Beauty Care: September 2022

Cappuccino

NABLA Cosmetics Cappuccino Cupid’s Arrow Longwear Stylo ($18.00 for 0.03 oz.) is a light-medium, golden brown with warmer undertones and a matte finish.

Opaque pigmentation in one stroke
Smooth, emollient texture allowed for glide-on application without tugging
Dried down in 5 to 10 seconds, need to work quickly if blending/diffusing edges
Long-wearing (8 hours before fading/creasing)

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Formula Overview
Ingredients

Formula Overview

$18.00/0.03 oz. - $600.00 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to be "long-lasting, rich, and creamy" with "immediate full color pay-off" that is "extremely easy to use and to blend." There is also a built-in sharpener. They are a cross between a more traditional eye crayon and an eyeliner, so the point and thickness of the pencil was smaller and finer than a crayon but more substantial than an eyeliner.

They had a consistency that was smooth, comfortable, and creamy, which ensured they applied fluidly across skin and the curvature of the lid without dragging or pulling on skin. It also resulted in more even coverage for most shades, and the coverage was typically semi-opaque to opaque and buildable.

The formula was blendable initially but was still on the quicker side to dry down--more like an eyeliner than a cream eyeshadow in that respect--but by working one eye at a time and blending as it was applied, a more diffused edge was doable. Most shades wore well for eight to nine hours before thinning/fading as eyeliner or creasing as eyeshadow.

Browse all of our NABLA Cosmetics Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo swatches.

Ingredients

dimethicone, synthetic wax, dicalcium phosphate, polymethylsilsesquioxane, mica, lauroyl lysine, diisostearyl malate, octyldodecanol, isodecyl neopentanoate, polyhydroxystearic acid, disteardimonium hectorite, propylene carbonate, lecithin, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, citric acid. +/− (may contain / peut contenir): ci 42090 (blue 1 lake), ci 15850 (red 6, red 7), ci 77491 (iron oxides), ci 45410 (red 28 lake), ci 77510 (ferric ammonium ferrocyanide), ci 77266 (nano) (black 2).

Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.

Cappuccino

PPermanent. $18.00.

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

8.5

Longevity

Application

97%

Total

Midnight Gray

NABLA Cosmetics Midnight Gray Cupid’s Arrow Longwear Stylo ($18.00 for 0.03 oz.) is a deeper, bluish-gray with strong, cool undertones and a matte finish.

Semi-opaque pigmentation in one stroke
Smooth, emollient texture allowed for glide-on application without tugging
Dried down in 5 to 10 seconds, need to work quickly if blending/diffusing edges
Long-wearing (8 hours before fading/creasing)

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Formula Overview
Ingredients

Formula Overview

$18.00/0.03 oz. - $600.00 Per Ounce

Browse all of our NABLA Cosmetics Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo swatches.

Ingredients

Midnight Gray

PPermanent. $18.00.

B+

Product

8.5

Pigmentation

Texture

8.5

Longevity

Application

89%

Total

Lavender

NABLA Cosmetics Lavender Cupid’s Arrow Longwear Stylo ($18.00 for 0.03 oz.) is a light-medium lavender with subtle, cool undertones and a matte finish.

Nearly opaque pigmentation in one stroke
Smooth, emollient texture allowed for glide-on application without tugging
Dried down in 5 to 10 seconds, need to work quickly if blending/diffusing edges
Long-wearing (8 hours before fading/creasing)

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Formula Overview
Ingredients

Formula Overview

$18.00/0.03 oz. - $600.00 Per Ounce

Browse all of our NABLA Cosmetics Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo swatches.

Ingredients

Lavender

PPermanent. $18.00.

A-

Product

Pigmentation

Texture

8.5

Longevity

Application

90%

Total

NABLA Cosmetics Cappuccino Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo

NABLA Cosmetics Midnight Gray Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo

NABLA Cosmetics Lavender Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo

NABLA Cosmetics Cappuccino Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo

NABLA Cosmetics Midnight Gray Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo

NABLA Cosmetics Lavender Cupid's Arrow Longwear Stylo

source https://www.temptalia.com/nabla-cappuccino-midnight-gray-lavender-cupids-arrow-stylos-reviews-swatches/

Onyx

REFY Onyx Cream Bronzer ($26.00 for 0.29 oz.) is a deeper, red-toned brown with subtle, warm undertones and a semi-matte finish. It had semi-opaque, buildable pigmentation, so it was higher coverage than marketed and needed to be used with a lighter-hand to achieve a sheerer effect, which was definitely possible.

The texture was moderately emollient, lightly tacky but very quick to dry down; I had to work speedily to apply and spread out the product, but it was a challenge to get a really even, smooth application of product, especially on top of foundation as it was more prone to lifting up base products than ideal. I’d recommend using a brush to diffuse/spread the product out and just using as little as possible and adding more as one spread out the product as it was harder to blend than just apply in smaller areas overall. This shade stayed on well for seven hours before fading visibly.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).

Top Dupes

View Swatches View All Dupes

Jouer Sungaze (PiP, ) is darker (95% similar).
Becca Maui Nights (P, $38.00) is cooler (90% similar).
Gucci Beauty Dark (05) (P, $62.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
Fenty Beauty Mocha Mami (P, $30.00) is darker (90% similar).
ColourPop Bits and Pieces (P, $8.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
Iconic London Spiced Tan (P, $27.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
Giorgio Armani Deep Brown (22) (P, $38.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar).
Kosas Deep (P, $34.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar).
ColourPop Pacific Beach (P, $10.00) is lighter, cooler, less glossy (85% similar).
NARS Cyprus (LE, $38.00) is lighter, warmer (80% similar).

View Swatches

Formula Overview

$26.00/0.29 oz. - $89.66 Per Ounce

The formula is supposed to have a "dewy, velvety finish" with "buildable" coverage. It had a more traditionally cream-like feel; emollient, lightweight, and thin with a lot of slip but didn't feel tacky. It dried down more than anticipated, so it had more of a natural matte finish than dewy/cream-like overall.

The pigmentation was more semi-opaque in a single layer, but it was prone to sheering out so the end result was truer to the marketing: buildable. I had issues with the product applying evenly, so it wasn't the most foolproof formula for me to wear. Some of the sheerness made the hyperpigmentation marks I have on my cheeks come through more noticeably, so face swatches may make the product appear patchier than actually was, though there was definitely some unevenness owing solely to the product.

The formula played decently with base products, like foundation, but there were times where it seemed more prone to moving around the base products, so it did take some learning and care to layer the cream bronzers on top of foundation if desired.

They wore between six and seven hours on me before fading noticeably.

Browse all of our REFY Cream Bronzer swatches.

Ingredients

Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Titanium Dioxide, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Silica, Polysilicone-11, Mica, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Alumina, Synthetic Wax, Caprylyl Methicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetrabehenate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Microcrystalline Wax, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cera Microcristallina, Paraffin, C10-18 Triglycerides, Tristearin, Lauryl PEG-10 Tris (trimethylsiloxy) silylethyl Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Phenoxyethanol, Triisostearyl Citrate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Magnesium Myristate, Fragrance (Parfum), Laureth-12, Octyldodecanol, Jojoba Esters, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Polyglycerin-3, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Tocopherol. May Contain: Iron Oxides – Yellow, Iron Oxides – Red, Iron Oxides – Black.