NARS Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via Veneto - Review and Swatch

I think I have found the best black pencil liner on the market. Nars' Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via Veneto is the product that I speak of. This stuff is a nice deep black and it stays on all day long. It appears to have a blue-ish undertone, which I personally don't mind. I am wearing it right now and we are at the 17 hour mark. It's still fairly dark and it has not budged. It's a solid, yet soft black if that makes any sense. It's a serious black, but it's not jet black. Swatch is at the end of this blog post.

Most pencil liners smear on me. There are only a few that don't such as most MAC and Urban Decay pencils. Those are pretty much in the safe zone for me. This Nars pencil doesn't 98% of the time, even when I wear glasses. Once in a while I notice a tiny smudge under one eye, but it's nothing serious and wipes away easily.

This also lasts longer on the waterline than any other eyeliner that I have ever tried. It still fades on me but it hangs on and some is still there at the end of the night. It's very soft and creamy. It glides on so easily. It's easy to apply and would be a good choice for a makeup beginner. The line is not too thin and not too thick. You can make the line thicker of course if you wish.

This is a twist up eyeliner, not one that you sharpen per se. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. On the up side, you waste a lot less product by not sharpening away the product constantly. On the down side, it's not easy to get a sharp point if that is what you desire. The pencil does come with a little sharpener, but it only does so much. I, personally, am not bothered about having a super sharp point, so I am cool with this design.

I must be getting lazy because I reach for this all of the time these days. It's so easy and less hassle than gel liner when I am limited on time. I would definitely get other colours in this line. The only drawback to this product is the price. It's $28 Canadian or $24 in the U.S. I actually bought this one in New York just to save the $4! Sad, I know, but $4 is $4. If you are wild about black pencil eyeliner and long wear products, you have to try this baby.

 

Packaging: 10/10

Pigmentation: 10/10
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Colour Stays True: 9.5/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 7/10 (it's value for your money though)
Ingredients: 8/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Would I buy this again? Hell to the Yes
Overall Rating: 9.5/10

GLAMGLOW Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment Mask - Review

I have no idea where this week has flown! I planned on doing a bunch of posts this week and the days just flew by. It's Friday now so better late than never to put up a post.

I bought a small jar of the GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment at Sephora recently. My jar is 15g or 0.5fl. oz. A regular jar is around $69 I believe with 1.7 fl. oz. My jar was $21. I actually wanted the Supermud Clearing Treatment mask and thought this was it. I was in a rush and made a boo boo. If you are into makeup at all you have likely heard about these GlamGlow mud masks. They are all the rage and people swear to you that they are the best masks ever, especially the Supermud Clearing Treatment. Many, if not all, of their mud masks have won awards.

A few bloggers have said that they didn't see much in the way of results when they used this particular mask, the Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment. However, those that said that, seemed to own a Clarisonic. I don't own a Clarisonic.....yet. It's on my list of things to buy this year.

So to cut a long story short, I was really impressed with this mask. More than I imagined was possible. When you put it on, it does tingle and feel a bit odd but nothing uncomfortable. There are weird bits of what look likes dried leaves or lettuce in it. I think it's tea leaves. The tingling stops after a few minutes. When I took the mask off, I wasn't expecting to notice a difference, but I did right away. My skin was suddenly much softer and felt smooth. The texture was better. All dry patchy areas were gone when I woke up the next day. My makeup just glided on and has continued to glide on all week. My skin doesn't feel stripped at all or dried out. My skin still feels soft and silky smooth, a week after I used it. Impressive my friends.

I don't exfoliate as often as I should and like I said, I don't own a Clarisonic so I am not buffing away dead skin cells morning, noon and night like some people are. Maybe that is why I noticed a difference. I have never had a mask do so much after one application. I can't say that this mask is a blemish fighter per se, and it is not meant to be. Get the Supermud Clearing Treatment for that I guess. I did notice my blemishes appear to be small this week and I have fewer than usual. So maybe it helps with that too.

Oh before I forget, I haven't talked about the smell. The mud smells a bit herbal and tea-like. Not off-putting, but not gorgeous either. It reminds me of the way that Lush mud masks smell.

I squawked at the $69 price tag for the big jar. That's why I bought the "travel size" jar for $21 to try it out. Since this mask worked so well, and everyone says that the Supermud Clearing Treatment mask is so much better, I think I may have to invest and try it out.

