You guyssssss… Holiday makeup season is upon us and I am NOT complaining! Last year I missed out on purchasing the Too Faced Holiday collections because I felt they were too similar to previous years… and I’ve regretted it ever since.
So this year, I’m doing my best to snag whatever I can from the collection. I received this one from PR, but you can bet your butt I’m going out and getting the other sets shortly! Yes, I’m that much of a Too Faced addict now – I MUST HAVE EVERYTHING!
This year’s collection focuses on Christmas in New York (last year was Christmas in Paris) and the item I’m swatching is the Grande Hotel Cafe set. This set retails for $49 USD/$62 CAD on Sephora’s site.
Too Faced Holiday 2016 Grande Hotel Cafe
The top lifts off to reveal three palettes and a mini Better Than Sex mascara.
Too Faced Holiday 2016 Grande Hotel Cafe
The doors swing out and you have easy access to the palettes inside, as well as the beautiful interior design of the set.
Kolme helping me out with my photos!Too Faced Holiday 2016 Grande Hotel Cafe – comes with three different palettes and a mini Better Than Sex mascara!
The three palettes are what I’ll be swatching today. As I only just received this palette, I haven’t been able to do looks yet, but those will be coming this week to my YouTube channel here’s the direct link!. Each palette is intended to smell like a different holiday drink… however I’d say that it smells more “sweetly” than anything else. They do all smell different, but nothing like their intended scent.
Too Faced Peppermint Mocha Swatches
Too Faced Holiday 2016 – Grand Hotel Cafe – Peppermint Mocha paletteToo Faced Holiday 2016 – Grand Hotel Cafe – Peppermint Mocha paletteToo Faced – Peppermint CreamToo Faced – Christmas BlendToo Faced – Peppermint MochaToo Faced – Candy CaneToo Faced – Coffee ChipToo Faced – Santa Baby
Too Faced Eggnog Latte Swatches
Too Faced Holiday 2016 – Grand Hotel Cafe – Eggnog Latte paletteToo Faced Holiday 2016 – Grand Hotel Cafe – Eggnog Latte paletteToo Faced – Frosty NogToo Faced – Eggnog LatteToo Faced – Iced CoffeeToo Faced – Skinny LatteToo Faced – Cold BrewToo Faced – Central PerkToo Faced – Peach Cobbler
Too Faced Gingerbread Cookie Swatches
Too Faced Holiday 2016 – Grand Hotel Cafe – Gingerbread Cookie paletteToo Faced Holiday 2016 – Grand Hotel Cafe – Gingerbread Cookie paletteToo Faced – Ginger CreamToo Faced – Maple SyrupToo Faced – GingersnapToo Faced – Winter DreamToo Faced – Cup of JoeToo Faced – Black CoffeeToo Faced – Gingerbread
Want to see all three palettes in action? Check out my video that showcases three different looks using this set!
So, are you interested in this set? I’m kind of over the moon about it. You can pick up the Too FacedGrande Hotel Cafe for $49 USD/$62 CAD on Sephora’s site.
The product featured in this post was sent to me for review.
Too Faced recently launched their collaboration with YouTuber makeup artist NikkieTutorials (she’s not just a YouTuber, she’s also quite an accomplished MUA!). The palette is inspired by Nikkie’s viral video “The Power of Makeup” which has an insane 32 million views!
Too Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup
As I’m a rabid Too Faced fan as well as a frequent viewer of Nikkie’s videos, I wanted to pick up this palette to support both her and the brand. Sadly, I did not find that the quality of these shadows were up to Too Faced’s usual standards so I’m feeling a bit deflated by this palette (this swatch fine, but application to my eyes was not great). Read on for swatches!
Too Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – eyeshadowsToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – face products
Too Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup Swatches
Too Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – IvyToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – Sugar CoatedToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – Frosted YumToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – IrresistibleToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – PainkillerToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – Makeup & ChillToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – Mystic HourToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – Wham BamToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – WantedToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – I Will Always Love YouToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – Justify My LoveToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – Chocolate SoleilToo Faced x NikkieTutorials – The Power of Makeup – Champagne Truffle
As you’re all pretty much aware of by now, I’m Too Faced obsessed. And I thought there was no better way to celebrate me hitting 1K than by giving away a bunch of their products as a thank you for subscribing to my endeavours on YouTube!
One winner will receive:
Too Faced Melted Matte in Miso Pretty
Too Faced Faced Melted Matte in Bend & Snap
Too Faced Melted Matte in Child Star
Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara
Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof mascara
Too Faced Mascara Meltoff
Giveaway Rules
This giveaway is open internationally!
This giveaway starts on August 30, 2016 and runs for two weeks.
Please be aware that all entries will be double checked to ensure fairness.
One winner will win the Too Faced Prize Pack pictured and described above.
The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail. If they fail to respond within that time frame, I will pick another prize winner. (And so on.)
