Top 13 of 2013

I cannot believe 2013 is at an end. This year has been one of the best years of my life, the most significant was my travels to England. For this yearly favourites, I decided to pick 13 of my favourite products I discovered in 2013 - and it was hard to narrow it down! But here it is, my top 13 of 2013!

1. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

This is probably the best purchase I've made this year, and definitely number one on my list of best products of the year (and probably my favourite palette ever). This is the perfect palette to accompany any makeup look, single eyeshadow, or palette you have. See my review of the Naked Basics here.  

2. MAC Painterly Paint Pot 

This is the best matte base I've ever tried - I don't know why I put buying this off for so long! Although my whole body is dry, I have hooded eyelids that get quite oily. This keeps everything on my lids. I don't do a makeup look without this base, and although it is on the pricier side in Australia, if you're looking for a good base that'll work, I recommend the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly.

3. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

I've found that this year, my skin is much more dry than it has been. I slowly had to move away from powders, and venture into the world of products specified for dry skin. This isn't a holy grail foundation (I know I'll find it someday), but it is a great everyday foundation for dry skin. 

4. Essence Lash and Brow Gel

2013 was definitely the year of the eyebrow for me. This brow gel sets everything in place, and is relatively cheap - under $5. Even if you don't fill in your eyebrows or apply any product to them, it's always good to set them and smooth everything out, and I recommend this brow gel. 

5. Benefit Coralista Blush 

This is the blush that made me fall in love with blush. I absolutely adore this blush, and since then have tried incorporating blush in my everyday routine (something I never really did). On paler skins this is beautiful, and on darker skins it is beautiful. I love this blush.

6. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

My Seche Vite is basically all gone, but this is the greatest top coat I have ever used. It dries super fast, is glossy, and everything I want in a topcoat. I highly recommend this product if you haven't tried it yet! 

7. Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Perfume 

This is one of my perfume favourites of 2013. I picked this up on my way back from England at Heathrow, and I absolutely adore this perfume. I'll probably invest in the original parfum next time, but I love the scent of this. I love floral scents! 

8. YSL Parisienne Perfume

I've included two perfumes because this was the year I ventured out into different scents. Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf is my all-time favourite scent, but when I got a sample of this earlier in the year I had to buy it. I purchased this a week or so before I went to England, so every time I wear this perfume I'm reminded of that time away, and this is definitely a scent I'd purchase over and over again. 

9. Lush Dreamwash Shower Smoothie

For when my eczema flares up, I love this stuff for in the shower. It's like a clay almost, and is super soothing. 

10. Daiso Puff and Sponge Cleaner 

This is the greatest thing to clean makeup sponges. For regular brushes, I find it mediocre, but it just sucks liquid makeup out of brushes. 

11. Sigma Small Angle E65 Brush 

This is the only brush I will use in my brows. It is much smaller than the other angle brushes I own, and is perfect for filling in brows. I think I'll need to invest in another one soon, because I also adore this brush for gel eyeliner, or black eyeshadow on the lash line. 

12. Sleek Face Form Palette in Light 

This palette (at least the contour) has seen better days! The contour is absolutely lovely for my light skin, the highlighter is also nice. My only vice with this palette is the blush - on light skin tones, I really can't work this. When I was in England, my cousin who is dark skinned used it and it looked phenomenal on her! But on me, no! However, I'd recommend this palette just for the contour alone - I love it.

See my review of the palette here.

13. Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze (Bad to the Bronze)

This was a purchase I made in England. I've been a fan of the Colour Tattoos since they came to Australia in late 2012, and although this has been a favourite, I never picked it up until I was in England - another product I put off buying for so long!

And those are my top 13 of 2013. Happy New Year everyone, see you in 2014!

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish - review and swatches

Anyone who has watched beauty videos on Youtube has probably heard the hype surrounding the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. I fell into this hype, and although it is a lovely product, I don't find myself reaching for it all too often. Since then, I have also received another Mineralize Skinfinish - this one in Petticoat - which sadly is discontinued, but I am happy to add to my collection and use for this review of MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes.

The MAC website describes the Mineralize Skinfinish as "a luxurious velvet-soft powder with high-frost metallic finish. Smoothes on: adds buffed-up highlights to cheeks, or an overall ultra-deluxe polish to the face". 

