Rocking Out With theBalm's Balm Jovi Rockstar Face Palette!

I missed out on theBalm's The Balm and the Beautiful Palette a couple years ago (the one that was the same as the Muppet's palette) so I promised myself that wouldn't happen again.  So enters last holiday's Balm Jovi Palette that's absolutely adorable....in a totally kick ass rockstar kind of way, of course.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Call of the Wild Review

I saw a bunch of swatches for this Tarte Call of the Wild palette and I was instantly drooling.  I'm not sure why, but the colors just screamed to me.  So when Tarte had a Friends & Family sale while I was on vacation at Virginia Beach, I momentarily left the oceanside to place an order.  

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Swatches & My New Favorite Crease Shade!

I debated on posting about Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette because I'm aware that I'm quite late to the party.  But there's one shade in this thing that is approaching HG status for me and so I had to rave about it!

Urban Decay Vice Palette Review & Swatches!

The Vice Palette from Urban Decay is the first thing I've bought from the brand since that whole China animal testing debacle.  Not only was I still a little testy about the whole thing even though they apologized and changed their minds, I wasn't really interested in the new products they were pushing out.  But I just couldn't resist the 2 selling points of Vice:  1) 20 shadows and 2) all completely new shades!

Just Enjoy the Show!: Bare Minerals Light Show Palette

The Bare Minerals Light Show palette is probably the best set I've seen from the company if you're looking to sample several Bare Mineral Ready products at the same time.  They've gone past just the pressed shadows and have also expanded into blushes, bronzers, foundations, highlighters yada yada yada.  The Light Show Palette includes several of these products, plus some other goodies.  Check it out!

A Study in Practicality with Sonia Kashuk's Instructional Eye Palette in Eye on Neutral

There are some things in life that we all just, well, need.  They're not exactly exciting or awe-inspiring, but life moves a lot easier with them.  Sonia Kashuk's Instructional Eye Palette in Eye on Neutral is one of those things.  It's an all-matte palette with nothing but neutral colors.  Every color you truly need is included here.  Maybe they aren't "OOOOHHH and AAAAHHH" types of shades, but you'd be hard pressed to go your entire beauty-obsessed life without them.  Check it out!

Ebay 20 Concealer Palette Review

A 20-Color Concealer Palette for a little more than 5 bucks?  Hells yea!

Flirt! Limited Edition Shadow Palette Swatches!

I stopped by Kohl's last month to find some shoes for my sister's graduation and I found a bunch of the 40 Shadow Palettes by Flirt! cosmetics in the clearance section.  It was only 15 bucks, so I figured, hey, why not?  Apparently it was a limited edition product for the 2011 Holiday season.  Come to find out, Flirt! is actually owned by Estee Lauder so I was anxious to see the quality of these shadows and I figured those of you who've never used Flirt Cosmetics would like to as well, so here's a review and some swatches!

I'm So Freakin' Mad Right Now about this Sephora + Pantone Palette!

The other day I'm just minding my own business and stalking the Sephora website when I come up on the Strokes of Nature Palette from Sephora + Pantone.  It's love at first sight, except for its $55 price tag.  So I scroll down to reviews to see if people are saying it's worth the price or not and I stumble upon the most infuriating thing ever:


SEPHORA SENT THESE OUT FOR FREE TO V.I.B.'s!!!!!!!


Now, I'm not mad that V.I.B.'s were rewarded with this palette, I'm pissed that when I was a V.I.B. last year I didn't get jack shit except a 20% off sale that regular beauty insiders would get 2 weeks later anyway!  And now that I'm broke and couldn't maintain my V.I.B. status any longer Sephora wants to make the program all awesome and what not.  Yea, I'm a little salty....


But seriously, if you've gotten your hands on this palette already (free or purchased) let me know how you like the palette.  What caught my eye about it was it's awesome range of color, but I'm wondering if the quality is typical of Sephora's usual blockbuster palettes or not.  If it is, I'm definitely not even going to think about dropping $55 on it.


EDIT 5/18/2012:  Down in the comment section, Amanda informed me that not all V.I.B.'s got the free palettes, that in addition to being a V.I.B., you also had to be a top contributor of the Sephora forum or a "special client".  Thanks Amanda!

