With two days til Christmas and Hanukkah almost over, lets hope that you have your shopping done. If you are a procrastinator, there’s still time, and most often you can find great gifts on sale.
I received a lot of holiday gifts and collections this year for review and I have to say I saved one of the best for last. Every year, Sephora releases a massive blockbuster gift set, usually with tons of eyeshadows, blushes, lip glosses, you name it, all housed in one convenient set. For 2014, Sephora literally put a bow on it, and released the mecca of all gift sets, the Color Festival, a 130 colour makeup palette.
Containing a staggering 72 eyeshadows, 18 cream liners, eight blushes, four lip and cheek stains, 28 lip glosses, and six tutorial cards, if you are looking for a great gift to build up anyone’s makeup collection, this is it.
I have tried Sephora’s holiday sets in the past, and although I don’t usually gravitate towards their products in store, I’ve always been impressed by the eyeshadows. Since it’s the holidays and I wanted to a) review this thing properly and b) create a holiday look, I came up with a bronzy smokey eye (my usual go to) to see how well these products apply/hold up/look/etc.
1. Set down an eye primer (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance), then with the matte brown colour and a fluffy crease brush, work this lightly into your crease, acting as a transition.
2. With an eyeshadow brush, grab the shimmery champagne (last row, very left) and work this into the inner corner of the eye.
3. With the shimmery copper beside the matte brown we used in the crease, apply this in the middle of the lid, creating an ombre effect.
4. With the shimmery brown above the copper, and a pencil brush, lightly work this along your lash line and then bringing it into the outer crease. Using a fluffy crease brush, blend this out.
5. To darken up the crease area, grab the matte black under the matte brown, and using that same pencil brush, apply it over the colour we just put in the crease. Blend it out.
6. With the matte black gel liner and an angled liner brush, liner your upper lash line, slightly winging it out. Note, on these liners, if you are applying falsies, don’t use the liner from this set. I had a hard time getting the adhesive to stick over this liner because its so oily. I had to completely redo one eye, as a result, I ended up just grabbing a black pencil liner.
7. Spray a pencil brush with makeup setting spray, or MAC Fix+ and grab one of the gold colours and place this on the inner corner of your eye.
8. Mixing the copper and the shimmery brown, apply this along your lower lash line, then coat your lashes in mascara.
9. For the brow highlight, I used the matte cream colour to just brighten, not draw too much attention.
10. Apply your foundation, concealer, and bronzer for contour. For the cheeks, I used this pinky-peach shade from the palette.
The stars of this palette are definitely the shadows and the blushes. I just used one section of shadows, there’s also two more, one with colours and one with smokey shades. Seriously, this thing has every shadow you would ever possibly need, and they are pretty good quality to boot. I wasn’t a fan of the gel liners, as I said it was frustrating applying false lashes and I did have to go over the liner with the matte black shadow to set it, otherwise I could see that smudging.
Overall, considering this set retails for C$59, I think that for what you get, and especially the quality of the product, it’s a great gift. The only thing I don’t like about these sets is usually the size of the product, but I completely understand that due to how much stuff they pack in here, it’s going to be rather large. Just make sure you have a lot of counter space ;).
Is the Sephora Color Festival on your wish list?
Please note, I was sent this product by PR. All opinions are my own.
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A new year brings new polishes. Fresh for January 2015, Essie introduces Cashmere Matte, a six-polish collection with satin matte textures and subtle micro-iridescent finishes.
Nudes are always good to have on hand, and although we’ve seen matte before, a matte polish with an iridescent finish is something new. Not all the colours have it, but for the ones that do, this finish really brings something to the table.
Comfy in Cashmere
This mauve shade has a subtle iridescent velvet tinge to it, which gives it a bit of spark. This one is a great everyday kind of colour, perfect for the office, but fun enough for a night out. Two coats was good enough for an opaque finish.
Wrap Me Up
I was instantly attracted to this one right away, because I love a good off-white neutral shade. Although I did find the colour gorgeous, it took three coats for it to appear opaque, and even then I felt like I could have gone over it with a fourth.
