Em Cosmetics review - Face, eye, and lip products

Em Cosmetics came out a while ago, but it's quite expensive and I was a little hesitant to buy makeup that I couldn't see samples or testers of. But recently they lowered some of their prices, so I bit the bullet and placed an order.

Shade Play Artistic Cheek Color Palette in Wink Wink

A blush/bronzer palette is so convenient, as opposed to having a bunch of small compacts. I think this formula would be good for makeup beginners, because the powders aren't too soft, and you don't have to be careful about applying too much product . This blush is really pretty and is very true to color. Although the bronzer looks quite dark in the pan, it's a bit light for me for contouring (I'm an NC30)--it's a lot like NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny.

I also wish they sold blushes and bronzers separately; if you wanted to try a bunch of blushes, you would have to get more bronzers as well, and I know I definitely don't need as many bronzers as I want blushes.

Shade Play Artistic Eye Color Palette in Madagascar Taupes

I really like this palette and the quality of these eyeshadows. There's a good mix of shimmer and matte colors, and they are all very smooth and pigmented. The only color that is less soft is the dark brown with copper glitter (top right), but it still has good color payoff--just make sure you tap off your brush before applying to avoid fallout. I also like that the taupe pan is a lot larger than the others, because it would definitely be the one I use the most, although I'm not sure how much sense this configuration would make in other palettes. Also, toss the brushes that come in the compact (as well as the one that comes in the blush palette). They do nothing.

*I've read other reviews on Em Cosmetics' eyeshadows, and they seem to be a little hit and miss, especially in the really large Life Palettes. The palette that I got was really good, but I would suggest looking up the swatches of the palette you want first to make sure you're not getting a dud.

Waterliner in Ro's Gold and Black Night

Left: Ro's Gold
Right: Black Night

This eyeliner is made specifically for lining your inner rim, and it does seem to last a lot longer than a lot of other pencil liners. These last about four hours on me before fading significantly (other eyeliners last less than two), but they don't transfer onto my cheeks, which I do like. They also glide on very smoothly--you get pretty full color in one swipe. Black Night is your standard black eyeliner, and Ro's Gold (get it?) is a really pretty metallic golden peach. Nude- and peach-colored eyeliners are supposed to take away the appearance of redness from your waterline and make the whites of your eyes look bigger, although I don't really like that look... I think the creators of that trend forgot the episode of Will and Grace where Will says that you can tell Jack is crazy because you can see white all the way around his pupils. Nevertheless, Ro's Gold is still a really pretty color, and it's different from lower-cost nude eyeliners that are kind of a flat, pale color.

Lip Gallery Creamy Color Sheer Lipstick in One True Kiss

This lipstick is really pigmented (although it's called "sheer lipstick") and feels really nice and creamy. However, it really enhances the look of dry flakes. I really had to make an effort to exfoliate my lips in order for it to not look crusty. Although the packaging is nice and sturdy, I'm not sure if it's worth the price, because there are so many drugstore lipsticks that I like more--Revlon Lip Butter and CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm are just as creamy and full-color, but seem to glide over dead skin much smoother.

Overall, I like the products that I have from Em Cosmetics, but they aren't super unique. I don't think you should buy these products just because it's co-created by Michelle Phan, because these cheek products, eyeshadows, and lipstick don't seem to be a vast improvement compared to existing products, plus they're pretty expensive. That being said, although I can spot a few holes in the collection here and there, there are some interesting products that might be worth trying if you haven't found a holy grail yet.

Tarte be MATTEnificent palette - Review and swatches

Tarte has a new palette for spring, the be MATTEnificent palette.

The packaging of the palette is really gorgeous. I'm not usually swayed by packaging--I would rather have simple plastic packaging and a lower price--but the compact is such a beautiful color, and it feels quite sturdy and snaps shut, so I would feel confident taking this when I'm traveling.

Like the name suggests, it's an entirely matte palette. You get a blush, six eyeshadows, and two powder eyeliners.

The entire palette seems pretty minimal and neutral. The blush is a muted, dusty pink, and the eyeshadows are pretty basic neutral colors, like taupe, mauve, and plum. And then, the eyeliners are dark brown and black.

