Flock Party by Wet n Wild

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Flock Party is the second of the eyeshadow quads from the Flights of Fancy summer collection by Wet n Wild (overview post here) that I have to show you. Very pretty colors, but probably the most disappointing of the 3 quads in terms of performance.  There is some good in here, however, and I still managed to get some pretty eye looks out of it.

The strong point for all of the quads for me are the transition shades, as I found them easy to work with, smooth, and nice colors for my fair complexion.  The transition color in Flock Party is a nice peachy beige and is just dark enough to darken my crease for a natural looking bit of definition.  The weakest link in this palette is the large eyelid plummy shade, as it just did not want to build up color for me. Even using my finger did not yield opaque coverage with several passes, and even using a liquid with it (Mac's Fix Plus), I still had to work harder than should be necessary.  The brass colored crease and brow bone shades are much easier to work with.

All that being said, I can't say I was disappointed in the eye looks I got from this quad, although it took a bit of work.  The lovely gold glimmer on the center of the lid below is from J.Cat Beauty's Pris Metal Eye Mousse in Electra.  Those things are phenomenal.

Here I'm wearing the quad without any other shadows, although I did use Mac's Fix Plus with the plummy shadow to build up the color.  It's a bit patchy, but it works.

 For $2.99, I've really got minimal complaints here.

Flights of Fancy Summer Limited Edition Collection Box by Wet n Wild

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

I've got to say that Wet n Wilds' limited edition Flights of Fancy summer collection box is the release I've been most excited about thus far this season. The price is uber reasonable as your are getting almost $55 worth of products for $34.99, there are a variety of different products, and the colors are working for me.  I also like that Wet n Wild is giving back, as

"By purchasing this collection, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles Audubon Society, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect birds and their habitats. These funds will benefit a habitat restoration project for the Allen’s Hummingbird, an endangered California native." 

The design details are so nice, from the bird of paradise on the side of the box itself to the hummingbirds stamped on the baked blushes, to the print on the gloss caps. Just really nice touches.

I've been wearing these items for the past week, and initial impressions are positive. The three eyeshadow quads have their high and low points, but for the most part have delivered some really pretty looks.  Today I'll showcase Stop Ruffling My Feathers ($2.99).

I know that Wet n Wild recently released all new shadows, and these are the first ones I've tried with the new formula. The colors in Stop Ruffling My Feathers appeal to me the most out of the three quads, and I thought they all worked well together.  You get one matte and 3 shimmery shadows, and I thought the matte and two smaller shimmer shadows were stronger than the larger pink with gold shift shimmer. That one was more stiff/dry, and even using it wet did not amp up the color enough to redeem itself. I wouldn't call that color a complete loss, but it is the weakest link.

The shimmery copper color has the most pigment and was easy to work with, and I found all of the matte shades in the quads worked really well for me as transition colors. Swatches below are over primer, and I think you can see that the pink is the weakest of the four out of this palette. 

I had no issues with creasing or fading, and I found that incorporating a cream base shadow amped up the look I was able to achieve.  I wore bareMineral's 5-in-1 BB Cream Eyeshadow in Taupe as a base in the look below.  The eyeliner is Urban Decay's Lucky, which I hear they have brought back from the vault where products go to die.  It's a great copper penny color.

In this look I'm not wearing a base, just the shadows over primer, and I thought it turned out pretty as well.

I've got lots more to say about these items, but will save it for future posts. I hope those in the US have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. A tropical system is threatening lots of rain here in Mobile, but I'll still enjoy my time off :-)

Aeris Holiday Palette by Natasha Denona

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

I've been curious about Natasha Denona eyeshadows for quite a while, but the exorbitant prices for her palettes has kept me from trying them.  Until now, when the 2017 holiday 5-shadow palettes went on sale at Sephora ($34) last week.

I picked up the warm-toned with a pop of turquoise Aeris, and fortunately it arrived to me intact and pristine.  I say that, as there were lots of comments on Sephora's site that indicated many people received shattered shadows, so apparently these are a bit on the fragile side.  It no doubt does not help that Sepora's idea of packing is to put crumpled paper on top of the box contents....

So many people have raved about the quality of Natasha Denonna shadows, and I've got to say that the matte Burnt Terracotta may be the most pigmented yet easy to work with matte shadow I've tried to date.  Ice Blue is another standout with it's shimmery yet color packed goodness, and Nude gives a high-impact shine that is quite lovely.  Both Red Bronze and Peach Bronze feel more dry and crumbly to the touch, and are what I would consider to be lid toppers over other colors.  They are more sheer and take multiple passes with a finger to build up, but do yield very nice eye looks.

