Product Review -- Makeup Revolution The Emily Edit The Needs and The Wants Palettes

I've bought quite a few makeup products that were collaborations between a brand and a YouTube beauty influenster but in most of those cases, I only bought the items because the specific shades or products appealed to me, not because I had much invested in the influenster in particular.

When I heard that Emily Noel was coming out with some palettes with Makeup Revolution, though, I knew that I'd buy them no matter what they looked like.

I've been watching Emily for 10 (maybe more even) years, and I appreciate pretty much everything about her. Supporting her is a no-brainer.

It doesn't hurt that I've become a big fan of Makeup Revolution over the past few years too -- they put out a lot of really quality products at an affordable price point, so there's plenty to like about the brand.

Product Review -- The Balm Take Home The Bronze Anti-Orange Bronzer

Being as fair as I am, bronzer is always a tricky product for me.

Nine times out of ten, the bronzer is either too dark or too orange to work with my skin tone, so it's not a product that I necessarily wear every day.

Sure, there are some days when I like a little extra warmth in my face or want to give it a little more shape without hardcore contouring, and I reach for one my favorite bronzers (the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Milk Chocolate Bronzer, Benefit Hoola Light, and a limited edition MAC bronzer that's no longer available anymore are my usual go-to's), but in general, bronzer just isn't a makeup item that I get excited about.

But I was pretty interested in trying out The Balm's new Take Home The Bronze because not only is it available in three shades, so there would likely be an option light enough for me, but the bronzer's mission statement is right in its product description -- it's designed to be an anti-orange bronzer.

Sign me up!

Product Review Roundup -- PUR Soiree Diaries, Pur PRO x Etienne, PUR x Boxycharm, Visionary, and Creator Eyeshadow Palettes

Note: My apologies for the lack of posts last week. I was swamped with work and feeling a bit under the weather, so I needed quite a few naps... which ate into my blogging time. ;)

A few years ago, I bought a PUR Minerals eyeshadow palette on a whim, though I'd never tried any products from the brand before.

I quite liked the palette, and actually still use it to this day.

But despite a pretty positive experience with the brand, I never tried any more PUR products ... until recently.

Over the past several months, I went on a little bit of a binge and picked up not one, not two, but five PUR eyeshadow palettes since the end of last year. Instead of doing individual palettes for each of them, I figured I'd group them all together just to make it a little easier.

Product Review Roundup -- Too Faced Natural Matte Eye Shadow Palette, Natural Face Palette, and Natural Nudes Lipstick

I tried to resist Too Faced's It Just Comes Naturally Natural Beauty Collection, really I did, but between the natural inspired makeup shades and gorgeous packaging, I just couldn't do it.

Since both of the eye shadow palettes were essentially re-releases, I couldn't justify buying both of them just to see if the new formula with coconut butter was really any different, so I wound up buying the Natural Matte Eye Shadow Palette, which had seven new shades. (The Natural Eyes Eye Shadow Palette, with both matte and shimmer shadows, has all repeat shades from the previous Natural Eyes Palette, which I already own).

The packaging for the palette is absolutely lovely -- instead of the old tin box compact, it's housed in a plastic compact with a lace design and gold embossed details. There is a nice large mirror inside too. The palette is slightly difficult to open, though.

Product Review -- The Balm Girls' Getaway Trio

It's pretty well established on this blog that I'm a huge fan of The Balm.

I don't think I've tried a single product from the brand that I didn't like, and the artwork on their packaging is always too cute.

That's why I usually buy their new products as soon as they come out -- I don't wait for reviews or even swatch photos.

I give them my money and just trust that I'm going to like whatever it is.

Over the past year or so, though, I've fallen a little behind on their new releases (new products are coming out fast and furious these days... I just can't keep up!).

That means I've been meaning to try to Balm Desert Bronzer/Blush pretty much since it came out and just haven't gotten around to it.

So when I saw that it was featured in their new face palette, The Girls' Getaway Trio, I figured that it was finally time to try it.

Product Review -- ColourPop Pressed Powder Highlighter and Bronzer

Ever since ColourPop came out with their pressed powder eye shadows a while back, they've been expanding more and more into that realm.

They've had several small palettes on the market over the past few months with pressed blushes, highlighters, and bronzers, but I hadn't picked any of them up because there was always one or two shades that wouldn't work with my skin tone and I've been trying to get better about not buying makeup items that I won't really get a lot of use out of.

So I was pretty excited when ColourPop released individual pressed powder highlighters and bronzers.  I wanted a bunch, but I was good and just picked up a couple of the highlighters and one of the bronzers. 

