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ColourPop The Mandalorian Palette Review

December 28, 2021

Outside of the Packaging
Inside of the packaging
Shades – Yes, this palette came to me this dirty.

As an avid Star Wars fan, I was so excited to see Colourpop come out with a collection based on the TV show “The Mandalorian”. Not only is the packaging super cute and fun, but I love the way they named the collection as well. Stick around to learn more about The Mandalorian palette in my ColourPop The Mandalorian palette review.

You can find this eyeshadow palette on ColourPop’s website by clicking here. It typically retails for $16, but is currently on sale for only $12.

Swatches

Beskar Steel

Beskar Steel is a glittery silver shade that looks quite bright in swatches but applied on the eye, I noticed that it wasn’t quite as impactful. I had to apply this shade three times to get it to really show on my lids. I honestly wasn’t a fan of this one.

Nevarro Sand

Nevarro Sand is a matte yellow/orange shade that is quite powdery. I noticed that this one could tend to have a lot of fallout if you aren’t careful with it. I liked using this one lightly as a transition shade.

Bantha Tracks

Bantha Tracks is a light, warm peach shade that I loved as a transition shade. This one is a tad powdery, but not as much as the other shades, so I felt like I got good coverage in the crease. I overall enjoyed this shadow.

Imperial Credit

Imperial Credit is a pewter shimmer shade that performed pretty well on the lids. I liked this on all over the lids but did notice the formula was slightly dry, so I did leave some fallout and required a few applications to pack a punch.

Clan of Two

Clan of Two is a really interesting shade. It has a red-brown base to it, but a blue/green shifting shimmer. I would call this one a duo-chrome. This is one of the better performing eyeshadows in the palette and reminds me of a typical ColourPop formula.

Tattooine Glimmer

Tattooine Glimmer is a bronze metallic shade that I swept over the lids. I didn’t love this eyeshadow because it generated a TON of fallout and it took me forever to get it to show up how I wanted to. I think when you put in such a basic shade as a bronze metallic, I’m going to have high standards because they are literally everywhere.

Mythosaur

Mythosaur is a matte taupe that I thought performed pretty well. I applied this in the crease and found it to be pretty pigmented and blendable. Overall, I think this one is a decent shade.

This Is The Way

This Is The Way is a taupe that lends toward a grey with some green undertones. I definitely noticed that when paired next to a green shade from a different palette, it definitely brought out some of the green to it. I didn’t like this shadow too much because I found it difficult to blend. Its just a little on the stiff side.

Creed

Creed is a dark brown with a matte base and covered in gold glitter. I actually have split feelings on this shade because it was so pigmented and blendable, but it sure did leave some fallout. It’s just a really powdery shade. Again, this one looks like one of the worse performing shades based on the swatch, but it ended up being one I liked quite a bit.

Pigmentation

This palette wasn’t quite as pigmented as I’m used to ColourPop eyeshadows being. For quite a few of the shades, I had to really layer the color over and over again to get the colors to perform.

I also noticed that these eyeshadows are really powdery, which left me with a ton of fallout. That’s probably why they were lacking in normal pigmentation.

Like I say in every post, swatches can be misleading and that was definitely the case for this palette. Most of these swatched really nicely, so I was excited to try the palette, but none of them really performed that well on the eyes.

I gave this one 3.5/5 hearts because I was able to make some decent looks with the palette, but I did have to work with them a lot more than I was used to for Colourpop shadows.

Packaging

For anyone who’s read my blog, you know how I like Colourpop’s packaging. Most of their palettes are fairly cheap, but look cute, and have sturdy cardboard packaging.

That usually earns them 4 hearts. But this one. It has a mirror!! Of all the Colourpop palettes I own, this was the first to come with a mirror and I was so stocked about it.

Not only that, it’s super cute. I love The Mandalorian and think they did a great job on the packaging.

Blendability

As I said earlier in my post, The Mandalorian palette has really powdery eyeshadows. This means they blended fairly well. However, an eyeshadow can become too powdery and blend away.

This one didn’t do that to me unless I was really blending, so I gave it 4/5 hearts. Just be careful not to blend too heavily or too much in one area and you should be good to go.

Like I keep saying in this post, I’m just used to Colourpop’s shadows performing better than these ones did.

Wear Time

Ok, I’m going to say it again. These are really powdery. This means that they also didn’t stay on the lid as long as I’d like. I just noticed after a few hours, there was some fading. Was it terrible? No. There are just better eyeshadows out there.

Looks I Created with The Mandalorian Palette

I created this look by applying Bantha Tracks as a transition color. Then, I placed This Is The Way in the crease. Creed went in the outer V and I topped off the look with Imperial Credit all over the lid. I feel like my lighting kind of washed out how beautiful Imperial Credit actually looks on the eye. It is a lot more eye-catching than in the photos.

Overall Thoughts

That’s it for my review of the Colourpop The Mandalorian Palette.

I think this one is a good palette for collectors and Mandalorian fans in general. But if you’re not a fan of the show and want some eyeshadows that perform well, this one might be a pass for you.

