Amrezy Palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills - Swatches and First Impression Review

I don't know how they kept this a secret haha. This came out of nowhere and I'm so excited it's in my hands!!

In case you didn't know, this palette was made in collaboration with Amrezy on Instagram. She is a makeup artist and insanely popular on IG (over a 1 million followers). Also, she is insanely gorgeous and so so talented.

I purchased this palette at my local Ulta on July 15th (two days before Ulta officially would have it in stores - BOOYAH). 

This retails for an amazing $29. I'm still in shock over the price haha. So affordable for the quality of the eyeshadows you get.

So let's take a gander over to the packaging. 

The outside is gorgeous. I adore the cheetah print on the packaging plus the metallic golden background. It gives it a very exotic appeal. 

It is cardboard, not exactly the nicest but it does its job in holding in the eyeshadows. I do wish the packaging was nicer or more sturdier. I think that most consumers are getting use to the nice metal, tin, or whatever non-cardboard material palettes are made in these days. I honestly would pay an extra buck or two so I have piece of mind that if I travel or accidentally drop my palette that my eyeshadows will be okay. It cheapens it a little bit but it's not a deal breaker.

Now, the inside *ahhhh*.

You can see that is a very warm toned neutral palette with 2 brights in the bunch. This palette to me screams: exotic, sexy, goddess-like, and beautiful.

Without a doubt, this would be THE palette to reach for as we transition from Summer to Fall. But it's versatile enough that it can be used year round.

I believe that Amrezy took her most used shades and eyeshadows that many people can pull off and make it into one convenient palette. If you follow her in IG, you will see that she gravitates towards neutrals, especially warm toned, when she posts her looks.

Onto the review and first impressions of it.

In swatching the top row, I was blown away at the quality. Very smooth and incredibly pigmented. The bottom row, it was a little "meh" for me. I think you can see what I'm talking about in the swatches.

The bottom row, except for Vanilla, are all mattes. If you are a eyeshadow junkie like me or know a lot about makeup, we know that matte formula eyeshadows can be a little tricky. These are no exception. In finger swatching, Deep Plum and LBD were patchy and had to be layered a little more heavily than the other swatches (still didn't look too great :\).

But once you apply them to the lid, blending helps blur out the patchiness and they blend quite nicely.  That is a plus for sure.

The first time around, Caramel and Deep Plum were patchy upon application to my lids. I had to spend a lot of time blending; more than what I use to in comparison to other eyeshadows I own. Like I mentioned above, the shimmery shades were a breeze to work it and blend in seamlessly.

The second go around, it was MUCH better. I used a different fluffy blending brush to apply the shadows and it worked out perfectly. It was very easy to work with the blend to create a look. I used Iridescent Purple and Emerald in the second look and the colors were beautiful! They aren't obnoxiously bright, they were sultry but wearbale. Combined great with the Caramel and Deep Plum. :)

Check my IG if you are interested in how my looks came out :)

I hope you all found this helpful!

Have you purchased the palette? Are you going for something else and passing on this?

Let me know in the comments!

Talk to you all soon,
Bianca

MAC Pressed Pigments - Swatches and Review

Today, I am bringing you another post on pressed pigments but from MAC this time. These are sooo gorgeous... :D

I have here to show you from left to right: Day Gleam, Deeply Dashing, and Jet Couture. They retail for $21 for 3 g of product. Sold at CCOs, MAC (online or in store), Nordstrom, Macy's, etc.

I love these kinds of products. Like I had mentioned in my Urban Decay Moondust shadows post, these really amp up a look and add that sparkle that makes your eyes stand out.

A cool thing about these Pressed Pigments is that they are great on their own on layered on top of a cream or powder eyeshadow. Though, personally, I like to layer just so I can get the maximum amount of pigmentation for my look.

They are so gorgeous! Seriously, it's tempting to buy more... *must resist*.

Below are the swatches of all three. Um, how beautiful are these?!?!?!

*dead*

MAC's website describes the whole range of pressed pigments as "An intensely creamy highlighter offering extreme pearlescence and versatility of finish. Apply dry for high shine or damp for a dramatic wet look".

