Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

After Book of Shadows II and Naked Palette, I thought I'm done with Urban Decay. Even when photos, swatches and reviews of the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette started popping up in each and every blog and youtube channel I'm subscribed to, I was determined to skip this. I don't see the need of adding more to my eye shadow collection as I tend to gravitate towards the same colors over and over again.  With the fiasco on Naked Palette and the pace new products come to Canada, I thought the probability of me caving in to get this palette is very slim.  Well, that's what I thought!

Last month, we went on a shopping spree in the U.S. I wasn't expecting to get anything make-up related as the main purpose of the trip was to get presents for our family.  I did list the nearest Ulta location from Warden Galleria though, just in case we pass by (I haven't been to Ulta prior to our last trip).  And so, we did spot Ulta and went shopping.  I had my mind set on Real Techniques brushes but didn't expect I would lay my eyes on the UD 15th Anniversary Palette... take note: the last item on the rack.  Just imagine the angel and demon debating on my mind that time. Anyhow, the angel lost and so this baby came home with me... *evil grin*

I normally don't fuss over product packaging but the intricate detail of this eye shadow case is just too pretty! It makes the product so much more luxurious than it already is!

This palette comes with 15 new shades that are very crazy pigmented... even more pigmented than pure pigments.  It comes with a variety of neutral colors and a few brights. The finishes are all metallic... UD could have thrown a few matte shades to make it even more versatile.  

The swatches above were all done with one swipe of each shade, starting from the column on the left towards the right.  See how intense the shadows are on the last column?  My God!

Texture wise, these shadows glides so smoothly... they are even more buttery than the Naked Palette. However, I do find them quite loosely pressed as grabbing the product using a brush causes some powder mess on the palette.  I was expecting fall outs due to this, but it applies amazingly well on the lid.

For those who haven't tried any of the Urban Decay palettes, this is a must have. But for those who already got Naked Palette or any of the Book of Shadows, there are some shades in this palette that look similar to the older palettes.  I got it just because... just because :)

Overall, this palette is really worth the purchase and is such a steal at 55USD. I'm glad I got it in the U.S. so I save a few more bucks on conversion to Canadian.  

Summary
Pros:
- texture is very buttery and applies well on the lids

- extremely pigmented
- this palette contains all new shades
- nice mix of neutrals and brights

- very good value

Cons:

- pressed very loosely

- less versatile as all shades have metallic/shimmery finish

- I wonder why it didn't come with any shadow primer? oh, am I asking too much? :D

Rating (1-5 hearts): ♥♥♥♥♥

Now for the actually look, I decided to give my usual neutrals a pop of color.  For this look, I applied Deep End on the center of the lid, Chase on the crease, M.I.A. on the outer V, Flow on the inner corner, and Vanilla on the brow bone.  I've never tried teal eye shadows and this look, although not too bold, really pushes me away from my comfort zone.  Even wore this to work!  I usually don't put any color on my lower lash line or line my lower water line as I find it to be overpowering for a day look.  But for night outs and parties, this can be intensified further and will make a nice smokey look!

So, are you hauling the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette now?

Tarte EmphasEYES Waterproof Cream Shadow Pot in Shimmering Taupe

With the heat of summer, I've been reaching for cream eye shadows a lot lately.  They are quick and easy to apply, does not crease (well, depends on the product), and stays longer than powdered eye shadow. I don't have much cream shadows in my collection, but my favorite by far is Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit - one of my go-to product for summer.

I saw a few blog articles feature the new Tarte's new EmphasEYES waterproof cream shadows and I made a note to myself to try these babies out when they come out in stores. When I learned that this product is included in the Tarte QVC set, in goes the set into my shopping cart LOL

With my love for taupes, Tarte EmphasEYES Waterproof Cream Shadow Pot in Shimmering Taupe is definitely up to my alley. And I'm glad to report that this baby really is what I expected it to be - nice neutral shade, not frosty, long lasting, crease-free!

The texture, I would say is semi-creamy, like MAC Paint pots. It doesn't have the slip like the Benefit Creaseless Cream shadows so application using fingers is a little bit challenging. The size of the jar makes it difficult to get the product on the finger too. I guess that's the reason why this product comes with a synthetic eye shadow brush. It gives more precision as to where I want to apply the color.

Lasting power? Tarte's Amazonian Clay products really live up to its promises. EmphasEYES lasts forever on my lid. I've worn it for 12 hours and there were no signs of creasing or fading at the end of the day. Definitely the most long lasting cream shadow I've tried to date.

Overall, this is truly an amazing product. I would love to try out other colors once they are available in stores.

Summary
Pros:
- long lasting
- crease free
- buildable opacity
- can be used as a base/primer to keep powder shadows in place

Cons:
- Price. I believe this is priced 25 USD.
- Size. I'm pretty sure the product that comes in the QVC set is a full size. And it's equivalent to Benefit's mini creasless cream shadow. Imagine?
- Difficult to apply using fingers.

Rating (1-5 hearts): ♥♥♥♥

Final note: As much as I love the product, I have to deduct 1 star for the cons. The main issue for me is the texture. I wish it could be creamier and silkier, like the Benefit counterpart, so that it's easier to apply using fingers.

