Aether Beauty Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette

I don’t remember what article led me to stumble upon Aether Beauty, but I’m happy it did. Aether Beauty, a small but growing company, developed the most gorgeous eyeshadow palette, and yes we are going to talk about it right now. Aether Beauty’s Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette is vegan and cruelty-free. It is also has zero-waste packaging. More on that later.

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The Rose Quartz Palette contains twelve eye shadows. Within these twelve shades, you have mattes, shimmers, metallics and even duo-chromes. The product is formulated with recognizable ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, and rose hip oil which contribute to the quality of the shadows as well provide benefits for the skin.

Now, here’s the really cool part. With the removal of the shadow pans and the elastic, the palette is fully recyclable. I guess it never occurred to me that my other eyeshadow palettes weren’t recyclable thanks to their mirrors and magnets. Live and learn, right?

The Swatches

Beauty connoisseurs will be most interested in the shades themselves. Don’t worry- I’ve got you covered!

As you can see, the shadows have a softer vibe to them. They are pigmented but in a buildable, blendable way. The Aether Beauty Rose Quartz Palette is one of the few I own where I feel like any combination of shades contained within would result in success. It’s just that good. I especially love the shades Aphrodite and Crystalline for a smokey but not overly dramatic look.

The shadows are soft but not excessively dusty. I have experienced some fallout with Reawakening because it does have glitters, but this is by no means a dealbreaker. The matte shades are especially impressive in that they blend easily and without being “muddied.”

Let’s recap, shall we? We have Aether Beauty- small, conscientious, soon-to-be very popular brand. They have the Rose Quartz Crystal Gemstone Palette – twelve wearable shades made with 70% naturally-derived ingredients. The vegan shades are housed in a fully recyclable palette. You can repeat all of these facts in your head if you need a reason to buy more eye shadow. You’re welcome.

By the way, if you need even more incentive to take a peak, Aether Beauty frequently has amazing sales and deals. Be sure to check out their website , which is both beautiful and incredibly informative.

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By Terry Game Lighter

Fun’tasia

Hello, everyone, and happy weekend! I happened upon an adorable palette as I strolled through Saks Fifth Avenue (did you believe me? I don’t stroll though Saks. It’s just the connection between Starbucks and the parking lot!) and I fell in love with it. We are talking about the By Terry Game Lighter Palette no. 1 Fun’tasia.

The By Terry Game Lighter Palette Fun’tasia comes in an adorable holographic compact. It contains ten eye shadows, or five shadow pairs. For every color in the palette (yellow, blue, pink, purple, green) there is a metallic shade surrounded by a matte shade. This adds an edginess to what could have otherwise been a typical pastel palette.

For both the metallic and matte shades, the shadows in the By Terry Game Lighter Palette are on the sheerer side. They require a bit of building up to reach their full pigmentation potential. Though there are no standard neutral shades (for that, you’ll want the Game Lighter Palette no. 2 Pixie Nude), this can be used on its own if you enjoy an all pastel or simple monochromatic look.

My favorite shades in the palette are the metallic yellow and the greens. Overall, these are the perfect shades for the upcoming Spring season (it’s going to get here eventually, right?)

Aside from the sheer formula of the By Terry Game Lighter Palette, the pan size might underwhelm. I will admit that it is a bit tricky to pick up the matte shades without accidentally hitting the metallic center. Definitely plan on using a small brush.

As $45, this may be a miss for some. However, this is also a relatively low price-point for this particular brand, and would definitely make a nice gift for a loved one.

Shop By Terry

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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.

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LORAC Mega PRO 4

Hello, all! This will be another short and sweet post, because it’s all about the swatches. Today we focus on the LORAC Mega PRO 4 eyeshadow palette, the fourth (duh) installment in a series of giant LORAC palettes. As with the previous three LORAC Mega PRO palettes, the Mega PRO 4 contains 32 shades. Half of the shadows are matte, while half are a shimmer formula. This year’s palette has a light pink packaging.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Mega PRO tradition, these palettes are awesome (in my opinion, of course). And, while they were originally Limited Edition, it seems that they are frequently being re-released. I applaud LORAC for that decision.

