theBalm Meet Matt(e). Eyeshadow Palette Swatches and Review

     Matte eyeshadows are essential to my everyday eyeshadow looks. Matte colors create realistic depth and shadows. The thing about matte shadows is that they're hard to perfect and a matte shadow that is pigmented, smooth, and blendable does not come by often. In terms of my favorite matte eyeshadows, I've come across a cople from MAC, a couple from NARS, and a few from Too Faced. This time around, I tried our theBalm when they came out with an all out matte palette. So let's Meet Matt(e).

     I'm actually very impressed with theBalm Meet Matt(e) Palette. The palette is of course the quirky kind of vintage theme the company tends to follow and I guess the idea is that all the shadows are named after Matt ________. The packaging is simple cardboard and it's extremely sleek; it has magnetic closure, a mirror, and a two sided brush.
     Now on to the actual shadows. (These shadows are all matte unless I say so.) Matt Smith is an off white cream. Matt Gallagher is a slightly grayed light brown. Matt Ramirez is a neutral to warm dark brown. Matt McDonald is a satin green-dark gray. Matt Horowitz is an almost satin, more matte, muted teal blue-gray. Matt Chung is a off-white baby pink. Matt Batali is a red-toned dark cocoa. Matt Schilling is a muted-murky green. Matt Patel is a taupe. Overall, this palette is great quality. Most of the shades are incredibly smooth and pigmented. I found all of the shades to be extremely blendable, perfect for a hazy smokey eye. The shadows also last all day with a good primer. Now the downfalls are first of all, Matt Chung which I find to be sheer and chalky. All of the shades are also so smooth that you get excess after placing a brush on the product. But other than that, all I have to say is that two of the nine shades in this palette are not completely matte to me.
     I've been testing out this palette for the past week and a half and I really enjoy it. Of course because I am a high schooler and an avid neutral color wearer, I tend to stick with Matt Smith, Gallagher, Ramirez, and Patel. But I have tried a couple colored smokey eyes with the other colors and I'm still impressed. My favorite colors have to be Matt Smith (to even out my lids) and Matt Gallagher + Matt Patel (because I love my taupey crease shades).
     I definitely recommend this palette to people searching for good matte shadows. (:


Thank you very much for reading! Please leave me a comment. Byebye. C:

Video: My Current Top 10 Blushes

     Blush is an essential to makeup if you wearing foundations. Because foundations tend to completely even out, meaning wipe out, the color from your skin, you must restore the color. Of course there are so many blushes, and each person will prefer different colors. For myself, I prefer my peaches and orangey-corals. So this video will show you my top 10 blushes right now. I do expect the list to change, but it won't be extremely drastic and quick, so that's why I felt that I should show you all for now.




So please tell me what your favorite blushes are, I would love to check them out and maybe try colors I've never tried before. In particular, I'm looking for a natural matte warm toned pink that suits light-medium skin tones (warm because I've tried cool tone pink blushes, and I don't love them) and also a more plum colored blush.

Thanks for watching! Please leave me a comment. Byebye. :D

FOTD: Christmas Eve 2011

     I contemplated posting this and decided, in the end, to just do it. I wore this look to Christmas Eve dinner. In the pictures, you'll see a very bronzy-gold look, but in reality, my eyes were much more red and warm. Anyways, here we gooooooo.

     On my face I wore...

Shiseido Urban Environment Protection Cream SPF 35 PA+++

Korres Quercetain & Oak Silicone-Free Anti-Aging Primer

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Fiji

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer in Sand (Returned after using for the Amazing Cosmetics Concealer)

YSL Touche Eclat in No. 8

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

     On my eyes I used...

Urban Decay Original Primer Potion

MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot

Too Faced Natural Eyeshadow Palette (Honey Pot)

MAC Cranberry, Wedge, Espresso Eyeshadows

MAC Feline Kohl Power

Shiseido The Lasting Lift Mascara in Black

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in Black

     On my cheeks I wore...

Dior Amber Diamond Shimmering Face Powder

Illamasqua Lover Powder Blush

Benefit Hoola Bronzer Box Powder

     Lastly, on my lips I wore...

Dior Addict Lipstick in Miss Dior

     Originally, with only the cranberry shade on the lid, I felt it was a bit too bold to my liking, so I went over it with gold which created the bronzy-red color. It was quite a warm eye which was kinda of sultry and smokey for Christmas Eve. I liked it, though I will try to go with the plain cranberry shade next time to see if the lashes tone it down. Oh and also, Christmas Eve was a good day for my Shiseido Lasting Lift mascara and me, don't you think?

     For 2012, I hope to post a bit more regularly that I have been. At least one makeup/beauty related post a week, and if I fail to do so, a couple random pictures of my week. I hope you will all be fine with that. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. Chinese New Year is in less than a month!! And then comes Valentines Day. I love my holidays even though I don't do much with them. (:

 

Thanks for reading! Byebye. :D

Some Cute Things I Got for Christmas/New Years Haul

     So these weren't really my Christmas gifts or anything, just some nick knacks that I received from my friends (and I got some of these myself). Sorry about the crap quality picture, but I wanted to post something today. (:

     So there's some nail polishes and eyeshadows. Guess what they are! Hopefully swatches will come soon.


Thanks for checking in! Byebye. C:
 

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Emerville, Illusiore, and Epatant Swatches and Review

     Happy New Year! Hello to 2012! This is a much overdue swatch and review post. I got these quite a while back, but here are the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Eyeshadows that have been quite raved about in the blog world. I have three in 82 Emerville, 83 Illusiore, and 84 Epatant. Here are some pictures and swatches. (:

     Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadows are mousse/gel/souffle creamy eyeshadows. They come in beautiful shimmery colors, I have three: 82 Emerville is a pinky-peachy champagne, 83 Illusiore is a purple-taupe gray, and 84 Epatant is a khaki green with a bit of a taupe undertone. I would say the most popular in the selection are 83 and 84. The texture is hard to describe because I wouldn't say that it's a cream shadow though you would essentially apply these eyeshadows as cream shadows. If anything, it's definitely a mousse. When you touch the shadows they have a little give and they're really smooth. They feel kind of "silicony" and they glide on like butter. The wear of these shadows are really nice. First of all, they're really easy to apply, and they're quite multipurpose. Second of all, even though I have a little trouble with eyeshadow creasing even with eye shadow primer, these don't crease on me (unless I apply way too much). They last all day without fading as well. To top it off, they have amazing pigmentation.

Note: These are nothing like the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows (which I will review later).

     How you wear these shadows and which shadows you like are really up to preference. These can be applied really sheerly, as they are extremely blendable, but they can be completely opaque as well. The colors you choose are also personal taste. For example, omeone who sticks to neutrals or wants the ultra natural look will probably go for something like Emerville.

     Overall, I really like these shadows, though I do cringe at the price point ($36). However, with that being said, you do get a lot of product that you may not even finish. The packaging is also really luxurious, but that also means it's not travel friendly. And of course, the name of the eyeshadow cannot be overlooked (CHANEL). If anything, I think my best advice if you want any of these is to determine the color you would get the most use out of.

So that's it for this long ass review and I hope the swatches were helpful.

Happy 2012!!!! I hope we all have a good year full of successes, happiness, and of course, LOTS OF SHOPPING. ;P

Thanks for reading! Byebye. >w <'