Happy Halloween everyone! :D

Can't believe it's already October 31st, time really flies! Let's celebrate with a themed look - not the spookiest, not the creepiest and probably not the most original... But when I received the Halloween glitter collection by Glitter Palace, I saw that one of them was named after the Joker... And I knew I had to do a reboot look for this Halloween!

This look is very special to me because it's the very first one that 'features' my recent investment - my ring light. Since I've moved, I've been struggling with the lighting - to the point I realized that I had to buy one if I wanted to keep up my work on both this blog and my Instagram page. I definitely can tell the difference, can you as well? :D

Compared to last year version of Suicide Squad's Joker (which you can see here), this one is simpler in some ways - yet it's probably more character correct. I used more green shades, and the purple/black glitters are just the perfect addiction to complete this look. I kept the little "J" detail though (I loved it in last year's look) and added the laugh above my eyebrow (the Joker has this tattoo on his chest, I couldn't find a better placement on my eye XD). So glad I have the NYX Professional Makeup eyeliners, they made everything so easy - especially the Hella Fine liner from the That's the Point range. It has the finest tip ever, that's what I used for the "J" and the "hahahahaha" details!

After priming my lids, I started off by applying Midori eyeshadow by Sugarpill all over my lid, up to the crease and blending it towards the outer corner too (I wanted the green to be  really predominant). I blended it using Acidberry by Sugarpill until I created a soft, smooth V shaped-blending; to add depth and definition to the crease and outer corner I applied a pinch of Nocturne eyeshadow by NABLA (a matte black, simple as that). On my brow bone I applied Antique White eyeshadow by NABLA, as usual - and I used it to perfect the blending even more. Perfectionist much? XD
On my lower lid I applied 2AM by Sugarpill, and I defined my lower lashline using Nocturne; lastly, I applied Frozen eyeshadow by NABLA on my inner corner.

Now the liners: first of all, I did the main winged line, using the Epic Ink Liner* by NYX Professional Makeup. Not too thick, not too think, with less slanted (than usual) wing a small detail on the inner corner.
Using the Hella Fine* liner from the That's the Point range (again by NYX Professional Makeup) I did the "J" above my cheekbone and the "hahahahaha" above my eyebrow tail. And I this point... I realized that I hadn't applied my foundation yet D: Panic! I applied it and I dabbed it around the details the best I could (you can tell if you look closely around my eyebrow area). This is what happens when you're so excited about a look, to the point that you forget some steps along the way XD
Anyway, after fixing the foundation issue, I went ahead and applied the glitters: I used The Joker* loose glitters by Glitter Palace.
Finally, I completed the look by applying a black eyepencil on my waterline, false lashes and mascara.

Face

- MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Foundation NW15 (foundation)

Eyes

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Frozen" (inner corner)
- Sugarpill Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Midori" (upper lid)
Sugarpill Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Acidberry" (crease, outer corner)

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Nocturne" (crease, outer corner, lower lashline)
- Sugarpill Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "2AM" (lower lid)
- Glitter Palace loose glitters in "The Joker"*
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Antique White" (brow bone)
- NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner*

- NYX Professional Makeup That's the Point liner "Hella Fine"*

- MAC Cosmetics Kohl Power Eye Pencil in "Feline" 

- MAC Cosmetics "Extended Play Gigablack Lash" Mascara

- Ardell Lashes Double-Up Lashes n° 203
- DUO White Eyelash Adhesive

Eyebrows

- NABLA Cosmetics Brow Pot in "Mars"*

Brushes

- 239 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 217 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 213 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 224 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 2x Short Smudge (A13)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set*, BombShell Set*)
- 2x Fluffy Pencil (A12)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set*, BombShell Set*)

- Large Fluffy Shader (A06) ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set)

- Accent Brush ~ Real Techniques
- 2x Precision Crease (A16) ~ Spectrum Collections

- Lip Liner (A15)* ~ Spectrum Collections (BombShell Set*)

Hope you enjoyed this look :D

Any plans for tonight? Are you going to dress up?
What kind of makeup look are you going to wear?

