'The Pretty Palette' by Ciate London

I have one of the sweetest boyfriends in the world! I found this little palette under our Christmas tree  and found out that he scoured my blog and makeup vanity to pick out something that I don't already have and that he'd think I would like. After watching more Youtube beauty reviews than he'd like to admit (love ya, sweetiepie! ;) ), he settled on the Ciate London 'Pretty Palette.' I was so excited to dig into this because I've yet to try anything from this brand and mostly know of them from their nail polish line.

The packaging of this is pretty cool. The petite palette has a holographic cover where the eyes are open or shut depending on your angle of viewing.

Inside are 9 colors, 4 shimmers and 5 mattes. The center color is a great, beige, all over base color with the brand's little logo, a petite bow, stamped into the shadow. I love how simplistic the inside of this palette is and how little space is wasted. There is a full size mirror on the inside lid.

The colors are very neutral and when looking at this palette, I can easily think of multiple looks.

The shadows are all buttery soft with very minimal powdery kick up (which is great considering how close the shadows live to one another in the packaging). I was pleasantly surprised by the gold color (bottom left in the palette, 2nd color from the top in the swatches). It looks like its more of a yellow-green gold in the container so I was happy to find its a wearable, neutral gold. The purples are beautifully pigmented and the burnt sienna color is awesomely pigmented and easy to blend on the lid. The one complaint I have is that there are two very similar colors in the palette. You can see in the swatches that one of the champagne colors is more peachy while the other is more neutral, but I wish they were exaggerated in finish because they are incredibly similar on the lid. It's not the worst color to have a near duplicate of, however! 

 The above eye look was achieved using every color from this palette with the charcoal black color smudged into my lash line as eyeliner.

Overall, I'm so pleased with this palette and think that it's great as an everyday, no thought needed makeup look. I also think this palette would be great for travel. You might have to pair it with additional transition colors or deeper hues if you crave variety, but I think this little palette would totally suffice.

This palette is $35.00 for 0.52oz of product and is available from Sephora HERE!

xxSJ

NARS Audacious Lipstick 'Apoline'

Everybody: gird your loins for the most perfect neutral lipstick in all of creation.

 NARS recently came out with some new additions to their incredible Audacious lipstick line. The color 'Apoline' was calling to me as the most perfect neutral lip color. I couldn't justify the steep $34 price tag for myself, so I bought this pretty lippie for my sister first (does anyone else do this???). She looks incredible in it, so I did the only other thing I could think of to get my hands on this gorgeous product--I asked Santa.
Lo and behold, I was graced by this little guy on Christmas morning. The NARS Audacious line is stunning--housed in a black, soft touch finish case with a magnetic closure, this lipstick with the NARS logo engraved on the side will certainly make you feel luxurious every time you use it.

 This satin finish lipstick is ultra pigmented while being super lightweight on the lips giving you long wear coverage and a super comfortable feel. Apoline is a warm dusty pink that is super flattering on my skin and works well with almost any makeup look.

This lipstick wears for about 4 hours through eating and drinking and softens up my cracked, winterized lips leaving a touchable, bouncy finish behind. This is definitely my favorite lipstick and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to add some luxury to their makeup kit!

Check out my other Audacious lipstick reviews!
Grace and Natalie
Juliette
Claudia and Brigitte

Check out the NARS Audacious lipstick line at Sephora by clicking HERE!

xxSJ

Clinique Beyond Perfecting foundation and concealer in 'Breeze'

My skin began acting crazy after spending a very humid Summer in NYC. My foundation was oiling up by the end of the day and yet my skin was breaking out while looking quite dry in some areas. I decided to splurge on a higher end foundation that would give me the coverage I need for my breakouts but was designed for my combination oily/dry skin. I went to Sephora and picked up the Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer.

This foundation is your standard 1 fluid ounce and it is housed in a glass container. One interesting part of this foundation is the gigantic doe foot applicator. Some people think that this doe foot is not 'sanitary' for application directly the face, but I don't mind. I use one dip of the brush and put the foundation on my cheeks like wiskers, a stripe down my nose, and then a few dots on my forehead and chin. I've been using a beauty blender to blend this out which works beautifully. 

