New Release: Anastasia Beverly Hills Maya Mia Palette (Limited Edition)

This week, a brand new palette was released from Anastasia Beverly Hills, and it is a collaboration between them and the Tanzanian makeup artist Maya Mia (maya_mia_y on Instagram), this is right on the heels of their Amrezy Palette Release last month. I notice familiar names between their latest palettes so let me delve right into my review of this palette.

The outer packaging and the cover of the palette itself are identical on top, the color choice is vibrant and frankly my favorite to date from Anastasia. I feel like their packaging has gotten more attractive and complex as their palettes have progressed over time.

The palette itself comes with the same dual-ended brush that was seen in the Amrezy palette and it is a very handy, usable brush (one side is a shadow packing brush and the other is a fine crease brush).

The back of the outer packaging includes a small preview, short explanation of the style of the palette, and details ingredients used.

Repeat colors from the Amrezy palette: Glisten, Vanilla and Caramel. 

Repeat colors from the Lavish palette: Sienna.

Unique colors: Nude, Deep Brown, Warm Taupe, Aqua, Fresh Peach, Gold Bar.

Out of the unique colors, the ones which performed best were Deep Brown, Warm Taupe, Gold Bar and Fresh Peach. I found that Aqua had to be packed on in multiple layers to get decent pigmentation, otherwise it just seems like a sheer wash of light blue. I really liked the impact of Deep Brown, it's a great shade to cut your crease with and darken your outer corner. I like that although there are repeats of colors in this palette range, the pops of color are unique, since those are probably the colors used least.

This palette included something extra special: 5 free look cards which detail how to achieve each look on the back - this is a great inclusion to inspire your daily makeup, especially if you want to do something extra special.

I used the first look card, it consisted of 4 shades: Vanilla, Warm Taupe, Sienna and Deep Brown. I chose to go with a less dramatic black winged liner, and this is the look I achieved:

Overall, I really thoroughly enjoyed this palette and I was able to pick it up from the Anastasia Beverly Hills flagship salon and store in Beverly Hills, close to Rodeo Dr. - which made it an even better experience for me! I also picked up a Contour Kit and am excited to review that for you soon (I have used it every day since purchasing it!)

Sleek Arabian Nights Palette

The packaging on the Sleek Arabian Nights Palette is absolutely breathtaking, it gives you a smokey, mysterious vibe, which is exactly what this Limited Edition palette is all about. It features 12 shades so you can create a versatile Arabic eye, whether it be vibrant, smokey or neutral.

The packaging of the palette itself is a sleek, thin, black plastic design with the name of the palette printed for clarity. This palette is ideal for travel, with each color being about the size of a nickel. 

There is an overlay which has all of the shade names printed on top, this isn't my favorite feature but a majority of palettes are made this way - I much prefer having the names printed on the actual packaging. However, seeing as this palette retails for about $12, this is definitely not a big deal if it keeps the retail price low. 

The variety of colors is what really drew me to purchase this particular palette as my first Sleek palette. I really like that there are shades of beige, yellow, taupe, green, teal, blue, bronze, brown, gray, plum and black - wow what a selection! One thing to note, however, is that almost all of the colors have micro-glitter, glitter, or a metallic sheen with the exception of Stallion which appears to be mostly matte.

I'm really impressed with the pigmentation of the Sleek eyeshadows - they have really great color payoff. They're easy to blend and really do pack a punch when you use them on your eyes. However, I have noticed that it's easiest to get the color I want by packing it on with my finger than with a brush, especially on my lid. I also think they're chalkier than the shadows I'm typically used to (but I am comparing them to much more expensive, high end makeup). Simbad's Seas is a shadow that is so pigmented and beautifully unique, as a mix between blue and purple, that it's worth the entire purchase of this palette just to get it.

I am a huge fan of the brown-leaning shades, I think they're hits in this palette (see Genie, Stallion, Aladdin's Lamp). The one with the least color payoff is Valley of Diamonds but it is such a beautiful blush pink with gold glitter that I would work with this shade just to use it - I personally adore this color and it can soften an otherwise fairly severe color palette. 

I only have 1 other smokey eye palette and this really fills a need I had in my makeup collection, so I'm very happy with this purchase. I really am very surprised with the great quality of these shadows (specifically for the price point) and I recommend that everyone purchase at least 1 palette from Sleek to try out (they have a huge selection of options). I got my palette from Amazon, since it's not readily available in the US, but the delivery only took a couple of days!

Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather Collection

I was finally able to get my hands on the entire collection of the Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather Collection!! I'm so excited to bring you a look at the whole collection. All of these color tattoos are matte except for the color Chocolate Suede (which many have compared to Bad to the Bronze, but it is less metallic and more of a deep brown color) that has micro-glitter. As other reviewers have noted, the texture of these new color tattoos (which to my understanding are part of the permanent collection) is more smooth, buttery and applies more evenly.

The black in this collection is an absolute dream, it is everything and more than I ever originally hoped to see in a black when Stroke of Midnight (from the Dare To Go Nude collection) was released. I highly recommend picking up Dramatic Black as I have even been able to use it as a gel eyeliner for all day wear (I did notice a little bit of transferring after 8 hours of wear in the sun). My critique of this collection is that if you do not supplement with other shades, there isn't a light enough shade to be a highlight or which can be layered for a more ethereal look. 

Creamy Beige - Matte medium beige which is slightly taupe leaning

Vintage Plum - Matte smokey lavender with a grey tint (slightly patchy application)

Deep Forest - Matte sheer forest green and olive mix (patchy application)

Chocolate Suede - Medium brown with bronze micro-glitter 

Dramatic Black - Matte true black

I highly recommend picking up at least the Creamy Beige, Chocolate Suede and  Dramatic Black from this collection, you won't be disappointed! I am a huge color lover and I was even very happy with the Deep Forest and Vintage Plum shades even though their application wasn't as smooth (slightly patchy) as the others. 

Product Review: Boots No 7 Stay Perfect Blemish Cover Stick Concealer

Recently, at my local Duane Reade, I discovered a 50% off sale on the Boots No. 7 line (an import and blogger favorite from England) so I had decided to try out the Stay Perfect Blemish Cover Stick. This product is a spot or stick concealer which reminds me a lot of the Chanel Estompe Eclat Concealer (this is a huge throwback for me, it's the first concealer I ever used and I loved it to bits) in consistency, but it slightly less smooth/creamy. 

The packaging is sleek, it's a nice product for on-the-go cover-ups, and I even like it for under my eyes as it is thick enough that it does a good job of camouflaging the blue undertones when I have bags. It's a twist-up design which I think is far more hygenic than the MAC Studio Finish SPF35 Concealer. I chose the shade "Medium" because I thought the colors ran very fair in the range, which may be a problem if you're deeper skinned and want to look into this product.

In swatches of the Boots No. 7 Stay Perfect Blemish Cover Stick, it goes on fully opaque in one swipe and even when blended out, you can see how the consistency remains thick and it is full coverage. The medium has yellow to neutral undertones. I do find that the wear time is good, and there is little to no creasing, but I do make a point of setting all of my under-eye concealers with Tarte's Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder - this is just a habit I picked up years ago and you can use any translucent powder.

Overall, if you're in the market for a full-coverage spot concealer, definitely check this one out, it's not too oily that it will run down your face and will definitely stay in place all day. If you're having a hard time spreading thicker concealers, remember to warm them up with the tip of your finger and gently pat them onto your skin.

New ELF Limited Edition Mineral Pearls (Guerlain Meteorites & Essence 'Me & My Ice Cream' Shimmer Pearls Dupe)

Exciting news! There's a new product from ELF and it is a Limited Edition Mineral Pearls dusting powder. These are a lower budget dupe of the Guerlain Meteorites set, coming in at $8 as opposed to the $60 price tag of the high-end version. It is worth nothing that this is one of the most expensive single items on the ELF website.

The mineral pearls come in 2 shades, Skin Balancing (to even out skin tone coloration and complexion) and Natural for a sheer wash of color. You are meant to brush your powder puff or kabuki brush and gently swirl around on the pearls before buffing onto the eyes, cheeks or body. This is an illuminating product which helps to reflect color on your skin and give a radiant glow (best used over foundation). 

ELF Mineral Pearls - Natural

ELF Mineral Pearls - Skin Balancing

6 multi-colored pearls are blended together when brushing them to brighten and mattify skin for a brightened look. ELF has created these not to be just beautiful on the skin but also to condition and hydrate skin since they are infused with Vitamin A, B, C & E for a silky feel.

Other similar products include the Guerlain Meteorites (which are touted as the original of this style of pearl powder - they now have created dozens of variant color combinations) and the Essence 'Me & My Ice Cream' Collection (Summer 2013) Shimmer Pearls. Many of these have been limited edition and can no longer be purchased unless you stalk one down on eBay!

