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First of all, who’s glad this wasn’t named Pumpkin Spice Palette? Lol. I know I am. I love me some Pumpkin Spice, but it’s also kind of an overkill if everything else is called pumpkin spice as soon as the calendar changes to September.

Today, we are going over the New Gingerbread Spice Palette from Too Faced. This palette was released in September 2018 with the entire Holiday Collection. It’s a huge collection but I’m only really interested with this palette.

I’m here to tell you that I’ve been pleased with this palette so far. I’ve only used it a couple of times outside of the looks that I have created for this review, but I had fun working with the eyeshadows and I think it’s consistent with the cult-favorite Chocolate Bar palette quality, if not better. I’d also like to mention that these do not smell like Gingerbread cookies or pumpkin spice (as the namesake suggests), they do have that potent cocoa scent same as the Chocolate Bar palettes.

Here are some swatches courtesy of Beauddiction. If you’re not following her already, do yourself a favor and follow her on her Instagram and YouTube.

 I’m not sure if you can see what I’m seeing here, but it’s loaded with mattes that have almost a slight sheen to them, they don’t look flat and plain when applied. I’m quite pleased with the color selection this palette provides. I think the colors are great stand alone shades. If you’re someone who likes doing one shadow looks, this palette can take the guess work out when creating your eye looks. But, just because they’re great stand alone colors, it doesn’t mean they’re not good with the other shadows.

You have a couple warm and cool toned highlight and base shades like Powdered Sugar and Spiked Eggnog. You have shades like Gingerbread Latte, Lookie at My Cookie and Oh Snap! that will look great on your crease and the shades: Figgy Pudding, Reindeer Paws and Spiked Rum that can ground and deepen your eye look. That bright fuchsia? Use Gumdrop at the very center of your crease for a hint of color and trust me it’ll look amazing specially if you have brown or green eyes!

Here are some swatches of the eyeshadows from this palette compared to eyeshadows from other Too Faced Palettes.

While the shades in this palette look the same as older Too Faced eyeshadows at first glance, when swatched side by side, you can actually see that they’re actually not. A lot of them are similar in color, but they are different in tone or it has a different shift. I’m actually glad to find that there aren’t any real duplicates 😊

To wrap up this review, here are some looks I have created with this palette.

One Shade Look

Spice

Look 1: One Shadow Look using: Oh Snap! all over the lid and lower lashline.

Look 2: Spiked Eggnog on the browbone, Bake it ‘til you make it all over the lid, just above the crease. Warm & Toasty on the center of the lid and inner corner.

Look 3: Powdered Sugar on the browbone, Figgy Pudding on the crease, diffused with Lookie at My Cookie. Frostbite Me! on the center of the lid and Hot Toddy for the inner corner highlight.

Look 4: Gingerbread Latte on the crease, Reindeer Paws on the inner and outer corners as well as upper lashline as well as the entire lower lashline. Spice of Life on the center of the lid and Ooo Burn! In the inner corner and inner third of the lower lashline.

Review + Holiday Looks : Too Faced Gingerbread Spice Eyeshadow Palette First of all, who’s glad this wasn’t named Pumpkin Spice Palette? Lol. I know I am. I love me some Pumpkin Spice, but it’s also kind of an overkill if everything else is called pumpkin spice as soon as the calendar changes to September.

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Holiday Palette Season, am I right?

Holiday Palette Season, am I right?

I’ve got a few palettes that I would like to talk about in the next few posts, share my thoughts, swatches, while sharing some holiday makeup looks as well.

I just received an email telling me that I’ve had this website for 6 years and I can’t believe it’s been that long! So, I have this idea; depending how quickly I can get this post out, I’ll make a round up of 6 makeup products that I liked…

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Today we are going to be talking about the [New] Urban Decay Born to Run eyeshadow palette. This launched in June 2018 but I only got my hands on it last month and that’s mostly because I’m not the biggest fan of Urban Decay eyeshadows. I’ve always thought they were too dry and hard to work with, specially their mattes.

