Zoeva Cocoa Blend eyeshadow palette

Hello my darlings! Boy, have I got an exciting review for you today! It has been just too long since I bought myself a new eyeshadow palette and I was determined to rectify that this month. I was seriously contemplating on getting the Too Faced Semi-sweet palette (baby sister to the Chocolate Bar palette) but it was a bit out of my budget with all the shipping and import costs, so when Zoeva came out with their new Cocoa Blend palette I decided to grab it and try a different 'version' of a chocolate bar inspired palette. :)

I haven't tried anything from Zoeva before but I did have a chance to swatch two palettes from them and was really impressed with the quality of the eyeshadows. That, combined with a great review from Beauty Palmira (and awesome swatches of course), made me want to get it really badly... So, I waited patiently for the release date to come (and watched/read many more reviews on it in the mean time) and as soon as it was available on their site, I threw it in my virtual shopping bag. :)

First of all, let's talk about the packaging - beautiful, sleek and very secure. I love the size of the whole thing and the size/shape/position of all the shades in it. I love the shade names and I'm really happy they're written on the palette. The eyeshadows themselves are absolutely stunning and of great quality - I would almost dare compare them to Urban Decay or Too Faced eyeshadows (and that's a lot coming from an eyeshadow snob like me). You get a range of finishes - from matte, to satin, to shimmery and even metallic and not one shade is poor. :)

L to R: Bitter Start, Sweeter End, Warm Notes, Subtle Blend and Beans are White

L to R: Pure Ganache, Substitute for Love, Freshly Toasted, Infusion and Delicate Acidity

Now... I personally feel like this is a really well put together palette with some really interesting shades but most of them are dupable. The whole palette is definitely on the warmer side and a certain color scheme can be visible throughout it (gold, black-grey, reddish tones - you get what I mean). Still, I feel like this can be a super versatile palette and you really can create many different and exciting looks with it (I already have two looks ready for you and will be creating more as I get inspired). :)

My absolute favorite shades are Warm Notes, Freshly Toasted, Infusion and Delicate Acidity, but I love all of them. :) Substitute for Love is a great transition shade and really reminds of Salted Caramel from Too Faced's Chocolate Bar. Bitter Start is a beautiful highlight and Beans are White is great to smoke up/deepen a look or be used as an eyeliner.

All in all I'm super happy with this palette and would highly recommend it! You can get it from Zoeva's site for a mere 17.50 € (plus shipping), which is a total bargain. :)

Sleek I-Divine eyeshadow palette in Storm

Hello darlings! After quite a while, this eyeshadow junkie has another eyeshadow palette to show you. :) I've actually had this palette for over a year (shame on me), but just didn't get around to write a review for it.

I am very loyal to my Urban Decay and Too Faced palettes, so I rarely stray from those brands when it comes to trying out new eyeshadow palettes but I've heard so many great things about Sleek, I decided to give them a go. At first I was going for Au Naturel but Storm was equally impressive, so I asked my best friend to choose for me (as she was the one getting me this palette for my birthday). In the end she choose Storm and I'm really glad she did. :)

I have to say that in general I'm very pleased with this palette. I think the eyeshadow shades are stunning and the pigmentation is great, but I wouldn't dare to say these eyeshadows compare to UD or Too Faced - maybe at 'first swatch', but you can definitely see the difference when applying them on your lids and blending them out.

Another downside to this palette is that the only two matte shades that would make awesome transition colors, are very poorly pigmented and you have to work super hard to get them to show up (you can see in the swatches bellow - and I did a lot of building up to make them show up like that).

I also don't like the fact that the names of the shades come written on a clear plastic sheet that lays on top of them - I immediately threw that away and now I usually have to look up the names on the internet (it's really not that big of a deal, but I much prefer if the names are written on the palette itself).

Upper row: Sand Storm, Snow Storm, Calm before the Storm
Bottom row: Dust Storm, Gathering Storm, Storm Cloud

Upper row: Thunder Storm, Perfect Storm, Firestorm
Bottom row: Electric Storm, Eye of the Storm, Blackout

After what I just told you about this palette, you probably think I don't like it but that's far from the truth. I think it's an excellent palette, especially for the price but the truth is, I'll still gravitate towards my higher-end palettes more - partially because of better quality, but mostly because of the shades themselves. Whilst you can create a pretty natural look with this palette, most shades are quite intense and aren't for day to day wear (at least not for me). I am happy to have them though as I do like to experiment and create more fun looks from time to time. :)

Sand Storm, Snow Storm, Calm before the Storm

Thunder Storm, Perfect Storm, Firestorm

Dust Storm, Gathering Storm, Storm Cloud

Electric Storm, Eye of the Storm, Blackout

My absolute favorite shades from this palette are Snow Storm, Perfect Storm, Firestorm and Dust Storm, but really, I love them all. :) I actually used Perfect Storm and Firestorm in a recent makeup look I did for L'Oreal Paris - go check it out, if you're interested.

