A very generous former co-worker of mine recently handed the this palette off to me since it wasn’t working for her. I was pretty excited since the Kat Von DShade + Light Eye palette had been on my radar for a while but, as with many things, I hadn’t picked it up!
Wearing a full array of mattes eyeshadows ranging from neutral, cool and warm so there’s something for everyone.
As I was putting together this roundup of looks, I started to realize just how much I’ve been using my Makeup Geek shadows lately. I mean, I use them a lot on a regular basis, but three out of the five looks are solely Makeup Geek in here!
I did this for a YouTube video tutorial but had to repost it here because I know not everyone has the time for videos (I’ll continue to repost my video tutorial looks on the blog as time goes on).
Eyes
(using the Viseart 08 Editorial Brights palette) I first covered my lid with NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk and then:
MAC‘s Cork in the crease.
The yellow shade from the palette on the inner third of the lid.
The orange on the middle of the lid.
The red on the outer half of the lid.
The lime green on the inner corner of the lid.
(also listed as 5) MAC‘s Blanc Type to highlighter the brow bone.
I applied the light blue to the middle of my lower lash line and the purple to the outer section of the lower lash line. I created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and tightlined my water lines with Marc Jacobs‘ Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer. I coated my lashes with Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara and applied House of LashesBombshell falsies.
Face
Primer: Make Up For Ever Step 1 Smoothing Primer
Foundation: Make Up For Ever UltraHD in Y225
Bronzer: Joe FreshSand
Blush: HourglassDiffused Heat
Highlighter: BeccaChampagne Pop
Lips: Too FacedMelted Chocolate Milkshake with Sephora‘s lipgloss in Good Fairy
Although I love the Kat Von DMi Vida Loca Remix palette, I’ve not been using it because I was trying to work through a bunch of other palettes. I said enough was enough, and went back to it for it this look!
Eyes
(Using the Kat Von DMi Vida Loca Remix palette) I first applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk to my lid, then:
Misfit on the inner third of the lid.
Synth on the middle of the lid.
Dark Wave on the outer corner.
(numbers are screwed up, sorry) Vinyl on the inner corner (to the right of 1).
Ignore this one… I haven’t a clue if I put anything on my brow bone.
Echo is lining the outer half of my lower lash line. I coated my lashes with Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara.
Face
Bronzer: Joe FreshSand
Blush: MACWarm Soul
Lips: MACSweet Tooth
Playing around with my new Makeup Geek duochromes!
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
Cupcake through the crease.
Kaleidoscope on the lid.
Pop Culture on the outer third of the lid.
Duchess on the outer corner.
Prism on the inner corner
Vanilla Bean on my brow bone.
I used Blacklight on the lower lash line and created the wing with MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline. I covered my lashes with Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch mascara.
Face
Foundation: Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude
Bronzer: Joe FreshSand
Blush: MACLife’s A Picnic
Lips: SephoraGood Fairy
Before anyone says anything – I know the lips look weird. I was playing around with different shades and I *thought* this went together. It wasn’t till I saw the photos that I was like “ohhh….”. haha
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
Prism all over the lid.
Typhoon through the crease.
Dirty Martini on the outer third of the lid.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
I created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and coated my lashes with Clarins’Aquatic Green mascara.
Face
Foundation: Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude
Bronzer: Joe FreshSand
Blush: TarteBlissful
Lips: Colour PopDonut
More Makeup Geek goodness!
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
Peach Smoothie through the top of the crease.
Poppy through the crease.
Fortune Teller on the lid.
Morocco on the outer third of the lid.
Voltage on the inner corner.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
I created the wing with MAC’s Blacktrack fluidline and coated my lashes with Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch.
Alright, it’s been a while since I’ve done a roundup of looks. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of pizzazz in my looks throughout December as I felt like I was eternally rushing around, so this roundup is going to include my actual New Year’s look, some guest posts and a suuuuper old look from June I still hadn’t posted yet. Enjoy!
