NYC Sunny Bronzer Review & Bronzer Comparison

I finally caved and purchased the NYC Sunny bronzer ($2.99), not because I needed another bronzer, but because I wanted to see how it compared to a lot of others I have and whether or not it is a dupe for a higher end product.

From top to bottom, left to right: Wet N Wild Ticket to Brazil, elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (St. Lucia), NARS Blush/Bronzer Duo (Orgasm/Laguna), Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, tarte Park Ave Princess, NYC Smooth Skin (Sunny),  Physicians Formula Organic Wear Bronzer (Healthy Glow)

As you can see, I have quite a large variety of bronzers and I picked out some of the most popular ones to compare to. I like the compact of the NYC Smooth Skin Sunny bronzer, I think it looks a lot more high end than its $2.99 price tag.

Of my bronzers, the ones that suit my skin-tone best are probably Wet N Wild Ticket to Brazil, Physicians Formula Organic Wear Natural Glow Bronzer, and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil. So let's see how NYC's Sunny compares in the swatches below:

NYC Smooth Skin Sunny Bronzer was more smooth than the Wet n Wild Ticket to Brazil Bronzer and had no visible shimmer particles. I prefer bronzers that are more matte or satin, and I tend to stay away from overly shimmery products, which I why I sometimes opt out of wearing my Wet n Wild bronzer.

NYC Smooth Skin Sunny Bronzer appears to be a happy medium between my lightest shade (PF Organic Wear Bronzer in Natural Glow) and the Wet N Wild Ticket to Brazil Bronzer. NARS' Laguna is more cool-toned and taupe-like. Tarte's Park Ave. Princess Bronzer is more reddish and a deeper brown shade. E.L.F.'s St. Lucia Bronzer is definitely the darkest of the bunch (I almost never wear this one since it only matches my tone when I am very bronzed).

I highly recommend the NYC Sunny Bronzer if you're fair to light skin toned, I'm not sure how well this product could work for medium to deeper tones since it is a rather lighter bronzer. It definitely exudes a beautiful warm glow from the skin when applied, so if you are not a fan of warm tones, than this product isn't for you. I find that it's even useful for me to contour my nose with.

Do you have any of these bronzers? Let me know what you think about them and which one is your fav! Also let me know if you have any product suggestions for things I should try!

New Release & Sneak Peek: Too Faced La Belle Carousel & Everything Nice (A Few of my Favorite Things 2)

Too Faced - La Belle Carousel set from Macys.com

This set is absolutely breathtaking from the promos, and since I know how fast Too Faced's holiday sets sell out, I decided to order a set! It retails for $49, but you can find Macys.com coupons that might apply to it.

Too Faced - La Belle Carousel set from Macys.com 

I love the packaging, it really looks high-end and Too Faced always does an amazing job specifically with their holiday sets - their products really get me into the holiday spirit! I'm squealing with joy as I'm writing this post!

Rumoured contents of Too Faced - La Belle Carousel found on Dermstore.com

3 Eyeshadow Mini Palettes (4 colors each - 12 shades total):
For the Macys.com set: 1 confirmed palette will consist of Frost (metallic bright silver), Tin Soldier (gunmetal gray shimmer), Christmas Tree (forest green shimmer) and Santa's Boots (shimmery black)
Unsure of 2 palettes - it appears there are 2 variants of this set - maybe sold in different stores? We'll find out soon!

2 Blush & Bronzer Mini Palettes (2 colors each, 4 shades total):
For the Macys.com set: Who's Your Poppy Blush and Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
Unsure of shades in 2nd palette

Deluxe "Better Than Sex Mascara" comes with the set

Sneak Peek Courtesy of trendynailsrd on Instagram - not sure if this is the set released on Macys.com, it appears to differ from the set on Dermstore.com where I got the previous preview.

I ordered the set from Macys.com so as soon as I get my hands on it, I'll take photos and inform you of the colors! Update to come soon, happy holiday shopping!


PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Sneak Peek: Too Faced Everything Nice Palette (A Few Of My Favorite Things 2)!!!! Just to get you excited!

Found this on: The Sunday Girl blog - check out the post for a first impression

Most Loved: Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

Welcome to all of your childhood dreams of Willy Wonka chocolate bars. This Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette is something I *really* tried my hardest to avoid purchasing. At first, when it came out, the packaging was rather bulky and the tester in my local Sephora was so beaten up and abused by fellow beauty swatchers, that I really had no interest. Even when I saw the HSN promo for it, I was tempted but I held back... they even had an insane deal for the palette (regular retail is $49 at Ulta or Sephora). Alas, the packaging was too bulky and it would have taken too much space in my already over-flowing collection.

Cue the new, updated, summer packaging:

This packaging is literally half the thickness (girth?) of the previous one. My husband insisted on purchasing it for me when we were away on our summer vacation... and how could a girl resist, am I right?

And let me tell you... the scent... oh the smell is far better than you read or hear about. It's almost like a freshly opened truffle doused in cocoa powder. It's desirable and infectious, it makes opening this palette an absolute delight in the morning when I'm groggy, it wakes me right up in the most pleasant of ways!

The names of the colors are unique and ingenious, Too Faced is always very creative with their branding. I really did think that there would be duds in this palette in terms of pigmentation since I had heard from various blog/vloggers that Candied Violet and a few of the lighter shades were rather chalky or lacking pigmentation. I haven't noticed any product kick-up (though I don't typically go beast-mode hard into my shadows with my brushes) or patchiness upon application. I like that Too Faced decided to give us more of the highlight shades White Chocolate (matte finish) and Champagne Truffle (metallic finish), since these get used most frequently when creating looks.

You can really achieve a very subdued look or a more glamorous night-time look... you can even do a dark, goth look if you're feeling in the mood! So whether you're a bronze goddess or a child of the night, this palette really does have it all covered, the only caveat is that the shades are mostly warm-toned with the exception of Gilded Ganache, Triple Fudge, and Candied Violet.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette Swatches (No Primer, Ambient Lighting)

Matte: White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Triple Fudge, Salted Caramel, Semi-Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon
Matte with Fine Glitter: Gilded Ganache, Black Forest Truffle, Cherry Cordial
Pearl with Fine Glitter: Candied Violet
Metallic: Marzipan, Amaretto, Hazelnut, Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Champagne Truffle

I'm so happy with the pigmentation of these shadows, they perform very well, have great color payoff and I don't feel that I need to pack on too much of the shadow to get full opacity. There's such a good variety of matte, satin/shimmer (metallic) and more glittery shades. Salted Caramel is an absolute brilliant color for warming up the crease and transitioning darker shades. Candied Violet performs a lot better than I expected, and I really find that the glitter isn't too intense once you blend the shadow out. I think the most unique shade of the bunch is Cherry Cordial and I don't have anything else in my collection that looks similar to it (that's saying a lot!)

I highly recommend purchasing this if you apply eyeshadow on a daily basis and need to come up with wearable daytime or nighttime looks. This palette will be your best friend if you want a neutral palette with a little extra oomph. I reach for this palette more than I do my LORAC Pro, Kat Von D Saint palette, or my Urban Decay Naked 1, 2 and 3 combined because it's fun and I get the added bonus of a unique color selection and a waft of cocoa when using it!

Kawaii Chocolate Bar by Rooshoo, Click here.

Confessions of a Palette Addict Tag & Palette Reviews

I wanted to do a post about my palette collection and I found a really informative way to do it through the "Confessions of a Palette Addict" tag. There are specific questions to answer and I'll list them below (providing as many photos as possible). I added a few questions of my own because there were some palettes I wanted to highlight, I've marked these questions with an asterisk (*). If you want to see any photos larger, click on them and they will expand to full size!

Questions:

1. How many makeup palettes do you have? I have 51 palettes in total (counting all palettes that have 4 or more wells of product).

