Review & Swatches: LORAC Dazzling Dozen 2 Shadows!

Hey Everyone!

Today I am going to be reviewing the LORAC Dazzling Dozen 2 Shadow collection! This collection consists of 12 limited edition shadows. The collection has matte, satin, and shimmer finishes. Most of the shades are fairly neutral but there are some fun pops of color thrown in the mix!

I really enjoy the fact that this collection has a lot of neutral, yet smokey, shades! I think that a lot of great looks will come from this collection! 

When I initially swatched these shadows, I was a tad bit let down. I felt that the matte shadows swatched very chalky. The satin shadows (the gold, pink, green, and taupe shades) were okay to swatch and seemed to have a good amount of pigment to them. One issue that I had with the satin formula was that they seemed to bunch up and flake in the pan when I was trying to get the pigment for the swatch. The blue shadow (Denim) had some difficulty and swatched a tad bit patchy and did not appear to be that pigmented. 

Now let's talk about application... Talk about shocker! These shadows apply soooooo much better than they swatch! On the eyes, the mattes do not apply chalky at all and they are wicked pigmented and blend like a dream! The satin/shimmer shades are absolutely beautiful and have a great deal of pigmentation. 

I did find that with the shades containing shimmer (this is mostly just the black, Black Light) that the glitter actually stays in the shadow and does not blend away. I was very impressed with this. 

In my look yesterday (picture is on my Instagram - @aliciad372) I used Blanc, Caramel, Acai, Sage, and Ecru. I was so thrilled with how the shadows performed, I cannot wait to use more of them! 

Let's see the swatches, shall we!?

Left to Right: Blanc, Bone, & Soft Pink

Left to Right: Caramel, Rose, & Acai

Left to Right: Gilded, Denim, & Sage

Left to Right: Ecru, Storm, & Black Light

Left to Right: Blanc, Bone, & Soft Pink

Left to Right: Caramel, Rose, & Acai

Left to Right: Gilded, Denim, & Sage

Left to Right: Ecru, Storm, & Black Light

This is the bunching up/flaking that I spoke of before with the satin shadows

My favorites so far are Ecru, Storm, Sage, Acai, and Caramel! This collection can be found exclusively at Ulta for $39 and each pan contains 0.05 oz. of product. I did also check in my LORAC Pro, LORAC Pro 2, and LORAC Unzipped palettes, and there are no repeat shadows. 

Have you tried out these shadows yet? Which are your favorites?

-Alicia

**DISCLAIMER**All products in this post were purchased by myself and all opinions are my own. My obligation is to give my readers an honest review of any products, whether positive or negative.

Black Velvet Makeup Tutorial!

Hey Everyone!

Today I have a tutorial using the Sephora + Pantone Universe Facets of Marsala Palette. I had been dying to use this palette since I purchased it. I did find that the matte shades were absolutely amazing. They blend beautifully and are quite pigmented. I wish I could say the same for the shimmer shadows in this palette. I found them to be a bit chunky and they didn't apply that pigmented. I found I really had to pack on the shadow a few times to get the color we see in the pan.

I wanted to let you all know my thoughts about this palette. I may start doing this with my tutorials if I use a new palette or other new products. I personally like to know whether someone using products actually likes them while using them in a tutorial if it's not mentioned, so I figured this would be helpful! 

Now let's get on with the tutorial!

Face:
Revlon ColorStay Foundation 150 Buff Chamois
Milani Powder Foundation in 01 Shell
MAC Prolongwear Concealer in NC20
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone
Hourglass Ambient Light Powders in Diffused Light, Incandescent Light, and Radiant Light
MAC Sculpt Powder
MAC Mineralized Blush in Warm Soul

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
Sephora + Pantone Universe Facets of Marsala Palette
MUG Shadows: Vanilla Bean and Beaches and Cream
Sugarpill Loose Shadow in Clickbait
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
Jordana 12 Hour Made To Last Shadow Pencil in Endless Emerald
Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Black Fever
L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara
Ardell #110 Lashes

Brows:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Brunette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel

Lips:
NYX Blackberry Lip Pencil
Lime Crime Velvetine in Black Velvet
Sugarpill Loose Shadow in Lumi

http://youtu.be/MFz_V7SyiYs

-Alicia

Review & Swatches: ColourPop Cosmetics!

 Hey Everyone!

Today I am going to be showing you my ColourPop collection and I will be reviewing and swatching everything that I own! I cannot say enough good things about ColourPop Cosmetics. Their products are EXTREMELY inexpensive ('common, $5 for an eyeshadow, lipstick, or lipliner?!?!), great quality, highly pigmented, and such a unique formula!

The formula of the shadows is that of a cream to powder. When the product is in the pot, it feels so much like a cream product, but then once you apply it, it applies and wears like a powder. The shadows that contain sparkle really pack a punch and the sparkle stays put all day with very minimal fallout. As for the mattes, I adore them. They are so creamy and pigmented and they apply like a dream. I did not have any issues with dragging of the shadows during application. One thing to keep in mind is to keep the lid tight so the product doesn't dry out.

