What's in my ZPalette?

I FINALLY did it! I uploaded a video to YouTube! Please enjoy and don't forget to like, subscribe, and share. 

In this video, I describe my 'depotting disaster' story and provide my personal opinion on the zpalette. Depotting is such a pain and I think that the MAC palettes are the best buy for the money as the ZPalettes do not hold up well when traveling (specifically for air travel). 

Here are some close ups of my ZPalette. As you can tell it's already a little dusty from the Wet N' Wild eyeshadows and I am already worried that the colors are going to mix together, but I'll stick it out to see how things go. 

Product Probe: Make Up Forever Artist Shadows

As a makeupaholic, I knew when the hype started surrounding the new, re-formulated MUFE Artist Shadows, I would have to try them out. I read a few reviews and was only a tad bit disappointed when they arrived, but we'll get to that in a minute. 

First off, these shadows are pricey. When I say pricey, I mean $21 each. I let them sit in my Sephora cart for at least a week before I decided that I would spend the money. The upside to the pricing, is that when you purchase a MUFE palette (2-pan or 3-pan) for $1, you can get 3 eyeshadows for the price of 2, so I paid $42 for the eyeshadows and $1 for a 3 pan palette.

Now on to the slight disappointment. After watching reviews of these shadows on YouTube, I expected them to be insanely pigmented. In my opinion, they aren't as pigmented as a LORAC eyeshadow, but they are easy to blend and buildable, which makes it all better. I would probably purchase these again because these are slightly larger than MAC eyeshadows and I would like to try out different colors to see if the pigmentation differs depending on the finish.

Below are swatches from left to right: Pink Brown (matte), Pink Ash (satin), Rust (Iridescent). 

Do you own any MUFE Artist Shadows? What do you think?

Product Probe: Z-Palette's

If you've read yesterday's post, you are all too aware of my hellish, self-inflicted ordeal with depotting some of my eyeshadows. Despite my trials with depotting, I really do love the idea of being able to make a custom palette with eyeshadows, blushes, and bronzers that I already own. Not only does this help me use products that I am less-likely to use due to bulky packaging, or the fact the the product is hidden in my drawer under other products. With me making a point to love all my products, having the ability to add a blush or an eyeshadow to a weekly palette makes getting ready for work SOOO much easier (since I seem to wake up at the very last second, every single day). So on to the review.....

I was so excited to receive my Z-Palette, which I purchased from the Makeup Geek store online. Not only are Z-Palettes available in various colors, they are also fairly priced at $20 for a large palette (the size shown in yesterday's post). One of the good things about Z-Palettes is that they come with square and round magnets that have stickers on the back, which can be easily attached to various product pans, if the pans do not automatically stick to the bottom of the palette. Unfortunately, for the price, I am not a fan of the decorated cardboard that is used to make the Z-Palette. While it's sturdy for sitting on one's makeup vanity, if you try to clean it, it's a wet mess. I would much rather spend $8 for the large MAC pro palette, which is made of more durable materials. I really want to love the Z-Palette, but for the price and the material, the MAC palettes are a much better buy (and you can buy the same magnet stickers online starting at $3 from Amazon).

Do you own a Z-Palette? What's your preference?

Product Probe: Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation

As I am nearing the end of my bottle of Mat Velvet + foundation, I figure it would be a great time to provide a review.  I ordered this online from Sephora in June 2013 for $36.00, which isn’t bad for a ‘high-end’ foundation. It is now October 2014, which seems like a long time to finish this foundation, but during the past year, I also focused on finishing a Clinique foundation that I hated but forced myself to use until the very last drop.

Would I repurchase this foundation? Heck yeah! I have oily/combination skin and I love a matte finish. This foundation wears well for a 10-hr workday with minimal touch ups. I apply this foundation with my brush / real techniques sponge (depending on my mood) and then set with a powder. While I won’t purchase this immediately, because I have 3 or 4 other foundations that I would like to use first, this is definitely one of my top 3 foundations.

Have you ever tried the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet +? What’s your favorite mattifying foundation?

Project 10 Pan…Is it time to call it quits?

In June, I posted the details of my project 10 pan here and to be honest, it’s been a long one. I must admit that I was completely disillusioned about the amount of time it takes to finish makeup products, but I did learn some valuable lessons along the way, which I will share later this week. Until then, here is a peek at what’s been going on with my project 10 pan items.

