Sephora wants you to pretend this palette is worth $28

No.

Noooooo.

Look, I am not even going to judge this palette on the basis that is was manufactured by Sephora. It's the fact that this palette is such a waste. It is practically announcing that its selling point is its unique "blue," but swatches of this show it is patchy and indistinct.

Color Pop I find is guilty of this too- when it comes to the "special shade" that typifies a palette:

In this case, of course, it is the pink. But at least Colourpop has the decency to provide some variation in shade. Not a lot. I mean, I would not buy this palette. I don't think I am ever willing to buy a palette again until I see hardly any repeating shades. I don't have time to waste anymore.

So, where was I? I think I am even more annoyed at Sephora because of just how blatantly plain and repetitive this palette is.

I am a neutral eyeshadow lover as well, but I don't see how I can get cohesive and unique looks.

And what's worse is that while they are charging $28.00 for this, Sephora purports the value as $40-something. Yeah. Right.

Just don't buy it.

The Weekend in Review

As I've noted before, the weekend is great time to experiment with products, because I have a lot of extra time on my hands. That being said, I came to some conclusions about some of the items in my collection.

1.) I am not really a fan of the Wet n Wild photo focus foundation. I really can't get used to the smell, and it just sits on top of my skin. I did not think it was a great color match, so today I blended it with my Manic Panic white mixer, and the result was cakey. I don't know what I am going to do, I really just dislike this foundation. I think I will probably give it one more chance, and then I am just going to declutter it.

2.) I really love the L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base. So. I used up my Too Faced face primer, and am currently using one I got from ipsy as an alternative. But I also have this, and feel that it works really well with The Ordinary Serum foundation. I will be using this throughout the week.

3.) Another love- my Shiseido bronzer. This is the third bronzer in my collection- the other two are drug-store cult faves: Butter Bronzer and NYC Sunny. Both I feel disappear very quickly, but not the Shiseido one. It is the oil-free bronzer, and looks beautiful on the skin. Also, I got it from Amazon for $10...so...total win.

4.) The shade Cone from the Dose of Colors EyesCream palette is a matte I love to wear on the lid, and I'll be so sad when it is used up. I am already on the hunt for possible quality dupes, but have come across nothing so far. I mean, it is a rose-toned brown, so how hard will that be to find?

5.) To use up the eyeliner samples in my collection, I resumed an old practice. I used to be even worse with liquid liner, so I would line the outer part of my lid with a pencil liner to get a straight line, and then the inner segment with the liquid liner. I think this is a good practice and works for me, so I am going to keep doing this.

6.) The only dud from the Tarina Tarantino Dollskin blush palette is Candy Cameo- it gets hard pan, has no pigmentation, and chunks of glitter. I would look into a replacement blush to complete my palette, but at the moment I can't be bothered...it would be an indie, though.

7.) The Royal Calyx shade from the Wet 'n Wild collection can be mixed with other highlighters. My favorite highlighter to mix with others is the Mary Loumanizer, as I am trying very hard to pan this highlighter. Royal Calyx is quite pretty, but is rather sheer.

Palettes I have used this week include:
Reds from the Modern Renaissance
all of the Tarte Pro to Go Palette (love this palette)
Cone from the EyesCream palette
shades from the Urban Decay Pulp Fiction palette, which I am not as attached to anymore. I wanted it desperately because of the film, but I find the mattes not as interesting as the ones I do own. I will keep it, though.

Fragrance Collection Post!

I honestly would have never thought that I'd be the type to collect fragrance. I didn't buy a proper perfume until I was 20, which was Lancome Poem (and not very good). I then- upon the recommendation of my mother- bought a body spray from Victoria's Secret, called Heavenly Stardust, which I still own and love today.

But over the years, I have amassed a small collection of fragrances that I want to share today. I am by no means an expert on fragrance, but I do have a rather sensitive nose and am prone to headaches, which does affect which perfume I like.

Let's begin!

This is my Anna Sui fragrance collection. The pink one is called Secret Wish Fairy Dance, which is a very fresh and springy perfume. It is fruity, but also has a woody earthy base, which I think I am drawn to.

The small bottle is Secret Wish, and that is much sweeter and tropical than Fairy Dance, for me. I don't wear it as much as the other two- but you can clearly see the sample bottle is almost used up. It smells like pineapple and florals, and I do enjoy it.

The purple bottle is La Vie Boheme, what I consider to be more of a serious and mature perfume compared to the other two. It is more heady, with more of a lingering musky scent, but with also a tart sweetness.

Prior to buying the two full size bottles, I had owned a full sample collection of a couple of her perfumes, and loved them all- except for La Nuit de Boheme and Flight of Fancy. Those were gross.

 I have two roll-on perfumes from Lavanilla. One is Coconut Vanilla, and the other Pure Vanilla. Both have notes of florals to them. I used to prefer the Pure Vanilla, but now I love the creaminess of the Coconut scent. Both last pretty long and are more complex than one would think.

I also have a couple of products from Demeter. The one pictured here is Sunshine- a bottle I picked up from TJ Maxx for $7.00. It smells like lemon and vanilla, and is a pleasant mix. I did not like this at first, but I have to sy it is growing on me.

A couple of years ago I also bought Amore Mio by Jeanne Arthes. It is a gourmand perfume, and when I wear it I think of chocolate liqueur and cherries. It is a romantic, but light, scent that I wear when I want to feel happy.

Lastly, I have two Demeter fragrance roll-on oils. Flowering Tonka has almost been used up completely- I love this perfume. It is hardly floral, but sweet and simple. I love the smell of tonka, and plan on purchasing this as a full size spray in the future.

I don't actually wear thunderstorm, but just smell it from time to time.

From inkling fragrance we have Unify, a very fresh scent that to me smells like clean laundry.

Then, we have a sample of Pretty Rotten by Tokyo Milk. It does smell like apples, and it is very musky, unique scent. I keep it mostly for what it smells like later through the day- it becomes very sweet and powdery and I love it.

So that was it! I think my collection is pretty eclectic, but I noticed that I really like sweet, powdery, woodsy, but also light smells.

My Highlighter Z-Palette!

