Naked Smoky Palette Review!

 

Hello Beauties!

Its the moment you've all been waiting for! Urban Decay has finally released a brand new naked palette!

The Naked Smoky palette has been the biggest thing in make up news for the past month! And I have made a  review for you with my honest opinion to let you guys know the real deal when it comes to this palette. 

Its called the Naked Smokey pallets because it is designed to create the perfect Smokey eye. There are both light and dark shades in the palette. This gives you the option to use darker and lighter colors to create a Smoky but blended effect.

 (In paper sleeve)

(Palette out of sleeve)

 

(More Palette shots)

 

This Palette has 12 shadows with a mixture of both matte, satin, and shimmery finishes. It also comes with a double sided brush, with one end as a pencil and one as a blending. This palette retails for $52.

 

 

These are top quality eye shadows! Every single color is highly pigmented, non-powdery, and creates a beautiful look. They are easy to blend, and you receive a good amount of product for each color.

 

 (Colors from Left to right: High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Armor, Slanted)

 (Dagger, Black Marked, Smolder, Password, Whiskey)

(Smolder, Password, Whiskey, Combust, Thirteen)

 

This palette also has a very large mirror which is helpful if you need to travel with the palette.

 

 

 The design of the palette is also very cool, it is a light grey color with dark grey swirls and wisps of color to give in the look of smoke inside. It has an almost marbled effect.

The palette closes with a magnetic closure which I am a big fan of because if you don't close the palette all the way, you don't have to worry about trying to pop open like other palettes would.

Also the back of the pallets is dark grey with more dark grey swirls. It is a plastic material and is see through which gives it a cool hazy effect.

 

One final thing included with the Naked Smoky Palette is a step by step guide on how to create four different smoky looks. This is great for beginners, or people who aren't as experienced in creating Smokey eyes. The looks also range from extremely wearable to very dramatic.

 

I love the variety of this palette, originally when I heard Urban Decay was creating a Naked smoky palette I was worried that would be a palette full of varying shades of black and grey. They really knocked this one out of the park though, the palette includes highlights, blending colors, and of course the classic dark colors that create the iconic look.

 

I hope you guys give this palette a try because I highly recommend it. Let me know in the comments what you think if you do have it and what are some of your favorite colors from the palette.

Best Wishes,

Heather

Cover Girl: The Super Sizer - Mascara Review

 

Hello Beauties!

This must be the month of mascaras because a ton of companies are releasing new formulas of mascaras.

One that I was very excited about was 'The Super Sizer' by Cover Girl, this is a lengthening mascara with a super skinny brush. This mascara is literally life-changing! I tend not to gravitate towards lengthening mascaras because I have fairly long eyelashes, but something about the advertisement of this one caught my eye.

 

 

This mascara is able to lengthen your lashes with just one or two coats, and is also able to add lots of volume with more than one coat. I was pleasantly surprised by the versatility of this product.

 

The wand of it is also another thing that makes this product so amazing. Usually companies market that a thicker bigger wand will produce thicker bigger lashes, but sometimes it is exactly opposite. This brush is very thin with short synthetic bristles. Also the brush head tapers from a large tip to gradually getting smaller towards the base of the brush head. I love the short bristles and the tiny brush head because it enables you to get down to the very base of your lashes to get the ultimate lengthening and thickening lash experience.

 

 

The tapering of the brush makes putting mascara on the left eye easier, but it is a little difficult for the right eye in my opinion.

I highly recommend this mascara because it can create fabulous long and thick lashes that amaze. The formulation is very good as well, it doesn't clumpy or get spidery looking. 

I hope you give this mascara a try, it something new that I haven't seen at the drug store before, and I promise you won't regret it! 

Last week was a post comparing the new L'Oreal Miss Mangia Rock with the original Miss Mangia, so if you are interested in that and haven't checked it out already, then go give it a look.

 

Best Wishes,

Heather 

 

 



Loreal: Miss Manga vs. Miss Manga Rock

Hello Beauties!

 

Recently the drugstores released a new version of L'Oreal's famous Miss Manga mascara, "Miss Mangia Rock."

Originally I wasn't overly impressed with the regular Miss Mangia mascara, but after seeing some reviews on the 'Rock' version, I decided to give it a whirl.

The formulation of this mascara is very similar to the original, however the brushes are very different.

 

 

Original Miss Manga:

 

The original has a more traditional mascara wand shape, but it tapers towards a point. It has an almost pine cone shape. The application is more feathery compared to the 'Rock' version. This also has natural bristles as opposed to a synthetic rubber brush. It is marked to produce both volume and length on the lashes.

