Emily Johnson

We’re coming to an end of the Dove Holiday Treats 2024 Collection and wrapping things up things with a review of Dove Gingerbread Delight. As you know Dove brought back some the Holiday Treats Collection this year and reintroduced some scents from last year like Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie and Sugar Cookie! And we got some new treats like Hot Cocoa Swirl, Frosted Plum Berry, Pecan Butter Crunch, and more! Dove Gingerbread Delight is one of those new scents and it happens to be exclusive to Target as well. I was pretty excited about Hot Cococa Swirl but Gingerbread Delight was actually one I really was hyped to smell! I was hoping for a spicy gingerbread and iced frosting scent.

Did it live up to what I imagined?

Dove Gingerbread Delight is available in a body wash, body scrub, bar soap, and hand soap. I only got the body wash as at the time I couldn’t find the body scrub, deo, or bar soap. As of now it’s readily available all over Target’s website and in stores but I never went back to pick any of it up and I’m actually glad I didn’t as the body was a blind buy and I didn’t love it! I ended up saving money in the end with it being out of stock!

This is supposed to smell like softened butter, sweet molasses, and candied ginger. It’s actually really an odd scent. I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either. It sort of smells a little fruity but with a ton of pumpkin spice thrown in. I don’t really smell anything gingerbread about it. It’s smells a bit like the Dove Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie with a bit of someone unknown sweetness thrown into the mix. The actual body wash is wonderful! It’s lightly moisturizing, heavily scented, and creates super rich lather. But sadly, the scent wasn’t my thing.

If you’re expecting gingerbread cookies and frosting this

Where to buy

Target

Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint ($16.99) is a new foundation stick with a soft matte finish that has moisturizing ingredients like Murumuru Butter that launched with the Milani Spring 2025 Collection. Available in 25 shades this formula promises to blur lines, even your skin tone, hydrate, and provide light-to-medium coverage. I don’t know if anyone remembers but there was a Milani Conceal + Perfect Foundation Stick that launched back in 2019. I hated it. It was terribly drying but this new formula definitely is a huge improvement.

I am overjoyed that there’s a new foundation stick on the market as I am a HUGE fan of swipe and go foundation sticks. MASSIVE fan! I don’t use a lot of foundation so having the ability to just swipe a little one, blend, and get the rest of my makeup done is perfect. I’ve been a fan of stick foundations back to the Benefit Playstick days. I hope Milani starts a trend with foundation sticks as I’d love to see them back a come back!

Let’s review and swatch the new Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint! Jump ahead.

Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint are available twenty five shade range for $16.99 each for 0.28 oz. I do have an an issue with the near $17 price tag just because I’m loving (LOVVVVVVVVVVVVING) LYS BeautyTriple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick and it’s $25 for 0.25 oz. I do feel the LYS formula is a lot more creamier than the Milani version with a big more pigment. If I had to choose between $17 and spending a $8 dollars more for the LYS I would probably go with the LYS. I realize it’s smaller and a bit more money but I just like the formula a little bit more than Milani’s version. That being said, drugstore makeup is never something anyone pays full price for. Even now at ulta.com you can snag $5 off Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint using code 393244 which does make it a much better deal than near $20. I’m becoming a little bit of a nitpick lately with the drugstore makeup prices but man, they seem to have jumped up a lot in a really short amount of time.

Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint comes housed in a swivel up barrel which easily swivels down. Yes, that’s very important to mention because some products swivel up and don’t swivel down which can be irritating as hell. No issues with the packaging here. It goes up and down easily. Also, the barrel shade matches the foundation in side perfectly which can be helpful when selecting a shade. One thing I didn’t love was the small cap that this comes with which protects the top of the foundation. It’s a tiny plastic cap that many stick products come with. Typically, I do toss them out but in this case Milani says keep it and replace the cap which easy use. I guess this formula may dry out if you don’t. The problem I have with it would be it falls off when replace and ends up stuck in the barrel of the top or sometimes or sometimes it falls off and jiggles around and ends up slicing off bits of foundation. I did this with one of the two shades I purchased. The entire head of the foundation ended up sliced up as I replaced the small clear cap, put the outer cap on, and went to put the foundation away but the cap fell off inside and when I took it off the clear cap fell off, into the foundation, and sliced it up. Not cool. I think I may toss them out and keep my fingers crossed the foundation remains creamy.

Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint Shade 7

Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint Shade 6

Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint Swatches (Shade 6 and Shade 7)

Ok, enough of ranting let’s get to the good stuff. This is beautifully formulated. It is a soft matte finish but not a dry one. The texture of the foundation is soft, creamy, and easy to blend. It feels soft with a light silky feel on skin but still has a creamy, lightly moisturizing formula that allows easy blending with a brush or even fingers. It doesn’t adhere to drier areas and looks smooth and flawless on skin. The coverage can be used lightly or you can build it up for more coverage. It’s fairly pigmented so it should conceal darkness, dullness, and provide a bright, even finish. I personally have dull skin so I rely on foundation to brighten up my complexion, even my tone, and make me look more awake and this did the trick. I don’t have major problems likes redness or acne to conceal but I’d say the level on pigment on this should tackle such issues. I enjoyed the natural finish it provided as no matter how you provide it looks very skin-like and natural without appearing too made up. I like a more moisturizing formula as I have dry skin but I had no issues with the soft matte finish. It isn’t a flat matte nor a drying one or one that looks mask-like. It was breathable, lightweight, and didn’t bring attention to drier areas on my face. It looked smooth and flawless and wore for around six hours. It showed some signs of wear as I headed into hour seven and faded a good deal at hour eight. I didn’t expect it to even wear for six as stick foundations do tend to have a shorter wear in my experience but it did nicely and I didn’t set it with powder.

One of the biggest perks of this product is the shade range. It feels like a drugstore brand has finally got a handle on a solid range of colors. The colors and undertones seem quite accurate and I think people will be surprised how easily they’ll find a color match. I got six and seven. Six is a light, warm peach and Seven is Light Medium Neutral. I liked six better but seven was a good match as well for me. The peach undertone is always a hard one for me to find in foundations and I’ve found it’s more flattering on me than going with neutral which can sometimes be a bit too light. Six was a perfect light-medium with a hint of warmth due to the peach.

Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint is a love for me. I’m Muse Approving this one. If you love stick foundations but find the market a little lacking in them you’re going to adore this formula. It’s soft, creamy, lightweight, and it looks beautiful on skin. The price is a little high but coupons and sales always help!

Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Skin Tint is available now at Ulta! Are you interested in trying it?

Where to buy

Ulta

Well, I went ahead and grabbed a backup of the Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Eyeshadow Palette. It’s one of the very few palettes I’ve hit pan on and I have to say it’s one of my favs. It was launched after the shadow formulation change but it’s still such a hit for me. It’s a perfect mix of beautiful neutrals that work so well in my everyday looks. I always tell myself every year when it goes on sale I’ll buy myself a backup just in case they finally discontinue it completely or god forbid they go out of business. I finally took the plunge as Ulta has it on sale for $25 and I had 20% off so I snagged it for $20 bucks. A steal!

Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Eyeshadow Palette Swatches (Reputation, Burn, End Game, Dreamweaver)

Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Eyeshadow Palette Swatches (Distilled, Bucked, Boundaries, Blur)

Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Eyeshadow Palette Swatches (Bribe, Barely Baked, Angel Fire, Retro)

If you’re wanting it or wanting a backup grab it now at Ulta. Do you love the Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Eyeshadow Palette? Do share your thoughts on this oldie but goodie!

Where to buy

Ulta

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Bath and Body Works Winter Candy Apple Shampoo and Conditioner is a limited-edition round of haircare that’s available for the Holiday 2024 season. And also, did you know Winter Candy Apple is 25 years old? So, let’s celebrate with a review of this haircare.

Ok, full disclosure I purchased this for the fragrance alone. I love a good Winter Candy Apple moment with the sweet, fruity notes of red apples and sweet and juicy orange! It’s such an iconic fragrance and one I very much associate with the Holiday season! I do wish Bath and Body Works did Vanilla Bean Noel in a round of haircare but hey, I’ll settle for Winter Candy Apple happily.

As you know Bath and Body Works into the world of haircare last Summer and it brought back such feel good memories when Victoria’s Secret used to have their Very Sexy Shampoo and Conditioner, Love Spell Shampoo and Conditioner and of course, the Beauty Rush Shampoo and Conditioners! Bath and Body Works was never big on haircare but they did have their old True Blue Spa products and I think that line had some sort of haircare in it as I recall. Am I remembering wrong? I think it was called Best Tressed or something like that! They never really did anything with their mainstream fragrances until recently when they introduced an entire range of Shampoos and Conditioners scented like their most popular fragrances. Sadly, a lot of them haven’t really appealed to me and until recently I never bothered trying these.

