Swatches: Kat Von D "Mi Vida Loca" Palette - Holiday 2015

[Kat Von D - Mi Vida Loca Palette]

I recently was gifted the Kat Von D "Mi Vida Loca" palette! I have been waiting, wanting, and hoping to get this palette since the previews released this summer! I suppose I should be thankful for an early release and that I didn't have to wait for it any longer, but it still feels a bit early to consider this a holiday palette. -With that being said, let's take a look at this palette! I haven't actually tested out the shadows by wearing them, so all my reviews of the colors are simply from the swatches.

For an overall review and to skip the fine detail, scroll all the way to the bottom of this post!

Info: Mi Vida Loca is only available at Sephora, as Kat Von D beauty is exclusive to Sephora and limited edition. It is $59 US and is said to be valued at $210. As of right now the palette is still available on the site and in stores. However, the website did sell out of it's initial stock and has since been restocked. No telling if they'll receive anymore once it sells out again. Many stores still have them, but stores often do not get restocked on limited edition items.

The palette came in a sturdy plastic cover. It was not anything fancy, so need to show this; it was clear and plastic........ The palette slides out of the cover like a record and reveals a wheel of colors. Aside from this palette being released way before the holidays, it doesn't give a very holiday feel and perhaps that's just another reason why it might as well have an early release. The palette is entitled, "Mi Vida Loca", which is Spanish for "My Crazy Life" and the colors remind me of the MAC counter with all the bright colors and hues -not that it's a bad thing though. It all around screams the colorful vibrations of the Hispanic culture in Kat Von D's edgy style. Like I said before, the palette slides out like a vinyl record and it's almost as big as one! The palette itself is quite large and this will a problem for those who want to travel with it. Not only is it not travel friendly, but I have read other reviews in which people say it is extremely hard to depot these shadows and it takes a lot of effort to do so. The packaging is still beautiful and eye catching though and deserves an A+ for that. It's been a while since I have bought or just simply saw a palette that had packaging this artistic. It probably helps that Kat Von D is an artist.

[the back of the Mi Vida Loca palette]

Even the back of the palette follows the theme and is beautiful! It's obvious that Kat Von D really put a lot of thought into every detail of this palette!

The palette was released on October-3 and I immediately wanted to buy it. However, I have never owned a Kat Von D eyeshadow or eye palette in my life and I decided to wait for more reviews. My personal feelings would be that Kat Von D's cosmetic line has a group of followers and they're die hard for the products, but sometimes fanaticism can be blinding. The reviews I read were mostly favorable, but I saw a lot of complaints about the colors not being as vibrant as they appear on the palette and the performance not living up to the hype. Of course, there was also the unfriendly travel complaint too. However, as I said at the beginning of all of this, I was gifted this palette! So, now all that is left is for me to share my views and opinions!

Moving onto the swatches! Keep in mind: All swatches are without a primer! Although I do always use a primer on my eyes with my eyeshadow, I wanted to see how well these shadows did on their own after reading the complaints. Also, remember that I have not tested these on my eyelids yet! That will come later. All swatches are in natural light. I have medium skin color and it's a bit tan from the California sun.

[Left to Right: Synth, Dark Wave, Echo, Muse, Anthem, Live]

• Synth - It's a bright turquoise matte blue. It's swatched 2x's on my arm. I experienced a lot of fallout with Synth, but it is pigmented and that's a big plus! When I originally saw the palette my eye went straight to this color and I'm glad to see that it's pigmentation seems to hold up to the vibrancy on the palette.
• Dark Wave - This is a dark jean blue satin. It's swatched 3x's on my arm. It does not have the best pigmentation, but it is buildable. I imagine this would best be used in conjunction with other colors, particularly darker colors that could help deepen its depth. I did have a little fallout with this one too.
• Echo - This shadow is barely visible on my arm, but it is there! Because of the natural light it is hard see the sparkle too, but there's plenty of it. This is swatched 3x's and it is a dark purple with pink and blue glitter in it. The glitter is quite chunky for a shadow. It is very sheer, as it barely shows up on my arm, but I experienced no fallout and that's a plus for a glittery shadow! I feel this shadow would best be used as an glittery topper to an eye look or just to add some deep sparkle. It's obviously not a shadow to be used on it's own.
• Muse - This is a matte muted lilac and swatched 2x's. There was very little fallout with it and it is sheer. I feel this color would best be used as a highlight color or to brighten other colors.
• Anthem - This is an orchid purple and it's swatched x3's. It's chalky and there was a lot of fallout. It's also quite sheer. This is definitely a disappointing shadow from my testing experience. My advice would be to use it as a base color for other shadows or for a sheer wash of color.
• Live - This is a shimmery reddish pastel pink. I swatched it 2x's. There was very little fallout. I was quite pleased with this shadow and it applied nicely. 

