Maybelline The Nudes Palette Review

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Maybelline’s The Nudes palette is a 12-pan eye shadow palette chock full of beautiful neutrals. It’s thoughtfully configured into duos, trios, and quads, and even has suggestions on the back of the palette for how you might use the shade in an eye look.

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The Pros

  • Nice array of colors and finishes.
  • Great value – 12 shades for $10-$15 depending where you buy.
  • Tons of different ways to use each shade.
  • Included suggestions on how to use the colors.
  • Simple, lightweight packaging that is easy to open/close and store.

The Cons

  • There’s some inconsistencies between the shades – not all the shades are really pigmented.
  • Texture-wise, they’re not the worst shadows I’ve ever used, but  I had some difficulty blending, and they were not quite as smooth as I would like.
  • Some of the more shimmery shades have a LOT of fallout. Do your eyes first, then foundation!

 

I tried Maybelline’s The Nudes palette with a few different eye primers, and by itself. I got the best results when I wore it with NARS Smudge-Proof Eyeshadow Base or Urban Decay Primer Potion. I would suggest using a primer that gives a smooth canvas for easier blending rather than a sticky base like a MAC Paint Pot or NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil. Wear time for me usually isn’t an issue since I have dry skin, but without any primer at all I did notice some slight fading at the end of the day. I was still impressed because ‘end of the day’ means I’ve had my shadows on for a good 12 hours.

The price of this palette varies depending on where you get it. I’ve heard as low as $9.99 at places like Ulta and Target but I’ve also heard closer to $14.99 at CVS. I would suggest waiting til one of those 40% off sales or using coupons to get this even cheaper if you’re interested. Ulta currently has it for $9.99 and eligible for their BOGO 1/2 off sale.

Since there are so many great neutral palettes out there (both high and low end), I can’t say this one is a must-have. It’s certainly a nice addition to my collection though since I’m a neutral nut.

 

Best of Brand – Urban Decay

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Since Urban Decay’s Friends & Family sale ends at midnight tonight, I’m offering up my top picks from the brand! If you haven’t decided about hauling, perhaps something here will catch your eye. ;) Just as a reminder, the code is FFHOLIDAY13 for 20% off everything at Urban Decay!

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Sephora Bobbi To Go Palette

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I’m taking a break from the Monday Mashup this week because I got SO excited when I saw this new Beauty Insider perk from Sephora! I typically do not cash in my points, but this new “Bobbi To Go” 500-point perk grabbed my attention so much that I made an order for cotton rounds ($4) in order to cash in my points and get this perk. Don’t judge me. I actually did need the cotton rounds, and with the Flash shipping it was worth it. ;)

The kit includes a mini palette, a sample of mascara, and a sample of eye cream. I haven’t tried the eye cream or mascara yet, but I had to dig into the palette the very next morning after it arrived!

Let me preface my thoughts & swatches with reminding you this is a Bobbi Brown palette. Bobbi Brown is not known for having bright, vivacious colors. I typically do my makeup pretty naturally, and I like Bobbi Brown. If you are more into Sugarpill, Urban Decay, etc. you probably wouldn’t be interested, but I really like my Bobbi! I have several of her other palettes.

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Here she is. It’s definitely a mini – roughly the size of a credit card.

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The palette contains 1 blush, 4 shadows, and 1 mini brush. The brush is kind of floppy and would be useful for blending but not placing shadow or forming shapes, in my opinion.

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The blush color included is called Pale Pink. It’s from the regular core line and can be purchased in a full size for $25. Unlike the name would imply, it’s pretty bright!

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The 4 shadows. They’re pretty tiny, but great neutral colors. Clockwise from the top right they are Heather Mauve Shimmerwash, SaddleMahogany, and Bone. All of them are available in the core line for $21 each, however Saddle is not yet available on Sephora’s website.

