First Look: Flower Costmetics by Drew Barrymore

If you haven't heard or seen Drew Barrymore promoting Flower Cosmetics, I'm here to tell you that Drew Barrymore is the face and owner of her own cosmetics brand, Flower.  I saw the collection, and I was so blown away by the beautiful colors.  Flower philosophy is to keep the cost of the products down by not paying for advertising.  They also use same ingredients used in luxury makeup and some products are made of real flower.  Also they are produced in the good 'ol USA and never tested on animals.  Also this brand is sold exclusively at Walmart and Walmart.com.  I think the official launch date was January 31st, but I've seen other bloggers seeing items at their local stores (limited items) and I ordered mine through Walmart.com.  All the items were priced starting at $6.98 and doesn't go above $13.98. Apparently a lot of the items are sold out already! Goodness!  I'm so excited for this brand and Drew Barrymore! (Loooooove her!)

So here are few items I was able to get.  This is just a first impression and quick swatches.

I ordered the Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadows, Win Some, Rouge Some, Creme Blush, Kiss Stick, High-Shine Lip Color.  The Color Play Cream Eyeshadows packaging look very similar to L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows, but they are a bit different.

 Swatches of the Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadows. They come in a glass jar with white top.
From left to right:
Lilac You a Lot (irridescent purple), Midnight Garden (black, grayish with sparkle), Awesome Blossom (slightly metallic chocolate), Mum's the Word (rusty pink).  As you can tell they are quite pigmented, minus Lilac You a Lot.  Also the consistency of the shadows are very light and airy, so I'd say it feels like a cross between creme and mousse.  It's not like the Maybelline Color Tattoos. 

 Walmart packed my package in the most horrible way possible and these got tossed around like popcorn in a humongous bag, so it's quite messy, but this is what it looks like when you open them.  This is in color Awesome Blossom.

This is the Win Some/Rouge Some Creme Blush in Peach Blossom.  This one isn't that creamy, but I'd say a cross between cream and powder.  It definitely finishes powdery and that's their claim.  It's a very pretty peach, perfect for spring.

And last but not least, the Kiss Stick, High Shine Lip Color in Sweet Peony.  I read in an interview that Drew Barrymore said this is one of her faves, so I had to have it!  It's a peachy creamy lipstick with slight pink sheen to it.  Really pretty.  it's a bit light even for my skin, but I can make it work for the spring. lol

Swatches of the lipstick in sweet peony on the left and the blush in peach blossom on the right.  Doesn't it scream SPRING IS HERE?

So that's my first impression of the Flower Cosmetics by Drew Barrymore.  I'm going to have to try them out to do a review. 

NARS Debbie Harry Eye and Cheek Palette Swatches

If you haven't read my review of the NARS Debbie Harry Eye and Cheek Palette, go here first.  I just wanted to do the swatches for you, so you can see what I was talking about.  Since when I went the first time to purchase this palette, they didn't have on display yet, so the Sephora Rep had to show it to me.  I didn't bother taking pictures, but I went back today and did the swatches.  (I quickly took pictures with my iPhone, and I have to say iPhone 5 picture quality is pretty darn good. :)

This is the swatch of everything in the palette minus the cream highlighter/blush. 
You see how the colors are not as vibrant as it appears on the palette?  Also it's not so silky feeling either, very rough due to the glitter.  I say glitter a lot while describing this palette.  hahahahah

Here's the palette again if you really want to see it... kekeke

And this is after I swiped it couple of times with my hands.
All gone! Little traces of the Starry Black left.

Close up of the palette... look at all the silver glitter!

Here I swatched similar colors from other NARS eyeshadows...
These are much silkier and the good quality I'm used to.  Much better color payoff with same amount of swipes.

And after I swiped it off the same amount of times as the Debbie Harry palette.  You can at least still see the colors!

Anyhow, I had to share this again, so if you are considering this palette thinking it'd be as awesome as their other palettes from the past.  This one is a NO NO NO.  NO GOOD QUALITY!  bleh... so disappointed still....