[Left to Right: Hyperballad, Lemmy, Misfit, Vinyl, Legend, Fran]

• Hyperballad - This is a darkened teal matte. It's swatched 2x's on my arm. I found this shade to be very pigmented and only a tiny bit of fallout. I feel like this will perform very well on the eyes.
• Lemmy - This shade really surprised me. On the palette is appears to be a shimmery green that leans towards the mossy side, but once swatched it is more of a olive green with blue undertones and a lot of shimmer! It's not sparkly, but there is a lot of shimmer to it. I only had to swatch it 2x's and I had no fallout. It is very pigmented. It feels very nice and was easy to swatch with a smooth performance.
• Misfit - A grassy green that's matte and swatched 2x's on my arm. It is actually quite pigmented and very buildable. I had only a little fallout. This shade really shut down the complaints that I saw about the colors being chalky and unusable, because Misfit is a matte that is a bit stiff, but the color and performance are there!
• Vinyl - A neon green satin. I swatched it 3x's. It's sheer, but I had no fallout and it is buildable. I feel this shade would do well over other shadows that could help empower it or as a highlight color.
• Legend - A buttery yellow shimmer. I swatched it 2x's. It's sheer, but buildable. I hardly noticed the fallout. I don't personally feel this is a disappointing color though. It would work great as a highlight color or over other colors to brighten them up and/or add shimmer.
• Fran - This is an orange-ish yellow that reminds me of pollen. I swatched it 3x's here. There was fallout with this shadow and at first it was very patchy. It is buildable and does smooth itself out. With a primer or something to help it adhere, I feel this color could be successful.

[Left to Right: Black Metal, Swoon, Destroyer, Rewind, Harpsichord, Analogue]

• Black Metal - What you see is what you get with this shade; it is a matte black. I swatched it 3x's. There's fallout and this shadow is chalky. It is a bit sheer, but was buildable. I feel this shadow would be great for a smokey eye, rather than an all over the lid shade. I feel it would take a bit to get this shadow opaque over the entire lid.
• Swoon - A reddish pink satin color. Swatched 3x's on my arm . It's a buildable color, but a little patchy and a little chalky. Not the best performing shade in the palette. I would definitely recommend using this with other shadows and primer.
• Destroyer -  A red satin. I had to swatch this 4x's! There was fallout and it was a bit chalky. It's sheer, but buildable. This is another shade that I feel is meant to be used in conjunction with other shadows. It would help out other shadows and be a good overlay, but I can't see using this alone.
• Rewind - This is a reddish burgundy shimmer. Swatched 3x's here. There was fallout and it was patchy, but it is buildable and smooths itself out. 
• Harpsichord - This is an orange copper shimmer. I only had to swatch it 2x's and there was no fallout! It is very smooth and silky! I can't wait to work more with this color!
• Analogue - This is an orange satin with pink undertones. The pigmentation in this shadow is good and I only swatched it 2x's. However, there was a lot of fallout and it was a little chalky.

[Left to Right: Skulls, Lyric, Moulder, Strutter, Noble, Vox]

The last 6 swatches are the neutrals from the inner part of the palette. Neutrals are always the trickiest shades, because they usually appear vastly different on each skin tone. A reminder- my skin is a medium tone and is tanned from the sun.

