. Ha ha!

There are 5 shades in this range – all of them are more or less “neutral” shades! I would love for them to bring out more shades; some fun, colorful ones! Apart from the shade “Eldora”, every other shade is currently out of stock in Sephora. It’s a good sign for a brand new product like this :-) I have a lot of glitter products, but otherwise I would have totally buy the rest of the shades – I am specially interested in “Lottie” and “Edelio”.

Over all, I am really enjoying this little sample :-) The actual product retails for $25, it is definitely a steep price for an eyeshadow product. But, of course I have to keep in mind that there are two product and the packaging is very convenient to use as well as travel with. You can find these here; hopefully they will restock them soon!

Love,

~Arrru

Monthly Favorites ::: July 2016!!!

July was clearly a month of highlighters and bronzers! It was actually going really good in terms makeup application until I got a scary, BIG big zit right on the center of my left cheek last week! It has not shown any sign of shrinking down yet :-( Anyway, here are my July favorites –

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops: I have this in Sunlight and Candlelight. The formula of these highlighters are unlike any other! It’s a liquid product but very refined and so very easy to mix and use. It’s quite pigmented so yes, blending it is not always the easiest and I do need my “patient pants” on while blending it but I always love, love the outcome. I have a very detailed review and swatches on these here, please have a read. I absolutely love mixing these with my foundation for a beautiful and very subtle glow :-)

Hourglass Ambient Luminous Light Palette, Nordstrom exclusive: Aah, another highlighter type palette! This has a highlighter, a blush and a bronzer. The blush and bronzer will actually be more flattering for skin tones that are a shade or two lighter than me.  On me it looks very subtle! It give me a great feel of "luxury" :-) I totally love it.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner: These are by no means new favorite. They were in fact in my 2015 Beauty Favorites. I have seven shades of these and I religiously use them at least twice or thrice each week. I LOVE these; they apply nicely and have such nice pigmentation. And they don’t budge at all throughout the day! I have a full review here. My VERY favorite shades are – Midnight in Paris, Th(ink), O(vert).

Makeup Geek new eyeshadows in Fashion Addict & Tuscan Sun: These are some of Makeup Geek’s not-so-new eyeshadow shades. I bought a few of them and I like all of them but these two shades were my absolute favorite. They are such pretty, soft colors. Very smooth formula, easy to blend and not overly pigmented which I actually prefer for these shades. They work great as crease shades and I also like using it all-over-the-lid.

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation: I am not the one, who is overly enthusiastic about foundation or concealers, however this coming October, my sis is getting married and I need to good foundation for all the dozen events during the wedding. I love this formula, it served well during her engagement ceremony. I had a 10% discount code from Sephora and I bought Y415 but it is bit light for me; I cannot find the right shade for the life of me. Right now I am using a mix of Y415 and Y445. No matter the shade, I enjoy the formula. It stays put, does not get too greasy and it is easy to apply quickly.

How was July for you? What are the products that you have been enjoying this month? Do share :-)

Love,

~Arrru