Weekend Looks: Coloured Raine and Stila Glitter and Glow

For week two of weekend looks, I wanted to use two "single" shadows that I haven't been able to use much. As I mentioned in last week's post, weekend looks are the two looks a week where I get to do whatever I want and go crazy with color. And potentially the two looks I did will seem tame to a lot of people. But to me, they were over the top and gorgeous and I loved every second of them. 

Look 1:

From left: Colourpop Stay Golden and Coloured Raine Short Cake

Coloured Raine Short Cake on the lid, Colourpop Stay Golden blended into the crease, Makeup Geek Bitten lightly padded onto the outer corner, and Make Up For Ever Pearl on the inner corner. Coloured Raine Short Cake on the lower lash line. 

Look 2:

Stila Giltter and Glow Rose Gold Retro on the lid, Kat Von D Ludwin blended into the crease, Kat Von D Laetus on the brow bone, and Make Up For Ever Pearl on the inner corner. Kat Von D Solus on the lower lash line. 

Man, I loved these looks. Coloured Raine officially makes some of my favorite shimmer shadows. I will say that on me, Coloured Raine shadows apply best with a synthetic brush like the MAC 242. I typically use my MAC 239 brush to pack color all over the lid, but the 242 works much better with Coloured Raine shadows. 

Short Cake especially is one of my favorite shadows. It's like an amped up version of some other favorites of mine, like Makeup Geek Mai Tai or Cosmopolitan or Colourpop Come and Get It. Blended with the Colourpop shadow (which I love), I thought the look was stunning. 

The Stila Glitter and Glow liquid eyeshadow seriously deserves its own post. I can't remember the last time I was this shocked and delighted by a makeup product. This is a newer product to my collection, and this was the first time I had used it on my eyes. I swatched it on the back of my hand in store and was so mesmerized that I decided to buy it. I have to say I was really nervous it was going to be one of those products that looks incredible in store lighting or looks great on the back of your hand and then sheers out to nothing on the eye. But man, I was impressed. This was the most metallic and sparkly thing I have ever had on my eyes. The pictures don't really do it justice, though you can see quite a bit of the sparkle and shine. 

The only negative was that after a few hours of wear, glitter particle started raining down my face. Under normal circumstances, that is an absolute deal breaker for me, but I didn't really mind with this product. And I think that's because the look felt very special to me. Like a New Year's Eve or Christmas look or something to wear when you go out with your girlfriends. And in those cases, I'm totally okay having glitter on my face. When the glitter started transferring onto other people around me, that was when I knew it was time to wash it off. And using my typical makeup removing method (micellar water), the product came right off and didn't leave behind any glitter whatsoever.  

I do wish that my job would allow me to play with color and finishes a bit more, even like the looks above that are still pretty tame/neutral in the grand scheme of things. But, I do feel like I've achieved a small victory at work. Since I've been working there, two women in the office have recently started wearing makeup! For the first month and a half, I was the only women who wore anything more than light eyeliner or mascara, and now the women have branched into orange-red and metallic lipsticks! Maybe I'll get to wear a super metallic coral or liquid glitter eyeshadow soon after all. Until then, the weekends are my play time. 

What I'm Not Buying: Lorac I Love Brunch Pro Palette

Photo: Temptalia 

Lorac has released a new, limited edition pro palette, entitled I Love Brunch. 

And I won't be buying. 

To be petty, I really don't like the name of this palette. I think the idea behind a brunch-themed palette can be potentially interesting in theory, especially if the marketing hook is that it's a palette to wear to brunch. (I don't know what most people wear to brunch as I don't know much about brunch culture, but I certainly wouldn't think that would be a pastel palette. I would think it would be a really basic, effortless palette.) But calling this palette "I Love Brunch" feels really juvenile to me and like Lorac is taking a page out of Too Faced's gimmicky playbook. 

Apart from the shadow names, which aren't my favorite (I know everyone is just clamoring to tell people their eyeshadow is called "Gluten Free"), I don't really understand the theme in relation to the colors. A more appropriate name for this palette would be "Easter basket" or "Sidewalk Chalk."

Seeing this palette actually made me channel my inner Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada. 

"Pastels for spring? Groundbreaking."

In all seriousness, I think it's great that brands are branching out from the same tired neutral aesthetic,  but this palette feels really disjointed and confused to me. I think it would be challenging to create several diverse and complete looks with it, and I don't have an easy time seeing the cohesion. 

