New Product Alert: Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow

Everyone brace yourselves! Milani's new Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadows are showing up in your local drugstores (my CVS now has them in stock)! I was so excited to pick up a few of these to review. These retail for $3.99-$4.99.

The packaging is Milani's signature gold compact, similar to their baked blushes which came out in late 2013. The formulation is a soft, smooth and richly pigmented powder. These eyeshadows, despite their name, do not have a gel-like consistency, nor do they feel like the Maybelline Bouncy line, rather they remind me more of MAC's baked eyeshadow consistency (the "gel" claim is because Milani states the formula starts as a gel and is then baked to a powder eyeshadow).

The Milani Bella Eyes shadows can be used wet or dry. This eyeshadow range consists of 30 colors (of which you should be able to find all of them in your drugstore displays) and comes in 3 finishes: satin matte, shimmer and iridescent metallic.

The colors that stood out to me were originally Bella Mandarin and Bella Violet (since it reminded me of Urban Decay's Grifter, which is my favorite eyeshadow color of all time). Bella Mandarin is an ideal color to blend out or warm up any crease color of your choice, specifically it works well for browns and taupes.
I picked up Bella Champagne because I watched a couple of video reviews which stated that the Shimmer-finish was superior in pigmentation and color payoff to the Satin Mattes. I do think that the least pigmented of the bunch I have is Bella Violet (which incidentally is also a shimmer), so it may have to do with the color selection as well as the finish.

Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow Swatches

The consistency appears to be good for these shadows, they all perform decently thus far in swatches and on the eyes. I haven't noticed any creasing or fading (but let me disclose that I always wear eyeshadow primer or concealer underneath any eyeshadow). I would definitely recommend purchasing the colors that stand out to you as you won't be disappointed.

I don't think one must own the entire collection because a lot of the colors are dupe-able or very similar (Bella White, Bella Ivory, Bella Diamond and Bella Chiffon are only marginally different from one another and I'm not sure that you would notice much of a difference once blended out, same with Bella Rose and Bella Pink).

Not sure which colors you want? For great swatches of each color in the range, check out Vampy Varnish's very comprehensive blog post.

Eyes of the Day: Amrezy Palette

Eyes of the Day look with Amrezy Palette - Natural Light

Today's featured look of the day consists of neutral eyeshadows with a pop of emerald green from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Palette. I was so excited to play with this palette, I just couldn't wait to create a look!

Eyes of the Day look with Amrezy Palette - Ambient/Indoor Light

This look was easy to create and the green is meant to appear as a pop of color so I didn't try too hard to blend it with the lid color. I was extremely drawn to the Emerald eyeshadow and Caramel ended up being a lot more tangerine than I was expecting, so I was glad I didn't choose Morocco... these shadows are very pigmented! The photos don't even do this look any justice, the bright sunshine of the day really makes for a dramatic, impactful combination.

Here are the quick steps to re-create this emerald glam look (using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Palette):

• Caramel all over the lid
• Glisten on the inner corner of the lid
• Emerald in the crease
• Blend out Emerald with Vanilla as the highlight between it and the brow
• Line the lower lash line with Emerald
• Physicians Formula 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum in Ultra Black (review coming soon!) to create winged eyeliner
• Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara in Extreme Black to gently define lashes (this mascara will separate and darken lashes but not volumize or lengthen but it is very lightweight and easy to wear throughout the whole day)

Physicians Formula Matte Collection Eyeshadow - Canyon Classics

The Physicians Formula Matte Collection Eyeshadow Quads always receive rave reviews and, after hearing and reading about them for so long, I finally caved and purchased one in "Canyon Classics" from Ulta. These seem, upon first glance and swatch, to be good dupes for some of the colors of the Naked Basics palette (specifically W.O.S., Naked 2, and Faint).

I am very impressed with the buttery smoothness of this palette and the richness of its pigmentation. Matte eyeshadows are difficult to formulate and are generally known to be more chalky than their shimmer counter-parts due to the finish. 

A matte eyeshadow typically has high color payoff and always consists of a no-shine matte finish. These are generally thought of as being chalky (dry, powdery and patchy) so they should be used with a good base and packed on the eye area with a dense flat brush - when used properly these can give a flawless, airbrushed look!

These eyeshadows were of much higher quality than their $6.99 price tag, and I would definitely encourage the usage of these over the Naked Basics palette or other neutral palettes if you are on a budget - they appear to be very finely milled and therefore you won't experience much flaking or chalkiness, and I noticed no patches either.

The Matte Collection eyeshadow quads are also available in 2 other color variations, Classic Nudes and Quartz Quartet. 

Physicians Formula Matte Collection Eyeshadow Quad - Classic Nudes

Compared to the Canyon Classics collection I reviewed above, the Classic Nudes is warmer toned with more rust-tones and Quartz Quartet is cooler toned, featuring mauves and violets.

