Recent Looks: Peachy Eyes—NYX Air, Carli Bybel Deluxe, Juvia's Place Masquerade

It's been a while since I've done a recent looks post, and as I mentioned in an earlier post this week, the reasons have been because of some life events and international travel. I took photos of several of my looks over the past couple weeks, but I also repeated the same looks several days because I liked them so much. 

I will mention this in my upcoming September Favorites post, but my duped Just Peachy Matte palette has been an everyday staple for me, and I haven't wanted to use anything else since I first put the colors together. 

One thing to note, I did replace two of the colors in the "duped" palette for colors I wanted in this palette more. In the top row, far right, I replaced ABH Fudge with Colourpop Slim Fit, and in the middle row, I replaced Coloured Raine Moments with Colurpop 143. 

Here are eight looks I've done in recent weeks.

Look 1: Kiko 208

Kiko 208 on the lid, Colourpop The News blended into the crease as a transition shade, Colourpop Slim Fit blended into the crease, and Colourpop Making Moves padded onto the outer corner. Chanel eyeliner in Eros on the waterline. 

Look 2: Kiko 200

Kiko 200 on the lid, Colourpop The News blended into the crease, and Makeup Geek Bitten padded on the outer corner. Marc Jacobs highliner in Whirl(pool) on the waterline. 

Look 3: "Just Peachy Mattes"

Colourpop Making Moves on the lid, Colourpop The News blended into the crease as a transition shade, and Colourpop Stay Golden blended into the crease and padded onto the outer corner. 

Look 4: Juvia's Place Masquerade 

Juvia's Place Chi on the inner and outer lid, Juvia's Place Zola on the center of the lid, Colourpop The News blended into the crease as a transition shade, and Colourpop Stay Golden blended into the crease. Marc Jacobs highliner in Whirl(pool) on the waterline. 

Look 5: BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Deluxe 

Carli Bybel 4 on the lid, Colourpop The News blended into the crease as a transition shade, Colourpop Slim Fit blended into the crease, and Colourpop Stay Golden padded onto the outer corner and blended into the crease. 

Look 6: NYX Air

12 on the lid, 3 blended into the crease as a transition shade, and 11 padded onto the outer corner and blended into the crease. 4 on the lower lash line. 

Look 7: Stila Magnificent Metals Sunset Cove

Sunset Cove on the lid, Colourpop The News blended into the crease as a transition shade, Colourpop Making Moves and Stay Golden blended to the crease, and Colourpop 143 padded onto the outer corner. 

Look 8: "Desert Dusk"

Colourpop High Strung on the lid, Inglot peachy shade blended into the crease as a transition shade, Inglot purple shade blended above the peachy shade, Inglot orange shade blended above the purple shade, and Makeup Geek Masquerade padded onto the outer corner. NYX Vivid Brights eyeliner in Vivid Violet. 

Look 1: Kiko 208

I've written about my Kiko shadows several times, so I'll just say that I really loved this look. I've really enjoyed pairing light golds with bright peachy shades, and I thought this look came out quite pretty. I think it takes a typical neutral look up a few notches without being a super dramatic look. I also paired it with Chanel Eros on the waterline, and while it did kind of make my waterline look a little blood-like, I still thought it was interesting and pretty. 

Look 2: Kiko 200

Despite this being one of my favorite Kiko shadows, I didn't really like this look all that much. Since I have been really infatuated with my peachy palette, I've been wanting to explore and see what colors pair well with the peach tones. And I have to say that I wasn't super thrilled with this combination. I really liked putting Whirl(pool) on the waterline, and thought that gave the look a little bit of interest, but on the whole, I wasn't really digging this. 

Look 3: "Just Peachy Mattes"

I wore this look on one of the worst days I've had in recent memory. And by the end of the night, I had cried all of this off my face. Typically, that would mean that I would never wear this look again because the memory tied to it is so bad. BUT, I really, really, really love this look. So, screw that. That awful day doesn't get to own this look. I do. I wore this look several times while in Europe, and I received more compliments than I have on any other look I've ever done. One woman even stopped me on the street as I walked by just to tell me how much she loved my eyeshadow. So, yeah, this is a new favorite look for sure. 

Look 4: Juvia's Place Masquerade 

What I've shown in the photo above are the only shadows I have left from this palette. I really loved Masquerade, but I felt I had the majority of the shadows in my collection already, for the exception for the very colorful shades. Chi and Zola have always been favorites of mine, and since I couldn't decided which colors to wear that day, I decided to wear both. I really like the look of blues and purples paired with pinks, so I thought this look came out quite pretty. Having to do it over again, I might substitute the peachy crease shades with either hot pink or dark berry.