Soft and Gentle is a champagne shade, whereas Petticoat is a darker pink colour. The veining in Petticoat is much more evident, and it is a darker raspberry colour when swatched in these areas. 

Soft and Gentle on the left; Petticoat on the right - heavily swatched 

Soft and Gentle on the left; Petticoat on the right - blended out

Above I've used Petticoat as a blush and Soft and Gentle as a highlight. Both Mineralize Skinfinishes add extreme luminosity and look lovely in photography, but I sincerely do not recommend using two - one as a blush (which is already a highlighting blush) and one as a highlighter on top - as the result will be a shimmering disco ball (unless you want that, but the thought of glitter all over my face is not the look I tend to go for)!

So what are my thoughts on the two Mineralize Skinfinishes I own?

I really wanted to love Soft and Gentle, but it's not my favourite highlighter. On a night out, it works well, but I notice chunks of glitter on my face when I use it, and the last thing I want to see is glitter on my face (only on my eyes, preferably). In photography, however, the result is lovely and I'd recommend using a product like this when you are going to be photographed.

Petticoat is a lovely product, but on my skin I can only imagine using it as a blush, and it is quite shimmery and glittery. On darker skin tones, I'd imagine this to be an absolutely gorgeous blush and even a highlighter, and I'm happy to add this product to my kit.   

On my wish list, I have Lightscapade, and once I cross that off I think I'm done with the world of Mineralize Skinfinishes! The products photograph lovely, but unless you want an extremely noticeable highlight outside of photography, there are highlighters that are less noticeable - cream or liquid highlighters might be preferable to powder ones. I have used Soft and Gentle as an eyeshadow before, and it is a lovely champagne shade for the lids, so the products can be multitasking. They just aren't my favourite products, and I believe a little over-hyped in the beauty community.

That's my review for the MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes. What are your thoughts on them? And if you haven't, please follow me on Bloglovin'! 

December Favourites

I cannot believe it is the end of the year. I will have a yearly favourites coming up before the New Year, but for now I wanted to talk about my favourite products from December.

Sephora Mascara and Eyeliner in VIP Gold 
I got this off a friend for Christmas, but I had tried it out before it was gifted to me. This is amazing! It is a mascara, but also has a fine brush on the end of the mascara wand for eyeliner. I haven't really used it as a mascara, but as an eyeliner it is gorgeous!

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Lipglass
I am not a lipgloss person at all, but I received this in my KK present last week and I'm seriously in love! It helps that I love the Viva Glam Nicki lipstick, but this on its own gives a nice flush of pink on the lips, and topped on a nude is gorgeous! I've been pairing this with MAC Honey Love recently.

China Glaze Nail Polish in Techno 
This polish is like a disco ball, it's so pretty! I've been wearing this over the Christmas period, and probably will keep it on until after New Years because I really don't want to have to deal with removing it!

NARS Laguna Bronzer 
I hit pan on this this month. This product is always on and off with me, and it definitely works better in the summer time. I do like this bronzer, but sometimes I find it doesn't work for me.

MAC Candy Yum Yum Lipstick 
This lipstick is gorgeous, it is seriously a bright, neon pink. Now that my hair has returned to dark (meant to be brown but really black) and I've gotten rid of the red, I can get away with more pink and red lipstick colours. Love this colour in the summer.

Real Techniques Setting Brush 
I have really dry skin, so I don't powder my skin except for under my eyes to set under eye concealer. I absolutely adore this brush for setting under the eyes, and highy recommend it! It's super cheap on iHerb also, so I recommend looking into it.

And those are my favourites from December! 

NARS Killing Me Softly Cheek Palette - review and swatches

Today I have a review of the limited edition Killing My Softly Cheek Palette from NARS. When this palette popped up on Temptalia, I knew I had to have it. Featuring the famous Orgasm blush and Albatross highlighter, two products I have wanted to try but have not wanted to fork out $50 for each. I got this palette for $69 from Mecca Cosmetica.

The size of the packaging is identical to that of the NARS Laguna Bronzer. 

