Nubar Sparkles Collection
Nubar Sparkles Collection ($49.95) includes eight shades of glitter nail lacquers, most of which have a clear base but a few have a tinted base. I had some really good luck with some of these shades, but I definitely need a little more practice in applying glitter polishes like these.
They are incredibly dense as compared to other glitter finishes I’ve tried, but I did have some unevenness with a few shades and not completely opaque results with others. I think this is more to do with my application technique than the shades themselves–definitely need to be patient and let each coat dry completely before applying the next one. I think also thicker, rather than thinner, coats work better, too. I’m used to laying down a thinner initial coat followed by a thicker secondary coat, but I found it was better with two thicker coats.
The most foolproof shades were definitely Fire Sparkle, Night Sparkle, and Violet Sparkle (these three were my favorites, too –but because of their intense glow!). The shades I had the most trouble with were Sky Sparkle and Hyacinth Sparkle.
- Star Sparkle is a clear base with silver and holographic glitter. I did three coats, and you can still see some of my nail beneath it, but it’s considerably opaque given it has a clear base.
- Fire Sparkle is a sheer red base with red and darkened red glitter. In sunlight and flash, you’ll also catch glimmers of the molten amber flecks of shimmer, too — it really comes alive when the light hits it. Just two coats were needed here.
- Petunia Sparkle is a magenta purple with red undertones and fuchsia-purple and lighter pink glitter. It’s a clear base–would you believe it–and three coats gave me complete, opaque coverage.
- Meadow Sparkle is a pale spring green glitter suspended in a lightly tinted green base. To be honest, I didn’t see much tint in the base–I thought it was clear myself. I couldn’t quite get a completely opaque look, but I think I moved a little too fast on this one.
- Night Sparkle is a deep true blue with flecks of blue and gold glitter. Just two coats for a completely opaque look.
- Sky Sparkle is a medium blue with a slight aqua lean glitter suspended in a clear base. Personally, I had some trouble getting this one to apply evenly and opaquely.
- Hyacinth Sparkle is a sheer lavender base with darker and lighter lavender glitter. It took me three coats to get a nearly opaque look, but it was a bit uneven.
- Violet Sparkle is a deep violet purple with flecks of lighter, brighter violet and purple strewn through a clear base.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of glittery polishes and have been on the hunt for ones that are better alone than layered as a top coat, you may enjoy Nubar’s Sparkle Collection.
Availability: Nubar
Summer Cleaning with Renee Rouleau — The Freshness!
Renee Rouleau Luxe Mint Cleansing Gel ($35.50) is a minty-fresh cleanser that leaves skin feeling refreshed. I’ve been using this as my AM/PM cleanser (not makeup remover, though) for the past three weeks, and I really just like the way it leaves my skin feeling, which is cooled and refreshed. It’s particularly been lovely for me as my seasonal allergies have been acting up!
Key Ingredients: Licorice Root Extract – anti-inflammatory properties, Peppermint Oil – vaso-dilator that increases circulation to bring fresh nutrients to the skin, Rosemary Leaf Oil – antioxidant skin energizer, Spearmint Leaf Oil – invigorating, circulation-boosting.
The texture is also thick without being heavy. It’s thick and gel-textured, so you don’t need much — really, you don’t — just one little squeeze and a pea-sized portion later and you have enough. Despite using it for three weeks, I’d say I’ve only used up about half an inch’s worth thus far, which means I anticipate a solid six months or more of usage out of this. It’s not a makeup remover, so while it removed my tinted moisturizer, it’s not going to get off long-wearing eyeliner.
I love Renee Rouleau, the woman behind the brand, even though I have never met her in person. (But seriously, sometimes I just want to go visit Texas so I can book an appointment at her spa so I can meet her.) She is inspiring as a female entrepreneur, but she gives real, meaningful skincare tips on her blog–actually written by her, gasp!–and it feels genuine.
Just for Temptalia readers, get Free Shipping with code TEMPTALIA from May 25th through the 31st.
The Luxe Mint Cleansing Gel is recommended for those with oily/combination skin and not for those with severe redness or rosacea. It contains no artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, parabens, or sulfates for those concerned about ingredients. I have normal-to-dry skin typically, but in the summer I do get a little more normal-to-oily. I like this after a day spent outdoors or after a workout–very invigorating but not burning, stinging, or irritating–refreshing.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: For those with oily/combination skin looking for a no-fuss, easy-to-use cleanser that cleans skin well while leaving you feeling fresh, I think you may like this one.
Brownie Nude, Papaya, Rosy, Sunset Bronze, Plumberry, Desert Rose
Bobbi Brown Lip Shines, Part Deux
I originally reviewed Lip Shines two weeks ago, which included Nectarine, Pink Glisten, Raspberry Pink, Moonlight Rose, Berry, and Maple. I had several readers email and comment inquiring about the other six shades, and now I’m happy to report that here they are!
- Brownie Nude is a brownish peach-red with a glistening glossy look–very opaque, too.
