Smashbox Master Class 2 | Review & Swatches

The first time I had ever walked into a Sephora was when I first eyed this beauty.. the Smashbox Master Class 2 palette. I wasn't sure about it but when I found out the value I knew I had to have it. Definitely something that would come in handy for traveling (next time!) & in a makeup kit.

 

The Smashbox Master Class Palette 2 offers a huge range of eyeshadows, cream eyeliners, blush & highlighters; a great set for a beginner who is not really sure how to put together colour combinations &so they also don't have to spend up on lots of different products. 

Packaging: Encased in a hard case that is very similar to a book with how it feels & how it opens up with eyeshadows on the left, cream eyeliner, blush & highlighters on the right. The magnet is strong enough to keep the palette from opening by itself in your makeup bag. The colours are named on the plastic sleeve that protects the products on each side from coming into contact when it is closed,
which can be tucked underneath out of the way when using the palette.

Pigmentation: Although the shimmery & darker eyeshadows are pigmented they do need a base as I find it doesn't take long for them to start fading & they need a bit of a kick to get started. The lighter matte shadows do take a few swipes to show up. Cream eyeliner applies a bit patchy but it just needs a couple of layers & should be set with similar coloured eyeshadow. The Blush & highlighters are extremely pigmented & show up on first swatch.

Texture: Matte eyeshadows can come off a bit chalky & but the shimmery ones apply really smoothly & everything is easy to blend. Cream eyeliners have a perfect consistency where they glide on really easily & make for great bases underneath shadows. Blush feels very similar to the eyeshadows & the highlighters have a very shimmery finish without chunky glitter.

 Swatches

 Column 1 'Head Shot': Linen, Golden Orchid, Chestnut

    2 'Heliograph': Nectar, Peacock, Mocha

           3 'Focal Point': Champagne, Flamingo, Java

       4 'Quick Take': Vanilla, Ambient, Serpent

 1 'Cover Shoot': Flirt, Dusk, Haze

2 'Hyperfocal': Mist, Rose, Obsidian

3 'Vignette': Parfait, Amethyst, Aubergine

4 'Aristotype': Opal, Anchor, Ultramarine

 Top (bottom of left side in palette): Bliss, Wheat, Sable, Blackout

Bottom (Top of right side): Bronze, Midnight Purple, Picasso,Caviar

 Top: Carnation, Flush, Geranium

Bottom: Rosy, Suntan, Warm Apricot

 Lens, Shimmer

Overall, my favourite thing in this palette would have to be the blush. It would be so much more easier to go traveling and not having to bring 4 different blushers with you! I also like how the eyeshadows are set out in groups of 3 for a lid, brow bone & crease colour & each group has their own name for the type of look they could present, and then they have the classic blending colours that can be added to any look.
Something I don't get is the peachy toned highlighter, it looks like you've applied your blush too high, but the skin toned one is perfect. Instead of that highlighter, the bronzer which is among the blushes would be perfect in that place because of all things probably needs to be a decent size.

I am pretty sure this palette is limited edition so I apologize for that but I'm sure if you do miss out, they will release another one in the future.
You can pick this up from Sephora (once again, sorry to those in the Southern Hemisphere) for $59 and it has a $275 value, which means you get 40 different products for $1.47 each! I've also seen it on eBay for $79 which is still decent but it will most likely go up, so it pays to shop around.

I'd recommend this palette if you feel the need for extra shades & for a convenient palette but honestly I think many are very dupable as well, or f you'd rather have everything in one palette then this would be perfect!

xx

Too Faced Pretty Rebel | Review & Swatches

One of my favourite buys would have to be the Too Faced Pretty Rebel palette. Just look at it and you'll know why! I was so excited when I saw Thatgirlshae on Youtube use it & then realize that I was able to access it! Woot! Unfortunately it is Limited Edition so I am unsure if it is still around but if you are able to get your hands on this palette then do so if you're into dramatic, glittery makeup. Let's get on with it!

Packaging: kfnsbhr Just omg as if the packaging is not enough to make you want this palette! I adore the gold glitter, the black ribbons, the writing, just everything. It is very sturdy & compact enough for traveling, and not as long but as wide as the Naked palettes to give you an idea of size. It comes with a decent sized mirror, too.

