A Do and a Don't: E.L.F. Mini Haul and Review

A few weeks ago, E.L.F. had a 40% off sale online. There were a couple of items that I'd been eyeing, but hadn't quite built up the courage to try out, so this seemed high time to bite the bullet and order. I picked up, among other things, the Prism Eyeshadow Palette in Sunset and the new 22-Piece Mini On the Go Palette. Normally, the 22-piece palette goes for $15, but right now, you can get both palettes for $10 each.  

Top: Prism Eyeshadow Palette. Bottom: 22-Piece Mini On the Go Palette.

Now, because I like to end things on a good note, let's start out with the 22-piece palette and get that out of the way.

You see, for me, this was a fail. Through and through. It's really a shame, too, because the idea is fantastic. It's just the execution that falters.

Before I go any farther, let's start with the good: I very much enjoy the concept of carrying a purse-friendly, compact palette with shadows, blushes, glosses, applicators, and a mascara. Normally, you get some combination of a few of those elements, but rarely all of them. Also, kudos for putting the cream products in a section to themselves, thus preventing the powder shadows and blushes from contaminating the glosses. It really sucks when you apply a pretty pink gloss, only to find that particles of black eyeshadow have smeared across you lips, as well. There's also a really nice mirror, so you actually can apply your makeup "on the go".

And that's about it. And I hate that.

So, what's so terrible about this palette? Unfortunately, pretty much everything (oh, I HATE this review!! It's so negative, and I really adore E.L.F.!). To start with, the packaging is boring, shoddy, and just plain bulky. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of it from the side, but while it's only about the length and width of a credit card, the height is ridiculous. It's a brick. Think of two Altoids tins stacked one atop the other, and you've got a pretty accurate representation. It's supposed to be travel-friendly, but there's not a pocket in my purse large enough to hold it (and I travel heavy). Of course, even if I could fit it into my bag, I wouldn't because the clasp is flimsy, and I'm afraid it would open up and spill everywhere. It's just not workable as a travel palette.

Secondly, the products aren't very good. The eyeshadows are chalky and lacking in the pigment department. Below, I have a random sampling of some of the shadows, and I had to really work to build them up to this intensity. The fourth shadow from the left--see if you can spot it. It's supposed to be the cornflower blue in the top row of the palette. Now, if you look at the shadows in the pan, they appear to have a variety of finishes, ranging from matte to glitter. However, when you apply them, they all come off as matte, and unfortunately, muddy together. I tried wearing a few to work, and while I didn't have any fading or creasing, the overall look was so embarrassingly...the only word I have is muddy, y'all. I'm sorry...that I had to pull out my usual purse palette and re-do it before I left the office.

Of course, E.L.F. shadows tend to be hit or miss, but the lip products have, generally, been pretty good. I had higher hopes for the second tier.

See! The colors are lovely, and there's a nice range of shades. Another thing that bugged me about the shadows was the apparent randomness of color choices. When I think of a purse palette, I think of touch-up shades: a deep shade for adding drama, a shimmer to perk up a look or cover creasing...that sort of thing. The shadows didn't deliver on that, but the lip colors--more sticks than glosses, really--fared better. Sadly, they feel kind of gritty on the lips, look thick and chalky, and wear off quickly. The lip brush is splayed and unusable, and shed the first time I tried to dip it into the product. Below is another random sampling of colors. They are very pretty in the pan and in swatches. It's just a shame they wear so poorly.

Left to Right: the light pink, the last shade, the deep purple.

On to the blushes! I'll be perfectly honest with you; I did not try these. I couldn't. I don't have a brush small enough. The included brush wasn't usable, and each color is roughly the size of a postage stamp. Again, this is a shame because E.L.F. tends to do well with blushes, and these colors are just gorgeous. From what I can tell, they appear to be a subtle golden highlight, a raspberry blush, and a light, shimmery bronzer.

I did swatch these, and that made me even more unhappy. They swatch well and look just lovely. I just can't use them.

I didn't even bother with the mascara. It's their standard studio mascara, so if you like it, you'll like this. It's not enough to make or break this palette. So, in summation, it's a wonderful idea. It just didn't work.

Part of me wonders if, perhaps, this was rushed into production. Recently, Urban Decay released the Anarchy and Shattered Face Cases (shadows, blushes, and a lip pencil in a compact case), and I wonder if this was launched as a response to that. Granted, the case more resembles a Too Faced Glamour To Go, but I really do wonder. This is pure speculation, but I get the feeling this started out as a dupe of the Glamour To Go, and then went into production early because of the Urban Decay. Maybe not. It's just a theory, and the only way I can understand how something that was so clearly not thought through could be released. Hopefully, they'll keep with the idea, but tweak it so that it works better. Personall, I'd reduce the number of shadows to eight and up the quality of each, make the glosses "glosses" (creamier and easier to apply without a brush), and include only one blush and one bronzer/highlight (to increase the size of each). I'm not sure what to do about the bulk of the packaging, but even rounding the corners would help. Right now, it's a mess.

Okay, now that that unpleasantness is out of the way, let me show you my new friend:

Isn't it pretty?! These are well-done shadows, y'all. This is the Prism Palette in Sunset, and here's how E.L.F. describes it:

These ultra-silky and lustrous eyeshadows look like a powder but feel like a cream, allowing for a smooth and flawless application. Use to contour, line, and highlight for a radiant finish. The luminous, shimmery formula creates a gorgeous range of looks for both day and night.