Physicians Formula Matte Collection Eyeshadow Quad - Quartz Quartet

IPSY Unboxing - July 2014 "Sensationally Sunkissed"

This month's Ipsy bag featured a wide variety of products, a quick gloss-over reveals nail polish, sunscreen, hair treatment, lip balm and cream eyeshadow. This is definitely a subscription service for those who are looking to expand their overall beauty collection.

The first item is a full sized Models Own nail polish in "Red Sea" from the Splash Collection. I'm happy with this since it seems to be a full color polish with the added bonus of chunky glitter. Retail value: $8.57 (Full Size)

This month I received another item from Pixi Beauty, a Mini Tinted Brilliance Balm in "Pretty Pink", this is a deluxe sized sample. Retail value: $8.40

I also received a Bare Minerals 5-in-1 BB advanced performance cream eyeshadow in "Divine Wine", this is a deluxe sized sample. Retail value: $5.40

This month's bag contained Marrakesh Split End Mender & Preventer (Retail value: $5.99) as well as Pur-Lisse sunscreen/moisturizer (Retail value: $16.18). Both are deluxe-sized items that I will get use out of as I tend to over-wash my hair and dry it out with various shampoos and hair dyes. The sunscreen is an essential item and it's so small and cute that I will be happy to carry it in my purse or in the car for emergencies!

 I have heard many complaints from various beauty bloggers that they didn't really like the bag this month but to be quite honest, I really do. It's a larger more square-ish configuration than the usual and it has cute lace detailing. Since the bag isn't overly patterned or busy, I think this is the ideal sort of bag for carrying my travel cosmetics.

The value of my July 2014 IPSY bag was $44.54 which is a wonderful value for the $10 I paid. If you want to sign up for your very own IPSY monthly subscription, click here. 

First Look: Anastasia Amrezy Palette (Limited Edition)

For those of us that are avid fans of Anastasia Beverly Hills, whether it be for their brow products or eyeshadows, there is an exciting newly released palette created by a very popular Instagram makeup artist named Amrezy. Since this collection was formulated through a collaboration between Anastasia's own daughter (who is responsible for the buttery texture and pigmentation of the company's eyeshadows) and a makeup artist who clearly has great taste, since her own Instagram photos are breathtaking, this palette is a huge win. You can purchase the palette on the Anastasia website or through ULTA.

I am in awe at the color selection. These colors are everything I have ever wanted in a palette... it has a good mix of neutrals for every day wear and some pops of gemstone colors (Iridescent Purple and Emerald) which are flattering for all eye colors. There are 10 shadows in total, with the top row containing shimmery satin finish and the bottom row being matte (a format popularized by the Lorac Pro palette).

The palette also features a double-sided brush with one side suited to deposit color onto the eyelid and the other side is a small crease brush, perfect for creating cut-crease looks or blending out your colors.

You might think that this palette looks familiar to the Lavish Palette but I think that the shades and formulations of the eyeshadows is superior in the Amrezy palette. The reason I say this is that although Sienna performs similarly to Morocco, Pink Sapphire, Ballet and Black Diamond were disappointing (they do not stay on the lid well and need to be packed on heavily). The pigmentation seems to be much more potent with the colors of the Amrezy palette (Iridescent Purple is far superior to Pink Sapphire) and I have not yet noticed any fall out.

All of the swatches below were created with a single swipe:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Palette - Top Row Swatches (Shimmer)

Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Palette - Bottom Row Swatches (Matte)

If you don't own any Anastasia palette, I think this is an amazing introductory palette for your collection, especially since it is VERY reasonably priced at $29. You will get a lot of wear from these colors and manage to achieve a wide variety of looks. The packaging is absolutely adorable and extremely feminine, this is a product that feels much more luxe than its price tag.

If you have other Anastasia palettes in your collection, you should still pick this one up since I'm 99.9% positive that this is the best eyeshadow formulation so far from the brand.

New Urban Decay Clearance Goodies

I wanted to quickly share some clearance items I picked up from the Urban Decay sale section. If you didn't know about this portion of Urban Decay's website, I highly encourage you to check it out frequently as things do become available pretty regularly when they are phasing out old favorites or formulations.

I was able to get my hands on Urban Decay's new formulation of Grifter (light violet) eyeshadow (reduced to $6 from $18) as well as two lip junkie lipglosses (reduced to $5 from $19). The lip junkie glosses I purchased are in the colors Love Junkie and Naked.

The new Grifter formulation has much less overt glitter and fall-out and is much more buttery smooth. This happens to be my absolute favorite color in the range of Urban Decay eyeshadows (I first fell in love with this when I received their Alice in Wonderland palette as a gift). 

Although, you can tell from the above photos, the Love Junkie and Naked lipglosses look vastly different in the packaging, when they are swatched or applied, there is not a huge difference. They are both sheer and buildable colors and although Love Junkie leans more maroon and Naked is a tad orangey, they really do give a similar effect... they also taste minty and feel slightly plumping.

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.