Review: NYX The Go-To Palette in Wanderlust

NYX The Go To Palette

PACKAGING:

-Comes in a black plastic case

-Palette contains 6 eyeshadows, a highlighter, a blush, and a bronzer

-$16.99 each @ ULTA (Comes in 3 other color combinations)

FORMULATION:

The Wanderlust palette offers a nice variety of neutral shades that work with every eye color. The shadows are nicely pigmented and easy to blend. You can mix and match to create tons of different looks. I wasn't a big fan of the blush and highlighter. They were a bit too powdery for my taste although both had good pigmentation. The bronzer is good for a nice all over the face color but maybe a little too light for contouring unless you are very fair. 

This is a great palette for traveling. It contains all your eyeshadows and face products in one. It is also super light and takes up no room in your bag. This is also a great alternative to the Urban Decay Naked on the Go Palette which is about $50. 

EYESHADOWS

From left to right:

Highlighter, blush, bronzer

URBAN DECAY NAKED ON THE GO PALETTE

NEW!!! Maybeliine Eyeshadow Palettes

Maybelline The Blushed Nudes (top) & Maybelline The Smokes (bottom) Eyeshadow Palettes

PACKAGING:

Much like Maybelline's The Nudes palette (1st one released), both of these new releases come in the same plastic case with a clear top. It isn't the most sturdiest of cases so beware if you are traveling with them.

The eyeshadows in the palette are placed in a way that allows you to use them as duos, trios, or quads. All the colors mix and match pretty well together.

Each palette retails for around $9-$12 depending on where you purchase it. These particular ones can be a little bit difficult to find and may not be available everywhere just yet.

I have seen these palettes at...

Walgreens

Walmart

Target

Ulta

FORMULATION:

I was quite disappointed with these two palettes compared to the first one that Maybelline released awhile back (The Nudes Palette). The eyeshadows in both palettes did not have consistent pigmentation and some were a bit on the powdery side. I found myself really having to dig into some of the lighter colors just to get enough color. 

But overall for the price, these palettes are pretty decent and great palettes for starters or for those of you who are looking for a bang for their buck.

The blushed nudes palette contains beautiful pink and rosy hues while the smokes palette contains dark and sultry hues. The blushed nudes is a more affordable alternative to the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette which retails for about $50.

The Blushed Nudes

TOP ROW

BOTTOM ROW

The Smokes

TOP ROW

BOTTOM ROW

Tarte Poppy Picnic Palette (NEW!!!) LIMITED EDITION

TARTE POPPY PICNIC

PACKAGING:

-Comes in a pretty small hard plastic case w/poppy flower print

-Contains 6 eyeshadows (1.7 g each)  and 1 Blush (5.6 g)

-Comes with a little instructional pamphlet that showcases 2 looks using the palette

-Retails for $38

-Available at 

ULTA

SEPHORA

TARTE ONLINE

-LIMITED EDITION!!!

FORMULATION:

The eyeshadows in this palette are all in the neutral family. All the shadows are matte in terms of their finish. The texture is soft but easy to blend. The pigmentation of these shadows are on point but not overpowering. The color combination is great for everyday where and perfect for travel. The palette also comes with a blush in a beautiful pinky coral color with a hint of shimmer just enough to balance out the matte eyeshadows.

OVERALL 5/5

NEW!!! Too Faced Sugar Pop Palette

Too Faced Sugar Pop

PACKAGING:

- Comes in the traditional Too Faced plastic tin covered with an adorable macron design

- Includes a mini look book showcasing 3 looks 

- The 3 larger eyeshadows are 6 g each while the 6 smaller eyeshadows are 5.4 g each

- Retails $36.00

Available at Ulta, Sephora, and Too Faced online

FORMULATION:

Not much has changed with the Too Faced formulation over the last couple of years. They are one of the few beauty brands out there that has maintained a consistent formulation of their products. The Sugar Pop palette is inspired by the ever so yummy and delectable French cookie, the macron. The palette has a great mix of mattes and shimmers with a variety of fun bright colors that is perfect for the upcoming summer. 

