Product Review: My Juvia's Place Collection Part 2

Hello everyone!

I'm finally here with the second part of my Juvia's Place Collection!
In this post, I'll be showing swatches of the Douce, Festival, and Magic Mini Palettes!

The Douce Palette 

The Douce Palette

The Zulu which I featured in part 1, is my favourite Juvia's Place item that I own, and the Douce is my number 2. From wearable, work appropriate looks, to smokey with a pop of colour, this palette is capable of producing both with ease.
This palette contains a lovely duochrome shade, specifically the shade Tart which is the middle shade in the top row. It has the most beautiful purple/pink shift, that adds a beautiful pop to the lid or inner corner of the eye. In swatches, it looks like a bright white however, once you see the shift, you'll fall in love. Initially, I was hesitant to purchase this palette because I thought the colours would be too soft for my skin tone, however, the pigment is strong, and they show up beautifully. I believe this is available at Starlite for approximately TT$175.
Swatches 

Shades from left to right: Chocolat, Tart, Creme, Macarons, Custard, Puffs, Berry Mousse, Mont Blanc, Crepes.

Wearing the Douce Palette with the shade Tart on the lid.

The Festival Palette 

This isn't your everyday, work appropriate palette, however, if you want to be daring, this palette gives you bold and striking colours, with Juvia's Place signature eyeshadow quality. Now I will say for a beginner, this isn't a good palette to start with because it can be very intimidating. This is what I consider to be a great companion palette. You can use it with your favourite neutral palette to add a bold pop of colour to your makeup look. This is currently my least used palette from JP, however, I am challenging myself to use it more in 2020. Oro, Aba, and Odogwu, are my go to shades from this palette for a simple eye look with a pop. Uli can be used for a blinding inner corner or face highlight (if you're daring enough). It runs for a similar price to the Douce in Starlite, which has one of the best prices for Juvia's Place (JP) products.
 Swatches

Swatches of the Festival Palette.

Shades Oro, Odogwu, Keleke and Uli used.

The Magic Mini Palette

Magic Mini Palette

This palette is beautiful and versatile. The top half of this palette is filled with lovely warm-toned shadows, while the bottom half is all cool-toned. Most the shades in this palette carry JP's signature, soft buttery formula with the exception of Ife (bottom left), and Yejide (bottom right). Both these shades are drier than JP's usual matte formula, however, they are still very pigmented. These shades need to be used carefully as the can be difficult to blend if too much is applied; it's better to slowly build and blend these shades. I purchased mine at Bella Russe for approximately TT$250+, but you may be able to find it cheaper in other stores. 

Swatches

Shades (left to right): Nubia, Zakiya, Osun, Kesi, Zuba, Nana, Boronu, Kogi.

Shades (left to right): Faso, Aja, Vai, Yemoja, Ife, Yara, Buzo, Yejide.

Shades used: Yara, Buzo, Aja, and Nana.

Conclusion
I've recently added the Warrior 2 and Masquerade palettes to my collect so I may do a part 3 of this series at some point. However, I feel as though it is quite repetitive to share my love for JP's eyeshadows. For the quality, and quantity of eyeshadows for the price Juvia's Place is unbeatable. I may branch out in 2020 and try some other eyeshadow palettes from different brands, and do a review on those.
I'm trying to get back into the swing of blogging, and trying to motivate myself to be consistent this year. Thank you all for always coming by and checking out my blog despite my long hiatus. 
Love you all, and I will see you again very soon.
(^_^)/

Product Review: Milani Shadow Eyez 12 HR Eyeshadow

Hello everyone!

Another quick review coming your way today. This post was supposed to be done last week, but I was under the weather after getting completely drenched in rain last week (>_<)'.

A couple months ago, I picked up two (2) of the Milani Shadow Eyez pencils to test out. I've seen and heard a lot of buzz about them since they initially launched, but because of my oily skin, and the intense weather here in Trinidad, I didn't think they would work well on me.
I did buy these both on sale for TT$26, and they retail for approximately US$7.49 on the Milani Cosmetics website. 

