OK Makeup Geeks, I have a super fun video of some hot new products that I really wanted to share with you. I recently went to Sephora and got some new goodies and I wanted to show them to you and let you know what I think of them and if they are worth trying.

Cover FX Natural Finish Oil Free Foundation

I have been wearing this for over a week now and I can’t tell you how much I love this foundation. This foundation is paraben free, mineral oil free and talc free. This is great for me because my skin breaks out easily. This comes in a convenient squeeze tube and retails for $40.00 for 1 ounce of product. I wear the color G40. This will last a while though as a little goes a long way. The feeling is very silicon like and it feels amazing on the skin as it doesn’t cake up or feel heavy. This comes in a wide range of colors (24 to be exact). The water-resistant formula has Vitamins C and E which soothe inflammation and reduce redness.

Price: $40.00

Where To Buy:  Amazon, eBay, Sephora

Cover FX Cream Concealer

This concealer comes in a squeeze tube and is easy to access. Mine is the color medium/deep simply because I need something darker for under my eyes to cover the dark circles. This has the ideal silky consistency for under the eyes. It glides on smoothly and evenly and doesn’t get cakey like many under eye concealers do. You get 0.33 ounces for $27.00 which will last a while as a little goes a long way. This also does not contain gluten, mineral oil or talc. This comes in 12 shades so you are sure to find one that works for you.

Price: $27.00

Where to Buy:  Amazon, eBay, Sephora

Cover FX Blotting Powder

I really wanted to check out this brand since are really trying hard not to use bad ingredients. This is their powder in the color Light, which I got for use under my eyes to brighten up the area. It also is available in medium and deep. The formula is very smooth and silky and doesn’t feel heavy at all. I love the sleek compact as it’s convenient for putting in your purse and taking it with you for touch-ups wherever you go. You get 0.4 ounces of mineral, paraben and talc free product which is great for the skin.

Price: $24.00

Where to Buy: Amazon, Sephora

Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Concealer

This is a lot like the Cover FX concealer, this is the color tan which great for under my eyes. This has a gel like consistency and doesn’t cake up, crease or get into the fine lines under my eyes which can make you look older. This aids and protects the skin around the eye and contains the natural antioxidants, Quercetin & Oak, which aids in minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This comes in four shades; fair, light, medium beige and medium tan.

Price: $22.00

Where to Buy:  Amazon, eBay, Sephora

Kat Von D Everlasting Blushes

These blushes are perfection! What I love about them is they are completely talc free but they are so smooth. I am very impressed by these. I love the packaging on these. They have a sleek black design with textured flowers on the front, perfect for a blush compact. I do feel like there could have been a wider range of colors but for the ones she did have they were really nice.

• Shady Business 1 – Pearlized brown with a slight gold shimmer. This will be great for light to medium skin, if you have darker skin you might be able to use this as a highlight. They also make a #2 which is better for darker skintones. This is a nice tan color that isn’t to orange and won’t make you look like an Oompa-Loompa.
• Truth – A natural flush pink shade with a matte finish. Very creamy and smooth.
• Wish – Nude peach with a subtle shimmer to it. This is ideal for light to medium skin; you dark skin girls can use this as a beautiful highlight. I got it because I am trying to incorporate more peach colors for the spring and summer.
• Essex – This is a cool rose shade that will look best or medium skin tones.

Price: $25.00

Where to Buy: Amazon, eBay, Sephora

Illamasqua Gleam Cream

This lightweight cream adds lifts and adds highlights to wherever you apply it. This has a creamy consistency that is perfect since my skin can be dry sometimes; this gives a dewy finish to the skin. It’s very smooth and non-greasy and non-glittery, which I love.

• Aurora – This has a golden under-base which won’t make me look pink at all it will just add a nice warm glow to the skin. Perfect for the summer.

Price: $26.00

Where to Buy:  Sephora

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12 Hour Lipstick

These are pricey but I absolutely love these! I love the packaging with the bamboo at the bottom and the colored designed top; it’s amazing. These have amazing pigmentation and glide on smoothly for a stunning finish. These are long-lasting, creamy and don’t feel drying on the lips.

• Foxy – A true deep pink, fuchsia shade. This is great for all skintones but you darker skinned girls will look absolutely stunning in this color.
• Playful – This is a cool tones purple/rose shade that will look great on everyone.
• Whimsy – A bright medium cool pink color that will look amazing on every skin color. This is a fun, girly color to have for the summer.
• Fierce – This red has orange undertones that will look best on medium to dark skintones. I prefer cool toned reds for fair skin.
• Wild – This is a cool red that is almost a berry color. This color will look great on every skintone whether it’s light, medium or dark.

Price: $26.00

Where to Buy: Amazon, eBay, Sephora

Nars Lipstick in Scarlett Empress

This is a stunning plum shade that will be perfect for the fall months. This would be ideal on those days when you want to do minimal eye makeup and have stunning plum colored lipst to play up. This color will work for every skintone.