Review: NARS Debbie Harry Eye And Cheek Palette (Andy Warhol Collection)

Just look at this palette.... isn't it gorgeous?  It's from NARS Andy Warhol Pop Collection, Debbie Harry Eye and Cheek Palette ($65). And with NARS eyeshadows being pigmented and silky... I thought this was going to be a dream.... Blush, highlighter, and four gorgeous eyeshadows...  This palette is exclusive to Sephora.

image source: Google.com

I was so stoked.  I work right across from Sephora, so I went in to get this palette at lunch.  It technically wasn't even released two days ago.  I believe it was released at the stores today.  So I asked the Sephora Rep to get it from the back to show me.  I wouldn't be able to buy it, but she said she'd show me to play with it.  When she came back, the palette was about 3/4 size of the Danmari/ Joie de Vivre Palette.  I liked the size and I like NARS packaging.  When I opened it, it was a brand new sample Sephora was going to put out into their display.  Holy Crap, there was so much silver glitter, I thought I was at Mardi Gras. And I mean BIG CHUNKY GLITTER. And these glitters are not even incorporated into the shadows or blushes.  It looked like it was sprinkled on.  I made the "ewwwww" face and the Sephora rep said let's go the station and play with it.  I was so disappointed, I didn't even want to play with it.  But I decided to give it benefit of the doubt and swatch it.  Especially the purple and teal eyeshadows. Oh my... all I got was glitter and NO COLOR PAYOFF.  The eyeshadow wouldn't even stay on my hand.  And all I was left was glitter and that just fell off after few swipes.  Fine... glitter falls off, but what's up with no pigment on vibrant colors like the purple and teal?  I'm still shaking my head. And to make things waaaay worse, there were same glitter on the blush and the highlighter too. I MEAN TO MAKE SURE I WAS SWATCHING CORRECTLY, I EVEN SWATCHED IT AGAIN TO SHOW MY FRIEND.....(See swatches here)

You can see in this enlarged picture the silver glitter.  I thought it was just going to be small glitter, but it's big glitter.  Trust me.  BIG SILVER USELESS GLITTER that doesn't stick.

WHY NARS WHY? And Sephora... WHY?  Didn't anyone look at this and say, this glitter just falls off and it's way too big?  I'm surprised NARS and SEPHORA allowed this poor quality product in the market.  And put Andy Warhol's name on it.

In conclusion, I obviously didn't buy it.  If you are looking to buy this on-line, please don't.  I will beg you not to.  Go to the store and check it out first.  I will guarantee you, you will not want it.  If you check the Sephora website, you'll see reviews like mine.  There are few that says the pigment and color payoff is great.  I don't know what they are smoking or what palette they got.  But it is not the case.  I reviewed it on sephora, but I don't know where my review went.... or wasn't posted yet.

I cannot recommend this palette to ANYONE in the right mind.  Actually even if you are crazy, don't get it. LOL

Sephora Pantone Shades of Nature Palette

Sorry about the lateness of this post.  I know I have had this palette for over a month now, and I was so excited to share.  But I was trying to play around with the palette and experiment with different looks so you guys can see.  But I think it's a good thing since I had plenty of time to test it out. ^_^

Before I get into the palette (because you'll see plenty of my pictures of the palette), here are three looks I created using the Sephora + Pantone Universe Shades of Nature Palette ($55).  I actually created more looks, but trying to photograph eyeshadows is actually kind of hard.  Under different lightings and camera settings, the colors don't show up.  *sigh*

Sephora and Pantone Universe collaborated once again to create this Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette called Shades of Nature Eyeshaow Palette.  It comes with 35 silky colors.  I didn't count but there are mixture of matte and shimmery colors.  It has a good range of neutrals to bright vibrant colors all the way to black.  I think it's quite versatile.  You can create springy, summery day looks to dark smokey night time looks.
Here's the box the palette came in.

Back of the box which lists the information/ color numbers (it's a shame these colors don't have names).

To show you the size of the palette, I placed my iPad next to it.  It's about the same size.

The thickness is about the same also.

This palette almost looks like a MacBook. :)  When you open the palette it comes with a good sized mirror.

Another view.

Close up of the colors. (first three colums of the left side)

The remaining....

I swatched few of the colors on my hand to show you the pigmentation/colors.

As you can see, the eyeshadows are almost identical on my finger as they are in the palette.  Colors are gorgeous.

This matt black shade is the most pigmented blackest eye shadow I have ever seen!!!! Love it!!!!

You can also use the eyeshadow wet.  I swatched the shades so you can see the difference between using it dry and wet.  The left is dry and the right is wet.  It's a little darker and less shiny.

When I initially bought this palette, I figured buy it first before they are out of stock (since it's limited edition) and I can always return it.  But after seeing the palette, I couldn't let go.  And the presentation of this palette is so sleek and beautiful.  It's one of a kind.  And I really love the ranges of colors it has.  If you are looking for a good range of color palette with good quality eyeshadows, I'd highly recommend this palette. 