The NARS Killing Me Softly Cheek Palette features three blushes and one highlighter - the top left hand corner is Gilda, a matte coral shade. Next to Gilda is Albatross, a goldish highlighter. I've wanted to try this highlighter for a while, and the addition of Orgasm in this palette was a no brainer. On the bottom left hand corner is Outlaw, a more autumn/winter appropriate shade with some golden shimmer throughout, I'd describe this shade as a raspberry. The biggest pan in the palette is Orgasm, a cult favourite peachy coral shade also with golden shimmer. 

The shade selection is absolutely lovely. I'm so happy Albatross and Orgasm were including in this palette, but Gilda is so lovely and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this shade in summer! Outlaw is such a pretty raspberry shade, and I can imagine getting a lot of use out of this shade when summer is over and we head into autumn and winter. 

The only complaint I have is the size of the pans. To apply highlighter, I tend to use a small fan brush so the Albatross pan is okay, but both the Gilda and Outlaw pans are small it is hard to get a blush brush in them. However, the shades are so pretty I can work around it.

That is my review of the NARS Killing Me Softly Cheek Palette. If you can still get your hands on this, I recommend it! 

The Perfect Palette Tag

I wanted to put a post up tonight, and I thought I may as well do a tag post! Hope you enjoy reading, and get to know what palettes I love and adore a little better! 

1. Best Packaging

This has to go to the Clarins Splendours Colour Quartet and Liner Eye Palette (see review here). The MAC Spoiled Rich Quad from the Archie's Girls collection comes at a close second (see review here), I loved the packaging of the whole collection! 

2. Best Color Payoff

Hmmm, this is a hard one. Each palette I have does have its downfall. But I'd probably go with my Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, because I find the shimmery shades in the palette perform amazingly, and the matte shadows are much more pigmented and not as powdery as others of Urban Decay's matte shades (I really can't get the matte shades from the original Naked to work well).  

For the price though, you can't go wrong with Sleek palettes! They are amazingly pigmented, especially the shimmery shades. For a beginner, I'd recommend trying some of the palettes from Sleek. 

3. Most Versatile

The Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette is the most versatile palette I own (see review here). It can accompany any palette, and you can create whole looks - even fill in your brows if the shades match - because the shadows are mostly matte (only one shimmery shade, which I use as a highlighter). 

4. Best for Traveling

Hmm, I'd again say the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. You can create many looks using the one palette, I highly recommend checking it out! Do not regret purchasing it at all. 

5. Biggest Regret

While I love the packaging of the MAC Spoiled Rich Quad, I hardly ever reach for the palette and the shades were a little disappointing. I also regret the MUA palettes I have purchased, although the price of them is nowhere near that of MAC shadows and palettes. 

6. Best Colour Names

I love the names in the original Urban Decay Naked Palette. I also love the names in the Naked 2, but the ones in the original Naked Palette seem to fit the theme of 'naked' better.

7. Least Used

Of my high end palettes, I would say the Urban Decay Fifteenth Anniversary Palette. It is a lovely palette, but I hardly reach for it. It is all shimmer, minus the matte black Blackout (which I love, so am happy having a second one as a backup). Because it is all shimmer, for the most part you cannot create whole looks with the one palette. 

Of drugstore, the MUA palettes I have purchased (I think I have two, I'm not even sure!). 

8. Most Used

Urban Decay Naked 2. This is the first high end palette I purchased, and it has been the most used. Bootycall is basically non-existent right now. Favourite eyeshadow ever! 

9. Most Loved

Urban Decay Naked 2.

10. Desert Island

I'd take my Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. I love it so much, it is my favourite palette. Second to that, the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. 

So basically this tag just shows that I really love the Urban Decay Naked 2! I'm currently working on a heap of reviews, so check back soon! And if you haven't already, don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'! 

Empties/Products I'm Chucking Out #5

David Jones Deeply Purify Facial Cleanser 

I got this cleanser in a set of samples from David Jones a couple of months ago. The next cleanser also came in the set, and although I enjoyed this cleanser the Burt's Bees I enjoyed more and would repurchase it over the David Jones. This cleanser worked well. 

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser 

I LOVE THIS. The scent is pleasant, and it feels so refreshing to use. I've repurchased the full size, and I think I've found my holy grail cleanser. 

