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

Make Me Blush | Collection Part 2: High End

So I've already done the first part to my blush collection over here but here is my current High End blush collection, although I will be updating soon to accommodate the new ones I have recently purchased. I am super happy with my blush collection now although you can never have too many blushes!

MAC
Sometimes the quality is really noticeable with higher end brands, as I've found with MAC their blushes have great pigmentation & amazing lasting power. I'm hoping to expand with a couple more of their mineralize skin finishes. I also have a couple of Cream Colour Bases but I consider them to be highlighters although can be a base for blush. Out of the powder blushes I prefer the normal formulation as the sheertones obviously don't turn out as pigmented as they look in the pan & in a finger swatch.

L-R: MAC Mineralize blush Warm Soul {Satin w/ hint of shimmer}, Pink Swoon {Sheertone matte}, Peachykeen {Sheertone Shimmer} Dollymix {Sheertone shimmer, Her Blooming Cheek {Powder, matte}
 My favourite/ most used colours out of these would have to Warm Soul for a bronzed summery look & Peachykeen/ Dollymix, although I said I'd prefer them to be more pigmented when on the cheeks but it is still pretty for a wash of colour.

Assorted Blushes
Now these are the blushes that I only have one from each of the brands I have. I can't wait to try more of a variety! I'm particularly looking forward to more NARS, & try Tarte & Benefit.

L-R:NARS Orgasm {Shimmer w/ glitter particles}, The Balm Cabana Boy {Shimmer}, Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon {Liquid-stain}, Inglot #51 {Matte}, Topshop Head Over Heels {Cream}

I've been lucky to have been able to try different brands from getting the Becca Beach Tint in a magazine (years ago!) although it's not something I use often, the Topshop cream blush from a giveaway & my first NARS product in a blogsale a few years ago (I have never used it heavily because it was 'precious' to me hehe)

My most used/ favourites would be Cabana Boy even though I've had it the least I've found it to be so versatile & I love the Inglot one for a brighter coral colour.

So that's it for my blushes, sometimes I go through periods when I feel like I need soo many blushes when I probably have way too many similar ones already! Anybody else?

What are your favourite High End brands for blushes?

xx

**I will be updating shortly with newly purchased blushes but as I have made this post a while ago I couldn't include them here.

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!

Make Me Blush | Collection Part 1: Drugstore

So I've done my lipstick collection and that was over 5 parts sorted by their colours, now I'm doing my blush collection. I was actually going to do my nail polish collection first but that one will probably take the longest so I might leave that one till last. Not that I plan on doing it on absolutely every type of product you can have, I want to do the ones that I seem to collect haha such as lipstick, blush, nail polish, perfume & maybe eyeliners, but we'll see as I go along.

I have decided to break this up into 2 parts, Drugstore & High End. I definitely have a lot more drugstore blushes as obviously they are cheaper so I don't feel as bad to have multiple colours by the same brands. It would be way to hard to go by colour, and I was going to go by brand but since I only have a few of some brands & more of the others I thought it would be easier to group like this.
Some of the swatch pictures have been enhanced the tiniest bit with contrast as my camera washed out the colour, and the top pictures are natural light & the bottom are with flash.

Milani & Jordana

 L-R: Fantasico Mauve {satin}, Coralina {shimmer}, Dolce Pink {shimmer}, Luminoso {shimmery/satin}.

Jordana blushes can also be purchased from Cherry Culture & Beauty Joint and they have the hugest range. I am really happy with my colour selection although Redwood is the least used as it is easy to go overboard and look tooo flushed. They are so pigmented & are only $2.50!!!

 L-R: Redwood {matte}, A Touch Of Pink {matte}, Coral Sandy Beach {shimmer}.

 E.L.F

E.L.F can be bought from Beauty Joint & IKatehouse (only some products). I much prefer their studio line from their $1 one (more $ when bought in Aus, big surprise there!). I do not use their powder blushes too frequently but they're pigmented for $4 (note the similarities in packaging to NARS) but love the HD Blush as a base or on it's own. The shimmering facial whips' are ok but a bit too shimmery for my tastes, especially Golden Peach which I thought was going to be more of a highlighter colour but I find it too bronzy to wear as a blush or highlighter. For $1 who cares I'm sure friends or family wouldn't mind it!

L-R: Pink Passion {glitter}, Peachykeen {matte}, Headliner {liquid, matte}, Pink Lemonade, Golden Peach {disco-ball-like shimmer}

Nyx
Nyx is the first brand I started collecting when I was getting into makeup because I found a really good seller on Ebay who sells them in "bulk" so I could get multiple colours for a really good price. Has any body depotted their Nyx blushes or eyeshadows, I haven't depotted anything before and want to know if it's easy with these!

The cream blushes look nasty so sorry about that!

Their powder blushes can bit a hit or miss but I find these ones quite pigmented, especially with Pinky & Spice so you may want to have a lighter hand especially with such a bright pink! Angel would be a perfect summery colour & Peach is a misleading name as it pulls more baby pink than peach. They are $6 on Cherry Culture but if you want to get a few definitely look at the eBay seller I linked above.

 L-R: Angel {shimmer},Peach {satin}, Pinky {satin}, Spice {satin}

 Nyx's Rouge Cream blushes ($6 on Cherry Culture) are perfect as a base for other blushes but they go not last well on their own, but you can just apply translucent powder if you are happy with their colour. I used to use Natural & Glow with a stippling brush which made the product in the pan look horrible but now I prefer my fingers. I need to use Hot Pink & Orange more!! Except you need an extremely light hand! I also love the Stick blushes as bases but same goes as the cream blushes.

