Product Review & Swatches: Too Faced Everything Nice Palette for Sephora Holiday 2014

The Sephora-exclusive Too Faced Everything Nice (That's What Pretty Girls Are Made Of) Set retails for $56 and is currently available for purchase here. There has been so much hype and speculation over this palette and I spoke about it really briefly in a previous post. UPS just delivered mine so I've put together this review ASAP. Basically, this set is a variation of the Too Faced Few of My Favorite Things Set from last Holiday 2013.

This year the bag is... not as spectacular as last years. This is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's a bright fuchsia color that doesn't particularly appeal to me and secondly, it has chunky glitter particles adhered to its backside. I'm not sure why Too Faced went this route over, say, a clear window panel, but the glitter catches onto other fabrics and flies off everywhere. The back of the bag does not have a smooth texture, it is rough due to the large pieces of glitter. The cutest part is the zipper which has a round ornament on it, but it does add even more bulkiness to an already large bag.

The next issue I have with the bag is that it was not designed to fit the Everything Nice palette! Deceptively, they come in the box together, next to one another, but the box is much thicker than the bag and the zipper of the bag does not open the whole say, so you could never fit the palette inside. I suppose it's meant as a "bonus" for us to keep other makeup inside.

The inside of the Everything Nice Set is a charming little number. It consists of 20 fairly large (basically full sized) eyeshadows, 2 blushes, a bronzer, a highlighter, a deluxe mascara (Better Than Sex) and a 3-piece mini brush set. You're receiving a great variety of color in multiple textures, including shimmer, matte, satin and glitter. I think some basic math will tell you that this set is worth the price - I can see them selling for double or triple on eBay once stock runs out at Sephora.

For me, deluxe sized mascaras are cute for travel, so I'm happy to have received the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara. I like the conventional yet slightly bulkier mascara wand, I find that it gives me extra volume and carries a good amount of product so I won't have to re-dip during application.

The synthetic brush trio has cute handles, which have glitter suspended inside a layer of resin (which is what I would have preferred the makeup bag to be) so the glitter is really only aesthetic but won't scratch or fly off. The largest brush might be useful for contouring under your cheekbones, there is a decently sized eyeshadow brush and a liner brush (can also be used as an eyebrow brush). You're getting a nice variety of brushes and they are held securely in the set by a plastic strap so they won't fall out every time you open the palette.

Too Faced Everything Nice - Sephora Holiday 2014
Sweet Pink, Papa Don't Preach, Chocolate Soleil, Inner Light & Synthetic Brush Trio

Swatches of Too Faced Everything Nice - Sephora Holiday 2014

As you can see, these colors all swatch well and are of the quality I always expect from Too Faced's products. All of the face products are smooth and buttery, easy to apply and blend.

• Sweet Pink is a light blue-toned pink with golden finely milled glitter.
• Papa Don't Preach is a shimmery bronze peach color which was exceptionally smooth
• Chocolate Soleil, their cult classic, smells like chocolate and is a warm mid-toned bronzer.
• Inner Light, a re-promote from the Be Bright palette, is a pale golden highlight with fine gold glitter 

Eyeshadows in Too Faced - Everything Nice Set for Sephora Holiday 2014

A quick overview of the shadows will reveal matte, satin, shimmer, metallic, glitter and duochrome shades. This set contains a wide variety to please every taste. Some shades are even multiple finishes, such as metallic shimmers and they are interesting and unique.

Swatches of Row 1 of Too Faced Everything Nice Eyeshadow Palette

• Turtle Dove - pale highlight white matte, will not achieve fully opaque color
• Dream On - neutral nude matte
• After Hours - metallic dark gold, super pigmented and buttery
• Fawned of You - light caramel-toned brown matte, very highly pigmented and smooth
• Knockout - appears dark brown in pan but secondary swatch reveals medium brown matte

Swatches of Row 2 of Too Faced Everything Nice Eyeshadow Palette

• Paper Roses - pale baby pink shimmer
• Kindness is Free - pearlescent pink shimmer satin
• Mauvelous - lilac silver shimmer (re-promote from Too Faced Be Bright Holiday 2013)
• Be You - warm taupe matte, well pigmented
• Secret Lovers - dark chocolate brown shimmer, very pigmented and smooth

Swatches of Row 3 of Too Faced Everything Nice Eyeshadow Palette

• Heaven - light nude matte, fairly weak pigmentation
• Shiny Happy - metallic green-toned gold shimmer
• Honey Pot - metallic yellow gold, very smooth and highly pigmented
• Don't Settle - antique gold metallic shimmer
• Girly - green burnt orange/brown duochrome - the most unique color in the palette, I love this one; re-promote form the Too Faced - Pretty Rebel palette (thanks to reader Selina Alexandria for the info!)

Swatches of Row 4 of Too Faced Everything Nice Eyeshadow Palette

• Totally Fetch - bright fuchsia pink satin, re-promote form the Too Faced - Pretty Rebel palette (thanks to reader Selina Alexandria for the info!)
• Live It Up - purple shimmer with sparse blue, less intense than Totally Fetch and Too Glam
• Too Glam - satin metallic emerald green with fine shimmer, extremely pigmented
• Head Over Heels - dark navy blue with cobalt blue glitter densely packed inside
• Chocolate Moon - dark brown with sparse gold glitter - this color may be an attempt at black, but the opacity just isn't there, so I would say that it comes off much more like a dark brown

I really like this palette, of course there are some misses (Head Over Heels, Chocolate Moon, Heaven) but for the most part, this palette is absolutely fantastic. You will be able to create a wide variety of looks, and even the worst of the palette is still definitely usable, you just have to layer and work with the product. Overall, the consistency of all of the powders is very good, the extra bonuses of the set are a cute addition, and it would make a beautiful holiday gift for any makeup fan. The packaging is cute and sturdy, even though it is made of a condensed and covered cardboard. 

If you are considering purchasing this set, I recommend doing so early, because last year's equivalent sold out in a few weeks and I suspect this will do the same due to its high quality and great value.

IPSY Glam Bag - Pretty in Paradise - June 2014 Review

The June 2014 IPSY Glam Bag was one I was pleased with. I would say my favorite items were the NYX Butter Gloss (I've been a fan of these for a long time) and the OFRA Universal Eyebrow Pencil. If you want to join IPSY, click here.

I redeemed some points to receive the Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in the color "Light It Up" which is a bright orange shade that I really enjoy. Retail value: $18.00 (FULL SIZE)

The OFRA Universal Eyebrow Pencil truly did work for my medium brown eyebrow color and didn't lean red at all, in fact it seemed to have taupe undertones to cancel the redness out. This is my first experience with an OFRA product and I'm pleasantly surprised! Retail value: $13.00 (FULL SIZE)

The NYX Butter Gloss in "Creme Brulee" is actually a shade I didn't own so this will fit nicely in my collection! It's very sheer, smells like vanilla cupcakes and is perfect to wear over NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream to hydrate your lips. Retail value: $5.00 (FULL SIZE)

I received a Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray - that'll just be added to my already enormous collection of these sprays from various kits I have purchased and my subscription services! Retail value: $2.50

I also received the Realtree Perfume which smells a little bit like citrus candy, it's a little bit strong for my tastes but it's a small size so I'm sure I'll find a use for it. Retail value: $2.00

The last product is my absolute dud of the whole lot. The Be a Bombshell Mascara in "Lash Out" smelled absolutely foul like a mixture between burning rubber and gasoline... it smelled just as bad as the Pop Beauty Plump Pout sample from months ago - and it irritated my eyes, to boot! I couldn't even wear it, I had to immediately wipe it off my eyes and ruin my entire eyeshadow look! I highly discourage anyone from purchasing this product, there must be something chemically wrong with the packaging or the product itself. IPSY has been gracious enough to issue me a replacement item (not sure what yet though). Retail value: $15.00 (FULL SIZE)

I really liked the IPSY Glam Bag this month, the pattern was beautiful as it was designed by Rebecca Minkoff. It felt like "Pretty in Paradise" because of the abstract flowers and pineapples on the bag! This is definitely a cute one I'll keep around!

The total value of my bag was $37.50 but with my redeemed bonus, it shot up to $55.50. 