• Skulls - This is a pinkish cream color with a shimmery finish. I swatched it 3x's. The shimmer is very noticeable and it's a buildable color. I had no fallout with this shade. I feel this will perform well on the eyes and work great as a highlight color.
• Lyric - A peach cream color with a shimmery finish. I swatched this 2x's. There was very little fallout, but it's a bit sheer. I feel this color was meant to be made sheer though. It will blend will with light to medium skin tones, so it'll work well to brighten up the eye area.
• Moulder - This is a light tan matte shade that looks a lot lighter on my tan skin than it will for those who have fairer skin. I swatched this 3x's. It's a bit powdery, but only had a tiny bit of fallout. It is a little chalky too, but not unworkable.
• Strutter - This is a light cafe brown satin. It almost blends into my natural skin, or the untanned part of my skin. So for me, this will be a good blending color. I swatched it x2's. There was fallout and it's chalky, but still usable.
• Noble - A light peach colored brown with a satin finish. This is another shade that blends pretty well into my natural skin tone. There is not too much difference between this shade and Strutter, so it almost seems redundant in the the palette. I swatched it 3x's. There was fallout and it's a little chalky, but it's a buildable color.
• Vox - A deep brown shade with a matte finish. I had to swatch this 4x's, as it was a sheer color for a shade that looks pigmented on the palette. It is buildable, but there was fallout. This shade performed similar to Black Metal and will probably work great for a smokey eye, but would take a lot of work to get a solid brown lid; both look very pigmented at first sight, but perform more sheer.

Final Verdict

This is a nice palette. It's not the most solid performing palette out there, but it's far from the worst. There's a nice mix of brights, neutrals, and dark shades. It is also a good mix of mattes, satins, and shimmers. I feel this palette would be great for those who want to use unique colors once in a while, but do not want to pay for them individually since that would be expensive and of course there would be the neutrals that one could use all the time. There is fallout with most colors and a little more then I would like. The shadows are not stiff, but some of them are chalky. The shimmer shadows seem to be the best performing shades and while there are a few disappointments, the pigmented colors do seem to live up to their hype with the exception of the neutral dark colors. The palette is not travel friendly and the shadows will be a challenge to depot, but it is beautiful and the details of the packaging are definitely eye catching! If you're a Kat Von D beauty fan or a make-up collector, this is a must! If you're not a fan of bright colors or shimmers, save your money, because you can purchase neutral palettes or lighter colors without having to spend $59 on a palette full of other colors you'll never touch. I would not recommend this palette to a beginner or someone who does not have a lot of experience with different types of eyeshadow formulas. Remember that not every eyeshadow made in the world is meant to be an opaque solid color and that's why I feel people need to give these shadows in this palette a break. However, there are a few shadows in this palette that will require work and the knowledge on how to get them to perform well. 

Personal eye looks coming soon! Let me know if you bought this palette and what your thoughts! Or tell me what you think from the review if you're not bought it! I would also love to read others reviews, so please leave your link below!

Review: Pacifica Mystical Supernatural Eye Palette

I'm reviewing the Pacifica "Mystical Supernatural" eye shadow palette today. I have had this for a while. I found it at Target on clearance. The price tag says it was originally $11.99 and I bought it for $8.38. I thought it was a good price and decent discount for me to try one of Pacifica's beauty products. I've always wanted to try them after trying some of their body creams (which I recommend), but all natural beauty products are a hit or miss and nobody wants to pay a medium sized amount of money for a miss. (Feel free to skip all the way to end to read the Final Verdict and skip the details.)

The box was pretty, but once you take the palette out of the box it's a little less eye catching. Some might prefer the simple look of the palette design, but I feel if you're going to have an extravagant box and you're going to name your palette "Mystical Supernatural" then you need an equally exotic palette case to match. Anyway, the palette is just a magnetic closure and is made of cardboard. The cardboard is more durable than a shoe box, but it's a little questionable how it would hold up if you are an intense traveler. We all know the wear that items receive when you travel or take things on the go with you a lot and I'm just not sure this one would hold up so well. I will say, that for an all natural company it does not surprise me that it would be in a recycled form of packaging. Another thing to note- the clear part over the shadows is just clear plastic and it's kind of on the flimsy side; I would find this really easy to puncture.

