January was literally like the longest month ever and with it came a ton of new makeup products that launched. There were eyeshadow palettes, complexion products, lip products and collaborations. It was kind of hard to sift through all of these new launches without becoming overwhelmed, but I took my time and here are the launches that I thought were the best.
When it came to eyeshadow palettes, leave it to the GOATs to launch two perfectly curated palettes. To kick off the new year, there was the Pat McGrath Golden Opulence Eyeshadow palette which officially launched in the U.S. on January 2nd. Although there are only 6 shadows in this palette there are so many looks that you can create. It is a perfect balance with two neutral matte shades and four shimmer shades that are daytime friendly in beautiful formulas that blend effortlessly—typical Mother.
To close the opening month of 2020, Natasha Denona launched her second midi 15-pan palette called the Love Palette. We all know how Natasha Denona creates her palettes in a matrix so the color combos are cohesive and seemingly endless. This particular palette is a healthy mix of 8 matte shades mixed with her unique chroma crystal formula as well as a few metallic shades. Like her Sunrise palette, you can create so many looks that range from soft to dramatic. If you’re new to Natasha Denona or have wanted to try her shadows but didn’t want to pay the hefty price tag, this could be the palette for you.
If we’re being technical, this product launched online exclusively at Ulta on December 26th but was not available in-store (even at NYX boutiques) until January 2nd. Of all the drugstore brands, NYX cosmetics has really been showing its range especially with their new Born to Glow Radiant Concealer. I was able to try this concealer during their launch weekend and was really impressed with this formula. The coverage is buildable and has a naturally radiant finish which is what I prefer when using a concealer under my eyes. The sponge tip applicator did take a little time to get used to because the last time I used a sponge tip was quite some time ago. The shade range is pretty standard with 24 shades and several undertones. I will say that if you want to set this concealer, I preferred using a brush to lightly apply powder. Also at $9 it’s definitely worth it.
Next in the complexion category is the Nars Tinted Glow Booster. I was really impressed with this product. This type of product isn’t new on the market but the way that this formula works alone and with products is unique when compared to other brands who have launched products in this category. My first experience with this type of product was the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector. Next, I tried the more affordable dupe— L’Oreal Lumi Glotion. While I still like both products they more of a liquid highlighter then an all over natural glow product. Then last year, Kevin Aucoin launched Glass Glow Face. The shine was a bit more subdued and I still targeted the product only on areas that I wanted to highlight. It was slightly tacky so when my foundation was applied over it, it gave a luminous finish. This product however seems to have taken cues from the aforementioned products and perfected it. In my opinion this is a product that you can wear alone, mixed with your foundation or apply over foundation. It also has a slightly blurring effect so when worn alone, it seemingly smooths the skin and gives it a hydrated look and feel. When I mixed this with my foundation, it did not alter the wear and while I haven’t given this a true wear test, it supposedly extends the wear of your foundation for up to 16 hours which gives me the impression that it has priming properties. Either way, it is probably one of the best launches I have seen from Nars in quite some time. It’s now my go to skin enhancer.
If 2019 was the year of foundations and eyeshadow palettes, this year will probably be the year of primers. On Sephora’s website alone, I counted 11 primers that have launched in January. Five of them are from Laura Mercier. I have been pretty loyal to my Milk Makeup Hydro Grip primer, but I’m always down to try a new blurring primer. Of the five primers that Laura Mercier launched this month, the one that grabbed my attention is the Pure Canvas Blurring Primer. Because I didn’t want to fully commit, I purchased the smaller size. I was actually surprised at how my skin felt after applying. It was definitely smoother but although categorized as a mattifying primer, my skin still felt hydrated. I followed up using Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing foundation.
Now, let’s get down to the finishing touches. I love me a good lipstick. Like a good satin/cream lipstick. I mean, I still use my matte lipsticks but then I layer them with a cream lipstick or a gloss so by the time I do all that I might as well had worn a cream lipstick. This next product was also technically released on December 26th exclusively to Ulta, but wasn’t available to buy in-store until this year so I’m going to consider this a January launch. NYX actually did really good again. Their new lipstick collection—Shout Loud has a highly-pigmented satin-finish formula that left my lips feeling very comfortable. The collection offers a variety of shades from nudes to berries and bold reds there’s a shade for whatever look you are trying to create. Like most NYX products they are very affordable coming in at $9/each, so why not grab a few?
Guys, when I tell you that I have been waiting for this product from Fenty since they launched their very first product, I am serious. When they launched Flyliner, I just new that they were going to pair it up with a mascara, but alas, I had to wait a full year for them to drop Fenty Full Frontal Mascara. Now as as someone who works in the beauty industry, I know the challenges that brands face when launching a mascara. We all know that the brush is the real game-changer. When I heard about the fat-to-flat brush technology, I imagined the Lancôme Hypnôse Drama brush, but leave it to Fenty to perfect that (no shade to L’Oreal—please continue to pay me). While the Hypnôse brush is curved to give lift and volume, I sometimes find that it’s a little hard to get to those inner and outer corner lashes and the brush shape was a little hard to maneuver to catch your bottom lashes. With this straighter yet uniquely shaped brush which has a “fat side” to load the rich-black pigmented formula and the “flat side” defines and curls. I especially like how the “flat side” defines my lower lashes, which are usually invisible even with mascara.
So it looks like this is shaping up to be a great year in beauty with all of these launches. Be sure to check out my Instagram stories @seetouchtaste where I will be showing you how I’ve been using these new launches.