L: no makeup on at all!!!**GASP**, R: one coat of Clinique foundation applied with beauty blender

I got shade matched at Sephora to the lightest shade of this foundation which is the color 'Breeze' (0.5 VF-P). I noticed that this shade range is a little limited as far as lighter shades. A lot of the shades had quite a yellow undertone to them which on me makes me look a little sick. This color 'Breeze' was more pinky which is why I selected it. I think it might be a bit light for me but with blush and some bronzer it looks just fine. I find this foundation wears really well over an entire work day and does a beautiful job at evening out my skin tone while my freckles can still peek out to say hello. I find this foundation does well with a powder on top to set it and performs fine with products layered on top without caking up or emphasizing pores or fine lines. The finish of the foundation is quite natural (as in NOT MATTE) and allows for some light dewiness without making me look like an oil slick by day's end. 

This foundation costs $27 which is pricey compared to drugstore, but a very fair or even inexpensive price compared to other brands at Sephora. I am finding this foundation lasts quite a long time as well. I think I am only about 1/3 of the way finished and I have used it daily for 2 months. That is much better value than the L'Oreal cushion foundation (Click HERE for my review on this foundation!) which costs $15 but only lasts for a month...think about it. 

I'm all about this foundation, you guys, and I highly recommend it if you have similar skin to me. It just does what its supposed to do which is so refreshing. 

Check it out from Sephora HERE!

xxSJ

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in 'Double Dare' and 'Lovesick'

 The liquid lipstick trend has hit the beauty world hard and I don't think its going anywhere any time soon. I decided to hop on this trend after thorough research on what I thought the best liquid lipstick formula would be for my dry, depraved lips. I settled on trying out Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks due to their reputation of having a long-lasting and very comfortable formulation.  I settled on picking two neutral colors to try this trend out.

R: Lovesick, L: Double Dare

 I picked out 'Lovesick,' a mauve pinky nude, and 'Double Dare,' a dusty rose mauve. The products come housed in a slender plastic tube with ornate black designs on it. I like the sleek packaging a lot, and the slimness may make it seem like you get less product, you actually get 0.22oz of liquid lipstick which is double what you get in an Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick. The applicator is a standard doefoot applicator which I found very easy to use to get a relatively perfect application.

Top: Double Dare, Bottom: Lovesick

I love this product a lot.  I am someone who LOVES lipstick to death but can't be bothered to reapply it through out the day when it fades. I also have a profession that doesn't allow me to look in mirrors often or take frequent restroom breaks for touch ups so I tend to avoid putting on lip products at risk of fading or smearing in an unflattering way. I think this product solves this issue for me as I get a full 8 hours of wear time out of this lipstick with no touch ups needed. This stuff lasts through eating and drinking and best of all, it doesn't make my lips feel uncomfortable. I definitely wouldn't say that this lipstick makes my lips feel moisturized while I wear it, but I'm certainly not bothered by it.

As an added bonus, I noticed in the morning following wearing this product my lips always looked and felt very refreshed. After some light investigating I discovered this product is infused with Vitamin E and sunflower seeds which my lips apparently respond really well to!

I'm in love with these lipsticks and will surely pick up more shades in the future. It's a beautiful product that works and costs the fair price of $20 per tube. Its not cheap, but its not going to break the bank if I hold off on my normal Starbucks purchases for the week!

Find these liquid lipsticks HERE!

xxSJ

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

Burberry Eye Colour in 'Pale Barley'

Welp. It happened. I managed to get my hands on another makeup product I really have no business having. Burberry is a luxury brand of makeup with beautiful products with outrageous prices. I've been eyeing some of their products for a while and I was gifted one of the cult favorites from the brand: Burberry's 'Pale Barley' eyeshadow.

The shadow comes housed in this gorgeous linen colored box with old-fashioned type.

