Reacting to my Wishlist (Why did I want that???)

Hello friends and neighbors! Welcome back to my little corner of the internet. Excuse me while I dust off some cobwebs.

To dip my toes back into blogging, I thought I would do something a bit fun. As you may or may not know, there is a tab on this blog called "Misc," where I post random things. This page has not been updated for a while, and currently serves as a relic of what I like or liked about makeup. I am specifically referring to the wish list/palettes I admired section.

Let's see what I picked, and if I would still pick them now.

1.) Pat McGrath Metallurgy Palette (pink and gold mini one)

My feelings on PML and Natasha Denona are not wholly positive, because not only is the cost of products from both brands prohibitive, the tactics that both brands use when it comes to pricing really make apparent the manipulation involved in the industry. At the time I added this to my list, these palettes (limited edition) went for $55. Then they got marked up to $65. They did not even feature the "Special Shades" that most people rave about. So, in short, though I liked one or two of the shades in this palette, looking back I have no desire to purchase this palette, even if it was available again. Too many golds and coppers, and nothing in there that truly interests me.

Not only that, 2019 was a terrible year for PMG fans, as false-scarcity was the name of the game for the year's releases. Not fun, and not encouraging for prospective consumers.

2.) Jouer Skinny Dip Foil Palette ($40 LE). Though this was a palette of metallic earth-toned "neutrals", also limited edition, I wanted to remember this palette and I still remember why. People talked about how the formula was incredibly good. Looking at the swatches on Temptalia's site, the formula appears bold and pigmented. However, any desire for this palette has faded. Why? I've learned that I really don't like thicker metallic and shimmer formulas. I prefer drier ones that can be used with glitter glue. Because of my oily and textured lids, the "wetter" type formulas are not very pleasant to work with. So even though I do think Jouer created a unique product that definitely got lost in the spate of releases, especially more affordable ones, I am content with the idea of never owning this palette.

In terms of the ultra-earth tones color schemes, I do believe that a palettes of those types of shimmers can be useful. But now that I have the sultry palette, as well as a couple of singles that fit the bill, I really don't feel the urgency to purchase it.

3.) Viseart Dark Matte Palette. Oof. I am going to be honest. I purchased the Viseart Coy Palette. I might make a post on that some day, but I will say I have been enjoying that palette immensely. That being said, I am not sure I would spend the same kind of coin for a palette of all mattes, including ones that look very similar. I do have a handful of singles in my collection from Devinah and Sydney Grace that somewhat mimic the vibes of this palette. But, I do have to hand it to Viseart. No matter how many times I look at this palette, it still seems fresh and interesting to me. Of course, I would have to pare down/use up my matte collection significantly before being convinced that I actually need this.

That wraps up a bit of my wishlist. But I do want to end with one palette that I actually do have regrets about, that I may end up adding to my wishlist: the Urban Decay Electric palette. The eventual markdowns on this palette were insane. Sadly, it is discontinued and near-impossible to get a new one, so that truly is my one regret. One shadow in particular- the matte bright yellow-green is something brands can't seem to get right, but the swatches of it from this palette looked amazing. Oh well. Maybe some day.

That wraps up this list. Do you have of these listed products? Let me know your thoughts on them below!

Brands I Plan to Try This Year

This is a bit of a wish-listy post that is different than my usual ant-haul spiel. I've just been seeing a lot of affordable brands come out with truly interesting products and I plan to sample from them.

Of course, this means buying and expanding my palette collection, which I don't know if I necessarily want to do. Of course, if any of these brands decides to start putting out singles, I wouldn't mind, either.

1.) Makeup Revolution. I am swayed. After swatching the Soph X Palette and reading reviews on their Chocolate Bar palettes (a line that is continually added to in new and fun ways), I am resolved to try them. Right now the products I specifically have my eye on can be found in Ulta, but I've seen some Makeup Revolution products in TJ Maxx. Go figure.

2.) Juvia's Place. I have been low-key (beautuber voice) obsessed with the Douce for a while, but...that mint green. One, I already have it, and two, I don't use it. If they come out with another mini palette with the smaller pans, which I am sure they will, I will gladly buy it.

3.) Bad Habit Beauty. I know many people are divided on the "ethics" of mimicking or duping palettes. But the thing is. I was never going to buy Natasha Denona anyway. I was never going to buy Pat McGrath anyway. In the case of ABH, the Mario palette is long gone. So I really do appreciated Bad Habit making these things- that I NEVER would have tried otherwise- available to me.