Packaging: 10/10 (cute and inner lid keeps things moist)

Easy to Work With: 9/10 (green bits are strange)
Product Texture: 10/10
Skin Texture after Use: 10/10
Lasting Results: 10/10
Price: 4/10
Ingredients: 8.5/10
Would I buy this again? Yes, in a flash
Overall Rating: 9.5/10 (the only real drawback is the price)

L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in 888 Iced Latte and 333 Golden Sage - Review and Swatches

I did a review a few months ago on two other colours from the L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow line. I was not overly impressed with those, despite the hype. I have noticed that bloggers have quickly stopped talking about these. Gee, I wonder why.

I really wanted to like these. I mean they are cute and the colours look so vibrant. As I mentioned in my previous L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow post, I accidentally acquired a few of these based on reviews without trying out one or two first. Since that time, I stumbled upon some of these while on a shopping trip to the U.S. and got one a couple more on sale plus there was a buy one get one free deal. There were certain colours that I wanted and I just couldn't get them here in Canada. Why L'Oreal sells completely different colours in the same product line, in different countries next door to each other is beyond me.

So I  now have a few of these....and so far I don't really like them. I haven't tried them all out yet, so I will suspend judgement on the rest for now. On to the goodies here...

It is impossible to get these two colours here in Canada. Silly. I bought 888 Iced Latte based on a post I saw online saying that Iced Latte was a dupe for one colour in the now discontinued Estee Lauder Bronzed Sands palette. As an aside, I was able to score the Bronzed Sands palette at an Estee Lauder clearance sale in the U.S. back in November. That review to follow soonish. Iced Latte is no where in the same universe as Estee Lauder eye makeup. Please, don't make me laugh. Iced Latte is chalky as all heck. This colour is by far the chalkiest of all of the L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadows that I have tried to date. It swatches well but it looks really cheap and chunky on your eyelid. It fades, crumbles and doesn't look all that shimmery after you apply it.

On the other hand, 333 Golden Sage is a gorgeous colour in the pan or pot if you prefer. It swatches well. It looks fabulous when you apply it. However, after wearing it for a few hours the colour shrinks on your lids and that looks odd. I used primer underneath when I wore both of these colours by the way. The shimmer disappears and the colour starts to look cakey. I would highly suggest that you build other eye shadow colours around it so that it looks passable after a few hours of wear. L'Oreal 24 hr. Infallible Eye Shadow? This doesn't look good after 3 hours, let alone 24!

 

 

Here are the swatches. I think you can tell which colour is which.

 

 



Packaging: 9/10 (inventive)

Pigmentation: 10/10 (swatched) and 4/10 (after wear) 
Easy to Work With: 3/10  Iced Latte and 8/10 Golden Sage
Longevity: 3/10
Texture: 3/10 Iced Latter (Crumbly and Chalky) and 7/10 Golden Sage
Price: 8/10
Ingredients: 4/10
Travel Worthy: 7/10 (small and convenient minus farting around with that cap and screw lid)
Attractiveness of Product: 2/10 Iced Latte and 3/10 Golden Sage (after 3 hours of wear)
Would I buy this again? Nope
Overall Rating: 4/10

Korres Antiageing Primer - Review

I got a good sized sample from Sephora of this recently and I was able to get 3 uses out of it. I seem to be on a kick to try out and use up some of the foundation primers that I have kicking around. I don't think that foundation primer is one of those things that you need to use for awhile to get the feel of it and be able to give it an honest review. I think you see the results of the full extent of it the first time you use it.

I am very lucky that I don't have hardly any wrinkles at my age. I have zero crow's feet, and other than a couple mild laugh lines, I think I'm doing pretty good. I am in my 30's and I have seen 20 year olds (even celebrities)  with crow's feet etc. so I consider myself most fortunate. Since I am not looking "pruney" yet, I can't speak about whether or not this product makes your wrinkles look smoother or not.

I am going to cut and paste for you the information about this primer straight from Sephora's website:

What it is: A powerful treatment and skin-perfecting facial primer clinically proven to improve skin texture by 97%.

What it does:
This powerful treatment and skin-perfecting face primer in one instantly fills wrinkles and produces a smooth and perfected skin surface—ensuring long-lasting make up application. The formula is enriched with powerful antioxidant Quercetin and Oak extracts, which improve skin cell functioning, repair fine lines and wrinkles, and improve skin texture and elasticity. The revolutionary, breakthrough Quercetin & Oak Age-reversing Primer is clinically proven to improve skin texture by 97% and significantly increase skin elasticity by 88%.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

What else you need to know:
Silicone-free; does not clog the pores.

