First Look| Tarte Tartelette In Bloom

Tartelette in Bloom ($44) is chapter two to the original Tarte Tartelette which has been in my daily rotation since purchase. This one has a mix of mattes and shimmers and covers a cool to warm spectrum. I'll tell you right now that unless you're a serious beginner to eye makeup, you won't be needing this one. Not that anyone ever *needs* more eyeshadow but we purchase for shits and giggles anyway, hm? 

I enjoy the slim yet sturdy packaging and big mirror enough to justify this palette worming its way into my stash. It's actually quite handy for storing at my work desk. 

I found that the mattes are comparable to the original Tartelette. They're seemingly sheer and stiff when swatched onto skin, but when applied to the lids they're pigmented and very easy to blend. I particularly like this formulation because you can never "overdo" or apply too much. For comparison, the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye palette has very pigmented mattes that are easy to blend, but if you don't have much lid space like me, you're prone to over-application as they're dusty. 

Nobody (by nobody I mean Ulta.com) told me that this palette is scented like hot cocoa. It's NOT the same scent as the Too Faced Chocolate Bar and smells rather artificial...but I don't notice it unless I get really close and inhale. There's a slight scent once on the lids but I don't notice it lasting more than a few seconds. Still, why? Just why? 

Here they are swatched on bare skin in various lighting. The picture above is taken under artificial yellow light. You can see that the shimmers swatch very well with just one pass, while the mattes took me 2-3 passes to build up color. Swatches go from right to left and top to bottom. 

My favorite shades are: Rocker (beautiful neutral taupe shimmer), Firecracker (shimmery bronze), and Rebel (matte warm brown.) Smarty Pants doesn't look very pigmented when swatched but it's the perfect transition color for me at NC25 that isn't peach or orange. 

Do I have dupes of every single color? Yes, except for Rocker. However, I still enjoy the fact that it has a enough colors in one place to create a multitude of different looks: a stand alone palette that's perfect for travel. 

Here's one last look under flash. Again, the formula isn't ground breaking but I still think it's a great palette for beginners and people who frequently travel or do their makeup on the go. 

Here are two looks that I've done with Tartelette in Bloom: 

Pros: 

• Tarte has really improved their eyeshadow quality. These are all pigmented and easy to blend and stays separate on the lids. 
• Great selection of mattes/shimmers and cool/warm tones that will give you a lot of looks for day or night.  
• Sleek and sturdy packaging with a big mirror. 

Cons:

• Artificial-chocolate scented for no particular reason. 
• The shimmery shades are also very soft...be careful and watch out for fallout! 
• Redundant if you already have a large stash of eyeshadows. 
• It's not the longest lasting formulation and will crease with 9+ hours of wear. 

For me, I really enjoy the formula for daily looks that don't require thinking or planning ahead. I've tried and kept my share of eyeshadow palettes and this one easily takes a ranking in the top 5. My other go-to palettes would be the Lorac Pro 1 and Stila Eyes are the Window Soul Palette.   

For example, I purged my TF Chocolate Bar because it had too many shades that I wouldn't use on a daily basis even though it's very neutral and understated. Another neutral palette that comes close is the MUFE Vol. 1 Nudes, but it leans just slightly too cool and doesn't have enough matte warm browns for blending. I could go on and on, but my final emphasis is that the Tartelette in Bloom may seem "extraneous" to collectors but combines the best colors and finishes for complete-neutral-daily eye looks. 

Overall, I'd say that this is the perfect gift for the younger makeup lover in your life who's just getting into makeup. They won't have a problem with over-application or turning several colors into a muddy mess and can rely on one palette to get the job done.  I'd say that this is an easy palette to skip for makeup aficionados/enthusiasts. 

xo Be

Edit| My Free Form Palettes

When you start the dangerous (and often time perilously smelly) job of depotting cosmetics, it seems to possess you pry, heat, and destroy countless palettes and compacts. 

For example, I *could* carry out my (sturdy) Viseart Neutral Mattes and Sultry Muse palettes...or I could fit them both into a Large Z-palette with the 3 biggest colors from the KVD Shade and Light eye palette AND two cool toned options from the MUFE Artist Nudes palette. Look at that hideous yellow...it was a tragic accident. 