Like most of Too Faced palettes, each palette contains 9 colors. 3 base colors for all over the lid and 6 colors that can be mixed and matched to use however as you please. Each palette provides you with a little booklet that shows you 3 different looks using the eyeshadows. If you aren't a big fan of color all over the eye feel free to use the shadows as colored liners.

These shadows have great pigmentation and are soft and easy to blend. They have a decent staying power especially with a primer underneath. If you are planning to wear the shimmery colors wearing an eyeshadow primer is highly recommended. The shimmer does have a little bit of fallout. 

Sweet & Spicy (top row from left to right)

Rock Candy- off white (shimmer)
Macaron- bright coral orange (shimmer)
Malted Milk Ball- cocoa Brown (shimmer/satin)

Sugar Plums (middle row from left to right)

Strawberry Ice- light lavender (satin)
Sugared Violet- deep violet (shimmer/satin)
Blackberry- plum (matte)

Candy Coated (bottom row from left to right)

Peach Fuzz- yellow beige (shimmer)
Bubblegum- bubblegum pink (satin)
Blue Raspberry- aqua blue (satin)

New Beauty Items Worth Checking Out

I have been on a little shopping frenzy the last week or so. There has been a lot of stuff going on and retail therapy, for me at least, is one of the very few things that can calm me down. But even on a shopping frenzy I do try my best to behave. Here are a few new products I saw that I wanted to share with you guys. They are definitely worth checking out for the spring season! 

BARE MINERALS COMPLEXION RESCUE $29

The newest addition to the Bare Minerals family, this foundation has been all the craze lately in the beauty community and believe me it is worth the hype. If you guys would like to know a little more on this product check out my previous post! 

Available in 10 Shades

HOURGLASS MODERNIST EYESHADOW PALETTE $58

Hourglass has done it again and they FINALLY released an eyeshadow palette! Hourglass is very well known for their Ambient Lighting Powders and Blushes (These are also AMAZING products). These eyeshadows have the same soft texture as their powders and are very pigmented and luxurious. They are pricey like all Hourglass products but the quality is worth every penny. 

Available in 7 other color patterns

DR. JART DERMACLEAR MICRO WATER $32

It is no secret that Dr. Jart has become a very popular beauty brand over the last year. Dermaclear micro water is just another fancier term for toner. However unlike toners out on the market today this one contains 90% all natural ingredients and 85% active hydrogen mineral water delivering a pure cleansing solution for your skin. It will remove dirt and makeup while keeping your skin nice and toned and bright. 

NEW!!! Maybelline Color Molten By EyeStudio

Maybelline Color Molten By EyeStudio

PACKAGING:

-Comes in a plastic black/clear round container 

-Each one contains 2 eyeshadows 

-Contains 2.1 g total of product 

There are about 6 duos in this collection and retails around $8-9 each depending where you purchase.

Available at drugstores nationwide and select Targets, Wal-Marts & Ultas

FORMULATION:

306 Rose Haze
Left: Soft Baby Pink (A little darker in person)
Right: Burgundy Plum 

305 Plum Fusion
Left: Silver
Right: Dark Purple Plum

I am in LOVE with these eyeshadow duos! I don't think I have ever loved an eyeshadow product as I love this one. The texture feels like a Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush and applies so smooth and effortlessly. Once you apply it to your eye it blends like a powder (Applies like a cream works like a powder). All the shadows in this collection have a semi-matte finish.

Top: Rose Haze
Bottom: Plum Fusion

The color payoff is also pretty great and it stays on your eyelid without any trouble with or without primer. 

Tarte 2015 Tartelette Eyeshadow Palette (NEW!!!)

Tartelette 

PACKAGING:

-Comes in a beautiful purple plastic case (It is pretty sturdy and great for travel). It also has a nice medium size mirror built into the palette.

