Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario

October 27, 2016 in Makeup

Despite being known as the brand to use for heavier makeup looks, Anastasia Beverly Hills is still one of my favorite brands. They have beautiful highlighters, stunning liquid lipsticks, and in my opinion, the best eyeshadows of any brand I've tried. I tried to resist the Master Palette by Mario when it first came out as I have enough eyeshadow to last a lifetime, but in the end, the beauty of the palette won out. And I'm here to say that it's worth stalking the Anastasia and Sephora websites to catch it in stock.

Hollywood, NYC, Kim, Muse, Marina, Claudia

Lula, Isabel, Violeta, 5th Ave, Bronx, Paris

Curated by Mario Dedivanovic, celebrity makeup artist best known for creating some of Kim Kardashian's most famous looks, the palette comes with twelve shades in a mixture of matte and shimmer finishes. It's definitely a shimmer-heavy palette; only three of the shades are matte. The three matte shades all make perfect transition/crease shades, so I don't feel like we're missing out on anything by not having more mattes. The shades all look stunning together, and any of them would pair together well to create a look. It's quite a warm palette, although none of the shades pull orange on me like most warm tones do. As I've said before, Anastasia eyeshadows are just the best - they last the longest on me without creasing or fading. The eyeshadow looks the same at the end of the day when I wash it off as it did when I applied it first thing in the morning, which is super impressive for my oily, hooded lids. They're incredibly pigmented (all the swatches above are just one swipe), but not so pigmented that you end up with a muddy mess on your eyelids when you try to blend. They blend effortlessly, and none of the shades are patchy. My favorite shades from the palette are Marina and Muse - no surprise they're the rosiest shades.

At the moment I can only find it in stock at Macy's (see link at the beginning of the post), so it seems like it's going fast! If you spot it in store, definitely grab it as fast as you can, as this is a limited edition release.

Have you tried the Master Palette by Mario yet?

The Vampy Lip Edit

October 25, 2016 in Makeup

I know what you're thinking - "Vampy Lips? For fall? Groundbreaking." (I've been on a Devil Wears Prada kick lately.) I absolutely love a good vampy lip shade. I rarely get the chance to wear them out and about, and I can't imagine trying to wear a high-maintenance shade like these while making countertop sealers at work, but that doesn't mean I still can't be head over heels in love with them.

Jouer Lip Creme Liquid Lipstick, 'Cabernet'* | Compared to the other shades swatched below, this looks like a bright red, but trust me, it's a beautiful deep wine color as the name suggests. These liquid lipsticks have the most beautiful formula that happens to be my favorite, so it gets points for that, too. I swatched it on my lips here.

NARS Audacious Lipstick, 'Audrey' | I was desperate for this shade when these lipsticks came out, and it always seemed to be the only one sold out. I eventually got my hands on it and have treasured it ever since. It's described as a "red currant" color, which is pretty spot on. I love that it has a more muted quality to it that makes it more wearable. The Audacious formula is one of the best out there in my opinion - they're so beautifully pigmented and have a lovely satin finish. It lasts quite well, too.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick, 'Heathers' | I pretty much only bought this shade because I was in a phase of watching the movie Heathers nonstop. It's a beautiful deep brownish-burgundy color that just screams fall. I really like the ABH Liquid Lipstick formula, too - I don't know why I was sleeping on it before. They do transfer a bit on me, but this makes them less drying so I don't mind.

Colourpop Lippie Stix, 'Grunge' | Moving along to the most affordable product of the bunch, I'd definitely recommend any of Colourpop's Lippie Stix. The formulas I've tried are so great especially for the price. The shade Grunge is a deep brown with a hint of plum to it - perfect if you're still into that 90s look like I am.

T-B: Jouer Cabernet, NARS Audrey, ABH Heathers, Colourpop Grunge, Milk GRRRL, Kylie Cosmetics Love Bite, ABH Trust Issues, Sephora #14

Milk Makeup Lip Color, 'GRRRL'* | If you took Colourpop Grunge and added more purple to it, you'd get Milk's GRRRL. It might just be my favorite shade of the bunch featured here - it's just really unique. I love these lip crayons as they go on so creamily and comfortably, but they dry to a matte finish and stick around for ages. I love this color so much that I actually have considered wearing it to work before.

Kylie Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick, 'Love Bite' | I. love. this. shade. It's showing up quite brown in the swatch above, but in person it's got a bit more mauve to it. It really is the color of a hickey if I'm honest, which is surprisingly a great lip color. I know a lot of people hate Kylie Cosmetics, but I really like the formula of her liquid lipsticks. If Kylie's products aren't for you, I've heard Anastasia Beverly Hills Veronica is a really similar shade (that's why I bought Love Bite actually - it was easier to get my hands on than Veronica if you can believe it).

