{ Review + Swatches } Makeup Geek Highlighters

One of my favourite brands, Makeup Geek have finally released their line of highlighters a few months ago. I was super excited to try them out and ended up purchasing their "Porcelain" and "Fair" highlighter bundles, consisting of 3 shades per bundle, and then an extra duochrome highlighter in "Electrify".

The highlighters come in a square gunmetal compact and although very prone to fingerprints, they are nicely weighted and very durable. Each compact is also accompanied with a nicely sized mirror.

There are currently 13 shades, each retailing for $20USD. 7 of the them are available in their "signature" shades and the remaining 6 highlighters have a duochrome finish. Makeup Geek do offer their highlighters in bundles of 3 to purchase. Each bundle are categorized by skin tones, "Porcelain", "Fair', "Medium" and "Deep" and are priced at $48USD per bundle which is a fantastic deal.

The "Porcelain" highlighter bundle consists of the shades, Glitz (Icy pink with a reflective luminous finish), Celestial (Translucent base with icy violet duochrome reflects and luminous finish) and Moon Phase (Translucent base with icy blue and purple duochrome reflects and luminous finish).

"Porcelain" highlighter bundle - Celestial, Glitz, Moon Phase

 L-R: Moon Phase, Celestial, Glitz

The "Fair" bundle consists of the shades, Luster (Rosy tan with a reflective and luminous finish), Midnight Sun (Soft champagne with a reflective, luminous finish) and Lit (Translucent base with peachy-pink duochrome reflects and luminous finish). I also purchased an extra highlighter in the shade Electrify which is described as a butter yellow duochrome reflects and luminous finish.

"Fair" highlighter bundle - Lit, Midnight Sun, Luster

 Electrify highlighter

L-R: Lit, Midnight Sun, Luster, Electrify

Makeup Geek did not disappointed me with their highlighters. They are all extremely buttery and provide such as gorgeous lit from within look when applied. On first impression when looking at the pan, some shades look too dark to be highlighters but when swatched and applied they transform into such wearable shades. They can all be applied with a light hand for a natural glowy look or layered on for more of an intense highlight. I also love using them on my eyes, either as a lid shade or on the inner corners.

L-R: Electrify, Luster, Lit, Midnight Sun, Glitz, Celestial, Moon Phase

I really commend them for achieving a flawless formulation and it's amazing how they've considered a variety of skin tones. Looking forward to see them expand their highlighter collection!

xo Laura

{ Review + Swatches } My Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Collection

After many requests, I have finally decided to make a post dedicated to all my Makeup Geek eyeshadows! This is so exciting for me because I have really only started to notice her eyeshadows some time last year and they have now quickly become one of, or dare I say my absolute favourite eyeshadows to wear. The quality of these eyeshadows are seriously top notch, super buttery, smooth and finely milled and for the price ($5.99 for the regular eyeshadows and $9.99 for the foiled eyeshadows) you really can't go wrong with these.

I've really warmed to the idea of purchasing single pan eyeshadows ever since I started my Makeup Geek eyeshadow collection. I think building your own palette is a fantastic idea and one that saves a ton of space, especially if you're storing them in Z palettes! Z palettes are amazing and the ones I have pictured above is an extra large one, which currently stores my neutral eyeshadows and a large one for my more colourful shadows.

1st Row: Shimma Shimma, Vanilla Bean, Peach Smoothie, Creme Brulee, Latte, Frappe, Cocoa Bear

2nd Row: Preppy, Mocha, Brown Sugar, Bada Bing, Grandstand (FE), Mesmerized (FE), Flame Thrower (FE)

3rd Row: Hipster, Homecoming, Taupe Notch, Gold Digger, Bleached Blonde, Glamorous, Pretentious

4th Row: Cosmopolitan, Goddess, Prom Night, Moondust, Cinderella, Country Girl, Cupcake

5th Row: Unexpected, Bitten, Mango Tango, Burlesque, Drama Queen, Corrupt

(FE): Foiled Eyeshadow

L-R: Shimma Shimma, Vanilla Bean, Peach Smoothie, Creme Brulee, Latte, Frappe, Cocoa Bear

 L-R: Preppy, Mocha, Brown Sugar, Bada Bing, Grandstand (FE), Mesmerized (FE), Flame Thrower (FE)

L-R: Hipster, Homecoming, Taupe Notch, Gold Digger, Bleached Blonde, Glamorous, Pretentious

 L-R: Cosmopolitan, Goddess, Prom Night, Moondust, Cinderella, Country Girl, Cupcake

 L-R: Unexpected, Bitten, Mango Tango, Burlesque, Drama Queen, Corrupt

The majority of these eyeshadows are super pigmented, buttery and smooth to swatch as you can see from the photos although a few of the lighter matte shadows tend to be a bit powdery and dry when I swatched them. They make amazing transition shades and brow highlights though as they are not super saturated in pigment. When her foiled eyeshadows came out and I first tested them out, I was so blown away by how silky they apply and how much colour pay off and metallic-ness they give (Grandstand, Mesmerized and Flame Thrower are my top picks!). If you think her regular eyeshadows are great, you must really check out her foiled eyeshadows. They are on another level! I'm really anticipating on additional shades to the foiled eyeshadow collection in the future!

