Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette ($30.00 for 0.49 oz.) includes a bronzer (described as a sheer medium bronze satin), highlighter (described as a soft pink champagne shimmer), and blush (described as a dusty rose satin with a hint of shimmer).
Bronzer is a medium-tan with orange-brown undertones and has a barely-there sheen. It does have sheer color, as described. The texture is firm but not powdery or really dry, just firm; the texture does not feel like Urban Decay’s eyeshadows, which are buttery and dense, softer, too. MAC Cajun is darker and more shimmery. MAC Nude on Board is browner, less orange. Urban Decay Gilded is browner and frosted. It applied the best out of the three shades, and because of the strong warm, orange undertones, will complement warmer complexions more. On my skin tone, it was a soft, warmed-over shade that actually worked well but I don’t see it showing up on medium-dark to dark complexions or working with cooler skin tones.
Highlighter is a champagne beige with a frosted, metallic finish. The payoff is seemingly sheer, but it really frosts the skin when applied. A little goes a very, very long way! Even lightly used, it yields a frosted, metallic finish on the skin that, unfortunately, emphasizes pores quite readily. I did a heavier application on the left, then a lighter application on the right (over the blush and bronzer, respectively). Bobbi Brown 24 Karat is more golden. bareMinerals The Love Affair has a golden sheen. MAC Superb is similar when applied, though darker/more pigmented. MAC Redhead is a touch pinker. Bobbi Brown Rose Gold is similar.
Blush is a medium-dark rosy pink with a hint of coral warmth that is mostly matte in finish. Though there are some bits of shimmer, it really looks matte both swatched and applied to the cheeks. It had so-so color payoff but the texture was on the drier side. It didn’t blend as easily as a great blush does. Guerlain Pink Punk is a bit pinker. MAC Supercontinental is lighter. MAC Fleet Fast is similar–a bit darker. Laura Mercier Canyon Sunset is darker.
The shades can be used individually or blended together as desired. I was expecting a denser, more buttery texture–more like their eyeshadows–than the firm, drier texture that was here. The highlighter was more like their eyeshadows, though still less buttery. The good news is that none of the shades were powdery. When I wore these yesterday, the bronzer wore the best with seven and a half hours of wear, while the highlighter was a bit patchy after six hours. The blush lasted for seven hours but was noticeably faded after eight hours.
I know that Urban Decay stated in the press release that this is designed to work with all skin tones (and straight from the press release: “as our staffers can attest”), I’m not sure it will. The bronzer, by being so sheer and not very buildable, may not show up on some complexions at all. The blush may accentuate redness in cheeks, and because it’s not as blendable, it can look ruddy and uneven (rosy-hued blushes can be hard to perfect). The highlighter is over-the-top even in light applications, so I don’t expect it to appeal to as many. It’s just going to emphasize pores and any imperfections on the skin.
I like the concept, but I think the texture needs work. A softer, more buttery texture would go a long way to making it a more versatile, blendable, and easy-to-use product. It is also rather warm-toned for something designed to work across all complexions.
Product
7/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
7.5/10
Application
4/5
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Dior Pink Happiness (729) DiorBlush ($43.00 for 0.26 oz.) is a blush duo that features a matte side to yield color, and then a pearly side that provides the highlight/sheen. They can be used individually together, alone, or swirled together.
The matte side is a medium-dark pink with yellow undertones. Chanel Rose Intiale is very similar. MAC Subtle Breeze is a bit cooler-toned. The pearly side is a light-medium pink with yellow undertones and a pale gold shimmer-sheen. Chanel Pink Cloud is a touch warmer, lighter. MAC Flower Fantasy has a paler sheen. MAC Easy Manner is richer in color. Together, they create a medium (just on the light side of medium) pink with a hint of coral and a subtle sheen. The color reminded me of MAC Pet Me, though that is a bit more plum. Tarte Curious is brighter, more coral. theBalm Don’t You Want Me is similar.
If you’ve tried other blush duos by Dior, you’ll likely remember how soft, silky-smooth, and finely-milled the texture was. This duo is part of the same formula/range, but it has a different pattern that goes across it than the permanent shades. I’m not sure if they’re made/pressed differently, but this had a much firmer, stiffer texture that made achieving true-to-pan color payoff more difficult and blending less effortless. With the level of pigmentation, I think this is best suited for light to medium complexions, while darker skin tones may want to try before they buy. Pink Happiness wore for seven hours well but was noticeably faded along the edges after eight hours.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder
I Want to Go to Paradise, But I Took a Wrong Turn
Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites / Illuminating Sparkling Powder ($70.00 for 1.86 oz.) consists of six different colored pearls, ranging from pale pink, peachy-pink, icy pink, medium pink, dark pink, and silver. The mix of pearls is supposed to brighten, reflect, add radiance, and generally “light up” and “instantly awaken” the face. The pearls are violet-scented as well and larger than the regular-sized Meteorites. It comes with a pink pouf designed to be used for application.
