Palettes

The Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Vol. 1 Nudes You Need: Especially if You’re a Beauty Beginner, These ARE Nudes You Need

May 6th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

Eyeshadow… It’s what’s for dinner.

LOL! Not really, but my stomach just rumbled, and that’s what popped into my head because I’m looking at this new eyeshadow palette. 🙂

It’s the $42 Artist Palette Vol. 1 Nudes You Need by Make Up For Ever.

But enough about rumbly tummies! — if you frequently forget the difference between a tapered blending brush and a domed eyeshadow brush, read on…

Heck, even if you do know the difference, keep reading, because this palette could end up saving you precious moments, as in time, when you put on le war paint.

So, what are we looking at here? An eye palette with nine neutral MUFE Artist Shadows in what are billed as universally flattering shades, the Artist Palette Vol. 1 is one of two $42 collectible Artist Palettes released this month by Make Up For Ever (the other one has bold shades). They’re available now online and at Make Up For Ever counters and Sephora.

OK, but what can this palette do for you/me? Well, if you consider yourself utterly and completely hopeless when it comes to blending, this eyeshadow palette will help you look like you know what you’re doing. You’ll have to practice, of course, but it’s easy to get the hang of blending with the help of these eyeshadows.

MUFE’s Artist Shadows have a super soft, almost gel-like powder formula packed with ultra-fine pigment particles. Creating gradients and doing layering with them takes very little effort because the powders feather out with just a few flicks of a brush.

In these pics here, I’m wearing a taupe-ish brown daytime eye look incorporating diffused cat liner, and it didn’t take much time to do, thanks to these Urban Decay-caliber blend-able shadows. I didn’t have to spend forever and a day swiping back and forth with my blending brush, and I noticed very little fallout, too.

My kind of look, yo! 🙂

Does anything set this palette apart from the pack of neutral eye palettes on the market? “Another day, another neutral palette…”

What is this, the one hundredth one!? There are a ton of them out there, but this one’s ridonkulously easy to use because of the colors (they’re true neutrals in terms of color temps) and the formula. Basically, it has no learning curve at all, so I think it’s one of the better ones for beginners.

If this is going to be your first neutral palette, I suggest also grabbing a pair of matte single eyeshadows in brown, one lighter than your skin tone, and one slightly darker, since most of the shades in this MUFE palette have some level of shimmer or sheen. You’ll be able to use the other mattes as transition shades, to blend out the edges of your shimmers, and to deepen your crease. It’s those finishing touches that take your eye looks to the next level.

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Summer Is Al Fresco Time at Tarte With the Poppy Picnic Amazonian Clay Eye & Cheek Palette

April 3rd, 2015 by Karen 15 Comments

tarte summer 2015 poppy picnic — Tarte Summer 2015 Poppy Picnic Amazonian Clay Eye & Cheek Palette ($38, available now)

I live for picnics…

The fun in the sun, the food, the friends, the family, the food…

Did I already mention the food? 🙂

I might actually love picnic fare more than I love brunch, and you know how much I love brunch.

(A lot.)

It’s because of the sides, man! I’m all about the sides. The potato salad, macaroni salad, fruit salad, that weird Jello salad that one of my aunties usually makes which looks totally gross but tastes hella delicious.

Oh! — and the corn on the freaking cob?

I wants it… I wants it all.

Speaking of picnics (how’s that for a lazy transition, ha!), there’s one happening now at Tarte, and it’s new for summer 2015.

Say “Please pass the potato chips!” to the Tarte Poppy Picnic Amazonian Clay Eye & Cheek Palette ($38)

The Tarte Poppy Picnic Amazonian Clay Eye & Cheek Palette: A Quick FAQ/Rundown

What is it?
A $38 limited edition eye & cheek palette (available now) containing six new powder eyeshadows and one re-promoted powder blush (it’s called Glisten) containing Tarte’s jam, otherwise known as Amazonian clay, which is supposed to soak up any oily bits while simultaneously balancing moisture levels in your skin.

Are there any limited edition shades?
Yes, ma’am, there are. The eyeshadows in Summer Breeze (a matte cream), Sweet Tea (a matte tan), Ice Cream Cone (a matte chocolate), Barefoot in the Grass (a matte light tan), Peach Poppy (a matte peach) and Picnic Basket (a matte deep brown) are all limited edition.

What size are the pans?
Shimmery golden pink Glisten Blush is a 0.20-ounce full-size pan, and the eyeshadows are smaller at 0.06 ounces each.

