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Quick Review: City Color Shimmer Shadows

November 11, 2015November 10, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 3 Comments

Hey lovelies,

If you follow me on instagram, you’ve probably already seen this picture. I put together a short and sweet little swatch post, but I also wanted to touch on a few other things here on the blog because I personally don’t like having 100 line Instagram captions.

To be clear, even though I am an affiliate with City Color, I purchased these shadows myself last weekend during a sale. City Color had a sale every week last month, and one weekend these shimmer shadows were 50% off. These are already very affordable at $6.99 each, so when I saw they were $3.50 I snagged the shades I’ve been wanting to try.

If you follow Dupe That on Instagram, you’ve more than likely seen these compared to the Kat Von D shimmer shadows which are a whopping $21 each. Don’t get me wrong, they’re gorgeous, but single shadows have never been something I’ve felt inclined to spend that much money on.

The City Color ones are $6.99 each at regular price, and there is 3.65 grams of product in each pan. That is a lot of product. You’re definitely getting a lot for your money with this.

I do enjoy the packaging. The lettering rubs off after a bit, but I have found these easy to store in my acrylic organizers on my vanity. Because they’re flatter, they can be stacked by twos in the little containers that found from Ross.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I got these, but the first time I swatched them, my heart nearly stopped. These are so buttery. Like to the point where I feel as if I poke my finger too hard in the pan the product would crumble. I don’t believe it would, but I don’t know what other way to describe how soft the texture is.

These do not crumble though. That is actually a pet peeve of mine with shimmery shadows. I don’t enjoy the little crumbles that some can leave behind, and these don’t do that. In my opinion, the closest comparison makeup wise I can make regarding texture would be to the Makeup Geek shadows.

Very smooth. Super pigmented. Not a pain in the ass to work with.

Swatches from top to bottom: Cheers to Life, Marsala, New Year New Me, Bubble Bath, Homecoming Queen

I have seen Marsala compared to KVD’s Raw Power, and they are almost spot on dupes. Marsala and Cheers to Life are probably my current favorites because they are amazing Fall shades, but New Year New Me is gorgeous as well, and doubles as an awesome highlight! It’s a very pale white-gold type of shade, making it a highlight that multiple skin tones can use, including fair skin tones like myself.

I like to put a few shades over top of my tattoo because it truly shows how pigmented products are, and these shadows are no exception. These were all swatched in natural light and with no primer underneath.

There are so many more affordable brands that are stepping up their game and bringing out some high quality products. It’s really exciting to me! I love splurging, but I also love saving a bit of money when I can, which is why I follow so many pages that find dupes. Ha!

I do have a coupon code that will save you 10% on top of every sale City Color has, and you get free shipping at $25. My code is lunafayebeauty 🙂

Though I am now affiliated with this brand, my opinions are still very honest. I’ve been a huge fan of City Color for a long time now, so naturally I was excited to have my own coupon code to share with you all in case you’ve been wanting to try a few things.

If you have these shadows, what are your thoughts on them? What are some of your favorite shades? Comment and tell me all about it!

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you’re all having wonderful days.

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Morphe 35N Palette Review & Swatches

October 17, 2015October 15, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 12 Comments

Hey lovelies,

It’s time for a Swatch Saturday post! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll already know what this post is going to be about!

Has there ever been a brand that you’ve been hesitant to try because it was so hyped up on the internet, and most of the people talking about it were affiliated with the brand? Morphe was that brand for me. I was hesitant to buy anything, until I saw Raw Beauty Kristi talking about how wonderful their palettes are. I trust Kristi’s opinion because she truly is very raw and honest, and because she admitted to not being affiliated with them and she had bought their products herself.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with affiliate links and codes, bloggers have to make money. What made me hesitant about Morphe is that they were one of those brands that I felt I never saw anyone mention them unless they were affiliated, and that raises questions for me as a consumer, especially after another brand’s fiasco with this very issue. So, I ordered some single shadows to test the waters before anything, and I fell in love. I mentioned the single shadows I have in my Everyday Fall Z-Palette post, and they truly are very affordable and awesome shadows!

After that, I decided I wanted the 35O palette when it came back into stock, I saw that Morphe was on sale on Hautelook.com. I love a good Hautelook bargain, and this pretty all matte palette was $15 that day. That’s right, I snagged a palette with 35 matte shades for $15. Gah, I love Hautelook. Even with their kinda pricey shipping, this palette was worth it for me, and the waiting game began.

Even when this palette is not on sale, it’s $23 or so on their website at all times, which is awesome.