Price: $26.00

Where to Buy: Amazon, eBay, Sephora

Bare Escentuals in Swinger

This is a vivid magenta/purple shade with a satin finish.

Price: $21.00

Where to Buy: Amazon, Sephora

And that’s it for my Sephora haul. I hope you found something in here you are going to try and if you do leave me a comment and let me know what you think of it.

XOXO,

Marlena

You all know I love to try new makeup products, so I’ve compiled my “Best Of” series stating my favorite makeup products of all time!  My top picks are completely unbiased- I simply want to help you spend your money on only the products I know are amazing.  Trust me, I have tested, swatched, and worn just about every makeup product out there

Enough blabbing…. On to the best eye primers!

xoxo,
Marlena

Stila Prime Pot

These come in two shades, a lighter and darker depending on your skintone. Since they are nude in color, they can double as a concealer and eyeshadow base.  These are super creamy and blend easily into the skin, and are great for hiding any imperfections on your lids.

Price:  $20

Where to Buy:   Amazon  .   eBay   .   Sephora

Urban Decay Primer Potion

The holy grail of primer potions, this has definitley lived up to the hype. This remarkable formula comes in 4 different shades:  Original,  Eden (a matte tawny color), Sin (a shimmery champagne), and Greed (gold). These melt into the skin and leave a flawless finish that extends the wear of your eyeshadows for hours.

Price:  $20

Where to Buy:  Amazon. Ebay. Sephora

MAC Paint Pot

These little pots of magnificent colors come in 16 different shades. What makes these so great is they can be worn alone for a soft wash of color onto the lids as well as a primer underneath your eyeshadows. Used as a base these allow the shadow and pigments to adhere to the eye with little fallout. They blend smoothly into the skin and leave a flawless finish.

Price:  $18.50

Where to Buy:  Amazon. Ebay

Palladio Eye Primer

This remarkable product has the same texture and quality as the Urban Decay Primer Potion and is rumored to made by the same company. This  blends easily and goes on evenly and smoothly to prevent creasing. The best part of this primer is the price! It is definitely budget friendly without sacrificing quality.

Price:  $7.89

Where to Buy:  Makeup Geek Store

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

This primer prevents fading, creasing,  fallout and fading. Since this is a silicone based primer, it creates a barrier between the oil in your skin and your makeup, making this ideal for oily eyelids. This allows the color to blend smoothly and evenly and gives your eyeshadow better color payoff.

Price:  $18

Where to Buy: Amazon. Ebay. Sephora

OK Makeup Geeks, today I have a review for you of one of my most favorite brands out there…TARTE! You all know I love their blushes and I am really liking their lipsticks right now as well. This was sent to me but I do honest reviews regardless of that. Tarte has come out with a new collection named “Aqualillies” and it’s so cute. The one thing I am really loving about this collection is the packaging. They are really playing up to the must have colors of spring, mint and coral/peach.

All the products come in this handy makeup bag which is great for putting in your purse or at your desk at work for quick touch-ups.

Palette

I love the packaging on this and the touch of gold. This has 8 eyeshadows and a matte finish peach blush in the middle that can also be used as a eyeshadow. As always with Tarte, these are great quality like many of Tarte’s powdered products. They are very smoothly and highly pigmented. The only downside to this palette was the two tan colors look identical. So I definitely feel there could have been a little more variety to the palette by adding a shimmery peach or a dark teal color. The price on this palette is $38.00 which isn’t  bad at all for all you get. I just wish there were more variety.

Price: $38.00

Tarte’s Light’s, Camera, Flashes Mascara

I like the wand on this, it is small but it gets into the lashes and makes them look super big. This mascara is formulated without parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate & synthetic fragrance which makes it better to use around the eyes. The packaging is great and it doesn’t smudge or flake.

Price: $19.00

Where to Buy: Amazon, eBay, Sephora

Tarte Lipstick in Timeless

I am actually wearing this color right now and it’s a very pretty deep coral color. This will look great on every skin tone from fair to dark skin. These are very highly pigmented, creamy and very smooth. They wear a long time and aren’t dry, they are actually quite moisturizing. I am very impressed with Tarte’s lipsticks. These are really good even though they are on the more expensive side, they are worth it.

Gel Liners

These gel liners are smudge proof, highly pigmented and water resistant which makes them ideal to use in the waterlines. This collection has a black one and a shimmery teal color that is stunning. The teal shade would look beautiful as a base for an eyeshadow. The eyeliners also come with a  brush that is dual ended. It has a bent liner end and a regular straight brush on the other end. (NOTE: only the black liner is available as of now as it is part of their normal line)

Price: $26.00

Where to Buy: Amazon, Sephora

Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder

This is very similar to the Makeup Forever HD Powder. The only thing I don’t like about these types of powder is the white color. It does turn transparent on the skin but if you have dark skin this can actually make you look ashen. It is very smooth and doesn’t cake up and gives a nice matte finish to the skin.