- Papaya is brightened pinky-coral. It applies nearly entirely opaque with a very soft shimmer-shine.
- Rosy is a darkened rosy red with semi-opaque color and glossy sheen.
- Sunset Bronze is a deep red with orange and copper flecks of shimmer. It’s not quite opaque, but it has plenty of pigment. It’s almost metallic with the copper shimmer in it, too–very pretty–and I could see this working really well during the fall and holiday seasons.
- Plumberry is a darkened reddish plum with a glistening sheen and semi-sheer color. It has a smidgen of gold shimmer. This one had a tendency to slip into my lip lines a bit.
- Desert Rose is a soft, muted rose with a glossy sheen. Surprisingly, despite the lightness of the color, it’s nearly opaque on my lips.
You can read my full review of the formula here, but to recap on why I like these…
- Long-lasting color–three to four hours before it starts to fade, and it made it through a frappuccino
- Feels like a combination of Chanel’s Rouge Coco and MAC Slimshines
- Scent-free, taste-free
- Non-drying, most shades provide nearly full-color coverage
My personal favorite shades, now having seen all of them, are: Pink Glisten, Raspberry Pink, Papaya, and Desert Rose.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love lightweight, semi-sheer to semi-opaque color that’s moisturizing without requiring re-applicatiion every hour, I think you may find these to your liking.
Availability: Bobbi Brown
Inglot Eyeshadows are not easy to come by in the U.S., but perhaps that will change over the next year or two. The brand now has a boutique in NYC, which looks like any high end brand’s boutique from the photos and videos I’ve seen of it (I have never been there personally). My girl Pursebuzz picked up two palettes of eyeshadows on my behalf while she was at a local trade show, so I think each of these palettes was around $40, inclusive (the palette and eyeshadows). I think the normal price hovers around $75ish for the palette and enough eyeshadows to fill it. I remember we both planned to purchase more, but they were cash-only (say what?! what is cash?!) at the show.
The quality of the eyeshadows is nice–well-pigmented, smooth, and blendable. They come in a ridiculous variety of colors and seem to have three finishes available: regular, AMC, and AMC Shine. Again, since I’ve never been to an Inglot store, and their website explains nothing about, I really can’t say much about what each finish is officially or there are finishes within each type of eyeshadow.
- #464 is an adobe brown with gold shimmer and red undertones. It’s kind of like clay, in the color.
- #495 is a brightened pink with a subtle pearly sheen.
- #48 (AMC Shine) is a pinky-plum with a frosty look.
- #15 (AMC Shine) is a fiery orange and a gold frost finish, though it’s not incredibly bright.
- #60 (AMC) is a semi-matte true yellow.
- #474 is a lightened yellow with a pearled sheen.
- #57 (AMC) is a darkened forest green with a satin-y feel.
- #58 (AMC) is a brightened grass green with a satin look.
- #447 is a spring-y leafy green with subtle sparkle.
- #59 (AMC) is a yellowed chartreuse with a satin sheen.
- #70 (AMC) is a medium sky blue with a satin feel.
- #05 (AMC Shine) is a brightened, light sky blue with a frosty sheen.
- #20 (AMC Shine) is a pale baby blue with a silvered sheen and frost finish.
- #24 (AMC Shine) is an aqua-blue with a bright frost sheen.
- #68 (AMC) is a blue-based purple with slight sparkle and sheen.
- #40 (AMC Shine) is a darkened plum-berry with silver sparkle and a frosty finish.
- #441 is a slightly iridescent light purple with a pearly sheen.
- #65 (AMC) is a deep, satin black with teal flecks of sparkle.
- #498 is a charcoal gray with teal sparkle strewn through it.
All of the shades I tried had great color pay off, were smooth and easy to work with, and there really is such a huge variety of colors available, so you’re sure to find at least a few that tickle your fancy.
For me, though, something about these felt a little one-note for me. Again, since I can’t see their full stock and variety, this is really based solely on my experience with these nineteen shades. It was just this color with a frost/pearl/satin sheen, but I didn’t see shades I’ve never seen before. I didn’t see green with blue and aqua shimmer. I didn’t see blue with a flash of gold.
The price on these is amazing, and there’s nothing about these that feels cheap. The packaging is sturdy, the eyeshadows seem about the same size as MAC eyeshadows, and they even have a full boutique–just like high-end brands. They are a great deal, and if you’re in the NYC area, I would definitely recommend checking Inglot out sometime.
I think the one thing I can say that I really didn’t like about these was how snug they are in the palettes. They really do not come out — the magnet is pretty strong. I gouged over half of the eyeshadows just trying to remove them. I don’t know about you, but I do rearrange my palettes from time to time, so ruining a bunch of them just to move them around is frustrating.
I know the next time I’m in NYC, I’ll be stopping by the Inglot store to see and learn more about their full line.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 3/5
Recommendation: Not necessarily the most original shades on the block, Inglot matches the quality of high-end brands with the price of low-end.