What can you tell me about the texture of the eyeshadows?
Well, I can tell ya that they kick up a lot of powder, so it helps to tap off your brush before applying them; otherwise, you get a little fallout.

Beyond that, though, they feel smooth to me, and they’re easy to blend.

Are the eyeshadows pigmented or sheer?
I’d say that the lighter tan and peach shades are sheer to medium, while the two darkest shades are medium (I built them up for the swatches to make ’em nice and dark), and none of them look heavy on the skin.

How about the texture of the blush?
Slightly grainy…which is probably because of the pretty big flecks of golden glitter in it.

How pigmented is the blush?
Moderately pigmented, but not crazy town/crazy clown pigmented. I only need a single layer.
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Is the Too Faced Natural Matte Neutral Eye Shadow Collection/Palette Right for You?

March 31st, 2015 by Karen 16 Comments

It’s about sexy time. 😉

Kind of. If you look at the names of the colors in the new Too Faced Natural Matte Neutral Eye Shadow Collection/palette, there are some that I can’t even say without blushing a little, like Sexpresso…?

Oh, my gosh.

Nudie? Risqué? Strapless?

But then they throw in the food-related ones like Honey Butter and Chocolate Cookie. There’s probably some relationship…

No, I’m not even gonna go there.

Recently released for summer 2015, Natural Matte is based on the Natural Eyes palette they released last year, except that that one had shimmers. This time around, I don’t think Too Faced was seeking to revolutionize the world of eye palettes as we know it. I think this was just meant to give Too Faced fans more matte options.

The whole matte palette trend has been big over the past couple years, and there are lots of good ones out there. This one, which comes with nine powder eyeshadows in a mix of cool and warm tones and useful beiges and browns, has a pretty appealing price. It’s $36, which doesn’t make it the most affordable matte palette out there when you consider drugstore, but I think you get a lot.

Compared to the $40 BECCA Ombre Nudes Palette, it comes with almost twice as many shades (nine vs. five).

Both palettes are good in their own way, but I think Natural Matte is better for simple looks involving one or two shadows, like a simple lid color and maybe a liner, or a lid color and something in the outer v.

Here’s also a quick video about the palette…

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A Quick Look at the New Too Faced Natural Matte Neutral Eye Shadow Collection in Action [VIDEO]

March 25th, 2015 by Karen 11 Comments

Yes, another matte neutral palette, this one by Too Faced, and it’s new and available now for summer 2015.

This is my first time wearing the new Natural Matte Neutral Eye Shadow Collection, so I’m still testing it for wear (swatches and more detailed review coming soon), but here’s a quick overview and a look at it in action.

The gist of it is this: Too Faced took their $36 Natural Eyes palette, turned all the shades matte and created this.

As always, thank you for watching.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I am so hungry right now I could eat my phone! I need to eat a massive amount of vegetables, or the world will suffer my wrath!!

P.P.S. Happy hump day evening, by the way. 🙂

A Closer Look at the New Too Faced Little Black Book of Bronzers and New Selfie Powders Palette [VIDEO]

March 17th, 2015 by Karen 9 Comments

But first, lemme take a selfie!

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And put on some bronzer… I can do both with these new products from Too Faced.

One is a miniature version of their ginormous Little Black Book of Bronzers, and the other is a palette with three face powders designed to create different lighting effects (think the Hourglass Ambients).

Power to the palettes! — especially ones that help you look cute in selfies. 🙂

As always, thank you for watching.

Products mentioned in this video:

Too Faced Little Black Book of Bronzers

Too Faced Selfie Powders palette

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The Little Black Book of Bronzers Bronzer Collection by Too Faced Cosmetics: If You Like Bronzer, This Book Has All the Right Contacts

March 16th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

The last time Too Faced released a Little Black Book of Bronzers, it was HUGE!

No, literally, it was huge… The palette (or, as Too Faced refers to it, the “bronzing wardrobe”) held eight full-size Too Faced Bronzers, which was very cool if you were/are into the whole “bigger is better” aesthetic, and also very cool if you ever dreamed of owning a palette so gigantic that it could cover half of your body.

This time around, the sequel to The Little Black Book of Bronzers is sleek.

Ish. Sleek-ish.

It’s basically the same idea, except that the pans are smaller this time (0.08 ounces each, instead of 0.28), and the price is too ($49 vs. $139)

So, while you may lose the ability to use it as an improv table for TV dinners or breakfast in bed, and it no longer functions as an umbrella with which to shield yourself from the sun while lounging on the beach with Zac Efron…it’s a lot easier to tote around.

