The Mosaic Illuminator is an interesting product. It's not a highlighter, as the name might suggest, but rather a light, luminous face powder. When I wrote my initial review, I was mainly using it over foundation as a setting powder, but more recently, a combination of better skin and more time working from home has had me using it differently. I've been pairing the Illuminator with just a bit of under eye concealer and a tinted lip balm for a very minimal, "no makeup" makeup look. It has a beautiful finish and I find that the yellow parts really do a good job correcting minor redness. I wouldn't say the powder has any real coverage, but it gives a pretty, soft focus, almost airbrushed look to the skin.
That said, I've pulled it out again since the weather's warmed up, and I actually quite like it, so long as it stays dry. It's a solid black color and lashes look natural and fluttery, but also nicely defined. It doesn't make them feel crunchy or hard, and it's - not surprisingly - a breeze to remove at the end of the day. The formula, which has gotten a little drier since the winter, also plays much better with glasses now. Initially, I was going crazy having to clean mascara off my lenses for the first two or three hours, but I haven't had that issue these last few weeks. I also haven't had any irritation or other problems when wearing the mascara multiple consecutive days in a row, which is a first for me with a Physicians Formula mascara. With regards to the lash boosting claims, my lashes might be slightly longer and fuller, but I'm not convinced it's not just a placebo effect. Regardless, my lashes look healthy, so that's a good thing.
I got this a while back, after noticing that I didn't have just a plain, clear lip gloss. Polished is exactly that and is super convenient to wear over any lip color. I like the squeezy tube packaging and I'm happy with the formula as well. It's a thinner consistency, but decently glossy, quite moisturizing, and completely non-sticky. The berry scent isn't my favorite, but I've still been enjoying the gloss overall.
My mom bought this for me a few months ago when we were at the outlets in Niagara Falls. The Color Boosts are a little sheer, I think because they're meant to be be something you can use all over your face, but I stick to using The Adrenaline Rush, which includes a matte pink and mauve and a luminous gold, as a blush. I like to swirl my brush into all three colors, which creates a pretty peach shade with just a hint of golden luminosity, but I suppose you could use the colors individually as well.
Nudus's lipsticks have taken the green beauty world by storm recently and it's not hard to see why. Gorgeous packaging is only the beginning for these lipsticks, which also boast phenomenal ingredients and rich pigmentation. The formula includes anti-inflammatory turmeric and holy basil, anti-oxidant rich oils like pomegranate, raspberry, and kiwi seed, and is packed with other great botanicals as well. Halo is described as "an angelic color with a hint of frost" and it's a natural pink that I think would look good on just about anyone. Frost always makes me think of icy, metallic lipsticks from the 80's, but in Halo's case, it's more of just a subtle sheen. I do find I need to wear lip balm underneath, but I haven't seen anyone else comment on that, and my lips do tend to be on the dry side.
I was suckered into browsing the Sephora website by a Bare Minerals gift with purchase (featured in my Mid-Winter Favorites) and this somehow ended up in my cart. Before you check to make sure you're still on a green blog, take a look at these ingredients -
Water, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Alcohol Denat, Glycerin, Ci 77510 (Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide), Pullulan, Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Hectorite, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide.Pretty darn clean. I was as shocked as you. I wasn't immediately familiar with pullulan, but a spot of research revealed it to be a starch-based polysaccharide commonly used in vegetarian capsules and not an especially concerning ingredient. Everything else looked good too, so I decided to try it in the hopes of upping my liquid liner game. The extra fine brush tip is what really sold me, as I love cat eyes and winged liner, but my liquid liner skills are pretty nonexistent. The formula itself is pretty standard, though it's pigmented, nicely black and completely matte. I haven't had any problems with how it wears, but many of the review on the Sephora website do complain that it smudges easily.
It hit me, in a wave of post-shopping guilt that I later confirmed, that Sephora isn't a cruelty-free brand anymore. I don't think I'd buy the liner again for that reason, but it still makes me happy to see a decidedly non-natural brand with at least an occasional clean product. Just make sure you pick up the 12-hour Liner and not its waterproof, 24-Hour counterpart, which has a few more nasty ingredients.
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| The Adrenaline Rush Separately and Swirled Together, Nudus Halo, Sephora Long Lasting Eye Liner |
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ReplyDeleteThese are lovely picks! I've had my eye on Zuzu Luxe but would also love to try the Bare Minerals Ready Color Boost in The Adrenaline Rush and Nudus. The latter of which has been raved about so often! I'm also on the market for a good, clean gel/liquid eyeliner. I'm thinking of trying the one by 100% Pure or Crazy Cat Lady Concotions. There also might be a couple on Etsy I might want to check out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Megan! I still really struggle with getting a neat line with liquid liner, so I think I want to try gel next and see if that's any easier for me! I'll have to look into the two you mentioned :)
DeleteI definitely still need to try Nudus, and Halo is such a lovely color! Also, the Zuzu Luxe Mosaic Illuminator has been on my radar, but I wasn't sure if I should get it..after reading your post, I think I want to try it out for sure! :-) xx
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like the Mosaic! I've seen a few less positive reviews, but I think they were mostly down to mistaken ideas about exactly what to expect from the Illuminator. It isn't a shimmery highlight and it doesn't have much coverage, but it is a beautiful illuminating powder :)
DeleteI noticed a long time ago that Sephora's liquid eyeliner actually had decent ingredients. I actually had my eye on this gorgeous bright blue color. Now I want to see if they still make it!
ReplyDeleteI think they still do! When I ordered the black, a few of the colors were even discounted to $6 or 7!
DeleteThat liner actually looks pretty amazing, but I've never been any good at putting liquid liner on. I love that your going to the mall trips are in Niagra Falls. Sounds pretty rad :)
ReplyDeleteLiquid liner is so difficult for me too! Niagara Falls is about a 2 hour drive for me, so it's not an everyday mall trip, but there are some great outlets there that have been getting me to make the drive once or twice a year :)
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