Personally, I would NEVER use these for face highlighters... haha. Glitter is a no-go for a face highlighting... at least for me because it would accentuate my pores like a mofo. Obviously, Jet Couture is simply a pressed pigment shadow as opposed to Day Gleam that could potentially be a face highlighter.

For my own personal use, I adore these for layering on top of my eyeshadows. They make your eyes stand out and be the focus on your entire look. They are buildable in coverage which is great. Keep in mind the swatches I have provided here are layered on considerably so my readers to see the what it looks like with full pigmentation.

I love these. I know these types of glittery shades are not for everyone but they are great for that extra something to add or amp up your eye makeup :) Or heck, even for stage/theater/halloween makeup, these would be AMAZING!

I hope you found this helpful! Any questions, leave them down in the comments. I would love to know your favorites from this range if you have any or your favorite pressed pigment type of shadows.

Thanks for stopping by as always <3,
Bianca

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Zodiac and Diamond Dog - Swatches and Thoughts

Well aren't these a thing of beauty? 

I absolutely love these kind of shadows because it amps up any look. They have small particles of glitter through the main base color. It's not as chunky as other glittery eyeshadows but sure packs a punch.

These Urban Decay Moondust shadows are beautiful and retail for $20 each for 1.5 g of product at Macys, UrbanDecay.com, Sephora, and other places that sell UD.

Out of the range of seven, I purchased two that I think I would use the most. I mean you can't exactly use these every day haha but they can add to any look if you want to achieve that glittery effect.

Zodiac - smokey black with a blue-green shift and 3D sparkle. SUPER gorgeous!

Diamond Dog - deep brown with white gold sparkle. Amazing with a brown smokey eye!

Left is Diamond Dog, Right is Zodiac.

I think that the best way to apply these is with your finger. I have tried with different kind of eyeshadow brushes and it does not compare to how it looks when it is applied with your finger. You really get the base shadow to show up, especially if you are applying to the naked (and primed?) lid.

Since I purchased these, I will be honest with you, that I have used these a hand full of times in the last year haha. But these are handy to have when you want to have that glittery effect to the look you have on.

I love the formula on these, not too much fall out and applies well to the lid with a finger. :)

Hope you found this helpful! Look out for my next post with MAC's Pressed Pigments :D

Bianca

MAC Prep & Prep BB Compact in Refined Golden - Swatch and Review

Last week, I went to a MAC event at my local Nordstrom and I was able to learn a few things about different ways on how to apply face products that help with highlight and contouring and this was one of the MAC artist's favorite new products released by MAC.

This is the MAC Prep and Prime BB Beauty Balm Compact SPF 30 in Refined Golden.

First off, this is incredibly easy to apply. I feel like you cannot overdo this product because of the texture and how little product my brush picks up. I use the Zoeva 126 - Luxe Cheek Finish brush (post coming soon!) and it's AMAZING for this product.

According to MAC, there are 12 shades in this range and they are meant for actual foundation or, in this case, for bronzing up the skin. The cost is $30 for 8 g of product which I think is pretty solid bang for your buck.

In the picture above, the color of the Refined Golden in the pan seems more red than it really is. The natural sunlight messed with the lighting in room but the picture below is a more accurate representation of what the Refined Golden actually looks like; which MAC describes as "finely spun golden bronze with a soft pearl finish".

Do not be alarmed with the "pearl finish" aspect of it. Once applied to the skin, it is more of a satin finish and can become matte if layered on top with a matte contour or bronzer powder.

What is truly cool about this product is how buildable it is and you don't end up looking like an oompa-loompa. On my skin, which is a light golden tan -ish, and this doesn't disappear once I apply it on my skin!! :D.

I definitely recommend checking this out! Go to a store or counter and ask for a demo. That way you get to see how they would apply it on you and you can decide whether you like it or not. It's crazy easy to apply if you have a brush that helps apply and blend at the same time :).

What do you think about this product? Or used anything like it?

I'd love to know your thoughts :),

Bianca

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 46 Liberté - Review and Swatch

I purchased this Chanel Rouge Coco Shine sort of recently from my local Nordstrom and I was swatching colors that were "calling my name" and I fell in love with this one immediately. Like, I did not think twice about it.