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel 

I'm not really one for sickly sweet smells, but I absolutely adore this shower gel! I got the smallest size available, but I'll have to stock up before its gone. 

Bioderma Cleanser

I purchased the smallest size available from eBay awhile ago to try this product out. This is a super soft cleanser and removes makeup. I definitely will repurchase this, and now it's available from Priceline which makes it super accessible to Australians. 

Alpha Keri Intensive Ointment

I use this on my eczema, and will continue to repurchase this product.

Schwarzkopf Taft Flexible Hairspray 

I actually did like this hairspray, but I don't really have a preference with hairspray. This one was quite flexible, did not leave my hair stiff. 

Daiso Detergent for Puff and Sponge 

This is amazing at cleaning makeup sponges. It just drags out foundation in no time. I love it, will continue to repurchase. 

Cutex Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover 

I purchased acetone free because I have acrylics on. This works well, and I'll most likely repurchase it in the future. 

Johnson's Moisturising Day Cream

I've mentioned this in empties before, and I will continue to purchase this day cream. For when my skin isn't super dry, this works wonderfully. 

Vaseline Total Moisture Dry Skin 

I love this moisturiser. I use it allover my body. A pack of three of the large bottles were available at Costco, so I stocked up last time I was there. I'd recommend this to anyone with dry skin. 

MAC Fix+

I've been through at least 3 bottles of Fix+ now. I love this stuff, and will continue to repurchase it. 

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Colour Deep Treatment

This was a sample packet I purchased in England. I liked this, but it isn't my favourite deep treatment. When I go back to England, I will be stocking up on this stuff though as it is good value for money.

Johnson's Baby Conditioning Shampoo

This is my go to brush cleanser. It leaves my brushes soft and cleanses well. Will continue to repurchase. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in 10 Fair Clair 

I thought I'd never use this under eye concealer up, but I got there! I did enjoy this, but at the moment I am loving the Rimmel Match Perfection more. This is a good under eye concealer, and I recommend it!

Revlon Colorstay for Normal/Dry Skin in 150 Buff

I loved this foundation, but the bottle always leaked! I'm happy they have changed the packaging to include a pump, and I've already repurchased this foundation. 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15

I was so happy when I finished this foundation up! I love this foundation, and I've repurchased it in NC20. My perfect shade is between the two, however, so I will repurchase NC15 soon. 

Lush Dreamwash Shower Smoothie 

Favourite for eczema. This is like a clay, and I wash my legs (which is where I have eczema) with this stuff when it flares up. Works to calm it down, will always repurchase. 

Nivea Pure & Natural Regenerating Night Cream

This isn't my favourite night cream, but it was quite moisturising. I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't need a super hydrating night cream for an affordable price. 

Clinique Moisture Surge 

This was a good moisturiser, quite hydrating. This is on my list of potential hydrating day creams.

Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water 

I decided to try out the Lush toners. This was the first one I have used up, and I also am trying Eau Roma Water. I loved the scent of this, it didn't dry my skin out and I think is perfect for us dry skinned people. I think I will have a comparison post later on once I have tested them all out. 

Johnson's Daily Essentials Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes (x5)

I bought a bulk of these from Costco, and while I used them up I find them too harsh on my dry skin. 

BeautyCareCo Makeup Remover Pads

These always feature in my empties. Can't say much about them, they do the job! 

NYC Glamour Lashes

I picked these up when I was in England, I mentioned the first pair in my last empties post. These were okay, nothing super special. 

Eylure Katy Perry Lashes in Oh, My!

These lashes are full on, and I love them! I wore them to a friends 21st, and I loved the look! I adore these lashes, and definitely will be repurchasing a pair for New Years Eve!  

ModelCo Flutter False Lashes in Flamboyant 

These were also another pair of full on lashes, and I wore them to another 21st. I loved these lashes too, and when I bought them they were only around $9, which I think is quite reasonable. 

Manicare Glameyes Taylor Lashes

I don't really remember these lashes, so I can't really comment. The past two months have really been about lashes. 

Daiso Lashes

For $2.80, you really can't go wrong. Every time I go into Daiso, I pick up at least 2 pairs of lashes to add to my drawer. 

November Favourites

November wasn't the best month, and this post is a little late (blame my MacBook's logic board thx), but better late than never, right?