Swatches

As you can see below, the shadows in the LORAC Mega Pro 4 are pigmented and smooth to apply. This palette leans cooler than the Mega Pros 1 and 3, for sure. It leans more pastel than the Mega Pro 2. As always, these are swatched with a flat eyeshadow brush. This was over lightly primed skin. My skin tone is MAC NC15, for reference.

Thoughts

I will always be a Mega PRO fan. However, I find that out of all four palettes, I am least inspired by this newest addition. I have also read that the shades do not flatter deeper skin tones. However, it is a beautiful palette and worth purchasing if you are a collector like me, or genuinely are drawn to the shade selection. The LORAC Mega PRO 4 is available at ULTA and on the LORAC website!

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Hello, all! I am excited to talk to you today about what has possibly been the most controversial cosmetic product released this summer: the Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Eye Shadow Palette.

The Drama

If you are very much up-to-date on the Subculture Palette rants and raves, skip this paragraph as I am going to review the drama. The Subculture Palette is meant to be a muted-color companion to the beloved Modern Renaissance palette. However, reviewers pointed out that this new palette in particular tends to have extraordinary amounts of kick-up, is difficult to blend well and was, in general, disappointing.

My Thoughts

Now that we have that out of the way, let me get to my thoughts on the Subculture Palette. First of all, I love the colors. This palette, with its tones ranging from deep teal to bright mustard, is a beautiful addition to one’s autumn makeup routine. Next, as expected, the shades are all pigmented and soft.

Speaking of soft, let’s talk about the main issue everyone is having: the kick-up. I will not deny that the majority of this palette is powdery as hell if you swirl your brush in it. I find that it helps to think about this palette as containing pressed pigments, rather than shadows. In other words, a little goes a long way. The exception to this rule are the two duo-chromes: Cube and Electric. These are not nearly as pigmented as the others and are best to use on top of other shades.

As for blending, yeah some of the shades will look muddy if you mix them together. What do you expect to happen if you combine dirt brown and moss green? I have had no issues with my color combinations, but I go in with the expectation that my look will be fairly grungy.

So, do I think you need the Subculture Palette? No, not if finicky shadows are going to frustrate you. It’s not worth it. However, if you can deal with a learning curve and care for the overall vibe of the palette, take a chance!

Shop Anastasia Beverly Hills:

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Hello, class, and please accept my apologies for this long delay in updating! However, we are officially in summer mode so now I can catch up on showing you all the things I have to show you. The first, and possibly most important thing I have to show you is the ColourPop Yes, Please! Pressed Powder Shadow Palette.

First, let’s talk about ColourPop’s pressed powder shadow formula. This is a somewhat newer product in the short history of ColourPop, and it is fabulous. The normal shadow pans are $5 each, but swatch like high-end formulas. The pans in the Yes, Please! palette are smaller than the single shadows, but you are still getting twelve shades for $16.

The shades in the ColourPop Yes, Please! palette, as stated on ColourPop’s site, are:

Full-Zip: matte warm ivory
Big Cocktails: matte orange
Champs: matte pale peachy nude
Bling: metallic rust
Louie: metallic duochrome red with a gold flip
Butter Cake: metallic pale yellow gold
Spoiled: matte brick red
Gno: matte burnt orange
Mischief: matte warm yellow
Note to Self: matte warm caramel
Chauffeur: metallic duochrome bright orange with a gold flip
French Kiss: matte deep red brown

Basically, this is you everyday super warm-toned palette. It is very similar to a very expensive palette that I do not own to swatch for you. Yes, I’m talking about the Natasha Denona Sunset palette. Just google it.

The Swatches

Here, let me just show you the swatches already. First, in direct sunlight:

Now, in the shade:

Mind you, these were flat brush swatches, and I did not touch the brush to the pan more than once for each swatch. So yeah, pigmentation in there. The top shade is obviously tough to see on my particular skin tone. Mattes and metallics alike perform well.

I have used the ColourPop Yes, Please! Palette on the eyes and is works for a wide array of looks, from neutral to fire-inspired. However, this palette does come with a few negatives. For one, it’s white. It will get dirty. Sorry. And even worse – it’s currently out of stock. However, ColourPop did say they’d restock soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

In the meantime, check out some other ColourPop posts!

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Hello all, and happy June! I was lucky enough to be able to attend the recent Sephora VIB Rouge “Fall Preview” event. I won’t even get started on how it’s June and we’re already having Fall events. Nevertheless, I was able to get my hands on some items that are very new. One of these was the Too Faced Glitter Bomb Palette.