Price: $29.00

Lipglosses

OK, I could not get these to work. These come in a tube that you “click” to get the product out of the brush end. I am not a huge fan of these types of applicators as it just seems rather cheap to me. The formula on these is sticky and doesn’t hold up as well in quality and packaging compared to their other products.

GIVEAWAY RULES

THIS IS A INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY!!!!! You must be subscribed to makeupgeektv on instagram. We will post a picture of Tarte items that will be included in the giveaway. Leave a comment letting us know what you would use the tote bag for and you are entered. The contest will remain open for two weeks and a winner will be chosen at random. Easy to enter, easy to win! GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

While I’ve been using Makeup Geek shadows more often in my tutorials, I don’t expect all Makeup Geek viewers to have all the shades at their disposal — and even those that have bought some of the Makeup Geek shadows may still have some suitible colors in their MAC collection.

This list is for those of you coming from the MAC world and either want to migrate your collection to Makeup Geek, those that want cheap alteratives to MAC, or those that want to find alternatives to the colors I used in a video.

I think we did a pretty good job of listing dupes I was aware of, but if you see some that MAC dupes that are missing, please feel free to list them in the comments below and we’ll try to update this list.   Also, if you think the dupe listed isn’t close enough, or if you know of a better one, let us know as well   Thanks!

Makeup Geek Appletini :  MAC One Off    (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Bada Bing : none

Makeup Geek Bleached Blonde : MAC Gorgeous Gold 

Makeup Geek Bling: MAC Mylar

Makeup Geek Brown Sugar : MAC Mulch  or MUFE 312

Makeup Geek Burlesque: non

Makeup Geek Chickadee : MAC Rule    (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Cinderella :   MAC Jest    (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear : MAC Brown Script

Makeup Geek Corrupt : MAC Carbon   (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Country Girl : none

Makeup Geek Cupcake : MAC Perky or Soft Flower  or MUFE 112

Makeup Geek Dirty Martini :  MAC Velvet Moss  (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Duchess : none

Makeup Geek Envy : none

Makeup Geek Fairytale : MAC Purple Haze

Makeup Geek Fuji : MAC Bitter  or MUFE 171

Makeup Geek Galaxy : MAC Charred  (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Glamorous : none

Makeup Geek Gold Digger : none

Makeup Geek Goddess : MAC Coppering

Makeup Geek Homecoming : none

Makeup Geek Ice Queen : MAC White Frost 

Makeup Geek Last Dance: MAC Folie

Makeup Geek Latte:  MAC Saddle

Makeup Geek Mandarine: none

Makeup Geek Mango Tango : MAC Firecracker (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Mercury : MAC Electra

Makeup Geek Mermaid :  MAC Steamy

Makeup Geek Mocha : MAC Ground Brown   (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Moondust :  MAC Patina  (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Neptune : MAC Cobalt   or MUFE 159

Makeup Geek Ocean Breeze :  none

 Makeup Geek Peacock : MAC Plumage

Makeup Geek Poison Ivy : MAC Sumptuous Olive

Makeup Geek Poolside : MAC Cool Heat  (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Preppy: none

Makeup Geek Pretentious : MAC Romp

Makeup Geek Purely Naked : MAC Arena (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Purple Rain : MAC Indian Ink (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Razzleberry : none

Makeup Geek Sea Mist :  none

Makeup Geek Sensuous :  none

Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma :   MAC Shroom  (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Shimmermint :  MAC Warm Chill   (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Stealth : MAC Print

Makeup Geek Taupe Notch: none

Makeup Geek Twilight : MAC Illegal Cargo (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Unexpected :

Makeup Geek Unicorn : MAC Parfait Amour

Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean: Mac Blank Type

Makeup Geek White Lies : MAC Gesso   (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Wisteria : MAC Red Violet   (see swatch comparison)

Makeup Geek Yellow Brick Road : none

No one wants to spend a ton of money on makeup if there’s less expensive options out there.   So…. I’ve gone through a massive, heaping pile of drugstore makeup to pick out the best products of all time.  Now you can save some money and buy some extra shoes

Face

Revlon Colorstay Foundation
This full coverage foundation gives an amazing finish to the skin.  The matte formula is great for oily skin, but work quickly in applying as it dries fast.  The best part of this foundation is there’s tons of shades to choose from!

Price: $9.98
Where to Buy:   Most Drugstores  (Amazon) (eBay)

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation
For a dewy finish to the skin, this Neutrogena foundation works amazing!  It covers really well while still looking fresh and doesn’t cake up like some foundations do.  The only downside is the limited range of colors.

