Palettes

I’m Diggin’ Distortion: The Urban Decay Distortion Eyeshadow Palette

November 24th, 2017 by Karen 20 Comments

Most of the time when people say that something is shifty…it’s not usually a good thing, but when you’re talking about the new Urban Decay Distortion Eyeshadow Palette ($49), being shifty is great.

Five “shifty” duo chrome shadows

New limited edition Distortion just landed at Urban Decay, and the kicker is that top row of pale pastel-looking eyeshadows — one, two, three, four, five.

They look pale pastel in the pans, but they’re actually duo chromes that change color in the light. They’re designed to be layered on top of the other 10 eyeshadows in the palette, the ones in the middle and bottom rows.

You can definitely also wear them on top of any other eyeshadows in your collection, too, because there’s no exclusive high-tech stuff happening here, LOL! (But wouldn’t it be kinda cool and sci-fi if there were, though?)

If you’re an artsy-fartsy type who likes to get all mad scientist on your eyeshadows, like, by whipping up your own color concoctions on a Tuesday morning just ’cause, this palette should be a lot of fun.

urban decay distortion eyeshadow palette swatches 2 — The shifty shades — Bleach, Shifty, Space, Mind Game and Blur — by themselves, and then layered on top of Territorial, one of the other eyeshadows in the palette.

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Chanel Holiday 2017: Trait de Caractère Eyeshadow Palette

November 14th, 2017 by Karen 25 Comments

chanel trait de caractere k2 — Lids: Chanel Trait de Caractère Eyeshadow Palette ($70)

I keep waiting for that moment, that pang in my gut that so often happens with Chanel LE palettes, especially the holiday ones. It’s that moment when I realize that — OMG — this palette is worthy of worship, and I can’t live without it. I keep waiting for it to kick in with the new $70 Trait de Caractère holiday palette.

And waiting, and waiting, and waiting…

chanel trait de caractere — Trait de Caractère, the new $70 Eyeshadow Palette from the Chanel Holiday Collection (available now)

Trait de Caractère is on counters now, along with the rest of Chanel’s Holiday 2017 Collection, and I’ve worn it several times over the past few weeks, most recently to brunch with my parents (I mixed the matte brown with the shimmery taupe, blended it on my lids, then lined the lash lines with the dark green), and ya know… It’s a’ight.

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MAC Snow Ball Eye Compact/Rose Gold

November 1st, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

In the case of the MAC Snow Ball Eye Compact/Rose Gold ($29.50), a whole lotta “no’s” equal one big YES.

First time I used this palette, I was simply blown away. There was no fallout, so no cleaning up afterward. And no layering! — which, you know, with MAC LE eye palettes, is shocking, because they aren’t usually as pigmented as the permanent collection eyeshadows, but these are potently punchy.

So, basically, no drama. None! I think this is — yes, I’m going to totally go there — the best LE holiday eye palette MAC has done in years.

mac snow ball eye compact rose gold eye closeup — I’m wearing No Curfew in my crease, Budding Passion and Shiver of Delight on my lids, Drama in the Show on my lash lines, and Winterlude as a highlight

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BECCA Après Ski Glow Face Palette for Holiday 2017

October 20th, 2017 by Karen 2 Comments

becca apres ski glow face palette k — BECCA Eye Lights Palette on my eyes and NARS Vibeke Lipstick

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I am not a snow person.

I mean, I like hanging out in the lodge by the fire with a glass of wine on a bearskin rug after snowboarding… You get back to the cabin after a day on the slopes, have some hot cocoa and snacks. That’s cool, right? And then, like, your skin looks all glowy, like you’re wearing the BECCA Après Ski Glow Collection Face Palette ($45), because you’ve been exerting yourself on the slopes.

becca apres ski glow face palette open — Ready to glow?

becca apres ski glow-face palette swatches final — From the top: Rose Quartz, Icicle, Winter Berry, Blushed Copper, Opal, Bronzed Bondi

BECCA sure knows how to handle seamless integrations, ya know? When I wear their products, I can’t tell where my bronzer stops and my blush begins, and that also goes for their highlighters. Their products melt into each other without leaving any harsh lines. Their Shimmering Skin Perfectors basically blend like you’re frosting a cake.