Texture: There are two matte & 8 shimmery shadows, & a couple with hints of glitter. They are similar to the Urban Decay Naked palette shadows, buttery smooth but not crumbly unlike how Stila shadows can be.

Pigmentation: The swatches down below do not have a base & are only two swipes so you can see just how pigmented everything is. The matte cream colour is a little bit chalky but once under a base it comes up nicely. You probably could survive without a base & have them last all day, too.

Colours: There is a great selection of more neutral, blending colours to duochrome & dramatic colours so you can create different looks, but the selection is best for those who prefer colour & drama.

The back of the box that it came in

Swatches

L-R 1st Row: Dainty, Charming, Girly, Totally Fetch, Miss Sparkles

             2nd: Ringleader, Gangsta, Instigator, Badass, Jailbird

Faves: Totally Fetch, Badass, Jailbird. Unfortunately Girly turns out more brown than green & when Miss Sparkles is patted on top of a sticky base the sparkles show up more.

Unfortunately to Australians Too Faced is harder to come by, but please share if you know of any websites. You can get this palette from Kit Cosmetics for $59.95 which isn't too bad of a price, I've found this palette on the American eBay for around $45 & it's still on the Sephora website for $46 if you are keen to use a USA address forwarding website. (I've considered it for something else but still unsure of them).
Edit: Thanks Mishelle for letting me know you can also get this off of Beautybay for $66.50 with free shipping.
What do you think of this palette? I'll definitely be doing lots of looks with this in the future!

xx

Lancome Travel Chic Golden Edition | Review & Swatches

My lovely Mother-in-law got me the Lancome Travel Chic palette from her travels in Europe which is exclusive for Duty Free at the airports. I actually included this in my What's in My Makeup Travel bag post but then decided afterwards, is it worth me taking? I was always going to bring my Naked 2 palette but I thought I'd better test it out to see if I would actually use it.

Firstly how stunning is the case!! It's a beautiful sequined gold clutch with a mirror basically the size of the lid, which is perfect for traveling. It has everything that you may need for a couple of days; a variety of 6 eyeshadows, a mini mascara, two lip glosses, a blush & a translucent face powder & also a few mini brushes.

The eyeshadow choices are perfect for creating simple looks and when you're on holidays you rarely want to spend a lot of extra time doing your makeup. The mascara you get is a mini version of the famous Hypnose mascara (I haven't tried it before so I can't comment on that). I like the way everything has been set out and the plastic casing is sturdy.

The variety of eyeshadow colours are good for creating day or night looks & feel buttery in the pan but don't come off very pigmented & a bit chalky as I wore them, and while they are pretty colours, I'll be buying a lot of palettes so in the end I may not even wear these. The lip glosses are nice but very sheer and not something I'd be able to reapply, but the blush is a gorgeous universal colour and on the face shows up nicely. The powder is also handy to have.

 The makeup tray is actually removable, so you can use this as a clutch out! I would just be terrified of the mirror smashing if I were to accidentally drop it, though.

The Good

• The range of colour choices
• The stunning packaging
•  Having a mini mascara
• Versatility of the clutch

The Bad

•  Poor pigmentation with the eyeshadows
• Mini brushes too useless to do anything with them

Overall this would be a very handy travel palette to take if you were only going for a couple of days & were really limited on what you could bring, but I already have most of the eyeshadows I need in my Naked 2 palette, and as I said I will be buying other products that I may tend to gravitate towards anyway. But for a weekend away I would use this, any time! I also think it would be nice to have in a makeup kit for brides.

Have you tried any of the travel palettes that you can get through Duty Free?
xx

Product given as a personal gift, not a sponsored review!

Caviar & Bubbles | Review & FOTD

I hope everybody is doing well! Firstly as Google Reader is closing down in a couple of weeks, I would appreciate it if you were able to follow me through Bloglovin so you can keep updated! It sucks how hard everybody has worked to gain followers to have it taken away! Anyhow, let me know if you have followed & I will make sure I have followed you.