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes ♥

*Disclaimer: Starred products are press samples, sent by respective brands for me to test and review.

For the holiday season, Urban Decay has released the Heavy Metals palette, an all-shimmer palette with a supposed new formula. 

And I won't be buying. 

What's interesting to me is that I have heard a lot of talk about this palette, but conversations are usually about the packaging. The palette itself is entirely reflective, and there is a mirror between the two sides of the palette. My favorite complaint about the packaging thus far is that it is not good for beauty vloggers because it is so reflective and therefore difficult to show on camera. I have heard this from a few different people, and maybe that's a comment that's useful to other vloggers or bloggers (I can imagine photographing this would be a nightmare), but for consumers at large, that kind of critique is not really all that useful. It was a nice reminder to me, however, that sometimes these reviewers can be a little out of touch with the needs and desires of their main audience. That's important to keep in mind, I think, because so often these reviewers will say that you "need" something or "Go out right now and buy it, you won't be disappointed!" which is so easy to say when you receive PR or make some kind of your income off of buying and reviewing products. (Those purchases can then be written off of taxes.) But the vast majority of people don't need most products that are released, and they certainly don't need to consider how well packaging will hold up on camera. 

I'll be honest and say that I don't particularly have any interest in this palette. I've mentioned before that I don't have a ton of interest in all-shimmer palettes, because I cannot make much of a look with only shimmers. My personal preference for makeup is to have a shimmery shadow on the lid and then build the rest of the look with matte shades, so a palette with only shimmers would not get a ton of use. I would prefer to buy shimmery singles for this purpose than have an entire palette. 

I've mentioned this before, but I am also not a fan of Urban Decay palettes. I've read that this is a new formula, so there is a chance that I would like it, but I'm not so interested to explore the new formula that I want to buy an entire palette. I also feel like "trying a new formula" is just an excuse that a lot of people make to justify buying things they don't need. If they already have those colors in their collection and know they really shouldn't buy it but want to give into the hype, they will say that they want to explore the new formula. But if you already have products that work well and that you enjoy, spending that kind of money "just to try it" is just a justification for hype. 

I also don't like the packaging of this palette. The palette comes in a purple plastic container with a scrunched end:

Personally, I am not a huge fan of the scrunched end, and I can imagine that it makes stacking and storing this palette a bit challenging. The main part of the palette lifts out:

And I suppose the layout is inspired by an artist's palette for paint. I'm not typically a fan of packaging where the product removes itself entirely from the protective case as I find it to create extra hassle for no apparent reason. I also don't really like the layout of shadows and don't like the mirror between the two sides. It seems like it would be awkward to lift the entire palette to look at yourself in the mirror, and it doesn't seem like it would be very functional—I can imagine it would be difficult to hold and apply makeup at the same time. 

In terms of colors, this isn't something that we haven't seen before. The right side of the palette looks like so many warm-toned palettes, and looks really similar to the Make Up For Ever holiday 2017 palette:

From Urban Decay itself, Heavy Metals reminds me of After Dark:

As well as Vice 3:

And Vice 4:

It also looks like Tarte Make Believe in Yourself:

And for a brighter option, there's Juvia's Place Masquerade:

From my own collection, it looks like Viseart Bijoux Royale:

Makeup preferences certainly change over time, and there was a point in my life where I would have snatched this palette in a heartbeat and would not have considered the cons of packaging, practicality, and personal preference. I am definitely in my "favorite" stage of makeup preferences right now and really enjoy all the products that I have and equally enjoy being picky with what I choose to purchase. And there is just nothing so special about the Heavy Metals palette that I feel is worth being picky. There are so many shimmery, foiled palettes and singles within this color scheme, and it's funny to me how much this palette looks like After Dark. Brands notoriously recycle old colors and color schemes, but when a brand recycles their own products (After Dark released last year around the holidays), it gets to be a little ridiculous. 

