Jewel-Toned Eyeshadows for Fall!

Jewel-Toned Eyeshadows for Fall!

Hello friends!

This time of year I love working jewel-tones into my eye looks. I think it's a way to incorporate color that's deep and rich, not necessarily over-the-top and wild. I looked through my collection for some of the palettes that I thought did a nice job of working-in beautiful tones like amethyst, sapphire, ruby, emerald, amber... and the list goes on! So here are the palettes and swatches, and keep in mind- you can click the pictures to enlarge them. 

Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye - Eye Couture Shadow Palette ($19.99, Target)

Sonia Kashuk has some great 12-color eye palettes, and this limited edition Jewel of an Eye kit is no exception! Big thanks to my girl KristinGehm for sending this to me! I think SK does an awesome job with her shimmery shadows. Not that I don't like Eye on Neutral matte, but I think the buttery feel of this palette and Eye on Neutral shimmer is above and beyond a LOT of the shadows out there (drugstore and high end!) I especially love the purples and coppery/red shades in this palette, but I think all of the colors have equally nice texture. It doesn't take a lot to get the intensity you want on your eyes, and they're so easy to blend. I know it's a fall release, but shades like this can really be beautiful year-round! One small complaint is that there's no light neutral shade that's light enough to be used as a highlight on my skin. And of course, if you want any matte shades, you'll have to bring in something else. 

Maybelline Eye Studio Autumn Dream Quad ($7, Drug/Discount Stores)

LOVE this quad! In fact, I have a tutorial coming this Friday that I'm SO excited about using this! I realize it's limited edition so it may be hard to come by, but if you can round-up some similar shades, you can totally get the look. Anyway- I love the color combos in here. The purple is SO gorgeous, as well as the jade green. The navy doesn't show up super blue on my eyes, but it's great to have that deep color to create shadows/contrast. I find the lightest shade to be extremely shimmery, but it's fun to layer with the other colors to achieve different looks. There's nothing matte in this quad, but in my tutorial you'll see how I use this (and only this) to create a pretty fun look! 

Cover Girl Queen Collection Quad in Brass n Sass ($5, Drug/Discount Stores)

If your drugstore has the Cover Girl Queen collection and you haven't tried the eyeshadows... what are you waiting for?! It doesn't matter what your skin tone is- these shadows have very impressive pigmentation (thanks to my friend David for giving me the heads up on that!) The deep blue is just stunning and the bit of shimmer really makes the color pop. The other shades have more of a satin finish. They're all so smooth and really apply nicely. I believe there are some nice singles in the Queen line as well! 

Coastal Scents Fall Festival Palette ($12.95, CoastalScents.com)

Here's another palette that I'm busting out for fall! This kit contains 12 Hot Pots, which are the same size as MAC eyeshadows. I love the selection of neutrals, as well as a few fun pops of color in the middle row. You get a really nice quality matte cream color in the top left, and the black in the lower corner has a bit of sparkle if you look closely, but it's never detectable on the eyes. That cranberry shade on the bottom row is just the bomb. Another fun palette of this size from Coastal Scents is the Forever Natural palette, and the GO Palettes (especially the ones in Moscow and London) contain some beautiful jewel tones as well! And if you want to test absolutely every Hot Pot that Coastal Scents makes, get the 252 Ultimate palette... there's actually map showing how each shade corresponds to the Hot Pots that are sold individually- so if you fall in love with a particular color, you can get a backup! So cool!

♥

Do you like wearing jewel-toned eyeshadows? Any favorite palettes or singles that I should know about? Thanks for stopping by my blog! :) 

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain Review

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain Review

 Hello everyone!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! :) I've been wanting to share my review on the Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains for a long time... the problem (if you want to call it that), is that they truly do stain the lips, so I wasn't sure how I was going to show them on my lips- one shade after the other. Would it distort the colors somehow? Well, I decided I'd give it a try today to see how it would work, and I do feel like these colors are so intensely pigmented, they really do show up true to color, even if there's a little remaining stain on the lips. FYI- while I had already purchased two of these, this collection as a whole was sent to me by Jordana, along with the 12 Hour Made to last jumbo sticks and liners, which I've already reviewed. 

These are available for $2.99 each at Walgreens, and are said to be a "moisturizing balm infused with a light-weight stain." These are retractable sticks that twist up from the bottom- you don't have to sharpen them. They are a very similar format to many other jumbo sticks on the market, and they especially remind me of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I'm a fan of those- I love the color selection and I think the brighter/deeper shades are very long lasting. Formula-wise, I find Jordana's Twist & Shine to feel a bit more moisturizing, and therefore they show up on the lips with more shine. These build up to very rich, full color on the lips so easily, and most seem to leave behind a stain that's very true to the original color as it was first applied. I've gotten through entire days wearing these, and while the shine did fade, I still had plenty of color left on the lips. I'll clarify my thoughts on the shades in a minute- but as a whole- at about half the price of Revlon's Balm Stains, I think these are quite a steal and definitely worth a look next time you're at Walgreens! 

 Left to right: Nude Chic, Terra Crave, Sweet Pink, Honey Love, Candied Coral, Tropical Frenzy, Rock n Rouge, and Cranberry Crush. 

The sticks are swatched here in the same order that they're shown above. The first shade, Nude Chic, actually has some fine glitter in it. It's the one shade that I don't feel is staining my lips- instead, the color wears off and just that silvery glitter is left behind. If you look very closely at Terra Crave (the second shade), there's a bit of shimmer but nothing too major. All of the other shades are just creamy colors, and I feel like every shade but Nude Chic does leave behind a stain once the shine wears away. I wanted to show these on my lips side-by-side so you could more easily compare the colors...

Four Fun Eyeliners for Fall!

Four Fun Eyeliners for Fall!

Hello friends!

Do you ever get into an eyeliner rut? While I switch up my eyeshadows quite often, sometimes I really have to make a conscious effort to use something other than black or brown eyeliner (I'm especially bad about always wanting to reach for a black liquid eyeliner pen!) Spring and summer seem to be the season for bright colors, but I've rounded up some pretty gorgeous colored liners that I'm going to be working into my fall looks. They have a wonderful richness to them that works well to define the eye, while providing an unexpected twist to the look. As an added bonus- they're all SUPER long-wearing and go on very easily!

Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Deep Blue ($4.49, Ulta.com)

After first falling in love with the Rimmel ScandalEyes in Nude, I tried some of the colors in the line and I really love this one. It's deep enough to give me the definition I want around the eye- so it's a nice substitute for my usual black. Unlike my next few liners, this one doesn't have any shimmer. 

 Jordana 12 Hr. Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Jade Jewel ($2.49,jordanacosmetics.com)

Could this green be any prettier? It has a little sparkle but I still find it to be a dark enough liner to nicely define my eyes. These are some of the most affordable liners in the drugstore (I find them at Walgreens) and they still have incredible staying power. To learn more about the other liners from Jordana, click here for my review. 

Tarte Skinny SmolderEyes in Sunstone Bronze ($19, Ulta.com)

I'm pretty sure this is one of the smoothest, most easy to apply pencils I own. I believe I got it as part of a Beauty Test Tube, but had kind of forgotten about it until Kristin Gehm raved about these... and now I LOVE using it on my lower lashline. There's a little smudge tip on the opposite end of the liner, so I'll use that to sheer out the shade you see above and it looks SO PRETTY on the lower lashline, particularly when you have black in the inner rim and some rockin' lower lash mascara. Great for your bronzey-brown eye looks! FYI: As I was looking up the price for this, I saw this SmolderEyes kit on Ulta's site! 

NYX Slide On Liner in Jewel ($7.99, Ulta.com)

Who owns a mauve eyeliner?! Such a unique, gorgeous color. Like the Tarte liner above, this one isn't super deep, so I'll be using this as a little accent on my lower lashline. I think it'll play nicely with eye looks ranging from plum to burgundy. Whenever I pop one of these lighter, shimmery liners on the lower lashline, I feel like it gives the lower lashes a pretty backdrop. Make sure to smudge it out a little for a really pretty, blended look.