Another thing I didn’t get to mention earlier in the post is that this eyeshadow came to me in a dirty palette. It’s almost as if the shadows weren’t all the way pressed and some got all over it. For a collector’s palette, I’d assume it would come absolutely perfect in case I didn’t plan to use it, but to display it instead.

I did want to recommend a similar, cool-toned look that performs overall better, but is still in this price range, I’d recommend Colourpop’s Of Quartz eyeshadow palette. You can click here to read my review of it.

Until next time!

Best Non Waterproof Mascara That Delivers on Length and Volume

December 16, 2021

Photo by Aleksandra Rupar on Unsplash

I love waterproof mascara for a lot of reasons: it holds curls better, lasts a little longer, and I don’t have to worry about it smudging or transferring if I’m in the heat. There are times, however, when I really just don’t want to have to worry about taking it off at the end of the day. This is where I tend to stick with non-waterproof mascaras. Today we’ll be going over the best non waterproof mascara and the benefits of using it.

Benefits of Non Waterproof Mascara

For me, one of the biggest benefits of non-waterproof mascara is that it’s easier to remove.

Just a quick swipe of a makeup remover and we’re done!

Non waterproof mascara is also gentler on the lashes because they are less drying and there’s no tugging and pulling to remove it.

This means longer, healthier lashes!

Generally, I stick to non-waterproof formulas for everyday wear and save the waterproof for special occasions, like a date where I know I’ll be walking around outside in the hot, humid weather.

Top Non Waterproof Mascaras

Loreal Voluminous Lash Paradise


Click the image to view on Amazon

This is my holy grail of mascaras. I love it so much for the amount of volume it gives my lashes. I think it also gives me decent length, which is an additional bonus for me.

I’ve heard this one is a dupe for Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara and to me, this one is even better. Is that mostly due to the price difference? Probably. But why spend $27 on a mascara that does the same thing as a $9 one?

This is honestly one of the best mascaras I’ve ever tried. It creates length, volume, doesn’t smudge, and is easy to remove at the end of the day. At the price, it really is just perfect.

Tarte Lights, Camera Lashes


Click the image to view on Amazon

The last mascara was more volumizing but still creates some length. This one is lengthening but still creates volume. One of the things I love most about this mascara is that it makes your lashes long LONG. I mean, sometimes when I look up, they’re touching my eyebrows.

This one gives a unique look because it coats each and every lash, so you look like you have a million lashes. It isn’t the most volumizing formula in the world, so your lashes won’t look super thick and definitely won’t give you spider lashes. If you’re on the hunt for a great lengthening mascara, this one will do the trick!

Essence Lash Princess


Click the image to view on Amazon

This one really fits the bill for both length and volume and boasts that it will give you a falsie look without the hassle of false lashes. I really like this one for a very dramatic lash look. I’m not big on using false lashes, so I love that I have the option to get a dramatic lash look with just mascara.

I also love how long-wearing it is. At just $5 a tube, this mascara really packs a punch!

Covergirl Lash Blast Volume


Click the image to view on Amazon

Lash Blast has been around for so long that they now have a bunch of different versions of it, but the volume formula is still my favorite. It has a really large brush that really grabs each lash and coats them evenly, giving you a really voluminous look.

Another thing I love about the brush is that it never leaves my lashes clumpy. I think it’s due to the shape of the bristles on the brush, but it never deposits too much product on one area and never leaves me with spider lashes. This one sells for around $6 per tube on Amazon.

Maybelline New York Volum’Express the Falsies


Click the image to view on Amazon

Here’s another mascara that will give you the look of false lashes without the hassle. It delivers on both volume and length, leaving you with gorgeous, dramatic lashes.

Another great thing about this mascara is that it really holds a curl. So for those of you ladies with straighter lashes, this one might work for you to keep your curl all day without having to use a waterproof formula. Let me know if it works out for you in the comments!

Maybelline New York Total Temptation


Click the image to view on Amazon

This is another mascara that I’ve really loved, although I haven’t been using it as long as I have been Lash Temptation. I think this one truly delivers on length. While it does bring some volume to the lashes, the length is where it truly shines.

If you’re into the “I have a million lashes” look, without every lash looking super thick, this one might for you!

I do have a disclaimer about the scent for those with sensitive eyes. This one has a coconut scent to it, which I think smells amazing, but I do know that could be a negative for those with sensitivies. The scent comes from the coconut oil it is formulated with, so it not only gives you length and volume, but conditions your lashes at the same time.

L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Butterfly


Click the image to view on Amazon

The Voluminous Butterfly mascara shines in lash separation. It really grabs onto each individual lash and coats them, but not too much. The result is more natural-looking lashes.

The brush shape on this mascara is also really unique. Because it is smaller toward the end, I feel like I can wiggle it really close to the lash line and really coat every single lash.

