Loving Your Unloved v.7: Theodora Palette by Urban Decay

Disclaimer:  I won this in a giveaway.

To be honest, a lot of my eyeshadow palettes see sporadic use at best.   Partially because I have a lot, and partially due to being constantly distracted by New! Shiny! Pretty! things.  Hence my Loving Your Unloved series, where I concentrate on an item or items that have languished neglected for too long.

Theodora brand spankin' new

February's choice was the Theodora palette by Urban Decay (2013), a limited edition palette inspired by the movie Oz, and more specifically the character Theodora played by Mila Kunis. Composed primarily of neutrals with a splash of green, I've now formed some definite likes/dislikes that will help me decide what to keep or let go of, which is another purpose of this series.

After a month of use

Of the 6 shadows in Theodora, one was a go to favorite:  the caramel matte Beware.  It makes for a great transition crease color and I used it every day in February.  It kicks up a LOT of powder, but lays down smooth color effortlessly.  Love.

Beware

The second most used shade was the creamy bisque Broken, although I was left feeling it was a bit more something:  pigmented?  shimmery?  I've got other creamy highlight shades I like better so I think this one is losing it's spot in the palette.

Broken

The Jealous split pan greens are a thing of beauty.  I love having two colors in one pan and I hope Urban Decay revisits this concept in the future.

Jealous

The other split pan called Spell, however, has too much glitter in the mix to make it something I want to reach for.  The pigmentation on both is good but glitter is no bueno for me.  Adios.

Spell

Out of the two darker browns I preferred the neutral brown shimmer Bewitch over the darker sable brown West.  I'll be keeping Bewitch and passing on West to my mother.  I'll probably use one of my four pan Urban Decay palettes to house the ones I'm passing on.

Bewitch

West

I watched Oz last year and thought it was a visually striking movie, and I think Urban Decay did a really good job with the color theme and names of these shadows.  I'm not sure I would have included two dark browns, but that's just me.  Here are some of the looks I created using Theodora:

The Theodora palette is no longer available except on ebay, where it is going for $125-$185, although I saw the singles for $12.99 each.  None of the colors are particularly unique, however, so I'm guessing those prices will mainly appeal to collectors.

Loving Your Unloved for January: Estee Lauder 2014 Color Portfolio

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

If you are unfamiliar with the "Loving Your Unloved" series, it's where I focus on an item that's been languishing largely unused in my collection and use it for a month.  It gives me an opportunity to really delve into the product(s) and form solid opinions that help me to know if it should stay or go in the long run.  

My pick for the January edition of "Loving Your Unloved" is Estee Lauder's Color Portfolio from 2014.  It features 30 eyeshadows, 3 blushes, one bronzer, and 16 lipsticks, so I shouldn't feel deprived for options.  It will also give me an opportunity to really delve into how I feel about Estee Lauder's eyeshadows.

I already know I love the blushes and my impressions of the lipsticks have been positive overall.  Here is an initial FOTD and the colors used are starred. The momentous occasion for this FOTD (besides being a work day)?  A dentist appointment to get a temporary crown for a tooth that broke over the Christmas break while eating caramel corn.  Exciting, I know.  My face is still numb as I'm typing this.

I used Nude Fresco all over the eye up to the crease/brow bone, with Pretty Penny and Raisin blended together in the crease and upper/lower lashline area.  I've been going for more subtle eye looks lately and I liked how this one turned out. The liner is Urban Decay's discontinued 24/7 eye pencil in 1999.

The lips are a blend of the Pure Color lipsticks in 118 Bois de Rose and 187 Sunstone.  Considering I was sneezing all morning and popping Zicam Rapidmelts like they are Pez candy, I'm surprised my makeup was even still on when I took pictures.

On my cheeks I'm wearing a blend of Lover's Blush with Mauve Mystique. Lover's Blush leans warm and Mauve Mystique cool, so it made for a nice mixture.  Initial impression:  Mauve Mystique has silver shimmers in it and I get more shimmer than color.  I'll have to play with this one.  I bronzed lightly with Sun Goddess in medium.

Loving Your Unloved v. 5: EmphasEYES Cream Shadows by Tarte

Here is something I don't understand:  why do cosmetic companies discontinue good products?  Because the emphasEYES cream shadows by Tarte were really good.