Guerlain Meteorites example

Essence 'Me & My Ice Cream' Shimmer Pearls - courtesy Qtplace.com

Dry Scalp Treatment - Superbalm Scalp Treatment by Lush

My husband suffers from a dry, itchy and flaky scalp so we're always on the lookout for serums or balms that may help alleviate it. We went to LUSH yesterday and I spotted their Superbalm Scalp Treatment and decided to splurge for it (it costs $19.95 for 1.5oz). LUSH is notoriously expensive so we only buy things that we think may be unique products. 

Dandruff can cause your scalp to be itchy and if you continuously scratch it vigorously, you can cause damage to your skin and follicles, so it's important to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. Although this product seems small, it actually is quite a large amount considering how thick and richly moisturizing it is. You only need an extremely small, less than pea-sized amount to cover your whole scalp. You are meant to rub it into your scalp and leave it on for 20 minutes before showering, I presume this is because your hair can get greasy and it has a strong peppermint scent. This product seems to produce the best results when used daily.

The rationale for the ingredients used in this product, according to the website are as follows:

Chamomile blue oil: soothes irritated scalp, causes the blue tint of the balm

Lavender oil: has relaxing, soothing and cleansing qualities

Salicylic acid: active ingredient that treats skin/scalp and psoriasis to shed dead cells from the top layer by increasing the amount of moisture in the skin and dissolving the substance that makes the cells clump together, thereby decreasing scaling and dryness

Rose wax & essential oils: has natural and soothing properties which soothe very dry skin, it is very lipid rich and hydrates skin cells

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil: can reduce symptoms associated with psoriasis, eczema and helps restore natural balance to the skin - has softening properties due to the extra virgin oil used as a binder

Candelilla wax: substitute to beeswax, acts as a moisture barrier and enhance formula texture

Other ingredients are used for fragrance

So far my husband really likes this product, I think the smell can be considered strong but as long as you're using it at night, it shouldn't be that much of a problem. I'm happy that this is a mostly-natural product with salicylic acid being the active treatment ingredient. If you suffer from a dry scalp you should give this product a try, it has a very high positive response from customers and one container should last you 2-3 months (so if you break it down, it doesn't seem that expensive). 

Let me know if you have any other experiences with this or similar products.

Product Review: Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette (Limited Edition)

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Box Packaging

When it comes to cool packaging and unique ideas for palettes, Urban Decay definitely takes the cake. They're a company that's always thinking out of the box and creating unique, trendy packaging and products. The Urban Decay Pulp Fiction palette was released as a limited edition product, along with their entire Pulp Fiction line, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of the movie.

The front and back of the packaging are very informative and even have a little blurb about Mrs. Mia Wallace and why she was chosen as the inspiration for the palette. I especially like the blood red double-ended brush and the little band-aid at the bottom of the packaging.

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Box Packaging - Back

Samuel L. Jackson's (aka Jules Winnfield) famous quote is even included on the packaging (this is somewhat of a strange decision though because his character isn't really connected with Mia Wallace's in the movie, so it's cool but seems a little out of place).  Regardless, it's an amazing quote that my husband has memorized from the movie!

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette Packaging

When you open the packaging up, it has a very grungy chaotic feeling of paint splatter and blood stains (very reminiscent of the movie)1. The palette consists of 5 eyeshadows and 1 double-ended miniature brush.

To see a look created with this palette, refer back to my Mrs. Mia Wallace Eyes of the Day - this post went into the look card which came in the box and how to re-create Uma Thurman's look in the movie.

You can easily use this palette for every day looks and this palette, upon first glance, looks fairly similar to the Naked Basics palette. However, upon further inspection, Vengeance (Pulp Fiction) is more bronze than the taupe-leaning Faint (Naked Basics), Anger (Pulp Fiction) is more silver than cream-based Venus (Naked Basics) and Righteous (Pulp Fiction) is lighter and less peachy than W.O.S. (Naked Basics).

I think if you were to own both Naked Basics and Pulp Fiction palettes (like I do) that you wouldn't be disappointed. I particularly love the color Tyranny since it's a perfect caramel for warming up the crease or transitioning between shades.

I love the quality of the cruelty-free synthetic dual sided brush, it has one end as a shadow-packing brush and another for precise inner corner or brow-bone highlighting (or even defining your eyebrows).

I think if you have the extra $34 and you're a big fan of Urban Decay, this is a palette you could pick up, enjoy and not be upset about how much you spent. However, if the price is a little steep or you're not a Pulp Fiction fan (and then you must clearly not be a child of the 90's!) then you can easily make do with the Meet Matt(e) palette from theBalm, Physicians Formula Matte Eyeshadow Quad (in Canyon Classics), or Urban Decay's Naked Basics. If you own Naked 1 and 2 you probably already have a large quantity of neutral eyeshadows as well and this wouldn't be too unique in your collection.