ELF Cheeky Glow Contour Set (Holiday 2014) Review

I've been dying to try the Holiday 2014 ELF Cheeky Glow Contour Palette but was unable to find them in stock anywhere but at a local beauty supply retailer and they just happened to have BOGO on all holiday items, BONUS (so of course I just picked up 2 of these just in case I needed a backup, haha). It was such an amazing deal, for $5 you get this large-ish contour palette consisting of a highligher, blush and bronzer - and if that wasn't enough they even throw in an angled blush brush!

So of course, now I have it here for you for review.... for science!

ELF Cheeky Glow Contour Palette and Brush for Holiday 2014

The quantity of each product seems to be comparable to the full-sized blush singles from ELF, so it's quite a decent size. The packaging is sleek and simple and quite frankly, I love the clear window that lets me see the products inside (I have enough dark or opaque compacts to open as it is so it's nice to see the color of the powders clearly).

The bristles of the brush hair are a little too rough for my taste and they seem somewhat scratchy on the delicate skin of the face. I don't know about you guys but my skin is like paper so I can get red and irritated very quickly! I really would have bought this product without the brush, but I guess if you don't have that many brushes, this is a nice add-on bonus.

Close-up of ELF Cheeky Glow Contour Palette for Holiday 2014

Here's a close-up of the products, you can see that the bronzer is a matte, fairly light-toned shade (I don't think this would work well for darker skinned ladies, and I'm even skeptical about it working on medium gals). The blush is a shimmery peach - I know the finish is not everyone's cup of tea but I like it when my face looks like a happy disco ball! The highlighter is a pinkish hued satin finish with finely milled shimmer particles. 

Swatches of ELF Cheeky Glow Contour Palette for Holiday 2014

My photo above of the swatches came out very true to color and I think it's safe to assume that if you were to swatch these on your fingers, you would see the same results. Unfortunately, ELF did not come out with variations of this Contour Palette, which would have been very nice - so I really don't think this particular iteration is suitable for much more than fair to olive skin tones. 

I also want to point out that if you do not like your bronzer to lean orange even slightly, this set won't be for you. I happen to be very fair skinned (MAC NC15) and this trio just happened to work well but even for me the bronzer was a tad orange, especially paired with the tangerine-peach blush.

ELF Cheeky Glow Contour Palette for Holiday 2014 Applied to Face

The highlighter was noticeable but not too bright or overbearing so this is something I could see myself wearing on a regular basis but I might pair it up with another bronzer. As I mentioned before, I like the blush, it is almost a dupe for NARS Orgasm.

Don't mind my watery eyes in the photo, I was experiencing some allergies but still wanted to take a snapshot to show you what the product looked like on.

I hope ELF continues to make these more than just on a Limited Edition basis because the quality was definitely there but the shade selection could be expanded. I would love to see a taupe-leaning bronzer and a pink/red-based blush for a more natural flush.

Have you tried out this palette? What do you think?

Panty By Post - Panty Subscription Review

Panty By Post is a panty subscription service from Vancouver, BC and I was kindly sent a sample for review (but I'm not an affiliate or anything so this opinion is honest). There are 3 subscription services offered, one is the Everyday Basics ($15/panty), another is their Signature Line ($22/panty), and they have a Premium Luxe ($35/panty) option. You can choose either 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions of each of the tiers. The difference between the subscriptions is that they offer a wide variety of different styles. Sizes range from XS to 5X so there's something for everybody!

Everyday Basics features comfy, easy breezy, everyday elegant styles

Signature Line features playful & sexy bottoms which are unique, colorful and stylish

Premium Luxe features high end fabrics, ultra feminine cuts & one-of-a-kind looks

The best feature of this subscription service is the fact that you can choose to receive briefs only, thongs only, or a mixture of both. I always felt that other, less expensive, panty subscriptions would sent out a lot of thongs and it's so refreshing to have a choice especially because of the higher price point of this service.

The panty package comes in a discreet, girly beautiful paper envelope and each panty is wrapped in tissue paper. It also comes with a card which describes the style, brand and color of your panty. 