Here are my Pros and Cons:
Pros
- 35 eyeshadows in one sleek casing
- easy to store
- big sized mirror (great for traveling)
- most of the colors were very pigmented ( I can't say all were)
- no fall out
- can be used wet or dry
- not bad for the price of $55, considering the Urban Decay Naked Palette ( 1 and 2) are $50 each.

Cons
- unfortunately, the palette case does not snap to close.  It just closes kind of like a laptop.  This could be dangerous if you are traveling with it.
- there were shimmery colors.  I can't say this is a con, but I'd have liked to see more matte colors.
- no color names (I kind of don't care, cuz I'll use what looks good, but some people might)

I think this palette is definitely worth checking out.  My advice when you are using the bright vibrant colors (actually this applies to any bright vibrant eyeshadows) is to use a good primer or a cream base.  NYX Jumbo stick is a good one to use.

If you are going to get this, or want to check it out, go soon!!! It's a Limited Edition at Sephora!!!

Review: Wet n Wild Palettes: Blue Had Me at Hello and Petal Pusher

I was at CVS the other day picking up some toothpaste and I wondered off into the beauty section.  It seems like drugstore beauty products have been getting more spotlights lately.  So I decided to see what's new and might be worth checking out.

I picked up Wet n Wild 8 Eye shadow Palettes in Blue Had Me At Hello and Petal Pusher.  I decided to pick these two up because they were cheap- $4.99 for each palette.  And these were colors I wouldn't normally pick up paying more money for the eye shadows I wouldn't use on a normal basis.  I tend to stick to pinks and neutral colors, which I wouldn't mind investing in.  Also when the Wet n Wild Comfort Palette came out (which is all neutral colors like the Urban Decay's Naked Palette), all the beauty gurus went nuts and they were sold out EVERYWHERE!  I never looked for them, but that's what I heard.

Petal Pusher on the left and Blue Had Me At Hello on the right.  I bought these because of the purple, green and blue shades.  I always wanted those sets of colors in my collections but didn't want to fork out $15 and up per shadow when I knew I wouldn't get good use of them.

Swatches of Petal Pusher.

Out of all the sets, this four set was the lightest and most sheer.  I think this set of colors would be great for a light romantic look.

Swatches of second set of Petal Pusher
This set was much richer and much more pigmented colors.  This could be used for going out and also I think if used correctly, it could be used everyday as well.

Swatches of Blue Had Me At Hello

This set contained more metallic gray blue-ish shades.  I'm not a big fan of gray metallic colors, but I think I could use the crease color and the mixing the eyelid colors for a night out.

Swatches of second set of Blue Had Me at Hello. This my favorite set of all of them.  I'm really loving the greenish blue-ish shade for the eyelids. I think it could be really fun for the summer. :)

I haven't used Wet n Wild products forever!  But I'm really glad I gave this a chance.  I'm so impressed by the price and the quality of these eye shadows.  It's almost creamy, silky and well pigmented.  I tried wearing it for 12 hours with eyelid primer and it did not crease or flake.  Lasted all day.  I think for $4.99 for 8 eye shadows, it's totally worth checking out.  Check it out at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart or Target.

Smashbox Shades of Fame Palette Launch Party

I was lucky enough to be invited to Sephora's sponsored party at Smashbox Studios for their Shades of Fame Palette Launch Party.  The Shades of Fame Palette will be released sometime in April from what they tell me.  But I just saw that it's on sale at Sephora.com.  So maybe it was released? lol (no clue)

At this event it included a photo ready makeover by Smashbox and Sephora Professional Makeup Artists and a Professional headshot photo session with world renowned photographer Davis Factor (grandson of Max Factor- Cosmetic Mogul).  Also there was a DJ bumping music, food, open bar, goodie bag and a chance to purchase the unreleased palette before anyone else. :)  It was quite a party.  It was cool to actually visit Smashbox Studios where the magic happens.  Smashbox is one of my favorite makeup brands.  So it was pretty awesome.  Here are some pictures!

My friend and I waiting to get our makeup done!

My friend getting her makeup done....

Playing around...  ^_^

 

Open Bar!

Goodie bags from Sephora!  It included $10 gift card to Sephora, Smashbox Eyelid Primer and Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara! ^_^

Smashbox Summer Collection- Shades of Fame Palette we got to purchase before the launch... review on this coming up soon! Beautiful

Others getting their photoshoot done with Davis Factor

And our photoshoot photos... (I wasn't very happy with how my pictures turned out... but just to show you... lol) even the wind in my hair didn't help... how sad...

And a picture with my makeup artist...