Urban Decay Smoked VS ELF Smoke Prism Eyeshadow Palettes

Hello again readers!

This is more of a fun post, rather than a full-on review. I was going through my collection and picking out things that have gone bad (which I try to do relatively often) and I took notice on some similar shades in my Urban Decay Smoked palette, and my ELF Smoke Prism Eyeshadow Palettes. I thought that it'd be fun to put them together, and compare the shades.

First off, the packaging for both are great in their own ways, The UD Palette is larger (as it holds more shades!), with a cloth coating and a zipper opening. It's a bit of a hassle to have to unzip it and re-zip it (especially if you *think* that you're finished with your look, only to notice you didn't blend a shadow far enough and it doesn't match up.

The ELF palette is much more sleek, and easier to access. It's smaller, with a matte black plastic packaging. They both have mirrors, but the elf mirror is the entire length of the palette, making it better for the space.

The UD palette has a total of 10 shades, where six of them are shimmery shades, and four of them are matte. The ELF palette has 6 shades, all in a shimmery metallic finish.

The UD palette is better for creating a variety of looks without having to pull in shadows from other palettes. With the addition of the mattes, there are shadows to add definition, transitions, and overall a better look compared to the ELF palette, which I feel needs other shadows pulled in to make the look complete.

The only shadows that I found truly similar were the jewel tones, which are the reasons for this post in the first place. Both palettes have jewel toned violets, blues, and greens

In comparison, the UD shades are more intense, and have a deeper color to them, while the ELF shadows are more muted. It's one of those things that I don't reach for jewel toned shadows often, but if I did I would want them to be incredibly intense.

Both shadows are good quality, easy to blend, and feel really smooth to the touch.

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The UD Smoked palette is unfortunately being phased out. It's a shame, because this is the first mid-ranged palette that i ever wanted to get my hands on, it's the palette that's held my interest for the longest amount of time. It was more expensive (originally $50, down to $30, and you can still find it for $20). Most of the shadows can be bought in singles, which is great if there's only a shade or two that you're interested in.

The ELF palette is a lot more affordable ($10, but if you wait till ELF has a 50% sale you can get it for $5 like I did!) and has a lot more shimmery shades to make really interesting smokey metallic looks.

If you're someone that craves those deep jewel tones, check out the UD singles, they're really interesting and really great pigmentation.

If you're someone who doesn't reach for jewel tones often, or prefer a more muted look, invest in the ELF palette.

Thanks for reading!

Tarte Tarteist Clay Paint Liner

Hello again readers!

I have been holding onto this product since October (I bought it when I was still working at the Haunt!) and I haven't been itching to share my thoughts on it. After working, I stopped using this liner in lieu of other liners that I wanted to use up. Now that I've rotated this back into use, I regret ever letting it go.

This liner was a sort of a "treat". At being $24 a pop, it was something that I was really hesitant on taking the final plunge onto investing in, since before my most expensive liner has only ever been about $10 (and often cheaper, thanks to sales!). 

The packaging was nothing to write home about, it was unnecessarily bulky with the cardboard flap taking up most of the space. I would have preferred a paper insert, or better use of the space on the smaller box instead. Just a waste issue.

Inside the packaging was a plastic tube, and I was surprised to find it came with a brush! The brush is a wooden handle with "gold" metal ferrule and cap for the end of the brush, with a very fine brush tip. The brush has a bit of an angle to it, making it easier to get right against the lash line. The eyeliner is a basic plastic matte black tube, with a gold plastic cap. I really like black and gold color schemes, even if gold has never been my favorite. It looks luxurious without being too over the top.

This liner is unique, in the way that it's dispensed. I was expecting to have to apply the product onto a makeup palette and go from there, but it actually has a dip in the tip to act as a reservoir for product. It's extremely handy, as I NEVER squeeze out too much product (as of yet!). It's always better to use too little and squeeze out more than try to guess how much you need. It doesn't dry up as I'm dipping my brush into the product, which is sweat off my back so I don't worry about the product drying before I can even use it.

