Beauty Product Reviews
Gorgeous.
For those who were hoping for a more warm, terra-cotta (in this case a rosy terra-cotta) shade from Wayne's blush formula, wish granted! And it's as lovely as you would hope. This is actually the first WG blush I've applied to just bare skin and...amazing. It's definitely worth trying if you feel comfortable just rocking blush and concealer for complexion products. The highlight is beautiful, though of his more opaque kind (all of his gold/champagne highlights are more opaque than his others), so I always try to remember to apply it first, even if it is just to my cheekbones. Even if I forget, it does sheer out easily.
Like it was made for me.
This blush and highlight duo are, frankly, my favorites in one palette. Both the tones are what I gravitate toward on an everyday basis and, like always, the formula of Wayne's powders is absolutely wonderful. It should be noted that Wayne's highlights somewhat have two formulas. The ones that are more gold or champagne based are more opaque (though still gorgeous; I simply always apply them first even when just as a highlight) while the ones that are not have plenty of impact but less opacity. This is the latter and the shift between pink and silver and peach is the kind that pairs well with so many blush tones, which is why it is such a go-to for me. Also, the blush in this goes with so many looks as well.
A work horse brush.
This brush is the most flexible face brush of Wayne's that I have tried. It can buff/blend in foundation, apply and blend out blush and bronzer, contour, set and (if you're careful) even apply finishing powder. It is the most prone to shedding out of all of his brushes I've tried, but it's only the occasional hair or two and I am a tad rough on brushes. I did have to learn that this one requires less pressure to buff in powder foundation than I'm used to, so I am becoming gentler when using it and I'm trying to be more gentle when washing it (I use African Black Soap, btw, because it both conditions and works as a mild bleach to help maintain the whiteness of the hairs. I first discovered the bleaching qualities when using the soap on my own skin and thinking it looked lighter for some reason, then I Googled about the soap to double-check my perception).
A lovely staple.
These are gorgeous, but I would put them on the upper end of average. They're definitely good, but also not overly special (except the applicator; I now think most lip glosses should have this kind of applicator...except extremely pigmented ones or ones that are meant for long wear). They are very glossy, pigmented enough to wear alone but sheer enough to have fun mixing with lipsticks or liners, moisturizing, smoothing and very comfortable. They stick around more than the average lip gloss, but not to an insane degree. Expect to have to reapply these throughout the day. If you want a lip gloss that is reliable and not sticky, these are good ones to go to. If you're looking for a gloss that makes you say, 'Wow! I've never tried anything else like this!' ...these won't. ... And that's just fine!
Flattering and Fun!
I bought both Blushing Peony and Coral Rose (I like to have a cool and warm blush to pick from) and I love them both. They both give such a smooth and natural-looking flush to my cheeks. Surprisingly, I like Blushing Peony best out of the pair even though it was the one I was most nervous about (I went ahead and bought it out of sheer trust in Wayne's attention to formula). It looks like a very bright blush in the pan and it certainly can be bright when applied. However, it is not difficult to use a light hand and blend it out (I use Wayne's 13 brush, though I have also used ELF's blush brush as well) to a more natural, wearable look, even on my fair skin (for reference, Laura Geller's Double Take Baked Porcelain is pretty much dead-on for my skin tone and depth). What really makes the duo special to me, though, is the highlight, which I was surprised by. I'm not a highlight person, but this highlight made me fall in love with white based highlights with a pink shift. It can pack a punch (try it as an eyeshadow sometime, btw!), but it can also look very natural and it is more easily controlled than the highlight in the highlight in the Coral Rose duo (DEFINITELY try that highlight as an eyeshadow <3 ). It is also wonderful both underneath and over the blush to make it a glowy blush, as Wayne says. Coral Rose is a less unique blush and highlight color and the highlight packs so much pigment I exclusively apply it under blush (both to glow-up the blush or as a highlight only) now so that I don't have to worry about it showing so obviously over my blush or changing the color too much. It is gorgeous, yes, but definitely more difficult to control. Out of all the powders from Wayne that I have tried, this one seems the most like a cream still. As I understand it, all his highlights started as one and this one, especially, shows it.
Perfect for my skin tone!