My Slovenian readers can get this palette from Ličila.si, Moja Drogerija or Click2Chic and the price is always around 12-13 €.

So, what are your thoughts on this palette - have it, love it, hate it? :D Do you have any other Sleek palettes?

Product comparison: UD Naked Basics vs. Naked Basics2

Hello my darlings! I've decided to start a little 'mini series' on my blog called Product comparison where I'll compare two products that are very similar or work in the same way (posts to come include comparisons between LRP Serozinc and Thermal water, UD All-nighter and B6 setting sprays and more). :)

Today I thought I'd talk about my two favorite matte palettes from Urban Decay - Naked Basics and Naked Basics2. I think it's really important for women who like to experiment with eyeshadows or at least wear them a lot, to have some basic, matte, neutral shades in their collection. I'm a fan of shimmer but sometimes you just need a matte look on the eyes to go with bolder lips or maybe to create a very gentle, subtle look. And not to mention how matte shades work perfectly as transition shades in the crease. ;)

I do love both of these palettes and I really don't regret buying either of them. They are kind of similar but very different at the same time. Naked Basics is definitely more on the warm side, whilst Naked Basics2 has a much more cool toned selection of shades. I have a fair complexion with cool undertones and I find both work great for me. :) But... I do prefer one of them and if I could, I would mix and match shades from both to create the perfect palette.

What I love about Naked Basics:

Venus, Naked2 and Faint are amazing shades that are 'basic' but definitely not shades you get in every neutral palette. They are quite unique and not easily dupable. Out of all my highlighting shades, Venus is my absolute favorite. Crave is also great - it's always good to have a matte black in the palette, but it's not unique and it could easily be replace with any other matte black.

What I don't like:

Foxy is a shade I probably wore only once and I never gravitate towards it, simply because it has such a yellow tint to it that is clashes with my cool undertones. I just can't seem to make it work. W.O.S. is a lovely shade on the other hand, pink undertones, perfect for me... at least that's what you'd think. The problem is that it's so similar to my skin tone, it has a hard time showing up at all - it just kind of blends in (unless I use a white base underneath it first).

What I love about Naked Basics2:

Shades Frisk, Cover, Primal and Undone are absolutely stunning and super unique in my mind - you just don't find these kind of shades often. I am head over heels for all four of them, but I especially love Frisk as I don't have many grey-taupe-purple shades in my collection. I also love that Undone is a toned down brown-black and can be used with ease (it's not as harsh as a true black so you can't easily overdo it). I find that all these shades are very different and offer more versatility when creating makeup looks.

What I don't like:

Skimp and Stark - I rarely use these two shades. Skimp does look like it would suit my pink-toned complexion but again, it just kind of blends in and doesn't do much for me as far as highlighting goes. I sometimes use it as a 'topper' over some other shade from the palette, to give it a bit of a sheen, but that's about it. Stark is also an interesting color but I just don't get along with it. It's a bit too 'salmony' for me.

Naked Basics2 (top row): Skimp, Stark, Frisk, Cover, Primal and Undone
Naked Basics (bottom row): Venus, Foxy, W.O.S., Naked2, Faint and Crave

If I could pick out certain shades and create my perfect Basics palette, I'd go for Venus, Frisk, Primal, Naked2, Faint and Undone. :) But... I'm totally fine having both palettes separately and using shades from both of them as I please. If however you were deciding between the two, I'd say go for Naked Basics2 purely because I believe it offers more versatility. If you can afford both, get both of them - you won't regret it!

*I Heart Makeup Slogan Palette Explicit Content

Hello lovelies! Today I have a review for you that is way, way overdue... Ličila.si kindly sent me this gorgeous eyeshadow palette back in August. I actually jumped into 'swatching mode' as soon as I got it, but I planned on doing some makeup looks with it before I posted a review. Needles to say that didn't happen... so I decided to give you an in-depth review first and post some makeup looks in the very near future. ;)

The palette is called Slogan palette Explicit Content and it contains a whooping 36 eyeshadows, mostly shimmery but a few are matte. To be honest I didn't expect too much out of this palette... I have very, very high standards when it comes to eyeshadows since I am spoiled rotten with my Urban Decay, Too Faced and Inglot eyeshadows that have amazing texture and pigmentation. Thankfully I ended up being really impressed with the quality of these eyeshadows.