They ain't lyin'. I have had very little luck with E.L.F. shadows in the past. The best I've ever had was half of the Maleficent palette from last year. When I opened this baby up, I let out an audible gasp. I could tell just by looking at the shadows that they were going to be special.

These swatches are crap. In person, they look much richer and sparkle like nobody's business. The formula is fantastic, too. They're creamy and silky, and not even slightly powdery. These swatches are in palette order, and those second, third, and fourth shades are standouts.

Is this a perfect palette? No. You will need to augment it with some matte or satin shadows, and probably with some deeper shades to put together a complete look. If you have Urban Decay's Naked Basics, you're set. I can completely forgive that, though, because of the formula. I would put it on par with Stila, honestly. It's that kind of soft, slightly flaky (not flaking off, but it's almost like it applies in a solid flake form...or maybe I'm insane...either way), shimmering texture. I didn't experience any creasing or fading in the hours that I wore these, and felt confident enough to use the palette for a holiday party look. These are just d@*n good shadows, and you get six of them for ten dollars. There are two other versions, Naked and Smoke (I tell you, they are seriously trying to get in on the Urban Decay audience), with neutral and jewel tones, respectively. I haven't tried them, yet, but after falling in love with Sunset, I may need to place another order.

Final Verdict

22-Piece On the Go Palette: 2 out of 10. Great idea, but executed poorly.

Prism Palette: 9 out of 10. Gorgeous, and tremendously good quality. On par with high end. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Life Hack: $1 Magnetic Palette

I'm probably super late to the party on this little life hack, so I claim absolutely no ownership of the idea. I've seen it on countless blogs and youtube videos, and thought, "Well, shoot! That's brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?"

So, for those of you out there who also didn't think of that, I give you this post:

HOW TO TRULY CUSTOMIZE AN E.L.F. CUSTOM COMPACT

This is the E.L.F. Custom Compact. It measures 3x3 (perfect purse size), and costs a buck. I picked mine up from Target, but they're available online, and possibly at Walmart or Walgreen's, if your's has started carrying E.L.F. A couple of the stores in my area have.

And here's the inside:

Photo Credit: E.L.F. Cosmetics

I totally forgot to take a picture of the inside before I started this little project. Whoops.

Now, looking at the above photo, you see that the top half of the compact is a mirror, and the bottom half is sleek white with openings for four small pans and a tiny applicator. We're going to leave the mirror alone, and use a butterknife to pop that bottom white portion out. (It works best to slide the knife under the inside edge of one of the circles) Once you've done that, you'll be left with a shiny metal insert, and the inside of your compact will look like this:

The pretty shiny metal isn't attached to the compact, so you will want to use some super glue or hot glue to make sure it stays put inside. If you use hot glue, make sure that the glue is completely melted, waste NO time, and press the metal in as flat as you can get it. I waited a second too late, and my hot glue hardened enough to keep me from being able to press the metal down fully, and I couldn't get my compact to close when filled. It works now, but I got to spend a good ten minutes peeling and scraping out all of that thick glue, and let's just say that was less than fun.

Sticking in the de-potted pans was a cinch. There are two ways you could do it: A. Stick a full magnet sheet in the bottom, or B. stick magnets to each pan. Either way will work, but I chose to stick the magnets on to each pan. I thought it looked nicer. If you do decide to use the full sheet, you can skip gluing in the metal liner.

The finished compact isn't huge, but I was surprised at how much I could fit in it. Above, I have the three de-potted (de-plastic and cardboard-ed?) EM Cosmetics eyeshadows and lipgloss, an Urban Decay blush and teeny-tiny shadow from an old Face Case, and a Stila shadow from the Pro Artist Palette No.1. I honestly couldn't tell you how many, say, MAC shadows would fit, but this is great for all of those little sample sizes or fragments of palettes that most of us have lying around. I'm actually planning to take this on vacation with me, and this palette alone gives me multiple eye looks, as well as a blush and lipgloss. I may not have to take any other shadows, blushes or lippies. I probably will take more, but I don't have to.

I will warn you, though: the compact isn't the highest quality. It's sturdy, and I feel like my products will be protected in my purse, but the construction is not the greatest. The closure is flimsy and easily breakable. I also feel like a drop onto a hard floor would be catastrophic. That said, the mirror is huge and actually usable, and the lid stands up without having to be propped against something. Also, allow me to remind you that this thing costs a dollar! One dollar. One. A small Z-Palette, which is only marginally larger, runs $14 and doesn't come with a mirror. Also, taking the larger Z-Palettes I own into consideration, I really don't think it would be much more likely to survive a hard drop--at least, not without a few casualties.

So, there you go. That's my life hack o' the day. Has anyone else tried this? Any suggestions for decorating it? Let me know in the comments.   

You've Gotta Start Somewhere: EM Cosmetics First Impressions

As some of y'all may have heard, one of the founders of my beloved ipsy subscription, Michelle Phan, recently launched her own line of cosmetics. Over the weekend, the company ran a special, where you could purchase a "sample" palette of your choice for ten dollars. It would consist of three full-size shadows and a full-size lip color. Considering I'm getting ready to go on vacation, this seemed like the perfect time to snag a travel palette and review some new products all at once. It's great when things fall into place like that. 

