Honest Review: Fenty Beauty’s Pencil Liner, Glow Recipe’s Lip Balm & More

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

Okay, so I know we’ve all gotten to a point where we don’t need any more makeup, skincare and so on. However, if you’re a beauty devotee like me, then you know that new launches can be oh-so tempting.

I mean, any time Fenty Beauty announces a new lineup of products, I’m counting the days until it hits the online shelves. But I digress.

Luckily, I still work in the world of beauty so I usually know what’s coming out ahead of time. As some of y’all know, publicists will send me that new-new, which means I can test out each item and share my honest thoughts.

Which is what I’m doing today.

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

I want to share the latest products I’ve been testing out for a few weeks and even months now. (We all know it takes time to really see results or benefits with skincare.)

From Fenty Beauty’s latest launches—aka the Hydrating Primer and Pencil Liners—to Glow Recipe’s first-ever lip product to Dominique Cosmetics’ sequel to her first Latte palette, I’m sharing my hot take on each product.

So let’s dive into what I’ve been testing out… shall we?

FENTY BEAUTY PRO FILT’R HYDRATING PRIMER, $32

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

One word: wow! As many of y’all know, I love the matte lewk. However, with my skin being so dry during these winter months and during this transitional weather, I’ve been using more hydrating products—like a deeply nourishing moisturizer,  light coverage foundation and minimal powder.  I was hesitant about this Fenty Beauty primer because I assumed it would make me look oily and greasy, but it actually gives me a nice, plump finish. I can tell that my skin looks more hydrated, but it doesn’t look shiny throughout the day.

PHYSICIANS GRADE full spectrum cbd REMEDY OIL, $90

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

I’m going to be honest: I’m usually skeptical about using CBD products, especially in my skincare because there isn’t much research or science to back up all of the claims. But I decided to try this one out because I really wanted to incorporate a face oil into my routine again. And because my skin has been as dry as the desert, I figured this would be a good time to test out the oil. While I’m not 100% sure it’s the CBD doing the trick, I will say that my skin is more hydrated, luminous and soothed after each use. Aside from having dry skin, it also gets inflamed and irritated easily (insert crying emoji), however, I’ve noticed that my redness calms down after each use.

GLOW RECIPE WATERMELON GLOW LIP POP, $22

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

Let me start off by saying I love the pink hue this leaves on the lips. Now that we’ve talked about the good, here’s the bad: I really hate that this product is an exfoliant. It’s not only a lip balm and lip tint, but it’s a scrub. When you glide it onto your lips, you can feel the grittiness and roughness of scrub—not the best combination when you’re trying to cure your chapped lips. So it’s definitely not comfortable. Another thing? As someone who suffers from cold sores, there’s one ingredient that also scares me. It contains AHA, which can expose your skin to more UV  rays due to the fact that you’re exfoliating your skin. If you notice, most AHA products will tell you to use it at night and to apply sunscreen the next day. If you get cold sores, then you know that being in the sun for too long can trigger them. While there isn’t a high percentage of AHA in the lip balm, as a cold sore sufferer, this still freaks me out. I try to use this at night or during days when I’m going to be inside.

DOMINIQUE COSMETICS LATTE 2 EYESHADOW PALETTE, $42

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

Not that I need any more warm, neutral eyeshadows but this one hits differently. I love how simple, yet striking the colors can be and how playful you can get with your eye look. For everyday wear, I love using Café con Leche and Frappe. It’s a nice combo that makes the eyes pop without being too much. When I want to spice things up, I use the more chocolatey shades and bronzy metallics. For days when I want to add a splash of color, I’ll use the mint green or coral. All-around, it’s a solid palette that’s versatile and long-lasting.

OLEHENRIKSEN PHAT GLOW FACIAL MASK, $50

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

Eeek, I hate to say this but if you’re going to spend money on a skincare item that touts itself as a “face mask that works like a facial,” then go ahead and save up an extra $40 to invest in the Drunk Elephant Babyfacial. While I love how refreshed and rejuvenated my skin feels after using the Phat Glow, it doesn’t remove the gunk in my pores nearly as well as the Drunk Elephant one. Aside from the fact that my pores are still clogged after each use, I don’t like how messy it is. You have to massage it into your skin until the pink hue turns white. For me, I like doing as little work as possible when I’m supposed to feel like I’m getting a “facial.” While it’s not a terrible product, for the price, I rather splurge on a mask or an actual facial that will do all the work for me.

MAISON MARGIELA SPRINGTIME IN THE PARK EAU DE TOILETTE, $130

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

Let me start off by saying that I’m a child when it comes to fragrance. I love smelling like dessert, so gourmand scents are 100% my jam. However, I’ve recently opened up my perfume palette and have discovered a love for musky and woodsy scents. So as you can guess, most floral and ocean-y fragrances aren’t products I gravitate towards. But when I first spritzed this Springtime in the Park, it changed my life. I love how it’s not super strong with its floral notes, and instead makes you feel like you’re taking a… well, walk in a park with a sea of blooming and blossoming flowers. It’s the perfect touch of fun, flirty and femininity in a bottle. Before I walk out the door, I apply this delightful scent and it makes me feel like I’ve just been gifted a bouquet of flowers. It’s honestly a great way to start the day.

FENTY BEAUTY FLYPENCIL LONGWEAR PENCIL EYELINER, $22

Honest Review: New Makeup Releases

As many of you already know, pencil liners are my thing. I have small lids, so liquid liner easy transfers to my crease. While I’m normally not a fan of twist-up beauty products (because you can never really gauge how much you’re supposed to twist up—and it usually ends up being far too much), I will say this product allows for an even more precise application. Because even if you twist it too high, it’s not going to break and you’ll get to draw a straight wing. I also love how pigmented these liners are. I always use a dark brown liner, because for some reason, a black one makes me look like I’ve been touring with a heavy metal band for days. It just isn’t the vibe I want to have everyday, so I always appreciate when a brown liner looks like its hue (some fade so easily that you wonder what was the point?). Now, the cons. I do feel like this doesn’t last as long as my other, more affordable liners. By mid-day, I can see that it’s not as vibrant or pigmented as the first application. Also, it smudges. After a few hours of wear, I’ll notice specks of brown on my crease or right below my brow bone.


*I want to note that most of these items were sent to me through PR. Some were gifts or purchased with my own money. I also want to remind everyone that just because something didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

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