This mascara isn’t the most volumizing, but I love looking like I have about a million lashes naturally, so this is another that’s on the top of the list for me.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I tend to stick to non-waterproof mascaras for my day-to-day wear to keep my lashes looking long and lush, even without mascara. I hope this article helped you find a non-waterproof mascara that will work for you!

Another option for non-waterproof mascara is tubing mascara. Although it’s not as gentle, it can be a lot better for your lashes than a waterproof formula. Click here to learn more about my favorite drugstore tubing mascaras.

*Note: This page contains affiliate links

ColourPop Of Quartz Palette Review

December 2, 2021

I love Colourpop eyeshadows. And I mean LOVE. They are everything you can need in an eyeshadow: pigmented, blendable, and also super affordable!

In comes their new release: Of Quartz. I was dying to try this palette because of all the cool tones in it. If you need a cool-toned neutral palette, I think you’ve found your go-to.

I love this palette for a few reasons:

  • The shadows are super pigmented
  • Easy to work with
  • Cool tones!
  • Neutrals (which I tend to stick to)
  • Easy to blend
  • Great quality
  • Affordable – I paid only $14 for this palette, but its currently on sale for only $8.40 (Click here to check it out)

Things I didn’t love about this palette:

Sadly, one of the eyeshadows wasn’t glued in all the way and I didn’t notice, so it fell out and broke pretty quickly after I received it. I’ve never had this experience with a Colourpop palette before so I just chalked it up to bad luck.

Swatches

Mine Games

This is a bright white glitter that I liked using on my inner corner. It is very pigmented and added a bright highlight where I needed it.

I tend to use satin shades on my inner corner and under my brow, so this was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I still really loved it!

This one didn’t swatch great in the photos, but I think it was due to my bright lights and light skin tone. Not to worry, it showed up great on the lids!

Sio

Sio is a matte taupey-grey shade that works really well for a transition shade. It blended out the other colors beautifully and looks great as a transition.

This one is really cool toned, so I noticed that it made my looks fall to the really cool end of the spectrum.

I appreciate having Sio in the palette to give me a really cool-toned transition shade.

In the Zone

I also enjoyed this one as a transition shade, but as you can see from the swatches, its on the warmer side compared to Sio.

This one is a light rosy brown shade that I used mostly as a transition. It is matte.

I really liked this one too because I felt like it helped warm up some really cool-toned looks.

Transform

Transform is a metallic dark peach shade that looks absolutely stunning on the lids.

The color was opaque and not at all dusty or powdery on me. Because of that, I didn’t experience any fall-out, which I find to be hard to do for metallic shadows.

I loved applying this one all over the lids with either darker shades in the crease or outer V, or just on its own as a look.

Ore

Ore is a metallic taupe shade that also perfromed beautifully on the lids. Its much more cool toned than the other metallics, so it can really be used to cool down any look.

This one is also super pigmented and not dusty or powdery. I did not experience any fall-out.

This one I applied on the lid with Opaque in the outer V for a really nice cool-toned look.

Magnetic

Magnetic is a warmer mettalic bronze shadow with specks of silver glitter, which help keep it in the cool toned family.

Just like the rest of the glitters in this palette, it was pigmented, blendable, and did not leave any fall-out.

I hate to be a broken record, but I just loved the glitters in this palette!

Granite Access

Granite Access is matte medium taupe that I loved popping in the crease.

This one was pigmented, but I did noticed that building layers helped it really stand out on my lid.

Again, this one is a great shadow that is super blendable and easy to use.

Opaque

Opaque is a matte deep gray that is very cool toned. So cool, in fact, that it was mistaken as navy on my lids.

I adore this eyeshadow and think it brings a lot of depth to any eye look.

It was just as pigmented and blendable as the other shades in the palette.

Rock On

Rock On is a soft black with mutli-colored glitter speckled throughout.

I liked using this one to line my upper lash line and occasionally to deepen the outer V.

I love the addition of this shade in the palette because it gives you the ability to create a beautiful cool-toned smokey eye. If you create one of those, drop me a photo in the comments! I bet it’ll look stunning!

Pigmentation

All of the shadows in this palette were super pigmented and I didn’t have to work hard at all to get them to show up on the eyes. One of the things I love most about this palette is that every single shade worked well. Every shade was easy to work with and went on super pigmented with just one swipe.

Because every single shade packed a punch with just one brush application, I gave this one 5/5 hearts.

Packaging

This is standard Colourpop packaging. Its cardboard with no mirror.

You know how I feel about mirrors. I just think small palettes like this NEED one.

Colourpop’s packaging is sleek. simple and to the point, which I really appreciate. I just want a mirror!

This one gets 4/5 hearts for the lack of mirror.

Blendability

These eyeshadows blended like a dream. They aren’t even powdery, so I didn’t get a ton of fall out from them, but they still just blended out perfectly.

Have you ever had that eyeshadow day where you pop the color on, do a slight blend, and everything turns out looking great?

That’s the experience I had with these. I just found it so easy to make a beautiful look with them.

I gave them a 5/5 hearts because these were probably the easiest shadows to blend I’ve experienced in a long time.

