Eyeshadow Haul and A New Perspective on Eyeshadows Palettes

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Hey everyone!

I've bought a lot of single eyeshadows recently and wanted to share photos of my haul and some thoughts on eyeshadow palettes.

When it comes to eyeshadow palettes, I've been feeling both overwhelmed by the sheer quantity yet underwhelmed feeling like so many are repeats or follow the same "neutrals with a pop" theme. People's expectations about eyeshadow palettes and its usability seems to have changed over time. Nowadays it feels like people expect a palette to create a complete look but its inevitably a flawed thought when the idea of a "complete" look requires a brow bone highlight and midtone neutral brown for the crease and that usually means you'll have a lot of repetition across brands or colors that might not suit many skintones. 

Looking at recent palette launches made me realize that I was tempted by one or two eyeshadows but I can't rationalize buying the palettes for those few colors. These thoughts combined with looking at this wonderful curated palette of singles on MakeupAddiction reminded me that single eyeshadows do exist which inspired me to try to create an Everyday Singles Palette. This type of palette is something that can change depending on my tastes but can still be a core collection of products. I'm not new to single eyeshadows, especially single eyeshadows that come in pan form but they definitely fell by the wayside over time. 

Here are the single eyeshadows I purchased from Coloured Raine (today the 8th is the last day for their 30% off sale!) and Colourpop. 

I started off wanting to dupe EBB, the olive green from the Colourpop Good Sport palette and came across Coloured Raine's Side of Olives and ordered a few shades. I then ordered a few Colourpop shades from that palette I saw on MakeupAddiction and ended up with an empty refillable palette. In total, I got ten single eyeshadows from Colourpop and seven eyeshadows form Coloured Raine. Combined with my previous collection of eyeshadow singles, I'm able to create a collection that suits me and my makeup needs for now.

First Row: Colourpop Bel Air, Glass Bull, Labyrinth, Lay Low, Made to Last
Second Row: Colourpop Paper Tiger, Pretty Cruel, Snake Eyes, Team Captain, Wake Up Call
Third Row: Coloured Raine Downtown, Glamour, Gingerbread, Moments, Native, Side of Olives, Unbothered

I'm still in the process of curating my Everyday Singles Palette but I'm happy with what I have added to my collection so far.

If you want to build your collection of single eyeshadows, here are some brands to look at: Coloured Raine, Colourpop, Inglot, MAC, Makeup Geek, Nabla (haven't tried yet), Sugarpill, SydneyGraceCo (haven't tried yet)

If you need a resource for an empty palette: Book of Shadows (haven't tried yet), Colourpop, MAC, Saucebox

By no means am I deluding myself into thinking I will never buy another eyeshadow palette again but I do feel like I'll be able to think more critically and figure out whether the palette contains colors I will actually wear vs. colors I want to have in my collection. 

Do you like to use single eyeshadows? Are there any palettes you find to be interesting so far?

Disclaimer: I purchased the eyeshadows and palette myself. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated by any of the brands mentioned. The post contains affiliate links which provide me with a commission based off your use of the link when making a purchase.

Colourpop Brow Boss Gel vs. Glossier Boy Brow: Comparison, Swatches, and Review

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Hey everyone!

Today I wanted to talk about Colourpop Brow Boss Gel. Colourpop has been expanding their brow range over the years, coming out with different brow pencils and brow pomades but they only had a clear brow gel for the longest time. Now they finally listened to consumers and released colored versions of their Brow Boss Gel. I love a good brow gel and given that they made one in the shade Soft Black, I was down to try it.

Given that the original Brow Boss Gel sounded like a dupe to Glossier's Boy Brow, I decided to compare it to the Boy Brow in Black and see how similar it really was.

Click through to see my review, see swatches, and a comparison of both!

Colourpop Hi Shine Ultra Glossy Lips: Review, Photos, and Swatches

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Hey everyone!

Continuing on the Colourpop train, I have a review, swatches, and photos of the Colourpop Hi Shine Ultra Glossy Lips. This launch is their expansion of their original Ultra Glossy Lips line with a new formula promising an ultra shiny finish with jojoba oil to add moisture. These new Ultra Glossy Lips come in three finishes, Pearlescent, Prismatic, and Tinted. This is in addition to the existing Creme, Metallic, and Sheer finishes.

I think we are going to be seeing the resurgence/renaissance of lipgloss because there have been a few brands who have released new lip glosses in the past few weeks. I wasn't very interested in their first launch of the Ultra Glossy Lips because I was riding the "liquid lipstick" train and the idea of a gloss wasn't appealing then. After seeing the new colors and especially given the prices, I decided to get a few. 