In terms of positives, the colors certainly are pretty, and it seems as though this palette has received positive reviews in terms of performance, so maybe the new formula really is a step above what they have previously produced. But, again, trying a new formula is just not a good enough reason for me to buy colors that I already have. And since this palette looks so similar to several other Urban Decay palettes, people who are fans of the brand will likely have all of these colors in abundance as well. And I suppose that they are banking on people being so curious to try the new formula that they won't mind buying something again. 

I also appreciate that this palette contains warm tones as well as cool/colorful tones, but, again, this really feels like a companion palette to me. That is not to say that someone can't create an all-shimmer look; in fact, one of my all-time favorite looks I've done was a shimmery chrome on the lid and a shimmery olive in the crease. I've also been really into a shimmery brow bone highlight recently, so I can certainly see people doing an all-shimmery look. But I would also say that for most people, the majority of looks aren't completely shimmery. I don't personally subscribe to the notion that a palette must possess "complete" looks in order to be worth purchasing, because I feel like that way of thinking tends to result in having multiples upon multiples of the same colors in one's collection. But, $55 is also a lot of money to spend on a palette where only one or two shadows would be used at a time. For most people, I would guess that they are truly attracted to only a handful of colors in this palette, and those are probably shadows that they already own, or they are colors that can be purchased as singles. 

While I think this palette generally has a nice color scheme, it is also something that I have seen many times over and definitely already own. The impracticality of the packaging just adds another negative onto this product to really seal the deal for me that this is not a product that would get a ton of use in my collection. I think it's exciting that Urban Decay has reformulated their shadows, and I'm excited to see what else they come up with—hopefully something that sets a new trend instead of follows something a little old. I don't have any use for this palette, so I won't be buying. 

Before leaving for makeup school, I got one of the most amazing present ever: twelve Sugarpill eyeshadows. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been admiring their eyeshadows for ages: they have amazing feedbacks, their price point is good (especially since the pans are so big) and they really look simply stunning. So you can imagine my excitement when I got them! *_* I’ve been playing with them for a while, so this is not going to be just a plain haul post, because I'll be also including my first impressions about these shadows. 

I did a Sugarpill wishlist a while back - and realized that there wasn't even one single shade that I didn't want. For the first time, I liked the whole range - and this never happens. But of course, there were shades that I wanted more than others - so my wishlist ended up looking like a ranking XD I put my favourites on top - and almost all of them are included in the selection you're going to see today. These shadows were all purchased on BeautyBay - two shades were sold out (Dollipop and Love +), hopefully I'll managed to get them later this year along with a couple of Pro Palettes - which were also sold out. Bummer ç_ç This is why I had to find a temporary accomodation for all these shadows - I bought a Wycon magnetic palette (the biggest one they had) which, as you can see, can hold exactly 12 Sugarpill pan, no one more. It's practical but not extremely sturdy though, so I can't wait to buy either some Z Palettes or the Pro Palettes (preferably the latter, as they're made to specifically hold these pans).
I'm regretting not putting the black (Bulletproof) and white (Tako) eyeshadows higher in my to-buy-first list: when I realized that I didn't own any pure white eyeshadows it was too late. Regarding Bulletproof, I could use a more pigmented black. Needless to say, now they're on top of my to-buy-next list XD

Let's focus on this selection. Twelve beautiful shades, almost all matte. I know, this is so weird since I'm all about shimmer and glitters and sparkles. But my style has changing and is constantly evolving, so in the past two years I felt the need to include matte shades in my looks - at first, only for blending purposes... Because matte blendings are the best, fins down. Then, gradually, I realized I wanted to experiment with matte colours more and more... And that's why I had all matte eyeshadows on top of my list! The only reason I got one non matte shade is because everything else was either sold out (like Dollipop and Love +), or lower on my list (like Tako and Bulletproof). 

