EOTD: Pop of Green- Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Eyeshadow Palette!

Pop of Green!

Today I wanted to quickly share a look that I came up with recently using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Palette! I almost missed out on this palette because all I would see were negative reviews everywhere. The colors spoke to me because they were so different so I went for it anyway and I'm so happy I did! :-)

It pushed me out of my comfort zone... I mean I still threw a warm shade in my look haha but I tried to stick to using the beautiful greens in the palette too.

I used Roxy (warmer shade) in my crease, Electric ( gorgeous duo-chrome) on my lid and Axis ( deeper teal green) in the outer corner.

If you're wondering what's on my lips I wore Raging Raisin from the Maybelline Bold Lipstick Collection.

Leave me your thoughts on this look and the Subculture Palette below! Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for future posts! :-)

Review: NYX Perfect Filter Palette in Rustic Antique! (Swatches + Looks!)

New Fall Favorite?

Hey everyone! Today I'm reviewing the NYX Perfect Filter Palette in Rustic Antique. I know what you're thinking... "another warm toned palette?" I just can't stay away from those oranges and  cranberries, haha.
I wanted to see what the drugstore has to offer when it comes to warm tone palettes. The ones that I own are pricier than this one so I wanted to find something:  A. budget friendly and B. great formulation. I've played with it for a bit so let's get into my thoughts.

This palette is priced at $20. Kinda pricey for the drugstore but if you break it down it ends up being $2 per shadow which isn't bad at all! Plus NYX is a brand that runs a lot of sales (on their site and at Ulta) so you're more than likely to find it for cheaper.

This palette has all the basics when it comes to shadows: great transition and blending shades, one you can use to deepen your look and a nice selection of lid shades. I wish it had a deeper matte brown or matte black to take it to the next level when it comes to smokey looks. Aside from that I really enjoy this palette!

The colors are beautiful! I'm really impressed by the mattes because they blend so well! The two metallics on the top right are amazing too! ( intense pigmentation!)
Here are some looks I came up with using the palette:

Bottom line: This palette meets the criteria of being budget friendly and having a great formula! If you've been looking for a palette with warm tones that won't break the piggy bank this is a great option. Definetely look out for this one and keep your eyes peeled for a sale or coupon too! :-)

Review: Too Faced Peanut Butter and Honey Palette! (Swatches + Looks!)

Cutesy and Smells Amazing!

Too Faced always gets me with their packaging!! Please tell me I'm not alone, haha. I love their Peanut Butter and Jelly Palette... it's actually packed and ready to come with me on my trip to the Dominican Republic. I researched swatches of this palette before purchasing and the yellow-mustard shade called Honey Buns spoke to me! I'm a warm shadow lover but I didn't want a palette that was too similar to something I already own. Overall I feel like the looks I get and some of the shades are different enough to justify getting it! It retails for $36 and it's limited edition so if you want it go get it! :-)

I love their smaller tin palettes! They are so convenient when traveling and they get more creative with these. It goes without saying that the packaging is simply adorable!

There's nine shades total, Peanut Butter is in their Peanut Butter and Jelly but that's OK, I really love the shade. There's only one true metallic shade which is Going Nuts on the top right corner. The rest are matte or matte based with shimmers. I would've loved some more metallics shades, at least a lighter one for a lid shade.

Here are the swatches! They all feel super creamy and buttery! The formula is great and they blend so well.

Here is an all matte look I created using Peanut Butter and Honey Buns in the crease and Honey Brittle as my lid shade. I added another Too Faced product as my inner corner highlight that I should be reviewing soon so stay tuned! ;-) I love this look, it made my eyes look brighter and Honey Buns looks awesome in the crease!

Here's another look I created using Peanut Butter and Bee's Knees in the crease and Going Nuts as my lid shade for a more smokey look. Loved this look too! It was simple to create and the application was easy.

Bottom line: I'm really happy with this palette! It would've been a holy grail palette for me if it included one or two more metallic shades but other than that it's really good. If you love warm shades like I do but want something a little different this is a great option! :-)

Dupe Alert: Affordable Dupe of the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette!

Is it a Dupe?

Today I have a dupe to share with you! :-)

I was on the Ulta website looking through the new stuff and came across the Ulta Matte Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette and instantly thought "this looks familiar!" haha. I searched through my collection and compared it to the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette and found that most colors were super alike! The Ulta palette is only $20 while the Urban Decay palette is $54 so you can pretty much get the same looks for a lot less!

