{ Review + Swatches } Tom Ford 'Cocoa Mirage' Eye Color Quad

Tom Ford's makeup line is by far one of the most expensive high-end products out there hence my hesitation in giving them a go initially. His eye color quads can range from ~$79-$110 depending on where you buy them from so definitely not the kindest on your bank account. I have heard a ton of great reviews from fellow beauty junkies and the beautiful makeup flat-lays on instagram showcasing TF products really fed my urge in having some TF in my collection. 

I have never tried any TF beauty products before this purchase so not only was I really excited but I had really high hopes, and so I should with that price tag!

I picked up a blush and a couple of lipsticks which I will do a separate blog post on, as well as this beauty 'Cocoa Mirage'. With the hefty price tag, I definitely wanted to pick a quad with shades that I could use on an everyday basis and so this neutral palette was perfect.

The quad contains three matte shades, an ivory cream, medium tan and deep brown as well as a satin medium chocolatey brown. Yes, the shades may look very dupeable but believe me when I say that the texture of these shadows are like no other. These shadows are incredibly buttery and silky smooth when swatched and applies effortless with great pigmentation on the lids. I've mentioned eyeshadows from different brands to be 'buttery' and 'smooth' but seriously, TF eyeshadows takes the cake.

Although the dark mahogany and gold palette does attract fingerprints, I find the packaging to be incredibly sleek and chic. Very easy to open, has a magnetic closure, a decent sized mirror and contains two dual ended brushes (which I have yet to use). The palette itself comes encased in a deep brown suede pouch which adds to that luxurious touch.

Pros:

• Sleek, simple and chic packaging
• Eyeshadows are extremely buttery and silky smooth
• Awesome colour pay-off with all shades
• Easy to blend
• Matte shades are very easy to work with and not chalky
• Very little fall out
• Comes with its own suede pouch
• Long wearing on the lids
• A completed everyday eye look can be achieved with just this palette

Cons:

• Extremely expensive 

Overall, I am so impressed with the amazing quality of this palette and it definitely did not let me down. I'm really considering purchasing another quad (I'm lookin' at you, Cognac Sable) but goddamn is it expensive (basically at least $20 per eyeshadow). I know I'm going to get a ton of use from this palette so that itself is helping to put me at ease :p

Would you splurge on a TF quad?

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with Tom Ford. The product mentioned was purchased with my own money and as always my reviews are 100% my honest opinion. *

{ Review + Swatches } Urban Decay Vice Palette

How excited I was to finally get my hands on this palette! Thanks to my bf who surprised me by buying me this palette from Sephora when he was overseas. I didn't even mention this palette to him although he knew how obsessed I was with Urban Decay eyeshadows! <3

I quite like the packaging. The case feels very well made, sturdy and has a rubberised texture to it which I must say, can attract a ton of fingerprints and dust. What I am especially amazed about is how the palette opens. With a push of a button, the lid slowly props up and assumes position at an angle perfect enough for you to be able to use the mirror without having anything to keep the lid upright. The size of the mirror in the palette is also very generous- it basically covers the entire lid. Along with the eyeshadows, the palette also comes with a double-ended synthetic eyeshadow brush.

Now onto my favourite part, the eyeshadows! I'm a huge fan of Urban Decay eyeshadows- they have the perfect texture, pigmentation and colour range. I particularly wanted this palette in my collection because all 20 of the eyeshadows were new releases and exclusive to this palette. There are a variety of colours from neutrals to brights as well as different finishes from mattes, satins, shimmers and glitters!

A majority of the shades have wonderful pigmentation and colour pay-off and also applied really smoothly although to my disappointment, quite a few of them felt almost too buttery and too powdery. Just a dab with my eyeshadow brush created a heap of mess on my palette with chunks of glitter scattered everywhere. This was especially prominent with the eyeshadow, 'Provocateur'. I don't understand why Urban Decay has to ruin their eyeshadows with an overload of glitter chunks!! It makes application too troublesome. Another standout no-no eyeshadow is 'Jagged'. I've heard a ton of problems with this shadow and boy is it gritty! Upon swatching this eyeshadow, I could see the tiny black specks almost resembling dirt (you can see this in the swatch below!). I don't know if I want to even use this on my eyelids!

Don't get me wrong, I really do love this palette and will still continually use it. It's just a formulation issue with a few of the eyeshadows that really bugged me!

Now onto the swatches, starting from the top row....

L-R: Desperation, Muse, Jagged, Blitz, Penny Lane

Desperation: Grey-taupe brown {satin-matte}

Muse: Deep reddish brown with golden microglitters {glitter}

Jagged: Brownish-black base with gold glitters and tiny black specks {glitter}

Blitz: Bright yellow gold metallic {shimmer}

Penny Lane: Bright orange-bronze metallic {shimmer}

 L-R: Junkie, Chaos, Occupy, Unhinged, Black Market

Junkie: Dark green-blue with gold microglitters {shimmer}

Chaos: Bright royal blue with subtle shimmer {matte-shimmer}

Occupy: Dark blue-grey metallic {glitter-shimmer}

Unhinged: Bright electric turquoise blue {shimmer}

Black Market: Dark charcoal black {matte-satin}

L-R: Provocateur, Rapture, Vice, Noise, Armor

Provocateur: Light dusty pink with a ton of chunky glitters {glitter}

Rapture: Deep eggplant purple with silver microglitters {glitter-shimmer}

Vice: Vibrant purple with a slight red shimmer {shimmer}

Noise: Bright hot pink with gold glitters {glitter-shimmer}

Armor: Taupey grey with silver microglitters {glitter-shimmer}

L-R: Nevermind, Echo Beach, Anonymous, Freebird, Laced

Nevermind: Light browny bronze {shimmer}

Echo Beach: Light champagne gold {shimmer}

Anonymous: Light eggshell white-pink {matte}

Freebird: Light pink with silver microglitters {glitter}

Laced: Pinky taupe {matte}

Pros:

