November 2015 Favorites

As promised, my favorites for November are on time! I'm excited to share the products I was most fond of over the month. I have some new items, and some tried and true staples from my arsenal of products. I don't like using new items every month for my favorites, because I find a lot of times an item will be mentioned as a "favorite" and then will never be mentioned again...was it really your favorite? But I digress. Here are my choices!

1. Lorac Unzipped palette - I am way late to the game on this palette. Tons of people rave about it, and I just didn't feel I needed it. To be fair, I just didn't want to spend money on another palette. I picked this up with Ulta points to circumvent feeling guilty. I am so, so glad I got my hands on this palette. The formula for these shadows is the same as the Lorac Pro palettes. The shadows are a little soft, but blend beautifully. If you're a fan of neutrals, rose golds, and rusts, this is the palette for you. It's a really great autumn palette, and I can see myself using it year round.
2. Givenchy Mister Mat primer - I picked this up in my modest VIB Rouge sale haul in the beginning of November. This is hands down the best mattifying primer I've used, and I have tried many. This tops the list mainly due to how smooth the application is. A lot of others I've used need a bit of work to get them smooth on the face, and too much touching or product causes it to ball up or be patchy. This one glides on beautifully. It is pricy, however, so I'm not sure how often I'll be replacing it.
3. YSL Black Opium perfume - I have been hoarding samples of this scent(I have three now, I think?) and using it nonstop. I've even added a mini spray vial to my Christmas list as well. (If you follow this blog at all, you'll realize more perfume is the last thing I really need...) This scent is light, slightly floral, slightly sweet, and feminine. I was shocked checking out the notes, as one is patchouli, but it doesn't smell like patchouli at all...and that's one of the notes I actively try to avoid. It's a sweet, strong scent, but doesn't lean towards that sickly sweet like Aquolina Pink Sugar. It's quite sophisticated, and I know a lot of people have started wearing it lately. Definitely check it out if you come across it!
4. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack  - I picked up even more of these masks in my recent skincare haul. I turn to these masks when I have something brewing under the skin, or redness I can't handle any more. This mask helps take care of those right away, while leaving my skin lightly moisturized. The mask has a fresh scent, and even has little eye flaps in case you want to get you eyelids in on the sheet mask action. The best part is these are alcohol free, so if your skin is sensitive, you don't have to miss out. I also have the Snail Bee High Content Essence, which I apply right after! (After I drain the packet of serum and smear that all on my face, as well!)
5. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence - This is my HG sunscreen. I was recently on a trip to the Caribbean and I came back the same shade that I left thanks to this. I even used it on the rest of my body after a breakout from another sunscreen. I still want to try other sunscreens, but I am glad I can fall back on this one should I need to. It's light, absorbs quickly, does not leave a white cast, and leaves a slightly matte finish to boot. If you're in the market for a chemical sunscreen, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Let me know what you were loving in November! Maybe I'll end up loving it, too.

September 2015 Favorites

I've been MIA for a while! I'm back to pick up where I left off - I have a ton of stuff to play with and review. Here are the things I found myself reaching for the most in the month of September:

1. Kat von D Shade and Light Eye palette - When this came out, I told myself I didn't need it. I have so many neutral shadows, so many matte shadows, so many matte neutral palettes...but I caved and bought it. Since I picked it up, I've been using it near daily. The shadows are extremely blendable and smooth, and there are shadows for every occasion, whether you want dark or light eyes. I'm really happy I picked this one up!
2. ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in I Heart This - A basic shimmery champagne color, I've been using this on the lid constantly with my KvD palette looks! I like applying this with the finger, and then blending out the edges with a synthetic hair brush.
3. Sixteen92 The Masquerade Party - I have a full review of this Birthday Collection scent from a few months ago. Now that the weather has cooled off, I have been reaching for this pumpkin scent at least two to three times a week. I purchased a full size, and kept my sample as well so I'll be well stocked. I'm all about pumpkin everything during autumn, and this scent fits the bill.
4. Hakuhodo J5522 - This is my new favorite crease brush. My eyes are small, so the shape of this brush is a little bit too big. I find that although it's big, the end is able to deposit color in my crease and blow it out just the right amount. It makes putting transition shades down that much faster, since I'm depositing color and blending out the edges in one fell swoop. Also, it's super soft and fluffy - what's not to love?
5. Tom Ford lipstick in Richard - This shade is a limited edition shade from the Lips and Boys collection - but it is also an exact dupe for another LE shade, Negligee. I've started wearing this more often since the collection is rumored to be making a comeback - I can pick up a backup! This shade is a great My Lips But Better shade on me, perfect to go with more bold eye looks. The formula is also extremely comfortable, another plus. Hopefully the collection is back soon, before I run out of this one!