The palette contains a wonderful mixture of neutrals and fun colors that are (as I said before) mostly shimmery, only 4 are matte. I'm a big fan of shimmery eyeshadows and I have my Naked Basics palettes when I crave a basic, matte look, so this palette was right up my alley. The blue eyeshadows aren't really my cup of tea, but it's always nice to have these kind of shades, if you want to create a fun, different look (and stray away from the neutrals for a day or two). :)

The pigmentation across the whole palette is amazing, the only four that have disappointed me are unfortunately the matte shades which have a hard texture to them and pretty poor pigmentation. The very best pigmentation I experienced was from the shades in the 4th and 5th column.

Even though the palette contains 36 eyeshadows it's still very compact and not too big at all - the packaging is roughly the size of a CD packaging (you know that clear plastic thingies) and around a centimeter wide/thick, so it's very portable and travel friendly.

1st row, shades 1, 2, 3, 4

1st row, shades 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

2nd row, shades 10, 11, 12, 13

2nd row, shades 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

3rd row, shades 19, 20, 21, 22

3rd row, shades 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

4th row, shades 28, 29, 30, 31

4th row, shades 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

I would be happier if the shades had names written on the back of the palette or something, because I really like to memorise the names so when I use them in a makeup look I know which one went where and let you know. But I can understand why they don't have names - there are 36 of them and that would require quite the imagination to give all of them nice names. :) So, I guess numbers will have to do... 

My top 5 shades would have to be 8 (a light taupe), 9 (a gorgeous emerald green), 30 (a dark coppery-rose), 31 (a beautiful mushroomy brown) and 32 (a true copper shade). :)

You can get this palette (and others from I Heart Makeup) at Ličila.si for an awesome price of 12,95 €, but it's currently on sale for 7,95 €, so hurry up! :)

What are your thoughts on this palette, is it something for you? Have you tried any other palettes from I Heart Makeup or Makeup Revolution - what are your impressions?

Lily Lolo blush in Rosebud

Hello darlings! Sticking with pink-themed posts this week (in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month), I'll be reviewing another gorgeous pink product from Lily Lolo (check out yesterday's review I did on one of their pressed blushes). So, this blush was part of a collective haul I did back in July. I really wanted to try out one of their mineral blushes and I ended up picking the beautiful Rosebud. :)

This shade is absolutely divine! The swatch bellow doesn't even do it justice... I tried to capture it in all its glory, but it's simply too gorgeous... you just have to see it in person. :) I would describe the color as a dark rose with beautiful shimmer running through it. 

The shimmer in it however, is the reason I can't use it for what it is. I won't say I hate shimmery blushes because I really don't, I just much prefer matte ones or blushes that have just the tiniest sheen to them but aren't noticeably shimmery (if you get what I'm trying to say). Despite that I decided I was going to make it work... it's just too beautiful to be passed on to one of my girlfriends. :)

So... I went ahead and used it as an eyeshadow! And I have to say it makes one hell of an eyeshadow color. :) Because of the new and improved packaging, the application was practically mess-free and I actually didn't experience any fallout - it adhered to the eyeshadow base like a dream (I used NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Milk) and blended wonderfully with the other eyeshadows I used (from UD Naked3).

I'm really happy with the way this look turned out and I'll probably keep on using it as an eyeshadow... but that certainty doesn't mean you shouldn't use it as a blush. If you love a bit of shimmer on your cheeks and a stunning color like this, than you need to get it! If you're more like me and prefer matte blushes, there are quite a few shades to choose from as well. I'm especially interested in Surfer Girl, Flushed and Ooh La La. You can get all of them for 10.28 € (but look out for offers/sales). :)

So, what are your thoughts? Would you prefer to wear it as a blush or as an eyeshadow? :)

How to make your eyeshadows shine...

Hello my lovelies! Today I thought I'd do a post on how to make your eyes/eyeshadows shine. Sometimes an eyeshadow just needs a little help to really show it's true color. Weather you own only drugstore eyeshadows or high-end ones, taking a few simple steps and using a few products can really make a difference in the way your eye makeup ends up looking. :)

Eyeshadow primer

If you tend to have oily skin and oily eyelids, you will benefit greatly from using a primer underneath your eyeshadows. There are plenty of great eyeshadow primers available on the market and you don't need to break your budget for everyone of them - the best and most affordable (from my experience) is NYX HD eyeshadow base, but recently I've also fallen in love with theBalm's Put a lid on it. I've done an eyeshadow primer comparison/battle post, so go check that out, if you haven't seen it yet.

