Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette: Review & Swatches

In honor of their 15th Anniversary, Urban Decay has released this limited edition eyeshadow palette complete with neutrals, brights, lights, metallics, and shimmers. All 15 colors in the palette are brand-spankin' new. Palette is available at Sephora and UrbanDecay.com.

IN MORE DETAIL...
The 15 Year Anniversary palette not only features 15 brand new -- and limited edition -- colors, but also comes in a collectible box in which the eyeshadows actually lift out so you can use the box even after the eyeshadows are gone. Nice idea, but how often does anyone actually ever finish a palette? :) It's a nice feature, but I doubt it's entirely practical. I know I've never finished a palette in my whole life. Have you?!

SWATCHES!!



STANDOUTS...
My personal favorites in this palette are Midnight Rodeo, Deep End, Chase, Flow, Evidence, and Ace. Deeper, Midnight 15, Omen and Half Truth are pretty great too. The only color that I feel is wasting space is Junkshow. I can't think of a reason that I'd ever need a hot pink eyeshadow. :P

OVERALL OPINION...
I actually love this palette. I think it's a great value for the money and most of the colors are entirely wearable. As always with Urban Decay, the quality of the shadows is phenomenal. They are creamy, rich, and go on smoothly, and they blend well with other colors. It has just right the balance of neutrals and brights and it packs just the right amount of shimmer. (Which is a lot. I like glitter quite a bit. lol.)

GRADE: A+!

Nexxus Pro Mend Review

When I saw this advertised on TV, I thought to myself, "well, that would be awesome, but it probably doesn't work." After scouring makeupalley.com for reviews -- patiently waiting to see ANY reviews of this line -- I finally decided to try it and I am SO glad I did.

WHAT IS IT?
The Nexxus Pro Mend line consists of shampoo, conditioner, an overnight repair cream, a daily leave in treatment, and a heat protectant with the sole purpose of binding split ends back together. It boasts that a whopping "94% of split ends are repaired in just one use" slogan, and promises to keep hair healthier in between salon visits.

IN MORE DETAIL...
The idea is that everyone has split ends, regardless of how often they get their hair trimmed, and the purpose of this product line is that it will not only reduce the appearance of split ends, but will actually bind them back together, leaving hair soft, shiny, and looking like you just came from a haircut.

I scooped up everything from this line with the exception of the heat protectant (only because my store didn't have it). It smells absolutely amazing and leaves your hair super soft, even before you dry it. It also helps in the detangling process after your shower; I have notoriously tangly hair and sometimes combing it out when it's wet can be a pain, but with this stuff, it was amazingly smooth and easy. Not a tangle in sight.

OVERALL OPINION
I am a HUGE believer in this line and after just a few uses, honestly believe I have found my holy grail hair care products. I live about an hour away from my hometown where my one and only trusted stylist is, so I don't get my hair cut nearly as often as I should. Along with that, my hair is colored and I blow dry and straighten it pretty much every day. My hair is damaged y'all. This stuff is absolutely amazing. My hair looks and feels healthier, shinier, and stronger, and it smells fantastic.

GRADE: A+++ (HOLY GRAIL!!)

Z Palette Review

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you probably know what a Z palette is. But, for those who don't know, read on!

What is it?
The Z Palette is a customizable magnetic palette that does not have the constraints of a normal empty palette. There are no pre-determined slots for shadows/blushes/etc, so you can fill it with whatever you like!

In detail...
The Z Palettes come in two different sizes, small and large, and are available in pink, black, leopard and zebra print. The small palettes are $14, and the large palettes are $20.

Where to buy:
Z Palettes are available at a number of websites, including the MakeupGeek Store, and zpalette.com. I purchased mine directly from zpalette.com and definitely recommend it, they didn't charge sales tax and the shipping was free and extremely fast; I ordered on a Wednesday night and received my order on Friday!

Overall Opinion
I definitely recommend these palettes. They're completely customizable so you can put any combination of products (sizes, types, brands, etc) in them and have them all in one place, which is especially great for travelling when you don't have your whole kit with you. They're sturdy and stylish, and are definitely a great value for the price. I can't wait to buy more products to fill them with :)

Grade: A++

Discontinuation Alert!! - Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Concealer

Bad news, ladies. The Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Concealer has officially been discontinued. This is one of my all-time favorite drugstore products, so you can imagine how sad I am that it will no longer be available.

If, like me, you're in love with this fantastic concealer, fear not, it is still available in CVS stores at a 50-75% off discount because they're trying to sell it out/get rid of it before they send it back to Maybelline.

From what I've been able to find, it is no longer available on the Maybelline website, nor on Walmart.com, drugstore.com, cvs.com or walgreens.com... so, go check your CVS stores before they sell out foreverrrr!

Get it while you still can!!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils - Review & Swatches

For anyone who doesn't know, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils are oversized cream eyeshadow sticks that can be used as a shadow, base, or liner. They originally came out with 24 colors -- and have since added a few more that I haven't gotten my hands on yet -- which you can see swatched below.

They retail for about $4 - $7 depending where you get them, and can be purchased from Ulta, NYXCosmetics.com, and CherryCulture.com. They're great quality and come in almost every color imaginable, and for the price, they can't be beat.

SWATCHES






OVERALL OPINION
I think these are fantastic. They're great quality for the price and are multi-functional. The only downsides are that 1) they will crease if used as eyeshadow so you will need to apply a primer underneath them or a powder shadow over them to prevent creasing, and 2) it's difficult to find a sharpener that they will fit into.

GRADE: A

Viva Glam Gaga II ... who's excited?!

I have no idea when this was officially announced, but I just found out about the upcoming release of MAC's Viva Glam Gaga II lipstick and lipglass, and I am SO excited!!

I loved the first Viva Glam Gaga, but this is so much more me. I love nudes and this one looks to be absolutely gorgeous.

Official launch date in stores and on maccosmetics.com is February 17. Lipstick and lipglass will be $14.50 each. Woop woop!!

Urban Decay Naked Palette: Review

Hey everyone! So, after months of searching, I finally got my hands on the UD Naked Palette. Eeee! :) I've had it for all of 5 hours tops and am already obsessed with it. The colors are gorgeous, the quality is amazing, the packaging is sleek and sexy, and it's a great value.

This is a limited edition palette, available at Sephora, Urban Decay, and Ulta. Because it's so in demand, you may have a better chance of finding it if you actually visit a store rather than the websites. I got mine at Ulta for $44. So, with that said, let's move on to the review!



What is it?
A gorgeous neutrals palette containing all varieties of finishes, including matte, shimmer, and glitter.

In detail...
The palette contains 12 shades in all, 4 of which are exclusive and available only in the Naked Palette. The colors included are (listed from left to right): Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal. It also comes with a mini eyeshadow primer potion and a dual ended 24/7 eyeliner in Zero/Whiskey.



Overall Opinion
Like I said, I've only had the thing for a few hours and already I love it. There is a great variety of colors in it, the quality -- as always with Urban Decay -- is fantastic, and I love the design of the actual palette. It's big enough to hold all these gorgeous colors, but still sleek enough to carry in your bag if you wanted to. I think this is a fabulous product and would recommend it to anyone that a) doesn't already own it, or b) that can still find it. My personal favorite colors are Sidecar, Darkhorse, Toasted, and Gunmetal.

GRADE: A+