2. How many of those are eyeshadow palettes? 50 are eyeshadow palettes, many of my palettes also include blushes (Be Bright & Be Merry, City Color Dreaming of Fantasy, Tokidoki palettes, Jasmine, Balm Voyage, and a custom mixed palette).

3. How many are non eyeshadow palettes? All except for my concealer palette, pictured below (so I own 50 eyeshadow palettes). I purchased this from eBay, it was very inexpensive, is good quality and great for contouring and having a wide range of colors.

4. What are you top 3 favorite palettes?

I have to give first place to my beloved Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette (unfortunately this was a very limited edition run). I absolutely love the color selection, you can create dozens of different looks with this and I don't even mind that there are no matte shades. I found my favorite shade with this palette, it is Curiouser in the palette but better known as Grifter eyeshadow single by Urban Decay.

I love Kat Von D's palette "Saint", which is very travel friendly, neutral oriented, but still contains a large range of colors, I can always create a nice muted look with this. The shades are very buttery and smooth and rival Urban Decay shadows in terms of pigmentation.

A nostalgic love of mine is the Disney and Sephora Cinderella collaboration. This palette brings me back to my childhood and combines beautiful and functional packaging with 20 eyeshadows that pack a punch. I am a huge fan of the greens and blues (specifically the light blues) for an ethereal princess look.

5. What are your palette regrets? I don't have too many palette regrets because I usually purchase them when they're on sale (unless they were limited edition) and I get a lot of use out of my palettes.

Although I picked this palette up at Nordstrom Rack for a measly $6 (it normally retails for $30 at Sephora), I wasn't very impressed with the pigmentation of these shades. Although they swatch well, they are not easily blended, buttery, and tend to have chunky glitter fall out. I also don't think the colors in this palette create nice looks together or are complementary. 

Another palette regret is the Tokidoki Arte Palette in Vegas, the pigmentation is just poor on these shades even though the color selection is pretty, so I don't reach for it.

6. How many limited edition or Holiday palettes do you own? So many. Here is a list: Tokidoki  Robbery Palette Trio, Too Faced Joy to the Girls and Be Merry & Be Bright and small holiday palette, the Tarte of Giving, Tarte's Bow n Go, Tarte for True Blood, Sephora Pantone Universe Elements Palette. Urban Decay: Glinda, Mariposa, Deluxe Shadow Box, NYC palette, Alice in Wonderland, Butterfly Book of Shadows IV, ELF Ursula & Evil Queen, Sephora + Disney: Cinderella, Ariel and Jasmine, City Color Dreaming of Fantasy, MAC Devoted Poppy, Estee Lauder Holiday Palette

7. How many of your palettes are custom? 6

I have 2 vintage custom MAC palettes with colors I chose and 1 new regular MAC eyeshadow palette full of Urban Decay singles and miscellaneous others.

 I have 2 Z palettes, one contains my domed shadows and blushes, the other is miscellaneous shadows. I also have a double-sided MAC palette filled with my Wet n Wild depotted shadows.

8. Of the palettes you own which 1 palette would you say wasn't worth the price?

My answer has to be the Dior 5-color shadow palette in 809 Petal Shine. Although the colors are beautifully pigmented and buttery smooth, the color payoff is good, but the price overall doesn't justify the purchase. I think you can find good dupes of these colors at the drugstore.

9. Of the palettes you own which 1 palette was worth every penny?

My custom Wet n Wild palette is extremely useful to me. It has 8 trios (Walking on Eggshells, Silent Era Film [LE], Sweet as Candy, I'm Getting Sunburned, Spoiled Brat, Cool as a Cucumber, I've Got Good Jeans, I'm Feeling Retro) and 3 of the 8-pan palettes (Comfort Zone, Petal Pusher, and Flirting at the After Party [LE]). These eyeshadows are among some of the best, rivaling high end companies. They are buttery, very pigmented, easily blendable, and beautiful all while being so inexpensive!

