It's a word play on the popular meme "me gusta". It embraces the spirit of sticking true to your style and identity even though it may be strange and different. Remember to follow me on Instagram (@megoosta) for regular updates!
In case you missed it, ColourPop released 2 new ultra satin liquid lip bundles for fall as well as 2 super shock shadow quads. I have lip swatched the liquid lipsticks, of course. My package took an awfully long time to reach me because it went to Canada first and it just hung around there for a good week.
Anyway, these shades are beautiful and so wearable. I'm glad that there aren't any super pale shades that could potentially be a "concealer" lipstick. At the same time, I wish that ColourPop did more unusual shades like a grey toned purple or a dark blue. It's been awhile since Dr M, Marshmallow and Petit Four came out.
Hidden Agenda bundle:
Stud (Warm Brown Terracotta)
This might be my favorite shade of all the six. It's got a hint of red, brown and pink for this almost-brick-red shade. Definitely got lots of fall vibes with this shade.
Reign (Warm Caramel)
This seems to be a muted orange-brown. If you're not huge on orange-toned shades, this would be a perfect twist for you to ease into the oranges.
Mystic (Deepened Plum)
I love how this shade makes my lips look fuller and juicy. It might be the color or it might be the way I filled my lips in or it might be that shine. It's a teensy patchy but nothing that can't be fixed.
Truth Be Told bundle:
Cashing Out (Deep Burgundy)
This is a true dark red shade and it is a little patchy. You can definitely go over it with another layer and it won't affect the comfort of it. No hints of brown or purple in this one.
First Of All (Rich Raspberry)
This is a really rich and vibrant pink. I don't think it's anything new that CP has done. It's very similar to Lyin' King and unless you are fond of hot pinks, you do not need both.
Ambush (True Red)
This is a true vibrant red but I don't wear reds often enough to need this one. It's a lot richer and neutral than London Fog and a lot more cool-toned than Lost.
Overall, I prefer the Hidden Agenda bundle over the Truth Be Told bundle. The shades in the latter seem a little repetitive and similar to previously released shades. Like I said before, I wish ColourPop was a little more adventurous with their lip colors just like how they are with their eye colors.
Ever since Stila released their Glitter & Glow liquid eyeshadows, I have been searching and hoping for someone to come up with a dupe for them. They have been such a hit but they are so pricey. At $24 a tube, it is difficult to collect them all if you are on a budget.
Thankfully, my prayers have finally been answered. I chanced upon this product through a Facebook advert. I'm not even a huge koren beauty follower so I have no idea how the ad appeared on my feed. But, they are way more affordable than Stila. These are the Holika Holika Eye Metal Glitters. They just launched these recently and they go for about $9 on YesStyle. You get 3.5g of product, which is slightly less than Stila's 4.5ml.
These come in a clear plastic tube with a pink cap. The cap says "magic inside" which is soooo true. Just like the Stila Glitter & Glow liquid eyeshadows, these have a paddle foot applicator for precise application if needed. The back of the cap has some details in Korean as well as the shade name. The manufacturing and expiry dates are printed on the tube itself.
There are 4 shades in the Holika Holika range whereas Stila has a lot more. They have 11 in their permanent range and some exclusive seasonal shades.
Swatched in order from top to bottom or left to right: 01 Stella Dust - Light champagne with chunky silver glitter and smaller silver and champagne glitter. This applies slightly sheer with one layer but can be built up for more base color. 02 Rose Burst - Rose gold/light pink with chunky silver glitter and smaller silver and pink glitter. This applies slightly sheer with one layer but can be built up for more base color. 03 Burnt Orange - Copper with chunky silver glitter and smaller silver glitter. This has a very pigmented metallic copper base. 04 Fire Work - Reddish orange with fewer chunky silver glitter. This has a very pigmented metallic base as well.
Natural Lighting
Flash Lighting
Room Lighting
These swatch great. They go on evenly and pigmented. You have quite a bit of time to work with it before it dries down. I would recommend watching my video to see the swatches under different lighting in action because IT'S GORGEOUS.
I managed to find a couple of dupes in my Stila collection. I do not own all of the Stila shades so this is what I have for now. Kitten Karma is a light champagne shade as well but it has a more pigmented metallic base as compared to Stella Dust. Rose Gold Retro is a pink just like Rose Burst from Holika Holika. Again, the Stila one has a much more pigmented base. However, the Stila ones are not as glittery as Holika Holika. Holika Holika definitely has more chunky silver glitter for an extremely sparkly effect.
I really like the beauty editorial for the Holika Holika eye metal glitters. It really suits the "Korean" eye. Over here, they've placed the eye metal glitters on the eyelid and bottom lash line with a thin winged liner. I think it's a great way to wear these glitters in a more natural way as opposed to a cut crease. They are actually a lot more glittery in person unlike in the pictures.