My Milani Shadow Eyez Pencils

Shades: 
09 Café Au Lait - Cool-toned Brown (Matte)
10 Almond Cream - Neutral Beige (Matte)

I chose these shades for a couple reasons;

1. They were on sale!
2. Emilynoel83 always talks highly of the Shadow Eyez in Almond Cream, and if she's says it is good, then it must be good.
3. Jackie Aina videos were the first time I saw Café Au Lait in use, and I just fell for the shade.

Swatch:

Almond Cream (top), Café Au Lait (bottom)

Product Claim: This water-resistant and crease-proof eyeshadow pencil can be worn multiple ways—as a shadow, liner and highlighter. (from Milani Cosmetics Website)

My Experience: When I first swatched these pencils, I was amazed how creamy and silky they were, and their pigmentation is amazing! The swatches shown above are one swipe of each pencil. I use Almond Cream as a highlighter under my brows, and sometimes to brighten up the inner rim of my eyes. It never smudged in my waterline, and most waterproof pencils smudge on me, since my eyes tend to get watery quite easily these days. This product lives up to its claim of being water-resistant.
As an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base, these pencils work magnificently well. They blend easily onto the eyes, and they stay put. I haven't experienced any creasing while using it as a base, nor have I had problems blending powder eyeshadows over them. 

The only jumbo eyeshadow pencils I have that I can compare this with are the Rimmel ScandalEyes Eyeshadow Stick. They have a similar feel, very creamy and silky. Both have great pigmentation, and no smudging or smearing while in the waterline. Both are great products and you won't be disappointed with either in my honest opinion.

I love multi-use products like this, and I've been contemplating getting a couple more shades to use as fun pops of colour, since the ones I own don't budge even on the most humid days.
I also love when a product lives up to its claims, and when you get a great product on sale, even better!

I hope you all enjoyed today's post, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I have a quiz to go study for, so I will catch you next week (hopefully).
Stay happy, positive and healthy guys!
Bye (^_^)/

Product Review & Swatches: Sacha Cosmetics Intense Matte Lip Velvets

Hello everyone!

I apologize for my disappearing act last week, but I was a bit under the weather, and decided to take it easy, hence no post. However, I'm back today with a review that I am extremely excited to bring to you!
Within recent months, Sacha Cosmetics, which is a Trinidadian brand, launched their Intense Matte Lip Velvets. These are their liquid lip colours, and they're beautiful. I had a few friends raving to me about these Lip Velvets, so I decided why not give them a try. I must say Sacha did a great job on these. From packaging, to colour range, Sacha hit the nail on the head.

Sacha Intense Matte Lip Velvet

Price:

• At local Pennywise stores, these cost TT$44, while at Sacha Image Centres they cost TT$50. I don't believe these are available online at website. 

Packaging:

• I adore the packaging of this product. I really love polka dots, and paired with the flat matte finish of both the glass bottle and plastic lid, it screams cute and chic. 

Applicator: 

• This has your everyday doe foot applicator. 

Product:

• The texture of the lip velvets are very reminiscent of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, which I adore. They are soft, velvet smooth, and they aren't extremely drying on the lips. 
• For me, they are opaque in one coat/application, but you can build up the intensity if you like. 
• These don't have any fragrance or scent to them, so if you're sensitive to fragrance, you can give these a try. 
• I've heard positive reviews from persons with extremely sensitive skin and lips about these, and they don't cause them any irritation.
• These are not completely budge proof, but they do hold up after eating and/or drinking. 
• They don't flake like the L.A. Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss, and are easier to reapply if needed than the L.A. Girl. 

 Swatches: The following are swatches of the following four (4) shades: 

1. Partner In Crime - Red-Toned Chocolate Brown
2. I'm In The Nude - Neutral-Toned Nude
3. That's What She Said - Vibrant Purple *(2 layers)
4. Pass The Money - Vibrant Fire Red

Conclusion:
I honestly don't have anything bad to say about these. I've been wearing Partner In Crime and I'm In The Nude, almost everyday since I bought them, and they really are some amazing lip products. For the price, the quality of the product is exceptional. I prefer it over my ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip, because this formula is more comfortable on the lips, even if you forget to prep your lips with lip balm. The L.A. Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Glosses can't stand up to these. These are honestly one of the best matte lip colours I've tried. This and the Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color are my new go-to liquid lip colours.