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Here are the colors swatched. The Pale Pink blush is quite pigmented. Bone does have pigmentation but it pretty much matches my skin so you can barely see it right below Pale Pink. Heather Mauve shimmerwash is a shimmery taupe. Mahogany is a dark ashy brown. Saddle is a dark matte brown that also leans toward ashy rather than warm.

I’ll admit the mattes do not swatch well at all. They are kind of annoying in that way. However when working with them on the eye I kind of appreciate that you have to build the color up rather than it showing up full-throttle at first swipe. It gives you more control. Because of that though if you have a deeper skintone you probably would find these annoying. They’d take a lot of building and layering to show up with enough contrast. For pale-skinned me, however, it’s a plus.

Overall, I like this perk and I’m glad I got it. This is definitely a palette for someone who is already a Bobbi girl and knows what she is getting formula-wise. I look forward to trying the eye cream and mascara, and will certainly post reviews of those too.

MAC Pro Longwear 2013 Collection

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Hey who likes paint pots? The MAC Pro Longwear collection for 2013 will be your cup of tea…

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Senna Cosmetics Summer 2013 Collection Pictures & Swatches Part 2

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It’s time to check out the eye products from Senna’s Summer 2013 Sunglow collection!! And what a treat…

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MAC Art of the Eye Collection Info & Photos

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MAC Art of the Eye Collection

Launches 5/2/2013 at all North America MAC locations/counters. (Probably online 4/30/13)
Mid-May launch internationally.

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mark. Violet Femme Eye Shadow Swatches

Hello there! It’s been a little while since I’ve talked about any mark. products! I was immediately attracted to these eye shadows though because I love purples. These are released alongside mark.’s new fragrance, Night Iris. These particular shadows are referred to as Violet Femme shades, which is another reason why I was interested; I love the Violent Femmes and I thought the name was a cute parody. 
The mini collection of shadows consists of Pink Dusk, a pinky orchid color; Mystical, blue-toned lavender; and Violet Ink, a mid-tone blue-violet. 
I received Pink Dusk and Mystical to try. The product image is pretty much dead-on as far as what the colors look like in real life, with Mystical being maybe a hair pinker in person and Pink Dusk basically exactly like the photo. They are standard mark. eye shadow size (1″x1″ square pans) that come in a plastic clamshell with palettes available for purchase. They also work out great in Z-palettes and other similar magnetic palette. Aaaand swatches:
Top: mark. Mystical; Bottom: mark. Pink Dusk – swatched on bare skin, no primer
These two shadows are a satin finish, having shine but no glitter or shimmer. As I swatched them they did not feel chalky at all, but not super buttery soft either. They go on fairly sheer. The colors are buildable, but if you’re looking for really high-impact color these aren’t it. 
The Violet Femme shadows are pretty, but didn’t wow me. The colors aren’t particularly unique even if they are attractive. They retail for $6 each, which is kind of high considering the quality vs. other inexpensive shadows like Wet ‘n Wild or NYX, and considering these come in a pan without a palette. These would however be a great gift for a tween or young teen who is just learning how to apply makeup though, because they’re idiot-proof shades in that I don’t think you could make them look garish if you tried. 
mark. products are available from meetmark.com directly, or from representatives. I’m a mark. rep and if you are planning to make a mark. purchase I’d appreciate your business. :) 







Samples provided by PR for review consideration. All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review.
A link to my mark. store is included in this post. If you buy from my mark. store I receive a small commission.

February Favorites

Hello hello everyone! It’s MARCH, so that means it’s time to talk about FEBRUARY. Err, in other words, my favorites from February. Woot!

Favorite Hair Products


Um realistically my favorite hair product in February was my beloved Stephanie, aka Awesome Colorist, but since calling her a product is kind of rude, I’ll go with the kind that are in bottles!