If you are fair skinned and cool toned and finding bronzers and especially contours that suit your skin tone makes you cry... Hallelujah! This is the first contour shade I've found that doesn't look like a bronzer on me and, with a light hand, it is paired with one of the most flattering bronzers I've ever tried. Neither takes much to do their job. I hope Wayne expands the colors in the future because I could see certain skin depths or tones having problems finding a color that suits them from the current line-up and this is such a lovely product.
Take the star rating with a grain of salt and please read!
I find this product difficult to give a star rating to because it is by no means a bad mascara. It is a very good mascara and a lot of people are going to absolutely love it...it's just not quite what I go for in a mascara. It is very black (which I don't mind at all) and builds on itself pretty quickly. It adds length and volume and certainly doesn't cause my lashes to droop. I don't have the greatest natural lashes, but I don't have the worst either. I typically don't curl them except for special occasions and this mascara didn't work against that tendency at all. I didn't see any flaking or smudging. This mascara will make your individual lash hairs look noticeably thicker, which is where it and I start to depart. Also, while it doesn't exactly clump lashes together, it does seem to lead to lashes being more grouped together than I like (possibly because of the thicker individual hair look). I tend to go for a very defined, separated, natural look and like a mascara that highlights the number of lashes I have first and foremost. This mascara does a bit too much to my lashes for that and builds far too quickly for it as well, but that is a matter of taste. If anyone is curious, my favorite mascara for quite a while is CoverGirl's Lash Blast (Volume or Fusion equally; I also really like Clump Crusher).
Also, this reminded me of why I hate dealing with waterproof formulas. Since holding a curl isn't too much of an issue for me, I typically avoid them. This formula was a challenge to remove, even for my eye makeup remover, so I think I'll only use it if I intend to get wet since I don't think that will be a problem for it (not tested) considering how much effort it took to take the stuff off.
Lovely!
Pearl is a beautiful palette. I can see some being concerned that some of the shades in it are too similar to some of the shades in Imperial Topaz, which I can understand. There are very similar shades between the two, but they do vary in undertone. The first thing I did with this palette, in truth, was intentionally recreate my favorite Imperial Topaz look with it (so far as it could) specifically to see how similar/different they are. Pearl's shades have a peachier tone, especially the celestial shade. This can be amplified using the peachy-pink shade. This also means the taupe stands out, but it works with everything else extremely well despite. It actually works beautifully as a soft taupe liner as well as an all over, one-and-done shade. It's deep enough to give definition, but not so deep to stand out like the black shade in the previous two does. Quite honestly, this palette is going to be my new go-to Wayne Goss palette because I will more readily use every shade in it and with the addition of a black liner (I do have his), I can completely recreate the look I did most with Imperial Topaz as well as more looks that I enjoy for every day wear.
An everyday and special occasion go-to!
This has become a staple palette for me. You can do more than you think with these shades, but one look in particular has definitely kept me going back to this palette (something I think many people can relate to with this and other palettes) and it uses every shade except the one with reddish undertones! The matte brown shade can sheer out for a light, diffused crease shade, but don't underestimate what it can do when applied to the outer V with a pencil brush. I don't know how, but it deepens when you do that and can look like a different shade than itself blended out right next to it. To me, this is just such a classy palette, yet it can be so casual as well. Well done, Wayne and thank you!
Wayne <3 grey too! I'm so glad!
Grey is such an under appreciated color in the makeup industry. Think about it. In the masses of neutral palettes the market has been flooded with in the past years, how many have featured grey? Even more to the point, how many have even had a single grey shade in them? It's a very small percentage. Most of the time, companies choose to put in various taupes instead. It is a shame because grey enhances every eye color, in my opinion, and is one of the few shades that can hold this claim. I'm so glad that Wayne appreciates grey as well!
As to this palette specifically, I love the shades he chose. There is a warm and cool matte grey and the shimmery grey (or soft silver) is neutral enough to work with both. Also, if you want to pull back from full grey to black smokiness, that pink is perfect. I was a little skeptical about how I would feel about that teal celestial shade, but it really works well with the entirety of the palette. It also packs a stronger pigment punch than its Imperial Topaz counterpart and can make an excellent pop of color and full-on shine on the center of the lid. You can even line with it, especially if you wet the pigment on the brush.
As a side note, the celestial shade is very soft, but if you are afraid of it breaking in transit, don't be. The Beautylish customer service team is wonderful. It is an easy process to have a new palette sent.