My Confession: Nyx's Butt "Naked" Eyes Palette

I have a confession to make...          Palette's are a weakness of mine for several reasons. All the pretty eyeshadows grouped together just dazzle and overwhelm me in a beautiful way. The combinations are endless. Not to mention, you get more for your money at a reasonable price!

So, you know I have gritted my teeth and have not cracked and bought the Urban Decay Naked palettes, even though I am dying inside to purchase the original... Well, instead at a cheaper price, I bought NYX's Butt "Naked" Eyes palette that has been compared to Urban Decay's Naked Palette 2, the one with the cool eyeshadow shades. 

Already I know cool shades are not ones that I gravitate towards, but I thought for the price of the NYX palette, at least I could add them to my collection. I purchased mine on Hautelook.com when they where running their flash sale of NYX products. I cannot recall how much it was, but on nyx.com they sell this palette for $25.00, which is an awesome price anyways! 

For that price tag, you are getting fifteen eyeshadows that range from mattes to shimmers to frosts. Such a great variety! There is a matte black in the palette that is extremely pigmented for lining the eyes! All these are high in color payoff and there is enough shadows for different eye looks with perfect blending and highlight colors. The drawback to these pigmented shadows is that though they are soft in texture, they are very powdery, so beware of extreme fallout.

Yes, I have used the palette several times so the shadows are not perfect in the pictures!

Top row left to right

Middle row left to right

Bottom Row left to right

NYX is known for great blushes, and this palette does not fail you in this regard. You get four with a wide variety of color options. There is a tray that pulls out from beneath the eyeshadow palette and you get your blushes and your bronzer and illuminating cheek colors!

Lets start with the blush...

The first shade, going from left to right, is a peachy rose color that is full of glitter. Tapping your brush off before application won't help you avoid the glitter bomb. Yet, it is a pretty color!

The second color is a baby pink color that is soooo very beautiful! It comes of frosty, so maybe I would use this as a highlight? Anyways I cannot use this color on my darker skin tone (think olive toned skin) but it would look phenomenal on fair skinned ladies.

First two blushes right to left
To the right of the swatch is the blush blended out

The third shade looks intimidating, as it is a bright shocking pink, but I assure you, it is not as pigmented as you would think. Actually, this color blends out to a very subtle rose color. Not to mention, it is purely matte, which I love!



The last blush is another matte, a pretty peach shade, one that I gravitate towards out of all four!

Last two blushes right to left
To the right of the swatch is the blush blended out

On to the the bronzer...

I adore this bronzer because it does not lean orange whatsoever! I use this all the time because it is a beautiful soft subtle brown. Not deep nor dark, but just the right color to add that subtle depth. The texture os so soft and light, I love it! (Just a side note: I forgot to blend out the bronzer in the swatch picture, sorry!)

Accompanying the bronzer are two cheek illuminators in a golden color and a peachy color. Both of these apply soft to the cheeks and do give a sheen to the skin when blended out, but for my oily skin, I skip illuminators, for obvious reasons... Beware that there is slight glitter in these illuminators! It is wonderful that this comes with two color options so that different skin tones get better options.

Left to right: Bronzer
First illuminator (to the right of the swatch the illuminator is blended out)
Second illuminator (to the right of the swatch the illuminator is bended out)

As a side detail, the mirror in this palette rocks! Not only is it massive, but it is a true mirror, not wonky or misleading at all! 

So, this gives you most all of your face products for when you travel in a slender compact palette. I highly recommend this to you guys, especially if you love cool toned eyeshadows! You will fall in love with this! 

I confess, what I would love to see NYX do is come out with a palette just like this with warm toned eyeshadows! Until than, enjoy!!!

Confession Time: Sonia Kashuk's "Eye On Neutral Palette"

I have a confession to make...        For awhile now, I have been wanting to introduce you to very well loved palette that I use on a daily basis. A palette that I had heard of from Its Judy Time when I was watching one of her videos on YouTube several months back. A genius of a palette that a lot of higher end companies have been producing replicas of their own. Without further ado...

Meet Sonia Kashuk's Instructional "Eye On Neutral" Palette!

See how well loved it is!!!!

I bought mine at Target for $19.99, which some may balk at when they think of Target, but keep in mind that even though Sonia Kashuk is sold at Target alongside drugstore makeup, it is a higher version of your typical drugstore finds. It comes with twelve eyeshadows that everybody absolutely needs in their makeup collection. No joke!