So here’s what I actually wore on New Year’s Eve. We didn’t have extravagant plans (we ended up going to an arcade), but I wanted to at least have a splash of glitter on! I ended up applying false lashes later on, but didn’t get around to reshooting the pictures, so what you’re looking at is sans falsies. This look does use the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons palette, but I promise there’s a full Challenge Week coming up focusing on that palette soon!
Eyes
(Too FacedChocolate Bon Bons palette)
Pecan Praline through the crease.
Cafe Au Lait on the lid.
Bordeaux on the outer half of the lid.
Divinity on the brow bone.
I applied Make Up For Ever Glitters in 13 to my lower lash line using some Too FacedGlitter Glue. I created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and applied Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara to my lashes.
Face
Bronzer: Charlotte TilburyFilmstar Bronze & Glow
Blush: CliniqueCola Pop
Highlighter: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow
Lips: Sephora lipgloss in Queen Bee
This look was completely focused on featuring Too Faced’s Melted Villain lipstick. Although it’s a dark purple, I have to admit that it mostly comes out looking black on me. that’s okay though! I love the colour and it’s NOT patchy! (And yes, I did wear this exact look to work that day!)
Eyes (all Makeup Geek)
Peach Smoothie through the top of the crease.
Grandstand on the lid.
Hipster through my crease.
Burlesque on the outer half ofthe lid.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
I applied Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara to my lashes.
Face
Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 51 Vanilla
Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in 2
Bronzer: The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 01 Light Matte
Blush: HourglassLuminous Flush
Highlighter: MACSoft & Gentle
Lips: Too FacedMelted Villain
I looooved this look! I did this as a guest post for Up The Rollercoaster last month and just adored how the shots came out. I wasn’t sure how the cranberry tones in the shadows would work with a red lip and if I’m honest, I think it’s a LITTLE bit off, but the overall effect is WA-BAM!
^^ That right there’s a money shot. I’m so pleased with it! 😀
Eyes
Makeup GeekPeach Smoothie through the top of the crease.
Makeup GeekGlamorous all over the lid.
Makeup GeekBitten on the outer half of the lid and through the crease. I also used Bitten to liner my lower lash line.
Makeup GeekCorrupt to deepen up the outer corner.
Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean to highlight the brow bone.
I used some old MAC gold glitter flecks to add some sparkle to the inner corner. Any gold glitter will do!
I created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and tightlined my upper water line with Marc Jacobs‘ Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer. I coated my lashes with essence‘s get BIG! lashes volume boost waterproof mascara and applied a pair of Noir Fairy false lashes by House of Lashes. My brows are filled in with Anastasia’s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde.
Face
Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Bronzer: Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M
Blush: CliniqueCola Pop
Highlighter: Becca Champagne Pop
Lips: MACRussian Red with Brick lipliner to even out the lip lines
Another guest post! (This time for Writing Whimsy.) I really love doing guest posts because it gives me an opportunity to be totally creative. Usually I’ll take a Saturday afternoon and spend a couple hours working on one. This is very different from my usual makeup roundups which are done almost exclusively as my daily work makeup (which doesn’t always afford me the luxury of playing around with glitter since I’m usually in a rush!).
Eyes
After priming my eyelids, I applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Black Bean all over the lid and blended out the edges. Then:
I deepened my almost non-existent crease (thanks hooded lids) with MAC‘s Cork.
I covered the entire lid with Urban Decay‘s Blackout, making sure to blend it into Cork.
I then patted on Lit Cosmetics’ glitter in Disco Diva using their glitter adhesive.
MAC‘s Blanc Type is on the brow bone to even everything out.
On the inner corner, I blended together Naked CosmeticsIV-05 and IV-03 and patted it on.
I created the inner corner point with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper, thinly lining my upper lash line with it as well. I tightlined my water lines with Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer and applied essence get big! lashes waterproof mascara to my lashes. I lined my lower lash line Lit CosmeticsPeacock glitter.