Research Results:
Quercetin & Oak Age-reversing Primer Clinical Studies:
- 97% saw improved skin texture
- 88% saw significant increase in skin elasticity
- 84% saw visibly firmer, tighter skin
- 75% saw immediate lifting

There appears to be some good stuff in this product. What I can tell you of my brief experience with it is that it feels very nice when you put it on. It glides over your skin like silk and it has a cooling sensation. Might be nice to use when it is hot outside. I did find that it was very comfortable on and felt great throughout the day. My makeup did stay on well so it served as a good base. It also made my pores look smaller and made my skin look reasonably even toned. It didn't help cover any blemishes though. It gave it a little glow too. It looks like light white hand lotion.

The price is $43 Canadian and $33 U.S. at Sephora for 1.01 oz.

I still love my Laura Mercier Radiance primer and plan to stick to that for now. I did think this product was neat though and maybe when I have more wrinkles I would give it another go. I would use this if I had some lying around. It seemed like a nice product to me. I am just not sure that I would reap the benefits of yet at this stage of my life.

I have a bunch of palettes coming up soon for review and I have dabbled in a few primers lately so stay tuned!

Packaging: 8/10 

Pigmentation: N/A 

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 10/10 

Price: 5/10 (Pricey)

Ingredients: 10/10

Travel Worthy: 10/10 

Attractiveness of Product: 8/10

Would I buy this again? Possibly Yes

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

MAC 227 Brush - Review and Pics

I have had my current MAC 227 brush for over 3 years. I believe I owned one prior to that, but due to "an act of God" at my house a few years back, I lost all of my brushes at the time. This is a big eye brush and is referred to as a large fluff brush. Biggest eye brush I have. Most beauty gurus, bloggers and addicts will tell you that you don't need this brush and that you should pass on it when putting together your makeup brush collection. I see their point to some extent. Technically, you don't need this brush whatsoever to put together any eye look.

I, on the other hand, love this brush and reach for it all of the time. For me, it is multi-purpose brush. The main thing I use it for is to put an all over wash of colour onto my lids. It's fast, puts down a lot of colour, covers a lot of ground, and blends out edges very well. This is my go to brush most mornings when I am running out of the door to go to work and I don't have time to do much to my face. I grab a neutral eye shadow and this brush and away I go. Takes a few seconds, literally.

I also use this brush for highlighting my brow bone arch area. It works very well for that purpose. The final use I have for it is to clean up the sides of my eyes when I do a cat eye or some serious crease work. Just use a skin colour eye shadow and sweep the brush back and forth between the edge of your eye at the outer corner and the end of your eyebrow and it gets rid of most mistakes or harsh lines in that area. This is an awesome trick and I highly recommend that you try it sometime!

This brush is $38.50 Canadian and $32 U.S. Ouch? Yes. Insane? Totally. Have I got my money's worth over the years? Absolutely. These brushes can last 10 years or more if you look after them. Mine looks close to new and I use it almost everyday! Sigma sells a knock off version of this brush called an E50 and they sell it for $14 U.S. I do not own the E50 so I can't really say if the two brushes are comparable. To save some money though, it might be a good choice. Heck, I might pick one up one of these days to see if they are similar and also so I have a backup.

My only criticism of this brush other than price is that sometimes when I wash it, especially in the beginning, some black colour bleeds out of the bristles. I have never had this happen with any of my other MAC brushes and I own a lot of them. I don't know if my brush is a one off in that department, but the issue seems to have practically disappeared.

Packaging: 10/10    

Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Usefulness: 10/10
Texture/Softness: 7.5/10
Price: 1/10
Travel Worthy: 4/10 (it's large and bulky and I often don't take it on trips)
Overall Rating: 8/10 (only negative is really the price)
Would I buy this again? YES

Tarte ReCreate Silicone-Free Primer - Review

The current status of this product has me a bit baffled. I think it is discontinued. Since the makeup world can be a funny place, this product may be repromoted one day, so therefore I will do a review. I swear I got this large size sample of this product from Sephora recently. Yet, this product is not on Sephora's website and it is no where to be found on Tarte's website. Maybe one of you know? Please leave me comment below.