The blush and eyeshadows all have a wonderful creamy texture. They're so soft and blendable, and they show up very true to color. I don't think the plum eyeshadow shows up too dark, so some purpley color actually shows. The eyeliners, though, are really dry and chalky--when I was swatching them, I actually shuddered because I got the feeling that I was running my nails down a chalkboard. However, the colors do show up quite nicely. Although I never use powder eyeliners, they're there for you and they're usable.

The only big issue I really see is that there isn't a wide range of eyeshadows in this palette. You really only have one darker color that you can use for definition (on your outer corner or for a darker crease color), so you probably can't get a ton of looks out of this one collection--I wouldn't use the eyeliners as eyeshadows, because they're quite dry and not nearly as nicely textured. However, I still really like this palette, and I would definitely get a ton of use out of it because it's so simple. I think working girls, or just people who like a really simple, natural look, will really enjoy using this palette because it's such high quality, and the colors really are very pretty!

NARS The NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette - Review, swatches and comparisons

NARS has come out with a limited eyeshadow for the spring, the NARSissist palette.

All the colors are from the permanent collection, whether they're usually singles or parts of duos. None of the pans are labeled, but the colors are listed on the back of the box.

The palette seems to be relatively neutral, although there are some muted colors, like purple and navy. They all seem to be rather cool-toned and dusty-looking as well.

 

What seems pretty notable about the selection of colors is that there are a lot of light colors, a lot of dark colors, but only two mid-tone shades. Several of the dark colors also seem to look really similar in swatches--the dark browns, black, and navy look almost identical.

My experience with NARS' color cosmetics has been that they're usually better in singles--when the same color is in a palette, it tends to be much less pigmented and more difficult to work with (like the cheek products). I don't have these NARS eyeshadows in single form, so I can't make that comparison here, but many of these eyeshadows feel a little dry and gritty, and not nearly as nice if you're used to Urban Decay eyeshadows. They do swatch pretty nicely, but you have to make more of an effort to build the color.

When I was swatching this palette, I didn't find the colors to be really unique or exciting. I actually thought a lot of the colors looked really similar to those in Sonia Kashuk's Eye on Matte and Eye on Shimmer palettes (available at Target). I have the limited edition Matte/Shimmer palette, which is just the two palettes combined, but they're available separately in the permanent collection. Here they are side-by-side:

Below, I've swatched some comparable colors from each palette below. Top row is NARS, bottom row is Sonia Kashuk.

I was by no means impressed by the NARSissist palette. I can definitely come up with more dupes from the drugstore, and the texture of the eyeshadows could be better. Plus, even though I compared some of the eyeshadows to Sonia Kashuk--a drugstore brand that isn't considered super cheap--the NARS palette is $79, which I think is incredibly overpriced.

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette - Review, swatches and comparisons

Smashbox came out with a neutral palette--the Full Exposure palette!

It has seven shimmer and seven matte eyeshadows, which is really good for people who want a variety of finishes.

The colors are all really, really neutral--as in, a variety of browns and grays. It also consists of half warm (left) and half cool (right) tones.

Top row is shimmer, bottom row is matte.

Something that is really important to note about the shimmer eyeshadows is that they all, excluding the center one, have the same chunky, glittery finish. It tends to have quite a bit of fallout, so you have to be very careful with them. The center shimmer shade and the matte colors, though, are really nicely textured and are super soft, pigmented, and blendable.

Matte eyeshadow brush

Shimmer eyeshadow brush

The palette also comes with a double-ended brush, with each side designated to be used with matte or shimmer eyeshadows. The matte end is a nice fluffy blending-type brush--a lot like the Sigma E25 brush that everyone loves (maybe just the tiniest bit fuller). The shimmer end is really interesting--it's half synthetic and half goat hair (the texture of the matte end). I've tried both sides to apply the shimmer shade separately, and I've found that I get a lot of fallout either way. If you use each side together straight down the middle, though, it applies and blends the glitter a lot more nicely. The goat hair side is also nice for packing on the matte eyeshadows.

Another popular palette that has the same half-matte-half-shimmer concept is the Lorac Pro palette, so I've compared them side-by-side below:

They do have some overlaps in colors, although there aren't that many. Top row is Smashbox, bottom row is Lorac.

