Product Review: L.A. Colors Sweet! 16 Eyeshadow Palette

Hey everyone!
I'm sorry for the delay in posting this review,but I've been experiencing bad carpal tunnel flares, and it has impaired my ability to type for long stretches of time.
While I'm still experiencing the pain, I wanted to get this post done.

Today,  I'll be sharing my thoughts on the L.A. Colors Sweet! 16 Eyeshadow Palette named Brave.

I've bought this palette approximately one month ago for $40TT at Wonderful World, and I've been using it almost every time I wear makeup. If you don't live in Trinidad and Tobago, this palette is available on the L.A. Colors website. I thoroughly enjoy using this palette. The shades are versatile for both everyday, simple,neutral looks,as well as dramatic, smokey looks. The matte shades are soft,and buttery, and they blend beautifully. The shimmer shades are good. They aren't intensely pigmented but are easy to build up on the eye.

My two (2) main problems with this palette are;
1. The two pink shades require a lot of work to build up the pigment
2. Some of the shades are very similar in colour (slight variations in undertone)

Swatches

Top Row - #1- #6

Middle Row - #7 - #12

Final Row - #13- #16

I wholeheartedly believe that swatches do not do this palette justice. It performs better on the eyes than it looks in swatches, and yes #13 barely shows up in a swatch but it makes a beautiful inner corner highlight, as well as a lovely subtle highlight on the face.

My previous post illustrated a look I created with this palette, and I will leave a link to it at the end of this post, however, I've decided to include some other looks I created with this palette.

 
I enjoy using this palette, and for the price, the quality of the eyeshadows is above par. This is quickly becoming my everyday eyeshadow palette. Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes, I will, and I already have. I think it'll make a great gift for anyone who likes makeup, or for someone who is just starting to use eyeshadows or makeup in general.

Thank you all for stopping by today! Have a wonderful week, and I will talk to you all very soon.
Bye! (^_^)/

Previous Post: Makeup Play feat. L.A. Colors Sweet! 16 Palette

Makeup Play #4: All Dat Drama!?!

Hello everyone!

This past week, I posted a poll to my IG story, asking if I should post the details of my latest Instagram post (see below) here on my blog and the answer was Yes!

Via my Instgram - @ladyjpsych

I'm here today, to break down this look. However, there will be no tutorial or demonstration of this look via video, but I do hope that you still enjoy this post and product breakdown.

Eyes

The star of this look is....(imaginary drum roll!)... L.A Colors Sweet!Sixteen Eyeshadow Palette in Brave.

I will do a full review of this palette at the end of November as I am still playing around and experimenting with the different colours.

This palette provided the majority of the eye look, with the exception of the lid colour..

While there is no video, I have done a bit of a breakdown of the eyeshadows used from the palette, and where they were placed on the eye.

Awkwardly Edited Photo - L.A. Colors Sweet!Sixteen Palette in Brave

N.B. - The numbers correspond with the respective colours, and not the order in which they were applied.

BASE: I used colour #14 as my all over base to set my Urban Decay Primer Potion, and I mixed colours #15 and #16 as my transition shades.

CREASE: Colours #7 and #12 were used in the crease, and they were blended out with colour #5.

OUTER CORNER: Colours #9 and then #4, where used to add depth and smokiness to the outer corner. I also mixed in a bit of "Rebel" from the Tartlette in Bloom Palette, to enhance the smokiness with some warmth.

LID: I'm wearing Makeup Geek's Pigment in Utopia on top of a glitter glue. My eyes are hooded so without a glitter glue, pigments, and shimmer tend to travel beyond where I typically place them.

In order to blend the pigment with the eyeshadows, I used colour #6 which is very similar in colour to Utopia, and it allowed for a seamless transition from lid colour to outer corner.

LOWER LASH LINE: I smudged L'Oreal Silkissime Eyeliner in Black, with colour #9, and "Rebel" from the Tartlette in Bloom Palette, for smokey definition to finish off the eyeshadow look.

REST OF THE FACE

Brows: NYX Tame and Frame in Black

Eyeliner: L'Oreal Infallible Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black

Mascara: L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise in Black

Foundation: Revlon Colorstay Whipped in Natural Tan (370) + L'Oreal True Match W6

Concealer: L.A. Girl Pro Conceal in Pure Beige

Powder: Sacha Buttercup (Undereye), Maybelline Fit Me Loose Powder in Medium (Face)

Contour: BH Cosmetics Contour and Blush 2 palette

Highlight: Milani Strobelight in Afterglow + NYX Illuminator in Ritualistic

Blush: City Color Cosmetics Matte Blush in Papaya

Lips: NYX Liquid Suede Lipstick in Stone Fox

We've reached the end of this post, and I do hope you all enjoyed!

Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to do a live Get Ready with me on my Instagram. Would you guys like that? Let me know either in the comments here, or over on my Instagram (@ladyjpsych). Feel free to let me know if you'd like me to review another product I've used in this post.

Thank you all for stopping by today, and I'll see you very soon.

Bye! (^_^)/





Product Review: L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara

Two blog posts in one month (O.O)?! Yes!

Hello everyone!
Today, I'm going to be sharing my thoughts and experience using one of the most hyped "drugstore"makeup product in 2017, L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara.

This mascara is absolutely beautiful, and I'm not talking about the packaging. The formula of this mascara, and the brush, just perk your lashes up so well. It is essentially a push up bra for your eyelashes.
The product builds up easily, without clumping my eyelashes, and for me personally, the more I run the brush through my lashes, the better the results. I've been using this mascara for over a month now (possibly 6-7weeks), and it is the first one I reach for. I typically rotate 2-3 tubes of mascara at any given time, so for me to be continuously reaching for this mascara every time I do my makeup, shows me that I just love what it does for my eyelashes.