But, even if you have normal or dry skin, I still think eyeshadow primer is somewhat necessary. Even if you find that eyeshadows last a very long time on you and don't crease whatsoever, you can still get an even longer wear with a great eyeshadow primer and also get better color payoff from the eyeshadows themselves. And the fact that you have normal/dry skin doesn't mean you won't sweat during high temperatures, so... :)

Eyeshadow base/eye pencil

Another great way to make your eyeshadows really pop is to use a colored base or eye pencil underneath them. For example - if you have really light eyelids with veins showing through (like me), you can make a huge difference in your eye look, if you apply a nude/skin colored base all over the lid, before applying your eyeshadows (MAC Painterly Paint Pots seem to be really popular, but I have yet to try them out for myself). That will give you a nice, even canvas to create a masterpiece on. :D The same goes for people with darker lids/darker eye area - you can lighten and even everything out with a great base.

Now, if you want to bring out the color of a certain eyeshadow more, you can use an eye pencil - I love the NYX Jumbo eye pencils. If you want to make a lighter shade more visible and vibrant, use a white colored pencil underneath it (like Milk) and if you want a black/dark eyeshadow to really be intense or perhaps to create a smokey eye look, you can use a black/dark grey pencil underneath (I have Black bean from NYX, but you can also use your 'plain' black eyeliner for this, if you know it won't smudge or wear off easily).

From L to R: Naked2 eyeshadow without a base, over theBalm primer, over NYX pencil in Milk

From L to R: Crave eyeshadow without a base, over theBalm primer, over NYX pencil in Black Bean

Eyeshadow brush

Last but not least I wanted to give a mention to eyeshadow brushes. Now, I'm really not a snob when it comes to brushes - if I like a brush and it preforms well, I don't mind if it's a MAC, Sigma, Real Techniques brush or a random $2 brush from the drugstore or eBay. :) But in general I have discovered that it can really pay off, if you invest in some good quality brushes. I'd especially recommend to invest in some good brushes for applying your eyeshadows (packing them on) and some great blending brushes (blending brushes make a huuuuge difference when you're creating your eye look). If you're big on gel/cream liners then I'd also recommend finding a few great angled eyeliner brushes which can also come in handy when filling in your eyebrows.

So, here you have a few simple but effective tips that can really help your eyeshadows look their best and your makeup looks turn out just the way you imagined them. :)

*Lily Lolo Pressed eye shadow

Hello darlings! Today I have another Lily Lolo product to review for you. I got this cute little pressed eyeshadow along with my purchase back in June (for review purposes). I got the shade Pinky Promise (is that a cute name or what?). :)

The eyeshadow comes in a beautiful, chic packaging (the new look of Lily Lolo) and actually has a mirror inside of it as well (very handy when you're on the go). It shuts/opens very securely, so there are no worries of it opening up, when you travel with it. I also managed to drop it on the floor and the packaging as well as the eyeshadow inside stayed perfectly intact.

The shade Pinky Promise is a lovely dusky, neutral pink that would suit almost every skin tone/eye color. It's not one of those hard-to-pull-off pinks where you need to be careful not too make your eyes look inflamed or tired. It's a beautiful, gentle pink with almost some brown tones to it, I really like it. :)

The formula is quite nice - very creamy to the touch and pretty pigmented. I say 'pretty', because it's not as pigmented as I'd like it to be - you need to build it up a bit to get the desired color payoff. I actually used a white base underneath it for the look I created bellow, because I really wanted its true color to show up (I'm regretting not using a white base underneath the duo I got, as well - would made the look so much better). I feel like all (even though I've only tried two) Lily Lolo pressed eyeshadows have a great formula, but need a bit of help for the true color to show up. But it's not like these eyeshadows are the only ones - I use a white base underneath a lot of my eyeshadows, even high-end ones, if I feel like the color isn't showing up as well on its own (over a primer).

