One Week, One Palette: BH Cosmetics Weekend Festival

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. 

Instagram: @antihaulblog

Recent Looks: Rediscovering My Collection

It's been a long time since I've posted any recent looks, but since I've had access to my makeup collection for the first time in months, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things of taking daily pictures of my makeup looks.

But before I get into my (many) recent looks, I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for the incredible support that I received on my last blog post where I discussed my former makeup addiction in relation to depression. I received an outpouring of messages thanking for me sharing my story, and someone even linked me to a Reddit thread about it (which was incredibly humbling). I'm just really happy that my story has been something positive for so many people, and I'm grateful for the community that we have formed here.

So, here are some recent looks.

Look 1: BH Cosmetics Zodiac

Lid: Aquarius shimmer

Crease: Aquarius matte

Outer corner: Pisces matte

Brow bone: Center highlight

Inner corner: Center highlight

I'm still really enjoying this palette, and I personally think it's one of the best BH Cosmetics palettes available. I enjoyed the color combination of this particular look, but it would also be really easy to achieve this look with other palettes or singles available. 

Look 2: Jaclyn Hill x Morphe

Lid: Meeks

Transition: Silk Creme and M.F.E.O

Crease: Pooter

Brow bone: Enlight 

If you're new here, this palette was given to me as a gift. I think it's a fine palette, but nothing incredible or worth all of the hype. It's got a ton of repeat shades, and I wish there were more pink matte shades instead of so many browns. The look I created is pretty basic and something I could get out of most palettes. 

Look 3: Tom Ford Nude Dip

Lid: Tom Ford Nude Dip 3

Transition: Viseart cool brown

Crease: ABH Moments 

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

I had to get my picture taken for work this day, and this was the look I chose for it. I love this quad. I think the shadows have something a little extra special about them in terms of shine, and I always love the end result. I don't think it's anywhere near worth the money, however. 

Look 4: Duped Desert Dusk and Duped Peachy Mattes

Lid: Viseart shimmery fuchsia 

Transition: Colourpop The News

Crease: Colourpop Making Moves

Outer Corner: Colourpop 143

Brow bone: Zoeva Bitter Start

Inner corner: Coloured Raine Crown

This is a look I have done a lot, and it's always going to be a favorite of mine. I have loved these two palettes for about a year now (maybe more), and I still love them. And I can guarantee I would not still be loving the originals from Too Faced or Huda Beauty. I would have gotten bored with them or only liked a few shades, which is why I love my custom ones so much. 

Look 5: Duped Desert Dusk and Duped Peachy Matte

Lid: Ardency Inn Orchid

Transition: Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie

Crease: Colourpop Cannonball

Brow bone: Zoeva Bitter Start

Inner Corner: Too Faced Satin Sheets

See what I mean? I really love this general color combination. This look is slightly different in that I went for an orange crease instead of a peach/pink, but it's pretty similar. 

Look 6: Sephora Editorial Pro

Lid: Myiesha

Crease: Eliza D

Brow bone: Porcelain

This is another favorite look that I've done before, and I loved it again. I've always felt torn with this palette in that I love half of it and hate the other half. I don't think I can depot it without breaking the shadows, but if I could, that's what I would do. 

Look 7: Laura Mercier African Violet and Melt Rust Stack

Lid: LM African Violet

Transition: Melt Antique

Crease: Melt Rubbish

Brow bone: Melt Classic

This was a look that weirdly popped into my head as I went to sleep the night before I wore it. African Violet was the only shadow I wore for months as I interviewed for various jobs, and I'll probably hit the pan shortly. I've always paired it with cooler purple mattes, and I just wanted to see what it would look like paired with mustard. And I loved the end result! 

Look 8: Silver and berry

Lid: Shimmery silver

Crease: Shimmery berry

Brow bone: Matte white

In one of my last posts, I discussed that I am no longer supporting Kat Von D Beauty due to the dangerous, ignorant, and false propaganda she has spread about vaccinations. As such, I will no longer show or actively promote any of the products from her brand that I already own, and I am still undecided on what I will do with those products—use them since I already bought them, or get rid of them. For now, I am continuing to use and assess how I feel. (Also, I WILL continue to write anti-haul posts on her future releases.)

