October 18, 2015

Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow - 4 shades - swatches, pics, review

Hello, Beautiful!

I was really excited to try some Catrice products once Ulta started carrying them. I picked up a few things, and the Liquid Metal Eyeshadows were on the top of my list. I picked up four shades (they were buy one get one 50% off).

Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow Info & Review
Cost: $4.99 (0.11 oz full size)
Availability: Available at Ulta.
My Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Kisses

INFO & CLAIMS...

Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadows have high pigmentation for an extraordinary metal shine. The silky powder with a chrome effect is reminiscent of liquid metal. Its innovative texture with maximum pigmentation and intense color-dispersion is sure to make the eyes shine instantly. The unique 3D embossment turns this eyeshadow into an absolute highlight - for every day, every mood, every style.


Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow
Shades: 090 Nougat It Right, 030 We Are The Champagnes, 040 Under Treasure, 080 Mauves Like Jagger
Continue scrolling down to see more pics of each individual shade.



These look so beautiful in the pan!!


Here are all four shades swatched....
From left to right: 090 Nougat It Right, 030 We Are The Champagnes, 040 Under Treasure, 080 Mauves Like Jagger


_____________________________________________________________
Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow
Shade: 090 Nougat It Right







_____________________________________________________________
Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow
Shade: 030 We Are The Champagnes







_____________________________________________________________
Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow
Shade: 040 Under Treasure






_____________________________________________________________
Catrice Liquid Metal Eyeshadow
Shade: 080 Mauves Like Jagger







FINAL THOUGHTS...

I really love shine on my eyes, whether it be sparkle or metallic, so I was really excited to get these. They look so, so, so pretty in the pans so I had really high hopes for how they would swatch and look on the eyes.

While I do think they have nice pigmentation, a good texture and pretty shades, I have to say that I wasn't impressed with the shine part. The claims of high pigmentation and shine just don't seem like an accurate description.

Don't get me wrong, the pigmentation is good, but it's not insane. And the shine is nothing special or out of this world. There is a metallic feel to these, but you really have to catch the light to get them to shine pretty - otherwise they really aren't very special.

I recently purged a bunch of single shadows because I reach for palettes more, but if it's a special shadow I have no problem with them being sold as singles. These Liquid Metal Shadows just aren't that special to me. I know a lot of people love these, but I was just expecting a lot more shine from them and maybe that's why I feel so disappointed in them.

Don't get me wrong, I still think these are good and I've used them several times, but I don't get excited about them like I thought I would.

Additionally, that shine that is in the pan disappears after you swatch/use it. It is an over spray, but the product underneath is still good... just not as pretty as that first swatch/use will be.

Maybe I just have been spoiled by some other really fantastic shadows and had too high of expectations, because I know these are well loved by many people.


Now let me know what you think...
What do you think of these eyeshadows? Have you tried them, or would you consider adding them to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine

October 11, 2015

Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Eyeshadow Palette (Holiday 2015) - swatches, pics, review (plus a few dupes)

Hello, Beautiful!

In today's post I'm reviewing the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Eyeshadow Palette, which is her Holiday 2015 palette. This palette is so, so, so pretty to look at. Every inch of it; from the artwork, to the shades, to the layout... it's just so beautiful and perfect!

You can go crazy or stay subtle, all within the same palette. Not many palettes offer that kind of versatility, but that center circle of neutrals really make this palette special. I've been doing a lot of eye looks with this palette on my Instagram. Check them out @ValentineKissesBeauty

And if you're wondering just how much that center circle of neutrals resembles the shades from the Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette... well, some of them really do. Dupe/comparison pics in this post for those that are curious.


Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Eyeshadow Palette Info & Review
Cost: $59.00
Availability: Available at Sephora
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Kisses!

PRODUCT DETAILS & CLAIMS...

An eye shadow palette with 24 highly-bold shades, remixed from Kat Von D's fan favorite Mi Vida Loca palette.

Go crazy for color with 24 new high-pigment eye shadows in a palette inspired by vintage vinyls. With a striking combination of technicolor brights and everyday neutrals, this palette proves that there's no shade too bold or combination too daring. It features an inner wheel of seven nudes and neutrals surrounded by an outer wheel of 17 vivid brights. Discover how to rock three stand-out and insanely vibrant looks on the illustrated insert. Each is named for one of Kat's cult favorite Studded Kiss Lipstick shades.

Each shadow pan is 0.04 oz


Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix
Eyeshadow Palette - Holiday 2015

Here is what the front of the palette looks like....

And the back of the palette....


The actual eyeshadows slide out, just like a record.

You will need to slide them back into the box or they won't have anything to protect them from dust or other makeup getting on them.


This palette includes a look sheet, with three different looks.....







Now onto up close shadow pics and swatches....


 Vox is described as a chocolate brown.



 Strutter is described as a taupe.

 Lyric is described as a white pearl.