Here's a look at both palettes! They each have 12 matte shades and they both come with a brush (I cropped the UD picture a little too much, sorry! haha)

Here are the swatches of the Ulta Matte Neutrals Palette! 

Annnd here we have the dupes! Some of the colors are super similar and some are just in the same color family but on the eye you won't notice a huge difference. In the comparison swatches Urban Decay is on the left and Ulta is on the right. Pretty close huh?

As far as the formula goes Ulta shadows are powdery and have lots of kick up but on the eye they perform great! $54 vs $20 not to mention you can use the Ulta $3.50 off of $15 coupon making it even cheaper! Urban Decay can get expensive and if you're only interested in the shadows (and can skip the pretty packaging) the Ulta palette is for you! Hope this post was helpful, leave me your thoughts below! :-)

Cranberry-Mauve Look using NEW Drugstore Makeup! (+ Mini Reviews!)

New at the Drugstore!

Hi everyone! I'm back with a bunch of new drugstore products and some mini reviews! I tried out all the products you see above and I'm super excited to share my thoughts. In the midst of trying them I came up with this cranberry-mauve look and I really like how it turned out. Without delay lets get into the mini reviews, shall we? :-)

*Maybelline Dream Cushion Fresh Face Liquid Foundation in 30 Warm Nude($16)- I really like this foundation! I completely agree with the "fresh face" claim, it's luminous but not too much. I personally prefer matte foundations but now that Spring is coming along and the weather is warming up it tends to be too heavy for me. This is perfect because it's lightweight but still provides great coverage leaving your skin looking youthful! It does come with a sponge applicator which I didn't end up liking, I felt like it made the foundation sit on my face and didn't blend it in. I use my Beauty Blender instead and it gets the job done beautifully.

*CoverGirl Outlast All Day Soft Touch Concealer in 830 light/medium($12)-  This concealer is great for everyday but not my favorite for a full face of makeup. CoverGirl claims that this concealer instantly erases your dark circles which I disagree with. I end up having to layer this concealer because the coverage is pretty light. I don't mind lighter coverage for work or for running errands but for a full face of makeup I wouldn't reach for this one. I really like the sponge applicator, it's perfect for such a sensitive area so kudos to that!

*CoverGirl Outlast Matte Finishing Powder in 830 light to medium($13)- This is a great powder! I really love it for touch ups because it instantly makes my face matte and we all know I love a matte face haha. The foundation doesn't need to be set but out of habit I did it anyway (just my t-zone) and I loved it. I would highly stay away from using it alone as CoverGirl suggest because it made my skin feel so dry! But over foundation and for touch ups it was awesome.

*ULTA Matte Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette($20)- I purchased this palette on a great deal and it was totally worth it! The shadows are buttery, smooth and beautiful colors. They are powdery but they blend so well so I'm OK with that. After comparing it to another higher end all matte palette I found that they have very similar colors so stay tuned for a possible dupe post very soon! ;-)

*Maybelline Color Sensational Inti-Matte Nudes Lipstick in Brown Blush($8)- Maybelline makes my favorite drugstore lipsticks and this new collection is...so good! The collection is the same formula as their creamy mattes, just warmer nudes that are made for different skintones. The lipstick is super comfy, pigmented and smooth and on top of that it's a mauve-brown... need I say anymore?! Definitely check out this collection if your a fan of Maybelline lipsticks!

Alright, that's all I have for you today! I hope these mini reviews were helpful and stay tuned for some more posts in the near future! :-)

Review: J.CAT Beauty Sunset Boulevard Eyeshadow Palette! (Swatches + Look!)

NEW Drugstore Palette!

J.Cat Beauty... you had me at Sunset! haha. Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on the NEW J.Cat Beauty Sunset Boulevard Palette. I ordered mine from Ulta.com for $14.99 and it's only available online. This palette intrigued me for so many reasons, one being the color scheme, I mean it's beautiful! Another reason was the format of the palette. I love how there's two rows of mattes and two rows of shimmers just like the LORAC palettes. I've tried it out so lets get into the details!

This was my first time trying J.Cat Beauty eyeshadows and I was pleasantly surprised! The matte shadows are so smooth and blend so well! I do think they could've exchanged some colors for others because some of them look very similar on the eyes (mattes and shimmers). The shimmer shades were very pigmented and almost creamy to the touch. They reminded me of the City Color Cosmetics Shimmer Shadows but a little chunkier. They crumbled up as soon as I put my brush into them but once they got on the eye they applied great. I love the metallic finish of the bottom two rows, so pretty!