This palette reminds me a lot of the Sephora and Pantone Universe Modern Watercolors palette:

Photo: Temptalia

And of course reminds me of the newly released Kat Von D Pastel Goth:

Photo: Temptalia 

I have an entire blog post on why I was not going to buy Pastel Goth. And I stand by a lot of the comments I made in that post. But for the first time ever, I bought a palette I declared that I wasn't going to buy. 

In short, I bought Pastel Goth for the lone reason that Kat Von D made an Instagram post that said:

"#NotMyPresident

#NoMiPresidente"

It was the day after the Women's March, and I was still in DC. I saw that Kat made that post, and as I was swelling with pride, I read countless disgusting comments on her page from people swearing that they would never again buy any of her products. 

So, I bought Pastel Goth. I very much respect the courage it takes to put yourself and your business on the line to stand up for what you know is right. And since so many were declaring to boycott her, I showed my support and bought her newest release. 

With that said, I now have this palette full of pastel colors. And I have to say that while I know brands plan new releases very far in advance, I can't help but wonder if Lorac released this as a response to Pastel Goth. Kat Von D famously teases product releases a ridiculous amount of time in advance, so it was on everyone's radar that her brand was coming out with a pastel palette. But then, there's always the argument of:

"Pastels for spring? Groundbreaking."

In thinking of a pastel palette as a companion palette, I think Pastel Goth is the winner. The I Love Brunch palette seems like it wants to be a complete palette, but when I look at it, I see a companion palette at best. But then I also don't think most people will find an everyday use for a ton of pastel shadows. Yes, it's certainly fun to play with pastels, but I can't see most people wanting a full pastel shadow look as their "everyday look." And because of this, I think it makes a lot more sense for people who really want to try some pastel shadows to just buy a few select singles. 

I know we all get sucked into the idea of value in palettes, but there is not a lot of value in I Love Brunch. It is $44 for 0.48 ounces of product. In comparison, Pastel Goth (which is arguably of superior quality) is $38 for the same amount of product. The difference is that Pastel Goth contains eight shadows and I Love Brunch has 16. One can make the argument that I Love Brunch is more expensive because it has more shadows, but each shadow is half the size of ones in Pastel Goth. 

From what I have seen, the shadows in I Love Brunch are not great quality. They are marketed as the Lorac "Pro" formula, but I don't know if that's the original Pro formula or the reformulated one used in the Pro 3 that is pretty widely acknowledged as inferior. Since I Love Brunch has 16 shadows, it really perpetuates this fallacy that it holds this tremendous value, but several shadows are similar to others in the palette, and I personally think the amount is overkill. I highly doubt that the targeted audience for this palette will find regular use for all 16 shadows. 

And that brings me to my last point, which is, who is the audience for this palette? The obvious answer is brunch pastel lovers, but then that begs the question of why this one Pro palette jumps the shark from all others. Lorac Pro palettes are known for their stripped down aesthetic since they are marketed as "professional" palettes. As in, they are palettes for working makeup artists. Shade names in the permanent Pro palettes are very basic, like, "Deep purple," "Slate," "Mauve," and "Light Gold." So coming out with a "Pro" palette called "I Love Brunch" with names like "Gluten Free" (cringe), "Avocado Toast," "Pancakes," "Hot Sauce," "Valet" (in the context of a "brunch" palette, cringe), and "Eggs Benny" (again, cringe) doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Instead of coming out with a quality pastel palette and letting the shadows speak for themselves, Lorac has jumped on the Too Faced train (perhaps in anticipation of a buyout?) and made a subpar quality product with a theme meant to draw in people who love brunch and can't resist the hype of a gimmick.  

I had brunch this morning in New York City. And do you know what makeup I wore? Nothing! Because I had just gotten up, it was sleeting, and I was hungry and didn't want to wait an additional half hour so that I could apply my themed pastel eyeshadows. It's cheap, it's gimmicky, and it doesn't impress me. And I won't be buying. 

This Week's Looks: Singles

While one week, one palette was still in full swing, I had always planned on using my single shadows one week. I have two z-palettes full of singles from Makeup Geek, MAC, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Morphe, Zoeva, Make Up For Ever, Colourpop, and Coloured Raine. Apart from those, I have twenty singles in individual packaging.

Singles were the highlight of most of my looks last week. (I did have a snow day from work one day, and I used that as an opportunity to use the Urban Decay Electric palette.) Since I pulled shadows from several different palettes to work with the singles, I thought it might be easier this week to just show the singles I used.

Look 1: Kiko 200 Champagne

Look 2: Kiko 208 Light Gold

Look 3: Anastasia Beverly Hills Pink Champagne 

Look 4: Urban Decay Electric

Photo: Temptalia 

Urban on the lid and Savage blended into the crease. 