What I love about this Rouge Coco Shine is that it is like a tinted balm; depends what shade you get, the pigment is more opaque than others. 

This one I have here to share with you is #46 - Liberté shade and I want to describe this is a very wearable nude with hints of pink, coral, and peach. Sounds like a mish-mash of colors but that's what comes to mind haha. 

 As you can see from the bullet, it looks like it would be a slightly bright coral red but it is extremely sheer.

When you apply it to your lips, it's a no brainer. I never look in the mirror because it's sheer enough to just slap it on but pigmented enough to pull your look together.

As you can see from the swatches, the top one is three swipes of the Liberté and the bottom one is a single swipe.

It can be built up in opacity but don't expect it to eventually layer up to match the color from the bullet.

The wear time of Liberté is not as great as other lip products I own but it's so easy that I do not mind reapplying when I need to. I want to see I get a solid 2-3 hours without eating or drinking anything. But if you do either of those things, it will disappear quite quickly.

I would recommend it if you don't mind reapplying relatively often, don't mind it being a glorified tinted lip balm, and don't mind the price tag of $32-34 (?) of a Chanel Rouge Coco Shine.

Do any of you own others from this range or any Chanel lipstick that is your favorite or must have? Leave them in the comment down below. I'd love to hear from you all :)

Hope you are well,
Bianca :)

Tom Ford Lip Color Shine in #10 Willful - Review and Swatch

I was itching to get another Tom Ford lip product but I wanted to test out the Lip Color Shine range (that kind of reminds me of Chanel Rouge Coco Shines but slightly more pigmented). 

I was swatching up a storm at my local Tom Ford counter and I was torn between Nubile and Willful. I was on the verge of playing it safe and going with Nubile since it was a nude, every day kind of shade but right as I was about to make my decision, I sprung for Willful instead. I'm crazy haha and indecisive. But I'm so glad I went with Willful.

Willful is this bright strawberry red that is PERFECT for this time of year. It really lights up your face in a way I couldn't believe. It gives your complexion this healthy look. Crazy, I know, since it is a lip product but it's the right kind of shade for the spring and summer months.

With the Lip Color Shine range, these retail for $48 (instead of the $49 of the Lip Color range). These line is more hydrating as it has a special blend of oils that conditions and moisturizes your lips.

The packaging on these Shines is thinner and sleeker than the normal Lip Color range. I like both packaging but the Shines actually fit in the little hole/space in my lipstick holder! haha

As you can see, it has that classic mahogany and gold casing. It is quite heavy (for a lipstick) despite the sleeker packaging.

It does not have TF embossed like all the other TF lip sticks which bums me out slightly but you'd wear it down with use anyways :P.

Here is the swatch of that beauty. This is two swipes of Willful and it's pigmented enough to warrant buying or looking at it. It is not a glorified, slightly tinted, lip balm. A lot of the shades in the TF lip range pack a real punch when it comes to pigmentation.

Due to the fact that it is a lip shine, the wear time is not as long. Through drinking and snacking on some munchies, I got a solid 4 hours of wear (compared to almost 7 hours with the Lip Color range).

What do you think of Tom Ford's line? Over hyped? Or do you love it? Let me know your favorites or what you have on your wishlist in the comments :)

Hope you enjoyed this quick review,
Bianca :)

YSL Baby Doll Kiss and Blush in #5 Rouge Effrontee - Review and Swatch

This product has intrigued me since I first heard about these and even more so when my friend (Mallory1712) made a video reviewing them and demo-ing them on her and well...I knew I had to try at least one. (Video Link - Click Here).

I purchased this at my local YSL counter inside of Nordstrom ($40 USD) and this was the color I thought would be great for the Spring and Summer seasons.

This and other shades can be purchased at Sephora (in stores or online) and Nordstrom (in stores or online).

I'm sure you are not surprised at how luxe the packaging looks. I know I'm not ;).

Rouge Effrontee is described as a bright coral-red and it is a gorgeous shade!

The applicator is quite unique. It is slanted a little bit but also has this space/hole where the product gathers. I hope you can see what I am talking about in the pictures.

I do have to say that the product has a soft and creamy consistency that makes blending a breeze. I do suggest blending it in relatively quickly or you might end up with a patchy application.