I'm going to talk about the quality right away: these eyeshadows are great in any way. First of all, each shade is very true-to-pan, even the palest. In my opinion, they are more like pressed pigment than pressed eyeshadows, so I don't press the brushes on the pan too much. Along with being really pigmentated, these shadows are so easy to blend - to the point that they almost do all the work on their own *_* They're silky, fall out can occur if you pick up too much powder on your brush - but honestly it doesn't happen to me. 

Buttercupcake: "The brightest bright matte yellow with awesome opaque coverage"

Sounds crazy, I know - but this is my very first yellow eyeshadow. Never had/used one before, and I've never felt the need to own one, to be honest - until recently.
Weirdly enough, this is one of my new favourites XD It's  a bright, pure yellow - the colour of the sun. 

Acidberry: "Finally! The perfect vibrant matte lime green you've been looking everywhere for"

This is another kind of shade I've never felt the need to own and/or use. Acid green, simply as that. And still, I've used it quite a bit recently - mostly as transition shade, but I plan to try it as main lid colour of course :D

Flamepoint: "Vibrant matte orange" 

Orange is my least favourite colour, along with brown and friends. But it was another big lack in my stash that I needed to fill. Must say, it's quite a fun colour to use - especially during Halloween (check my Bat Wing look out, I used Flamepoint as main shade - so you can see it in action!). 

Suburbia: "Flirty matte coral, doubles as a blush shade"

I'm tenderly in love with this shade! *_* It's a sweet, pinkish coral that looks beautiful both as eyeshadow and blush. Works wonderfully as transition shade, but also as main colour on the lid. 

Heart-Shaped Cookie: "Soft matte beige - the perfect blending shade"

I have to agree with this definition: this is a perfect blending/transition shade. Really soft and nude, helps a lot to achieve a smooth, ethereal blending. It's almost the colour of my own skin, which makes it perfect to perfect any blending without adding any more shade to it. Don't underestimate shades like this!

Frostine: "Frosty pastel lavender for the sweetest of angels. Doubles as an all-over highlight shade!"

This is the only no-matte shade of this selection - but since it's really gently frosted, you can barely tell that it's not matte. It's very subtle, I love using it to highlight my inner corners - and of course as main lid shade... You know I'm all about lilacs, lavenders and friends XD




Home Sweet Home: "Matte powder blue - retro chic!"

I've been looking for a Cinderella shade like this for years - seriously, years. I don't know why, but it's really hard to find baby blue shades like this one - especially in a matte finish.
It's great to blend any shades of blue, makes the blending so sophisticated and complete, if you get what I mean. It's now an irreplaceable shade for me, since I tend to do a lot of blue makeup looks.



Mochi: Matte mint seafoam.

Mint. 
Seafoam. 
Two words that always catch my attention in less than a second XD Could I miss this shade? No way! Iit was in my top three and I'm SO glad it wasn't sold out. It's so cute - like the others, it's a gorgeous transition shade but works wonderfully as the main lid shade (I do have a makeup look where I used it as such, I'll post it after Halloween - I'll put the link once it's up!). 

Kim Chi: "An intensely saturated electric teal with a silky smooth matte finish. Created by Kim Chi, Chicago-based drag queen and live-action anime character"

Would you be surprised if I tell you this shade was n° 1 in my wishlist? Guess not XD 

It's the very first Sugarpill eyeshadow that ever caught my attention, and the one that a lot of girls recommended me the most. 

Aaaand... I love it XD Deeply and unconditionally. 

Midori: Vibrant matte grass green.

When I think of emeralds, this is the exact shade that comes up in my mind. It's really bright and vibrant, beautiful if paired with Mochi and Kim Chi. This is definitely the greenest green I have in my stash - and since I was looking for a real emerald green, I've now accomplished this mission XD

2AM: "Matte purple"

Sugarpill has two shades of purple available: Poison Plum and 2AM. I put the latter higher in my wishlist because it looked different and warmer from the ones I already have. And it definitely is! A lovely shade of warm, bright purple - great for any kind of looks. I think I'll eventually buy Poison Plum, but I'm glad I got 2AM first. 