Today I thought I would share an update regarding my highlighter z-palette. I think I might have posted one of these before, but there are some developments that I want to discuss.

So, this is what it looks like.

Let's start from the beginning, left to right.

Wet n Wild Precious Petals highlighter. This is a really nice highlighter that I do have to be a bit careful with, because overdoing it is very easy. I would say that since I purchased this, I am getting a lot of use out of it.

Wet 'n Wild highlighter in Royal Calyx. I love the name of this highlighter. It does have a different formula than Precious Petals- it is drier and less pigmented, which actually is fine with me. I have only used it 2-3 times sine I've purchased, and plan on really using it on Halloween. 

Urban Decay eyeshadow sample in Fireball. This did nothing for me when used as an eyeshadow. As a highlighter, however, the effect is obvious and pretty.

Vanessa's Vanity, 6 pm sparkler. This truly is a blush topper. On it's own, its a white-grey powder that shifts pinky peach, with flecks of sparkle. When placed on top of blush, it really shines. I love using this on days when I want my look to have extra sparkle and sheen.

Mary Lou-Manizer, The Balm. I am trying very hard to pan this. It is not obvious, but there is a bit of a dip in the pan. It's a pretty highlighter, and I do enjoy using this.

That little square pan is a sample highlighter from The Balm, which I have no need for at the present, but I am still keeping this around.

We then have Hustle and Glow, my current highlighter fave, from ittse. I really think this was a good purchase, and do not regret buying this. 

The oblong shaped shadow is from the Tarina Tarantino Floriculture palette, which I actually decluttered long ago. I decided to save my three favorite shades and depot them. Deep Dahlia, a dark burgundy/plum that is so on trend right now, went into my eyeshadow palette, while Taurella, a white gold frost is here pictured. I have only used it as a highlighter once, but I intend to give this a try on the weekend.

We then have the Sin highlighter by Urban Decay, which I also like a lot.

The bottom is two contour color powders. One is a light grey contour from Lunatick Cosmetic labs, which I do not get much use out of. The other is Hollyhock, from the Floriculture palette, which I think can perform well as a contour. I've only tried it once, and am not sure of the results. 

Thanks for reading! 

You Don't Need to Buy the Coloured Raine mini palettes

Just a quick reminder of the things you don't need to buy. Especially after viewing Temptalia's most recent swatches of The Rusts palette: https://www.temptalia.com/swatches/coloured-raine-mini-eyeshadow-palette/beauty-rust/.

The formula looks dry as hell and many shades are very patchy. Save your $38.

Makeup Organization Post

Hello!

Once in a while I like to post about the way I organize my makeup, and how it's changed over the last couple of months. I have two acrylic organizers- one to hold my brushes, eyeshadow palettes, and other miscellaneous things, and the one below, which is more for foundation and lips.

The picture below is from August 2017. Now, it has not changed very drastically, but I did use up a couple things, as well as declutter a couple of things that I had not talked about before.

So, let's begin!

Looking at the back of the organizer, one can spot the Estee Lauder Advanced Night repair. I have decluttered this because I've had this for over five years, was not using it, and it began to smell off. I did not purchase this myself- it was a gift. Did it work? It moisturized really well, and my skin looked healthier in the morning. But I would not recommend it as a wrinkle-reducer.

The blue bottle to the right of the EL serum is the Boscia cooling essence, which is also a moisturizer. It is also supposed to reduce redness because of its cooling effect. It certainly had a cooling effect, but the container is awful. The product gunked up around the top, and eventually screwing it off was impossible- it would not budge.

One can also see the top to The Ordinary's Retinoid 2%. Still using it and still loving it, almost used it up and will probably repurchase.

Lastly, I never much liked Bourjois' Healthy Mix Serum foundation. The color is too warm for me, and I have to use it with a mixer. It smells heavenly though, which is why I've had such a hard time decluttering it. I am hoping to use it more once it gets colder out and my skin gets drier. Planning to use it with a white mixer.

We'll skip over the lip product stuff- not a whole lot of interesting developments there.

The front contains all my primers and foundations. One can see Too Faceds Hangover Rx, which I used up completely. I am not going to repurchase, though. It felt nice and soothing on the skin, and is not a silicone based primer, but Ipsy sent me the LXMI creme du nil face primer, which is even better (but offensively expensive for me).

Decluttered the no poreblem primer from Ipsy because I hated the name, and it also felt like it was silicone-y.

I still am using the Maybelline concealer, though I don't think it is super impressive. I ended up repurchasing the Age Rewind because I like that one a little better! However, I still am on the hunt for a better concealer, as I don't think the Age Rewind has any brightening effects for me. With that in mind, I just purchased the Pixel Triple Boost Gel Concealer, because I love trying new brands, especially those recommended by Zabrena, whom I trust very much when it comes to reviews. We'll see how this one goes. If it does not end up working out, I will probably end up buying the Colourpop one, but not for a while...

That's it for now! I'll follow up with an overview of my other makeup organizer in the near future!

Holiday Palettes I *Actually* Want?

So, I've been pretty darn good about avoiding all holiday/upcoming brand releases. I haven't bought a single thing. However, the following palettes have been pretty persuasive. While I will attempt to TMO them, I am probably going to end up purchasing no more than one of these palettes.

Let's go!

1.) The Balm The Daily Press Palette

A post shared by TRENDMOOD (@trendmood1) on Oct 19, 2017 at 1:58pm PDT

Now, I would get this palette primarily because of the packaging. I honestly do have these colors, and if the formula is the same as the Balm Appetit formula, that could be off-putting to me, as I heard those were rather bad. I am not normally swayed by packing, but I like the Newspaper theme. I don't like how many of the shadow names are just synonyms of the same word....hmmm....this is looking pretty unimpressive by the minute.

2. The Dreamy Eyeshadow Palette by the Italian brand Nabla cosmetics. When converted to dollars and without shipping, it costs almost $38.00. This is the palette:

A post shared by TRENDMOOD (@trendmood1) on Oct 18, 2017 at 8:46pm PDT

To me, this is a dupe or very similar to the Queen of Hearts palette by Coloured Raine. This is perhaps a bit more warmer and muted, I think, but I would definitely be willing to try this one out. It is gorgeous. I mean, I would also be willing to buy the Queen of Hearts palette, after pining after it for so long, it just depends on my mood.