Meteorites are regularly sized at 1.05 oz., so this is quite a bit more; to compare, they are regularly $55.24/oz. and this jumbo-sized version is $37.63/oz. Of course, at this price point, it may be more of a question of whether you will finish a tin at all! I’ve drank from the Guerlain-aid (or would that be Guerlinade?); I get Meteorites. I wear them, love them, and regularly incorporate them into my routine. I find myself being disappointed with this spring’s version–because I can’t see it at all. It’s not giving me the subtle radiance that looks natural, luminous, and effortless on the skin.
I used it all over the left side (your left, that is) of my face, and then concentrated it on the cheek bone as a highlighter. Even swatched on my arm, I could barely see anything; no sparkle, no shimmer, no barely-there sheen, until I layered it. You can see this past holiday’s Perles du Dragon–there is so much more going on there; you can see the little reflections from the ultra-fine shimmer as well as the larger sparkles. Only when I more heavily layered it was I able to get the effect. It is not the signature effortless radiance that has become associated with Guerlain’s Meteorites range (whether in pearl-form or pressed).
The pearls themselves are no doubt super soft. Where I was able to visibly see (and thus, measure) the Meteorites placed was on my cheek bone (like a highlighter), the subtle sheen lasted all day long–a full eight hours with no signs of fading. I had the best luck when I used a dense blush brush and patted in on in sections–when I used the pouf, I expected it to pack quite a wallop, but it didn’t seem to transfer much at all onto the skin.
I was also disappointed to discover that the container is made up of mostly cardboard–heavy duty, definitely–but not metal, which is what Guerlain switched to in the past year or so. There are bits of metal (maybe plastic?) that line the edge of the tin and it’s wrapped in shiny something-rather on the exterior, but at this price point, I anticipated something more in line with Guerlain’s luxury compacts (which are typically metal).
Guerlain is one of the most consistent brands; they put out well-edited collections and launch only a handful of new formulas each year, so much of what they release is of quality. This was a major miss!
Product
6/10
Pigmentation
6/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
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The second shade is a darkened seafoam green with a matte finish. This shade had decent color payoff, but it is so soft that it has a tendency to blend away a bit. When patted on, it delivers a lot more payoff and has a less faded appearance (see photos below). Inglot #345 is lighter. Make Up For Ever #53 is much darker. Sugarpill Mochi is bluer. MAC Aqua is lighter.
The fourth shade is a medium-dark purple with subtle red undertones. This shade had decent to good color payoff, but it was very powdery. This shade was the most powdery of the eight. MAC Plush is darker and shimmery. Milani Primary is shimmery. MAC Shock-a-holic is redder. Inglot #379 is bluer-toned.
The fifth shade is a soft, creamy beige with a matte finish. One of the best shades in the palette, this had a lovely soft, smooth texture that wasn’t powdery with excellent color payoff. Urban Decay Anonymous is similar. theBalm Adagio is very close. MAC Brule is comparable. MAC Vanilla is warmer, lighter.
The sixth shade is a faded orange with a matte finish. It had decent pigmentation, and it was the driest of the eight–surprisingly dry to the point where it was a bit stiff (which was why the color payoff wasn’t great). NARS Self Portrait 3 is darker, richer. NARS Ramatuelle is a bit more orange.
The seventh shade is a medium-dark brown with subtle red undertones and a matte finish. This shade was very sheer and a bit stiff to work with. It was the worst performing out of the eight. theBalm Presto is similar. NARS Surabaya is more orange-toned. Bobbi Brown Cocoa Berry is more burgundy. MAC Embark is darker.
The eighth shade is a dark black with a matte finish. The texture of this one was slightly dry, which resulted in just so-so color payoff. Wet ‘n’ Wild Shimmer the Night Away is comparable. MAC Carbon is also similar.
Overall, this is palette is a mixed bag, as some of the shades were powdery and two were a bit dry/stiff (and those two were also significantly sheerer than the rest). None of the shades were so powdery that they would blend away to nothing or faded away quickly, but I recommend patting, not sweeping, them on. A little over half of the matte shades in this palette are of the softer variety, so they deposited pigment well, blended easily, but did have some fall out during application. The drier mattes have less fall out but were harder to blend and pick up pigment from.
When I wore the eyeshadows from this palette, they lasted fairly well over eight hours, but there was some fading along the edges that became noticeable after seven hours (without a primer). Over a primer, the fading deferred for an hour–only looking a bit faded with the green and purple shades after eight hours.
I heard a lot of raves for the original I <3 Matte palette, so I'm not sure if there were any formula changes or the like with this one, because despite the colors being the same, the quality seems to be different.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
8/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
3.5/5
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Where to Buy
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The texture of this felt smooth when really sheered out, but if you make an attempt to layer or go for opaque color, it does not apply smoothly no matter how much I tried to coax it. The best way to wear it is really as a wash, just a sheer bit of color, because it minimizes its tendency to ball up into chunks on the lid. I recommend applying prior to foundation, too, as quite a few sparkles will get elsewhere. I had some minor fall out during wear, but by and large, it stayed put. After wearing this for eight hours, again, there was some fall out, but it hadn’t creased. It isn’t yet out, but it is part of the soon-to-be-released Les Expressions de Chanel collection.