The foundation primer business has become a monster in the last year or two. Competition is fierce. If this primer didn't survive the battle, I am not surprised. It wasn't wonderful, just ok. It looks like a body lotion and is white. It glides on easy as pie and you don't need much. It feels nice on the skin and seems unscented.

I am lucky that I can say that I don't have much in the way of wrinkles so I can't say that I noticed that this product, which is targeted at working on blurring wrinkles, did anything for me. It is silicone-free which appeals to many people. Normally, I love most Tarte products, but this one didn't wow me. The best I can say about this primer is that it helped keep my foundation looking fresh longer and it gave me a little bit of a more dewy complexion. I skipped primer one morning recently and I totally noticed a difference that day when I had been using this product every day for a week before. However, compared to my Laura Mercier Radiance Primer, this Tarte primer is sub par. If it were still available, I wouldn't repurchase. I will finish the tube though. I didn't notice that this primer did anything to minimize the look of my pores or redness on my face which a lot of other primers do these days.

Packaging: 5/10 (boring!)  

Pigmentation: N/A 

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 8/10

Texture: 10/10 

Price: ???????

Ingredients: ??????? 

Travel Worthy: 10/10 

Attractiveness of Product: 6/10

Would I buy this again? Uh No and Can't

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Sigma Beauty Eye Shadow Base Kit in Bare - Review and Swatches

I have been meaning to do a review on this Sigma Beauty Eye Shadow Base Kit in Bare forever....The truth is that I tried two of them and just got around to trying the third one, Sculpt, recently. I did a long and detailed review of Persuade several months ago and it can be found here:

http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2013/04/sigma-beauty-eye-shadow-base-in.html

The Eye Shadow Base Kit in Bare comes with three colours - Persuade, Pose and Sculpt. Persuade is a pink nude shade which colour wise is a dupe of MAC's Painterly Paint Pot. It's a dupe in colour only, not quality, let's be clear. Pose is a reddish shimmery brown. Pose is a dupe of MAC's Constructivist Paint Pot in terms of colour. Sculpt is a grey black colour which is a colour dupe of MAC's Blackground. None of these are on par with MAC's Paint Pots, I am strictly talking colour only.

This kit was $36 U.S. when I bought it. I struggled with whether or not to buy it as I didn't really want the Sculpt shade as I have MAC's Blackground. I wanted Pose because I didn't have MAC's Constructivist Paint Pot (I only had a small sample in my stash). I mostly wanted Persuade because all of these bloggers (mostly if not all Sigma affiliates) claimed the product was creaseless. It was also cheaper than MAC's Painterly in theory and was a dupe. Sadly, Persuade is not creaseless. It creases on me in less than 10 minutes. I have oily lids but that is crazy. Painterly creases on me as well, but it is a far superior product to Persuade.

This kit is now $28.80 on sale on Sigma's website as I write this. One of these eye shadow bases on its own is $13. I also wanted the brush that came with the kit which is what made me decide to get the kit. I like the brush by the way. It's nice and tapered and can be used as a concealer brush as well.

I am going to attempt to not be as long winded here as I was in my previous post on Persuade. Here is the quick and dirty version. Persuade is a thin, watery product. It glides across my lids like watery butter and keeps gliding if I don't work it in immediately in the place that I want it. It creases like crazy on me. It is lightweight which is a plus but it does not give your lids an opaque look like Painterly does. It's a bit transparent and you can see the veins on your lids still a bit. If you have dry lids, you might really like this product, but it isn't suitable for me or anyone with oily lids nor is it for someone who wants an opaque base on their lids. If you are used to using Painterly, you are going to be shocked at the difference and not in a good way.

I like the cap that is inside of these eye shadow bases. It's a good idea and MAC should take a leaf out of Sigma's book on that point. This product though is so watery, it would be hard pressed to dry out.

The size of the packaging is insane and it's plastic. MAC uses glass. Yeah MAC! Can you see above how small the pot of product is compared to the overall jar! What was Sigma thinking??? Also, and this really burned my biscuit, the jar is constantly cracking. It hope you can see the cracks above. I have not been rough with them and they have been stored at room temperature not in the bathroom nor a cold or hot place. This looks so cheap in my opinion.

I did the math in my previous blog post. You can refer to it for the nitty gritty. Basically though, if you buy one of these for $13 and add shipping, you have paid for a MAC Paint Pot. There is not cost savings per se.

