Category Archives: Reviews
Review: Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume IV
Urban Decay is a great, trendsetting brand known for their bright, innovative eyeshadows. However, at $17 or more a pop, it can be quite expensive to buy their eyeshadows as singles. Luckily, they also put out a lot of limited edition value-priced makeup sets that make it much more affordable for you to collect their lovely colors. One such set is the Book of Shadows. This holiday season they have released their Book of Shadows Vol. 4 which offers 16 shades (10 of which are new and exclusive to this palette) for $64.
Review and Swatches: Too Faced Sweet Dreams Holiday 2011 Palette
I’ve been trying every Holiday 2011 Limited Edition palette that I can get my hands on, and one of my favorites so far is the Too Faced Sweet Dreams Makeup Collection.
A steal at $52 ($186 value), this collection comes with 15 gorgeous eyeshadow shades, 2 blushes, a bronzer, a highlighter, and a full sized tube of Shadow Insurance Eyeshadow Primer. This collection is a Sephora exclusive and may be hard to find at your local Sephora store because it is selling out quickly, so if you want it for a Christmas gift, be sure to order it online soon so it ships in time for the holidays.
Review: Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Exposed
I have recently discovered the LipSurgence line of lip products and its newest family member, the Natural Matte Lip Tint. All of the products in the LipSurgence line are incredibly creamy, and moisturizing, so I am delighted to talk about the newest addition to the line since I love matte lip shades but hate dry lips.
I shade I purchased is called Exposed and it’s a peach-toned nude. I think this shade is georgous and look’s great on any skin tone. It’s creamy, silky and luxurious just like the rest of the LipSurgence lip colors and I love the matte finish. I also have the Amazonian clay 12-hour blush in Exposed and call me cheesy but I like being able to coordinate my lip and cheek color, especially if I’m going for a bold eye and don’t want my lips or cheeks to detract from that.
Review and swatches: The Tarte Lip Service Limited-Edition LipSurgence Collection
Tarte has released a limited edition collection of 5 of their LipSurgence jumbo lip pencils for this holiday season and they are calling it Lip Service. This collection is a steal at $29 given that each of these products is normally $24 apiece (so that makes it a $120 value)!
This value pack includes:
- 3 Natural Lip Lusters in Dazzled (pearly coral pink luster), Flashy (bright iridescent fuchsia luster), Glitzy (antique pink luster)
- 2 Natural Lip Tints in Perky (soft carnation pink tint), Swank (light cherry tint)
These shades are not available for purchase separately at this time.
All of the colors in the LipSurgence line are incredibly moisturizing and feel amazing on the lips so I love that about them. As far as the colors, I think this kit has a good variety of shades and most of them will look good on any skin tone. The “tint” shades are a little sheer with a nice amount of shine but not too shiny or sticky like a gloss. The “luster” shades are both glossy and have very finely milled glitter in them so they will sparkle more than the tints. The glitter is not chunky or gritty but the glitter will rub off during makeouts.
Tarte LipSurgence Review – my thoughts on the line in general and the differences between the Natural Lip Tint, the Natural Lip Luster, and the Natural Matte Lip Tint
Tarte has a line of lip products called LipSurgence. Originally, the product only came in one formula: LipSurgence natural lip tint. This product won so many awards for its luxurious naturally moisturizing formula that they decided to produce two more lines of LipSurgence, the lip luster, and the matte lip tint. I have used all 3 of these formulas so I wanted to post about my thoughts on each of them.
Review (with video): Tarte The Starlet Makeup Vanity
Tarte has really outdone themselves with The Starlet Limited-Edition Makeup Vanity, sold exclusively at Sephora. I really LOVE this set.
This set is priced at $52, and is a really incredible value. It includes:
- 24 eyeshadows
- 2 brand new shades of Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush
- Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder in Rose
- Mineral powder bronzer in Park Avenue Princess
- Deluxe samples of Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara and multiplEYE primer
Review (with video): Stila Dream in Full Color Palette
Stila Cosmetics has revealed their 2011 holiday collection lineup. While there are several items in this collection, the pièce de résistance is their Dream in Full Color Palette. It retails for $39 and features:
- 29 Eyeshadows
- 7 Blushes
- Stila Smudgestick Waterproof Eyeliner ($20 value)
- Lookbook with instructions on creating 12 looks
This palette, with its swirling floral shaped pans, is designed to give you larger quantities of lighter “highlight” colors and smaller amounts of the darker “defining and crease” colors. The packaging is super cute, and makes for a really nice gift this holiday season.
Review: Laura Mercier Creme Lip Colour in Seduction – best red lipstick EVER!
I have tried many, many red lipsticks over the years and had just about given up hope on ever finding the perfect red lipstick for my skintone until I was shown Laura Mercier Creme Lip Colour ($22.00) in the beautiful cool, blue-toned red lipstick shade that is called Seduction.
Review: Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume III
Urban Decay’s Book of Shadows Volume 3 is an ode to New York, inspired by its culture, landmarks, and vibrant night life. It features 16 shades but only 7 are exclusive to this collection.
Review: Tarte for True Blood Limited-Edition Palette
Tarte Cosmetics has had the opportunity to work with HBO’s True Blood makeup artist to create some limited edition products inspired by the hit show. I’ll be reviewing the Tarte for True Blood Limited-Edition Palette here.
