Product Review -- The Balm Nude Beach Eyeshadow Palette

It seems like a lot of makeup brands had the same idea for shadow palettes this summer.

Just the other day, I reviewed the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette, which features all warm, reddish toned shadows.

The Balm's new Nude Beach Eyeshadow Palette isn't quite as tone on tone as the Naked Heat, but it does contain plenty of warm, reddish, rosy shadows, with some peach and bronze shades thrown in for good measure.

It's the third palette in the Balm's Nude Palette series (with the Nude 'Tude and Nude Dude Palettes being volumes 1 and 2), and if you've been following this blog for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of The Balm.

In fact, it's the only brand that I feel a pretty much pathological need to collect palettes for.

So I was all on board with the Nude Beach Palette before I even saw the shade selection -- when I finally did, I was pretty sure that it was a match made in heaven for me.

More warm reddish, rosy shadows? Yes, please!

Product Review -- Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette

I'm not going to be coy about this -- I am pretty much head over heels in love with the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette.

So if you're looking for a post that talks you out of buying it, you're probably going to want to skip this one.

I know that there's been a lot of hype surrounding this, and warm, reddish-toned shadow palettes are really nothing new, but this one delivers in a pretty big way -- and is so beautiful that there was no way I could resist it.

It's definitely my favorite addition to the Naked collection since the Naked 2 Palette (and that's saying something because I've liked pretty much all of the Naked Palettes...)

Product Review -- Stila Cosmetics Heaven's Hue Highlighter

I don't think it's possible for me to ever have enough highlighters.

Nearly every time a new one hits the market, I've got to grab it because being glowy is pretty much my top priority where makeup is concerned.

I hadn't heard much when they first launched but lately, I'd been seeing a lot of good things about the Stila Heaven's Hue Highlighters and as usual when makeup is involved, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to pick one up.

The highlighters come in three shades, and while I see most people talking about it in Kitten, Stila's ubiquitous nude pink with golden undertones, I decided to go for Transcendence, an opalescent pink, because Kitten just seemed too similar to other highlighters I have.

Product Review -- Tarte Clay Play Face Shaping Palette

Is it just me or has Tarte been putting out a bunch of new products practically everyday lately?

It's been hell on my bank account because I can't resist picking up at least 75% of the stuff that they put out -- but the good news is that they've been hitting a lot of home runs lately, so at least I haven't experienced too much buyer's remorse.

One of the items that instantly caught my eye was the Clay Play Face Shaping Palette. I love multi-use products that can save a little space in your vanity or travel makeup bag so I was pretty excited to give this one a try.

The shades in the palette are designed to be used as eye shadows, brow colors, and contour powders so they're nearly all matte and fit a pretty natural, earthy color range.

Product Review -- Maybelline Dream Brightening Creamy Concealer

With my super fair skin, brightening concealers are pretty hard to come by.

That's because it's hard enough to find a concealer that matches my skin tone, let alone one that's lighter enough than my skin to actually have a brightening effect.

Usually, pink-toned concealers are my best bet, but even those are pretty hit and miss.

Still, I was pretty excited to try the Maybelline Dream Brightening Creamy Concealer -- and it's only about $8, so even if I didn't love it, I wouldn't be out a lot of money.

Product Review -- Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild Glow Kit

I've said it before, but I am just as obsessed with highlighters as everyone else seems to be these days.

Even back when when my skin was oily, I always liked a little extra glow along my cheekbones, but now that my skin has gotten drier, it's an absolute must for me when I'm doing my makeup. My face also looks too drab if I don't dust a little highlighter over the tops of my cheeks (I'm also one of those people who loves highlighting the tip of the nose too).

So I am always looking for new highlighters, both in terms of formula, texture, and color.

From pretty much the first moment that I saw the Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild Glow Kit, I was head over heels in love -- but I held back on getting it because I told myself that it probably wasn't the most practical addition to my collection.

Of course, after seeing enough Instagram photos of the palette in action, I couldn't hold out any longer and I finally bit the bullet and picked it up.