Look 5: BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Deluxe 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that following my birthday and double surgeries, I had been gifted quite a bit of new makeup, and this palette was part of that. I honestly haven't used this palette too much because when I've used it, I've only used the same shade every single time, which is the fourth shadow in the top row. This shade is KILLER. The majority of the shadows in this palette are quite pretty, but I am positive that I have duplicates of all of them elsewhere in my collection, expect for this one shade. I would like to use this palette more, but I wouldn't be surprised if I depotted that one shadow and decluttered the palette.

Look 6: NYX Air

So, this palette is unfortunately a result of that aforementioned terrible day. I don't typically buy makeup anymore for emotional reasons (and it is not a behavior that I find exceptionally healthy), but that happened. I was so impressed with the NYX Fire palette (and less so with the NYX Brights palette) and was curious to try Air. I've only used this palette one time, which was to do the above look, so I am going to hold off on giving my "official" opinion of the palette. With that said, every color I used in this look was really great and performed exactly as I would expect based on the Fire palette. I'm looking forward to wearing some of the more colorful shadows next, such as the blue and green shades.

Look 7: Stila Magnificent Metals Sunset Cove

I've written about Sunset Cove before, which is a color that I absolutely love. I have several Magnificent Metals, and they are easily one of my favorite products of the year. This was my other favorite look of the past few weeks, and it was my favorite look I've ever done with one of the Stila Magnificent Metals. This look is also a great example to me of how shadows can blend and layer without looking muddy. It's exciting to me that I created this look with $5 Colourpop shadows, especially when there are much more expensive and hyped alternatives available that don't perform, in my opinion, nearly as well.

Look 8: "Desert Dusk"

Finally, for my last look, I compiled a "dupe" palette of the Huda Beauty Desert Dusk, inspired by Lauren Mae Beauty's "Let Dupe It" video on the same palette. I really like how this look turned out. The shadow I used on the lid, Colourpop High Strung, isn't a "dupe" for any shadow in the Desert Dusk palette, but I added it to my palette because I thought it went nicely with the other shades in it. It doesn't show up too well in the photos, but I loved Makeup Geek Masquerade on the outer corner and lower lash line. I typically only use Makeup Geek foiled shadows all over the lid, so it was fun for me to think (a bit) outside of the box with the look.

Weekend Looks: Costal Scents, Kiko, Jouer

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, this will be my last "weekend looks" post for a while as I am having surgery next week and will be in recovery for several weeks. Good news is that I will have more time to write anti-haul posts as well as other requested posts, so that will be fun. As far as looks I did this weekend, I don't really know why I gravitated toward what I did. I figured I would want to wear super colorful looks before being out of commission for a while, but my looks kind of bridged neutral and not.

Here are the looks I did this weekend:

Look 1: Costal Scents Lakeshore and Fine Wine

Lakeshore on the lid, Fine Wine blended into the crease, and Makeup Geek Bitten lightly padded onto the outer corner. NYX Vivid Brights liquid eyeliner in Vivid Violet. 

Look 2: Kiko Water Eyeshadow in #213 Dark Slate Green and Jouer Skinny Dip 

Pixie Epoxy as a base all over the lid. Kiko Dark Slate Green on the inner and outer lid and Jouer Bikini on the center of the lid. Zoeva Substitute for Love and Costal Scents Oktoberfest blended into the crease. 

Look 1: Costal Scents Lakeshore and Fine Wine

Status: Really enjoy

I think something I've come to learn about myself is that I really like blues paired with berries. Costal Scents Fine Wine is a shadow that I have really come to love, but this was the first time I ever wore Lakeshore, and I think it's a really pretty color. I paired it with one of my NYX Vivid Brights liquid eyeliners because why not. I wasn't sure how I was going to like this motley crew of colors put together, but I thought it was actually quite interesting. Also, as a fun side note, I was in Sephora last night buying a replacement skin care item (Drunk Elephant C-Firma) and the cashier went out of her way to compliment my eyeshadow. I thought that was really nice of her, but also quite funny since I was not wearing a single thing on my eyes that one can purchase in Sephora. 

Look 2: Kiko Water Eyeshadow in #213 Dark Slate Green and Jouer Skinny Dip 
Status: Love

I have to say, I really love how this look turned out. I knew I wanted to use the Skinny Dip palette again (although I am having complicated feelings about it), but I also wanted to use this Kiko shadow that I've had for a while but have only ever used on the lower lash line. So, I created this. And I really like it! I used Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy as a base because the Kiko shadow is a "water" eyeshadow, meaning it can be worn either wet or dry. I'm not a huge fan of using shadows wet as I think it kind of ruins the shadow in the pan afterward, and I've never been the biggest fan of MAC Fix+, but I absolutely adore Pixie Epoxy and imagine it does the same thing as applying a shadow wet, only with less mess. And, man, both the Kiko shadow and the Jouer shadow look incredible under it. I debated using my Viseart Dark Matte palette for the crease work to really smoke out the green, but I decided (as usual) to have a warm brown crease. And I love this look. The Kiko shadow is gorgeous, like two others I have. But I will say that not all Kiko wet shadows are created equal. I love the three that I have, but I have also decluttered two because they were so lackluster. And lastly, the Skinny Dip palette. So, obviously, the shine in the center of my lid is gorgeous, but I used Bikini today and Skinny Dip last week and I can't really tell a difference between them. I also feel like Star Light and Magic Hour might have a similar effect once applied onto the eyes (I think they will both look silver), but I haven't tried either of them yet, so I am still reserving judgement. I will say, however, that I am disappointed Bikini and Skinny Dip are so similar. Both are gorgeous, but I don't need duplicate shadows in the same palette.