I had some issues ordering the palette, unfortunately. The site is new, and the sale inundated the servers, so I'm cutting them some slack, but basically, I received an error message instead of a confirmation. I'd used PayPal, and received a confirmation from them, and the money was immediately held on my bank account, but I didn't receive any sort of confirmation from EM. I contacted customer service...and they couldn't tell me if my order had gone through or not. It takes 30 minutes to an hour for an order to process. Now, during checkout, I'd created an account, so I tried logging in to see if anything showed up there...and my login didn't work. My email address wasn't recognized. The customer service rep had no idea why. After about fifteen minutes, the rep told me that I should receive a confirmation email shortly, and to let them know if I didn't. Approximately thirty minutes after my error message, the email receipt showed up, and everything was kopasetic, though I gave up on ever trying to get into my account.

The palette shipped out quickly, and arrived yesterday morning--incredibly fast service--but wasn't quite what I expected. Yes, I did get three shadows and a lippie, but not really in palette form. Instead, they were pressed into clear plastic packaging over a picture of the complete palette.

I have absolutely no problem removing them and placing them in another travel palette, but I don't think this should have been advertised as a "palette". These are three shadows and a lippie. The palette is non-existent.

The shades are lovely. I chose the Warm Fuzzies selection, which comes with plummy taupe, grape with gold shimmer, and deep teal shadows, along with a shimmery raspberry gloss. The largest shadow is not quite the size of a MAC shadow, and the other two shadows and gloss are close to dime-sized (give or take). Bottom line: they're small. They're workable, but far from a more standard full-size.

Left to Right: Lip Gloss, Plummy Taupe, Grape, and Deep Teal

The shadows, themselves, are...fine. They look velvety in the pan, but that texture doesn't translate to the brush. They're not chalky, but not buttery, either. They're...okay. Average. The pigmentation, unfortunately, is fairly awful. The above swatches are swatched two and three times, and that's the best I could make the color build. The taupe is not bad, and the grape is a little disappointing, but the teal is downright dud. The lip gloss, however, is gorgeous! It's pigmented (that's one swipe up there), shiny, not sticky, and feels unbelievably moisturizing. I freaking love this lippie. For me, that's the shining star of the group.

This look was created by using the taupe on the lid, grape in the crease and outer corner, with the teal darkening the outer corner and under the lower lashline. I like it. It's not spectacular, but it looks nice.

Here's the gloss swatched on the lips. It does coordinate nicely with the shadows.

Now, here's the $65,000 question: Would I, based off of this sample, be willing to spend $75 for the rest of the Warm Fuzzies and the palette that it is a part of (Warm Fuzzies is one quadrant)? That's 24 shadows, 8 lip colors, and 4 cheek colors. Um...probably not. Granted, that works out to slightly over two bucks per product, and a smaller travel sized case is thrown in, but that's a lot of money to pony up for some hit and miss shadows. I'd be much more likely to pay somewhere in the twenty dollar range for just one quadrant. Still, the shadows aren't amazing, and the colors aren't terribly unique. I haven't looked through my not-as-extensive-as-you-might-think collection, but I can think of two, possibly three shadows that could rival the grape, and at least one that doubles the taupe. I picked this particular palette mainly for the teal, because I couldn't think of anything I had like it, but the Wet 'n' Wild Fauna trio now comes to mind.

The lip gloss was amazing, but again, not a hard color to dupe. In fact, after I put it on, I tossed a Juice Beauty gloss into my purse. I didn't even have to look at it; I knew it would be close enough for touch-ups.

There are stand-alone eyeshadow and lip palettes for $38 and $28, respectively. That's a little easier to swallow, but still pricey, especially considering the quality of the shadows. The packaging is adorable, but I'm leaving that out of this, since I didn't get to test it out first-hand.

I'm not thrilled, but I'm also not giving this a final verdict. This is a new company, and there's a learning curve. The colors are pretty, if not thoroughly original, and with a few tweaks, I think the quality could end up being quite remarkable. There's definite promise here, and I'm excited to see what's in store in the future.

Have you tried EM yet? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

Now I Need a Pink Bubble and a Wand: Urban Decay Glinda Palette Review

I caved. My love of all things Oz and Disney and Urban Decay proved too great to ignore (plus, I had a coupon code), and I broke down and bought the Glinda palette. And you know what? I have zero regrets. It's utterly amazing. I was so wrong to have not been excited, because these are some seriously gorgeous shadows with great versatility. Let's take a look:

The outer packaging is pretty...

...and inside you get a beautiful tin, Super Saturated Lip Color, and a get the look card (that I haven't used).

Here are the shadows. Clockwise from top left: Tornado, Aura (duo), Magic, South, Oz (duo), and Illusion. My swatches were abysmal, but you can find some fantastic ones here. There's not a dud in the group, and a few far exceeded my expectations.

Tornado: Similar to Urban Decay Freakshow. Deep purple shimmer with reddish undertone.

