We sipped the Ouai juice, and we’re hooked. But did you expect anything less from Jen Atkin, the queen of Cool Girl hair? Just check out her clients like Chrissy Teigen and the Kardashians for reference. Atkin pretty much discovered how to bottle beach hair in her Ouai Wave Spray that has a light, white musk scent (or is it jasmine? Whatever it is, we likes). It gives our locks a little bit of body and a wave that can go from subtle to beach babe depending on how we use it. We’ve been stocking up since we got our hands on it.
What it is: A waving spray that can be used on wet or dry hair to create a beachy wave.
What it does: Uses rice protein to add hold for a natural wave look.
What we liked: If you’ve used wave sprays in the past, you know the deal. Either your hair gets super crunchy or weighed down. We love to use this on our wet hair and let it air dry for a subtle beachy look, and before a rough blow dry followed by an iron for more defined waves. Plus so much body! All that with no added salt in sight.
What we didn’t like: That air dry tip didn’t work for our fine hair tester as much as it did for our tester with thicker hair. And though we love the smell, it’s not for everyone if you’re not into the musky-type perfume scents.
Fun fact: Ouai is pronounce “way,” inspired by the cool Parisian way to say “oui” or “yes”
The Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palettes are probably some of the most popular palettes in the beauty world – they’re timeless, and even the most fledgling beauty enthusiasts will recognize them. Stirring the fire, Urban Decay’s latest addition, the Naked Heat palette joins it’s four gorgeous predecessors in a more fiery, colorful version than ever before. The neutral, nude shades of past palettes have been replaced with 12 sizzling amber shadows, following this year’s trend of toasty warm hues.
What it is: The fifth in the Naked palette series, Heat has 12 stunning shades in both matte and shimmer finishes with burnt oranges, rich siennas, deep plums and bronze tones. The palette features a full-size mirror and a double-ended brush that with precision and blending brushes.
What it does: 12 shades work seamlessly together to create a palette that will allow you to create a multitude of looks for both day and nighttime. Long-lasting pigments that blend like butter mean your look will be easy to build and hard to let go of.
What we liked: Where do I begin? I LOVE that Urban Decay has finally done a warm-toned, brown palette, with a collection of cohesive shades that will look beautiful on all skin tones. The modern spin on the packaging is very 2017, and I think they really hit the nail on the head with it. The palette has everything: from light to dark shades that are perfect for smoky eyes and cut-creases, gorgeous shimmers and mattes, and pigments that are to die for. I didn’t notice much fallout, and even after I swatched the palette, the pans still looked brand new. My FAV matte shades would have to be Low Blow, HeDevil, Cayenne and En Fuego, and I loved the shimmer shades Lumbre and Scorch. And, although this is a warmed toned palette, the shades Ashes, Cayenne, and Low Blow are a little more neutral, so there is a transition if you’re not used to using warm colors.
What we didn’t like: There was nothing I disliked! I really like that Urban Decay always includes a double-ended brush, which makes this a great starter palette, and good value. If I were to be picky, I would say that the blending brush could have longer bristles, which would make it softer, quicker and easier to blend out eyeshadows, but the dense flat brush worked perfectly for applying the shimmery shades.
I would highly recommend this palette: the colors are stunning, and the versatility within the shades gives you so much to play with, which means you can create loads of really unique looks.
Hi my loves, I’m a HUGE fan of Pat McGrath – every product she releases I just have to try! So naturally, when she released this first ever permanent lipstick in her collection, I was dying to try it! The Pat McGrath MatteTrance lipstick promises rich pigments, an intensely creamy formula and long-lasting, hydrating wear, plus there are nine beautiful shades, from classic nudes to statement reds and berry hues. Check out my review to see if Pat’s new lipstick is actually as gorgeous as it looks:
Final thoughts: This lipstick lasted all day, so even though it did transfer a little on glasses, it remained intense throughout the day. I also noticed the slightly darker shades stained my lips, which I like as if the lipstick does wear off it doesn’t look patchy.