Now for the Lippiestix and Liners... Can we just take a minute... THEY ARE BOMB! The Lippiestix that I purchased are matte formulas and they are some of the most comfortable mattes I have ever tried. They do not dry out the lips and they last for hours. I got a good 6 hours of wear (which NEVER happens for me) out of them. I really like to pair them with the corresponding liners as they have slightly different depths to them, so they really give dimension to the lips.

Left to Right: Effect, Hustle, Doe-A-Deer

Left to Right: Meow, Cricket, I <3 This, Krinkle

Left to Right: Envy, Shameless, Rex, Lace

Left to Right: 3, Fringe

3 again (this shadow has both a green and purple/pink sheen!)

Left to Right: Brink Lippiestix and Liner, Lumiere

Have you guys tried out anything from ColourPop Cosmetics? What are your favorite products?

-Alicia

**DISCLAIMER**All products in this post were purchased by myself and all opinions are my own. My obligation is to give my readers an honest review of any products, whether positive or negative.

Mesmerized Makeup Tutorial!

Hey Everyone!

Today I am bringing you the tutorial I created using MakeupGeek Foiled Shadows! These shadows are just perfection! If you want to see my thoughts and swatches of them, check out my review. I really like how this tutorial came out and I can't wait to do more tutorials with the Foiled Shadows! I really hope MUG comes out with more shades!

Face:
Estee Luder Double Wear Foundation 1N2
MAC Prolongwear Concealer NC20
OCC Conceal Y2
Milani Powder Foundation 01 Shell
BenNye Cameo Powder
MAC Warm Soul Mineralized Blush
Jane Bronzer in Dream
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
MUG Shadows: Mesmerized, Grandstand, Houdini, Vanilla Bean, Drama Queen, & Purple Rain
MAC Shadows: Kid, Bamboo, Shadowy Lady, Trax, Nylon, Jext, & Shimmer Moss
Jordana 12 Hour Made To Last Eye Pencil in 01 Endless Emerald
Physician's Formula Eye Booster Liner Pen Ultra Black
Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil Black Fever
CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara
Andrea #21 Lashes

Brows:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Brunette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel

Lips:
Milani Spice Lip Liner
MAC Lipstick Enchanted One

http://youtu.be/yOmxmXjDGzs

-Alicia

Review & Swatches: Makeup Geek Foiled Shadows!

Hey Everyone!

Today I will be going over the MakeupGeek Foiled Shadows! MakeupGeek came out with 10 new shadows in the foiled formula. This formula is made up to mimic that of when you foil an eyeshadow with a mixing medium. The foiled shadow are a soft formula that really pack a punch. They don't even require a primer to get the full pigmentation! These shadows are absolutely gorgeous! I purchased 5 of the shadows and I am in love! I really hope that MUG comes out with more shadows in this formulation!

MUG Foiled shadows are the same size as the original MUG shadows and contain 0.064 oz. of product. Each shadow costs $9.99. Just to compare, the original MUG shadows are $5.99 for 0.064 oz. The foiled shadows are more expensive due to the unique formula but they are 100% worth the price!

Left to Right: Showtime, Jester, Mesmerized, Grandstand, & Houdini

Left to Right: Showtime, Jester, Mesmerized, Grandstand, & Houdini

• Showtime is described as a rusty brown with warm undertones. This shadow is stunning and I love that it has that brown hue. 
• Jester is described as a bright mossy green with slight golden undertones. Slight golden undertones is an understatement! This shadow is gorgeous and is a beautiful olive green with a gold sheen. I cannot get enough of it! 
• Mesmerized is described as a deep medium taupe with strong purple undertones. This shadow is beautiful and reminds me of Satin Taupe by MAC but on crack! If you love taupe shadows, this is a must have! This shadow definitely pulled more purple on me but I didn't mind that at all! 
• Grandstand is described as a medium rose gold with slight taupe undertones. This shadow..... OMG! You want the perfect rose gold shadow, this is it! I love the slight taupe undertone as it cools down this shadow a bit. This shadow reminds me a lot of Heedless Heart from GDE, which is one of my all time favorites. 
• Houdini is described as a deep emerald teal green. Houdini is my absolute favorite of this bunch. I cannot get over how gorgeous and perfect it is! This shadow has a deeper almost black undertone to it but the green/teal really shines through. 

All in all, these shadows are just perfection! I found that these shadows blend beautifully on the lid and I did not have any creasing with them after about 5 hours of wear. I did use a primer as I have more oily lids. 

Due to the soft formula, my Houdini was broken when it came in the mail. Nothing major that I wasn't able to press it back into the pan and it is good as new, but just something to keep in mind as they are so soft. 