Both the Stila and Holika Holika ones are easily washed off with water. I had no color or glitter residue after washing my arm. Also, the glitter on both will smudge if you rub it. The base color only smudges a tiny bit so that's just something to note.
On my eyes, these can last all day with no issues because my eyelids have no creases or folds. So, I don't really think my eyes are the best testers. However, the Stila ones have received a lot of good ratings and reviews so I think that is a good indication on its performance.
Ever since Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, I've been so curious to try out her foundations, especially since a lot of reviews state that it is great for oily skin. However, I wasn't quite ready to dish out $34 on a bottle of foundation that may or may not get used. Then, I stumbled on Stephanie Nicole's Youtube video review on the lineup and she mentioned that she found a dupe by searching the ingredients and the closest one she found was the Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Foundation. I knew I had to get the Catrice version because it's available at the drugstore and I had a Fenty sample coming my way, so I just had to compare them for myself.
So, the reason why they are potential dupes is because they have similar ingredients. All the ingredients found in the Catrice foundation are in the Fenty foundation as well. The first 1/3 of ingredients are in the exact same arrangement, and the remaining ones are a little mixed. Fenty has some extra moisturizing ingredients,
Fenty Beauty
By now, you should know very well what the claims of the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation are because it is literally everywhere. Basically, there are 40 shades in the lineup, 32ml or product and retails for $34 on the Fenty Beauty website and Sephoras worldwide.
Packaging: Frosted glass tube with a pump. Easy to control amount dispensed.
Texture: Runny liquid. Spreads easily but dries quickly.
Application: Best applied with a brush
Claims:
- Smooth, pore diffused, shine free finish
- Medium-full coverage
- Oil-free
- Climate adaptive
- Sweat & humidity resistant
- Won't clog pores
- Longwearing
- Lightweight
Vegan. Cruelty free. Made in Italy.
Catrice
This is a lesser known brand but it is quite well known in Europe because it originates from there. A lot of people love this brand and the foundations too but most of the reviews are in a foreign language. This retails for $10.99 on Ulta but I got it for SGD12.50 in Guardian Singapore for 30ml of product. There are only 4 shades though, and they are meant only for light-fair skin. There are lightening and darkening drops available separately for you to mix with the foundation to get a better match but it seems really troublesome to me.
Packaging: Frosted glass bottle with a dropper. Easy to control amount dispensed.
Texture: Slightly thicker than Fenty but still on the liquidy side. IMO this should be in a pump bottle too.
Application: Best applied with a sponge.
Claims:
- HD finish
- High but natural looking coverage
- Non-oily
- Lightweight
- 24h wear
- Second skin feel
Vegan. Cruelty free. Made in Italy.
Prior to my half and half face test, I tested the foundations out individually on my entire face for a few days so that I can get a good idea of how they truly perform on my skin. I have Normal-Oily and sometimes combination skin with my T-zone getting the most oily. I have some dry areas sometimes due to hormonal changes but mostly just oily and normal skin.
My skin tone is about NC 20 in MAC and 2N1 Desert Beige in Estee Lauder Double Wear. For this review, I used the shade 030 Sand Beige for the Catrice foundation, which is a perfect match for me, and 210 in Fenty, which is a pinch darker than my skin tone. I can still pull it off though. I think I am more of a 140-150 in Fenty.
This is how my face looks without anything on my skin. You can clearly see my pores here and some spots and redness but I don't have acne problems or pimples at the moment.
Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Foundation in 030 Sand Beige
This is how the Catrice foundation looks freshly applied. It didn't cover my hyper-pigmentation but that's fine because I find it really hard to cover it even with concealer. Below it are some scratches so ignore that too. Overall, my skin looks more evened out and you can still see some pores on my nose and cheeks but some of them have been covered. Everything looks very natural and not foundation-looking in any way. This is with one layer and I think it provided me with medium-ish coverage. I do foresee cakiness with another layer.
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation in 210
This is the Fenty side. It looks slightly warmer and darker, but we're not here to compare colors. This is with one layer so some of my spots are still peeking through but it isn't obvious at all. The Fenty foundation has better pore coverage so my skin looks smoother but it feels slightly sticky. It also clings onto dry areas and dry skin like on my nose so that doesn't look pretty. Definitely should have exfoliated beforehand. Otherwise, this is also a buildable medium-full coverage foundation that evened out my skin and blurred my pores.
On the separate occasions that I wore these foundations, I did notice that the Catrice foundation had better oil control. I felt less greasy when using the Catrice foundation. The Fenty foundation remained sticky throughout my wear time and because my face gets oily, the stickiness combined with oil just isn't a great feeling. Both foundations transfer lightly when blotting but I think Fenty transferred a little bit more because it makes me slightly more oily. At the end of the day, both foundations were still very much on my face. I haven't broken out or faced clog pores when using these.