Price: $11.37
Where to Buy:   Most Drugstores (Amazon) (eBay)

Maybelline Fit Concealer
I have been using this concealer for months now and absolutely love it!  I apply it under my eyes to hide my dark circles- it doesn’t cake up, but still covers really well.  Here’s my full review on it:  The Best Drugstore Concealer Ever

Price: $4.99
Where to Buy:   Most Drugstores  (Amazon) (eBay)

Milani Minerals Blush 
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to the NARS blushes, these Milani ones are almost identical but less than 1/3 the price!  The color “Luminous” is a beautiful shimmery peachy pink color that adds a nice glow to the cheeks.

Price: $8.99
Where to Buy:   Most Drugstores  (Amazon) (eBay)

NYX Powder Blush
I’ve been using NYX blushes for years as they’re the best inexpensive ones I’ve found.  The color “Peach” looks great on everyone, and the matte finish adds color to the cheeks without the extra shimmer.

Price: $6.99
Where to Buy:   (Makeup Geek Store)

NYX Rouge Cream Blush
If you want dewy cheeks, using cream blushes adds the perfect shine without looking oily.  Not many drugstore makeup companies make cream blushes, but these NYX ones are really great quality!

Price: $6.50
Where to Buy:   (Makeup Geek Store)  (Amazon) (eBay)

Eyes

Maybelline Gel Liner

These amazing gel liners are great quality and glide on smoothly and evenly. The are water resistant and have great color payoff and don’t flake or smudge. They work great in the waterline as well. They are very high quality at a very low price! See my Smackdown between the Bobbi Brown and the Maybelline Gel Liner here. http://www.makeupsgeek.com/reviews/product-smackdown-bobbi-brown-gel-eyeliner-vs-maybelline-eye-studio-gel-eyeliner/

• Price: $9.00
• Where to Buy: (Amazon) (eBay)

Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil

This eyebrow pencil is great for filling in and enhancing your brows. It glides on smoothly and blends effortlessly to keep your brows looking great all day.

• Price: $10.00
• Where to Buy: (Amazon) (eBay)

Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow

The color Tattoo’s have changed the way many people view cream eyeshadows. These are very reminiscent of MAC’s paint pots. They don’t feel sticky, apply easily and come in a variety of highly pigmented shades. See my full review for the Maybelline Color Tattoos here: http://www.makeupsgeek.com/reviews/review-maybelline-color-tattoo-cream-eyeshadows/

• Price: $6.99
• Where to Buy: (Amazon) (eBay)

Loreal Infallible Eye Shadow

These unique eyeshadows are exact duplicates for the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill. They are intensely pigmented and come in 17 shades to choose from. They glide on smooth, have a velvety texture and last all day! See my smackdown of these two products here: http://www.makeupsgeek.com/reviews/product-smackdown-giorgio-armani-eyeshadow-vs-loreal-infallible-eye-shadow/

• Price: $7.00
• Where to Buy: (Amazon) (eBay)

Loreal Hip Eyeliner

These highly pigmented liners glide on smoothly and evenly for a great finish that last all day. They are a great inexpensive alternative to the Urban Decay 24/7 liners.

• Price: $3.99
• Where to Buy: (Amazon) (eBay)

Loreal Voluminous Mascara

This mascara is very highly pigmented and makes your lashes look thicker and fuller while adding length as well. The wand is the ideal size for reaching all your lashes, especially the shorter ones in the inner corner.

• Price: $5.84
• Where to Buy:  (Amazon) (eBay)

Ardell Invisiband False Lashes

Quite possibly the best false lashes on the market, these are lightweight and easy to apply and come in a huge variety of styles and shapes. The Invisiband gives a especially natural look to the eyes.

• Price: $3.99
• Where to Buy: (Makeup Geek Store)

Lips

Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain

These are by far the best lipstains you can find at the drugstore today. The only downside is they can be quite drying even with the lip balm provided. They are highly pigmented and come in a good variety of shades to choose from. See a full review of these Lipstains here: http://www.makeupsgeek.com/reviews/revlon-just-bitten-lipstain-review/

• Price: $7.43
• Where to Buy: (Amazon) (eBay)

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss

This has been my favorite lipgloss for years and still is. These are richly pigmented and are glossy without being sticky. They have a creamy texture to them and come in a wide variety of colors.

• Price: $5.59
• Where to Buy: (Makeup Geek Store)

Palladio Herbal Tinted Lip Balm

These slightly tinted lip balms are ideal for a no makeup kind of day or when your lips just need hydration. This is moisturizing enough to be considered a true balm and give a great tint to the lips. They wear a long time and leave a slight stain to the lips.

• Price : $3.89
• Where to Buy:  (Makeup Geek Store)

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick

Revlon has some of the best lipsticks on the market. These are highly pigmented and glide on with ease. They are creamy and smooth and feel great on the lips. These have several matte shades that won’t leave your lips feeling dried out.