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer in 010 Ivory 
I picked this under eye concealer up on a whim and I'm so glad I did, it has replaced the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in my eyes. This is more yellowed toned, and I prefer it to the pink of the Maybelline because my under eye circles are more purple than blue and the pink doesn't help to counteract the purple as well as yellow does.

NYX Dewy Finish Makeup Setting Spray
When I saw the NYX stand at Target I was ecstatic. I picked up this, and a brow powder set that is too red for my brows (especially now that I'm back to brown). I love this setting spray though. I had been using the Urban Decay All Nighter, but my skin is so dry lately that it makes my skin look super dry. This doesn't, and prolongs makeup wear. They had a matte version as well, so there is an option for both dry and oily skin.

Lush Let The Good Times Roll Facial Cleanser 
This cleanser smells heavenly. It smells like popcorn. It is amazing. I don't use this every day because it isn't the most gentle on my skin, but when I do my face smells amazing.

Natio Ageless Illuminating Primer 
I picked this primer up a while ago and I have really enjoyed it. It is quite hydrating, which works well with my dry skin. Works well as a primer, and probably will repurchase soon as I'm nearly finished with this one.

MAC Pro Conceal and Correct Palette in Light 
I picked this up two or so months ago. I also have the Medium in my makeup kit. These are the Studio Finish concealers from MAC. I've hit pan on the NC20 concealer shade as it is the main shade I use on myself. It contains 4 concealer shades and 2 corrector shades, which makes it a versatile palette.

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara
I picked this mascara up when I was coming back through Heathrow Airport, and I wasn't the biggest fan at first. Now, once it has significantly dried up, I love it. The wand just does something with my non-existent lashes, and I love it.

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Guava
Such a summery colour! Currently wearing this on my toes, and later today I will put it on my nails. I love the formula and opacity of the Gelly polishes.

And those were my favourites in November!
Thanks for reading x

Update

I haven't posted in ages, due to university. My Macbook broke last week (thankful it was after exams) and is currently getting repaired. Until I have it back, I can't update. Sorry for those loyal readers, but once my laptop is back expect many posts! Hopefully see you guys soon x

Mini Haul - David Jones Christmas Shopping Event Sale

On Tuesday it was the David Jones Christmas Shopping Event. It runs morning to night, and usually is 20-30% of items. I only picked up four beauty/makeup related items, but I though it was worthwhile to share them.

First I got the David Jones Beauty Daily Brush Cleaner. I deep clean my brushes as often as I can, but it's always good to have a brush cleaner. This item was 25% off.

Revlon was 30% off, which is an awesome deal. I couldn't toss up between trying Nearly Naked or repurchasing Colorstay, which I've recently run out of. I ended up picking the Nearly Naked foundation in 120 Vanilla, and I think it is a little light for me but I can make it work. I tried it out yesterday, and I wasn't the biggest fan as it seemed to cling to dry patches.

Finally, I purchased the Burt's Bees Cream Cleanser. THIS TUBE IS HUGE. I've tried a sample of this, and I loved it. When the lady showed me the tube, I couldn't believe how big the product was! There was 25% off Burt's Bees, and originally this was around $22 dollars, but for the amount of product I don't think it's bad at all full price!

And those were the four things I picked up from the sale event. I apologise for the lack of posts recently, I'm in the exam period at university and super stressed. Normal posting will resume at the end of next week, I promise! 

October Favourites

I have been slack with posting this month, and I can only blame that on my workload from university. I still want to do a favourites post, as there are some new products I've been trying out this month that I have loved.

MUA Eyeshadow Shade 30 Pearl
This eyeshadow is absolutely gorgeous. I did a haul post back in September (see post here) and I still have to do a review on all the eyeshadows. This one is absolutely gorgeous, it is super pigmented and lasts all day. It reminds me of Urban Decay's Half Baked, just a little more orange.

Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water 
I bought this about two months ago, and I love it. It's a great toner, and it doesn't feel too harsh on my skin. I'm almost out of this and I want to try out the other toners from Lush, but I recommend this one. They come in a bigger bottle as well, but the smaller sizes are good to test out. They are in a spray bottle which is super convenient.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Vibrant and Red 
I was in David Jones a few weeks ago and saw this. I have red hair, it isn't a super vibrant red but it is still red, and red fades quickly. This dry shampoo is wonderful to add some vibrancy back in your hair, and the red does stick around - when I've washed my hair after using this, some red washes out. I love this dry shampoo, and while it doesn't smell as good as the Blush scent, when my hair isn't recently dyed (like right now), I'd pick this over Blush just to add some colour back in my hair.

MAC Strobe Cream
This is a travel size I picked up from a Pro MAC store for $15, and I love it. I use a day moisturiser, and once that has sunk in I top it with the Strobe Cream for added hydration and luminosity. The full size of 50mL is $55 in Australia, and this 30mL tube cost $15, so I think next time I'm in store I will pick up a few of these travel sizes as they work out better value for money.

Bioderma
This is a small size I got from eBay to test this product out. I really like this for gently removing all the makeup and cleansing my skin after I have used a face wash, and I recommend it for sensitive and dry skin.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze (On and On Bronze)
I don't know if I've featured this in a favourite, but I picked up this colour tattoo in England and I absolutely love it. Yesterday I used it with Urban Decay Smog and it was absolutely beautiful. All the colour tattoos I own are wonderful bases, and if you are interested in trying just one, I recommend Bad to the Bronze.

And that's my favourite products for October. Thanks for reading, and if you haven't yet, follow me on Bloglovin'!

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette - review and swatches

My lovely boyfriend gifted this palette to me a few weeks ago, and I am head over heels in love with it. I own the original Vice Palette from last year, and I will include some comparison photos, but I have seriously loved using this palette over the last couple of weeks and am ready to give a review.

The palette is absolutely beautiful to look at. Compared to the original Vice, this palette is not a matte case and isn't hard to clean, unlike the original which is matte and once fingerprints are on it, it is very hard to get off (as you can see in the photo below). The Vice 2 has the same jewelled logo as the original Vice Palette, and this jewelled logo was also on the Fifteenth Anniversary Palette.

The palettes are the same size, and both come with the same double ended eye brush. 

It's an okay brush,  but I prefer the brush that came with the Naked 2 Palette much more. However, if you were to take this palette while travelling, this brush is perfectly fine to use and can be used to create an entire eye look with.

The palette comes with twenty eyeshadows - only two are matte shades (although the Urban Decay website disagrees) and the rest are shimmer or glitter.

Onto swatches and review of all twenty shades!

Smokeout is a dark, shimmery shade. It almost has a reddish/purple look in the pan, but when swatched looks like a dark brown-black, with a slightly reddish tinge. Urban Decay describes this shade as a "dark taupey-black satin". 

Lovesick (as you can see in the photo of the eyeshadows in the palette above) has silver glitter in it, although in the photograph this didn't pick up. This shade does not swatch particularly well, though. Urban Decay describes this shadow as a "black matte with iridescent micro-glitter". It definitely does look pretty matte when swatched, and this may account for the way the shadow swatched. I have found that a lot of Urban Decay's matte shadows are not super pigmented, and sometimes chalky.  

Shellshock is a spectacular shade. I've never ventured much into silvers, I tend to like gold shadow more, but this is so highly pigmented and shimmery I'll definitely have to wear this out next time I go out at night. This shade is extremely creamy in texture. Urban Decay describes this shade as a "bright metallic silver".

Coax is a darker, more shimmery pink than the next shade X-Rated. They both look lovely swatched, but I'm not a big pink wearer. This shade was extremely pigmented and creamy. Urban Decay describes this shade as a "medium metallic pink with golden iridescent micro-sparkle. 

 X-Rated in the pan looks matte, but when swatched has a nice sheen to it. Pink is my least favourite colour, so I probably won't get much use out of these on myself, but X-Rated is a lovely colour. It has less shimmer than Coax, but swatched very nicely. It is very pigmented. This shadow is described as a "baby pink satin".

Prank was a disappointing colour when swatched. It looks absolutely gorgeous in the pan, so maybe on top of a blue base this colour will pop. It has some noticeable glitter, but just wasn't a well performing shadow on its own. Urban Decay describes this shade as a "deep navy matte with turquoise floating pearl". Basically, this shade has shimmer in it. I wouldn't really call this a matte shade, as in the pan and when swatched, you can see it has shimmer.