Top row: Smashbox Full Exposure palette
Bottom row: Gold, Lt. Bronze, Slate, Espresso, Taupe, Cream, Black

Although the Lorac Pro palette is really different from the Smashbox Full Exposure palette, I would go for the Lorac one just because it gives you some more interesting colors, like Garnet, Mauve, and Pewter, and the texture of the shimmer eyeshadows are so much nicer.

Overall, I don't see the Smashbox Full Exposure palette to be a total musthave. The matte eyeshadows are really fantastic, but you do get quite a bit of fallout from the glitter, and there aren't any colors that are particularly thrilling. If you love browns, you might like this a lot, but if almost half the palette is a miss for me, it's not worth it.

Too Faced The Chocolate Bar Eye Palette - Review, swatches, and comparisons

It's officially spring 2014! Too Faced recently launched their new neutral eyeshadow palette, the Chocolate Bar palette, which looks and smells like chocolate.

All of the color names are inspired by chocolate/desserts/candies, and the eyeshadows themselves are formulated with cocoa powder (just like their Chocolate Soleil bronzer), so they smell like chocolate.

All of the eyeshadows have a really nice, soft texture (except Cherry Cordial, which feels a little more dry and powdery). There's a good mix of matte, shimmer, and satin finishes--there are six matte colors, which is quite a lot compared to other neutral palettes. There aren't any glittery eyeshadows, which may be a good thing, because Too Faced's glitter eyeshadows tend to have a lot of chunky fallout.

As you can see in the swatches, this palette has a wide range of browns, with the exception of Candied Violet, which seems to be a bit of a wild card in this context. Although there are some pretty colors, I can definitely come up with most of them in different palettes--especially the really basic colors, like matte cream, medium brown, gold, and dark brown. Also, within this palette, some of the colors look pretty similar to each other on the eye, such as Milk Chocolate and Salted Caramel, and Hazelnut and Haute Chocolate.

As I swatched the eyeshadows, I started to recognize some familiar colors. Here are some comparisons to other palettes you might already own--top row is the Chocolate Bar palette, bottom row is the comparison palette:

Lorac Unzipped palette

Top row: White Chocolate, Marzipan, Hazelnut, Creme Brulee, Milk Chocolate, Cherry Cordial
Bottom row: Undercover, Unbelievable, Uncensored, Undiscovered, Unspoken, Unbridled

Too Faced Natural Eye palette

Top row: White Chocolate, Champagne Truffle, Gilded Ganache, Creme Brulee, Triple Fudge, Haute Chocolate
Bottom Row: Heaven, Silk Teddy, Erotica, Honey Pot, Sexpresso, Cocoa Puff

Urban Decay Naked palette

Top row: Champagne Truffle, Milk Chocolate, Creme Brulee, Hazelnut, Gilded Ganache,  Amaretto, Cherry Cordial
Bottom Row: Virgin, Sin, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle

Lorac Pro palette

Top row: White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Strawberry Bon Bon, Semi-Sweet, Triple Fudge, Champagne Truffle, Creme Brulee, Amaretto
Bottom row: Cream, Taupe, Lt. Pink, Sable, Espresso, Nude, Gold, Garnet

As you can see, there are actually a lot of palettes that already have the colors in the Chocolate Bar palette.

Overall, I think this palette was a cute idea and it has some really high-quality eyeshadows, but I don't see it as a must-have, because there are so many overlaps with other palettes. I think this is Too Faced's best eyeshadow palette in terms of texture and pigmentation, but once you really take a look at some of the colors, there's already a lot like it out there that you probably already own.

Picture day makeup

I just got my driver's license picture taken, so I thought I'd share some tips for makeup that looks good in pictures!

In general, try not to do anything too crazy or trendy with your makeup; you might think you look fabulous now, but you'll have things like driver's licenses and passport pictures for up to ten years, and your opinion will definitely change.

Base makeup
Use a primer to make sure your foundation goes on evenly, then use a foundation without sunscreen--products with SPF can give you a white cast if there's flash! Try not to use color-corrective products, like green concealer; it's very obvious if you don't blend it well enough--use full coverage concealers instead. Finish with a mattifying powder--the camera will pick up any oil and makeup it even more obvious.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Light, Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation,
MAC Studio Fix Powder, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

Face color
Use a matte bronzer under your cheekbones, along your forehead, and under your jaw to make your face more chiseled. A pink blush will prevent you from looking washed out and is subtle enough to not look like redness or skin sensitivity.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer,
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed 

Eye makeup
Never forget your eyebrows! Even if you have thick eyebrow, they can look different depending on the lighting. Stick with matte eyeshadows; any glitter, frost, or shimmer can reflect flash and look really unflattering (I learned this the hard way--don't let this happen to you). Then use eyeliner and mascara to give your eyes definition.

Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, Almay Get Up and Grow Mascara,
Essence Gel Eyeliner, Anastasia Brow Powder

Lips
Use a sheer lipstick--anything that is very pigmented can look even more intense on camera (more pink, more nude, etc.). Also, stick with mauve or rose colors; in a few years, you will regret anything that is too pink, red, orange, or nude.

Nars Lipstick in Dolce Vita

Urban Decay Naked 3 palette - swatches and comparisons!

The new Naked 3 palette is out! It was released two weeks ago, and since then it has sold out twice. I saw the release announcement when I was on the subway... and I actually hopped off the train to order it so I wouldn't lose wifi.

Click on each picture to enlarge it!

Urban Decay describes this palette as a collection of rose-tones, which seems to be pretty accurate. I feel like they're really just trying to bank on how popular rose gold is; however, instead of a lot of coppery rose golds, there are pinks, gold, and cool browns and grays, which I find a lot more wearable, and I think would go with a lot more lip and cheek colors.

Swatches from the Naked 3 palette

These eyeshadows are really soft and blendable, but really, I don't feel like I've ever been disappointed with the quality of Urban Decay eyeshadows. I don't own a lot of Urban Decay palettes, but I have swatched a lot, and they're consistently pigmented and just really nice overall.

Now, I'm going to compare the Naked 3 with the previous Naked palettes, as well as with some popular neutral palettes.

Naked 3 vs. Naked and Naked 2

Urban Decay describes all three Naked palettes very differently. The original Naked palette is gold- and bronze-based, and has a lot of dark colors to allow you to get a lot of smokey eye looks. Naked 2 has a lot of taupey gray colors, and are mostly light- to medium-tones. Like Naked 2, the Naked 3 has a lot of light and medium colors, but the rosy colors look very feminine and romantic, which I feel is very work-appropriate and less dramatic. If you like your smokey eye, though, I think you're still going to like the original Naked best, because Naked 3 doesn't have a great variety of dark colors--some of the colors on the right of the palette, like Factory, Darkside, and Blackheart, appear pretty dark in the pan and in a swatch, but when you blend it on your eye they turn out to be much lighter, even over a primer.

See the original Naked palette here and the Naked 2 palette here.

Naked 3 vs. Lorac Unzipped palette

Swatches from the Lorac Unzipped palette

I've heard a lot of people compare the Lorac Unzipped palette to Naked 3, because they're both marketed as "rose gold" palettes. However, I feel like the Lorac palette is more true to the rose gold theme; it has some warm, intensely coppery colors, and it has some very shiny, very metallic finishes (as well as some satin and matte). Naked 3, on the other hand, has pinks as opposed to metallic copper. Overall, I think the Lorac Unzipped palette is going to give you a more dramatic look, while Naked 3 is more daytime/wearable.

See the Lorac Unzipped palette here.

Naked 3 vs. Too Faced Natural Eye palette

I really feel like, in terms of the range and types of colors, the Too Faced Natural Eye palette comes closest to Naked 3. What's most notable about each of these palettes are the pink, gold, and dark gray/brown--but the colors from Naked 3 seem to be a little more cool-toned.

See the Too Faced Natural Eye palette here.

Bottom line: Overall, I really enjoy using the Naked 3 palette; the colors look so pretty and feminine, and I think I'm going to get more use out of it than either of the previous Naked palettes. However, opinions on palettes really vary with personal preference; I think you would like this one if you prefer lighter eyeshadow looks--you can definitely get a wider variety of office-appropriate looks from this than either of the previous Naked palettes. If you like smokey eyes, you'll still get the most use out of the original Naked palette.

The Naked 3 palette is currently sold on urbandecay.com; it will be sold on beauty.com, macys.com, sephora.com, and ulta.com starting December 6th, and will be in stores on December 12th! Let me know if you'll be getting this Naked palette, and which one you like best!