Well, the packaging is not the most important part. It's the performance of the product that matters most and here are the swatches! The shadows do not have names and while I prefer that shadows in palettes be given names (if they don't already have them), what can you do? I tried my best to line the swatches up with the shadows.

From left to right:

• The 1st shadow is a light pink iridescent. In the picture it looks beige or a light skin tone color, but in real life it is pink and in the light you will definitely see the iridescence. 
• The 2nd shadow is a pale coppery gold. It is sheer and has a nice shimmer to it.
• The 3rd shadow is a taupe color. This is a very sheer color and once applied appears as an iridescent. It takes quite a bit of layers to get the actual color you see out of it.
• The 4th color is a purplish blue. It looks more navy in the picture than it appears in real life. This has quite a bit of shimmer to it and is the boldest of the 4 colors.

Here is a look I created using all 4 colors.

• I used the Taupe color all over the lid.
• I took the Navy color and put it in the outer v and crease and then blended, which I feel really helped bring out the Taupe color.
• I used the Gold color for the brow bone & highlight, as well as the highlight underneath my eye. I feel this color went pretty well with my skin tone.
• Finally, I used the Pink color in the inner corner of the eye to brighten and extended it a little underneath the eye.

Final Verdict: I give this palette a 6/10. This palette is great if you're looking for a sheer wash of color or a very natural look, but none of the colors are really high in pigmentation or boldness. The shadows are super soft, apply easily, and blend easily. Without a primer, these shadows do not look as good, nor do they last that well with oily skin. When I used these without a primer I would say I had about 4-5 hours of decent wear, but then it started to fade and by the end of the day the oil from my skin pretty much dissolved it away. With primer, I had much better results and you can get a good day out of it. I think this palette would actually work better in-conjunction with other shadows/palettes than by itself. The the only other reason I give this a little bit of a lower rating, is because of the packaging. Like I said earlier, I think it'd be easy to puncture and damage the case and thus in the end damaging your shadows. - If you're looking for something with natural ingredients, sheer washes of color, and a natural eye look then you'll like this palette.

This palette is available at the Pacifica website for $14.99 and available at some Targets and on the Target website for $11.99.

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.

c

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!

Review: Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette

Today I'm reviewing the Urban Decay Vice 2 palette that was released this past holiday season (2013 holiday). It was available nationwide at Sephora, Ulta, Macy's, Urban Decay's website & counters, and pretty much anywhere that sold Urban Decay. It's very hard to get your hands on now unless you go to the actual Urban Decay website. - Above is the packaging/box that the palette comes in.

One good tip for people out there- Check your Sephora inside JcPenney's! When all of my Sephora's around me were sold out and Sephora online was sold out, I found it at Sephora inside JcPenney! This tip has helped me more than once! I know this option is not available for everyone. When I lived in Tennessee there were no Sephora's inside any JcPenney round me, but if you do happen to have 1 check them out! I have found exceptional service from them, better than some actual Sephora locations.

The back of the package lists all of the colors and names that come in the palette so you can see before you buy, but almost every place I went had the palette on display for you to test and try. The ingredients are listed on the very bottom. On the top, the package reads:

If eyeshadow is your vice, here's the ultimate fix: 20 BRAND-NEW shades, plus a double-ended Good Karma Brush. Experiment with insanely cool brights, not-your-average neutrals and sexy hits of smoke, all in our decadent, revamped formula. Even the presentation is luxe, with the touch of a button, the jewel-inlaid case opens slowly, seductively, to unveil all that gorgeous eye candy. Ah, sweet addiction. 

Urban Decay made a beautiful purple marble case and put a 3D crystal-like logo in the center -you can't help but be impressed! The case is made of plastic and as you can see it is on the thick side. The large size of the palette and the thickness makes it heavy, which a lot of you might not like, but the dimensions also make it very sturdy. Personally, I like palettes that are on the thicker side, because of the durability. To me, durable palettes means less of a chance for damage of the actual product inside, especially when traveling. I do travel quite a bit and especially when I fly, go long distances in a car, and are away from home for quite some time then I find that damage in some way will be done and the best protection are cases that are hardy. Alas, I know most people out there do not like toting around heavy beauty products and for everyday use I can see that, but for real traveling it's not one's best friend. 