I had no idea what to expect with this palette, but I know I didn’t expect to fall head over heels in makeup love with it.

If you’re not new to my blog, you’ll know I have a soft spot for matte eyeshadows. However, I can be a bit picky with matte palettes and I have a few personal requirements, which include a good mixture of warm and cool shades, some skin toned shades, and great transition shades.

This palette met my expectations and exceeded them.

Since there are 35 shades, there are obviously going to be quite a few options. What I truly adored about this palette right away was the range of neutral light shades in the first row. There are warm ones, neutral toned ones, and a few pink toned shades.

There are quite a few transition shades that are perfect for darker skin tones and for fair skin tones. This is so essential to me, because I am someone who always uses a matte transition shade in almost every look I do. I love having the option to use a warm transition shade or a cool one.

More perks: There are also very dark shades in this palette, and even some fun shades like some pinks and purples.

Shades like pink and purple can take your look from everyday neutral to a glamorous night time look almost instantly if you put it on the lower lash line.

There’s also a matte gray in this palette, which is something I don’t always see in neutral palettes. I like gray, and I find it flattering on lighter colored eyes.

Are they pigmented? Yes! Pigmented mattes are crucial to me in any palette, and these are very pigmented. When I swatched most of them, the texture reminded me of the Too Faced mattes in their Natural Mattes palette.

However, a few of them were a bit hard to work with while swatching. The second to last shade (dark almost black gray) was very patchy, and I wasn’t a fan of the pink. Well, I can’t say I’ve ever been impressed with a matte pink from any palette. Ever. Am I alone in this?

How do they blend? Like a damn dream. Not even kidding. I am someone that likes to stack neutrals in the crease and add drama on the outside, and with the wrong eyeshadow formula, it can get muddy and messy really quick and with the swipe of a brush. I am able to create looks with so much depth with this palette by layering and stacking colors, and that makes my smokey eye loving self super happy. I can blend until my heart’s content and these have remained pigmented and smooth looking.

Swatches:

1st Row

2nd Row

3rd Row

4th Row

5th Row

As you can see, there is a pretty awesome array of matte shades in this palette. I feel like this is the dream Fall palette I needed in my life, and probably the best impulsive Hautelook buy I’ve ever made. The first and last rows of this palette are my life. I can’t stop using them.

The only shades I don’t foresee getting much love are the pink and the second to last dud shade in this palette. But that set aside, this palette is still a bargain! If Hautelook has this on sale on their site again soon, I highly recommend this if you’re someone looking for a neutral matte palette to possibly travel with. It has ever shade you would need for day time and night time looks, and just add some purple if you want to for a more colorful look!

I’m really satisfied with this palette, and it definitely made me a bit more anxious to finally have the 35O palette in my hands. Yes, I bought that one too. Yes, I will have swatches up probably next week!

What are your thoughts on this palette? If you own some Morphe palettes, which are your favorites? Tell me about it in the comments!

I hope you’re all having lovely weekends, and as always, thanks for reading! I hope you decide to stop by my blog again soon!

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J.Cat Beauty Lip Paints: Review + Lip Swatches

July 11, 2015July 11, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 2 Comments

Hey loves,

Today for Swatch Saturday I actually have a video! I have been trying out the J.Cat Beauty lip paints that I ordered for a bit now, and I finally sat down and did a review with lip swatches for my Youtube channel! Lip swatch videos are very intense, so I apologize if a few of the darker colors are not very pretty looking. My mouth was on fire towards the end.

Anyway, just a little tidbit: J.Cat is a cruelty free and very affordable brand. They seem to have a ton of lip products, and I am impressed with almost everything I have tried, and I want to order more.

In the lip paint line, there are 36 colors. The packaging and color range is very reminiscent of the OCC lip tars. They are pretty different though. I would say the J.Cat lip paints are similar in concept and shade range, but pretty different in terms of the finish and lasting power. A few of these do go on patchy and need building up, but the ones that are patchy make incredible mixing shades! Overall, I do enjoy these lip paints and they are fun to play around with!

I’m considering doing a separate video with all of my favorite mixing combinations using these. Please let me know if you would be interested in something like that, and what colors you would want to see me create! I do know a bit about color theory. Not enough to brag about, but enough to get by.

Everything else that you may need/want to know is in the description underneath the video! Please watch it and let me know what you think. Also, if you’re not subscribed to me please do so! I’m so close to 300 subscribers! So close, yet so far away.

PS- I know I spelled “review” wrong in the opening credit. Way to start a video, right? It was late, and I was tired. It happens, and I’m too lazy to delete a video and re-upload over one letter. That’s precious time that could be spent listening to music in my underwear. I’m totally kidding…

I hope you’re all having amazing days! I do plan on sitting down and catching up on comments very soon, so please don’t think I’m ignoring you! My daughters joint birthday party is this weekend and I’ve been fairly busy with that.

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Milani XL Bronzer: Dolci Collection

June 13, 2015June 11, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 5 Comments

Hey lovelies,

Who’s up for more swatches of new, but limited edition, things from the drugstore?

I have seen pictures floating around instagram of the new Dolci collection by Milani in drugstores, and while I was making a run to CVS I saw the display in my store. On the display there was an eyeshadow, lipstick, lip gloss, nail polish, and this big ole bronzer duo. They’re all named Dolci. I only picked up the bronzing duo though, because I actually don’t own many bronzers.

They scare me. I’m so afraid of looking like an orange or that it will look good in my mirror and like shit in natural light that I honestly just don’t use bronzers often. With Summer approaching though, I do want to give them a try again and see if I can find one that warms up my face more than my Body Shop Honey Bronzer without making me look like an orange covered in dorito crumbs.

This bronzer and highlight duo claims to be for all skin types. That’s a pretty big claim. I picked this up for $10, which is expensive in terms of drugstore products, but there is 12 grams of product in this baby and the “shelf life” of it (if you go by that kind of thing) is 36 months. So, I do believe for the amount of product there is and given you can use this for 3+ years…$10 is a pretty decent price.

Personally, I love the packaging of this duo. It’s so Summery. The little imprinting seems to not go all the way through the product, but pretty far into it. To give an idea of the size, it fits perfectly into the palm of my hand. It’s a pretty decent size.

On the left is the bronzer and the right is the highlight shade

These swatched very nicely. They didn’t feel powdery or apply unevenly. Both sides were very soft to the touch.

Bronzer: When you look in the pan you can see shimmery flecks in the bronzer, but it doesn’t translate onto the skin very much. This shade is pretty warm, but I have tried it once and it looked great on my skin when I used a very very light hand with it. It’s warm, but it’s not overly warm bordering on orange, if that makes sense. It does look and apply very nicely to the skin.

Highlighter: I’m trying to figure out what I can use this shade for. It’s gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but it’s too dark for me to really use on my face as a highlight or to set anything. I may try it as an eyeshadow. I’m definetely a bit perplexed by it, but I will eventually find a use for it.

Overall thoughts: I’m happy with the bronzing side. It’s still a bit intimidating right now to me to apply, but I feel that as Summer draws nearer and my skin deepens up 1-2 more shades that it will look way better on me and not intimidate me as much. However, I feel that if you’re darker than me you should totally consider this duo! I think the overall quality and price is amazing if you’re looking to add something pretty to your collection.

Have you picked this up at your local drugstore? What are your thoughts on it? If you haven’t gotten it, will you be snagging one? Comment down below!

As always, thanks for reading and if you’re new to my blog I hope you decide to stick around!

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Swatch Saturday: La Girl Creme Lipsticks

May 16, 2015May 16, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

Hey beauties,

I feel like I haven’t done a Swatch Saturday post in ages. Okay, maybe like two weeks, but I really love doing swatch posts! Especially when lipstick is involved. Well, if lipstick is involved, I’m probably down. Today I’m going to be swatching 4 lipsticks that I don’t believe I have talked much about, and that’s the LA Girl creme lipsticks.

Everyone has been so obsessed with liquid and matte lipsticks (myself included) that I wanted to look in my collection and pull out some creamy lipsticks. Matte lipsticks aren’t for everyone, and even though I adore a great matte finish, I do like a nice moisturizing lipstick finish as well.

If you don’t know about LA Girl, they’re a brand that can be bought online at http://www.lagirlusa.com or can sometimes be found in select drugstores and Five Below stores. They are cruelty free, and very affordable.

They sell quite a few lipsticks, including liquid lipsticks, but I don’t see much on their Luxury Creme lipstick line. So, I’m going to swatch and talk about the 4 I have in my collection.

There are 24 shades in all that range from light nudes, red, and a black. I do love the range that LA Girl has in these lipsticks and I feel there is something for just about everyone.

Price: $4

Consistency: These are very creamy and hydrating.

Application: I personally like to apply these straight on the lips and then take a lip brush to evenly apply it the rest of the way. These pair best with lip liners because they are very creamy and therefore a bit slippery. I find that liners help my lipstick to “stick” and not get on my teeth as much. That and liners prevent the weird feathering thing that can happen with non-matte lipsticks.

Finish: As I’ve said possibly a million times, these are not matte, but they’re not too super glossy either. I like that about them. They’re kind of a happy medium, in my opinion.

Pigmentation: With all of the ones I swatched for this post I had no problems with the pigmentation. They went on smoothly and with no patchiness.

Packaging: I’m not a fan of the packaging. The packaging is a bit cheap (okay, very cheap) and a little flimsy. However, I will say that because the product inside is so good I can forgive cheap packaging. I can tell that LA Girl kind of sacrificed nice packaging for a great lipstick, and that’s okay in my book. I can respect that. If you’re a packaging snob (no judgement here, I am myself at times) then the packaging may bug you a bit too much with these.

Staying Power: Because these have a creamy texture and finish, you’re probably gonna have to reapply them throughout the day, especially if you eat and drink with it on.

Smell: I found that these don’t really have a smell, which is fine in my book.

Worth a try? In my opinion, yes. I really like LA Girl as a brand, and I think these are nice lipsticks to try out if you want to try pinks or reds, but don’t want to drop a ton of money on a higher end brand. The only things that bug me with these are the packaging because I end up getting lipstick all over the tube every time I apply one. That and if you rip the little sticker off completely you suddenly don’t know the name of the lipstick you’re putting on. That’s also annoying. Other than that, I really love the way these feel on the lips. Because there is shea butter and vitamin e in them they are very hydrating. Perfect to throw in your purse on a nice Spring or Summer day.

Swatches:

Amour: A very “nude” lipstick that looks almost brown on my skin tone. I did conceal my lips before these swatches so I could show you all the true color. I really like this color. It pairs well with “nude truffle” lip liner by Nyx. I know that not everyone is into the brown-nude thing right now, but I am. It’s my way of being “bold” at times without wearing a bright or odd colored lipstick.

Be Mine: A very brown lipstick with just a tinge of red in it. I know this color can be intimidating for people with fair skin, but I happen to love this color. It has a very “marsala” tone to it, and pairs well with a warm and matte eye look.

Promise: This is probably my favorite out of the 4 I own. It looks a wee bit different on my lips than it does swatched on my arm. It’s more of a plummy-berry color that’s bold, but not overpowering.

Last Night: This is a shade I would probably never purchase myself, but I actually got it in my Lip Monthly bag last month. I quite like it now that I’ve tried it on. It’s pretty intimidating inside of the tube, but on the lips it’s a nice deep pink color. Still bright, but wearable if you’re afraid of pinks like I am.

Arm Swatches:

From the wrist down: Last Night, Promise, Be Mine, Armour

That’s it for today’s swatch Saturday post 🙂

Let me know if you all like this style/set up for lip swatches, and feel free to request lip swatches!

As always, thanks for reading, and if you’re new here I hope you decide to follow me or sign up for emails. It’s free and stuff.

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Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush & Glow Trios

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 5 Comments

Hey Beauties,

Today I have more things to review and swatch! I feel like that’s what most of my posts have been lately, but the Summer collections are starting to hit drugstores and the products obviously just want to come home and live with me. So, they magically end up in my hands and before I know it I’m paying for them and walking out the door. Makeup trance, I swear.

Anyway, I’m pretty excited to be reviewing these because I have noticed online that they are starting to pop up in more stores. When I saw the display for these I noticed there are 3 trio palettes in all. I did not pick up the third one simply because every shade in it was way too dark for my skin tone.

I did pick up the other two in “Fair Trade Coffee” and “Sunset Junction” though. These were $3.99 each at my local Walgreens, or $1.33 per shade since there are 3 shades in each palette. There are 12 grams of product in each of these, so I for sure got my money’s worth in terms of amount of product vs. the price, which is something I personally consider when buying limited edition items.

Something I struggle with when it comes to limited edition items is that I don’t want to buy something and not use it, or feel afraid to love it and use it too quickly. I’m sure any makeup collector/enthusiast has felt this struggle at some point or another. However, when companies put a lot of product in a limited edition item it gives me a bit more room to fall in potential love with it, and makes me more likely to purchase it.

Each trio has a bronzer, highlight, and blush. There’s no separation between each product in the pan, so I’m not sure if that’s going to be a problem in the future.

On the left is Sunset Junction and the right is Fair Trade Coffee.

Swatches:

These are swatches from “Fair Trade Coffee.” Odd name, but I really love the blush and highlight in this one. The blush is very pigmented and is a pretty dark pink color. I love pink blushes on every skin tone. I feel this shade of blush is one that many skin tones can wear and either lightly apply it or pack it on. The bronze shade is way too orange for my skin tone, but I could probably use it as a crease shade if I’m in a pinch. If not, I still love this trio and I’m very happy with it. I’ve worn the highlight a few times and it’s super pretty and fairly subtle, yet glamorous at the same time. It has a bit of sparkle to it, which is something to keep in mind. I like a bit of sparkle in my highlight though. I like to shine bright like a diamond.

These are swatches from “Sunset Junction.” Once again, I would not be able to get away with that bronzer, but the other two shades are so lovely. I have been using the blush and highlight from this trio often since I’ve picked it up. The blush is pigmented and is a pretty light pink, and paired with the highlight it gives my skin a very radiant and healthy glow, which is something I need taking care of two small kids everyday. Fake it till you make it, right?

Overall: I’m impressed and happy with these. For $3.99 each I feel these are awesome little trios for Spring and Summer. The colors are pigmented, and they are smooth and easy to blend out. The bronzers are super orange, which is disappointing, but I would totally buy these again and I don’t regret this purchase. Even if you’re not a fan of sparkly highlighters, you could probably use them on the eyes as a nice shimmery shade with the bronze shade in the crease, because the blushes in these trios are awesome.

Anyway, I’ve been very impressed with almost everything Wet n Wild has released the past few months and I can’t wait to see what else they have in store!

If you have these, let me know what you think of them!
Will you be picking up anything else from the Silver Lake collection or any of their newer products?

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope that you decide to stay if you’re new to my blog! It’s free to sign up for emails and follow me 🙂

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Lunch in Sao Paulo Palette

Milano Palette

Silver Lake Palettes

Wet n Wild Lunch in Sao Paulo Palette

May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 9 Comments

Hey lovelies,

So, I was trying to find the California Roll palette from the Silver Lake collection only to discover that most of the Walgreens in my area have started to take the displays down. I was a wee bit crushed. However, Kaily from Someday Sunny must have felt my pain states away and found one and is sending it to me! Seriously, that made my whole day.

The point of me mentioning that is because even though I couldn’t find anymore Silver Lake palettes, I did find a display with a new Limited Edition Wet n Wild palette!

If you’ve read my reviews on the Paris Runway and Milano palettes knows that I think the quality of these palettes are awesome for drugstore eyeshadow palettes. If you’re looking for a cruelty free and affordable palette, I do reccomend them.

With that being said, to avoid repeating myself I’m just going to share photos and swatches and my thoughts on how this compares to the other two.

Price: $7.99, same as the others

Permanent? Nope, this is one of the limited edition items from Wet n Wild that will be popping up over Spring and into Summer. So, if you see it and want it, snag it.

Colors: This palette has a few very bright and colorful shades and some neutral shades. There are no matte shades in this one, so you may need to use some from other palettes if you’re like me and enjoy matte transition shades, but overall the colors are very pretty and I feel there’s a decent amount of diversity.

Quality: The quality is the same as the other two, in my opinion. Very easy to swatch, and the colors feel very nice. A few of the colors were very slightly powdery, but nothing too bad. I do feel that in terms of drugstore quality, these are awesome shadows.

This palette comes with the brush just like the other two did. It’s not my personal favorite brush, but it works if you’re in a pinch, or if you’re just starting out with makeup.

Swatches:

These swatches are done with no primer underneath. The color payoff was really nice. The yellow-ish color I had to work a bit with, but I typically do with all lighter shades because my skin is so fair. I’m dying over that greenish-teal color though. I really want to play with that one.

Overall thoughts: Ah, I’ve been sucked into the “limited edition” trap once more. However, this one I am very happy with, and I’m already planning out a possible “get ready with me” video using it! It’s probably obvious by now that Wet n Wild is one of my favorite drugstore brands.

I don’t know if I like this palette more than the Milano one, but I do like it more than the Paris Runway palette. I don’t like that it lacks mattes, but the pretty colors kind of make up for it I suppose. The closest thing to a matte is the teal shade, but even then it still has a bit of sparkle in it. However, if you did some blending you could probably blend the sparkle away. Only do that with shadows, don’t blend your real life sparkle away 😉

I do have some more limited edition goodies from Wet n Wild to review soon, so stayed tuned! If you’re new here, stay awhile if you want!

What are your thoughts on this palette?? Will you be picking it up?

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