Urban Decay Vice LTD palette: Swatches and First Impressions

Hello all!

I was recently able to pick up the limited edition Urban Decay Vice LTD palette at the Newport Beach flagship store. You can pick it up for $58 at urbandecay.com

The palette: 

I have to say that the packaging is beautiful and much better than the Vice palette this year (just my opinion, sorry). I love the lime green color!

You get 20 eyeshadows and a double-ended brush. I know some people don't like the brushes that come with palettes but I always find a use for them :)

The Swatches: 

All shadows were swatched on my NC42 skin, without a primer. It's a rare cloudy day in Souther California, so a did have a light on but they are showing up true to color. I will name and describe shadows top to bottom. 

Chase: a satin gold 

Provocateur: a shimmery pink 

Crystal: a unique dual chrome light blue with gold

Nameless: a satin golden brown 

Last sin: a shimmery champagne 

Hoodoo: a satin lavender 

Goddess: a satin blue (swatches powdery)

Backdoor: a matte dark brown 

Roadstripe: a satin which with some pale pink in it

Freakshow: a satin purple (it looks like it might also have gold glitter)

Vaporize: a dual chrome, it looks like a taupe on the pan but it has brown and green and I am not sure what else. It reminds me of Girly by Too Faced. 

Deeper: a vibrant brown w/ gold shimmer 

Anonymous: a matter light peach

Junkshow: a satin pink 

Floss: a deep green with glitter 

Disco: shimmer gold

Laced: A matte light brown (blends into my skin tone)
Blitz: A shimmery yellow gold

Perversion: a matte black/gray

Heat: a shimmery orange/gold 

The Review: 

There are 4 matte colors , the rest are shimmery and satin so that it something to consider. There are a few blending shades and I am not sure how they will work on my skin tone. However, there are some really great unique shades. Only two shades swatched poorly: perversion and goddess. I will wait and see how they perform on the eyes but it's only two shades so it won't ruin the palette. I will play with it and come back with looks and a full review later in the week but over all I am pretty excited to play with this palette.

This one is not as well organized as the Vice palette this year and has more light tones shades. This worries me a bit. However it also has some fun and exciting shades that swatch with more dimension that they appear to have on the pan.

** All items were purchased my me. I have never been paid for a review or been sponsored and there are no affiliate links

xoxo,
~Cynthia

Smashbox On the Rocks palette: Swatches and First Impressions

Hi everyone,

I love the Holiday season! Yes, I love getting together with family and friends, eating good food and having a great time, but the best part is the holiday palettes!

Today I have swatches and first impressions of Smashbox' On the Rocks Palette.

It is limited edition, $42 and available exclusively at Ulta

I did get last year's palette and while I like it, it does get overshadowed (no pun intended) by other palettes. I was not planning on getting this one but then I saw good reviews and decided to take a second look. Then came the Ulta 20% off coupon and I had to place the order.

The palette: 

I love the packaging: it is foamy, and catches the light beautifully though a bit too thick. 

It does not have cutesy names, and the silly plastic is annoying. I would much prefer when they are printed so that I can throw away the plastic. 

 It's so pretty

It comes with a look book!

The swatches: 

I will take them one square at at time from top left to right. 

Top Left: 

(from bottom to top)

Marzipan: a matte skin color 

Totally Nude: a matte brown with mauve tones 

Sumatra: a matte deep brown 

Ambient: a shimmer golden bronze  

Fizz: a shimmer champagne 

Top middle: 

(from bottom to top)

Sable: a matte mid-tone brown  

Cream: a shimmery crem color  

Midas: a shimmery/satin taupe  

Roast: a glittery brown, the glitter is gold and fine (not chunky) 

Zoom: a shimmery lime green with gold glitter   

Top Right: 

(from bottom to top)

Juniper: a satin brown taupe 

Peacock: a complex satin blue-green (though this description doesn't do it justice) 

Lavender: a satin lavender  

Sapphires: a satin vibrant blue  

Purple Mist: a satin purple taupe  

Bottom Left: 

(from bottom to top)

Navy: a matte dark blue 

Pastel: a mate light mauve 

Lilac: a satin purple 

Babycakes: a pink with silver glitter  

Royal: a dark burgundy that swatches matte but might have micro glitter 

Bottom Middle: 

(from bottom to top)

Mink: a shimmer lavender/gray taupe  

Moonlight: a glittery silver   

Snow: a matte white  

Framboise: a satin fuschia 

Asteroid: a deep shimmer gray  

Bottom Right: 

(from bottom to top)

Cabernet: a satin burgundy  

Smoke: a deep matte gray  

Gypsy: a shimmery green/gray   

First Impressions: 

I have not yet tried every single shadow but  so far I have really been loving these shadows! They are easy to blend and while a bit powdery not overly. There is a good variety of matte, satin, and glittery shades and there is a large variety of looks possible. 