A velvet pouch with the infamous Burberry plaid houses the eyeshadow. When your products come in velvet pouches... you know you've reached luxury level. Its all completely unnecessary but so dang necessary all at once.

The shadow is in a super soft gunmetal square container. The container has some serious weight to it and has the Burberry plaid screened onto the top of the container.  'Burberry' is also screened onto the side the container opens.  The container opens and shuts via magnets so the compact is very sleek and smooth in appearance.

The container opens up to reveal the shadow inside. The Burberry plaid is stamped into the shadow and a full mirror (of very nice quality!) is included on the inside. A sponge tip applicator is included (meh) and 0.09oz of product is housed inside (larger than your average eyeshadow: Nars is 0.07oz, MAC is 0.04oz).

The color 'Pale Barley' is a golden taupe color that is the true goldilocks of neutrals. It is a cool leaning brown color with gold shimmer throughout making it a little bit almond colored, yet a little bit gray. This color almost looks a bit boring, and, to be honest, it kind of is...but, somehow in the best way possible. 

The majesty of this color resides in the fact that it is so effortlessly gorgeous on the lid. Its pigmentation is the perfect amount of color and shimmer while also being smooth to apply and blend. This silky shadow is a wet or dry formula, and though I have yet to test out this color wet, I am completely satisfied with its performance dry.

Above I'm wearing Urban Decay's 'Combust' in the crease and 'Pale Barley' all over the lid. That is IT for this really pretty and simple look. I'm a sucker for looks like these since in my profession, there is no need for smokey eyes or crazy colors during the week days. I want simple colors that will look pretty and professional and are easy to do quickly.

I have nothing bad to say about this eyeshadow other than the price. It is $29 for this bad boy. Granted, the packaging is superb and I can't say enough about the quality of the product, but that is A LOT for just one shadow. If you're thinking of trying this product out, I would say go for it if you have the money to spend. If you are like I was and lusting after this for months and months, maybe ask for it for a birthday or holiday so it can be something really special. I do think its worth it!

Check this eyeshadow out at Sephora HERE!

xxSJ

Lorac 'Unzipped' Palette

My boyfriend surprised me this Christmas by giving me the Lorac 'Unzipped' palette. I have never mentioned this palette to him (and my long term lusting after it), but he said after much research, he decided this palette was the most 'Steph.' So sweet :) The guy has got a point though! The Lorac Unzipped palette is a no-fuss palette filled with rosey and warm pinks, browns, and burgundies.

The packaging is sturdy cardboard which closes with magnets. The palette is super thin and includes the 10 shades with no wasted space for a brush I'll never use. My one gripe is I think the mirror inside the palette could be a bit bigger! 

Undercover is a matte white with pinky tones to it. It is really pigmented and easy to place all over the lid and as a brow highlight. 

Unbelievable is a deep satin rose gold with purple smoke to it.

Undiscovered is a pure pale gold that shows up great on the lid for some sparkle.

Unreal is a gorgeous shimmery pink.

Unattainable is a satin mauve color with a taupey hue to it.
Unconditional is a mauve matte color that I've been using mostly as my transition in the crease.
Uncensored is a satin brown color which is warmer on the skin than it looks in the pan.
Unspoken is a matte brown color, nice for deepening up the crease.

Unbridled is the superstar of the palette in my opinion. It is a deep matte burgundy with crazy pigmentation. 

Untamed is a satiny brown with purple undertones and lots of sparkle.

Swatched on my arm above are the colors from left to right, top row first, then bottom row. The colors all are buttery soft with excellent color payoff. 

Here's a look I did using only shadows from this palette.  This is a more dramatic eye with thick black eyeliner, but I also used this palette to create softer eyes and pushed 'Unbridled' into my lash line for some soft smokey liner.

This palette is so gorgeous and great for anyone looking for a pink-hued neutrals palette. I think it is similar to the Naked 3 palette but I find more inspiration when looking at this palette than I do at the Naked 3. This palette is $42 for 10 very wearable eye shadows and can be purchased on Amazon, at Kohl's, Ulta, or loraccosmetics.com.