“Giveaway accounts” will not be considered for this prize. (If you want to know what I mean by that, please click here.)
This month ended up being a lot more spendy than I was anticipating. It’s the start of the makeup holiday season (YAYYYY!!!!!) and there’s a lot of exciting products coming out now and in the near future!
Too Cool For School – Egg Mousse Soap ($15 CAD)
I’ve heard a little bit about the brand Too Cool For School and was intrigued by the fact that they use a lot of egg products in their skincare. I was low(ish) on facial cleansers at the time so I decided to pick up their Egg Mousse Soap one in a recent Sephora order because I “had to” get to the $50 free shipping mark. Of course, now I’m overburdened with facial cleansers and this one has moved to the back of the pile. Oops!
Bite Beauty Luminous Cream Lipsticks in Musk, Fig and Retsina ($28 CAD for all three)
My whole reason for placing a Sephora order was that Bite Beauty was doing a flash clearance sale on their old Luminous Creme lipsticks. I had just recently finished up Fig (an all time favourite shade of mine) and was planning to repurchase the shade anyway so I figured this would work out well. The trio came with Fig, Musk and Retsina. I actually already own Musk and Retsina, so I figured I’d put those lipsticks in giveaways!
Houses of Lashes Adhesive ($11 CAD)
The last item in my Sephora order was the House of Lashes lash adhesive! I was hunting for cheapie products to add in to my Sephora order to make the minimum spend for free shipping, and Megan (who knows I’m a huge House of Lashes fan) pointed out that Sephora was now selling their lash glue. I was OVER THE MOON. Not only is the price tag good ($11 CAD), but now I don’t have to order it from the US and risk a customs fee! This is currently a backup as I’m working my way through another tube of the very same adhesive.
I just swatched this palette for Swatch Sunday, so you may be aware that Tanya of I, Redhead sent me this tartePin Up Girl palette!
tarte Pin Up Girl palette
I hadn’t bought the palette when it came out in 2014, but Tanya knew I was a fan of tarte‘s blushes so she sent her backup my way! I am so, SO grateful to her for sending it to me – it was a really lovely gesture. And I love the formula of tarte‘s blushes so I’m always happy to add another bunch of them to my collection!
tarte Grav3yard Girl Swamp Queen palette ($59 CAD)
I’ve watched Grav3yardgirl for a few years now, and while I did find her personality a bit of an acquired taste (seriously, how can anyone be that peppy/vibrant/loud all the time??), she’s become one of my favourite YouTubers to just idly watch. I always find myself giggling with her in her videos and it’s nice to be able to tune in to someone who seems to be very comfortable in their own skin (with or without makeup!). However, I held off picking up her collaboration with tarte because I didn’t need another eyeshadow palette.
tarte Grav3yard Girl Swamp Queen palette
But as all good makeup lovers are apt to do… I caved. I was particularly drawn to the Dogman and Sassy Bun shades and it was always in the back of my head that I was going to be supporting a YouTuber that I already enjoyed watching. So I picked up the Swamp Queen palette and I’ve been enjoying it so far. It’s not a total knockout palette, but there are some really, really lovely shades in here! If you’d like to see this palette in action, I did do a video tutorial featuring it which you can see right here:
The Body Shop mini body butter in Frosted Plum (free – gift)
I got a few cast off products from Julie – I don’t know what it is, but I’ve become such a hoarder with skincare products. I feel like I want all of the body butters, creams, lotions, etc. and when someone’s like “oh you want this?” I’m like yes yes yes, and then I throw it in my closet… only to realize I already had it. So ridiculous. Anyway! This is The Body Shop body butter in Frosted Plum which was limited edition around from around the holiday season. Not sure if they’ll be bringing this one back this year!
Bite Beauty Kale and Squid lipsticks (free – gift)
Julie also ended up with duplicates of Bite Beauty‘s Kale and Squid lipsticks so I said I’d give them a shot. Although they look black in the tube, one is a very dark green (Kale) and the other is a dark navy (Squid). I’ve not worn them yet, but I’m excited to put together some looks with them and see how best they wear!
Milani Amore Metallic Lip Creme in Matte About You (free- gift)
A few weeks ago, Shawna surprised me and handed me this Milani Amore Metallic Lip Creme in Matte About You. She had tried all of the shades about and decided this would work better on me – and who am I to say no to that? I haven’t tried it yet, but be sure to check out her post on these Milani lip products because she’s got some great swatches!
Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Sweets ($40 USD)
I’m becoming a diehard for the Anastasia Beverly HillsGlow Kits you guys… it started with Gleam. And now I’ve purchased Sweets… and I’ve recently ordered Moonchild now too. These freaking highlighters are just so lovely and exciting that it’s really, really hard to resist them!
Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Sweets ($40 USD)
I’ve been particularly loving Sassy Grape. I had no idea I needed an iridescent purple highlighter in my life, but I now I realize I do! Also, rather amazingly, I was sent TWO of these Glow Kits when I only ordered one. Since this was shipped to the US, and then brought back to Canada for me (thanks Shawna!), I wasn’t going to bother shipping it back to ABH since paying for return shipping is kind of stupid when it was their mistake in the first place. INSTEAD, you guys will profit off it because I’ll be doing a giveaway for it in the next month or so. Why so far away you ask? Because there’s ANOTHER giveaway I already have planned for my YouTube channel tomorrow to celebrate 1k subscribers!
Neutrogena Hydrating Wipes ($8.99 CAD)
I’ll never understand why these NeutrogenaHydrating wipes are so much more expensive than the regular Neutrogena ones… BUT they are my absolute favourite, so I always wait till they go on sale before I pick them up. (They’re usually priced around $13 CAD!)
Too Faced x Nikkie Tutorials – The Power of Makeup ($68 CAD)
We all know I’m a Too Faced junkie at this point – so I’ve just accepted that I’m going to end up buying every palette they release, regardless of whether or not I’m dying for the shades. So, I picked up the Too Faced and NikkieTutorials collaboration “The Power of Makeup” mid-month.
Too Faced x Nikkie Tutorials – The Power of Makeup ($68 CAD)
I’ll be brutally honest about this… I love watching NikkieTutorials, and I love Too Faced, but this collaboration has left me totally underwhelmed. There’s nothing about this eyeshadow palette that screams “Nikkie” to me. The purple mascara is a weird choice – even if she says it’s her favourite colour, I can’t think of a time when she’s ever used coloured mascara. The eyeshadow shades are a weird combinations for her (in my opinion) and they swatch really poorly (swatch post coming soon). I’m glad it came with a black Sketch Marker because I do quite enjoy that product (my review on other shades cane be found here) and I am happy to own the glitter “Gliterally” – although, if you remember the Too FacedGlamour Dusts… this is the exact same as Blue Fire. Sadly, I didn’t collect them all so I don’t have a full size of Blue Fire, which is why I’m happy to own this one.
Anyway, all this to say, I haven’t actually put this palette on my face yet, so maybe I’ll like it more in when I actually use it… but yeah… not my favourite release by Too Faced sadly.
And that’s it… anyone else getting super excited about the upcoming holiday palettes and collections? September/October is the BEST time of the year in the makeup world as far as I’m concerned! 😀
Brand new to Too Faced‘s lineup of products are the ever so brightly coloured Sketch Markers!
“Sketch Marker is an advanced liquid eyeliner inspired by Japanese Calligraphy Pens. Its formula acts as an artist’s best drawing ink, created to be exceptionally smooth, vivid, waterproof and ideal for lining eyes. The flexible tip allows you to effortlessly create paintbrush-like strokes for daytime to dramatic cat eyes and everything in between. Available in a kaleidoscope of colors from soft pastels to bold pop art shades. Wear a single color or pair up to create a double eyeliner work of art.”
Too Faced Sketch Markers
Since a pen style liquid liner is my preferred way to apply liquid liners, I was pretty darn happy to see that these were not in a “dip pot” style. I do prefer a brush tip, but these have a really flexible felt tip which is probably the closest I’m ever going to get without it actually being a full on brush. I’m also happy to report that they come in a wide variety of COLOURS which I’m finding more and more brands are doing lately. There are 12 shades in total – you’ve got your basic white, black and brown, but there’s a gorgeous papaya shade, a few purples and some stunning greens and blues.
Too Faced Sketch Markers
The Sketch Markers taper to a fine point and I can happily report that the ink from the inner cartridge actually flows all the way to the end of the tip. I know this seems like a basic function of a pen-style liquid liner, but I can’t tell you know the number of brands do not deliver on this (MAC’s fluidline pens were my most recent disappointment, for example). It’s worth mentioning that although these are labelled waterproof, I’m afraid that they’re more water resistant than waterproof.
Too Faced Sketch Markers in Espresso & Steel Blue – swatches
Both the Espresso and Steel Blue shades swatched completely opaque in one swipe. At a glance, the Espresso shade looks like a satin, whereas the Steel Blue is more matte (there’s really not much of a difference on your eyes though).
Wearing Too Faced Sketch Marker in EspressoWearing Too Faced Sketch Marker in Steel Blue
Final Thoughts
If you like a flexible felt tip pen-style eyeliner that delivers opacity in one swipe, longevity in the formula (these have EASILY lasted me a whole work day and then some), and a fluidity that ensures you’ll get product at the very tip of the brush, then the Too Faced Sketch Markers are 100% for you. You also have the flexibility of choosing one of the usual shades (black or brown) or branching out into something a little bit more fun-loving amongst the vibrant shades. I’m currently eyeballing the Papaya Peach shade for my next Sephora order because I don’t have anything like that colour at all!
(Also, huge thanks to my husband for the adorable cat drawings!)