In a previous post I showed one of my newer purchases, the Caviar & Bubbles (AKA Champagne & Caviar) palette from Nyx, so I've been playing around with it in the past couple of weeks and here's what I think of it!

The Palette
Packaging: In a sturdy compact palette with a large mirror, perfect for traveling.

Colours: 5 matte & 5 shimmery neutral eyeshadows which mostly leans towards a cool tone. Most of the light shimmery colours are very similar to each other in the swatches/ pan but come out different on the eyes.
Pigmentation: Fairly pigmented with one swipe but I'd still recommend a base to make the most of the colours. The matte colours can come off a little bit chalky & not as pigmented so a base would prevent that.

Swatches done without base & one swipe

Longevity: I always use a primer anyway so I find these last well on me but I think they would fade easily without one!
Price: $10 from Cherry Culture but prices depend on where you're buying from.

FOTD

 Face | Rimmel Wake Me Up & Stay Matte powder, Nars Laguna & MAC Lightscapade, Nyx Angel blush
Eyes | Nyx Caviar & Bubbles palette: Lid: 1 Crease: 2 Blending: 3 Outer V/ Slightly under eyes: 4 Highlight: 5
Sleek Gel liner, Nyx Wonder Pencil, Maybelline One by One mascara
Lips | Sleek Pout Paints in Pinkini & Peachykeen

Overall I really like this palette, but I'm uhmming & ahhing over whether I really need any more neutral colours that I can easily get from my Naked 2 & Day & Night palette, but for the price the quality is pretty good, so I would definitely recommend this. 

Have you tried any of the Runway palettes from Nyx before?
xx

Inglot & MAC Haul & Swatches

We went up to the city for a birthday on the weekend. I had planned to haul even though I'm on my "unofficial no-buy" but it was going to be every second month anyway & I haven't bought anything since mid July (lets forget that one lipstick, though... :))

I've always walked past the Inglot in Garden City (Booragoon, Perth) but new I needed to buy more Inglot ever since last time :) I was looking through every thing & was only going to buy a 5 piece freedom palette until they told me apparently Inglot is shutting down in Perth?? There are only 2 counters in Karrinyup & Booragoon so if you live in Perth, get down there before October 11!  W.A gets so hard done by for everything and now they want to take away Inglot. :(  But since they have only had just over a months notice I'm hoping they are going to build a bigger & better shop. (maybe, we can wish though)

The ladies who helped me were so helpful.. I had a list on my phone of some numbers but that got too hard :P. I especially wanted colours that I didn't have anything like (as you do) although it was so overwhelming that I picked a couple that I might have similar colours to already -.-.  I *cringe* accidently dropped a tester face down onto the counter and felt soo bad but she said it was fine & it happens all the time.... swept it up in the bin... I was kicking myself because I should have asked to get it put into a jar & payed for it anyway! At the end she also offered to put them into the palette for me but where's the fun in that :P

...Onto the haul & swatches ...

 If you don't know much about Inglot, The shade names are arranged into 5 finishes;

"Matte, which has no sheen or shimmer.
Pearl, which has both shimmer and sheen and is my personal favourite.
Double Sparkle (or DS) is a satin formulation with microfine shimmer.
AMC is similar to DS but with less sparkle, the shimmer is few and far in between.
AMC Shine is a more metallic/frosty finish eyeshadow with a high level of sheen."

Quoted from one of my fave bloggers- Karima at shameless-fripperies

Eyeshadows are $10 each + extra cost for the palette depending on the size.


All pics: Top- Flash, Bottom- Natural {diminishing} Light

TOP ROW

L-R: M 373, P 393, P 407, DS 460, P 420
I'm so happy that I finally have a good matte white! It didn't swatch the best here but it is so pigmented. I'm also really happy with the 2nd highlighting colour & the taupey colours on the end. The middle one is probably something I have that's very similar already.

Sorry that my swatches aren't the best. I would appreciate any tips on getting good swatches! I did put a layer of foundation on first just so they would stick instead of just primer. I just find it hard to put on neatly with my finger, or does everybody else use a brush??

L-R AMC Shine 39, AMC 74, AMC 68, M 338, P 428
I only got a couple of mattes because I don't use them as much.. but I will probably get more next time for more of a range.