When I heard they were doing a Winter Candy Apple fragrance I was all about it. Now was the time to try these out. These are jumbo bottles at 16oz and each bottle is $16.95. I paid like $8 bucks? They always have different BOGOS and this season in particular they’ve had some great deals. I would never pay full-price as I don’t like the formula. I think currently the offer is buy three and get one free but even that seems a little high. I got mine on sale plus added in a coupon!

Why don’t I like them? I find the shampoo too drying and the conditioner isn’t really moisturizing enough for me. There’s just a lot of awesome in the formula for me to repurchase. I mean, I COULD be tempted if they do these in a fragrance I really love but all in all, I didn’t love the formula. It’s a pretty basically formulated shampoo and conditioner.

On the upside, it does smell amazing! It’s not as heavily scented as the body care and the fragrance seems SLIGHTLY less sweet and fruity but it’s a fairly nice representation of Winter Candy Apple. I loved it was scented like one of my fav seasonal scents! I do wish they’d have done it in other Holiday scents but sadly, this was the only one they went with! The scent is fairly nice in the shower but I wouldn’t say it left my hair smelling like Winter Candy Apple for very long. The scent seemed to wash away in the shower which made me terribly sad! I wish it lingered!

Do you need it? If it goes on sale sure, why not? But honestly, the haircare at Bath and Body Works leaves a lot to be desired.

Anyone try these? Thoughts?

Where to buy

Bath and Body Works

E.L.F. Glow Reviver Lip Oil Glimmer has landed and their a new gimmer finish of the E.L.F. Glow Reviver Lip Oil that launched last year. E.L.F. Cosmetics continues to dominate the budget makeup market with these interesting drops that zoomers and alphas absolutely love. I’m still sitting here remember when E.L.F. was a dollar and available in little white compacts…! But E.L.F. has come a long way since that time hasn’t it?

Anyway, considering I liked the original Reviver Lip Oil getting in on a shimmery version seemed like a no brainer so I grabbed one of the eight shades they launched. Here’s what I thought.

E.L.F. Glow Reviver Lip Oil Glimmer ($8) is available in eight new shades and has the same formula as the original with moisturizing ingredient’s like squalane, apricot, avocado, jojoba, and pomegranate oils. This isn’t E.L.F. Cosmetics’ first step into the lip oil world an E.L.F. Tinted Lip Oil back in 2017 as you may recall. But lip oils are trendy and have a rather huge following and E.L.F knows that.

E.L.F. Glow Reviver Lip Oil Glimmer have the same small, square barrel with a large flocked applicator for application as the original. They are still $8 and 0.25 oz in size. And they are a good deal cheaper when comoared to the NYX Fat Oil Lip Drip formula which is smaller at 0.16 oz and $9 per shade if you want to compare these to another drugstore brand.

I really liked the original formula but I can’t say the same for the glimmer finish one. The original was thick, super shiny, but not tacky or sticky and added nice moisture to lips. They lacked pigment which has changed with this new version. The new version is nicely pigmented. I only got one shade but I’m pretty sure the others offered will give you the same level of tint. I got the shade Super Neutral which is a light coppery nude. The formula feels vastly different than the original. It’s a bit balmy, thicker, and a bit on the sticker side. The moisture is decent but not as good as the original formula. Application is smooth and the gloss hugs lips nicely and gives them a good hint of color. Unfortunately, I didn’t really love the whole “glimmer finish” thing. Technically, they never mention shimmer when they described these so I can’t fault them on the finish too much. But don’t be like me and assume glimmer means shimmer. It does not. Their “glimmer” is actually more of a frost. And I didn’t love that. Frost anything is simply not my thing. I feel like it ages me. This shade looks a little too frosty! I will say in my photos it does look shimmery but in reality it has a bit of a frostiness to it that I wasn’t in love with. It wears and maintain shine, color, and moisture for about two hours before reapplication is needed. It has a fresh, minty flavor that was pleasant and does tingle a little bit. It did give my lips a fuller appearance.