I was very impressed with the quality of the fabric and panty. I received a Medium Indigo-colored panty by the brand Blush. This pair of panties reminds me of some expensive panties I own from Calvin Klein which I have loved for years. Although these are not meant to be seamless, the lace detail is so fine and sewn so flush against the main fabric of the panties that it really does not show through any of my tight leggings.

The back of the panty was ruched! What an awesome little detail that adds so much to the design and feel of the panties. This "basic" pair of panties feels anything but basic, it feels feminine, whimsical and absolutely delightful because of the wonderful trim detail, color choices and ruching.

The fabric is stretchy and has a lot of give for extremely high comfort, and you can see up close in this detail shot that the stitching is properly done and there are no loose threads (I get so frustrated when I buy a pair of panties from stores and then realize they elastics are already loose and shredding off before having worn them!).

This panty subscription has definitely won my heart and if you're looking for a great present for Valentine's Day for a loved one or "just because" you want to treat yourself, please look into this quality, high-end panty subscription.

I kind of wish I tried the Signature Line just because the photos online look so beautiful as well and I love me some whimsy but the Everyday Basics line was the most practical to review.

If you're looking to try a higher-end panty subscription, go to Panty By Post and enter the code IMNEW15 which gives you $15 off a subscription of your choice.

New Kat Von D Innerstellar Palette, Limited Edition (Sephora Exclusive) - Swatches Inside

Kat Von D's makeup line has long been a staple of Sephora's powerhouse collaborations with various brands and companies to bring you the latest, trendiest collections. 

Earlier this year Kat Von D & Sephora released the Monarch and Chrysalis palettes, the latter being a warm-toned monarch butterfly inspired curation and the latter being a blue and purple cool-toned and more adventurous color palette.

The Innerstellar palette is a Limited Edition, VIB Rouge/VIB exclusive palette offered on the Sephora website for members only. I have heard rumors of these popping up in stores sometime mid January (the 15th I believe). However, I happen to think that this would make a very appropriate holiday gift since it contains some beautiful shimmer shades). 

This palette is rather a misnomer since it has nothing to do with the actual movie "Interstellar" which was released a couple of weeks ago - it's more of a self-empowering name because we can all show our "inner stellar" with it! 

I found some swatches below:

I'm very happy with the color curation, clearly this tends to be a cooler-toned palette featuring many varieties of taupes. I really like this palette, specifically for the winter-time since it is suitably themed. 

Each set of 4 shadows (the highlighter shade on top and then the 3 corresponding underneath it) are combined in such a way that you can create one "look". Obviously, you can just mix and match them however you'd like, the makeup police won't come after you - but I do like the option if you're feeling uninspired. 

There's a nice sprinkle of warm shades specifically 2, 4, 9 and 10 (Vast, Night Crawler, Orion and 3 AM) so this palette will be able to create a good variety of looks.

Are you going to be picking up this palette? I ordered mine already and it's on the way! I think it's the perfect palette to get your first taste of the Kat Von D set if some of her other ones are too bold for your tastes.

Review & Swatches: Smashbox On The Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe Palette

Outer Packaging of Smashbox On The Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe Palette 

The ULTA-exclusive Smashbox On The Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe Palette retails for $42 and contains a limited edition eye shadow collection of 28 party-perfect shades! There are a variety of finishes from mattes to glitters in lush neutrals to dazzling jewel-inspired tones. 

Exterior of Smashbox On The Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe Palette

The exterior of the palette has beautiful diamonds which reflect light wonderfully and would make for a delightfully glamorous gift. The palette itself feels a little pillow-esque when you push down on the top and it seems ideal for traveling, even though it is slightly larger than a typical travel palette. 

My only qualm with the Smashbox On The Rocks Luxe Palette is that there is an overlay that has the color names which I'm never a fan of, I would rather that they were printed next to the shade names (though I can see how that can be difficult with the diamond arrangement). The layout of the shadows saves a decent amount of space and you have 28 full sized eye shadows in a medium-sized palette. I love the diamond in the center, I don't know why but it makes me giddy with delight when I open the palette!

