NYX: The Natural Shadow Palette: Review and Swatches!!!

It was my first or second ever trip to Ulta! I needed to to use up a coupon (little did I know that these coupons are so addictive!) I saw this cute little palette from NYX at the end of an aisle. At that point I did not have any high-end palettes with me so I thought this will be my "perfect" little neutral palette!

Ok! So, fast forward 1.5 years and here is my review of this palette for you guys :-)

The Natural Palette has 6 neutral shades mostly leaning to the lighter side, with a total weight of 6 g/0.21 oz. You can find NYX in Ulta, Target, CVS or online at nyxcosmetics.com. NYX almost always has 50% BOGO offer. The regular price is around $ 7.50.

I love the packaging. Tiny, compact and sturdy enough! I dont expect a mirror at this price point. You can also see the smudge applicator which is still in its pristine form. :-) But overall, the packaging really makes it perfect for travel.

I have never tried NYX single eyeshadows but I have heard good things about it. And I have great experiences with their blushes! So, naturally I had high expectations from this too! But unfortunately, it was not at par with other NYX products I have tried.

The color range is kind of odd. I love the coffee color, the coral, as well as the taupe. But the rest looks and appears almost same. I have never tried using them without primer; honestly I don't think its worth trying :-) With MAC paint pot underneath, these shadows have wear time of around 6-7 hrs without a lot of creasing or losing the original intensity. Apart from the deepest shade, the rest of them has weak pigmentation. So it takes a few layers to build up the intensity. 

There are no color names..so I think I will just talk about them one after the other.

1. There is a matte cream/white shade. It appears almost white on my skintone. I use it for highlighting my browbone. I do use it when I am using this palette, so I guess it works fine for me. 

2. The gold flakes on beigey-yellow base is without doubt the worst shade in the pan. Very weak pigmentation and extreme fallout. I never wear it. But for this particular look, I tried using it and my under eye area looked horrible with all the fallout! The color did remain on the lid but there were no traces of the flakes after few hours! Very disappointing!

3. There is a lovely coral shade. Its matte! It's not highly pigmented so I love to use it to slightly warm up my crease.  

4. There is a beige shade with sheen. Not great pigmentation & nothing else to say about it. 

5. There is a very pretty taupe shade with sheen! I use it all over my lid. Not highly pigmented but because of that, I can wear it and still feel a bit pulled-together without looking like I am wearing makeup; even in working in a rugged electric substations!

6. My MOST favorite and MOST USED shade in this palette is a matte deep brown/coffee color and I love it! It has a very good pigmentation. Most of the days I use this to fill up my brows instead of spending my beloved and expensive Anastasia Brevely Hills Browwhiz. The pigmentation is good, yet not overly harsh. I can very easily use this on the outer-v or on the crease to deepen any look, without having to be careful about messing up the look. I get great use out of this shade and for me, because of that only, I think the palette was worth 7$.

NYX is a great brand from drugstore; its CRUELTY FREE, it's affordable and has a huge variety of shades in almost every product. I already have shared a million times that I work in a hardcore field environment and I travel a lot for that. I take this palette with me as there is not much risk or fear of damaging it. Even with low pigmentation for most of the shades, I can use it to lightly color my lids and if needed I can create a dark look too! So, for all these reason I think, even though it is not a GREAT product, for me, this has proven to be a justifiable purchase. If you are looking for similar products or if you are just starting out, this is may be a worth looking into. I will still suggest you to save some bucks and invest in a great high end palettes like Lorac Pro.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend... it will pass in a blink of an eye! :-)

Love,

~Arrru

My First Ever Eyeshadow Palette: LAKME Eye Color Quartet in "SILK ROUTE"

If you are from India, I am sure there is AT LEAST one makeup item from "Lakme" in your vanity. It has been an iconic Indian makeup and skincare brand. As a child, I remember longing for the fancy lipsticks and skincare items my aunts used to bring whenever they visited us!

I have been saying that I was not much into makeup that much earlier! A few years ago, I was really busy in managing a full-time job, preparing my application to get into MS courses here in USA and saving up for sponsoring my education. An eyeliner, a kajol pencil and a lipgloss; that was all that I had in my vanity. After everything finally came together and I had my visa, ticket all ready to go, I went to the Lakme counter in my nearest mall to get some very basic beauty products. The lady actually gave me a very nice makeover and helped me get some staple products. I picked the Eye Color Quartet called "Silk Route" at that time. To be honest, the feeling was very overwhelming as it was the last time I splurged on myself before becoming a poor MS student in a completely new country! ;-) I believe I am emotionally connected to Lakme as a brand; just a tad :-)

This quad is available at INR 500 (around 9 USD) from Lakme Cosmetics for a total of 7g (0.25 oz.) of products. As per my understanding, the price may vary a little bit depending on where you get it! The best thing is; if you happen to be a reader in India, Lakme is very easily accessible in most malls and also in local beauty stores. They can also be found in online shopping sites such as nykaa, Jabong etc. I am not very sure if it was a limited edition palette as I don't see it in Lakme website anymore. My apologies for that.