Look 5: L'Oreal Amber Rush

Singles, I think, are really undervalued in the makeup blogging/vlogging community. Palettes are so hyped, and I think we get sucked into the idea that palettes present this amazing "value." I think we also really like the convenience of having all of our shadows in one place to create a look so that we don't have to go fishing through multiple singles for lid, crease, transition, outer corner, inner corner, and brow bone colors.

Personally, I have really only ever used palettes. My very first eyeshadow purchase was a quad that I created at MAC (with Honesty, Soft Brown, Naked Lunch, and Handwritten). I have mentioned before that I learned how to apply makeup by going into a MAC store, and these were the shadows my artist used on me. I put them all into a quad, and that was just how I got used to applying makeup—with all of the colors in one place.

But, now that I've become a more shrewd shopper, I really see the value of singles. The shadows that I have purchased as singles are some of the most special or unique (neutral) colors in my collection. They are the colors that didn't exist in palettes. Or the best colors from otherwise boring palettes. I feel the same way about my z-palettes. I won't buy a single if I have a dozen duplicates of it, so I find that the selection is just substantially more interesting than many of my palettes.

I was really excited to get to use some of my Kiko shadows this week. My two favorites are 200 and 208, and the pictures do not do these shadows justice. They remind me a lot of the finish of Tom Ford eyeshadows, actually, in that they give an incredible amount of shine without looking very heavy and obvious. I received the most compliments the days I wore those two shadows. The shadows I used are from their "wet and dry" line, but I have never used them wet. I know the pigment would be more intense if I did, but I'm so pleased with how they look dry that I haven't ever really had an interest in foiling them.

Anastasia Pink Champagne was like my makeup white whale for the longest time. It was perpetually sold out, and I found myself stalking several websites to see if there had been a new shipment. I read that it is a color used frequently by brides, and I can see why. It leans rose and also champagne, and I find that the color can shift based on other colors paired with it. I liked how the look turned out, but I think I like Pink Champagne more when paired with all rosy colors.

I had a snow day from work in the middle of my week, and that was really fun. I'd been itching to play with the Electric palette, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I really like the Electric palette, and it's the only palette I own from Urban Decay. I find that I generally don't like their shadow formula (at least before it was reformulated for the Afterdark palette), but these shadows feel much different than the typical palette shadow formula. I haven't had an opportunity to play with this palette much, but I've been really happy with it thus far.

And finally, an old favorite, Amber Rush. I love this eyeshadow. In fact, Amber Rush may be the oldest item in my entire collection. When I first purchased it, it was all I wore for months on end because I thought it complimented my eye color so well. It was the shadow I would recommend to anyone with blue or green eyes because of how much it brought my eyes to the forefront. I typically pair it with neutral peach and brown colors, but I thought it might be fun to try something different and pair it with some pastels. I actually really liked how it turned out. I still think the "classic" way I wear it is prettier, but it was fun to be able to try something new with a favorite product.

If you're looking for a cruelty-free option, Makeup Geek Grandstand is exactly the same.

I have to say, after using my singles this past week, I kind of wonder why I have so many palettes. I definitely realize that we get sucked into the hype, packaging, and "group attractiveness effect," of palettes, but singles are our hand-picked shadows. They are (at least in my collection), my powerhouse shadows. Yes, there are special shadows that I have in palettes (off the top of my head, there are some Natasha Denona and Viseart Dark Matte shadows that are pretty special), but for the most part, the shades I have in singles are just a little more unique than what I have in palettes. And the funny part is that I didn't even use my most unique singles last week! I just used neutral, work-appropriate shadows that I knew I loved.

I'll likely continue using my singles next week, and I'm really excited. The excitement I feel really puts into perspective why it's important to be a smart shopper. And it also has me questioning why I get sucked in by new palette releases. Because if we all looked at our eyeshadow/palette collection as just a collection of singles, would we really be tempted by new releases? Wouldn't we see we already have all those colors?

Weekend Looks: Viseart Bohême Dream and Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts

I had an idea for a new series, though I'm not sure if it's something I'll like or if I'll want to evolve it over time. The idea came because I'm taking a break from the one week, one palette project, and I really miss being able to wear fun, colorful looks for the majority of the week. As I've mentioned previously, I started a new job about six weeks ago, and it's in a conservative office setting. I have gradually been wearing more intense looks to work (and by intense, I mean more than a light wash of sheer color), but I still don't feel comfortable wearing the types of looks I've grown to love. 

And with that in mind, I thought it might be fun to have a series called "Weekend Looks," where I show the "fun" looks I decided to do with the two days I have each week to be creative. 