However, I noticed a change in the texture of their eyeshadows when they released the Jean-Michel Basquiat collection in April 2017. The mattes were softer, definitely showed up better. The shimmers didn’t crumble as much, so I thought maybe it was a start. Then they released the Kristin Leanne collection and the reviews were good, followed by the Naked Heat palette, which I should mention that I didn’t really like because while the textures were good, the shades were too similar to each other. 

Anyway, enter the Born to Run palette, it boasts of the same soft, smooth, pigmented qualities these past few palettes have. But this time, not only is the formula impressive, the color palette is even more so.

You know how Urban Decay always goes with a monotone or super colorful route when they release palettes? This palette managed to bring in a bunch of your basic neutrals that you can use on their own, or to ground the interesting purples, greens and blues in this palette.

This retails for $49, you get 21 eyeshadows which is a pretty good price for Urban Decay. The packaging is also different, the eyeshadows are housed inside a plastic palette that shuts completely with a magnet. It’s a little bit weighted and doesn’t feel cheap. It has a very nice sized mirror on the inside top and it can completely fold open.

So, now that we have established that this palette is good, here are some swatches:

Another thing that’s so good about this palette is, if you run out of any of these eyeshadows, they are permanent and sold as singles. It’s also a great introductory palette for someone who has not sampled any of the permanent eyeshadows.

Before we wrap up this review, I’d like to share comparison swatches of some shades from the Born to Run palette versus shades from  the Colourpop Perception palette [in collaboration with @makeupshayla, $23/16 shades].  

I personally think the Perception palette is really good. It has all the qualities of a great palette. It has a great color selection, soft, smooth, pigmented eyeshadows, minimal to no fallout and because it’s Colourpop, it’s affordable. The only real downside about this palette compared to the Born to Run palette is I feel like it doesn’t have enough matte eyeshadows to ground and define looks.

Finally, here are a couple looks that I did using the Born to Run palette. Please let me know what you think about this palette. Thank you so much for stopping by! I’ll see you again next time.

  Review & Swatches: Urban Decay Born to Run Eyeshadow Palette + Comparison Swatches to Colourpop Perception Palette Today we are going to be talking about the Urban Decay Born to Run eyeshadow palette. This launched in June 2018 but I only got my hands on it last month and that’s mostly because I’m not the biggest fan of Urban Decay eyeshadows.

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Blog: 5 Things ULTA Made me Buy

Blog: 5 Things ULTA Made me Buy

Lime Crime Venus Palettes – I honestly would have never spent the money on these full price + shipping from the Lime Crime website. These palettes are a cult-favorite and have a really good reputation amongst makeup enthusiasts (despite the controversies the brand was involved with). I got the first two during the Spring time 21 days of beauty and the Venus 3 recently when it was also half off…

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Makeup Diary: October 6, 2018

Makeup Diary: October 6, 2018

I’m still working on the Born to Run palette review. I have swatches of it compared to other Urban Decay eyeshadows from older palettes and compared to the Colourpop Perception palette [in collaboration with MakeupShayla]

So, for now we’re talking about the Fetish Palette and how I’m trying to like it despite my initial disappointment with it, as well as the other products I have used on my face.

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Makeup Diary: October 5, 2018

Makeup Diary: October 5, 2018

It’s Friday!

No, I did not go crazy with my makeup today. In fact, I went back to an old favorite. The Master Palette by Mario Dedivanovic and Anastasia Beverly Hills. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. This is THE BEST eyeshadow palette ABH has ever come out with. Best colors, best textures, best finishes, everything! Just amazing.

But the real star of my look today is my base. I have…

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Makeup Diary: October 4, 2018

Makeup Diary: October 4, 2018

I’m going to really try here and see how long I can keep this up, but today I’m going to start a Makeup Diary. Basically, I’m going to share what makeup, skincare or any standout product(s) I used for the day. Apart from getting into the habit of writing again, I think this will be a good way to start putting my makeup into a better rotation.

It’s easy to get into a routine and there’s nothing…

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Today we’re talking about the NEW Maybelline Soda Pop eyeshadow palette. This product released about a month ago and I have been testing it out [and procrastinating, for the most part]. But, I will tell you right now, this is not like any other Maybelline eyeshadow palette I have tried.

