Product Review -- Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator

Like so many makeup junkies, I love a good highlighter.

I love them so much that I have way more than any one person needs.

And I still want more -- I can't help it.

I'd tried quite a few of Laura Geller's highlighters over the years and I've liked nearly all of them, so I've had my eye on the Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminators for a while now.

Now, I'm always a little leery of baked products because I find that they tend to be pretty hard and don't offer up much pigmentation -- but I'd seen so many good reviews about the Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminators that I decided to give them a try.

And I'm glad that I did.

Product Review -- Tarte Tarteist Pro Glow Highlight and Contour Palette

One of my biggest makeup pet peeves is palettes that combine powder and cream products.

(It just seems impossible to keep the powders from getting mixed into the creams, which is just kind of gross.)

So I really had no intention of purchasing the Tarte Tarteist Pro Glow Highlight and Contour Palette.

It only has one cream throw in with five powders, but it still annoyed it.

But then Tarte went and had a sale recently where you got a certain dollar amount off based on how much you spent, and I was already picking up the Tarteist Pro Amazonian Clay Palette so I bit the bullet and picked up the Pro Glow too.

Hey, it helped me save $15, so why not?

Product Review -- Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer (and Quickie Blending Sponge)

Whenever I see a lot of hype surrounding a product before I buy it, I become pretty sure that it's never going to live up to my expectations.

It isn't fair, really, but all of the rave reviews and gushing praise for the product just make me set the bar so high in my own mind that it would be virtually impossible for the item to be as good as the hype.

That's exactly the experience that I was expecting with the Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer.

I've seen everyone and their mother rave about this concealer and it's been sold out everywhere for so long that it seemed like the entire world was desperate to get their hands on it (many shades are again sold out everywhere at the time that I'm writing this review, so you may need to be patient if you want to pick it up).

Product Review -- Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Incandescent and Strobe Light Sculptor

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder and Strobe Light Sculptor

I am all about looking glowy, so I love everything related to highlighters and highlighting.

Which is probably why I have a drawer full of more highlighters than I will ever be able to get through in my lifetime.

However, because I'm such a big fan of Hourglass products, I couldn't resist picking up one of their Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders.

I love my Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light, which I'm pale enough to use as an all over finishing powder, so I figured that a product from the same line designed specifically to leave the skin luminous was right up my alley.

I purchased the Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Incandescent, which I believe is the lightest shade, because I figured it would be the best fit for my fair skin.

The powder comes in a silver mirrored compact that's similar in shape and design to the Ambient Lighting Powders' and Blushes' compacts. There's a small mirror inside that's big enough for touch-ups.

Product Review -- Wet n Wild Megalow Contouring Palettes and Illuminating Palette

If you're new to contouring or don't do it on a daily basis, it doesn't make much sense to spend big bucks on a contouring palette.

Well, at least in my mind.

Personally, I'm a haphazard contour-er at best, so I'm always on the hunt for budget-friendly contour products.

That's why I decided to finally pick up the Wet n Wild Megaglow Contouring Palettes when I was at Walgreen's recently.

And the Megaglow Illuminating Palette, because while I may not contour everyday, I would bathe in gorgeous highlighters if I could.

Product Review -- NYX Cream Highlight & Contour Palette

I've been a little reluctant to try cream contouring.

For some reason, it intimidated me, probably because it didn't seem like it left as much room for error as contouring with powder products.

But when you've got the right cream products, it can actually wind up being easier and more natural, especially if you have dry skin, because the creams blend into the skin a little more easily.

I've had a tough time finding a budget-friendly cream contour palette, though, so I was excited to see the NYX Cream Highlight & Contour Palette at Ulta recently.

Product Review -- NYX Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette

There are few things that I love as much as a good highlight.

(Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration ... because I'm pretty sure I love a good eye shadow palette, foundation, blush, lipstick, etc., just as much)

And I've got an entire drawer full of them to prove it.

But I don't have many palettes that are devoted exclusively to highlighters.

So I was pretty excited to try the NYX Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette.

The kit comes in a black plastic packaging, and contains seven shimmery highlighter shades, four of which are 0.07 oz each and three of which are .14 oz.

Product Review -- Tarte Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette

I'm always on the hunt for the perfect highlighter.

Over the years, I've found quite a few that I love, but none that have made it to holy grail status. They're usually just a little too warm or dark for my pale, mostly neutral skin, so I just keep looking.

That's why I was interested in trying the Tarte Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette -- it offers up a couple of highlight shades, so I figured I had a better chance of finding that perfect glow.

Review -- Battle of the Contour Palettes (NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit, and Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette)

Contouring and contour palettes have been all the rage lately.

It seems like every time I turn around, another brand is coming up with their own version.

As someone who's very pale, contouring is tricky for me -- but as someone who has no visible cheekbones to speak of, I'm still always willing to give it a try.

So over the past six months or so, I've picked up not one but three different contouring palettes. Instead of doing separate reviews of each of them, I thought it would be helpful to combine them all in one post to do a comparison of sorts.