Wear Time

This also gets a 5/5 hearts!

I wore these for a 12 hour day on multiple occasions and was impressed at how they performed.

Did the color fade a bit after 12 hours? Yes. But not significantly. I could definitely still see the end result by the end of 12 hours.

Note: I did use an eye primer with these. Need a hand picking one? Click here for my list of top eye primers for oily lids.

Looks I Created with the Of Quartz Palette

The left look was more an everyday look I created using In the Zone as a transition shade, Granite Acess in the outer V, and Ore all over the lid. I ended it with Mine Games in the inner corner. This look is so beautiful and I loved it so much for everyday wear. I think it’ll be one I wear really often.

The look on the right was created with Sio as a transition shade, Granite Access in the crease, and Opaque in the outer V. I finished this look with Transform all over the lid. While it might not look like it in the photo, this one was pretty dramatic and made me feel like I was rocking glam make up the days I wore this look.

Overall Thoughts

I LOVE this palette. And I mean love it!

I’ll be using this one a ton because I just don’t really have anything like it in my collection. Most of my palettes are on the warm side, so I love getting to add a little cool toned shadows to my collection.

These performed so well that I gave this one a 5/5 hearts, even though its missing a mirror, which is a huge deal for me. I’ll still use this palette all the time and just pull out another mini mirror to help out.

I think you’ll also love this one if you’re a cool-toned lover or just want to add more cool tones to your repertoire.

Do you love Colourpop eyeshadows as much as I do? Read my more recent post on their Mandalorian Palette by clicking here.

Until next time!

Best Drugstore Tubing Mascara That Will Make Your Lashes Look Like Falsies

December 1, 2021

Tubing mascaras have been taking over the makeup world for the last couple of years and its no surprise! They have the ability to keep your mascara smudge-proof like no other mascara can. Today, we’ve laid out for you the best drugstore tubing mascara that will make your lashes look so good, you might mistake them for falsies.

How Does Tubing Mascara Work?

Tubing mascara wraps each individual lash in a special formula that creates tiny elastic tubes around your lashes. This means each last is getting coated completely.

Tubing mascara will only come off with warm water and soap (or makeup remover), so you don’t have to worry about taking a swim with it on.

When you do finally remove it, you will notice that it comes off in tiny little tubes that have unwrapped from each individual lash.

Who Should Use Tubing Mascara?

Tubing mascara is great for people who have issues with their mascara smudging around their eyes throughout the day. This would include:

  • People with oily skin
  • People with oily lids
  • People with straighter lashes
  • People who’s lashes refuse to hold a curl

This type of mascara can be great for anyone who wants their mascara to stay in place all day long, but it will particularly help those of us who struggle with the dreaded “panda eye”

So, without further ado, here are my top pics for drugstore tubing mascara:

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Mascara


Click the image to view on Amazon

This mascara is great for lengthening. It can also hold a curl, even in the heat and humidity! Because it is a tubing mascara, it doesn’t smudge and will last all day long.

Essence Bye Bye Panda Eyes Tubing Mascara


Click the image to view on Amazon

I love Essence Beauty because of their price tag. This one is just under $5 and works just as well as every other tubing mascara I’ve tried. This one is also vegan and cruelty-free!

L’Oreal Double Extend Mascara


Click the image to view on Amazon

This one has been around for ages, but still gets great reviews. It is a tried and true formula that uses a primer and tubing technology to deliver full lashes that won’t flake or smudge all day long. First, just apply the lash primer. Once that’s dried, apply the top coat and voila! Gorgeous lashes that you don’t have to worry about all day long.

Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara


Click the image to view on Amazon

This one boasts that it can deliver length, volume, and hold a curl, all while being smudge-proof. This one I like because it comes in different shade, mainly the plum, which looks great against my green eyes. I like this one and I think it does a good job of delivering in lenght and volume. I can’t speak to it holding a curl, as I have curlier lashes. Overall, this is a solid drugstore pick.

Maybelline Sky High Mascara


Click the image to view on Amazon

This is the one that went viral on TikTok and got everyone talking about tubing mascaras. I really like this one because it delivers on the length department. I always feel like I have a million lashes when I use this mascara. However, this one doesn’t give me the most volume. I like the look anyway, because I feel like I can see each individual lash and they all look really long. Overall, this one is a winner for me!

Final Thoughts

That’s it for my best drugstore tubing mascara! I think tubing mascaras are great to try out if you have issues with mascaras flaking and smudging under your eyes. They can really keep those issues at bay. I also love how they really stay in place all day long. Whenever I’m using a tubing mascara, I notice that my lashes look the same at the end of the day as they did when I first applied. Give a tubing mascara a shot and let me know how you like them in the comments!

Want to know more of my favorite drugstore mascaras? Click here to read my favorite drugstore waterproof mascara list.

*Note: this page contains affiliate links.

