So after my last post, I needed some time off which is why I didn’t post last week. But I am ready to get back to my posts and I thought a fun way to do it would be by introducing you to my stash. I will be going through my stash and talking about the different items I have and why I have kept them over time. This will also help me discover items that I want to use up or want to declutter from my collection.
During these stay home, stay safe times, I think it is important to shop our stashes. Perhaps my adventure through my stash will remind you of items you have in your stash, and we can use them together.
I’ve been on a declutter kick lately so hopefully if I come across something that doesn’t work for me, I can sanitize it and pass it forward to someone who might want it. I have also been toying with the idea of a project pan so perhaps this will help me discover items to put in that kind of a challenge.
It goes without saying, I have way more makeup then any one person needs and for that reason, I am looking forward to using up some items. Comment below if you are interested in doing a group project pan or seeing blogs rounding up the items I am decluttering, perhaps at the end of every other month.
*Note that this is where I am starting from. I hope to declutter and remove the clutter from this area and possibly relocate to another area of the house.
Today’s post is going to be a little different. With the state of the world as it is, I feel that it is inappropriate to continue doing reviews on new products, and frankly, I can’t anymore. As with many others, the business I work for has had to close its doors until this virus has passed and the world is safe again.
I’m personally struggling. My makeup journey has been a bunch of ups and downs. It has helped me through times of great mental depression and I’ve tried many different ways to participate in this industry but none have brought me as much joy as this blog. For this, I want to thank you.
This blog has been something I look forward to writing every day. I love reviewing new items. I love putting my ideas out there even if others disagree with it. I just love being a part of this community.
With everything going on, I don’t see how a review-based blog is a good idea anymore. I am happy to put out reviews on products I already have and we can discuss our opinions on these products but I almost feel like that’s more of a twitter conversation then a blog post.
I’ve thought of trying to do “shop my stash” style blogs (because I think at this point it is best to use what we have in our collections for the most part), but I’m not sure how to write those to sound interesting.
I think we are in a very strange time for the beauty industry. Most “beauty gurus”, of which I am not, are trying so hard to push out even more videos to help others in this time of need. What I think is a very hard balance to create, is that of encouraging people to use what they have but still stay relevant.
All of this is to say, I love you all and please stay safe! I will do my best to come up with interesting posts, but if you are feeling at all how I feel, know you are not alone. It is truly breaking my heart that I can’t be there to help more.
Wet n Wild is a popular drug store brand that comes at an extremely affordable cost. This might seem like an oxymoron since many think of drug store costs as being “affordable” but as of late, the cost of many popular drug store brands has gone up and are beginning to reach the low end range of “high-end” product costs. Wet n Wild is one of the few brands that have maintained their low cost and still provided well performing products.
One of their most popular formulas are their ten pan palettes that they have released. These palettes come out in their permanent line, but they also release them around Halloween time in limited edition colors. Sadly, the limited edition color stories, have been notorious for not performing as well as the permanent line.
The V.I.Purple palette is part of their permanent line and is one of their top sellers as it has taken me a long time to finally track it down. I have to say, the other ten pans that are part of their permanent line that I have used do perform really well so I expected the same out of this palette. Unfortunately, this palette did not impress me.
Starting with the positive, the mattes in this palette are beautiful. They are pigmented, creamy and blend well with each other. The disappointment comes on the purple side of the palette. The shimmer pinky-red color does show up well but the other shimmers on the right side of the palette (the purples) are extremely patchy. The bottom purple doesn’t appear purple on the eye at all, but rather a rosy taupe shade and it doesn’t shimmer at all, even though it looks like the most foiled shade in the pan. Even trying to wet the shade, there was no pigmentation to it.
All of that being said, you can make this palette work and the gold shimmer shade is amazing on the eyes. It is a known fact that purples are difficult to formulate so it does not surprise me that this palette struggles a bit. If you are interested in this palette for the browns and the gold then you will be very pleased, but if you are looking for beautiful purples, maybe save up your money and try a different palette.
With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, you might be thinking, “what palette should I use, to encapsulate the holiday theme?” Green is a unique color that most really struggle to work with or have a difficult time using in a look. My hope is to help you pick a palette that you may already have in your collection, to help you create a simple, green look to celebrate the holiday.
A common theme you might see when looking at St. Patrick’s Day makeup is the combination of green and gold. The following will go from easiest application to more complicated.
For a simple one-shadow look, L’Oreal Infallible in the shade of Golden Emerald is beautiful if you apply it to the lid, then buff it into the crease. It is worth noting that this shade does have more of a dark base to it so it will still appear a bit smokey even buffed out. This color is green with specks of gold shimmer running throughout so it will give a glam effect when on the eye.