3. Urban Decay Troublemaker Palette
My reasons for wanting this one are weird. Besides the fact that I prefer mini palettes, it reminds me so much of the Urban Decay Pulp Fiction palette, just for the black/white duo and the format of the palette:

A post shared by TRENDMOOD (@trendmood1) on Oct 18, 2017 at 6:24am PDT

I think this palette- which has the frustrating black/white duo (which I think they're just trying to get rid of at this point) - makes a lot of sense to me. If it is quality, I would totally be willing to buy it. The only problem is I can dupe 80% of this palette....but we'll see. I really enjoy the color combinations they are offering here. And I would get a kick out of using it with the PF palette.

And finally, I would want to buy:

4. The upcoming Wet 'n Wild reformulated palettes:

A post shared by @makeupcrayz on Oct 18, 2017 at 5:21pm PDT

I mean, if these are any good, and Wet 'n Wild can really nail mattes, I would probably end up getting all of them, or more realistically, two of them. They are nice revisions to their already-existing products.

Why don't we do a quick run of palettes that I am not going anywhere near:

1.) The Gigi Hadid mess. Not going to support her. Not going to support a company charging $30 for a drugstore makeup palette. Especially not for neutral.

2.) Violet Voss all taupe palette. It is literally variations on the same shade of brown. My head is spinning. Pass.

3.) The resurrected Dose of Colors Hidden Treasure palette. So they are going to re-release it, without fixing the mess that is those pans? Colors are a bit neutral and commonplace for me, but I especially would not want to deal with such an eyesore.

4.) The Fenty Beauty Galaxy Palette. Now I am all for this brand. As soon as I run out of my foundation, I'll give hers a try. But this palette? I do my makeup at five in the morning, and working with glitter at five in the morning is not my idea of fun.

Thanks for reading!

Highlighters I've Decluttered

I was never a highlighter person, until this year, when the makeup floodgates were open. I never realized before that there was shimmery powder available to put on your face, and once I did learn this I was very excited.

I feel I do own a lot of highlighters, but I've decluttered a few that I wanted to talk about.
Let's go!


1.) Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight sample, pressed powder. I bought this from ebay, so I was using it not a 100% sure that it was legitimate, which I think affected the way I viewed the product on my face. Still, this is a too subtle powder that I feel does not really add anything noticeable to the face. I consider Reserve Your Cabana from WnW to be a subtle highlight, as it gives a sheen that is not sparkly. Candlelight did not impress me, so I ended up decluttering the sample (which still cost me $16...).

2.) Shiro Cosmetics, Vessel for Dissacharides. I've talked about decluttering this before on my blog, and I struggled with that decision, but I don't regret it. This highlighter was super sparkly, but though I liked the effect, there was no place for me to wear it. Even at home. It was then I realized I should have just gone with popular choices, like White Chocolate Frog, rather than make a blind purchase without reading any reviews.

3.) WnW, Boozy Brunch. This is the reputed dupe for one of Jaclyn Hill/Becca's collab shades. But it is far too dark for me. I tried to work with it, using a light hand, but I ended up giving this away to someone who could use it. It lightened my WnW highlighter collection a bit, but for the better.

4.) WnW, Rainbow Highlighter
I really liked the purple-blue segment of this highlighter, but that's it. The rest was messy and glittery. Mixing it all together made a silvery shade slightly green or grey. Not fun.

5.) Ittse Beauty Highlighter, Run the World. This came from ipsy, paired with Hustle and Glow. While Hustle and Glow is a creamy pale gold that is so beautiful and has excellent sheen, Run the World is just...bleh. It does not really have an intense shine, nor is it of a distinct shade. It's boring and has sparkles. But because this purchase is so relatively new, for now I've re-purposed it as an eyeshadow. But if I find that this new use for it is not working either, I will declutter it for the last time.

6.) Pixi by Petra Rose Gold duo. From ipsy.  I just could not stand the shade. From what I remember (as this was my earliest declutter) the highlighter shade had a strong white base that I really did not like, and I felt that there was hardly any pigmentation on either the blush or highlight side.

So that's it! Hope you enjoyed reading.

EoTD: Rose Gold and Mud (w/pictures)

Hello!

Today I was having a spot of trouble with my makeup- liner, specifically. It does not get easier, people. I don't know why.

Anyway, today I continued with trying to use shades from the Modern Renaissance: Burnt Orange, Raw Sienna, and Tempera, as well as my new single eye shadow, Rose Chrome on the lid.

I don't have any pictures of this specific look, because when I got home I felt like adding to the look for no particular reason. I used my dupe of the Venus 2 palette (from Okalan), the shade Mud in the outer corner of the eye.

Here is what I came up with:

I really like the Mud shade, and its proven quite nice. It blended pretty well the shades from the Modern Renaissance.

As for the Rose Chrome shade, it's nice, and good for a simple look with a touch of glam. It lasted a long time, throughout the entire day. You can also see a thin strip of beige liner above my eyeliner- which was my quick fix for screwing up the eyeliner. Again, it's hard at 5 in the morning.

I don't mind using the two shades above, or basing my entire look on them. It works for fall and creates a warm, crisp look of sorts, in the vein of the Tarte Toasted Palette, as well as the Naked Heat palette.

Thanks for reading!

