CATRICE Eyeshadow Stix 

070 I decide my vibe

I have three shades of the newest Eyeshadow Stixs which I realised differ in quality. This is the best performing one and luckily it's also my favourite shade. Pigmentation is not nearly as good as for example Kiko's version, so I have to build it up, but this shade applies evenly and with a few coats I get a nice metallic effect. The shade is the thing that makes me really love it because I haven't found such colour in any other ranges, all are either more bronzey brown or more yellow gold, but this is that perfect in-between shade, just the type I love most to wear. It's in the same colour family as Too Faced Creme Bruleé from the Chocolate Bar palette (the gold shade) and Mac's Patina which is a more greeny old gold version. This Stix blends easily and doesn't get patchy, plus it also lasts well on my normal lids without creasing. 

L'OREAL Infallible Blush Paint 

Pinks 

I was inspired by a look in some random film to have fresh, peachy-pink cheeks after wearing my usual muted brownish-pink shades for ages and I realised that all my peachy-pinks don't really look that pretty fresh, lifting shade that they do on others because my skin tone always makes them look more orange peachy than pink. So I went through my stash trying everything out and I found the blush that replicates that look for me - and it's not even peachy-pink. That shade is in the middle of this L'Oreal Pinks palette, that warm pink colour. Just like the Ambers version this is a absolute drugstore gem and I highly recommend both to anyone. The quality of these blushes is one of the best I've tried - they are pigmented, blend nicely and last so well on the cheeks. 

THEBALM Meet Matte Hughes Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick

Sincere

Another product that fit into my inspired look, but regardless I actually wear this a lot anyway and more than my previous fave Committed. The latter is a more peachy version of the shade on me, while this is that perfect pinky-brownish natural looking shade, it's a bit like taking Nude-ist from Bourjois and mute it down even more. The formula of these is just amazing, I have several shades and love them all. Pigmentation is great, they always apply so smoothly, don't feel drying to me and last well on the lips. This remains to be my favourite matte liquid lipstick formula. 

CATRICE #peeloff Glam Effect Nail Polish

03 When in Doubt, just add Glitter

These are a discovery for me. I like glitter nail polishes, but avoid them because the removal is such a chore. These, however, are so easy, all you have to do it peel them off and the whole layer goes in one go. The peel off process goes without a hitch, but these aren't completely perfect, for one the formula feels like a glitter glue, so it's thick and needs effort to apply smoothly without thicker parts, plus it takes ages to dry, but by that I mean it stays like a semi-dry glue, so the glitter doesn't transfer anywhere, it's just prone to dents (I'm talking about when you apply three coats for a fully opaque finish). But I'm completely willing to overlook the more difficult application because the final effect looks nice and removal is so easy. I was asked whether these peel off by their own - they don't. I haven't noticed any lifting along the edges, but the tips can wear off on more frequently used fingers.

L.O.V. LOVtreat Color & Care Nail Lacquer 

640 Soft Sensuality

This was on my nails most of the month, apart from the last week. It's a very simple milky nude that makes my nails look polished, but doesn't draw too much attention. Three coats are needed for an almost opaque finish because the formula is sheer. This is a formula that promises to take care of your nails and it's actually the only nail polish after which my nails don't have that yellowish hue when I take it off. Such a shame L.O.V. decided to pull out of Slovenia, their nail polishes are brilliant.

BATH AND BODY WORKS Fine Fragrance Mist 

Brown Sugar & Fig

I got some more BBW body mists because I like them so much and I just fell in love with this scent, which like all, I got as a blind buy. It's starts with a brown sugar burst which is quickly followed by a very comforting milky, creamy scent that creates this sweet, but very comforting combination, like a warm glass of milk with sugar but mixed with a clean skin scent. It's such a delightfully fragrance and I'm very glad I picked it. I detect no fig in this or maybe just in some minor sweet traces at the start, but definitely not in leaves form as some mentioned that it smells sharpish green to them (it's very likely it's more noticeable in the moisturiser versions because I notice a difference in Twilight Woods mist and cream too in terms of fresh & fruity notes). It's just a well-rounded creamy, milky and clean scent. Great stuff, but unfortunately staying power is very weak, so I might get an Ultra Shea lotion to make it last longer. 