The shelf life of this palette is 12 months, and I have seen reviews that indicate Natasha Denona's shadow formula does go bad and not perform as well once they hit a certain age, which again makes me not want to invest in the larger palettes.  However, the colors and finishes in Aeris, combined with the sale price, makes me happy to have this in my collection.  Surprisingly, I was unable to dupe any of the colors, with the closest contender being Tajin from the limited edition Urban Decay Kaleidoscope palette.  Tajin is a great shadow as well, but Burnt Terracotta is definitely smoother and more pigmented in comparison.

Below I'm wearing Nude and Ice Blue, with Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner in Flipside (discontinued) in the water line.  I wore bareMineral's 5-in-1 cream shadow in Candlelit Peach as the base.

In this look I'm wearing Red Bronze, Burnt Terracotta, and Peach Bronze with the yellow shadow Mischief from Colourpop's Yes Please palette (review here).  The eyeliner is Urban Decay's Anatomy from the limited edition Jean-Michel Basquiat collection.  Yes Please is supposed to be a dupe for Natasha Denona's Sunset palette, so there is that...and in another post I'll be showing a compilation of Colourpop shadows from multiple palettes.

Drawn In, Decked Out: Smashbox Shadow Plus Highlight Palette Set and Ablaze Review

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

It's that time of year when holiday gift sets are being released at a dizzying pace, and the Drawn In Decked Out Shadow and Highlight Palette Set by Smashbox is the first one I decided to spend my money on. It looked like a good value ($39 with a $77 value) for what you get, as both shadow palettes are full sized and sell for $29 each on their own, plus I've been wanting to try those highlighters!

The set contains two eye shadow palettes, the warm toned Ablaze and the cooler toned Sultry. Sultry is limited edition and available only as part of this set, whereas Ablaze can be purchased separately. You also get a travel sized Spotlight highlighter palette in Pearl, which is one of two highlight palettes developed in collaboration with YouTuber Casey Holmes.

Today I'll be reviewing Ablaze, but expect to see the other two items soon. Ablaze is a great warm-toned palette perfect for late summer/fall, and since Mobile seems be in perpetual summer (it's 90 plus today), it's a color scheme that will work for me for months to come.

The quality of the shadows is really good, with nary a dud in the mix. My only complaint is that there is not a good matte transition shadow in the palette, but I do love all the colors in Ablaze.  You can approach the palette in a quad format, although I tend to mix and match as the mood strikes me.

All swatches were with a brush over Wet 'n Wild's Photo Focus eye primer, which is now my go to eye primer. I did not find the shadow formula to kick up a lot of powder and they applied smoothly. You can build up color easily and I'm especially impressed with the mattes, which blended easily. Relaxed is the same color as my skin, so it does not show up well below.

Relaxed, Siesta, Nirvana, Delirious

Moccasin, Torch, Throwback, Dark Horse

Now, there is a plethora of warm-toned palettes that have come out on the past few years, and I've picked up a few of them recently. I think Ablaze competes well with them and has some shades that are unique, at least to my collection. The more unique colors are the shimmers Siesta, Moccasin, and the satin Torch. There are also some dupes, or near dupes, to a couple of shades in the Renaissance palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills. Here are a few comparisons:

Siesta vs. Mademoiselle from the Fem Rosa She palette by ColourPop. Mademoiselle has a more pink/mauve undertone whereas Siesta is more warm toned, depending on how the light catches it.

Nirvana looks like a dupe (to me) for Venetian Red from the Renaissance palette. Venetian Red is slightly more pigmented, but not by much. Both yield smooth color and are easy to work with.

I also swatched Missy from the Fem Rosa She palette, which is close as well.

Moccasin is darker and warmer than Primavera from the Renaissance palette or Chick from the Fem Rosa She palette. Gorgeous color.

Throwback and Realgar from Renaissance are close enough in color that I don't think you will be able to tell the difference on the eye.

Last up is Dark Horse vs. Cypress Umber from the Renaissance palette, and they are dupes as well. I can't tell a difference.

Overall, a big thumbs up on the Ablaze palette! Here are a few looks I've done since getting the set:

Used the matte cream shadow So Not Sorry by NYX as a base