Morphe Mickey & Friends Truth Be Bold Artistry Eye Palette Review

November 23, 2021

Mickey & Friends Truth Be Bold palette
Front of the Palette
Inside the Mickey & Friends Truth Be Bold Palette
Inside of the palette

Morphe’s Mickey & Friends Truth Be Bold Artistry Eye Palette was recently released as part of Morphe’s recently Disney collab. It can be found at Ulta for $32. Its a bold collection, with more colorful shadows than any neutrals.

Swatches

Because there are so many shadows in this palette, I decided to swatch a column at a time. So these are going from top to bottom starting on the left hand column of the palette.

As you can see, some of the shadows didn’t perform well in swatches, but that doesn’t always mean they will perform badly on the eyes.

I’ve seen shadows that look terrible in swatches work out really well on the eyes, but sadly, these weren’t one of them. The Mattes in particular were the worst performing shadows in swatches.

Without further ado, here are the swatches of the Mickey & Friends Truth Be Bold Artistry Eye Palette:

Own It, Stop & Stare, Awe-dacious, Thumbs Up, Original Artist

Swatches of Own It, Stop & Stare, Awe-dacious, Thumbs Up, Original Artist

Head Out, Big Bows, Staring Contest, Stun & Games, Push It

Swatches of Head Out, Big Bows, Staring Contest, Stun & Games, Push It

Creative Collision, Made Ya Look, Awe Goody, Iconic Vibes, Max Power

Swatches of Creative Collision, Made Ya Look, Awe Goody, Iconic Vibes, Max Power

Life’s Short, Coy Toy, Super Sassy, Street Beats, Into Mischief

Swatches of Life's Short, Coy Toy, Super Sassy, Street Beats, Into Mischief

So Fearless, On the Dot, Talk Flirty, Major Edge, Wild One

Swatches of So Fearless, On the Dot, Talk Flirty, Major Edge, Wild One

Big Dreamer, Extra Sparkle, Out Loud, Troublemaker, Instigator

Swatches of Big Dreamer, Extra Sparkle, Out Loud, Troublemaker, Instigator

Play By Ear, Bat Those Lashes, Very Vixen, Secret Weapon, Total Rebel

Swatches of Play By Ear, Bat Those Lashes, Very Vixen, Secret Weapon, Total Rebel

Pigmentation

I gave the pigmentation only 2.5/5 hearts becuase I had to pack on the shadows a lot of times for any of the color to show up. For example, in the pink and green eyeshadow look below, I used Bat Those Lashes in the outer corner, which appears to be a vibrant dark pink. Even though I was able to get the shadow to look that way on my eyes, I had to apply it four times to get it there.

I had a lot of issues with the glitter shadows as well. I had to pack them on a lot of times to get the pigmentation to show up on my eyes. In the purple look below, I used Super Sassy all over the lid and really struggled to get any pigmentation. I felt like I was really having to pack the shades on to get them to look decent.

The lightest shades had almost no pigmentation to them all, which I wasn’t too concerned with because I mostly used them for transition shades, which they did an ok job of.

Packaging

I gave the packaging 4/5 hearts because I thought it was really creative. I loved the outside of the packaging and especially how some of the shadows had the characters embossed into them.

The only thing lacking to me in the packaging is a mirror of some sort. With such a large palette, I’m willing to overlook a mirror because it wouldn’t be terribly practical for me to use one, but I still always knock a heart off for a lack of mirror.

To me, this packaging and the Disney theme alone is enough to keep this palette in my makeup collection.

Blendability

This palette gets a 2/5 hearts for blendability. I hated working with these. Whenever I would try to blend a shade out, it would just completely blend away. So I started blending less and less so the colors would keep their pigmentation, but overall I just ended up with looks I wasn’t satisfied with.

The mattes in the palette are the worse culprits of this. Just a slight blend and you’ll probably have no shadow left in some areas. Frustrating!!

I just didn’t like working with these shadows at all for this reason and it was enough for me to give it a negative review.

Wear Time

Becuase of the blending issue, I really thought that these shadows were not going to last all day on my eye. While wearing the gold and green look to work over a 12 hour day, I still had shadow on at the end of it, so it got a 3.5 heart rating.

These didn’t look as pigmented as they did when I first put them on, but they still looked to the be same color and I could still see the initial look I created with them, so I went with 3.5 hearts/5.

Looks I Created with the Truth Be Bold Artistry Eye Palette

  • Total Rebel/Creative Collection
  • Made Ya Look/Coy Toy
  • Trouble Maker/Street Beats
  • Into Mischief/Bat Those Lashes
  • Very Vixen/Out Loud/Super Sassy

I don’t normally have so much to say about the looks I created from the palette I’m reviewing, but I wanted to point out a few issues with these eyeshadows that are evident in the photos.

  1. These eyeshadows are patchy – In Trouble Maker/Street Beats, you can see just how patchy these shadows are. Street Beats, especially. The color just wouldn’t adhere the same way on all of the lid.
  2. The glitters are not a vibrant as I expect – In Very Vixen/Out Loud/Super Sassy, I really expected Super Sassy to just pop on the lid and it really didn’t. Creative Collection doesn’t look too bad, bu witht both of these eyeshadows, I had to spend a lot of time really packing the colors on.
  3. These shadows blend out into nothing – In Into Mischief/Bath Those Lashes, Into Mischief almost blended out to nothing on me. I did capture this photo after a blend and before applying it over top (again!), but I really wanted to highligh this issue with these shadows.

