Maybelline Total Temptation Shadow + Highlight Palette and Mascara

Maybelline just released their Total Temptation Shadow + Highlight palette along with Total Temptation Mascara this weekend. Retailing at a reasonable S$26.90 for the palette and $21.90 for both waterproof and regular mascaras, I wanted to try them out on camera to see if these were as value-for-money as they seemed.

The palette contains a warm half with 4 shadows and a highlighter, and a cooler half with the same. No reason you can't mix and match, but I just wanted to see how they'd look separately.

VERDICT:

I'll just say I like the palette, and I love the mascara (non-waterproof formula).
The palette's formula is velvety and amazing - very good quality and the colors are gorgeous.

NYX News - relaunch under L'oreal in Singapore and new product range

The original cheap 'n' chic beauty brand NYX has relaunched this January 2016 under the L'oreal umbrella, and the great news is they have brought it a much bigger and also a more updated range. New products launch at the same time as they do in the US, so we're not stuck watching people talk about new things for 6 months before we can try them.

The bad news is it won't be all that easy to grab some of the more popular things right now - they don't seem to have put a ton of products on the shelf at this time, and the renewed interest from shoppers has caused a lot of things to be sold out very quickly. I say give it a bit of time for stock levels to even out.

Still, if you can't wait, I do suggest going down to see what's still available because the updated range at Sephora is really great. NYX has stepped up their game in the recent year or so, and a lot of the products are pretty much on point in terms of quality and composition. There are the Intense Butter Glosses, the Avant Pop palettes, and my personal fave - the Go To Palettes (SG$30). I have Wanderlust, which is an eye and cheek palette with 6 shadows, a highlighter, blush, and contour shade.

My reason for actually highlighting this palette is because in the past I've never been very impressed by eye and face kits from lower-end brands. A lot of times the concept is on point but you may get great shadows, an okay blush, and crap highlight and contour. But this palette is pretty impressive. I would say 95% of the products are things that I would consider buying if they were sold on their own for a good price.

I won't say it's a 100% hit but all the shades are definitely good. The shadows are GORGEOUS. You get 2 mattes, 1 satin and 3 metallics. The metallics are the most beautiful in terms of feel and texture, but the mattes and satin are still good. You also get the option of doing light soft looks, dramatic metallic looks, or smoky smoldering looks.

The blush is my one complaint; it is a tad sheer and dusty feeling (it will dust right off if you apply it on dry skin so I don't expect it to be long-wearing unless you use a setting spray or a cream blush as a base first) but in general everything else is very silky and blendable. The thing that sealed the deal for me was the highlight and contour actually. I usually expect the ones in a face-kit to be there just for the sake of it, and never that great quality.

Golden Bronze Cat Eye Tutorial (88 Warm Palette)

My 88 Warm Palette has been in cold storage lately, as tends to happen when you are always trying new things. This is a look you don't need the 88 palette to create, as there are lots of similar shades in other palettes as well. 

The shades you'll need to pick are

• A soft beige- or malt-gold that isn't too far off from your skin tone
• A warmer, stronger amber-gold with some orange in it
• A soft burgundy with a pearl sheen (surprise; this gives the whole look more depth than just sticking with a deep bronze or brown)

Step 1: Apply the soft gold all the way from inner corners up to the brow bone, leaving just the outer-most corners of the eye clean.

Step 2: Pack the warm ambery gold onto the outer 1/3 of the lid below the socket, and then extend up to the brow bone. Notice I extended the color inwards more along the deepest part of the socket line. This will give your eye more definition instead of allowing all the bright colors to wipe out your contours.

Step 3: Pick up a warm, rich burgundy and pack that right in the outermost corners of the lid, then also lightly sweep the remaining pigment on the brush up towards the end of your brow as well. This will make the look a lot richer and stop the eye look from going too brassy and yellow.

Step 4: Apply a black pencil along the tightline and waterline, and then use black liquid or gel liner to apply a thick flick at the outer corners. Finish with black mascara.

The finished effect is polished, dramatic, but at the same time not over-the-top because it should work with your natural skin tone. You can choose to pair this with a strong lip, but I prefer just going the natural route with this.

On Rest of Face:

• TheBalm Hot Mama blush (my favorite warm coral blush)
• NYX Iced Honey lipstick (metallic beige/nude)
• Revlon Super Lustrou Lipgloss in Coral Reef (sheer coral creme)

*Quick tip: Applying a creme gloss over a metallic or pearly lipstick is a way to juice up your pout without adding a lot of obvious shimmer and sparkle.

Weekend Lip Shade: Barry M Sunset Lip Paint Review and Swatch!

Swatches (L-to-R): NYX Indie Flick (matte), Barry M Sunset, Revlon Kiss Me Coral, NYX Haute Melon

I mentioned my Barry M haul a couple of days ago, and I've tested all of them in the last couple of days. Of the lot, I have to say #151 Sunset is probably my first recommendation, although I do really like most of the others as well.

Coral Lipsticks (L-to-R): NYX Haute Melon,Revlon Kiss Me Coral, Barry M Sunset, NYX Indie Flick (matte)

The shade itself is a true vermillion-coral creme (think Disney's Ariel) that I enjoy for its opacity, and ability to make the skin glow. 

You can wear this with deep-bronze, dewy skin for the super-hot "Summer-vacation" look, or you can matte your skin and paint on kitten flick liner for a retro pin-up look. 

Barry M Sunset is very opaque and saturated compared to the Revlon and NYX, while retaining its sheen very well. (I'd say it has a similar texture to an Amplified Creme lipstick.)

Barry M Sunset stays on well through drinks and talking, and I find you get more applications out of firmer, more pigmented lipsticks like these. (You know how you seem to go through some tubes of glossy lipsticks so fast because they are too soft and creamy?)


Visit my TUMBLR for the tutorial featuring this lip shade!

The Weekend Mouth: Barry M Lip Paint in Sunset, with NYX Cinnamon Blush and black accented eyes.