It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed an eyeshadow palette.
I’ve been seeing Urban Decay’s Stoned Vibes palette (C$68) all over Instagram the last few weeks and although it’s absolutely stunning, I was very curious to see how well the glitters actually work.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, this palette opens up to 12 breathtaking eyeshadows, eight of which are glitters and four of them are mattes. The formula of the shimmery shades are actually infused with genuine tourmaline which is used to block bad energy (hello 2020!).
Okay, so starting at the beginning, I think we can all appreciate how stunning this palette is. The casing features a 3D crystal element that is shimmery and shines and makes you excited for what’s inside.
Once you open it, you’re greeted with eight beautiful shimmers and glitters in a variety of jewel tones, plus four corresponding matte shades that will help round out any look.
Okay, so first things first, like I said, I love a good glitter palette, however, palettes of this kind usually comes with a ton of fallout plus not a lot of pigmentation (they are usually prettier in the palette than they are on the eyes). When I used this palette I was pleasantly surprised by how well this works. Although this comes with a double-ended brush, skip it for the glitter shades and just use your fingers since the colours are very creamy and soft, and I found they worked way better when applied directly with your fingers.
The shadows themselves are a powder-cream formula meaning that you actually see some of the magic of these glitters without the fallout. I would still recommend using this palette before you apply your foundation, or gently packing a glitter on top of an existing look.
I really liked this palette and think it’s the perfect addition to your makeup collection as we head into the holiday season. Although I don’t wear glitters all the time, considering how well these work (I would say similar to a pressed pigment), I do foresee myself using this a lot over the coming months (mostly as little glitter punch on an existing look).
Like I said, very rarely does a glitter palette actually impress me, but this one is definitely worth the hype.
Have you tried the Urban Decay Stoned Vibes palette?
Please note, products sent by PR. All opinions are my own.
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I can honestly say that Fenty Beauty is one of my favourite makeup brands.
I’ve tried everything from their foundation to their eyeshadows, mascara.. you name it and for the most part, I’ve tried it and loved it. One item that was missing from their collection? Brow products!
Released earlier this year, Fenty released a couple brow products, the Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler (C$26) and the Brow MVP Sculpting Wax Pencil & Styler (C$26).
Starting first with the brow pencil, this pencil is available in a staggering 14 shades, which I feel is a larger shade range than other brow products out there. This product features a retractable pencil on one end and a paddle brush on the other to blend and style.
The pencil itself features a fine tip, ideal for creating hair-like strokes that emulate your natural brow hairs. The other side features the paddle brush, which is unlike anything I have seen in a brow product. It actually works quite nice in brushing the hair, either pushing them up for a laminated look or to keep them in check.
The brand sent me the shade Ash Brown, which is described as being for light to medium brown and grey hair/taupe with a cool undertone. My brows are pretty dark; not quite black, but a dark brown, so this pencil doesn’t really cut it for me in terms of the shade match. I found it’s fine for day use, but if I want to make my brows stand out, I would reach for something a little more suited to my natural brow colour (Dark Brown would be more my jam).
I didn’t really find this pencil to be too creamy, but more so on the waxy side, which works well for keeping your natural brows in check. Personally I like more of a creamy pencil and one that is more pigmented. I don’t like applying too much pressure for the pigment to show up, which I found I had to do with this one.
As for the Brow MVP Sculpting Wax Pencil & Styler, this is a clear, universal brow wax that helps to shape and set your brows.
On one of the pencil is the wax, which is an angled gel that allows for a simple application. The brand says that it is a sweat and water-resistant formula that will set your brows for hours. The other end features a larger paddle brush than the pencil to help comb your brows into place.
I actually really liked this product and would recommend this one over the pencil. I have a few different brow setters and I really like this one since it is a wax formula rather than a gel, so it sets the brows a little more than the latter formula.
Like I said in the beginning, I adore Fenty, however, I feel like these could have been better than they are and I hope that they redo the formula of the brow pencil since there are others out there that perform way better than this one (there is a reason why Benefit is known for their brow products). If you were to choose one to try out, definitely go for the wax since it universal in shade and also helps to set your brows (which for me and my microbladed brows, is the perfect companion).
Please note, I received this product from PR. All opinions are my own.
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A makeup line that really has it all? Quo Beauty!
Shopper’s Drug Mart’s in-store makeup and accessories line has been around for a while and new this season they have completely reinvented and rebranded the line. Quo Beauty is now vegan and PETA-certified and is available in Shopper’s Drug Mart and Pharmaprix stores across the country, as well as in select Loblaws stores.