 1.   Anastasia Brow Wiz - finished 5/21/14

 2.   Model In A Bottle Setting Spray – finished 5/23/14

 3.   NYX HD Concealer – finished 5/12/14

 4.   Tarte Clean Slate Primer -> This one is taking forever to finish because I HATE  it.

 5.   Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Powder Foundation -> I like this for setting my liquid foundation, but by the end of a long work day it seems to slide off. I like the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (MSF) better, but maybe it's the primer that I'm using.

 6.   Lorac Behind the Scenes Primer – 8/1/14?? 

 7.   Too Faced Primed & Poreless Face Primer – I haven’t use this in a while because I’m trying to focus on finishing that dreaded Tarte primer first.

 8.   Clinique Stay Matte Oil Free Foundation – finished 8/20/14

 9.   Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer – finished 6/24/14

 10. NYX Matte Bronzer – I use this for a slight contour so a little goes a long way, I can see a dip in the pan so this is a good deal for the money.

Product Probe: Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Foundation

Whew! That’s a long name for such a seemingly small bottle of foundation. I purchased this product at my local Clinique counter in Belk. I’ve made the mistake of ordering the wrong color of foundation before and wanted to be color matched before I purchased. Honestly I only really purchased it because it came with a free gift. With this product, you get the typical 1 oz. of product in a plastic bottle, which isn’t so bad since the product squeezes out. Overall, I am not a fan of this product. For $23, this isn’t a very matte foundation and even though it’s lightweight, it does not provide the full coverage that I like. I find that it separates easily and does very little to control my oily skin even with a oil control primer (hourglass mineral veil). All in all, I would not repurchase or recommend this product for someone with my skin type. Those with normal to dry skin may really love the formulation.

Have you tried any Clinique Foundations?

Product Probe: Model in a Bottle

Price: $18.00

According to the product’s website, Model In A Bottle is a matte makeup setting spray that is supposed to allow makeup to last all day with little to no touchups. I was hesitant to purchase this product as it can only be purchased online and is not available in any major retailer (like Sephora or Ulta). I brought this product 2 years ago at cherryculture.com. While I enjoyed it because it lives up to its claims, this setting spray is highly fragranced, sprays heavily, and is difficult to obtain, unlike the Urban Decay and Kat Von D setting sprays. I would probably not repurchase it because of those reasons, but if you are willing to purchase online, this is a must have. The price seems a bit high, but I have used the product 3 or 4 times a week for the past 2 years before I ran out.

What’s your favorite makeup setting spray?

Wait….You Put That Where???

No, I’m not writing about that. Get your mind out of the gutter! There are many very unusual beauty secrets that are not only a little weird, but they’re also very affordable alternatives to expensive makeup products. One of my personal favorites is Milk of Magnesia. While this is commonly used as an antacid or laxative, it’s also a great primer. I actually used this (hubby gave me the side eye when I brought it) and it does stop you from becoming an oily mess by the end of the day. I know it sounds strange, but this is a great alternative to the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer. Another beauty favorite is Preparation H. This little gem not only reduce the size of hemorrhoids (if you have that problem), but it also reduces under eye puffiness. And let’s not forget about the Monistat Chaffing Gel, not only is it good for ‘other places’ but it’s also another great primer. Who would’ve thunk it?

What are your unusual beauty secrets?

Product Review: NYX Butter Gloss & Soft Matte Lip Creams SUCK!!

If you love makeup like I do, you watch plenty of YouTube videos and try as many new products as you can get your hands on without becoming the crazy makeup lady. Well, these 2 products thoroughly SUCK! Despite all the YouTube hype, these products were a complete and utter waste of my hard earned wages! I guess I should count my lucky stars that they are inexpensive. While most Youtubers rave about how butter and smooth these products are, the NYX Butter Gloss makes my lips so dry that they peel and the Matte Lip Creams don’t apply well, they are a matte, splotchy mess. One swipe and I knew it wasn’t going to work (but to be fair, I kept trying to use it to see why people loved it so much). I would NEVER, EVER recommend these two products! Stay far away and save your pennies!

What are your thoughts on the NYX Butter Gloss & Soft Matte Lip Creams?

The Cure for an Oily Girl: Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer

Price:    $18.00

Size:      0.33 oz.

As many of you may (or may not) know, I have oily skin. Very oily! To the point that when I tried out the L’Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation, I was a grease slick after less than 3 hours of wear. Anywho in my quest for a ‘holy grail’ primer, I ran across the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer. This primer claims to provide a smooth finish to your foundation and reduce shine and the best part is that IT WORKS! The look of the primer is very similar to that of Milk of Magnesia, but has a slight silicone feel when applied to the face. Over the past month or so, this primer has kept my oily skin under control and has helped prevent my midday face blot. While I am still going to test out other primers (because I’m an obsessive makeup hoarder), I will definitely repurchase this primer in the future.