This palette retails for $13.99. You get 12 eyeshadows in this palette. 5 of them are matte, 5 are definitely frost finishes, 1 has more of a satin finish and that rosy shade called Soda Fizz has bits of glitter in it.

Here are the swatches. As always, I applied them on my clean, dry forearm. No primer or base underneath. Each of the eyeshadows were swirled from the pan 5 times (with my finger) and swiped with 3 passes, except for the shades Cola Float, Crushing, Soda Fizz and Cherry Cola they all showed up really well on the first pass.

I give this palette high praises. The quality is definitely something I haven’t seen and experienced from any other Maybelline eyeshadow. I am so impressed with the pigmentation, specially with the purples. All of the eyeshadows show up on the eyes the way they look like in the pans. They’re soft, which causes the powder to kick up a bit, there’s minimal fallout, but it’s nothing you can’t fix. Also, I recommend using a primer on your lids. While this palette has really great pigmentation, it does crease and fade. as demonstrated in the photos below. On the left, you’ll see an obvious fading and creasing on the eyes after 10 hours of wear without primer. On the right, same shadows used on top of  MAC 24 hour extend eye base. No fading, minimal creasing.

Last thing before I wrap this up, the other thing I really admire about this palette is how the colors are laid out. Below are just 4 of the combinations that you can consider, but you can clearly see the palette is also broken down into trios if you would like a simpler, on-the-go look.

That’s it for this review! Please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and on YouTube! If you have tried this palette, please let me know what you think about the palette, share your looks in the comments, too!

          Review: Maybelline Soda Pop Eyeshadow Palette Today we're talking about the NEW Maybelline Soda Pop eyeshadow palette. This product released about a month ago and I have been testing it out .

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L’oreal recently came out with the Paradise Enchanted Eyeshadow Palette which, right off the bat looks like a mini Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette. Right? That palette has a special place in my heart because it was the eyeshadow palette I used on my wedding day. It’s also my favorite palette from Too Faced.

Despite all that, I didn’t have high expectations when I got this because I’ve never had good luck with larger L’oreal eyeshadow palettes (LA Palettes). This palette retails for $14.99 but also available from Amazon and Walmart for $11.97,  pretty pricey for being a drugstore palette. You get 7 grams net weight for the entire palette or .58 grams per eyeshadow (x 12 shades) or $1.24 per eyeshadow, whereas the Sweet Peach palette ($49 retail) has 17.1 grams net or .95 grams per shadow (x18 shades) or $2.72/eyeshadow.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the texture and quality of the eyeshadows. It may still benefit from an eyeshadow base or primer if you plan to wear this for an extended time or if you are wearing this for the evening and you want the colors to show more. But, I have personally tried this on my eyes without a base and I was not let down. It wore well for 9 hours. No creasing, smearing, with very little fading and none of the eyeshadows crumbled on my face throughout the day.

On the other hand, the choice of colors they put in the palette may limit who can use it. I’d say I have a light medium complexion (MAC NC20/30). Any deeper than my skin tone and I might lose the opportunity to use at least 3 eyeshadows (because it won’t show up on my skin) and that’s a waste of money. Also, I would have liked if there were a couple more deeper shades to ground and define the looks. Like, instead of shades 4 and 10, a midtone matte peach and a deep purple toned brown would have been better choices.

But, here are swatches, comparisons and a couple eye looks in the very end to help you decide if you would like to pick up this palette. Thank you for stopping by, if you have not followed my blog, please do so by clicking here. Subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, as well as my Instagram. I hope to have you here again next time!

First Row: 1, 2, 3 | Second Row: 4, 5, 6 | Third Row: 7, 8, 9 | Fourth Row: 10, 11, 12

Side by Side with the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette

Each eyeshadow is swatched on my clean, dry forearm. I swirled my finger 5 times on the pan with 2 passes for the Too Faced eyeshadows and 3 passes for the L’oreal eyeshadows for them to show up like this. I used my Index Finger for TF and my Middle Finger for the PE, I cleaned my fingers with a makeup wipe and I dry them on a separate paper towel after each eyeshadow. There’s also some kick up in the pan when you dip your brush in, but I have not experienced any fallout during application and throughout wear. I am personally not bothered by weak arm swatches and kick up, but I thought I’d share my process here for transparency.

