Urban Decay Smoky Palette Review & Eye Look

Let me preface this by saying I apologize for the long delay in posting!  This review should have gone up weeks ago as you can see I didn't even have my bangs cut in the pictures below.  But I wanted to let ya'll know my thoughts about the Urban Decay Smoky Palette.


When I first heard about the smoky palette coming out, I was skeptical.  I thought it would be dark colors that would only be wearable for a smoky eye or night on the town look, so not something that I could wear day to day at work.

I was pleasantly surprised.  The colors were much lighter with a single swipe on the lid than they led me to believe.

Courtesy of peekandponder.com

Some shades perform better than others, I loved Smolder but couldn't always get High to perform as well.

Here is a look that I wore to work and out several times.

Yep, my shirt says Genius!!

In this look, I used Whiskey and Combust as my blending shades above my lid, Smolder on my outer V and DirtySweet on my mobile lid.  This is a lighter version of the look, but adding more color and blending more quickly darkens the look!

Overall, this is a great palette for fall.  Colors are on trend and will go into the winter months well.  If you are a fan of the other Naked palettes then you will love this one.  There were some negative reviews that I came across but as long as you are using a good primer then the staying power of these shadows should be fine.  Also, if you start out with small amounts of color then they should not be muddy when applied.

Great purchase and no regrets here!!

Did you run out and get this?  What are your thoughts?

Stay tuned for my thoughts on the Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation!

Let us know in the comments below!

Have a great day!! xo

Sephora Epic Rewards Choice-Smashbox Makeup!!

A few weeks ago, Sephora once again had their epic rewards choices.  Epic meaning 1,000 points and up reward choices.  Some were valued at 10,000 reward points.  I know my chances were slim but I tried nonetheless to get in on the action.

And I was able to choose one!!  I  ended up going with the Smashbox reward.  It was 1,000 points and I knew I would use all of the items, as opposed to some of the other choices, where I already had or wouldn't use some items.

All of the above items came in my reward:

• Smashbox Primer Water
• Smashbox Mascara
• Smashbox Infrared Matte Red Lipstick
• Smashbox Crimson Red Lip Liner
• Smashbox Shape Matters Palette

The approximate value of all items combined is $157.   Not bad!

Now on to the star of my reward choice, the Shape Matters palette.

Look at how gorgeous it is.  I have had my eyes on this palette since I got a sneak peek of it.  

The left side is for brows, the middle is for face and the right is for eyes.  I mean, it really covers everything.  If I could change one thing, it would be to have added a blush in the mix.  They just released a palette full of shadows and blush and I think that one looks beautiful too!

You may remember in my January Favorites blog post, click HERE to reread, I reviewed the Smashbox contour palette and have loved it ever since.  This palette is sturdy and perfect to take on a trip.  The sizes of each pan seem like they will last forever, too.  They are all very pigmented and smooth and the brush that comes in the palette is great quality!

Do you have this palette?  What do you think about it?

Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great night xo

MAC Cinderella Collection Stroke of Midnight Palette Review And Swatches

I know my posts have been short and sweet lately lovies I just am a little overwhelmed these days, I have the products rolling in, wish the money was too! But I am here and also plan on doing another giveaway soon since we have so many new members, so stay tuned for that xo

My favorite Disney movie growing up was, and still is, The Little Mermaid.  It is such a magical tale and that gorgeous red hair.......Well this season MAC came out with their Cinderella collection.  I was lucky enough to get some of those pieces to review.  The general consensus on the lipsticks, Free As A Butterfly and Royal Ball, was that although beautiful, they were just too sheer.

These were also my thoughts.  I also feel that the packaging, although a beautiful iridescent blue, could have much fancier.

But today I want to talk about the Stroke of Midnight eye shadow palette, as this is the star in my eyes.  It is absolutely beautiful.

Yes, five of the six shades are available permanently on MAC's site but I like having coordinating colors in one palette.  These six compliment each other so well and I have been reaching for this palette almost daily.  The palette consists of warm undertones and goes perfect on my skin.  Love, love, love.  I just recently started playing with matte colors and these two are great.

From top to bottom:

Vapour-a peachy pink color with a velvet finish.  It does take some time to build up but is a great muted highlight color.

Phloof-a frosted off white color with a frosty finish.  Another great highlight color for under brow and inner eye.

Omega-a beigey, taupe color with a matte finish.  I love using this as my base and all over lid color.

Quarry-a plummy, brown color with a matte finish.  This shows up more purple on my skin and of course I love that,

Satin Taupe-medium dark taupe brown color with a frost finish.  The shimmer is gorgeous.  In this swatch it looks almost copper like but if your skin tone is like mine, that is not how it translates.

Stroke of Midnight-black, plummy color with sparkle and a velvet finish.  This is great for defining and creating dimension.  There is no fallout on this color either but it does look pretty matte once on. This is also the LE color.

Here is the look I came up with when I first used the palette.

Very, very simple with a lot of blending. I wanted it to look seamless. I actually used all the colors. Overall, for the price of $44, I think it was well worth it.  Like I said, I reach for it all the time and there is plenty of product for this to last a very long time.  Just like the happily ever after of Cinderella.

Did you get your hands on any of this collection?

What were your favorite pieces?

Let me know in the comments below!!

Next up I will be reviewing the Bao Bao Won collection.  MAC is really releasing so many wonderful collections one after another and they won't be stopping any time soon!!

Have a great day!! xoxo

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette Review

Happy Monday Loves!!! I have a great week of reviews coming for you.  I want to start out with a palette that I really had high hopes for.  I have admired Kat Von D since Miami Ink.  Her artistry and talent is unsurpassed. So I love her makeup line.  Bold and vibrant and on the edge.

Love the art work

I was super excited about the Shade and Light palette as I am a fan of contouring but I do love cream palettes.  You all know how the Anastasia Beverly Hills palette turned out for me though. Read HERE if you don't!

This palette comes with three highlight and three contour shades and retails for $46.00 US.  There is a contour brush that is sold separately (the box is coffin shaped which is really neat) and that retails for $36.00 US.

Contour shades are larger than highlight shades

Courtesy of MissGrumpleBottom.com

Unfortunately for me, this palette also pulled through orange on me and the highlight shades really did not show up at all.  I have a very frustrating skin tone!!  For reference, I am NC20 in Mac, warm yellow undertones, sometimes neutral.  Levitation and Shadowplay are the only warm colors in the palette and the only ones I have really been able to use.  If I am going to spend $46 on a product, I want to be able to use the whole product, aside from the box it comes with.

The colors are listed above as they reflect in the pan.  Lucid is a cool pinkish nude, Lyric is a neutral yellow beige and Levitation is a warm soft peach.  Sombre is a cool toned taupe, Shadowplay is a warm soft brown and Subconscious is a cool deep brown.  Even on the white background above you can see orange coming through, IMO.

I have tried mixing both contour colors with ShadowPlay to create a more shadowy effect and it just muddles the colors and looks terribly ashy and dirty on my skin.  The highlights are merely setting powders and don't really offer any significant "light".

I will be returning this to the store and picking up Too Faced's new Contour Palette.  Like I said, I really had high hopes for this product but I can't see just making do with it.  So far Smashbox is still numero uno in my box in terms of versatility with only two shades yet they are true to color.

Have you gotten this palette?  Are you in love with it?  What is your skin tone?

Let me know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!! xo