Velocity: "Vibrant matte royal blue" 

Last but not least, a beautiful blue shade. Quite electric, too!

It's the perfect partner for Home Sweet Time - they're made for each other (I've used them both along with Mochi in that look I've yet to post on here, I can't wait to show you!)

If you're looking for a bright shade of blue in a matte finish, consider buying this one!

Before moving on to the swatches, let's have a quick look at the pans' packaging and size. The pans are individually packed in the sweetest packaging ever: a white and pink cardboard 'envelope', with a heart-shaped clear window. Inside, the pan is securely held in place by a second cardboard lid, which both 'hugs' it and protects it - also makes easier and safer the extraction process. Other brands just insert the pan in a piece of cardboard - which can easily fall out while you extract the cardboard from the envelope. In this case you can safely take the cardboard lid out, because the pan is wrapped inside and won't fall out. 

Regarding the size... These pans are huge: 36 mm! For those of you who use NABLA, they're slightly smaller than the blushes/highlighters/bronzers pans. 

They hold 3,5 gr of product - which is a ton for an eyeshadow. Just think of MAC or MUG shadows, they all come in the smallest pan on the left (it's the most common pan size for eyeshadows) which holds 1.3 - 1.8 gr of product, depending on the brand . Considering this, the price/quantity ratio is really good: about 8 € each for 3,5 gr... Especially compared to MAC Cosmetics ones, which cost 14 € for 1,3 gr. 

Needless to say, the pans are magnetic - so they can fit any magnetic palette. Being so big, though, the more you have the bigger the palette has to be - unless you choose to have several palettes, but I find it unhandy. I rather prefer having less but bigger palettes, instead of tons of smaller ones. 

The following pictures are quite big, so click to enlarge!

Pictures taken with natural, cloudy daylight; products applied dry, using my fingers, on a non-primed skin.

My skin tone is NW15.

(Sorry for the lack of comparisons: the majority of this colours are unique in my stash, plus I didn't manage to take the pics before moving - and here I have a completely different lighting. I might do a separate blog post about comparisons in the future, though. Let me know if you want a specific comparison!)

Have you ever tried Sugarpill's eyeshadows? If so, which ones?

Any favourites? Let me know ;D

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes ♥

So, uh, there is a new palette in my life that is not a new palette at all, which is Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix (!!). I honestly could not be more thrilled to own it, but I'll talk about that toward the end of the post. I traveled again this week and will be traveling for about a month, so these weekly and weekend looks posts may be disrupted. This week, I was only able to get three looks done, but I figured they were still worth sharing. 

Here are three looks I did this week. 

Look 1: Colourpop Glass Bull and "Desert Dusk"

Colourpop Glass Bull on the lid, Inglot peach and purple shades blended into the crease as transition shades, Coloured Raine Ladyship blended into the crease, and Fyrinnae Octopus (pressed) padded onto the outer corner and on the lower lash line. Too Faced Satin Sheets on the brow bone. Makeup Geek Phantom on the inner corner. 

Look 2: Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix 

Destroyer on the inner and outer lid, Harpsichord on the center lid, Swoon blended into the crease as a transition shade, Destroyer blended into the crease, and Rewind padded onto the outer corner and blended into the crease and on the lower lash line. Legend lightly padded on top of Harpsichord. Fran and Legend in the inner corner. Skulls on the brow bone. 

Look 3: Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix

NYX Milk as a base over the mobile part of the lid and inner corner, Synth on the lid, Swoon blended into the crease as a transition shade, Swoon and Destroyer blended into the crease, Analogue blended above Soon and Destroyer, Fran blended above Analogue, and Rewind blended above Synth to deepen the crease. Echo on the lower lash line. Lyric on the inner corner. Moulder on the brow bone. 