This is a VERY pigmented product so build up to the intensity you want. The first time I tried this, I went a little heavy handed and looked like a clown haha. But it was easily toned down with my foundation brush and gave my cheeks this beautiful rosy flush to the cheeks.

For me, it wore all day long and faded evenly. This is a plus because I am someone that does not touch up or do anything haha. So it is easy maintenance and beautiful on the skin. It is a soft matte product so do not expect a sheen or shimmer on the cheeks. 

Also, this product layers really easily and does not make other products apply patchy on your cheeks when this is already on. 

On the lips, it is really bright when you apply it. I would apply a sheer layer at first and layer to my desired intensity. This ensures more of a staining effect, even more so and this product lasts 6 hours on my lips through talking, drinking, munching on some food, and just being out and about. 

I hope you found this helpful and if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by, 

Bianca :)

TooFaced Chocolate Bar Palette - Swatches and Review

Well... I gave into the hype.

I held off from buying this palette for a few months but I had store credit to Sephora and thought I would give it a whirl. 

I won't lie to you... I didn't know what to expect with the quality of TooFaced shadows. I have heard good things but I have never ever own any TooFaced palettes. I don't know why haha but I think I preferred the Urban Decay Naked palettes over the TooFaced ones. 

I'm glad I waited though. This is a great palette to get introduced to TooFaced Cosmetics eyeshadows.

Just like everyone else, the packaging box and the palette itself is stickin' cute! TooFaced sure knows how to do cute packaging.

I was lucky to pick up the Chocolate Bar palette with the slimmer packaging. I think TooFaced heard about everyone's complaints about the thickness of the palette's casing. I never saw it so I can't say from experience how significant the reduction in thinness is but I'm glad I waited haha.

When I first saw the palette, I thought that the arrangement of the shadows was odd. I would assume that the larger highlight shades would be on top and the little pans of shadows would be under it. But that is me being nit-picky haha.

When I see this palette, the right side is warmer and the left side is slightly cooler. Just a smidge. I never noticed it during the months of blogs and videos I saw featuring the palette haha.

I wish the names were engraved into the palette like all the other palettes from TooFaced. I truly hate the flimsy little sheet with the names on it. But it is what it is, can' change it.

You can see how cute the names of each of the shadows are though. I definitely win points for creative and cute names for the eyeshadows.

I swatched the eyeshadows by row on my arm without any primer.

 Row 1

 Row 2

Row 3

Thoughts on eyeshadow quality:
- The matte shades are a little powdery and slightly less pigmented. You have to layer the heck out of the shadows to get this to show up but on the bright side, they layer nicely and evenly.
- The shimmery shades are WHOA. They are amazingly pigmented and so incredibly smooth. They can be powdery if you pick up product with a brush but if you tap off the excess, there is no fall out :).
- The microglitter shades are my favorites I think. The little glittery specks don't disappear when you apply them and they are really smooth as well. It adds that extra pop to your look without it being overboard or in your face glittery.

Overall, I think this is a great palette, especially for starters. This palette has some great mattes, shimmers, neutral every day shades. Or a nice palette to compliment other neutral eyeshadow palettes. {Because a makeup addict can never have too many neutral palettes;)}

Hope you enjoyed the review,
Bianca :)

Tom Ford Cognac Sable - Swatches and Review

Oh Cognac Sable... why art thou so beautiful...?

This is one of my favorite quads that I own from Tom Ford. It is one of those that is so versatile. I know you are thinking "You say every time that the TF quads are so versatile" but it's so true!! :)

I absolutely adore the warm tones in this quad. There isn't a matte shade (which is a bummer) but the shades work well together. When you create a look with this quad, it doesn't look like there is too much shimmer or metallic-ness to the look.

The mixture of these shades together really help form, practically, the perfect quad for the summer and leading into fall. It has those warm browns, that bronze "adult" glitter, and a golden beige highlight.

With this quad, it is one of those that you can easily transition from a soft day time look to a sultry bronzey brown smokey eye. Which is what a lot of people look for, in my opinion.