Face
Foundation: Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude
Bronzer: Too FacedMilk Chocolate Soleil
Blush: HourglassDiffused Heat
Highlighter: Make Up For Ever ProSculpting Duo #1 (highlighting shade)
Lips: Sephora Good Fairy lipgloss
Alright this one’s just super old. I had toyed with doing a Challenge Week for Laura Mercier‘s Artist palette, but I never got around to finishing it (likely something new and exciting caught my eye!). I did this look sometime in June of 2015.
Eyes
(all Laura Mercier Artist palette)
Plum Smoke through the crease.
Guava on the lid.
Kir Royale on the outer half of the lid.
Sparkling Dew on the brow bone.
I coated my lashes with essence‘s Lash Princess mascara.
Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: NYCFire Island Tan
Blush: MACSea Me, Hear Me
Highlighter: Make Up For EverPro Sculpting Duo #1 – Highlighter
Yesterday, on Christmas Eve, we traveled from Toronto all the way over to Wisconsin for the holidays. We drove (well, I’m writing this in advance and yet I’m referring to myself in the future… so this is weird) the 11 hours or so it took to get to Wisconsin and brought the cats along with us. By the time you’re reading this on Christmas Day, we’ve hopefully made it safe and sound and I don’t want to strangle Kolme (she’s a howler when we travel). We’ll be staying with my husband’s family near Madison for Christmas and New Year’s, and I *pray* they get snow because Toronto sure doesn’t have any!
Two of the palettes I’m bringing are the brand new Too FacedChocolate Bon Bons and my Charlotte TilburyFilmstar Bronze & Glow.
The Too Faced Bon Bons is a bit of a risk because I’ve barely played with the palette yet so I don’t really know what kind of looks I can come up with. It’s quite neutral which at least makes it fairly easy to play with while on vacation. The Charlotte Tilbury duo is going to be my only highlighter and bronzer on this trip. I like bringing more expensive products to use around Christmas time because it makes me feel kind of fancy. 🙂
And of course, what’s the holidays without some dramatic lashes? I’m bringing along my Houses of Lashes lash glue and a pair of their lashes in Noir Fairy. They’re already cut down to size since I’ve worn them before so I needn’t worry about trimming them while on vacation.
I say this every time I bring foundation on vacation, but I’ll say it again regardless… I haven’t a clue if I’ll even wear these. I’m not generally in love with foundation as I find I just want to tear it off my face after about 8 hours or so (it has nothing to do with the foundations thesmelves, just the general feeling of having paint on my face). I like the Smashbox primer because it’s tiny and works well, and the IllamasquaSkin Base is lovely to wear but doesn’t get enough use in my collection so I thought I’d bring it along as well.
And what’s the holidays without a little bit of shimmer spray?? Smells like vanilla and spews out silver shimmer… I loooove it!
I never ever feel like I bring enough lip products when I travel because I swear I’ll get there and wish I brought different items! My ClarinsRosy Nude is a perfect neutral shade for every day wear, MACRussian Red is a holiday staple for me, as is my Too FacedMelted Berry. The Bite BeautyAgave Lip Mask in Maple is along for the ride to keep my lips hydrated and because the scent is so stinking delicious!
Random assortment of items here… My Kat Von DTattoo Liner in Trooper is a surefire liquid liner for all my travel purposes. I’ve got an H&M Beauty lip primer in there, a Make Up For Ever glitter (hello New Year’s!), MACBrick lipliner, Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer and my favourite Make Up for EverSmoky Stretch mascara.
Another bit of a risk here… two medium to deep-toned blushes and no basic pink! TarteExposed has gotten a lot of love from me over the years (I’ve even hit pan on it!) and it a foolproof shade to match with the neutral eyeshadows I’ve packed. And of course, there’s my beloved CliniqueCola Pop. I can’t believe I haven’t worn the flower embossing down a bit more, I wear it constantly!
