March 17, 2014

Hit & Miss Beauty February Edition

Hit & Miss Beauty February Edition

Wondering what the hit and miss beauty releases in February were?

Now that we’re half way into March we’ll be celebrating Summer 2014 Makeup Collection soon! But February had a few great Spring 2014 launches as I recall.

Anything you can think of that was a super hit for you? Any misses?

I know at least several products that really struck a home run with me. And others that just had me signing in disappointment.

Here are some that I thought were worth a mention.

Take a look at them below!

Miss: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush
Fact, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush is one of the hottest releases of Spring 2014. These brand new blushes are a take on Hourglass Ambient Powder but with a twist that happens to add blush into the equation. Did you know the main base of this baked blush is actually one of the several shades of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder which got swirls of tinted blush added to the mix? These sounded incredible in theory and lord knows they are visually beautiful. But unfortunately at the price I thought they were just a very luxurious blush but not much else. I expected a luminous glow from these blushes but what I got was a powdery formula and a seamless finish with a sadly lacking luminous glow. Fact? I’d buy ’em if they were on sale but as is they were a miss for me.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

Hit: MAC Adjust Prep + Prime Colour Correcting Products
MAC released a slew of new Prep + Prime CC Colour Correcting products for Spring 2014 but one shade that stood out was Adjust. This perfect shade of lighter beige brightens skin beautiful while easing dullness and evening out skin tone. MAC made it available in a pressed powder, loose powder, and cream formula and I’d recommend a pick up of the loose and cream formulations as both will likely be used daily to set concealer and makeup while prepping for makeup with the cream corrector. A total hit for me!

Miss: Roc Multi-Corrextion 5-in-1 Perfecting BB Cream
Roc skincare has a seriously incredible cult following so their release of a BB Cream was exciting news for fans. Unfortunately this BB Cream is not only sheer but lacking in the anti-aging ingredients department so the benefits here are sheerer coverage at a higher price tag….I think you can safely miss this one!

Roc Multi Corrextion Perfecting BB Cream

Hit: Bobbi Brown Hibiscus Pot Rouge for Lips & Cheeks
Bobbi’s incredible Pot Rouge is always a stand out product for me. Long wear, pigmented, easy to blend what more could a girl or guy want from a cream blush? But what really stands out this Spring is the new limited edition shade entitled Hibiscus which was released with the Bobbi Brown Nectar & Nude Collection. This bright coral orange gives cheeks a beautiful flush of tropical color! A big HIT here!

Bobbi Brown Hibiscus Pot Rouge

Miss: Dior Corail Bagatelle Diorblush
Dior’s new limited edition blush for Spring 2014 is gorgeous however, it is drier and quite dense not quite like Dior blushes that I already own so I was surprised with this formula. I have to admit it was a bit of a miss for me due to the texture…! If you’d like another shade of Diorblush I’d say go for it but just now this shade.

Dior Corail Bagatelle Diorblush

Hit: Clarins Instant Light Radiance Booster Complexion Base
I feel like Clarins new Instant Light Booster might pass you by so I should tell you what a hit it was for me. This is a great contouring tool that adds wonderful brightening benefits to your face. I use it on my upper cheek bones/around my eye sockets so my eyes look awake, lifted, and brighter! Well worth a pick up and a total hit!

Clarins Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base

Miss: Make Up For Ever HD Pressed Powder
I feel like HD Pressed Powder is slightly overdone at this point and as beautifully textured as Make Up For Ever’s new HD Pressed Powder is I feel like it might be repetitive so if you aren’t in need of a new HD Pressed Powder you might be able to miss on this new release.

Make Up For Ever HD Pressed Powder

Hit: Milani Matte Baked Blush
Well Milani finally did it! They took their very popular Baked Blush Collection and gifted us with two brand new matte versions of it and thankfully they are silky smooth, pigmented, and easy to blend sans the sparkle and shimmer of the original formula. Matte lovers everywhere sighed in relief at the lack of sparkle and a hit was born.

Milani Baked Matte Blush

So what’s on your hit and miss list for February?

I’m positive there are about two million other products I failed to mention but we’d be here all day if I listed them all! 🙂

What was some of the worst and best products you tried last month?

Do share!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella 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‘.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  • April

    I purchased MAC Prep + Prime CC Cream on your recommendation and it is perfect. My makeup has never looked better or stayed in place longer. It also didn’t dry out my skin or make it an oil slickeither. Perfect perfect perfect. I also bought Viva Glam Rihanna lipstick & lipglass while I was there. The color was so great on me that I had people in both MAC and Sephora asking me about it.
    In the miss category, Benefit’s Big Easy. It was terrible on my skin, so bad in fact that I took it back for two spring-colored Stila eyeliners hahaha,

    • Isabella Muse

      yay happy to hear it April 😀 I loved it! You need to grab the loose version too, it’s great for brightening under eyes and setting concealers I loved Riri’s Viva Glam goodies too, both shades are such great wearable reds. Awww really?! I’m sorry to hear it! I really liked Big Easy…! darn but hey at least you got some awesome liners in its place ;D

  • Emiree

    I love your honest reviews of products and what a great feature article for the month !! Definitely want to try the Clarins base and the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge. Although, a little frustrated with Clarins right now because they are discontinuing my shade across all of their foundation lines. One of the best foundations I have used in a long time. I guess its time to visit Sephora or department store beauty counters and see what I can find 🙂

    • Isabella Muse

      thanks emiree 🙂 <3! oh no! that stinks 🙁 Sorry to hear! best stuck up!