Top notes: passion fruit, california fig, white flowers, white peach and bergamot

Heart notes: vanilla orchid, jasmine, yellow freesia, lily-of-the-valley and coconut milk

Base notes: vanilla pod, amber, fig leaf, musk, maple and caramel.

MOROCCANOIL Intense Hydrating Mask

For medium to thick dry hair

I found my new holy grail hair mask! I've been complaining on this blog about how my hair is impossibly dry and nothing I tried worked since the start of the year when I tried this anti-dandruff shampoo that simply wrecked my hair. I've tried oil treatment overnight, that insanely thick Joico Moisture Recovery Balm and I even dug out my special stash of Kerastase Masquitense Thick that I keep only for special occasions, but nothing worked as well as Moroccanoil. My hair is practically transformed and I'm so relieved I finally found something that works for me. Truthfully I kind of didn't really think it's going to be that good, just because Moroccanoil gained popularity based on the claim "Kim K. uses this stuff" and I never trust a celebrity endorsement, so I thought that even though it might be good for an average consumer, it surely won't be enough for my super dry hair. But it's definitely the bomb. My hair finally feels silky and even somewhat soft despite the thick texture of individual hairs. And it's not even heavy like Joico Balm which can make my hair feel heavy, while this makes my hair so light, but moisturised. I don't know what magic this is, but I'm on board with it. I just can't stop running my fingers through the hair, it hasn't been this silky in forever. Bad side - the price which makes my eyes water, but there's 50 ml more in the pot than in Kerastase. Also probably the Mending Fusion and the silicone oil from this brand contributed to how well my hair feels right now, but the mask is the biggest contributor. This just wins for me. 

UPDATES

Great first impressions

MOROCCANOIL Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair

I didn't want to include this into favourites even though it does belong there, but I'm not the best authority when it comes to dry shampoo and how they work on greasy hair, so I won't mislead you into thinking it's a greasy hair eradicating miracle worker because I genuinely have no idea, but I have read reviews and it's mostly praised, so the overall score on Makeup Alley is very high. The reasons I'm impressed by it is that's it's the most fine dry shampoo I tried. You know how dry shampoos leave that powdery feeling that makes the hair drier and stiff (at least mine), which granted as a positive side does create more texture (for braiding or making volume)? Well, this shampoo feels so silky. My hair still feels so light and smooth after using this, but fresh and clean like at other dry shampoos. My hair felt like that and didn't get the "dirty, gritty dry shampoo" feeling at all and it was six days after I washed it. I always have to wait for the last day before I wash my hair to use Batiste because it makes my hair feel too dry and powdery, but the particles in this are so fine. Another big plus is the scent which is one of the rare ones that doesn't have that sharp component in it, I don't know what exactly it is, but it's in most of them and it makes me gag (maybe it's actually the powder particles that irritate my lungs). At this I don't cough at all. The tint isn't the best because this is still a very light brown shade, but I rarely get a cast and even that can be blended away quickly.

MOROCCANOIL Treatment

I actually already used up a bottle of this some years ago and I've been sticking to Orofluido instead because of the scent, otherwise they are the same - or at least I thought so. For some reason I only now noticed that this helps my hair to dry so much faster with a hair dryer and considering how long and thick my hair is, that's is a big plus. It's dry in about a 30% less time. I've also grown to like the scent a lot more. I remember thinking this smells like an insect repellent when I first tried it, but now it smells like a really fancy hair salon to me - but granted, my first bottle was from eBay, so it could have been a fake. 

MOROCCANOIL Mending Infusion

This is a new product by Moroccanoil and it's essentially a serum for the ends that instructions say to use on dry hair as a finisher, but I use it both on damp and dry hair because my hair just needs a ton of products otherwise it just doesn't behave. I can't say anything definitive about it apart from that on dry hair it tames it, but not quite as good at the silicone oil Treatment, however, it must be doing something because my hair feels so much better with the whole Moroccanoil hair care routine. 