And all of that is crammed into a medium sized Sephora makeup bag. Merry Christmas everyone!
Having bought more eyeshadow palettes this past year than I ever even previously owned, I feel like I’m in decent shape to provide recommendations for a gift guide. The focus of this post will be on palettes that I’ve tried, price points, and why I think they’d be a good gift. Since eyeshadow palettes are more of a big ticket item, I personally would consider these as someone’s “main present” rather than a stocking stuffer. Keep that in mind when you’re looking at the prices!
Here are my recommendations:
Brand: Kat Von D Palette: Mi Vida Loca Remix Price: $71 CAD
Let’s start this off with an absolute bombshell of a palette. If you decide you would like to get this (for yourself or otherwise), you’re going to have to get your butt to a Sephora store asap because this has been sold out for a few weeks online (the problem with releasing holiday palettes in September!!!).
This would be my absolute number one recommendation for an eyeshadow palette present. While the rainbow wheel aspect of it is undeniable and undoubtedly makes this one of the most visually appealing palettes I own, what makes this stand out even more is that inner ring of neutral shadows. This is perfect for colour lovers who need blending and deepening shades alongside their brights. While there are a few misses in pigmentation in the shades (maybe two shades), the overall quality of the Mi Vida Loca Remix palette is off the charts. If you can get your hands on it, you absolutely need to purchase it.
Brand: Too Faced Palette: Chocolate Bar or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Price: $59 CAD each
While the Urban Decay Naked palettes may own most peoples’ hearts, my true love lies amongst the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes. I’ve become obsessed with the scent of chocolate that wafts up from these palettes as soon as I open them. The shade selection is neutral enough for most people to love them, but there are pops of colour to make things interesting. My personal preference is the Semi-Sweet palette, but you can’t go wrong with either of them. The pigmentation and blendability are excellent in both palettes and either one would make lovely gifts.
Brand: Laura Mercier Palette: Eye Art Artist’s Palette Price: $70 CAD
This palette was originally a holiday 2013 exclusive, but they wisely decided to bring it back within the last year. Although the outer packaging is slightly different now (I have the 2013 version), the shades inside are still the same. I have nothing bad to say about this palette – Laura Mercier has some of the smoothest, easiest to play with shadows I have ever encountered. These are an absolute pleasure to apply to my eyelids and I would recommend this palette to every single person out there! Personally, I consider Laura Mercier a bit more of a “grown up” brand since their average price point is very, very steep (a single eyeshadow is $29 CAD!), but that further reinforces that this palette is a great value.
My first look at Sephora’s shadows have been a good one with this little palette. The Wonderful Dreams 8-pan palette slides out to reveal four matte and four shimmery shades. (In particular, the silver is to freaking die for!) I cannot find it on Sephora Canada’s site anymore, but I’ve seen it in stores. This is a perfect travel palette since it’ll cover all your neutral basics, and it would also make a great stocking stuffer since the price is quite low!
Brand: Makeup Geek Palette: N/A Price: Regular shadows are $6 USD, foiled shadows are $9.99 USD each
I would be totally remiss if I didn’t mention Makeup Geek somewhere in this post! While this isn’t a pre-made palette, you can purchase the shades you desire and create your own perfect gifting palette. Makeup Geek is unbeatable in terms of quality and price tag – they could easily charge double that price and still be considered one of the best shadows on the market. For a holiday-themed palette, I chose the shades Vanilla Bean, Shimma Shimma, Grandstand, Creme Brulee, Cocoa Bear, Bitten, Magic Act, Jester and Flamethrower.
The Double Exposure palette came out of nowhere in the last few months and smacked me upside the head. I could not believe the quality of the shadows in this palette! I’m a relative newbie to Smashbox so I don’t have a ton of exposure to most of their products, but this one completely blew me out of the water. Pigmentation and bendability are incredible, and there’s enough variety of colour in this palette to make it a liiiittle bit different from all the other neutral palettes out there.