Overall Thoughts

The Mickey & Friends Truth Be Both Artistry Eye Palette is a complete pass for me. There are just so many great eyeshadow palettes on the market these days that I cannot recommend an eyeshadow palette with these many issues to anyone.

The amount of time and effort I spent on looks that were just ok because I couldn’t get them to blend out without losing all pigmentation was enough for me to think that this palette just isn’t worth the price tag.

I’ll probably keep this one in my collection just to look at, but I don’t forsee me using these eyeshadows again after this review. Overall, it gets a 2.5 hearts from me.

Not all of this collection is terrible, though. Check out my review on the Mickey & Friends Truth Be Bold Lip Trio by clicking here.

Too Faced Christmas Coffee Palette Review

November 5, 2021

Too Faced Christmas Coffee Palette Shades
Too Faced Christmas Coffee Palette
Too Faced Christmas Coffee Packaging
Photo by Luxe Makeup

Does anyone else get excited for Too Faced holiday palette each year? I just think they’re so adorable and they always smell sooo good. This one is no exception! The palette that caught my attention this year was the Too Faced Christmas Coffee palette ($27.00). I purchased this one at Nordstrom, but it can be found at Sephora, Too Faced, or Ulta, too!

A few things about this palette I loved: The neutrals. I’m a neutral fan!

The scent. It’s light and sweet and not overwhelming like some of their palettes have been in the past.

The formula. It’s really blendable and pigmented.

The fact that it’s a mini palette! I love mini palettes because they’re affordable and don’t overwhelm me with choices.

A few things I wasn’t too keen on: The neutrals. How many neutral palettes with a pop of green do we need? These really are everywhere.

A note to anyone sensitive to fragrance: Once you put this stuff on your eyelids, you can really smell it. And it lasts a long while too. I’d skip this is smelly things aren’t your jam.

Swatches

Christmas Coffee Swatches
Swatches of Too Faced Christmas Coffee Palette

As you can see, not all the shades swatched nicely. While swatches don’t always give a great impression of how the eyeshadow will look on the eye, its still fun to see how they show up on skin.

Kool Whip (light warm cream matte)

Kool Whip
Photo by Luxe Makeup

This eyeshadow was ok. It’s matte and not a great one, so it can be a little bit chalky. Because they only included one highlight shade in this palette, I would have preferred a shimmer or at least a satin. It looked just ok on my eyes. It wasn’t anything to rave about, but did the job.

I will note that because my skin tone is so light, this didn’t swatch that great on my arm, but does show up on my lid just fine.

Warm Me Up (soft caramel brown matte)

Warm Me Up

This eyeshadow didn’t swatch terribly well, but it made an excellent transition color. I used this one in the crease to blend out all of the colors and it looked great. It was a really good shade for me as a transition and did the job well.

It has good pigmentation and blended out perfectly.

Cinnamon Chai (deep red-brown terracotta matte)

Cinnamon Chai

This was another shade that really stood out to me in this palette, performance-wise. I used this in my crease to deepen the look and again, it blended so well! The pigmentation was on point too and I overall enjoyed using it.

Holly Sh*t (sparkling forest green shimmer)

Holly Sh*t

I was shocked when I used this eyeshadow for the first time. Every time I get a green shadow, I’m let down, so I totally expected it to be a matte black with a tiny bit of green shimmer in it.

But this one. This one actually looks green on the lid. I used it in the outer V and it really stood out beautifully. One thing to note though, this eyeshadow gives a lot of fall out. I’d recommend doing eyeshdow, then foundation/concealer for this one.

Brew-tiful Day (petal pink matte)

Brew-tiful Day

As you can see, this one swatched horribly. It looks chalky, patchy. Just yuck!

On the eyes, however, it does an ok job. Its terrible, but nothing to write home about. This does just what it should do. Provide a pretty, light matte blending shade. Nothing too impressive, but does the job.

Slow Roasted (rustic copper metallic)

Slow Roasted

This is another shade that was ok. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. It looks great in the swatch, but because I’m sure all of us have 20 similar shades in our collections, I had really high expectations. I didn’t find it to be terribly pigmented, so I’d honestly probably swap it out with another, better-performing shade in my collection and see how it looks.

Its not something I’ll never use, it just wasn’t up to par withthe rest of the shadows in the palette.

Candy Cane Latte (metallic cranberry red metallic)

Candy Cane Lane

This is another shade that really impressed me. I put this one all over the lid and used Brew-tiful Day to blend it out and it looked great! It’s pigmented, and blends like a dream. One thing you’ll notice in the look I created with this shadow below is that it a bit on the powdery side, which can lead to fall out.