• Price: $6.69
• Where to Buy: (Amazon) (eBay)

And there you have it, my list of the best drugstore makeup of all time! Be sure to check out some of these great finds and let me know what you think of them.

I have a really fun review for you all today. With New Years quickly approaching, many of you will choose to use glitter to adorn your eyes to ring in 2013. Today I wanted to share with you some new glitters that I have been using and I absolutely love. These are very inexpensive and can be found at your local drugstores as well as some Ulta’s and the Makeup Geek Store. You get 2 grams of product in every container which will last quite a while. Each one comes with a sifter which I remove to easily access the glitter. I like that each of these are very finely milled which makes them easy to apply. They come in 18 vibrant shades to choose from and at only $8.99 they are half the price of MAC glitters.

I highly recommend these not only because of the great price, but the quality as well. They are very highly pigmented and come in a great color range. These are easy to find at most local drugstores and in the Makeup Geek store as well.

Where to Buy: Makeup Geek Store

Advantages:

• Finely milled
• Comes in 16 different shades
• Great quality
• Highly pigmented
• Half the price of MAC

Disadvantages:

• None

I really can’t recommend these enough and for those of you who are ready to rock some glitter for New Year’s or to add to your collection this is ideal. Try these out and let me know what you all think of them. As always, stay happy and healthy and be safe this holiday season!

OK Makeup Geeks, I have a great new, inexpensive find for you guys. We all love finding things that work well and don’t break the bank and this is most definitely one of those finds. Thanks to Nicola who actually clued me in on this wonderful discovery. Mascara is one of those things we just can’t seem to live without, regardless of whether you are wearing a full face of makeup or not, adding mascara to your lashes automatically makes them look larger and more open.

Wet N’ Wild Mega Volume Mascara

This is a standard mascara wand, it’s not super big, but it’s not to small either. It really is the perfect size. This is actually my favorite type of wand as it is able to really get into the lashes and provides length and volume. This really thickens the lashes without clumping and is very pigmented and dark which is what you want from a mascara. This is very reminiscent of the L’Oreal Voluminous mascara without the clumps or having to scrape off a lot of the excess product from the wand. This adds so much volume and length to my lashes its crazy!

Advantages:

• Provides length and volume
• Doesn’t clump
• Highly pigmented
• Great wand
• Price, at $2.99 this is as good as it gets

Disadvantages:

• None

I love this mascara and highly recommend it. For what you get and the price it really is worth it. Being able to pick this up at your local drugstore, Target or Wal-Mart makes the convenience of finding this even better. I hope you enjoyed this review and as always, stay happy and healthy!

Retails for $2.00 – Target, Local Drugstore

Hello Makeup Geeks! It’s been a while since I have done a haul video for you all and I wanted to share some things that I have found recently. I have been so busy that I realized its been a while since I just had fun with makeup. Other than purchasing the holiday palettes, I haven’t had the chance to go see what new goodies are in the stores and what looks fun to try. So, after a fun day of shopping and getting excited about so many new items that are on the market, I have a lot of things I can’t wait to share with you!

Lorac Pro Palette

I really have to thank you all for cluing me in on this. Many of you ask why I didn’t include this one in my holiday palettes and to be honest, I didn’t even see it until you all told me. THANK YOU!! This palette is amazing! This has 16 shades to choose from, eight on the top are matte finish and the bottom eight are shimmer or metallic finishes. They are creamy, very smooth and highly pigmented as well. Top row matte colors: White, Cream, Taupe, Light Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black; Bottom row: Nude (Shimmer), Champagne (Sparkle), Gold (Shimmer), Lt. Bronze (Shimmer), Pewter (Shimmer), Garnet (Shimmer), Deep Purple (Shimmer), Slate (Shimmer)

Retails for $42.00 – (Amazon) (eBay) (Sephora)

Urban Decay Naked Basics

I wasn’t to sure of this small palette at first, but once I began to play with it I really liked it. It has five basic colors that you can put with any other shades or palette for blending. You have a highlight and shimmery highlight shades along with a light nude color ideal for blending, dark brown and a black for adding dimension to your eyes. This is a great palette for travel and to keep in your purse for touch-ups. You get 6 shades,  Venus (soft, off-white demi-matte), Foxy (very light yellow/white matte), Walk of Shame (very light nude matte), Naked2 (taupe matte), Faint (warm, dusty brown matte) and Crave (deepest, darkest brown/black matte).

Retails for $27.00 – (Amazon) (eBay) (Macy’s)

Emani Face Powder

I have been trying to find a talc free powder for quite a while now. I have extremely sensitive and acne prone skin and found out I am allergic to talc and octinoxate, a chemical compound found in many cosmetics. This is one of the few powders I found that doesn’t include talc. It’s a pressed powder form and comes with a sponge in the bottom part of the container. I have to say this is my absolute favorite face powder of all time! It’s full coverage so it can be worn with liquid foundation or on its own without it getting cake or breaking me out.

