Emily Johnson

I have some odd hope that corals and peaches will make a come back for Summer 2025 in the makeup world. I remember the year it was all corals! Bobbi Brown Cabana Corals dropped in 2010 as an early Spring Collection and I remember how much I adored it at the time. It also, sort of paved the way for a Summer of peaches and corals from other brands!

I do know the Dior Summer 2025 Makeup Collection made my coral dreams come true. I’m starting to see swatches and videos on Instagram of the collection and one of the main items that popped out at me was the Dior Coral Glow Dior Forever Glow Luminizer. It looks stunning!

I have hopes I’ll be able to use this as a blush and a highlighter! Let’s hope it’s as pigmented as it appears. I really like the looks of the Dior Summer 2025 Diorshow 5 Couleurs as well but couldn’t see myself dropping $71 on them. It’s just a little too much for a five pan palette. I do recall a time these were $58-$60 but $71 seems too much to pay for a palette that I could probably dupe a hundred times over with shades I already own. It would be incredibly wasteful to spend that kind of money on this. I honestly didn’t mind dishing out on the highlighter than. My girl math is illogical but it just felt a little better spending $50 something versus $70 something.

I also, thought the highlighter was the prettiest part of the collection! At least for me it was as a girl who loves shimmering, radiant corals! I’m actually somewhat surprised it isn’t sold out as I feel like everything sells out so fast nowadays.

I’ll review the Dior Forever Glow Luminizer from Dior’s Summer 2025 Makeup Collection shortly. Do you want to see what this one looks like swatches?

It’s available now, for a limited time, on Dior’s website.

Where to buy

Dior

We’re coming to the end of an era now. Eyeshadow Palettes seem to be a thing of the past and they feel very over. Will we see big eyeshadow palettes launching in the future? I dunno. Beauty and makeup trends come and go so in five or ten years eyeshadow palettes will make some major come back but right now it seems everyone is tired of them. I still have a special place in my heart for a good eyeshadow palette. Yes, I miss single shade launches but also, who doesn’t love a big old palette packed with tons of different shades. I can still find excitement in that. Six months ago Huda Beauty announced that this was their last big palette launch and they wouldn’t be doing them in the future.

Although, I have enough eyeshadow palettes to last me a lifetime I did buy one recently that I don’t regret and I know I’m going to make use of it all Summer long. At the moment I have four palettes on my hit mist that really are must haves.

Here are the eyeshadows palettes you really need to grab.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Mini Spice Eye Palette $29
This little palette launched for Holiday 2025. I got it off Tiktok shop on a whim after seeing it on a Tiktok Live. I have nearly, since December, hit pan on one shade and I can see myself easily using up the others. I hope this is around for a while because I’ll absolutely repurchase it. These are the exact shades I reach for daily. It’s packed full of soft dune-like shades, lighter browns, darker browns, and just a hint of gold sparkle. It’s a perfect palette for daily use and I actually think it doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. If you like softer, romantic nudes this is for you!

Danessa Myricks Beauty Groundwork Blooming Romance and Defining Neutrals Palette For Eyes, Brows, Face & Lips $65
When Danessa introduced Groundwork Defining Neutrals I was an instant naysayer over it. Why release a palette with so many shades that appeared exactly the same? It seemed pointless. Fast forward to a browse through Sephora one day and it ended up in my cart and I have not looked back since. I used this palette so often it’s sort of absurd because I have so many palettes that I’m not loyal to any one of them. But this? This one I’m in a serious relationship with. Several months down the line she introduced a different shade selection in the form of Blooming Romance and I did not hesitate to grab it. Another purchase I don’t regret. It’s a perfect selection of shades to create a pretty, soft, easy rose look or even a deeper, more sultry berry look. I’d never thought either of these would be loved as much as they are by me but here we are. I highly recommend both!

Natasha Denona Bloom Eyeshadow Palette $69
I spoke about this above and yesterday as well. I got this one full-price (well, actually I used Ulta points but I still didn’t wait on a sale for it) and I really don’t regret it. It’s stunning! If you love peaches, corals, and golds this is the palette for you! It’s a must get for Summer looks and at the moment it’s my fav shadow palette!