Rock & Republic Haul

If you follow the buzz going around the makeup blogs and youtube videos, Rock & Republic cosmetics should sound pretty familiar. I never knew about the brand, not even their apparel, until youtube reviews started popping up. Most reviews gave a big thumbs up mark on R&R makeup line so I was really tempted to try them out. Alas, the horrendous shipping fee killed my lemmings despite the discounts on Hautelook and R&R website.

I started checking their products again when Hautelook lowered their shipping fees. Horray! So last month, I finally did my first R&R haul through Hautelook. It took almost a month for my order to arrive.  Can you could imagine how the excitement was killing me?!?  Apparently they have to order the products from the supplier and have them ship out the order.  That's one thing everyone should be aware of when purchasing from Hautelook.  Given the valid reasons, I still hope they could cut down the amount of time it takes to process the shipping.

I got 4 eye shadows and 3 eye brushes.  They came in a small box and all the items were nicely packaged. Unfortunately, there was one casualty despite careful handling.  I reported this problem to Hautelook right away and they immediately refunded the cost for the broken item. Thumbs up Hautelook for such great customer service!

I have to agree with most reviews with the packaging. They are breathtaking!

These shadows are definitely worth the hype in my books. Texture is the winner here as they feel so fine and smooth.  When I run my fingers through the pan, it actually feels like touching baby powder.  They apply well on the lids and blending is easy-peasy.  I can get away with applying these babies without primer underneath and it takes around 6 hours for me to see some creasing.  With primer, no traces of creasing or color fading at all.  

Now on to the shades.  Alloy is a golden beige that's great for summer as a wash of color.  Sabotage, my fave and the casualty among the bunch, is a cool light brown that's definitely a versatile product for all seasons and skin tones.  Hangover is a nice army green shade that goes well with neutrals.  Revenge is a dark grayish purple which I've been liking these days.

The swatches.... As you can see, the shades I got all have a nice sheen without being too shimmery or metallic.

Now to the brushes. I saw very few reviews on these but decided to give them a try anyways.

The 204 definer/pencil brush is my favorite out of the bunch as it works well for the lash line and the outer v.  I haven't tried MAC 219, but this is definitely better than Sigma 219.

The 203 blending brush is very similar to Sigma or MAC 224 except that it's not as dense and the tip is more tapered. It's not as pointed as a Sigma or MAC 226, so I would say it's a hybrid.  I like this brush except that it bleeds like crazy. I've only washed it 2-3 times and I can see the color of the bristles are starting to fade.  This is the only brush that has problem with bleeding.

The 201 large shader brush is a big and flat brush that can be used to apply colors on the lid and brow bone.  I was hoping this would be similar to MAC or Sigma's large shader brush but apparently this is not as big.  It applies color sheerly on the lids and can be used to blend out colors as well.  I would say this brush is the product I liked the least in my order.  Although it's the bristles are not pokey, but they are not soft at all.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with the products I got from this haul.  I guess I won't be hauling more from R&R unless the famous blushes come back in stock again!

Joe Fresh Eye Shadows

Top: Cactus (Cream Shadow)

2nd Row: Pebble, Chocolate

3rd Row: Pale Pink, Pagoda

• Cactus - These cream shadows are new products released last Spring.  I got one to try as I've read good feedback from Makeup Junkie.  Let's say, it's not good but it's not that horrible either.  The shade is nice and pigmentation is sheer but buildable. Staying power is not the greatest.  I'm pretty sure it creased on me even with primer.  Honestly, I haven't found any product or primer that stays crease free on my lid after 8 hours of wear. So, I'll give it some slack in the creasing aspect.  I use this as a base most of the time to make eye shadows pop.  But, I would much prefer my NYX jumbo pencils as a base compared to this product. - My Rating: 2/5

• Pebble, Pale Pink, Pagoda - I have one common review for these 3 shades - disappointment.  Pigmentation of Pale Pink and Pagoda are terrible.  I love the shades but they just look so sheer when swatched. And doesn't even stay on my lid at all.  Pebble is a little bit better but still sheer.  I find that it's best to use a sticky base with these shadows and finger application is the best.  The powders just wont stick on my shadow brush. I can only make the color show well with NYX jumbo pencil in Milk as a base - and that's just to make the color show... not even vibrant. Sigh, total waste in my opinion. - My Rating: 1/5

• Chocolate - I have to do separate review on this one as it's definitely a gem among the crap.  Chocolate is a nice deep brown color that's pigmented on swatches as well as on the lid.  It's a little powdery but not that bothersome to apply. I usually use a pencil brush with this shadow and use it to soften the eye liner.  This is not the best brown shadow, but it's not bad. - My Rating: 3/5

Joe Fresh cosmetics

When I checked my stash for products to review, the first brand that came to mind was Joe Fresh cosmetics. Their line doesn't seem to have a lot of visibility over the internet as I can only find a few blog posts and videos featuring their products.  I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on this Canadian line which offers awesome products at a low price point. In fact, you can only get these at local supermarkets (Loblaws and Real Canadian superstore).

