Review: Smashbox Cover Shot Palettes with Swatches

Excuse the broken piece in the above palette - when it arrived, it was smashed and sadly, I couldn't salvage it. *insert sad emoji face* However, a broken corner certainly didn't stop me from testing these newly released Cover Shot eyeshadow palettes from Smashbox. There were a handful of various ones released with this collection, but I naturally went for the ones with the most neutral and wearable tones. Most of the palettes were shimmer shades with a matte thrown in here and there, though as you can see from the below swatches they are a subtle shimmer. 

Golden Hour Eye Palette

Ablaze Eye Palette

Metallic Eye Palette

Out of all three, I found myself reaching for Ablaze the most simply because the color pay-off for that particular palette is much richer than the other two. The Metallic eye palette has many of the pale shades that I prefer to wear, but I did have to reapply a few times to build up the color. The Golden Hour Eye palette had a good selection of subtle lid colors, with the deeper shades being perfect as a liner or intense crease. They are quite compact and small so it makes them easier to tote or bring when traveling. I don't have too many Smashbox shadows (in fact, I don't think I have any) so I was definitely impressed by the quality and color payoff of each. 

*pr samples included

What are some of your favorite Smashbox products that you would recommend?

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The 2 Eyeshadow Palettes You Need This Fall: Urban Decay Ultimate Naked Basics Palette and Lorac Mega Pro Palette 3 (with swatches)

I'm sure we all need another eyeshadow palette, right?! Ok, maybe we don't need one but we always want one. While new ones get released every.single.day - I really think both of these rather large newly released palettes are worth adding to a collection. The new Urban Decay Ultimate Naked Basics Palette which is all matte and stunning, and the new Lorac Mega Pro Palette 3 which contains every shade of eyeshadow you could need to create beautiful (but more neutral based) looks.

1. Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette - I have the original Urban Decay Naked Basics Matte palette and have been using it for years. The texture is perfect, the colors are perfect - I love how it gives me such a clean and polished look. The new Ultimate palette has a row of gorgeous rosy/beige/tan neutrals and a row of rich earth tones plus a deep graphite and inky black. There is some fallout when using this palette as I find with all of my Urban Decay Naked palettes but the colors blend so beautifully on the eyes and give the most pristine matte finish to the eye that I find it worth the slight powder drop.

2. Lorac Mega Pro Palette 3 - If there every was a palette that contained every color I could ever want - I think it is this one. 2 rows of matte, 2 rows of shimmer and all somewhat neutral shades. There is no electric blues or vibrant kelly greens for me to have to avoid - all of these shades are ones that I could use to create an everyday look or even a great polished evening eye without being too over the top. The texture is as I would expect with a Lorac palette - buttery, buttery, buttery. The colors blend smooth, evenly and look stunning on the lids. There is minimal fallout but with certain dark colors I recommend doing your concealer after your eyeshadow so you can clean up if anything drops while applying. The colors are rich and I think this would be a gorgeous palette for almost any skin tone. It's not the easiest palette to travel with but if you already bring multiple palettes with you for every trip (yup, I know that struggle), this could solve that problem. There is not a single color that is missing from this palette that I would need to supplement with another. Another hit from Lorac - though I am a bit biased and think this is the best mega pro palette yet.

*pr samples included

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Review of the New Lorac Pro Palette 3 with Swatches

As soon as I received this palette in the mail, I could not wait to get these swatches up. The newly launched Lorac Pro Palette 3 is a neutral lover's dream - with one row of matte shades and one of shimmer. Surprisingly, this is my first Lorac Pro Palette (I know, I'll give you a minute to let that sink in...) but it could not be more perfect for my style of makeup.

The shades are mostly in the brown family with a few that have a red/purple tinge - and there is a great mix of both silver and gold undertones. While I am usually a one swipe shadow kind of gal, I love that this palette has lid, crease and liner shades so any look can be created.