  • Peggy

    A couple misses for me were Bare Escentuals True Romance Palette. The coordinating lipstick was a hit, though. Also, NYX’s baked blushes were a miss, but their butter lipsticks were a big hit.

    • Isabella Muse

      I was disappointed in the True Romance Palette too but I played with it a few times and I gotta admit I fell for it hard 😀 Give it another try peggy!

  • Rainbow

    Oooo, I love this end-of-the-month-review style posts! Please do more! And as a personal roundup, I absolutely love the new Milani baked blushes, swatched the Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushes (and I know exactly what you mean by chalky, Muse), and my overall monthly favorite has got to be the Pixi Brow Duo.

    • Isabella Muse

      everyone is raving that pixi brow duo Rainbow happy to hear you like 😀 Aw glad you enjoyed the post!

  • Sarah

    Is it the first time you do this type of post? I think it’s great. I didn’t enjoy the Hourglass Ambient Blush either when I swatched them, very expensive for what they are. I bought the Clarins Instant Light base, but in the golden shade…so I’m waiting for the sun to come out here in Montreal and get a little bit of colour in my face. One day it’s gonna happen, I can feel it!

    • Isabella Muse

      I’ve done a few like this in the past sarah you can take a peek under the ‘Hit or Miss” archive 🙂 I agree! if they cut down the price slightly I’d likely rave them but as they are I felt they were a little expensive 🙁 lol I’m waiting for the sun too! spring is on the way I hope!

  • sara

    Huge hit for me is the Bite agave lip mask, QVC It Cosmetics super size CC cream kit, Revlon vintage lipstick..especially Jungle Peach! Oh and I bought the Marc Jacobs remarcable concelaer and love it too! Agree with April, I returned the big easy, as it looked horrible on my skin:( Oh and I can’t forget about the new Maybelline Color tattoos! Is that to many? lol! Love this post Muse…So fun!

    • Isabella Muse

      sara GREAT picks! I didn’t get on so well with the remarcable concealer, it just clung to my finer lines like a b but aside from that your other picks are all awesome 😀 <3! Glad you enjoyed the post!

  • JenJ

    I need Hibiscus Pot Rogue! And yes the new Milani blushes are pure awesomeness! Would love for them to come out with some kind of purple shade.

    • JenJ

      Hit Reply too quick lol!
      Some hits – Sleek Vintage Romance Palette, Bite Beauty Lipstick Duo in Vivid, Wen Cranberry Mint Cleansing Conditioner, Elf HD Blushes
      Some misses – Milani eye primer, Wet n Wild Nude Awakening palette, Makeup Forever Mat Velvet + Foundation, Revlon Rose Pearl Lipgloss

    • Isabella Muse

      ooo purple! I’d look dumb in it but like the idea of it 😀

      • JenJ

        No you wouldn’t lol!

        Oh and the bite lipstick is pay back! Ahahahaaaa!!!!! You’ve tempted me a many a time! 😀

        • Isabella Muse

          hehe seriously I was playing with the radiant orchid lipstick from sephora last week and oh boy not a good look ;-D but I do like that nude duo so might have to grab dat 😀 hehehehehehe ok ok payback is a bitch! 😀

  • Kimmwc03

    I like this kind of post. My hit was the Clinique Cheek Pop, the Mary Kay True Dimension lipstick, Tanya Burr lipgloss, Revlon Vintage lipstick and Bobbi Brown sheer blush in Apricot. Misses: NYX butter lipstick (it was OK but nowhere near as good as the glosses) and MUFE Mat Velvet +.

    • Isabella Muse

      mine too girl mine too! on both the clinique and mary kay ;-D Haven’t tried the Revlon Vintage yet but hoping to find them soon!

  • Anne

    I love this kind of post. I like seeing new things and swatches on your site, but it is nice to see what you think after you’ve had time to play around with new products.

  • Leslie

    Muse, Amiga. Absolutely loved this post! Please do more! Thanks for sharing! -Leslie

  • christina

    I love the CC cream/powder from MAC, too! I also have been loving the eye bright pencil from Benefit, MAC prolong wear concealer, and that Butterfly mascara from Loreal. My miss is those little Almay soft touch eye shadows. The 3 I have are very unpigmented.

    • Isabella Muse

      aw man total miss for me on the butterfly mascara 🙁 I wanted to love it but it just didn’t work for me damn!

  • Heather F.

    The It Cosmetics CC Cream kit from QVC was definitely my biggest hit this month! I bought it for the cc cream (soooo much cheaper per ounce in that size! It was awesome!) but was pleasantly surprised by how much I love the weird (I mean, “innovative”) tight lining mascara–as a girl with blonde lashes, it made a HUGE difference to finally darken the base of my lashes, since other mascaras really can’t reach the base. And the cc lip gloss was the perfect color and formula. Wish I’d bought more kits at the daily value price!

  • Iris

    Too bad. :/ I was looking forward to trying the Makeup Forever powder, and the Dior blush’s pattern is so cute.