I think you've been seeing how often I've been mentioning Colourpop on the blog and I swear, Colourpop could sell me on anything at this point. It's way too easy to justify buying from them when everything is between $4.00-$8.00 and I usually get my order in two days (since I'm in Southern California).

Click through to read my review and see swatches of each color!

Colourpop Lux Lipsticks: Review, Photos, and Swatches

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Hey everyone!

Today I have a review, photos, and swatches of six Colourpop Lux Lipsticks, three of the Creme Lux Lipsticks from the original launch four months ago and three of the new Matte Lux Lipsticks that launched recently. I had been thinking about getting the lipsticks when they first launched but never got around to it until the Matte Lux Lipsticks launched and they were doing a buy two get one free promotion. I ended up getting six lipsticks for the price of three! These are quite inexpensive and in line with Colourpop's usual pricing, $7.00 each.

The three Creme Lux Lipsticks are Lay Over, Pinkies Up, and Tip Toe. The three Matte Lux Lipsticks are Big Break, Little League, and Name Drop.

The hype is real with these lipsticks. Click through to read the rest of my thoughts between the two formulas, see photos, and full face and lip swatches of the lipsticks. 

Colourpop Super Shock Highlighter in Lunch Money: Review and Swatches

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Hey everyone!

Today I have a review of the Colourpop Super Shock Highlighter in Lunch Money. I've been on a real kick talking about Colourpop but it's an incredibly affordable brand that's been so trendy lately while still churning out some great releases so it's no surprise they're one I've been loving. 

Colourpop launched in ULTA stores a few months ago and I took the opportunity to try out more of their products in person. The Super Shock Highlighters are not new and have been part of the range for months but I think highlighters can be so finicky so I tried it in person first.

The Super Shock Highlighter has the same creamy wet-feeling formula as their Super Shock Shadows. It's almost like putty, it's movable and fun to play with. I was super curious to see how it applied and looked on the skin.

Click through to read through my thoughts, see photos, and swatches!

Colourpop Ultra Blotted Lips vs Stila Stay All Day Sheer Liquid Lipstick: Review, Swatches, and Comparison

Hey everyone!

Today I have another Colourpop vs. ___ comparison, this time swatching, reviewing, and comparing the Colourpop Ultra Blotted Lips in Doozy, Party Wave, Slide, and Zuma vs. Stila Stay All Day Sheer Liquid Lipsticks in Sheer Ballerina. These are both liquid lipsticks touting a sheerer/lighter coverage finish in contrast to the typically opaque finish to liquid lipsticks.

From top to bottom: Colourpop Doozy, Party Wave, Slide, Zuma, and Stila Sheer Ballerina

The Colourpop Ultra Blotted Lips came out first, launching in 2016 while the Stila Stay All Day Sheer Liquid Lipstick launched in 2017. I can't think of any brands doing a sheer liquid lipstick before the Colourpop Ultra Blotted Lips, I feel like they were the first (though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

If you're wondering what the difference between a liquid lipstick and a lip stain are, here's a quick comparison

• Lip Stain: Usually water-based, "staining" or coloring your lips, lightweight, translucent 
• Liquid Lipstick: Usually hydrocarbon based (like isododecane), adds a layer onto your lips instead of coloring it, not intended to stain your lips (though some can stain it another color due to the pigments used)

I'm not usually a fan of lip stains because the water-based formula can be drying and I don't like having to try to scrub off the stain at the end of the day. I like the idea behind a sheer liquid lipstick, having the longevity without it looking so heavy like a typical liquid lipstick. 

Click through to read my thoughts on both formulas, see swatches, and which I prefer!

Warm Berries Makeup Look: Featuring Colourpop You Had Me At Hello Palette

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Hey everyone!

Today I'm sharing a look I did using the Colourpop You Had Me At Hello Palette. I used to post a lot more makeup looks on the blog in between the reviews so I'm hoping for more this year. I also used the opportunity to try out a few new products (the foundation, highlighter, concealer, and lip). 

Also, the Stila Shimmer and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow are perfect for halo eyes/adding metallic effect to the center of your lids.

Face Products:

Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done Hybrid Foundation in Medium Light
Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer in C6 and C8 mixed on the undereye
RCMA No Color Powder
Makeup Revolution Blush Palette in Blush Goddess (the far left blush shade)
Colourpop Super Shock Highlighter in Lunch Money

Eye Products:

Colourpop You Had Me At Hello Palette
Stila Shimmer and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in Grace
Glossier Boy Brow in Black
L'oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof

Lip Products:


Colourpop Ultra Blotted Lip in Party Wave

What products have you been enjoying wearing lately?