For my every day use, the Urban Decay Naked 2 and 3 palettes are so cumbersome in my handbag. I decided to place them into an XL Z-palette along with the rest of the KVD Shade and Light and MUFE Artist Nudes. This one has a balance of warm, neutral, and cool tones. 

I leave my complexion products at home to finish up my base routine in the mornings. There's NARS Sin (easy depot), Tarte Exposed, Milani Luminoso (that darn mirror in the back...), Benefit Hoola Bronzer, theBalm Fratboy, NYX Taupe, and WnW Reserve Your Cabana for a makeshift setting powder/subtle highlighter. Some look worse for wear from clumsy novice work. 

I also purchased 3 MUFE XL palettes. At $14 each, I can fit a bunch of highlighters in one and still have two left for my "extra" eyeshadows. Pictured here: Becca SSP in Moonstone, Opal, Champagne Pop, and Rose Gold. Also pictured is the Too Faced Candlelight Duo, Physician's Formula Translucent highlighter, theBalm Mary Lou Manizer, KVD Metal eyeshadow in Thunderstruck, Canmake Fleur Power in Planet Light, and Physician's Formula Warm Nude highlighter. Since I don't wear highlighter every single day, it didn't make sense to have bulky compacts taking up space in my MUJI drawer. 

P.S.: The Becca highlighters are incredibly easy to depot (just poke a needle in the back and push it out gingerly and slap on a magnet.) 

Here's my "warm" palette that doesn't consist solely of terracotta browns and oranges. There's Stila, Lorac, Shiseido, and Marc Jacobs. I've been trying to stay away from these "warm neutrals" and exploring more color options like taupes and purples. 

Finally, 2/3 of the last XL palette has Vice 2, Lorac, Shiseido, and other Urban Decay eyeshadows that have massive chunks of glitter, duochrome effects, or smoky tones. I don't wear color every single day so I've placed them into one palette for easy reference when I go out clubbing or to special events (very rarely.)

Depotting pros and cons? 

Pros:

• You can save space by fitting several palettes with clunky cardboard or tin packaging into one sleek palette. Even the XL Z-palettes are incredibly thin and easy to lug around. 
• You can organize eyeshadows by warm/cool, color families, frequency of use, and/or finish. 
• More room = more eyeshadows! Depotted MAC blushes and eyeshadows can be recycled for more products as well. 

Cons:

• Get ready to deal with melted glue, the smell of plastic burning + angry husband complainers, buying more magnets, and general dust and debris. Eyeshadows or blushes that are too soft can easily crumble. (RIP MAC Ripe Peach...you are now one repressed coral mess rather than a beautiful gradient of peach to pink...) 
• You can't transport very large palettes and it may make more sense for pros rather than consumers. 
• Seeing a bunch of colors at once may be overwhelming if you like pre-planned palettes that tell you which colors to place together. 
• It's not as easy to re-sell depotted products. 

I'm on the fence about depotting my entire Suqqu collection (6 palettes total) mainly because I like the packaging and they don't take much effort to take into work. In the meantime, I have to work on filling up my "colorful" MUFE palette with even more crazy duochromes and glitterbombs. 

If you have no qualms about an expanding collection that you love and no space to store them, depotting is the way to go. 

xo Be

Review| Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Palette

I've reached a vast level of saturation with matte palettes within this year. Viseart Neutral Mattes? I got it. Lorac Pro Matte? Sure. Tarte Tartelette? Hell yeah. Gone are the days of chalky, dry, patchy mattes (think Urban Decay Naked Basics) that come in stupid transparent shades and adhere poorly to the lids. 

But did I *really* need the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Palette ($49)? In fact, I didn't care for it when it was hurriedly released after the contouring palette, which got everyone in a frenzy for KVD. It swatched badly (dry, powdery, chalky?) in stores and I wasn't completely impressed with the color selection. (I blame poorly blown out photos online that made me think that there were 3-4 white/cream shades within the same palette.) When I got in stores, the finger swatches of a few shades didn't quite give me a lady boner.  