Names of Eye Shadows in Smashbox On The Rocks Photo Op Eye Shadow Luxe Palette

The palette seems to be set up from left to right as follows: leftmost there are nudes transitioning to earthtones and greens, in the center region above the diamond there are purples and below there are blue tones, on the rightmost side of the palette there's a mixture of smokey eye bold shades (grays, deep burgundy, dark brown). I appreciate that this isn't a random assortment of shadows because I find that some palettes can be too overwhelming to look at when there is no rhyme or reason to their placement.

Swatches of Nudes/Earthtones (Left side of Smashbox On The Rocks Luxe Palette)

From the left side of the palette, you can see that the shades are neutrals and earth-tones. Most of these shades are buttery, creamy and swatch absolutely perfectly but I found Midas to be weakly pigmented on the secondary swatch and it doesn't transfer well out of the pan. I was very pleasantly surprised with Zoom (mint green with gold shimmer) and Roast (dark brown with sparse gold sparkles). Ambient is a good dupe for Amber Lights from MAC, I own both and there isn't a major difference between them when worn on the lid.

Swatches of Shades around Diamond (Center of Smashbox On The Rocks Luxe Palette)

The shades in the middle of the palette perform fairly similarly, with Purple Mist not being very pigmented at all and easily brushing off the skin while pastel is rather dusty and too similar to my skin tone for me to wear as a unique shadow. Sapphires needs to be built up for maximum intensity which can be great for beginners or those who are afraid to go overboard with a dark shadow. Navy is slightly darker and a little less blue-toned. The standouts are really Lavender, Juniper, Peacock and Lilac, all of which are very smooth, easily blended and quickly reach full opacity.

Swatches of Smokey Shades (Right side of Smashbox On The Rocks Luxe Palette)

On the right side of the palette you can see from the swatches that the shades become darker and more smokey, even featuring some great highlight shades (Snow, Babycakes and Moonlight). The most bold colors are Frambroise, Asteroid, Royal, Smoke and Cabernet, all of which perform as expected. I was a little bit disappointed by Mink and Babycakes because the colors were just too soft and the shadow's pigment lacked a "stickiness" which keeps it adhered to your lid so it's harder to build up. Mostly, the shadows perform beautifully and are better than expected!

Smashbox Photo Op Luxe Palette "Get The Looks" Booklet

Included in this palette is a booklet with 6 looks that you can create from the shades, they are listed underneath and you can use them as a guide for your holiday parties this year! 

If you find that this palette is too big for you there is a smaller, original version of the palette called the Smashbox Photo Op palette. However, I would strongly suggest for you to pick this up, if not for yourself, then at least to gift to the makeup lover in your life!

The quality of the eye shadows is consistent and there is such a wide variety of unique shades that aren't usually found in palettes that pushes this palette to a must-buy!

Happy shopping and Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!

IPSY November 2014 Glam Bag: Girl Meets Glitter (Review & Swatches)

November brings about fall and all things related to apple cider, scarves and pumpkin spiced latte (obviously, autumn is very related to warm drinks in my mental association). However, to IPSY, the $10/month beauty subscription, November means glitz, glam and glitter! I'm surprised this theme didn't make it to December for the holidays but hey, I'll take the festivities a little early. 

This was probably one of the best bags I have received in months, but it's coupled with the sadness that I couldn't bring you last month's bag since my neighbor ripped it open and stole its contents (IPSY was nice enough to send me a new one but it's still in transit for at least a week).

If you don't already have your own Glam Bag, go git you one ASAP! This also makes a wonderful gift for the holidays!

Be a Bombshell Eye Base in Submissive

This Be a Bombshell Eye Base claims to be a concealer and base in one but I would consider it more of a cream eyeshadow in a pot, similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoos but it feels more jelly-like to the touch. This product isn't opaque enough to be a concealer or to cover up the appearance of discoloration and pigmentation on the lids. I received the color Submissive (which was sent to all Ipsters) which is an intense creamy bronze with gold shimmer. I enjoyed that this was a full size item but did not particularly love the slightly chemical scent. I do not enjoy the products by Be a Bombshell but this is the best one Ipsy has sent out even though I really wish they would stop working with this brand.