Just Stitched
I am obsessed with this shade. In the bottle it looks kinda meh, one part boring, one part too little-girl pink. Once its on though, it transforms into the most gorgeous neutral pink, like ever. The matte finish on this leans to the side of a pearlescent finish, but look closely, theres some holographic blue in there, just enough to add that extra kick, let-me-get-my-face-right-up-to-those-nails kind of effect.
All Eyes on Nudes
This cappuccino-coloured shade is the perfect matte nude. In fact, it’s so nude that it basically matches my skin tone. I’m quite pale, so its not that noticeable on my skin, but if you are darker than me (which I bet most people are), this would look beautiful on nails. Two coats were good enough for an opaque finish; a great “I’m not wearing any polish, but I totally am” kind of lacquer.
Coat Couture
A deep purple, almost grunge grey shade with a iridescent blue tinge. I actually have Lululemon pants that are pretty much the same shade as this. As one of the two darker colours in this collection, this one is very season appropriate, but neutral enough to wear year round. I used two coats to get it fully opaque.
Spun in Luxe
The darkest shade in the collection, this not-quite-black shade has a hint of blue in it, making it unique. Pair it with a high-gloss topcoat to really bring out that blue shimmer.
All of the shades aside from All Eyes on Nudes and Wrap Me Up have an iridescent tinge to them. In the past I haven’t been a huge fan of the matte craze, but this collection has me changing my mind. They are rather fast drying — just polish and go. Plus, the extra little bit of kick really changes up the whole look. My favourites from the collection were definitely Just Stitched and Comfy in Cashmere. I really wanted to love Wrap Me Up, but I found the formula to be a bit too thin for my taste.
Are you excited for Essie’s Cashmere Matte collection?
Please note, I was sent these products for review purposes, however, all opinions are my honest own :).
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If there was one beauty trend that was a memorable one in 2014, it was all about the power brow. Two words: Cara Delevingne.
I feel like tons of brands have come out with/are coming out with brow products designed to make filling them in simple. Benefit released Gimme Brow last year, which is a tiny little wand that you brush on your brows filling them in, making it pretty much food proof. Well, the brow trend is continuing into 2015 with many more brands releasing products that make those oh-so-important strips of hair above your eyes more polished.
Being released in January 2015, CoverGirl Bombshell Pow-der Brow + Liner by LashBlast is a velvety loose powder in liner form that you sweep on your brows, instantly filling them in. CoverGirl seems to be killing it with the new product releases, this one especially included. Usually I use a brown powder with an angled liner brush, but this thing totally combines the two products in one. Lightly dab the applicator across your brows and they are instantly filled in. By using this product, it’s less harsh than a gel or powder, making them appear more natural.
As you can guess by the name, it does have a dual power, as you can also use it as an eyeliner. I want to keep it strictly for brows, but I have been into brown liner lately anyways, as its not as harsh as a black with my blue eyes. It’s available in four shades: Blonde, Medium Brown, Dark Brown and Black. Remember, rule of thumb is that you go a shade lighter than your brow colour. You want to fill in the sparse sections, creating more a shadow effect as opposed to actually making them darker.
Overall, I am loving this product. The applicator makes this so easy to use and it really does fill in my brows with ease. I do have to admit that it did take some trial and error, but for a drugstore product, this one is a must (and this coming from a girl who loves Benefit Gimme Brow). The only downfall is that because it’s a loose powder in the pot, once you start sweeping the product, there does tend to be some fallout, so fill in your brows before applying your foundation.
Keep an eye out for this one, you need it!
Want to win one for yourself? Enter my P&G Beauty 12 Days of Beauty giveaway!
Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.
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1. Set down an eye primer (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance), then with the matte brown colour and a fluffy crease brush, work this lightly into your crease, acting as a transition.
The stars of this palette are definitely the shadows and the blushes. I just used one section of shadows, there’s also two more, one with colours and one with smokey shades. Seriously, this thing has every shadow you would ever possibly need, and they are pretty good quality to boot. I wasn’t a fan of the gel liners, as I said it was frustrating applying false lashes and I did have to go over the liner with the matte black shadow to set it, otherwise I could see that smudging.