 

Miss Manga Rock:

This brush is very different from any other I've seen. If you look straight from the point it has a star shape (adding to the rock theme I assume) and it has a staggering almost arrow like shape along the bristles. I'm pretty sure these are synthetic bristles which can give lashes a more lengthening look. This is actually kind of strange considering the mascara is marketed for killer volume. 

 

Both mascaras give your lashes a clumpy look, if you want something more dramatic I would go for the Rock version, of you want a bit more natural, the original might be better. I personally prefer the rock because it gives a lot of volume and makes your lashes very dark and bold. Both are good mascaras though.

 

The formula is very loose for a mascara. I prefer a dryer formula because I feel that it is more controllable when building volume and manipulating the lashes. However as far as a liquidy mascara goes, this one is one of the better ones. I do tend to get it a lot on my eyelids and even on my nose a time or two (whoops!) formulas that are wetter are a lot easier to mess up on, so if your new to mascara, I recommend something with a denser formula such as L'Oreal voluminous mascara.

 

If you've tried these mascaras let me know in the comments what you think about them!

 

Best Wishes,

Heather

 



Review on Loreal la pallette nude 1 & 2

Hello Beauties!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I have been super busy for the past couple weeks, but I'm happy to report that I have not stopped trying out new cosmetic products, so after lots of testing, I can now share my opinions on these products.

The first product that I am excited to talk about is the two new eye shadow palettes from L'Oreal: Nude 1 & Nude 2.

 

 

 

Each palette contains 10 shades with a variety of both matte, satin, and shimmery finishes. They also both range nicely from light to dark colors. The sleek packaging is sturdy with a sizable mirror, and a high quality look.

The quality of these shadows is very good! I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and pigmentation of each shade. I think these pallets are much better than the nude palettes that Maybelline released recently, and are quite comparable to high end eye shadows.

The two palettes have neutral tones, but do have different color ranges. The Nude 1 Palette is more brown toned and has a lot more of the more typical neutral shades that are in neutral palettes.

 

 

 

La Palette Nude 2 is also a very beautiful palette. It has many more plum tones in it, but it still has the variety in colors and finishes as the Nude 1 palette has. All the colors remind me of vintage shades and are unique yet very wearable. I recommend this pallet to people who already have shades like the palette 1 because these are not as commonly found as the palette 1 colors.

 

 

 

I hope you guys give these palettes a try because they are truly great quality. Let me know in the comments if you would be interested in seeing a tutorial with one of these palettes, I would be happy to do so! And if you have them already, let me know what you think of the palettes! I will be back with a new post very soon so stay tuned!

 

Best Wishes,

Heather

New NYX Products and Reviews!

 

Hello Beauties!

 

I got some of NYX's newest products a few weeks ago and have been dying to do a review on them, but I wanted to test them out for a while before I did a review. So finally here I am with my review on some of their newest products!

(All opinions are my own as always.)

 

NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette:

This palette comes with four highlight shades, and four contour shades.

It is in a plastic pallet that snaps closed. Also these colors don't have any names that I can find, so I swatches them in the same order that they appear on the palette.  

Top Row (Left to right):

Shimmery pink toned Champaign

Matte pink toned Champaign

Matte banana/ warm yellow

Shimmery yellow toned Champaign

Bottom row:

Warm toned brown matte with red undertone

Neutral brown tone that is mostly matte

Lighter cool toned brown matte

Deep chocolate brown matte

 

I have seen so many bad things on the internet about this palette and I have no clue why! I absolutely love this palette and think it does an excellent job of contouring the face.

The colors are highly pigmented, its best to tap some products off after dipping a brush into it. They don't get 'muddy' or 'powdery' as a lot of people have said, they come off highly pigmented and very bendable.

 I love the variety of this pallet too, mixing colors of different undertones and finishes give the consumers the ability to create numerous looks to complement a variety of makeup styles.

I love using the cool brown to contour my cheekbones, I put the banana color all over the upper cheekbone, and use a dab of the shimmer right on the high point to give it an extra sheen.

The middle two contour shades are the ones I use the most, but I have attempted the deepest shade, and with proper blending it is very workable. Your also able to mix the colors to get your own custom blend that is appropriate for your specific skin tone.

The palette isn't perfect so there are some cons. When picking up the color, there is a lot of fallout which can get on the other colors. I just blow on it and they all fly off, but if your using this on a client, I would suggest finding a different way, or using a different palette.

The pans of the powder all are able to pop out as if they can be customizable or refillable. NYX hasn't announced anything about this yet, so here's hoping that they will come out with even more shades and finishes.

 

NYX Conceal. Correct. Contour. Palette:

 (Top two on left are concealer, top two on right are contour shades, bottom shade on each side are color correctors.)

