It’s Bite Size Reviews time once again! As always, I have seen your requests. And I’ve picked out five products from my Shop My Stash series to talk about. Some of these were good, some of these were meh. And one of them was a gobsmacking disaster! Let’s get into it.
KVD VEGAN BEAUTY GOOD APPLE FOUNDATION BALM – $73.00
Ok, let’s start with addressing the elephant in the room. I featured the Good Apple Foundation Balm in my last Shop My Stash post. And yet, I didn’t end up reviewing it before I swapped my stash over. Normally when that happens, it’s because I’ve taken my time with the review. In this case, it’s because I abandoned the full review entirely. This might be one of the worst foundations I’ve ever tried. Let’s talk about why.
Applying it was a pain because a sponge left it looking blotchy and a brush left it looking streaky. No matter what primer I used, it didn’t want to sit on my nose or my chin. It felt so uncomfortable and sticky on my face. Which meant when I powdered it, it left my face looking cakey. And while I will own up to the fact that I didn’t get the right shade for me (this is shade 021 Light, light with warm undertones), I struggle to see who this shade would work for. Because this was giving jaundice chic. No amount of concealer or bronzer was going to correct this. I wore this outside of my house once and it broke down within a few hours. I knew I couldn’t do a full day wear test with this foundation. So, I made the decision scrap the review and talk about my thoughts here. KVD Vegan Beauty is 0 for 4 with me now (I tried their revamped liquid lipsticks a little while ago and I still don’t like them). And I can’t say that I’m surprised that there are whispers that they are pulling out of Sephora Australia.
PATRICK TA MONOCHROME MOMENT VELVET BLUSH in SHE’S SINCERE – $52.00
Let’s rinse bad taste in my mouth with something awesome! I know that the split pan Patrick Ta blushes are the ones with all of the hype. But if you haven’t tried the Monochrome Moment Blushes, I cannot recommend them enough. The formula is so soft and easy to build up. And this shade in particular is a great one for a low/no makeup look. I also love this shade on the lids for a quick eye look. Definitely worth looking into, in my opinion
TRIXIE COSMETICS FLOWER POWER BRONZER in PEACE OUT POPPY – $55.00
When it comes to pigmented products, Trixie Cosmetics is going to do it every time. I adore their blushes and their eyeshadows for that reason. Having said that, my personal preference for bronzer has always been something that had less pigment and more buildability. And this bronzer is hella pigmented! It walks right up to the line of being too pigmented for me. The good news is I can make this work. A light hand and a super fluffy brush is how I use this. I usually either use the middle strip on it’s own or I swirl the shades together as I found that the deeper shade on it’s own is a little too deep (in hindsight, I probably should have got shade one Darling Daisy). As far as blendability goes, it blends out nicely. And the lasting power of the bronzer is to be commended. Overall, it’s a really good bronzer. But if your preference is a bronzer that isn’t super pigmented, maybe avoid this one.
CIATE LONDON WATERMELON BURST PRIMER – $45.00
Well, this was just delightful! I know that primers are tough to judge. Especially when people don’t see the point of them. But sometimes, my dry skin needs the extra love. And this is such a great, instant hit of hydration to the skin. It has a very slight tacky feeling, which helps my foundation cling to my skin. It’s also one of the few gel serum textured primers that I’ve tried that doesn’t want to ball up on my skin. I really, really enjoyed this!
MAYBELLINE SUPERSTAY 30hr CONCEALER – $24.99
I never did get around to trying the original Superstay Concealer back in the day. I do remember it being extremely popular online. And I also remember people being very annoyed that it got reformulated into this one. With many saying that Maybelline ruined their holy grail concealer. All this to say, I had zero expectations going into this concealer. Outside of the fact that I like the Age Rewind and the Fit Me. Now that I’ve used it, it’s meh. It’s definitely my least favourite of the three Maybelline concealers that I’ve tried. I initially liked how light the formula was. But it ended up making my under eyes look thin and crepey after wearing it for a few hours. I also thought the coverage wasn’t as good as the Age Rewind. Definitely on the lighter side, in my opinion. My final critique is that I thought the doe foot was a little weird. It’s long and flexible. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to the fact that I’ve poked myself in the eye with it more than once. I’ve tried so many better concealers from the drugstore. You can give this a skip.
And I’m stuffed! I hope you enjoyed this round of my Bite Size Reviews. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Cheers and love
Emily xo