As for the button, which is the black rectangle you see in the middle of the bottom; I wouldn't say that it's "slow" opening, but it doesn't spring open either. 

Here's what the inside of the palette looks like. Beautiful shades and all nicely displayed. -This was before it was touched. 

I'm not a fan of double-ended brushes, but you take what you get and I do think Urban Decay's brushes are well made, durable, and apply nicely. This brush is no exception!

Now for the swatches! I did my best to capture the true color with my camera, but I personally feel it's never 100%. All swatches are with no primer on my bare skin.

Top Row / Left to Right (On the palette this is from the bottom left and going to the right and up.)

• Dupe: A pink nude shade with shimmer. I find myself using this a lot has a highlight color and in the inner corner of my eye. Not the most notable shade, as I feel there are similar colors out there from UD and other companies, but still a nice one.
• Toxic: A pink bronze color with shimmer. Very nice, but again very similar to what it out on the market right now, especially with this Rose Gold trend. Performs nicely though.
• Habit: I did my absolute best to try to capture this color! Depending on the screen you have, you may not even be able to see it, but it almost blends right into my skin. I actually layered this one several times, but could not get it to show up. I use this has an all over color and a blending color. One of my favorites.
• Ambush: This is a brown shimmer. Nice color, but nothing too unique.
• Rewind: A matte brown. Another color I use a lot for shading and blending. It's very smooth and applies beautifully!
• Radar: This is a dark brown shimmer. This has a lot of glitter/sparkle to it. If you're not a fan of glitter then I would ignore this color.
• Damaged: A dark green shimmer color. This has a black base with a dark green shimmer tint. I like this color and it's pretty unique. This was 1 of the colors that originally made me want the palette.
• Voodoo: A deep purple glittery color. Again, this has a lot of sparkle to it, so if you don't like sparkle you won't like this color. I think it's pretty neat and has flecks of bright purple in it.
• Betrayal: An iridescent purple. I love this color! Another color that made me want to buy the palette. 
• Derailed: A cool-toned brown with shimmer. It has the typical smooth, easy application from a UD shadow, but nothing too unique.

Bottom Row / Left to Right (On the palette this is continuing from on up from the bottom, going left to the right and then up.)

• Prank: This is a deep, dark blue with iridescent sparkle. I feel in love with this color first when I tested out the display at the Urban Decay counter. If you don't like sparkle this is another shade you won't like, but I do love this! 
• Madness: This looks a lot different in the palette then when it is applied. It actually doesn't even look the same in the picture as it does in real life. This is a blue-grey color with green and iridescent sparkle that applies a bit darker then you'd think. This is the 2nd color I fell in love with and was my deciding factor in buying this palette. I've used this quite a bit. Very unique to me.
• Strike: This is a light gold shimmer that really shimmers in the light. I like it a lot.
• Stash: A brown gold shimmer with sparkle. I don't find myself using this color, but it is kind of unique to me compared to what is out on the market now.
• Poison: A charcoal color with a lot sparkle. I think this is nice for a night out, but definitely not for those who are anti-glitter/sparkle.
• Smokeout: Deep brown shimmer. This is 1 color that is a little bit more difficult to blend then most of the colors. It's not horrible, but just isn't as smooth as most of the shades in this palette.
• Lovesick: Black with a lot of glitter. This color is really not that different from Poison. It's a bit darker, but layer on Poison a bit and you have Lovesick. I personally feel that both of these colors were not necessary to put in the same palette, so you can't help but be disappointed by 1 of them. Poison is a little more on the powdery side. Lovesick applies a little lighter at first. So if you're looking for more glitter and less color, I'd go with Lovesick. If you're look for equal amounts of color and glitter I'd go with Poison.
• Shellshock: This is a silver shimmer and is very opaque. This is the smoothest and creamiest powder shadow I own! Very nice and applies like a dream! Great for those special occasions!
• Coax: Dark pink with shimmer. I use this color a lot too. Very pretty and also goes with the Rose Gold trend.
• X-Rate: Another color I use a lot. This is a matte pink. A little on the powdery side, but nothing that one can't work with.

