Review: em Michelle Phan's Holiday Life Palette - "New Year's Countdown"

Ever since Michelle Phan released her make-up line in August 2013, I have wanted to get my hands on something to try, but I was a little put off by the prices. The costs are a bit much for something that people could not get their hands on to first test and try, so I was a little hesitant. Some beauty gurus received Life Palettes to test out, but the reviews were not overwhelmingly positive; the general consensus was positive, but there were also criticisms and like I said before- no one was really raving over them. Even the gurus were off put by the prices. 

Before cancelling my IPSY subscription I received a full size Pillow Plush from EM in 1 of my bags. While this product is not the best thing ever, it is pretty good and encouraged me to try more from this company.

Quick review: This is a balm and the company boasts that it gives sheer color while giving your lips an extra boost. I do like this balm, mostly because it is long lasting on the lips and fights against drying conditions. It is a bit stiff though and in my opinion it takes a few coats to get to my liking. I find it works well under lipstick too. The color is very sheer though, so do not expect lipstick-like appearance. It is $15. This is the color "Strawberry".

When the holiday season rolled around, EM had excellent deals! On Cyber Monday they had Buy 1/Get 1 Free on everything! I couldn't resist getting something! I had my eyes on the limited edition palettes that were released for the holiday season and decided to pick them both up since 1 of them would be free! Shipping was free too! I paid $29 for 2 palettes + tax.

Today I bring you a review of the Holiday Life Palette in the "New Year's Countdown" edition. This palette is a limited edition palette released for the 2013 holiday season from em Michelle Phan (em Cosmetics). This palette is the on the right in the picture above.

Side Note (If you already know about em Cosmetics then feel free to skip this part): The "Life Palettes" are the staple of this cosmetic line and what sets them apart from other companies. Michelle Phan did not just simply put out a product line with make-up, she actually took time to create products that went together and they focus around The Life Palettes. These palettes are $79 and feature themes for different situations in Life. They come with multiple eyeshadows, blushes, and lip colors. The company also has made "Shade and Play" palettes that only include eyeshadows and are based on color themes. - The "Life Palette Moments" are a combo of both The Life Palettes and Shade And Play palettes; they contain eyeshadows as well as lip & cheek colors. 

The packaging was nothing special to really show. Just a box, but it did come with a little card.

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Michelle Phan thanks your for trying her products and gives you a little message on the back of the card.

The New Year's Countdown palette comes in a cute box and is definitely eye catching.

The carton-like box the palette comes in opens up to reveal the palette and has a little message about tutorials that are available for this palette. - As you can see the palette comes with a brush. The brush is the only disappointment in the product. The eyeliner part of the brush is decent and thin, so it's okay if you are traveling or on-the-go and need an eyeliner brush, but it's not great. The other end, which is the shadow part, is just okay, but I really do not use it. I feel there are better inexpensive brushes out there you can use that do a better job.

Here is a look inside the the palette! The eyeshadows are from the gold color on the top left and the next 4 shadows. The dark charcoal color is a liner shadow. The last 2 colors are actually the lip colors. The big color in the center is the blush.

As you can see from the picture there is a mirror that comes inside the palette, which really helps if you're on the go and it is a nice size. The other thing I'd like to put out there is that this palette is a bit on the heavy size. If you read my previous review then you'll see I'm a fan of heavy palettes because they = durability. A lot of people complained in their reviews about how the heaviness of these limited edition palettes, but it does not bother me all too much. I will say- I was a bit shocked at the weight of the palette; for such a small palette it is does have a bit of weight to it.

Here are the swatches and color reviews. Starting the review from Left to Right and working backwards on the palette. (I know my most recent reviews have gone counter clockwise on the palettes and I will work hard not to do that anymore in the future!) - One thing I really liked about the palettes I received is that all the colors have names! I feel like a lot of companies lately come out with multi-use palettes and do not bother naming anything, which I personally think takes away from the product and is lazy. It makes reviews, tutorials, and recommendations so much easier when companies put names/labels on their products!

• Countdown: This is the first color on my arm (starting left) and it is the blush color. This is a rosy wine color and it has a bit of a shimmer to it that gives your cheeks a little glow, but nothing too shiny. The color is nice for evenings out and parties, but definitely not for everyday use.
• Clock Strikes Midnight: This is a dark charcoal color. This color is a little on the powdery side and and is the hardest to blend of all the colors, but like I said before it is more of a liner color than an eyeshadow. It takes a few layers to build good capacity.
• Happy New Year!: This is a very deep dark brown with sparkle. Unless well blended out and put on lightly, it otherwise appears black. It does have a lot of sparkle to it, so not for you anti-sparklers. 
• Cranberry Cocktail: This is a cranberry color that shimmers and applies nicely and blends well.
• Couples Gold: This is more of a coppery gold with shimmer and it also applies nicely and blends well.
• Good Cheers!: This is a peachy tan color with a lot of sparkle to it. It takes a lot for me to get it to really show up on my skin. I tend to use this color in the inner corner of my eyes or just for sparkle.
• Sequin Dress: This is a pale gold foil-like shadow. It is very sparkly and you will experience some fallout with it, so make sure to tap your brush off before applying! Like I said, it almost goes on more like a foil then a shadow and is definitely more for adding sparkle or decoration to your look then being just a shadow.

I did not even bother swatching the lip colors, but neither showed up well enough on my skin when I tried to photograph them. The darker color is "Sparkling Punch" and the lighter color is "Stroke of Plum". Both are more like glosses then lipsticks and provide only sheer color. I recommend them over lipsticks. I did see many people say in reviews before I bought mine that they were a little disappointed in the opacity of the lip colors and for this palette here I have to agree. This set of colors is suppose to be seductive, sexy, and festive and therefore I feel darker and opaque lip colors would have been better suited for this palette.

Overall, I would give this palette a 4/5 rating. My only personal complaints really are the brush that comes with it and the lip colors being glosses and not lipsticks. I feel that the products perform well and that they have lasting power. I personally like the durability and the protection that the case provides, although a lot of you will not like the weight of the palette. For evenings out, special occassions, and holidays, I feel this palette is great! It is not for everyday use though. If you do not like sparkle I would probably stay away from this palette. Based on the products I have tried, I recommend em Michelle Phan. This palette is currently on sale for $25, instead of the original $29. If your'e interested I suggest swooping this up, because I have a feeling once it's gone, it's gone for good.

Any questions or comments, please leave below. If you have your own review of this palette or EM products leave your link!