Check it out on Amazon Here!!

xxSJ

Sample Round-Up! Clinique, Soap and Glory, Benefit, MUFE, and Dr Brandt!

I have a HUGE bag of samples collecting dust in my room that I have received from various makeup orders, swag bags, and in store purchases.  I thought it was about time to delve into the bag and try out some new products and give you my thoughts on the sample value, my thoughts on the product given this little taste of it, and whether you should try this sample if you have the option to!
Let's get started shall we??

Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel
Full size product: $26 for 1 oz
Sample value: $1.30 for .05 oz foil packet
This clinique sample is a medicated acne treatment complete with salicylic acid that is meant for all over your face or for spot treatments. This packet was enough to apply this product twice this week all over my face after taking my makeup off before bed. This stuff smells like PURE ALCOHOL. It is a light blue gel that tightens your skin immediately upon applying it and I must say I think it dried out my skin quite a bit. I wouldn't try this product out further and I won't be sampling it again in the future.

Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer
Full size product: $29 for .13 oz
Sample value: $.67 for .003 oz
This primer has a very thin consistency but I was surprised to find that you needed the tiniest bit to cover your whole eyelid. The product's tan color gave pretty decent coverage leaving a nice clean slate of an eyelid to place shadow on. The primer made my eyeshadow last all day with out creasing. The primer claims to have SPF benefits as well, always a plus! This little sample gave me 4 days of wear. Though I enjoyed the product, the hefty $29 pricetag may be too much to spend given I like UD primer potion which costs closer to $20.

Makeup Forever HD High Definition Primer
Full size product: $33 for 1 oz
Sample value: $1.65 for .05 oz foil packet
This product is a primer that is meant to make your makeup last all day as well as moisturize your face. The white cream was a very pleasant consistency and easy to blend in and I LOVE the fact that this primer does not have the normal oily slip to it that you feel with other primers on the market. I felt this made my makeup look fantastic for the three uses I got out of it and I would definitely want to try this product again in the future!

Soap and Glory Righteous Butter
Full size product: $15 for 10.1 oz
Sample value: $0.50 for .33 oz foil packet
This award winning body butter was SO luxurious! The thick white cream melted into my skin and smelled amazing ( fresh bergamot, mandarin, rose, jasmine, peach, strawberry, and soft musk & amber base note). The smell lingered on my skin for two whole days and my skin was so soft! I only got one full body use out of this packet but I loved every minute of using this product and would definitely purchase a full size tub. 

Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant
Full size product: $79 for 2 oz
Sample value: $9.88 for 0.25o oz
This skin exfoliant is meant to be used on moistened and warm skin after cleansing twice per week. I used this product in the shower and overall I did enjoy the feeling of scrubbing my skin with this. The product is very gritty and feels like it is getting into every pore to do some serious cleaning. You have to be gentle with this stuff though as it can be rough on your skin if you scrub too hard. I liked this product as my skin is getting dry from the cold winter air, so I felt I was scrubbing the dead cells off my face at the end of the day. The sample is a great value and I would recommend trying it out. I won't be purchasing the full size because of the hefty price tag but I would get the sample again. I am not done with this sample yet, as the tube is a very generous size. I should get at least 5 more uses out of it.

Total value of samples this week: $14

I definitely recommend trying out the Dr Brand skin exfoliant and the Soap and Glory Righteous Butter. Also try out your samples when you get them at home! I got to try out $14 of beauty products this week that made me feel luxurious and like I was giving my skin some extra TLC. It felt like a mini pampering session every time I tried something new. Leave me your thoughts below and what the best sample you've ever tried was!

xx, SJ

Deborah Lippmann Calypso Nail Lacquer Duet

This amazing little nail polish duo is currently at Sephora so I just had to share my thoughts on it with you all before its gone! Deborah Lippmann is a well-known celebrity manicurist known for her high quality line of unique nail colors. She is particularly renowned for her glitter polishes which can be topped by few other brands.  The quality of her polishes comes at a price, however, with her creamy polishes coming in at $18 and her glitters costing $20. 