Aura (duo): Both halves feature a white base with reflective pigments that skew either pink or blue. The pink side is sheer, slightly chalky, and more difficult with work with, but lovely. The blue side is still sheer, but much more buttery, and leaves a blue glow wherever it's placed. Stunning!

Magic: One of my two favorites. This is a blue based medium pink with tons of golden shimmer. It's universally flattering and looks downright ethereal on the eye. I'm currently obsessed with it.

South: My other favorite. Medium taupe, loaded with silver micro-glitter. It has a finish similar to the urban Decay Stardust shadows, and just glistens.

Oz (duo): The gold side has an antique look and is chock-full of glitter. It's a glitter-bomb, honestly, and I've had difficulty wearing it. It's not as bad as, say, Midnight Cowboy, but it is a discoball. The silver side is phenomenal, though. It looks on your lid like it does in the pan, and has almost a wet-look finish. It's that metallic. Patted on like a dream, and is a slightly blue based true silver.

Illusion: Pale peach satin. It's not super exciting, but makes a nice "eraser" color on fair skin, and would be very pretty as a lid color on darker tones.

The included travel-size 24/7 Glide-On Pencil is in the color Rockstar, and is part of the permanent collection. It's a rich eggplant, and a welcome alternative to black.

This photo has not been blurred. It was not soft-focused. This is just what it looks like when you blend these shadows out. I know I already used the term "ethereal" to describe it, but that's the most apt adjective I've got. I used every single color in this look. Oz (silver) is all over the lid. Tornado is in the crease. I blended out the line between Tornado and Oz with Oz (gold), and then used Magic to blend out the crease. Illusion went from crease to brow, with Aura (pink) as a brow highlight. Aura (blue) is in the inner corner. South lines the lower lashline. Rockstar on upper lashline.

All in all, I'm ecstatic over this palette. There is fallout with most of the shadows--not as much as with the old formula, but a significant amount. If you wear these, do your foundation after your eyes. It'll make it easier to clean up.

Sorry about that lovely nose shot, but I couldn't get the cropping program to work. Yay! This is the lip color in Glinda. It's a peachy-pink nude, and reminds me a lot of the Lip Junkie shade Naked. The product is creamy, moisturizing, ridiculously glossy, and long-wearing. The gloss will wear off before the rest of the color, so bear that in mind. Personally, I have no complaints.

Final Verdict: 9 out of 10. The fallout's a little irksome, but I can totally deal with it for all of these gorgeous colors!

January Favorites

This month has flown by!!! I'm sorry for the sporadic posting, but here's to getting back on track! Today, I have a list of favorites for the month, and I have to say, I surprised myself with some of these. I bet they surprise you, too. Let's have a look, shall we?

Eyes
Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Inked in Pink
These cream shadows are utterly amazing. I think I may like them even better than their high-end counterparts! This pink is shiny, rosy, and makes for a beautiful wash of color that lasts until you take it off. For a five-minute face, this is ideal. I've already picked up the (less wearable, but just as gorgeous) blue metallic shade, and am seriously considering a few others.

MAC Apres Chic Eyeshadow in Ice
I've been using this in the inner corner, and it gives just enough warm sparkle to brighten up your look without reminding everyone of Tinkerbell. The color reminds me of snow, but snow that's looked at from inside a warm cabin, while you drink a cup of cocoa. If that makes sense. Which it probably doesn't.

Lips
Homemade Brown Sugar Lip Scrub
DO NOT BUY LIP SCRUB, PEOPLE!!!! Take a tablespoon of butter, melt it, and add just enough brown sugar to make a thick paste (around three tablespoons, give or take). Rub on lips. That's it. The butter is moisturizing and the sugar is rough and, well, scrubby. It takes off dead skin like a dream, and tastes good enough that you could spread it on toast--literally. Best of all, it's pretty much free. Keep the rest in the fridge to use later. I made this to use during filming, since I was in red lipstick, and we all know how pretty red lipstick looks on flaky lips. Our leading man used it, too, and threatened to take it home with him.

Face
Josie Maran Argan Color Stick in Love
This product kept showing up on my radar, and I finally had to try it out. Now, I'm in love. This is the best stick blush I have ever used! The color is very natural, it blends like a dream, and the staying power is pretty darn good, compared to other stick blushes. I also feel like I'm doing something good for my skin when I use it. Again, for busy gals, this is a must-have. You don't even need a highlighter with it!

Tarte 12-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface
This is not the most fantastic, life-changing blush ever (see above), but I find myself reaching for it more and more. The color is a beautiful, cool pink, and the texture lends itself to blending into the skin. It's just a really good, pigmented, serviceable blush.

Skin
Olay 2-in-1 Daily Facial Cleansing Cloths
These removed greasepaint. Game. Set. Match.

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Clinical Dark Spot Corrector
I've been using this in conjunction with the overnight peel, and I do think my dark spots are *slightly* lighter. It's only been about a month (which, yeah, I know they said results in four weeks, but let's be real, here), so I'm still on the fence, but the moisturizer is really good, regardless. It's lightweight, smells like apples, doesn't leave my skin looking shiny, and doesn't break me out. If it lightens up spots, that's just gravy.

MVP
Urban Decay Naked Basics
I can not believe I'm adding this to favorites, much less inventing a new category for it! The thing is, hardly a day has gone by that I haven't used this palette. A matte highlight here, a sheer wash of color there. Need a satin inner corner? How about a blending color, or a smudgy liner? Naked 2 and W.O.S. are getting some serious love these days, and the palette is on the fast track to making the Best of 2013 list. I'm shocked, but it's just that functional.

Are You a Good Witch Or a Bad Witch?

Photo Credit: Urban Decay

This showed up in an email today, and I'm curious as to what you guys think. Please leave a comment below to weigh in.

Urban Decay and Disney have teamed up to release two limited-edition Build Your Own Palettes, pre-filled with shadows inspired by OZ: The Great and Powerful. Now, these are three of my favorite things (UD, the Mouse, and the Yellow Brick Road), all rolled into one neat package. So, why am I not more excited?

Don't get me wrong, I totally want one, and I think they're a great value, monetarily speaking, but I'm not over the moon, and that kind of makes me sad.

Here are the details:
For $49.00, you will receive your choice of the Theodora palette or the Glinda palette, each featuring eight all-new shades. Four shades are singles, and two shades are duos. The color selection in each palette is supposedly based on the actresses' makeup looks in the film. The Theodora palette features deep neutrals with pops of green and navy, and Glinda is predominately pink and purple with several sparkling options. The shades are housed in (nicely mirrored) tins that were designed to reflect each character's personality. Theodora's tin is black with green, and Glinda's is pink and sparkly. Each comes with a travel 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (Black or Eggplant for Theodora or Glinda, respectively), and a Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Red or Pinky-Beige (again, Theodora or Glinda, respectively).

These are two absolutely gorgeous palettes, no question. I ran the numbers on them, and if you purchased the items individually (which you can't, as they're all exclusive to these palettes), the final total would run upwards of $127. I couldn't add in the price for the travel eyeliner, as UD doesn't sell them individually.

Here's my problem: I want to build my own. I don't want all of the neutrals in the Theodora palette. I already own both Naked palettes and the Naked Basics. As far as neutrals are concerned, I'm good. On the other hand, pinks aren't always my best color, either. Hot pink? Sure. Baby pink? I look ill. I do, however, want the all of the duos. Good greens aren't always easy to come by, the navy/gold duo is just stunning, the shimmering whites that reflect either red or blue sound freaking cool, and who couldn't use silver and gold glitter from time to time? I want those, and I can't get them without buying both sets.

Of the two, if you're looking for one to give you the most complete eye looks, I'd go with the Theodora. They'll all be pretty dark and dramatic, and more geared for Fall than Spring, but I feel like you could come up with a decent number of looks with those colors. The Glinda palette has a couple of full looks in it, but it strikes me as being more of a completer set. You're getting two highlighters, two glitter accents, two "lid" colors, and two smoky lid/crease colors (as far I can see).

Were I to buy one, I'd get the Glinda, because it has more colors that are unlike any I already own. I just can't see shelling out (let's call it what it is) fifty bucks for some nice glitters in a pretty tin. If it's still out around my birthday, maybe I'll hit up my family with the suggestion. In the meantime, I'll hope against hope that UD will decide to sell just the duos as a set, too.

Urban Decay Naked Basics: Yeah or Meh?

Urban Decay must have listened to all of the harumphing over the lack of matte shades in the Naked and Naked 2 palettes, because they've responded with an almost completely matte companion palette. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be right up my alley, and I also had a gift card for darn near the price, so I called "kismet" and picked one up yesterday.

The outer packaging is, as you would expect, basic. There are no pop-up butterflies, USB ports, or extras like lip glosses, eyeliners, or Primer Potion. In fact, this may be the only palette EVER to not come with primer or a liner. I swear, if Urban Decay threw a Mardi Gras parade, they'd toss Primer Potions and Zero eyeliners.

Inside, the palatte case is sleek, a lovely rosy-beige, and rubberized so that the feel is similar to that of NARS packaging, which I happen to like. Normally, that could lead to an over-all grubbiness after a while, because that sort of material picks up everything, but the light color should prevent most of that from showing up. I am not a fan of the clasp. It was very difficult to open, and I came very close to breaking two nails in the process. I'm hoping it becomes easier to manage over time.

Now, here's a gawdawful photo, but I wanted you to see how large this mirror is. This is definitely a functional travel mirror, and for that, I'm grateful. I do wish that there was a spot for a small shadow brush, but we can't have everything, now can we? I didn't intend to catch that little Sephora card back there, but since I did, let's use it! The card is the size of a credit card, so that should tell you something about the size of this palette. It's not large. It's, quite literally, half the size of the Naked and Naked 2 palettes. That makes perfect sense, though, since this holds exactly half the number of shadows of one of the large palettes.

The shadows, from left to right, are Venus, Foxy, W.O.S. (Walk of Shame), Naked 2, Faint, and Crave. Foxy can also be found in Naked 2, and W.O.S. is from the Build Your Own Palette. The other four are brand new releases.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: Swatches!! Please bear in mind that I am a MAC NW15, so super pale with yellow undertones. In Urban Decay Naked Skin, I'm a 2.0. On the top row, I have Venus, Foxy (really!), and W.O.S. (no kidding!). On the bottom, Naked 2, Faint, and Crave.

Venus is stunning, and easily my favorite out of the group. It's a soft, golden-white demi-matte. Basically, it reflects light without using shimmer or pearl. It's just gorgeous, and makes a great highlighter. Think of it as a white version of Bootycall from the Naked 2 palette.

Foxy is a butter yellow, and W.O.S. is an eggshell pink. More on them in a bit.

Naked 2 is a true taupe. There are no lavender undertones like you find in so many other taupes. It's just a matte, cool taupe.

Faint is a warm medium brown. Period.

Crave is a black with deep brown undertones. It reminds me of dark chocolate, and makes a lovely shadow liner. It's very similar to Blackout from the Naked 2, but not quite as harsh.

Foxy and W.O.S. are not duds. I know that they don't show up on my hand, but that's neither their fault, nor is it necessarily a bad thing. These are both nicely pigmented, but they also happen to be very similar to my skin tone. For me, this is a plus, actually. Foxy was already a favorite from the Naked 2 palette, because it works beautifully as a blending and "clean-up" shade. I can fix mistakes, soften edges, or use it on natural looks from crease to brow for polish. I've even used it as a lid color because it counteracts redness. I'm, honestly, very happy to add W.O.S. to my arsenal, because the pinker shade will work in the same way, but coordinate better with rosier shadows, like Sin and Toasted.

This is not a tutorial, or even a "look", really. I just wanted you to see how the shadows look in a real-world setting. The only one not used was Foxy, and that's partly because of its place in the Naked 2 palette, and partly because I only have so much eye area. W.O.S. is on the lid, Faint in the crease and as lower liner, Naked 2 as a blending color, Venus to highlight brow and inner corner, and Crave as upper liner. If you wanted to travel with only this palette, you could get a look or two out of it. The shadows were buttery, applied smoothly, and blended easily. I have no complaints with the quality of the shadows; they're top-notch.

Urban Decay, Sephora, and Ulta all have this priced at $27. If you only consider the fact that the price is less than two full-sized shadows, and you're getting six not-quite-but-darn-near full-sized shadows in the palette, that's amazing. However, if you compare it to either of the larger neutral palettes, which were priced at $50 and came with deluxe samples and brushes, then suddenly $27 seems a bit steep. Still, it's not a bad deal, and you can always wait for a coupon.

Now, would I recommend this palette? Yes and no.

I can see where this could be an essential palette for some people, while others would find it completely unnecessary. These are not groundbreaking colors. They are exactly what they are advertised as: basics. If you look, you can find oodles of good mattes, many in these exact shades, at the drugstore, as singles, or in other palettes--possibly already in your collection. Heck, if you have the Naked 2 and the Build Your Own, then you already own a third of this palette.

However, if you honestly need a convenient collection of neutral mattes, housed in a travel-friendly container, then this would fit the bill. I actually did need one. Between auditions, filming, and publicity gigs, I'm on camera fairly regularly, and mattes are far more camera-friendly than shimmers or glitters, however neutral. I can't always carry a full train case, and this is handy enough to fit in my purse. Plus, I use my Naked and Naked 2 palettes more than anything else, and while I've been able to make-do with mattes from other palettes, they've never been quite right. These were designed specifically to coordinate with those palettes, so this collection should make my mornings much easier. I've actually been trying to cut down on my makeup...oh, let's just call it "hoarding"...so this purchase was well-researched and still deemed necessary...for me. Maybe not you.

The necessity of this palette is completely up to the prospective buyer. If you specifically want a small travel palette of Urban Decay mattes that compliment their larger neutral palettes (and I did, so that happens), then this is your palette. If you just want some neutral mattes to add to your collection, you have a world of options. This is cool, but it's nothing special.

Packaging: 7 (out of 10)
Quality: 9
Shade Range: 5
Application: 9
Wear: 10

Final Verdict: 8 out of 10. If you need this exact palette, it's worth it. If you're even slightly on the fence, then don't waste your money.

E.L.F. Cyber Monday Haul and First Impressions

E.L.F. ran a 50% off plus free shipping sale on Cyber Monday, so I took the opportunity to pick up a few things. They just came in yesterday, and I thought you might be interested in some of the newer items on the site
.

I picked up two of the HD Blushes, two Baked Blushes, one Baked Bronzer, the Eye Refresh, one Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick, and the Endless Eyes Pro Mini Eyeshadow Palette in Natural.

St. Lucia, Passion Pink, Pinktastic

Here are swatches of the St. Lucia Baked Bronzer, Passion Pink Baked Blush, and Pinktastic Baked Blush. St. Lucia is a very light, warm bronzer with a subtle hint of sparkle. I used it all over today, much the way I would a MAC Mineral Skin Finish, and it just helped knock the chill off of my uber-pale face. I had to use different products to contour and add color. The Passion Pink blush is also very light and warm, with more of a peach tone than I had expected from the online photos. I thought this would be more of a plummy color, but this looks like it could dupe NARS Orgasm. I haven't checked them against each other, yet, but this is definitely a peachy pink. The Pinktastic blush is actually a very pretty gold highlighter. Again, not what I was expecting, but not a disappointment. I bought this thinking that it would be a good dupe for one of my favorite MAC highlighters, Moon River, that is now discontinued. They're actually not even close to similar, but I think I'll get a lot of use out of this one, anyway. It's just lovely. It's just not pink.

Left: Moon River. Right: Pinktastic.

Left. Moon River. Right: Pinktastic. Um...it's not pink. Nope. Not pink at all.

I started to swatch the entire eyeshadow palette, but decided that a few representative shades would probably be just as informative. If you want, I can do an entire, in-depth review on the palette, though. Let me know in the comments. I realized right off the bat that these shadows were E.L.F.'s standard hit-or-miss grade, unfortunately. Believe it or not, there are five swatches in the above photo. The very first one barely showed up, and it was a mid-tone brown. The second swatch is super powdery. The third is supposed to be a glittery blackened gray, but very little glitter transferred to my skin. The last two are actually very nice, and they're demi-mattes. Honestly, I expected the least from them, and they ended up being the best out of the bunch. Originally, I purchased this to use for film makeup, and I intend to keep playing around with it. Maybe it will surprise me. Something tells me I'm probably going to end up having to break down and get the Coastal Scents 28 neutral Palette, though. I am wearing two shades from the palette on my eyes today: a soft gold and the demi-matte ecru shown above. So far, they're doing pretty well.

Here are swatches of the HD Blushes in Showstopper and Encore, and the Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Movie Star. Showstopper is a gorgeous berry with shimmer, and Encore is a shocking pink with shimmer. These blushes are scarily pigmented--a little dab'll do ya! I've not tried wearing them on my cheeks, yet, but they didn't want to come off of my hand. The formula is creamy, and I prefer the consistency to that of my Make Up For Ever HD Blush, honestly. Be prepared to work quickly, though, because they dry almost instantly.

Movie Star looks like a blood red in the stick, but comes off as a very natural red. Sort of like the color you'd get after kissing for a few minutes. I am surprised by how much I like this product. It's sheer upon first application, but the color can be built up by layering over time. The color starts out glossy, but dries down to a stain-like finish. It's long-lasting, but non-drying, and there's no taste or scent. Seriously, I really like this product.

Movie Star upon first application. It's not red, but it's the perfect flush.

The Eye Refresh is a clear liquid that you apply with a rollerball applicator. The packaging is nifty, but I couldn't tell where any liquid came out. I just felt the cool metal ball rolling under my eyes. It's pleasant, but I think you get a similar effect with an ice cube for free. I'll keep playing with it and report back if anything miraculous occurs.

Packaging-wise, I have no complaints. The HD Blushes are dead ringers for MUFE's packaging. The baked items are housed in functional, if not flashy, compacts. The palette is sleek, sturdy plastic with a usable mirror. As I said before, the Eye Refresh looks cool (even if it does feel a little cheap). The only thing I'm not thrilled over is the Lip Gloss Stick. I love how it's made--especially the twist up design--but the white coloring is killing me. The first time I used it, red product smeared all over the top portion, and it just looks messy. Making the package color match the lip color would look much cleaner.

Have any of you tried these products? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

Pink and Girly Eyes Featuring Urban Decay

I bought the Urban Decay Rollergirl palette for one color, and one color only: Woodstock. I knew that the shocking pink would be tough to wear, but it was just so gorgeous (and the palette was on sale so cheap!) that I had to give it a shot. Happily, I have been able to pull off the color in a couple of party looks, but, you know, sometimes a girl wants to wear Barbie pink eyeshadow during the day. Sometimes, you just need that little pick-me-up that only girly, shimmery PINK can provide. Today is one of those days. So, with the desperate need for pink as motivation, I came up with this look that I will now show you, step by step. Yes, you do start out with hot pink, but in the end, you have this soft, sweetly sexy, not overly made up eye. Think: Victoria's Secret Angel. That wasn't the goal, necessarily, but that's what I got. Please let me know what you think in the comments, and also let me know if you'd like to see a party look with Woodstock. Thanks!

Start by smoothing Sin Primer Potion all over the eye area, then applying Woodstock to the outer third of your eye, and bringing it up into the crease.

Next, apply Virgin (from Naked) to the inner two-thirds of your eye, inner corner, and browbone.

Apply Sin (from Naked) to the area where the two colors meet, and blend.

Apply Toasted (from Naked) to the crease and area directly above.

Blend the colors, then line the upper and lower lashes with Creep (from Naked). Wing the top line out slightly.

Blend out the liner, so there are no hard edges.

Fill in your brows and apply black mascara to top and bottom lashes. This is Buxom Lash. Brows are E.L.F. Brow Kit.

This  is the same look in daylight.

To finish the look, I used NARS Orgasm blush, Too Faced highlighter form the Spun Sugar Glamour To Go, and Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy Lipstick with Dervish pencil from MAC. Foundation is Urban Decay Naked. Concealer is Maybelline Age Rewind.

Pour Some Sugar On Me: Too Faced Spun Sugar Glamour To Go Review

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and I'm a church musician. My life is no longer my own. Folks, I haven't had time to swatch and photograph this palette properly, but I was so excited about it that I had to go ahead and post! I picked up the Too Faced Limited Edition Spun Sugar Glamour to Go during the Sephora V.I.B. sale, and I really want to share it with you. I think it would make a fantastic stocking stuffer for any makeup maven on your list--but especially the younger, teenaged set.