L-R: Natural, Glow, Hot Pink, Orange {all creme}, Orchid & Tulip {stick}

Bourjois & Assorted 

 I've found that after a few uses with the Bourjois blushes they can become dry & pigmented, so I have to scrape the top of occasionally as it develops a film on top. I had stopped using my older ones for a while because of this & found when I had gotten rid of that film they were pigmented again! They also have a lovely rose smell. The scrapping doesn't bother me as they will last forever!
I apologize that Bourjois may not be available to you but there are plenty of substitutions out there!
The Essence mousse blush from their Ballerina Backstage collection was LE & it's not something I reach for too often as it is quite matte so it would be good for oily skin, but if I do wear it I pair it with MAC's Pink Swoon.
I've posted about the L.A Girl Blushes before & don't have anything new to say, I think I will be finding a new home for them as I have similar colours already and they are nothing too special.

 L-R: Bourjois 16 Rose Coup De Foudre {Shimmer}, 34 Rose D'or {shimmer}, 54 Rose Frisson {satin}, Essence Prima Ballerina {mousse}, LA Girl Just Pinched {matte}, LA Girl Nectar {satin}

 I'm not sure if you can get this Revlon blush from I believe their A Floral Affair collection ( probably discontinued years ago) but I had found this in a dump bin & it was one of the first blushes I had so as you can see I don't use it enough.

This Fyrinnae blush is a loose powder and because it is such an extremely bright red colour it is so hard to use without applying waay too much! I dip my brush in it a little bit and tap off the excess & also onto my hand and it is still sometimes too bright, so for this reason I haven't given it enough love for the couple of years that I've had it, but don't want to throw it out!

L-R: Revlon Hushed blush in A Floral Affair (Peach side, pink, & highlighter side all swatched separately, and then together although I would only use the highlighter separately) {Shimmer}, Fyriannae Powder blush in Intrigue (Not on their website anymore, Sorry!!!) {matte}

Alrighty so that ended up being a bit more of a review then anticipated, but that's never a bad thing, right? Sorry that there is way to much to read but I appreciate if you just look at the swatches too :)

So I have waay too many blushes that are similar & I clearly don't really need any more but it's going to be hard to downsize. I can't pick any fave blushes but my fave formulas would have to be with the Milani Baked blushes and the Nyx powder, cream & stick blushes.

I will be posting my High end blush collection soon so stay tuned!

Whats your favourite drugstore brand for blushes?

xx

Stila Counltess Colour Pigment & Turquoise Smudge Stick | Review & FOTD

The last couple of items I got in my Stila Festival of Colour haul are these two, the Countless Colour Pigment in Lyric & Smudge Stick in Turquoise. They are both limited edition along with the After Glow Lip Colours, and I couldn't resist any of them. Whether you're into understated colours, used as a pop along the lash line or go all out wearing anything you desire all over your eyelids, these two products would be suitable for everyone.

 Countless Colour Pigment in Lyric

This is a bright, summer loving colour pigment where you can either select the shades & apply them separately, mix two different colours for a custom colour, swirl a brush around the pan to create one shade or sweep the brush across the product for a multi-coloured blend.
I choose this one simply because I don't have too many other similar colours and to get me prepared for summer.

Pros
Can create different colour combos
Bright, shimmery colours
Also use as a blush

Cons (but easily fixable)
Sheer, wear off easily with no primer
Need shimmery base for best effect, a bit chalky with a matte white base.
Not recommended to apply wet to get more pigmentation (wouldn't want to risk it!)

Smudge Stick in Turquoise

Stila has also released a pretty turquoise shade into their existing smudge stick or liquid eyeliner lines. I went for the smudge stick so I could use it in my waterline too.

Pros
Very pigmented
Long wearing (not as much in waterline, but lasts a good couple of hours)
Glides on Smoothly
Creamy

Cons
Non retractable! I learned the hard way. (didn't waste too much product, though)
Hard to wind up, but that allows you to use only what you need.

 Swatches

 

 No base, hard to see in natural lighting but as I was writing this they wore off my arm so definitely use a primer!

FOTD

 Face | Rimmel Wake Me Up + Stay Matte
MAC CCB in Pearl + Lightscapade
Bourjois Delice de Soleil, Nude by nature eye definer
Stila Countless Colour Pigment in Lyric as a blush
Eyes | MAC Painterly Paintpot, Nyx E/S base in White
Urban Decay Naked [crease]
Inglot 393 Pearl [Highlight]
Stila CCP shades used separately, from orange to hot pink [Lid]
Stila Smudge stick in Turquoise [Lower Lash/ Waterline]
Maybelline Master Precise (ignore how horrible my eyeliner is here!)
Maybelline The Falsies
Lips | MAC Myth, Max Factor Smart Lip gloss

With the Countless Colour Pigments there is a range of colour choices for everyone, whether you prefer earthy tones or neutrals to different arrays of purples or blues & greens,
On Beauty Bay you can choose from 5 different colours but I think there may be a few other ones elsewhere,& are $22.
There are the usual smudge sticks for $20.40 but don't forget that Turquoise is limited edition if you'd like to get your hands on it!

Thanks for looking! What do you think of these products? How would you wear the Countless colour pigment?
xx

All products paid for by myself, N/A with any brands mentioned