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Moonlight - Review

When this shade of Caviar Stick came out, it was love at first sight. I waited a while to pick it up though, and I got it during the spring Sephora sale!

Moonlight is listed as a "metallic champagne beige." Metallic is definitely the word to describe the formula, it is very shiny, very reflective. However, the champagne beige portion of the shade is an understatement - when swatched, there's something deeper to the shade that is really quite appealing. For the uninitiated, Caviar Sticks are a cream eyeshadow product in a twist up pencil like packaging. They can be applied straight from the tube onto the lid, and then blended out with your finger or a brush. When I used this, I applied from the tube to a primed eyelid (NARS Smudgeproof primer) and blended out with a finger. I find that applying cream shadow sticks over a base powder shadow hinders blending ability. The Moonlight Caviar Stick applied evenly and blended easily. When blended, the shade just became a little less metallic, but still very sparkly!

Unfortunately, I noticed creasing after about four hours of wear, even with a primer. This has been a common occurrence with my Caviar Sticks. To be honest, I wouldn't have even purchased this one had there been a similar shade available in the By Terry Ombre Blackstar formula but alas - there was not! This will probably be my last Caviar Stick. The shade is gorgeous, but for $28 I don't like that there is creasing over a primer that I know works for me. 

Pros:

• Very pigmented
• Blends easily
• Easy application
• Twist up product

Cons:

• Creased after about 4 hours with primer.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Moonlight - $28.00 for 0.05 oz

Review - 3/5

Giorgio Armani Eye Tint in 11 Rose Ashes - Review

I picked up this product during the Sephora spring sale after having it on my wishlist. A few friends got the Eye Tints and raved about them, and I was thinking "Well, I really should be getting one of those, too!" So I did!

Giorgio Armani Eye Tint in 11 Rose Ashes

Wrist swatch of Rose Ashes

Rose Ashes is a slightly metallic rose tan with a greenish glow. It has a slight duochrome to it, especially when layered more thickly. The applicator is a doe foot. The formula itself is cool to the touch, and spreads easily, allowing for easy blending. The formula sets pretty quick, and then does not budge. The thicker the layer that is applied, the longer it takes to set. In the swatch above, I did a thicker layer and a thinner layer to show the pigmentation of the product. A thin layer gives a shimmery wash of rose gold. To get the metallic, more duochrome effect of the shade, a thicker layer is needed.

I applied this with my finger, as the doe foot was a little big for my lid, and I felt that I could blend the product more easily with my finger. I applied a thin wash of product all over the lid into and above the crease, and layered a little more onto the lid to build more of the color. During the day, the thicker layer eventually creased, which I am attributing to the layer being too thick, which makes sense.

The Eye Tint is a super easy product to work with, and I can see myself getting one or two more to add to my collection of eye products. Unfortunately, due to it being a high end brand, the price tag is a bit steep. The price per ounce for one of these is $172.72, which is better than the similar YSL Full Metal Shadow at $30 for 0.15 oz ($200/oz), though still up there.

