NARS ‘NARSissist’ Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow Palette

Product Description: (from nordstrom.com)

The NARSissist Dual Intensity Eyeshadow Palette is filled with eight gorgeous shades of mesmerizing Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow. The shades can be applied dry for sheer color or with a dampened brush for a high-impact finish. NARS has also included a mini Wet-Dry Eyeshadow Brush with the palette for application ease.

Shades include:
– Europa (gossamer pink peach)
– Himalia (shimmering topaz)
– Ursa Major (chocolate glaze)
– Subra (black orchid)
– Andromeda (alabaster)
– Lysithea (shark grey)
– Giove (navy)
– Sycorax (black)

Where to buy: Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Nars – $79

Review: I have to admit I was very intimidated about this palette. I saw and swatched it so many times at Nordstrom, but still couldn’t convince myself to buy it. Then, I went in for an appointment with one of their make-up artists. This was the palette she grabbed and I actually told her how many times I’ve looked at it but I was too intimidated by the non-neutral colors to buy it. So she showed me how to use those as “accent” colors so that it didn’t look like it was over done or anything. I fell in love with the colors more after she showed me how I could use all of them together (well not all 8 shades together 🙂 ). That sold me on this palette finally. The colors, despite being intimidating (to me), are fun to play with and the neutral colors stand well on their own as well as create a good canvas for the other shades. The colors are very vibrant and become even stronger if they are applied wet (see below).

The wet application method intensifies the colors. Cost-wise, $79 seems a lot for only 8 shadows (as compared to Urban Decay’s Naked palettes for around $50 with 12 colors), but if you take the cost of a single Nars eyeshadow ($29), you’re saving almost $20 per shadow. It’s a great investment especially if you’re someone that likes the variety in color. With this palette you have your fill of neutrals and accent colors in one.

Too Faced A La Mode Eyes Sexy St. Tropez Eye Shadow Collection {Quick Review}

Product Description: Ooh la la! Capture a summer sunset in St. Tropez with coral, golden pink, and fiery copper hues. Indulge in nine shadows that play well together or look fantastic alone to create bright, fresh eyes a la mode.

A La Mode Eyes comes with our signature Glamour Guide with three beauty looks to get you started.

Where to buy: TooFaced, Ulta – $36

Review: This is another awesome palette from Too Faced! This is the third Too Faced palette I’ve owned and this one does not disappoint. I love the pop of colors the smaller shadow pans have and how well they coordinate together with the neutral base colors. All of the colors work well on their own as well. Too Faced eye shadows also stay on very well. Palettes are what’s currently in the make-up world because of their value, so this is definitely a good addition to your palette collection!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Maya Mia Palette

Product Description: Designed in collaboration with Maya Janeska (@maya_mia_y), these refreshing neutral hues combine with two pops of color to create the ideal palette for summertime looks with a hint of mod style. 10 shades that coordinate flawlessly.

Where to buy: Amazon, Anastasia Beverly Hills,  Macy’s – $29

This is another eye shadow palette I totally scored on. I had my doubts about it at first mainly because of the Aqua shade that’s included, but I was sold on the 8 neutral colors in the palette. The colors go on well and they are long-lasting. I haven’t used much of the Aqua and Gold Bar much, but they are good colors to match with an outfit or make your eyes pop for a weekend look. I’m very much of a neutral eye shadow person, so this definitely suits me. The price is great for 10 eyeshadows! The “Get the Look” cards are a great addition if you’re looking for suggested looks or the shadows are great to use on their own.

Bobbi Brown ‘Raw Sugar’ Shimmer Brick Eye Palette

Description: (from google.com) Ten shimmering shades for eyes in beachy bronzes and warm sugar tones Bobbi’s go-to hue when the weather heats up. From her Raw Sugar Collection this limited edition palette leaves lids with a soft wash of pearlescent color.

Who is it for: Any woman who is looking for shimmery bronze shades.

Why is it different: Inspired by Bobbi’s love of the toasted-brown shimmering shades of raw sugar this palette captures the look of sandy shores and beach bronze beauty.

How do I use it: For your own custom shade swipe your fingertip – Eye Shadow Brush or Eye Sweep Brush- across the shadows and apply to your lids. Or apply each shade individually and layer as you go.

