Makeup

About the Muse

Isabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

Lush Snow Fairy Two-Tone Shower Gel is a new, limited-edition formulation of Lush Cosmetics’ iconic Snow Fairy Shower Gel that everyone eagerly looks forward to purchasing during the Holiday season! Don’t quote me but I believe there are FIVE variations of Snow Fairy that launched with the Lush Christmas 2024 Collection. I’ve already reviewed Snow Fairy Shampoo and the Snow Fairy Milkshake formulas!

I’m normally all about Snow Fairy. It’s a beautifully fruity sweet cocktail that I look forward to every year but I do think Lush went a little too crazy this year and I question if I need all these formulas. But I did want to try them so here we are.

Lush Snow Fairy Two-Tone Shower Gel is available in three sizes that vary in price from $13 all the way up to $41 in price. Two-Tone is actually a few bucks more than the regular Snow Fairy formula and I did compare the ingredients below for you to see what may be different and as far as I can see there isn’t a lot of difference aside from Two-Tone not having a few ingredients like Glycerine and Sodium Cocoamphoacetate. This version does include Carrageenan which is extracted from seaweed and gives the formula a thinner, gel-like consistency. I’m not if that’s what ticked the price up but I did compare the two formulas below for you.

I actually prefer the regular version of the new Milkshake formula as those are not only thicker but they smell fruiter. I think Two-Tone smells a bit powder like Lush Rock Star and has a bit more of a powdery sweetness to it. You really can’t tell the difference unless you’re really thinking concentrating on it but I do think the original and milkshake version smell a bit brighter, sweeter, and fruiter.

I’m not really into the consistency of this. It’s very runny, has a bi-phase like consistency in the bottle, and for the most part it looks clear when you squeeze it out. It’s supposed to have some sort of pink to peach color shift but the entire idea just made me scratch my head and mutter to myself, “Why?” I’m just not getting the point of it.

It does create a nice mound of lather but I think the original formula produces richer, thicker, and more dense lather. This has a lighter lather and feels less moisturizing. It is strongly scented though and that scent does last outside of the shower.

I absolutely love Lush Snow Fairy and I’ve been purchasing for 15 or more years now but I’m not really sold out needing so many variations of one shower gel! I wish Lush put energy into creating other items scented like it versus five different shower gels. The good news is they did do a Snow Fairy Body Scrub and a Snow Fairy Body Conditioner. But I’d have loved to see other items scented like this iconic product.

Lush Snow Fairy Two-Tone Shower Gel Ingredients:
Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance, Persian Lime Oil, Carrageenan Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Water, Synthetic Musk, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, *Limonene, Red 33, Red 28, Red 21 Lake

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel Ingredients:
Glycerine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Water, Fair Trade Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Fine Sea Salt, Calcium Lactate Gluconate, Lauryl Betaine, Fragrance, Lactic Acid, Persian Lime Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic Musk, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tin Oxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, *Limonene, Red 4, Red 33

Lush Snow Fairy Two-Tone Shower Gel is available now! What do you think of this version?

As with most things the price of Rare Beauty is going up. Rare Beauty shared on their Instagram today that will will be a price increase starting January 1st. As per their notice to their fans the price increases will be anywhere from $1 to $2. It’s not a huge increase nor is it a surprising one but it is always disappointing to witness how high prices are going lately not only on makeup and beauty but also, on food and daily life necessities. We’re already seeing price increases from a variety of brands and I’ve already discussed and address it in two recently reviews I did of Milani’s newest Spring launches. It’s sort of shocking to see drugstore makeup with prices that are tiptoeing the line of $20 bucks.

I do appreciate Rare Beauty’s transparency in telling us about the price increase as it gives people a small window to stock up on favs. I’m not sure if that’s really necessary to do as some of their items are so damn pigmented they’ll likely last you a lifetime! But if there is some item you’re not willing to spend more on in the New Year or something you’re running low on now might be the time to grab it before it goes up! I knew the price increase news would be trickling in with brands soon but I actually thought I’d hear news about brands going out of business before the price increase news hit. Rare Beauty, I think, is one of the first brands to share news of a price increase for 2025. I’m actually sorting of sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for news to break on certain brands I think might not be around this coming year. I won’t mention names and the idea of sort of makes me sad but I can imagine you can think of at least one that I’m thinking of. I hope I’m terribly wrong but we’ll see what 2025 has in store for the beauty world.

I’ll keep you abreast of any other price changes I see. I suspect E.L.F. Cosmetics may make a similar story soon even though they very recently had an increase. I think the days of budget friendly pricing is behind us now and this is our new normal going forward!

Are you saddened about the Rare Beauty price increase?

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I’ve been loving on Kaleidos Space Age Highlighter in the shades Mars Melter for a few years now and I realized I never reviewed it. Today we redeem that! Let’s chat, swatch, and review this gorgeous highlighter and see what you think of it!

Kaleidos is a Chinese brand that had a viral moment a few years ago and one of the first items I had purchased from them was the Kaleidos Mars Melter Space Age Highlighter. This is unusual for me as I’m not a big highlighter kind of girl but I LOVE all shades peach, coral, or orange and this was a beautiful sparkly peachy coral shade that I had to have. It sort of has a pink orangey shift in the sun! It’s stunning! Since that original purchase I hit pan on my Mars Melter and I’m now on my third pot. Again, unheard of for me! It is one of my favorite highlighters but also, I use it as an eyeshadow from time to time as well.

If you hate sparkle, glitter, etc…this isn’t for! Skip the review. But if you love it, well, grab a chair and sit down let’s chat. This is such sparkly joy. It’s def not your traditional highlighter formula as it’s essential a powdery glitter bomb. It comes housed in a tin compact with no mirror and it holds 0.10 oz of highlighter. A few years ago these were around $14 but they’ll set you back around $24 now but they are on sale with 15% off at yesstyle.com with code SANTA24.

The formula is quite thin and has a semi-sheer pay off which means you sadly, can’t use it as a blush. I’d love it so much more if it worked as a blush but sadly it’s a bit too sheer and a bit too sparkly to do so. I would recommend using it with a cream blush, liquid blush, or a stain but you can of course, use it with a powder. You want to make sure whatever blush you use is matte in finish though as this has plenty of sparkle all its own. It applies fairly easily and my skin isn’t textured so it does have a smooth finish but users beware it will accentuate dryness and textured skin. Prep well before application for the smoothest finish. The thing I like most about it is the fact it gives this wet, glistening effect which sadly you can’t see in my photos. I think the swatch looks really uneventful as well but it’s way prettier in person. It almost has that just misted makeup setting spray on my face look. It’s a beautiful shimmery wet sheen. It wears nicely for about seven hours but the sparkle does fade off a little as time passes. As I mentioned above I do use it as an eyeshadow from time to time as well. Typically I’ll apply a powder and use this on top as a little shimmery topcoat. It looks super pretty on top of orange, peach, or even brown or gold shadows!

Kaleidos Space Age Highlighter is a rather unique little highlighter! It’s not for everyone but if you love sparkly makeup you’ll adore this.

Kaleidos Space Age Highlighter is available now.

Where to buy

Yes Style

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