1st Row: Ice Queen, Mercury, Graphite, Stealth

2nd Row: Pixie Dust, Shimmermint, Poison Ivy, Houdini (FE)

3rd Row: Mermaid, Ocean Breeze, Center Stage (FE), Caitlin Rose (FE)

4th Row: Chickadee

 L-R: Ice Queen, Mercury, Graphite, Stealth, Pixie Dust, Shimmermint

 L-R: Poison Ivy, Houdini (FE), Mermaid, Ocean Breeze, Center Stage (FE), Caitlin Rose (FE), Chickadee

Pros:

• Great price point- inexpensive for the quality you get
• Very blendable
• Great colour pay off, rich in pigmentation
• Amazing and wide range of shades and finishes
• Worldwide shipping and fairly quick too
• So smooth, silky and buttery when applied
• Long lasting even without eye primer
• The fact they come in pan form and can be easily stored in magnetized palettes saves so much space
• Apparently they make great and less expensive dupes to MAC eyeshadows (can't say much about this as I don't have any MAC eyeshadows to compare them to)

Cons:  

• Can't think of many cons...if I'm being picky, maybe that some of the matte shadows are a bit powdery and dry and also they need more shades in their foiled eyeshadow line asap! :)
• Caitlin Rose and Center Stage foiled eyeshadows were slightly disappointing in terms of how metallic/foiled and pigmented they are compared to the other foiled eyeshadows. They required more layers to build up the colour

Hope you enjoyed this swatchfest!! I truly think Makeup Geek produce the BEST eyeshadows currently on the market and they are sooo worth the investment. Which are your favourites?

xo Laura

 

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

{ Review + Swatches } Lorac Mega Pro Palette

This is the time of the year where many makeup brands come out with their limited edition holiday goodies. None have really caught my eye so far except for Lorac's Mega Pro Palette, but even so, I never really intended to purchase it just because I have too many eyeshadows to last my lifetime as it is. It was not until I was just randomly browsing on Amazon that I saw it was available. I knew it was a limited edition sought after product and being a huge fan of Lorac's eyeshadows, I caved in. Luckily I did because it's actually sold out on both Amazon and Lorac's website at the moment. I heard they still have shipments coming in so if you're interested in making the purchase, bookmark these sites and keep refreshing!

Lorac announced that this new 32 eyeshadow holiday palette was going to be sold exclusively on their website and Amazon. The Mega Pro Palette contains 16 matte and 16 shimmer shades. The quality and texture of these eyeshadows is the exact same as their two pro palettes. They are extremely pigmented and buttery to touch but also powdery. Not chalky-dry powdery but powdery because of the very delicate soft formula.

The eyeshadow palette predominantly contains warmer shades but also a hint of cooler colours as seen mainly in the second row. I prefer warmer toned eyeshadows so this was a plus for me. The Mega Pro Palette basically feels like two pro palettes in one. The layout of the eyeshadows and finishes are very reminiscent to that of the previous pro palettes. The first two rows of the Mega Pro Palette are matte eyeshadows with the shimmer eyeshadows being placed in the third and fourth rows.

Packaging is also virtually identical to Lorac's previous pro palettes. It has the same matte rubberised material and is very thin and sleek. I added a photo of the two previous pro palettes with the Mega Pro as size comparison. As you can see, two of the older pro palettes basically equates to the Mega Pro when it comes to size. All pro palettes contain a decent sized mirror and has a magnetic closing.

Lorac Pro vs. Lorac Pro 2 vs. Lorac Mega Pro

One very important question is, are there any eyeshadow repeats? Yes. The Mega Pro also contains the shades "Cream" and "Espresso" which are some of the matte eyeshadows in the Lorac Pro palette as well as "Black" which is already in both the Lorac Pro and Pro 2 palettes. Seeing that there are only 3 repeat shades, I personally think the Mega Pro is definitely worth investing in if you love Lorac's eyeshadows or want to try Lorac's eyeshadows for the first time.

