eyeshadow palette

Ulta, CVS and Marshall’s Haul

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 3 Comments

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Last weekend I went shopping with a friend of mine. I found a few goodies at Ulta, a few at CVS and a few at Marshall’s for a steal.

 

I got the Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter and Too Faced Tutti Frutti Razzle Dazzle Berry palette at Ulta for a total of $22 for both (I used about $18 worth of points and a 20% coupon for non-prestige items).

 

At CVS I had $5 in ExtraBucks I used for the Elf Highlighter and a 40% off coupon I used for the Milani, so it ended up being about $6.

At Marshalls I got the ABH liquid lipstick in Rio for $6 and the ABH Blush trio for $9.99! I also got the other Makeup Revolution highlighter there for $3.99.

 

So far I’ve used the palette for about a week and LOVE it, it has the creamiest shadows and gives the prettiest berry looks! I’ve used the Vivid baked Revolution highlighter a few times and the triple baked once. I’ve used the blush about three times and enjoy it, even used the darker blush as a bronzer a few times and I’ve used the liquid lip once. I haven’t broken out the Elf or Milani yet. I am very pleased with my purchases. For a grand total of about $47.98 I am very pleased with my new goodies.

 

Until next time.

 

XO

-A

April 2018 Boxycharm (and March 2018 Boxycharm reviews).

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ Leave a comment

I have been very impatiently awaiting the arrival of my April Boxycharm. I knew there were five Colourpop palette variations (3 of which I was interested in) and the option between a MAC lipstick or Tarte liquid highlighter. I knew there was also the option between an Adesse liquid lipstick and a set of brushes.

My box arrived today and I could not be more excited about what I received.

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1.) I got the Tarte Tartiest Pro Glow Liquid Highlighter in the color Stunner. In the super pretty LE packaging with the colorful turquoise and pink and blue cap. Even though I love MAC products, I was hoping for this version because I’ve almost bought this product several times and have been wanting to try it. This retails for $29.00

2.) I got the Colourpop My Little Pony Eyeshadow Palette. I am super pumped for this, as it has a good mix of pretty colorful shades and neutral shades. This was one of the three I was hoping for (the other two being Golden State of Mind and Semi-Precious). This retails for $16.00.

3.) I got the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner mask. I really liked the scrub from them we got last October, so I have high hopes for this as well. This retails for $47.00.

4.) I got The Browgal Instatint Tinted Brow Gel in the Color Brown Hair 02. I am interested in trying this, as it seems like a good shade match for my brows. This retails for $22.00.

5.) Finally, I got Adesse Hi-Definition Liquid Lipstick. Not sure of the shade, as I don’t see a name but it’s a pretty neutral mauve color. This retails for $24.00

 

This brings the overall value of my box to $138. Not too shabby for $21 a month!

 

I will now also report on my thoughts in what I got in my March 2018 Boxycharm.

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In March I got:

1.) Boxycharm X Pur Baecation Palette which was a collaboration with Boxycharm and Pur. This retails for $36.00 and you can purchase it at Ulta. These are not the most pigmented shadows in the world and are a bit powdery but all things considered I still quite enjoy it and will continue to use it. I probably wouldn’t purchase this if I didn’t get it in my Boxycharm though.

2.) South Mane Eye Gel packs which I believe retail for $10.00 for three. These were super fun to do with my husband. I think these worked all right, nothing crazy different. I don’t know that I would go out of my way to seek these out but if I saw them again or on sale I may pick them up to use again.

3.) I received the 3-piece brush set from The Vintage Cosmetics Company. These are pretty cute. I enjoy 2/3 brushes so far. The small, dense shadow brush I thought I’d love the most I find really aggressive with my shadows and tends to push a little harder than any other shadow brush does. I really like the small size and density so I’m going to continue to try to use it and see if it’s just a learning curve. The other two brushes are super nice and I quite enjoy them. This retails for $21.50 (not sure of exact change but I know it was around that price).

4.) I got the Pretty Vulgar blush in Hush Blush. I’m actually one of the weirdos who wanted that bright pink color so bad but I actually really like this. It’s a nice rose/teracotta on the cheeks and it’s very similar to my favorite blush ever, which is an Hourglass blush from the 2016 holiday palette. This retails for $26.00 and the packaging is so dang cute. It also has a good amount of wear time. The packaging does feel a bit cheap but I don’t find that a huge deal when the product is really nice. I would consider purchasing other colors.

5.) Finally, I got the Double Decker mascara from Butter London which retails for $21.00. I’ll be honest the first few times I tried this I wasn’t terribly impressed/didn’t really like it. However, after using it for a bit I really enjoy the look it gives my lashes and it doesn’t flake! You do have to take a little time to build it on your lashes, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you always get ready in a hurry but overall it’s a lovely mascara after you get past the first few applications. I would consider repurchasing this.

That makes the total for this box $114.50, still pretty good for $21.00 a month!

That’s all for now.

 

XO

-A

Lorac Pirates of the Caribbean; 4 looks one palette & review!

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 1 Comment

Let me start this by saying two things. 1.) When I first saw this drop I had no intention of purchasing it but then I saw it in person and understood 2.) Lorac makes my single favorite eyeshadow formula of all time

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This palette retails for $52 but was on sale at Ulta last week for $41. I used Kohls cash (that my mom graciously gifted to me) to purchase mine. The packaging is large, clunky cardboard reminiscent of old school Urban Decay palettes. The eyeshadow palette contains a slit on the side to store the blush/highlighter palette if you decide to purchase that as well (they’re not sold together).

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This palette contains 18 eyeshadow shades and one mini eyeliner. This eyeliner is AMAZING. I kid you not it’s the best eyeliner I have EVER tried in my waterline. I was so, so surprised, as I’ve never tried any of loracs eyeliners or mascaras but boy will I be in the future.

This is a very cool toned eyeshadow palette and I am loving that, as I have a very cool complexion so these shades have been so flattering and so fun to play with. I’ve been infatuated with warm tones lately so it’s been fun to go back to my tried and true.

My favorite of the shadow shades are: silvermist, pirates chest, sea haze, silent mary and black pearl.

 

Above are my two favorite looks I created. This palette is fantastic for cool-toned smokey looks. I was able to create a silvery blue smokey eye with silver mist, yo ho, black pearl and silent mary and I was also able to create a green smokey eye using bones, sea haze, menace and ghostly. I LOVE these two looks and can’t wait to wear both of them again. Lip color on the left is Colourpop Clueless and the lip color on the right is Smashbox gloss in Pulse.

This next look was a very nice, wearable look that I rather enjoyed. I used the shades pirates chest, matey and compass. Lip color is Bite lip pencil in beige nude with a gloss over it.

For my final wearable look I used treasure, bones and tell no tales. I actually enjoyed this look far more in person that the way it photographed. Lip color is Nars Dragon Girl.

 

Overall, I really love this palette. It’s extremely versatile and it has been very easy to travel with. I also love the convenience of being able to store the blush palette (which I also purchased) in it so that I have a large number of my powdered face products all together. The large mirror is also very nice (there is also a nice mirror on the blush palette). Like most Lorac shadows they kick up up a bit of powder, but noticeably less than the Lorac Pro palette. These shadows are well pigmented and perform well. They hold for longer when used with a primer and or concealer on the lids (do note that I have very oily eyelids). I did find that sea haze performed far better with I sprayed some Maybeline master fix on my brush before picking it up and it was quite stunning foiled.

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Swatches in the same order shadows are in the palette starting at the top left. 

I heard that this didn’t get the greatest reviews but I rather disagree. I find this to be an excellent and very versatile palette. It has proven to be travel friendly and able to create a variety of looks for day and night (dates, work, shopping days, etc). If this is something you’ve been on the fence about I’d say if you enjoy cool tones and the Lorac shadow formula and don’t mind bulky packaging then I’d say absolutely pick this up! It’s excellent quality and fun! This is the most inspired I’ve felt by a makeup item in a long time and I didn’t even think it was something I wanted at first.

 

That’s all for now!

 

XO

-A

Viseart Petit Pro Review

~ SeriouslyStyled ~ 1 Comment

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Viseart is a well known luxury brand used by pros and has very differing reviews from two of my favorite Youtube personalities (Stephanie Nicole who loves these and Livloveshermakeup who had the cool mattes palette and did not like it). I felt that for $30 I could give Viseart a shot and see if it was worth it for me.

This palette contains eight shades (4 matte and 4 shimmer) and a total of 5.84 grams of product, at a price tag of $30 (plus tax and shipping, however I did not include this in the per gram breakdown) it comes down to $5.13 per gram, which is actually pretty steep. I did get this during the VIB sale, as I was planning to purchase it anyway (woo a whopping $4.50 since off).

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A warm toned look using this Viseart palette. 

First and foremost these swatch beautifully, they’re buttery and come off as high-impact shadows. Unfortunately for me, that’s about where it ends. The matte shades are lovely, the blend out nicely and have decent color payoff but they’re honestly no different than my Lorac mattes (which are my favorite). For the price of a Viseart palette I could purchase two Lorac palettes and be just as (if not more) satisfied. Where it gets worse are the shimmer shadows. I put one of my regular eyeshadow brushes in the shimmer shades and barely and pigment was picked up. I eventually had to pack it on and foil it onto my eyelids and then it barely held on for the work day. A few days later I used Juvia’s Place Masquerade palette and it held on better than the Viseart palette did (for slightly less money and more shades in a larger size).

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Swatches

In addition to the actual product, the size of the palette is quite literally the size of my credit card and it is in a fold-out cardboard container (I do know corrugate costs are up right now but this is a pretty teeny carton). The shadows appear to be in a plastic holder within the cardboard packaging and quite frankly just look cheap. They are easily removable so that they can be stuck in a Z-palette for a makeup artist or someone who enjoys condensing their collection. However, I enjoy using palettes all together and haven’t yet invested in a Z-palette.

Though the tones are beautiful I wouldn’t recommend picking this up. Rather invest in the Lorac Pro for $14 more and double the shade selection or the ABH Modern Renaissance if you’re looking for a beautiful warm-toned neutral palette. I’m super bummed that these didn’t live up to the hype for me, but ya live and learn.

 

XO

 

-A