I do have to say that I'm not 100% satisfied with the crease shades. Marxipan, Pastel, and Totally Nude work with certain looks but I might have to mix Totally Nude and Sable to for my perfect shade. For reference I am NC 42 in Mac shadows and usually Tan in Tarte and It Cosmetics. If you are either lighter or darker I don't think you will have a problem finding a good crease shade. So far my favorite color is Cabernet but I am excited to play with the blues and golds. 

I definitely think that this palette is worth it! Is it better than the other holiday palettes... this is in my top three. The top three being: Too Faced Everything Nice, Tarte's Away Oui Go and Smathbox On the Rocks. On the Rocks has more variety than Away Oui Go, and the shadows are more buttery than the Everything Nice. However, the butteriness also means that they are more powdery. The powderiness, I would say is comparable to Lorac shadows. 

I hope this helps as you decide, what palette to get! My next post will be looks I have done with this palette. So far I have loved every look.

Have a great weekend!
xoxo Cynthia

Vice 3 swatches and review

Howdy all,

I don't own either of the first two Vice palettes but I really wanted to try the Vice 3 so I picked it up with my Ulta points :)

The palette: 

I HATE the packaging and I seem to be in the minority on this but the plastic feels flimsy and I don't like the design... However, packaging is not everything and I do really enjoy the color selection and overall quality of the shadows. 

The swatches: 

As a reference, I am NC42 in MAC foundations, though my hand is probably more tan

From left to right

Top row: 

DTF-its a brown/gray shadow that seems to have a sheen to it but shows up like a matte 

Downfall- a matte brown that's perfect for the crease 

Undone- a light brown that comes off almost nude on my skin 

Truth- is a light pink and perfect as a matte highlight on me 

Botton row: 

Brokedown- a metalic green/brown that is quite unique, but powdery 

Heroine- a matte blue! It is pigmented but I have not used it yet to see how it performs 

Freeze- is a gorgeous metalic teal 

Dragon - a grean with a bit of a sheen 

First row: 

Bobby Dazzle- a shimmery white

Reign- a brown taupe 

Lucky- a shimmer caramel 

Vanity- shimmery purple 

Second Row: 

Sonic- I am not sure how to describe this shimmery color, it has some peach, coral...

Bondage- is a deep purple/pink dual chrome, it has a lot of dimension

Alchemy- a deep pink shimmer 

Alien-shimmery pink 

Third Row: 

Revolver- is a dark blue/gray shimmer 

Defy- is a matte gray

Angel- is a shimmer taupe/gray 

Last Sin-is a beautiful champagne shimmer, i've used this all over the lid and comes off beautiful 

The Review: 

When I first got it, I was not at all sure how I felt. At first glance the palette looked nice but nothing really stood out to me. Then I swatched it and started creating looks with it and have grown to appreciate it. It is a VERY versatile palette. You can do all all matte or all shimmer look, you can do nudes or all brights, and there are tons of options. Is it s must have? Not if you have this kind of palette already but if you are just building your collection then this will make a nice addition. 

Tarte Away Oui Go Palette 4 looks and Review

Howdy all,

Ever since the Away Oui Go palette arrived I have not been able to put it down. Before this I had only bough one Tarte palette so I don't really have a lot of experience with Tarte shadows. So, let me tell you that I am SO impressed with these shadows. At first look they did not look all that interesting to me but then I swatched them and fell in love. Then I used them on my eyes and I am officially obsessed.

The looks: 

First off, the palette is divided into 4 sub-palettes that are easy to travel with in an included travel case, so I tried to do a look with each of these sub-palettes. They do come with 4 shadows and one blush. Not all of them have a highlight shade so I did dip into a second palette at times for that. Otherwise I stuck with the palette and used the blush.

