Review & Swatchfest: NYX Smokey Eye Palette

NYX Smokey Eye Palette

The NYX Smokey Eye Palette is the more dramatic alternative to the 6-pan Natural Eyeshadow Palette. While I wasn't terribly impressed with the shadows in the latter, the Smokey Palette offers better quality and a little more variety.

From the left, the palette includes a grey with silver glitter, a matte black, a soft deep plum, a deep denim blue, a satin bronze, and a sating white. All of the shadows are smooth, and all but the glittery shadow apply evenly. Unfortunately, the blue and purple left a lot to be desired when it comes to color payoff. Packed over a white base, they perform slightly better, but take a little more work to get them to reach the pan color. The glittery shadow works well as a top coat of sorts to add some pizzazz to the color underneath, but it takes a little working with to get it completely opaque. I was happy to see that they balanced this palette with two lighter shades - one of which is a brown tone. Running a soft brown through the crease of a smoky look can help blend everything out and soften the look without taking away the edge of the smokiness.

This palette isn't superb, but at $6.99 I think it would be a great, inexpensive purchase for someone who wants to dabble in the art of the smoky eye. It's balanced well with both deep, smoky shades and light highlight and blending colors, so it's just a matter of whether you like the color combination and don't mind working with a few of the shades to get maximum color payoff. Using a white eyeshadow base like the NYX White Shadow Base can help the shadows not only stick, but enhance the pigmentation.

Have you tried the Smokey Eye Palette?

Review, Swatches & Dupes: CoverGirl Flamed Out Shadow Pots and Shadow Pencils

Review & Swatchfest: NYX Natural Eye Palette

NYX Natural Eye Palette

Adding to the wealth of neutral, natural eye palettes, NYX Natural Eye Palette contains 6 pans of subtle shades. Starting on the left, there is a light matte cream, light golden shimmer, light matte camel, light satin brown, light sating taupe, and dark matte blackened brown. While it looks like there is going to some major range from the lightest to darkest shade, all except the deepest shade turn out to be very light and subtle when both swatched and worn. All of the shades are very smooth, but very hard to build. What you swatch is what you get and on my light skin tone, I was hard-pressed to get 2 of the shades to even show up. 

In terms of shadow quality, this palette is great. But when it comes to having a variety of shades, it palette falls short. When I tried to create a look, it was hard to tell a difference between all of the lighter shades on my lid. Not even the shimmery shade stands out when worn. While that might make this a true "natural" palette, I think there is a way NYX could have differentiated the shades enough to ensure variety yet stay true to the palette name. Still, this isn't an awful palette for those that want super subtle crease colors or a light wash of shadow across the lid. 

At $6.99, the NYX Natural Eye Palette isn't terribly expensive, so if you wanted to try it for yourself it wouldn't break the bank. Just keep in mind that it might not provide the same spectrum of shades on the lid as it does in the pan. 

Have you tried this palette? Are you loving it or leaving it?

Review & Swatchfest: Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum

Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum

After running out of my beloved Dollywink Eyeliner - a Japanese pen liner with a calligraphy tip available only online in the US - I was on a mission to find a replacement that was more accessible. After voicing my loss in my latest empties video, I had loads of people recommend the Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum.

Available in Black, Brown, and Ultra Black, Eye Booster typically retails for $10.99 at drugstore like Walgreens, CVS, and ULTA. Accessibility: check! The pen tip is calligraphy style and looks nearly identical to Dollywink's. Calligraphy tip: double check! For those wondering, the alternatives to a calligraphy tip includes felt tip or brush tip. Calligraphy tips are composed of multiple small fibers that come together to a narrow point, making them very flexible and easy to manipulate along the lash line.

The formula is smooth without being too watery and lasts all day (and then some). It also promises a built in lash-boosting serum! There are no drug claims, but Physician's Formula has clinical claims that say women noticed a difference in their lashes in as little as two weeks. I haven't used it long enough, or steadily enough to expect results, I'm skeptical as to whether or not I will at all. Still, lash growth or not, I'm unbelievably happy with the formula, the packaging, and the availability.

If you are looking for a pen liner, I can't recommend this one enough. In addition to how easy it is to get your hands on, there are regular sales that make it even more affordable.

Review: NEW CoverGirl Clean Whipped Creme Foundation

Pros:

• Evened out skin tone.
• Provided a natural satin finish without being drying.
• Developed minimal shine on combination skin.
• Didn't wear unevenly throughout the day.
• At $6, it's affordable.

Cons:

• Narrow shade range.
• Not a full coverage whipped foundation, for those that want it.
• Did notice some wear at the end of 8 hours, so it's not as long-wearing as some foundations.