The packaging is made of your typical plastic, but it is still very durable with an easy open lid. My only complaint is that the side pull out drawer where the instructional cards are hidden can be very stubborn! At times I have to fight to get it open. Not to mention, the cards are a flimsy plastic, so they popped right out of there when I flipped them open and over each other. Unfortunately, I could not pop them back into the little grooves that held them in there and had to throw them out. (It just happened as I was writing this review) Bummer...

The cards it does come with are instructions to complete three different eye looks. One is, A Softly Contoured Eye. Two is,  A Wash Of Neutral. Three is, A Smokey Eye. All the eyeshadows are numbered, not named, so it will tell you by number which eyeshadow to use for the look you want to copy. 

As for the shadows themselves, I cannot rave enough about them! There are twelve COMPLETELY matte shades and they are ALL neutral colors that you can blend, contour and have fun with! The texture of these eyeshadows is right on par with high end eyeshadows. These are buttery and soft, not hard what-so-ever as some matte eyeshadows can be. That being said, just beware of slight fall out. I say slight, because they are not as extreme as some eyeshadows I have tested before. Make sure to tap your brush before application!

I have tried several eye looks using just this palette and they looked so pretty! Granted, yes, sometimes an all matte eye look can appear flat, so I have enjoyed using these shadows along with my shimmery ones as well. Needless to say this palette stays in my everyday makeup bag because it has every matte shade you can think of, from a soft white, reddish-brown, peach, grey and even a black! The matte black in here will not disappoint you, for it is highly pigmented, as are all of these shadows. There is not one dud among the twelve!

These where swatched on bare skin with no primer:

Row One: 1, 2, 3

Shadows 1, 2, 3

Shadow 1 swatches like a bright white, but it blends so beautifully. It looks stark on my olive toned skin, but would look perfect on fair skins as a matte highlight color.

Row Two: 4, 5, 6

Shadows 4, 5, 6

Row Four: 7, 8, 9

Shadows 7, 8, 9

Row Four: 10, 11, 12

Shadows 10, 11, 12

How can anyone find fault with the quality and pigmentation of this product? You will have every matte shade you could ever need or want. With out this palette I would be lacking many makeup possibilities, so I urge you to consider purchasing this palette over the new Urban Decay matte palette, because with Sonia Kashuk's palette, you get way more color options and product for way less money!

I hope you try this out and maybe you will fall in love with this palette, too!

Makeup Update: Physicians Formula Gel Eyeliners

I have a confession to make...          I have not repurchased any gel eyeliners in a very long time. Do you want to know why? Well, do you recall last year in February I had purchased the Physician's Formula Gel Eyeliners when they where on clearance at Target? I posted my first impressions of them in a blog back then and I just wanted to let you know how I still feel about them.

They have had MUCH love this past year!

I adore these liners to no end! I kid you not, these eyeliners, just a few weeks away from being a year old, have kept their initial formulation! They are still creamy and opaque (with the exception of the brown one, which I was not in love with the first time around). 

These eyeliners do not budge at all and have held true, not showing any signs of drying out! Do you know how often I have had to throw out gel eyeliners before I was finished with the product and all because it dried out and was unusable?

I AM IN LOVE AND WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GEL LINER AGAIN! 
(Unless for review purposes, that is ;)

I have used all three and they are more than halfway finished, but as I said before, I am still amazed at how gorgeous they still are! 

The black one gets the most use out of the three. If I am not using my Urban Decay Zero black eyeliner than I am most likely using this instead!

This color is a stunning dark blue-purple color and looks amazing on the lash line! It is a fun color to wear!

The brown one is so pretty when it is swatched, it looks copper. But, applied, the pigmentation is lacking. You will not get a crisp dark down line with this one, but more of a faded brown line which I have found I don't mind (but still don't love) when I want to wear a very neutral eye look.

These are AHH-MAY-ZING!!!!!!!

They do not crack nor do they flake on the lids, even when wearing for a long period of time.

I highly recommend that you go out and buy yourself these gel liners! They come in a set of three for around $10.00 depending on where you shop. But, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed and will find yourself comparing these to your favorite high end luxury gel liner! 

N.Y.C. "Manhattan" Nail Polish

I have a confession to make...        I found a new nail polish love! It is winter and during this time of the year it is fashionable to wear the dark colors on our lips and nails, even though I must confess, I am a rule breaker! I was at Target the other day and I was perusing the makeup isles and my eye got drawn to the New York Color cosmetics section and I saw this beautiful nail polish that I just had to have!

It is in the color "Manhattan", my favorite city ever! I knew that I could not leave the store with out it. I polished my nails with this beauty and now I must say that I am impressed with the formulation. I had talked about another N.Y.C. nail polish awhile back in the color, "Park Avenue", a taupe-grey color, that I was raving about. I don't know why I did not pick up more polish from this line sooner!