ESSENCE Camouflage+ Healthy Glow Concealer

10 light ivory

I don't know if I'm really to count this one as a favourite, but I've worn it almost every day since I got it and mostly as a foundation, rather than just concealing. I almost hated it the first time I tried it because it can be very matte and fast drying on my skin, but in combination with a good moisturiser, it looks good. It covers enough, stays put and fades evenly.  I'm not sure if I like it as much as Look by Bipa because that one has a neutral light shade and this is more on the yellow side, but I've definitely grown quite fond of it. But you know how Essence is - never fall in love in one of their products because they will surely discontinue it after a year or two. 

ESSENCE Go for the Glow highlighter palette 

02 the warms 

Just like the concealer, I don't want to count this as a favourite, even less to be honest, however, I've worn it every day since I got it, to be more specific just the first shade. It's a rose gold super metallic highlighter that shines like the sun, so it's nowhere near subtle. The texture is so creamy, almost cream-to-powder and Essence should really make a palette with this texture combining actual wearable shades. The other colours in this palette are not just completely unwearable, but also less metallic and have a drier texture. I'm going to check other Essence's newest highlighters so I see if they have something lighter, more champagne-like in the same type of texture.

SKIN CARE

My skin has been behaving so well in the last months and actually in the whole year or two since I discovered K-Beauty, but it's in the last months that I've felt confident enough to stop using COSRX BHA Blackhead Liquid that I included in the routine to prevent spots. Even without using acids frequently, my skin is clear and looks healthy, so I'm giving a quick update on what I'm using every day:

After cleansing with BIOBAZA Exclusive Micelar Oil & BALEA Erfrischendes Wasch Gel:
1. THE ORDINARY Argireline Solution 10 % - A serum that targets expression lines. I've been using  this for months now and I still can't tell if it does anything. I think my lines look the same, which could mean that it's at least preventing them from becoming worse, but I can't say for sure. I'm still going to continue using it.
2. COSRX Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence - I never want to be without this. It improved the texture of my skin and just the general condition of it so much. It's a simple liquid product that absorbs in seconds.
3. CEZANNE High Moist Lotion - I've finally finished the generous sample I got back in May from the lovely Lorena (thank you so much again) and I really enjoyed this product. It's a simple toner like product that contains ceramides, Job's Tears extract, 3 types of hyaluronic acid, collagen and amino acids, and my skin liked it a lot. I still have Kikumasamune that I plan to use up next, but I think that out of the two, I'll repurchase Cezanne because it's got no scent and I think my skin likes it better.
4. NUXE Huile Prodigeuse - my standard oil for 7 years now. My skin loves this stuff and it keeps it in great condition. I'm still not sure thought if I'll switch to The Body Shop's Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil next which also works so well for me.
5. TONY MOLY Panda's Dream Sleeping Pack - I use this mostly in the morning routine, but sometimes in the night one too. It's a simple gel cream moisturiser that cooperates great with my skin. Not sure if I'll repurchase it though because I'm planning on getting Beauty of Joseon Dynasty cream which I had a sample of and loved it so much.

WISHLIST

MAKEUP REVOLUTION Fast Base Stick Foundation in F1

I hear this is a great pale shade and a nice glowy formula with lots of coverage. @beauty_plus_diamonds praises it and has comparison swatches on her profile.

ESSENCE Stay Cool Llama Highlighter

This looks so cute! I'm interested if it's as nice as the Go for to Glow palette and if the shade is nicer. I haven't had a chance to go to the drugstore in a while, so I haven't seen the new products in person yet and there are no swatches online.

ESSENCE #insta Perfect Liquid Make Up in 10

I'm mainly interested in this because I hear the shade is supposed to be very light, though I've read mixed reviews so far. I have yet to see in person and try a tester.

ESSENCE Melted Chrome Eyeshadows 

I've seen how metallic and pigmented these are on @adjustingbeauty Instagram stories. They look very intriguing and I will check them out when I finally have a chance to go to the drugstore.

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Blush Mood Exposure

I've noticed Houglass is on Feel Unique and this has been on my wishlist forever. The price is insane, but I might treat myself to one.

BODY FANTASIES Signature Twilight Mist Parfums de Coeur

I saw in the Müller catalogue these are sold here now. They are supposedly similar to BBW and this scent in particular is mentioned as close to Twilight Woods. I don't know if we even have this version. so I need to check it out.