Pros:

• Blends easily
• Dries to set quickly
• Thin layer provides good pigmentation

Cons:

• Will crease if the product is too thick
• Price tag :(

Giorgio Armani Eye Tint in 11 Rose Ashes - $38.00 for 0.22 oz
Review - 4.5/5

Review - ColourPop Super Shock Eyehadows in Flux and Snap Dragon

One of my more recent ColourPop orders had some items from the Spring Collection (let's not talk about how many orders I've had, okay?) I finally got around to using two of the new eyeshadows, Flux and Snap Dragon, so I'm happy I can get to review them here!

ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows in Flux (left) and
Snap Dragon (right)

Swatches of Flux (top left) and Snap Dragon (bottom right)

Flux is a "light mint green in a matte finish." The shade looks gorgeous in the pan, the perfect springy mint that I've been searching for. However, swatching it doesn't look nearly as lovely. Flux swatches out more of a chalky whitish green shade. It feels more dry in the pan than some of the other ColourPop shadows I have, not as moussy and spongy. I tried to work with it using a synthetic brush and it fared better than using a natural brush. Even after building up the shadow over a primer, the color was just not true to pan - I was pretty disappointed.

Snap Dragon is a "mid-tone sea foam green in a matte finish." Again, the color in the pan is fantastic, and thankfully, it performs on the skin as well. The color was able to be built up to a vibrant shade, and looked great! The texture was that of the usual spongy cream to powder I've come to expect from ColourPop, and it definitely performed better with a synthetic brush. It blended out nicely as well.

I somehow have forgotten to note that ColourPop is a cruelty free brand, as stated on their site. These two shades are also vegan shades, since they are not listed on the FAQ list of non-vegan shades. Pretty cool that these are cruelty free for $5 each!

Pros:

• Dat price tag!
• Cream to powder formula
• Blends nicely
• Pigmented (Snap Dragon)

Cons:

• Dry texture (Flux)
• Not true to pan color (Flux)
• Needs to be applied with a synthetic brush for best performance (or a finger, you know.)

ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows in Flux and Snap Dragon - $5.00 for 0.07 oz (each)

Review:

Flux - 1/5

Snap Dragon - 4/5

Review - ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow in I Heart This

If you're getting tired of seeing ColourPop on my blog...sorry not sorry, I have a bunch more items to go through! This time it's an eyeshadow single, though.

ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in I Heart This 

Wrist swatch of I Heart This

I Heart This is listed as a "cool toned silvery taupe with multi colored glitter," with a metallic finish. I am a sucker for any and all taupes, so I immediately added this to my cart. Glitter is one word that aptly describes this shadow - there is definite fallout if you apply this with a brush. I even broke out the synthetic brushes I bought specifically for working with these shadows and I wound up with sparkly cheeks. I had much less fallout using my finger. The application with a brush allows for a sheerer wash of the shadow, but using a finger really builds up the metallic application. But I digress - back to the formula.

The texture a spongy cream, which makes picking it up with a brush difficult. The shadow itself is somewhat sheer, but can be built up As you can see in the swatch, the taupe color is there, but the sparkles really take over and add to the sheerness of the shadow, and the metallic finish doesn't help build up a solid color, so to speak. Blending out the edges of the shadow was easy once applied. I wore this over a primer, and experienced a little bit of fading over the course of eight hours - the metallic finish lost some of its luster.

Although the shadow has fallout and the color itself is a bit sheer, I've reached for this shadow a few times to punch up a boring neutral eye. It's sheerness allows itself to add a bit of glitter or sheen to an otherwise matte look, or be built up on the lid into something more intense. It isn't the world's best eyeshadow by any means, but it has found a place in my rotation!

Pros:

• Buildable
• Blendable
• True metallic finish

Cons:

• Glitterbomb
• Prone to fading
• Color needs to be built up

ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow in I Heart This - $5.00 for 0.07 oz

Review - 3/5

Review - ColourPop Rebound Eyeshadow Foursome

ColourPop isn't really new anymore, they've been around for a little bit and have become quite popular. With $5 lipsticks and eyeshadows and $8 blushes that get the job done, who can say no? I picked up their spring release eyeshadow quad, the Rebound set, and am happy to review it!