Here's a look I came up with using the palette. I wanted to do something different so I used the purples and I love how it came out! There was fall out but not too much. My main con with the palette is that there's not many light shades. There's no brow bone or inner corner highlight which is a bummer.

Bottom line: If you're a warm shadow lover this palette is for you! I love how it mimics a sunset just like the name but I will say that most colors are very similar. I owned the Morphe 35O palette and sold it because even though the colors were gorgeous, I didnt need 5 of the same shades! That's kinda the same feeling I'm getting with this palette. The plus side is there's only 24 shades vs 35 haha.

New Years Eve Makeup Look! (Using the Anastasia Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette!)

Hello 2017!

Happy New Year!! I'm welcoming 2017 with open arms! :-) Today I wanted to share the eyelook I wore on New Years Eve. I used the Anastasia Modern Renaissance Palette which has been a favorite ever since I got my hands on it. I placed a tiny heart over the shades I used for my look. If you own similar warm shades like the Morphe 35O or even the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette you can achieve a similar look!

Here's an overlook of the rest of my makeup! I originally wanted to wear a silver-smokey eye... but I just couldn't stay away from the warmer shades. It's an obsession I'm carrying over to this new year! ;-) Hope you enjoyed the look! If you have questions leave me a comment down below! :-)

Review: Ulta + Jenny Fox- Miss Fabulous Palette! (Swatches + Looks!)

Fall Lovers Dream!

Who else is excited for fall to roll around!? :-D
When I first saw the Ulta + Jenny Fox- Miss Fabulous Palette I quickly thought about the upcoming season and the gorgeous fall colors that I adore! I'm a warm palette lover and even though I own so many already I feel like I can always make room for one more haha. This palette screamed my name and the price made it a no brainer. It retails for $20 which is amazing for a palette with 12 shadows. But... I got an even better deal! Ulta was having buy 1 get 1 free on their collection, plus the $3.50 off 10 and my points!... Let's just say me and my best friend are super happy at almost no cost at all!

I've been watching MissJenFabulous for years now and I'm so obsessed with her nail tutorial even though I'm horrible at nail art haha. I watched her video where she talks about the palette and the shadow names and I think it's so cool how she went about it! It's pretty much her personality encased in awesome packaging. It also comes with a pretty good brush that matches the exterior of the palette.

Here are the swatches by row! Looking at the overall color selection I wished she had included a matte medium brown shade to replace one of the matte oranges to add some dimension. I love the tones in the palette but being that your matte shades are all in the warm orange family it makes your eye looks very similar.
But let me stress how beautiful the shadows work together! I will say some are a bit powdery and the shimmers actually have micro-glitter which tends to fall on my face when applying them so that's a bummer. The metallic shades are not super vibrant and foiled how I like them but they look really pretty on the eye. Virgo which is the first shade is one of my favorites! It looks stunning as an inner corner highlight... I actually reach for it all the time regardless if I'm using the palette or not haha.

The colors may swatch on the lighter side but they build up easily. The mattes blend really well so as a whole this is a great palette for the warm shadow lover in your life. Let's get into the looks!

I went for a warm crease and purple-plum lid for a daytime smokey-ish look on the left side and on the right is more of an everyday neutral-warm look which I love and got tons of compliments on (which is always good right? lol). 

Bottom line: I really like this palette! I think it's a great price point given the fact that Ulta has an amazing rewards program, great sales and coupons. The color selection is beautiful and the formula has hits and misses but nothing you can't work with. Will I be using this palette this upcoming fall? Heck Yes! I recommend you do too! :-)

One Brand Look: NYX Cosmetics!

Summer Look Using NYX!

Today I'm sharing a look I created using all NYX products when it comes to my eyes, lips and cheeks! I'm sticking with my warm colored roots and wanted to share with you what I used because 1. NYX is so affordable! and 2. It's super accessible and who doesn't like that combo? ;-)

Starting with eyes:

I used the NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette in Warm Neutrals which is such a good palette! It retails for $18 and like me you can purchase it at Ulta or Ulta.com. The color selection is me in a palette and on days that I don't know what to do I pull this out and it never fails! I have a full review with swatches already on my blog, click here to check it out.

Now on to cheeks: 

I used the NYX Ombre Blush in Strictly Chic ever so slightly. It's beautiful! It starts off as a light peach and ombres into a warm peachy shade. I went light handed, trying no to overpower the eyes. This blush is $10 which is great because of how versatile the product is.

Lastly on my lips:

If you haven't noticed I'm absolutely obsessed with the NYX Butter Lipsticks! They are such a good, comfortable formula with awesome color payoff and only $6 my friend! I wore the shade Snack Shack which is brown mauve shade, perfect for everyday wear. It complimented my eyes so well!