The one in the pot plus my other 3 shadows which I bought in July.

L-R -AMC 60, DS 495, P 439, DS 465.
The yellow in the pot was half price, which ended up being $12.50 for some reason that it is more than the others. *maybe because it was in a pot?*

Inglot thoughts: Love the texture of every single one I have, they are so buttery & pigmented! The only gripe I have is that they are so hard to get out of the palette sometimes, even with using the magnet on the lid, you have to be careful not to dig at it! However the palettes are really nice & sturdy, but I'd hate to think of how it would end up if I dropped it on tiles.

Blush:

MAC Mineralize blush in Warm Soul, Inglot Face Blush 51.
Firstly before Inglot I went into Mecca Cosmetica (They sell NARS, Stila, By Terry ETC) to see if they had MAC.. they didn't as I had asked for it, but soon discovered that they had MAC in Myers at Booragoon (I never noticed it before!) I guess she didn't want to tell me so I would buy from them instead! W.S was $43 and the Inglot blush was $22.

L-R Warm Soul, Inglot 51.

I had only bought W.S as one of my newly fave youtubers ChloeMorello wears it so often, but I didn't even test it before I bought it, and she is quite tanned so I hope it looks ok on me. :) Both colours especially the Inglot one came up so much pigmentedon a brush on me.

More Goodies:
Technically I did not buy these but my lovely cousin didn't use them so she gave them to me :D

L-R Vani-T Eye Crayons, Napolean Perdis Set Liquid  Eyeliner's, Bloom Lip Butters.

These Vani-T Eye Crayons are very similar to NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils, except probably more creamier. Oh and I just found out they are wind-able which is easier than sharpening. The most annoying thing is that you can't tell which colour is which from the outside. I go through them all to find the one I want!
I'm not sure what these retail at, but I know you can buy it from Hairmart. *ETD: I looked online and these are mainly in Australia. They also retail at $29.80 each 0.o which is something I normally wouldn't spend on pencils if I found dupes.*

I'm not really a fan of NP at all, but these eyeliners are pretty nice... the black one is a really nice inky black! The brush is really thin though, which makes it harder if you're not used to liquid eyeliner.

Bloom Lip Butters in A Natural Women & Who's That Girl. Fairly sheer, moisturizing lip products. I like the way they smell and they would be handy to keep in my bag.

Thanks so much for looking, I hope my swatches will help for choosing colours. I know it made it a lot easier for me to look at swatches beforehand.

ashii xx

Oops I hauled again.... ;)

Although I'm trying to use up old products, that is not stopping me from a-hauling, especially as we flew over to Adelaide for a long weekend, and I did not want to miss out on any makeup opportunities. And we're staying in Perth for a week, but I think I am happy with my finds now.
OH- as I was shopping, especially one day with my makeup addicted cousin (Ima bad influence, I got her started.... woopsie ;)) I came to the conclusion that I will be on a no buy from when I get home.. that way I will only focus on what I have. I was buying nail polish knowing I had ones at home that I haven't really used. But again, I'm not able to haul too often.
Enough rambling for now, lets get onto the haul!

 Inglot
I was shocked when I came across Inglot at Rundell Mall in Adelaide... I got so overwhelmed when I was in there I left empty handed but I knew I would regret it if I didn't get anything so I went back: :D
I don't know how much it is over in the US, but here the eye shadows were $10 each, and I got 3 in a freedom palette which was $11 extra for the palette, however if you have a z palette you can get away without one. They also had some things half priced so I also got a nail polish & lipstick.

I was blinded by the prettiness so I didn't stop to think if I had similar colours already. The middle one looks very similar to MUG's Razzleberry but I fell in love with the colour and didn't think about it. And the purple would look amazingg under a black base. Swatches will be another day! The numbers are L-R 465, 495, 439. Lipstick- 253. Nail polish- 801. To be honest I'm not a fan of the numbers, names are much easier to remember!
I don't really have any bright red nail polish, but this was from the sale bin for $7 so I *had* to pick it up. The lipstick is really pretty as well. Come to think of it, I probably have similar colours, but couldn't be bothered going through them :P

MAC
I was also amazed (mostly jealous, though) that they had 2 MAC counters in David Jones & Myers, plus another one somewhere else in Adelaide. Of course, it is $$$ as hale compared to everywhere else. But I am so so happy I bought what I did.

