Beauty Product Reviews

Best Highlighter

I've tried a lot of highlighters - sticks, liquids, and powders - and this one is by far my favourite. I've tried stuff from Benefit, Laura Mercier, MAC, and Becca and the closest I could get to what I was looking for were MAC Strobe Liquid (not cream - but liquid is discontinued) and the Becca liquids.

What I was looking for was a skinlike, pearlescent, non-sparkly product that just catches the light and imparts a glow. No crazy YouTube/Instagram super highlighted sparkly cheeks, just a kind of glowing dewiness that makes the skin look healthy and glistening. This is super hard to find outside of a liquid product, and even then, I found the liquid products would dry throughout the day just leaving behind noticeable sparkles.

This product isn't at all like that. It has a pearlescent, glimmering quality but all the particles are super super super fine so no noticeable chunks of glitter ever appear. The texture is also creamy which means it truly doesn't highlight pores - I have enlarged pores on my cheeks and so this is important to me, and generally, powder products simply can't deliver on that front.

Unfortunately, that makes this product super hard to swatch or demo in a video. You really have to try it to see how beautifully it works. I'm a MAC NC20 and this is great for me. I could see it working on slightly darker skin as well. It came with a sponge but I've been using Wayne Goss' fan brush to apply it and it goes on beautifully.

Lastly, after putting on my make up I used to spritz with some kind of hydrating mist spray just to bring the dewiness back into my skin. I have oily skin so it's always a give and take - setting powders and mattifying powders are a must but I hate when my skin loses all its sheen. But now, with this product, I really can't justify misting my face.

It also really does last. I haven't done a full workday test run on it but it holds up for 5 or 6 hours, no problem.

Prettiest shade, lovely finish

The finish on the satin lipsticks, at least Niagara, is so pretty. It's not a gloss, it's not uber sheer, and it's not super opaque. It ends up with a melted-into-your-lips sort of finish that looks lived in and natural. Niagara has got to be the prettiest coral shade out there. It's a weeee bit deeper than the usual coral, so you don't end up with lips lighter than the rest of your face for light to medium to light skintones. In the container, it always surprises me and I wonder "maybe this coral is too deep" but it's still so light and summery and pretty on the face.

Most beautiful matte finish

The matte finish on these is really truly amazing. I've only tried Heatwave and Catfight. I returned Catfight because it's a bit grainy. Heatwave is ridiculously smooth going on, feels moisturizing, and has this lovely slightly sheeny finish to it.

Longlasting, subtle shine

My favourite thing about this range of products (can't list a shade: I own 5!!!) is the gloss finish on them. It's a really subtle, not gloopy, natural kind of glossy sheen. It also lasts ridiiiiiculously long without being shiney. So I use these colours over top of my lipsticks a lot to get a bit of a natural shine that will stay all day. I find it makes my lipstick last a lot longer.

But ya, like some of the other reviewers, I've discovered some of the colours aren't great. It seems some of the lighter ones have big pigments that settle in cracks so I avoid colours with too much which pigment in it.

Great but not for all seasons

I've been using this product for a long time and love this new colour they have out. It's very pink-yellow balanced and even though I have light skin, I find this better suited to my skintone with Alaska which is what I used to use.

I've been finding myself avoiding this product in the summer though. It's kind of an oily tinted moisturizer and my skin really likes it in the winter and transitional months, but in Spring and Summer, everything gets a bit too slippy and oily.

This is your dewy tool

Somehow, this feels like the least well know highlighting product out there. But it is truly amazing, especially for lighter skintones since it has a white, pearlescent finish.

You can apply this in a gazillions way - mix it in with foundation or tinted moisturizer, or apply it afterwards by patting your fingers or with a flat brush. I'd taken to the latter to get a really diffuse finish, and use it between tinted moisturizer and blush.

I guess you could use this all over your face but I think the best way to use it is just where you really want to highlight.