To my utter disbelief, I waited for several months and it kept on getting rave reviews from everyone across the board (except for one or two naysayers who claimed that these eyeshadows were patchy on the lid.) Everyone kept on saying that the 3 palette set-up for cool, neutral, and warm tones was helpful. Pigmented! Soft! Blendable! The list goes on. After watching many video tutorials that used this palette I was convinced that I had wronged myself and needed it in my life. 

My biggest gripe with Kat Von D's newer packaging is its BULKY and HIDEOUS exterior. What happened to those sleeker tin/clamshells that housed the Saint or Ladybird palette? This palette is heavy and a pain to cram into my purse to transport from home to work. Artificial gripes aside, you could probably depot these eyeshadows into your favorite z-palette and you'll get a ton of product. 

I commend KVD for including a bilingual guide for laying down the colors and placement on the lids. I also really like how she's designated the base colors as bigger pans. Out of all of these shades, I see myself using all of the warm quad colors, Lucius from the Neutral quad, and Lazarus from the cool quad as a face product to contour. 

As you'll see here, these eyeshadows are NOT ultra pigmented like LORAC mattes when swatched with fingers. It took me two passes for each shade to build up the color, but a light swipe with a brush in pan gives much more pigmentation. I think this is typical of the mattes we see today which are packed tighter to prevent fallout but still ultra-pigmented once you use a brush.

These eyeshadows DO produce a bit of dust in pan but it does not translate to fallout on the face. I think this is because they have a tacky/grippy feeling to them. This means that they also do not blend into each other but will blend out when prompted.  It's hard to do a cut crease when mattes keep blending into each other!

You can really use a liberal hand and blend furiously without a primer on your lids and not worry about massive fallout. I found that they were easier to blend on bare lids but a primer helps prolong the wear. I rarely experience creasing or smudging with eyeshadows due to my dry lids so I'm not the most helpful person to ask. 

You'll be hard pressed to find the nuances/differences between the cream shades in my swatches but they are there! The colors below (indoor, indirect natural light) are more true to life than above (natural lighting through a window.) On my NC35-40 arm, the creams look stark while Ludwin looks almost invisible. My eyelids are closer to NC25-30 and all of these shades stand out.  

Here's a creepy shot for you, but I want you to see the texture of these eyeshadows. Some are definitely more buttery smooth than others and some produce more "dust" than others. 

If you want something more "buttery" than the Tarte formulation but drier than Lorac's, and without the exorbitant pricetag of Viseart, this palette is a great collection of mattes that can be used alone to create natural and smoked out eye looks. 

xo Be

Review| Stila Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette in Soul

Due to naysayers, I didn't pick up the Stila Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette in Soul ($49) for the longest time.

It's dry! It's crumbly! So boring! But I love neutrals to death, and this palette is no exception. The formula may be different than their "In The ____" series, but this particular palette is stellar. I'm glad I listened to MakeupGeek and Claire Marshall. 

I love this one so much that I may splurge on the Mind palette. Then again, this palette swatched the most beautifully out of all 4 palettes for me. 

The colors are a great mix of neutral, warm, and cool mattes, satins, and frosts. I can do complete eye looks with this palette and not have to bring along an accompanying matte palette. 

The packaging is compact, gorgeous, and closes shut magnetically.

*drools* I think this palette has the most amount of colors I usually reach for on a daily basis. Other neutral palettes like the LORAC Pro or Naked 1 may have gorgeous colors for their "sparklehs", but the mattes are always lacking or too cool for my taste. 

The mattes are prone to fallout, but they are soft and not chalky and the excess can be tapped off from your brush. The frosts are, as expected, buttery smooth and very pigmented. 

The biggest complaint I've heard is patchiness. This is not from a dry formulation. Because they are very pigmented but not as "buttery" as LORAC or Urban Decay formulations, there is less fallout on the face but they are also stiffer and harder to blend on the eyes. I solve this by using the cream shade on the top left corner all over my primer first, before going in with a crease shade. Again, this step is optional and I have not noticed any true "patchiness" to my eye looks. 