With the Sephora Savings Event happening now did you end up purchasing any shadow palettes?

Where to buy

Sephora

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush Brightening Serum Blush ($25) is the brand’s first official color makeup product. Although, they’d rather you refer to it as a tinted cheek serum with a 100% skincare formula. Hmm…! Not only does it promise color but also, it’s formulated to plump, brighten, treat dark spot, and hydrate. Does it do all that? I’d say not really. It does contain Niacinamide which is superstar in the world of smoothing skin and brightening dark spots but this is essential a blush and not something you’re apply all over your face. You also, aren’t wearing a ton of it so I personally question if a few dots of this are going to treat dark spots that easily. I’m not a big fan of skincare in makeup. It just feels gimmicky. Infusing ingredients like retinoids, Vitamin C or Niacinamide into a blush or foundation seems pointless to me. I’d much rather use those products before my makeup application and not reply on my makeup for them. Of course, Glow Recipe got a ton of influencers to keep pushing and mentioning how these blushes were 100% skincare and I wasn’t buying it. But if you’re their main demographic (which is way younger than I am) I can see it being intriguing to someone who hasn’t taken a ton of time out to research skincare or who may just be starting our on their skincare journey.

I’ve used the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush Brightening Serum Blush since February and I haven’t really seen any improvement in my skin. It’s a great formula, I like it a lot, but as for skincare and treating my skin? Mmm..! Can’t say it did much in that direction. But here’s my review and swatches of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush used as a blush not a skincare product.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush (.4 oz) is available in two shade selections and contains 3% niacinamide for brightening dark spots, watermalon extra for hydration and calming redness, jojoba oil coated pigments for natural, dewy color, and squalane for moisture. I got the shade Berry Flush and it’s pretty sheer! I did hear the more lighter of the two shades, Watermelon Flush, was VERY sheer and barely showed up when blended out. I’m glad I got the darker of the two as it gave my cheeks a nice natural hit of a pink flush without being overwhelming. You can’t overdo this formula either so apply as much as you want and you’ll never have a case of clown cheeks. The finish is natural no matter how many layers you’re applying.

The blush comes in a same style genie bottle as the original Glow Recipe Dew Drops Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops but it is a smidge smaller. It has an attached sponge applicator which made it easy to dot the blush on and blend it out. I saw a few people applying this on your lips but considering it contains ingredients not meant for lips I didn’t go there. It smells like watermelon but the scent isn’t terribly strong.

This is a gel-like consistency that has a dewy finish initially but it does settle into your skin and dries down considerably after application which gives it more of a cheek stain-like finish versus one that looks “wet’ or dewy. It feels amazing! As a drier skin girl I appreciate how it feels hydrating and does sort of feel like it makes your cheeks plumped and bouncy to the touch. I didn’t get the lifting effect they promised. I thought it would be more like the lift I got from the Kaja Jelly Charm Glazed Lip Stain & Blush. I thought those were a joke until I tried them and whoa! They really do give you a chiseled cheek look! Unfortunately, I don’t get the same effect from the Glow Recipe formula. But that’s not to say it isn’t pretty. It’s really cute, sweet, and nautral looking on me. And it wears like a champion. I had no issues with it fading for a solid several hours and didn’t come off till I took it off.

Since this is a gel it does apply super easily. I would recommend dotting it on and patting it into place or just blending it outwards. A brush isn’t required and I do think a brush would actually absorb some of the product so dotting and just blending out is the best technique. It doesn’t set super fast either so there’s plenty of time to blend it and add more if you want. As I mentioned above it’s difficult to overdo this formula. You can apply a little or a lot but never fear it’ll look overkill or garish.

All in all, the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush Brightening Serum Blush is a fun little flush of color. I’m not so sure about all the skincare claims but as a blush it’s a fun little addition to the Glow Recipe family! They’ll likely do more shades of this or even come out with a glowy version in the future is my guess and if they do I’ll absolutely look into purchasing more.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush Brightening Serum Blush is available now!

