BareMinerals’ Spotlight

There s just a bit more yellow than cream in this shadow. It has a decent color payoff, so if you want to use it as a highlighter either a) want a highlighter that's a pale yellow pearl or b) use a fiber-optic brush and a light touch. I like...

Persephone Minerals’ Venus Crystal Power

An attractive enough gold-orange with enough depth that it isn't a yellow-orange, nor a neon. The finish is almost metallic…but not quite. I was hoping for another duochrome, or a duotone at the least; but the shadow is attractive. It's almost a lighter version of Beauty from the Earth's...

Concrete Minerals’ Risque

Definitely red. Definitely rich. Definitely matte. Not kidding. This is a Pro Matte color, which means lakes and dyes, which means that technically it isn't “mineral makeup.” But all ingredients are FDA approved for cosmetic use, and this is safe for lips and eyes (and cheeks and nails, obviously.) I...

BareMinerals’ Whimsy

Not as invisible as Faith, but, still…not a whole lot of color payoff. It's far from my favorite green, because I have to apply it wet AND use a sticky base to get any long-term color payoff and longevity. It can be used as a decent blending shade, between...

BareMinerals’ Sex on the Beach

Stila’s Waterproof Smudge Stick in Aubergine

I remember saying, on Twitter, that if Stila were to make a maroon eyeliner, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat. This isn't maroon, it's more a reddish cabernet…but it's close. I had originally thought that this color was just renamed to “Blackened Burgundy” and introduced to the regular...

Urban Decay’s 24-7 Eye Pencil in Riot

An almost-dusty violet with scattered pink sparkle. Like so many of the colors in the Black Market kit, this shade doesn't have the color payoff that many of Urban Decay's other shadow liners have. I'm not sure if that's because of the metallic finish (several of UD's metallic finish pencils...

BareMinerals’ Turn On highlighter

BareMinerals has sold many radiances (glow powders) and a few brighteners like Well Rested, but not too many highlighters. This must not have gone over too well, because I haven't seen any more of these “highlighter” colors added to either their loose or pressed lines. I use it, and like...

Maybelline’s Color Sensational lipstick in Pearly Pink (720)

Very soft, not necessarily sheer…but it's such a soft pink, I have a difficult time telling if it's semisheer or not. The finish looks to be halfway between a pearl and a frost (smooth reflective versus slightly roughened reflective). When I tried adding multiple layers, it seemed to really...

Shiro Cosmetics’ Finklestein

This almost looks and acts more like an iridescent mica than an off-white highlighter shade. I've liked the results I get when I either use this lightly on the inner vee, to minimize the interference-finish; or when I pat this over a dark liner shade and use it as an “...