Temptalia reviewed recently one the palettes they made that dupes Pat McGrath's Subliminal palette. The price difference between the two is $101.00. Ell oh ell. And though she gave the BHB palette a C- total, the most interesting colors for me scored in the B range, and are listed as the top dupes (in a very short list) for the PMcG palette. So. yeah, I do intend on trying a palette from them in the future. Probably one that dupes another higher brand.

So that's my short list! Have you got any products from these brands? If so, what are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading.

My Sort of Makeup Wishlist for Summer 2018

This post is inspired by the Innisfree Birthstone collection. I was so tempted because I love gemstones, and I love the No Sebum powder. However, my birthstone is June, and this is what I would have been getting:

So while everyone gets a cool looking gem graphic, June Pearl looks rather...bland. And I was considering buying another month, but that felt silly. It shouldn't feel silly, because it is just a superficial design, but there you go.

If I really wanted to nitpick, they could have picked Alexandrite for June. I'm not sure if it is as universally recognized as a birthstone compared to Pearl, but it is a green-red shifting stone that would look comparable to the other months and not such a dud.

Next, we have the Gemini Palette from Melt Cosmetics. Now, I have always been a little resentful of Melt Cosmetics, because they seem like a fun brand, but a tad too expensive. They came out with the Gemini Palette, and....I like it...a lot.

It is definitely different from everything I have so far, and everything that I have seen in a while. I like the warm greens, and I would need to swatches first to make sure the shimmers are unique. if that's the case, I could definitely see myself getting this as a birthday present. To me.

The next item is not technically on my wishlist, but rather on here due to sheer confusion:

So this is a Becca palette, cosplaying as an Hourglass palette. Here Becca has ditched its singular round pan design in favor of a beveled, baked looking powders, in the form of a face palette. Limited Edition Becca Face (not eye) palettes are usually good, but I just don't think it looks unique. The swirled blush kind of looks interesting, but its one of the smaller sized products.

Lastly, the next item is a palette that I just think is pretty.

This is the Summer Vibes palette from Give Me Glow Cosmetics. The problem with this palette is that I have been basically curating a palette like this for the past year and a half. Aside from the blues, I pretty much have these colors. I also think there's a tad too many beige shimmers in there. I know I personally don't need this, but if the price and quality is right I could see how this would be a fun palette for many.

So, that's it for now!

Oh, I forgot to mention. I bought this contraption on Amazon last night because I am weak of spirit:



I get it on Saturday. We shall see....

Thanks for reading!

Eyeshadow Wish List/ TMO

With my birthday at the end of June, I thought I would partake in a rather self-indulgent post, my eyeshadow wishlist:

1. The Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts Palette, $50.00. This will be a permanent palette, in what I believe is a smart move. I think this palette is absolutely stunning.

The realist in me, however, knows that this palette is similar in composition to the Modern Renaissance.  They share the same type of mattes. In some ways, in bests the MR in terms of variety of shimmers. When it comes to the shimmers, though. I already have these colors- all except for that purple: Queen Mother. When I think about it, I would only want this palette for that one color- which makes no sense. I would much rather buy a dupe of it in the form of a single.

2. Ardency Inn Modster Manuka Pigments (or something) in Rose Gold, $21. $21 for a single sounds ridiculous. At 1.7 g, it is almost twice as large as a typical eyeshadow single. What gets me about this is the almost duochromatic look of this shadow, and how metallic it appears. I would much rather purchase this single itself than the entire Naked 3 palette.

I don't have many reasons not to buy it- except for the fact that it is money I don't need to spend. I also wonder if I would be able to depot it for my z-palette....

3. Lorac Unzipped Palettes- It seems that people either love these or hate them, especially when it comes to the texture. While I think the Rose Gold one is beautiful, I am seeing a lot of neutral shimmer shades and not a lot of variety when it comes to looks.

4. Pretty Vulgar Palettes- I LOVE trying new brands. And I do love the design of their products. However, I do agree with one reviewer who said their palette layout and selection in a way reminded them of Too Faced. I have to agree. Though I enjoy the fact this brand appears unique, it really is not.

5. Natasha Denona five pans- Okay, talk about indulgent. This one would be not be as ridiculous as her larger palettes, but still. Looking at the color selections of the palettes that I would actually purchase, I know I have these colors. They may not have the same exact quality, or staying power, but they work just fine as of now. It would be cool to have, but I can't see it changing my routine or life.

6. Viseart Petit Pro (1). $30.00 There is that purple again. I know I have the mattes, and I think it is ridiculous that people think it is reasonable to drop thirty dollars to "sample" a product. However, this would make an excellent travel palette, as well as the fact that the shimmers are beautiful, and I do not have anything else quite like them.

*shrugs*