Must Haves: Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Eyeshadow Palette! (Holiday 2015!)

Favorite Holiday Palette!

It's that time of year when my pockets hate me but... I don't care because the deals are on point! ;-) Exhibit A is my first palette this holiday season and it's absolutely amazing! Kat Von D shadows are so good when it comes to pigmentation and blendability. Last year's holiday release was a miss for me because overall the shadows weren't the greatest. That made me a bit skeptical this year but this palette has been one of my best purchases thus far! :-)

Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Palette is $59 which is an awesome deal! If we break it down, KVD palettes (like the Monarch for example) comes with 12 shadows for $46 and this one has 24 shadows for $13 more! I love the combination of rainbow colors and neutrals! I love the balance of shades and how consistent the palette is too. It's an overall perfect palette for someone looking to be inspired! Lets get into swatches shall we?

Here are the center shadows which are your neutrals. Great blending shades, highlights and shades to deepen up your look. The mattes (colors and neutrals) are so buttery and smooth, just a dream to work with. Speaking of colors...let's get into those swatches!

Are these colors gorgeous or what?! Satins, mattes, metallics.... they're all so good! When it comes to color shadows there's some that may need a base to make it pop and others like these that the color payoff is so amazing that the base is not needed whatsoever. They go on so vibrant and last all day. I'm so impressed and so inspired with this palette which is my favorite part!

Here are two looks I recently did using this palette! :-)

So I was Batman for my friend's Halloween/Birthday Party and I used the yellow in the palette all over the lid and the black to set the mask. Loved how it came out and lasted through lots of dancing haha.

For this look I used the warmer shades in the palette. I used the copper all over the lid, the burgundy shade in my crease and a little bit of the brown to deepen it up. Absolutely obsessed with those warm shades!

Bottom line: I love this palette! The way it's setup is so user-friendly and it instantly gets my creative juices flowing! I love the vinyl inspiration and can we talk about the artwork? Kat Von D outdid herself with the palette cover... it's gorgeous! I have nothing bad to say about this one. Definetely make sure to pick it up or add it to your Sephora wishlist because the VIB sale is coming up! :-)

Review: City Color Cosmetics Intense Exposure Highlighting Powder!

Gorgeous Highlight For Less Than $5!

Yes... you read correctly! A highlight under $5 and it's amazing! City Color Cosmetics has so many awesome products including their Intense Exposure Highlighting Powder which I'm reviewing today for you guys. I've been using it non-stop (trying to give Champagne Pop a break haha) and I truly love it! It was a bit scary when I first swatched it but on the skin it's glowy and just beautiful! :-)

You get 10 g of product which is more than a Becca Skin Perfector Pressed. The Packaging is simple but personally if the product is good I don't need all the bells and whistles!

In the pan and in the swatch it looks like a stark white color which is why I was originally frightened to try. It's a beautiful pearl shade with no glitter nor shimmer, just a gorgeous sheen that lights up your face!

Below you can see how glowy my cheeks look! It's not too intense nor is it too sheer, it's just right! It's just enough luminosity for my liking and it makes the perfect inner corner highlight too.

Bottom line: This is now one of my favorite highlighters! If you've been wanting to give highlight a try but you don't want something too intense I'd recommend this one! It does build up but still looks really natural since it doesn't have shimmer or glitter. It's so smooth going on, I love using a fan brush to apply it. For less than $5 this is a great choice! :-)

*Use coupon code ReinaRivera at checkout for an extra 10% off!*

Dupe Alert: Drugstore Dupe Of Mac Whirl Lipstick!

Get the "IT" Color For Less!

Mac Whirl lipstick has been on everyone's wishlist ever since Kylie Jenner made it popular and for good reason because it's a gorgeous color! I found a dupe within my collection and I'm so exited to share it with you! If you know me and my blog you know how in love I am with the Maybelline Creamy Mattes line. It's such a great matte formula, so comfy on the lips and so affordable. The stars aligned and I found a dupe within that line and it's so so sooo similar! :-)

Here are the swatches! Maybelline Nude Nuance is the closest dupe to Whirl that I've seen as far as color and formula. They're both matte and longwearing.... I'd say Nude Nuance is the slightest bit on the red side but other than that they're identical. Nude Nuance is about $6 at the drugstore compared to the $17 price-tag on Mac lippies. 

Definetely pick up Nude Nuance! It's an amazing shade and awesome formula! :-)

Review: bh Cosmetics Nude Rose- 12 Color Eyeshadow Palette!

Affordable Nude Palette!

bh Cosmetics released a NEW palette called the Nude Rose Palette... get excited! bh Cosmetics is a great brand with amazing prices, this palette is only $14.50 at the moment! There's 12 shadows (satins, mattes and shimmers) and it's meant to be the perfect neutral palette with the sheerest champagne shade to the deepest brown to add some depth. It claims to be a petal soft formula that goes on effortlessly. Those are the claims and here are my thoughts! :-)

The palette comes in an awesome sturdy tin packaging which I love! It's a nice touch! It comes with a double ended brush with I used and it's a great little extra. There's 12 shadows, most are on the lighter side which is something I would've changed. I rather have a few more browns for some variety. There's also only one deep shade... something to note but I'm happy to report it's a really nice shade!

The formula feels really smooth, borderline cream to powder which is really nice to work with! All the shades blend effortlessly and they last which are two things I look for in a palette. My main con is that many of the shades are very similar to each other. They do build up nicely though so overall I do like it! Here are the swatches by row:

 Here's a look I came up with using the palette, I love how "angelic" it looks!