I absolutely adore the shades available in the Mega Pro but I do have one disappointment. I feel that there are two too many "black" shades in the palette. There's "Black", "Indigo" and "Caviar" which I think all swatch very similarly. Yes, "Indigo" does have that flash of purple glitters on top of the matte black shadow but it doesn't show up very well when applied. I was really hoping for this eyeshadow to work but the purple glitters unfortunately didn't bind very well on the eyeshadow and therefore gets lost when applied on the skin.

Mattes:

Shimmers:

Pros:

• Great selection of eyeshadow colours
• Very lightweight and sleek packaging
• Doesn't take up a lot of storage space
• Easy to travel with
• Smooth, buttery and fantastic pigmentation
• Nice range of warm and cool tones
• Long wearing

Cons:

• Limited edition, difficult to get your hands on it
• Too many "black" shades
• Soft formulation makes some shades powdery and messy to use
• A few are repeated shades from the previous two pro palettes 

 

The Mega Pro Palette retails for $59USD but for those in Australia, I purchased mine for around $78AUD (includes shipping) from Amazon and it only took 7 working days for it to arrive! 

What do you think of this palette? I personally think it would make an amazing gift for any makeup lover or for yourself if you're the makeup junkie!

xo Laura

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

{ Review + Swatches } YSL Baby Doll Kiss and Blush

 L-R: 1 Fuchsia Desinvolte, 2 Rose Frivole, 3 Rose Libre, 4 Orange Fougueux, 6 Rouge Libertine, 7 Corail Affranchi, 9 Rose Epicurien, 11 Prune Impertinente, 12 Moca Garconne

Lo and behold, my current YSL Kiss & Blush collection! Ever since I started seeing these pop up on instagram, I wanted to get my hands on them. YSL is one of my favourite high-end makeup brands, more specifically their lip products and so when these came out, I jumped at any opportunity to try them out! No surprises with packaging. YSL is always on point when it comes to how they present their products. I love the luxurious and weighty feel of these and how the lip colour actually shows through the glass vial.

The YSL Kiss & Blush collection is actually meant to be a 2 in 1 beauty product. Like the name suggests, they can be used on the lips and/or cheeks. I have not personally tried them as blushers as I detest the idea of putting a liquid/cream product on my cheeks but for the lips, they are so soft and fluffy when applied. Their lightly whipped silky formula feels so amazing, making application a breeze. They do produce a slight sheen and glisten when first applied (you can see this in the swatches below) but after a few minutes, the product dries fairly matte on your lips. They are pretty long lasting too and not drying at all. I would say about 4-5 hours for the lighter shades and longer for the darker ones.

Their doe-foot applicator is of a shape I've never seen before in any lip product- super unique. I can't really say if it makes that huge of a difference in application. I guess it's unusual shape helps to pick up just the right amount of product and the pointed tip allows for a more precise application especially around the cupids bow.

Ohhh and the smell of these products is exactly like any other YSL lip product. That signature sweet mango scent. Ughh...yummmm ;)

As far as I know, there are currently 12 shades and they retail for $40 USD. A very pricey product indeed and I'm definitely not planning on purchasing anymore as my collection is pretty extensive as is. If you're a lip/makeup junkie like me, you just need some of these in your collection though!

 L-R: 1 Fuchsia Desinvolte, 2 Rose Frivole, 3 Rose Libre, 4 Orange Fougueux, 6 Rouge Libertine, 7 Corail Affranchi, 9 Rose Epicurien, 11 Prune Impertinente, 12 Moca Garconne

Shade breakdown:

• 1 Fuchsia Desinvolte : blue based fuchsia pink
• 2 Rose Frivole : coral peachy pink
• 3 Rose Libre : peachy pink- leans more pink and less peachy than Rose Frivole
• 4 Orange Fougueux : bright tangerine orange
• 6 Rouge Libertine : pin up red
• 7 Corail Affranchi : milky orange
• 9 Rose Epicurien : blue based baby pink
• 11 Prune Impertinente : deep brown-burgundy
• 12 Moca Garconne : light nudish brown

My most used and favourite shade out of the bunch is surprise surprise, the nudey light brown, Moca Garconne. If you're obsessed with wearing a nude neutral lip then I highly recommend this one! I really enjoy wearing Rose Epicurien and Corail Affranchi too.

Pros:

• Very lightweight silky formula, feels like soft whipped cream!
• Long lasting
• Unique applicator makes for flawless application and easy precision
• Nice range of shades available
• Yummy mango scent
• Sturdy and luxurious packaging
• Not drying on the lips even though it's a matte lip product
• Dual purpose for those that also like to use it as a cheek blusher

Cons: 

• Price tag

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with Yves Saint Laurent. The products mentioned were purchased with my own money and as always my reviews are 100% my honest opinion *

{ Review + Swatches } Clinique "Cheek Pop" Blushers

Happy Sunday all! Today's blog post will be all about Clinique's latest blushers called "Cheek Pop". These blushes have actually been around for quite a while already and I have been meaning to write up a review on them. There are currently only four shades in the Cheek Pop line, 'Berry Pop', 'Plum Pop', 'Peach Pop' and 'Ginger Pop'. I'll be reviewing three out of these four shades!