What’s your favorite primer?

Coming soon: MUG Eyeshadows & Pigments

Hey y’all!!!!! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted, but only because I’ve had plenty of work and not shopping to keep me busy. With that being said, what better way to come back than with a HAULLLLL!!!!!!!!!! I recently placed an order for a few of the highly raved about Makeup Geek (also called MUG) eyeshadows and plan to review them after I have tested them out a bit and of course a review wouldn’t be complete without swatches (yay!).

Stay Tuned…..

Product Probe: Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencils

On a recent trip to Sephora to pick up some ‘wish list’ items, I happened to notice these little beauties and was a little curious to see what all the YouTube hype was about. Recently, it seems like everyone has been in love with the agave lip mask; for some reason the lip mask just didn't pique my interest, but these lip pencils caught my attention. If you are not familiar with the Bite brand, it is a brand of all natural beauty products. At first, when you hear all natural you may assume that the products aren't that great, but these lips pencils are bomb.com. Not only are they vibrant and pigments, but they come in several versatile shades from bold to nude. They are a ‘matte’ formula, but go on smooth without drying your lips or causing any type of patchiness or peeling, not to mention the slim packaging makes storing these a breeze. I prefer these to the drugstore lip balms and creams, which are super drying and are transparent on darker skin tones. I highly recommend trying these if you’re in the market for a new lip product or just want to branch out from your current favorite. 

What's your favorite lippie?

Product Probe: Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation

Revlon Colorstay has been on the market for quite some time. Not only is this foundation affordable, but it is easily available and can be found at any drugstore. This product is actually the first foundation that I’ve ever used and is considered a ‘Holy Grail’ product for me.

Pros:

Not only does it wear well for my oily skin, but it also has a matte finish, which I love. There product line offers a great selection of shades, and comes in a different formula for beauty lovers with dry/normal skin.

Cons:

This is not a lightweight foundation. It’s actually quite thick, but provides medium to full coverage. Also this foundation is not sold with a pump, which makes it very difficult to get out of the bottle. In order to avoid this drawback, I found it best to pour the foundation into an airless foundation pump that I found on Amazon (pic below).

What’s your favorite foundation?

Brand Review: Morphe Brushes (and eyeshadows too!)

While it is nice to have a collection of M.A.C eye shadows or the latest Urban Decay palette, often times there is a need to ‘ball on a budget’. If I had unlimited funds, I wouldn’t worry about spending $50 on the Urban Decay Naked 3 or Lorac Pro palette, but since I have to work for a living, there are alternatives for the budget conscious. Besides, being beat and beautiful doesn’t have to be expensive.

Morphe Brushes 35 color glam palette    $19.95

Morphe Brushes 35 color warm palette    $19.95

The Morphe Brush Company is located out of California and offers high quality makeup brushes and eye shadows at affordable prices. Shadows or brushes can be purchased individually or in sets. Individual eye shadow pans are $2 each for quality pigmentation. This option allows you to purchase only the colors that you will use. Check them out at www.morphebrushes.com.

                                              What is your favorite budget friendly eye shadow?

Product Probe: Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hour Perfecting Primer

Tarte Clean Slate Primer

I am a faithful, YouTube subscriber. Daily I check my feed patiently awaiting the next 'rave' beauty product that promises to deliver 'never-seen-before' results. This is how I ended up making a trip to Ulta to purchase the Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hour Perfecting Primer. I honestly had  really high hopes for this primer. I have oily skin and need all the help I can get to make my makeup last through an 8-hour workday. Unfortunately, this primer does nothing for me. It has a silicone feel, which I don't mind. After applying all over the skin, it did not live up to its claim to blur or reduce the appearance of pores. At first, I thought that it was my foundation, so I switched. I have tried this product with Revlon ColorStay foundation, the Makeup Forever Mat Velvet foundation, and MAC's StudioFix Fluid. I even went as far as to pat this into my pores in hopes that a different method of application would help. Unfortunately,  this product is just an epic fail, but no worries I am still on the hunt for a long-lasting pore blurring primer.

FYI...I think this product would be great for dry to normal skin as it has anti-aging ingredients that tend to moisturize. 

What are your thoughts on this product? What's your favorite primer?