CEZANNE High Moist Lotion

Like I mentioned above in the skin care update, my skin loved this. The bottle has 500 ml which is a great value for the price. 

BATH AND BODY WORKS Champagne Apple Honey Line

I have a bath version from last year and I love the scent so much. It's the best apple scent I've ever tried and I'd love to have at least something from this collection.

KÉRASTASE Nutritive Masque Magistral

I think this replaced Oleo-Relax and it's supposed to be for extremely dry hair which I assume means it's even more nourishing that Masquitense Thick. It'd love to give it a go.

MOROCCANOIL Restorative Hair Mask

Since I love the Hydrating mask so much, I'd like to try this version too. 

Have a great day!

I don't typically comment on the never-ending drama of YouTube personalities, but there has been such an onslaught of disgusting behavior and sharing "truths," and I just wanted to create a dialogue here as relates to the content and "mission" of my blog.

The entire purpose of my blog is to lower the hype. And the vast majority of that hype comes from YouTube personalities that have now come to be called "influencers" because they have that much of an influence on the market.

I've written dozens of posts about the predatory and manipulative nature of "influencer behavior," which is essentially getting paid great sums of money by brands to talk about products, hype products, and get their audiences to purchase. As I stated in the Racked article that I am quoted in, YouTube, in a lot of ways, still has an outward experience of being an authentic experience, and people don't realize that they're being marketed to in the same way as watching Katy Perry talk about CoverGirl.

Fact is, the reason you don't see a commercial for Morphe, Tarte, Too Faced, etc. is because these "influencers" ARE the commercial. And there IS a difference between someone having sponsored content to enable them to fund their freelance lifestyle and this predatory behavior.

The best way I can describe the difference is to look at how sponsorships are done on some of my favorite podcasts. At the start of the podcast—before we get to any content at all—the hosts will say, "Here's a word from our sponsors" and then give the ad. The ad has nothing to do with the content in the podcast. I mostly listen to true crime podcasts, and my favorite ones are sponsored by meal delivery services, hair color companies, and mattress companies. That has absolutely nothing to do with a true crime story. These are companies that want to advertise on the platform and pay the hosts for the advertisement space.

Compare that to a video by Tati, Jaclyn Hill, NikkieTutorials, or any other "mega" YouTube makeup personality where they devote an entire video to one specific product or range of products and then mention at the end that the entire video was sponsored. The video is the ad instead of a company advertising on their platform with their existing content.

In the past few weeks, it has surfaced that a lot of the heavy hitters in the makeup "influencer" industry are, in fact, racist, manipulative, and money/fame hungry. And I'm sure many of you can relate that this came as absolutely no surprise at all.

I often talk about the racist overtones and undertones of the beauty industry, which include:

• The utter lack of representation in foundation shade ranges
• Stores not carrying the dark shades of foundation and making them available online only
• Little to no collaborations with women of color in terms of expanding or creating products
• Eyeshadow palettes clearly geared toward light skin tones
• Eyeshadow palettes containing "brow bone" and "transition" shades for light skin tones, but not equivalent shades for dark skin tones 
• Naming products "nude" that are beige and only nude for light skin tones
• Appropriation of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in product names that are not inclusive

Among many, many others.

It shouldn't be shocking, therefore, that many of these "influencers" don't talk about or advocate for inclusivity.

As an example, here is a smattering of makeup collaborations or original products from several influencers that are ALL geared toward light skin tones.

NikkieTutorials:

Tati:

KathleenLights:

Gwen Stefani (not on YouTube, but the example is relevant):

Laura Lee:

MannyMUA:

Also MannyMUA:

Jaclyn Hill:

Also Jaclyn Hill:

Carli Bybel:

Grav3yard Girl:

Emilynoel83:

Let's talk about this last one, because it truly pains me to put Emily in the same category as many of these other people. Emily very recently came out with two palette launches through Revolution Makeup. One was called "The Needs" (pictured above) and one was called "The Wants" (which I purchased). 