Christmas Coffee (rich deep brown matte)

Christmas Coffee

Here’s another shade that doesn’t perform perfectly in swatches, but looks great on the eye. In the swatch, it doesn’t look “deep” and doesn’t look as pigmented as I’d like.

On the eye, it performed great! It has excellent pigmentation and also blended really nicely. I used this in my outer V to really deepen the look. Overall, I really enjoyed this shade and will honestly probably reach for it to use with other looks in the future.

Do you know how difficult it is to find a rich brown that is pigmented and blendable, but doesn’t just completely blend away? It’s hard. So I’m pretty stoked to have this one in my arsenal.

Pigmentation

5/5

I think these eyeshadows are really pigmented. Below in the “Looks I created” section, you can see that even the shade I was least impressed by, Slow Roasted, looks pretty good, even without primer.

None of the shades in the palette are lacking in pigmentation (even if they didn’t swatch great), so I gave this one a 5/5 hearts.

Packaging

5/5

The package on the Too Faced Christmas Coffee is as adorable as it is functional.

Too Faced is well-known for their adorable holiday releases, and this one is no different.

What really stands out to me about it, however, is just how sturdy it feels. Its made out of a tin material that looks pretty indestructible.

It has a magnetic closure and comes with a mirror. I’d call that a win!

It gets a 5/5 for packaging because it has all of my favorite aspects: Mirror. Indestructible. (I have kids, need I say more?) And it’s adorable!

Blendability

5/5

I am super impressed in how easy these were to blend. Because the shadows are a bit on the powdery side, they blend REALLY well.

This also means that you should create your eye looks before putting on foundation because this stuff is really going to get all over your face.

Wear Time

3.5/5

I tested these eyeshadows 2 ways: with primer and without. I used Lorac Behind the Scenes eye primer, if you’re wondering. View my post on The Best Eye Primers for Oily Lids to see my thoughts on eye primers.

With Primer: This eyeshadow lasted on me all day long. I didn’t experinece any creasing or fading throughout the day

Without Primer: I did notice creasing (normal because my lids are on the oily side), but I also noticed a bit of fading throughout the day. To be expected, but you can’t really count on these shadows without primer.

Because I needed primer to make this really last, I gave it 3.5/5 hearts for wear time.

Looks I Created with the Too Faced Christmas Coffee Palette

Looks by Luxe-Makeup

The left look was created with Warm Me Up as a transition shade. Then, I used Cinnamon Chai in the crease to deepen it up. I popped Holly Sh*t in the outer V, finishing up with Slow Roasted on the lid.

The right look was easily created using Brew-tiful Day as a transition/blending shade. Then I used Candy Cane Latte all over the lid and a bit into my crease. Easy holidy look complete!

Note: Both of these looks were created without any eye primer, so you could see the performance on their own.

Overall Thoughts

4/5

Overall, I think this is a really fun holiday release. Do you probably have shadows that look like this in your collection? Probably. But do they have the cute packaging this one does? Doubt it!

All jokes aside, the Too Faced Christmas Coffee Palette gets a 4/5 hearts because the colors performed well in terms of pigmentation, wear time, and blendability. I think this would be a great one to pick up for any makeup lovers or makeup collectors on your list this year.

Until next time!

The Best Eye Primer for Oily Lids You Definitely Need to Try

November 4, 2021

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

Everyone wants gorgeous, long lasting eyeshadow looks. How do we achieve that? Eyeshadow Primer! In my previous post, we went over What Primer Actually Does, but that one really focused on foundation primers. Today, we’ll be homing in on eye primer. Specifically, eye primer for oily lids. Somehow, the universe has blessed me with dry skin, but oily eyelids. What a combo! And as those fellow sufferers of oily eyelids know, they can be quite the challenge. They can keep your eyeshadow from really adhering to your eyelids. They can give you the dreaded eyeshadow “crease” throughout the day.

This is where eyeshadow primer comes in. Eyeshadow primer can do some real heavy lifting in terms of keeping your eyeshadow on throughout the day. It can also make your eyeshadows really “pop” and keep it from creasing for hours. However, not all of these formulas can really help gals with oily lids.

Does primer help with oily lids?

Absolutely! You just gotta pick the right ones. Just as we found out with face primer, different eyeshadow primers have different ingredients that are going to deliver different results. For us oily gals, we’re going to skip on the more hydrating formulas and stick with ones that promise to deliver long-lasting results. Often the packaging will have words like “24 hour wear” (a lofty claim) or “long-lasting”. Let’s stick with those.

Can’t I just use a concealer?

Some people can really get away with wearing concealer to help their eyeshadows pop, but let’s think about the ingredients in concealers. A lot of them (especially the ones we’d be using around our eyes) have a lot of creamy ingredients meant to brighten and conceal dark circles. That’s not really going to help us with our oily lid problem. We really need to think about the ingredients and how they are going to benefit us in terms of lasting power and banishing those eyeshadow creases.