Enter the BECCA Après Ski Glow Face Palette for Holiday 2017.

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BECCA Après Ski Glow Collection Eye Lights Palette for Holiday 2017

October 19th, 2017 by Karen 1 Comment

becca eye lights palette k — BECCA Après Ski Glow Face Palette on my cheeks and NARS Vibeke Lipstick

If the thought of wearing a face product on your eyes freaks you out (apparently, it does not freak me out, ha!), don’t worry. The new $45 BECCA Après Ski Glow Collection Eye Lights Palette is officially an eye product…even though the “shadows” in it have almost the same formula as the actual BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Powders. 🙂

(Side note: am I the only one who already uses the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfecting Powders and Bronzers as eyeshadows? Just curious…)

becca eye lights palette open — Let’s talk about brown shadow, baby!

This is a gorgeous palette. It has seven neutral shades — two of them new (bodaciously buttery brown Toasted Marshmallow and Hot Cocoa) and five of them based on existing highlighters in the BECCA permanent line.

All of them feel just as soft and buttery, and blend just as easily, as BECCA’s full-fledged, official highlighters.

I like using the browns (big surprise) as quickie crease colors, because they aren’t very pigmented, so you can almost instantly define your eyes by swishing a few swipes on your lids.

Golden brown Toasted Marshmallow is basically rocking my world right now. It looks a little like MAC Soba to me, but with, like, amplified golden pearl. And reddish brown Hot Cocoa looks like a satiny version of MAC Swiss Chocolate. It’s red, but it isn’t too red, if you know what I mean.

The only big catch with this palette, and it is kind of a big catch, is that most of the shades — the lighter ones, especially — all (with the exception of Topaz) look pretty much the same on my NC 42 skin, so if you’re my shade or darker…it’s kinda repetitive.

I’m just sayin’.

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Urban Decay Heavy Metals Metallic Eyeshadow Palette for Holiday 2017

October 19th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

urban decay heavy metals metallic eyeshadow palette open — Heavy metals, mama!

Where the heck is the fallout? RIGHT? If you’re an Urban Decay fan, you expect a little fallout — OK, a ton of fallout — when you’re working with their eyeshadows. You just learn to live with it…

At least I have. At least most people I know who love and use the brand have in the past. I mean, it’s no big whoop if you do your eyes first and cleanup later, but wouldn’t it be a nice option to just, like, be able to do your eyes and not have to worry about dealing with massive amounts of stray eyeshadow? The $55 Urban Decay Heavy Metals Metallic Eyeshadow Palette, which is part of the brand’s holiday collection and houses a bevvy of shimmery metallics, gives you that option.

urban decay heavy metals metallic eyeshadow palette packaging — Purple power

I don’t know what happened over at UD, but a few of their recent eyeshadow palettes have exhibited very little fallout, including this one, and it’s been awesome. They’ve totally “leveled up” their eyeshadow game.

The eyeshadows in this palette have a completely new formula, and it’s exclusive to this palette. (I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if they eventually added it to the permanent line.)

There are 20 shadows, with brights on one side, neutrals on the other, and they’re all completely new colors. New formula. New, new, new, new, new!

urban decay heavy metals metallic eyeshadow palette right — The right side of the palette

urban decay heavy metals metallic eyeshadow palette left — The left side of the palette

The shadows have a foiled effect, meaning that when you pat them on with a finger or brush, they’re super shiny — not glossy, as in a wet way, but shiny like chrome or tinfoil.

Most of the time to get that intensely shiny, foiled effect with shadows you have to apply them wet. This palette removes that step. You can do a dry application, and it’s just as shiny as a wet one.

urban decay heavy metals metallic eyeshadow palette swatches neutrals — From the top: Bass, Glory, Demo, Starfire, Afterparty, Angel fire, Roadie, Maiden, Scream, Acoustic

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Urban Decay Vice Metal Meets Matte Lipstick Palette for Holiday 2017

October 18th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

urban decay vice meets metal lip palette — That’s a whole lotta Vices…

Is it just me, or is something usually a little off about the lipsticks that come in LE lipstick palettes? Like they feel and work different than they would if they came in a tube? I dunno… Maybe something changes when they pour them into a pan instead of a bullet.

