Anastasia Beverly Hills Carli Bybel Eyeshadow Palette Swatches + Review

Hello, everyone!  How was your weekend?

I was given a gift card to Ulta for Christmas, so I used it to purchase the Carli Bybel palette by ABH.  I know I just did a massive delutter and gave away a ton of palettes and makeup in general, but the shades in this palette are ones that I know I'll get a lot of use out of.

The palette is made from cardboard and has a gorgeous gold and pink gem design on the outside.  Inside, there are 14 shadows, a good sized mirror, and a double ended brush. I gotta admit, I hate the ABH brushes that come in her palettes so that is being given away immediately.  Only one shade seemed excessively chunky to me and that is the shade OA.  The rest were smooth and buttery to the touch.

Swatches

It is a stunning palette, and I can't wait to play with all of the shades!  Did you pick this palette up?  What are your thoughts on it?

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a fantastic week!

Influenster Sleek Makeup Voxbox Product Review

Hello, everyone!  Long time, no chat!

As I'm sure most of you know by now, I'm currently pregnant with my first child.  If you didn't know and you've been wondering why there has been a lack of posts from me, that's why!  I haven't been spending money on new makeup lately and I've been to busy to play around with makeup.  I've been considering including mommy + baby posts on my blog, but I don't know if any of you would be interested in those.  Let me know what you think.  I'd love to have baby updates and other baby related posts on here.

Anyway!  I recently received a voxbox from Influenster with a few new products from Sleek Makeup.  I've never tried this brand out before, so I was pretty excited to get this box in the mail.

Highlighting Elixir Illuminating Drops in Poppin' Bottles ($9.00)
The packaging for this isn't the best.  Every time I take the dropper out a ton of product comes with it and makes a mess on the bottle.  Otherwise, this is really nice!  The shade is perfect for my skin tone, and since it is a liquid it doesn't emphasize any texture on my face.

Loose Pigment in Euphoric ($6.50)
I'm not the biggest fan of loose pigments because they're messy and high maintenance compared to a pressed shadow.  This is a cool shade though.  (Of course I'd say that, red is my favorite color.)

Lifeproof 12 Hour Wear Metallic Eyeliner in Up To No Good ($6.99)
Holy smokes, this is very metallic!  It's even brighter in person!  I'm not sure when or where I'd wear this liner, but the pigmentation is amazing.  The formula is creamy so it doesn't skip or tug on the skin.

That's everything I got in the box.  Have you tried these products or this brand?  What are your thoughts?  I like that the products are inexpensive but still good quality!

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you have a great week!

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes, but all opinions are my own.*

 

Small Sephora Haul

Hello, everyone!  How was your weekend?

I purchased a couple of items through Sephora's website during their additional 20% off clearance items sale.  Both products are things I've been eyeing for a while now, so I jumped on the chance to purchase them at a greater discount.

Smashbox + Vlada Petal Metal Highlighter in Gilded Rose

I've been wanting this since it came out, but I was on a bit of a no-buy at the time.  Everything about this product is gorgeous - the packaging, the shade, everything!

Stila "Shimmering Heights" Shimmer & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow Set in Kitten, Cloud, and Twig

Ever since I first saw these liquid shadows around the internet, I've been dying to get my hands on some!  I really didn't want to spend over $20 on one though, so this 3 piece set is perfect.  All 3 shades are so beautiful.

That's all I ordered.  What do you think of these products?  Aren't they stunning?!

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you have a great week!

Viseart Golden Hour Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

Hello, everyone!  How was your holiday weekend?

