Hello everyone! I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve shared fabulous products with you! So sorry about that. But I want to make it up for you today with the newest addition to the Lime Crime shadow range. We are talking about the Lime Crime Venus XL Pressed Powder Eyeshadow Palette. As usual, I’ll do a little bit of background and then I’ll throw some swatches at you.

First, let’s talk about the Venus palette line. These are some of my favorite palettes of all time. You can see swatches of Venus 2 here. In general, I love the Venus palettes because they are incredibly pigmented and have edgy colors. The Venus XL seems to expand upon the original Venus theme, as opposed to Venus 2 which has some cooler tones.

While the two Venus palettes have eight pans, the Venus XL contains 18 unique shades in four finishes. The palette is cardboard with a beautiful design and a big mirror.

Ready for swatches? Of course you are.

As you can see, the shadows in the Lime Crime Venus XL are pigmented. I happen to think Lime Crime’s mattes often swatch better than their shimmers, and this palette is no exception.

While this palette can be used for a variety of looks, most will leave warm and possible grungy. Here is one of the first eyes I did upon receiving the palette:

So, I hope this overview helps you decide if you need the Lime Crime Venus XL! PS- I saw on Instagram that they may also be released a Venus 3 soon, so keep an eye out for that! The Venus XL is currently available where Lime Crime is sold, including their website and Ulta.

Shop more Lime Crime favorites:

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Hello, everyone! I thought it might be nice to share some beauty gift recommendations for the special people in your lives. When possible, I’ve suggested items that I myself have tried. Please feel free to add to the list in the comments!

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links. If you are uncomfortable with that, by all means just google the product! Additionally, I took these photos directly off the sellers’ sites.

for the beauty newbie…

Ulta

Benefit never disappoints with their sets! The Girl O’Clock Rock 12 Benefit Bestsellers ($45) is available at Ulta. Help that makeup amateur in your life by gifting these twelve easy-to-use minis!

Sephora

The Smashbox Try It Kit  ($22) contains five minis of Smashbox bestsellers. This is a great way to help your novice-friend get acquainted with some awesome products.

for the natural beauty…

Glossier

Order a Glossier Phase 2 Set ($50) for your friend who prefers a subtle makeup look. Simply choose a Generation G lip shade, a Stretch Concealer shade, and a Boy Brow color for a cute little set that a natural beauty lover will appreciate.

for the classic beauty…

Sephora

The Dior Holiday Couture Palette ($89) boasts face powders, eyeshadows and lip glosses that your classic beauty lover will truly thank you for.

Beautylish

Charlotte Tilbury’s Dreamy Look In A Clutch  (available on Beautylish for $128) has everything your classic beauty needs for a super chic look. The Luxury Palette in Legendary Muse and Hot Lips lipstick in Secret Salma are the perfect color combination.

for your edgy bestie…

Sephora

With 8 mini liquid lipsticks ranging from nude to blue, the Kat Von D Everlasting Mini Liquid Lipstick Set ($49) is sure to please those who like their look to be a bit edgy. It’s a great formula, too!

Sephora

The Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette ($55) is one of the most colorful eye shadow palettes on the market and is perfect for your friend who’s not afraid to stand out!

for the glitter princess…

Lime Crime

Lime Crime just came out with their Diamond Crushers lip toppers ($80). These can be worn alone or over a liquid lipstick without disturbing it. You can buy the whole set or just colors that your glitter princess might like.

ColourPop

I’d be remiss if I didn’t have anything from Colourpop on this list! Their Never Not Chillin set ($30) has 6 special edition shadows, 3 of which boast an amazing sparkle.

for the skincare queen…

Sephora

Anyone who loves a good mask will die over the Caudalie Mask Trio ($39). This set has three masks that cover a variety of skin concerns. The glycolic peel treatment is one of my favorites!

Sephora

The Boscia Japanese Favorites set ($35) offers an amazing array of products from a fantastic skincare company. Your skincare loving friend will be positively glowing!

Don’t forget to leave your recommendations below!

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Hello lovely class. Today we are going to take a brief look at Lime Crime’s latest collection, a bundle of five Velvetines under the name of “Livin’ On A Prairie.” The Lime Crime Livin’ On A Prairie set has the following description:

Grunginess is next to godliness. Livin’ on a Prairie is a five-shade Velvetine collection for those who like to play in the dirt.

Prairie – Dusky Nude

Wisteria – Dusty Lilac

Thistle – Grungy Grey-Blue

Rustic – Earthy Red

Saddle – Rusty Brown

Inspired by the luxurious texture of rose petals, Velvetine liquid matte lipstick dries to a touch-proof velvet finish. Remove with waterproof makeup remover or oil.

My experience with Lime Crime Velvetines has always been fairly positive. I find they have a thinner consistency than some other popular liquid lipsticks (Anastasia Beverly Hills, for example, has a thicker formula). That being said, the Lime Crime Velvetines typically have good coverage and pigmentation, and are long-lasting without being drying or looking gross.