Retails for $32.oo – (Amazon) (eBay)

ELF HD Powder

This HD powder from ELF is really nice and comparable to the Makeup Forever HD powder. This is ideal if you want a translucent powder to set your face makeup. The only thing I don’t like about white powders, both ELF and Makeup Forever, is that it can cause your skin to appear ashen. If you are medium to dark skin this probably won’t work for you but if you are fair to medium skin this will be great. The powder itself is very finely milled and goes on well.

Retails for $6.00 – (Amazon) (eBay)

Studio Body Glow

This is a body shimmer but after playing with it, I feel the glitter is just to chunky. The color is a beautiful gold shade and it would look good on the chest or shoulders but I would not recommend using this on the face. The glittery effect is way to much to be used all over the face as a face powder.

Retails for $6.00 – (Amazon) (eBay)

Dermablend Cover Creme

This is an amazing concealer for blemishes! This is 1oz. of product compared to MAC’s Studio Finish which is 0.24oz. The price is more, but for the amount of product you get and what it does it really is remarkable. The texture is very smooth, creamy and doesn’t cake u like a lot of concealers on the market today. This is not only good for your blemishes but for under the eye area as well. It’s one of the few concealers I have found that works well for both areas.

Retails for $35.00 – (Amazon) (eBay) (Macy’s)

Tarte Blushes

Everyone knows I love Tarte’s blushes and I was so excited to see some new shades. All of them glide on smooth, have great pigmentation and don’t break out your skin. The newest additions to my collection is Glisten (medium pink with a gold shimmer great for medium to dark skin), Peaceful (muted pink with a touch of shimmer), Achiote (brighter matte finish pink), Charisma (warm pink with golden shimmer). All of these are stunning and like the other Tarte blushes are well worth the money.

Retails for $25.00 – (Amazon) (eBay) (Sephora)

Stila Convertible Colors

I know these have been around for a while but for me they are new. I purchased one a while back and fell in love with it so I purchased a few more. This is a cream blush that can also be used on the lips as well. I have been wearing cream blushes lately because of the dry weather, these help make the skin look dewy and fresh. The colors I purchased were, Gladiola (creamy coral/peach shade great for medium to dark skin. If you have fair skin apply lightly), Lillium (true pink shade), Petunia (bright pink, great for dark skin).

Retails for $25.00 – (Amazon) (Sephora)

Illamasqua Powder Blush

These intensely pigmented blushes are some of my favorites. They are smooth and velvety and easy to apply. They have several matte finish blushes which I love as well. The shades I purchased were, Chased (lilac pink), Tremble (light warm pink), Naked Rose (soft neutral pink, beautiful for fair to medium skin tones).

Retails for $26.00 – (Amazon) (ebay) (Sephora)

Burberry Velvet Foundation

Because I am allergic to so many ingredients I have really had to research which ones will work best for my skin. Although a bit on the expensive side, this foundation is one of the best I have used. This gives a nice satin finish to the skin without being shiny. It gives your skin a dewy finish without looking cakey. It has medium coverage but is can build to a full coverage foundation. I have been adding a little of the Revlon Colorstay with a matte finish to achieve a full coverage. The only downsides are the lack of shades and the price.

Retails for $55.00 – (Amazon) (eBay) (Nordstrom)

Buxom Lip Creams

I decided to branch out and purchase some different lipglosses and I love these. These have a plumping agent to them to allow your lips to look their fullest. They are glossy without being to sticky and are highly pigmented. The shades I purchased were, Creamsicle (soft peach), White Russian (nude pink), Purple Haze (plum/purple), Cherry Flip (red), Berry Blast (vivid fuschia).

Retails for $19.00 – (Amazon) (eBay) (Sephora)

Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss

Illamasqua has an Intense Lipgloss and a Sheer Lipgloss for those of you who may not want as much pigmentation. However, I went with the Intense Lipgloss because I wanted the rich color saturation. The only thing I don’t like about the glosses are the applicator. These have the brushes as opposed to the doe foot applicator. The colors I purchases were, Move (deep purple), Artufus (muted peach), Belladonna (deep pink).

Retails for $22.00 – (Amazon) (eBay) (Sephora)

Shew…so many new and exciting products. If there is something that you would like to see a full review of, let me know in the comments below. As always, I hope you are happy, healthy and safe!

Every girl loves the story of Cinderella and the thought of being swept away by her very own Prince Charming. Maybe that’s why this palette by Sephora has garnered the attention that it has. The packaging on this is both decorative and fun and looks simply beautiful. The palette is embossed with gold details from the iconic movie. The drawer pulls out smoothly and is done in velvet leaving the overall feel and appearance of the palette luxurious. The eyeshadows themselves can be removed to leave a drawer that slides into the box and can be used as a jewelry box. The spared no detail when it comes to the packaging on this kit.

The eyeshadows themselves are not bad, however they aren’t as good in quality as some of the other palettes that are available right now such as Tarte and Too Faced. There is a good range of colors in this, but there are only a couple of matte shades available. The colors of the eyeshadows are not pigmented and they come off quite chalky and sheer. For the price of the kit the eyeshadows are not as good as they should be. The other downside is there are no actual blending shades like a matte nude to blend out the crease of the eye. This means that I would have to add other products to it for a complete look and for the price I feel there should be those shades included in the kit.

Price – $55.00 USD at Sephora and Amazon

The one thing I did love about the eyeshadows were the clever use of names from the movie for the eyeshadows. These colors are from the bottom two rows in the palette and feature names from some of our favorite characters like Gus Gus and Jaq (my favorites).

Gus Gus – Gold Shimmer, Charming – Nude Pearl, Chateau – Brown Shimmer, Palace – Rose Gold Shimmer, Drizella – Medium Brown Gold Shimmer, Cinders – Black with Gold Glitter, Jaq – Mauve Matte Gold Shimmer, Midnight – Midnight Blue with Light Blue Glitter, A Wish – Cream Pearl, Rococo – Plum with Mulit Glitter

Royal – Matte Bright Blue, Glass Slipper – Light Blue Shimmer, Fairy Godmother – Periwinkle, Kill Joy – Shimmery Taupe, Ball Gown – Pearl White Pearl, Pumpkin Coach – Cream Gold, Cincerelly – Sea Foam Green Matte, Destined – Light Blue Pearl, All Aglow – Shimmery Tan, Maiden – Glittery Magenta

There are four lipsticks that can be purchased to accompany the palette as well. The packaging on these, like the palette, are great. The silver foil tube has a design embossed on the it to go along with the other products in the line. The over all look is sleek and elegant to look at. The are very creamy and go on smooth, however they are overpriced for what you get.

Price – $25.00 USD at Sephora

The one shade that was a definite miss for me was “My Moment”. This is a very sheer glitter that had very little color to it. The rest can easily be outdone by more inexpensive drugstore lipsticks like Revlon that are amazing quality and a much better price than these.

Overall I think the main thing you are paying for with this entire line is the packaging. There are several more items that accompany this line such as perfume and nail polish along with a Collectors Set for $125.00 USD and even the palette with Swarovski elements for $150.00 USD. These are extremely overpriced for the quality of the makeup itself! If you want to give this as a gift for the effect of the packaging alone then this is sure to be a hit. But for someone who wants great products for everyday use and desires good quality over high priced packaging then I would pass on this.

So there it is, another holiday palette review. Hopefully this helps you when it comes time for you to pick which palette is ideal for you or as a gift for someone special.

It’s that time of year again when all the major makeup companies come out with their holiday palettes for 2012. Being able to review these palettes for you every year is absolutely one of the funnest things I get to do simply because I get to play with all the different products and give you my honest opinion of them for you and hopefully help you in deciding which ones are worth picking up.  I have six of them to review for you this holiday season. With so many available in the stores, I picked the top six I felt were the best to show you all and at the end of the video I will show you the one I think is best for quality, content and price.

Urban Decay Vice Palette

$59.00 USD at Sephora, eBay, Ulta, Amazon
See Full Video Review

This is the Urban Decay “Vice Palette”. (See the full review here) I like the sleek packaging more this year then previous ones done by Urban Decay. This palette is made of plastic as opposed to the previous ones which, although whimsical to look at, were made of cardboard and didn’t function well. One downside is that because it is made of plastic they have to charge a little more. However, with 20 eyeshadows included in this kit it’s not a bad price. This palette does have a good mixture of shades however, I wish it did have more matte shadows included in the kit. The quality of the eyeshadows are great as they are all creamy and highly pigmented. What I don’t like is the price of the palette. I feel it’s a little to expensive for what you get.

Tarte Carried Away Palette

$54.00 USD at Sephora, EBay, Amazon
See Full Video Review

This is the Tarte “Carried Away” Collection.(see the full review here) Instead of your typical palette, Tarte decided to do something a little different and use a sort of travel case for their collection this year. I find this is much more practical as it can be used over again for traveling or storing makeup. Inside the case you will find 8 liglosses, a brush, a blush, which as everyone knows I love Tarte’s blushes, a mini version of the mascara as well as their face powder. Then, just when you think that’s all, hidden behind the mirror is an eyeshadow palette containing 24 full size colors to choose from 4 of which are matte shades. For what you get and the price I think this is an amazing kit to pick up for the holidays.