 Black Metal is described as a matte black.



**** I am missing the close up pic of the shade Skulls. I will try to recover the image or rephotograph and update this post at a later date. *****
Skulls is described as a iridescent pearl.

 Noble is described as a nude.

 Moulder is described as a butter yellow.





 Anthem is described as a purple.

 Muse is described as a lilac purple.

 Echo is described as a purple glitter.






 Dark Wave is described as a deep navy.

 Synth is described as an electric blue.

 Hyperballad is described as a sea blue.






 Lemmy is described as a grass green.

 Misfit is described as a kelly green.

 Vinyl is described as a neon green.






  Legend is described as a golden yellow.

 Fran is described as a deep mustard yellow.

 Analogue is described as a burnt orange.

 Harpsichord is described as a metallic bronze.






  Rewind is described as an aubergine.

 Destroyer is described as a bright strawberry.

 Swoon is described as a fuchsia.

 Love is described as a shimmery rose.




FINAL THOUGHTS...

I had my eye on the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Eyeshadow palette since I first saw that it was coming for the Holiday 2015 season. When it first launched, I couldn't buy it and had to wait till pay day. Once pay day rolled around the palette was out of stock. I signed up to be notified by email when it came back in stock. I received a "back in stock" alert email, but by the time I opened the email (less than 3 hours later), the palette was sold out again! I kind of stalked the Sephora website by that point, refreshing and just hoping I could catch it. I finally did (and then made an Instagram post to alert everyone else who may have been waiting for it to come back in stock).

After all that build up, did this palette live up to my expectations? Yes!!!

Some of the shades could benefit from an eyeshadow primer and may need a bit more work to get just right, but the overall texture is just what you've come to expect and love from Kat Von D.

I don't wear bright neon shadows on the regular, but I like to have some to play with. I recently did a huge makeup purge and got rid of a lot of neon and bright shades, especially those in loose shadow form. I think this palette is a good replacement for those, as the quality is better than many I had.

As a whole palette, this really does give you a little of everything... you have your neutrals, your more "normal" pops of color, and then some really bold neon shades. You can go crazy or stay subtle, all within the same palette.

This palette has really helped me step out of my eyeshadow comfort zone. I've been having so much fun coming up with looks - from wearable to a bit more out there - this palette is so much fun!

I know this palette isn't for everyone; especially when you only focus on the very bright and vivid shades if you're so used to just neutral looks. If you are the kind of person who enjoys playing with color, or maybe you want to start adding more color to your eye looks, then this is the palette for you. If you only stick to neutrals, I don't think you'll enjoy this palette very much and likely won't get that much use from it, aside from the center circle of neutrals. BUT, you may be surprised with how many wearable looks you can do using this palette. Check out my eye looks on Instagram!


Now, let's shift this blog post slightly in another direction...

Let's continue talking about that center circle of neutrals.... do they look familiar? If you own the Kat Von D Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette (which, I do), then you'll look at the center circle of neutrals and immediately think of the Shade & Light Eye Contour palette. They look very similar.

I decided to see just how many dupes there really were. There are a few, but surprisingly there are still several neutrals that aren't the same. But for the ones that really duped nearly identical, here they are....







I also compared the very bright (most recent) Wet n Wild 8-pan palettes to this Kat Von D palette. I was sure there would be dupes and there wasn't. While you could get similar looks, I wouldn't call them dupes. Many were just too light/too dark or weren't the right finish. To me, a dupe needs to be very spot on. But if you want a cheaper alternative to color, then go for the Wet n Wild 8-pan palettes that recently came out (if you can find them).

Still, I did find a few dupes in my collection that are pretty spot on. I am sure I could find more but I didn't want to completely destroy this palette swatching it to death. Here are a few I found....


Destroyer VS. Wet n Wild 8-Pan Palette in Poster Child. These are pretty much spot on when swatched. Both in pigmentation, finish and look on the eye. Out of all the red shades in my collection (including the reds from the newer 8-pan bright shadows from Wet n Wild), this one from Poster Child was the closest match to Destroyer. 



Synth VS. Black Radiance 8-Pan Palette in Island Blues. These aren't a 100% exact dupe, but the Black Radiance Blue will give you a very similar look on the eye and can be built up. Over a white base, it looks even more spot on.


Dark Wave VS. Black Radiance 8-Pan Palette in Island Blues. This blue was actually pretty hard to get spot on, and this was the closest in my collection that I could come up with. Many other blues were too dark, leaned too purple, were too light, etc.. This one is pretty spot on, especially on the eye.


Vinyl VS. Wet n Wild Trio in I Dream of Greenie. The Wet n Wild shadow is the closest to Vinyl I could get from my collection. It's pretty close, although it leans a bit more yellow than green.. 


Now let me know what you think...
What do you think of this palette? Have you tried this, or would you consider adding this to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine