MAC Eyeshadows: Brule, Malt, Haux....and new MAC Rewards Program!

It's been a minute since I've placed an order with MAC or even browsed their website. I was drawn to their web page after receiving an email from the brand telling me to claim my 'Anniversary gift.' Say whaaaaaaat????  Turns out I joined MAC's new reward program a year ago and its totally legit. At the most basic, bottom tier level, you get a free eyeshadow once a year (your choice of colors in store and online you get a choice from their top selling shadows, a $16 value). While browsing the website, I discovered that MAC offers free shipping to the US with ANY order, no minimum, AND all eyeshadow refill pans are now only $6. I'm guessing this was either done to be more competitive with brands like Makeupgeek ($7 pans) or because MAC is doing a reformulation and is pushing out old stock. We shall see if the new price tag sticks! 

For my free eyeshadow, I chose the satin cult favorite, Brule. It came in a little 'Adore You Reward You' cardboard sleeve. Well done, MAC! I also got pans of the colors, 'Malt' and 'Haux' to pop into my z-palette. I highly recommend pans as they are less cumbersome when you can open a palette full of 12-20 colors and do your whole eye look from there rather than be digging through and opening multiple containers for one look. I do love getting more special colors that I know I'll want to travel with in pot form so I can take my z-palette with my basics as well as my pots of special colors. 

Top to bottom: Brule, Malt, Haux

Brule is a satin shade and is a creamy, bisque color. It is a tanner, yellower, cream shade that I love for packing all over my lid as my base. 'Malt' is a color I got hoping to dupe my current favorite shade in the UD Naked Smokey palette, Combust (more on that below!). Malt is a neutral pink shade that shifts a bit purple orange. 'Haux' is a medium purple brown. 

Above is 'Haux' swatched next to Lorac's Unconditional from the Unzipped Palette and UD Nooner from the Naked 3 palette. It is definitely a more unique color and I've been loving putting this color in my outer V to deepen a neutral eye look. 

Here is 'Malt' next to UD Combust from the Naked Smokey palette, UD Limit from the Naked 3 palette, and Stila Understanding from the Eyes are the Window palette in Mind. Malt is a bit warmer than Combust and a bit less gray, but I think the colors are pretty close. As you can see, Malt is far less pinker than UD's Limit which I think makes it a more versatile transition color.

Here is an eye look I've been doing with just these 3 colors from MAC! I lay Brule down all over my lid and hit my browbone hard for that highlighted effect. Then I buff Malt into my crease and add Haux in the outer V for some extra depth. I tightline my lashes with some brown eyeliner and add some mascara and voila! That's it for a simple, professional look that took all of about 2 minutes. I've also loved adding rose golds, taupes, and pinks to the lid for some extra pizzazz, but just these 3 colors are definitely enough for a complete eye look.

Check out MAC to get a great deal on cult eyeshadow faves! Again, pans are only $6 each right now with free shipping, no minimum!

xxSJ

ColourPop Supershock Eyeshadows: 'I Heart This' and 'La La'

Colour Pop is an LA based brand that has come out with a completely unique eyeshadow formula that I already reviewed right here! Not being able to stay away from this fuss free and super intriguing new shadow, I've managed to get my hands on 2 more colors.

'I <3 This' is a taupe leaning silver color that is full of shimmer and shine! 'LaLa' is a coppery bronze that is the most pigmented color of this collection I've seen so far.  The shadows are super soft because of their gel powder formulation and have no fall out despite being so sparkly. 

These shadows are best applied to your lids using your fingers since they don't transfer all that well using a brush. I think these shadows are best for low fuss days to add some sparkle and glam to your eyelid in a sec with out busting out a dozen colors and brushes. They can also be great for adding a touch of something special to a completed eyelook by simply popping some shadow to the center of the lid. Here is me wearing 'I <3 This' on my lid:

Colour Pop eyeshadows are $5 each with $5 flat rate shipping. You can buy some for yourself at  colourpop.com!

Also, special shout out to Courtney for gifting me 'I <3 This.' So sweet!

xxSJ

Colour Pop Eyeshadows 'Sequin' and 'Tea Party'

Colour Pop is an LA based indie brand that touts bringing the latest trends to the beauty industry at affordable prices.  They currently sell eyeshadows, blushes, and lipsticks at $5-$8 a pop.  Their eyeshadows are known to be revolutionary in texture and feel so I decided to give those a shot and placed my order with Colour Pop!

My package arrived in good time in an envelope mailer with a personalized note to me along with my eyeshadows. Some people really like this personal touch but for me, I could take it or leave it. The shadows were in small cardboard boxes with a window to see the colors inside.  Shipping is free on orders above $30 and otherwise costs $5.  When you join Colour Pop's mailing list, you get $5 off your first order.

The containers themselves are pretty cute with 'ColourPop' printed on top of the clear window in a holographic print, and the white plastic definitely makes the colors inside 'pop.' The downside is since this eyeshadow is meant to be applied with your fingers, these containers get dirty rather quickly! There are instructions telling you to make sure to screw the caps onto these shadows tightly between uses as the shadow is prone to drying up. 

 The colors I chose are Tea Party, which is described as 'a versatile soft peachy pink with gazillion silver glitters and subtle hints of pale pink glitter,' and Sequin, which is described as 'a copper penny like shade with silver and gold glitter.' The texture of these shadows really is unique as they feel a little foamy and squishy to the touch. It is truly something you have to feel for yourself to understand! 