Look 1

The shadows: 

Macarons for you: Used as a crease color 

Champagne & Chocolat : used on the inner third of the lid

Kisses Under the Arc: used in the center of the lid

Art in Montmartre: used in the outre corner 

Blush: Envisioned

I also dipped into Private Chateau for a brow-bone highlight

This palette creates a beautiful, natural look with some sheen to it. The blush itself is very light and barely shows up on my skin. For skin darker than mine, it will be a highlighter. For all the pale beauties out there, this will be beautiful on you. 

 Look 2

The shadows: 

Champs-Élysées Shopping: used in the crease 

Stargazing on the Seine: in the inner conerner

Eiffel Tower Engagement: in the outer corner and pulled into the crease 

Secret Soiree: all over the lid

Blush: Limitless-a gorgeous blush with brown and peach tones, it comes off very natural on my tan skin tone 

I layered Champs-Élysées Shopping and Private Chateau as a brow-bone highlight 

From this palette, the standout shade is Secret Soiree. It is a gorgeous purple with silver glitter. The glitter is super fine and had only minimal fallout. My only complaint about it is the missing accent on the name... yeah it's the French teacher in me :)

Look 3

The Shadows: 

Private Chateau (yes it's missing the ˆ accent): used all over the lid on top on Mac's painterly paint pot

Café for Crème Brûlée: used as on the crease

Tea for Two: used all over the lid

Marvel at the Mona Lisa: used on the outer corner and pulled a bit into the crease

Blush: Irresistible-light pink very pigmented color, I was so impressed that it showed up on my skin

This was my absolute favorite look! It's a natural brown smokey eye for daytime. I could have definitely smoked it out but I was teaching that day so I kept it toned down. I LOVE this look so much though, there is just nothing else to say about it

 Look 4

The shadows: 

Snow Angels in the Park: used as a brow-bone highlight

Navigating the Metro: all over the lid

Midnight Stroll: on the outer third on the eyelid and into the crease

Liaison at the Louvre: used to deepen up the outer corner

Blush: Intrigue- this sis a gorgeous super pigmented pink blush with some mauve in it. Do be careful, I definitely went overboard with it at first application :/

This palette has my favorite blush and the one that I think will work best for those of us with darker skin tones. The shadows are pigmented and easy to work with. I liked this look but I seriously want to go back to the browns, lol. 

Other thoughts: 

As you can see I primarily stayed within a sub-palette but you don't have to! Next look I do with these I will grab shadows from the different sub-palettes. I was so impressed with each shadow and blush. There was no individual shadow that I felt was a dud and there was something I likes from each blush. Though the standouts for me were Irresistible and Intrigue. 

Let me know if you are planning on getting this palette. It is exclusive to Ulta and limited edition for the Holiday 2014 season. I absolutely recommend it but let me know if you have any questions!

* I purchased this palette and all opinion and thought expressed here are my own.  

Tarte Away Oui Go Portable Palette and Collector's Set

Howdy everyone,

My Ulta order finally came in and the palette/set I was most excited to play with was this Tarte set. It is $48 exclusively at ulta.com. There is a separate limited edition Holiday palette and set at Sephora but I was most interested in this one.

The Set: 

It is a gorgeous set with 16 shadows and 4 blushes plus 3 sample size maracuja lip glosses and a Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. 

The shades all have French inspired names, which I love!

The Swatches: 

The set is divided into 4 different sets that can be removed and taken to go so I swatched every set individually. 

 From top to bottom on the swatches: 

Marvel at the Mona Lisa (matte)

Tea for Two (satin)

Café for Crème Brûlée (matte)

Private Chateau (matte)

Blush: Irresistible (matte)

First Impressions: There are gorgeous shades! They are pigmented and soft textured, the blush will be perfect for lighter skin tones but will also go with a natural look on those of is with darker complexions. 

 From top to bottom: 

Art in Montmartre (satin)

Kisses Under the Arc (satin)

Champagne & Chocolat (shimmer)

Macarons For You (matte)

Blush: Envisioned-light pink/brown with some shimmer

First Impression: This is the only quad that I have used on my eyes. Macarons For You blended (matte) a bit too well into my skin and was not very noticeable as a crease shade but it is gorgeous. They rest of the shades are shimmery but are not glittery, the texture is more of a satin. They look really gorgeous on the eye. It worked great as a natural eye look with some shine. The blush is a very natural light color but does have some shine. It still worked on my skin. 