I have watched Emily for years and find her to always be a fresh breath of air in the YouTube beauty world. But something that always upsets me about her content is that she never talks about inclusivity. She will tear into a Tarte or Too Faced palette for quality, texture, color payoff, and other factors, but she doesn't address how most of these products are 1. The same And 2. Only for light skin tones. 

So for her to make a palette, call it "The Needs," and say that it is filled with all the shades that one would need, is upsetting to me because it is so obviously geared toward light skin tones. These are the shades that Emily herself "needs," but won't work for many, many people. 

With that said, her other palette, "The Wants" appears to be inclusive, and I did purchase it for this reason. Emily seems to be a very genuine person with good intentions, but avoiding controversy about race, representation, and inclusivity is also a problem. 

As for the other palettes I included above, there may be the occasional shade that could work for deeper skin tones, but it is obvious that they were made with light skin tones in mind. Several of these products were collaborations with major brands, and it's impossible to know how much or how little creative control they had over shade range and inclusivity. Nonetheless, the sheer number of these palettes that look exactly the same is disheartening and really speaks to the persistence of this problem. 

When you have a voice and a platform, you need to take that responsibility seriously. Because that's what it is—a responsibility. To publicly tweet a horribly racist statement and try to victimize yourself at the backlash is deplorable. To say a racist word while playing video games, offer no apology on your biggest platform, and then say that you just said "a bad word," is also disgusting. For many of these people, they are not upset because they realize the gravity of what they have done and feel sickened over their own behavior—they are upset because they don't want to jeopardize their income and lifestyle. 

When you have millions of people who watch you, trust you, and maybe even look up to you, that is an immense responsibility. There will always be different political points of view, but there are also issues that are completely binary and do come down to "right" and "wrong." Hatred, bigotry, xenophobia, and racism will always be WRONG. And if you're more concerned with how much money you're making instead of how much you're perpetuating dangerous ideals is condemnable. At the same time, as a consumer, if you care more about a makeup item or watching a problematic personality than you do about condoning these ideals, then you are also culpable. 

The other side of the drama right now is the lack of transparency and disclosure about which brands are featured in YouTube videos and which are not. And, unsurprisingly, the ones that are most prominently featured are the ones that pay a lot of money to these influencers. So when you see a "monthly favorites" video, you're going to see some products that are only favorites because they came with a huge sum of money. 

Again, this isn't surprising. I knew the moment I saw Morphe pop up everywhere that they paid for that to happen. Their best products are mediocre at best, but impressionable people really love being able to buy whatever their favorite YouTube personality used and claimed was a favorite.

This is all just predatory and manipulative behavior, and it's why I started this blog. Marketing in general is incredibly manipulative. Companies want to convince people that they need something that they actually don't. And what companies saw with the rise of the YouTube "influencer" is that people are much more likely to buy something if their "best friend" recommends it than if they see a commercial for it on television. Because one is obvious marketing and the other is built on an established (or perceived) trust. 

In my personal life, I am "the makeup person" for most of my friends. If they need to buy a new mascara or cleanser or blush, they will come to me and ask what I recommend. And every single time, they buy literally whatever I say. I've said to a friend, "Oh, I really love this new eyeshadow" and they have gone out that day to buy it for themselves. 

Imagine that on a platform with a reach of millions of people. That has the ability to sway an entire market; to make a brand successful; or to create immense financial hardship for a brand. 

And the only way to combat it is to be a smart consumer. Marketing tactics prey on vulnerable people. "Having a hard day? Treat yourself to a new mascara!" As I mentioned in my recent post about my former makeup addiction and depression, that entire mindset is how I became so dependent on the fleeting "happiness" that came with the high of a new purchase. 

And when you regularly watch these YouTube channels, you always have some product in the back of your mind that someone recommended that you'll inventively buy during a sale, as a celebration, or as consolation for a hard day. 

YouTube was once a platform where people would just chat and share. I remember watching tutorials eight years ago when someone would say, "Put a brown color in your crease—any of them will work." But now it's that you have to apply a specific shadow with a specific brush, oh, and by the way, here's my affiliate code. 

In a lot of ways it's the equivalent of watching nonstop HSN or QVC. Can you imagine how much stuff you would buy if your main entertainment consumption was a home shopping network? That's what has happened now with YouTube and every social media platform. 