Where to buy: Amazon, $49.50

Review: I purchased this palette from Nordstrom shortly after it came out. I had a battle with myself first about whether to get this at all or not (of course, the side that says “buy it!” always seems to win). It’s definitely another great addition to my collection. The colors are all neutral and great to wear on their own or mixed and matched. It’s almost like a baked palette where the shadow is “drier” than your normal eye shadow. I love how the colors are vibrant, though some shades you’ll need to apply more for the color to show than others. The downside is that this palette is smaller than the picture can show. That was my big surprise when I received this in the mail. The palette measures about 1 in x 4 in, so it is SMALL! For the price of it, I wish it would have been bigger (if you compare, you can add a few more dollars and get one of Urban Decay’s Naked Palettes with 2 more shadows or spend a few dollars less for the same number of shadows for with Clarins’ The Essential Eye Palette). Now it makes me a little scared purchasing any more Bobbi Brown products online.

Lorac Skinny Palette

Product Description: (from loraccosmetics.com) Get The Skinny with LORAC! This super sexy palette contains seven gorgeous eye shadow shades in a highly-pigmented, silky-smooth formula. The Skinny Palette is packed with the perfect combination of matte and shimmer shades to easily create eye-catching looks from soft and natural to sexy and sultry Red Carpet glamour!

Ingredients: Shade 1, 3, 4, 5: Talc, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Magnesium Stearate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, MAY CONTAIN: Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)

Where to buy: Lorac, Nordstrom – $15 (currently sold out at Nordstrom)

Review: Another palette to add to the collection. 🙂 While this product is a great value at $15 for 7 eyeshadows, I have to admit I’m a little disappointed about the colors themselves. Maybe it’s because my idea of what a “nude” palette should be doesn’t really match some of the shades included in this one. Although in general, that’s how I feel about palettes. Unless it’s a customized one, I feel there’s always a shade or two (or three) that I’ll rarely or will ever use. It’s the “risk” I’ve come to accept when I buy palettes. The fact that I can add on a numerous amount of shades in one go makes up for the fact that there’s possibly gonna be one I’ll never use.

Application-wise, these definitely don’t disappoint. The highly-pigmented formula of Lorac eyeshadow definitely give Urban Decay’s Naked Palette a run for its money (for the price of 1 Naked palette, you can buy almost 4 of these!). That’s the one thing I’ve loved about both of the Lorac palettes I currently own. Like the Naked palette, you only need a couple of swipes from the palette with your eyeshadow brush to apply to your entire lid. The shadows can last through the day without having to be re-applied, especially with the help of some eyelid primer and face powder. It’s definitely a good addition to the make-up arsenal without feeling like you just broke the bank!

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Description: (from urbandecay.com)

It’s finally here: the long-awaited follow-up Naked and Naked2 (two of the industry’s all-time bestselling palettes)! And this time around, we’re giving you a dozen NEW ways to get Naked. (Yes, we loaded this palette with 12 NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN shades.)

Choose from every finish imaginable: ultra-smooth mattes, gorgeous pearls and glimmering metallics. From the palest, shimmery pink to deep, warm black, these neutrals will make you want to get Naked all over again. Every shade features our Pigment Infusion System™, the proprietary blend of ingredients that gives each shade its velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power and blendability.

Naked3 includes a NEW double-ended shadow/blending brush AND an Eyeshadow Primer Potion sampler with resealable samples of all four formulas (original, Sin, Eden and Anti-Aging). Each sample holds about a week’s worth of Primer!

Our art-school-inspired tin case is a gorgeous rose-gold color (a subtle hint at the shades inside). Embossed on top with a big “Naked3” and cool facets that beg to be touched, it’s sure to inspire lots of jealous stares.

Shades:

• Strange (pale neutral pink matte-satin)
• Dust (pale metallic pink shimmer w/iridescent micro-glitter)
• Burnout (light pinky-peach satin)
• Limit (light dusty rose matte)
• Buzz (metallic rose shimmer w/silver micro-glitter)
• Trick (light metallic pinky-copper shimmer w/tonal micro-sparkle)
• Nooner (medium pinky-brown matte)
• Liar (medium metallic mauve shimmer)
• Factory (pinky-brown satin)
• Mugshot (metallic taupe shimmer w/slight pink shift)
• Darkside (deep taupe-mauve satin)
• Blackheart (smoky black matte w/rosy red micro-sparkle).

Where to buy: Urban Decay, Sephora, Ulta – $54

Review: After much deliberating with myself on which one of the 3 Naked palettes I was going to buy, I went with this one. Some day in the future, I’d still like to invest in the first two. But my decision to go with this one is definitely one I did not regret! Compared to the first 2, I thought this one had more of the neutral tones I like in eye shadows. As with the Naked Basics palette, I loved this one too. Though it’s pricey (the price has gone up to $54 since I bought this originally), it is worth it. Urban Decay’s eye shadows are highly pigmented so a little bit of it goes a long away. It stays on throughout the day without creasing (a bit of eye shadow primer and powder helps it stay on better) or having to re-touch it (although some of the matte colors, you may end up having to retouch once in the middle of the day). If there’s one palette to have, this one is IT!

