Sunday, December 15, 2013

SHOPPING THERAPY: Fall 2013 Make-Up Haul

I've been trying really hard this year to be good and not give into the temptation to purchase more make-up. I have accumulated so much that I haven't been able to even try some of my items out yet. However, now that the holidays are here, there are so many great items available and I just couldn't resist. Here's a list of items that I have accumulated so far.


SOURCE:  Sephora.com
1.  Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

I bought this palette a while ago from Macy's, but haven't had an opportunity to use it yet. I was instantly attracted to the great shades in this easy to travel with and lightweight palette. This palette has a total of ten shades (of which five are exclusive to this palette), including neutral mattes and shimmering jewel tones for a range of smokey looks.

Top row from left to right: Kinky (ivory matte shade); Freestyle (nude matte shade); Mushroom (taupe shimmer shade); Backdoor (chocolate brown matte shade); and Blackout (black matte shade). Bottom row from left to right: Barlust (dark bronze shimmer shade); Rockstar (purple shimmer shade); Evidence (sapphire blue shimmer shade); Loaded (emerald green shimmer shade); and Asphalt (silver shimmer shade).


SOURCE: UrbanDecay.com
2.  Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette

This lovely palette is the follow-up to the popular Vice palette that Urban Decay released last year. I was tempted to buy that palette, but decided against it when YouTube Makeup Gurus emphasized that the colors in the Vice palette were super bright and vibrant. I prefer palettes with more neutral colors for everyday wear for work. However, the Vice 2 palette looked like it mixed neutral shades with more vibrant shades, which sold me on this palette.

Row #1 (at top) from left to right: Smokeout (dark taupe-black satin); Lovesick (black matte with iridescent micro-glitter); Shellshock (bright metallic silver); Coax (medium metallic pink with golden iridescent micro-sparkle); and X-Rated (baby pick satin). Row #2 from left to right: Prank (deep navy matte with turquoise floating pearl); Madness (bright metallic blue shimmer with blue micro-glitter); Strike (antique gold shimmer with silver micro-glitter); Stash (deep olive green shimmer with iridescent micro-sparkle); and Poison (charcoal satin with iridescent micro-sparkle). Row #3 from left to right: Radar (metallic brown shimmer with iridescent micro-glitter); Damaged (bright metallic emerald shimmer); Voodoo (metallic purple shimmer with iridescent purple micro-glitter); Betrayal (bright purple satin with blue shift); and Derailed (medium metallic taupey-brown shimmer). Row #4 (at bottom) from left to right: Dope (warm champagne satin); Toxic (metallic copper-pink shimmer with tonal micro-glitter); Habit (light nude matte); Ambush (metallic brown satin); and Rewind (medium brown matte).


SOURCE: Sephora.com
3.  Smashbox Limited Edition Heat Wave Eyeshadow Palette

I originally spotted this palette at Sephora during the summer. I was instantaneously attracted to the earthy shades, which were perfect for an everyday look. However, I decided against buying the palette at that time. A couple of weeks ago, I was checking out the new Nordstrom Rack in Kakaako and spotted this palette again, but for less the cost. Seriously, how could I pass this up?

This palette contains ten rich neutral shades that work for day and night time looks. Each shade also has a wet/dry formula that can transform your eye look from natural to amped-up. The palette contains shades that are unnamed, but include neutral shades such as nude, peach, bronze, copper, gold, taupe, and brown. The back of the palette has a QR code that offers additional looks for you to try.


SOURCE:  Drugstore.com
4.  e.l.f Essential Little Black Beauty Book - Eye Edition in Cool

I don't own very many e.l.f. cosmetic items because there are a few places in Hawaii that sell e.l.f. products or a huge array of these products. The most popular place to find e.l.f. products in Hawaii is Target, which is not place that I regularly frequent. Last Christmas, I noticed that the makeup section at Sears had a few e.l.f. products and I bought the Fall Festive e.l.f. Essential Little Black Beauty Book.

I recently found some more e.l.f. products at T.J. Maxx and liked the shades in the Cool palette. This palette includes an array of 48-eyeshadow shades from neutral colors to vibrant, jewel tones. I especially liked the array of pinks and purples, which are the colors that I like to wear. Although I don't usually wear blues and greens, I liked that these colors are available for me to use. The size and weight of this palette also make this item perfect for traveling. I took my Fall Festive palette with me this summer on my Baltic Sea and Russia Cruise. It was perfect to use to create day-to-night looks.