Last Week's Looks: Kiko, Viseart, Ciate London, and Natasha Denona

I hope everyone had a good week and weekend. I know this post is pretty late, but that's because I was away for Memorial Day weekend and didn't feel like bringing my camera. I've mentioned in previous posts that I have a major surgery (the first of two) coming up and I've been slammed with my busiest time at work. Well, my surgery is this week, in a few days, actually. So, this will be my last weekly looks post for a while, I would think. I'm not totally sure. I'll be taking some time off of work to recover, so hopefully I will be able to write some anti-haul posts if I am feeling up to it. 

In terms of makeup, I've just been really enjoying my collection, and it finally feels manageable to me. I couldn't tell you why I necessarily chose the looks I did this week, but that's okay. I just had fun. 

Look 1: Kiko 200 Champagne

Champagne on the lid (over Pixie Epoxy) and Viseart Neutral Matte blended into the crease. 

Look 2: Viseart

Viseart 8 on the lid, Kat Von D Ludwin blended into the crease, and Kat Von D Succubus padded onto the outer corner.

Look 3: Ciate London Pretty Palette

6 on the lid and 7 blended into the crease. 

Look 4: Natasha Denona Nina's Orchid

Nina's Orchid on the lid and Bobbi Brown Camel blended into the crease. 

Look 5: Natasha Denona Antique Olive

Antique Olive on the lid and Bobbi Brown Camel blended into the crease. 

Kiko 200 Champagne

Status: Favorite 

I've written about this shadow before, but it is truly such a favorite of mine. It has a wet and dry formula, but I had never used it "wet" until last week. And by "wet," I mean that I applied it over Pixie Epoxy. And, of course, it looked gorgeous. I've used this shadow plenty dry, and I think it is just lovely. Using it wet just enhanced what was already great about it. I paired it with some of the gray tones in the Viseart Neutral Matte palette, and I think the look came out quite pretty. 

Viseart

Staus: Keep

I don't really know what the label this shadow as it is part of a custom palette with a mishmash of shadows. The main shadow is from a Viseart palette, either Paris Nudes or Sultry Muse. The shadow is pretty, but lacks a certain oomph that I have become accustomed to. I may try these under Pixie Epoxy and see what happens. Again, it was a pretty shadow, but if I don't love it the way I love almost everything else in my collection, it will have to go. 

Ciate London Pretty Palette

Status: Favorite 

I just wrote about this palette last week, so there is no need for me to drone on about it again. I went to an event the evening I wore this look, and I have this odd habit of wearing incredibly light makeup sometimes when I have a special occasion. I also had a very big meeting at work with the head of the organization I work at, and I try to wear light makeup on those days. The color I used (6) is my favorite in the palette, and I think you can probably tell from the amount of wear that the shadow has. Typically I would have added a dark shadow to the outer corner and lower lash line, but, again, I went for as light as possible this day. 

Natasha Denona Nina's Orchid

Status: Favorite 

I'll start by saying that I think Natasha Denona matte shadows (at least in the 5-pan palettes) are really bad. This one is slightly better than others, but it could be better. The reason it is a favorite is for the color alone. This exact look was my favorite look that I created with the Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly palette, and when I decided to declutter that palette, the only reason I was able to was because I had this shadow from Natasha Denona. This is the first time that I actually attempted to recreate that look, and I was exceptionally happy with it. I paired it (of course) with Bobbi Brown Camel, and I thought the look was perfect—exactly what I wanted. 

Natasha Denona Antique Olive
Status: Favorite

This is definitely one of my favorite Natasha Denona shadows. It looks quite bronze in this photo, but it is more olive in person. I'm sure there are many other cheaper shadows that look just like this, but I am happy to have this shadow in my collection. I again paired it with Camel because, well, it's the best. I also really like applying Antique Olive in the crease, but I think it looks lovely on the lid. There was a time when I wanted to declutter my Natasha Denona shadows—because the packaging was so bad that I genuinely never wanted to use them. I would still not recommend purchasing these shadows (in large part because of the packaging and the price), and I can't see myself buying anything else from the brand, but since I own these, I do like them for the most part. I am very happy I depotted the shadows and was able to make this one Frankenstein's Monster palette because I have gotten a ton of use out of it. It is made up of palettes I was severely neglecting and considering decluttering, so I am glad that I found a way to put them all together so that they would get use.