Below I have swatches in indoor natural lighting. (One swipe, no primer)

And here they are under flash photography indoors. 

Hope this helps!

xo Be

First Look| LORAC Pro Palette 2

I had enough self control to buy the Lorac Pro Palette 2 ($42) at Ulta on the store release date (6/29) rather than ordering online in the middle of June. At first I told myself that it would be too cool. It would be another Vice 2 (beautiful colors that don't go well together). It wouldn't change my life like the first one did. It would be too powdery. Blah blah blah, excuses.

But you know what? I was half way right.

Top Row: (Mattes) Buff, Lt. Brown, Cool Gray, Nectar, Plum, Navy, Charcoal, Black

Bottom Row: (Shimmer) Snow, Beige, Rose, Mocha, Chrome, Silver, Jade, Cocoa

In any case, I got my hands on it because I couldn't stop drooling over the beautiful shades on the bottom left of the palette. F*ck the Navy shade, right?

These pictures capture the shades true to life but don't really do justice to the row of shimmer. They are very fine and don't contain chunks of glitter, nor do they overwhelm your lids.

I was skeptical about the Cool Gray and Nectar (as they are more friendly toward cool toned gals) but they don't seem to make my eyes look tired or irritated. Light Brown is also amazing for blending in the crease and more neutral than "Taupe" in the original Pro Palette.

 Now for the shameless selfies. I'm wearing MAC Studio Fix Powder on top of Laneige BB Cushion in 23 Sand Beige, in case you're wondering. For this simple every day look I used Chrome on the lids and blended out with Light Brown with a bit of Beige in the inner corner. 

With these shades it's very easy to create every day looks that are neutral and subdued. For me, cool toned shades work well to mute my lids meaning that this palette pairs well with intensely bright lip colors.

 

Here are swatches (two passes, no primer) in natural daylight.  I was afraid that many of these shades wouldn't show up on my skin, but they are so pigmented that every shade shows up on my NC35 (with the exception of Buff.)

Take a closer look at the shimmers. Absolutely stunning, right?? I didn't find major fallout with any of the shimmer shades, even if they kick up in pan. I like Beige or even Snow in the inner corners of my eyes.

 The mattes are great transition colors or day time appropriate shades for cool toned girls, but that Navy? Super buttery. The mattes are very soft meaning you might experience fall out (I did with the Black shade) if you aren't careful. Still, it's not offensive to the point where you have to redo your base makeup afterwards.

Now for the ever seedy looking swatches taken with flash.You can really see the shimmer being brought out at night. A word to the wise: these shimmers work best if you use only one or two on the lids. I found that things can get muddy very quickly if you try to stack multiple ones together in the same space.

  As for the mattes, I found them to be leaning cool to accomodate those who found the first Pro Palette much too warm for their liking. That's not to say these shades were unflattering on me, but they don't have that warmth I enjoy in my crease.

 Let's go over the strong and weak points of this palette for my personal taste. I don't want to say pros and cons, as the overall palette is very similar in terms of quality to the first. 

Strong points: 

1. Very soft and buttery shadows that never drag or skip on the lids. None of them are chalky or dry.

2. A variety of colors that are neutral enough for me to use on a daily basis and intense enough to finish off night looks.

3. A great investment in shadows ($42 gets you 16 shades) 

4. The shadows are intensely pigmented without the shimmers being garish and OTT.

Weak points:

1. The matte shades are cooler toned than I prefer.

2. Since the shadows are very soft, some fall out happened with the darker matte shades. They also kick up in pan.

3. I found that these shadows last only around 9 hours with the included primer (boo fuckin hoo, right?) The original palette's shadows adhere much longer to my lids which are neither oily nor crepey. What's going on?

4. Some of the colors when blended together can look muddy. It's best to use only one shimmer on the lids and one matte in the crease.

In general, I find that Lorac Pro 2 is the side bae and Lorac Pro original is my main chick. When I want to play up my lips, I'll leave it to the taupe-y neutrals in this palette to tone down my eyes. For every day, the bottom left of this palette makes wonderful "slap and dash" washes of color.

xo Be