The issue I have with the tip, is that it does get dirty with leftover product. I just take a cotton round with a little bit of alcohol (or a q-tip!) and clean it, and also disinfecting it for the next use. It's easy to maintain, just takes a little more effort than some other eyeliners I've ever used.

The product has such a wonderful, creamy consistency. It's not too thick (though it's thicker than anticipated) and it applies incredibly easily. It doesn't go on patchy, and it's extremely easy to get a very fluid line on the lid. It goes on with a sort of velvet sheen, and then dries down to a true matte black. I was really impressed with just how matte the product was, it was like having little black holes on my eyelid! It was intense, and I loved it.

The liner lasted through an intense testing period. While I was working at the Haunt, I would wear it for at minimum six hours, at maximum nine hours, and it would still be perfect (or pretty damn close to perfect) by the time I would go to wash it off. That includes sweat, tears, water being thrown at my face, rain, and rubbing at my face in frustration. I was blown away with how great it was. On a regular day (for everyone who isn't dressing up as a murderous doll) it lasts the entire day. Even if I go to rub at my eyes, it'll last through that abuse. If I continuously rub at my eyes it'll start to smear or flake off, which I have come to accept from every eyeliner I try, but through regular wear and tear? It performs fabulously.

The biggest issue I've had with the formula, is the same issue I generally have with products that come in a squeeze tube: the product separates in the tube. It's an easy fix, smacking it against my palm and sort of kneading the tube with my fingers to mix the product. I've only had ONE day where the formula separated, and since then I haven't had any issues with it (and that was because I had it sitting in disuse while I used other liners).

I love this liner, and it hurts a little bit that I love this so much, because that means I'll want to pick up another one when this runs out! Which, is sad for my poor wallet, but good for my makeup looks!

This liner retails for $24, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good quality, matte black liner.

Thanks for reading!

Pumpkin and Poppy Oak Bark Contouring Powder

Hello again readers!

It's always good to have a lot of options when it comes to makeup, and since I'm a sucker for contouring my cheekbones I like to have a lot of options. I've been picking up taupe and grey shades for ages, and this was a product I really wanted to try.

Pumpkin and Poppy Oak Bark Contouring Powder

The packaging is a 20 gram plastic jar, with sticker labels. The front is the logo and the Etsy shop name, while the back has the name of the product, size, and ingredient list. I don't mind the sticker, but I've already started getting it incredibly dirty with use ...

The best feature of the packaging, is that it comes with a sifter!! It's wonderful, because you don't want too much product coming out at once. I highly suggest that you keep the sifter only open half way (or closed completely if you store this product on its side!) because it's such a finely milled powder that the powder will come out incredibly quickly if you're not careful.

Oak Bark is a cool taupe that's perfect for creating subtle shadows that look natural on the skin. If you apply more layers, you can build up the color but I really enjoy how it makes my cheekbones look with just a small amount. It's incredibly easy to blend too, making it a pleasure to work with.

Make sure to tap off the excess off your brush, because there's been a few times where I neglected to do so and found myself with a bold line running down my cheek.  It's always better to add more and blend as you go rather than add too much.

The biggest downside to this product is that it's not readily available. You can't just go to the drugstore and buy one, you have to order it online and wait. For those who are impatient it might not be worth it for you (especially if you like instant gratification), but if you can manage to wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive I can assure you that you'll enjoy it.

The other downside, was actually rectified ... sort of. While Oak Bark is amazing for those with fair to light skin tones, everyone else seemed to be left in the dust as it could definitely make someone look ashy if they were medium to deep skin tones. Pumpkin and Poppy formulated a new Midnight Oak powder, that caters to light to medium skin tones. A step in the right direction, sure, but for those who have a deep skin tones there is still not a suitable powder available. So for that I will indeed count it as a con.

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You can purchase Oak Bark here for $9.25. It depends where you are, since shipping fluctuates. I calculated what the shipping would be for me, and it was about $2.75, making the product a total of $12. When I bought this, it was $8.75, so they raised the price by 50 cents, which isn't a big deal. I'm a really big fan of this product, and I highly recommend it.

Thanks for reading!

