I was not in any way, shape, or form considering purchasing anything from the Fenty Beauty release when I first saw it. I'm really trying to budget right now so I told myself "it's a permanent line, you can buy things later. You do not need any of this right now." Yeah, that worked well. I bought seven things the morning of the launch. Seven. Someone please put me in a shopaholics anonymous group, or a self-control help group. Seriously, who do I think I am? Rihanna? Well, obviously not, but maybe if I wear her makeup I will be! (lol)
Let's talk about the packaging first. It's gorgeous. I'm honestly convinced the geometrical packaging was half of the reason I wasn't able to show any self control and bought so many things immediately. The magnetic packaging of the Match Sticks is extra, and I'm here for extra. It's also just damn practical.
Now, I may have bought seven things, but I decided to returned two of them, and I may return another. The first item I returned was the Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Long-wear Foundation. While RiRi clearly nailed the selection (it's available in 40 friggin shades), the formula just didn't work for me at all. I'd heard before even trying it that the foundation is matte, full coverage, dries down and then doesn't budge. If you know me at all, these adjectives sounds like my nightmare. I like glowy, dewy, lightweight foundations that let your skin shine through. However, I have recently been in the market for a more matte foundation for fall and winter when I don't want to look like a dewy goddess. Initially I was simply worried my dry combination skin wouldn't work with the Pro Filt'r. I feared it would stick to my dry patches and generally leave me looking, well, dry. But I was optimistic as I watched endless Instagram stories of other bloggers trying the foundation and they all seemed pleasantly surprised by it. It seemed as long as I hydrated my skin fully before application I'd be good to go!
Narrator: She hydrated her skin before. She was not good to go.
I swear I am the only person this foundation didn't work for. It loved my forehead and the sides of my face. It didn't mind my chin. It hated my nose. It loathed my cheeks. It refused to even acknowledge the skin next to my nostrils. I tried to photograph what happened but I lack both a solid camera and good lighting so I'll have to describe it. The foundation blended easily onto my forehead, chin and the sides of my face. As predicted, it clung to all my dry spots which are predominantly on my nose. On my cheeks, the foundation pooled into my pores creating what can only be described as dots of collected product. The skin around my nose must be made of teflon because the foundation slid right off it and pooled around my upper lip. I tried my best to blend it out but it had already dried and let me tell you, it was liquid lipstick level of dry. It took two fully micellar water soaked cotton sheets to get it off, and I only used a little! I was very bummed, but I was forced to admit the foundation wasn't for me.
Next up are the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighters. These are kind of a hit, kind of a miss for me. I bought two of the duo pans, and one of the single. The colors themselves are really gorgeous. The formula is described as cream-to-powder, which I found to be mostly true. They are super soft and blend-able, but definitely read more powdery on the skin once applied. I bought the duo Mean Money/Hu$tla Baby which is described as a "soft champagne sheen" and a "supercharged peachy champagne shimmer" respectively, as well as Girl Next Door/Chic Phreak a combination of "soft pink sheen" and "supercharged peachy pink shimmer". The soft shades are the winners for me, personally. I much prefer a subdued, lit-from-within highlight. The supercharged shades are packed with glitter and deliver a "wow" look, but the formula settles into pores and accentuated my skin texture in a bad way. Thirdly, I couldn't resist Trophy Wife, described as a 3D hyper-metallic gold. It's intended as a highlighter for deeper skin tones (I wasn't impressed by Metal Moon, the solo pan highlighter intended for fair skin tones, it was pretty but didn't seem different enough from things I already owned) but the rich creamy gold was too hypnotically intense to pass up. I tried it on my cheekbones and while it was certainly "a look", it was more wearable than I expected for how fair I am once blended out. I will probably use it as an eyeshadow more than anything else. (Can you imagine this shade all over the lid topped with gloss? I die.) Trophy Wife is the other product I *might* return, as I can't decide if I can rationalize keeping it when I only intend to use it as an eyeshadow. But it's so pretty. We'll see. For those who love powder highlighters à la Jeffree Star or Jouer, these highlighters will be a big hit. If you're more of a haloscope/ RMS Living Luminizer type of person, you might pass on these.
Lastly are the Match Sticks. The sticks are a kind of a multi-use product, to be used as highlighter or blush on cheeks, collarbone, nose etc. Like the rest of the line these tend to dry down very powdery, which isn't what I was hoping for. Originally I ordered three, but only kept two. The sticks come in two formulas, matte & shimmer. The matte sticks are perfect for contouring, but I do not contour, so I passed on those. (I did swatch them in store and they kind of reminded me of the Colourpop contour sticks [now discontinued] which I did purchase, but never ended up really using.) The shimmer sticks, though, are much more fun. I returned the shade Confetti, described as an iridescent opal, because it was just too holographic for me. Confetti read like a lavender glitter, which was fun, but I knew I would never wear it, not even as an eyeshadow. Starstruck is a gorgeous pinky pearl which fairs well as a highlighter for my skin tone (and I expect many skin-tones). It reads a tad powdery, but a spritz of any face mist after application transforms it to read dewier. Now, the absolute star of the show is Chili Mango, a bright orange popsicle color. Chili Mango is what I had hoped all of the match sticks would be like. While it does have some shimmer to it, it is mostly a sheer wash of orange-coral which will honestly look good on everyone. I plan to go back for the shade Ridiiic, a golden papaya color with a similar make to Chili Mango. It looks as though Yacht Life may also be a good shade with more color than shimmer, and might be worth adding to the collection later.
What did everyone pick up? What are you liking?
xx,
Claire