10. In the last 12 months how many palettes have you given away or returned? 7+ were given as gifts.

11. If for some reason one morning you woke up and all of you palettes vanished, which 3 palettes would you run out and get?
The Naked 1 palette (I feel it has the most variety of warm neutrals which I tend to reach for on a daily basis and for an easy beautiful look), my Wet 'n Wild custom palette for all the same reasons I mentioned before, and Balm Voyage for beautiful pops of unique colors, great quality and large pan sizes.

Naked 1 Palette

Balm Voyage

*12. What is your most loved/oldest palette?
The Estee Lauder Deluxe Shadow Palette (from the Holiday Gift set - I forget which year!), this was my very first palette and I received it as a birthday gift from friends of mine! I absolutely loved it and it's one of the things that got me so into makeup. The colors are so smooth, soft and easy to use, they blend well and go together perfectly for a variety of unique looks.

*13. What is the best palette for special occasion/wedding makeup?
From my collection, I absolutely love the Tarte for True Blood palette for special occasions. It has some wonderfully soft colors which can be pumped up with dark accents. It was absolutely stunning for my wedding makeup (which I did myself!) and it lasted all day. It actually far exceeds the current quality of Tarte eyeshadows, which I'm not too crazy about, partially because the color selection is so poor in their new palettes.

*14. What are some honorable mentions or palettes you'd like to share with exceptional quality?
I have to give a big shout out to my beloved Tokidoki Robbery Palette Trio, which has a wonderful color selection and nice blushes as well, and the City Color Dreaming of Fantasy palette which I snagged on eBay for an absolute steal! This palette is so cute and the colors are only slightly powdery but very soft and pigmented, so worth the purchase... Plus look at the packaging!

New Product Alert - Too Faced A La Mode Eyes

Too Faced is fast becoming one of my favorite makeup brands with their creativity, color selection and shadow pigmentation. A new eye palette is out for their summer collection, it's called the A La Mode Eyes palette.  This palette is available at Ulta for $36 (this is the standard price for Too Faced's 9-shadow sets).

The layout of the palette features the lightest 3 shades (which can also be used as highlighters) in much larger quantity than the rest of the shadows. I'm a little disappointed with the color selection because the colors St. Tropez and La Croisette appear very similar - they could have added another shade, such as a gold. 

I don't physically have this palette yet but I wanted to show you some swatches:

Credit: http://daniellecaliforniaa.blogspot.com/2014/03/too-faced-la-mode-eyes-summer-eye.html

I wouldn't call this palette a must-buy but I would suggest it if you couldn't get your hands on any of their holiday eyeshadow sets (a lot of the colors are very similar there, even the fuschia) and you like to experiment with color during the spring/summer. I like that this palette features 2 nice transition browns, I do think it's lacking some sort of a grayish shade but the theme of this palette is definitely warm-toned.

Product Review: Sephora Superstars Limited Edition Gift Set

Hi everybody,


I wanted to bring you all a review about my new favorite purchase and product available on the market right now. It retails for $75 but the value of the products in this set is exactly $296.11 (you can see the calculations below) if purchased separately.

This is a 13 product set, of which 9 products are full sized and the others are very generous deluxe samples. These products are the best sellers of 2013 at Sephora, so you know they've got to be great.

So I took pictures of what all the products look like out of the box and I'll go through the efficacy of each one of them.





The packaging is absolutely delightful, when you pull off the laser-cut top-sheet, the inside box is a beautiful rose gold. As you can tell the produts range from lipstick to nailpolish to hair and perfume, this is a kit that basically gives you everything you need for a daily makeup routine (and even has 2 skincare products included).

The nail polish included in this set is Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer-Cleopatra In New York which is an absolute onyx black with gold hexagonal sparkles in various sizes that remind me of New Year's Eve. It is absolutely fantastic and the nail polish looks in real life exactly the way it looks in the advertisement below. This product if bought on its own retails for $19!!