ColourPop Rebound

ColourPop Rebound

Haul and Swatches - Sugarpill Chromalust eyeshadows

I really meant to write up this post a lot sooner...but life happened. I got my hands on two of the new Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadows (of course, one of which is limited edition...) and I am excited to show them off!

Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadows in Pastille (left) and Mint Soda (right)

Sugarpill Pastille swatches  - left over bare skin, rightover
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sugarpill Mint Soda swatches - left over bare skin, right over
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sugarpill Pastille is a "pale carnation pink with sparkling flecks of gold." Worn alone, the description fits perfectly. Over a sticky base, the shade transforms into a lovely pinky rose gold. I also wore the shade wet, and it took on the gold foil effect that the sticky base also had. I recommend wearing this shade over the sticky base, as when wearing just wet, the sparkles migrated into eyelid creases throughout the day.

Sugarpill Mint Soda is a "radiant metallic mint with sparkling gold sheen." I feel that the green is more of a lime-ish green than a mint, I picture mint to be a more bluish shade. This shade did not deliver as much as I'd have liked, but over a sticky base it looked great. I think this shade will really need to be layered over a white base for it to really stand out.

Unfortunately, Pastille was a limited edition shade that was sold at IMATS LA this year, and a small amount of stock was released online with the other new shades. I look forward to picking up other shades from the new release of the Chromalust eyeshadows!

Review - Lorac Vintage Vixen Palette

This palette was apart of the Ulta Black Friday sale this past year. I had a bit of trouble with getting this, as Ulta did not have enough stock for the amount of orders that were placed. However, they re-listed the palette for sale again at the beginning of January, and I was lucky enough to snag it!

Lorac Vintage Vixen palette

Lorac Vintage Vixen Palette

Vintage Vixen Palette swatches over bare skin

I must say, I love the packaging for the palette. It's cardboard, but it is compact, light, and the pattern is very cute. I like longer pans, since it allows you to easily just swipe your brush on it. I also like the inclusion of the mirror on even such a small palette, as this is a very good palette to just toss in your bag for touching up. 

The palette contains five unnamed matte eyeshadows:

• creamy beige
• pale taupe
• warm light brown
• warm burgundy
• deep brown

The shadows themselves weren't as smooth as what I've come to expect from Lorac, they were a little on the powdery side. I'm guessing they were powdery due to the matte formula. As you can see from the swatches they are a little patchy. They did wear better over a primer. The Lorac formula, though a little powdery, was still very blendable.

I am a little disappointed that the burgundy shade looks great in the pan, but swatches and wears to be more brown. The burgundy was pretty much the main reason I picked up the palette (that, and the price!) so it's a little bit of a letdown. Since it comes out as more of a brown shade, it can easily be muddied with the darker brown shade of the palette if you are not careful with your blending. 

Overall, for $12, the palette certainly isn't a bad deal. I could definitely see it being a nice travel palette, or something to keep in your bag for an emergency look (don't laugh, you know there are days where you don't do an eye look and suddenly you need to look good.)

Pros:

• Great price point
• Shadows blend nicely
• Compact packaging

Cons:

• Burgundy shade not true to pan
• Shadow formula is somewhat powdery
• Limited edition! (but they have brought it back once! It could happen again!)

Lorac Vintage Vixen Matte Eyeshadow Palette (Limited Edition) - $12.00 for 0.058 oz x 5

Review - 3/5

Review - Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette

Since I'm a big fan of the first Chocolate Bar palette, I knew I had to get my hands on the new Semi-Sweet palette! I received it for Christmas, and was so excited to open it up! I used it in my face of the day that I posted earlier this week.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette - closed

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette - open

The very first thing I want to mention about the palette is that Too Faced seems to have listened to everyone's complaint regarding the first Chocolate Bar palette and printed the names of each shadow onto the palette itself. The palette is also much slimmer than the original release of the Chocolate Bar, but matches the slimmer size of when the original was re-released. This palette is touted as being the "deeper, warmer version" of the original, which was pretty warm to begin with. There is a black shadow and a few more darker browns than the original, however, lending the "deeper" claim some credibility. All of the shadows do lean pretty warm, as well. The palette also has the signature chocolate scent that fades upon application.