Have any of you tried these shadows yet? Which are your favorites?

http://youtu.be/vfJwKIUHr2w

-Alicia

**DISCLAIMER**All products in this post were purchased by myself and all opinions are my own. My obligation is to give my readers an honest review of any products, whether positive or negative.

Victorian Flashback Makeup Tutorial!

Hey Everyone!

I filmed this tutorial a little bit ago, but it's using some of the Glamour Doll Eyes Matte shadows! You all know my love for GDE and their Matte shadows are just amazing! I was in the mood to do something blue, so the look I came up with is a blue smokey eye with a little twist! I really like the trend of putting a dark color on the inner and outer corner of the lid and a bright shadows in the middle of the lid :) I think that it gives a neat effect! Anyways... Let's get on to the tutorial!

Face:
Revlon ColorStay Foundation 150 Buff Chamois & 240 Medium Beige
MAC Prolongwear Concealer NC20 and OCC Conceal Y2
MAC MSF in Medium
Jane Bronzer in Dream
MAC Warm Soul Mineralized Blush
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone

Eyes:
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
GDE Foil Me
GDE Shadows: Jolie, Tawdry, Corpselike, Victorian, #flashbackfriday, Busted, & Undead
MAC Shadows: Brule, Bamboo, & Kid
Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Black Fever
Physician's Formula Eye Booster Liner Pen in Ultra Black
CoverGirl Clump Crusher
Andrea #21 Lashes

Brows:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Brunette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel

Lips:
MAC Prep + Prime Lip
NYX Mahogany Lip Liner
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes

-Alicia

Review & Swatches: Glamour Doll Eyes Nightmare Before Christmas & Edward Scissorhands Collections!

Hey Everyone!

Today I am going to show you the new Glamour Doll Eyes Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands Collections that released on Black Friday. These collections were released as a 4 shadow bundle on Black Friday and are now sold as individual shadows on the GDE Storenvy site. There is also a third collection that was based off of the movie Elf. I had to get these two collections as I am a HUGE Nightmare Before Christmas buff as well as a Tim Burton fan in general! I really enjoy the shadows that are in each of these collections and they are absolutely beautiful! These shadows seem to have a great amount of sparkle to them, which I LOVE! They are so soft and buttery and they glide on! Ok, enough rambling... Let's get into the swatches!

• All swatches done over Painterly Paint Pot by MAC.
• All photos taken in artificial light.
• All swatch photos taken with flash.

Top Row: Sandy Claws & What's This
Bottom Row: Jack & Sally and Simply Meant To Be 

Left to Right: Sandy Claws, What's This, Simply Meant To Be, and Jack & Sally

Top Row: Blend.Blend.Blend. & Topiary Genius
Bottom Row: Hold Me & Isolated

Left to Right: Blend.Blend.Blend., Topiary Genius, Isolated & ...Hold Me

Sandy Claws:

• GDE: a matte bright red base with a green sheen and red, green, and silver sparkles.
• Me: I would say this shadow is a muted toned, yet still bold, red with a green sheen and reg, green, and silver sparkles throughout.

What's This:

• GDE: a purple base with a golden orange sheen and green sparkle.
• ME: a vibrant purple with a golden orange sheen and green sparkles throughout. 

Simply Meant To Be:

• GDE: a taupe base with a subtle purple and orange sheen and turquoise and purple sparkles.
• ME: I LOVE this shadow! It's a gorgeous mauve taupe with a purple (and slight orange) sheen. This shadow has turquoise and purple sparkles throughout.

Jack & Sally:

• GDE: a matte black base with a blue sheen and silver, purple, and red sparkles.
• ME: a black base with a strong indigo sheen. This shadow looks like it has multidimensional sparkles throughout. It's a gorgeous shadow. 

Blend.Blend.Blend.:

• GDE: a darkened lavender with a red sheen and intense golden sparkle.
• ME: a mauve-lavender shadow with a hint of taupe and a slight red sheen. This shadow has gold sparkle throughout. 

Topiary Genius:

• GDE: green with a strong red and copper shift and sparkle.
• ME: a muted green with a copper sheen with red and copper sparkles.

Isolated:

• GDE: a deep gray with a strong purple and blue shift and white sparkles.
• ME: I love this shadow and to me it's more of a blue with a gray hint to it. It has a strong purple  shift and white sparkles throughout.

...Hold Me:

• GDE: a light off white with a sheer purple overlay and white sheen.
• ME: this is a gorgeous highlight shadow. It's a beige-white shadow with a purple duo chrome effect. 

I am in love with these two collections. I really like how with the Edward Scissorhands Collection, the shadows are more muted but have strong sheens and sparkles. I cannot get enough! Each of these shadows are for sale for $6.00 each on the Storenvy site. 

My favorites from these collections are Simply Meant To Be, Jack & Sally, and Blend.Blend.Blend. 

Have you tried anything from these collections? What are your favorites?

-Alicia

**DISCLAIMER**All products in this post were purchased by myself and all opinions are my own. My obligation is to give my readers an honest review of any products, whether positive or negative.