I'm pretty confident that this palette would look good on a wide range of skin tones - and the pigmentation falls in the middle of the spectrum. A few of the colors are a bit more sheer, while most of them apply easily with the ability to be built up to a bolder finish. Using them over an eyeshadow primer (this one actually comes with the palette!) is still my preferred method of application, because I find the color payoff is richer and more intense.

Though I am usually a matte shadow gal, I found myself reaching for the shimmer shades in this palette more. The finishes are so smooth on the lid and the shimmer is subtle enough for daytime. I still love using the matte shadows, though I prefer them as an accent shade either on the lid, crease or as a liner. I know many of us have more neutral palettes than we know what to do with (#sorrynotsorry right?!), but I definitely think this is a great option if you are looking for a new one or just can't resist a good launch.

*pr sample included

If you pick this one up, let me know what you think and how you are liking it!

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Review and Comparisons: Laura Mercier Artist's Palette vs. Extreme Neutrals Palette with Swatches

I have a ton of other product reviews that I should put up sooner than this one, but to be honest - I could not wait to get this review and comparison post up! I am already a HUGE fan of the Laura Mercier Artist's palette and love all the shades, so I was thrilled to see them launch a similar palette called the Extreme Neutrals and it looked right up my neutral-loving alley.

1. Laura Mercier Artist's Palette - If you already have this palette, you know it definitely skews more towards the plummy browns, rather than taupes or beiges. That being said, the pigmentation is so rich, creamy and buttery, that I find myself using it more than many of my other more brown shadows. There is a good mix of shimmer and mattes and it seems to match the Extreme Neutrals palette in terms of balance between the two finishes. The above swatches needed only two swipes to get the intensity shown, whereas I found the Extreme Neutrals palette needed a few more swipes to get enough pigmentation for the photo. I love the Artist's palette because it has a good mix of bold and subtle shades, but I was longing for a few more silvery-taupey neutrals which I was happy to see in the newly launched palette. It's nice to have the names listed below each shade because they can be purchased separately from Laura Mercier if there is a color that is a favorite. I checked online and this palette is still available (it has been discontinued and relaunched a few times I've assumed from it's sporadic availability), and retails for a few dollars less expensive than the new Extreme Neutrals.

2. Laura Mercier Extreme Neutrals Palette - From a shade perspective, this palette appeals to me a bit more than the Artist's palette. As I stated above, the pigmentation felt very different from an initial swatching standpoint, and I need to swipe the shadow 3-5 times to get the pigmentation as shown in the picture. However, while I felt a tad defeated during the swatch session, that soon changed when I used the palette and found the colors blended beautifully on the lid and showed up with just one swipe of the brush. The only shade that had a chunkier texture and was harder to apply was the fourth from the left of my arm - the pale gold color. The shade names are listed on the palette, but rather than being underneath each one, they are listed in order on the back of the packaging. As far as shade availability in singles, it looks like the colors in this palette are exclusive which can be a bit frustrating but nice that it's something different than what is traditionally available. It retails for a few dollars more than the Artist's palette, but I do find myself reaching for this one a tad more now. 

Either way, I think they are both beautiful palettes (the Extreme Neutrals is inching it's way over the Artist's palette slowly though) and ones that would satisfy neutral lovers. They are perfect for travel (I plan to bring one with me on my upcoming month long road trip!), and the packaging seems to be sturdy enough to withstand any bouncing around. 

Have you picked up this palette? What are your thoughts on this or the Artist's palette?

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Review: Zoeva Eyeshadow Palettes

No matter how many neutral eyeshadow palettes I have in my collection, I still get excited to try out a new one. Zoeva is a new brand to me and I have been testing out their 3 eyeshadow palettes over the past few weeks. The 3 palettes I have been testing are the Cocoa Blend palette (top above), the Naturally Yours palette (bottom above) and the Smoky palette (middle above). The entire color range of all 3 palettes were right up my alley and I've been rotating all of them into my daily routine over the past few weeks.