FoTD (text post): All Matte

Today was a rather dreary day, and I did not feel like doing much with my makeup. I didn’t wear any face primer, or glittery eyeahadow. However, I do feel like my makeup looked pretty good. Let’s go over it shall we:

Eyes:

Today’s eyelook was a combination of three palettes. Now, I know a lot of people hate doing this, but as I’ve said before, I don’t really mind it, as usually I am working with smaller palettes anyway, because I own mostly small palettes. The three palettes were:

1. Tarteist Pro To Go: Drive- A rosey, dusty, light brown shade used in the crease and all over the lid. This is is beautiful, simple color, that I feel is a dupe for a Colourpop shadow that I used up- I forget the name of it. Unlike the colourpop super shock shadow, though, this one blended with the other colors beautifully.
2. Dose of Colours EyesCream Palette: Berries n Cream: On tbe brow bone. In pictures with flash, this looks a lot brighter than it actually is. Cone: The best matte in this palette. A sister shadow to Drive, I feel, because of how nicely the two work together. This was blended into the crease. Fudge..a dark brown matte that I tried to use in the outer corner. I don’t know....this one was not impressive. Very dry and powdery and did not really stick or blend well with this combination of shadows.
3. Meet Matt(e) Nude: Matt Garcia. In my head I call this shade “Cherry Garcia” after the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, because this is a red-toned (cherry) brown shade. I pulled this in after after Fudge was being disappointing.
4. I also used Rose Chrome, my new shadow from L’Oreal, on the lid to see what it would look like with shimmer, and it did not really wear well. I like this shade far more when it is by itself.

On my face I used:

5. Fyrinnae’s Blush in Mesmerize: I wanted some color on my face to counter the neutrality of my eye look, and I love this warm purple toned blush. I am very close to using this up completely!

6. Wet ‘n Wild highlighter in Royal Calyx: A shimmering lavendar-blue highlight that is not too intense.

7. My Life’s Entropy Cosmetics Contour Stick in Proton: On the hollows on my face and above my temples. I’ve never used this on my forehead before in the typical “youtuber” fashion, but I liked it as opposed to bronzer! I still like the bronzers I have, I just didn’t feel like using it today.

8. The Ordinary Serum Foundation: Still trying to use this up. I still think it’s a decent foundation, and it does not break me out- though I’ve read plenty of reviews where people have had that experience. As of now, I’d be willing to try the Fenty foundation after.

9. L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Original Black, w/ curved wand. Usually I alternate using this with my Lash Paradise. I don’t like it as much, but I do find it helps as my lashes are pretty curled naturally.

Thanks for reading!

Golden Modern Renaissance EoTD (w/ pictures!)

Today I liked my eye look a lot, so much so that I actually tried to take decent pictures. The look today involved some old and new favorites, so I'll talk about all of that now!

Here is the look:

I used the Wet n Wild eyeshadow primer all over my eye, and then Tempera from the MR palette to set it. I have nearly entirely panned all of Tempera.

In the crease I have a mix of Raw Sienna (mostly) and Burnt Orange. They are very close in terms of color, but for some reason I favor Burnt Orange. As a way to use up more of Raw Sienna, I've just been more conscious of incorporating it into eye looks.

Realgar and Red Ochre are on the outer corner and blended into the crease. 

I then took Too Faced Glitter Insurance on the lid and packed on top a gold shade depotted from the BH Cosmetics 28 Foil shadows. 

In the inner corner, and along the bottom lash line, I used Primavera, the gold shimmer from MR.

After putting on my makeup, I headed over to Target and made an impulse purchase- the L'Oreal Metallic Eyeshadow Singles. I don't have an official review yet, but I did buy Rose Chrome and just put it over the gold shade on my eye. I really liked the effect of it all, and these are pictures of my eyes at the end of the day, after about 10 hours. 

I am trying very hard to pan Primavera, and have't gotten there yet. I like, though, this idea of shimmer on my bottom lid- I can't use liner or color because that just closes my eyes up, so gold shimmer had a nice effect.

Additionally, I still stand by MR, and still feel that for me this is a palette that inspires creativity and makes great eye looks. My phone kind of washes out my eyes, so it's hard to tell from the pictures alone, but I just feel like I have to work less hard at creating something pretty with the Modern Renaissance.

Finally, the newest addition to my single eyeshadow collection:

After I took my eye makeup off, I put this on the lid to see what it would look like. Not only is it long-lasting, it is perfect when I want some shimmer and subtle color on my eye, without feeling like there is nothing there. I do have "wash of shimmer/color" shadows, and I don't like using them. Rose Chrome does sort of blend into my skin-tone, but it still feels pigmented. I feel like this is a good purchase, especially for work. I also love the design of the pan. 

Over all, it probably seems like I have a very limited range when it comes to eye looks that I like- and I do. My favorites so far have always incorporated gold and browns and oranges- though I do like cool tones once in a while. 

Thanks for reading! 

Products I've Been Loving Lately

Hello!

I neglected to post a September favorites article because I didn't really have anything new to talk about, which I think is a good thing. However, I do have some products in mind that kind of overlap between September and October. So, with that in mind, let's begin!

1.) Cinema Secrets Brush Cleansing Spray: This stuff does not dry out the bristles, though some quick-sprays do. It is way more expensive that I'd like, but it does a great job of thoroughly and quickly cleaning brushes. I've been using this quite often lately.

2.) Ittse highlighter in Hustle and Glow. This came as part of an ipsy deal with a palette and another highlighter, though this one was the superior one. I've been using it all week. What I really like about it is that though this is a powder highlighter, the consistency is cream-like. A little goes a long way, and it has a translucent quality on the skin that makes it look quite natural.

3.) Wet 'n Wild. Period. I've never considered myself as having brand loyalty before, but I really do when it comes to WnW. Their eyeshadow primer has been so nice, even better than my Milani one. Eyeshadow is impressive. The highlighters are excellent. Setting spray. Brushes. etc. etc. Wet 'n Wild is also updating their entire line, and I am super excited.

Empties:
4.) Too Faced Hangover RX- the only product I've used up this month, I very much enjoyed it, but I do not think I will repurchase. It is a little too moisturizing for my liking. Right now my alternative is one that I've got from Ipsy, the LXMI pore refining moisture veil, which though I hate the smell, I kind of like better.

5.) Shea Moisture Clarifying Mud Mask. I really liked this mask. It did a good job of cleaning my skin. But because I won't purchase from Shea Moisture any more, I need an alternative. I bought the Pacifica Anti-Pollution Gel Mask, which is okay, but I know I would not repurchase that.

Regrets:

5.)  Nyx Galactic Lip Gloss Thing: Once I find the proper name for this I'll fix it. This is a weird brown metallic glittery gloss, and though the glitter is pretty refined, I just have no desire to use this. The brown is too warm for my liking.