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NARS actually has 2 of their products that made it into the favorites this year, and I was extremely excited because I've only ever owned 1 blush from NARS since they are so expensive I can never really justify purchasing their products! Both of these products are full sized. One is a Blush and Bronzer Duo in "Orgasm" and "Laguna" (their most popular shades) and the other is NARS Sheer Lipstick, Dolce Vita in the most wearable and universal shade "Dolce Vita" which looks great on all skin tones and anytime of day. The Blush duo retails for $41 and the lipstick goes for $26.

This set includes a rollerball of Viktor & Rolf's extremely popular floral scent Flowerbomb . I've always wanted to try this perfume and it was always too expensive, with even the rollerball selling for $29. I'm happy to report that I would purchase the full size, it's smells of oriental flowers (my absolute favorite), roses, freesia's and orchids! This is definitely a luxurious and delightful present to receive in this box.

Another product I was EXTREMELY excited to try out is the Too Faced lash system "Better Than False Lashes". This is actually two products, one is the "Nylon Lash Extension System" which applies nylon fibers to your eyelashes to add volume and length, and the other is the mascara itself which is used to wet your lashes before applying the nylon fiber and then for one final coat to color them black at the end. I'm happy to report that this is, in fact, a miraculous mascara. It makes my lashes look at least 3x fuller and longer than they really are. My lashes actually touch the backs of my eyelids when I wear this! Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Mascara retails for $35 if purchased outside of this set.





The Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray is probably the item I was least excited about so I'm not too upset that this is a travel size rather than a full sized product. 1.7 Fl. Oz are included of this product and this retails for $17.91. This is a good beach spray, if you want to style your hair in beachy waves. It's actually even useful to add volume and distress up your hair a little bit if you want to create a messy bun.

I definitely recommend trying this out in the Superstars collection, I personally would never pay full price for this item because I don't think it's necessarily better than other $8-$12 surf sprays. I was happy that I did get to try it out in the set and I probably never would have if it wasn't included. I also can't think of a different hair product I would be happier to see inside this set, either, so it's still a win-win.

I'm a huge fan of Urban Decay, I own most of their palettes and I can never get enough of their buttery, blendable eyeshadows. Eyeshadows are the one must-have product from Urban Decay, the rest is good too but their eyeshadows are exceptional. The colors "Sin" and "Mushroom" are included in this set, they are a two-in-one eyeshadow. This is limited edition and, as far as I know, only available in this limited edition set. Full sized UD eyeshadows retail for $18 (but these are just in one color). I think it's really great that they give you two universal colors that are for ideal for a perfect neutral look.

Another product I hadn't had the pleasure of trying is Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Cream and it was also included in the set! Now, the only caveat here is that this only comes in the shade "Light" in the set so it will not work for all skin types. However, it is super-blendable, I'm usually a beige or nude tone and it seems a little closer to those shades that a true porcelain or "light". This is the full sized product and retails for a whopping $39. I think it's safe to say that I never would have tried this product out if it wasn't in this set, it costs a pretty penny. However, I really do appreciate it, it's very full coverage and blendable, it really moisturizes your skin as well.

The next two products are both staples in my beauty routine. One is Anastasia Brow Gel, Clear (0.085 oz)  (travel size, $5 value) and the other is stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner ($20 value). If you've read this blog before, chances are that you know my absolute favorite daily eyeliner is the felt-tip pen one by Stila, this is a great way to test it out for a fraction of its cost. The brow gel is extremely useful for taming eyebrow hairs. 

Josie Maran Argan 100% Pure Argan Oil 0.5 oz has always been a beauty blogger favorite and is used for hydrating skin, cuticles, and dry hair. The retail value of the travel sized product is $15.20 and will last for months of usage, seeing as the applicator is an eye dropper so you can use this product in a very targeted way.

To finish off the set, last and maybe the best is the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream 0.5 oz to brighten and depuff (retail value $31). This is a small container that packs a big punch, it's packed to the brim, smooth and supple like whipped souffle batter, and smells of orchids and crushed pearls. I love this stuff, I've been using it nightly and I wake up with soft and rested eyes.