It is a beautiful purple-red wine color that wears wonderfully and looks complimentary on every skin tone out there! The only thing I must say, is that this particular shade needs three coats of polish to reach full on opacity. I only did two coats and I can see how in some areas it is lighter than the rest of the nail. So, three coats should do you good, and it only takes a minute to set each coat!

I am picky when it comes to formulation, and this had me pleased still! Revlon polish has a tendency to bubble on my nails and I have no idea why. N.Y.C. did not bubble in the slightest! It claims to dry in 60 seconds after application and I tell you, they speak the truth! So, do not worry about smudging and smearing when wearing this! 

As far as the brush is concerned, it is small but it works great! I was able to apply the polish without having to worry about the brush itself being overly big for my nails. No sloppy application here!

I applied Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri Ant-Chip Topcoat over the top and I think that is what helped prevent chipping for up to three days, so I am impressed!

I don't hear many people talking about this nail polish line so get the word out there! I found mine at Target for $1.99 and I plan to go back and buy a few more shades to add to my collection. When I do, I will make sure to share and swatch!

My Thoughts On Loreal Colour Caress Wet Shine Lip Stain

I have a confession to make...      I like hype. It lets me know what is going on in the world and what are on people's minds. It makes me want to like it too! So, when I had heard that Loreal came out with a new lip product, I was all over that! Not to mention the fact that people where comparing it to the lip stains from YSL, a very high end line that I have not ventured into myself as of yet. But, I had heard good things about the YSL lip stains and since YSL owns Loreal, I  figured this was as close as I would be getting to trying their lip stains but without the $32.00 price tag!

I got mine at Target for $7.99 in the color Infinite Fuchsia because I had heard that it is an exact dupe for one of the colors in the YSL line that I had adored in a beauty guru's YouTube video. 

For one, the packaging is gorgeous, it just looks glamorous. It is in a sleek golden tube and the color of the lip stain is visible around the top were the product comes out of.

As for the applicator, it is a bigger doe foot brush than normal, which is great for precision, but  just be careful when applying the stain. I can easily see how the big applicator could be a hinderance for getting out of the lines of your lips. Use caution when applying the dark colors especially.

This is what Loreal's website had to say about their new product:

"Lip stain power- Fresh color feels barely there
 Lipgloss shine- Lacquer shine and non-sticky feel
 Caring Color- 6HR continuous hydration"

They go to say that this product is a stain that thinks it is a gloss and that it is 30% water which contributes to the soft, comfortable and hydrated feel that this product will give your lips. 

When applied, this feels very wet and nice, not drying at all. It was a great feeling I could appreciate, especially since stains in the past dried out my lips like no other.

Infinite Fuchsia

Immediately after application

You can see the glossiness of the lip stain right after it is applied. Even though it is bright and glossy, I would not call this a full coverage formula because I found that when applying, it has a tendency to skip and show up patchy in some areas. That is not good for the dark colors because that patchy look shows up even more than a lighter shade would. Well, take a look at what it looks like ten minutes after application:

Ten minutes after application

It is a dramatic difference from just a few minutes before. This leaves you with a finish that looks like you had been sucking on a popsicle, which is a look some people like, but after wearing this for a couple of hours, it started to wear off in patches.

The initial pigmentation wears away and there is some transfer through out the day as you drink from your coffee cup and eat, but it does leave you with a more toned down color than when first applied. To me, that is not a plus, especially when it wears off splotchy.

After four hours of wear, this is what I was left with. Mind you, there was absolutely no reapplying in between eating and drinking. 

After four hours of wear

This stain did not even last as long as I would expect a stain to perform. As far as the comfort level of this formula it did not leave my lips feeling more hydrated than they were before I put this on. They felt the same, which is not a bad thing, especially since the majority of lip stains I have tried in the past have left my lips feeling as if the moisture got sucked out of them.

When wearing, it is not sticky, nor does it have a slick glossy feel. It is just there, which is a nice feeling, too, because it wears comfortably. 

Overall, this is not a outstanding product that I think someone has to have, nor will I be purchasing other colors from this line. You could say I am disappointed because I was expecting more from this lippie.

Needless to say, I have not met a stain yet that I have fallen in love with... Have you?

Maybelline Whisper Lipstick

I have a confession to make...      when I had heard that Maybelline had come out with a new line of lipsticks and that they where being compared to the Revlon Lip Butters, I was hesitant to try these. When Revlon first came out with the lip butters, I jumped on the band wagon and bought two to test out, just knowing I would love them because everyone else did...