I love how buildable these shadows are. I'm not going to lie, when I first swatched this quad... I thought I got a dud. There was not a whole lot of pigment when I swiped it on my finger and I felt this buyer's remorse instantly haha. But I reminded myself that it is important to see how the eyeshadows perform on the lids and with brushes.

And thankfully, it worked out amazingly once I created a look with it. I post all my makeup of the days on my Instagram, you should probably head on over there and follow if you'd like ;).

This is one of my favorite quads to work with and I get so many compliments when I wear this out. Even my friends and sales associates at my local Tom Ford counter love how I create looks with the quads.

I purchased this at Nordstrom for $78 and I absolutely love it. If you can, see if you can check it out in person. You will fall in love with it!

Thanks for stopping by as always,
Bianca

Tom Ford Orchid Haze - Swatch and Review

So I have here another Tom Ford Quad. I want to add to my master post featuring Tom Ford. I think this was the first or second Tom Ford quad I purchased; hence why it looks used haha. But it is special to me. This is how my obsession with this brand started.

I wanted to show you swatches of the quad and share my thoughts.

This quad features that classic mahogany and gold packaging. Inside, you will see four beautiful eyeshadows and will help create some amazing looks.

The eyeshadows consist of a shimmery champagne/beige, light golden taupe, cranberry/mauve, and a matte eggplant eyeshadow.

The way this quad was put together is really great. It combines shadows that will help create subtle day time looks and helps you transition from daytime glam to a sultry smokey eye.

This quad is for the person that love that versatility in a eyeshadow palette but that isn't all earthy neutral shades.

The purple, taupe, plum colors are suitable for so many people and different eye colors.

The texture of Tom Ford eyeshadows are unmatched. They are so smooth and really pigmented.

What is so nice about these shadows is that they work and blend so well together. They never look muddy, which I have had that problem with other eyeshadows from other brands before.

This quad was released in the Fall 2013 collection and from what I heard, it was limited edition but I see this displayed with the quads in the permanent range. So this could have been moved into the permanent range. Check online or at your local Tom Ford counter/retailer.

Hope you are all well and that you enjoyed this post.

Take care,
Bianca

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in No. 21 - Midnight Brown

This is my first Burberry eyeshadow and I'm in love. They are $29 a pop but in my opinion sooo worth it. You get a whopping 2.5 grams of eyeshadow! AKA it will last you a looong time.

I think this is a shadow that works for all skintones.

Pale/Fair: It can be a one shadow smokey eye or used as a liner.
Medium: a soft, daytime smokey eye or a great darker neutral to pair with lighter shades.
Dark: it will give you are very natural but stunning one shadow look.

This shadow works basically anywhere within your eye look and that is awesome.

The box it comes with is that classic Burberry beige with the silver/pewter wording. The box is made with a more sturdy material compared to other brands. Feels very luxurious in hand.

Inside the box, you will see the eyeshadow packaging with a velvet pouch. The pouch has an embossed/engraving/something that shows off the iconic Burberry pattern.

The packaging on these shades is very luxe and weight-y. It definitely has a weight to it when you hold it. All in all, it feels and looks like a designer makeup item.

When you open it, it comes with a sponge tip applicator and a protective sheet for the mirror.

The Burberry formula on these are so soft and so pigmented. Far from what the name of the eyeshadow suggests. It works so well with other shadows and an amazing one eyeshadow look product.

From what I have seen from this range, all the shadows vary from mattes, satins, and shimmery satins. You will not find any glitter or frost shades in the line. So if you are a huge fan of neutrals and non-frosty eye shadows, this eyeshadow line form Burberry is one to check out.

This eyeshadow is so stunning on its own. It's a warm brown with a sheen and reflects tiny gold particles. This shadow would make hazel and blue eyes just light up and bring them out in a beautiful way. But in general, this is a great "intro to Burberry" eyeshadow too if you are looking to pick up one.

I do plan on purchasing more of these, this is a fantastic range from Burberry and worth checking out. I have swatched almost all of them and every one across the board is smooth, pigmented, and very wearable. You can create some amazing, every day looks using the shadows from this line.

Have you tried any Burberry shadows? I'd love to know your favorites from the line and from the brand in general. 

Hope you enjoy this and hope you are all well.

Talk to you all soon,

Bianca