Limited Edition Palettes Part 1

Hi Beauty lovers. I did some shopping lately during the VIB sale at Sephora last week, and I thought it was the perfect time to stock up on some limited edition palette with the sale going on.

The two palettes that I had my eye on, but was not sure if I really wanted to take the leap on buying was the Smash box Full Exposure palette and the Too Faced A few of my Favorite Things palette. I went to look for these in one Sephora location early last week because I saw the palettes online, but I couldn't find the Smash Box one at that location. The Too Faced palette, when I swatched it at the first Sephora location I went to, I don't know why but the shadows seemed a bit dry and flaky. So I didn't pick them up the first time. A few days went by and the sale was still on and so I went to another Sephora location to see if they had the Smash box Full Exposure palette. Good news is they had it, so I was able to swatch it and I was sold on it up front. I also re swatched the Too Faced palette as well, and for some reason these shadows made me melt in love.

Below is a breakdown mini review on these palettes with prices. If you are interested in these palettes please go to your local Sephora to swatch them, OR you can order them online too. Keep in mind these are limited edition so don't wait too long.

www.sephora.com

Smash box Full Exposure Palette: $58.00+tax

• This palette caught my eye online at first. Smash box is a fabulous cosmetic company, out of the products I have tried so far that I own, I have not had an issue with their items. This palette is gorgeous. It comes with 14 eye shadow's, 7 of which are matte finish, and 7 of which are shimmery or have sparkle finishes to them. That is was sold me from the start. You do not find a lot of palettes that have a good balance between matte and shimmery shadows. This one has half and half. BONUS. It also comes with a double ended brush, one side of the brush is a blending brush, the other side is a shader brush to pack on the color. It also comes with a deluxe size sample of their Full Exposure mascara. 
•  The formula of the shadows are great. They are creamy and easy to blend. Not to mention their pigmentation is crazy good. 
• What I love most about this palette is that it is so versatile. With the options of so many matte shades and shimmer shades you can combine them to make any look you want. Go from Day to night with no problems. 
• The palette also comes with a mirror on the top. The palette closes with magnets. 
• The packaging is very similar to the Lorac pro palette and the NARS packaging, so it is easy to get dirty quickly.
• For the price you do get your moneys worth since one of their single eye shadows retails for $18-$20 each and a trio of shadows retails for $36 plus tax! So realistically this palette of 14 shadows at $58 is a steal.
• Using an eye shadow primer underneath, the shadows are very long wearing. 

 Too Faced A Few of my Favorite Things Palette: $64+tax

• This palette caught my eye on line as well. However when I went to swatch it the first time in stores I didn't really love how the eye shadows transferred on my fingers. They seemed dry. BUT when I swatched them a second time at another Sephora location a few days later, the palette seemed flawless. You get 20 eye shadows, 2 blushes, and 2 face powder bronzer's. Also it comes with a deluxe sample size of their Better then sex mascara and a full size lip injection balm in nude. All that for $64 at Sephora. This is a great deal, with all the great goodies inside, this palette is valued at $496! This would be the perfect Christmas gift for a chick who is a makeup lover at that.
• The formulation of the shadows/blushes/and bronzer's are fabulous they are very buttery and smooth. Very easy to blend and so pigmented that your looks will pop.
• This palette does not come with a mirror, but that is OK. I do not really use the mirror that comes with the palettes anyways. 
• The packaging is very cute, pink and cream color packaging. The palette is thin like an Ipad mini. Equivalent to that size of the Ipad, maybe a tiny bit bigger.
• This palette does have a couple of matte shadows, but not as many as the Smash box one does. I think there is about 4-5 matte shades you can use for blending colors together in the palette. 
• The good thing about this palette is that you can get a day look, or a night look with it. So it is versatile if you need to travel and only want to bring one palette, this would be a good one to bring. Not only does the shadows provide options but it also provides face powders. So this is perfect to travel with.
• Also using an eye shadow primer underneath, the shadows are very long wearing. 

If you wish to see swatches on line, please go visit my YouTube channel MacGril25Antonietta to see some swatching done.

I hope you all enjoyed this mini review, stay tuned for Part 2 of Limited Edition Palettes coming soon.

Until next time beauty lovers <3
MacGirl25




Disclosure: I purchased these palettes with my own dollar bills, I am not affiliated with these two companies what so ever.

Pauly D Bronze Beats- Tanning Lotion review

Ola Beauty Lovers! Yes I am back again. I am just on a roll. Today I want to take some time and talk about a favorite tanning lotion of mine. Normally in the summer time I do not use the tanning beds. I know what some of you may be thinking, "Tanning beds are bad for your blah blah blah," and that is fine. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I am not a hard core tanning bed goer. I usually only use the tanning bed in the late fall/winter time to help out my acne on my back and warm up my bones a bit every so often since I have a bit of arthritis. So when I do go and use the bed I make sure I use a fabulous tanning lotion that will bronze me up a bit so I don't look like a Cullen. (For those of you Twilight lovers will understand what I am referencing).

Any way, about over a year ago I discovered the Pauly D Bronze Beats Tanning lotion. When I was introduced to this product I thought to myself, isn't it a product only for guys? The lady at the salon say no, yes a lot of guys use it, however for those girls who are European and have a high olive complexion they are able to enjoy this product as well. So I said what the hell, might as well try it out.

The packaging is average, to me for a tanning lotion, I don't really care what the package looks like as long as I can comfortably fit it inside my purse. The bottle is around 360mL so about 12.25 fl oz. The prices  ranges depending what salon you buy it at so it ranges between $70-$80. Yes I know its a bit pricey but keep in mind this is a higher end tanning lotion, definitely not like those $30-$40 ones at the bottom of the shelf.

When you open the bottle, and squeeze the product out, it smells fabulous. The scent is very attractive and makes you feel fresh and clean. The color of the product is a dark bronze color. DUH it is a bronze lotion so obviously it will have color to the cream. No, to answer your next question, it does not stain your hands when you apply it to your body which is an amazing bonus.

Once you get out of the tanning bed you instantly have color with this lotion, which is why I love it so much. This lotion also helps to make your tan last longer than an average lotion does. The salon I go to usually has this lotion always sold out because a lot of clients love it and use it. Which is why I had purchased a back up last winter so that when I run out at least I don't have to hunt it down at a retailer or salon. :) always gotta think ahead.

Normally one bottle of this lasts me about 2 years. Like I said I don't tan often which is why it lasts me a long time. For those of you who tan a lot more of course you will finish it quicker. Common sense.

For those of you who do not know who Pauly D is, he is a DJ in New York, and has stared in the TV Reality hit series The Jersey Shore.

If you are interested in purchase this lotion, you can visit any tanning salon near you and inquire about it. Sometimes they may not have it on the shelf because they sold out, so it's always good to ask them as they are able to order it for you in the event you really want to try it out.

Until next time beauty lovers
MacGirl25