I'm not keen on the way it looks on the lid, as a result of the sheerer color payoff, because it looks uneven on. It sparkles and shimmers in a delightful way, and from several feet away, it is quite pretty. When I glance casually in the mirror, it's not so nice.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
3/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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MAC All for Glamour Gorgeous Bronze Face Kit ($49.50) contains seven products: Golden (Bronzing Powder, muted golden tan-beige with shimmer), Hearts-a-flutter (eyeshadow, warm pink with silver pearl), Romance Me (eyeshadow, warm plum with gold pearl), Shadowy Lady (eyeshadow, blackened plum), Barely Lit (lipstick, neutral pink withgold pearls), Headturner (lipstick, mid-tone cool cream plum), and a dual-ended 275SE/316SE brush.
Each Eyeshadow is approximately 0.033 oz. (total weight is 0.10 oz.), while the Bronzing Powder is 0.10 oz., and each Lipstick is 0.03 oz. There is a dual-ended brush that has the 275SE on one end and the 316SE on the other end. The kit contains $30.00 worth of eyeshadow, $6.86 worth of Bronzing Powder, and $9.00 worth of lipstick, for a total value of $45.86. You do get the dual-ended brush, but it really feels like a typical applicator that gets thrown into a lot of high-end palettes; the quality felt less than the usual SE brushes. The kit itself is packaged in a peach satin, but it’s smaller than the Divine Desire kits ($70.00), and it isn’t reusable from what I can tell–it’s more like the packaging used for the eyeshadow palettes.
Golden is a golden peach-brown with a peach shimmer-sheen. The texture was of this was very, very dry. It was so stiff, I had to jab layers of product off of it with a metal spatula. It was hard as a rock–I almost thought it was fake (this happened once, I received a MAC product that had a *plastic* replica of the powder in the compact). I’m not sure what happened, but the last time I swatched and reviewed Golden Bronzing Powder, I did not have the payoff and texture problems that I had with this one. This shade is part of the permanent range, so if you like how it looks in the pan, you might want to check out the full-sized version. MAC Nude on Board is a bit darker.
Barely Lit is a rosy beige with a little gold micro-shimmer to give it that “lit” effect. It has semi-sheer to semi-opaque color coverage. It has a lustre finish. In the pan, it almost felt and looked more like a gloss–it was very squishy. It wore for two hours. Laura Mercier Sandcastle is more subdued. MAC Viva Glam V is pinker. MAC Martha is similar, less shimmery.
Headturner is a berry red with a purple-tinge. It is mostly opaque on lips, and it has a Cremesheen finish. It lasted for four hours on my lips. NARS Afghan Red is redder. MAC Rebel is richer, brighter. Guerlain Guet-Apens is redder. MAC Red Dwarf is a bit darker and more subdued. MAC Positively Dashing is similar, less shimmery.
Romance Me is a gray-tinged medium-dark brown with sallow brown undertones. It has a lustre finish, but it didn’t look or feel like one–seemed more like a frost, really. It didn’t have the loose sparkle that is a telltale sign of a lustre. It had decent color payoff, but the texture was a bit dry. MAC Earthly is lighter. Bare Escentuals Vow is darker. theBalm Celebrational is a smidgen grayer.
Shadowy Lady is a blackened purple with a matte finish. It’s dry, stubborn in texture, and the color is a bit uneven. When I applied it to the lid, it wasn’t as blendable as a really good matte eyeshadow is. This shade is part of the permanent range, and it’s an often-included shade in holiday palettes. MAC Spellcaster is more purple. MAC Indian Ink is more purple, richer.
It is interesting that the pink shade has such a strong resemblance to Radial Pink, which is in the duo alongside Shadowy Lady! I’m also surprised to see Shadowy Lady repromoted twice in two different products, since it’s already a permanent shade as well. Golden was a complete miss here, unfortunately. It’s one of the more wearable bronzers across complexions, though I think MAC would have made this palette more appealing by including a blush rather than bronzer (maybe something pinky-plum).
I know there is a split on Lustres and Cremesheens–some find them drying (this is where I am) and others love them. Barely Lit was somewhat drying, and Headturner was just a wee bit drying over time. I didn’t have any fall out with Romance Me, in spite of its lustre finish, which was great news. The eyeshadows did have to be applied over a primer, because they were not pigmented enough to be used alone.
P.S. — This is the last of the MAC reviews until Guilty Pleasures launches (which is next week), so for the non-MAC fans, there is a reprieve on the horizon.
The two lipsticks help to keep the pigmentation score from falling totally flat, but they were slightly drying on me, which tended to neutralize their effect on the total palette. The bronzer was a huge let-down, and Shadowy Lady wasn't easy to work with.
Product
7.5/10
Pigmentation
7.5/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
8/10
Application
3.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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