Overall, I truly like this palette. I give it 5/5 rating and I think they did an outstanding job on presentation and performance of the product. If you don't like sparkle or glitter, stay away though. Most of these shades are heavy in the sparkle or shimmer at least.

Hope you enjoyed this review! Leave any questions or comments below. If you have your review or looks with this palette leave links to your blog!

Swatched: Wet 'N Wild Fergie Fall 2013 Collection Part 1

First off, let me start by saying that I know it's been 2 weeks since I've posted anything, but I moved. It was not a small move either; I moved to the other side of the country. I drove too, which meant that it took days to get there and I had an unexpected car problem along the way which delayed me a day. Not to mention that I arrived to my new home one evening and the next morning I started work, and I have been working all week long. The day of my last post, I actually was leaving within less than 48 hours for my trip and still had to finish my work (job there), packing, loading up, and saying goodbye. - I am doing well though and am trying my best to adjust to a completely different atmosphere and culture, as well as dealing with being away from my family, friends, and cat.

NOW! As promised: Swatches of the Fergie Fall 2013 limited edition collection from the makers of Wet 'N Wild! Along with a review! I realize this is kind of late, but this collection for some areas is just hitting the market and for everyone else who has been on the fence about buying it, this may help you. - I'm starting with the Photo Op Eyeshadow Palettes to get them out of the way. I know that the majority of people do not seem to like these, but I have had good luck with the core line. I will say that with the few limited edition palettes I have used full out, they are not as good as the core line ones for some reason, with the reason being unknown to me. Overall, for the value, I think they're good and you're getting a deal. So, I like these palettes. These palettes seem to be a "love/hate relationship" for people; either people really enjoy them or they loathe them. So, feel free to skip this entry if you're not into them, or keep reading if you want see.

There are 4 palettes in this limited collection and you can easily identify them with the "limited edition" stickers that were stuck on them. Starting with the top left- The pink & purple palette is called "Rose Parade"; the gray, smokey palette is "Bulletproof Glide"; the blue palette is "After Hours", and the green palette is "Suburban Jungle".

Starting with "Rose Parade", this palette surprised me the most. I'm not a huge purple or pink fan when it comes to eyeshadow; I just don't wear them a lot or find myself reaching for those colors that often, especially purple. I do, however, like this palette! 

Here are swatches of the 5 colors from Rose Parade with no primer and a few swipes of each color. In my opinion, these swiped nicely with good pigmentation and I didn't have a big issue with fallout; there was a little fallout with the bright purple, but nothing major and not enough to complain about. The colors are real smooth and easy to apply. The light purple and the light pink are stiffer than the rest of the colors, but still very workable.

I did my best to try to show the gold in the dark purple color. The color has gold shimmer in it and though it appears to just be a grayish purple, it really is an awesome color! The purple in the center and the black are matte, but the rest have a shimmer or glitter in them. I'd also like to add that this palette goes nicely with the limited edition creme eyeliners and that came out with this collection, especially the purple one.

Moving on, the "Bulletproof Glide" palette is the most disappointing of the 4. The collection looks good on the palette, but the colors are not that great in performance and are not anything special. With all of the nude palettes out, both drug store and high end, I feel like you can't really produce a palette like this without making it great. 

Without primer, I swatched the colors with just a swipe. The colors do not have great pigmentation, with an exception of the black in the center of the palette. I know that the colors kind of blend into my skin tone, but trust me when I say the pigmentation is not really there in this palette.

Here they are with a couple more swipes. The colors are buildable, but not near as good as "Rose Parade" and it takes some work. The black and the brown color are matte, with the rest of the colors having shimmer to them. The black is really the only good performing color in the palette. The brown color does perform well and has good pigmentation, but it just does not go well with most skin tones since it has a grey tone to it. The creme color is just okay, but takes a wild to build and the gray and silver colors come up pretty disappointing. I would recommend skipping this palette, especially if you didn't want to buy them all anyway. I definitely would not use without a primer. I don't mean to sound hateful towards this palette, but in comparison to the others it is pretty bad. Also, if you buy the "Rose Parade" palette you're going to get a matte black. If you buy the "After Hours" palette, you'll get a silver which is pretty much the same one that you see here. So, not a loss if you skip this one.