In the picture above are the swatches. Left to Right is Persuade, Pose and Sculpt. They are a bit thin and watery as you may have noticed. They do glide on easily though, too easily.....The quality of these reminds me of the gel eyeliners that were in the Tiffany D Defining Eyes palette by Sigma. Watery and not long lasting.

Pose is the best of the three in my opinion. It was the most opaque on the lid and lasts the longest. Sculpt was not good. It blended out too easily and can be completely removed from your lid if you blend too much. Crazy, I know. It melts and disappears into your eyelid, even with a primer underneath. Almost any trace of it has faded into nothing including the eye shadow that you put on top of it within a few hours.

I was so disappointed with these. A full list of ingredients is on my other blog entry which I have linked to at the start of this blog. The best thing I can say about this kit was that Pose wasn't bad, but needs a primer, and I liked the brush.

Here is a swatch of MAC's Painterly Paint Pot on the left versus (vs.) Sigma's Persuade on the right.

As you can see, Painterly is a lot thicker than Persuade. I hope this was helpful for you. I wish I would have seen a review like mine before I bought it!

Packaging: 2/10  (the 2 is for the inner cap)

Pigmentation: 3/10  Persuade   7/10 Pose    3/10 Sculpt
Easy to Work With: 4/10 (goes on and slides off easily)
Longevity: 1/10
Texture: 5/10 (feels smooth and light but there is no substance)
Price: 6/10
Ingredients: 7/10
Travel Worthy: 2/10 (bulky!)
Attractiveness of Product: 2/10
Would I buy this again? No Way
Overall Rating: 4/10 (being mega generous)

**Product Update 10/23/2014 - through an accident Persuade ended up redeeming itself a little http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2014/10/two-products-that-i-have-changed-my.html

Again???!!! More Discontinued Eye Shadows from MAC

Hello!

Just a quick blog post to let you all know that MAC is discontinuing another couple of eye shadows from their permanent line. They are:

Seedy Pearl
Crystal

So if you like these two, better run and grab them while you can! I picked up Seedy Pearl the other day myself.

MAC Sweet Heat Extra Dimension Eye Shadow from the Magnetic Nude Collection - Review and Swatch

My hubby got a me MAC gift card for Christmas and I dipped into it a little bit this week. One of the things that I bought was the limited edition MAC Sweet Heat Extra Dimension eye shadow from their Magnetic Nude collection which came out recently. I wasn't planning to buy it, but the salesperson showed me this and well, I liked it. I thought it looked cool. She suggested this would work well as a pop of colour and shimmer on the inner corner or as a highlight. I agree with all of that and I think it also works well as a lid colour. It's described as a liquid-powder eye shadow.

This was the first Extra Dimension eye shadow from MAC that I have purchased. It is $22.50 Canadian and $19.50 U.S. The pan is 1.3g or 0.04 oz. A regular MAC eye shadow is 1.5g so you are getting a bit less here and you are also paying more for the "extra dimension". This was an impulse buy but I do really like the colour - it is described as a soft peach pink. It's very vibrant and creamy. The colour blends easily, it's smooth and long wearing. MAC is claiming that it lasts up to 6 hours. I wore this one day with a clear primer and it lasted the whole 17 hours that I wore it until I took it off. I think MAC is underselling themselves here.

 

 

Here are a couple of swatches. I think anyone could wear this colour. It's a no brainer shade. I do think that $22.50 is a bit much since the regular eye shadow line in the pro refill pan has been reduced to $12 Canadian each now. That's almost double the price. I don't regret this purchase (use of a gift card cushioned the blow) but I think there are other lovely shades out there that are similar for less money. I love my MAC though.

 

 

 

 

I am planning to put together some Top 10 lists for MAC eye shadows soon so I hope you stay tuned! I love reading other people's Top 10 MAC lists so hopefully you will like mine.

 

 

Packaging: 10/10    

Pigmentation: 10/10
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Colour Stays True: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 3/10
Ingredients: 8/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Overall Rating: 9.5/10 (only negative is the price)
Would I buy this again? For the price, this one is the only one I'll be getting 



Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment - Review

This review is going to be short and sweet. I bought this early last year when I was having some serious issues with my lips after an allergic reaction I had. I used it for a bit and forgot about it. Now that the weather is freezing and central heating is on 24/7, my lips were soooo dry and cracked. It's gross. So I dug this up a couple of months ago and I am now scooping out what is left of the product from below the rim. This stuff is amazing. It works really well. With regular use it repairs your lips and makes them feel very nice. I would wax poetic about this product but that would be a bit much. If your lips are in bad shape, this is a worthy investment.

