Makeup Monday: What’s New and Good

Lily Lolo Contour Palette

Recently, I finally found the courage to (temporarily?) break-up with some old makeup favorites in order to test out new ones. It turned out not to be as hard as I expected it to be, because some of the recent launches were very good, and besides foundation, I found great products to add to my routine. Here’s what made the cut, and take a look the photos to see what they look like when applied to my face.

Lily Lolo Sculpt & Glow Contour Duo

Lilly Lolo Contour Palette
Lily Lolo Sculpt & Glow Contour Duo

If you have been following me for a while, than you’ll probably remember that the Alima Pure Sombra contour powder has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years (review here). This contour palette by Lily Lolo, however, has been a pleasant surprise. I received it with a recent Petit Vour box (Petit Vour is a great 100% cruelty-free beauty subscription, which you can check out here). The colors in the palette work well for my complexion, and I think that they would suit light (not very pale) to medium skin tones. What I like about it is that the contouring powder is not too pigmented, so it’s difficult to overdo it. That is super-important with face contouring in order to prevent the stripe-under-cheekbones type of disaster.

Kjaer Weis Honor Lipstick Swatches Review
Kjaer Weis Honor Lipstick, Glossier Boy Brow, Lily Lolo Contour Palette, W3LL People Bio Brightener Powder

The color is a medium brown, which is quite believable, since it is not orange-y at all, but it can be used to warm up the complexion as well, like a bronzer. The highlighter is also lovely. It’s a soft champagne color that does not contain any obvious glitter/shimmer particles, but still bounces the light nicely. It does, however, look very light against my skin–almost like an ivory color. With that said, it may be too light for medium-tan skin tones. The formula is buttery and applies smoothly. At $26 this palette is a steal and I hope that Lily Lolo will make more shades for it (both for very fair and medium-to-deep complexions). You can shop it here.

Kjaer Weis Lipsticks

These newly launched lipsticks* are already all over my Instagram feed for a good reason. They are exactly what I expected from Kjaer Weis: fancy, rich in color, & easy to wear. I own three out of the five shades available and they are all fantastic. The formula is the same for all the shades: creamy, but not to the point of feeling slippery, beautifully pigmented, and a semi-matte finish.

Kjaer Weis Believe Lipstick Review Swatches
Kjaer Weis Believe Lipstick

I wanted to quickly open a parenthesis here about the price of these lipsticks, because they are significantly more expensive than other already expensive lipsticks. The entire Kjaer Weis line is a luxury line. You get a quality product, that performs great, is certified organic, is made in Italy, and comes in a beautiful, refillable package. Naturally, I see why the price would already be higher than other brands who are not certified organic, do not come in the same type of packaging, and do not perform as great. Are they worth the investment? In my opinion, if you find a shade you love, then yes. You can check them out here.

Red lipstick swatches Ilia Kjaer Weis Red Apple Lipstick Review copy

Glossier Boy Brow

This won’t excite the hardcore Genuine Glow-ers, as the Glossier Boy Brow is not a “green” product. This is one of the few non-green products (I have maybe 3 that I have not found effective, green alternatives) that I use because well-groomed, full-looking brows are very important to me when I want to look polished. After I fill-in my eyebrows with either the Eco-brow wax or the Nabla eyebrow pencil, I like to use this brow gel to fix the hairs in place and add a tad more color. The result is very natural-looking. I also use this brow gel when I do not have time to fill-in my eyebrows, but need to give them a slightly more full and naturally polished look. My friend recently asked me what I had used to grow my eyebrows back, and I was just wearing this brow gel. Exactly what I needed to hear! You can check it out here.

100% Pure Matte Lipsticks

Kjaer Weis Adore Lipstick
Kjaer Weis Adore Lipstick, Alima Pure Eyeshadows, Glossier Boy Brow

W3LL People Bio Brightener Invisible Powder

I have been faithfully using the RMS Un-Powder for setting my makeup over the past couple of years, but I was sent a tiny sample of the newly re-formulated W3LL People Bio Brightener Invisible Powder*, and I have been loving it. First, the old formula had an un-pleasant scent to it that the new formula does not have. Second, the new formula contains crushed, fresh water pearl, which seems to give a really pretty, brightening and airbrushed effect and does not look as “powdery”. Basically, it does not look cakey, even when you go a little more heavy handed. The color is transparent, so it does not look white on my skin, even now that I am a little bit darker than in Winter. So thumbs up for this new setting powder, I plan to get a full-size once I run out of the sample. Launching soon.

Alima Pure Eyeshadows

My go-to eyeshadows are, mostly from Kjaer Weis and Honest Beauty, but the new Alima Pure pressed eyeshadows have been a lovely addition, too. The two shades that I have been wearing often are Instinct* and Luxe*. Instinct is a medium-brown with a luminous, almost metallic effect and Luxe is a bright copper color, with the same luminous, almost metallic finish. The formula is soft and easy to blend, and these two colors are beautiful and flattering. Only thing I have to note about them is that they contain natural fragrance. It is pleasant and soft, but it is there, so keep that in mind if you are ultra-sensitive. I am sensitive to scents and I don’t mind this one — I actually enjoy it. Eyeshadows available here.

So this is it, for now at least. What are some new (or newly discovered) makeup products that you guys love and think I should check out? Leave me a comment, I would love to know.

*gifted sample

Follow: