Review: Almay Shadow Softies

So, this is a long overdue review. I've had these since December and they've been well tested since then. However, if you've been reading up on this blog you know I'm very far behind and this is one of the reviews that I've been meaning to do and never really took the time to do it. - I'm reviewing the Almay Shadow Softies. When I first bought these I immediately came home and blogged about them. All I did was swatch them though, I didn't actually try them out. Since then I have tried them in various situations.

Almay states these are "whipped powder shadows" that will deliver "a sheer wash of color" and are "crease-free". I have not seen a ton of reviews on these, but from what I did see I saw a lot of complaints for bad color-payoff. I have to disagree with these people. First off, Almay states that these are sheer and thus they are not meant to be very pigmented; You can't expect a product to deliver something it wasn't designed for. These shadows do deliver a sheer color and are best for people who do not like bold looks or for days you're wanting something simple or just a pop of color.

I'm wearing the only 2 colors I purchased: "#115 Seafoam" (the light blue) and "#160 Midnight Sky" (dark blue). Almay seemed to make all 12 of these shadows correspond with another one. The darker shades are mattes and the lighter shades are metallic. The texture reminds me of the Bouncy Blushes from Maybelline. They work well with finger application or a stiffer brush. They have decent staying power with a primer. These photos feature the shadow over Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I have not worn them without a primer yet, so I have no idea how they hold up without one. With my oil skin, the max time I could go without seeing noticeable fading was about 8 hours which is not bad. That I know of Almay makes no statement as to how long these will last.

Over all, I like these. They're not for everyone and they may not be for every day use for some. Personally, I have not bought anymore, but it doesn't necessarily mean I wouldn't buy more in the future. If you're looking for a very affordable product (around $5 or less depending on where you get them) to give you a pop of color, highlight, or simple shading then you'll like these!

Liebster Award

I was nominated for a Liebster Award by Kimai Tabar of The Outstanding Princess. I've never been nominated for this and so I have chosen to participate.

Just a little side info on the whole Liebster thing for those who don't know- This award has been around for years. It is more of a "tag" or "chain" then it is really an award. The goal is simply for those bloggers who are new or not well-known to have a chance to get to be known by others. Typically, someone gets nominated and chooses to participate. Participation requires the nominee to answer questions provided by the person who nominated them or "tagged" them. After answering the questions, they nominate blogs they like that are new or not well known and provide a set of questions for the new nominees to answer, and the cycle continues. People who see these blogs linked all over can choose to click the links and get to know new bloggers.

My choice to participate in this is simply to network and for people to get to know me. Since I've started this blog I have not done anything like this. So, let's get on with it!

Where do you shop the most?

The answer would be online, but I would assume people want to know more specifics. For clothing, I tend to shop mostly at Guess, Delias, and Victoria's Secret Pink. It's hard for me to find clothes that are small enough. As for make-up, I usually go to Sephora, Macy's, or Nordstroms. I tend to buy Urban Decay, Lancome, and Too Faced the most, although a recent re-spark in MAC has caused my MAC collection to grow greatly!

What got you into blogging?

I've always blogged. I've always had a personal blog since I was 16, but as far as beauty blogging goes- I'm pretty new. I just decided to start one last year, about half a year ago, after so many people kept telling me I should make videos. I'm not a video type person, so I decided to give blogging a try.

Who are your most favorite bloggers?

I tend to read different blogs here and there depending on what I'm looking for, but I consistently read: 

Nouveau Cheap -Love this blog! The owner, G, works really hard at keeping up to date with everything going on in the drug store world!

Chic Profile -This is actually a international blog, but she covers American information as well. She always has the latest on the upcoming collections!

Temptalia -I've been a long time reader of hers. I like her format of her reviews and while I don't always agree with her opinions, I like that she always has swatches of just about anything on the market and she answers people's questions.

Do you prefer thrift clothes or branded?

I've got to say "branded". I've never been big into thrifting. Aside from the smell in most thrift stores, I just can never find anything that fits me or is my style.

What are you plans this year for your blog?

I want to be more consistent with my posts and I want to improve. I've already gone over my reviews from last year and I really want to improve upon my technique. I feel I give good information, but the way it is presented and executed could definitely be improved on.

Are you a fashion lover or make-up lover?

Both. I tend to blog more about make-up, because it is easier to get my hands on and I'm very picky about clothing. I tend to pick up a clothing item here and there, but never like a haul that I would do with make-up. I can find a piece of clothing I like at a store. Maybe 2.

On the off chance that I may offend or annoy someone who finds this sort of thing to be a chain and annoying, I'm not going to "nominate" anyone. If you'd like to see the blogs I follow and read, check out the right side of this blog. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and if you have anymore questions for me then please feel free to leave them in the comments!

Review: em Michelle Phan's Holiday Life Palette - "Ice Bunny"

Health Update: Real quick update on my health from my last post. I had a step backwards this weekend, but I'm slowly recovering. It's been a bit tough trying to clear my sinuses and the congestion throughout the upper half of my body; part of that is just the time of year (it's rainy season here and a little chilly) combined with allergies and the rest of it is this flu I'm still trying to fight.

I am reviewing the "Ice Bunny" palette today from em Michelle Phan that was part of the holiday collection. I had planned on reviewing this much earlier, but as I said in a previous entry, there were many things that prevented me from being able to do that and now with this recent flu attack I have had even more delays! So, without any further delays let's get on with the review!

The palette came in a box exactly like the New Year's Countdown edition, which was a carton-like box. It's cute and features Michelle herself.

The palette itself opens up to show 6 eye colors and 2 lip colors surrounding the 1 cheek color. The palette is shaped, designed, and looks just like the New Years Countdown palette I reviewed before. The palette is based mostly on the cooler side. - As far as the structure of the palette, I really enjoy it. It is exactly the same as the New Years Countdown. I know a lot of people will not like the heaviness of the palette, but I find it gives protection and durability. I enjoy the big mirror too for on-the-go application and touch-ups.

Here are the swatches from left to right (going backwards on the palette):

• Snuggle Up Beach: This is the blush/cheek color. It is a warm peach color with sparkle. I personally like this blush for every day or special occasions, especially if you have a matte face and want to add a little glow or shimmer. If you're not a fan of sparkles you probably won't like it.
• Black Pumps: This is the darkest color of the palette. It's a charcoal black and it is a bit on the powdery side, and you can kind of see that in the pic. I do like this color for lining and shading and it is matte.
• Winter Chill: This is a matte charcoal color that comes off much litter than Black Pumps. It can be layered to be much darker and look truer to color, but just first applying it comes off almost brown and a little on the lighter side.
• Bundle Up: This is a shimmery taupe color and I find this a very practical color for everyday use.
• Ice Bunny: The namesake color of the palette. It is a bright, cool toned silver color. It takes a little work to get this color opaque, but it's a very nice color and pretty unique to what is on the market now.
• Snow Day!: This is a coppery brown color that is cool toned. It looks a lot like "Bundle Up" in the picture, but in reality it is lighter and has a coppery tone to it.
• Avalanche: This is a shimmery pink color. I enjoy this color, but it does not apply 100% smoothly on it's own. It works a little better over other shadows.

Like the other holiday palette, I did not swatch the lip colors. They were just too light to even show up. I do not consider them lip colors, I consider them glosses. They perform decently. They were the most disappointing part of the whole palette, besides the brush that comes with it that is similar to something you get in a Wet N' Wild palette.

Overall, I give this palette a 4/5 rating. I actually thought I would end up hating this palette by the pictures I saw, but I ended up getting it only because the Black Friday sale was "Buy 1, Get 1 Free", so I just purchased this as my "free one". However, this palette is much more practical for every day use and the colors go well with my other palettes from other brands, so I actually use this palette more than the New Years one. I like the strong, durable case and the big mirror it comes with. The colors are nice without being over the top in sparkles. I do wish the lip colors were actually that, but the glosses make more sense in this palette than in the New Years one, so I give it some slack. This was $29, but is currently on sale for $25. If you're interested I suggest getting it, because it is limited edition and will be gone once it is sold out.

Any questions or comments just leave them below! Also, if you have a review of your own on this palette I'd love to see it!

Social Media

So, 2014 has not gotten off the way I wanted. Up until last week, I felt it was going okay. I went on a vacation back the the East side of the USA to visit my family in Tennessee and ended up catching the flu that is going around there. I have not been that sick in 4 years. I had nonstop fever all night and in continued on and off for the next 2 days. Not to mention this congestion in my throat and sinuses are worse than ever. -I touched on some of this on Google+ and this led me to think that I should share my social media sources for all of you so we can all stay in touch. I love meeting new people and being able to keep up to date with my fave beauty community bloggers & vloggers. Feel free to leave your links, usernames, etc. below! 

Google+
-Obviously I am a part of  the Google network, having a blog on Blogger and all. you can access my profile by clicking the link about or my profile on the side of my blog. If you add me to your circle I do add back! I mostly just post my recent blog entries up there, but if you also have a blog on Blogger you can see all my activity on other blogs and I can see yours!

Instagram
I post pictures all the time of everything I collect, so you won't just see beauty products on there. I'd say about 60% of my posts are beauty related in some way though. I also post pictures of things I find interesting, my other collections and hobbies, and just interesting moments in my life. Feel free to follow me, I follow back. 

Follow: TheBunnie

Twitter
I tweet mostly about sports and my beauty/shopping experiences, so it's a very interesting Twitter feed, lol. Follow and I follow back. I apologize if I ever miss your tweets, but it seems to happen a lot.

Follow: StateOfKait