KAT VON D ALCHEMIST PALETTE

I recently purchased the Kat von D Alchemist Holographic Palette from Sephora. What was one released for VIBs only was eventually released to the public and is now sold out on the Sephora website (SORRY!!!)

After reading lots and lots of comments, I decided to take the plunge. The slight drama around this palette was that it was wildly similar to Anastasia's Moonchild palette (which I do not own) and many people did not feel it necessary to own both. Although Kat has released word that she has been working on the formula for this palette for seven years, many felt it was a direct rip-off of ABH.

The other popular complaint was that the pans were too small. While they are small (average eyeshadow pan size), I will never make my way through a full shade. Anastasia's pans are so big and unrealistic that I didn't mind KVD's being smaller.

As for the actual product, compared to Moonchild, this KVD product is smoother and a better all-around product. That is what ultimately led me to buy it.

The packaging is great. I'm not too big on packaging and I will most likely depot these from the packaging eventually but it is very pretty. The white triangular palette has a slight holo reflect on the front and although it looks like plastic in photos, the body of the palette is paper-based. Think back to the original Naked palette to understand what I mean.

There were more complaints about the pans being round instead of triangular and while triangular pans would be soooooo cool, round pans work for me since again, I will eventually depot these.

The Alchemist palette is a buttery, smooth collection of four shades that are meant to be used as highlighters, eyeshadows, lip toppers and anything else you can think up for them. Without killing the "vs. Moonchild" topic, I think this palette took the four best shades from ABH, perfected them and released them.

I can't wait to create endless looks with these shades and have already thrown blue saphyre on as a highlight twice since purchasing (check insta— @beautymunson— to see!)

LIME CRIME DIAMOND CRUSHERS IN TRIP, CHOKE + LIT

Ooooooo baby I am EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll admit it. I have been going a liiiiittle crazy with makeup purchases this year. Anything I want, I buy. Aside from the obvious spending that my attitude requires, the more important issue is that when I feel like spending, I don't have anything else that I want to buy! This has led me to buying some regrettable products but also I've been able to broaden my horizons and have gotten some things that I wouldn't have prioritized and thus, purchased in the past.

A prime example of that last sentence are some of my most recent pick-ups.. Lime Crime's Diamond Crushers in Trip, Choke and Lit. To say I'm impressed by these would be a large, huge understatement.

Diamond Crushers are the more fun sibling of Jouer's Skinny Dip and Tan Lines lip toppers. They're liquid heaven that can be put over liquid lipsticks or simply on bare lips as well as the cheekbones and eyes. They dry down (!!!) and are water-based so there is no excess tackiness adding gross texture to your application zone.

On top of the product itself blowing me away, I was caught off guard by how much I adore the packaging. I'm not even a packaging kinda gal. I usually do not care at all but these come in the most elegant, luxurious feeling tube with BEAUTIFUL pink foiled effect lid. I get entranced holding onto these babies.

Trip is a blue iridescent in a purple base. Choke is a blue iridescent in a clear/pinkish base. Lit is a gold shimmer in a coral/pink base. Out of the three, Choke is the best to wear alone for a barely there effect and Lit is the best to wear alone to get the most coverage. The coral/pink base in Lit makes it good enough to replace a lipstick (coverage-wise).

I swatched each color on bare lips and overtop of two lipsticks out of my collection that I felt the Diamond Crusher would pair well with. Here they are:

Trip over Bangkok SMLC by NYX is unreal. Favorite combo out of them all.

As you can see, Lit overpowers anything that you put it over. I couldn't seem to figure out how to sheer it out. It's meant to be the star of its show.

It's a rare time when I purchase three products of something I've never tried out before but this time it definitely paid off. There are three more colors that I also want to try out.


TL; DR GO BUY THESE.

TARTE AMAZONIAN CLAY BLUSH PALETTE COLOR WHEEL

Hi again!!

I am so excited to share with you Tarte's new limited edition blush palette wheel. I picked this up from Sephora for only $44!!!!! SO cheap. I decided to start shopping around for a good blush palette this past week because I have been wanting to fill in the gaps in my makeup collection. Blush is one of the few things that I haven't dove into fully and I wanted a palette with ranging shades and finishes. This palette was IT. Between these 10 shades there are mattes, lustres and two highlighters.

Although pretty, the packaging is not my favorite. I like the double-sided wheel thing but I'm not into the purple front. But I'm not big on packaging anyway so it's not a huge deal for me.

Do you see how beautifully these swatch? I am just in awe. I was totally telling myself that I was going to return this before I even received it in the mail because I thought that I was wasting my money on something that wouldn't be very good quality. For the record, I am no longer going to return it.

Here are the shades swatched on my arm with the names alongside. My photo two above shows the shades a little more true, so look there. Then check out the one with the names.