I have my review of the Viseart Golden Hour palette for you today.  *It's been quite a while since I've done one of these!*  I purchased this from Sephora's website during the VIB sale, on sale for $39.00 (originally $49.00), and my 15% discount brought it down to only $33.15.  This palette has nine beautiful sunset inspired shadows.  There are only three real matte shades - the black is more of a satin I'd say, since there's a hint of shimmer in it.  The other five shades are shimmers.  The shimmers are smooth and pigmented while the mattes are a bit drier feeling but still just as pigmented.  The shadows are easy to blend and don't become muddy.  There is very minimal fallout compared to other palettes.  The packaging is simple but nice and feels high quality.  The mirror is generously sized with no obstructions besides "Viseart" written along the bottom.  The only aspect that I'm not happy about is the plastic insert with the shade names printed on it.  For a high end palette, the names should be printed on the palette itself and not on a cheap piece of plastic.  The shades aren't anything revolutionary or different - I'm sure we all have these shades in our collections already.  I decided to purchase this anyway because I've never tried Viseart shadows before, and I'm very glad I picked it up!  These shades are perfect for Autumn and transitioning into Winter.

I wore five of these shades for Thanksgiving with my in-laws and received lots of compliments on my eyeshadow.  My favorite shade is probably Seine.  It's such a stunning champagne-gold shade.

~Swatches~

Honoree

Rivoli

Montaigne

Seine

Palais

Louvre

Carrousel

 Royal

Tuileries

What do you think of this palette?

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope you have a great week!

L'Oreal True Match Concealer

Hello, everyone!  How was your Independence Day?  David and I had my parents over for a BBQ which was nice.  :)

Anyway!  I received a new L'Oreal True Match concealer complimentary from BzzAgent to try out and review.  They didn't have any of my shade left, so I was given the shade dark to test out.  Since this is obviously way too dark for me to use under my eyes, I wanted to try using this for cream contouring instead.  As it turns out, this shade is far too warm for me to contour with, so I used it as a cream bronzer.  lol  I applied it on my cheeks, along either side of my nose, my temples, and my jaw line.

Before bronzing

After bronzing - no other products or powder

Full face - no powder bronzer on top

*I don't think the pictures do it justice.  You could see it a lot better in person.*
 First of all, I'm not at all a fan of the sponge tip applicator.  I wish it was just a brush or a doe foot applicator.  Otherwise, this worked out well for me as a toned down, natural looking bronzer.  I definitely agree that it's super blendable.  It took very little effort on my part to blend it.  It is still a bit too far on the warm side for my liking, but it still looks fine on me.

Have you tried this product?  What are your thoughts on it?

I hope you have a great weekend.  Thank you for stopping by!

BareMinerals Made-2-Fit Foundation Review

Hello, everyone!  How has your week been so far?

I recently ordered this Made-2-Fit Fresh Faced liquid foundation from BareMinerals and I wanted to share my thoughts on it.  For $49.00 USD you get 1 fl oz (30 ml) of foundation.  The bottle is thick glass and has a pump to dispense product.  My name and the date that my foundation was formulated are both printed on the bottle.

If you're interested in purchasing this foundation, you have to download the Made-2-Fit app (available on iOS and Android) on your cell phone because it uses your camera to create your custom foundation shade and then you can proceed to order it through the app.  The app is easy to use and provides clear, simple instructions.  After you perform the scan, you can create an account and your customized shade will be saved so that you can reorder it if you desire, or you can perform the scan again for an updated shade match, which is perfect for the changing of the seasons when we get/lose a tan.  Standard shipping is free, but there is the option to pay for express shipping.  The free shipping was fairly quick (3-5 business days), my foundation was formulated on January 30th and I received it on February 5th.

There's no scent, which is always a relief if you're someone who is sensitive to fragrance.  This foundation is lightweight and offers light coverage that can be built up to medium coverage.  The finish is very natural, not too matte and not too dewy.  So far, this hasn't caused me to break out, but my skin also isn't very sensitive.  I'm happy to say that my customized shade matched my skin perfectly!  I was a bit hesitant at first because it swatched quite dark on my wrist, but it blended into my face and neck without the dreaded "mask face".  In my "after" photo (bottom), I applied one layer of foundation with a Crown brush.  I'm not wearing face primer, concealer, or any powder products.  The only makeup I'm wearing, aside from the foundation, is Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and Tom Ford Indian Rose lipstick.

 

Have you used this foundation?  What are your thoughts on it?

I hope this was helpful.  Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend!

*I was given a coupon code from Influenster to receive this product complimentary for testing purposes, but all opinions are my own.*