I've never really been a Clinique lover. Now that I think about it, these blushes are probably the first makeup items from Clinique I own. I wasn't even tempted at all to purchase these blushes as I found the shades to be pretty basic and dupeable but I must say the beautiful daisy print and I'm pretty sure one of Jaclyn Hill's makeup hauls made me want these babies in my life.

I initially only purchased 'Peach Pop' and o...m...g... was I surprised or what. I love the gorgeous beautiful sheen it provides on the cheek. These blushes are not overwhelmingly glittery or super pigmented which makes it so easy to work with.

Beyond the cute flower print and how these blushes provide a beautiful natural cheek colour, my utmost favourite thing about these blushes are that they are not powdery or chalky whatsoever! This is what truly blew me away about these blushes. You know how when you swirl your brush on your blush, there can be some powdery-ness and blush pigments can be flying everywhere causing unwanted mess? Well, no matter how heavy handed with your brush you are with these Cheek Pops, you will not get that powdery fall-out. Formulation on point! This is why Clinique needs to put out more shades!

L-R: Ginger Pop, Peach Pop, Plum Pop

I also really enjoy how buildable the pigment on these blushes are. You can apply them softly and lightly to provide a natural glowy cheek colour or build the colour up for a more stronger pigment on the cheeks. My personal favourite out of the three I have would probably be 'Peach Pop'. I think it really compliments fair skin tones and looks super healthy and natural on the cheeks.

L-R: Ginger Pop, Peach Pop, Plum Pop

Pros:

• Zero powderyness and chalkiness
• Amazing formula- one of the best blushes to work with
• Provides a natural colour on the cheeks and radiant glow
• Colour can be buildable
• Adorable daisy design

Cons: 

• Small shade selection
• Quite pricey for 3.5g/0.12oz worth of product ($21US or ~$40AUD instore/$35AUD online)

xo Laura

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

{ 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 } NYX Butter Lipsticks

L-R: Snow Cap, Fun Size, Candy Buttons, Pops, Fizzies, Sweet Tart, Hunk, Licorice

A couple of months ago I picked up a few of NYX's butter lipsticks to try out as I love trying brand new products from NYX, especially their lip products. I was instantly drawn to the variety of shades (I believe there are 22 different colours available) and the colourful packaging.

In terms of consistency and texture of these lipsticks, they are somewhat in the middle of NYX's round lipsticks and their black label lipsticks. Not as slippery as the round lipsticks but more so than their black label lippies. They also have the consistency and feel of a lip balm but pigmentation of a lipstick which is fantastic as I dislike sheer lip products and love my lips to feel hydrated and moisturised. They smell slightly like gingerbread/cake/frosting and apply fairly smoothly on the lips. They have a nice creamy texture, apply with no major hassles and have great colour pay off (with the exception of Fun Size which applies quite sheer and can cling to dryness on your lips.)

L-R: Snow Cap, Fun Size, Candy Buttons, Pops, Fizzies, Sweet Tart, Hunk, Licorice

 

• Snow Cap: peachy nude
• Fun Size: light peachy pink (quite sheer and poorest application out of the bunch. May cling to dryness on your lips)
• Candy Buttons: coral pink (very glossy and somehow feels more slippery on the lips compared to the rest)
• Pops: brownish medium pink
• Fizzies: coral red
• Sweet Tart: pink toned red
• Hunk: deep berry pink
• Licorice: blackened burgundy/deep cherry red

Just like the above swatches, when applied on your lips, these lippies do provide a nice healthy shine and is very moisturising although are not the longest lasting lipsticks out there, especially with the lighter shades.

Pros:

• Great price
• Wide shade selection
• Moisturising
• Majority are pigmented and apply smoothly on the lips
• Nice sweet scent, not too overpowering
• Provides a nice shine on the lips

Cons:

• Not very long lasting especially with the lighter shades (~4 hours)
• Can feel a bit "slippery" or "oily" on the lips so beware with darker shades as they may bleed outside your lip lines
• Lighter shades like Fun Size tend to apply more sheer, patchy and may accentuates flaky lips

Which are your favourites? My personal loves are Pops (a perfect everyday neutral colour) and Licorice (which I wore in a recent instagram pic below)!

xo Laura

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