Say Hello to My New Best Friend! LORAC Croc Palette Review

Ok, I'm totally OBSESSED with this palette!  This is by far not a new product, but it was recently on sale (for a very short time) on Sephora's website for $18 so I grabbed it, and boy am I glad I did.  It's the perfect everyday, on-the-go palette and I have, in fact, been using it everyday since it arrived on my doorstep!  Check it out!

ELF Studio Makeup Clutch Review: Part 2 (Sample Valentine's Day Look)

To test out the e.l.f. Studio Makeup Clutch, I decided to do a Valentine's Day look with the pinks and mauves included in the palette.  I made a point to only use the products in the palette, except for things weren't included like foundation.  The look came out a lot better than I thought it would and overall I definitely think this product is worth checking out!  Read on for more thoughts on the Makeup Clutch and pics :)

ELF Studio Makeup Clutch Palette Review: Part 1

When I first laid eyes on the e.l.f. Studio Makeup Clutch Palette the phrase "extremely practical" came to mind.  Here you're provided with almost everything you need to create an infinite amount of looks for day or night.  It seemed like it would become a travel essential, so during the Cyber Monday sale last year I plopped it in my cart.  The price right now on e.l.f stands at $15 and if you wait for a sale you could definitely grab this for $7.50 :)  Now, does it live up to my expectations?  Check it out after the jump!

Stila Warehouse Sale Haul Swatches!

Stila had a killer Warehouse Sale last week with up to 80% discounts so I picked up a few goodies.  It was the first of my Cyber Monday purchases to arrive at my door and it certainly set a good tone for the rest of my packages.  I loved everything I got from Stila and I can't wait to share the swatches with you :)  Check it out after the jump!

Sephora V.I.B. Sale Part 1: Urban Decay

So here is Part 1 of the promised pics/swatches/first impressions of the products I received from last weekend's V.I.B. sale.  I'm pretty sure I'm gonna lose my V.I.B. status after this year is over, so this could be the last perk I get for a while :(.  Oh well, I'll have to do some hardcore shopping in 2012 lol.  Anyway...on to the makeup:

Urban Decay Mariposa Palette

UD Mariposa Swatches L-R:  Top:  Rockstar, Gunmetal, Skimp, Infamous,
Wreckage/Bottom:  Haight, Money, Mushroom, Spotlight, Limelight

Not sure how I feel about the UD Mariposa Palette yet.  On one hand, I was UBER-excited to finally get a palette from Urban Decay that didn't have even one of their famous fallout-from-hell shadows (*cough* maui wowie/chopper/snatch *cough*).  All the shadows in this palette are just shimmer/satin finishes that will give your lids the sparkle they crave without giving your undereyes the disco ball makeover they hate.  I was also happy to get a palette that didn't include Smog for once.  I have 4 other palettes from Urban decay and the ALL have Smog which, don't get me wrong, is a very nice color.  But at this point there so much Smog in my collection that I'm starting to choke on it.  However, on the other hand, some of these shadows lack the pigmentation and smooth texture I've come to count on from UD.  Infamous in particular was lacking saturation, as it took multiple swipes to get a good swatch, while I found the texture of Spotlight to be a little on the chunky side.  Only time will tell if this guy ends up on my 'Much Devoured' or 'Much Neglected' list, but I can tell you that Skimp and Money is SCREAMING my name.

Urban Decay 24/7 Travel Size Set - Electric

Sephora V.I.B. 20% Off Sale Haul Preview

After ping-ponging back and forth during the Sephora Family & Friend's Sale, (trying to figure out what to get instead of the out-of-stock Tarte LipSurgence Set, grrrr!), I finally decided to give up and wait for the upcoming V.I.B. sale to take advantage of.  I was hoping the Tarte set would be in stock by then but, alas, it wasn't meant to be I guess.  However I did snatch up some goodies that I'm currently swatching for you :)  Joining my overpopulated vanity are:

• Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Travel Size Set - Electric
• Urban Decay Mariposa Palette
• Nails, Inc. Kensington Caviar Top Coat
• Nails, Inc. Magnetic Polish - Houses of Parliament
• Buxom Lash Hurrah Set - Full Size Buxom Lash & Mini Amplified Lash Mascara
• Sephora False Lashes - Elegant
• Deluxe Sample of KP Duty Moisturizing Therapy

So did you take advantage of any of Sephora's sales?  Family/Friends or V.I.B.?