Best drugstore eye primer for oily lids

NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Ultimate Shadow & Liner Primer


Click the photo to order on Amazon

This one is the real deal when it comes to eye primer for oily lids. Because it has such great staying power, it also keeps your eyeshadow on for hours, even with oily lids. Not only that, but NYX Cosmetics is cruelty free and this item is extremely budget friendly. I’ve used this one with many different eyeshadows and creams and have had long-lasting results all day with no creasing.

Maybelline New York Master Prime Long-Lasting Eyeshadow Base


Click the photo to order on Amazon

This one is also pretty good. I have noticed that on hotter days where my skin produces more oil, I will get a crease here or there, but honestly, nothing terrible. Since its a matte primer, I start my look with matte canvas, which I really love. Again, this one is long lasting and keeps my eyeshadow on for hours.

Best high-end eye primer for oily lids

Urban Decay Primer Potion


Click the photo to order on Amazon

Anyone else remember the days where this was the ONLY primer anyone would use? Its because this stuff is JUST THAT GOOD. I get awesome wear times out of this and because it is slightly tinted, it also covers up any discoloration on my eyelids. As I get older, I’ve noticed some veining on my eyelids, which this totally covers up. That’s a plus! Urban Decay is also vegan and cruelty free!

My top pick

Lorac Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer


Click the photo to order on Amazon

This is my absolute favorite eyeshdow primer. I’ve been using it for YEARS after a makeup artist asked me why I was so dead set on using Primer Potion. I remember him telling me how this one was the absolute best eyeshadow primer for oily lids. He seemed to know what he was talking about, so I went ahead and scooped it up. It was game-changing for me. No more creasing? No more smudging of my eyeliner? Yes, please!

The Best Drugstore Waterproof Mascara

October 29, 2021

Everyone who knows makeup knows how important mascara is to a look. We also know how important it is to keep that mascara from flaking and running all over your face during the day. It’s definitely one of my favorite products. On busy mom days, just pop a little mascara on and run out the door? Yes, please! Not only is it good to make you feel a little more put together during a busier day, it also just completes your whole makeup look. I also love finding great deals! That’s why I love looking in the drugstore for the best waterproof mascara.

There are definitely times a non-waterproof mascara comes in handy, but ultimately, I want my mascara to last all day. No smudges, no raccoon eyes, and no worries if you come across a situation that leaves you teary-eyed (it’s just allergies, ya’ll!). Even better when that mascara comes at an affordable price. Today, we’re going to go over the best drugstore waterproof mascara that money can buy.

1. L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara


Click the photo to order on Amazon

I seriously adore this mascara. It does such a beautiful job of lengthening and volumizing my lashes. It’s one I’ve gone back for over and over and over again. No wonder it’s such a good mascara, it’s a fabulous dupe for Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, but at a fraction of the cost! Now, I have had this one melt on my lower lash line before, so I skip using this one there and just stick to the upper lashes, where this mascara really shines!

2. CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume


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Does anyone else remember this being alllllll over YouTube? No? Just me? This is an oldie, but a goodie and one that I’ve personally been using for years. This mascara will keep you smudge-free all day. It also does a fabulous job at volumizing and doesn’t clump your lashes together at all. Horray for no spider lashes!

3. Maybelline Total Tempation Waterproof Mascara


Click the photo to order on Amazon

Another all-time (although newer) favorite of mine. I found this one recently and have come back to a few times, just because I love the length it gives! It holds its own on volume as well, but the length is where this truly shines! Another pleasant surprise (or unpleasant if you have sensitive eyes) is this one has a really delicious coconut scent to it. I really enjoy the scent, but can see how it could be a nuisance to those with sensitivities. The scent comes from the coconut oil, so this mascara not only brings dramatic lashes but also helps condition them.

4. Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara


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Love false lashes, but don’t want to wear them every day? This mascara will do the trick! It gives the falsie impression without false lashes by separating each lash and coating them to make them look longer and fuller. Not only does this mascara perform beautifully, but it’s also only $5! What a steal! As one of Amazon’s best-selling mascaras, it’s hard not to take the leap on this one.

5. L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Waterproof Mascara


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This one has had a cult following for years. It’s been one of the most suggested mascaras and one that I’ve personally been using for about 10 years. It is one of the blackest mascaras you’ll find and doesn’t flake or smudge under the eyes. Its also super affordable at just over $5 on Amazon. You’ll achieve voluminous lashes without the dreaded raccoon eye look.

6. L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Butterfly Waterproof Mascara


Click the photo to order on Amazon

I really adore this mascara. It offers something that none of the others really do and that is: lash separation. Because of the brush, it does a great job of grabbing every single lash and coating it. Because of the brush, I feel like I get really long lashes and it looks like I have TON of them. I don’t feel like this coats them so much that they each look super thick, but it does look like I have a lot of really long lashes and I just adore the look! This is definitely one to try out if you haven’t yet.

That’s it for my best drugstore waterproof mascara! I love all of these for different reasons, but each will help you achieve the smudge-proof look for every day! Need some ideas on the Best Drugstore Foundations? Click the link to learn more about my top 5 favorites!

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