December 2014 Favorites

Happy New Year!! Here's hoping 2015 is your most beautiful year yet! To kick off the new year, I wanted to wrap up December's favorites. This month I'm featuring a lot of my everyday products - why not, they wound up being good enough for every day use!

1. MAC Fix+ Spray - I use Fix+ as my second to last step to help settle and "melt" all of the makeup on my face together. It also helps to create a less powdery look, especially if you're like me and like to load on the finishing powders. (Well not load on. Layer them, more like.) I use this right before my setting spray, since I consider this to be more of a "finishing" spray than a setting spray. I just finished up my first bottle of it, that I've used pretty much daily since the end of May - not bad! One or two spritzes does the trick. Fix+ can also be used with loose shadows to change the texture and help them stay longer! There's a small size that you can pick up before committing to the large size, but I say get the large one right off the bat!

2. Inglot eyeshadow #353 - This is my Holy Grail base shadow. I apply my eye primer, and then a wash of this eyeshadow to help anything else I put on to blend more easily. I picked up this shade after I kept reaching for W.O.S. from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, and I recommend this out to everyone who says they're about to hit pan on that shade in their palette. For $7, you get a huge pan.

3. House of Lashes false lashes in Au Naturale - I know I recently reviewed these, raved about them then, but here they are! I really do love these lashes. They look perfectly natural on me, and are a dream to wear and apply. The price tag is a bit steep ($9!) but House of Lashes frequently has sales, and has a three pack deal for $22. Since these are higher quality lashes, they handle reuse a bit better than drugstore lashes. I can even wear these with little to no eyeliner and still look great, thanks to the thin, clear band.

4. Inglot gel eyeliner #77 - I picked this up on Black Friday, since my old black gel liner was starting to dry up. I had heard that this was a great black gel, but wow! I'm definitely hooked! The formula is super smooth, very pigmented and dark, and very easy to work with. A bit softer of a formula than what I am used to, but I really, really dig it. From someone who wears winged eyeliner almost daily, this is a must have. The tub is huge, so I suspect it may dry out before I get to finish it, but the price is much less than what I was paying before, so I think I will live. (It's $11-12 depending on where you buy.)

5. NYX Honey Dew Me Up primer - This was a new addition to the NYX lineup that came out earlier this year. I have been reaching for it more often, over my mattifying primers, since the air is dryer and I'm not trying to suck all the moisture out of my face. The primer has gold flecks in it, similar to other certain higher end primers that have gold flecks (~Guerlain~) The primer is moisturizing upon application, and has a scent to it that fades. I don't know if the gold flecks do much of anything, but they look cool in the bottle. A little goes a long way, and I find that this primer agrees with the rest of my face makeup. When paired with a mattifying setting powder, I find that I have a mostly 'satin' look by the end of the day - nothing overly greasy, but not super matte.

Review - Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Plum Pink

This is one of the first of the many items I received as Christmas gifts! I'm really excited to start reviewing and showing these off! I marked this as "purchased" since it was technically paid for (just not by me!)

Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Plum Pink

Wrist swatches of Plum Pink palette

I have had this palette on my wishlist for a few months, so I was excited to receive it! I am always in the market for more neutrals, and these plummy shade fit the bill. When swatching, they were a little powdery and patchy, but they apply much better over a primer and a base shadow. I wish the shadows were a little more "buttery" and smooth, but I was still able to apply with no fallout, and they blended nicely. Each shade was decently pigmented, though my favorite is the mid-mauve shade (second from the top in the quad.) I was able to do a complete eye look using these four shades. The shadows lasted all day over a primer and base shadow with no fading. Since I'm that person and work out with my makeup on after work (I need to not do this...) I was able to see that my eye look lasted through me being a sweaty mess.