Next is Revlon Photoready Eye Art in Desert Dazzle. This is a dual-sided liquid eyeshadow. One side is an olive green opaque shimmer, while the other side is gold glitter. The simplest look has the green shade swiped on the eye with the gold glitter swept on the lid in either the center for a halo eye, or all over the the lid for a glitter glam effect. It is worth noting, if you haven’t used these in a while, let the green dry down before applying the gold glitter on the eye.
Huda Beauty Emerald Obsessions is another go-to palette when trying to create a green eye look. When looking at this palette, there are many options to go with but trying to keep it simple, take the lightest green shade in the crease, then apply your preferred green or gold shimmer on the lid. If you are taking this on a date night and want a little more depth, add in the darkest matte green or brown to the outer corner of the eye.
ColourPop’s Just My Luck palette is another go-to when creating a deeper green look. This palette has many options for the lid shade, using any of the middle row. Each one will give you a slightly different look, but using the color Chances Are… in the crease will work with any of them. Then you can use Act Natural or Charmed to deepen it up. Mo Bamba is also a great shade to smoke the look up a bit.
While ColourPop’s Mint To Be palette is not difficult to work with, pastels don’t always work best for everyone, so I moved it down the list. This is a great palette if you are looking for a more ethereal look or a daytime look. For the most simple look with this palette, use Get Fresh in the crease with a touch of Seltzer for a gradient look. Then apply Mintea on the lid with Play It Cool on the inner corner. For a fun touch, use Chill Factor to create a smokey liner.
Finally, the e.l.f. Hot Jalapeño quad is great to create a halo eye that is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Apply the shades from right to left on the outer and inner portion of the eye moving in towards the middle of the eye. Use the shimmer gold for the center of the lid and use the shimmer green to melt the matte green with the shimmer gold.
This happens to be my favorite holiday and color scheme to wear as it goes so well with my brown eyes so I have A LOT of options available to me. I plan on trying one of these looks out for mine and my husband’s date night in on St. Patrick’s Day. If you plan on doing a look with this color scheme, comment below which palette you will be using!
Today, we are talking about the only primer that has helped visibly reduce the pores on my face. If you have large pores or find that your makeup seems cakey on your face, then this primer will help.
The claim on the website is that it is infused with Squalane which will help the makeup maintain throughout the day and helps to lock in the moisture and prevent one from looking dry.
It is worth knowing that there are currently three different types of this formula. The Matte Putty Primer prevents shiny skin and is best for those who are looking for a matte application (as the name would imply). The Luminous Putty Primer is meant to create radiant, glowing skin and is perfect if you are looking for a dewy skin look. The original is the Poreless Putty Primer and is great for creating a smooth canvas to apply your makeup.
To get the best application with the original formula, you will want to smooth it over the skin and then pat it into the skin. This will give the appropriate canvas for all-day wear.
Today, we are going to be talking about a good, old-fashioned haul. I was lucky enough to receive a large gift card to Sephora and I wanted to share with you what I picked up and why. I should state I have not tried most of these items yet and would be happy to do a haul update or even individual posts on the different items in this haul. Let me know if you would be interested in a dedicated post about any of these.
Starting with The Inkey List, I picked up their Retinol Eye Cream. I have been suffering from severe bags under my eyes which is creating very large creases and fine lines. Normally, I believe in embracing your skin and working to just keep it the healthiest it can be, but the creasing has made it very difficult to apply concealer under my eyes and I need all the help I can get to cover up the bags and dark circles. I have only used this product once so far but I am happy to update you with my results when I have been using it for a while. Be sure to remember that whenever you use retinol, it is very important to follow up with moisturizer and spf to protect your skin fully.
The next brand I wanted to dabble in is Huda Beauty. I picked up the Nude Obsessions nine-pan palette in the shade light. I am a huge fan of eyeshadow, like its a problem, but I have only ever tried one of her palettes before in the Emerald Obsessions nine-pan palette. I enjoy the light neutrals with this palette but I have not actually tried the formula out yet. I look forward to seeing the different kinds of looks I can make with this beautiful palette.
Milk Makeup is the next brand I decided to try out. I’ve never tried this brand and I know that it is very popular so I am excited to try the new products I picked up. I picked up the Mini Matte Bronzer in Baked. I was able to swatch this but unfortunately the one I ordered came cracked and I need to get it replaced. I liked the color and can’t wait to replace it so I can use it.
The next Milk Makeup product I got was their new Vegan Milk Moisturizer. I’m always looking for a great moisturizer since my favorite was discontinued from Tatcha. This was a free sample and I will let you know what I think of the sample. It will take me a while to get around to using it as I do not want to combine two new products (the retinol cream and a new moisturizer) just in case one of the products reacts poorly with my skin.