I was able to accumulate five of them a few years back, and sadly they are starting to get hard and dry.  I was still able to create a couple of really pretty eye looks with them, but it took a stiff brush and some digging into the pots, so these lovelies are gasping their last breath, sadly, and will be tossed after this series.

My favorites were Champagne Pink, Shimmering Taupe, and Shimmering Golden Beige.  Plum Smoke saw the least amount of love from me, but I'm just not a purple shadow wearer in general.  I try every once and a while, though.

Shimmering Taupe

 Champagne Pink made for an effortless nude eye look.

Pink Champagne (flash)

Champagne Pink + Plum Smoke

Rest in peace, EmphasEYES cream shadows.  I probably should have loved you more, but you will be missed.

Loving Your Unloved v. 4: MAKE Geisha and Czarina Blushes

Time for volume 4 of my "Loving Your Unloved" series, where I select makeup items that have been neglected and use them for a month.  My selection for September were two blushes from MAKE - Geisha and Czarina.

Geisha, Czarina

I do most of my makeup shopping online, which means I have to rely on the pictures posted by the respective stores.  That must explain why I got the similarly hued Geisha and Czarina, as opposed to two shades that were more varied.  Must be.  They are not exactly the same, as Geisha (left) is softer and less pigmented than the slightly darker and more coral toned Czarina (right).  It took more passes with the brush to get the color for Geisha shown in the swatches below.  Czarina only took 2-3 swipes to build up color, but it did kick up more powder. 

Both are quite lovely and the quality is top notch.  MAKE is one of those brands that flies under the radar, but I've found both the blushes and eyeshadows I've tried to be really nice.  I did find myself reaching for Geisha more than Czarina during the month of concentrated use, but they look so similar on it's really a toss up.

Wearing Geisha

Even with focusing on these for a month, I've barely made a dent in them.  Good thing powder products last such a long time.  So what will I focus on for the next month?  Hmmm.....I need to ponder that for a bit.  Stay tuned.

Loving Your Unloved v3: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Raspberry Pie, Creamsicle, Sweet Tart & Candy Apple Usage

Picture taken July 4th

I ended up taking almost 2 months for the 3rd volume of my Loving Your Unloved series, as it seemed like these Revlon Colorburst lip butters just did not want to show any signs of being used.  Perhaps it was because I was trying to make progress on 4 of them (I had to be restricted when it comes to variety), so I compromised by extending the time.  Plus, I've been too busy with work to take pictures :-)

If you are unfamiliar with my Unloving Your Unloved series, it's where I focus for an extended period of time on a product (or products) that has been neglected for a while.  This neglect can be a result of just having too much freakin' stuff to chose from (guilty), or because it just never grabbed my fancy the way I had hoped.  My goal is to make progress using up some cosmetics or to fall (back) in love with something that's been neglected.  Let's see how these four Revlon lip butters fared.

Well, Raspberry Pie, as beautiful as it is, remains neglected because it's just a color that falls outside of my comfort zone.  More often than not, I would  wear Creamsicle layered on top to temper the shade, although the above is Raspberry Pie worn alone.  I need to get more comfortable with this color as I can't find it in me to toss.

Creamsicle was the one I expected to use the least, but I ended up wearing it the most.  It worked well blended with the other colors, and while on it's own it washes me out a bit, I do like how moisturizing the lip butter formula is and would find myself reaching for it more as a lip balm during the day. Here's an example of Creamsicle being used to temper a very intense color, L'oreals matte I Lacque You a Lot, which is an in your face red hot candy color that is drying to wear on it's own.:

I Lacque You a Lot

I Lacque You a Lot + Creamsicle

Sweet Tart is a fairly wearable pink for me, but I wouldn't say I'm crazy about it.  Still, it works well enough that it will stay a part of my collection and will see some wear.

I did fall in love with Candy Apple, which is an uber wearable coral red for me.  Love.  I'll be reaching for Candy Apple a lot more often.

So, some hits (Candy Apple and Creamsicle) and some near misses (Raspberry Pie and Sweet Tart), but nothing that needs to be tossed.

My choices for v.4 of the Loving Your Unloved series are two MAKE blushes, Geisha and Czarina, two lovely blushes that have languished unloved for too long.