SOURCE: Sephora.com
5.  MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Eyes in Champagne and Matte Black

I am always in the hunt for a good eyeliner that stands the test of time - no smudging or fading and long-lasting - especially for my bottom lash line. I am a fan of Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils. However, after a while I find that even these pencils will fade or smudge. Aqua Eyes is listed as one of Sephora's bestselling eyeliners that promises you won't have raccoon eyes at the end of the day.

I've been hearing about MAKE UP FOR EVER products for years from YouTube Makeup Gurus, but never tried this product line. The other night while at Sephora, I decided to bite the bullet and bought two Aqua Eye pencils in Champagne and Matte Black. I intend to use the Champagne shade along the inner corner to middle of my bottom lash line and the Matte Black shade for the middle to outer corner of my bottom lash line. I hope that this eyeliner lives up to everything that the YouTube Makeup claim it does.


SOURCE: Sephora.com
6.  Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original

I am a HUGE fan of Urban Decay's Primer Potion, so while I was at Sephora the other night, I decided to pick up a backup since I am starting to run low. See, my Beauty Review on this product. Although the primer potion comes in various shades, I prefer the Original shade.

The Original Primer Potion creates a more vibrant eyeshadow look that lasts for 24 hours and never creases. The formula glides on smoothly and dries invisible. The squeeze tube allows you to control the amount of product to use and the nose-tip applicator allows you to apply the product directly onto your eyelid.

I wear this product religiously because my eyeshadow creases like crazy without it due to my oily eyelids. I can't totally vouch for the vibrancy of the eyeshadow while using this product since I tend to use an eyeshadow color base before I apply my eyeshadows. However, the eyeshadow lasting power of this product is fantastic.


SOURCE:  Sephora.com
7.  NARS Powder Blush in Albatross

Like Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion, I am a HUGE fan of NARS Powder Blush in Albatross. I previously bought this product along with the blush in Deep Throat and absolutely love Albatross so much that I use it everyday as a highlighter on my cheeks. Thus, I hit pan on this product in no time at all and decided to pick up a backup the other night at Sephora.

Albatross has just enough shimmer to naturally highlight your cheeks and create the illusion of higher cheekbones. It applies smoothly - not chalky - and has a satin finish. I use a small flat top brush to apply this translucent blush along the tops of my cheekbones and sometimes on my Cupid's bow.

Except for the powder blushes, I haven't tried any other NARS products. I was thinking about trying the bronzers, but quickly reminded myself that I already have quite an array of bronzers at home that I haven't used yet.

So, that's it. More eyeshadow palettes for me to play with. Hopefully that is the last of my purchases for a while. Crossing my fingers and avoiding looking at the Sephora website.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

SHOPPING THERAPY: Online Release of the Naked 3 Palette

SOURCE:  Sephora.com
It has certainly been a while since I blogged, but I wanted to send a quick note to all makeup addicts out there that Urban Decay has released its latest edition of its every popular Naked Palette online! The Naked 3 palette is expected to be available in stores on December 12, 2013, but Urban Decay has decided to start online sales of the Naked 3 palette prior to its slated in-store release.

The Naked 3 palette is available online now at Sephora.com and Ulta.com. It is already sold out on UrbanDecay.com. Sephora limits your purchases of the palette to two palettes per order, which is perfect as I picked up one for myself (of course!) and my friend for Christmas.

The Naked 3 palette debuts 12 rose-hued neutrals in a range of shades from pale, shimmery pink to deep black matte with red micro-glitter and in matte, pearl, and glimmering metallic finishes. The shades are as follows (from lightest to darkest):

  • Strange (pale neutral pink matte satin)
  • Dust (pale metallic pink shimmer with iridescent micro-glitter)
  • Burnout (light pinky peach satin)
  • Limit (light dusty rose matte)
  • Buzz (metallic rose shimmer with silver micro-glitter)
  • Trick (light metallic pinky copper shimmer with tonal micro-sparkle)
  • Nooner (medium pinky brown matte)
  • Liar (medium mauve shimmer)
  • Factory (pinky brown satin)
  • Mugshot (metallic taupe shimmer with slight pink shift)
  • Darkside (deep taupe mauve satin)
  • Blackheart (smoky black matte with rose red micro-sparkle)

I am so excited about this new palette as I absolutely love my original Naked and Naked 2 palettes. I brought my original Naked palette with me when I traveled to Japan, San Francisco, Scandinavia and Russia, and the Pacific Northwest. That palette has traveled more miles than any other eye shadow palette I have in my makeup collection.

So, get your credit cards ready and get yours today because I imagine the Naked 3 palette will go out like hotcakes! Merry Christmas!