Being the conservative girl I am, I like simple makeup that doesn't scream "Am I pulling off this peacock blue eyeshadow?" or "I used all the colors in my Urban Decay palette!" And, truth be told, I've always been kind of biased against Mary Kay. Something about the multi-level marketing aspect partnered with visions of obnoxious women with big, outdated hairdos, driving around in pink cars. Wait, am I getting this confused with Avon?
Color me surprised when I received this box and was pleasantly surprised with some of the items I received. They were all items that would be universally flattering, on trend while being extremely wearable, even for a suburban mom like me.
Here's a review of the items I tried.
Gel Eyeliner with Expandable Brush Applicator. Of all the items in this box, this is my absolute favorite in the box. I like gel eyeliner in the first place and previously used the very popular, highly reviewed, Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner. This Mary Kay version is better. It creates a sharp liquid eyeliner like line with the ease of a pencil. As my grandfather would say, "A+, Number 1." $18.
Translucent Loose Powder. Apparently, the secret to long lasting foundation is loose powder! This powder is great for leaving a smooth but not cakey finish. $16.
Cream Eye Color Apricot Twist. Apricot twist is the perfect slight shimmer to compliment a summer tan, smooths on exactly the way you want a cream blush to feel on delicate eyelid skin and is surprisingly long lasting! I am not brand loyal when it comes to cream eye color but I have a feeling this Apricot Twist will be my go to daytime eye color this summer. $14.
Mineral Cheek Color Shy Blush. It's hard to compete in the blush arena with NARS Orgasm and Benefit Coralista being so universally flattering. This blush is a pretty shade of pink that would look great on tanned skin though. $12.
Bronzing Powder. Bronzing powder is hard to get right. It needs to have enough shimmer so that the shading doesn't look dated but subtle enough so the wearer doesn't look like a child. Mary Kay's Bronzing Powder is in this sweet spot and better than the drugstore brands like Physician's Formula but doesn't do as well as my preferred Lancome bronzer. $18.
NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss Mango Tango. I'm not a big lip gloss girl so when I saw this vibrant color, I didn't think I'd like it. But, in the interest of giving Mary Kay a fair shake, I applied it and was pleasantly surprised at how wearable the color was on my lips! It also didn't dry out my lips after wearing like in my previous lip gloss experiences. $14.
Cream Eye Color/Concealer Brush. Brushes are something I have tried a lot of and this one falls somewhere between not as good as a MAC concealer brush but better than a Sonia Kashuk brush of the same purpose. $10.
Have you tried Mary Kay lately? What did you think?