Comprised of over 1,000 products, Quo Beauty has also redesigned the packaging of their items to contain less waste and less product packaging. They are also offering a full line of makeup brushes with synthetic bristles (their brushes are some of my favourite makeup brushes ever and I’ve had them since before I started blogging!).
In celebration of this relaunch, Quo partnered with celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo to create a variety of looks using this collection.
Quo was so kind and sent me a ton of products from their new extensive range. I’ve used a variety of Quo products in the past and for the most part enjoyed them, both in terms of quality and price point. Although I haven’t used a lot of their makeup, the items I’ve really enjoyed have been their accessories line. The first set of good makeup brushes I had ever gotten (they were a gift from my dad in like 2009) were from Quo and I still have them and use them often.
At first glance, I really love the new branding, however, I do find it to be very young and it looks like something targeted more towards a teen and early 20s demographic, as opposed to those in their 30s (like me). I’m a sucker for cute things though, so I really love the new branding and the price point makes it accessible for most.
So my top products? They sent me a ton of stuff to try out and since I have only one face which only applies makeup for special occasions right now, I didn’t have the opportunity to go through all of it, however, the stuff I did try, for the most part I really enjoyed.
My favourite product from the line would definitely be the Precision Liquid Liner (C$12), which is available in six shades. They sent me two shades to try out, black and a bright blue. I naturally gravitated towards the black colour and was impressed with how well this works. It’s your standard felt-tip liquid liner but it dispensed colour really nicely and boldly and I found I didn’t have to press too hard to have the colour to look opaque. The black was also a deep black, leaving you with a noticeable line. I would say this works better than a lot of my other more luxury-brand liners, and at only $12, it’s a total steal.
I did try the liner with their Plump Up The Volume Maxi-Volume mascara (C$10) as well, but I didn’t find it did too much for my lashes. Even looking at the wand I didn’t think that this would do too much for me, and I was right in that assumption. It was fine, but I’ve definitely used way better mascaras out there. If you want to give this mascara a try, it’s available in five shades, including a yellow, which I found to be very unique.
Other products I really enjoyed were their powder face products.
First up, their Bronzer Powder (C$14) is available in four shades and is a really nice bronzer to warm up the face and contour. This bronzer contains ingredients to make it light and moisturizing, as well as Vitamin E to reduce the signs of aging. There is a slight sparkle in it, but you don’t notice any sheen when you apply it. It’s a great pigmented bronzer to help you achieve a natural-looking glow.
Pair the bronzer with their Blush (C$14), which is available in 14 different shades. This pressed blush gives your cheeks a nice flush and a little goes a long way. They also include the same ingredients as the bronzer to hydrate and reduce the signs of aging.
Finally, add a little light to your face with their Skin Perfector (C$16) which is designed to enhance your skin’s natural complexion. There are three shades to choose from (I got Golden Hour) and found this to be a really pretty, blinding highlight. I really recommend this one if you’re looking for a new highlighter.
Another product I really loved and was quite surprised by were their lipsticks (C$10). They have 12 shades available and it’s a creamy lipstick that delivers pigmented colour.
They sent me three shades to try out and naturally I gravitated the most to the blush pink colour. These lipsticks are very small in size, making them perfect to fit in a small purse (truthfully I found them to be similar to lipsticks you would give preteens since they are so tiny). The shade range is also really nice as they have everything from pinks to nudes to reds.
As for accessories, I really enjoyed their Blending Sponge (C$8). I’ve used their sponges in the past and although they were a little too dense for me when I first started using them, they have really been working on the softness of the sponge and I find now that it rivals the Beauty Blender.
This latex-free sponge is soft and bouncy and is perfect for applying your liquid face products. Save your money and pick up one of these (which they have available in a variety of different shapes) the next time you need to swap out your blending sponge for a new one.
This was just the tip of the iceberg that Quo has in store for us now that they have completely rebranded the line. They also have a complete line of hair tools and accessories, skincare accessories, and sunglasses (they sent me a pair and I love them!).
Next time you’re in Shopper’s Drug Mart, I recommend checking out the line since the packaging is so fun and the products are so affordable. I was so surprised with a lot of the items I tried out and love that in addition to working so well, they are also vegan and cruelty-free!
Have you tried any of the new Quo Beauty products?
Please note, all products provided by PR. All opinions are my own.
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