For the Sparkle Lovers: Urban Decay Moondust Palette

With a name like 'Moondust', Urban Decay's latest palette sounds out of this world right out of the box. Apparently, the brands most requested palette ever, Urban Decay's Moondust Palette* features eight uber sparkly, multi-tonal glittering new shadows. Right out of the box, I doubted I would like this palette given the nature of glitter in cosmetics (and my aversion to wearing glitter) but I'm actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of these shadows! 

Laura Mercier Extreme Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

I know what you're thinking: "Jaime, seriously? Another neutral palette?" and I promise that is how I felt about this too until I tried it. Out of the box, the Laura Mercier Extreme Neutrals Palette looks really rather ordinary, but what it actually is, is a beautifully put together palette with a fabulous balance of warm and cool tones in a variety of finishes. How's that for a solid performer?

This Just In : Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Quad in Rust

When the Kat Von D cosmetic range launched a few years back, I really wasn't sure it would grow up to have the impact it's having in the beauty world. A few revamps later, and it's becoming a legitimate colour line that spans neutral to bold colour choices seamlessly whilst offering some seriously superior textures. With the original Shade+Light Contour Palette, and Shade+Light Eyeshadow Palette being massive commercial hits, I had no doubt that when I heard the brand was launching Shade+Light Eye Quads, they would smash it. I managed to get my hands on Rust, the warmest of the our that were launched, so keep on reading for swatches and my review!

5 New Beauty Launches I'm Excited About

Occasionally there will just be a cluster of releases that have me completely renewing my interest in the beauty industry (let's be real, the love never dies, but occasionally takes a nap...) Today's post has 5 new launches that have me all heart-eyed emoji. Let's take a look...

Makeup Inspired By Your Lunch? | Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly Palette Review

I'm about to share something with you all that might make you think I am crazy: I HATE peanut butter. Yep, that's right, I hate the one thing most people love. Believe it.

So as you can imagine, when the Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly Palette showed up, inspired by the lunches of many and claiming to have a 'peanut buttery twist' I was kind of horrified...that is until I actually took a sniff of it and was pleased to find out it didn't smell of peanut butter, but rather of vanilla and chocolate. Phew! In fact, I am even more delighted to say that I really love this palette, so who woulda thought?

This Just In | Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons Palette

There's been no shortage of neutral themed eyeshadow palettes in the last few years, and everytime I think I've seen every take on it a brand comes out with another. So when Too Faced dropped the Chocolate Bar, and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palettes, I just wasn't that fussed. However, I have to say when I saw their newest offering, the Chocolate Bon Bons Palette* I couldn't help but swoon a little. With it's heart theme like a box of bonbons, and chocolatey scent I knew I wanted to try it. 

So, was the third installment in this confection-themed line the one?

This Just In | 6 New Products I Want to Try

With the end of this year rapidly approaching, many brands are already launching their Spring releases (crazy, I can't even think of Spring yet!). No surprise, there are some exciting new products that I very interested in trying. Here's a little round up of 6 new launches that I'll be keeping my eye on in the next month or two!

Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani | The Palette

When I heard that Gwen Stefani of No Doubt fame was teaming up with Urban Decay and designing a limited edition eyeshadow palette, I instantly knew I 'needed' it. As a fan from the early days, I've always found Gwen to have bold, unique style, which is a bit of a match made in heaven for Urban Decay as a brand.  Needless to say, I was reasonably excited when the Gwen Stefani Palette showed up this week (or unreasonably so - there might have been a squeak of joy or two!). Keep reading for a breakdown of the shades included in the post below!

Shopping for the Perfect Palette | Five Favourites for Fall and Winter

When it comes to shopping for an eyeshadow palette, I always think it's important to think of three things: Texture, Tone and Uniqueness. If you don't have a drawer full of palettes organized by brand, colour and size like I do (I have a sickness) nor do you plan to, picking out that one special palette that can do it all be a bit tricky. Today's posts has five can't-go-wrong palettes for Fall and Winter, as well as my tips for how to pick out a palette that will fit all your needs!

Four Brands That Do Customizable Eyeshadow Palettes Well

Being the slight control freak I am when it comes to eyeshadow palettes, I often find pre-designed options have shades that might be curated beautifully, but aren't always what I want in terms of wearability. There always seems to be a split of shades I know I'll love, and shadows I know I'll never touch, and it irks the side of me that yearns for colour aesthetic. So naturally I love when I get full control of the shadows I put in a palette, and with so many brands doing customization I thought I talk about four that I think are great value, quality and variety. 

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Glamour Muse

My Charlotte Tilbury collection is growing strong, but one of the first products I was eager to try from the line was the Glamour Muse quad - a gorgeously curated collection of rose gold, purple, taupe and pearl. Charlotte designed these palettes to be a user friendly, effortless way to take eyes from day to evening to disco. After hearing plenty of good things about her Golden Goddess and Dolce Vita Palettes, I was curious to see how something with a bit more pop of colour would perform (purples are notorious difficult pigments to work into shadows). Did it live up to the hype?