This particularly duo, called the 'Calypso Nail Lacquer Duet,' comes with one of Deborah Lippman's most famous colors, 'Mermaid's Dream.' It is a sandy seafoam green base filled with different sized and hued blue glitters. It leaves a scaly, sandy, finish on the nails and is completely solid in just two coats. The other complimentary polish in this duo is 'Flowers in her Hair' which is a light minty cream color. It is completely opaque in two coats and very easy to apply. The two polishes come housed in a glittery teal zip up pouch perfect for packing polishes on the go. 

Mermaid's Dream lasted for days on my nails with out chipping. It looked perfect for 4 days before it started chipping around the edges. As with most glitters, this polish is not easy to take off which is a definite downer, but I don't think I've ever received as many compliments or caught myself staring at my nails as much as I did when I was wearing this polish. It is so unique and beautiful! 'Flowers in her Hair' lasted a few days with out chipping and was easy to remove with out staining my nail underneath.

These mini polishes are about half the size of a full size polish at 0.27oz each. The whole kit costs $19 which is quite the deal considering the hefty price of just one Deborah Lippmann polish. Considering this kit has one of her iconic colors along with a beautiful neutral, I wholeheartedly recommend this nail duo. You won't regret it!

Purchase this duo here: sephora.com

xxSJ

Lorac 'The Royal Full Face Collection'

The next couple of posts I do are going to basically be a compilation of what I got for christmas this year as Santa was very kind to me in the makeup department! One of the things under the tree for me was this Lorac The Royal Full Face Collection from their holiday collection this year. I hadn't even heard of this particular kit and I was floored when I saw what was inside! But before we get to that, let's talk about the packaging:

The kit comes in a velvety hexagon shaped box with gold writing and decoration. Lorac's theme for their Holiday 2014 collection was Royalty hence the purple, gold, and all around luxurious feeling box. Inside the box are the goodies:

Packed inside the box are 4 eyeshadows, a blush, an eyeliner, a mascara, a lipgloss, and a lipstick. 

The eyeshadows included are 'Cream' from the Pro palette, 'Chai' and 'Espresso' from the Pro to go palette, and 'Honey.'  All the shadows are buttery soft and have awesome pigmentation. They work together to create a perfect brown smokey eye. 

I found 'Honey' to be the weak one from the bunch initially as it felt harder than the other shadows. I found it looked really pretty on the lid, however, and it seemed I just had to get past the first tough layer on top of the shadow to get to the buttery good stuff below. 

The blush included is 'Coral' from the Pro to go palette, a universally flattering peachy pink shade with some shimmer running through out. Use a light hand when using this because it is pigmented!

The lipstick is a a Lorac Alter Ego lipstick in the shade Duchess. It is a matte finish and is so creamy I was concerned about the texture it might have on my lips. However this lipstick is gorgeous on and my boyfriend commented that my lips looked particularly luscious when I wore it. 

The lipgloss included is in the shade 'Rose Lustre' and it is a pretty rose chalk full of glitter. This gloss is pretty sticky so it will last for a while on the lips and pairs well with the Alter Ego lipstick included in the kit. It smells very sweet, so keep that in mind if you don't like scented products.

 The Cobra Mascara is my least favorite item in the kit. This mascara made my eyelashes look really stumpy and clumpy and simply didn't work for me. The wand is an interesting shape that I couldn't quite figure out the best way to use.

The eyeliner included is a mechanical twist up liner in 'Ultra Black.' This liner isn't as black as some either kohl liners I have used but the staying power is pretty impressive. I will be using this for my lower lash line.

This kit is a Kohl's exclusive and was $40 for all these products.  I think that deal is pretty great considering the conglomeration of shadows you get that seem to be favorites from various palettes and the lip products are stellar. Get your hands on this while you can as it is a limited edition and seems to sell out fast!

xxSJ