If you can get your hands on these, you definitely should. They are worth every cent. I would definitely recommend these to everyone!
Great job Sacha Cosmetics!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I haven't worn That's What She Said because it is the latest one I've recently added, but I will be trying it out on the lips very soon. Stay tuned to my Instagram (@ladyjpsych) for pictures of that.
I'm considering doing a full lip swatch picture on my IG, so please let me know if you'd like to see that.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and positive!
Bye!
(^_^)/

M.A.C Cosmetics Warm Neutral Palette Thoughts and Swatches

Hello everyone! Welcome back! Today, I'm doing a short post about the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette, along with some swatches. I bought this palette last Tuesday at my local M.A.C store, and to be honest, I've been wanting this palette since it released last year, but I only just recently caved and decided to splurge. These are the first eye products I have ever bought from M.A.C because M.A.C is quite pricey here in Trinidad; this palette costs TT$840 = US$85 (on the M.A.C Cosmetic website).

Quick Look - M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

Packaging: 
Hard plastic casing, with a see-through plastic lid. It's very sleek, and lightweight. I do wish that instead of a see-through lid, there was a mirror, that would make it perfect for travel.
There is a label on the back that contains the name of each shadow and its finish.

The Shadows
This palette contains all warm neutral tones, with various finishes from Frost to Matte.
I will break down the palette according to rows, and having the corresponding name and finish of the shadows.

Closer look at the shadows in the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette.

First Row 

Top row of Warm Neutral Palette

 From left to right

• Hey (Veluxe Pearl)
• Warm Breeze (Satin)
• GingerSnap (Frost)
• Dark Brew (Velvet)
• Dance in the Dark (Matte)  

Swatches

Swatches of the First Row in the M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

All of the colours in this row with the exception of Dance in the Dark, swatched and applied smoothly with good pigmentation. Dance in the Dark is extremely patchy, and powdery, it is quite a pain to work with.

Second Row
 

Second Row - M.A.C Warm Neutral Palette

From left to right

• Brulé (Satin)
• Vanilla Extract (Frost) 
• Honey Lust (Luster)
• Amber Lights (Frost)
• Saddle (Matte) 

Swatches 

Swatches from 2nd Row

 All the shadows in this row applied and swatched beautifully. Saddle unlike its fellow Matte brother Dance in the Dark, applied like butter, it did not skip, it just glided on in one swipe.

Third Row

Third Row - MAC Warm Neutral Palette

 From left to right

•  Lemon Tart (Veluxe Pearl)
• Creative Copper (Luster)
• Butterfudge (Satin)
• Divine Decadence (Velvet)
• Unwind (Veluxe Pearl)

Swatches 
 

Final Row Swatches

All the colours in this row, swatched and applied just as beautifully as the previos one. Lemon Tart and Unwind are definitely going to be shades I play around with. The swatches don't do either of those shades much justice, with Lemon Tart being a gorgeous light yellow gold pearl, and Unwind is the definition of smokey/dirty olive.

Final Thoughts
Despite the high price point, I'm quite impressed by the quality of the eye shadows in this palette. Like I mentioned earlier, this is my first time trying M.A.C eyeshadows, so for a newbie, this give quite a good first impression. With only one shade I can truly call a flop (Dance in the Dark), 14 out of 15 are good quality, very pigmented and soft, without them being crumbly. This is a permanent item in M.A.C's collection, so if you are interested, I recommend going to your local M.A.C store, and giving this guy a swatch. Although I do love this palette, because of the high price point, I can't say run and buy it, unless you want to splurge and spoil yourself like I did. 

Thank you all so much for coming by today, I hope you enjoyed today's post. Before I say goodbye, I just wanted to announce that today, I have finally launched a Facebook page for J's Mind Palace! I decided to finally get over my fear of opening a Facebook page, dedicated strictly to my blog. I will leave a link to the end of this post. Thank you all for all the support for the past year, and I can't wait to post more content here.

