From wishlist to cart: latest beauty roundup and Sephora field report

It’s time for another fresh list of new beauty that I’m hyperfixating on, now that new releases are starting to pick up again. A lot of times, I end up being able to talk myself out of a lot of my wishlist items by being able to find something similar within my own collection, and I find documenting my wishlists helps keep them top of mind so that I can look for similar products I already have.

I was able to go into Sephora this weekend and spend an ungodly amount of time swatching all the makeup I’ve had my eye on as well as smelling some fragrances I’ve seen online, so this is also a bit of a mini field report from Sephora.

Spoiler alert for this edition – I have most of my wish list items, after some weak moments as well as some very well-timed press sample gifting.

Let’s start with some wishlist items that I’m tempted by after my little Sephora trip but haven’t bought yet:

As usual, I’m so excited to talk about these products that I got a little wordy so this post may be too long for email! Make sure to open this in the web or app version to catch all the goods.

First, Isamaya relaunched her makeup and it’s now at Sephora. I really appreciated her first few launches and the more edgy industrial feel of her products and whether you felt it was gimmicky or borderline avant garde, it was at least a departure from the sea of minimal packaging and the same kinds of neutrals. And although I love and basically exclusively wear boring neutral tones, I love to admire creativity and color.

For the launch of her new line in Sephora, everything has been dialed down a little to conform to the everyday masses that enter Sephora. The packaging has an industrial medical equipment inspiration to it – again, a very love or hate concept – but generally the packaging and shades and products are still a more toned down look than all of her older products. While the shades are much more approachable and in my comfort zone of neutral tones, I hope Isamaya continues to push the boundaries of what we expect from makeup.

Nevertheless, curiosity got the better of me and I’ve been itching to swatch her new products. I finally got the chance to play with some things the other day:

I was most curious about the Isamaya Skin Enhancing Duo-Cream Blush and Highlighter, especially since the promo photos of the new release on Sephora are not super helpful in showing the actual colors, and they definitely look completely different in real life than they look in the photos.

Fig is the shade I was most drawn to, with a light pink/lilac blush and clear highlighting balm. It’s a light and desaturated pink-lilac, even more so than Phytosurgence Wisp, and not quite as purple as it looks on the website. The new blush finish is very dewy, though it did appear to set down after a minute. The highlighter was also stunning, with a balmy cream texture, but I’m still devoted to this glassy balm highlighter. While I appreciate the range of new blush shades, the other options didn’t really interest me, though I was impressed by the variety of colors available in this collection.

What really squashed my temptation is the large bulky packaging – I was expecting a sleek compact, but it kind of feels like a big bulky tin can, with some weird edges around the lip that didn’t feel sleek or organic. Thankfully, this new blush release isn’t for me.

The Lips Balm unexpectedly caught my attention, especially the sheer black glossy balm that had a hint of shimmer running through it. It’s so sheer that it looks like it would just slightly deepen and tone down lip colors. It also feels so juicy that it was like a lipgloss in stick form (though with a thinner formula than something like the YSL Candy Glaze). The sheer black lipstick trend has definitely caught my eye and I’m adding this to my Sephora sale list.

In a similar vein, the Lip Lacq completely captured my attention with how shimmery and glimmery they are, and Metal, the silver glitter in a gray base is one of the most unique glosses I’ve seen. I wouldn’t have picked it up except my friend Kiana (who you should all follow on Instagram because she does amazing looks!), and who has this gloss, convinced me to try it knowing that I’m a magpie when it comes to silver. This stunning glossy lip is also going onto my wishlist for the sale.

The Sculpting Sticks also caught my interest, and I really like the range of cool, neutral, and warmer undertones along with the thinner format for precise application. They had a nice creamy formula that blends easily without being too emollient, and I’m definitely tempted by them even though I don’t need another contour product at the moment. I would pick up Oak, which is a perfect neutral to cool tone brown shade for my skin.

Lastly, I also swatched some of the lip liners but didn’t find them terribly unique or groundbreaking. There were some cool tones, but I felt like they were pretty similar to Stone or Greige from MAC, which are a few dollars cheaper.

It’s only fitting that after I compile all my powder blushes and convince myself I don’t need them, a powder blush launches that I want to try. In all fairness, I think I’ve already tried this formula before, if the limited edition Petal powder blush from a couple years ago is the same formula as this one. It is soft and silky and so buttery, without a hint of powderiness at all. I’ll have to try these new duos in person to confirm the formula, but I am certainly interested.

The Petal/Biscuit duo would be the one I pick, if I didn’t already have Petal, but my holy grail Biscuit contour in powder form?? It looks beautiful.

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I was also able to finally test some Chris Collins fragrances in person, and I fell in love with basically all of them, but African Rooibos is what I can’t get out of my head. It’s a comforting rooibos tea scent, with a slight hint of sweet cardamom spice, that makes this really beautiful fresh and earthy fragrance at the same time. This is definitely the kind of scent I would reach for regularly and I’ve added the travel size to my cart.

I also absolutely love the intoxicating boozy nature of Harlem Nights, which has rum and sandalwood, though it’s quite a heady scent that I think is best for fall/winter. For a lighter and more vacation vibe, Lost in Paradise also caught my eye as a light floral aquatic that smells like a beach. Even though it has coconut, it doesn’t have the heaviness of a coconut note because of the peach and musk notes. I’ll definitely have to revisit this for the summer.

Montale is another brand I’ve always wanted to smell and Intense Cafe is everything I imagined it would be and more. It’s a rose, coffee, and vanilla scent that perfectly balances the note so it feels like just the right amount of floral, sweet, and grounded without being too heavy. It’s definitely not a sticky sweet gourmand scent, but feels romantic all the same. This is another one going into my Sephora cart!

