November 2014 Eyeshadow Palette of the Month: MAC Leopard Lux Quad

Hi there! After my recent birthday/holiday splurges, I think it’s best if I try to focus on using one eyeshadow palette a month. I am a complete eyeshadow/blush lover (or hoarder), so I figure I would start choosing one palette to use each month to ensure that all of my eyeshadows get some love. . I think I have enough eyeshadows to last me all the way until 2016, but I’m sure that won’t stop me from getting more at the next makeup sale.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, one being that I will always use MAC Brown Script no matter what palette I’m using because it’s such an awesome transition color for me. Without further ado, below are swatches from MAC’s Leopard Lux Quad, ENJOY!

Top To Bottom: Furiously Fabulous (VP), Style Predator (VP), Notoriety (V), Wild By Nature (M) 

What eyeshadow palette are you using this month?

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: 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?

A Little Fall Fun!!

So after my very sad post about my project pan (which I’ll do an update on later this week), I decided to write today about happier times. We are officially entering Fall, yay! Is anyone else excited? Fall and Winter are my favorite times of year, not only because of the weather, but also because of all of the holidays and family time that comes along with the season. One of my favorite things about this time of year are the HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS! I am already eyeing the Tarte collections and I plan on getting my grubby little hands on it as soon as it is available online or in-store. Am I the only make up lover out there that WANTS ALL THE MAKEUP? Lol! I can never have enough or too much.

Do you plan to purchase any of the 2014 Holiday Collections?

Randomness: MyCosmetics App

Guess what?! I recently downloaded the greatest app ever! Okay, maybe not the greatest app ever, but it's pretty darn good if you love your makeup and want to keep your stash organized. It not only helps me ease some of my makeup hoarder anxiety, but it is also very easy to use. Basically what the app does is allow you to track when you open a product and the product expiration. Below is a screenshot of what the app looks like along with a step by step of how to use it. Enjoy!

This screen appears once you click on the app icon. From here you select the category of makeup you want to enter or review.

I selected powder, which is where I entered a powder that I opened up this morning. Now a list of entered items under the powder category appears by brand and product name. To add a product, simply click the '+' in the upper right corner.

By clicking on the powder I want to look up, the app shows the product info., expiration date, and a picture if one was taken. I haven't added a pic to this one yet, but I'll update this post with a picture this week.

Beauty Wish Lists

Am I the only one that maintains a list of future beauty purchases? There are so many great products on the market and in order to remain some semblance of self control, I create lists of products that I would like to try (one for MAC and one for Sephora/everywhere else). I also frequent Sephora.com and love items that I want to try in the future. By keeping products on my radar, it helps me control my makeup spending and it allows me to fine tune the list and separate things by the items that I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want.  Here are a few of the products I want to try in the future, but will NOT purchase until I use some up some of my current goodies.

Here are my top 5 Wish List items:

1.       Inglot Eyeshadows and Blushes – Freedom System Items so that I can put them in a z-palette.

2.       NARS blushes – I own seduction and I love it more than any of my other blushes

3.       MUG (MakeupGeek) eyeshadows, pigments,  and eye brushes (specifically the liner , pencil, and outer v brushes)

4.       Estee Lauder DoubleWear Foundation – This is supposed to be great for oily skin, but I haven’t purchased it yet because I have 3 foundations that I want to use prior to getting a new one. (Currently rotating: MAC StudioFix Fluid, Clinique Stay Matte Foundation, and Lancome Teint Idole)

5.       MAC blushes – I plan to finish filling my MAC blush palette that only has 1 item in it to date. I specifically want to purchase Coppertone, Blunt (for contouring), and a shaping powder as well.

What’s on your makeup wish list?

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?