My top tip: If you really want a fully matte finish, blot after application as it does have a sheen to it for at least an hour before it fully mattifies.
When Rihanna set up her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, she went ALL out. And finally, after teasing us for weeks with her effortlessly cool marketing campaigns, two days ago I got my hands on it when it launched globally at Sephora and Harvey Nichols. RiRi didn’t just launch a lip gloss or some highlighters, no, she did what she does best, she slayed – I mean, she’s launched with over 80 products! The collection includes an incredible 40-shade foundation range, 30 highlighting and contouring sticks, brushes, a universal lip gloss, and the list goes on – shook would be an understatement. This is unlike any celebrity collaboration we’ve seen before, this is a range for EVERYONE, with a ton of products that are super inclusive.
Fenty kolekcija
I mean, I might be slightly biased because I LOVE Rihanna – I bought her entire Fenty Puma collaboration – but it’s not just the full spectrum shade range that’s amazing, there are some seriously BOMB products too! So here are my first thoughts:
What it is: A full collection of makeup that caters to “all skin colors, all undertones, from all countries.” The collection encompasses a foundation with a 40-shade range, one primer, two makeup brushes, three portable makeup brushes, one makeup sponge, one universal matte powder, ten shimmering highlighting sticks, 20 shades of matte contouring sticks, six powder highlighters, blotting paper, and one universal lip gloss.
Nijanse Fenty kolekcijeFenty pakovanje
What I liked: The foundation was good, and I have so much respect for the effort she put into her killer shade range. The only drawback for me was that I had to build the foundation to reach the full coverage that I like, but this is Rihanna’s collection and her skin is flawless, so of course, it makes sense she would launch something more lightweight. I loved the primer, it felt super smoothing and hydrating, so it worked really nicely for my slightly drier skin, and it kept my makeup in place all day. I was super impressed with the highlighters, I had to practically wrestle Confetti off some of my team – it’s such a pretty ethereal shade, and I think it will look soo gorgeous on fairer skins. That’s another thing I like, it’s not just the foundation or contour sticks that works with all skin tones, you can tell Rihanna’s worked hard to create highlighters for different skin tones. I’m obsessed with the foundation brush, it looks so pretty I might just keep one on my makeup table for display, but it did a great job at blending out my foundation too, so I’ll definitely be trying it with other formulas.
What I didn’t like: Overall the packaging was pretty, but I just expected her unique and playful style to be reflected in the product design and packaging – after all, RiRi is the queen of funk and trend-setting fashion! The contour sticks didn’t work for me, I found them a bit dry, and they were quite hard to blend – I’m yet to find a contouring stick, or even a palette, that I want to use. I have mixed reviews of the Killawatt powder highlighters: I really loved Hustle Baby, which is a stunning rose gold shade that will suit so many people. But, I found the dazzling gold shade, Trophy Wife, to be way too intense for my personal taste – I just can’t imagine using it on my cheeks unless I was going to a festival, but it would make a stunning eyeshadow!
My recommendations: If you like to keep it more natural, her foundation ($34) is something you should try, but if you love to go bold, her bright gold Killawatt powder highlighter in Trophy Wife ($34) will give you life! I’m dying over the peachy-toned Trippin highlighter shimmer stick ($25), and I’m super impressed with the quality of the foundation brush ($32).
My verdict: I was psyched for this launch, and even though I wasn’t sure what to expect, the final result and global launch was on another level, even if it wasn’t what I had imagined. Rihanna is so well known for a bold red lip, so I was surprised not to see that in the collection. There were a couple of products I could skip, but that’s also kind of what works for the collection; everybody’s skin and beauty needs are different, and this caters to people with all makeup tastes, whether it’s more subtle or bolder. She left me wanting a little more, so I’m excited to see what she drops next!
Price: The full collection ranges from $16 to $54.