• Great variety of shades, from neutrals, darks and brights
• Different finishes from satins, mattes, shimmers and glitters
• Most eyeshadows apply smoothly with little fall out
• Awesome pigmentation even without an eyeshadow primer
• Good value for money- ~$60AUD which means each eyeshadow (0.03oz) costs $3 each! If you buy an individual eyeshadow which is around 0.05oz, it would cost you around $18!
• Nice large mirror
• Lid is able to stand up on its own
• All 20 eyeshadows are new shades that's only ever been released in this palette

Cons: 

• Some eyeshadows are too soft and powdery, they make a mess in the palette
• Too many of the eyeshadows had chunky glitters which produce some fall out- I prefer satin, matte or shimmery finishes
• Limited edition palette
• Palette attracts fingerprints etc.

Here are some photos uploaded on my instagram recently of me wearing some of the eyeshadows!

Do any of you guys have this palette? How are you liking the eyeshadows and do you think the purchase was worth it?

Thankyou for reading!

xo Laura

 * Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with Urban Decay. The product mentioned was gifted (not from the company) and as always my reviews are 100% my honest opinion. *

{ Review + Swatches } NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

Hello all! Wow..I feel like I haven't put up a post in so long but I'm currently in exam study mode *sorry* :( I will definitely be posting more frequently once it's over! Anyway, another NYX product review! If you wanted to check out my first review on the NYX Round Lipsticks just click here.

I LOVE LOVE these Jumbo Eye Pencils from NYX. They are the perfect base for any eyeshadow and really inexpensive. These eye pencils are pretty creamy so I don't suggest applying it on your lids on its own as they may crease but rather as a base for your eyeshadows. They provide something for your eyeshadows to stick on and my favourite part is how they make your eyeshadows way more pigmented and bold!

 L-R: Milk, Yogurt, Pure Gold, French Fries, Lime, Black Bean

- Milk :: matte white. A great base to lighten any eyeshadow as well as making it more opaque

- Yogurt :: shimmery pink-champagne

- Pure Gold :: shimmery gold

- French Fries :: shimmery reddish-bronze

- Lime :: shimmery lime green

- Black Bean :: matte black. A great black base to intensify dark eyeshadows

And this is just an example of how a great base can make your eyeshadows more pigmented and intense.

L-R: Urban Decay "Half Baked", Urban Decay "Half Baked" on top of NYX Pure Gold Jumbo Eye Pencil

Pros:

• Inexpensive (I purchased mine for $3.99 each)
• Creamy, smooth formula
• Intensifies the pigmentation of eyeshadows
• Great base for eyeshadows to stick on especially if they tend to have quite a bit of fall-out

Cons:

• Bad packaging. I remember I gently placed the plastic cap on the pencil and it started to crack >.< (You can see from the pictures above)

Overall, they really are great eyeshadow bases and definitely worth investing if you love playing with eyeshadows. I definitely plan on purchasing more in the future! Are there any other eyeshadow bases out there that you guys love? Do share your recommendations!

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with NYX Cosmetics. I purchased all products with my own money and as always, my reviews are 100% my honest opinion. *

{ Review + Swatches } Illamasqua Pure Pigment : Conquer

Hey all! Are you ready to experience pure awesome glittery and shimmery-ness?! Introducing Illamasqua's Pure Pigment in 'Conquer'! 'Conquer' is an extremely shimmery deep emerald shade with microglitters. I'm really excited about this post because as you will see in my swatches, I'll be showing you the pigment on top of different coloured bases. You will be able to see the different shades you can create from using this one pigment!

Super shimmery or what?!

 L-R: Conquer: on top of a black base, on its own, on top of a white base 

 L-R: Conquer: on top of a gold base, on top of a lime base, on top of a blue base, on top of a bronze base

FYI the bases I used were the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in 'Black Bean', 'Milk', 'Pure Gold', 'Lime', 'French Fries' and the blue base is the Bourjois Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eye Pencil in 'Blue Remix'.

I really recommend using a base so that the pigment will adhere to your lids and also apply it using a patting motion. This will minimise the amount of fall-out you will get. Alternatively, if you would like to keep the true colour of 'Conquer' on your lids, apply an eyeshadow primer prior to applying 'Conquer' on your lids.

I really do like this pigment and the variety of shades you can create by applying different coloured bases under it. I love it on top of the lime base- gorgeous olive gold shade! The down side is not only the fall-out but also the price. I purchased this pigment (1.3g) for around $13AUD!! I feel that there are many other shimmery pigments out there I could get for a much cheaper price and would look as great.

Have you guys tried Illamasqua's Pure Pigments? What other pigments do you love and would recommend? Would love to hear your suggestions!


xo Laura

*Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with Illamasqua. I purchased this product with my own money and as always, my reviews are 100% my honest opinion.*