Wishlist items that are now crossed off because I’ve already bought them (oops) or very kindly sent to me:

This is a fragrance I would have bought immediately after launch had the Dedcool not generously sent it to me before I could get to it. Milk is one of my favorite musky skin scents of all time, and mochi is literally one of my all time favorite desserts, so a mochi milk fragrance? Sign me up.

Mochi Milk takes the warm musky note of the original Milk, and sweetens it with marshmallow, enhanced by sweet rice milk and vanilla notes. A touch of peach nectar adds a subtle brightness to this sweet milky (but not lactonic) perfume with some added brightness of peach nectar. The overall effect is a light and sweet creamy scent, making it perfect for everyday wear. It’s a soft pillowy fragrance I want to envelop myself with.

This is an even lighter scent than milk in some ways, even with the sweeter notes, and lasts slightly shorter as a tradeoff. I get about 5-6 hours of obvious wear that I can smell on myself, with a light trail that lasts a few hours afterwards. For those who prefer a longer-lasting scent, Milk makes an obvious companion to Mochi Milk, as it wears throughout the day and has a richer, almost oily feel. I don’t mind the lighter profile, which makes Mochi Milk office-friendly for me—an ideal everyday fragrance that’s easy to wear. Use code BEAUTYUNHYPED15 for 15% off.

I have an unexplainable weak spot for Hermes makeup – there’s something about their sleek and luxurious packaging with minimal, but impactful details that look sophisticated and make each product feel like an accessory of its own. Sheer lipsticks are also my weakness, and this new formula, described as having a “melting texture” was inevitably going to be mine at some point.

I bought Beige Tan, a refined milky rosy beige tan that is a great nude with just enough depth to give my lips some definition, and Brun Sellier, a stunning reddish berry brown that adds a touch of warmth without being too red.

I just received my order so I haven’t done a ton of testing, but upon initial wear tests, they have a sheer, balmy formula that feels creamy and is moderately dense but feels feather light on my lips. The formula glides on without being too melty or hard, with buildable pigment with a few swipes. It has a moderately glossy finish but it’s not an overly glassy shine, which makes the finish that much more natural looking for my everyday makeup looks.

What truly distinguishes this formula is its ability to keep my lips feeling hydrated throughout the day. The slightly dense texture ensures the color adheres well, providing several hours of wear without needing frequent touch ups. This combination of luxury, comfort, and practicality (my specialty!) makes these lipsticks a delight for me.

Are these worth $77? I can’t be the one to judge that for you since I regularly purchase and enjoy Hermes formulas, so there may already be something broken in me. If you love a luxe formula and luxe packaging, and these are in your budget, they’re certainly worth indulging in.

I’ve been rationing my Bespoke since it came with a limited edition set a couple years ago, and I’m thrilled to see Merit come out with a whole range of lip liners. It’s a soft and sheer blendable gel formula with a natural satin finish that it’s basically undetectable, making it absolutely foolproof to apply. It’s not the most long lasting lip liner (nor is it advertised to be), but for the shade selection, natural finish, and ease, it’s a beautiful liner for subtle definition without any harsh lines.

In short, this liner is for the people venturing into lip liner and want a more defined look without any harsh lines or precise application. It’s also perfect for those who want a more minimal lip liner that doesn’t really look like lip liner. If you do want a longer wearing lip liner with similar neutral tones, I‘d recommend this or this one instead (2 of my favorite formulas ever!).

I ordered Mayfair and Tabac, a cool mauve and a neutral toned brown, which are basically the 2 types of shades I wear. Mayfair completely has my heart as a deep muted mauve that I already can’t put down, while Tabac is a light sheer neutral that is probably a tad lighter than I would normally reach for. Based on swatching all the shades in Sephora after I had already received my order, it looks like Brownstone would be more up my alley. However, I could see Tabac being really useful as a barely there shade when I want a more subtle look.

I love the original Shade Slick formula (especially the shade Taupe) and the light glossy finish it has. It’s a little on the thinner side of a lip oil, and I hear that the Sheen Lip Oil has an updated formula that wears a little bit better. Even just wearing it for a day, I can already notice the improvements from the old formula.

This formula is slightly thicker, with almost a gelee type of texture, but sheerer in pigment than the original shade slicks. Since the older version could feel borderline slippy at times, I appreciate that I could immediately feel the difference of being less slick while still feeling weightless. I got the shade Tabby, a sheer rosy-beige-brown shade that is 100% my kind of shade, and Twin Set is tempting me.

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YSL finally has new glosses to add to their line, and I was so excited about them! The shades are stunning, especially the gray lavender shade. However, these have a pretty intense tingle for the first 10 minutes. I’m pretty tingle-averse, so these may be right up your alley if you love a plumping gloss – especially since once the tingle wears down, they do feel comfortable and moisturizing and last a few hours.

I am so thankful to have received these as a press sample and will continue to use them, but with the tingle factor and my own personal preferences to not have plumping ingredients in my lipglosses, I wouldn’t purchase these on my own. The tingle and plump seems to be from ginger root oil, which is otherwise not irritating for my lips thankfully. They also have the standard YSL mango scent, which I personally like.

That was quite a roundup of products, and I feel like I’m just getting started! What do you have on your wishlist, and what has made you give into temptation lately? I want to know all about it.

If you enjoyed this post, make you sure follow along on Instagram for the latest updates, and you can always find my favorite products on Shopmy. As always, thanks for reading!