Remember to have a safe and fun weekend, stay happy, healthy and positive and I shall see you all next Friday!
Bye-bye (^_^)/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/jsmindpalace

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer Review

Hello everyone!

I've had a very emotional week this week, and initially wasn't planning to post today. However, I decided that since I was near the end of my Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer, that I would a short and quick review for you all.

Before I get started, I just wanted to say thank you so much for 800 views on my blog. I'm very grateful for all your support ^w^.

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer 

Rimmel London Fix & Perfect Pro Primer 002

Product Claims:

1. Smoothes
2. Resurfaces
3. Brightens
4. Mattifies
5. Protects
6. Prolongs foundation wear 

For me, the first two claims go hand in hand. This product does smooth and even out the skin's texture. I have enlarged pores on my cheeks, and although they are still noticeable when I use the primer, my skin feels super smooth, and my foundations glide on easily, and my enlarged pores are not as noticeable once the foundation is applied.

I haven't really noticed any brightening effects with this primer so the third claim, I'm just going to cross out. However, this primer does mattify the skin once applied, and depending on the climate you live it, it just might keep you matte for half the day or even all day. For me, I usually have to blot after 3 hours of initial application, but then again oily/combo skin, in the Caribbean, it's to be expected.

Finally, the claim that it protects is slightly vague. I will say that I haven't broken out while using this primer, and I've not noticed any clogged pores. If the claim protects means it protects the skin from whatever you apply on top of it (which all primers basically do by creating a barrier between your skin care products and makeup), then yes it does the job.

Product and Texture:

This product is a white, lotion type primer that dries down clear. It has a very strong fragrance, but it wanes after being applied. The scent reminds me of baby lotion, so if you can't stand heavy fragrances, I'll recommend trying another primer.

Swatches of Fix & Perfect Primer by Rimmel

Conclusion:
I got so wrapped up in using this primer since I purchased it, that it became an everyday staple. This definitely a product that I will buy again. I will however have to add a mattifer on top just to have added oil control, but even without a dedicated mattifier, I really do enjoy this primer. I still can't believe I didn't notice earlier how much I enjoyed this primer, and I'm sad that it's almost finished. If you are in the market for a good drugstore primer, although the e.l.f Mineral Face Primer is my hands down favourite, Rimmel Fix & Perfect comes it very closely in second place. 

Thank you all for visiting my blog once again, I hope you all enjoyed. Next week I am hoping to do a skin care routine post *fingers crossed*
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I shall talk to you again very soon. Stay happy, positive and healthy, until next time....
Bye guys (^_^)/

L.A Girl Cosmetics Matte Flat Finish Pigment Glosses Swatches and Review

Hello everyone! Welcome back!

I'm feeling better this week, so I decided to play with my L.A. Girl Cosmetics Matte Flat Finish Pigment Glosses that I recently purchased. If you live in Trinidad and want to get your hands on these, you can find them at Tres Belle Cosmetique, Wonderful World, or you can order them from The BeautyBox 868.

I have four shades to share with you today, two of the shades, I've done wear tests with. The shades I own are;

1. Fleur - peachy nude
2. Rebel - a mid tone purpley-mauve shade
3. Secret - deep brick red
4. Backstage - deep/vampy berry (with purple undertones)

L.A. Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss

Wear Testing
I've worn both Fleur (to work) and Rebel (visiting my grandma), and I can say that they are very lightweight, and they do tend to stay the lips for a long time. They wear beautifully throughout the day, even if you are eating and drinking, I'd say approximately 5-6 hours...I lost track of time.....but they leave a nice stain to the lips.

Taken from my Instagram: @ladyjpsych

 

 

 

Taken from my Instagram: @ladyjpsych

Application
In terms of application, the product has a flat doe type applicator that makes it easy to get the product on and remain within the lines of the lips. However, I do use a lip liner with Fleur, because on it's own it tends to wash out my complexion. These glosses take a while to set, usually about 1minutes (60 seconds) for one layer, and I would advise not smacking your lips together while the product is setting, because it causes the product to flake off.

Backstage & Secret (Lip Swatches)
Backstage is the only one of my four that requires two layers to get the true colour, although on my lips Rebel doesn't look as purple as the swatch but I still really love the colour I get in one layer.