E.L.F. Glow Reviver Lip Oil Glimmer wasn’t my fav version of this formula but it is worth trying if you like a good moisturizing lip oil with color. These are currently on sale at Ulta as well which makes them a tempting checkout when they aren’t the full $8 price! But all in all, I think I’ll stick to the original formulation!

Anyone try them?

Do share your thoughts!

Where to buy

Ulta ELF Cosmetics Target

Ok, Too Faced we love a click pen lipgloss moment but maybe you’re jumping the shark with the price. Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme Plumping Clicks have launched for Spring 2025 in eight shade selections and this strawberry-scented formula promises gloss, plumped up lips in a click. The creamy, melty formula says it provides sheer-to-medium coverage, plumping, eight hours of hydration, shine, and a nourishing formula. Wait, can we backtrack a sec did you say sheer? For $28 bucks? Ouchie! Maracuja Juicy Lip Plumps from Tarte are $26 but they are bigger at 0.095 oz versus your 0.05 oz size Too Faced. I’m not so sure about that near $30 price tag if I’m getting no pigment…!

Also, let’s not forget everyone is duper Majacuja Juicy Lip’s formula lately as we have a slew of budget friendly options like E.L.F. Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen, Colourpop So Juicy Plumping Gloss Balm, and NYX Fat Oil Slick Click Lip Oil Stick. The completion is fierce and you’re a little late to the party and going off and charging us near $30 bucks. This formula better be amazing!

I can’t lie I want to try these but I’m a little iffy on spending that much on Too Faced anything. I feel products like this should fall between $18-$22 for a mid-range brand. $28 really feels like it’s heading into an entirely new tax bracket. I may regret saying that after trying them I’m not completely sold on that price just yet. Also, I’m surprised to see such a small range of shades! But I guess not too surprised considering so many brands have really scaled back when introducing a new product to their collection. I guess they sort of test the waters before they release a bigger shade range. I never thought I’d say, “This isn’t enough shades!” as at one point shade ranges could be overwhelming but yeah, I feel like the shade range could use a few more. Ironically, these aren’t even in stock yet at sephora.com but the raving reviews are pouring in. Sigh. Crazy how the system works isn’t it?

Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme Plumping Clicks are available at Ulta and coming soon to Sephora. I may just take the plunge as I do have a coupon but I’ll still rant about the price on this even after a discount!

Where to buy

Ulta Sephora

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Please run, don’t walk and grab yourself some Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Body Scrub! As you may know Trader Joe’s extended their Holiday 2024 Beauty Collection to include a new Candy Cane Body Scrub that joins the Shimmering Candy Cane Body Butter that launched last year (and is also, available again this year!). I wasn’t the biggest fan of the body butter last year and don’t get me started on the Hot Cocoa Whipped Body Scrub they introduced which is thankfully, not back! But Candy Cane Body Scrub? I’m all about it and highly recommend backups!

Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Body Scrub comes in a double-lidded container that’s 8 oz in size and will set you back $6.99. The dual-lid is pretty cool as it opens easily from the top and you can’t lose the lid or drop it on the floor of your shower or deal with unscrewing while your hands are wet!

Don’t quote me but I think the price went up slightly on scrubs as I recall being $5.99 and just this past Fall when Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Body Scrub launched the price went up a buck. It’s not a big deal at all since the scrubs are great but always worth a mentioning when the price of something goes up. Trader Joe’s Scrubs aren’t as big as Tree Hut Scrub’s which are 18 oz and around $11 to $12 dollars but it isn’t too bad a deal either.

This is formulated with coarse sugar, coconut oil peppermint oil, and biodegradable jojoba beads. I’d liken the consistency to the Brazil Nut Scrub but it feels softer to me and seems to have a richer lather. It’s quite course and grainy which I love as it makes my skin super smooth. It isn’t super oily so no slipping in the shower but does have a slightly oily feel on skin which leaves it super smooth and soft. A little water creates a nice lather and it melts down as you scrub and has a pleasant cooling effect thanks to the peppermint oil. And yes, it smells just like a candy cane!

I absolutely loved it. They formulated this really well and I brought a backup jar as I really loved the texture and thought it did a grab job making my dry elbows and knees super smooth. It’ll be disappearing soon so if you want it I highly recommend heading to your local store to grab a jar or two.

Tried it?

Do share!