LORAC Little Black Palette

Product Description: Everyone needs a Little Black Palette! With LORAC’s Little Black Palette you can easily create long-lasting, hot looks for days, evenings and after-hours in the city. Shine in rich golds and bronzes with 4 color-coordinated, mineral-infused, silky-smooth, shimmering Baked Eye Shadows and a mini Behind The Scenes Eye Shadow Primer, all packed in a must-have sleek black case. Buy a little perfection with LORAC’s Little Black Palette… it’s the must-have accessory for every season.

How to use: Prime, shade, shadow, line and define. (Eye-shadows can be used wet or dry).

Where to buy: Kohls, $34 or Lorac, $15 (currently on clearance and a great steal!)

Review: This was another “on-a-whim” (there seems to be lots of those on my blog ^^ But I think those lead to great discoveries) purchase while I was browsing through Lorac’s website. The palette is an absolute steal for $15! And since I’m a big fan of neutral/natural eye colors, I didn’t think twice about ordering this palette. It’s a baked palette, so I was expecting something similar to the Sephora Collection palette I had. But when I got this one, I was surprised. The eye shadows felt silky and less dry than the Sephora baked palette. The colors are vibrant and can be used as part of your everyday makeup. I haven’t gotten a chance to try the primer because I currently use one by Missha. The packaging is a little bulky, but it is pretty nice (the box has a mirror included). This one was definitely a great addition to my eye shadow collection!

Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette “In the Tropics”

Product Description: A palette of tropical island inspired baked eye shadows.

Create a variety of chic looks with this collection of purple, bronze, gold, and neutral hues that can be used wet or dry. When applied dry, the shadows help produce soft, natural eyes. When applied with a slightly wet brush tip, the shadows are transformed into a liquid-like formula.

The shades are:

• Peru (pearly olive green)
• Belize (shimmery dark pink)
• Barbados (soft, pink sand)
• Seychelles (deep pearly purple)
• St. Vincent (shimmery white)
• Grenada (deep pearly purple)
• Bermuda (sparkly light orchid purple)
• Fiji (silver shimmery lilac)
• Martinique (golden yellow sparkle)
• St. Lucia (shimmery cream)

Where to buy: Sephora, $27

Review: I picked this up from Sephora from my trip to the mall today. It’s their newest addition to their “Moonshadow” line of baked eye shadow. I previously had their “In the Nude” palette and loved it. Baked eye shadows, I find are more intense than the regular pressed shadows and it’s probably due to how the baking process takes out all of the moisture from the pigments and minerals used. But even though the colors are intense, I still like how the colors look subtle when it is applied. The shimmer is not an overkill. Baked shadows can also be applied wet, which from what I’ve read will give you more of a foiled look. I personally have not tried that since I like the more subtle look. It’s also a good value from Sephora especially since you’re getting 10 eye shadows in the palette. The colors are definitely good for the upcoming spring and summer seasons!

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

Product Description: The Naked Basics Palette is Urban Decay’s first matte eye shadow palette. It has 6 shades (Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame <W.O.S.>, Naked2, Faint, & Crave). The colors can be worn alone or used to build on.

Where to buy: UrbanDecay.com or Sephora.com – $28

Review: I love this palette! I bought this one when I was still undecided (and to be honest, I’m still quite undecided to this day) over the Naked 1 and Naked 2 Palettes. This ended up being a great buy for someone who loves neutral make-up. This was also my first Urban Decay product (ever) and I was able to discover that Urban Decay’s eye shadows apply smoothly and easily. I use this almost every day and it’s great for daily wear because of its neutral colors. A little bit of the color goes a long way as well and it stays on all day (even without using a primer). The only negative point I’d give this palette is that out of the 6 shades that comes in this palette, I only end up using 5. The Crave is too dark for my complexion and personally would have preferred another shade along the lines of the other 5. I do still use this occasionally to line my eyes, so it’s not a total waste at all.

I recommend this to someone who is new to Urban Decay and hesitant to spend the $52 for the larger Naked Palettes. I find it’s also a better value than buying just a single eye shadow. Neutral colors never go out of style and a safe choice if you’re applying make-up for work.