Essence Liquid Lipstick and Pure Nude Foundation

Hello again readers!

I picked up two new Essence products while walking through Target with my boyfriend, and I was really interested in trying them out. A new foundation that's supposed to feel like you're wearing nothing, and a new liquid lipstick? Sign me up!

Essence Pure Nude Make-Up – 10 Pure Beige

The packaging is alright. I'm not a huge fan of plastic packaging that's suppose to allude to the product inside. I would much rather see a clear plastic, so I can see for myself how light (or how dark) a foundation is before I even buy it. The packaging is also really cheap looking. Really, I'm just not a fan of packing that looks like this, since it looks like makeup that a child would play with. You know the toys I'm talking about, the ones without any actual makeup in it, so they use colored plastic to color code what a "product" should be. (Of course, in this day and age the look of toy makeup is becoming more advanced. Lucky kids!)

The most amazing feature of this product is that it comes with a pump! I wish all liquid foundations came with a pump, it's just something that makes the most amount of sense. It's hygienic and easy to distribute product without excess waste. I'd much rather put one pump of foundation onto my palette (or back of the hand) than tip over the container and try to pat out some foundation.

Pure Nude Foundation after oxidizing for one hour

I picked up the lightest available shade: Pure Beige. It was dreadfully dark for me. This would be better suited to someone like my sister, when she's between being pale and being tan, but for me who tends to stay pale throughout the year, I just don't have a use for a shade such as this. To fix this issue, I just added in two pumps of Manic Panic Dream Tone. It did not change the consistency, but it made the color wearable.

I wasn't too pleased with the foundation. It applied well, and looked amazing: at first. Within four hours I was a greasy mess. My skin looked terrible, like I accidentally covered my entire face in highlighter. The foundation broke up in different places all over my face: my nose, my chin, my forehead, and my cheeks! I rarely have a foundation that holds so poorly on my skin that it breaks up on my cheeks. It was such a disappointment because I did like how it looked on my skin upon initial application, but I just couldn't bring myself to overlook such a glaring issue.

It also clung to dry patches. I don't generally have dry patches, but when I do I always notice when a foundation performs this way. It's a foundation that I wouldn't recommend if you have a very oily skin type, nor would I recommend it if you have a very dry skin type. This would be best with combination skin types, in theory.

The last issue I have with this foundation, is that it comes in three shades. All that cater to pale white people. Frankly, it annoys me that I can't find a shade that suits me, but it creates a burning rage when I can't find a shade that won't suit someone with more than a light tan from a tanning salon. Do makeup companies never walk outside? Do they never interact with other people in their lives? There is obviously a lack of foundations for people of color, and makeup lines like this are the reason why. With just three shades? Come on, get with the program.

The Pure Nude Foundation retails for $5.

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Essence Liquid Lipstick – Beauty Secret

I picked up one of the new liquid lipsticks too. The packaging for this one reminded me a lot of the Maybelline Lip Elixers that came out ages ago. This one also has a color-coded cap. I picked the most neutral one available at that particular Target, just to give it a try. The worst part about the packaging, is that while it felt cheap, it really was. I don't know how it happened (perhaps I dropped it?) but the plastic chipped on one of the corners, and I only had it for a week!

The applicator is the most interesting part of the product. It's not a standard doe foot, but rather it has more of a tapered edge. I'm assuming it's so you have two sides with product that you can flip over and get both lips without having to continuously having to dip the applicator back into the packaging for more product. I found that I had to do so anyway, so this design wasn't the best.

I bought Beauty Secret, which was a nice, neutral pink shade. Not too warm, and not too cool. This is a pink shade that I do enjoy wearing on the lips, because the color is very nice on me.

Now, I want to start this off with the fact that just because it says "liquid lipstick" does NOT mean that it must be a liquid to matte lipstick formula! I was assuming it'd be much more like a Rimmel Apocalips lipstick where it would be shiny, and creamy.

No, this lipstick was none of these things. It came out shiny, and sheer. I put one layer, and while the color was there, it wasn't much of an impact. In some places it was streaky, so I had to dip the applicator in the tube to even it out.