Join the beauty revolution, go to IPSY's website.

Eye Makeup Application Mistakes

Do you often make mistakes when applying your eyeshadow? Do you put too much on and it falls all over your eyelashes? Is your winged eyeliner a constant failure? I'm gonna share with you simple tips and tricks about how to make these mistakes work in your favor, straight from makeup artists I've worked with in the past.

What I've been told numerous times is that the more messy you are with your color application, and the more you blend it out, the better it will look. Does that mean you should apply a ton of color at once? No. It does, however, mean that you can apply whatever is on your eyeshadow brush fairly liberally without worry, as long as you're hitting your target area pretty closely (ie. if you're going for color on your eyelid, make sure you don't put the eyeshadow up to your eyebrows). This is someone anyone with basic motor skills can accomplish, but did you know how to fix your mistakes? If your color spills too much over your eyelashes, what do you do? Do you try to comb it out with a lash brush or pick it out with your fingers? You should do neither of these things because you are likely to irritate your eyes if you fidget with them too much. A simple and aesthetically pleasing thing to do is to get a good thin formula for mascara (such as Clinique or Lancome's mascaras) and apply it in thin coats over your eyelashes that have been covered in powdery eyeshadow. This seems like it would be a bad idea but it isn't because the powder will add much needed volume to your lashes, so rather than having to put on fake eyelashes, you can simply amplify your own this way. The powder will not budge once you have thoroughly coated it in mascara. Make sure not to over-apply the mascara because you don't want bulges and flakes of it.

I always apply my eyeshadow first so that I don't have fallout of whatever color I'm using (usually the darker toned colors are more problematic) on my cheeks after applying my foundation and blush. For this reason, it is always wise to do your eyeshadow first and your concealer, foundation, powder and blush last. You also want to be able to rest your hand on your face so you can anchor it steadily when applying your eyeliner as it will help with the accuracy of your application.

Do you mess up your eyeliner a lot when trying to get that winged look? My simple solution is using a q-tip dabbed in a little bit of makeup remover solution and cleanly removing it, waiting for it to dry, and re-attempting the wing. However, if you make a mistake over your eyeshadow on the eyelid portion of the eyeliner line, you are better off covering your mistake with eyeshadow and a very fine-pointed brush for precision, and then re-applying your liner in a cleaner way. I hope these simple tips helped and you will be less frustrated when making mistakes! You also shouldn't feel like you have to begin all over again because you've made one tiny mistake, there are always ways to fix it.

Getting Thicker and Fuller Eyelashes

As we age, we inevitably lose a lot of our youthful allure, and along with this comes the thinning out of eyelashes. In a society that covets beauty and eyelashes that touch the sky, most women are highly concerned with keeping the drapes of your eyes beautiful. Eyelash loss can occur from aging because your lashes will shorten and wear at the ends and grow more sparsely, appearing thinner. Some people have allergic reactions or trichotrillomania where they inadvertently pull out their eyelashes because it feels good to them. Allergic reactions can be to various chemicals in the makeup you're wearing (specifically in mascara, eye pencils and eye shadows). One way to avoid makeup reactions is that Sometimes we have to be conscious of the fact that even the creams and cleansers we are using to keep ourselves looking 'young' may be causing hair loss due to allergy. Certain medical conditions, such as the reaction to chemotherapy for cancer treatment, alopecia (systemic hair loss due to autoimmune condition whereby the immune system attacks the host) and hypothyroidism can result in losing your eyelashes and all over the body.

Obviously if you are playing with your eyelashes, try to keep that down to a minimum or do not touch your eyes at all, if it can be helped. If there are products that you suspect are inhibiting the growth of your lashes, stop from using them. Make sure to stop using your mascara after every 3 months, replace it immediately. If you use the same exact one every day, you will probably want to replace it every month even if the bottle is not finished because there are contaminants on the brush and you don't want to be passing bacteria. You never, ever want to share your makeup with anybody under any conditions because eye infections and other diseases are highly transferable this way. If you suspect that you have a serious medical condition and that is why your eyelashes are falling out, make sure you visit your doctor and do a thorough investigation.