Just like the signature black packaging for MAC, typical violet-purple packaging pops into my mind whenever I hear about Lakme. Same typical color scheme in a perfect square, decently thin box with a clear lid. I have to say it is a VERY sturdy packaging. I have travelled extensively carrying it along. It occupies very less space and has the strength to withstand travel travails.  There is a little applicator as well, but we all know how useful they are :-) I did use it when I first started; not anymore. There is no mirror though, which is not an issue for me as I don't use these mirrors anyway.

All the shades are shimmery; if Lorac pro shimmery shades had a little bit more shimmer to them, this is how they will turn up. These are smooth, easy to blend and don't have a lot of fallout. I have to say that I underestimated these shadows! Now that I have been dabbling on a lot of different eyeshadows I can definitely vouch for the quality of these. These shadows are fairly pigmented and give me a SOLID wear of 5-6 hrs. before starting to fade. After that, it does fade quickly. But overall I think they are good shadows and definitely make a very good "first palette".

I am not sure if the shades have individual names so I am going to name 'em myself :-) There are two neutral-hued shades along with two bolder colors.

Magnetic Magenta: This is my fav color from the quad. Looks very dark purple in the pan but transforms to a less vibrant fuchsia kind of color when blended. I love these kind of shades. These bright colors also look very beautiful with Indian outfit when mixed with some gold.

Pearlescent Pink: I am scared of light pink shadows in general. I think they look a bit ashy on my lids. However this is not that bad to carry off.  If you have a lighter skin tone than me, this will look beautiful. Texture wise this shade is a little bit rough than the other ones.

Bridal Bronze: It is a warm mid-tone brown infused with a lot of gold! This is definitely the most useful shade in the bunch. This works as a great one-lid color, especially if you work in a "very" professional environment. I love it using that way along with very thin eyeliner. I also love pairing it with bright colors like fuchsia, emerald and dark blues.

Glam Grey: This is a deep grey+silver mixed with black (I know, very weird description!). Just the color to create a lovely grey smokey eye.

Pros:

• Nice blend of everyday and adventurous kind of color.
• Easy to wear and smooth to blend.
• Offers decent wear time.
• Affordable.
• Very complimentary to Indian outfits.

Cons: 

• No matte shades hence cannot function as an independent palette.
• No mirror in the quad (this might be an issue with some of you).
• Some of the colors appear less vibrant when applied than in the pan.

I used the magenta on the outer half and and the bronze shade in the inner half, of course I needed some matte crease colors from other palettes...but I think it turned out pretty good! I would love to sport this look with some of my indian outfit :-)

This was one of the few VERY FIRST "makeup" products on which I spent my very hard-earned money. I guess because of that I have some kind of weird emotional bond with it. I love exploring the Lakme Aisle when I go home and I might (might!) pick some more of these next time I visit India.

Hope it was helpful, especially for my readers in India. 

Love,

~Arrru

Lorac: PRO Palette- Shimmer & Matte Eye Shadow Palette

Lorac launched Pro Palette 2 just a few days back, so I think it's high time for me to stop procrastinating and share my thoughts on the original Lorac PRO Eyeshadow Palette. This palette is WILDLY popular among makeup lovers and if you are a makeup addict like me you know what a strong hype follows this palette. After using it for more than 6 months now, I am pretty confident in recommending it to you. This is one product that really lives up to the hype! I know by now you have heard, read and watched a lot about this palette! But here is my take.

It has a total of 16 neutral-hued shades; 8 matte and 8 shimmers. There are some deep purple, copper and grey as well but it is overall a neutral palette. It weighs a total of 0.32 oz. (8.8 g) and comes with a 0.19 oz. (5.5 g) Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer. The regular price of this the palette is $42.

First of all, it looks very sleek. The outer box is of simple hard-paper, as usual. The actual palette is of hard-cardboard with black, smooth velvet-like material with a silver embossing of the words "Lorac Pro"; comes with a big mirror too. The palette is very thin in volume (just for reference, it is much thinner than NAKED palette). Hence it takes up a very little space and easier to put in your vanity or makeup bag. I have not travelled a lot with this palette but it definitely has a very well-built packaging. The fact that matte and shimmer are all in same palette makes it perfect for travelling. Minimalistic and effective design; it looks very elegant. But it is really hard to keep it clean, as stains catch on to the surface far too quick :-(

The quality of the eyeshadows is top-notch. They are pigmented, smooth in texture, very blendable; all very easy to wear! They are long wearing too! I don't see any major smudging or wearing off, even after 6-7 hrs. The matte shadows shows off as little powdery to me; I see very minor fallout with them at times but nothing too distinguishable! And I love the Behind the Scenes Primer. It looks beige in color, but on the lid it's clear. It is a great primer, more so with these shadows. I see the best results when I use the shadows with this primer as compared to MAC paint pot or Urban Decay Primer Potion. The shadows can be used wet or dry; they are certainly more vibrant and intense when applied wet. To use them wet, I just use a little bit of MAC Fix+ on the tip of my brush.

MATTE SHADES: I love how the shadow names are so crisp and accurate; the shades are just the same as the names suggest.