I’ll put it out there that I’ve only tried the shade “Prairie” so far on my lips and it did not disappoint. However, I did want to get the arm swatches to you ASAP in case you were interested in placing an order for the Lime Crime Livin’ On A Prairie set.

top to bottom: Thistle, Wisteria, Prairie, Rustic, Saddle

Now, you can probably see that the swatches are a bit messy. Here’s the thing – I did my usual tape grid. However, Rustic in particular was so watery that it seeped under the tape and just looks crazy gross. I am going to experiment with shaking the tube to see if I can get the consistency better.

The rest of the shades in the Lime Crime Livin’ On A Prairie set were easy to work with. Since the whole set is $75, you are basically getting one for free (each Velvetine alone is $20USD). Therefore, even if there’s a shade you may not wear frequently (I’m thinkin’ Thistle), it might still be worth it to buy the whole Lime Crime Livin’ On A Prairie set.

So, will you be buying this? Let me know what you think in the comments!

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Good morning, class! I’m so excited to share my January Favorites with you today. I hope you will share links to your January Favorites in the comments!

Let’s start with eye shadow! This month I’m featuring two palettes, both very different but equally fun.

The Natasha Denona 5 Pan Eyeshadow Palette #10 has an amazing assortment of golds and purples. I swatched them all for you here.

I’ve also been quite obsessed with the Lime Crime Venus 2 Palette. It has such unique shades (swatched here) that I keep gravitating to, especially “Fly” and “Poison.”

I really like the BECCA Backlight Priming Filter as my winter primer. It adds a subtle glow that shines through any foundation, but does not exacerbate oiliness. Another BECCA product made the cut this month – the Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone. This is an old favorite for me, but I’ve been reaching for it recently due to my current lack of tan.

For my brows, I’ve had a lot of success with the It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil. It has that nice wedge shape that allows for easy drawing and more natural strokes. The color is fine for matching my brown brows to my blonde hair.

Finally, I’ve been loving the new MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour, especially in the shade Lady Be Good. Many nude lipsticks lean either too peachy or too dead on me, but this one is perfect. It lasts forever and luckily does not feel super drying on.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will share a link to you January Favorites in the comments!

Shop January Favorites:

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Let’s start off 2016 by taking a look at some of my favorite beauty products from 2015! For the sake of brevity, I’ll try to keep my descriptions short and sweet. Feel free to let me know in the comments if you’d like more information! Where possible, I have included links to the product from websites I have used in the past. I have also linked to previous reviews, if I have one.

• Favorite Primer: Marc Jacobs Invisible Under(Cover) Perfecting Coconut Face Primer – This is my favorite all-purpose primer. Having used it in both warm and cool weather, I can safely say that it is great for dry skin, yet does not over-grease oily skin. I especially love it under the serum foundations that are becoming popular.
• Favorite Concealer: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (I use Chantilly)- This concealer is amazing over blemishes; a tiny dot can cover the biggest zit. I’ve also used it under the eye, and I have to say that it creases less than some products marketed as dedicated undereye correctors.
• Favorite Foundation: MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation (I’m shade NC20) – OK, so this one is a big deal because my skin does not normally get along with MAC foundations. However, this product has been a game changer. I use it especially on days I know are going to be very long, as well as any time I have to be on stage, because I know it will last. We reviewed this foundation here.
• Favorite Eye Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance – I got this one because everyone raves about it. I now understand why. It is very easy to apply and does help shadow last on long days. I notice significantly less creasing when I use this versus other popular eye primers.
• Favorite Eye Liner: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner (shade Trooper) – The applicator on this is so interesting; lying somewhere between brush and felt tip, this product makes winging eyeliner a breeze.
• Favorite Mascara: L’Oreal Miss Manga Rock Voluminous Waterproof Mascara (side note – our only “drugstore” product today!) – I have issues with many high-end mascaras, so to find a drugstore mascara that I love is fantastic. I am on my third tube of this because I love the way it lengthens and volumizes dramatically, without being overly clumpy.
• Favorite Brow Product: It Cosmetics Build-A-Brow (shade Blonde) – I didn’t think anything could trump the popular ABH dipbrow, but this cream is by far more forgiving and easier to manipulate.