Boy, was I wrong. I despised them to no end. They would dry out my lips and slide all over my teeth and outside of the contours of my lips. Needless to say, I threw mine away cause their was no way I could wear them.

Despite the comparisons, I picked up one of the new Maybelline Whisper lipsticks. Yes, just one, so if I did not love it, I wasn't out that much money. I picked mine up at Target for $5.99 in the color Berry Ready.

This is what Maybelline has to say regarding the Whisper lipsticks:

"Pure color pigment suspended in weightless gel.
  No heavy waxes or oils.
  Soft, sexy gel color."

The packaging is all right. Nothing special, although I do adore the way that they wrote "whisper" on the outside tube. Very pretty!

Yet, what I do like is that when you take off the top, the tube inside is sleek and slender. It puts off the vibes of being high end and luxurious, when you know how affordable it really is!

Now, before I applied it to my lips, I was not expecting to love this. So, I was shocked, and I repeat: SHOCKED, at how smooth and silky this just glided onto my lips. When I say glide, I mean it, because it felt slick like butter!

The shine and glossiness is beautiful. Despite it being so glossy, it did not rub off on my lips for the five hours that I was wearing it. To be honest, it stayed exactly were I applied it and did not budge. Pleasantly, I was surprised that this lipstick did not dry out my lips, but left them feeling moisturized and soft.

The color is a beautiful dark berry, perfect for fall. When on the lips it looks more dark and dramatic than in the swatch here. The high pigmentation of the product astounds me, because the Revlon Lip Butters I had reminded me more of a tinted balm because of the subtle color they offered. 

Thankfully, these come in twenty shades all together, from sheers to nudes to dark plums. Every color imaginable to please every taste out there. 

With the silky formula and outstanding pigmentation, this line of lipsticks may just be my new favorite line in the drugstores! The only thing I don't like is that I did not pick up more of these colors, which means another trip to the drugstore for me!

Tarte's Carried Away Collector's Set 2012

I have a confession to make...      I have always wanted to try a few products by Tarte cosmetics and I finally broke down to buy their collectors set they came out with this past holiday season. I had first seen reviews of the kit on YouTube and it looked perfect, so perfect that I knew if I did not buy this limited addition collection I would regret it for the rest of my life! I bought mine on sephora.com for $54.00, a great deal for everything included!

Well do I regret my decision?

I have to say that I adore the packaging. It comes in a travel case with two big see-through zipper compartments to put your lipgloss, face products and so forth. The mirror in the case is huge and not wonky in any way. Behind it is a sleeve where the eyeshadow palette slips into, which I am sure you can place an eyeshadow palette of your choice in there as long as it is slim enough. 

The quality of the travel bag is excellent because if you get makeup inside the pockets or on the outside, you can easily wipe it off since it is of a soft plastic material. Just take a makeup wipe to it and it's clean!

This kit comes with twenty-four full sized eyeshadows in a slim cardboard case. The case is magnetic, so it does not flop open when handled. Thus, no worries about your shadow getting wrecked. The eyeshadows are grouped into quads of four, which makes it easy when creating your makeup look for the day. 

Now, I was most eager to try their eyeshadows because they looked so pretty and gorgeous in the swatches online. People where even raving about the wonderful pigmentation of these shadows. Well, I hate to say this, but I was disappointed enough in these eyeshadows that I will never be repurchasing Tarte eyeshadows ever again. In the pan they look amazing, but when applied and swatched they come off more sheer than I like or expected. Even over Urban Decay's Primer Potion and MAC's Painterly Paintpot they still came off less intense on the lid. 

The texture of these shadows are beautiful. They are buttery and soft and very easy to blend. Yet, I find them to be a little too soft which causes noticeable fallout; something I did not expect from a high-end cosmetic line. 

Four matte shades are included in this palette, two of them being matte neutrals for blending. The other two are deeper shades off matte for outter corners. The other shadows range from pearl finishes to metallics and shimmer.

I think that these shadows are great for someone who likes a little bit of color without the intensity. These are great for everyday neutral looks with just a wash of color. For the office and work this will be your go to palette. Yet, still, I am disappointed and I am still trying it out everyday to try and fall in love with them; but to no avail...

The names of the eyeshadows are not written anywhere on the palette. Only on a plastic protective sheet of plastic that I had to throw out because it got extreemly annoying. But I did write the names of the shadows in order to the quads on the palette itself so I would not forget the names. 

Please excuse these photos... I had tried this kit out for a month before taking pictures of it. So Sorry, but everything still holds true! I swatched these eyeshadows on bare skin with no primer so that you could see for yourself the true pigmentation of the product...

