July One Month, One Palette: Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist's Palette

July One Month, One Palette ~ The Wonky Brow

It's time for one of my favorite posts again!!! It's July's One Month, One Palette update. I love doing this series because it really makes me use my eyeshadow palettes. I love palettes, I love buying palettes, and I seem to love storing palettes... Because unless I force myself, I will just use what I'm used to, instead of trying out all the different things I have. 
So for July I chose to use Laura Mercier's Eye Art Artist's Palette. I chose this palette for one main reason, Dalen314 on YT (the creator of this series), used this palette back in May (check out her video, here) and she ended up not being a fan of it. So I wanted to used it and see if my view/opinion was different from hers. So let's get to it!
The Deets: Just in case you don't know the story behind this palette, it was originally released during the holiday 2013 season as a limited edition palette. People raved and raved and raved about this palette, however, I still chose not to purchase it. But then Laura Mercier decided to bring it back AND make it permanent (as far as I know). So I finally caved and purchased it. They did change the packaging since the holiday edition and I have also seen some YT'ers comparing the old version to the new one (check out this review by Cora from Vintage or Tacky, here) to see if there are differences in formulation or application. This palette retails for $55 and you get 12 shadows in a variety of finishes. Also, the top half of the palette are cool tones and the bottom half are warm.
The Palette:

Laura Mercier's Eye Art Artist's Palette

The Shadows: Let's start with what I loved. I loved how the shadows were separated with the top half being cool and the bottom being warm and how they were arranged from lightest to darkest. For whatever reason, it appeals to me visually when shadows are arranged that way. These shadows were great. They were creamy and blended well, they were easy to use, and I had no complaints about their functionality. My absolute least favorite shade was African Violet. No matter how I tried to use this color, it just didn't work for me. I also didn't really care for Bamboo. I just thought this color was so bland (is it just me?!?). My standouts from this palette were Vanilla Nuts, Guava, and Fresco. OMG, Fresco. I loved that shade. It's the perfect crease/transition shade. All that being said......

Close up look at Vanilla Nuts, Guava, and Fresco from Laura Mercier's Eye Art Artist's Palette

The Conclusion: I may be in the minority, but this palette bored me to death. I have brown eyes, and so I thought this would be a great palette for me. But I just didn't love the purple shades in here and so I never really used them. And if you aren't going to use the purples, then this is just another neutral palette. And I have enough neutral palettes... I really just got bored this month (so bored that I started using the palette I chose for August a week early). Luckily, if I find that I can't live without the three shadows I enjoyed most, they can all be purchased individually. But the truth of the matter is, they are all shades you can find in almost any eyeshadow line and I'm sure I won't be needing them. Now don't get me wrong... I still love Laura Mercier products. And if you don't own a ton of neutral eyeshadows, or a ton of eye shadow palettes, you might love this palette and it may be all you need. But seeing as I am an avid makeup collector and have other things like this... This palette is going to be returned. 
Have you used this palette? What were your thoughts?? Let me know!!!

June One Month, One Palette: Too Faced Natural at Night & Natural Matte

June's One Month, One Palette ~ The Wonky Brow

Okayyyyy, Okayyyyy... I cheated again. I used two palettes this month. But it was soooooo worth it. I planned on using only the Too Faced Natural at Night palette for the month of June. But when the first of the month rolled around and I opened it up, I was like "Uhhhhhh... I need more." And so then what had happened wasssss... It was my birthday and the boyfriend got me a gift card to Ulta. So I purchased the Too Faced Natural Matte palette to use as a companion. #sorrynotsorry.
The Deets: Both of these palettes retail for $36, however, the Natural at Night (NaN) palette is not available at the moment. I am unsure as to whether they are simply repackaging this into the newer tin case they use (like they have done for some of the other palettes in this range) or if it is simply discontinued. I sincerely hope it isn't the latter. Each palette contains nine shadows. Of those nine, the NaN palette only contains two matte shades. Hence, my "Uhhhhhh... I need more" statement. I like shimmer, but I like balance also. As for the Natural Matte (NM) palette, all I can say is... LOVE.  The Palette(s):

Too Faced Natural Matte and Natural at Night Palettes

The Shadows: I used all of these shadows in a combination of looks this month. The formula is great. Soft, blendable, easy to work with. My only complaint formula-wise is shade-specific, the Night Light shade from the NaN palette. It is a beautiful shimmery pink, but it has large chunks of glitter that make this shadow excessively powdery and can create some fall out on the lid. Another great thing about the NaN palette is the colors of the shadows. The only one I didn't care for is the shade Nightcap. Something about that brown just makes me think of poop. I don't know why. But it is a "blah" shade for me. My favorites from this palette were After-hours, Moonstone, and Eclipse. I found all three extremely hard to find dupes for also. In fact the only dupe I found in my collection was for After-hours, which is the shade Taupe Platinum (D-562) from the Makeup Forever Artist Shadow range. My favorites from the NM palette are ALLLLL OF THEM. But if I absolutely have to choose... It's Strapless, Honey Butter, and Chocolate Cookie. Again it was hard for me to find exact dupes of these in my collection. The only one I got close on was Honey Butter which is similar to M.A.C.'s Bamboo. 