I usually go for Blackest Black, however, it would seem that in Trinidad only the shade Black (201) is stoked at local retail stores, and the price does vary according to location. I paid approximately TT$70, for mine, give or take a couple of dollars, but it was the last one in stock and I didn't want to wait for a restock because it had been sold out everywhere I went prior.
Honestly, I've never seen a mascara sell at the rate that this has been. When I try to go purchase a backup tube, the store attendants always say that they're having difficulty keeping it in stock due to the demand.

Wearing the Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara

My natural lashes aren't the thickest or the fullest, but when I use this mascara, my lashes look full and fluffy. I remember when I first applied it, and I could not believe that my lashes could look so good. I don't wear false eyelashes nor do I have eyelash extensions, so I'm constantly hunting for a full, voluminous look, that helps to define my eyelashes, and this mascara does that for me.
I've not experienced any smudging or flaking with this product, and it comes off effortlessly with either Micellar water or makeup remover.

My main issue with this mascara is the packaging. While I do find the foiled pink and gold packaging beautiful, it flakes off. With continued use, the tube begins to flake, and I am left with a bunch of silver residue on my hands after I apply my mascara and it annoys me.

Flaking tube

Flaking tube #2

For this mascara, the pros definitely outweigh the cons, and yes, I will be repurchasing it soon. It's my new go-to mascara, and although I have some other mascaras to try, I just love the way this mascara makes my eyelashes look. This mascara lives up to the hype, at least for me it does.

Well folks, that's all for today. I know this post is short, but I didn't feel the need to go on and on about how much I like this mascara.
Thanks for stopping by my mind palace today, and I will see you all again very soon.
Bye (^_^)/

De-clutter and Empties: The Return to the Mind Palace

Return to the Mind Palace! 

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog!
This is the first time in over a year that I've actually sat down to post, and I feel excited to be working on the blog again. Honestly, due to how hectic things have been in the past year, I lost my zeal for blogging. I just could not bring myself to sit down and dedicate time to the blog because it felt like a chore, and I felt that my lack of enthusiasm and interest would reflect in anything I posted. 😓😞
After many months away from the blog, I started playing around with ideas to motivate me to return. I love my blog, I love makeup and beauty, but I felt as though nothing about my blog stood out enough for me to enjoy returning to regular posting so the break continued. After a conversation with some friends, it struck me, Mental Health. I'm a training psychologist who is passionate about talking about mental health and breaking down mental health stigma, why not do posts dedicated to Mental Health?! Slowly, behind the scenes, I begun to reconfigure the blog, and give it a bit of a face lift.
Thank you all for being so very patient with me, and I can't wait to get back to posting regularly. Now to the De-clutter!

De-clutter and Empties!

The De-Clutter Gang!

I love makeup, and like many makeup lovers I tend to keep some products around for far too long. If I love a specific product, I want to hold onto it for as long as possible (even if I don't use it frequently), and if I dislike a product, I still try to get my money's worth. However, there comes a time in a makeup lovers life where they just have to let go of the products that are just taking up valuable space in their collection.

Eyes

Starting with eye primer, and cream bases. I absolutely love the Milani Eyeshadow Primer. I already have a back up of this in my collection. Honestly my favourite eyeshadow primer that I've tried. 

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bold Gold, and Caramel Cool while they are great cream eyeshadows, I just don't use them. I've had these two for far too long, and it's time for them to go. While they are great products in terms of colour pigmentation, texture, and longevity, I do not think I'll be repurchasing them.

Shades: Oro (left), Pine Nut (right)

My original NYX cosmetics eyeshadows. They're both extremely old so they had to be de-cluttered but definitely some of the best eyeshadows I've owned, and I will miss them.

I typically get rid of mascaras regularly (between 3-6 months). Jordana Best Lash Extreme is still one of my favourites, and is a guaranteed repurchase. Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam while it is a nice mascara, I find the brush to be a bit too large for my eyes but the large brush gives really lovely volume to the lashes. Will I repurchase? - Maybe not. I've got a couple of mascaras to try out, and this mascara wasn't one I was enthusiastic about.

Milani Eye Tech Extreme - possibly the only liquid eyeliner I use because it is easy to apply, and very pigmented. However, this time it started to apply very streaky and would end up smudging on the outer corner destroying my wing. I don't know if the one bought was just super old but it has me discouraged from repurchasing anytime soon.
Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal (Sparkling Black) - Didn't like it at all. The glitter takes away from the colour, so rather than sparkling black, you get a glittery grey that isn't waterproof at all and barely lasts on the eye. Not going to waste my money on this particualr shade, but I am willing to try their regular colours; brown, black, white, and nude.

Face

I did a full post on this and the Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation in Sun Beige (310). I do like this powder, however it started to get old, the texture was off and it was not buffing in seamlessly anymore. I am currently testing the new Maybelline Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder (future post maybe?)

Lips

SMLC- Ibiza

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cremes are one of my favourite lip formulas. However, this colour just did not work for me. It was streaky when applied, and with the applicator I just could not make it work for me.

Nails

I don't remember the names of either of these nail polishes but they're old and goopy.

Makeup Remover

I love both of these so much. Maybelline Clean Express Makeup Remover has been discontinued or at least they are no longer stocked in Trinidad. One of the best makeup removers I've ever used.
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water is awesome. I typically use Micellar Water after removing my makeup with coconut oi to clear the skin of any remaining oil and makeup debris before I wash my face. I am currently using the L'Oreal Micellar Water and it is very similar so at the moment there is no need for me to repurchase.

Well folks, that's all I have for today. Thank you all so much for stopping by, I do hope you enjoyed!
I'm so happy to be posting again, and I can't wait for the next post. Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and positive!
Bye ^_^)/