Bottom line: If you're looking for a nice natural palette for everyday this is a great choice! The shadows are easy to work with and you can throw a few on and head out without a problem. I love how smooth they all are too. More variety within the color selection would've been great but you can definitely make this palette work! :-)

Review: E.L.F Studio Moisturizing Lipsticks! (New Shades 2015!)

New Shades But Different Formula?

Eyes Lips Face released a bunch of new shades within their Studio Moisturizing Lipstick line and it was love at first site! The colors looked amazing in the tube and for only $3 each I didn't hesitate to get them. I've really enjoyed the previous colors I've tried, I have a post you can check out by clicking here to see those swatches. I was hoping the new colors would be just as good as those but... it wasn't what I expected! :-(

The colors are super pretty but they are so patchy and streaky on the lips. It's so odd, I'm not sure if it's a bad batch but if you check out the post I linked above the others are super pigmented. It's pretty much night and day. I was so underwhelmed with these. I was hoping to find some new faves but sadly it's a different story.

You can see what I mean when I say patchy in the swatch pictures. Some are better than others and may even be more wearable worn over a lip liner. The thought of having to add extra steps to make a lipstick work is what gets to me, regardless of the price.

The deeper colors look so much lighter on the lips. The texture of the lippie is also different from the others I've tried. It's a lot more slippery, borderline waxy feeling. They don't last long at all because of that too.

Bottom line: These were a dud for me. I'm not sure if the formula is now different but it's not my favorite. If you've tried some of the newer colors what are your thoughts? Leave me a comment down below! :-)

Dupe Alert: Drugstore Alternative To Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in After Dark!

Similar For Less!

It's time for another dupe! :-) I've been loving sharing these posts with you and who doesn't love a more affordable option for a higher end product?  Recently I found an alternative to the beloved After Dark lipstick from the Urban Decay Matte Revolution line and it's only $6! Now this dupe may not be the exact color but it's definetely really close. Let's get into details shall we!

The After Dark lippie retails for $22 which is ex-pen-sive. I won't lie though, the formula is amazing, my favorite matte lipstick formula right now actually! It's super pigmented and comfortable, not at all drying. I love how it has a slight purple-blue shift which makes it so different than the other 100 berry lippies in the market! That's what I was focusing on when searching for a dupe and then I remembered that I had the NYX Matte lipstick in Aria which also has the same shift.

NYX Aria has more purple tones compared to After Dark but it's also a great matte formula and very similar on the lips. They are both pretty long wearing and the color is so perfect for fall! :-)

If you found this dupe helpful leave me a comment down below! If you have a dupe to share with me let me know too, I'm always up for a bargain! :-)

Review: Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette! (Swatches + Look!)

Day To Night Palette!

I said to myself...I don't need it! But somehow it ended up in my Sephora shopping cart! haha. I've had this palette for a few weeks now and I wanted to share my thoughts with you. Before I do let's into some basics! It retails for $54 and it comes with 12 smoky neutral eyeshadows. Nine shadows are never before seen shades and three exclusive shades from past palettes. They're divided into "quads" which is a unique touch compared to the other Nakeds!

This is the first group of shadows which are the metallics. They are really pretty shades, a nice mix between warm and cool.

The next group are the satins! This is where the palette starts getting smoky! I love the gunmetal tones in this quad and the pop of purple.

The last quad is the mattes which are so nice! They are all smooth and buttery... I was so impressed! I really wished they had added a medium chestnut brown for blending but I've been mixing Whiskey & Combust so it's OK.

Here's a look I came up with using a few of the grey shadows and I love how it came out! It's simple enough for daytime and can be smoked out even more for the night time!

Bottom line: This is a really nice palette! It's different for me but I love being pushed out of my comfort zone. I prefer warm shadows but I'm learning to love the cooler ones too! The look above came out so pretty and I can't stop playing with this palette. Now that fall is here I'll definitely be rocking this palette and a vampy lip... BOOM! ;-)

Best Drugstore Blushes! - Fall Edition!

My Favorite Blushes For Fall!

Who's excited for fall?! This is my favorite time of year... pumpkin spice everything, haunted houses, cooler nights....love it all! :-) What I also adore about fall is the makeup. I'm a fan of being daring during these months. Today I have three of my favorite fall blushes to share with you that will definitely complete your smokey eye or vampy lip! Let's get into it! :-)

All the blushes in this post are at a drugstore price, $5 of less! They are amazing colors and each blush line is also outstanding so I'd recommend to venture out and find some other colors too.

The first blush is from City Color Cosmetics. It's part of their Be Matte Blush line which are a great formula! The color is called Sunset Safari which is a gorgeous warm terracotta shade... obsessed! I've been using this non stop because it looks so good with my brown lipsticks. It lasts very well and blends into the skin without trouble. I actually used it in the crease recently, here's what it looked like (love a multipurpose product!):

Next up is the NYX Powder Blush in Bordeaux! This is a returning favorite and it looks so good with a vampy lip. It gives you that "blushing" look without having to stand outside in the cold haha. I prefer this blush line over the new HD line because the HD ones are super powdery and I don't find them to wear well. Just a heads up! :-)

Lastly I have a very accessible blush which I actually purchased at Walmart! It's from the Covergirl Cheekers line and it's called Rock N Rose. It's a pretty neutral rose blush that honestly completes any look! This line has tons of colors and they are worth it! I have a few...  and some are dupes for high-end blushes (Wohoo!)

There you have it, three budget friendly blushes for the fall! I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any must have drugstore blushes to share leave me a comment down below! :-)