Investment you say? Yes, that's what I said. The price tag is a killer. It's $28 Canadian or $25 U.S. It's just clear lip balm. If you have no issues with your lips, I wouldn't buy this as it is outrageously expensive. Burt's Bees lip balms do a good job and are almost, but not quite, as good as this and they cost 1/6 of the price. I do love this product, but at $28  a pop I will be hard pressed to buy another unless my lips get really bad again. Which, hey, it might happen. I would consider this more of a "health" product or investment perhaps than a beauty one. Cracked, dry lips are not beautiful of course so you could take this product either way.

One final word to the wise.....this lip balm smells like a cross between lemon pledge and lemon meringue pie. I have grown to not mind the smell, but some people may not be crazy about it.

Packaging: 8/10 (writing on tube fades fast and scratches off but the tube looks solid and cute when new)

Pigmentation: N/A 

How Does it Feel On: 10/10

Longevity: 9/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 1/10

Ingredients: 8/10 

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Attractiveness of Product: 10/10 (for clear balm)  

Smell and Taste: 8/10

Would I buy this again? YES if I need too      

Overall Rating: 8/10 (the price is the main issue that drags the score down)

Love MAC? Do you travel? Like saving money? I have a suggestion....

Brrr it's cold here! It was -35 degrees with the windchill here this morning. For those of you in warmer climates, you may not be able to visualize that, but I assure you that -35 degrees is damn cold and is quite colder than normal for us Torontonians during the winter months.

I have something a little different for all of you today. Do you love MAC eyeshadows? Do you sometimes travel? On a budget or like saving money? Well I have a suggestion for you.

If you buy an empty MAC Pro Palette Eyeshadow case x4, it is $10 Canadian or $8 U.S. Just for an empty palette, no eyeshadows included. This palette is on the left in the picture above. I will admit that the MAC palette is sleek and looks sexy. I have a few of these myself.

On the right in the picture above, we have the e.l.f. Essential Custom Compact with Mirror. It's $1 U.S. Yep, that's right, I said it's $1 U.S. Can't do better than that. To do a couple things better than MAC, it has a mirror and a dual-ended applicator which the MAC version does not have. Now the e.l.f. palette looks kind of cheap and is no where near as attractive as the MAC version. I won't kid you there.

I am sure you can see where I am going with this. MAC Pro Palette Eyeshadow Refill Pans fit into the e.l.f. palette. I have MAC's Trax in the lower right hand corner above in the e.l.f. palette. The e.l.f. palette slots or holes (gee that doesn't sound good) are just a hair bigger than a MAC eyeshadow pan, but because it is magnetic, it holds the MAC eyeshadow snugly and firmly in place. It will not fall out if you turn it upside down.

Sorry my MAC palette is so dusty looking and there is a shot of my camera in the first pic.

On top of this sweet discovery, as you can likely guess, Makeup Geek (MUG) eyeshadows also fit into the e.l.f. palette. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! So if you don't feel like splashing out $10 Canadian for the MAC palette or $15 U.S. and up for a Z palette, this may be a good alternative for you. I would even dare to suggest that the e.l.f. palette is sturdier for travel than the MAC one. I'm just saying.....

I'll be using my e.l.f. palette with MAC and MUG eyeshadows the next time I leave town for a night or more. What about you?

Too Faced Crisp Apple Strudel Eyeshadow Swatch - I love this colour!

Happy New Year everyone! It's back to work for me tomorrow (boo!) so I thought I would just put up a quick post. I have been absolutely loving the eyeshadow Crisp Apple Studel by Too Faced over the past couple of weeks. This eyeshadow is in the A Few of My Favourite Things palette. I hope Too Faced will make this eyeshadow part of their permanent line one day.

The picture that I have above of me wearing the colour does not do it justice. It is shimmery and looks like a few different colours on your eye depending on the light. It's multidimensional. Looks great on its own all over your lid. I like to pop a lighter colour in my inner corner to add some more brightness, but do whatever you like. It looks like you spent ages applying eyeshadow when you only have this colour on. Wow, is all I have to say.

I don't even love brown eyeshadows, but this one is the bomb! It is extremely long lasting, soft, silky and stays true to colour.