 Madness is a lovely dark teal shade. It swatched much better than Prank. It is quite pigmented, and I think I'll get a lot of use out of this colour in the summer - possibly on the bottom lash line. I think on top of a blue base, this colour would really pop! This is described as a "bright metallic blue shimmer with blue-glitter".

Strike is a nice gold shade, although not as pigmented as I'd prefer, but this could be a good thing for some. Some may not be a big fan of in your face gold shadows - Half-Baked from the Naked and Naked 2 Palettes, for example. This shade is a nice, subtle gold. This does have some glitter in the pan, but when I've used it on my lids (and in the photo above) it doesn't really transfer. It is described as a "antique gold shimmer with silver micro-glitter".

Stash is a shimmery olive green. There is noticeable gold in this colour, and it really is an interesting colour. The shimmer makes it more of a wearable colour, but it is definitely more of an autumn or winter shade. It is nicely pigmented and creamy, and is described as a "deep olive green shimmer with iridescent micro-sparkle". 

Poison isn't an overly spectacular shade in my opinion. It is a charcoal black, not a dark black (does that even work?) by any means. Urban Decay describes it as a "charcoal satin with iridescent micro-sparkle". It swatched okay, but isn't a shade I'm particularly drawn to. 

When I first opened the palette, Radar was the shade that caught my eye. It looks quite chunky in the pan, and it does have some glitter in it. But is absolutely gorgeous! I love pairing this on top of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. I absolutely adore this bronze shade! This is described as a "metallic brown shimmer with iridescent micro-glitter".

Damaged is just wow. It is a forest green colour, metallic, and just beautiful. I think I'll be getting a lot of use out of this around Christmas, and in autumn next year (sadly it's spring in Australia right no, so some of these colours are a little too dark). Urban Decay describes this as a "bright metallic emerald shimmer".

Voodoo is a lovely shade. It is a dark purple, with small bits of glitter. Another shade that would be awesome for autumn. This shadow is described as a "metallic purple shimmer with iridescent purple micro-glitter".

When I looked at Betrayal, I felt as though I already had a shade similar to this from Urban Decay. I grabbed my Fifteen Anniversary Palette and swatched Betrayal and Omen from the Fifteenth Anniversary Palette together, and they look almost identical. I believe Omen is now available as a single shadow, so if that's why you were interested in this palette (Omen is one of my favourite purple shades ever), you always have that option. This shadow is described as a "bright purple satin with blue shift" - meaning it is a duochrome shadow. 

(Betrayal on the left, Omen on the right)

Derailed is a taupe brown metallic shade, is quite pigmented, and swatches beautifully. I love that both neutral and and colourful shades are included in this palette, and you can create many eye looks with just this palette. Urban Decay describes this shadow as a "medium metallic taupey-brown shimmer". This row of shades were the ones that swatched the best.

The last row of the palette contains the only two true matte shades.

Dope is a nice allover lid colour. It has a nice shimmer to it, and although it is pink toned, it isn't over the top pink, so I will get some use out of this shadow. Urban Decay describes this shadow as a "warm champagne satin".
Toxic looks like a nice rose gold shade in the pan. I'm not a big pink fan as I have already stated, but this shade appears more peachy than straight up pink. It is a lovely colour to look at, and I think it will work well for spring! This is described as a "metallic copper-pink shimmer with tonal micro-glitter".
As you can see, Habit is a matte shade, and swatching it was horrible! It would work well as a day time transition colour, but from my experience matte shades from Urban Decay are not as pigmented and the payoff is not as good as their shimmery or glittery shadows.  This is described by Urban Decay as a "light nude matte".

Ambush is another lovely colour to look at in the pan. It's a nice bronzey shade, a little similar to Radar  but not as glittery.  Urban Decay describes this shadow as a "metallic brown satin". It swatched quite beautifully, and is extremely pigmented and creamy.

Rewind is another matte shade. It is a darker brown, a good crease colour, and isn't as chalky as Habit is. This shadow is described as a "medium brown matte".