Shades: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Shades: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Left: Top 6 shades, Right: Bottom 6 shades. The next photos are going to be comparisons between the TF Sweet Peach and Paradise Enchanted. The shades on the left are going to be Too Faced, L’oreal will be on the right.

Left Photo: White Peach VS. 1 | Peaches N’ Cream VS. 2 | Nectar VS. 3 Right Photo: Georgia VS. 4 | Nectar VS. 5 | Cobbler VS. 6

Left Photo: Candied Peach VS. 7 | Puree VS. 8 | Summer Yum VS. 9 Right Photo: Bellini VS. 10 | Peach Pit VS. 11 | Caramelized VS. 12

Crease: 8, Outer Corner: 11, Lower Lashline: 12, Browbone: 2

Crease: 7, Inner & Outer Corner: 11 & 12, Lid: 3, Browbone: 2

Review: L’oreal Paradise Enchanted Scented Eyeshadow Palette L'oreal recently came out with the Paradise Enchanted Eyeshadow Palette which, right off the bat looks like a mini Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette.

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Review: The Emily Edit - The Wants Palette

Review: The Emily Edit – The Wants Palette

Hey guys! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been up here. No excuses, just life happening. But, it doesn’t mean I have stopped trying makeup, I have just kind of taken a pause from writing reviews, making videos and such.

I was so excited about this and I just couldn’t pass up writing something about this palette. As you can already tell with the title of this blog, I’m going to be talking to…

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Not Makeup Related but I thought I’d share as I’m sure if you’re watching my Instastories, you would know that my Husband and I recently got a puppy. She’s a 2-month old American Pitbull Terrier Mix and she is the sweetest, smartest, most amazing little dog ever. [I know that’s what I thought with our last family dog, Pepper] — I named her Hedwig after Harry Potter’s Snowy Owl from the Harry Potter series because she’s brave, loving & loyal. She was rescued by Greenville County Animal Care in South Carolina and we adopted her on March 31st. She’s been amazing and we’re so happy that we have her. #adoptdontshop #adoptdontshop🐾 #rescuedog #rescuedogsofinstagram #pitbullpuppy #pitbullsofinstagram #pitbullmom #pitbullmommy #pitbullmix #adopteddog #🐾 #🐶#greenvillecountyanimalcare

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Have you tried the New #thehealthyfoundation from @physiciansformula? Such an impressive new product! It just creates a really natural, sheer satin coverage and does not feel heavy at all. Perfect for this temperamental North Carolina Spring weather! • • • I received mine a complimentary #sample from @influenster #contest #physiciansformula #influenster #voxbox #bblogger #drugstore #drugstoremakeup #beauty #spring #beautymakeup #springbeauty #springmakeup #sheer #satin

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Spring Sheen ✨ Although we’re still experiencing snow in the Carolinas, it’s officially Spring time and I’m letting my skin enjoy a light base, partnering a cool toned blush like the @clinique Cheek Pop in Pansy Pop with an undoubtedly warm highlighter like @thebalm_cosmetics Bonnie Lou Manizer gives me the most natural #SpringSheen #giakingbeauty • • • Face: @narsissist Soft Matte Concealer in Custard

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Gloomy, Rainy and now it’s Snowy ❄️ but I’m keeping my eye makeup warm and a little bit smoky with the NEW @lauramercier Exotics Redefined Eye Colour Palette. #giakingbeauty

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@Maybelline Total Temptation Mascara

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Currently on a Plantscriptions routine from @origins, I’ve also incorporated a 3 step cleansing process that I feel has really helped my skin stay clear and fresh despite working in an office environment with trapped air (and germs... 🤢), makeup and work-related stress... how’s your skincare routine doing lately? It’s almost springtime! Have you changed any of your skin must-haves yet? 😊

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A Late Valentine’s Day appreciation post for my Husband💛. He always puts in a 💯 in everything, on his job, his decisions, his love and most importantly; his actions. He knows this, I am very proud of the person he is and I just wanted to share how much I appreciate all of his efforts, everyday, since Day 1.