From left to right: 

Champs-Élysées Shopping (matte)

Stargazing on the Seine (shimmer)

Eiffel Tower engagement (matte)

Secret Soiree (satin)

Blush: Limitless-peachy matte 

First Impressions: This shadows swatched so beautifully, I am especially excited about using Secret Soiree 

From top to bottom: 

Liaison at the Louvre (matte)

Midnight Stroll (matte)

Navigating the Metro (satin)

Snow Angels (shimmer)

Blush: Intrigue-pink matte 

First Impressions: I am most excited about the blush in this palette and of the shades Midnight Stroll looks like a gorgeous matte purple/mauve. They all swatched beautifully. 

From left to right: 

Paris-depper pink

Cannes-light pink 

Nice-nude 

 First Impressions: The glosses, I actually likes despite not usually liking glosses. They are sticky but they settle comfortable on the lips after a few minutes. They are all pretty sheer so don't expect too much color but I do still think they are worth it. 

Over all: 

I think this is a great set. The travel aspect of it is a bit of a gimmick but The eyeshadows and blushes are beautiful and I was even impressed with the glosses. Again the glosses are not very pigmented but they do give the lips a nice wash of color and feel very comfortable. The shadows on the other hand are very pigmented and beautifully textured. I did not but the set that was very similar to this one, from last year, so I can't compare it. The whole set is bulky and I wish the shade names were printed on the actual palettes. They are printed on the back so that's better than nothing but I prefer them printed where I can easily see them. However, I do think that this set is very worth it. 

Let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them!

Parting thoughts: 

-Full review and looks coming soon!

-I hope everyone is having a great week. 

*I purchased this set with my own money and all thought and opinion are my own. 

3 looks with the Everything Nice Holiday2014 palette by Too Faced

Howdy everyone,

I've been playing withe the Everything Nice Pallet and want to share 3 looks I did with it.

If you are interested in the palette it is $56 and exclusive to sephora.com *not an affiliate link

The looks: 

Look 1: 

This look is probably replicable from other palettes but I really liked how it turned out and how easy it was to create. 

I used: 

 Fawned of You in my crease and Dram On right above it. 

Honey Pot all ove the lid 

Don't Settle in the outer corner and into the crease

Knockout stamped in the outer corner to deepen the look 

Heaven as a brow-bone highlight 

On my face: 

Sweet Pink on my cheeks

Inner Light as a highlight and

Chocolate Soleil to contour and warm up my face

 Look 2:

This was a bright but very wearable look. 

I used: 

Fawned of You on my crease and Dream on right above it

Live it Up on the lid

Head Over Heels on the outer corner 

After Hours on the center of the lip for a pop

Heaven as a brow-bone highlight 

Be You on the lower lashline

On my face: 

Papa Don't Peach on my cheeks 

Chocolate Soleil to contour and warm up my face

Look 3:

This is a look I want to do again! 

I used: 

Fawned of You on my crease and Dream on right above it

Be You on my lid

Mauvelous int he inner corner and on the center of the lid

Secret Lovers on the lower lashline 

Heaven on my brow-bone 

On my face: 

Papa Don't Peach on my cheeks

Chocolate Soleil to contour and warm my face

Inner Light as a highlight 

The Review: 

Now that I have had a chance to play with it, I can say that I love it! The shadows are beautiful and I like the looks that come out of them. They are also easy to work with and blend, though there is fallout on the glittery shades. 

On the face products: I am really into Chocolate Soleil at the moment, on my brown/tan skin it looks nice, not too harsh but is buildable. Inner Light is a very pretty highlight and does not make my face a glitter bomb, something I was worried about. The blushes on the other hand I don't think work on me. Papa Don't Peach is a bit too light and shinny for me. Sweet Pink is cute but not my favorite pink and does require building up to show up on my skin. 

I have not tried the brushes yet but I already know that I love the mascara :) 

Let me know if you have any questions!

Parting Thoughts: 

-It is still hot in Southern California, why?!