You can purchase both the highlighters and bronzers in compacts, which are $8, or just the pans, which are $7 and can be placed in any magnetic palette.

Product Review -- BECCA X Christy Teigen Glow Face Palette

I am a big fan of Christy Teigen.

I follow her on all social media, bought her cookbook when it came out, and generally just think she's pretty cool.

So I was pretty excited when I heard that she was coming out with a palette with BECCA.

But then I heard it was going to be a face palette and I was a little bummed.

Because my skin tone is pretty different from Christy's so I figured that shades that would work well for her probably wouldn't be the best for me.

Which is why I told myself I shouldn't buy the palette -- and I held strong for about two months.

And then I decided the shades were just too pretty to overlook and I would just find a way to make them work somehow.

Product Review -- Benefit Cheek Parade Bronzer and Blush Palette

When it comes to blushes, bronzers, and other cheek products, Benefit is definitely at the top of the class.

Their Rockateur Blush is one of my favorite blushes ever made -- it's just the perfect rose gold shade and pairs well with so many different eye and lip looks that I wind up wearing it a ton.

I also love Hervana and Coralista, so let's suffice it to say that I have a fairly large collection of Benefit's boxed blushes.

Still, whenever they put out their blush and bronzer palettes, I'm always a tempted, even though they are usually duplicates for blushes I already have. But I've never tried Benefit's famous Hoola Bronzer, which is usually included in the palettes -- and I don't know that I need a full size of it because it seems pretty dark and my skin is so fair -- so I find myself thinking that it might be worth it to pick one up.

Well, their newest blush and bronzer palette, the Benefit Cheek Parade, was the one that finally reeled me in because not only does it contain Hoola, it also features the newer Hoola Lite, which is probably a better fit for my pale skin, and Benefit's newest blush shade.

Product Review -- Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow Palette

The older that I get, the savvier I try to be about my makeup purchases.

That mainly means ignoring the hype for products that I know I really have no use for.

For example, I think the new Kat Von D Pastel Goth Palette looks absolutely beautiful, but those just aren't colors that I'd personally get any kind of regular use out of  -- so I'm not giving into temptation despite all the pretty positive reviews I've seen.

In a perfect world, I'd have the space and money to buy any and all makeup items that just looked nice, but that's not my reality so I have to be a little smarter about the things I pick up.

So I was pretty determined not to give in and buy the Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow Palette.

Product Review -- Tarte Swamp Queen Palette

I'm a pretty big fan of Tarte, so I'd say that, conservatively speaking, I purchase at least 75% of the palettes that they put out.

I'm also a big fan of supporting people in the YouTube/blogging beauty community, which means I was pretty sure that I'd pick up the Swamp Queen Palette that Tarte put out in collaboration with grav3yardgirl from YouTube.

However, what really sold me on the palette was the colors -- it's an interesting combination of warm peachy, reddish tones and some pretty purple-y, taupe-y shades, all of which are right in my wheelhouse.

Review -- e.l.f. Studio Pressed Mineral Bronzer

Bronzer is a tricky product for me.

Because I'm incredibly pale -- think Casper the Friendly Ghost and then go a few shades lighter -- it is extremely difficult to find a bronzer that isn't too dark or too orange-y to look even remotely natural on my skin.

When e.l.f. came out with their Studio Pressed Mineral Bronzers, I was excited because it was an opportunity to try a couple of new shades without spending a ton of money on products that (likely) wouldn't work.

So I picked up two of the Studio Pressed Mineral Bronzers -- Baked Peach, a slightly shimmery peachy bronze, and Tan Toffee, a matte light golden brown.

Review -- Battle of the Contour Palettes (NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette, Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit, and Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette)

Contouring and contour palettes have been all the rage lately.

It seems like every time I turn around, another brand is coming up with their own version.

As someone who's very pale, contouring is tricky for me -- but as someone who has no visible cheekbones to speak of, I'm still always willing to give it a try.

So over the past six months or so, I've picked up not one but three different contouring palettes. Instead of doing separate reviews of each of them, I thought it would be helpful to combine them all in one post to do a comparison of sorts.

Review -- The Balm Balm Voyage Vol. II Palette

I'm a sucker for pretty much every palette that The Balm puts out.

The packaging is just always too adorable and I've developed something of a collection over the years so I can never let one pass me by.

The good news is that the products in the palettes are always top-notch too, so I never regret picking them up.

The Balm Voyage Vol. II Palette is no exception.

Review -- Tarte Showstopper Clay Palette

To round out my collection of Tarte spring palettes, I couldn't resist picking up the Showstopper Clay Palette.

Like the Rainforest After Dark Palette, it is a circular palette that contains eye shadows, a bronzer, highlighter, and blush, so you have everything you need to do a full face.

That's mainly the reason I was drawn to this palette -- I figured it would be another good one for travel but like the Empower Flower Amazonian Clay Collector's Palette that I reviewed last week, it's a little bit of a disappointment in that regard.

Review -- Tarte Empower Flower Amazonian Clay Collector's Palette

Note: I apologize for disappearing for a while. I had some (minor) health issues for a couple of weeks so I didn't have much energy for blogging, and then I took a little vacation. But I'm back and feeling better so I'm determined to get back on a regular schedule. *fingers crossed*

When I reviewed Tarte's Poppy Picnic and Rainforest After Dark Palettes, I mentioned that I'd gone a little a crazy with Tarte palettes this spring.

There were just so many of them, and they all looked so pretty.

The Empower Flower Amazonian Clay Collector's Palette was just another one that I couldn't resist.

It's an all-in-one palette with eye and face products and I knew that I would be traveling this summer so it seemed like it might come in handy.

Product 411 -- ColourPop Summer Collection Bronzers,Super Shock Cheeks, Super Shock Shadows, and Lippie Stix

If I wasn't a total makeup glutton, Mondays in Malibu and Sundays in Silverlake, the two sets that I picked up from ColourPop's Summer Collection and talked about here, would be more than enough to get me ready for the warm weather ahead.

But I'm greedy and there were just too many pretty individual items in the rest of ColourPop's Summer Collection that I couldn't resist picking up a ton  few more things.

So I thought I'd do a quick rundown of the shades I picked up in case you're trying to decide what to buy. I'll do a mini-review on the bronzers, though, because those are new products (though the formula is the same as the blushes and highlighters so you can probably decide if you'd like them or not).

Review -- Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette

I was pretty bummed a few months back when Tarte's Rainforest After Dark Palette sold out.

I had talked myself out of it for a long time, but I watched a few too many tutorials with it on YouTube that convinced I just had to have it in my life -- and I had a gift card to either Ulta or Sephora, which both were carrying it at the time, but when I went to buy it, it was out of stock.

And it was out of stock everywhere, so I figured I'd missed my chance to pick it up.

So I was seriously excited when I saw that Ulta (and Tarte's website actually) was carrying it again -- especially because I had a 20% off coupon that could be used on most higher end brands (you usually can't use coupons on those brands at Ulta). 

Which means I couldn't resist and treated myself to a little spring present.

Review -- Urban Decay Naked On The Run Palette

I'm a pretty big fan of Urban Decay's Naked line of products.

I have all of the eye shadow palettes, the foundation, and one of the Flushed blush/bronzer palettes -- and they're all very nice. The Naked shadow palettes are probably some of the most used in my collection, actually.

So when the Naked On The Run Palette came out, I was seriously tempted to pick it up.

But then, I told myself that I have enough palettes that I like well enough for traveling -- which is supposed to be the main selling point of the palette; it's got everything you need to take "on the run." -- so I talked myself out of it.

Until I got some gift cards for the holidays and a coupon code for my birthday from Ulta and I figured why not.

Review -- Maybelline Face Studio Master Hi-Light Hi-Lighting Blush & Bronzer

There are times when I'm kind of in a rush to put my makeup on -- I love my sleep so sometimes I may hit the snooze button once or twice and wind up screwing myself out of precious makeup time.

On days like that, it always helps to have products that do double duty so you can eliminate a step in your routine.

If you're a fan of highlighting, the Maybelline Face Studio Master Hi-Light Hi-Lighting Blushes and Bronzers are those type of product.

These are mosaic powders that features multiple shimmery shades that deliver a pretty sheen along with pretty color.

I purchased two of the blushes in Pink Rose and Nude and one of the bronzers in Light Bronze.

Review -- Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Native

When Urban Decay came out with their Naked Flushed Palette a year or so ago, I was intrigued.

I liked the idea of having a bronzer, highlighter, and blush all in one convenient compact.

But then I read some blog reviews and saw some swatches online and I got the impression that the original palette was a little too dark for my super fair skin so I couldn't justify paying $30 for a product that I wouldn't use all that often.

So I was really happy when Urban Decay came out with three additional color schemes in the Naked Flushed line -- and the palette in Native looked like it would be a good match for pale-skinned folks like me.