Where to buy

Sephora Kohl’s

If you’re goal is to smell like a creamy cup of coffee with caramel the new Brown Girl Jane Casino Eau de Parfum is a must have! I popped a travel-spray of Brown Girl Jane Casino into my cart recently but I’m headed back in for a full-size bottle purchase as I LOVE a good gourmand coffee scent and this checks off all the boxes to get me smelling like a sweet, creamy cup of coffee. That isn’t everyone’s thing I get it but for me, I’m in love.

I’m the oddball person that hates the taste of coffee, doesn’t drink it (I admit I’ll indulge in a macchiato on a rare day though!), but gets so much joy from walking into a Starbucks or smelling someone brewing a cup of joe! I absolutely love the smell of coffee particularly when it’s some sort of fancy dessert-like cup of coffee with whipped foam, caramel, etc…etc…!

When I heard about Brown Girl Jane Casino Eau de Parfum I was all hands on deck! This is a warm gourmand blend of Espresso Affogato, Golden Rum Cake, and Almond Foam. Sounded like a perfect coffee gourmand to me and perhaps a little bit of a dupe of Mancera Amore Caffe which I love. Sadly, it is not but it is creamy caramel coffee just like Amore Caffe!

I think very straight forward and won’t confuse your noise. I don’t get the golden rum cake nor the almond foam but I do get the beautiful hit of expresso but it isn’t dark nor bitter it’s creamy and even though the notes don’t say as such there’s a beautiful caramel in the background twined around the expresso giving it a warm, comforting hug of sweetness. This is going to pair so well with others scents from Brown Girl Jane like Carousel or even Lush Sticky Dates and Bianco Latte. It’s one of those scents you can easily pair up with other gourmands especially ones with vanilla or caramel notes!

As this dries down it retains the beautiful caramel coffee notes but has a little hint of soft, fluffy marshmallow as well. It’s a very warm, comforting scent but not one I’d considering wearing in the Spring or Summer. I’ll likely wait for Fall to bring this back out again as it’ll make a beautiful scent for the cooler weather. It also wears like a champion and creates a beautiful throw around the room and will have people asking what that wonderful smell is. Chances are they’ll think someone is drinking a fancy coffee drink but it’ll just be you smelling like a snack!

Brown Girl Jane Casino Eau de Parfum is well worth the haul and gets a Muse Approval for purchase. Don’t pass this one up if you’re a gourmand lover.

Brown Girl Jane Casino Eau de Parfum is available now!

Where to buy

Sephora

I did it! I grabbed up the Ouai St. Barts Detangling and Frizz Fighting Leave In Conditioner and I regret nothing. Well, technically, beauty confession, I purchased two bottles and I was tempted to do three. The temptation was there, people. But I was good and I went for two and there was some logical part of me thinking, “but what if Trader Joe’s dupes it this Summer?” I mean, it’s possible right considering the Trader Joe’s Leave In Conditioner that launched had everyone screaming, “DUPE DUPE DUPE!” But I wasn’t chancing it! So, I grabbed two. Why it’s limited-edition is beyond me but I hope they change their mind and make it permanent!

I do like the original Quai Leave In Conditioner but I think the Trader Joe’s one is oddly better. That being said, Ouai St. Barts Detangling and Frizz Fighting Leave In Conditioner is next level thanks to the fragrance. It does in fact smell like Quai’s popular St Bart’s scent with notes of dragon fruit, orange blossom, tuberose, and Baltic amber. To me it smells like a warm, tropical island scent. It’s intoxicating and having my hair smell like that all day is absolutely fine by me.

This is the same cream conditioner formulas the original. It’s pretty thick but it does spray onto your hair in a finer mist. It detangles, smooths, hydrates, and protects hair with a heal level of 450 degrees. So if you’re blasting your hair with a drier this will protect your hair as you dry it.

