Product Review -- The Balm Foiled Again... Foil Eyeshadow Palette

I  am a huge fan of The Balm.

That's pretty well documented on this blog at this point.

Whenever they put a new palette out, I buy first, ask questions later.

(The only palette I haven't purchased is the Highlite 'N Con Tour Palette, just because I already have so many contour palettes and the shades don't look like they'd work for me. Though I'll probably cave and buy it if it every turns up on HauteLook or I can get a good deal on it somewhere else.)

Like so many other brands this holiday season, The Balm recently came out with a metallic  eyeshadow palette, the Foiled Again... Foil Eyeshadow Palette, and I was really excited to try this one out because I love me some metallic shadows.

Product Review -- Urban Decay Heavy Metals Metallic Eyeshadow Palette

Metallic and shimmery/glittery eyeshadow palettes seem to be all the rage this holiday season.

I'm not really complaining, though I prefer metallic shadows to glittery ones personally.

(I just find that glitter shadows take a little more work to use, but maybe that speaks to my lack of patience more than anything else.)

The Urban Decay Heavy Metals Metallic Eyeshadow Palette was at the top of my must-have list, though, because I loved that it offered both natural tones, which I personally get more use out of, and fun, bright shades, which I like to play with when the mood strikes.

Product 411 -- Juvia's Place Nubian 2 and Masquerade Eye Shadow Palettes

Several months back, I reviewed the Nubian Eye Shadow Palette from Juvia's Place.

I absolutely love that palette, which contains richly pigmented, creamy shadows in warm, natural tones like copper, rust, and bronze, and I've been meaning to pick up some of the brand's other palettes for a while.

When Juvia's Place was on Haute Look recently, I couldn't resist picking up the Nubian 2 and Masquerade Palettes.

I'm not going to do full-fledged review of these palettes because the shadow formula is exactly the same in these as the shadows in the original Nubian Palette -- which is to say, absolutely, completely amazing -- but I thought it might be helpful to show some swatches of the shadows in case you've been thinking about picking up either or both of the palettes.

Product Review -- Stila Matte 'N Metal Eye Shadow Palette

The last thing I probably need in my makeup collection is an eye shadow palette with soft, natural colors in an even mix of matte and metallic finishes.

Because let's face it -- I have more than enough of those to last the rest of my life.

But as soon as I saw the shades in the Stila Matte 'N Metal Eye Shadow Palette, I was kind of obsessed.

I have been a big fan of pinky or rosy brown and copper shades over the past few months, and the Matte 'N Metal Palette has plenty of those.

I also appreciate having an even amount of both matte and metallic shadows because that means I don't have to go pulling out another palette or single shadow to do a complete eye look.

So even though the palette is on the pricier side -- $49 -- I decide to pick it up.

Product Review -- Strobe Cosmetics Hotel and Freak Show Palettes

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I focus on mainstream beauty brands most of the time.

The kinds of brands that you can find at your local drugstore, Target, Walmart, Ulta, Sephora, or department store.

And I enjoy those brands and the fact that they're widely available so it's easy for most of us to find them.

That doesn't mean I don't keep an eye out for exciting indie brands, though -- and in fact, lately, I've kind of been on an indie makeup kick.

That's partly because I always think it's a good thing to support small business, but mainly because indie brands seem more willing to try new things and are more responsive to their customers.

They also tend to be cruelty free (and oftentimes vegan too), which is something that I'm trying to become more aware of.

Long story short: you're probably going to be seeing quite a few reviews of products from indie brands in the coming weeks/months.

I'd seen some really good reviews of Strobe Cosmetics on YouTube and various blogs, so I decide to pick up their two eyeshadow palettes, the Freak Show and Hotel Palettes.

Product Review -- Tarteist Pro Amazonian Clay Palette

It seems like Tarte has really been on a new product kick lately.

Every time I turn around, they've come out with something new, and it's starting to feel really difficult to keep up.

Still, from the moment I first laid eyes on the Tarteist Pro Amazonian Clay Palette, I knew it was going to be mine.

I'm a sucker for shadow palettes in general, I'm a sucker for warm shadows in particular, and I'm seriously in love with Tarte's metallic shadow formula, which I thought the shimmery shades in the palette might be -- so it was kind of a no-brainer.

Product Review -- Kat Von D MetalMatte Eyeshadow Palette

Over the past few years, I've tried plenty of eyeshadow palettes (and single shadows too) from Kat Von D, and much to my surprise, I've yet to be really disappointed.

In fact, in most cases, I've been seriously impressed.

If pressed to pick a favorite, I would probably say the Monarch Eyeshadow Palette from a couple of years back, though I really love my Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette too.

I really didn't think anything could top those two.

But the MetalMatte Eyeshadow Palette that's come out recently as part of the Kat Von D holiday collection may actually outclass them (even if only by a hair...).

Product Review -- Tarte Tarteist Metallic Shadows

I love a good matte eyeshadow as much as the next person, but if you forced me to choose between the creamiest of mattes and a high-shine shadow, I'm always going to go for the shimmer.

In particular, I'm a sucker for metallic shadows, which, when done right, always seem to have a really rich, intense appearance on the eyes.

I absolutely love Tarte and most of the products that they put out, so I was very excited when I found out that they'd be doing a line of metallic shadows.

If I'm honest, I was kind of surprised too, because Tarte usually offers more subtle, muted eyeshadow options, which -- don't get me wrong -- I enjoy. But metallic shadows seem a little bolder than Tarte usually go.

So it isn't entirely surprising that all of the shadows in Tarte's Tarteist Metallic Shadow line are more neutral or natural colors. Make no mistake about it, though -- these shadows still manage to make a serious statement.