Velvet 59 | The Exotic Lotus Palette

If you haven't heard about Velvet 59 yet, I'm betting you will become familiar with the brand very soon. Brainchild of the 22 year old Paris Manning, Velvet 59 aims to capture a vintage glamour whilst using sustainable and 100% vegan ingredients. I recently got my hands on The Exotic Lotus Palette which is not only Vegan, but also Cruelty Free, Paraben free and Gluten Free. Oh, and warm toned lovers be warned: You're going to want this in your life!

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

Something I have been asked about a whole lot lately is the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette.  I wasn't surprised when I heard Urban Decay was coming out with another palette in their 'Naked' line. With their original creating absolute havoc in the beauty world when it was released, and every palette being subsequently popular, the brand (rightly so) should ride out the wave that has sparked cosmetics lines all over the world to bring back the neutral. I've found some of the palettes in the 'Naked' line a tad hit or miss, so I was a skeptic on whether one marketed towards a smokey look would float my boat. I'm happy to say this boat is floating just fine folks, and this palette has really pleasantly surprised me!

GIVEAWAY Alert! Clarins Fall 2015 Pretty Night Palette and Crayon Kohl Liner

As I mentioned yesterday I recently got my hands on some of the new Fall 2015 line from Clarins, and no surprise its totally gorgeous! The Pretty Night Palette has 5 shadows that can easily start as a daytime look, and then amp it up for night in a super convenient handbag friendly size. Along with the collection is the Crayon Kohl in Carbon, which is a smokey black liner that comes with a convenient smudger brush on the other end (not one of those stiff sponges but an actual handy brush!)

Both of these together is the perfect Autumn/Fall look that would work on any eye colour and all you need to add is mascara to complete the look, which is why I am giving away the set to one lucky reader! 

Here's the rules:

You can enter a maximum of 5 times per person for this giveaway, and I will be checking the entries personally to confirm validity. Winner will be contacted within 48 hours of draw and must claim prize within 3 business days or else there will be a redraw.

IF YOU ALREADY FOLLOW MY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS OR BLOGLOVIN YOU STILL NEED TO ENTER VIA THE FORM BELOW!

- You Must be 18+ older to enter to win

- Giveaway open Worldwide

- Giveaway runs from 12am August 13th to 11:59pm PST August 21st 2015

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Good Luck! Follow

New Kid on The Block | Buxom's New Eyeshadow Bar Does Customizable Eye Palettes Right

There's a new kid on the block when it comes to custom beauty and it's all kinds of gorgeous. Buxom's Customizable Eyeshadow Bar puts you in charge of choosing six shadows to fit your needs in an easy to load (and change!) sleek palette. No more buying an eyeshadow palette because you love a couple of shades, but have no use for the others - this time round they are all winners!

What's In My Z Palettes

The other day one of my instagram followers asked me for my recommendation on a eyeshadow palette that was neutrals with some fun pops of colour. I explained that my favourites where the loose shadows I had collected into some the small Z Palettes for easy travel. So I got to thinking, it might be interesting to do a post about which shadow make the grade.

It's Back... In Limited Edition | Laura Mercier Artist Palette

Just a month or so ago I blogged this post, about some of my favourite limited edition and discontinued products. Well guess what? One at the top of the list, the Laura Mercier Artist Palette is back as a limited edition on Sephora.com. Now I can't vouch for how long this will be around, because the first time round these sold out lickity split. I highly recommend you march your behind over to Sephora.com and pick one up while they are still available online!

Favourites | Mac Eyeshadows

 I recently posted on my Instagram that I thoroughly loved organizing my Mac eyeshadow palettes ( I know, super geek right here) and I got some questions about some of my favourite Mac eyeshadows. I should preface this post by saying that my mac shadow collection is pretty massive... embarrassingly so.. but I tried to pick shadows that I really feel the brand does best.

Neutrals | Current Favourites For Eyes, Cheeks and Lips

In years past I was a big colour lover when it came to makeup. Purple was my comfort place. As I've gotten older (eww) I've found myself embracing a good neutral a lot more. I also learned that neutral doesn't have to mean straight up brown and beige - there are pink neutrals, plum neutrals, gold neutrals. You get the point. Here are my picks for some of my favourite neutral themed products as of late. Be prepared to read the word 'neutral' more times than you ever cared to... 

Favourite Limited Edition or Discontinued Makeup

You know that thing when you find something you love, the perfect eyeshadow colour, blush or liner and then you find out that: a) it was limited edition probably never to be made again, or b) it has since been discontinued, only to be going for three times the retail price on ebay. How rude. 

Let's talk about our favourite, once upon a time available products, shall we?