Vamped Up Taupe

I was playing around with my favorite lip combo the other day, and decided it was time to do a tutorial featuring the combination! I saw my friend Jas wearing this lip color in one of her selfies and just had to know what it was. Luckily, it was a combination of two colors I already had in my collection! This look is great because it's super easy to do without going over the top, and incredibly affordable, since all but one or two products are from the drugstore, including the lip colors!

The eyes for this look are incredibly easy. I started out using my Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather in "Creamy Beige" all over the lid, stopping at the crease. Then, I took the bottom taupe color from the Wet n Wild Color Icon "Silent Treatment" Trio and patted this on top of the cream base, placing it all over the lid. This color blends out incredibly easily, without blending away altogether, so I made sure to blend it into the crease, creating a seamless transition. For my inner corner highlight, I used the top pink shade. I then took the middle blackened brown color on a small pencil brush and lined the outer half of the upper lash line. I pulled up with the pencil brush to create a slightly winged out effect, while also smoking out the outer third of the lid. I also applied this black color along the lower lash line to make the look even smokier.

To complete the eyes, I used the Milani Liquid Eye Pencil in "Black" on the upper and lower water line, then, of course, a few good coats of my Maybelline The Mega Plush Mascara and the Maybelline The Rocket Mascara.

For my contour, I used the "Fawn" shade from the Anastasia Contour Kit. On the cheeks, I used the Maybelline Fit Me Blush in "Light Rose." To add a nice soft glow to the tops of the cheekbones, I used the "Sand" shade from the Contour Kit to highlight.

Of course, my favorite part: the lips! To achieve this perfect deep wine color, I first took the Milani Color Statement Lipstick in "Sangria" as my base color. Then, I took Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in "Black Cherry" and applied that on top, using a lip brush to help the two colors blend together beautifully. Be sure to blot if you try this combination -- you don't want this color slipping and sliding!

And that's it! this look is super easy and quick, and it's affordable! Now I have a question for you. I'm still on the hunt for the PERFECT vampy deep wine color. Do you have any recommendations? Leave them in the comments below!

- D. 

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette Review

If I'm being honest, this post has not been planned at all. I have a list of ideas for blog posts, and I generally know what I'm going to do or say. But I have been eyeing this palette for a while now, ever since they began to advertise it on the Too Faced website, and while in Sephora yesterday, I caved. I just had to have it!

As of right now, this palette is sold out on the Too Faced website, but it can be purchased at Sephora and Ulta! It retails for $49. In this palette, you get 16 chocolate-inspired shadows. Like the other chocolate products that Too Faced is known for, the shadows in this palette are made of pure cocoa powder, which you can smell when you open it up. It isn't overpowering, but it's definitely there. It has 6 matte shades, and 10 shimmers.

First things first: the packaging. This palette is beautiful to look at! The packaging is metal, and the mirror seems sturdy. It's compact, it's sleek, and easy to fit just about anywhere. I have one major beef with it though. It has a weak magnetic closure. Usually, I don't mind magnetic closures. I mean, I love my Inglot palettes! But this magnet in this palette isn't enough to keep it closed, and it could easily open up and get ruined if not properly stored. 

Another flaw in the packaging is that the names aren't on the palette. It comes with a little plastic cover that has the names on them, but after taking and labeling the photos of the product, I don't even remember where I put it.

So how are the shadows themselves? 

Gilded Ganache: This shade is a cool brown, with gold and bronze microglitter. Not much to say about this shade. Good color payoff, and the glitter is definitely noticeable.

Salted Caramel: One of the smoother (if not the smoothest) matte colors in this palette, Salted Caramel would make a fantastic blending shade. It's a warm light brown, very comparable to Urban Decay's Naked shadow.

Hazelnut: This is a gorgeous bronze shadow, which reminds me of a less shimmery version of Urban Decay's Smog. It's very smooth, and has great color payoff.

Marzipan: Probably one of my favorite shades in this palette, and I know I'm going to use it a ton. It's a shimmery light pinky peach shadow that would be great as an all-over lid color.

White Chocolate: This is a matte, creamy off-white shade. This would be a great blending or highlight shade for anyone with fair skin. It's not chalky, but it's not incredibly smooth either. It also tends to grab when applied.

Creme Brulee: This a very true, cool-toned gold color, with lots of shimmer. It's incredibly smooth and pigmented.  

Semi-Sweet: This is the warmer-toned brown in the palette. It's like if the color "brick red" had a cousin named "brick brown." Initially, the color payoff isn't great, but it definitely builds well.

Haute Chocolate: This is a pinky brown shimmer. I'd compare it to a shiny new penny. It's smooth and pigmented, and really easy to apply.

Milk Chocolate: This is the cool-toned counterpart to Salted Caramel, and totally comparable in texture. It's a cool, matte light brown and a great blending shade. 

Strawberry Bon Bon: This cool baby pink shade is probably the most disappointing shade in the entire palette. First of all, it seems a little out of place. It's also the chalkiest shadow in the palette, and the color payoff could be described best with a "meh" and a shrug. 

Cherry Cordial: I guess this is considered a shimmer, but it's more like a matte brick red shadow with multi-colored microglitter. The color payoff is okay, but it can definitely be layered and built up to a deep brick red color.

Black Forest Truffle: This color is insanely glittery. It is a deep wine color, with TONS of silver and bronze glitter. It's also very pigmented, and you don't have to completely pack it on to get the glitter to show up.

Candied Violet: This is a really pretty cool-toned purple shimmer. Really great pigmentation, with lots of pink and green duochrome microglitter. It applies very smoothly. 

Triple Fudge: This is the cool-toned counterpart to Semi-Sweet! Definitely a great crease color, and, like Semi-Sweet, it builds well.

Amaretto: This shade sucked me in the moment I saw it. I love bronze colors like this one! It's incredibly shimmery, and applies smoothly, with great color payoff. 

Champagne Truffle: This would be a fantastic inner corner highlight shade. It is smooth and very shimmery, and would also be great to layer on top of other colors to add some extra shine. 

I think that Too Faced did a fantastic job balancing cool and warm tones in this palette. A couple of the matte shadows are hit-or-miss, but the shimmery shades are really smooth, pigmented, and all of the shadows are easy to blend. 

I love that this palette has a great variety. While it is definitely a neutrals palette, it also has some lovely shades to add a pop of color. This is a "complete" palette, meaning that you could easily create a look using just this palette. It has some great mattes for blending, and the looks you could create with this palette are endless! Many of the shades are comparable to many of the shadows found in Urban Decay's Naked palettes, and this is a great response from Too Faced to all of the Naked 3 hype.

Final Thoughts? This is definitely a palette I will find myself using often, especially for travel. Unfortunately, I think I will probably have to tie a rubber band around it to ensure it stays closed, but it is sleek and doesn't take up much room. It is a versatile palette, yet still basic enough for beginners! For all that you get, I certainly think it's worth the $49 price tag.

- d.