-I hope everyone is having a great week. Only a few more work days until the weekend! 

**I paid for all products used with my own money and all opinions and thoughts are my own. 

xoxo Cynthia 

Too Faced Everything Nice Set: Swatches and Comparisons

Howdy 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and it's just September! Plus we are in the middle of a heat wave here in California.

I got my hands on the Too Faced Everything Nice set exclusive at Sephora and wanted to share pictures and swatches right away. I will also be doing looks as soon as I can.

The set is $56 at sephora.com and should be available in stores soon :) 

The set: 

You get 20 eye shadows 2 blushes, 1 bronzer, and 1 highlighter 

Shadow names from left to right: 

Row 1: Turtle Dove, Dream On, After Hors, Fawned of You, Knockout

Row 2: Paper Roses, Kindness is Free, Mauvelous, Be you, Secret Lovers

Row 3: Heaven, Shiny Happy, Honey Pot, Don't Settle, Girly

Row 4: Totally Fetch, Live it Up, Too Glam, Head Over Heels, Chocolate Moon

Blushes: Aweet Pink, Papa Don't Peach

Bronzer: Chocolate Soleil 

Highlighter: Inner Light 

Plus a super cute brush set, a mascara, and a look book :) 

The swatches: 

The first row: 

Turtle Dove is very light, Dream On is peachy and more noticeable on my skin tone, After Hours which has some glitter but is not chunky, Fawned of You is a nice matte brown great for the crease, Knockout is a matte dark brown, perfect for outer corner work

Second row: 

Paper Roses is a light pink with a sheen, Kindness is a bit darker of a pink, Mauvelous has glitter on it and is a gorgeous lilac shade, Be You is my favorite looking shade, it is a matte lavender shade, and Secret Lovers is a satin deep purple with a sheen 

Third Row:

Heaven is a matte white, Shinny Happy is a gold glitter shade but does not feel to chunky, Honey Pot is a peachy, caramel color with glitter, Don't Settle does not seem to have glitter but it's definetly shinny and has a nice sheen, Girly is a beautiful dual chrome with green and brown, this one is available in the Pretty Rebel palette and I know first hand it is a great shadow

Fourth Row:

Totally Fetch is also in the Pretty Rebel palette and it is a vibrant pink, Live it Up is a gorgeous purple shadow, the swatch was a bit powdery but that does not mean it will be powdery when applied to the eye, Too Glam is a vivid green, it has a sheen but looks almost matte, Head Over Heals is a shinny blue, and Chocolate Moon is a black with glitter in it but the glitter is not too noticeable. 

Top to botton face products: 

Sweet Pink, Papa Don't Peach, Inner Light, Chocolate Soleil 

Comparisons: 

Girly and Totally Fetch are definite repeats so that is something to note. At first impression this palette also look very similar to last-year's palette. This was my main concern when trying to decide if I wanted to purchase it. I did find some very similar colors but it is different enough for me to justify the purchase :) 

Taffy (from last year's palette) is also a light pink and is actually quite similar to Paper Roses though here it looks like Paper Roses has more glitter in it. 

At first I thought that Don't Settle was most similar to Crisp Apple Struddle but as you can see it is actually very much like Buche de Noel. 

Honey Pot and Honey Honey (last year's palette) are also very similar, though Honey Pot appears to be just a tad deeper. 

Now for the shinny colors: Shinny Happy is closest to Tinsel (from last year) than to Snowflakes (from last year) though I have to say that both Snowflakes and Tinsel were a bit hard to work with while Shinny Happy appears to be less chunky and easier to work with and blend. 

Now for the mattes: Heaven and Turtle Dove are both from this palette and swatched look identical and not close to Cream Colored Ponies (from last year). 

Overall thoughts: 

- I really had to have this set so I did not mind the similarities to last year's palette but if you are on a budget and have that palette, I would definitely pass on this one. 

- I just saw that there will also be a palette exclusive to Ulta and that one seems to be very similar to this one but smaller and cheeper so that one might be a good alternative to this one.

-Let me know if you have any questions. 

-Did anyone else order the set? What did you think of it? Or are you planning on getting it? 

**This set was purchased by me and all thought and opinion expressed on this post are my own. This is not a sponsored post. 

xoxo Cynthia