Look 1: Colourpop Glass Bull and "Desert Dusk"

I am still really enjoying this dupe palette I made of Huda Beauty Desert Dusk, and it is one of the few palettes I chose to travel with for this long stretch of time. That has traditionally been a gauge for me in terms of if I like or dislike a palette: if I'm excited to use a sole palette for two weeks or more, that's certainly a keeper; if I'm dreading it, that means I should probably return (if new) or declutter. Now, if I'm being totally honest, I don't think I would have felt as jazzed to take the actual Desert Dusk palette on such a long trip, but I really do love my duped (and then some) palette as a collection of some of my favorite singles. 

With this look, I had been really itching to try out Colourpop Glass Bull, and I have to say that I wasn't too thrilled with it. And that is surprising because so many people have been raving about it. I applied it over NYX Glitter Primer, and on me, it looked just like a brown-gold. It didn't have any of its neat duochrome or blue shift. But that also could be because of the shadows I paired with it. I feel like pairing it with the deep berry shades of Coloured Raine Ladyship and Fyrinnae Octopus totally drowned out Glass Bull. Next time, I think I would like to pair it with some lighter browns. On first impression, though, I was disappointed by how much of it was lost in this look. 

Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix

I feel a couple different ways about talking about this palette. A big part of me wants to squee and gush because I am so, so thrilled to own this and have not been excited about a pre-made palette this much in a long time. I'm still over the moon with my Just Peachy Matte duped palette, but in terms of an actual palette produced by a brand, I can't think of another one I feel this struck by. At the same time, this was a limited edition product from two years ago that many people have expressed regret in not purchasing, and I would say that it is a "coveted" makeup item. And I don't want to gush about a product that is challenging, to say the least, to get a hold of. 

I bought this palette, and though it was pre-owned, it was never used. I wrote about this palette recently in my Kat Von D Saint and Sinner anti-haul post, and I said that while I don't really have "makeup regrets," this was a palette that I would have liked to own. I thought about buying it when it released because it was the hot new item, but at the time, I did not touch color with a ten-foot pole. I remember all of the tutorials on this palette at the time were something like, "How to make Mi Vida Loca Remix wearable," and I remember thinking that if I had to try and make it wearable, it wasn't the right product for me. 

Looking back on it, that was absolutely the right decision. And I am proud of myself for making the decision that I did because that was a time when my makeup spending was at an all-time high. I was buying makeup to get through the day and through my graduate program, and I certainly wasn't thinking about why I was buying things or really evaluating their worth in my collection. I'm surprised, frankly, that I didn't buy Mi Vida Loca Remix due to my state of mind at the time, but if I had, I know I would have absolutely decluttered it by now. 

And that's also why I'm so glad that I didn't buy this palette when it first released, because I wouldn't have it now, when I actually want it. 

I made the decision to buy this palette now because I had been trying to build a dupe palette for it, and I didn't have the dupes. I started dipping my toes into color about a year ago, and I haven't looked back. For the better part of the year, I loathed the days when I was forced to wear neutral eyeshadow, and I strongly hope those days are forever gone. When I fell in love with color, I realized I didn't have much of it, and I wanted more. And every time I would look for what I wanted, I realized it was the Mi Vida Loca Remix palette. I purchased Urban Decay Electric and Sephora Pro Editorial, and while I really enjoy those palettes and am happy to have them in my collection, it still wasn't what I wanted. So recently, when I was looking up at the shades of Mi Vida Loca Remix and trying to figure out dupes I could buy for it, I decided to look into what it would cost to buy a pre-owned one. 

Now, I will say that I haven't personally purchased pre-owned makeup before, and it's not really something I feel overly comfortable with. I think buying anything pre-owned requires a lot of work and research on your part to make sure you are buying an authentic product from a reputable seller. And with makeup, especially eyeshadow that goes around the eyes, it is that much more important to understand how used the product is and how well it has been sanitized. And for the overwhelming majority of products, it is simply not worth it for me personally to go through that hassle. 

To my surprise, there are quite a few of these palettes available for purchase, but the prices are all astronomical (not surprising). I'll be honest and say that I did buy this palette for a marked up price, but I was aware of that going in. I did not pay an astronomical amount for it, however. I had a set price in mind and negotiated with the seller to get to a price that we were both comfortable with. 