I normally check online sources for reviews before buying any product.  But for Joe Fresh, it's just pure impulse.  I remember the first product I bought from their line was their powder blush in Pink, creamy lipstick in Cinnamon, and tinted lip balm in Honey (read: blush and lipstick hoarder! LOL).  It was love at first try, so I've been going back and collecting more.

Take a peak at my Joe Fresh collection... Forgot to include the tinted lip balms.  I'll cover that in a future post along with some new lip glosses I have acquired recently :)

Happy Joe Fresh family :)

I love the formula of their cream blushes as they're not sticky and sloppy as the NYX counterpart.  Blends easily and dries to a powder finish.  I have long gave up on cream blushes as they tend to accentuate freckles and age spots on my cheeks. Furthermore, my cheeks turn oily in the middle of the day because of how emollient most creamy products are. Greasy cheeks - not a good sight. That being said, cream blushes are off limits in my stash for some years.  These babies totally changed my mind and gain back my fondness on cream blushes. The lasting power is superb.  An application in the morning is enough to last me the entire work day.  I initially got the shade in Apricot, which looks like... uhm... apricot! (gee, I'm really bad at describing things)  Imagine coral with a prominent orange hue.  The shade just brings life to my otherwise dull and yellow-toned face.  I couldn't get enough of it so I decide to pick up another bright color in Melon.  Melon is definitely more vibrant and more coral than Apricot.  It looks scary on the pan but definitely not so on the cheeks.  I'd say both shades are summer must-haves! :)

The powder blushes have been staple in my stash and I love them as much as the cream blushes. But I do use these more often than the cream versions as I can apply them in snap and get out of the door in no time.  These come in various shades which have a mix of subtle colors and bright bold colors.  I got 4 powder blushes - Pale Peach, Buff, Pink and another one in rosy color of which the name I can't recall for now.  Pale Peach and Buff are subtle everyday colors that gives just a slight flush on the cheeks.  As light as it is, they show up quite well on my skin tone (NC25-30).  Pale Peach is a peachy color that falls between Benefit's Sugarbomb and Coralista without the sheen. Buff,  on the other hand, looks light beige on the pan like a face powder shade, but definitely applies pink on the cheeks.  It's like a darker version of Benefit's Dandelion. For some reason, Buff reminds me of a bride's flushing glow.  Don't ask me why, I don't know either :) Both blushes feels like MAC's beauty powder blush with more pigmentation.  My definite faves!  

Too bad, I forgot to take photos of Pink and the other rosy shade before I gave them away.  I still see them on the racks but not on Joe Fresh's website. Discontinuing? Probably.  Pink is a bright shade that resembles MAC's Dollymix.  I'm not sure if it's a dupe coz I don't own Dollymix.  But they definitely look similar.  I have Cargo Catalina so I decided to give Pink away.  The other rosy shade, I remember giving it away coz it looks a lot like MAC's Prism, which I already have (and seldom use).

Joe Fresh blushes are 6 CAD each, which is pretty cheap in my opinion. I love these as much as my other high-end blushes.

Top: Cream blushes in Melon and Apricot

Bottom: Powder blushes in Pale Peach and Buff

Next up are lip products. I had picked up a few cream lipsticks but only one left in my stash right now. Again, purged due to duplicates.  The one I have now is in Nude, which I believed is part of Spring 2011 collection. I'm totally up for anything nude so I got this despite the overflowing nude lippies in my stash.  Nude is actually not nude, but pink and slightly frosty.  I can pull it off but not the type of nude I was expecting.  The formula is ok - creamy and pigmented, doesn't dry the lips but not moisturizing either.  A slight swipe of this gives you full color.  Staying power is average. I'd say 3-4 hours with constant drinking.  The other shades I gave away were from their permanent line - Cinnamon and Pink.  Cinnamon is warm beige that falls into MLBB category for most but just a tad bit dark for my liking.  Pink is a lighter and frostier version of Nude. I prefer natural lip colors so I tend to retain wearable nudes in my stash - which I admit is a boring color preference.  And since I'm a sucker for nude, I got the matching lip gloss in Nude.  I must say, this is the perfect nude for me - slightly dusty, slightly pink.  It resembles my favorite MAC Blankety and the Faerie Glen lipsticks in a MAC cremesheen glosses form.  Formula is slightly liquidy and not sticky.  Nude is considered quite pigmented for a gloss as it's enough to cover my natural lip color without a lipstick underneath.  Another point worth noting is that it is not super shiny like the MAC lip glasses. I might be the only person who prefer less shiny glosses. It just looks more natural and wearable on my lips (slightly full and slightly pouty).  Nude is my fave gloss at the moment :)

Joe Fresh lipsticks are 6 CAD each and lip glosses costs 8 CAD each. I think the glosses are slightly pricey for a drugstore/supermarket brand... it would be nice if they keep these at 6CAD each like most Joe Fresh products.

Lippies

Cream lipstick in Nude

Lipgloss in Nude

  Here are the swatches :)

Top: Lip gloss in Nude
Bottom L-R: cream lipstick in Nude, Melon, Apricot, Pale Peach, Buff

This post is lengthy enough, so I'll leave the eye products in my next review.