Night Light from Too Faced's Natural at Night Palette

Left: Top- Too Faced After Hours
Bottom- Makeup Forever Taupe Platinum
Right: Top- Too Faced Honey Butter
Bottom- M.A.C. Bamboo

The Conclusion: I am a fan. I am a fan of Too Faced. And I am a fan of these small palettes they conjure up. I love their eyeshadow formula and the shades they create. I would repurchase both of these palettes in a heartbeat if I needed to (I obviously don't and have enough eyeshadow to last a hundred lifetimes). I really hope they come back out with the NaN palette repackaged. Some of those shades are just beautiful.  As for the NM palette. GO. BUY. IT. NOW.!. Seriously, GO!!! I haven't felt this strongly about an eyeshadow palette since the original Urban Decay Naked palette. This palette is simply matte-perfection. If you have been hesitating about purchasing this, don't, it's worth it. I will continue to use this palette on a daily basis. If I had to choose between this one or the Urban Decay Naked Basics (1 or 2), I'd choose the Too Faced. Hands down. Every time. No questions asked. End rant.

My favorite look I created with these palettes. Plus it's the eyeshadow look I used for my birthday!!!

Have you used either of these palettes? Let me know!!! xoxoxo

May One Month, One Palette: Lorac Pro

May's One Month, One Palette ~ The Wonky Brow

This month I chose to (FINALLY) use my Lorac Pro palette. I have had this baby for a loooooooong time. And I hadn't touched it. Like at all. So I was really excited to dive into this palette and see what my thoughts were and if it was AS good as so many people swear it is... 
The Deets: This palette retails for $42 and you can find it at Ulta, Kohl's, and Beauty.com. It contains 16 warm, neutral shadows. 8 are shimmery and 8 are matte. If you are looking for a palette that contains everything you need from a neutral daytime look to a dramatic smoky eye, this is your palette. You won't need much else. 
The Palette:

Lorac Pro Palette

The Shadows: I used all but two shades in this palette, Black and White. For the matte shades I absolutely LOVE Mauve. I like using this shade in the crease because it's not your typically brown, it's a muted plum with a hint of pink to it. It's different and I like it. (The closest shade in my collection that I could find was MakeupGeek's Unexpected.) The other matte color I used consistently was Cream. Perfect brow bone color. As for the shimmery shades... I love them all. But since we are picking favorites here... I'd have to say Champagne- a great lid color that is similar to Urban Decay's Sin, Pewter- used on the lid and the outer corner, and Garnet- used in the outer corner and above my crease color to warm up a look. Pewter and Garnet are very interesting shades and were tricky for me to find dupes for. In fact, there is nothing in my collection that is similar to Garnet because it's shimmery and has a red-brown undertone. Most of the shadows I have with that type of undertone are matte. And Pewter, I thought I had tons of... But I only found one shade in the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette, Mugshot, that was really similar, but it's still not quite the same. Mugshot is a touch lighter and reflects more when the light hits it.

Top to Bottom: Lorac Mauve, Urban Decay Nooner, Makeup Geek Unexpected, MAC Haux

Top to Bottom: Lorac Champagne, Urban Decay Sin, Lorac Garnet

Top: Lorac Pewter
Bottom: Urban Decay Mugshot

The Conclusion: This is definitely a palette I would recommend to anyone. Whether you are a makeup junkie like me... Or you just want one palette that can be used all the time, for work or a night out. You can create a variety of looks since there is such an assortment of colors. The shadows are soft and buttery and easily blendable. The only cons are that certain shades will kick up a lot of powder when you put your brush in it or they will have some fall out when placed on your eyes and the packaging gets dirty quickly. But like I've told you before, dirty packaging doesn't bother me. It means I'm using the product! As for the fact that some people love these shadows and say they are better than most others... I'd disagree. They are amazing shadows but I still prefer the formula of Urban Decay shadows to Lorac's. But that's just my personal preference! What do you think??? Let me know!!!

