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

First Look| Tarte Tartelette Palette (Limited Edition)

Tarte eyeshadows have never caught my eye.

No really, I've never owned anything eyeshadow related from them, even if their concealers, blushes, and foundations rock my world. I've heard that they're dry, crumbly, patchy, and generally underwhelming when there are so many other choices on the market. So how did the Tarte Tartelette Palette ($44) happen to find its way home to me? 

I didn't care for Urban Decay Naked Basics 1 or 2 while hoards of women proclaimed them to be workhorse palettes. While the formula was decent, the colors weren't exactly interesting on my lids. Why wear mattes when I could wear glittah?

Not to mention, I could curate my own set of matte crease shades elsewhere (cough, MUG, cough) and be completely content. Mattes were meant to supplement my creations, not BE them. 

While I was still wafflin' about on buying the Tartelette sight unseen, I had the chance to go in stores and swatch/decide for myself They swatched:

- ULTRA BUTTERY

- VERY PIGMENTED

-SO SOFT

And yes, I caved. Would I consistently wear mattes because of the formulation? Would mattes become the very essence of who I am? I hoped to answer those questions with a resolute yes with this palette. Since it's limited edition I didn't want to wait to ponder these metaphysical questions of life. *eyeroll*

But in all seriousness, they WERE amazingly soft, smooth, buttery, and pigmented without a hint of powder or fall out. Definitely not true to the rumors I've heard about Tarte eyeshadows. Yes, there were one or two (I'll tell you soon) shadows that were on the sheer side, but none of them are outright chalky or crumbly. 

The packaging is cute, securely fastened, compact and slim, and includes a huge mirror. The palette comes with a sheet of instruction and a clear sheet of film over the eyeshadows, which seems to have collected some dust/fallout in storage even when the shadows look untouched.

Another important aspect of this palette: it's actually neutral. I have enough warm matte browns and don't care for cool toned shadows at all. From online pictures it's hard to tell which shade is really cool, neutral, or warm, but the picture above is the best representation of the colors in my opinion. 

I really appreciate the variety of depths, undertones, and layout of the palette. You can create a warmer brown look from the top row, a rosey look from the middle row, and a cooler toned taupe look from the bottom row. Likewise, the left column of "lid shades" can be used to complement/neutralize your mobile lids, especially useful if you enjoy a cut crease look.

You can see that while some shades like "Dreamer" and "Wanderer" and "Multi-Tasker" are warm leaning, they will not swatch very warm. (Btw, who came up with these names...?) Likewise, cool looking shades like "Natural Beauty", "Power Player" and "Bombshell" are also neutral enough to not make me look like the undead.  

In order to pick up the maximum amount of pigmentation and ensure awesome blendability, feel free to work your brush into the pan. There won't be any fallout (or very minimal) and you'll be able to pick up the right amount of product that makes blending a breeze. In terms of blendability, I'd say that these shadows perform like MAC eyeshadows. 

If you use too little, there will be patchiness on the lids. I also noticed that this formulation works better alone than with a drying primer like a MAC paint pot (Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer is ok.) They do not crease throughout the day and fade slightly after 6 hours of wear. 

I've included swatches (2 passes) over bare skin and under different lighting situations. As you can see, the darker colors "Bombshell" and "Multi-Tasker" look like they swatch badly but are very buttery on the fingers. The true chalky queen is "Super Mom" which I didn't care for at all. 

For every day, I usually go right to the colors in the middle of my swatch arm. Any look is easily amplified for night-time with the darker brown, plum, or black. 

The true testament to how much I love this palette? I've been wearing it every day for a week. I haven't run out of looks to create, and I can pop a bit of glitter onto the inner half of my lids for a new look. It's a compact palette which means that I can take it to work and back every day in my handbag. 

If you're never willing to drop $80 bucks on the Viseart Neutral Matte palette but still want to indulge in a matte palette, why not check this one out?

xo Be

Review| Sonia Kashuk Eye Couture Eye Palette - Eye On Neutral 02

The Sonia Kashuk Eye Couture Eye Palette - Eye On Neutral 02 ($19.99 at Target) is completely matte and neutral, making it the perfect dupe for the Viseart Natural Matte Palette for LITERALLY 1/4 of the price. 

I've never been a huge fan of completely matte palettes, but this one has really high reviews for a drugstore brand, much less a drugstore palette full of twelve colors that are perfect for filling in brows, deepening the crease, or highlighting the brow bone. 

I was definitely drawn to the fact that it has both cool, neutral, and warm toned browns that can accompany any eye look. In terms of performance, some are huge hits (black, the warm mid toned brown, warm dark brown, and the two bone shades) while some are downright chalky and badly pigmented (white, taupe, grey.) 

They feel powdery and kicks up in the pan, but only the shades mentioned above are truly chalky and useless.  All of the shadows last around 6-7 hours with a good primer. I think that if you're on a budget and need mattes for a kit this one is a good bet. It's also a good supplement to a travel makeup bag. I'm most likely going to keep this one at work.

The palette itself is a lot smaller in person, about the size of your average smartphone. The downside is no mirror, so it's not exactly travel friendly if you're in a pinch. Strangely, the back of the palette tells me that I will receive instructions inside for creating multiple eye looks. Erm, where?

Below are swatches indoors, under natural or warm lighting. All shades are swatched twice (except for black, it's amazing!) and the grey (four swipes, come on man...)

Here's a shot near a window. 

You can see my office space in this one. This is under warm lighting. 

If you don't like using z palettes to custom create colors, enjoy mattes on a daily basis, and like a good mix of pigments without caring too much about having the highest quality shadows....give this palette a try. For $20 bucks, it really isn't a bad deal.

xo Be

First Look| Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Palette

Taupe hued neutrals? Death on my eyes.

No really, taupes and dirty cool toned browns have never flattered me and I don't try to make it work. If I'm doing a bold lip, I will almost always reach for a wash of grey or taupe to tone down the look and almost recede the eyes from point of focus.

So I told myself I didn't need the Naked Basics 2 ($29), catered to cooler toned gals who would appreciate a sophisticated palette of mattes. At worst my eyes would look irritated and tired and at best I would only use one or two shades to blank out my eyelids. 

But then I gave it another thought. Aren't cool toned browns and taupes the best for filling in eyebrows and contouring? If I wasn't able to use it on my lids, I'd still get a lot of use out of the palette. The shades are taupes with slightly warm undertones so that they are neutral enough for most to wear.

I actually enjoy the Naked Basics 2 much more than the original Basics which lacked variation in depth and tone in lighter shades and a black that was too black to be used in the outer v for my taste. 

For me, this palette was a lot more flattering than I thought it would be. The only unflattering color is Primal, which is too cool to be used as a transition shade on my crease but is perfect for contouring my nose! All other colors show up on my lids well and are warm enough to not make me look washed out or sickly.

Here are both palettes and their swatches. The size and shape remains consistent. What I did notice, however, is that the Basics 2 is a tad more powdery and prone to fall out in pan. I didn't see this translated on the lids.

The first is on the left and the Naked Basics 2 is on the right. There are slight nuances and similarities of colors but it doesn't hurt to own both.

Like I predicted, this palette is excellent for filling in eyebrows.

The entire range of colors can suit blondes to brunettes and you have one light shade with slight shimmer to clean up the brow bone area. I think this belongs in a professional kit just as much as the every day woman's handbag.

Here is the Original swatches. The pale yellow is the densest and least pigmented in the palette.



The Basics 2, as you can see, is a tad more buttery and soft. The shadows show up well but can look "powdery" in the swatches.

To recap, if you:

a. want taupe-y and matte shadows as transitional and crease shades.

b. need a portable kit for eyebrows as a makeup artist.

c. are in the fair to tan shade range (and perhaps also enjoy contouring)...

the Naked Basics 2 is a great idea. 

If you:

a. rarely wear matte eyeshadows alone and/or don't like playing with multiple palettes at once.

b. have issues with softer, more powdery eyeshadows.

c. already have a sizable eyeshadow collection...

you probably won't need this palette. 

xo Be

Review| Kat Von D Ladybird (True Romance Eyeshadow Palette)

For work, nothing says business and "I didn't spend two hour recreating that super glittery purple ombre duo-chrome smokey eyes before my commute" than matte eyeshadows. It's soft, non-fussy, and mostly flattering. So why do women gravitate toward shimmers and frosts over completely matte shadows? The formulation of matte eyeshadows can easily veer into chalky, dry, and fall-out territory. Ugh.

KVD is a line that seems to target young women heavily tattooed looking to revamp their image into a professional one. Why else the full coverage and super effective foundation/concealer?? (I'm kidding.)

 I've never been scared to try out a new line, especially if they have such pretty eyeshadow palettes. I especially wanted the Ladybird ($36 retail at Sephora) palette for the all-matte texture and variety of colors for complete looks in one place. 

 The color names are listed on the back in case anyone cares. I do enjoy the portability of the palette and see it as very travel friendly since you won't run out of looks entirely. Of course, there are no glittery colors to spice up your crazy night-life, but are you travelling for work or play anyway?

Under natural lighting, you can definitely tell that the palette will give you warm neutral eyes, barely there taupe looks, or even a smokey look if you felt like it. The colors are very versatile leaning cool AND warm. It even comes with a liner in Immortal Love (a dark brown that's not too harsh to tighline with), which is in itself both a great and horrible thing as the pencil tends to fall out of its holder every time I open the palette up. Good thing it's a snap closure on a hardy tin material. 

The swatches below are taken in various conditions of outdoor lighting and made with two swipes each over no primer.

Overall, these shadows have good pigmentation and don't come onto the lids as patchy or dry as the swatches suggest. They are however, mattes, meaning that they will be drier with a little more fall out than other shadows you may be used to. I don't experience fall-out with application, but you can see for yourself that the shadows do create dust even if just sitting in pan. 

They wear for an excellent amount of time with no creasing or fading, especially over a primer. I really enjoy the fact that there's a great variation of color, as many matte palettes also want to be completely neutral. (Read: as boring as it gets...) Of course, the choice of orange and purple may be questionable, but it's exactly what I expected from a line like KVD. 

A lot of these colors also act beautifully as crease blending shades for a large range of skintones, so this palette could also supplement the others that you have. I wouldn't rush to buy this palette over the many offerings on the market, but it's definitely the best matte formulation that I've tried. If you're one to shy away from glitter of any type and don't have crepey or mature lids, this could be a winner for you. 

XO, Be