Retail Price: $14 (Full size)

Elizabeth Mott - You're So FINE Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Glitterati

Elizabeth Mott is a fairly expensive indie brand that I've heard very little about outside of the IPSY subscription, but I'm so glad they have introduced me to them since I have loved their eyeliner pencils and eyeshadows so much thus far! This month, I received the You're SO Fine Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner and it is full sized and in the shade Glitterati (black with shimmer in it). The brush tip allows you to achieve a precise and very fine line but you need steady hands, I always find that liquid eyeliners in brush form are a lot less forgiving during application than sponge-tipped pen eyeliners. That being said the color is very opaque and the glitter is not gaudy, this is a good product that is well suited for the holidays!

Retail Price: $17.99 (Full size)

J. Cat  Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in Red Potion

J. Cat Beauty is another brand that I'm not thrilled about receiving since it's a drugstore brand with more misses than hits but I was intrigued about their Wonder Lip Paint since it seems to be an OCC Lip Tar dupe (specifically of Black Dahlia). I love the intense color of the shade Red Potion but it is best applied with a lip brush and rather slowly so you don't stain your skin. a little bit goes a very long way. This shade also has smile-enhancing properties as it makes your teeth appear brighter and whiter. Now we have to keep it real here on my blog so I have to admit that there is a strong chemical/burnt rubber scent to this product that should not be overlooked, if you are sensitive to smells like I am, I can't recommend it.

Retail Price: $4.99 (Full size)

Temptu S/B Highlighter in Pink Pearl

I'm a long-time fan of the Temptu brand because I own one of their Pro Airbrushes with a ton of their products (thanks to my hubby for getting me that for Valentine's day years ago!) and I was so excited to see one of their products this month! This is a Temptu S/B Highlighter in the shade Pink Pearl but we received a very small sample size which is 1/10th of the size of the product. This can be applied by airbrush or by gently dabbing it onto your cheekbones with your finger (just as you would apply any of the Benetint products). 

As a sidenote, if you were interested, S/B means silicone-based which refers to the base that is used to make the product. Silicone based products tend to have dimethicone which is a substance found in primers that creates the nice slip to the product which allows it to slide on to your face while being a pore filler. Typically if silicone-based products are listed near the beginning of the products used in your foundation, you should try to use "like" products and not mix them with water-based formulas since they will tend to separate.

Retail Price: $2.75 (Sample size)

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray

This is a fruity smelling Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray by Marc Anthony and it is a decent sized item that can be useful for traveling. I liked the hold on this and the fact that it didn't smell the way generic hair products can smell like a mixture of aerosol chemicals. I'm pleased with this addition to my bag since it doesn't leave my hair stiff, sticky but rather soft and clean.

Retail Price: $1.38 (Sample size)

The bag this month was a very flexible vinyl finished bag with a glitter which was deep set inside of the vinyl-like finish so there was no glitter fall-out or catastrophes. It also had a pink zipper, I think this bag is very cute and it was designed by Forever 21 in conjunction with Ipsy (it says so on the tag, sorry I forgot to take a photo of it).

The total value of my bag this month was $41.11 (over 4x what I pay for this subscription)! I was happy with the way the products were curated for me except for brand preferences (I would rather not receive J. Cat Beauty or Be a Bombshell Cosmetics in the future). I hope that I will get lots of use out of some of these items and that IPSY continues to get better at their IPSY Match algorithm which matches individuals to products each month based on a preference quiz.

Sign up for the IPSY monthly subscription or gift it to someone else here!

Anastasia Beverly Hills: Tamanna Palette Holiday 2014 (Review & Swatches)

If you saw my preview post on the Tamanna Palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills right after its release, you'll know that I am such a huge fan of this international makeup artist series by the brand. I own all of the other palettes from this collection (Amrezy and Maya Mia) and I did a pretty in depth comparison of the colors in the Tamanna palette compared to the others (and even to the Lavish palette).

I couldn't help myself and purchased this on the Anastasia Beverly Hills website when I saw it had already sold out at ULTA and Sephora! That was pretty fast considering this is supposed to be the Holiday 2014 palette from the brand. The best part about this palette is that it is so inexpensive at only $29 with free shipping!! YOWZA!