April One Month, One Palette: BareMinerals

One Month, One Palette: April 2015
BareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 4.0

This month I did things a little differently... Instead of using a palette with 10+ eyeshadows, I chose to use all four five (I'll explain) of my Bare Minerals Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 quads. I know it's called One Month, One PALETTE... But the ultimate goal is to USE what I have, give different items a chance, and decide if it's worth keeping. And these were demanding their shot. 

The Deets:

These retail for $30 each and you can find them at Ulta, Sephora, and Beauty.com. The first quad I purchased was The Happy Place, thanks to a tutorial I watched on YouTube. And I fell in love with the shadows. My mom had asked me what I was wearing and when I told her she gave me a quad she had and wasn't using,The Dream Sequence. And it was all down hill from there... When I started the project this month I only had four quads. BUTTTT... Ulta had them on sale 1/2 off during their 21 Days of Beauty. So I did the opposite of what reason and logic told me to do, and I bought one more, The Truth. 

The Quads:

BareMinerals Ready Eyeshaow 4.0 (clockwise from top) in The Soundtrack, The Happy Place, The Designer Label,
The Truth, and The Dream Sequence.

BareMinerals Ready Eyeshaow 4.0 (clockwise from top) in The Soundtrack, The Happy Place, The Designer Label,
The Truth, and The Dream Sequence.

The Shadows:

There were a couple shadows that I loved so much they spoke to my soul. Two of which I could not find dupes for in my collections. Not to say they aren't out there, I just don't own them. Shockingly. Those two shades are Romp from The Dream Sequence and Magnetism from The Truth. As for the others that I loved, I was able to find similar shadows in my MAC collection:

Right W/Flash. Left W/out Flash.
Shadows in order:
Remix (BM The Soundtrack)
Goldmine (MAC)
Louder (BM The Soundtrack)
Amber Lights (MAC)
Imagine (BM The Happy Place)
Expensive Pink (MAC)
Euphoria (BM The Happy Place)
Twinks (MAC)

The Conclusion:

These shadows are amazing. They are soft and buttery. They don't kick up a ton of powder, wasting product. They blend amazingly well. They are pigmented. And they last. Even when outdoors, in the hot sun, sweating for hours... My shadow didn't budge. The packaging is slim and portable. You could carry these around in your purse (though you don't need to with how well they perform) without a worry about damaging them. However, they are made of that type of rubbery plastic that tends to attract scratches and smudges. So if you are a stickler for keeping you products looking immaculate, this might bother you. Personally, I like when my products look a little worn... It means I like them AND use them! Other than that I have nothing negative to say about these. I love and recommend them. Go get you some! Xoxoxo.

One Month, One Palette... (March Edition)

theBalm The Nude'tude Palette

This month I chose to use theBalm's Nude'tude palette. I've had it for a while and never used it. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a nice neutral palette... Ohhhhh, how wrong I was... This was not a favorite. Point blank. And that took me by complete surprise. Here's why:

• There is no "brow-bone" shade. You know... A light, matte, nude-type shade used to highlight the brow bone and add emphasis to your arch... Yea, there's none of that here.
• There is only ONE true crease color. And it's pretty dark. Not good for the fairest of gals.
• The colors just don't "pop" on the lids. And they bored me.
• Some shades are very powdery and would end up dusting the tops of my cheeks as I applied them to my eyes. No, no, no EYESHADOW... You belong on my EYES.
• EmilyNoel83 (amazing YouTuber, check her out!!!) used to recommend this palette allllll the time. So I took her word as gospel.....

Don't get me wrong, this palette isn't terrible. It's just not what I expected. For this month's update, let's go shade by shade...

Sassy- Frosted White. I find that white is just too harsh to work with. I would use this (in combination with Stand-offish or Stubborn to tone it down a bit) as a brow-bone highlight or inner corner highlight. It didn't really work. But I tried. Snobby- Shimmery Yellow Gold. I don't gravitate towards shades like this. I only used this once as an inner corner highlight. Meh. Stubborn- Frosty Pink & Stand-offish- Shimmery Light Pink. These disappointed me. They just don't show up on the lids like Urban Decay's Sin or Stila's Kitten. Stand-offish is so light you can barely see it.