This palette has two concealer shades, two corrector shades, and two contour shades. My palette is in the color deep, although I ordered medium, I still can work with these colors.

These are pretty thick, and have a very slight stickiness to them, but they are also very bendable and creamy. The thickness of this makes using the contour shades in larger areas (such as forehead or cheekbones) a bit of work, but smaller areas (like the nose and bottom lip) are definitely possible.

I really love these concealer, the only problem is that they are a bit too dark for my face. I feel if I did have the medium pallet I would be using these a lot more.

I can't even explain how much I love the color corrector colors! The orange I use every day under my eyes, and sometimes I mix it with the yellow depending how much sleep I got that night. By blending these under the eye with a flat shaded brush and going over it with a light weight concealer, I get a very bright and corrected under eye all day long! The trick is using the think concealer over the thick one so it doesn't crease or cake up.

 

NYX Tame & Frame Tinted Brow Pomade:

I have this pomade in the color chocolate. I have to say, I am very impressed with this product. I don't own Anastasia dip brow, but with this product I don't need to. This is a surprisingly creamy product, but the staying power is insane! It literally lasts all day long, and also helps the brow hairs stay in place, but it doesn't make them stiff or hard like a brow gel can. I highly recommend this product. This and an angled brush are the only eyebrow tools I use not (besides occasional tweezers ;))

 

NYX V'amped Up! Lip Top Coat:

This is a really cool and innovative concept. I like how purchasing this one product can change all your lipsticks into new colors and shades. Basically this is a light black balm gloss stick. When you blend this into your lipstick, it will deepen the color resulting in a new shade of some of your favorites!

I had a lot of fun coming up with new combinations by mixing it with nudes, bright colors, and all different shades! Here is an example with a matte nude color I posted on my Instagram account the other day.

(Maybelline matte lipstick in nude delight as base color)

Follow me @thebeautycorner704

 

 

NYX Lipliner Pencil:

(In color 850 Nectar)

Okay, so this isn't a new product, but I got it for free in my shipment so I figured I'd review it anyway!

This is one of their standard lip pencils which is creamy, pigmented, and long lasting. The color is a shimmery peachy coral, probably not a color I would normally wear, but it's definitely pretty!

 

NYX has been coming out with a lot of new products lately, and you guys should definitely check them out!

 They are all cruelty free and do not test on animals. I will support any company that respects all lives in this world. I encourage you to read up on companies which participate in animal testing, and avoid those. Support companies that care <3 #savethebunnies 

 

Best Wishes,

Heather 



New ELF products and reviews!

 

Hello Beauties!

 

Recently I ordered some new ELF products, and after testing them out I'm ready to share my reviews. Not all of these products I got in this haul, but these are all elf products I have bought within the past few months. I am not being paid by Elf, and all opinions are my own. Now lets get started! :)
P.S. sorry some of these photos are blurry, I use my phone to take the pictures and it doesn't like to take clear close ups! Hopefully soon I'll be able to get a good camera!

ELF Baked Eye Shadows:

(Left is Pixie, Right is Burnt Plum)

I am VERY pleasantly surprised by how much I like these baked eye shadows. I haven't had good experiences with baked shadows and blushes in the past. These shadows were pigmented, smooth and bendable. And best of all cheap!! I believe I picked these up for around $3 each. The color on the left is a shimmery pink with a golden peach iridescence. The color on the right is a burgundy plum with the same peach iridescence.

ELF Ultimate Kabuki Brush:

I am in love with this brush! It is very soft, and is perfect for creating sculpted cheek bones and bronzing the face. If you wanted to you could also use it for applying foundation very quickly. This is similar to the becca brush that is meant for sculpting cheekbones. I don't own the becca brush, but I highly recommend the ELF one because its one fifth of the price.

Elf Long-Lasting Lustrous Eye shadow:

 (Colors did not have names)

These eye shadows were super creamy and metallic. It takes barely any pressure to leave an intent in the eye shadow. Also, it has an almost liquid metal appearance. These are very shimmery and metallic, and I love them a lot. The color on the left is a rose pink metallic, and the right color is a gold metallic.

ELF Moisturizing Lipstick:

 (In the color Cheeky)

These "moisturizing" lipsticks didn't feel any more moisturizing than a regular lipstick. The color is pretty and pigmented, but moisturizing ....nope. This color is a bright coral color with a satin finish.

ELF Lip Definer And Shaper:

If anyone knows if ELF sells the lip Definer as one of their regular lip liners, please let me know because this color is awesome! It is one of my absolute favorite lip liner colors. Its super matte and creamy, and when you fill in your lips with it, it makes them look super big! The shaper is a shimmery light golden pink. I really have only used this to highlight the cupids bow, but you could put this in the center of your bottom lip to fake a shiny lip look. But the Definer is my favorite from this duo. The color is a perfect 'your lips but better' color.