The packaging on the palette was chosen by +DressYourFace aka Tamanna and she chose an Eastern-inspired print, which reminds me of a floral damask, it's really stunning, specifically in the gold and burgundy shades she chose. As a gift, this is absolutely precious and anyone would be thrilled to receive it! The packaging is the same size and shape as the Amrezy and Maya Mia palettes from this same set.

I must admit the colors that jumped out at me and the reasons that I purchased this palette were: Venezia, Gilded, Sangria and China Rose (obviously the most "colorful" and impactful in the pan. 

You also receive the same dual-ended eyeshadow brush that came with all the other palettes. One side is great for packing on eyeshadow (left) and the other side is good for fine detail crease work (right side). This brush is perfectly usable and great for applying makeup on the run.

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Tamanna Palette - Holiday 2014 - Top Row Swatches

After swatching the colors, I was less impressed by the intensity of Venezia, which actually required some building up and was a little bit less pigmented than Aqua from the Maya Mia Palette. Overall, the performance was good and consistent with other ABH eyeshadow palettes. I do think that their eyeshadow formula has improved over time and I was extremely impressed with Blush, Gilded and Custom. Custom was the standout shade and is a nice taupe shimmer, of which I cannot recall owning too many in my vast collection (bonus!).

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Tamanna Palette - Holiday 2014 - Bottom Row Swatches

The second row had two major performers, which were Bengal and China Rose. Bengal achieves full opacity very quickly and doesn't require building up whereas China Rose is a beautiful crease topper that provides just the right amount of sheen to any look. Sangria was a little less pigmented on the eye than it appears in the swatch but it performed well. Chocolate is a strong pigment that stains the skin a little so you have to be careful with placement or you can make your look appear muddy. Noir was the poorest performing shade because I found it a little bit too powdery and when applied in thicker layers it tended to fly off the eye a little (I'm a bigger fan of LBD from the Amrezy palette).

5 Get The Look Cards featuring Tamanna's eyeshadow creations with her palette

It's nice that the set includes five "Get The Look" cards, which is a trend ABH began doing with the Maya Mia palette. These are probably the most thorough look cards that any company produces with very precise instructions and detailed, high-res photographs! You get a nice variety of daytime to evening looks.

The backs of 5 Get The Look Cards from the ABH Tamanna palette

Here are the steps listed on the back of the cards to give you a good idea of the amount of detail that goes into each one.

I absolutely love this palette, it's great for a variety of holiday and even every day looks, I like that there's a nice variety of pops of color as well as basic neutrals mixed in. The palette also consists of various shades ranging from ultra matte to shimmer which allow for even more diversity when used. Overall there are 6 shimmer shades and 4 mattes in the palette.

Do you own this palette? Will you be purchasing it? Let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions about this wonderful holiday gift.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes

Benefit Cosmetics Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes

For the Holiday 2014 season, for the very first time Benefit has put together multiple best-selling powders in a set. The Benefit Cosmetics Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes contains 5 blushes, 1 bronzer, a highlighter (Watt's Up) and a small brush. This is one of the most wow-worthy gifts you could receive this year, I think it's a collection of powders that flatters all ages and skin tones!

The tin packaging is re-usable and absolutely beautiful! Benefit always does an amazing job on their packaging but I think even though this box can be construed as being bulky, you can always depot the blushes and keep little trinkets like jewelry or nail polish inside the keepsake Christmas box!

I have always wanted to try some of their boxed blushes but I could never decide on a color so now I'm so happy to have the opportunity to try 6 of them for just $36! A full sized blush is 7-8g, whereas each of these blushes are as follows:

Dandelion: 4g

Sugarbomb: 6g

CORALista: 5g

Bella Bamba: 5g

Hoola (bronzer): 5g

Rockateur: 5g

Watt's Up! (highlighter): 1.5g

For a closer look at the Watt's Up! Highlighter, I took a swatch, you can see it's just a sheer brightness that can be applied as a blush topper or on the tops of your cheekbones/brow bones to reflect light for a beautiful glow. I don't love the blush provided, but this is a freebie as it's not even included in the Product Details, so no complaints here about it.