The weekend, I went for two palettes that are relatively new to my collection and ones that I haven't been able to use much due to the one week, one palette project and constraints at work. I went with Viseart Bohême Dream:

Top, from left: 1, 2, 3, and 4

Middle: 5, 6, 7, and 8

Bottom, 9, 10, 11, and 12

And Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts:

Top, from left: Crown, Royal Highness, Your Majesty, Princess, Empress, and Queen Mother

Bottom: Heir, Royal Prerogative, Noblewoman, Ladyship, Duchess, and Dethrone

I also incorporated my Pur Soul Mattes palette:

From left: Sweetheart, Companion, Adore, Better Half, Alter Ego, Sidekick, BFF, and Confidant

Look 1, Viseart Bohême Dream:

1 on the lid, Pur Better Half blended into the crease, 11 padded onto the outer corner, Make Up For Ever Pearl on the inner corner, and Pur Sweetheart on the brow bone. 11 on the lower lash line.

Look 2, Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts:

Royal Highness on the lid, Princess and Ladyship blended into the crease, Queen Mother padded onto the outer corner, Crown on the inner corner, and Pur Sweetheart on the brow bone. Queen Mother on the lower lash line.

I have not used every shadow in each of the palettes yet, so I don't feel totally comfortable providing a review of sorts, but thus far, Bohême Dream performed the same, if not better, than all my other Viseart shimmer palettes, and Queen of Hearts is an absolute dream to use. 

Ladyship is my favorite shadow in Queen of Hearts, and that is consistently labeled as the "bad" shadow in this palette by most reviewers. But, honestly, I haven't noticed any issues with it blending into the crease or padded onto the outer corner. I don't typically subscribe to the idea that some people get "bad batches" of product if they don't like something that everyone else does, so I don't think that I happened to get a great palette while everyone else got a bad one, but I don't have any complaints on the shadow. 

I was tempted to use Bohême Dream again today and do an all blue or blue and pink look, but I really wanted to use Queen of Hearts. I would really love to use each of these palettes for a one week, one palette, but I don't think it's realistic that I could wear either to work right now. 

But, I have to say, even though I wish I could use these palettes for longer, it's really fun to be able to reach for any shadow I want and pull several shades from various palettes. One week, one palette certainly reminded me of how much fun makeup is and how creative it can be, and right now, I feel free to use my entire collection. Even though the looks I did this weekend certainly aren't anything crazy or exceptionally creative, they were so much fun to put together, and I felt inspired by them both. 

What I'm Not Buying: Jeffree Star Androgyny Palette

Jeffrey Star Cosmetics is releasing a new eyeshadow palette, Androgyny.

And I won't be buying. 

I've stayed pretty silent on my thoughts regarding Jeffree Star because they are strong and I don't want to invite drama. 

There are several reasons why I'm not going to buy this palette. I'll go into detail in a moment, but to quickly sum them up:

• I am skeptical of the quality
• I already have all these colors
• I do not support Jeffree Star, his brand, or companies that associate with him

With regard to the first point, yes, I am skeptical of the quality of these eyeshadows. When the Beauty Killer palette released, reviews seemed pretty split. The people who shill everything and clearly have "professional relationships" that they care about for their own popularity said the palette was amazing and completely glossed over/forgave all of Jeffree Star's disgusting behavior. And then there was everybody else who said one or two shades were really good, most were mediocre, and a couple were really, really bad. 

When the Beauty Killer palette launched, it was $45, which I suspect will be the price of Androgyny. If Jeffree Star mentioned the price in his palette reveal video, I apologize that I don't have the correct figure. I couldn't find this price listed online and I will not watch any of his videos. The Beauty Killer palette is now $22.50, and I suspect that price drop is for a few reasons. One, all of his controversies. Two, the colors in the palette don't really work well together. Three, the quality is not very good. If the quality is the same in Androgyny as in Beauty Killer, $45 is far too high of a price tag. And that's not even factoring in shipping since you cannot buy this palette in stores. 

The second point is the easiest for me to make. I already have all these colors. 

As I've mentioned before, I really hate finger swatches. I especially hate when a brand provides their own finger swatches because there are so many variables (like applying primer first) that they don't disclose. All of the swatches in the above photo look very heavy and like they were applied a couple of times. 

To be fair, by no means is Jeffree Star the only person/brand who does this. Almost every brand does. I find it deceptive, but it is something that is pretty consistently done across the board. 

And if I'm going to be totally objective about the colors themselves, I like a lot of them. I especially like the mauve/nude color (second from the left) and the rosy shades. But I quite literally have all of these colors already. And I can guarantee that I have them in better formulas. 

