Colour Pop

My Picks for This Year’s Best Spring and Summer Makeup Launches

June 22nd, 2016 by Adia Goss 24 Comments

best spring summer launches — Some of my picks for “The Best Spring and Summer Makeup Launches”

Whew! There has been so much good makeup lately.

I mean, I used to get more excited about moody fall colors, but this year the spring and summer collections have been incredible! Literally, every time I turn around, I’m seeing another gorgeous collection.

If your head has been spinning a little like mine, then I hope you’ll like my picks for some of the best spring/summer makeup launches. I’d also love to hear yours.

I think I’ll start with lips, because I think a new lipstick or gloss is probably the easiest way to update your look.

Lips

First up, the Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint by Tarte, and I have the shade called Double Tap (here are swatches of the full range in this post).

I’m wearing cool-toned nude Double Tap in these pics, but I usually go for warmer-toned peaches and pinks. Thing is, this mauve is just so pretty and different from the rest of my stash. It’s opaque and not sticky at all.

Next, Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick, and I just mentioned the shade called Swinger in my roundup of my favorite liquid lipsticks, so I’ll be brief now: the color and formula are AMAZING. This one is perfect for summer.

Of course, I couldn’t talk about this season’s new launches without mentioning beautiful ColourPop Dohee.

Here’s a snap of me wearing it from my Spring Haul video.

[Continue reading…]

How I Wear Nude Lipstick (A Collaboration With Anna)

May 12th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 11 Comments

From the top, clockwise: Wet n Wild Velvet Matte Lip Color in Hickory Smoked ($3.49), Colourpop Lippie Stix in Lumiere ($5), and Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Nude Thrill ($6.99)

When I first started wearing lipstick, I was a sucker for a red lip, particularly matte red lips, and I still am. If I had to wear the same lip color for the rest of my life, it would probably be something red.

But my tastes have grown over the years to include many other colors, including nudes. A change of pace is nice sometimes, and some nudes are just too good to pass up.

I tend to go for the bolder nudes, like pink nudes, or a nude with brownish red undertones.

To go along with Anna’s favorite nude lippies, here are three of my favorite nudes that I’ve been wearing on the regular (when I’m not going for my signature red).

The first one is one of the Maybelline Vivid Mattes, and Adia did an amazing review of these a little while back, so I’m not going to spend too much time on the particulars. I will say that it’s one of my favorite everyday liquid lipsticks for a few reasons. The color lasts, it’s not overly drying, and it’s truly a universally flattering shade.

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Nude Thrill

It can easily be worn with just a bit of mascara for a daytime look or something like a smoky eye for night.

My second favorite nude is my go-to pink for when I feel like wearing something other than red, but don’t want to wear anything particularly bright. It’s Colourpop Lippie Stix in Lumiere, a dusty mauve.

[Continue reading…]

My Most-Used Makeup Products at the Moment

April 14th, 2016 by Adia Goss 28 Comments

I’m always trying new products, but I thought it would be fun to share what have been my most-used makeup products lately. For me, these are the products that “just work,” and they’re the things I reach for when I want to throw something on my face without having to give it any thought. The colors are just right, and they help me achieve my signature look — glowy skin and pinky/nude lips. 🙂

Foundations

I am a sucker for glowy, lightweight bases, and I’ve been constantly reaching for PUR Minerals HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation in Tan and NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna, which may be a tad too light for me, but it’s sheer enough that it still works.

The PUR Minerals foundation is amazing, by the way. Here are swatches and a full review. It’s available now at PUR Minerals for $39.

No brand matches my skin as well as NARS, and I love that NARS Pure Radiant has SPF 30. This was one of my first high-end foundations, and I’ve repurchased it time and again and will probably continue to do so because it’s a great everyday foundation. It’s available now at NARS Cosmetics for $44.

And, just to make sure my face is seriously glowy, I also like to use Pixi by Petra Glow Mist. It adds glow and helps my makeup last a bit longer. It’s definitely one of my favorite facial mists, and it’s available now at Target for $15.

most used makeup — L to R: Swatches of PUR Minerals HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation in Tan and NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna

[Continue reading…]

8 Pink Lipsticks for Spring: A Roundup of My Latest Lip Loves

April 5th, 2016 by Adia Goss 28 Comments

pink lipstick spring — Wearing ColourPop Cosmetics Ultra Matte Lip in Clueless

It’s officially, finally spring — and for me that means pink lippies!

To be honest, I wear some of these lipsticks year round (especially ColourPop Clueless)…but I am somewhat seasonal with my makeup. I do think it’s fun to change my look with the seasons, and here are my current top pink spring lippies this year.

I went with lots of different finishes and colors this time (here were my pink spring picks last year). Whatever your style, I hope this list gives you some ideas.

pink lipstick swatches — L to R: ColourPop Cosmetics Ultra Matte Lip in *Clueless*, Kevyn Aucoin Lipgloss in *Peonine*; Glo Minerals Cream Glaze Crayon in *Heirloom*; Glo Minerals Suede Matte Crayon in *Demure*; Glo Minerals Cream Glaze Crayon in *Dahlia*; MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in *Plum* *Dandy*; Glo Minerals Cream Glaze Crayon in *Bloom*; MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in *Chatterbox*

[Continue reading…]

Here Are My Makeup Bag Essentials! What Are Yours?

March 24th, 2016 by Adia Goss 34 Comments

I’m sort of a makeup bag hoarder.

The easiest way to get me to buy something is to offer a free makeup bag. Then I’m sold (Clinique, I’m looking at you).

My excuse is that they always come in handy, whether for travel, organization, gift-giving… In fact, I always keep a makeup bag in my desk at work and another one in my gym bag. But I also like to have one that I just leave on my vanity, because it takes the guesswork out of doing my makeup in the morning, and I’ll also throw things in there that I’ve been meaning to try, so that I don’t forget about them.

I’ll also bring another makeup bag with me if I’m going somewhere after work, and I know I’ll want to freshen up my makeup.

See? So many makeup bags!

Here are what I currently consider my makeup bag essentials:

Face products

I’m not really one for powdering my nose on the go, so I have these Palladio Rice Paper Sheets instead. They soak up excess oil and don’t disturb the rest of my makeup. They’re very affordable, too (available at Ulta for $3.99).

If my base has worn off, or if I just want to add some coverage, I’ve been loving this Clinique Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick. I use the shade called Gargantuan Golden. This one pictured is actually a free one that I got at Sephora, but I purchased the full size about a month ago (at Sephora for $24). I love how easy it is to blend on the skin with just my fingers, so it’s perfect for on-the-go. It’s build-able up to medium coverage and has a satin finish, so it looks very natural. If you’ve found other stick foundations to be too heavy or too creamy, look into this because it has a less slick feel than others that I’ve tried.

For added glow on the go, I absolutely LOVE Butterfly Beach by ColourPop Cosmetics. It’s a cool-toned champagne highlighter that instantly wakes up my face. I think it’s very flattering and so easy to just apply with my fingers, so this is one of my all-time favorite highlighters.

[Continue reading…]