-Contains 12 Eyeshadows (ALL MATTE)

-Also contains a pamphlet with ideas for looks

-This is one part of Tarte's 2015 Tartelette Collection

FORMULATION:

I was super excited that Tarte has come out with an ALL MATTE Eyeshadow palette. Last year they did release a palette that was all matte (Mattenificent) but it only contained 4 matte shadows and the colors were not great for everyday wear. The Tartelette however contains 12 MATTE eyeshadows and all are neutral everyday wearable ones. The texture is the same like all the Tarte Amazonian Clay eyeshadows.They are very soft and easy to blend however are on the powdery side. As for pigmentation, it varies among the colors. The lighter shades tend to be less pigmented. Because the eyeshadows contain Amazonian Clay, they do have a longer lasting power compared to other brands. However due to the powdery consistency, I highly recommend wearing these eyeshadows on top of a primer.

Row 1 (left to right):

Free Spirit- Light beige
Force of Nature- Light brown
Dreamer- Espresso brown
Multi Tasker- Dark cocoa brown

Row 2 (left to right):
Caregiver- Baby pink
Natural Beauty- Taupe
Best Friend- Medium chocolate brown
Bombshell- Dark black brown

Row 3 (left to right)
Super Mom- Off white
Wanderer- Light brown w/ray undertones
Power Player- Medium gray brown
Fashionista- Dark black 

You can purchase this palette at any retailers carrying Tarte Cosmetics such as but limited to 

Ulta

Sephora

You can also purchase online from Tarte 

RETAIL $44

Review: Bare Minerals- Bare Tutorials Smoky Eyes

Bare Tutorials Smoky Eyes

PACKAGING:

The kit comes in an aluminum tin that can be reused. It contains the following...

- 3 miniature Bare Minerals loose eyeshadow in Celestine, Soul & Graphite 

-Lash Domination Mascara (Deluxe Size)

-Dual Ended Brush

-Tutorial Sheet

This kit is limited edition and available where Bare Minerals products are sold. The kit retails for $29.50. But remember Bare Minerals eyeshadows usually retail around for $14-$15 each and they last for a very long time. These small sizes will also last you for quite awhile. The mascara on its own full size retails at $22 and if you were to buy the brushes (it only comes dual-ended in the kit) it will set you back another $30 ish dollars. So great deal you guys are getting here not to mention great Christmas gift idea for makeup lovers! 

There is also a natural look kit that features pressed eyeshadows.

FORMULATION:

Eyeshadows:

Bare Minerals mineral eyeshadows are some of the best mineral eyeshadows out on the market today. They are nicely milled and super pigmented. But they are messy to work with if you don't have any experience with mineral makeup. I do recommend using an eyeshadow guard or foiling (a technique that blends your shadow with some type of liquid like a mixing medium, eyedrops or even H2O to help the shadow not only adhere to your eyelids better but also brings out the color even more) your shadows when applying on your eyelid to help with fall out. I love the colors in this kit. When you think of smoky eyes you probably think of black or brown. This set gives you a unique twist on the classic smoky eye and looks great with pretty much any eye color. You can either follow the tutorial provided or just do your own thing.

From Left to Right: Celestine, Soul & Graphite

Celestine- Light copper brown (shimmer)

Soul- White beige color (matte) 

Graphite- Soft black with green undertones (matte)

Top Left: Celestine
Top Right: Soul
Bottom: Graphite

 Lash Domination:

I been wanting to try out this mascara for some time now and thanks to this kit I finally get to try it without shedding out $22. This mascara is awesome. I have tried other Bare Minerals mascaras but didn't like them so much. This one gives me great full looking lashes without it looking clumpy. The formula is semi wet so not too dry nor too wet. It wears for a couple hours but does tend to flake at the end of the day. But remember everyone has different lashes so what may or may not work on me may or may not work on you.

The only issue I have with this mascara is that while the wand is rubber it isn't flexible and if you are a klutz like me accidentally hit your eye while applying it can hurt. 

 Dual- Ended Brush:

I am not a fan of mini brushes that comes in kits. I find them pretty much useless because it is very difficult to have full control. This brush however isn't that bad. If you are familiar with Bare Minerals'  brushes you know that they have small handles. I'm not sure why they do this. Their brushes are awesome but I prefer longer handles to get more control (Yes, I do realize there is a dirty joke in here... get your head out of the gutters people). 

The hair on this brush is super soft and you can use both ends to get a decent look.