Sequin blew me away with how gorgeously it swatched. It is a pigmented shadow with beautiful metallic finish. It is a true copper color leaning more peach than red. This color is great for all my blue and green eyed gals out there!  I have to admit that I was hugely disappointed in Tea Party at first swatch. There is almost no pigmentation in this color that looks like it should show up as a bright peach. The glitter in this shadow is the true star and I think would work well as a finishing touch on an eye look to add some sparkle and shine rather than as the main focus all over the lid. 

Here is the card that comes with the shadows describing how to use these shadows. Colour Pop really stresses that these are meant to be used with your fingers in order to get the most bang for your buck. I do recommend these shadows for beginners since you don't need any tools other than the ones you were born with (fingas, baby!!) and they can really work as slap on and go colors.

I think I will enjoy these colors a lot more in the Summer time when I am looking to do more fun and simple looks. While testing these out, people definitely noticed the glitter and sparkles and I got a few compliments!

I do think that if these shadows intrigue you you should try them out! At $5 each, you don't have much to lose and people generally like these. In fact, Temptalia awarded these as the best budget eyeshadows of 2014!

Check out Colour Pop HERE! if you're interested in seeing what this brand has to offer!

xxSJ

Smashbox Photo Op Eyeshadow Trio in 'Headshot'

When Ulta sends out their ever so elusive 20% off entire purchase including prestige brands it is time to stock up! I knew I wanted to try more of Smashbox's Photo Op Eyeshadow trios so I snatched up another one in the color 'Headshot:'

I LOVE the packaging for these little trios. The matte black rubberized packaging looks so sleek and modern and the little clear plastic window allows for you to see which colors are inside. I love how tiny this little compact is as well:

It fits in the palm of my hand and I have midget hands so you know that's pretty tiny! The smallness of this compact means there's no mirror on the inside. I don't mind as I rarely use mirrors inside compacts anyhow.

I chose the trio 'Headshot' because I've been wanting to wear more pinks on my eyes and I thought this trio had a perfect pink look all in one convenient place. The upper left color is called 'Linen' and is a mostly matte satiny white with subtle sheen. The upper right pink color is called 'Golden Orchid' and is a gorgeously muted soft pink with golden and peach reflects in it. The lower dark brown color is called 'Chestnut' and it is a purpley, burgundy brown color.

These colors look so beautiful together and these Smashbox trios don't cease to impress and excite me with how darn good they are! Seriously these shadows are not only so beautiful in color, but they are so buttery soft that it makes blending them a dream.  Since blending them really is SO easy, be careful to have a light hand while blending as to not blend your color away or create a bit of a muddy mess!

Smashbox trios are priced at $28 which I think is a fair price considering the professional quality of the shadow.  These shadows are very easy to use and I can recommend them to everyone from beginners to experts.

xxSJ

My Favorite MAC Eyeshadows

MAC does eyeshadows right!  They are beautifully pigmented and very easy to use and there is also a huge selection of colors.  I really enjoy reading about other people's favorite colors so it makes it a little easier to navigate through the wide selection when you're in a store.  It can be overwhelming to try and pick a color out of so many.  Its easier when you have an idea of colors you might want to try out at a store, so I thought I'd share my favorites to hopefully lend some inspiration. On to the first four!

Top: Mulch; Left: Satin Taupe; Right: Twinks; Bottom: Mythology

 Mulch is one of the first colors I purchased. Its a medium/dark brown with gold shimmer in it making it very warm.  I love popping a bit of this color in my crease.
Satin Taupe is a favorite for many.  It is such a beautiful color and flattering on so many different eye colors and skin shades.  It is a purpley brown taupe color with silver metallic through out it.  It is so so beautiful in the crease when you're going for a cooler look.
Twinks I like to think of as a warm version of satin taupe.  It is a purpley brown and is really lovely in the crease when paired with gold or pink on the lid.
Mythology is a perfect peachy gold.  It's almost rose gold and perfect on the lid for a very warm, Goddess inspired look.

From left: Mulch, Satin Taupe, Twinks, Mythology

This picture of Mulch kind of looks ugly haha but I promise its beautiful :)
And my next batch of favorites:

Top: Woodwinked, Middle left to right: All That Glitters, Dazzlelight, Expensive Pink, Bottom Row: Naked Lunch, Jest

 Woodwinked is my all time favorite eyeshadow. It is the first color I purchased along with Mulch and so maybe that's why I have such a soft spot for it. It is a gorgeous gold color and is my favorite color for my lid. It's perfect and is amazingly pigmented. I recommend this color more than any other eyeshadow.
All That Glitters is a very pretty pinky light brown.  Its a beautiful lid color for a toned down look
Dazzlelight is my favorite brow highlight from MAC. It looks like it is straight white in the pan but it comes off a little pink when applied and it is quite shimmery. When you look at it in the sun it has purple and beige metallics coming off of it! Its gorgeous.
Expensive Pink is a very elaborate peach color. It's so lovely when you're in the sun and it reflects differently at different angles.  Very pretty!
Naked Lunch is another cult favorite. It comes off super light and true to its color in the pan.  A pleasant highlighter.
Jest is the prettiest pink I think! It has a lot of shimmer and sheen to it when applied. Perfect for all over lid color and then with a purple or brown in the crease.

Left to right: Woodwinked, All That Glitters, Dazzlelight, Expensive Pink, Naked Lunch, Jest

I hope this was helpful! In essence I've created my own version of the Naked palette with all my neutral color selections from MAC! Sorry I'm not better at describing colors--That was actually pretty difficult and did you notice that every color is so 'pretty' or 'gorgeous'? haha oh well :)

What are your favorite eyeshadow colors?