Availability: Inglot Cosmetics
Make Up For Ever #35 & #127 Eyeshadows
($19.00) make for really excellent basic shades. The brand really shines with their matte and semi-matte shades, like these two below. I admit, when I first bought their eyeshadows, I went straight for the brights (this is me, duh!), so I’m glad I had the opportunity to check out some of the more neutral shades! They have the same high-quality pigmentation and feel as the brights I’ve reviewed in the past.
- #35 is is a soft, powdery beige. It’s so soft, smooth, and buttery in its texture with great color payoff. It’s so light that it’s difficult to see, which makes it a great neutral shade for adding light to lids or as a highlighter for the brow bone.
- #127 is a cool-toned medium brown with a subtle sheen. I love the way it has this barely-there sheen–it gives you an opportunity to play around with textures while still being subtle.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation:
Availability: Sephora
Bobbi Brown Treatment Lip Shines: Nectarine, Pink Glisten, Raspberry Pink, Moonlight Rose, Berry, & Maple
Bobbi Brown’s Treatment Lip Shines SPF 15 come in twelve lovely shades, with each retailing for $22 and weighing in at 0.07 oz. It’s described as a “lightweight, soft shine lipstick that doubles as a rejuvenating moisture treatment.” It also contains “natural Cocoa and Shea Butters, Jojoba, Apricot Kernel and Avocado oils … Peptides, along with Vitamin C.”
I actually really liked these, and even though they looked pretty, I wasn’t so sure whether they’d be a product I’d enjoy. Coming from Bobbi Brown, I completely expected incredibly sheer, barely-there color. I’m happy to report that isn’t the case here! They’re not even remotely sheer. Each shade I tried was different from the next–these aren’t sheered out shades that end up looking the same on lips, must to my delight!
- Nectarine is a semi-sheer coral-orange with a glistening finish. It packs good color when applied, and applies pretty even coverage without trouble. I think this one lends itself better for warmer skin tones.
- Pink Glisten is a lightened, rosy pink with lighter pink shimmer. This one applied beautifully (one of the best applications of the six I tried), and the color itself is semi-opaque. I think this shade is a nice, universal pink.
- Raspberry Pink is a darkened raspberry pink with gold and pink shimmer. This was my favorite shade. It’s semi-opaque in color coverage, but it’s rich and dark enough to be worn on its own to draw attention to your lips. Like Pink Glisten, this applied smoothly and evenly on lips.
- Moonlight Rose is a light brown with a little bit of red undertones and golden shimmer. I’m not sure what’s rose about this, to be honest. It has semi-opaque coverage, and it applies evenly for the most part.
- Berry is a reddish wine-berry with a very glistening look. It looks very wet when applied, and it has a tendency to settle into lip lines a bit, but it’s not too noticeable from a normal viewing distance. The color itself applies semi-opaque but not complete full-color coverage.
- Maple is a darkened red-toned brown. It has the same application look and feel as Berry: a little uneven, somewhat settles into lip lines, but it still has the semi-opaque color and glistening, wet look.
These are lightly creamy, moisturizing enough to keep your pucker in line for a few hours, and they wear incredibly well. After the initial surprise of more color pay off than I anticipated, I was surprised three hours later when much of the color was still holding on, despite sipping on a Starbucks (the TEMPTALIA Frappuccino, ha!) for the three hours I wore it. Frostier shades like Pink Glisten faded around three hours and seemed a little drier than some of the creamier shades like Raspberry Pink, which didn’t start fading until the fourth hour but never felt dry. The only downside is that some of these don’t apply as smoothly or evenly as I’d like–they can sink into some lip lines a bit, but I didn’t find it all that noticeable when I looked in the mirror (just super up-close!).
They have a very wet, glistening look — it’s not quite glossy, definitely more glistening to me. I also don’t think these are like MAC Slimshines, despite both brands being owned by the same parent company and the packaging looking awfully similar (I checked, too — similar but not identical). Slimshines felt creamier with more slip, a bit more moisturizing, but I found they faded within two hours or so. Lip Shines don’t have the slip-factor, which I think makes them hang on a bit longer. I feel like these are a combination of Chanel Rouge Coco and MAC Slimshines–so it’s a formula that can stand on its own. These are scent-free and taste-free as far as I could detect!
My favorite shades were Pink Glisten and Raspberry Pink, with Nectarine in third (a little more orange than I like for myself). I was excited to write about these, and I would have totally had this up sooner if it wasn’t finals week for me!
There are twelve shades in total, so the other six shades from the range are: Brownie Nude (warm brown), Desert Rose (rose nude), Papaya (bright pink coral), Plumberry (deep plum), Rosy (warm pink brown), and Sunset Bronze (warm bronze).
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you love lightweight, semi-sheer to semi-opaque color that’s moisturizing without requiring reapplicatiion every hour, I think you may find these to your liking.
Availability: Bobbi Brown, Nordstrom