How to fake longer lashes

There are some beauty tips and tricks to use if you quickly want your lashes to look longer and fuller. Make sure you use a lengthening mascara with false fibers and volume that will add to what you naturally have. Apply your eye liner very close to the base of your lashes to give the appearance of fullness and to frame your eyes. You could place false lashes on your eyes if you feel comfortable with it, and if not, you can visit a cosmetologist to do it for you.

What can you do aside from wearing false eyelashes on a daily basis or tons of coats of mascara? These options are much more difficult and unnatural-looking than just having naturally beautiful eyelashes. So let's review the options for how to grow our own eyelashes more plentifully.

Natural remedies
First you may want to try applying Vaseline on your lash line while you're sleeping as the petroleum jelly may promote moisture in the environment and increase lash growth. Olive oil and vitamin E oil can have the same effect, just make sure you don't get it into your eye during application. Remember to remove anything you apply to your eyelashes at night during the morning before you apply your makeup. Brushing your lashes with a designated lash comb can improve circulation and promote hair growth, so do this as often as possible if you know that you do not have a rash or skin problem. Improving what you eat  and your overall nutrition can affect your body's vitamin balance which will promote hair growth. A deficiency can lead to thinning of hair all over your body and not just your lashes.

Color Theory: My Eyes & which Color?

Ever wander through aisles of eyeshadows in Sephora and wonder which color would look best on you? Do you spend painstaking time staring blankly at the wall of eyeshadows only to come home and find that the color you picked doesn't look good on you? Wonder no more! Here is a comprehensive list of colors that will look great, look yours up by iris color! Colors that are always out of the question are red and yellow, these two colors will make you look like you have pink-eye or jaundice, so regardless of your iris shade, stay away from these.


Brown-eyed beauties
If you're in this category, you're pretty lucky... not just because this is also my color, but because you can get away with wearing a lot of different options. Purple, violet and mauves are by far the best looking on this color because they just make your eyes stand out and have an understated elegance. As with all colors, don't choose something that is extremely saturated, or if you do, make sure you apply it little by little. Anyone can look like a clown even using the colors that are best suited for them if they go overboard with pigmentation. Another great alternative is metal colors - golds, coppers, bronzes, and even silver all look wonderful. If you want a warmer look, you would stick to the gold, copper and bronze, but if you want a smokey, colder look, opt for silver and pewter-tones. Green and blue can work, if done in the right way, otherwise they tend to look a little out of place and will bring out redness in your eye. Consider using green and blue eyeliner or opting for more washed-out versions of the colors, or maybe pairing up these shades with browns along the contour of your eye. If you contour your eye with the same color as your iris, you can pretty much pull off any of these colors. Very pale vanilla and ivory tones work well as highlighters. You should wear black or mauve mascara as the mauve is a naturally enhancing tone for brown eyes.


Striking hazel
Good on you, if you have this color, you must be pretty smug about yourself, and if you're not, you should be. This color is absolutely breathtaking and your makeup should reflect the beauty of it rather than detract from it. Don't use any colors that compete with the color of your eyes (so if you have a hint of a color and you can see it in your eye, do not use an eyeshadow that appears to be that color). Apricot and pink are great highlighting tones that bring out the light in your eyes. You can use light jewel-tones, champagne, mauve, and green colors to accentuate your eye color. Try to stay away from extremely black eye-liner because it will overpower your eyes and create stark contrast, you should use brown eye-liner and consider lining your eyes with mauve or green, as well. Dark brown and black mascara are the best choices for you, as they will make your eyes pop and make your lashes look like they go on for days!