 

 

 

 

Lip Swatch of Backstage (2 layers)

 

 Secret is going to become a staple for me, because I absolutely adore red lips.

Lip Swatch of Secret (1 layer)

In the end, these are very good products for the price (I paid $35TT on sale), and if you like liquid lipsticks, give these a try. They're inexpensive, long lasting, pigmented, matte without being overly drying the lips, and the chubby packaging is super cute.

Before I end, I just wanted to thank those of you who read my post last week. I'm not usually one to talk about feeling down, however, as I grow older, and I get closer to my dream of becoming a psychologist, it will be important for me to talk about particular topics, mostly mental health, and I se my blog as a great way to integrate that practice.

Thanks again for coming back to my blog, if you're new, then thank you for stopping by and I hope you will pay my blog another visit. Until next Friday, I hope you all stay happy, positive, and healthy!

Bye (^_^)/

Review : Rimmel SCANDALEYES Eyeshadow Paint and Eyeshadow Stick

Another Friday, another blog post.

Hey everyone, how are you today? I really hope you're all safe and enjoying your day.
I'm continuing my month of reviews this week, with a couple of products that I absolutely love!
Today's post is going to be all about the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paints and Eyeshadow Sticks. I have two (2) of each product, and I'm most definitely going to pick up some more. Now, I may have mentioned these products in a few favourites post I've done in the past, but I decided that they needed their own time in the spotlight.

I know many of my foreign readers may not care to read a post about these products since they came out a long time ago over in the UK, USA and Europe, but Rimmel has only been available in Trinidad for approximately one (1) year, so a lot of these products are new to myself and my fellow Caribbean peeps. So without any further ado, let's get into the review.

Rimmel SCANDALEYES Eyeshadow Paint
 

Swatches: Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paints in Pomegranate(left) and Rich Russet (right)

The two shades I own are; 019 Pomegranate and 006 Rich Russet.
I was highly skeptical about purchasing these because I saw many mixed reviews on it. It was either people absolutely loved them or they absolutely hated them. So, I decided to try them out for myself to see whether or not I liked them. 
These eyeshadow paints are not cream eyeshadows, they are liquid eyeshadows and recently liquid eyeshadows have been "trendy"...I don't know, I'm not one who cares for trends. If I like something, I'm going to wear it whether it's in season or out of season, I really don't care.
Liquid eyeshadows are thinner in consistency to cream eyeshadows, so you have to be careful when blending these out because you run the risk of removing the product from the eye. However, when applied correctly, these are longlasting, beautifully pigmented, and great to grab on an early morning when you are in a hurry. I've been using Rich Russet all week, I wore it for my Master's interview with a warm matte brown shadow in the crease, yesterday, I wore it all over my lid with some mascara, and today I wore it as a base for my (Avon) Satin Taupe eyeshadow with a pop of Makeup Geek Insomnia pigment in the inner corner.

Today's Makeup: Lids: Rich Russet as a base, (Avon) Satin Taupe (lash line to crease) and Makeup Geek Insomnia Pigment (inner corner)

Rimmel SCANDALEYES Eyeshadow Stick

Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Blackmail (left) and Bad Girl Bronze (right)

 I have had my fair share of love/hate relationships with jumbo eyeshadow pencils in the past...I'm looking at you NYX. However, these Rimmel pencil have me singing a happier tune. These are extremely soft and pigmented and extremely long wearing. I've been using 008 Blackmail to tightline and the only time I look like panda is when I'm removing my makeup. I tend to use 003 Bad Girl Bronze, as a stand alone eyeshadow all over the lid on days when time isn't on my side. Through heat and humidity these eyeshadows sticks last. They are amazing on their own or you can use them as a base. I am planning on getting more of these, especially since I can get so much use out of them as an eyeshadow base, a stand alone eyeshadow or a longlasting, waterproof eyeliner.

I highly recommend these two products, and no this is not a sponsored or paid post for Rimmel. I am 100% positive that Rimmel don't even know I exist.

I hope you all have a safe and fun weekend.
I hope to see you all again next Friday for another post.
Stay happy, positive and healthy guys!
Bye (^_^)/