Ahh the precious. I have talked about the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Overnight Hair Rescue (long enough name for ya?) before, but it is basically like an intensive night cream for your hair. You put it in at night and then wash it out in the morning. I love it! My hair has been dry (because really I’m overdue for a trim) and this doesn’t make it go away completely (needing a trim is cured by, -gasp- getting a trim) but it really helps. Now, no lies this stuff is expensive, so it’s definitely a splurge item. ($35 at Sephora or Ulta)
Another favorite of mine recently has been the Wen Cleansing Conditioner in Winter Vanilla Mint. This scent was limited edition around holiday, so I’m sorry for talking about it now, but I just now have really been using it the past month, give or take. I already used up a bottle of the Sweet Almond Mint last fall, and reviewed it for Stylebell. I love Wen Cleansing Conditioners! They don’t weigh my fine hair down and they really make it feel bouncy and healthy. The Winter Vanilla Mint smells like candies, and if I had to point out any flaws it’s just that it makes me hungry. (Available at QVC – $29)

Favorite Skin Products

I haven’t really been doing a whole lot differently with my skin. Still using either Caudalie’s foaming cleanser or my Neaclear. I’m also still using The Body Shop’s Vitamin E moisturizers (love love love love love!). But as I’m wearing more makeup lately, I’m adding a few things that help makeup “play nice” with my skin.

I’m still learning how to deal with my dry skin. For years I had oily skin, and I’ve really only had dry skin for the past year or so. It’s a whole new experience! I took for granted that I never had the problem of my skin looking too matte. Now, even on days where I’m not wearing any makeup, I like to go over my whole face with MAC Strobe Liquid. It’s just a thin, slightly hydrating lotion that has a very pretty pearly pink luminescent quality. It gives my face that natural glow that has since left me along with my overactive oil producing skin, lol. I’ve also been using my MAC Fix+ more, as it takes down the powderiness of face powders. (Strobe Liquid and Fix+ are available from MAC for $30 and $20 respectively.)


Favorite Color Products

Wee! The fun part! Like I said, I’ve been wearing more makeup lately. I made you a collage!
These are all the things I’ve been feeling much love for over the past month. I’ve been wearing very little in the way of foundation or concealer, but I do sometimes wear a little MAC Mineralized SkinFinish Natural just to even out my complexion. Sometimes you just wake up looking a little blotchy, yanno? Yeah.  And NARS Laguna is a staple product that I’m obsessed with because it adds warmth/glow without looking orange or dirty. (MSFN is $29 at MAC; NARS Laguna is $34 at Sephora)
The drugstore lip products are killing it right now, and I’ve been wearing my Rimmel Stay Glossy Lipglosses and Revlon Lip Butters pretty much exclusively day to day. Revlon Lip Butters are another one of those products that have been getting a ton of hype lately, and they’re TOTALLY worth it. I have three (Creamsicle, Candy Apple, and Sweet Tart) and I LOVE THEM. I was just saying on Twitter that I want more. :) (Price varies on these from drugstore to drugstore.)
I’ve been on a bit of a NARS Eye Shadow kick, using the heck out of my Doceurs de Paris palette and my Best of NARS palette, particularly a couple shades from the Kalahari and All About Eve duos. But as usual, I’m using drugstore mascara. Rimmel ScandalEyes is my lash of choice lately. It’s really dramatic. It’s not my absolute favorite mascara, but I like it. I will be reviewing it more in-depth soon. If you liked MaxFactor 2000 Calorie mascara but are living in the states and can’t get it anymore, try Rimmel ScandalEyes. I think you’d like it. For my brows, I still love my Billion Dollar Brows brow powder (holy grail!) but I have been really liking the new Senna Cosmetics Sketch-a-Brow pencil too. The effect is very natural-looking and it’s so simple to use. (NARS eye shadows vary in price at NARS; Rimmel ScandalEyes will vary depending on the drugstore, and Sketch-a-Brow is $18 from Senna Cosmetics)
I just realized I completely forgot another product when I was making my collage!
The Magic Hair Pad is one of those genius inventions that makes you think “why didn’t I think of that?!”. The concept is super simple– it’s a square of velcro. Really. That’s all it is. But you press it into your hair to hold it out of place while doing makeup, washing your face, doing a facial mask, etc. GENIUS. The picture shows black, but they come in pink too. I like them so much sometimes I will sport one just to hold my bangs out of place while I’m hanging out around the house. Not the most fashionable statement, but the rest of my outfit usually consists of flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top when I’m doing this, so I have thrown fashion to the wind at that point. ;) But pretty much any girl with hair needs to own these. I think that’s most of you. (Available in a pack of 2 for $7 at MagicHairPad.com)