Finally, the brand I am extremely excited to have more of is Natasha Denona. I picked up four eyeshadow palettes and a diamond and blush palette in Darya. I picked up the Love palette, the Mini Lila palette, the Mini Star palette and the Mini Tropic palette. I currently only have the Sunrise palette but I really love the formula, and as I said, I have a serious obsession with eyeshadow.
Please leave a comment, letting me know what you would like for me to try out first and if you would be interested in a haul follow up or if you would like individual posts about certain items.
Finally, we have my top ranked quad in this series and this quad is in the shade Rose Water. I LOVE this quad so much! With the same formula as the previous quads, this one has an amazing color story that would flatter many skin tones. The colors in this quad, work perfectly together to create multiple possible looks.
This quad has a matte shade, a shimmer shade, a sequin shade and a foiled shade. The matte shade is the perfect transition shade in a dusty rose that you can build up or softly dust through the crease for different looks. The sequin shade is a deep plum with gold sparkle throughout, but when applied to the eye, it comes across as mostly matte. The shimmer shade is a lovely rose that can be used as a darker lid shade, or you can use the foil shade in the quad that is a light pink.
One thing I really enjoy about this quad is that it can be used for an every day look or you can really foil the shades to amp up the look and create a beautiful glam eye. My preferred look with this quad is to dust the matte rose through the crease, apply the foiled light pink shade on the lid, and then the darker rose shade on the outer corner. Then finish it off with the sequin plum shade as the liner.
What sets this quad above the rest of the quads for me, is the color story and how simple it is to use. I know I can pick up this quad and no matter what look I create, it always looks good. I highly recommend this quad, especially for beginners or those who want an easy quad to work with.
Coming in at second place, we have the Hot Jalapeño quad. This colorful quad is a range of greens with a pop of gold. The formula in this quad is the same as the other quads, creamy and blendable with great pigmentation. This quad has two matte shades, a shimmer shade and foil shade. The matte shades are the darkest shades in the palette, a forest green and an olive green to provide some depth to this quad. The shimmer is an olive green with a hint of gold in it. The foil shade is the brilliant pop of gold that perfectly accents this quad.
This quad comes in at second place because I love to wear green and these shades are extremely wearable. Green can intimidate a lot of people but I feel this quad is a great quad to dip your toes in with. This quad, while extremely colorful, allows for a simple use of the color.
I have my favorite look (a halo eye, using every color in the quad) but that is not the look I am going to explain today, as it is a bit more complicated. The look that is easiest to do but has a great use of the colors in this quad is as follows: Take the matte olive green through the crease, use a light hand and build the color to the desired opacity. Then take the foiled gold color all over the lid. Finish the look off with a shadow liner using the matte forest green. This look, while using two of the three green shades will focus on the gold which most people are more comfortable wearing.
We are now in the top three of the quads I own. Coming in at third place is Cream & Sugar. It’s important to remember that I am a huge fan of color but this neutral eyeshadow quad squeaked in to the top three. The formula in this quad is just like the others, creamy and blendable yet pigmented and beautiful.
This quad has two matte shades, a shimmer, and a foil. The two matte shades are the lightest and darkest shades in the quad. The light shade is a cream-colored shade and the darkest is a lovely shade of rich chocolate brown. The shimmer shade is a copper that, when applied, can look almost as foiled as the foil shade. The foil shade is champagne color that foils amazingly on the eyes.
This quad comes in at third place because I think there is a lot you can do with this quad. You can create at least four different looks just on first glance. My personal favorite look is an everyday look with the cream matte shade in the crease, either the foil or shimmer shade on the lid and the matte brown as a liner. If you enjoy a neutral eyeshadow look, this quad is perfect for you!
Coming in at 4th place is the quad in Açaí You. This quad has the same formula as the previously ranked quads (links are at the bottom of the post if you haven’t seen them yet) and performs extremely well on the eyes. This is the first colorful quad that appears in my ranking series. I am a huge fan of colorful palettes and this one is no different.
This quad has two matte shadows, a satin shadow and a foil shadow. This quad is cool-toned and therefore is not my absolute favorite but I do love the unique colors that are present in this quad. It is a very blue-toned purple quad with a lovely gradient. The two matte shadows include the lightest shade and the darkest shade in the quad. This allows for the user to have a great crease color and a darkening shade as well. The satin shadow is is the second darkest shade in the quad and while it does have a slight sheen, it too can be used to darken up the crease or as an all over the lid color. The last shadow in the quad is a foiled shade that looks beautiful wet or dry, all over the lid.
My preferred look with this palette is the light shade in the crease, the satin in the outer corner, the foil shade all over the lid, and then the darkest matte smoked out in a liner and on the lower outer corner.
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