The packaging on these quads is very luxe feeling, being a heavy metal compact with a magnetic closure, and the top has the Burberry check pattern. The quad came in a Burberry check pouch, with two mini brushes and a sponge applicator. One drawback to the metal compact is that is is super prone to fingerprints, but they are easily wiped off.

Pros:

• Pigmented
• Blendable shadow formula
• Luxe packaging

Cons:

• Slightly powdery
• Packaging prone to fingerprints

Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Plum Pink - $60.00 for 0.19 oz

Review - 4/5

Review - Stila eyeshadow single in Kitten

I know this shade has been around for ages, but I finally got my hands on it! I received this in a swap with a reddit friend.

Stila eyeshadow in Kitten

Wrist swatch of Kitten

Kitten is described as a "shimmering nude pink." This shade swatched to be more of a shimmery champagne than a pink, much emphasis on the shimmer. I swatched this over bare skin, and it seemed to be mostly shimmer and less pigment. When using the shadow, the product was smooth and not powdery at all. I layered this over a nude shadow (Inglot #353) to create a shimmery nude champagne color on the lid, which went well with the matte nude eye look I created. The eyeshadow did fade a little bit throughout the day, though it did not crease.
Pros:

• Non powdery
• Smooth application
• No shimmery fallout

Cons:

• Faded slightly
• More shimmer than pigment

Stila eyeshadow single in Kitten - $18.00 for 0.09 oz

Review - 3.5/5

Performance Colors Haul and Swatches

I'm happy that I get to be writing about another great indie company today - Performance Colors! I received my first order from them over this past weekend, and I got a chance to photograph, swatch, and test out a couple of the items. Performance Colors has been around for a few years (the Etsy shop was opened in 2011) so I'm a little late to the game here, but I'm really excited to finally be giving these products a try!

I ordered a little bit of everything - a trio of pressed eyeshadows, cream shadow sticks, and lipsticks. Turn around time was great, I received my order in less than a week. Everything was packed nicely in plastic bags with labels for each product, in a bubble envelope for protection. Just a head's up - I did have a coupon code for this order, but I did purchase everything with my own cashmoney.

Everything I ordered!

Baroque Cosmetics Haul and Swatches

For the last year or so, I've started dipping my toes into the world of indie makeup. Makeup meaning cosmetics, bath and body, fragrance - you name it, I'll buy it. There's a super helpful subreddit that I like to frequent, /r/indiemakeupandmore, that is a great place to start if you're new to the world of indie makeup, mostly because of the helpful community that can point you in the right direction. (If you're reading this from here, hi guys!! :D )

The owner of Baroque Cosmetics announced her new collection based off of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim last week, and as soon as I had some available funds, I snapped some of the eyeshadows up (as well as a couple from her other collections!) She shipped them out that day, and they were in my eager little hands two days later. Talk about a killer turn around time!! I've documented the packaging and everything for you, along with some swatches!

Disclaimer - I did receive a blogger discount on these. However, I did pay for the product!

So nicely wrapped!

All unwrapped.

Review - Lorac Mega Pro Palette

I was one of the lucky few to snag a Lorac Mega Pro when their site hiccuped on October 1st, showing the palettes as in stock and for sale a week early. It arrived right after I finished doing my makeup the day I left for NY Comic-Con, so I didn't get a chance to use it til I returned. Now that I'm back, I've gone ahead and tried it out, swatched it out, and taken some pictures!

The following photos were taken with no sort of eyeshadow base, everything is over bare skin. I made these swatches with a Hakuhodo G5523 BkSL brush, and all swatches were done dry.

Review - Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadow in Lucid

I am a sucker for limited edition items, especially Sugarpill ones! I am so sad I missed out on their olive toned Chromalust shadow, so I made sure to snag this sparkly minty shade as soon as it went on sale!