ELF Eyebrow Lifter and Filler:

This eyebrow lifter and filler was okay, not the best but not terrible. I liked the brow color probably the most. The pencil tip is pretty large, so it's hard to get a precise shape. If your just needing to darken the entire eyebrow area, this product might be for you. The brow highlight color I did not like at all though. It goes on very thick, it is hard to blend, and looks cakey. I like the color of it a lot, but the consistency is not good at all.

ELF Body Glow:

( In the color Glow)

This, in my opinion, is not an everyday product. I would save this maybe for special events or to places where you want your skin to look luminous, like the beach. You use this powder to dust all over your body (not your face.) A nice product, but definitely not a necessity.

ELF Mineral Lip Liner:

 (In the color Rose)

I love this lip liner! Its a pretty brownish pink lip liner that glides on smoothly and lasts long! It's more pink than a nude color, but a nice natural color.

ELF Daily Moisturizing Stick:

I though because of the thick texture of this balmy moisturizing stick, it would break me out. But it didn't! Its very moisturizing and helps stop cake foundation. Also, applying this over concealer with your ring finger can help blend concealer. The only thing I don't like about this product is that it smells kind of fishy. I'm not sure if maybe they use fish oil in it, but every time I use it, I detect a faint fish smell.

ELF Lip Primer & Plumper:

The plumper side of this product works really well! If you don't like tingling in plumper then I don't recommend it. But if you don't mind it, then you will like this. The primer is very pigmented and looks chalky, but if you use a lip moisturizer first and then blend it out with your finger, it works well to cancel out your natural lip color. This doesn't come with a ton of product, which is really the only draw back.  

ELF High Definition Under eye Setting Powder:

This under eye setting powder has a slight shimmer and a light pink tint. When you use this to set your concealer, it doesn't act much differently than a regular translucent powder would. I recommend the ELF eye Brightener instead, I use it to set my under eye concealer and it adds brightness, sets it, and also helps eliminate the look of fine lines under your eyes.

ELF Mineral Face Primer:

 (Color brightening lavender)

 

This is a  silicone based primer with a purple tint that is marketed to be a brightening primer. I put this on half of my face to see if it was brighter than the other half, and they looked the same, so I would say it didn't have much of a brightening effect. The primers texture is similar to benefit Pore-fessional Primer. It's good, but nothing special if you already own the other primer.

 

 

ELF Mineral  Mist:

 

 

I originally bought this thinking it was a setting spray, but I soon found out that this is not one. I think this works best as a refreshing spray. It has a lot of minerals in it which are good for the skin, and give your skin a nice glow. This is good to use on a hot day to refresh your makeup. Or if your skin is looking dry or dull, then this will give you a beautiful glow.

 

ELF BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 20:

 

(Color Beige)

 

This BB Cream is a lot thicker than most BB creams. It also has a lot more coverage than most. This is also a very luminous BB cream. If you have dry skin you will probably love it. If you have oily skin, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

 

ELF Mineral Pearls:

 

(Skin Balancing)

 

 I really like these Mineral Pearls, they add a lot of brightness to the skin. And when you use a powder brush to swirl the colors together it makes it so that it is one neutral color. If you pick one up though it is pigmented enough to show the distinct color of each pearl, so they are definitely pigmented. 

ELF Baked Blush:

(In the color pink tastic)

This product is marketed as a blush, but it is basically a shimmery gold. I use it as a highlighter. It isn't the most pigmented color either as a highlighter or a blush.

ELF Hydrating Under Eye Primer:

I haven't heard of any other companies creating an under eye primer, but I really like this one! Its not overly siliconed like most primers, and it is also very moisturizing. It feels like appling an eye cream. This also helps to stop under eye concealer from caking up or creasing.

ELF Lipstick:

(In the color Seductive)

This is a highly pigmented lipstick, and smells like candy, which is always a plus. The color is a bright coral pink color. It also has a nice shine.

ELF Under Eye Rollerball:

This is a cooling and refreshing under eye roller which helps to reduce bags and take away the look of tired eyes. I like to use this at night because I feel like my dark circles are accentuated when I use this. It eventually goes away, but using it at night it how I prefer it.

ELF Smudge Pot:

(Left Popping' Pratt, Middle Gotta Glow, Right Back to Basics)

These smudge pots are beautifully creamy and rich in color. You can use your fingers or a brush and blend them out. I also like how these come in a variety of colors. Elf does cream based shadows excellently.

If you've made it to the end of this post then congratulations! Thank you for reading, and let me know what ELF products you've tried and love! :)

 

Best Wishes,

Heather