Disclaimer: I purchased everything in this post myself. There are affiliate links in this post, which provide me with a commission based off your use of the links when making a purchase.

Colourpop Blotted Lip vs Glossier Generation G Lipstick: Comparison, Review, and Swatches

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Hey everyone!

Today I have swatches and a review of the Colourpop Blotted Lip and a comparison to the Glossier Generation Gs. The Glossier Generation G Lipsticks were released in 2016 to the delight of many people searching for a low-fuss sheer matte lipstick. I reviewed two shades on the blog, Cake and Leo before on the blog. 

Almost a year later, Colourpop released their Blotted Lip as part of a collaboration with Alexis Ren. The Blotted Lip was described as providing a sheer matte finish that's buildable and lightweight and given how much I liked the Generation Gs (at least in Cake), I thought I'd get the Blotted Lip and compare the two (and it turns out they share quite a few similarities) and see if it could be considered a dupe of one another.

Continue reading to hear my thoughts, read the comparison, and see swatches!

Colourpop All I See is Magic Pressed Powder Shadow Palette: Swatches and Review

Hey everyone!

Happy New Year! 

Today I have a review on the Colourpop All I See is Magic Pressed Powder Shadow Palette, a limited edition pressed eyeshadow palette for Holiday 2017. Colourpop are very well known for their economically priced potted cream-powder hybrid eyeshadows and lip products so I wasn't surprised to see them venture into pressed eyeshadow pans and palettes. During one of the many sales they've had this holiday season, I picked up this and the You Had Me at Hello Palette (which I'm still testing out!).

I was really drawn to the palette because it had a mix of mattes, satins, and shimmers in a variety of colors and undertones. I think the palette does balances having cool and warm tones in the palette so it's much more versatile. Because I have a medium skin tone, I appreciated the mixture of midtone shades that I could easily use in the crease.

The palette typically retails $20.00 for 15 x 1.05 gram shadows. The palette is only available on Colourpop.

Click through to read the rest of my review, see swatches, and whether I'd recommend it!

Colourpop Ultra Satin Lip - Swatches and Review

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Hey everyone!

Today I have a review and swatches of four Colourpop Ultra Satin Lips. I picked up a few of the best selling shades to try out: Aquarius, Dopey, Echo Park, and Frick N' Frack. I'm a bit late on the Ultra Satin Lip train but I decided to pick them up after they had a promotion for free shipping.

The Ultra Satin Lip are 3.2 grams/0.11 oz for $6.00, which is extremely inexpensive for a liquid lipstick nowadays.

(I love the holographic text but be warned that the writing wears off rather quickly!)

Click through to read my review and see my lip swatches/full face photos.

Colourpop Lippie Stix in Flawless - Swatch and Review

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When I got my two Supershock Eyeshadows (swatches and review here), I also picked up a Lippie Stix in the shade Flawless. Flawless looked so beautiful as a red-violet and I was so intrigued considering it was only $5. It also looked hella slick and it's been so worth the $5.

Where to Purchase: Colourpop

Price: $5.00 for 1.0 grams/ .0352 oz of lipstick

Do they test on animals?: The company does not.

Packaging: The lipstick comes in a white plastic twist up tube with a holographic label. The packaging is similar to what you might get with an eyeshadow pencil, it actually reminds me of the old MAC Shadesticks. The bullet has an angled tip. 

Keep in mind that the price is proportional to the amount of product you get. It's about 1/3-1/2 the size of a regular lipstick so $5 is pretty reasonable. I also like the packaging since the bullet has an edge and is slim enough that you can apply it without needing to use a lip brush. It's very travel-friendly since it's got such a slim profile.

Flawless is described as a "deep red violet in a satin finish".

Click here to see my swatch and read how I feel about the formula!

Colourpop Super Shock Shadows - Swatches and Review

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Today's post is on Colourpop's Super Shock Shadows, which have been getting tons of love from my fellow beauty bloggers due to the pigmented formula and unbelievable price tag (they're only $5.00 each!). I saw swatches of a few of them on Phyrra's blog (feel free to read here) and decided to pick up two colors in Get Lucky and Girly. They're also a local California company so I'm happy to support them (especially since it means I get my order faster!)

These are touted as "long wearing cream eyeshadows with an elastic texture".

Click to read more!