Anyhow... I really love how the look came out. I used NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Milk as a base, then applied Pinky Promise all over the lid and defined the crease/outer corner/bottom lash line with Nooner from my Naked3 palette. :)

And so my obssesion with Lily Lolo products continues... You really need to check out my collective review of the other products I got, if you haven't seen it yet. And I'll be reviewing the blush (Rosebud) very soon as well, so stay tuned for that. :)


Slovenian readers can get Pinky Promise or other shades of their pressed eyeshadows at LilyLolo.si for 9.90 € and foreign readers can reffer to Lily Lolo's UK page. :)

Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette

Hello darlings! Today I have a very exciting and picture heavy post for you - a review of the gorgeous Chocolate Bar eyeshadow palette from Too Faced. :) As you probably already know I'm a total eyeshadow palette junkie, but I do my fair share of research and a list of pros/cons before any purchase (otherwise I would have a ton of palettes). This was one palette I was sure I wouldn't buy... I thought 'meh, just another neutral eyeshadow palette, I don't need it'. Oh boy, was I wrong!

This is an absolutely stunning eyeshadow palette, inside and out. It comes in a beautiful tin-like packaging (similar to the packaging of UD Naked2 or Naked3). It has a magnetic opening/closing 'mechanism' which is actually pretty week, but definitely strong enough to keep it shut, even if you turn the palette upside down and shake it a bit. Despite that, it's not a super travel-friendly palette (like for example UD Naked or Naked Basics).

Inside the palette comes a very decent sized mirror that comes in handy and of course all the eyeshadows, 16 of them in total. One of my favorite things about this palette is the scent - when you open the palette you're greeted with an amazing chocolate/cocoa powder scent (it smells exactly the same as their Chocolate Soleil bronzer). To me it smells great and very natural and I don't mind it at all (you don't actually smell the eyeshadows once they're on your eyes), but I do imagine some people might not like this aspect of the palette. 

Another downside with this palette (for some people) might be the fact that the names of the eyeshadows aren't written on the actual packaging, above the eyeshadows, but on a transparent sheet which can lay on top of them. I don't really mind that, because ever since I've been using it, I memorized all the names of the eyeshadows and I don't really need the sheet (I threw it away), and even if you forget a name, you can always find it online. :)

1st row: Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate
2nd row: Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi-Sweet
3rd row: Hazelnut, Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate

1st row: Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge
2nd row: Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto
3rd row: Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle

The eyeshadows themselves look absolutely gorgeous! If you're familiar with Too Faced eyeshadow palettes, then you know they're really high quality. Some feel creamier and softer than others, but despite the texture, they're all extremely pigmented and apply/blend beautifully. The only two eyeshadows that don't really pack a punch and need to be built up are Black Forest Truffle and Candied Violet, but if you put a nice base underneath (like NYX jumbo eye pencil in Milk), they turn out great. 

Even though this is a neutral palette, you still get a few pops of color in it and can create a bunch of different eye looks - from really natural ones, to more dramatic, evening looks. I'm really happy you get a bunch of transition/crease colors in here (like Milk Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Semi Sweet), two amazing highlighting shades (White Chocolate and Champagne Truffle), a very dark brown instead of a black (Triple Fudge), some burgundy shades (Black Forest Truffle and Cherry Cordial) and other great shades to play with - I think Too Faced managed to create a very interesting combination. :)

Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate

Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge, Salted Caramel

Marzipan, Semi-Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon

Candied Violet, Amaretto, Hazelnut

Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle

I've tested out the palette and played with it quite a bit (did makeup looks using almost all of the eyeshadows) and I have to say it has quickly become one of my favorite palettes. I think the shades in this palette really make it easy to create gorgeous looks, no matter which ones you decided to mix together. The application is great, I haven't experienced any major fallout, they blend like a dream and last all day on me (using an eyeshadow primer). 

And here are some looks I've managed to create for you, using this palette... :)

Eyeshadows used: Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Triple Fudge, Champagne Truffle

Eyeshadows used: White Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Champagne Truffle

Eyeshadows used: Marzipan, Salted Caramel, Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Champagne Truffle

Eyeshadows used: Amaretto, Cherry Cordial, Triple Fudge, White Chocolate, Champagne Truffle

Eyeshadows used: Gilded Ganache, Milk Chocolate, Triple Fudge, Creme Brulee, White Chocolate

Do you need this palette? Well, if you already have a bunch of neutral palettes, then probably not... but this is one amazing palette with gorgeous and somewhat unique shades in it as well, so it's definitely worth getting. Of course it all comes down to your personal preference and if you like the shade selection in it - if you think you would be using most of the eyeshadows then go ahead, if you find only a few that you like, pass on it. :) 

I got my palette on BeautyBay for around 57 €, but it's currently on sale for 52 €. Yes, it's a very expensive eyehadow palette, but totally worth the money in my mind. :)

So, what are your thoughts on this palette - something you'd like to have or not? Would you like to see more looks with it?