I have read on other blogs that the Coralista and Bella Bamba from this set are not identical to their permanent boxed blushes of the same name, again I can't complain because I don't own those and this is my first foray into Benefit's blushes. Supposedly these are much lighter shades in the Box o' Blushes, but again I can't complain because I am fair skinned so I usually have to be very careful with very brightly colored blushes (or else I look like Bozo the Clown).

Dandelion is a blue-based light pink shade. 

Bella Bamba is a shimmery watermelon color.

Sugarbomb consists of 4 complimenting, shimmer shades of peach, soft plum, pink and rose for radiance.

Hoola is a soft matte bronzer.

Coralista is a warm coral-pink shade.

Rockateur is a rose gold color.

The Benefit Cosmetics Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes comes with a Tips & Tricks booklet which can teach you where to apply each boxed powder/blush as well as the Watt's Up! highlighter. This is a nice addition to those who are overwhelmed by the variety of choices in this gift set!

I'm really impressed with this set and it's the only blush set I'm picking up this year for the holiday season, if you can snag it on sale before it sells out, you should definitely jump on it (I picked it up during the 20% off VIB Sephora sale)! This set is impressive looking and great value for your money, I'm very satisfied with all of these shades for my complexion! 

I'd love to hear what you all think of this set if you've picked it up or if you're thinking about it in the comments below! :)

Too Faced Melted Longwear Lipstick in Melted Marshmallow

Too Faced Melted Longwear Lipstick in Melted Marshmallow

For a long time I have resisted getting on the hype train of the Melted Lipsticks from Too Faced because I had swatched them in Sephora and none of the colors were appealing to me. That all changed, however, when I came across Melted Marshmallow a couple of weeks ago. 

Melted Marshmallow is a beautiful blue-based pink shade but it does have some yellow tone to it as well (this may not be a great shade for you if you struggle with anything that makes your teeth appear more yellow). A similar shade of this lipstick is the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan, they are even quite similar in consistency and the matte finish they leave on your lips. This lipstick is easy to wear, it is neither drying nor hydrating, but I didn't find that the wear time was quite as long as expected - obviously during drinking and eating, this will fade and disappear off your lips. If you're just going about your day without consuming any foods or playing with your lips too much, it will probably last a good 4-5 hours.

Too Faced Melted Longwear Lipstick in Melted Marshmallow

Can we talk about the packaging for a minute? It feels so luxurious, almost like if a high-end lipgloss and prestige lipstick had a baby. This is a very giftable item and I wouldn't be ashamed to re-apply it in public (not that you'll really have to do that much).

Swatch of Too Faced Melted Longwear Lipstick in Melted Marshmallow

Instead of a doe-foot applicator, Too Faced opted for this puffy sponge tip which has four points through which you can squeeze out the formula. I actually really like this because it seems more hygenic to me than using a doe-foot applicator and then always putting the bacteria from the wand back into the product when you put it away.

This swatch was creating with one swipe, the formula is super opaque and you can easily get the desired amount of coverage, I really didn't feel the need to layer this product on.

Too Faced Melted Longwear Lipstick in Melted Marshmallow

You can see in the lip swatch that there was some settling in the fine lines of my lips and scars (don't judge me, I fell out of a toy truck when I was a baby...), which makes it pretty important that you apply it over moisturize lips (I doubt this particular shade and formula is very attractive on chapped lips). When this lipstick wears off, it does ball up a little bit but it's not something that becomes noticeable except you can feel the texture on your lips. This shade is out of my usual comfort zone of medium reds and plums, but I love it so much that I vow to wear it regularly!

Too Faced Melted Kisses Set

If you're looking for a holiday set to give someone who would absolutely love this product, check out the Too Faced Melted Kisses Set for Holiday 2014, which contains 4 deluxe-sized tubes (Nude, Peony, Berry, and Fuschia) from the permanent collection of the Melted Longwear Lipstick line and retails for just $25. As of the date and time of this post, this set is sold out at Sephora, ULTA, and on the Too Faced website, but you can find it at the link I posted through Amazon.