6.) This is more of a meh...the Wet n Wild Photo Focus Foundation. At first I thought it was okay, and I did not even mind the smell. The more I use it, the more I dislike it. And though my skin is light with cool undertones, I don't think this was a great match. I do own a white mixer, though, so I'll continue playing around with it.

Slated to buy?
I only really want to make practical purchases in the future. As of now, I'm simply eyeing the Colour Pop concealers. That is it. There is really nothing further that I am interested in.....except of, course...
The BH Cosmetics Studio Pro palette. This is a beast of a palette that I don't need, but I do like BH Cosmetics a lot. I can probably resist temptation, but I wouldn't lie and say this does not interest me.

October Ipsy Glam Bag Reveal

Tonight I'll post the items I'll be getting for October 2017, and then re-post this with updates as I use the products.

September was an awesome month full of products I am still getting a lot of use out of.

Judging from people's initial reactions to their glam bags, I don't think October is very buzz-worthy.

But, let's take a lot at the products I am getting, and I'll try to put down my initial thoughts!

Update, 10/11/17. So I have used all of these products for a day, and I've got some thoughts about the glam bag! Please see the text in blue for my review. 

1. Urban Decay Black Eyeliner, Sample Size (.8 g) The sample size is a little larger than half of the full-size, but for simplicity's sake I'll price it at $10.00.

The way my eyes are shaped, I can only really use pencil liners to the outer corner of my eye, to the center. Then I used a liquid liner to line the rest of my eye. In that way, this was a perfectly fine liner that did not leak. I am just so not partial to crayon eyeliners. 

2. Sol de Janeiro sample size of the Bum Bum Cream (.81 oz) approximately a value of $4.55. I am so excited for this! I don't know if I would ever buy a full size of this cream, but if it smells good to me, I'd consider buying the fragrance. Who knows? This was the product of the summer, and I didn't see anyone else really with this in their bag. We'll see how it goes.

Honestly, I don't think the smell is that unique. I've definitely smelled this before- but I like it. For a lotion, the smell lasts all day, and it is quite moisturizing. While I wouldn't buy a tub of this lotion or even the fragrance spray, I will happily enjoy the rest of this. 

3. Meech and Mia Loose Eyeshadow in some sparkly color (1.2 g) value of $11.50. Meech and Mia is a new brand Ipsy has integrated into their system. I have heard literally nothing about this brand. I have so much eyeshadow as it is that I don't really care too much about this shadow.

Well color me wrong. Really wrong. I received the purple eyeshadow, a duochrome that reminds me of a Fyrinnae shadow. There is something really complex and indie about this eyeshadow, and I am so happily surprise. Total win!

4. Pretty Woman Nail Polish in Wine With Ice, Garcon. value of $8.00 This is a deeeeep oxblood color and I am here for it. Perfect for fall.

A nice color, minimal chipping on the first day, but the nature of my work really speeds up the chipping process. A solid polish, but not one I would have bought on my own. 

5. Finally, my very first experience with It Cosmetics, in the Bye Bye Pores Pressed Powder, 3 g. value of $9.70. Also very curious about this powder!

So I should not have brought this to work. The product is quite fragile and it shattered in the pan. It is still usable, and a very nice product, I just can't bring it to work with me for touch-ups. 

All in all, my bag total is $43.75. Whether or not it truly is that value is according to how much use I get out of the products. Though I am not really that interested in the black pencil eyeliner, or the eyeshadow, everything else I am very curious about.

Overall, I think this bag was quite excellent and I am happy about it! 

Look of the Day (Text Post)

I don't know what it was, but I hated my makeup today.

 I have some breakouts around my mouth area- have no idea what's causing them- and my foundation and concealer did nothing to diminish the redness, not even after using setting powder.

What else?

Even though I used my favorite shadows for my eye look, the weird discoloration/shadow in the crease of my right eye is driving me crazy. I don't know if my mind is just exaggerating it, or if colors do appear muddy on that section of my eye.

I think it all might be tied to coming back from an extra day off at work, and readjusting.

The only thing that I liked about my makeup today was the highlighter I got from ittse, called Hustle and Glow. This stuff is legit. Even one light swipe gets me intense shine.

Tomorrow morning I am going to test out some ipsy October products, including the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores pressed powder. I think I also want to try the loose eyeshadow from Meech and MIa. It is actually a duochrome, and reacts very well to the Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy. I am getting sick of warm eyeshadow looks anyway. I would just have to think of an adequate matte shadow to pair with it. As of now, I am leaning strongly towards the Modern Renaissance to supplement it.

So that's it! A kind of a bummer of a makeup day, but I am looking forward to tomorrow and doing a cool purple look!

Makeup Confessions Tag

I watched a YouTube video by Kelly Gooch today, in which she talked about her "makeup confessions," or cult-faves that she's never tried.

I thought I would do that today.

1. I have never bought an Urban Decay Naked palette- in any iteration- and I probably never will. I just don't think the palettes are extraordinarily interesting, and I have so much eyeshadow already that I'm good. And I don't know if this is something that is specific to me or not, but I just don't think UD has great shade variety within their own palettes. There are a lot of repeats.

2. Morphe- I talked about this before in brands I will not buy from. Marketing tactics aside, I hate the idea of these large palettes. I am very indecisive, and I know I will never use up all that product.

3. Kat von D Shade and Light- both face and eye contour palettes. So... I actually did have the opportunity to buy a half-off shade and light contour palette from TJ Maxx today, but then I thought better of it. In all these palette collection/declutter videos I see, everyone only uses up the section of the contour palette that suits their skin tone. They won't use up the rest and it is such a waste of money. Why couldn't she just come out with duos according to skin tone- make them $15 and call it a day! But nope. Any way, not only do I not like her formula, I just don't need those cult-favorite products in my life.

4. I have also never tried the Estee Lauder double wear foundation. Before I got into makeup, my life was this

and this

Both of these stupid foundations are super runny with the worst possible glass containers, and no pump. They also oxidized. And if I remember correctly, I wouldn't actually use foundation as foundation- I would use it as concealer and just blend it over a blemish...lol...I actually remember not knowing the difference between foundation and concealer!