I have Viseart Dark Matte:

Photo: Temptalia

(See what I mean about heavy swatches happening across the board?)

And Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts:

I know I haven't spoken about the Queen of Hearts palette on my blog, and it was one of the few palettes that didn't get a one week, one palette post. And that's really a shame because this palette is absolutely stunning. It might even be my favorite palette. 

My understanding is that the Queen of Hearts palette was limited edition, and I heard that once it sold out, it would no longer be available. It is sold out. Due to its popularity, however, it would be great if Coloured Raine made it a permanent item. And if it was, this would be my recommendation if you wanted some of the shades in Androgyny but didn't think you would use the blue shadows. 

And if the palette does not come back in stock, I recommend checking out some of Coloured Raine's single shadows instead. 

If you really love the entire color scheme in Androgyny, I strongly recommend instead looking at Viseart Dark Matte. Yes, that palette is significantly more expensive, but the quality will be higher. 

And finally, the third point. I do not support Jeffree Star, his brand, or companies that associate with him.

Prior to several months ago, I was not a person who openly shared my views. Even with friends, I towed the line on talking and keeping things to myself. I am originally from the Southwest, have also lived in the Deep South, and have lived in Texas. I currently live in New York City, and for the first time, I live in a place where the majority of people share my viewpoint. But because I have lived elsewhere where the majority of people thought very different from me, I have learned that in order to keep the peace, it is best to keep things to myself. 

But then Brexit and the US election happened, and I can no longer act that way. 

I do not support Jeffree Star because of his racist, sexist, and bullying remarks and actions. There is ample evidence of this online, so I don't feel the need to divulge all of that here. If you are curious, I strongly recommend watching this video by Stephanie Nicole. Additionally, you can search online for hateful comments Jeffree Star has made on twitter and Instagram. In many cases, he calls women "hoe," "piece of shit," "fucking cesspool," and "fucking rat." And threatens violence. 

When Kat Von D disassociated herself from him because he never paid the artist who designed his brand's logo, Jeffree Star responded saying that this was why Kat Von D "could never keep a man."

I've mentioned this before, but I find it truly deplorable for men, especially those who work in the cosmetics industry where the majority of clients are women, to consistently make misogynistic comments. Yes, there are absolutely men who wear and enjoy makeup, but the far majority of cosmetics consumers are women. 

As far as his racist comments and behavior, that is unacceptable, full stop. I don't need to hear that anything is a joke, I don't need to hear that "it's okay because..." I don't need to hear that I'm being too sensitive. No. It's not okay. 

I know that Jeffree Star has issued "apologies" for this behavior, but they did not feel authentic to me. He did not acknowledge blame for his current behavior, acknowledge why it was wrong, and make a sincere apology and promise to do better. He skirted it as something that happened when he was younger, not at all acknowledging how he still attacks women on social media often. I feel strongly that the "apology" was damage control, as was paying off the artist who created his logo AFTER Kat Von D made a video denouncing his behavior and then having the artist sign a non-disclousre agreement. 

And the thing about Jeffree is that he has a really fun personality in his YouTube videos. Before I was educated about his deplorable behavior, I would watch the occasional video on his channel and think he was really funny to watch/listen to. And I think this charisma confuses a lot of people, makes them believe the insincere apologies, and continue to buy his products. 

The CEO of Beautylish recently made an announcement saying that he was proud to partner with Jeffree Star Cosmetics because the products sell well and receive generally positive reviews and that anyone who had a problem with that could email him directly. So, I emailed him directly. I explained that I was disappointed by his response because it essentially said it didn't matter to him what Jeffree Star has said and done and what communities he has hurt and offended because his products make Beautylish money. I provided the CEO will all of the above screenshots as well as the video by Stephanie Nicole that shows Jeffree's racist actions and speech. And the CEO wrote me back saying, "We'll miss having you shop with us."

I also think a lot of people who have careers talking about makeup on YouTube don't speak out against this kind of behavior because they are afraid that it will hurt their financial bottom line. Tati even said that Jeffree had only ever been nice to her personally, so she did not want to consider other people's concerns and just wanted to rave about his lipstick. That is an incredibly privileged viewpoint to think that just because something doesn't affect you personally, that it must not be a problem. And I think because so many of these influencers online don't speak out about his unacceptable behavior, it makes the younger audiences think that it's okay.  

For me, my integrity is worth more than any lipstick or eyeshadow palette. Because of that, I won't purchase the Androgyny palette or any other items from Jeffree Star Cosmetics.