This "lipstick", is really just a pigmented gloss. It's not like my much loved NYX Butter Glosses, no. It's a sticky mess! I hate sticky glosses with a passion, while I know some people really enjoy the feeling of them. When I'd press my lips together, and pull them apart, strings of "lipstick" would follow. It wasn't attractive, and gave unnecessary texture to the overall look. This didn't wow me, this didn't even make me satisfied with my makeup. This was just an awful product, that made me take it off just as soon as I put it on.

The Liquid Lipstick retails for about $3.50. I wouldn't recommend it, unless you're a fan of sticky lipglosses, to be honest.

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Thanks for reading!

Hard Candy Velvet Mousse Matte Lip Color - Daffodil

Hello again readers!

I was really hyped up with the new Hard Candy releases for 2016. Hard Candy has never been my favorite, but they do have some really amazing products in their collection, and they just knocked out one of their latest releases right out of the park.

The Hard Candy Velvet Mousse Matte Lip Colors all come in their own individualized tins. There are seven shades in the entire range.

The inside of the tins are a lot nicer than I was expecting. The container has a plastic insert with a sort of velvet feeling material to hold the lipstick. The lid has a full mirror. Look at the size of that thing! It's much bigger than I was expecting! It's incredible if you take the entire tin with you, and use the mirror for application. Although, I won't be doing that myself as I like to just throw one or two lip products in my purse to avoid taking up too much space.

All of the information is printed on a sticker in the back of the tin. Actually, in store, you can open the tins to look at the color more accurately. The downside, is that it's incredibly easy for people to reach in and just pluck out the product since it's held in by a piece of thin plastic, and two pieces of tape. It's easy to tell if it's been tampered with, however, so finding a lipstick that hasn't been broken into is easy (also sometimes frustrating).

The tube is a sleek, slim tube, much like the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks. Same idea, except where the Hourglass has more opaque packaging on the pack, Hard Candy is completely clear, and the metallic cap is silver, rather than a taupe violet shade. It's slim, which would make reaching for more product more difficult in the future.

The applicator is strange. It's very long, and slim. It has two flat sides, and a more pencil-thin appearance on the edges. It's so easy to use the pencil side to line the lips, and use the flat sides for an even distribution of color. I was awed with how much I liked this applicator and it wasn't difficult to get the hang of it at all.

Daffodil is a very warm-toned beige nude. It pulls a little more orange than I prefer, but it still looks incredible. 

The wear time is impeccable, I get about 6 hours before I notice any significant wear. The feeling on the lips is extremely comfortable, and this product doesn't dry out the lips.

It applied just like the Hourglass lipstick did, but it wore so much better. It was very moisturizing, and didn't flake off. I noticed wear more on the inner rim of my lips, and it was made worse if I were to eat something greasy, or if I drank a lot. For a lipstick that's only $6, outperforming a $28 (for a full size) lipstick was a great breath of fresh air.

The shade range isn't that great, to be honest. There's one nude, a few pinks, a couple reds, and a couple of darker tones. It's very sad, because the formula is incredible, but there aren't enough choices to really make these to die for.

If there's a color you like, go for it, I'm sure you wont' be disappointed. I might pick up one more (Dahlia), but I'm not interested in the other shades.

This lipstick retails for $6 for .23 oz.

Thanks for reading!

MUA Lip Colors

Hello again readers!

I wanted to talk about the rest of the goodies that my mate Jess sent over. I was so incredibly thankful that she took the time to hunt down the MUA lip products that I wanted to try, in the shades that I figured would work for me. All of that effort for little old me, I was moved to giggles because I was just so excited to tear into the packaging and try them out for myself. Some I loved, some where okay, so let's dig in, shall we?

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PowerPout Acrylic in Wondrous

The first in the line up is the MUA PowerPout Acrylic in Wondrous. Now the packaging is sort of strange in a way. Instead of a typical round container, it's more like a rectangular shape. I don't mind it, but unless I'm keeping it one of my insert storage containers, it makes it a little bit of a hassle to store. It's just a little strange, but not a huge deal. It's not the outside that counts, but the inside ... right?