I'm gathering some more products for another One Brand Look so stay tuned for that! :-)

Swatches: CoverGirl Katy Kat Matte Lipsticks!

NEW Lipstick Line!

Today I'll be reviewing one of my NEW favorite lipstick lines! Covergirl released a collaboration line with Katy Perry called the Katy Kat Matte Lipsticks and I'm so in love! I purchased them from Ulta during a BOGO sale which is how you should buy all your drugstore makeup btw ;-) CoverGirl claims that these are a demi-matte finish that's not flat or dry and I couldn't agree more!

There's 11 shades total, I purchased the four that stood out to me ( pretty good variety, huh!). The pigmentation is amazing! They stay in place and wear so well. I wore Cat Call to work and during my 8 hour shift it never felt dry. It's a thinner feeling formula too which I think contributes to the comfort level. They have a typical CoverGirl lippie scent, not the most pleasant but it doesn't linger.

 If these swatches don't convince you I don't know what will! haha

I wasn't too impressed with Maroon Meow because it wore a little patchy. A lip liner will quickly fix that issue so I'm not too mad about it. Cosmo Kitty is such a cool shade, specially for the drugstore! Cat Call is my favorite from the bunch, I just can't put it down. Sphynx is a beautiful nude, very flattering.

I really like this line! The formula is awesome... it's demi-matte (lets just satin!)  yet super comfortable! The packaging is also really cool, matte feeling too. Overall I definetely would say to give these a try! Hope these swatches were helpful! :-)

Review: Lorac Pro Palette 3! (Swatches + Look!)

Third Time's a Charm!

Lorac... we meet again! I owned the Lorac 1 and 2 palettes but I sold them because I wasn't convinced with the formulation of the shadows. Call me crazy but when the Lorac Pro Palette 3 released I thought "lets give it a try, third time's a charm right?" and I was right! I thought I would never own a Lorac palette after not being impressed by the first two but these colors work so well! Before I continue to rave about it let me quickly give you the basics: it's $44 and I ordered it from Ulta.com.

It has a matte row and a shimmer/metallic row which is actually great when it comes down to creating a look. My issue with Lorac shadows is that they were so pigmented and powdery making them so hard to blend. Some of the colors would blend away and ain't nobody got time for that! I find that these shades are easier to blend and even though they're pigmented the colors are muted so it just works! I do have to build up some of the colors but I don't mind because I always end up loving the end look. These colors are perfect for looks you can put together in minutes! It's pretty much fool proof! Let's get into the swatches:

I already have favorites that I can't stop using like the mustard one and also the burgundy. These shadows last and they don't crease which is awesome! I have two looks below to share with you. I did a more everyday look for work and I wore a more smokey look for date night with my hubby. Both looks were so easy to put together and I love the subtle look of the colors.

Bottom line: I really enjoy this palette! As I type this review I'm so surprised because I haven't been a fan of past Lorac Palettes. This one is a keeper! I love the colors and although the formula is powdery I can still work with it. I don't tend to wear smokey looks but this palette inspired me with that burgundy shade and I love how it turned out! Nothing but great things to say about this one guys! :-)

Swatches: Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks!

My New Vice!

If you haven't heard Urban Decay reformulated, repackaged and is releasing 100 lipsticks! Yup. It's happening haha. Urban Decay is calling them the Vice Lipsticks which is the perfect name because I know I'm gonna get addicted! ;-)

The 100 lipsticks are made up of new and old shades in six different finishes. I was so excited when I checked my mail the other day and I had a gift from Ulta. They sent me a sample card with 24 of their favorite shades! It was divided into three color groups: Purple-Pinks, Red-Oranges and Nude-Pinks. I decided to swatch the nude-pink colors today so you can see what some of the colors look like. Let's get into the swatches!

Here are the color descriptions:

Conspiracy- (metallized) a plum bronze shimmer. Such a cool, dimensional shade! I'm considering getting the full size because it's so unique. I didn't feel any shimmer on my lips.

Rapture-(cream) a dusty rose. This color was part of the revolution line which I already own. It's a beautiful shade, great for everyday.

Amulet- (metallized) a metallic brick rose. This color had some dimension but it wasn't as metallic as Conspiracy. I didn't find the color too flattering on me.

ZZ- (cream) a soft pink-purple. I love this one!! It was so creamy and so pigmented. The color is stunning and I already ordered the full size haha.