Inside the Tarte Palette, great packaging with 8 lipglosses in one compartment, the mirror (with 24 eyeshadows conveniently stored behind) a brush and in the other compartment a blush, mini-mascara and face powder.

Tarte gives us 24 great quality eyeshadows that are stored behind the mirror. There are 20 shimmery shades and 4 matte. These are broken up into quads that work great together or the colors can be mixed and matched.

Sephora Cinderella Palette

$55.00 USD at  Amazon, Sephora

This collection is put out by Sephora and is the “Cinderella” palette. I absolutely love the packaging on this with the gold foil on the cover. There are other items that come with this collection such as lipsticks, perfumes and nail polishes but for $55.00 you get just this palette which I think is high for what you get. In this you will receive 20 eyeshadows that can be removed to leave a box that can be used as a jewelry box. I love the whimsical look and use of the palette itself. The eyeshadows themselves aren’t bad but they aren’t amazing either. There is a good variety of both matte and shimmer colors in the kit but I feel that they are slightly chalky and the matte ones are rather sheer. I think this palette would have been better if they had included a blush. I like this, it just doesn’t amaze me.

A good combination of mattes and shimmers with some very fun names to go with them.

This is the “Cinderella Moonlit Kiss” Lipstick Set that can also be purchased to go with the palette. These retail for $25.00 USD at Sephora, EBay, and Amazon. The entire set including the palette, lipstick set, nail polish set, perfume and Cinderella DVD can also be purchased for $125.00 USD at Sephora.

Smashbox Masterclass Palette

$69.00 USD at  eBay, Amazon, and Sephora

This is called the “Masterclass” palette from Smashbox. To be honest I almost didn’t pick this one up because it looks rather boring with a matte black cardboard packaging. There is nothing there that would draw my attention to the palette itself. I think the price on this one is absolutely ridiculous at $69.00 when it is made from plain cardboard. I like Smashbox and the quality of their eyeshadows but for some reason they just don’t do well when putting out a palette. This kit has 24 eyeshadows, 4 brow powders, 8 cream liners, 2 blushes, 3 soft lights, and 4 lipglosses. I am not a fan of packaging like this simply because fall out from the blushes and eyeshadows will settle in the lipglosses creating a mess. The eyeshadows are creamy and very pigmented and this actually has a good combination of matte and shimmer shades. However, the bright pink blush may be to harsh for normal to medium skin tones.

Great quality eyeshadows that are creamy, smooth and very pigmented in a variety of matte and shimmer along with the blushes, soft lights and lipglosses.

Too Faced Sweet Indulgence

Price: $52.00 USD at Sephora, eBay, Amazon

See Full Video Review

This palette by Too Faced is named “Sweet Indulgence”. (See the full review here) I knew I had to have this when I saw the packaging, anything pink I have to buy. This comes in a convenient tin that can be reused for storage. The price on this is $52.00 which I think is very fair for what you get. This has two parts to it, the bottom part contains 2 bronzers, 2 blushes, highlighter, instruction cards on various looks and a full sized Eyeshadow Insurance and a brush as well. I am not a fan of the blushes unfortunately as they are somewhat sheer. The top part contains 16 eyeshadows. There is a good variety of colors but not of finishes as there are only 2 matte finishes in the group. The colors are gorgeous I wish they had incorporated more matte finishes into the palette.

Top part of the palette containing 16 eyeshadows.

Bottom part of the palette containing 2 bronzers, 2 blushes, brush, instruction cards and shadow insurance.

Elf Neuatral Palette

Price: $15.00 USD at EBay, Amazon, Target
See Full Video Review

The last one I have for you is the ELF palette that you can purchase at Target (see full review here) They have several different ones however I got the neutral one since these are the colors I use most often. There are 144 colors in this palette which for the price of $15.00 is amazing. This is where it gets a little tricky. The shimmer shades in this palette are very good but the mattes are somewhat chalky so you will have to use a primer under them.

This palette would be great as a gift for someone who is just starting out in makeup or wants to add a lot of colors to their collection. This would also be ideal for younger girls as the colors are complementary for everyone.

My Top Holiday Palette Selection

So, which one did I choose as the BEST PALLETE OF 2012? This year I have to give it to…..TARTE!  For the price point and everything you get in the kit it’s amazing. I would also be very happy to give the ELF one as well, but if I wanted to get someone a kit that has everything in it and stood out amoung the rest I would have to go with Tarte. They did an outstanding job at giving us so much product especially for the price of $54.00. I love the packaging as it can be reused store and travel with all your makeup goodies. The lipglosses are amazing and have a slight minty smell to them and are quiet pigmented. There is room in the pockets for you to add anything extra you may want to pack to take along with you as well.

So there it is, another year and another round of holiday palettes. In a sea of kits in stores these days, I hope this helps narrow down some them for you and helps you decide which palette is best for you and your budget. As always, stay happy and healthy and have fun shopping!