Price: $3.99 * Buy At: Ulta * Size: 0.4 fl oz / 12 mL The Essence Get BIG! Lashes Volume Boost Mascara comes in a large black tube and has a pretty big wand made of natural bristles that get smaller towards both ends. The mascara has a fairly wet formula, but I don't find it to clump as easily as many wet mascaras tend to do. There isn't really anything about this mascara that I don't like, but there also isn't anything that stands out or sets it apart from other mascaras. The mascara gave me a pretty even balance of length, thickness and separation, but wasn't amazing for any of the three. I used two coats of the Essence Get BIG! Lashes Triple Black Mascara on my top and lower lashes in the pictures. XOX ♥
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Price: $58 * Buy At: Sephora * Size: 3 x 0.116 oz / 3.3 g The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette contains three : Dim Light, Incandescent Light and Radiant Light. Incandescent Light is exclusive to the palette, but the other two can be purchased separately. A full sized Ambient Lighting Powder contains 0.35 oz of product and retails for $45. This palette only contains 0.348 oz and costs $58, which is actually kind of a rip off even though you get more selection. The Lighting Powders have an amazingly smooth and finely milled formula that just feels expensive and luxurious. When you swatch the colors on your finger the color payoff looks intense, but it is much more subtle when applied to the face. I like to use Dim Light as a contour shade. While I typically wouldn't think to apply a light peachy highlighting powder as a contour, Hourglass suggested it and I actually love how it looks. It gives a more subtle and natural contoured look and it is super easy to blend out. The middle shade, Incandescent Light doesn't show up on my skin as much as I thought it would. It is a rather subtle highlight that I find myself always building up. Radiant Light is really close to my skin color so it just gives off a very light glow. Hourglass suggests applying this shade all over the face, but I don't notice a difference at all. I don't really see the glow or the "pore and imperfection reducing" qualities. Honestly, I think that these powders are a bit over hyped. They do a fine job, but I'm not sure if they are worth the splurge. XOX ♥
Price: $6 * Buy At: Ulta * Size: 4.5 g The Nyx Matte Lipstick in Pale Pink is a light cool toned pink with a matte finish. The Nyx Matte Lipsticks come in a matte black tube that is clear in the middle, so you can see the product inside. Pale Pink has a thin and comfortable formula that doesn't feel drying at all on the lips. It only begins to feel drying after a couple hours, like most lip products tend to do. Pale Pink has great color payoff, and while it does apply very evenly to the lips, it is a less forgiving color since it's so light. Because of this, I would suggest exfoliating the lips a bit before applying Pale Pink. The color is a bit hard to pull off, so I would probably wear it under some kind of gloss, but it is still pretty on its own. XOX ♥
Price: $7 * Buy At: Beauty Brands * Size: 0.064 g / 1.8 g The KOCO by Beauty Brands Eye Shadow in Classy is a dark muted purple with a matte finish. The KOCO Eye Shadows come in a thin plastic compact with a clear lid. Classy has a smooth texture, but does apply a bit more chalky than the two other matte shadows I have from KOCO. While Classy doesn't swatch the best on the skin, it actually applies very easily to the eyes. Since it doesn't have an intense color payoff, it works great as a transition color if you are working with purple shadows. It is also very easy to build up to create a dark and dramatic crease look. It applies pretty opaque on the lid if you use a shader brush and it applies nicely to the lower lashline as well. XOX ♥
Yellow probably isn't a go to eye shadow color for most people, but when worn the right way it can look very pretty and it works with all eye colors! If this look still looks pretty intimidating, I promise you that it doesn't appear as intense in natural light as it does with the lights I use for my photos. How To | Step by StepI used two shades for my transition color in the crease, after applying the Elf Eyelid Primer. First, on the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush I applied the KOCO Shadow in Natural, a pale neutral yellow. For the bright yellow color, I used Grand Master Flash from the Sleek Supreme iDivine Palette on the IT Cosmetics Airbrush Shadow brush. To blend the colors together, I used a Sigma E40 brush. To darken up the crease I applied a mustard brown shadow (it is an unnamed shadow from a MAC duo, but it is basically the same shade as MAC Uninterrupted) with the IT Cosmetics Airbrush Crease Brush. Using a Coastal Scents Shader brush, I also applied the mustard brown all over my lids. To add a bit of shimmer to the lids, I applied a light amount of the Urban Decay Shadow in Maui Wowie. On it's own this is a very cool toned taupe, but it works nicely over the mustard brown to add a bit of dimension. On the lower lashline, I applied the mustard brown right below my waterline with a flat liner brush. I also added the yellow from the Sleek palette below the brown, with a Sigma E47. I did make the lower lashline pretty intense in this look, to make sure the yellow translated in the pictures, but I probably wouldn't make the yellow as intense to wear during the day. I used the Sephora ColorProof Liner in Matte Brown to create a thin line along my lids. To complete the look, I applied the CK One Mascara and the Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara.
XOX ♥ Price: $2.49 * Buy At: Walgreens * Size: The Jordana Modern Matte Lipstick in Modern Frappuccino (03) is a medium dark brown with a brick red tone. The color reminds me a lot of the Pantone Color of the Year, Marsala. The Modern Matte Lipsticks come in a plastic tube with a clear lid. The packaging looks and feels quite cheap, and the writing on the tube rubbed off a lot with only one use. However, it's the product on the inside that really counts, and fortunately the lipstick is really nice. Matte Frappuccino applies very smoothly and doesn't tug on the lips. It can be the slightest bit patchy when applying it, but it's very easy to fix since the formula is pretty creamy. Matte Frappuccino feels pretty thin on the lips and while I woudn't call it moisturizing, it does not dry out the lips either. Like with most matte lip products, I would suggest applying a lip balm prior to applying Matte Frappuccino. If you are looking for a lip liner to wear with Matte Frappuccino, I suggest the Nyx Slim Lip Pencil in Rose Brown, as they are very close in color. After two hours of wear, Matte Frappuccino began to feel drying, but it wasn't bad at all. After three hours, it had faded unevenly, especially around the lip line, but somehow it still did not feel that dry. The color was completly gone after four hours. XOX ♥
Stila Mind Eyes Are the Window Palette VS Stila In The Know Palette | Swatches & Comparison1/21/2015 When the Eyes Are The Window palettes came out, I was instantly drawn to the shade "Mind". But, I realized that looked extremely close to a Stila palette I already had, the In The Know palette. Swatching them, I found that they were extremely similar so I figured that a comparison was in order. To see my review of the In The Know Palette, click HERE. To see my review of the Mind Palette, click HERE. Colors from the In The Know Palette will be called ITK and colors from the Mind Palette will be called M. If I had to choose between the two Stila palettes, I would definitley chose the In The Know Palette. It costs $10 less, comes with an eyeliner and the formula of the shadows is much better. The In The Know shadows are softer than the Mind shadows and they have much better color payoff. The Mind Palette does have two more shades, but I find the In The Know to be a better deal. Swatched left to right: Brilliance (M), Air (ITK), Genius (M), Wind (ITK), Understanding (M) & Desert (ITK). Swatched left to right: Observation (M), Rain (ITK), Driftwood (ITK), Perception (M) & Fire (ITK). Swatched left to right: Creativity (M), Earth (ITK), Instinct (M) Smoke (ITK), Reason (M) & Ebony (ITK). XOX ♥
Price: $6 * Buy At: Nyx's Website * Size: 0.16 oz / 4.5 g The Nyx Macaron Lippie in Orange Blossom is a yellow toned orange with a cream finish. The Macaron Lippies come in packaging very similar to Nyx's Matte Lipsticks, where you can see the product's color through the center. Orange Blossom has a thin and smooth formula that feels somewhat similar to Nyx's Extra Creamy Round Lipsticks as well as their Butter Lipsticks. It is quite pigmented and does not need to be built up to achieve. Orange Blossom did apply pretty evenly, but not quite as even as the Macaron Lippie in Violet, which I will be reviewing soon. I know orange lip colors aren't for everyone, but if you are a fan of them like I am, then Orange Blossom is a unique must have. XOX ♥
Price: $49 * Buy At: Ulta * Size: 0.51 oz / 14.5 g The Stila Eyes Are The Window Palette in Mind contains twelve mostly neutral, matte shadows. The Eyes Are The Window Palette in Mind comes in a shiny gold compact with Stila embossed on the lid. On the inside of the palette there is a very large mirror. The palette is rather compact and small, making it great for travel. I don't dislike the palette, but I feel that many of the shadows are lacking in pigmentation and need to be built up. This wasn't the case for the Spirit palette in this line, which I reviewed HERE. The palette is very similar to Stila's In The Know Palette as far as colors go, and I will be posting a comparison between the two very soon! Instinct is a charcoal grey. Instinct has a smooth texture, but it is lacking a bit in pigmentation. This could be a good thing if you want a more subtle grey, but if not, it will need some building up. Observation is a medium cool toned brown. Observation's formula is a lot like Instinct's. It felt somewhat soft, but it doesn't have the best color payoff. Wit is an orange based tan. Just like the first two colors in the middle column, Wit is lacking in pigmentation, but it feels smooth. Perception is a muted orange. Unlike the rest of the colors in this column, Perception is quite pigmented and applies very smoothly. Brilliance is a light yellow based ivory. It has a pretty smooth formula, but it applies a little bit powdery. However, I'm pretty impressed with the color payoff since it is such a light color. Imagination is a cool toned pastel pink. It feels a little drier than Brilliance, but it is less powdery. Genius is a light peachy beige. It's formula was quite similar to the first two shades. It has a smooth texture, but it is slightly powdery. Understanding is a warm tan. It feels somewhat dry, like Imagination. Unfortunately it does not have good pigmentation. Understanding needs to be built up to show up on the skin. Reason is a black. Reason isn't a super intense black, but it has a very smooth texture and I find it easy to blend. Thinker is a dark brown with a violet tint. The texture of Thinker is a bit dry and it is lacking in color payoff, but it can be built up easily. Creativity is a neutral dark brown. It has much better pigmentation than Thinker and it has a smooth texture. Intellect is a medium clay brown. The formula of Intellect is pretty nice and it has great pigmentation. XOX ♥
Price: $5 * Buy At: Nyx's Website * Size: 4 g / 0.14 oz The Nyx Powder Blush in Bittersweet is a warm rose with subtle shimmer. At least as of right now, this shade is only available on Nyx's website and not at retailers like Ulta. The Nyx Powder Blushes come in a black plastic compact with a clear lid. Bittersweet is a tad bit sheer, but is easy to build up. Since its not super opaque and intense, Bittersweet works great on fair to light skin tones. It is on the neutral end as far as pinks and roses go, so Bittersweet works well with a variety of eye looks and lip colors. The shimmer in this blush is very subtle and it almost looks matte when applied on the cheeks. Bittersweet is easy to blend out and doesn't look patchy on the skin. XOX ♥
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