Selfish- Shimmery Taupe. This was my favorite shade. I just loved it. It stands out on the eyes and I couldn't find anything similar in allllllll my other eyeshadows. LOVE. Sultry- Matte, Medium Brown. I used this color in my crease every time but was surprised to see how dark it was. However, it blended easily. Sophisticated- Dark Brown with Shimmer & Seductive (aka Schitzo in some palettes)- Golden Brown with Shimmer. I thought these two were going to be similar to Urban Decay's Smog and Darkhorse. Negative. While Sophisticated swatches very similar to Darkhorse, it doesn't show up the same on the lids. It has no "oomph" (for lack of a better word).

Sexy- Burgundy. I liked this shade, especially to deepen up the outer corner. Silly- Red-Brown with Shimmer. I honestly didn't even bother with this one.  Serious- Black. This looks much darker in the pan than it is when applied. Sleek- Dark Brown-Black. My second favorite shade in this palette. I used this with every look I did. I smudge it under the lash line, in place of eyeliner. It is such a rich deep, dark brown. I love it. It's one flaw is how powdery it is, constant fallout when applying. I feel like such a Debbie Downer... But I just don't love this. Like I said, it's not terrible... It's just not amazing. And I want my shadow to be amazing. Especially for $36. If you have Urban Decay's Naked palette, skip it. If you aren't seriously into neutrals, skip it. Overall, I'd say skip it... UNLESS you see it on sale on Hautelook (they always have theBalm products at a discounted price), then maybe go for it. But don't be surprised if you are as underwhelmed as I was... xoxoxo.

Swatches Top to Bottom: Stubborn (theBalm Nude'tude),
Stand-offish (theBlam Nude'tude),
Sin (Urban Decay Naked),
Kitten (Stila)
Left side WITHOUT flash.
Right side WITH flash.

Swatches Top to Bottom: Sultry (theBalm Nude'tude),
Buck (Urban Decay Naked),
Cork (MAC)
Left side WITHOUT flash.
Right side WITH flash.

Swatches Top to Bottom: Selfish (theBalm Nude'tude)
Chrome (Lorac Pro2)
Left side WITHOUT flash.
Right side WITH flash.

Swatches Top to Bottom: Sophisticated (theBalm Nude'tude),
Seductive (theBalm Nude'tude),
Darkhorse (Urban Decay Naked),
Smog (Urban Decay Naked),
Half Baked (Urban Decay Naked)
Left side WITHOUT flash.
Right side WITH flash.
***Sidenote: In the palette Seductive looks closer to Smog, however, swatched it is more similar to Half Baked.***

Have you tried this palette? Disagree or agree?? Let me know!!! Next month's palette(s): My BareMinerals Quads in The Designer Label, The Soundtrack, The Dream Sequence, and The Happy Place. I need to get some use out of these!!!

Eyeshadow Dupes; Can YOU Guess that Shadow???

So... I thought we'd play a fun lil' game today… Can YOU Guess that Shadow???  I am going to show you a series of eye shadow dupe (dupe= duplicate, a.k.a. twins) swatches and see if you can tell which is which… Answers will be posted at the end. Have fun and enjoy!!!

1. Mac Mythology and Imagine from Bare Minerals The Happy Place

2. Nude from the Lorac Pro Palette, NYX Aloha, and Mac Shroom
(These three have very subtle differences in my opinion. However, on the eye, they look the same.)

3. Mac Cranberry, Shadow #8 from Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye Palette, Pink Sapphire from the Anastasia Lavish Palette, and Urban Decay Last call (To avoid confusion these four are together because when I separated them even I got confused. All together you can tell there are two very distinct tones.)

4. NYX Frosted Ocean, Urban Decay Evidence, and Shade #6 from Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye Palette

5. Wet n Wild Crème Brûlée and Urban Decay Walk of Shame
(Sorry I'm sooooo pale you can barely see these!!!)

6. Mac Beauty Marked, Urban Decay Blackheart, and Wet n Wild shade #6 from Petal Pusher Palette

Cheers to the first edition of Can YOU Guess that Shadow??? Hopefully you enjoyed this post and possibly found a new dupe or two.  I know I had fun but what have I learned from all this??? I have wayyyyy to many eyeshadows… Ha! Just kidding… A girl can never have enough #eyeswag!  And don't forget to let me know how YOU did in the comments below!!!  xoxoxo- StephieeBee

Here are the answers:

1. Top- Imagine

Bottom- Mythology

2. Top- Aloha

Middle- Nude

Bottom- Shroom

3. Top- Cranberry

Second- Last Call

Third- Shade #8

Bottom- Pink Sapphire

4. Top- Evidence

Middle- Frosted Ocean

Bottom- Shade #6

5. Top-Walk of Shame 

Bottom- Crème Brûlée 

6. Top- Blackheart

Middle- Beauty Marked

Bottom- Shade #6