December 2015: Ipsy Bag

Once again I received my ipsy bag at the end of the month. I am not sure what's causing the delay because I have been a subscriber for almost 3 years and never had this issue.  But anyways, this month I received the following five products: Pacifica Power of Love Natural Lipstick, Be A Bombshell Mechanical Eyeliner, Marc Anthony Deep Conditioning Treatment, RickyCare 3D Blender, ModelCo Lip Liner.

 

 

RickyCare by Ricky's NYC 3D Blender: When I first took it out of the packet and washed it, I did not like it at all because it felt rubbery and slippery like those traditional makeup wedges.  It is not light and airy so does not bounce back to its shape like beauty blender, and retains the impression for a few seconds before going back to its normal shape. Also, it holds the water inside and shrinks in size on losing the excess water. However, it works. I used it with a light weight foundation and it blended well so I am definitely going to use it and keep the beauty blender for special occasions.

 

Marc Anthony Coconut Oil and Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment: I haven't used it yet but Marc Anthony products are usually nice so I am hoping for the best.

 

ModelCo Illusion Lip Liner & Be A Bombshell Mechanical Eye Liner

 

ModelCo Lip Enhancer Illusion Lip Liner: From the packaging I thought this is going to be a beautiful vibrant pink liner but it is actually a pinky nude. It is just an average liner, and feels a bit drying.

 

Be A Bombshell Mechanical Eye Liner: This is my least favorite product from the bag. It lacks pigmentation, so requires a lot of work to build up the color but disappears in a single swipe. And its not just this liner that is below average in quality but almost all the products from this brand that I have tried through ipsy are same.



Nudie Red



Nudie Red & Tender Heart



Pacifica Power of Love Natural Lipstick in Nudie Red: This feels more like a balm than a lipstick because it is moisturizing, light weight and sheer. The shade nudie red is nude with reddish pinky hues and comes across as peachy. I have compared it with the shade called Tender Hearts from the same line and they look almost alike except that the latter is a tad bit browny.

 

 

 

Em Michelle Phan Shade Play Eye Color Palette in Bali Bronzes: This was a surprise product and I honestly thought that I received it by mistake, but then later found out that all the long term members have been sent different versions of this palette. The packaging is beautiful, the display is pretty but I feel the shadows are not up to the par. The very light gold does not show up and is not even visible in the picture. The three mid toned shades are nice but the two darker ones lack pigmentation. Also, all the shades are shimmery and very similar to each other. So, overall it is not a palette that can be used on its own as it does not have enough color and texture differentiation.

 

What did you get in your ipsy bag this month? What was your favourite product?

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a great day!

 

 

 

Products I Regret Buying: Eyeshadows

This post is all about the eyeshadows that I regret buying. But before I begin, I would like to clarify that even though these products did not work for me, I am not trashing them in any way. If you have any tips or tricks to make these work, please leave them in the comments below. Also, since its already clear that I don't like these products, so I am gonna keep it short and sweet :)

 

So, lets get started...

 

Yves Rocher Quad Eyeshadow in 06 Brun Incandescent: This sumptuous color quad comes in beautiful rose gold packaging with a nice mirror and an instructions card. However, it lacks pigmentation and especially the two mid-toned shades barely show up on my skin. Retails for $20 CAD but is always on sale for $10.                                     

 

 

 

 

Rimmel London Eyeshadow Quad in 002 Smoky Brun: I bought it because everyone on youtube raved about it. However, the two lighter shades of the quad are almost invisible on my lids so I don't use it.

 

 

Shade placement in the quad is as follows: left, right, bottom, top

 

Yves Rocher Duo Eyeshadow in 23 Mauve et Kaki: The olive green shade is really nice and smooth, however, the cool toned purple that makes 2/3 of the palette is chalky and doesn't apply evenly. Also, the silver glitter kind of dilutes the purple and makes it appear more silvery.

 

 

 

Jesse's Girl Mineralized Baked Powder Eyeshadow in Graphite Frost: Looks beautiful in the pan but doesn't show up on the skin at all.  

 

 

Laura Mercier Eye Color Duo in Violet: This is a discontinued product which can still be found on some online websites. The dark plum shade has no pigmentation whatsoever. The swatch below has been done with several swipes back and forth. So, I would not recommend buying it even if it is insanely discounted.

 

 

 

Pacifica Natural beauty Duo 2: The packaging is kinda flimsy and the clear plastic lid separates from the base sometimes, which resulted in the damage that you can see in the picture below. But the main issue is the quality of the shadows. The purple lacks pigmentation while the gold looks uneven when applied.

 

 

 

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Painted Purple: I have several other colors from this line and they all work well, however, this particular one lacks the color intensity and looks patchy on application.

 

 

 

So, these are the few eyeshadows that did not work for me. I will share the face products I regret buying in an upcoming post. Also, you can click on the "regrets" in the labels below to check out my past makeup, hair and skincare regrets.

 

Have you used any of these products? Did they work for you? Do you have any tips?

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Have a great day!

Smashbox Photo Op Shadow Palette: Soft Box II

Few days ago, I went to Sephora and was amazed at the wide range of sale item as it is quite rare in my area. One thing that instantly caught my eye was Smashbox Soft Box palette. This palette usually retails for $44 but was on sale for only $23. There are three similar palettes in the regular line, however, I believe this was a limited edition one. I always wanted to try Smashbox's infamous photo op formula but never did, so, this time I had to pick it up because both the colors and the price were appropriate. 

Packaging: The box is classic black with raised shiny imprint on it. It is quite compact and sturdy. However, it is one of those kinds that easily get dirty and show every single touch mark on them, so quite a let down. 

Layout: There are six shadows laid out in two rows along with a decent quality brush. However, where one side of the brush is flat shader, I don't know why the other side is such a tiny precision or a smudger instead of the usual blending brush. The only issue I have with the layout is that the names of individual shadows are printed on a loose clear plastic sheet, which is a hassle to keep in place.

Color Selection: There are three matte and three shimmery shades. One half of the colors belong to coppery brown family while the other half belong to purply taupe's. However, all the colors are great to put together a neutral eye look. 

Russet, Truffle, Bare, Juniper, Sandstorm, Sumatra

Texture & Pigmentation: All the colors are very soft and creamy on touch. Some of them are more pigmented than others. Truffle, Juniper and Sumatra show up way more subtle than they are in the pan.  

Russet, Truffle, Bare, Juniper, Sandstorm, Sumatra

Russet: A beautiful shimmery coppery brown. 

Truffle: A cool toned grayish taupe.

Bare: A very light nude pink.

Juniper: A muted purple with golden shimmer. 

Sandstorm: A true shimmery champagne gold. 

Sumatra: A cool toned medium chocolate brown. 

Overall, I really like this palette, especially at the price I got it for. The shadows are not overly intense but really good for everyday looks. Also, I like the mishmash of cool and warm toned shadows in one palette. As I said earlier, I have picked it up just a few days ago and there were at least thirty more palettes on the shelf that day so most probably you can still find it at Sephora stores near you. 

Do you own this or any other versions of this palette? If yes, which one? And do you like it?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!