Naked- (cream) a nude-pink. This color is very essential because it pairs so well with any makeup look. It was also part of the revolution line.

Backtalk- (comfort matte) a mauve-nude pink. This is a comfort matte formula which is suppose to be Urban Decay's creamiest matte and it's right on. It went on so nicely and it felt very comfy and thin but with great color payoff.

Stark Naked- (comfort matte) a light nude. Very comfortable but definetely not a shade I gravitate towards. It looks too concealer-y for my liking.

Gubby- (metallized) a frosted light pink. This one went on fairly sheer. I find it to be more of mixing shade or a lip topper because it doesn't look like much alone.

Hope these swatches were helpful! I'm giving my lips some TLC after all these lip swatches haha. I'm thinking about swatching the other colors in the sample card so stay tuned for that. I'm so excited for this new Vice line and these will be $17 which is more affordable than the old lipsticks and when compared to other brands at Ulta. Definetely check them out! :-)

Swatches: NYX Cosmetics Butter Lipsticks! (New Shades!)

Swatch Fest!

Today I'll be sharing swatches of some of the new NYX Butter Lipsticks shades! This lippie formula is one of my favorites and I appreciate the variety in color NYX offers! If you haven't tried this line you are missing out. It's such a creamy formula with awesome pigmentation. If you're over the liquid lipstick trend definetely give these a try because they are so comfortable! They retail for $6 at Ulta which is such a great price.

Something to note about the formula is that since they are so creamy they tend to feather out your lip lines. Just make sure to line your lips beforehand to prevent that. I've seen brands come out with universal lip liners which is so convenient when you have some out of the ordinary lipstick colors haha. Let's get into the swatches!

If I had to pick some stand out colors I would pick Vacation Spot, Ripe Berry & Heat Wave (which would be gorgeous for summer!). 

Have you tried any of the new shades? Which are your favorite? Leave me a comment down below! :-)

Review: NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette in Warm Neutrals! (Swatches + Look!)

NEW From NYX!

I always preferred NYX Cosmetics single shadows over the palettes they offered before. But this NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette in Warm Neutrals has converted me! haha. This palette retails for $18 which is pretty high in the drugstore world but I managed to snatch it up during a sale so it wasn't too bad for my pocket. There's 16 shadows in the palette in all the essential finishes and they are very well formulated!

The shadows live in a very compact palette which is a plus for me when I store it. The packaging is pretty sturdy, no complaints there.

There's four palettes to choose from but I'm a warm lover so I had to stick with what makes my heart happy! ;-) The colors are gorgeous and the range is nice! There's a nice mix of light and dark and everything in between. They are so rich in pigment and blending them was very easy. Let's get into swatches:

The darker shades are my faves! I love the redder browns in this palette. Even though it's a warmer palette it still stands out from my other ones because of those red-orange tones. Of course I love the golds and coppers but that's a given! Here's a look I created. I appreciate that the colors don't blend away, you still see the gradient of colors. They last amazingly over primer....overall I love them!

Bottom line: I do think it's a little pricey for drugstore but I know there's ways to get that price down. I would recommend to wait for sale (40% NYX at Ulta happens once in a while) or use the $3.50 off of $10 coupon. The shadows are great quality but for some reason my mind is trained to not pay full price for it haha. I really like it and would definetely recommend to check out this one and the other three if you're into those shades! :-)

Must Haves: LORAC Color Source Buildable Blushes! (Aura & Cinematic!)

So Smooth!

If you're a blush lover you clicked on the right post! I have a blush review to share with you today that might make you stop mid-read and place an order! ;-) LORAC recently released a new blush line, Color Source Buildable Blush, and they are simply amazing! They retail for $22 and you can find them on the Lorac Site, Ulta and Kohl's. They come in the sleekest packaging with magnetic closure and there's 10 shades to choose from. I've used these for about 3 weeks and can't put them down!

Buildable is the perfect name for these because that's exactly what they are...buildable! The formula is so silky smooth that it allows you to go as sheer or as bold as you want! They are slightly powdery but not too bad.

I love how the color is on the back of the compact, perfect for easy access in my blush collection. The compact is really thin and lightweight too! I purchased the two more neutral shades from the line and they look so nice on. They are blendable and very longwearing too!

Here are the swatches! Aura is a matte rose shade and Cinematic is matte plummy brown shade. These shades are perfect for everyday! 

I recommend these in a heartbeat! They go on and blend with ease and you can build them up to the intensity you prefer! The price point is great for a higher end blush. I can't wait to try out other shades because this formula is a new fav! :-)