These shadows perform wonderfully. I have quite oily eyelids (but a face that is so dry) and hooded eyelids, so I need a primer. Over the last couple of months, I have loved the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly as a base, but I also use a primer for extra prime (Urban Decay Primer Potion)! With the brown, bronzier shades that I have worn on my lids (Radar, Derailed and Ambush) I put them on top of the Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze and that really helps pick up the bronze in the shadows - and makes my lighter brown eyes look awesome!

I also wanted to do a quick comparison post for those who may already have the original Vice Palette, or want to know the difference between the two, if you need both etc. I feel this post has gotten too long as it is, so let me know if that's something you want to see.

Overall, I love this palette, and I am so lucky to have received it as a gift from my boyfriend. If you are someone who loves venturing out into colour eyeshadows, I'd recommend this - but if you want neutral shadows, you're probably better off skipping this.

Thanks for reading my review, and don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'! 

Benefit Cabana Glama - review and swatches

I received this kit from a friend for my birthday in July. I love how my friends know me! I did a review on the Bronze of Champions kit I bought when I was coming back from England (see post here), and I think these kinds of kits are perfect as you get to try out different products from Benefit - especially in Australia where the prices are expensive. I already know I will be repurchasing Watts Up and They're Real when I run out of the mini sizes (from the Bronze of Champions kit), because they are awesome products! Both are making it to holy grail status. I also would repurchase Hoola, but I've got another Hoola bronzer in this kit so I don't think I'll be running out anytime soon! 

This kit, like the Bronze of Champions, is aimed at a nice summer tan. This kit features the Some Kind of Gorgeous Foundation, Hoola bronzer, three Benefit eyeshadows - which is awesome! (there was only one in the Bronze of Champions), two brushes and Posie Tint. 

The Some Kind of Gorgeous foundation is in the second shade (Medium), which I feared was too dark for me. However, when it is buffed into the skin it works well (which you'll hopefully be able to see in the photos below). The only problem I have is the smell of the foundation... it's not a pleasant smell at all. This is a light coverage foundation. It is a little dark for me, but because it is so lightweight and blendable, it blends okay into my skin. 

When heavily swatched, the foundation looks way too dark and orange for me. When blended out, it matches much better, although is just a tad too dark at the moment. It is a light coverage foundation, so perfect for days you don't want to wear much foundation, or in the summer. I probably would wear this in the summer when I'm a little darker, but the smell of the product is what turns me off. 

I applied the foundation all over my arm, and it hardly had an effect on blurring out my tattoo. This is a very light coverage foundation. 

The Hoola bronzer is an awesome contour shade. The Hoola bronzer in this kit looks bigger than the one in the Bronze of Champions kit, which makes me very happy! The brush it comes with also isn't too bad, and is really good at blending out the product. 

I have a light complexion, and a heavy swatch of Hoola on my arm appears very muddy. However, when blended out (which I've done next to it using the brush included in the Cabana Glama kit) it is quite blendable and matches my skin tone much better. 

The three eyeshadows are all shimmery, flattering summer shades. They are fairly pigmented, although the two brown shades (Bronze Buzz and Cocoa Pizzazz) are quite similar when swatched, as can be seen below. I'm not the biggest fan of pink, but Peach Fuzz has a nice combination of pink and gold and on my lids (as shown in the pictures at the end of the post) Peach Fuzz came off more golden than pink, especially when combined with Bronze Buzz. 

(The three eyeshadows in the kit in placement order - Peach Fuzz, Bronze Buzz and Cocoa Pizzazz)

Posie Tint is an interesting product. This is a legit stain, it would not come off with a makeup remover wipe once I swatched it and took photos of it on my arm - which didn't take more than two minutes! It works extremely well as a stain, but I'm not the biggest fan of pinks. It looks nice on the lips, but is a little drying. Definitely need to scrub and moisturise your lips before using this product. 

Above is after I wiped the swatches with a makeup remover wipe

This is the look I came up with using the three eyeshadows in the kit - Peach Fuzz and Bronze Buzz mixed together on the lid, and Cocoa Pizzazz in the crease. I used the Some Kind of Gorgeous Foundation, Hoola as a contour shade/bronzer, and Posie Tint on my lips and cheeks. 

Thanks for reading my review! I highly recommend Benefit kits like this, as it is a good way to try out different kinds of products all in one go.