Gorgeous green
Green eyes look vibrant and alive, they are the color of all things natural and support earthy-colored makeup. Various kinds of browns, such as chocolate, or wood tones enhance your eye color naturally. Your eyeshadow should be the background of the picture you are trying to paint with your eyes as the focal point. Choose colors that will not detract from the natural beauty of your color. Dark greens work well because they will not compete with your lighter-toned eyes, metallics such as copper or gold can look very elegant and sultry with your eyes. Apricots and taupes work well and will bring out the color in your eyes, as well as deeper purples and plumes to create a luxurious, glamour-filled look. You should wear dark brown eyeliner if you have vivid green eyes, but if the green is more subtle, you can opt for black to make the color pop. You can also choose to wear green eyeliner as a continuation of your natural eye hue. You can wear purple, dark brown or black mascara, this is really a matter of preference, you will look great in either. Highlight colors should be light apricots, champagne, and vanillas. You should stay away from blues because they will compete with your eye color and make your green eyes pale in comparison (because the eyeshadow is likely to be a more potent pigment than your eyes). You may look great or awful in pink, so I suggest trying a light frosty shade and if you think it looks good, then work your way to a more saturated pink.


Bodacious blues
Last, but definitely not least, the eye color that is considered the highest echelon of beauty, born of the nordic gods of olden times: blue eyes. Almost all hues of brown will complement blue eyes, except for copper because of the red-tones that will compete with your own color. You have very many options because a wide array of colors tend to look great on your eyes. All neutrals will look great, plumes and purples, and metallics will give you much opportunity to play with eyeshadows and combinations. You can wear blue eyeshadow to accentuate the color in your eyes, as long as if your eyes are greyish blue, you pick out the blues that tend to have that similar slate tone, but if your eyes are bright blue, you should wear colors that remind you of the ocean, such as aqua, sea-foam, and sky blues. You can wear eyeliner in purples, blues, brown and black, but try not to go for the blackest black because it can overpower your eyes. Try to stay away from green tones because it will compete with your eye color, detracting from the natural beauty of your eye color. You can highlight your eyes with gold, cream, vanilla, ivory and almost any of the lightest colors. Mascara can be worn in purple, blue, brown, dark brown, and black.

How to Simply do the Perfect Smokey Eye

Following a few simple guidelines, you can create a simple smokey eye and tweak the various steps to create a look that is truly unique and beautiful; truly you.

First you will want to, as always when applying eye makeup, prime your eyelid with concealer or a primer, in my case I used MAC's NC20 concealer to create a flat surface to which the eyeshadow can adhere. Then take your favorite black pencil eyeliner, in my case Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner in 'Zero', and draw a line overtop of your lashes. Continue this line and smudge it up over your eyelid and even in the crease. Use a brush to smujdge it out and create this 'smoked' effect, don't worry about being too clean about it, the fabulous thing about a smokey eye is that it's supposed to look uncontrolled and sultry. Make sure to color in between your lashes so you don't have patches of skin that show underneath the smokey eye; fill in your lashes. Then use a black eyeshadow or a dark eyeshadow (in my case it is MAC's 'beauty marked') and apply it liberally over top of the smudged black liner. I suggest that if you have lighter skin like I do, you stick to a darker shade of a color rather than going with black. This is simply because you will have huge contrast between your eye makeup and your skin and might end up looking like a raccoon if you overdo it! That being said, you can truly use any eyeshadow for this as long as you blend, blend, blend it in!!!

The next step consists of taking a shade lighter than the shade used to cover the eyelid and contour the shape of the eye, I used Urban Decay's 'Last Call' eyeshadow also available as 'Queen' from the Alice in Wonderland palette. Accentuate the arch of your eye, this is where you can play with scale and shape and give yourself the desired shape you want. Some people choose to not blend in their shadow here but, as you can see, the color will look very potent and this may not be appropriate for wear during the day or at work. I choose to continue blending it in. I also apply a highlighter, usually just a white eyeshadow or a very light neutral, lighter than my skin-tone. I blend the contour color and the highlighter together thoroughly until no edge can be seen. The final step is an application of liquid liner, I used Stila's liquid liner and some black mascara to give it that polished look. Finally, you can line your waterline (underneath your eye, above your lower lashes) with one of the colors used and apply an eye pencil on top just to make the colors pop. This last part is entirely optional in the look, some people prefer not to do it because their eyes are too sensitive.

I chose to go in a purple/plum direction with this smokey eye look, particularly because purple makes brown eyes pop really nicely as it is a complementary color. However, this same look can be done using any color, or any neutral you'd like, just remember that the base color should be the darkest and anything you apply on the contour should be a shade or two lighter. Experiment with your looks and let me know what creative ideas you've come up with!