The main selling point for me in getting this product was that it was entirely untouched. It hadn't even been swatched. It was clear from working with the seller that they purchased this item because it was the hot item at the time and they didn't want to miss out, and then they never used it because it wasn't their taste in makeup. (And that would have been my exact experience had I purchased it at the time too.) 

What I've always kept in mind whenever I've decluttered products is that makeup is meant to be used, not collected. And if I am not using an item, I shouldn't keep it just to keep it. The item was made to be used, and I love thinking that whoever gets the product will love it and use it more than I ever did. And when I think about it like that, it is always easier for me to let products go. 

I've just never really been on the other side of it. I know it was difficult for the seller to let go of this palette (they flat out said so), but it really had never been touched. And within seconds of it arriving to me, I swatched the entire thing and immediately started playing. And it's such a great product! It should be used and loved. And this entire experience has just been a great reminder for me of how I should feel about my products. 

Look 2: Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix 

I loved this look. And what I love so much about it is that I was certain it was going to come out so crazy, but it was actually quite neutral. (This could also mean that my definition of "neutral" has become very liberal.) I definitely thought that the orange in Harpsichord would be more obvious in the center of the lid, but I kind of love how it just blended seamlessly with the hot pink/red shades. This was my first time ever putting a yellow in the inner corner, and I completely loved it.

Look 3: Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix

This look just made me so happy. I was inspired by this look by Tarababyz, which I thought was just so fun. This was also the first time that I have ever successfully used NYX Milk as a base. I have wanted to declutter this product so many times, but I always knew that it didn't work for me because of user error. The trick for me was only applying it to the mobile part of my lid instead of the entire thing. I typically don't like to apply a white base under shadows because I want them to perform well without them, but this palette was kicking so much ass that I knew that wasn't an issue. And I wanted to see just how blue that color could look with a white base. I absolutely love how this look turned out, and love how seamlessly all the colors blended into each other.

Final Thoughts 

There are just a couple more things I would like to address about my purchase and experience of Mi Vida Loca Remix. First, I would like to talk about buying "old makeup." This is a topic that is getting a lot of attention recently, and I think that's great. I declutter so often that the overwhelming majority of products in my collection are two years old or newer. I don't mess around with cream products, so primers, foundations, eyeliners, lipliners, lipsticks, and mascaras are kept at a minimum to something I can reasonably get through long before they go bad. Powder products are different, but I still keep a very strict eye on those products as well and throw away when appropriate.

With that said, there was a lot of consideration that went into buying a product that is already two years old. Just because this item was unused doesn't mean that it isn't still two years old. But, because it was unused, I did feel more comfortable buying it. This was also a now-or-never moment for me, because I would not have wanted to buy a product that was more than two years old. It performs like a dream, so I feel the palette has a long life ahead of it.

The second thing I would like to address is that, yes, it performs like a dream. And it performs better than a lot of newer Kat Von D items I have tried, which include the Shade and Light Eye palette, the Shade and Light Quad in Plum, and the Pastel Goth palette. While I have not personally tried the Metal Matte or Saint and Sinner palettes, from what I can tell, Mi Vida Loca Remix also outperforms those products. (I should note this is also something I have heard from people who own all three palettes.) I know that Kat Von D has undergone a lot of formula changes and that the brand is also transitioning to being fully vegan, which is very commendable, and I also have seen that their lab has changed. Several of Kat Von D's earlier palettes, including Mi Vida Loca Remix, were made in the USA, but her most recent palettes (Shade and Light Glimmer and Saint and Sinner) were made in Canada. It is my opinion that the quality of Kat Von D eyeshadows has slightly declined, which mades me sad to say because there is a lot that I really like about the brand. Considering that Mi Vida Loca Remix was a limited edition holiday palette (and, traditionally, holiday palettes are of lesser quality), I am astonished at how well it performs, and it makes me wish that this was a formula that Kat Von D kept.