But where was I ? Ah yeah,  expensive foundations. Now, I can see why this is totally worth dropping $$ on, and I understand why people do it. And who knows? Once I am done with my Ordinary Foundation, I would give it a try. It's just that a $11 foundation is far more appealing to me than a $42 one.

5. Also, I have never bought a Chocolate Bar palette. Any of them. There was a time when the Semi-Sweet was pretty tempting, I can't lie, but the reviews were not great, and the colors really repetitive. I have to keep reminding myself about that, too, to stave off the temptation.

6. I've never bought a Tartelette palette, including in Bloom.
Now, I have nothing against permanent Tarte palettes. But those seem- like the Naked ones- like starter palettes and I am already beyond that point. I have those colors.

7. I have never tried the Nars blush in Orgasm. I never really had a specific aim with my blush collection- I like matte and shimmer blushes, and I feel as though I have a pink-peachy blush already with golden shimmer. My blush collection is not huge, but I still feel as though I have more blush than a person would need.

8. Like Kelly, I have never tried Mac cosmetics. I've come close, a couple of times. The Star Trek collection almost got me. But, I just don't think their quality is all that consistent or impressive. And while same collections are very appealing to me, the constant churning out of products and collections is exhausting.

Small Haul (WnW and Hard Candy) and Reviews!

Today in my local Walmart there was a Wet 'n Wild (WnW) holiday display, and boy it was ransacked. Still, I was able to get my hands on Royal Calyx. I wanted a duochrome highlighter with a touch of blue/lavender, and this got reasonable (but now glowing) reviews. 

Though this is the same design and weight as Precious Petals (the other megaglow highlighter I own), I think the formula is rather different. While Precious Petals feels creamy and smooth, Royal Calyx was slightly dry and grittier. 

Still, I thought it was really pretty on my face. It did not really emphasize texture. 

I also picked up a Hard Candy lipstick, because I did hear the reviews for the cream lipsticks were quite positive. 

The shade I purchased was Bloodline, because it reminded me of Klingon Blood Wine. It is super creamy- almost melts on the mouth- and is incredibly rich and pigmented. My skin is pretty light, so I have to be extra careful with this to avoid staining the skin around my mouth. 

Below, I have comparison swatches. 

The first lipstick I have swatched is one I thought would be a potential dupe for Bloodline- Coloured Raine lipstick in Soul. Soul as you can see is lighter and greyer, and not as glossy. Bloodline, the swatch below it, is much more red-toned and glossier. By the end of the day, there is still a faint stain from Bloodline on my arm, while Soul is completely gone. 

I also have swatched my two WnW megaglow highighters- Royal Calyx on top, and Precious Petals on the bottom. As you can see, Precious Petals has a more concentrated swipe and intense shine and pigmentation. Royal Calyx is a but more subtle- which may actually work, considering the kind of color it is.

The WnW Highlighter cost $5.00, and the Hard Candy Lipstick about $6.00. I think both are worth it, but I have to get a better grasp on the lipstick.

Eye of the Day (with pics!): Purple and Bronze

I really take horrible photos of my eye. Sheesh. Hope you can pardon the photo quality, as I go through the different products I used, how I used them, and how I think the look came out.

To set my eye primer, I used Wet 'n Wild Brulee all over the eye.

Then, I took the fuschia matte shade in the Marc Jacobs palette The Tease, and blended that through. On the outer corner, I used the Mud shade from the Okalan Venus 2 palette dupe, as well as the dark brown in the Dose of Colors EyesCream palette.

I then used Too Faced Glitter Glue on my lid, and the shade Boss on top of that. 

I used Physician's Formula liner, as well as the Makeup Forever XL liner heavier on the outer portion of my eye. 

I used Vanessa's Vanity sparkler in 6 pm on the inner corner. 

For mascara I used the Doucce one from Ipsy. 

Overall, it was an okay look. It lasted a long time- all day, even through humidity and sweat, but you can see some creasing.

1. The Marc Jacobs purple shadow: It blended nicely, but did end up creasing significantly.

2. Boss: Love this shade. It's one of the metallics I have that is complex goes with a variety of colors in the crease.

3. Mud: I love this color. I know it is a dupe, and that Okalan is kind of an unknown in terms of quality and brand, but I really liked this shadow.

4. Mascara: It really makes my lashes go wonky, and poke out in all different directions. Not a fan.

5. My overall technique: This was a heavier eyelook, and I know that blending is my weakness. Still, it was my kind of look that blends neutrals with color.

Thanks for reading!

"All the Damn Palettes" tag!

One of my favorite makeup bloggers, Makeupstruggles, posted a collab video with another blogger I quite like, Georgia Harris. Basically, the collab was a compilation of all the eyeshadow palette tags in existence.


Being an eyeshadow junkie myself, I decided to join the fun! Remember, these all will be palettes that are/once have been in my possession, and purchased by me.


Palette Tag #1:


1. Best packaging:

I am not really a sucker for packaging, but my Marc Jacobs seven-pan palette in The Tease (202), has such nice packaging. Though Marc Jacobs is an asshole, and I would not buy a single thing from him ever again (discounted or not), I have to admit that the packaging is sleek and luxe.


2. Color Payoff:

I don't think the intensity of pigmentation necessarily means the shadow is good for you, but my Milani Palette in Must Have Metallics is insane. To the point where they need glitter glue, and even outshine my more expensive metallic shadows.


3. Most Versatile

Hands down, my Dose of Colors EyesCream Palette. I can create simple neutral looks, or very glimmery colorful looks. This palette inspires a lot of creativity.


4. Best for Traveling

Though I don't travel a lot, the Tarte Tarteist Pro To Go palette has everything I love and want from a palette, in a mini size, with hard cardboard casing. It is excellent for travel, and you can create a variety of looks with it.


5. Biggest Regret

The Sephora Pantone Universe Watercolor Palette. I knew it was a mistake when I bought it- discounted for $19.99. I don't know what the hell I was thinking, but I ended up depotting a lot of shadows from it, before doing away with the whole thing.


6. Best Color Names:

I actually really like the names in Modern Renaissance. By naming the colors after different art techniques, materials, and artists, a lot of people learned about the history of art. Also, I totally feel like an artist when I reach for the different colors.


7. Least Used:

I try to really use my palettes as much as I can, but currently my least used palette is the aforementioned Marc Jacobs palette. I have to be in a cool-toned mood, and usually I wear warmer colors. However, I want to keep this palette because it is the only cool-toned palette in my collection. But I did wear it today, though!


8. Most Used:

I have been using my z-palette and singles a lot lately, but the Modern Renaissance is what I use the most. It's an excellent complement to all my shadows.



Part II!


1. Eyeliner, Brush, or Nothing:

If the brush is good, then brush! If the brush is bad, then I would rather have a slightly less expensive palette.


2. Palettes You've Hit Pan On:

Modern Renaissance, EyesCream Palette


3. Favorite Urban Decay Naked Palette

None! The only UD palette I have is the Pulp Fiction palette.


4. Favorite Holiday/Limited Edition

Oh no, I don't own any.


5. Would Repurchase or Have a Backup:

I actually did buy a backup of the Wet 'n Wild Greed palette, for that yummy salmon/orange matte shade.


6. Shade You Wish Was Sold Individually:

See above- Wet 'n Wild needs to do something about that, and make it a single! Also, Cone from the Dose of Colors EyesCream palette. And Drive from the Tarte Pro to Go palette.


7. Wild Cart/Biggest Regret:

Another regret I have is the Sleek Goodnight Sweetheart Palette. People made such a stink over this, for nothing.


8. Palette I'd Recommend to a Friend:

I sound like a broken record, but the Pro to Go Palette. It's very glam but also a low-maintenance palette.


And finally....Part III!

Another Palette Tag


1. 1st Palette Ever:

The Balm Nude Tude Palette


2. Most Recent Purchase

Wet 'n Wild's (discontinued...) I <3 Matte Palette


3. Regret Missing Out On:

I would not have bought the Modern Renaissance if I knew about the Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts palette. Luckily, that palette is permanent, so I will probably get it once Modern Renaissance is done with. I also regret not being able to try the Master Palette by Mario, as well as Colour Pop's Yes Please palette.


4. Makes Me Happy to Look At:

My Okalan dupe of the Venus 2 palette. I am barely going to wear this palette, but the color scheme makes me happy.


5. Palette I've Changed My Mind About

Do decluttered palettes count? Because I went through two Kat Von D palettes, at first really loving them, and then coming to the conclusion that I can't stand her shadows.


6. Biggest Surprise

That Wet 'n Wild 6-pan palette


7. Inspires Me the Most

Honestly the Mod Ren palette inspires me the most, because I just love bringing in supplemental palettes and singles. Without the Modern Renaissance, none of those would be possible.


8. No Fail Palette

I don't know. None of my palettes are really all that comprehensive. I have to constantly bring in a lot of stuff. I know that many people do not like having to do that, but I don't mind.


9. On My Wishlist

I kind of what that Laura Mercier artist palette. I know it's totally ridiculous, but I am just so curious.

Wet 'n Wild: Fair Trade Coffee Trio

If you don't see how reading a review of a discontinued product from 2015 is useful for you, then I totally understand. Feel free not to read.

For me, this is useful to write because I've got a weird collector/treasure hunter mentality about discontinued Wet 'n Wild products.

It started when I bought their elusive six-pan palettes for less than a dollar on Amazon.

And then came Kimberly Clark, one of my favorite YouTubers who swore  up and down that the highlighter from this trio was one of her HG highlighters.

I love Wet 'n Wild, but never paid much attention to their makeup in the past. I am shuddering to think about all I missed out on. After buying the Greed palette, and hearing about this trio, I paid another visit to Amazon, to see if there was a chance of someone selling the product.

And there was! I bought it for $5.00, and it's still on Amazon!

But was it worth it?

Let me first show you the swatches:

If I did not have so many highlighters and bronzers and blushes already, I'd be buying a backup of this on Amazon. It's special.

The formula is very soft and creamy, to the point where the blush and bronzer have a satin effect. The blush is very cool on me, which I like a lot, and the bronzer could read a little orange if I overdo it. If I use it with a light hand, it's all good.

But the highlighter? It's stunning. The creamy consistency really lends itself to a beautiful effect, and even though there is microshimmer, it's not chunky or glittery. Just finely milled sparkle.

If you can, I would snap this up immediately. It's an excellent product, and Wet 'n Wild needs to make some of this stuff permanent. I'm getting tired of hunting down discontinued gems. I even- in a moment of madness- bought the I Love Matte palette (re-released as Drinking a Glass of Shine) that was released a while ago. Like, a whiiiiile ago.  Here's hoping it's still safe to use.

Thanks for reading!

Me When I Saw the Urban Decay Holiday Palette 2017

The new Urban Decay Holiday 2017 palette:

Me:

I feel as though I was just talking about how UD has been oddly silent on what they were rolling out for Holiday 2017. And here we are.

So, yeah. I'm not buying this. Nooooooooo.

Yes, it's metallic. And I love a good shimmer. It's colorful. It's also neutral. But let's put that aside and do a good old fashioned TMO:

1.) The packaging is a disaster. I repeat: a disaster. It's basically one long tray with a mirror in the middle of two pairs of eyeshadow rows on either end. So how are you supposed to use this, or even hold it? And it looks like it comes with a lid or sleeve or something. This is so unpractical that I actually find it quite ugly to look at.

2.) Don't know what the price will be, but I promise it will be too expensive.

3.) Color selection: I recently learned a secret about shimmer eyeshadows. Let's say you have two bronze shimmer eyeshadows- one is slightly more red-toned than the other. But guess what? Does it make a bit of difference on your eye? Nope! I'm going to try and count the number of repeat pairs in this palette. And I know one has a slightly different tone than the other. My point is that it is unnecessary. If they omitted all the repeats and just went with less colors, they could have charged you less!

So, the two metallic blues, the two metallic purples, the two metallic red-tones, the three golds! It's way too much.

I myself am a gold eyeshadow junkie, but seeing this infuriates me. When I had the BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes (1), I did end up depotting them, and then I found myself gradually decluttering more and more because the repeating/close shades were frustrating me. I find this palette to be frustrating.

Even if the swatches are amazing- which I don't doubt they would be as shimmer shadows swatch very well- I wouldn't let them convince you alone. Sometimes shimmers will swatch very well, but on a small surface area such as they eyelid, they may not perform the same.

It's kind of disappointing UD went this route for the holidays- on one hand they did something different than their usual releases, but in a very boring, lackluster way.

Organization of My Blush and Highlighter Pans + Swatches of Ittse highlighter

Welcome!

Today I received in the mail an order I placed with Ipsy last week. It is an ittse palette, with two highlighter pans, all for $15.

I decided, however, to use the ittse palette for my blushes, and I am very happy with the result. All the blushes fit perfectly, and I know I will get much use out if it. The palette itself it sturdy and substantial, and has a plastic sheet to protect the mirror from the powder. I didn't think I would appreciate this, but I definitely do.

This is what the palette looks like on the outside:

It is a cool-toned gold faux leather casing.

In the palette, the first four shadows are my depotted Tarina Tarantino dollskin palette blushes. I do not regret depotting those, because the packaging was awful. The bottom two blushes from left to right are Makeup Geek Puppy Love and Pixi in Beach Rose. The Pixi blush was super easy to depot, and I am so pleased with the result. Not to give myself too much praise, but this looks like the scheme to one of those Nars holiday blush palettes. It makes me excited to use more of this.

In addition to this palette, I've got four other blushes, and one of them I am about to finish up. They are also all drugstore/budget-friendly. Overall, I feel as though my blush collection is pretty manageable.

Now, in order to place all the pans in this ittse palette, I had to take them from my medium z-palette, which originally contained blushes and highlights. As the ittse palette became my blush palette, the z-palette is now my highlighter palette. This includes the two ittse highlighters I got in the mail today.

This is what it looks like:

I'm not going to review every single one, but what I've been doing this week is mixing the two largest pans: Wet 'n Wild Precious Petals, and Mary Lou-Manizer. By itself, Precious Petals is a little too orange. 

To fill up space in this palette, I also moved my eyeshadow sample of UD Fireball to this palette, because I want to see what it would look like. I also depotted my sample of The Balm's Kuwakaribisha to place in there, because it is a highlighter but I was keeping it with my eyeshadows. 

Let's take a closer look at the ittse highlighters. I've never used an ittse face powder or eyeshadow before. 

The two on the left, from top to bottom are Run the World and Hustle and Glow. Also, the pan on the bottom right that looks white is from Vanessa's Vanity, a sparkler called 6 pm. (I'll provide a separate review for 6 pm, all I will say is that I believe this is a TRUE blush topper).

Run the World and Hustle and Glow (H & G)  are from a collaboration with a YouTuber. The full collab included four highlighters, and I personally think the ones Ipsy was selling were not the prettiest ones in the collab.

They still are pretty, though. Run the World is on the left, and  H & G is on the right:

It's not clear from the picture, but Run the World is very sparkly. I don't know if I can see myself using this. H & G, however, is gorgeous. It reminds me a little of Laura Gellar's Gilded Honey or even Champagne Pop- very metallic. I am much more partial to this one. I will provide a formal review of this stuff after I have more time to test it out.

In addition to the z-palette, I also own three highlighters, all drugstore. I do think my highlighter collection is a bit crazier than my blush collection, but I can say with certainty that I've got no repeats or dupes.

Thanks for reading!

Look of the Day: October 2 (text)

For the 0 of you reading this, I hope you don't mind that I don't provide pictures of my face. By the time I sit down at night with a cup of tea to post these things, my makeup is long gone.

I would describe my look today as "cool-toned." I'll go ahead with a description and review of the products used:

Eyes:

1. Milani Eyeshadow Primer: I still enjoy this, and it currently the only primer I use. I am interested though, in branching out to more high-coverage primers, just to see what it's like.

2.Modern Renaissance Palette: Buon Fresco in the crease, Love Letter lightly blended in. I also brought in the Blueberry Swirl shade from the Dose of Colors EyesCream Palette to diffuse the strong pink. Over the lids I used my Ardency Inn Manuka Honey Pigment in Rose Gold.

For me, the Rose Gold shade instantly makes a look special, and I am really glad that I bought it. It's one of those shades that looks great with both warm and cool complementary colors.

I have to say, I was afraid that Buon Fresco would look a little muddy on me, but I've learned that the key with this palette it to take my time. The look was clear and lasted well on the eye. In terms of eyeliner, it's the same old story with the Physician's Formula liner, but for mascara I switched it up a bit with the Starlooks Volumizing Mascara. This stuff works really well with my lashes.

Face:

1. I used the Ordinary Serum Foundation, and the Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer. The foundation is about 60% finished, but I don't know if I would repurchase. I kind of want to try the Fenty one! I also used the Too Faced Rx Primer, but I don't know if I am in love with how it wears. I don't consider my makeup to be high coverage at all, but towards the end of the day- even with setting spray- it looked a little cakey. The primer is also almost done, and I would love to try something else. Nothing with silicone, though.

2. Highlighter: I used the Milani Strobelight highlighter, which I haven't used for a while. Such a pretty and luxe highlighter, and affordable, too! Creates a nice metallic effect, and I don't have to use much.

3. Blush: To go with my eyes, I went with my purple blush, Fyrinnae's Mesmerize. I also purchased a purple blush from the Korean brand It's Skin as a replacement, but I don't have much hope- it looks chalky and grey. I am still on the look out for a replacement warm purple blush, because I really like the look of it on the face.

4. Bronzer: Same old story- Butter Bronzer!

5. Setting Spray: Urban Decay All Nighter- I use this on days when my skin feels greasier than normal, but I did not particularly feel any difference between that and the others I use.

6. Lips: Blistex Lip Serum, and Revelon Lip Butter in Fig Jam. Love Fig Jam- it's very pretty. The formula does dry my lips out, and I am wondering if I should just shell out for the much more expensive Black Honey by Clinique.

So that was it! A simple look with purple. No clue what I will feel like doing tomorrow! Sometimes I feel like I should challenge myself to using a palette, but at 5 o'clock in the morning my aim is to feel as comfortable as possible.