In the end, I think it's always important to remember that these people are not our real-life friends, no matter how much we feel like we know them through their content and social media posts. For many of them, they curate a very specific image that they publicly portray and are solely concerned about their own financial success—and will do anything to protect it. As consumers, we need to recognize that behavior and be smarter about our purchasing decisions.

Instagram: @antihaulblog

Essence introduced two new concealer formulas in their autumn/winter update, one is a matte one and the other healthy glow version. I have the latter and considering how there's nothing I can describe as glow at this formula, I wonder what their matte version is like. This is the type of formula that fits into the group of high coverage concealers like Catrice Liquid Camouflage, Collection Lasting Perfection, Look Matte Camouflage and The Saem Perfect Cover. 

Texture: The formula feels closest to Catrice's Liquid Camouflage, which is the most liquid out of the high coverage concealers I've mentioned above, but Essence's is a bit thicker. Given the name I expected something in the line of Maybelline Fit Me concealer, Bourjois Radiance Reveal or Maybelline The Eraser, but this is a high coverage formula with a satin matte finish that's won't perform that great on dry, tired skin. Due to a lot of pigment, it's takes some effort and time to blend it in seamlessly compared to more moisturising concealers. When I first used it over a mattifying primer, I could hardly blend the stuff and a similar thing happened when I applied it once on bare skin without a moisturiser. On my normal/dry skin I need something moisturising under it, just so it blends easier. With such a base I can blend with ease, either by using a brush or a sponge. It can be layered with no problems.

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolour in Embrace on the lips. 

Coverage: This is medium to full coverage and it doesn't differ much from Catrice's Liquid Camouflage. It covers my circles and some uneven areas, but I haven't had a spot in a while, so I haven't tried how it works over those. It doesn't cover my freckles completely. I tried to cover up a lipliner so you can see just how much it covers.

Shade: I'm delighted with how pale the lightest shade is. It's paler than Catrice's Liquid Camouflage 005, which probably makes it the lightest shade among Cosnova's brands. It fits me well, even though it's got a yellow undertone (I'm neutral), which is not strong anyway. Unfortunately, this comes in only two shades, both are very light, which excludes everyone that's not very fair.

Staying power: Like most such concealers this has quite an impressive staying power and because it's satin/matte, it also doesn't crease or move. I'm been wearing it on most days since I got it and I'm quite impressed with how nice it wears and how it's wearing off.

Packaging: It comes in a tube with a doe foot applicator. The latter is in a shape of a spade. There's always a lot of product on the applicator because the mouth of the tube is perhaps too wide.

Price and availability: It costs 2.99 € in drugstores.

Though first impressions were not that great, which was partly my mistake because I used it over a mattifying primer and the other part I'll attribute to Essence misnaming the product as a Healthy Glow, which to me means a moisturising formula, I've actually grown to quite like it. I've been using it on most days since I got it without foundation because I'm quite lazy right now with my base and it's working out great. I think this could also be a good foundation formula because it got a nice satin/matte finish without looking cakey (provided I have a moisturising base). Coverage is comparable to other medium-full coverage competition, it stays on well without creasing and the shade is great for us with a fair skin tone. Unfortunately the shade range is very limited and I hope Essence decides to expand it. Overall it's a nice buy for 3 € and I actually like it more than Catrice's Liquid Camouflage.

Have a great day!

*PR product

I wasn't planning on doing a "one week, one palette" post this week, but it happened (well, mostly). I started the week by using a palette, and on day two, I realized that I owned the BH Cosmetics Festival palette, which I didn't even remember. Months ago, when I was taking a mental break and not wearing any makeup, I was gifted this palette, but I had no intentions of keeping it and I never used it. When I was shuffling through all my palettes this week, I found it and decided to try it before decluttering. And I ended up liking it so much that I wanted to keep using it every day. Almost like how a "normal" person approaches makeup when they don't own an unnecessary amount of it.