White: Basic white shade. It’s a little bit stark to use on my lid (for my skin tone). But it's perfect for the brow bone.

Cream: In my mind, cream is a color that comes from mixing white and beige :-) But this cream has a tiny hint of light pink mixed with beige. Can be used in brow bone or on the lid. People with paler skin tone than mine can definitely use it on the crease as well.

Taupe: Looks boring in the pan, but this is my most helpful and useful shades in the whole palette. This subdued middle-toned brown works as the best crease color for me, especially to blend colorful eye looks.

Lt. Pink: Just as the name, it’s a light pink color. A little hard for me to pull off, but I do love it and use it in the inside corner of my lid with colors like pewter and deep purple.

Mauve: This is another color that I adore a lot. PERFECT crease color for me. It’s a Rosy hued taupe color.

Sable: It’s a dark brown color. A basic color that every girl NEEDS. Very useful to put on the outer corner to get some dimension in my eye look. The next shade, Espresso is a bit harsh at times, but Sable is awesome for both daytime as well as nighttime looks.

Espresso: It’s a VERY deep brown color! Just the color you need when you want to sport a true smokey eye. I also use it ever slow slightly to create more depth on my outer V (Outer corner) and also on the lid.
Black: Basic black shade. Looks boring but it always is useful! It looks a bit more pigmented than MAC Carbon.

SHIMMER SHADES: I was hooked up on this palette because of the mattes, but ever since I got it, I have completely fallen in love with the shimmer shades. The colors are very lovely, blendable, pigmented and finely milled! I also feel the shimmer have none-to-very-less-fallout than the mattes.

Nude: Very lovely shade. Just a little bit of beige mixed with very light pink. I love using it, specially in the inner tear duct. It brightens up any look.

Champagne: Lorac describes this as a "Sparkle" whiles the others as "shimmer"; this has a very very tiny speckles but nothing too chalky. When applied it does not even show that much sparkle. Color wise, it’s not a lot different from Nude, just a little more deeper and more inclined to light pink.

Gold: I love to wear gold shadows. I think it looks flattering on my brown eye and tan skin. This is not an in-your-face gold eyeshadow. If you are not comfortable wearing brighter gold shadows like "Half Baked” from Naked palette, this light gold color is the shade you want to try.

Lt Bronze: It’s a toned down version of Gold above. Very nice color.

Pewter: This is a new name of color for me :-) It reads bronze to me. Very lovely taupe-hued bronze.

Garnet: For me, Garnet is the prettiest color in the palette, little hard to describe though. Its coppery hued reddish kind of shade. I really love the color and it looks EXTRA pretty when applied wet.

Deep Purple: This is a VERY deep purple, almost looks like a shimmering deep-brown on the lid.

Slate: It’s a shimmering grey color. I am NOT a huge fan of grey eyeshadow. But occasionally I love to wear grey smokey eye.

Now why I adore this palette so much...apart from great quality shadows, the fact that all the matte and shimmer shadows you need is in the palette makes it very versatile. You have basic browns and black and also nice shimmers like Garnet, Slate and Deep Purple. You can create subtle everyday look as well as very deep smokey eye! This was my very first real big eyeshadow palette. The shadows are easy-to-wear, great to travel with; if you are a beginner in makeup and looking for something to start with, I strongly feel this is the PERFECT palette for you. If you think it's expensive, I encourage to save up and invest on it; you will not regret it :-) Here are my customary pros and cons

Pros: 

• Matte and shimmers together; very versatile, all-in-one neutral palette.
• Travel friendly.
• Great quality eyeshadow.
• Absolutely amazing as "very first palette" for beginners.
• Awesome primer.
• Very sleek, well-built packaging.

Cons:

• The mattes are tiny bit powdery. But I have not had any crazy fall-out.
• The outer surface of the palette is kind of hard to keep clean. That is at times annoying.

COMPARISON with NAKED ORIGINAL: Any article about Lorac Pro will not be complete without comparing it to the Naked palettes from Urban Decay. Lorac Pro is always compared with the original Naked palette. So here it goes....

• Naked has only 2 matte shadows which, for me, means that I need the help of matte shadows outside the palette from time to time. But with Lorac Pro, you can create the entire look with itself only.  
• Naked now retails at $54, it weighs 0.05 oz. so you also get more products.
• It has 12 shades, all neutral! So I feel Lorac is more versatile with colors like Garnet and Deep Purple.

But, but....I did pick up Naked even after I bought Lorac and was happy with it. Naked palettes has some kind of charisma; I simply could not resist the temptation! They look familiar at first but I don’t regret buying both; I use and love both of them! I save Naked for special occasion while I use Pro on a more regular basis, as it’s easier to get the entire look using just the palette. So if you already have basic matte shadows, then Naked palette will be prefect for you. But if you are just starting out and thinking of venturing into makeup, than I highly recommend the Pro palette; it’s gonna be your best friend.

This is a permanent palette from Lorac Cosmetics; available in Ulta, Kohl’s, Nordstrom and Lorac Cosmetics. Share your thoughts if you already have the palette or I happen to inspire you to pick up this up :-)

Love

~Arrru