Next up: The "After Hours" palette. This palette was made to go with the "Cobalt Vault" eyeliner that was created in this collection. -Just look at it! It definitely is a nice palette to create a night-time look.

The swatches are without a primer and with a couple swipes. The colors are decently buildable. This palette does have a pretty big fallout problem. The bright blue, lilac, and medium blue are quite big in terms of fallout. The colors look nice and can be built up, but you'll want to be careful with applying. The darkest blue, which comes off being black (even in person), and the silver are not too bad with fallout. The lilac and the bright blue are matte, with the rest of them being shimmery. The silver color in this palette comes off much better than the silver in "Bulletproof Glide" and it looks more like it has glitter pieces in it. - I like this palette, but I don't love it. If you don't normally wear colors like this, you may want to pick this up, since it's a good value and you'd have a chance to play around with this palette. For the most part, it's nothing compared to MAC or higher end brands, but it's pretty nice for a drugstore palette. It's not a must have in my opinion though.

Finishing this collection with "Suburban Jungle". This was the palette I was most excited to get my hands on! These are my colors, right here! A lot of people compared this palette to the "Shades of the Hamptons" palette that was released in the limited edition summer collection this year, but personally I think this one stands on its own. With the exception of the gold color in the center, it really is not that comparable. Shades of the Hamptons has a bluer, more turquoise color in it, where as this is an aqua green. The purple color here is just purple and SOTH has a very light pink. There is a blue in SOTH, which you do not get here, and the green in SOTH is more of a true green and much brighter.The gold color is slightly different in the 2, but not that much; in SOTH the gold is a bit more shimmery and pigmentated.

Again, no primer was used and it has a couple of swipes. The colors build decently. I like the palette and "Rose Parade", and they would be the 2 must-haves for me in this collection, both due to their performance and colors. Sadly, the bright green is the worst performing color in the whole palette and the one color that I really looked forward too. It has a bit of a fallout problem too. The rest of the colors are nice. The only other thing I would say is that the gold here would be better if it were not so light. 

This concludes my review and swatches for this collection. Hope this helped anyone who was on the fence about any of these. This collection is not as good as the summer one, in my opinion, because I feel that only 2 of the 4 really are worthy of attention.

July 2013 IPSY Bag

Am I month late with this? -YUP! Never meant to be late, but I also was not excited about this bag at all. I have yet to even try any of the products. My August IPSY bag should be here Monday or Tuesday, so I figured I would post what I received. Last months bag was one of those bags where people received different things. I was a little saddened that I did not receive any Nailtini in my bag. I have received 2 of those in my bags before and I love those polishes. I also would have liked the Benefit Benetint, but oh well.

Product List

1. POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon ("Fuchsia Flirt")
2. Demeter Salt Air Perfume
3. Coola Mineral Face Sunscreen (SPF 20)
4. Sexy Hair Wheather Proof Humidity Resistant Hair Spray
5. BH Cosmetics California Collection (sample palette) 

I still have not opened the POP crayon. The color looks nice, but that's about it. I am sure I will eventually open it. I did not see any parabens in the ingredients list.

The Demeter Salt Air Perfume was actually a surprise. I have another roll on from this company from another IPSY bag and liked it, but this one I would actually repurchase. This is a nice and light scent that is very fresh. I actually did enjoy this. These scents are oil based, so they stay well and they make for a good cover up if you ever need it.

I like that the Coola sunscreen is mineral and does not have any harmful things in it, but the bottle is so tiny. I've not used it yet, but I think I might get 1 use out of it. Very disappointing. A full bottle of this is like $36.

The Sexy Hair spray is just okay. I have another from last months bag. It is different. I've never used this brand and I'm thinking of trying it out, but I'm not overly thrilled about this either.

I am not a fan of BH Cosmetics makeup. Their eyeshadows have multiple parabens in them and I have no desire to use it. I also don't think the performance is any better than what you can get at the drug store and in some cases it's worse.