Naturally Yours palette

The palettes themselves are incredibly light, in weight that is, which I know is a odd thing to notice right away. However, it stood out to me because I thought these would be ideal to bring when traveling. None of the palettes come with brushes, but I had the chance to test out their brushes separately which are quite remarkable (see that tutorial here). 

Cocoa Blend palette

I was surprised to see that there was no mirror but frankly that is not a deal breaker for me, so I was not that bothered by it. The pigmentation was consistent throughout all 3 palettes, and fell right in the middle of the intensity spectrum. The shades are easy to brush on in one swipe to give a subtle wash of color, yet can be built up to deliver a true representation of each hue. There is a nice mix of both matte and shimmer in each palette, but the shimmer is so understated that both finishes can be blended together to create a beautiful look. The textures are quite smooth, with only minimal fall out depending on the shade.

Smoky palette

I've been wearing the Naturally Yours palette the most (duh, of course), but my second favorite surprisingly has been the Smoky palette. I love the plum (and one olive!) shades in this one since it gives me a nice change to my daily brown/neutral eye look that I always gravitate towards. I think the Cocoa Blend palette would have the most versatility when it comes to looking good on a variety of skin tones because most of the shades have a golden/warm undertone. At $32.00 each, they are quite affordable for 10 wearable shades with not a single wildcard shade that would never get used. Available at Space NK or the Zoeva website.

*pr samples included

Two Matte Eyeshadow Palettes Perfect for Everyday Use

Years ago I was anti-matte. Anti-matte lips, anti-matte skin, anti-matte anything. (I know, it's hard to believe) However, I could not be further from that mindset now. I LIVE for a matte lip, matte cheek, matte skin and of course, a matte eye! I especially like to create a strong eye with tons of dimension (lid, crease, liner, brow highlight) using a matte palette because the finish look is flawless. I have heard tons of rave reviews on each of these palettes so I am happy to finally get to try them for myself.

1. Viseart Neutral Mattes Palette - There was a time when I would find out about new products through magazines or in-store, but now it is almost entirely through blogs and social media. And the blogosphere is talking about these Visearts palettes. Beautylish sent this one over to me for review, and the color palette seemed right up my alley. It's rare that one eye shadow palette can be used on any and every skin tone, but this is an exception. The colors are rich, warm and strongly pigmented so I am positive they would look good on the fairest to darkest of skins. Blending with these is a breeze and if you are a makeup artist, this needs to go in your kit asap. I only had one little gripe with this palette and it was that it only contained 2 super pale shades that I could use as a lid or base color. Most of the other colors are the perfect crease and/or liner shade, but I would have liked to have had 1 or even 2 more very pale shades that I can use as a quick wash over the lid. I know, I'm so picky. What can I say? I love my boring, basic bone lid hues. But overall, this is a stunner and I can almost guarantee it will become the palette you reach for over and over again as the base for every makeup look.

2. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - Where the Viseart was lacking in pale, basic lid shades, the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette more than makes up for that. Between the easy to carry size, the perfect balance of pale lid colors, medium toned crease colors and a dark liner shade - this palette was made for makeup bags and travel. I have decided to change the name of this palette from Naked Basics to No Brainer, because you will get a classic and appropriate-for-any-occasion eye look out of this every time. The pigmentation is rich (though surprisingly not as rich as Viseart - those shadows are dense), and blends easily. I mean this next statement as a compliment though it may not seem so at first, but this is the kind of palette that you can fall into a rut using. It is so easy, creates such beautiful looks and can be worn for day, night, weekends, etc that you will look down weeks later and realize that you haven't reached for any other palette in a long time. AND THEN YOU WILL BREAK DOWN AND GO TO SEPHORA TO FEEL WHOLE AGAIN. But you will come back to this one time and time again, because it is one of those palettes that you can't quit and will most definitely hit pan on. Or at least I predict I will. Challenge accepted. 