I know that a lot of makeup artists say that applying lipstick with a brush makes your lipstick last longer and look better, and OK, I see a little of that happening, but it’s not enough for me to want to whip out a lip brush every time I put on lipstick.

Except with this one! 🙂 I’ll do it for Urban Decay’s new Vice Metal Meets Matte Lipstick Palette.

It’s $35, REALLY GOOD and available now with the 2017 holiday collection.

urban decay meets metal lipstick palette swatches — Banger, Amulet, CSB, Tame

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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3

September 20th, 2017 by Karen 18 Comments

hourglass ambient lighting edit vol 3 top pic — Inspiring wannabe rappers everywhere: the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Vol. 3 ($80)

Hourglass, Hourglass,
Your makeup kicks @ss.
Hourglass, Hourglass,
Face powders lit with all the sass.
Hourglass, Hourglass,
Prepare to drop some major cash!

They say that you should never give up on your dreams…but I don’t think they were referring to me and my dream of becoming M.C. Makeup, because I’m a sh*tty rapper! I might know all the words to most of Lil’ Kim’s songs, but that doesn’t mean they come out in the right order, haha.

This palette, though? — the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3? It IS coming out in the right order, because this is the third year in a row that Hourglass has done a palm-sized travel kit o’ powders for the holidays, and it’s numero three.

I love the first one, Vol. 1, and still use it all the time. The second one, however, I bought but soon returned because, even though I thought it was beautiful, it wasn’t right for my skin tone. It was too light.

Like the first one, Vol. 3 has six pans of face powder that I think will suit more skin tones than ever. It also looks pretty chic in that gorgeous rose gold packaging, but it should…because it’s $80.

hourglass ambient lighting edit vol 3 overhead — Top row, from the left: Finishing Powder in Diffused Light, Strobe Powder in Hypnotic Strobe Light (NEW) and Finishing Powder in Dim Light; Bottom row from the left: Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light, Blush in Surreal Halo (NEW) and Blush in Pure Effect (NEW)

Of the six pans, three are re-promotes — Dim Light, Diffused Light and Luminous Bronze Light — and three are NEW! — Surreal Halo and Surreal Halo (which are blushes), and Hypnotic Strobe (a highlighter).

Both Surreal Halo and Pure Effect are darker and more intense than the colors in last year’s palette, which is potentially fantastic news for marvelous medium-toned mavens and darker damsels.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 3: the six shades

Dim Light — This subtly luminous peachy beige can set your makeup, and it doubles as a highlighter. It creates that trademark Hourglass Ambient Powder sheen.
I dig this one. I’ve been using it as an all-over face powder and to set concealer.
Diffused Light — This warm pale yellow can set, highlight and conceal redness, but I can’t really work it now because I still have a tan from summer. For now at least, it’s borderline chalky on me.
Lighter lovelies are in luck, and I suspect that it’ll also work better for me as we get closer to winter.
Luminous Bronze Light — This medium tan has golden undertones and creates a subtle golden sheen. I think it works better as a bronzer than a contouring powder, but watch out — if I apply too much of it over large areas on my face, it looks muddy and kinda dirty (especially on my cheeks).
I much prefer Hourglass Radiant Bronze Light, which is warmer and more golden, but this one’s also very pretty if you get the amount right.
Surreal Halo Blush (NEW, exclusive to this palette) — This bright berry is absolutely GORGEOUS and creates a very natural flush. I don’t have anything else quite like it in my Hourglass collection.
I like applying it by doing big sweeps with a large fluffy brush because, for some reason, it looks REALLY good when you cover a lot of skin with it.
Pure Effect Blush (NEW, exclusive to palette) — This bright petal pink is brighter and more intense than the other pink Hourglass blushes out there.
I like layering it on top of Surreal Halo, where I’ll do a small pop of color on the apples of my cheeks. 🙂
Hypnotic Strobe Highlighter (NEW, exclusive to palette) — This shimmering champagne gold is great for subtle highlights.

hourglass ambient lighting edit vol 3 swatches — Swatch out! From the top: Finishing Powder in Diffused Light, Strobe Powder in Hypnotic Strobe Light (NEW), Finishing Powder in Dim Light, Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light, Blush in Surreal Halo (NEW) and Blush in Pure Effect (NEW)

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