Review & Swatches: MAC Powder Blush in Style

I never was one to wear blushes much, which is funny considering that I'm pretty pale. Whenever I put blush on, I always ended up looking completely clownish and then deciding that blush WASN'T FOR ME EVER. Just this past year, since I started really getting into makeup blogs, I picked up this blush that I've had for a while. Maybe I just didn't know how to put blush on properly before, but I find myself using this blush pretty much every day. 

This is a blush from MAC's permanent line, and comes in MAC's standard packaging. One problem I find with this packaging is that the clear portion with MAC written on top often pops out. It's not that important, but I find it to be somewhat annoying if the clear part rolls away under the table or something.

L to R: MAC blush in "Style", NARS blush in "Orgasm", NARS multiple in "Orgasm"

Other than that, the blush is a warm coral-peach with fine gold glitter. The blush is quite pigmented, but not too potent. The gold glitter reminds me a lot of NARS Orgasm, although this is more orange than the NARS blush is. Because of that, I find this to be a little more "every-day" than NARS orgasm, having just enough color to keep you from looking corpsy but not pink enough to make you look perpetually embarrassed. Also, since my skin is a little more olive-toned than pink, the peacher/orange tone of the MAC blush looks a little more flattering than the NARS blush does. The gold glitter adds just a little bit of highlighting and warmth on the cheeks, and the fact that it's finely milled keeps you from looking like Ke$ha.

Pros:

• Subtle blush, for those of us that like to stay minimal
• Better for yellower skintones but fairly universal
• Finely-milled glitter 
• Pigmented

Cons:

• May not look as flattering on pink skintones or mature women
• May not be pigmented/dark enough for darker skintones (I would use NARS Orgasm instead)

Review & Swatches: Wet n Wild Coloricon Palette in Comfort Zone

I figured that I should review this next, since I probably use this palette as much as I used the Urban Decay Naked Palette (reviewed here). A lot of bloggers have reviewed this palette with really great reviews, so I had to check it out. It absolutely lived up to its reputation, especially for someone that normally doesn't buy drugstore brands.

I really like that the designates colors for certain parts of the smoky eye; for those of you who have a harder time with using multiple colors, this helps push you in the right direction. Even still, each color stands out on its own, and I find myself using colors individually for other looks.

The first 4 colors are from the first column, and the last 4 are from the second column. Honestly, not a single color is a dud here. Each shadow could rival the quality and pigmentation of high-end brands like NARS or Hourglass. The first column has more versatile, "every day" colors due to their nude tone, but the second column is very wearable nonetheless. The colors swatch fairly close to how they appear in the pan, although the browbone color in the second column is lighter and less grey and the crease color a little less green. Out of all of the colors, my favorite has to be the duochromatic definer color in the second column. It's a more-pigmented version of MAC's eyeshadow "Club" for a fraction of the price (~$.62 per color vs $15? Yeah.) Moral of the story: this palette is freaking amazing. Buy it.

Pros:

• Super pigmented, buttery texture without fallout
• Very useable colors
• Stupid mad cheap ($4.99 at Walgreens)
• Wears well throughout the day, even without primer.

Cons:

• No matte colors? There really isn't anything to gripe about.

I took a picture of how I wore it the other day (using the second column and MAC Blacktrack Fluidline over Benefit's Stay Don't Stray Primer), what a coincidence!

Sorry for looking sleepy, I was trying to show how that defining color shifts colors without looking like a huge derp. Isn't it gorgeous?

Review: Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

Sephora had this little kit that included this lip butter in jar and tube form for basically the same price as the lip butters individually. I had heard about this online a bunch, so I had to get it even though part of me was reminding me that I have a billion lip balms already.

It's important to note that I have perpetually chapped lips, regardless of how much water I drink, so most lip balms don't do much. Not this guy. I've never seen my lips so wonderfully moisturized, and also it tastes delicious. My friend has super dry skin, and she actually gasped out loud when she saw/felt how moisturizing this is.

Bare lips, surprisingly not chapped

After application

As you can see, it doesn't provide any color to my lips (not that I need it). It just makes my lips feel so soft and shiny in the best way possible. I also appreciate that it's made with natural ingredients (and has Sephora's Natural Seal) in addition to being wonderful in its own right. My only gripe is that it comes in a jar, which is kinda annoying if I have slightly longer nails and for sanitary reasons. Luckily, there's the tube version of the lip butter, which I'll probably end up buying again as opposed to the jar. 

In short, get this is if you like things that taste good and have thirsty lips! It also might provide a tiny bit of color if you have not-pigmented lips, but I can't vouch for that personally.

Pros:

• Tasty
• Very moisturizing, even for the extremely dry-lipped
• Sheer (if that's what you're in to)
• Natural ingredients, such as shea butter

Cons:

• A little pricey for the size (but if you can get the 2-for-1 set, then it's a pretty good bargain)
• The jar form isn't as convenient, in terms of nails getting in the way and sanitation

Review & Swatches: Urban Decay Naked Palette

I actually bought this right when it came out (as in the day it came out, I think). I've seen that the palette comes with a brush now, but before it came with this double ended eyeliner! It's a shame, because the matte brown eyeliner is a really versatile color, and it's not available in the permanent line! I know that this isn't a new product or anything like that, but for anyone who doesn't have it: you need it. Emphasis on need. NEED. I had lost it for a couple months after moving out of my dorm room, but now that I've found it again I think I've used it literally every day. It's marvelous.

The packaging, both inside and out, is really sleek and well done. The width of each shadow is just wide enough for a brush, even my wider blending brush. The only problem I have is that Sidecar gets glittery bits into the matte shadows, due to its position between them. Other than that, it's well done.

L to R: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar

Naked doesn't appear very pigmented, but that's really only due to the paleness of my skin. For a matte, it really doesn't come off chalky whatsoever. Virgin has very small shimmer, compared to Sin (which has small but denser shimmer) and Sidecar (which has larger and denser shimmer). Virgin is a really good highlighting color for the browbone and inner eye, especially for more subtle looks that don't demand the intensity of Sin and Sidecar. Even though Sidecar has larger glitter, it absolutely is not gritty. 

L to R: Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted

Like Naked, Buck also is pigmented and not-chalky for a matte. The other shimmery colors have similar glitter as Sin (Sidecar is actually unique with its large glitter). Toasted always surprises me with how pigmented it is, and I really love the purple undertones it has compared to the rest of the palette. Darkhorse, for some reason, didn't translate well onto the camera (although it is less pigmented compared to the rest of the palette). It's a blackened gold that almost has greenish undertones to it, compared to Smog and Half Baked which are warmer.

L to R: Zero and Whiskey 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, Gunmetal, Creep, Hustle

I guess if I were to call anything a "dud" in the Naked palette, it would be Creep. It's just not as black as I expect or want it to be. Compared to how pigmented Gunmetal is, they almost look the same. Hustle is actually the same way, but the purple undertones still make me forgive it. Zero is the same black eyeliner in the permanent line, but Whiskey is basically a matte version of Bourbon ( I think, I haven't actually swatched it before). I end up using both the same amount, but it will be a sad day when I run out of Whiskey :c

So here's the rundown!

Pros:

• Very, very useable colors, regardless if you're wearing it to work or at a party.
• All the colors have good, if not exceptional pigmentation.
• Very smooth application.
• Reasonable price ($4 bucks a shadow if you don't include the brush/eyeliner is a total steal)
• Matte colors!

Cons:

• The black isn't SUPER black, if that's what you're going for, although patting it on top of the black eyeliner helps immensely.
• A little bit of fallout, so make sure to tap your brush before you apply!

Available from Sephora, UrbanDecay.com