Product Review -- Urban Decay Afterdark Palette

I usually enjoy Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes because they often contains shades that are at least a little bit outside my comfort zone.

That's always a good way to ensure that I don't wind up in a makeup rut.

So while I'm always interested in new Urban Decay releases, I was particularly excited by the Afterdark Palette.

It's an entire palette full of rich jewel tone shadows in metallic and shimmery finishes. 

What's not to love?

Product Review -- Too Faced White Chocolate Chip Eye Shadow Palette

I put the Too Faced White Chocolate Chip Eye Shadow Palette on my holiday wish list as soon as I saw the first promo images of it.

I love the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palettes and the shades looked like they were right up my alley, so it seemed like a no-brainer.

Of course, about a minute after that, I started to see some pretty awful reviews of the White Chocolate Chip Palette, and I started to rethink my need for it.

But I'd already told some friends and family members who were looking for gift ideas for me, so I just decided to let it be.

That's a long way of saying that when I wound up with White Chocolate Chip Palette, I didn't exactly have high hopes for it.

Maybe that's why I have a more favorable opinion of it than most of the reviews I've seen.

Product Review -- Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette

It's always really cool when a makeup company can come out with a product that works in multiple ways.

You really feel like you're getting your money's worth that way.

Still, when I first saw the Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette, I assumed I would be using it strictly for highlighting.

I've been pleasantly surprised by the fact that the palette is just as versatile as advertised.

Product Review -- Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow Palette

The older that I get, the savvier I try to be about my makeup purchases.

That mainly means ignoring the hype for products that I know I really have no use for.

For example, I think the new Kat Von D Pastel Goth Palette looks absolutely beautiful, but those just aren't colors that I'd personally get any kind of regular use out of  -- so I'm not giving into temptation despite all the pretty positive reviews I've seen.

In a perfect world, I'd have the space and money to buy any and all makeup items that just looked nice, but that's not my reality so I have to be a little smarter about the things I pick up.

So I was pretty determined not to give in and buy the Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow Palette.

Product Review -- Too Faced Papa Don't Peach Blush

Back in the day, I had one of the original Too Faced Papa Don't Peach Blush.

I remember that it came in heavy cardboard packaging with cool retro artwork, and I believe it was a mostly matte peach shade with some subtle gold shimmer throughout.

I liked it quite a bit, and was very disappointed when it turned up missing after I took it on vacation with me.

I never got around to replacing it, and then Too Faced went and discontinued it so that was that.

Until recently, of course, when Too Faced relaunched the Papa Don't Peach Blush as part of their Sweet Peach line.

Product Review -- elf Cream Blush Palette

I used to really dislike cream blush.

I think that had a lot to do with the fact that my skin was super oily and cream products seemed to slip right off.

Application had something to do with it too -- I was applying the blush with my fingers back then and I had a tough time getting it to apply evenly.

Over the past 5 or so years, though, I've kind of fallen in love with cream blushes.

Now, during that time period, my skin has become increasingly drier so cream products have become a much better fit. I've also learned that it's best to apply cream blushes (and highlighter, bronzers, and contour products) with a brush to get the look that I want.

With all of that in mind, I was pretty excited to try the elf Cream Blush Palettes that came out a year or so ago.

Product Review -- essence Pure Nude Highlighter

Like a lot of people, I'm pretty much obsessed with highlighter.

It's that finishing touch to my makeup that always seems to take it up a notch.

I mean, who wouldn't want to be glowing to the heavens at every possible moment, right?

That means I'm always game to try a new highlighter -- I'm determined to have one for every occasion, so it only makes sense. You know what I mean: warm highlighters, cool highlighters, natural-looking highlighters, super metallic highlighters, and so forth and so on.

The essence Pure Nude Highlighter has to be one of the more versatile options that I've tried.

Product Review -- NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

As a general rule, I don't believe in spending a lot of money for on a tinted moisturizer.

They're basically just a super light coverage foundation, and while I always try to use products that contain good ingredients for my skin, I don't think you always need to spend an arm and a leg to do that.

That said, I have bought a couple of high end tinted moisturizers over the years so when a friend told me how she loves the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, I got a little curious.

It's $44, though, which is a hell of a lot to spend on a tinted moisturizer in my book, so I waited until NARS was recently having a 20% off sale to pick it up.

Product Review -- bareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipsticks

Every makeup brand seems determined to throw their hat in the matte liquid lipstick ring, and bareMinerals is no exception.

As part of the Gen Nude line, which is compromised of a wide range of nude shades to fit virtually any skin tone, bareMinerals released their Matte Liquid Lipsticks several months back.

I've been curious about the entire Gen Nude lineup, which also includes the Buttercream Lipglosses, Radiant Lipsticks, and Under Over Lipliners, so I decided to give the Matte Liquid Lipsticks a try when I saw a set of 4 full size shades on QVC.