I did a quick swatch and feel of these shadows. The gold and brown shades did seem smooth and pigmented, however the purple shade was stiff and seemed like it would need some work to get good color payoff. I'll probably end up giving this away.

Over all, July was just okay for me. Like I said at the beginning, there were things I much would have rather had then what I received, but I did receive some new and nice things. I have been on the fence with IPSY this year. The first year I started getting these bags it was something new and exciting, but this year I haven't loved the bags. There's only been 2 that I really liked and if it hadn't been for June's bag, I would have cancelled already. The previews for August look good, so I'm sticking with it, but I'm not 100% sure that I'm going to keep with it.

Wet 'N Wild Fergie Summer 2013 Photo Op Eyeshadows

I finally caved in and bought the Wet 'N Wild Fergie Photo Op Summer 2013 eyeshadow palettes. I missed the original display that came out earlier this year. I'm not sure if my Walgreen stores just never received them, if I just some how overlooked them or if they were only in Rite Aids and/or CVS stores, because I do not have a Rite Aid close to me and I rarely go into CVS now that I live in Tennessee. (I pretty much stick to Walmart, Target, and Walgreens -they cover every brand and all my drug store cosmetic needs. Occasionally, I go into a CVS.) Recently, I saw small displays popping up at Walgreens which contain the lip glosses and the palettes. They are just shelf displays, not real big, and some Walgreen stores didn't even bother putting up the displays and the palettes and glosses are mixed in with the core Fergie line on the shelves. I saw the displays in 3 different Walgreens and passed them up for 2 weeks. I have heard very mixed reviews on these. While some people are saying that they feel they get a good deal for their money and that the shadows are just as good (with some saying even better) as the core line, the other half of the beauty community is spouting to stay away and that they are a huge disappoint due to bad color pay off; very powdery; and no staying power. 

Personally, I feel the colors are appealing and they go together well. Here's what did me in- If you look closely on the right corners of these palettes you can see marks from where a peel off coupon was. These Walgreen displays had a $1 off coupon on them making these $3.99 instead of the normal $4.99.

I took these home and swatched them to see the color pay off and to get a feel of the texture and quality. Personally, I have had good luck with the palette that I received. For my birthday this year, I was given "#A029 Desert Festival". When using this palette, most people couldn't even tell I was using a drug store cosmetic. 

The picture is of my eye and a make-up look I did earlier this year. The purple color is from the "Desert Festival" palette. I have received tons of praise from this look and no one guessed I used a drug store eyeshadow.

The first palette swatched was "Shades of the Hamptons". This is the more colorful palette, although the colors are cool and pastel. The only color I really foresee being difficult is the pink color; it is a bit on the chalky side and not as smooth as the rest of the colors. It still does give color though and the rest of the shades seem soft, which will make them easy to blend. The fallout didn't seem like it'd be too bad either. I'm excited to try this palette!

The second palette is called "Newport Nights" and it is a more neutral color. Again, the only color that seems to be difficult is the pink color. Not sure what it is with the pinks....... The bronze color in the middle is very intriguing to me. You can't tell from the picture, but it is a bronze with a good amount of shimmer to it.

Overall, I am really excited to try these out and I think they're going to be good. Especially considering the price that I paid, only $3.99, it it was a good deal. The only real problems I have are- The names of the palettes were only on the sticker that you have to take off in order to open the palettes, so you either have to remember the names or look them up. A pet peeve of mine with cosmetics is when companies don't make it easy or accessible to find the names of their products on the actual product.

The other warning I have- my first palette I received for my birthday broke when I dropped it. Not the colors in it, but the actual palette. The clear plastic part that you view the colors through just came out and there was no way for me to put it back together or protect the eyeshadows, so I had to toss it. I only used it a handful of times. I have had bad luck in the past with Wet 'N Wild's trios and 8 pans breaking easily but dropping them or having them placed in the wrong way, but that was the actual eyeshadow breaking. With these, I would say that while the shadow seems hardier, the palettes feel more sturdy, but really aren't.

Just in case you didn't know- there are lip glosses that went with this collection, but I have never felt compelled to try Wet 'N Wild lip products, so I passed on those. I have also heard really bad reviews from the colors in this collection.