From Tarte's website, here are the kinds of colors we're dealing with:

• Mod is a peach coral
• Deco is a poppy pink
• Surreal is a hot pink
• Culture is a coral shimmer (so pretty. coral with gold is my favorite)
• Idol is a nude shimmer
• Icon is a dusty rose
• Montage is a pink mauve
• Ironic is a dusty rose
• Crafty barely shows up on my arm because it's a very light, pale pink shimmer
• and Concept is a pink nude

I can't get over how pigmented these are and I'm really excited to branch out from my MAC 'Melba' blush that I pair with every single look that I wear. If you're in need of a large variety of cheek shades, DEFINITELY pick this palette up.

NYX LIP LINGERIE IN 'BABY DOLL' AND 'EMBELLISHMENT'

…..
Introducing…..
2015's Biggest Disappointment Award…
….to NYX's Lip Lingeries!!

I got swayed into loving these from Mariah from TheGalsGuide and was so so so so so excited for so so so so so long to get these in the mail from Ulta (especially Embellishment) but wow. What a let down. I actually wanted these so badly that I got impatient on Saturday (I got my package the following Tuesday) and searched at FIVE CVS stores around my city and spent a huge chunk of time driving far out from where I actually live looking for these and all of the stores either didn't carry them yet or were reworking their NYX section of their makeup aisle so everything was "in the back" and for some reason were unable to track them down for me back there.

I get my package on Tuesday and I immediately throw on Baby Doll to see how it looks. To my surprise, I actually liked the color on me. I figured I was going to need to exchange it for another tone. It actually looked great but.. as I went to add a second layer since the first wasn't fully covering my lips, I realized the product was sticking to itself. Eventually, my lips were sticking to themselves. Figuring that I was only supposed to be putting one layer of product on, I went to take it off and reapply.

Well. This shit doesn't come off. Not in a "omg wow this stuff doesn't come off even when I eat a sandwich with it!!!' it just didn't come off. Not with water. Not with makeup remover. Barely even with RUBBING ALCOHOL. These seem to be very similar to the Jeffree Star and Anastasia liquid lipsticks (from what I've heard) and maybe I'm just not the type to like these stick-and-stay-on-for-days products but.. I didn't like 'em. Chalk five on the disappointment board. Here are the colors on the lip pre-sticking:

I then figured maybe 'Baby Doll' was just formulated poorly. Nope. 'Embellishment' was just as bad. Which blows because the colors are really cool and I was really digging this line before trying them out. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. These definitely were losers and are going straight back to Ulta where they came from, sadly. I'll leave the severe liquid lipstick trend to the men and women of Instagram.

Have you guys tried any of these Lip Lingeries out? Did you have the same issues I had? PLEASE let me know because I am so baffled!

LORAC POCKET PRO PALETTE

After a sudden surge of feeling dramatic and creative, I've been playing around with a lot of eyeshadow looks that involve taking the shadow out further out and attempting the "soft wing" trend. My Urban Decay shadows just haven't been cutting it and I realized that I really missed the blendability and depth of my deeper LORAC shadows.

I decided to pick up this lil' baby LORAC Pocket Pro Palette from Ulta. It's the only three shades I would ever need to create a simple, go-to, every day look. In the same shipment I also got a Z Palette. Let's just say… depotting LORAC shadows is a big no-no. They're too soft. I lost a lot of shadow in the depotting process but hey, what can ya do. I definitely didn't want to have to keep track of this tiny mini palette. That being said, I took some pictures before I ruined them for good:

And just because I know that those pictures don't mean anything unless you can see what they look like swatched and applied, here are some photos of these beautiful shadows in action:

It's unbelievable how buttery "Nude" and "Espresso" are. I don't know how LORAC does soft, pigmented shimmery nudes so well but man, they definitely are the best.

This trio has been needing to join my army for awhile and now that they have, they will be stars on days where I don't want to think about my shadow combos. They blend in an instant, complement each other so nicely and pair well with any cheek/lip combo.

MAKEUP OF THE DAY - 2/27/16

Eyes: 

-Benefit Stay Don't Stray primer

-Urban Decay eyeshadows in "Sin", "Busted", "Tease" and "Blackout"

-NYX Roll-on shimmer in "Salmon"

-Stila Stay All Day liquid liner

-MAC False Lashes Extreme mascara

-Urban Decay eyeshadow in "Secret Service" (brows)

Face:

-Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer in "Fair"

-MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in "Light"

-MAC Pro Longwear concealer in "NW15"

-MAC Studio Sculpt Defining powder in "Delicates"

-NYX blush in "Taupe" (as blush for once)

-Colourpop Super Shock highlighter in "Lunch Money"

-KIKO Milano Beam of Light highlighter in "01"

-NYX Dewy Finish setting spray

Lips:

-Colourpop Lippie Stix in "Tootsi"

-Maybelline ColorSensational in "Bare All"

This is my first try for this new "monochromatic" makeup trend that I've seen popping up everywhere. How does it look? Is it even monochromatic…. oh well. I tried. Hope you like it!

URBAN DECAY MOONDUST EYESHADOW IN "SOLSTICE"

Last week I gave into the deep red-brown toned/teal duochrome obsession that I have. For a third time. I should have known better, yes but does that ever stop me when it comes to beauty? Nope.