So here was the first look of the week:

Jaclyn Hill x Morphe

Lid: Diva

Transition: Silk Creme and Pooter

Crease: Pukey

Outer Corner: Enchanted

Inner corner: Beam

Lower lash line: Diva

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

I've done this look before, and it's certainly my favorite that I can create from this palette. Diva is a pretty unique color to my collection, and I really love how it makes a non-traditional smoky eye. Morphe mattes are not great, but I find the ones in this palette good enough to work with to make this look. I probably only use about 20% of the shades in this palette as I find most of them pretty redundant within shades of brown or red. But this is one of the standout colors for me, and I'm always happy to do this look. 

In terms of the BH Cosmetics Weekend Festival palette, here are four looks I did last week:

Look 1:

Inner lid: Euphoria

Outer lid: Boho

Transition: Electric

Crease: Swag

Above crease: Hippie

Lower lash line: Swag

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

The lighting in my new place is not great, so when I first put this look together, I felt like there was no impact on the lid. As the day went on and I saw the look in other lighting, I realized the shadows were much more vibrant than I originally thought. Nonetheless, I still felt the colors on my lid were pretty subtle, especially when compared with the matte shades. Overall, I do really like the look, but it is very much within my "strong pink" comfort zone that I've been in for over a year. 

Look 2:

Lid: Carnival

Transition: Electric

Crease: Dippie

Outer corner: Swag

Inner corner: Trixie

Lower Lash line: Swag

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

The irony about this look is that I didn't want to do a blue color on the eye with a brown in the crease (because I've done that look a lot), so I went with the pink crease, which is something I seem to incorporate into almost all of my looks. I think this is a pretty look, and I like how the blue almost looks silver. 

Look 3:

Lid: Solstice (applied wet)

Transition: Electric

Crease: Dippie and Swag

Inner corner: Spirit

Lower lash line: Swag

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

This was my favorite look of the bunch, but I bet that's surprising to no one. I've done some version of this look almost every week that I've worn makeup for at least a year now, and I did it earlier in the week as well. I used the lid shadow wet, and I certainly liked the effect more than when I used it dry. 

Look 4:

Lid: Neon (applied wet)

Crease: Palooza

Above crease: Kandi

Lower lash line: Trance

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

To close out the week, I went with a much more colorful look, and I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about the aqua in the crease, but I figured I would just roll with it. Like the previous day, I applied the lid shadow wet, and I loved the intensity of it. 

Favorite look: 

Look 3, featuring Solstice.

Lease favorite look: 

If I had to pick, I guess it would be Look 2, featuring Carnival, but I didn't dislike the look at all. There were just others this week that I liked more. 

Final thoughts:

I really like this palette. I wasn't really planning on caring for it too much, and I certainly wasn't expecting to keep it in my collection, but I think I will hang on to it for a bit longer as I work through my collection and curate it a bit more. 

The mattes in this palette are really good, and I think that's really where the palette sings. The shimmers are okay, but they aren't anything exceptional. I liked the shimmers when applied wet, but I feel like that could be said for most shimmers. 

I like the color scheme and like that it's a nice mix of colors and neutrals as well as shimmers and mattes, and I also like that the color scheme is inclusive and not just curated for light skin tones. 

With that said, I feel like I can probably duplicate this entire palette with colors that are already in my collection. The most unique shades to my collection are probably:

• Kandi (true peach with a pearl finish)
• Palooza (matte aqua)
• Neon (shimmery lime-green)
• Electric (matte bright, light pink)

In a 20-shadow palette, the fact that only four shades are somewhat unique to my collection is not a great statistic. But, for a lot of people, this could be a pretty unique palette. It comes close to having all the shades of my duped peachy matte palette, and it has similar shades to the Kylie Cosmetics Blue Honey palette, all within a single palette. It's a nice color selection.

Personally, I'm going to keep it in my collection for right now and see what happens as I declutter my palettes. I did buy a palette this week, which utterly surprised me, but it was the palette that Emilynoel83 made (The Wants). Her humility, enthusiasm, and graciousness were just overwhelming, and in a sea of shills and egos, I couldn't help but want to share in her excitement. Plus, I think she made a lovely palette that is inclusive. 

I really like BH Cosmetics Weekend Festival, but realistically, it might be one that gets decluttered (or depotted) as I downsize. 

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