The Too Faced Glitter Bomb Palette (which is in reality called the Too Faced Glitter Bomb Eyeshadow Collection) contains eight glitter shadows as well as two base shadows.  The product can be used wet or dry to vary the intensity of the pigmentation.

I found the glitter shadows to be soft, though gritty, to the touch. This is different than some other glitter palettes I own where the shadows are drier and a bit dusty.

Below you will find the shadows swatched over primer only, then over the white brightening base, then over the black intensifying base.

Too Faced Glitter Bomb will be available at Sephora soon for $45 US. It’s a worthy palette if you enjoy the glitter/foil scene.

P.S. Here’s a comparison to Urban Decay Moondust!

Shop Too Faced:

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Hello, everyone! I’m excited to talk about Jouer Cosmetics’ newest launch: their Skinny Dip collection. In particular, I’ve been able to play with the Jouer Skinny Dip Palette, which features six “ultra foil shimmer shadows.” Right off the bat, this palette looked amazing and perfect for the warmer seasons.

The shades in the Jouer Skinny Dip Palette range from pale silver to deep cocoa bronze. They sit in a thin, gold cardboard frame that flips open to reveal a nice long mirror. The palette retails for $40 and can be found on jouercosmetics.com and beautylish.

The only somewhat disappointing shade in the Jouer Skinny Dip Palette is “Bikini,” a pale pink. This shade requires a few passes to really build up. It also a bit drier to the touch. The other shades are “buttery” and pigmented.

You can use Jouer Skinny Dip Palette on its own or in conjunction with other palettes if you prefer some neutral mattes. When used on its own, sticking with the lighter shades will give you a natural, beachy look. The darker shades lend themselves to a sultrier, dramatic look.

I recommend the Jouer Skinny Dip Palette if you are in the market for some shimmer. That being said, $40 is on the high end for six shadows, so be sure to shop around if you’re “on the fence” about spending the money.

Shop Jouer (affiliate links):

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Hello, class! Today I want to spend some time talking about this cute little palette from Viseart known as Amethyst, the fourth palette in their Theory line. The Viseart Theory Amethyst palette contains six shadows, all in the purple (thus Amethyst) range. Three shades are matte and three are shimmer.

The Viseart Theory Amethyst palette is a small, travel friendly compact. The top unfolds, rather than comes off completely. Most importantly, though, the shadows are amazing to work with. I was initially skeptical of the Viseart line because they tend to be pricier than other brands. However, I willing to go out on a limb and say that these palettes are worth the price tag.

It’s wonderful to have a palette where the mattes apply just as nicely as the shimmer formulas. As you can see below, all the shades are pigmented. Please note that I do swatch over primer.

There are four other Theory palettes from Viseart: Cashmere, Minx, Chroma and Nuance. You can find Viseart products on websites like Sephora and Beautylish.

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Hello, class, and please accept my apologies for my lengthy absence.  I would like to make it up to you today with some absolutely stunning swatches. I mean, the swatches are stunning because of the amazing product… not because my swatches are particularly good or anything. Anyway, we are talking about the new Tarte Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette. This palette is a part of Tarte’s new unicorn-inspired collection, which also includes a lovely highlighter and other goodies.

The Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette contains one matte shadow, nine shimmer shadows, and one highlighter. The shades range from warm copper to pearly blue. I happen to think this is one of the most consistently awesome palettes in terms of pigmentation and color payoff. So, if you like what you see, get shopping ASAP, because this palette is limited edition! Also, the packaging is really cute.

I swatched the palette over a lightly primed arm. In my experience, shimmery shadows do best with a primer underneath.

Hopefully those photos gave you a good idea of the richness of the shades in the Tarte Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette. I find that all of the shades perform well on the lid. The highlighter shade is not my favorite to use as an actual cheek highlight as I find it emphasizes texture, but I do like it beneath the brow bone and in the inner corner.

Here is a photo of one of the more unicorn-y looks I did with this palette:

I find that, with primer, the shadows can potentially last all day without any terrible creasing.

The Tarte Make Believe in Yourself Eye & Cheek Palette is available for a limited time at Ulta and on the Tarte website.

Shop Tarte:

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