Sugarpill Chromalust loose shadow in
Lucid

Wrist swatches of Lucid - no base
on top, over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
on bottom

Sugarpill describes this shade as "a shimmering mint shade with subtle violet highlights and twinkling flecks of gold." If you enlarge the photos, you can definitely see the gold flecks! The shadow actually doesn't perform half bad on its own, but it is a definite stand out shade when layered over a white base, such as NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk. To apply, I tapped off excess shadow, and patted it onto the lid, and blended out. The shadow blended nicely when not on the Milk base. I experienced a little fallout, mostly those teeny gold sparkles!

Pros:

• Highly pigmented
• Blendable

Cons:

• Sparkle fallout
• Limited Edition :(

Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadow in Lucid (Limited Edition) - $12.00 for 5 g

Review - 4/5

Review - Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadow in Lumi

For some reason, it took me about a century to pick up this eyeshadow after having it on my wishlist for AGES! I'm so happy I finally picked it up!

Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadow
 in Lumi

Lumi wrist swatch. No base on top,
over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black Bean
on bottom

Just look how gorgeous this is! I don't think my camera was properly able to capture the magic of this shadow. Sugarpill describes the shade as "Snow white with turquoise sheen and flashing bursts of blue and green." You can definitely see this when swatched over the black base!

When applying, I applied over a somewhat tacky base, such as the NYX Jumbo Pencil or a Laura Mercier Caviar Stick, to help the shadow stick. When picking up shadow, I would gently touch the brush tot he product, and then tap off the excess. I then patted the eyeshadow on, and once it was on the lid, gently blended it out. I did not experience any fallout while using this method of application. 

Pros:

• Blendable
• Little to no fallout

Cons:

• Best performance over a base shade

Sugarpill Chromalust loose eyeshadow in Lumi - $12.00 for 6 g

Review - 4.5/5

Review - Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Palette

When the Naked 2 Basics was announced, I was super excited. I happen to be a fan of Urban Decay's shadow formula, and have already collected the previous Naked collection eyeshadow palettes. A common gripe in the makeup community is that UD doesn't include enough matte shades in the big Naked palettes, and the Basics line is the answer to that. The first Naked Basics palette came out in late 2012, so this one is a long time coming. I'm looking forward to one based off the Naked 3 in the future!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Palette

I don't have any swatches of this, as I feel I'm a liiiiittle late to the game on such a hyped palette. Urban Decay describes the palette as "taupe-hued," which I definitely agree with. Five of the shades (Stark, Frisk, Cover, Primal, and Undone) are totally matte, while one shade (Skimp) is a slightly more satiny shade that can be used as a highlight. Three shades - Skimp, Stark, and Cover - lean warmer than the others in the palette, but all of them can be used together to create multiple looks. I found a few of the shades - Stark, Frisk, and Cover - to be a bit powdery, but they still applied and blended nicely. 

Pros:

• Pigmented
• Very blendable
• Satin shade is actually satin and wearable

Cons:

• Some shades are powdery

Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Palette - $29.00 for 6 x 0.05 oz

Review - 4/5

Haul - Naked 2 Basics, NYX Simply Vamp pencil, and falsies!

How awesome is the Ulta rewards program? So awesome. I cashed in some points today to take home a mini haul!

The small but mighty haul of the day!

Naked 2 Basics - I originally put this on my wishlist, but I couldn't wait any longer! 

NYX Simply Vamp Lip Cream in Bewitching - I saw these released recently and needed to get my greedy little hands on one. 

NYX Wicked Lashes in Bashful - The new NYX falsies sold out pretty much instantly on their site, so I was super pumped to find these in store!

Ardell Curvy Lashes #410 - These may be a little bigger than what my tiny eyes can handle, but they seem to lean more to the natural side. 

I'll be reviewing these as I get a chance to use them. Very excited about all the new goodies!