The product uses a typical doe foot applicator. I really like this method (because let's be honest, sometimes a doe-foot just doesn't do the product justice as it can wipe off product you just laid down) for this formula, since the formula is rather pigmented and almost a wet consistency.

The color is one of those nudes that I really love; a warm toned beige pink. I can't get enough of this shade (as most of the shades I chose to try are almost the same, just different formulas!) so it wasn't a disappointment. It applied evenly in one go, and spread over the lips without any issues at all.

The formula was really nice. I was expecting this lipstick to slide all over my lips, leave the lip line, and just become a big ol' mess, but that never happened. True, it transferred if I drank something, and would smear off if I ate, but just from general wear and tear it wasn't bad at all. It faded evenly, and wore for about two hours before I noticed that it wore down significantly. For a lipstick that's such a creamy formula, I was expecting it to fade within an hour. Major props for this one.

The product smells like cake ... a chemical cake. It has a scent like pefume meets a bakery. It's not an offensive smell, and I rather like it, but it's not like a pure cake scent (like how the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams smell like cake). It's one of those things that I like that they at least tried to make it smell sweet instead of minty (which is my #1 hate for lip products).

The MUA PowerPout Acrylic retails for £3.50 (about $5) for .16 oz, and I suggest picking one up and giving it a try.

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MUA Luxe Metallic Liquid Lipstick in Luster

Luster was the wildcard. I didn't have anything else like it in my collection, and it was just so much fun that I had to have it! The lipstick is packaged in a square container with a gunmetal grey metallic lid. It's very "luxe" and looks really expensive, which I like.

The applicator is a standard doe foot, though I'm curious how it'd look if it was applied with a brush applicator instead.

Lustre is a very beautiful neutral metallic shade. It has a bit of silver and taupe in it, making it a very unique shade. It really reminds me of the frosty/metallic lipsticks from the 90's! Really stoked to have this in my collection.

I wore this out when I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and while it didn't last through the entire movie (well, some of it did), it got me to the theater and to my seat without any issue. I find that this lasts me about 2 hours before I need to reapply, but when it starts fading it's not the most unattractive look (compared to a matte lipstick where if you get inner lip wear, it's really noticeable!) ever, and it's easy to add another layer and go on with my life.

The formula was nice but strange. It applied to the lips easily, and has a slick formula. The weird part about this formula, is that it's in the middle of sheer, and opaque. You can wear this on it's own, and you can see a bit of your natural lip color peaking through when you shift the angle of your face, or you can layer it over other lipsticks for different looks. It can go both ways, and it's excellent.

The scent of this one (perhaps because of the pigment) smelled far less like cake, and far more like chemicals. I don't notice the smell of this one when it's worn on the lips, but that's something to note.

This lipstick retails for £4 (about $5.70) for .23 oz, and I'd recommend this if you liked strange lip colors. I know I'm interested in a couple other shades from this range.

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MUA Luxe Whipped Velvet in Spry

I haven't heard many reviews of this, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Would it be matte? Satin? Semi-matte? Who knew! I was just excited to put it all over my lips. This product has a more traditional liquid lipstick packaging, with just a round tube. Easy to store and display.

The applicator is a standard doe foot. I like it for this formula, because honestly if it was a brush, it'd be too overwhelming.

Spry is a warm beige pink nude. When I first swatched this product, I was sure I would hate it. It applied streaky and sheer, and I was so confident that it would be a product I'd try out, and then would never touch again. I was so, SO wrong. This product is sheer, yes, but in such a good way that just works. It adds just the right amount of color to the lips without being overwhelming, and it looks natural. It looks like I'm barely wearing any lipstick at all, it just evens the tones in my lips and makes them look healthy and alive (whereas sometimes my lips are really pale because blood doesn't always want to pump through them properly).

It dries down to a very satin finish, looking more like my actual lips than makeup. On top of that it lasts for about four hours, as long as I don't eat or drink anything. The formula will transfer if it comes into contact with anything!