So here's the newest addition to my collection: the Urban Decay Moondust eyeshadow in "Solstice".

From one angle it's a beautiful purple-y berry shimmer pot (see above) but from a straightforward view it's a metallic teal wonderland (see below). It does not have an overwhelming amount of pigment within it with all of it's metallic and chrome finishes battling themselves to apply to your eye. That being said, this product is best applied wet. It helps the most of the product stick to your eye and gives it the staying power it needs to stay vibrant for hours.

I was curious how this stacked up next to my two other similar shadows, MAC's "Blue Brown" pigment and Colourpop's eyeshadow in "Kindness". MAC's once-hyped pigment has either lost it's luster over it's time in my possession or simply pales in comparison to my other two newer babes. Compared to Colourpop's "Kindness", Urban Decay fell flat. However, they are both two different finishes with CP's being more of a wet cream and UD's being a powder. 

From L to R: MAC "Blue Brown" pigment, Urban Decay Moondust eyeshadow in "Solstice", Colourpop eyeshadow in "Kindness"

In my look in my last post I layered Colourpop with Urban Decay on top to add extra vibrancy.

While I initially thought I had three very, very similar shadows on my hands, I really don't. They all kind of do their own thing and work in their own ways. I'm so happy about that, too…. because I hate duplicates in my collection ;)

Have a wonderful weekend!

MAKEUP OF THE DAY - 2/25/16

Eyes:
-Benefit Stay Don't Stray eye primer
-Urban Decay eyeshadows in "Naked" and "Buck" in the crease
-Colourpop eyeshadow in "Kindness" on lid
-Urban Decay Moondust shadow in "Solstice" on lid
-NYX eyeshadow in "Rust" on outer corner/blended into crease
-Stila Stay All Day liquid liner
-Urban Decay eyeshadow in "Secret Service" (brows)

Face:
-Benefit The Porefessional primer
-Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer in "Fair" (undereyes)
-MAC Pro Longwear concealer in "NW15" (face)
-MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in "Light"
-MAC Studio Sculpt Defining Powder in "Delicates" (bronzer)
-Colourpop Super Shock highlighter in "Lunch Money"
-Kiko Milano Beam of Light highlighter in "01"

Lips:
-NYX lip liner in "Nude Beige"
-Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in "Bare All"

Review on the Urban Decay "Solstice" shadow coming this weekend! What do ya think about this look? I think I've finally nailed the brown/red/teal duochrome shade. It's hard to work with but sooo beautiful!

QUAY X AMANDA STEELE 'MUSE' SHADES

Hey. What's up. Let's listen to a story, shall we?

I initially fell in love with Quay's collaboration with YouTube darling Amanda Steele (or makeupbymandy24) when they first released. Not realizing how popular they would be, I didn't anticipate a quick sell-out and lost out on them. I figured I lost them for good but decided to sign up for Quay's newsletter... just in case.

Fast forward some sort of amount of time and I got an email one morning saying that the MUSE shades were BACK IN STOCK! I quickly jumped on my computer to check them out but this time talked myself out of the $60 purchase because of the $10 shipping. How does shipping have that power over us? I know I'm not the only one who has had that happen to them.

They sell out again. Now fast forward to this week and I was online shopping on Nasty Gal and MUSE WERE ON THEIR SITE!!!! Turns out Muse is on everyone's site. Including Quay's. They aren't so limited edition anymore..... classic. Anyway, finally decided to buy them because Nasty Gal offered free shipping so I didn't have an excuse.

Now, I like 'em. But I have this weird feeling that I'm not "cool Instagram girl" enough for them, ya know? They seem just a tad bit too large for my face. I'm working on figuring out if I like them or not and have truly never been SO 50/50 torn on something in my life.

Do you guys like them???? Lemme know in the comments or on Instagram! @beautymunson

MAKEUP OF THE DAY - 7/16/15

A different eyeliner technique! !! !!!! !!!!!!! !!

I'm obsessed. I wanted to wear a thicker liner today but didn't want to look too intense so I was playing around with ideas and came up with this technique! I used my Stila liquid liner to define the outer wing and to line the rest of my lash line verrrrrrry thinly. Then I took my blackest eyeshadow by Urban Decay and a short bristled shadow brush and thickened up the wing while keeping the look soft and faded it towards the center of my lid.

This could have gone either way but I LOVED it and will totally be wearing this out for the next couple of days.

Products used:

Eyes

Urban Decay eyeshadow in 'Straycat'

Stila Stay All Day liquid liner

Urban Decay eyeshadow in 'Blackout'

L'Oreal Miss Manga Rock mascara

Brows - Urban Decay eyeshadow in 'Secret Service' (Excuse the non-groomed hairs)

Face

Benefit The Porefessional primer

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer in 'Fair'

MAC Studio Sculpt Defining Powder in 'Delicates'

MAC blush in 'Melba'

Let me know how you like this look below!