Dollymix blush, Contrast Eyeshadow, Viva Glam Nicki l/s (I'm in love!!!). The total of these 3 items - you may want to sit down- was $110. The blush costing the most at $41. Not something I'd like to spend everyday haha. But I am so glad I bought them. I actually used them all for one look which will be coming up soon yay :)

Viva Glam Nicki- Depending on the lighting, It looks like a muted pink here but other times it was neon! And it lasted almost all night throughout drinking.

Gloss
You may have seen me mention it before, this shop sells affordable BYS, Chi Chi,  as well as reduced Revlon & Maybelline etc, their own brand of brushes & hair/ jewelery/ bags.

 1/2/3: BYS eyelashes 4: Hot lips tattoo... So wanted to give this a go! 5: Chi Chi nail polishes, BYS french tip nail guides 6: Chi Chi Eyeliner in Caribbean Queen, BYS eyeliner in Deep Purple, BYS Animal Instincts l/g in Grape. 7: Mary Kate & Ashley Glitter (this was free with an eyeshadow which I cannot find at the moment)
Edit: I also bought a neon eyeliner, a Gloss Professions straight eyeliner brush & a BYS stick concealer as a backup.

 I already have had similar eyelashes before but I've always liked the style and I know I'll use them. The 1st 2 are pretty much the same except the 2nd one has jewels on the outer corner. The names of these are Lash Envy, Starlette & Glitterazzi. It's hard to see in the picture but the third ones are sparkly. I have tried some before but they were really flimzy, but as you can see I've used the 3rd ones and they're a lot better. I'll have a proper review later.

I got these nail polishes for $3.95, in the colours Material Girl & Hissy Fit. I am looking forward to trying these out!!! EDIT: I'm wearing them now, really purple holographic colours but the purple is a PITA to apply.
I also swatched the eyeliners, lip gloss & MKA Glitter. The Chi Chi is a little bit more expensive at $13.95 but the BYS was $3.95 I believe? I received the lip gloss for free as a promotion (it's more smell & glitter than colour) I swatched the glitter horribly but when I saw it I thought of MACs reflex glitters -- not that I own any or know what they really look like lol.

Priceline

 Priceline has some great things in at the moment, we basically ran around screaming LOL. My cousin and I were in heaven. Firstly, Real Technique by Sam Chapman (Pixiwoo, just in case you're not familiar) brushes are finally in Australia!! Of course they are overpriced. I got this blush brush for $22.90 (review coming soon). This was the last one left in this shop, they had a few kits for $50 - I think there were 6 brushes in it?- and some buffing brushes, but I was wanting a new blush brush and this was perfect.
Also- Ohemgeee Maybelline Color Tattoos are in! And I can't believe they're only $11.95. I got them in Tenacious Teal & Painted purple. I was actually going to buy TT online after seeing a recent Pixi2woo vid but I'm so glad I didn't!!
I also bought a nail polish by Savvy in Blue Bayou, an Australis lip & cheek stain in Da Vinci Peach on sale for $2.59 & a backup of my HG primer by Face of Australia.
EDIT: I also bought the colour tattoo in Audacious Asphalt, a backup Max Factor False Lash effect (normally $24.95, got it for $9.95!!) and a lime green nail polish from Models Prefer.

 Swatches of the tint and colour tattoos- when I swatched them on my hand in the shop they lasted all day, even with wiping lol. I hope it doesn't stain my eyes! I will swatch these again properly.

Target

L-R Essence I <3 extreme volume mascara, Essence I <3 stage eyeshadow base, Face it NP (actually from The Face Shop) in OR202, Sally Hansen Gem Crush NP in Lady Luck, Essence NP in C'est La Vie!, Rimmel Wake me up Foundation in soft beige.
It will be a while before I do a review of the Essence mascara & primer & the Rimmel Foundation as I have my project empty products to use. But I tested the foundation quickly and so far so good!

Thank you for looking, if you have any questions about any of these products LMK :) xx