For this look, I used a shimmery taupe/silver and paired it with a shimmery berry, and I love how it turned out. This is a look that I've done before, and it always makes me feel glamorous. There are many comparable shadows available that can make the same look. 

Look 9: Colourpop Glass Bull

Lid: Glass Bull

I've written an entire post on the best way that I've personally found to wear Glass Bull, which is to use it like an eye gloss. Glass Bull started as a shadow I didn't understand and hated, and it has turned into one of my absolute favorites. It makes such an easy, pretty eye look. 

Look 10: Huda Beauty Coral Obsessions 

Lid: 9

Transition: 8

Crease: 2

Above transition: 7

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

Inner corner: Urban Decay Roadstripe

Lower lash line: 9 and 2

The next two palettes are ones that I received as gifts several months ago. This is the first palette from Huda Beauty that I've tried, and I like it just fine. I love the color I used on my lid, which is the bottom right shade, but other than that, I already have this palette within the Colourpop Yes, Please! palette. 

Look 10: Pat McGrath Labs Mothership IV and Bobbi Brown Camel

Lid: Pat McGrath Labs Lapis Luxury

Transition: Bareminerals Velet Pecan

Crease: Bobbi Brown Camel

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

Inner corner: Illamasqua Cascade

And then there's the other new palette, which is from Pat McGrath. I now own two Pat McGrath palettes, and the other is one of the smaller palettes. (When everyone knows you've been "obsessed" with makeup/using it as a coping mechanism for years, they tend to only give you makeup for holidays and special occasions.) To be honest, I haven't tried every shade in this palette, but I have to say that everything about this palette feels much more luxurious than any makeup item I've ever owned. The packaging makes brands like Tom Ford look cheap, not to mention the likes of Natasha Denona. I liked this palette so much that I went to look at the other Motherships palettes in person, but I've got to say, they just don't seem to be as nice as this one. The smaller one I have is also not as nice as this one. 

I absolutely loved this look and this teal shade, but it did transfer into my crease by the end of the day.   

Look 11: Pat McGrath Labs Mothership IV and Duped Peachy Mattes

Lid: Pat McGrath Inferno

Transition: Colourpop The News

Crease: Colourpop Making Moves

Brow bone: Zoeva Bitter Start

I did a post a while back on the most unique single eyeshadows in my collection. Pat McGrath Inferno is clearly in a palette, but this is probably the most beautiful eyeshadow I have ever seen. The pictures don't do it justice. It's like a copper, but also a peach, and also a taupe. It's simply gorgeous. 

Look 12: Cool Mattes

Lid: Juvia's Place Zola

Transition: pink matte

Crease: Colourpop Silver Lining

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

Lower lash line: Makeup Geek Caitlin Rose 

This is another of my custom palettes, but it no longer looks like this. I have taken out some of the shadows in the bottom row and replaced them with some singles from an indie brand. I'll have to take an updated photo soon. This is a look I've done before and one that I really love. 

Look 13: Cool Mattes

Lid: MAC Satin Taupe

Transition: Viseart cool brown

Crease: ABH Moments

Brow bone: Wet N Wild Brulee

This is probably my lease favorite look of the bunch. I used to really love MAC Satin Taupe, but it just feels really dull (not shiny) compared to other taupes in my collection. 

Look 14: MAC Rosé 

Lid: MAC Rosé pigment

Transition: Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie

Crease: Colourpop Cannonball

Outer corner: Colourpop 143

Brow bone: Zoeva Bitter Start

I love this pigment, and I love this look. I've done it before, and it's a look that I will continue to do because I love it so much. 

Look 15: Reimagined ABH Modern Renaissance

Lid: ABH Macaroon

Transition: Makeup Geek Cupcake

Crease: Natasha Denona Nina's Orchid

Brow bone: Viseart white

Inner corner: Makeup Geek Phantom 

This is also a look that I really love. My reimagined Modern Renaissance palette is also one of my favorites, and I particularly love this color combination. 

As a sign off, I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who reached out or who read my last post. I also want to say thank you to those of you who have asked for my weekly looks posts to return. I'll have to gradually get back into the swing of things with blogging, but I really appreciate everyone who has been supportive of the break I needed to take. 

I'll have more looks soon!

Instagram: @antihaulblog