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick, 'Trust Issues' | Yes, another Anastasia shade because they really do the vampy shades well. I had had this shade on my wishlist for such a long time after seeing so many people on Instagram wearing it. It's such a beautiful deep brown/purple shade that looks stunning with perfected, glowing skin and minimal eye makeup. These brown-y plums seem to be my favorite kind of vampy shade, I guess.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain, Blackberry Sorbet (#14) | If you're looking for a great and affordable liquid lipstick, definitely check the Sephora Cream Lip Stains out. They're quite mousse-y in formula and last awhile while still being comfortable on the lips. Blackberry Sorbet is a stunning blackberry shade, as you can imagine, and it really is the quintessential autumnal berry shade.

What are your favorite vampy lip colors?

The Body Shop's New Expert Facial Masks

October 22, 2016 in Skincare

With darker and chillier nights upon us, I've been getting especially into nighttime pamper routines. I've become even more obsessed with face masks than I was a few months ago, which I didn't think was possible, and I've also gotten really into using more than one at once on different areas of my face, also known as "multi-masking." When I got a super exciting email from The Body Shop asking if I'd like to try their new range of face masks, I of course jumped at the chance. These masks make up their new Expert Facial Mask range, all of which are vegetarian and three of which are vegan (I will note below which are the vegan ones). They contain no parabens, silicones, mineral oil, or paraffin. Just pure goodness for the skin.

Amazonian Acai Energizing Radiance Mask* (vegan) | This one smells amazing and feels like you're smearing some kind of marmalade on your face - in a good way. It's got Acai berries, guarana seed extract, and Community Fair Trade Babassu Oil from Brazil. It feels quite cooling on the skin when you first apply it, and you really can feel its energizing effect long before you wash it off. I think this would be a great mask to use the morning after a late night - it'll definitely perk up the skin and give it a boost of radiance. It has some scrubby bits in it that gently exfoliate the skin as you wash it off, really helping give that glow. It sounds like it could be a good alternative to the new Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Mask as well.

Ethiopian Honey Deep Nourishing Mask* | I've been all about a good honey mask lately. This one is the exact consistency of real honey, so while it's a little sticky to apply, it feels amazing on the skin. It has Community Trade Honey from Ethiopia, Community Trade Marula Oil from Namibia, and Community Trade Olive Oil from Italy. It's extra nourishing and will be perfect after super windy winter days. I love using honey masks because I find they really help soothe blemishes as well as hydrate the skin, and this is one of the best I've tried.

Chinese Ginseng & Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask* | If you're looking for a really gentle manual exfoliating mask, then you should definitely check this one out. It contains Ginseng and Rice Extracts from China and Community Trade Sesame Oil from Nicaragua. It feels quite lightweight and creamy as you spread it on the skin, and the scrubby bits are not abrasive whatsoever. This one definitely leaves my face feeling super clean and polished (but never stripped) and makes my pores look smaller.

British Rose Fresh Plumping Mask* (vegan) | I've saved my two favorites for last. When I was first reading about these masks (and before I knew I was going to be sent all five), I had planned on buying the rose mask first. This contains real rose petals from hand-picked roses from Great Britain, Rosehip Oil from Chile, and Community Trade Aloe Vera from Mexico. It feels so cooling and soothing on the skin - I suspect it would have been great during the summer to use after being out in the sun. It's a great one to use any time of day as a pick-me-up for the skin. It's also super lightweight as well as really hydrating, so I think it's one that would be good for people who have more oily skin as well as dry skin, whereas the honey mask might be a little too rich for oily skin. This is definitely a great alternative to the Fresh Rose Face Mask for less than half the price.

Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask* (vegan) | Speaking of dupes, as I said in my Five to Try post on Tuesday, the charcoal mask is a definite dupe for the Glamglow Youthmud Mask (in the black tub). It's super tingly and cold on the skin, and if you have really sensitive skin this might be too much for you. It has Bamboo Charcoal from the HImalayan foothills, Community Trade Tea Tree Oil from Kenya, and Green Tea Leaves from Japan. It really detoxes the pores and leaves the skin feeling fresh and absolutely glowing. I wasn't expecting this one to be my favorite of the bunch, but it really is. I especially love pairing this one with the rose mask, using the charcoal on my T-zone and chin and the rose one everywhere else.

Have you tried any of The Body Shop's new masks? Which one is your favorite?

*Products mentioned have kindly been sent to me by The Body Shop, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.