Samples of some products mentioned here were sent by PR for consideration.
All opinions are my own, and not sponsored by any brand/company.
No compensation was received for including these products as favorites.
Disclaimers are fun to type because they are super tiny and stuff. xoxo <3

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Swatches

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While I was in Ulta today I decided to swatch the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. I’ve heard so many raves about the palette, so I figure some of you must be still mulling over purchasing it. I didn’t buy it today because it’s $50 and I’ve been shopping a lot lately (little hauls mostly but still, it adds up!), and actually I’m still not sold on it for me. 


The shades are lovely! I really like them. There are lots of pretty neutrals (and some taupey goodness, yum) including highlights that are fabulous (the one on the top of the 2nd picture is Verve, and it’s gorgeous – UD please release this as a single!). But for me and my particular stash, it’s not… a must-have? If that makes sense. It’s a “nice to have”. It’s not a palette I’ll rush out and buy any time soon, but one I might consider if there’s a F&F sale going on. My reasoning is that I have so many neutrals, as there are tons of neutral palettes out there (with the success of the first Naked palette, it seems EVERYONE else had to jump on the neutral palette bandwagon).
If you don’t have a ton of neutrals in your stash already like I do, by all means go get it. The shades are beautiful and soft, almost creamy texture– with the exception of Blackout, the matte black. It’s kind of dry feeling. Not chalky, but dry and harder than the other shadows. I’m not sure why that happened, because UD can do a great black matte (Perversion anyone?). I keep hearing how this one is more cool-toned friendly, and I suppose there are a couple more cool shades in this one than Naked 1 if you’re wavering on which one to buy. For now, I’ll stick with my Naked 1 and be happy.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Shadows

Maybelline Color Tattoo Swatches: Tenacious Teal & Tough As Taupe

Alright there’s been a ton of hype about these babies, and it’s well-deserved. I’m not even gonna beat around the bush and just say this: they’re fan freaking tastic.

Swatched above are Tenacious Teal and Tough As Taupe. Tenacious Teal has a bit of a shimmer to it as you can see, and Tough as Taupe is a delicious matte.

Don’t be fooled by how sheer it looks on my hand. I applied only the lightest swatch I COULD. You can totally layer these and build on them. In fact that’s how I recommend you go about wearing them, because they dry really fast. You must blend quickly or you’re toast. But once they set, they wear like iron. I am truly shocked at the tremendous quality of these. These are a product that totally lives up to all the hype. Now that I’m working full time again and getting ready quickly in the morning, I know I can just grab the taupe shade and layer a little on and go.

I’m so pleased with the two shades I picked up that I picked up two more yesterday! I got Bad to the Bronze and Bold Gold (can you tell I’m a neutral girl?!). I do plan on adding even more to my stash, too. Audacious Asphalt, Too Cool, Painted Purple, and Edgy Emerald are all on my list. Not so much Pomegranate Punk or Fierce & Tangy. I really don’t think those colors would look good on me at all, haha. Anything in the reddish orange family tends to make me look like I have an eye infection rather than look good. However, for those of you with darker skin and/or warmer undertones, they’re pretty unique shades and you should definitely check them out.

These range from $6.99 to $7.99 in drugstores, and are Buy One Get One 1/2 Off at RiteAid and Ulta right now! I got a coupon on my last RiteAid receipt…guess where that’s going? :)

Have you tried these? Do you love love love them as much as I do? Post a comment and let me know! Feel free to link to your reviews of them as well.