*pr samples included

Video: What's New In Skincare and Makeup

Here's a look at all my most recent beauty deliveries and a bunch of new things that have just recently launched. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe!

The products mentioned in the video:

The Body Shop Oils of Life Essence

Neutrogena Ultra Light Cleansing Oil

GlamGlow Poutmud Fizzy Lip Exfoliating Treatment and Wet Lip Balm

Aerin Rose Oil

La Prairie Skin Caviar Sheer

L'Occitane Creme Masque Divine

Butter London Shadow Clutch Palette in Natural Charm 

Lancome Audacity in Paris Palette

Eve Lom Radiance Lift Cream

Review: Bobbi Brown Telluride Palette, NARS Matte and Shimmer Palette and Buxom Eyeshadow Palettes

The truth is that most of us don't need another eyeshadow palette, it's more of a want at this point. So even though I have 12,985 palettes already in my collection, I do like to review new ones that launch to give my thoughts on them hoping it may aid in the decision making process for those interested. But surprisingly I actually use most of my makeup collection regularly and rotate through things so I never get caught in a rut...and so that those products don't get reviewed and then put away in a drawer to never be seen again. Ugh! Here are three new recently launched palettes that I've been test driving and my thoughts on each:

1. Bobbi Brown Telluride Eyeshadow Palette - I have found Bobbi Brown shadows to be hit or miss. The pigmentation, formulation or color may be off a bit, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this new release. Naturally I loved the color palette because it was all neutrals and had a good mix of both matte and shimmer, but wasn't quite sure how the shadows would wear and perform. While the two far left shades in the above pic where a tad dusty when I dipped my brush in, the payoff was fantastic. The deep chocolate brown shimmer shade was by far my favorite and has a buttery rich texture that glides on the lid. The middle gold shade was the most difficult to work with and needs to be applied on top of a cream shadow that has some tackiness to it in order to grab the glitter. Tapping on with your forefinger is the best application for that shade. The remaining 3 colors are richly pigmented, easy to blend and are the perfect shades to add for definition. Overall, I adore this palette and find the shadows are a "hit" for me.

2. Buxom Palette in Dolly's Wild Side (top palette/swatches) and May Contain Nudity (bottom palette/swatches) - Buxom just recently launched these two palettes along with a third that featured all pastel shades. In addition, you can buy many of the shades separately and create your own palette which is always a great idea in my opinion. As you can see from the above swatches, pigmentation is not an issue at all. I only had to swirl my finger around the color one time to get that much of a pay-off on my arm. *hands up emoji* There is little to no fallout with these shades and the powder itself feels buttery and rich. Surprisingly I have been reaching for the Dolly's Wild Side palette a bit more than the May Contain Nudity palette because I enjoy the cooler toned shimmer shades in it. The golden and peachy-coral shimmer shades in the May Contain Nudity are my two favorites and give the most perfect beachy bronzed look for the eyes. But if neither appeals to you, then I would definitely build your own because these shadows don't disappoint.

3. NARS Matte/Shimmer Eye Palette - My goodness, the reviews for this palette have been all over the place. I almost removed it from my cart on Sephora.com because I wasn't sure it was worth trying. Well, thank goodness I didn't because this palette is EASILY my favorite one of all. Every single shade is a winner and the pigmentation is even and consistent. There is not one shade that swatched patchy and any look I could possibly want to create can be made from this palette. AND it mixes both shimmer and matte! There is some dust that kicks up when I first put my brush in, but luckily that did not translate to any fallout when applying. This is by far one of the best palettes that I have tried in a long time. Ugh, I hate to make bold statements like that so early on, but when something is this good the recognition needs to be given.   

*pr samples included

Have you checked out my updated Beauty and Fashion Faves page? Click here to see all my picks for makeup, skincare and fashion for Fall!

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