Conclusion
I really like the Catrice foundation and I think it works great with my skin. I like the oil control with it. If you want flawless skin with a natural look, this is the foundation to go with.
Would I get a full size of the Fenty Beauty foundation? Perhaps not. It does have the same oil control and I do enjoy the pore coverage that the Fenty foundation provided but I do not like the stickiness that comes with it. I know powder might help but one step less in makeup is always good because it isn't good to pile so many things on your skin. Plus, powder can make it look cakey and clog pores.
These have been out for a couple of months and I have been eyeing it ever since because metallic lips are my weakness and I am a fan of the original liquid suedes. I love the vibrant variety of shades in the original liquid suede range and they are so comfortable to wear.
NYX has really good products for their price points. These are in a similar packaging as the original liquid suedes but the tubes have a metallic sheen. There are 4ml of product in it and it retails for $7.50 each. The actual tubing must be really small because the tubes are larger than the SMLC but contain less product.
The applicator is the same. It is a slanted skinny doe foot/paddle foot applicator which is great for lining your lips and reaching the corners for a perfect application.
I think lip products with glitter go bad faster than products without, which is really sad. The shelf life indicated on the tube is 6M but I think it can last up to 2 years before they turn bad. Hopefully not.
Most of these shades are really pigmented and I had no issue in applying them. There was only one purple shade that applied really streaky and felt really drying too. The others are pretty comfortable and not really drying, but they aren't as comfortable to wear for a long time as compared to the original liquid suedes. They dry down to a transfer proof finish and they are pretty budge proof too - only the glitter rubs off. These can be removed with micellar water/gel but they are most easily removed with an oil based remover.
I have swatched all 12 shades on my lips and you can check out my video swatch linked above. I am around NC 20, Asian. I'm wearing the Catrice HD Liquid Foundation in 030 Sand Beige for this post.
Exposed (Pale Gold)
This is a really metallic and glittery peachy nude with silver glitter. This would look great as a lip topper. It kind of accentuates your lip lines due to the amount of glitter in it but it isn't uncomfortable to wear.
Mauve Mist (Warm Rose Nude)
This is a really nice nude shade that is perfect for everyday wear. When you first apply it, the glitter doesn't show up much and it looks more like a satin sheen. You can press your lips together to bring out the glitter and it will show up more as pictured. The base color is really pigmented though and this one glided on with a creamy consistency and felt mostly comfortable.
Bella (Deep Reddish Copper)
Similar to Exposed, this has a super metallic and glittery finish. The base color is on the slightly sheerer side so it would make a great lip topper. Otherwise, you can layer for better coverage. This one accentuates the lip lines too and feels a tad drying.
New Era (Deep Metallic Bronze)
This is a really pigmented dirty bronze shade with a satin metallic sheen. The glitter is really subtle and you can bring the glitter out slightly by pressing your lips together.
Neat Nude (Dirty Grey Plum)
Another satin metallic shade with a really pigmented base. I tried to bring the glitter out by pressing my lips together but it didn't help much. I ended up with some bare patches because there is some tackiness to the liquid lipstick.
Buzzkill (Magenta)
This one isn't very metallic but it does have this pretty purple sheen to it and a really pigmented hot pink base. This one is really comfortable on the lips too.
Acme (Strawberry Red)
This one is a really metallic and glittery bright red. It didn't feel drying like Exposed or Bella. It doesn't accentuate my lip lines as well.
Modern Maven (Deep Wine with Blue Brown Pearl)
Similar to Mauve Mist, this one has a really pigmented base with a glittery finish. It's a super pretty wearable dark nude shade that would look great on anyone.
Pure Society (Deep Violet with Blue Pearl)
This may look patchy but it really isn't. I guess my applicator was running out of product and I didn't want to re-dip. This one seems to have hidden glitter so pressing your lips together may help to bring it out more.
Biker Babe (Burgundy)
This one has a satin metallic sheen with evenly distributed fine shimmer. It seems to accentuate my lip lines but didn't feel drying or uncomfortable. It's really pigmented and went on very evenly and creamy.
Ego (Bright Purple)
This is the only really streaky shade and I had to fix patches with a second layer. When it dried, it felt really drying and constricting. I felt like it was going to accentuate every lip line. It does have a glittery metallic finish so it is super high shine.
Go Rogue (Gun Metal)
This is a black shade with turquoise and silver glitter. Pressing your lips together will bring out that glitter and make it more sparkly. It's a close dupe to Kylie's Kymajesty.
Overall, I really like these. I do think they could do better with the shade selection because there seems to be a lot of red and pink tones. I would definitely like to see some orange tones or turquoise shades like their cosmic metals range. The formula is so much more convenient though, because they won't transfer and rub off everywhere.