The scent is beautiful as I said and it does linger nicely in the air. I tend to let my hair dry and it still smells amazing wet or dry! It’s a very pretty and addicting scent. I do think it’s slightly expensive at $30. I did use my Rouge discount which made it a little bit of a better price but at 4.7 oz I do wish it was a bit bigger for the price. I’m a little disappointed they are only doing it for a limited time. I rarely pick up extras of anything in the beauty world nowadays. It seems wasteful to grab two of anything however, I wasn’t willing to see this disappear and did pick up two. Let’s hope Trader Joe’s does a dupe of it so we can save a little money haha.

Either way, I don’t regret this purchase as a St Barts’ lover. I highly recommend grabbing it if you want your hair smelling beautiful all day!

Ouai St. Barts Detangling and Frizz Fighting Leave In Conditioner is available now!

Where to buy

Sephora

About the Muse

Isabella 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‘.

Maybelline Poreless Jelly 24HR Hydrating Blurring Primer ($9.99) is a new cooling gel facial primer that contains 2% niacinamide which preps, primes, and blurs pores for smooth, flawless foundation application. I picked this up on a whim not really paying attention to the fact it said “blurring” as I just read “jelly” and I thought it would a gripping formula. I live pore-free existence over aside from smaller pores on my nose so blurring or silicone primers aren’t really my thing. I prefer more moisturizing facial primers! But after trying Maybelline Poreless Jelly Hydrating Blur Face Primer I can honestly say I ADORE this formula.

As may you know Maybelline Grippy Serum Primer released at the same time as Poreless Jelly Hydrating Blur Face Primer and I must say both formulas are outstanding. Bravo Maybelline for creating not one but two solid primer formulas. If gripping primers aren’t your deal and you have pores or texture you want to smooth the Poreless Jelly formula is your girl.

You may be familiar with an old review I did of the Touch In Sol Pretty Filter Icy Sherbet Primer. I absolute love that primer! It’s cooling, it’s smoothing, it’s lightly hydrating, and it makes makeup look flawless. If you by some chance read my review, purchased it, and loved it too you’ll be happy to know Maybelline Poreless Jelly Hydrating Blur Face Primer is the same concept. Below I compared the ingreidents in both formulas and as you can see aside a few things like fragrance and the addition of niacinamide a lot of the ingredients are quite similar. Maybelline’s formula is fragrance-free, contains niacinamide, but doesn’t have Sodium Hyaluronate. But the overall base is actually very similar.

Ingredients in Touch In Sol Pretty Filter Icy Sherbet Primer:
Water/Aqua/Eau, Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Paeonia Albiflora Flower Extract, Dextrin, Alaria Esculenta Extract, Pseudanabaena Galeata Extract, Red 33 (CI 17200), Fragrance, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Geraniol.

Ingredients in Maybelline Poreless Jelly Hydrating Blur Face Primer
Aqua / Water / Eau, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2, Niacinamide, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil. May Contain: CI 42090 / Blue 1]. (F.I.L. N70047392/1).

It performs identical to Touch of Sol’s formula as well with the same heavy silicone-like consistency that’s soft and sorbet like. Once applied to skin it immediately provides this refreshing cooling effect and “bursts” or melts into skin like water. Instantly it smooths skin, will blur pores, and uneven skin texture and you’ll have a beautiful surface to apply foundation on. I don’t have pores or texture but even I can see how smooth and glass-like my skin looked after application. It just melts in and makes skin look super duper smooth. And yes, it will extend your foundation wear. Foundation applies easily on top of this and allows remain fresher for an two or three hours longer than normal wear without fading. I thought it was particularly nice around the corners of my nose which is normally a dry area for me and my foundation tends to gather here and look dry but not with this in place.

It’s a beautiful primer formula and a like my beloved Touch in Sol! I also like the fact it’s available in a tube with a pump versus the jar that Touch of Sol Pretty Filter Icy Sherbet Primer comes in! I highly recommend checking Maybelline Poreless Jelly Hydrating Blur Face Primer out. It’s a keeper!

Maybelline Poreless Jelly Hydrating Blur Face Primer is available now and Muse Approved.

Where to buy

Ulta Amazon Sephora Target