Plus, you know what they say: “Good things come in small packages.” If the original was an oversized coffee table book, this one is the paperback.

Too Faced also tweaked the lineup a little, swapping Bronzed and Poreless for Dark Chocolate Soleil, their newest shade.

Other than that, there’s a good variety of shimmery finishes and mattes, and none of them are excessively warm or orange.

The Little Black Book of Bronzers Bronzer Collection with a full-size Too Faced Bronzer pan for scale — With a full-size Too Faced Bronzer pan for scale…

With eight bronzers, there’s one to go with every mood, outfit and moment in yo’ life. Like, have you ever wondered what bronzer to wear to go to your ex’s house to pick up those Biggie CDs that homeboy never had the decency to return?

Well, how about deep shimmery bronzed Beach Bunny? — because you’d want to recreate a glow that says, “Hey, fool. Ever since we broke up, I spend every Sunday by the pool at the Four Seasons with my new billionaire boyfriend.”

Ya know, that kind of thing. 🙂

The Little Black Book of Bronzers Bronzer Collection with an iPhone 6 plus for scale — With an iPhone 6 Plus for scale…

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Smile! These Too Faced Selfie Powders Are Instagram-Worthy

March 13th, 2015 by Karen 26 Comments

Wearing the new Too Faced Selfie Powders ($36) in Sunrise and Totally Toasted

Finally! Now I know what I was missing in my life… Pictures of a chihuahua wearing a beret in front of the Eiffel Tower! (see below)

Now, this isn’t just some random chihuahua wearing a jaunty cap in front of an iconic structure.

No, this pup has a job. He’s here to demonstrate what the three face powders in the new Too Faced Selfie Powders Palette ($36) are supposed to do for your skin.

Or, you know, fur. 🙂

They’re supposed to work like Instagram filters for your face, with each one producing a different effect.

Sunrise brightens and warms (ooh! — kinda like the Valencia filter), Totally Toasted creates a bronzy glow, and lavender Moon River casts a cool, ethereal light.

Too Faced Selfie Powders swatches from the left: Sunrise, Totally Toasted and Moon River — Too Faced Selfie Powder swatches from the left in Sunrise, Totally Toasted and Moon River

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The Bronze Age Returns! Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Shimmering Nudes

March 11th, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess 2015 — Wearing makeup from the latest in a long line of annual Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess collections

If I had to be a goddess, I would not say no to being a goddess of bronze, but what I’d really want to be is a goddess of cats.

No, scratch that. I’d be the goddess of plus-size tabby cats with low-hanging bellies, because it’s all about being specific.

Yes, I have no idea what I’m talking about. 🙂

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Shimmering Nudes Face & Eye Palette — That’s the Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Shimmering Nudes Face & Eye Palette on my eyes and cheeks, the All Over Illuminator on my upper cheekbones, and Pure Color Gloss Pen Nude Coral on my lips

Every year around this time, like clockwork, Estée Lauder reveals a new Bronze Goddess-themed collection, and this year it’s Shimmering Nudes.

The collection’s face and eye palette, stick highlighter and gloss, all of which will be available this April with the rest of the 14-piece collection at Estée Lauder counters and online, are telling me that 1) summer is right around the corner, and 2) I should probably book a vacation to someplace warm soon.

Is it just me, or does the Shimmering Nudes Face & Eye Palette ($55) radiate a MAC vibe?

Its eyeshadows could totally pass for Ricepaper, Amber Lights and Bronze, and even though I’ve seen the colors before, I still like this formula and the way they’re executed here.

The powders meld seamlessly into each other on my lids, and blending them is like three snaps in a Z formation. In other words, “haaay!” So good.

I actually did my foundation and concealer before this makeup look, and I didn’t have to do any additional cleanup under my eyes afterwords. No problems at all with fallout.

And I like the bronzer, too. It has a strong undercurrent of red that mimics a legit tan. There’s also golden flecks of glitter in it, which makes me think that this bronzer might even work better as an all-over warming product than one to contour (I prefer to use ashy cool-toned mattes to really carve out those cheekbones).

Interestingly, the face and eye palette is a Sephora exclusive, which is kind of cool and weird, and by that I mean this: have you actually seen Estée Lauder at your local Sephora store? Because mine doesn’t carry the line, and I don’t know if this is a one-shot deal or the start of a long-term trend. I really hope it’s the latter.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess All Over Illuminator — Bronze Goddess All Over Illuminator, $30

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