Photo Credit: Too Faced

 Now, if you don't like sparkle, stay away, 'cause there's not a matte shade in the bunch. When they called it spun sugar, they meant it. Everything is shimery and glittery, including the bronzer--but that has both pros and cons, and we'll get to them in just a bit.

As an all-encompassing palette, this doesn't work. It's not a full-face look, by any stretch of the imagination, and the fact that it's completely glitzy doesn't help matters. You're not going to toss this in your travel bag or purse and be glamourously good "to go". However, much like spun sugar, this makes a beautiful topping to your usual makeup routine. The shadow colors are all neutrals, and the bronzer and highlighter are very natural-looking shades, even if they are loaded with shimmer. The gloss can be worn alone or on top of another lip color, and is long-lasting and slightly sweet.

So, here's the good, the bad, and the ugly:

The Good:
This is the first Glamour To Go palette that seems to have honest-to-goodness quads. Past palettes have had coordinating shades, but these are clearly grouped into golds and silvers, and the colors are absolutely gorgeous. I'm also completely in love with the highlighter. It's crazy-sparkly, and makes me think of sugar cookies and snowflakes, but is an easy and grown-up way to get away with a little glitter, even during the day. It really lights up my face, and I adore it. The bronzer can be used to add a little flush to the face, or as a contour, as the shimmer is minimal compared to the rest of the palette. The gloss is an almost clear gold, and is packed with sparkle. Basically, all of the colors are fabulous, wintery, and wearable.

The packaging is another plus. Like all other Glamour To Go palettes, it's constructed of a durable hard plastic, and is about the size of a credit card holder. Unlike other Glamour To Go palettes, the face is a pretty gold. It looks beautiful in my makeup drawer. There's also a mirror that spans the length of the lid, and is pefectly functional for touch-ups. The $22 price makes this a great value, and just right for gift-giving.

The Bad:
The shadows. Unfortunately, as wonderful as Too Faced shadows normally are, the ones in the Glamour To Go palettes tend to pale by comparison. They're not terrible! Not by a long shot! But they're not nearly as great as the singles or duos. The pigmentation is a little lacking in some, and others are a bit chalky. As soon as I get a free moment, I'll swatch them and update the post. Again, they're not bad shadows--they're just not as good as I know they could be. I've used them for a few days with very little trouble. Here's how the golds look together:

Hey! I finally did my brows!

The Ugly:
Nothing. It's just a really good palette.

Earlier, I suggested this might make a nice gift for the teenager in your life. While a lovely palette, some with fine lines may find that the shimmer enhances them, and that's not necessarily flattering. Teens and younger folks tend to love the pretty-shinies, and can wear them more easily. Plus, the shades are perfect for those just beginning to wear to makeup, making this a terrific learning tool.

Final Verdict: 9 out of 10, and only because Too Faced can do, and has done, better shadows.

Week of Naked 2 Challenge!: Day 5

Woohoo! It's the last day! I made it! Five different looks, using different combinations of shadows, showing each shadow at least once. Y'all may not be impressed, but I'm ridiculously proud of myself. This was harder than I expected it to be.

For those just tuning in to our blog, already in progress, I've been field-testing the Naked 2 palette for range and versatility over the past week. Some people may be looking into purchasing one for themselves or as a gift, given it's the (ridiculously early) holiday season. Swatches are nice, but sometimes it's more helpful to see things in action. Hopefully, this helped.

So, today's even-more-casual-than-usual Friday at my job, so I tossed on some jeans, a Doctor Who tee, and a hoodie. I look freaking fifteen years-old. Seriously, I ran by the mall, and security watched me like a hawk. I felt very uncomfortable. However, because I was dressed so casually, I kept my makeup looking very natural. In fact, I'd call it a "no-makeup" look. Light foundation, concealer, minimal cream blush on cheeks, tinted lip balm, brows, and this eyeshadow look with mascara. Easy peasy.

Indoors

Natural Light

This was done by simply applying Foxy from lid to brow, then Tease in and just above the crease. I used a flat brush to wiggle blackout along my upper lashes, not really focusing on a line, but mostly filling in-between the lashes. I ran Tease along the lower lashline. Mascara is Buxom. No highlight. No inner corner. Done.

Seriously, I hope this helped somebody. I've got another really fun palette to show you next week--inexpensive, and a great stocking stuffer!--and a glittery holiday nail polish to review. Stay tuned!

Week of Naked 2 Challenge!: Day 4

If you're just joining us, I thought I'd spend this week field-testing the Naked 2 palette, so that any of you guys interested in possibly purchasing it could see in action before plunking down your cold, hard, cash on one. These aren't necessarily tutorials or "looks". This is, literally, just me putting my makeup on for the day. It's about as "Reals World" as you can get. Anyhoo, I hope this helps you decide if the range of colors and versatility are what you're looking for.

I spent today singing, so I went for a vaguely theatrical Fall look.


Indoors




Natural Light

 Yes, I will clean up my brows! Okay, for this look, I used Snakebite all over the lid, then Suspect just above the crease, then Half Baked over the Suspect, Busted on the outer corner and lower lashline, and Blackout in the crease. Once that was blended, I dusted Bootycall on the browbone and in the inner corner. Liner is UD 24/7 in Zero. Mascara is Buxom. And that, folks, is half the palette in one look.