It’s my first Bite Size Reviews for 2025! How exciting! For those that are new, every two months, I rearrange my makeup stash. And when I swap out the stash at the end of the second month, I pull out five of the more standout makeup products to share my thoughts on them. Some of them are standouts because they are fab, and some are standouts because they are flops. This time around, I have a solid balance of fab’s and flops. So, let’s get into it!
MAC FIX + STAY OVER LONG LASTING SETTING SPRAY – $37.00 for 30ml
After years of begging from the makeup community, MAC finally came out with a honest to God setting spray that is actually designed to make your makeup last longer. And you know what? It’s pretty alright. Controversially, I actually prefer the spritzer on the new packaging. I find that the mist is more evenly distributed than it is with the old pump packaging. And the product itself does help with the wear of my makeup. Is it better than the Charlotte Tilbury? No, but that one is still the gold standard in my eyes. This one I do recommend. But maybe wait for MAC or Adore Beauty to do a good sale.
ELF COSMETICS BROW LAMINATING GEL – $12.00
Ahh, the infamous Refy Dupe. That I cannot judge as a dupe because Refy doesn’t ship to Australia *shakes fist*. So, on it’s own merits, this is fine. It’s interesting that they call it a gel because the formula is almost like a gel-wax hybrid. The product comes out white and combs out clear on the brows. Fortunately, I didn’t notice any ghosting on the tips of my brows. So it dries down clear too. Speaking of dry down, I didn’t feel any crunching on my brows when I wore this. But I do wish it had a little more of a hold. While I did get that laminated look, it didn’t last long. Maybe half the day when it wasn’t humid. And when it was humid, 2-3 hours at most. I’ll be curious to use this again in the winter when it’s drier overall. But I think you can do better.
RARE BEAUTY SOFT PINCH LIQUID CONTOUR in MELLOW – $49.00
I already gave this a positive review when I recommended this for the Sephora sale. But just to reiterate, with the shade Mellow in particular, I would not call this a contour shade. On me, it’s more of a neutral bronzer. And that’s why I love it as much as I do. It adds a lovely, natural warmth to the skin without looking to dewy or glowy. I would love to see some more shades added to this line. Definitely some more true cool tones.
MAYBELLINE SUNKISSER BLUSH in SIZZLE – $26.99
We are getting a little spicy now with the Sunkisser Blushes. First of all, I do need to go on a rant. Because out of the eight shades that launched in the US, we only got four of them. And the four shades they launched here with are all a bit meh. I wish we got some of the pink shades. But then there is the other issue where no matter what, I couldn’t get these to work for me. They are just so glittery and messy. They blend out very unevenly. I had the most success with using my fingers. But even then, the glitter was difficult to wash off my hands. On a good day, I got some pigment to stay on my cheeks. But most of the time, it blended away into nothing. I would buy another one of these IF AND ONLY IF the matte shades come Down Under.
MAC DAZZLESHADOW in YES TO SEQUINS! – $42.00
Speaking of lack of pigment. Wow, what a disaster this eyeshadow was. Easily the biggest letdown in this stash. Especially when you consider how much I paid for it. It just looks so powdery on the eyelid. Almost like it’s sitting on the lid, making them look crepey (I think I finally understand what that term means). And the glitter barely shows up on me. When my $12 ELF shadows perform better, that’s a problem.
And I think that’s enough ranting for one stash! Like I said, a mixed bag. But that’s what keeps things fun around here. I hope you all have an awesome week. And I’ll be back on Friday!
Cheers and love
Emily xo