Eyeshadow palette

Top Left: Snowfall In Paris
Top Right: Golden Gate Bridge
Bottom Left: Volcanic Ash
Bottom Right: Pyramid Gold

No flash from left to right:
Snowfall In Paris, Golden Gate Bridge, Volcanic Ash, Pyramid Gold

With Flash in same sequence

Top Left: Pearl River
Top Right: Seychelles Sand
Bottom Left: Touchdown In Londontown
Bottom Right: Martha's Vineyard

With flash from left to right:
Pearl River, Seychelles Sand, Touchdown In Londontown, Martha's Vineyard

Top Left: Pebble Beach
Top Right: Boston Brick
Bottom Left: Spanish Sangria
Bottom Right: Napa Grapes

With flash from left to right:
Pebble Beach, Boston Brick, Spanish Sangria, Napa Grapes

With flash in same sequence

Top Left: Georgia Peach
Top Right: Tuscan Sun
Bottom Left: Acai Jungle
Bottom Right: Coral Reff

No flash from left to right:
Georgia Peach, Tuscan Sun Acai Jungle, Coral Reef

With flash in same sequence

Top Left: Iceland Air
Top Right: Mystic Seaport
Bottom Left: Concrete Jungle
Bottom Right: Hampton Waves

No flash from left to right:
Iceland Air, Mystic Seaport, Concrete Jungle, Hampton Waves

With flash in same sequence
(Hampton Waves is peculiar... matte but with subtle silver sparkle)

Top Left: Sunshine State
Top Right: Hawaiian Palm
Bottom Left: Olive Grove
Bottom Right: Sin City

With flash from left to right:
Sunshine State, Hawaiian Palm, Olive Grove, Sin City

No Flash in same sequence

The other stars of this kit where the eight mini lip glosses, which I had been dying to try! I had heard rave reviews on these and needless to say, after I tried them out for myself, I have to say  I am a fan! But, for a completely different reason than I had hoped for...

When I bought this kit I already knew that the lip glosses where not going to have pigmentation. The color in the tube was not going to go onto my lips that same color. These lip glosses are more of a sheer wash of color on your lips. As you wear it throughout the day and smack your lips together from talking and such, the color will become nothing even though you can still feel the gloss on your lips. So, don't expect a saturation of color from these lippies. Disappointing, yes...

On the other hand, the formula is outstanding! The best in any lip gloss I have tried ever! The maracuja oil and vitamin C in the formula make these highly moisturizing, leaving my lips feeling smooth and infused with moisture! There is a slight tackiness to the gloss, but it is not annoying or uncomfortable to wear. It feel nice on the lips especially with it's minty scent!

There are four shimmery shades and four creamy shades. A perfect mix!

Great doe foot applicator

From left to right:
Anna, Mer, Nuria, Casey

From left to Right:
Anna, Mer, Nuria, Casey

From left to right:
Mel, Jena, Heath, Ali

From left to right:
Mel, Jena, Heath, Ali

I have been wanting to try Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blushes in forever! This kit came with a mini blush in the color Adventurous, a beautiful shimmery pinkish-brown color. The shade would definitely flatter many skin tones, giving it a soft subtle wash of color. 

Something I do like is the sublte shade of this blush and how you do not have to be afraid of putting too much on. I would like to try more shades in the future soon!

Adventurous

Blush swatched out with flash

Blush swatched out with no flash

The brush that it comes with is gorgeous with purple and gold! The weight of it is sturdy and durable and the brush is soft on the skin, feeling very luxurious! It works perfectly for blush and bronzer.

This kit also comes with a mini sample of their setting powder, which I have not tried on my skin yet, but feels soft and fine when swatched. Looking forward to reviewing this in the near future!

Lights Camera Lashes is also included in this kit in a mini-tube and I have to say, I am in love! A review with before and after shots is coming your way very soon!

Am I in love with this Tate collection? (Sigh....) 

I am on the fence and unsure how I feel. A mixture of disappointment in the eyeshadows but a definite love of the blush and mascara for sure. The lip gloss I could easily leave behind despite the awesome formula since it lacks the pigmentation I truly desire. 

On the other hand, this is a great travel friendly case that I can load with my own goodies and throw in my bag. I have already taken this on the road with my, eyeshadows and all, and I must say, it travels well! 

So, if you are into soft makeup, this is for you and I suggest you try and find this collection soon before it sells out on Sephora if it hasn't already! I know on Amazon you can buy it for $85.00, which I believe it is not worth that price tag at all!

Tell me, where you carried away by Tarte's Carried Away Collection?