The formula for this lipstick also smells like cake, which is a good thing for someone like me who prefers sweet scents to their lip products!

This product retails for £3 (about $4.30) for .20 oz, and I'd recommend this product in a heartbeat. 

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MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Laquer in Tranquility

I was really excited for this one, because I've heard good things about the Velvet Lip Laquers. I picked Tranquility, because I knew I'd at least like the color, if I ended up disliking the formula. The packaging is a standard tube, with a frosted plastic finish and a metallic gold cap. Now this one too, looks luxurious.

This product also has a standard doe foot applicator.

Tranquility is a beige pink neutral shade, that dries down to a completely matte finish. Depending on how much product you apply, will affect the amount of time it will take to dry. The formula has a liquid consistency, making it easy to get a nice, even application all over the lips before it starts to set.

This color wasn't a good choice, in my opinion. It looks nice on me, but it's very light, so you can see every line on the lips. It doesn't seem so bad, but this formula is incredibly drying, so you will have a large amount of lip lines that are incredibly noticeable on such a light formula. Did I mention these were drying? Even on me, I found that these could be uncomfortable at times, and I think the ColourPop formula isn't drying! So if you find yourself dreading wearing a ColourPop liquid lipstick, stay far away from this one. I always moisturize before, and after wearing this lipstick.

This product has a stranger scent than the others, not like cake at all, rather it's more fruity. You can kind of smell it if you're doing a duck-lips pose where your upper lip is close to your nose soon after applying, but otherwise I don't smell this at all. It doesn't really linger.

Tranquility retails for £3 (about 4.30) for ... well, to be honest I have no idea how much product you get. I've checked the site, and they don't have it listed. I wouldn't recommend this shade because of the issues I had. I do however want to try a few other shades from this range, so I think I'll give a couple others a try and see how I like them.

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Overall, I like all of them. Do I love them all? No, I only really love two of them (Lustre and Spry), but they're all worth a try. They're great quality lipsticks, for a great price! I'm really happy with what Jess sent me, she's a goddess!

Thank you so much for reading!

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush - Rose Champagne

Hello again readers!

So many brands have released new products for 2016, and Wet n Wild is no exception. Wet n Wild released SO many new goodies that I'm still trying to keep myself in check. It's so easy to go over-board with "new," but I don't need to buy as excessively as I did when I was first starting out (when I'd buy every color ...).

They relaunched their ColorIcon blushes in new, sleek packaging. With a new bonus color: Rose Champagne. Now, I have all of the others, but this one immediately caught my eye, and what better way to give a new relaunch a try, than a color I knew I'd love.

The new packaging is leagues more attractive than the old; a clear plastic window to see the accurate color of the blush, with black plastic "iding the unsightly brush.

To be honest, I never keep my brushes to my blush in the packages. I've tried them out, and I don't find them to blend out my blush nearly as well as my blush brushes, so it just ends up making unnecessary noise. Since the brush is also scratchy, it found the way right into the rubbish bin.

Rose Champagne is such a beautiful neutral blush. I was really impressed immediately because when I first got the blush I had to swatch it (which I almost never do, I like to take photos of the blush first ... so I conveniently cropped out the corner that I swatched the blush from, for full disclosure) and found the powder to be very finely milled, and incredibly soft to the touch. 

Rose Champagne is a nice neutral pink with gold shimmer. It can be applied lightly for a more sheer look, or layered to look more opaque. It looks really natural on my skin, and I can make it work no matter the look I'm going for (over the top or natural). I was really impressed with the staying power, since it lasted all day on my skin. No surprise, since I really liked Pearlescent Pink from the original line.

The only thing I don't like about this product, is the gold shimmer. It adds a nice effect since it looks natural with a nice glow to it, but sometimes I found the shimmer would settle into my pores and it was just not a cute look.

The blush retails for $3, with .2 oz of product. It compares to the original ColorIcon blushes, where they were $3 for .14 oz of product. So, with the new launch, you get more aesthetically pleasing packaging, and more product for your money! I'm really pleased with this change because these blushes are really amazing in quality, and very affordable.

Thanks for reading!