• Favorite Eye Shadow Palette: Kat Von D Shade+Light Eye Contour Palette – It’s amazing how much you can do with a neutral palette, especially when it’s a good one. The shadows are exceptionally pigmented and easy to work with.
• Favorite Single Eye Shadow: Charlotte Tilbury Nocturnal Cat Eyes to Hypnotise (shade The Huntress) – There’s really something special about this shadow. The golden brown pigmented has little flecks of glitter than enhance the eye without being overwhelming.
• Favorite Contour Product: Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder – A fantastic option for fair skin. We took a look at it here.
• Favorite Highlight Product: Becca Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed (shade Moonstone) – The ever-popular “Opal” was too dark for me, but this option from Becca works for me in both summer and winter. It provides a subtle sheen that is good for everyday use.
• Favorite Blush: Urban Decay Afterglow Powder Blush (shade Rapture) – These blushes are crazy pigmented. I love the plum tone of Rapture, especially for the fall and winter. It can be sheered out to become very natural and pretty.
• Favorite Face Powder: Besame Brightening Violet Powder – This translucent powder has a hint of violet that really brightens the fair complexion. I like to use it as a finishing powder. It also smells lovely, so that’s an added bonus.

• Favorite Lip Gloss: Dior Rouge Brillant (Hollywood) – I hated lip gloss until I found this. It is thick but not tacky and lasts quite a while for gloss. Also, the color is fantastic.
• Favorite Cream-Finish Lipstick: Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick (Cava) – This is my all-time favorite nude because it is cool-toned and pigmented. The cream finish has decent staying power and the formula is moisturizing.
• Favorite Liquid-to-Matte Lipstick: Lime Crime Velvetine (Bleached) and ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip (Trap) – Similar formulas and colors, I had to have a tie happen. Bleached is a peachy nude and Trap is a gray-toned nude, but both are fantastic and can be altered by using a liner beneath them.
• Favorite Matte Lipstick: ColourPop Lippie Stix (Pinch) and Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick (Barberry) – ColourPop Lippie Stix are some of my favorites, and Pinch takes the cake as the best slightly-darker-than-nude shade. I believe Bite Beauty Barberry was a limited release, but I suggest pouncing on any matte lipsticks that Bite comes out with.

For fun, I’ve included swatches of the above-mentioned lip products:

top to bottom: Bite Barberry, Bite Cava, ColourPop Pinch, ColourPop Trap, Lime Crime Bleached — left: Dior Hollywood

My favorite part of starting the new year is seeing everyone else’s favorites from the previous 12 months. Please, share your lists in the comments so we can all see!

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For your eyes:

ColourPop makes some of my favorite shimmery (and low-cost) products. For NYE, I gravitate towards Cricket and Hammered for their multidimensional sparkle.

I’m also loving MAC’s Pearlglide Instense Eye Liner in Petrol Blue. This deep navy pencil has just a hint of glitter and can easily be blended out for a smokey NYE look.

Also check out Lime Crime’s liquid liners for a glittery surprise. I’m showing Rhyme here, but Reason, a silver, is equally impressive and still available.

For your face:

ColourPop kills it, again, in this department. For a super glow, I recommend their highlighter in Spoon.

Nars’ dual intensity blushes also offer some great NYE options. I particularly recommend their Steven Klein collaboration in the shade(s) Vengeful. The left-side highlighter is fantastic on the cheek bones.

top to bottom: MAC Petrol, Lime Crime Rhyme, Nars Vengeful highlight shade, ColourPop Spoon, ColourPop Hammered, ColourPop Cricket

As always, please share your related posts in the comments so we can all see! And check back soon for my 2015 beauty favorites list!

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Loyal classmates will remember Lime Crime’s Velvetine in Suedeberry as one of my first ever reviews. Since then, I’ve also purchased Cashmere, which was supposed to be a “greige” color. On me, it’s mostly brown. So I was really excited when Faded and Bleached came out, because they were also softer looking colors.

Faded is described as a “purple beige” and Bleached as a “Peachy Newtral” (their spelling).

Here are those two new shades swatched next to Cashmere, for reference:

top to bottom: Bleached, Faded, Cashmere

Both colors are subtle on the lips (on mine, at least). Faded pulls a little warmer than I’d like, but most products tend to do that on my lips. The below swatches were done incredibly hastily, so forgive me!

Bleached

Faded

I anticipate getting a lot of wear out of these two, because they are both fairly neutral. They have the same lasting power and consistency (and smell!) of the other Velvetines, so I think they are worth checking out if you don’t mind the price!

originally posted 6/15/15

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This is the first post I’m writing in our new classroom. I actually had this post already written, but when the old site was stolen, so too was the post. I wanted to start fresh with this one because I was actually really proud of the photos and was sad when they did not go up.

As you probably remember, Lime Crime’s first Venus palette was basically my soul in eye shadow form. Well, this new palette does not disappoint. It does have an interesting combination of colors, perhaps colors I would not typically put together. I also wish there was more of a matte transition shade. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Glorious, right?

All of the shades are nice to work with. The matte shades in the Lime Crime Venus 2 Palette are perhaps more “buttery” than their shimmery counterparts, but there is no one shadow that I dislike.

I believe Lime Crime is still having a special sale on these two palettes, so be sure to head over if you are feeling a yearning for “nu-grunge”.

Forgive me if the photos are not their normal quality. I’m using a new platform, and still figuring it out. 

Thanks for stopping by the new classroom!

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