Julep "Long Weekend" Palette Swatches and Review

As soon as I found out that Julep had a new palette out, my heart soared. Luckily I took my May Maven box, because this was being featured in the 'Secret Store' (a selection of products available at a discounted price, first for the Mavens who take the monthly box. Anyone who skipped the month has access after a couple of days, but stock is usually depleted). 

The Long Weekend palette is full of lighter, more pastel shades than were in the Photogenic palette. It's absolutely stunning on green eyes (and I'm sure on any other eyes, but green's what I got, so I can only speak to that 😉). It ranges from cream to purples/mauve shades, and has some great transition shades. 

My favourite shades are Getaway (a satin champagne) Bonfire (beautiful above the crease) and Monday (I put this in the outer corner and work it in the crease. Stunning)

The formula is very similar to the first palette; very pigmented, but kicks up a lot of fallout. As long as you tap your brush, though, it's fine. And they blend like a dream! 💜

I am SO HAPPY that I grabbed this palette. I can see myself reaching for it a lot this summer, to create different glowing looks. 

I definitely recommend this palette to EVERYONE. The shades are incredibly complimentary. The Julep "Long Weekend" palette is $54 or $43.20 for Mavens. Monthly subscription is $19.99/ month, skip or cancel anytime (Julep's customer service is FANTASTIC) Sign up for a free box here: https://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/57952/

***Nik's Bits***

• I've finally started a nail-care regimen. It's based on applying cuticle oil like a junkie, and using Sally Hansen's Instant Cuticle Remover and OPI's Nail Envy (at $20 a bottle, I better be serious about this). I can definitely see results. And the benefits are showing up on my Instagram (@ohnikjommmblog) 

• The cold has finally left Southern Ontario. Which can only means one thing-- it's time for girls to use their bras as wallets. Yay. (Sarcasm. Uber sarcasm) 

• Within the next few weeks, I'll be renovating my closet and putting up shelves for my nail polish, as well as painting my bedroom. I haven't been this excited for physical labour in... Ever. 

Maybelline FitMe Matte and Poreless Review

     Now that the summer weather is here I figured I'd give a new foundation a try. I picked up the Matte and Poreless a couple of months ago, but it was a bit too dark (it oxidizes on me) so now that I've been tanning just a teeny tiny bit, the colour matches perfectly. 

     I'm not oily--I consider my skin to be normal, and get a bit dry in the winter and a little oily in the warmer months. 

     I used my Beauty Blender to apply it on non-primed skin, and it blended really easily. The coverage is light-to-medium, but can be built up. It did fill my pores in a little, but not enough to be considered poreless. It gave me a very pretty matte finish, and I didn't set it with powder. 

     The lasting finish wasn't the greatest, however. Within 1-2 hours, my skin was dewy; not what I would call oily, but it definitely had a bit of shine. It ended up just looking like the original FitMe looked, which isn't terrible, I lived in that foundation last year, but when a product says it mattifies I expect it to do just that. And this doesn't. I can't imagine anyone with oily skin (and let's face it, that's the demographic that this product is catered towards) having a good experience with this. Setting it with powder would definitely be beneficial.

     Overall, I do like the foundation, and I'll use it, but I think I'll prime my face first, to help the whole "poreless" claim, and keep some blotting papers handy. On days that aren't humid. 

     My next foundation purchase will be the L'Oreal Infallible Pro Matte. THAT is supposed to be incredible. My fingers are cramping, they're crossed so hard. 

March Ipsy GlamBag

     It's been awhile since I've had an Ipsy bag; I hadn't really been wowed by previous bags. But when I learned that everyone would receive a NYX Butter lipstick, I was all "SIGN ME UP!" Plus, anything springtime and floral gets my heart fluttering. 

     The bag, as most of Ipsy's bags, is absolutely precious. I am getting quite a collection of little bags piled up, so I don't know how much use this little gem will get, but it's nice to have for travel. 

     The first item I pulled out was this Pixi by Petra eyeshadow duo in "Apricot Glow". I was happy to see an eyeshadow in my bag, finally. Eye makeup was lacking lately from ipsy. 

     The colours are pretty, but also very powdery, and don't apply to the eye with much pigmentation. If you're using primer and a finger to apply, you might have better luck. I don't know if a wet brush would help, because with them being as powdery as they are, I feel that that would make them a little chunky (ie not cute).

Here they are swatched.

     Next up is a Crown brush. Another exciting item. I love eye brushes, and this is a definite winner. It's soft and fluffy on one side, perfect for blending, it gets right in the crease, and the other side is a narrower crease brush. There wasn't any stray hairs that came out when I pulled gently on the bristles (which I do when testing my brushes) so that's a good sign. I hope this stands up to washing, because I want it in my collection for a long time!

     For the only non-makeup item, I received a makeup remover. Fitting, I would say.
     This is a non-foaming, cream cleanser. It's great at gently removing makeup, but I found it stung my eyes, even though it states that it's good for removing even waterproof mascara. And though I did find it moisturizing, it didn't feel like my skin was completely rid of makeup, so I had to go over my face with a foaming cleanser on a washcloth (I'm a fan of rough-cleaning, I usually use a scrub).

     And now we've come to my favourite item, the one that actually made me squeal when I saw it. NYX Butter lipstick in "Little Susie". This shade has been on my wishlist for awhile; it's creamy, pigmented, and the perfect poppy-pink shade for Spring. The formula is amazing, it's so comfortable. I'm defintely going to pick up more of these babies. 

    The colour is a really flattering shade; I think it would be perfect on minimal makeup days, just to give that pretty punch of colour.

     Lastly, is a lipgloss from Cargo that I used my points for, in the shade "Anguilla". The first time I saw this Nicole from +Young Wild and Polished was reviewing it. It's a white-based pink gloss, that really pigmneted. I tried wearing it on it's own, but the colour was not flattereing. I paired it with Milani's Spice liner, filled my lips with it, and topped it with this gloss, and it became the most perfect nude. The formula is pretty thick, however, so if you're one for light glosses that you can't really feel, this might not be for you.

     Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with March's ipsy bag. I'll be using almost all of the items, and that hasn't happened for a long time. As for continuing my subscription, I'll wait and see what April brings.

LipMonthly Review

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times... And I cancel my subscription. 

Okay, that came off a little harsh. But seriously, LipMonthly is more grief than it's worth. I've finally received my January bag (on February 18th) and it's just not wowing me enough to bother continuing. First of all, there was no tracking. There wasn't even a shipment confirmation. I had to email the company twice to get any information. And secondly, it was just a lacklustre bag. Regardless, I won't let my struggles get in the way of the review.

The card included states "We'll be featuring some great new brands throughout 2015", and yet in the first bag of the year, it seems like it's just the same old, same old. I got an Ofra lip pencil in last month's bag, and I need another lip balm like a hole in the head, 

Don't get me wrong, it's not an overly terrible bag, it's just...meh. It's becoming the shoulder-shrug of subscription bags. But I digress. Let's jump in! 

First is a MICA Beauty lip colour pot in Velvet Rose ($14.50) The website shows a different size and container (4g for $30) and the product in the bag is 7g. Very odd. It also states that this product delivers "a sheer wash of colour". It does not. It is way too pigmented to be considered a balm, and it stains badly. The swatch shown is on my inner forearm, and I've still got colour there after 2 days, a shower, and scrubbing. So  on the upside, it's a product that will last. The colour is pretty, but not something I tend to wear, it just comes off too red. So, it will be confined to the back drawer.

                                       

 Next up is a long lasting liquid lipstick from Ofra in Laguna Beach (8g for $19.90) This is another full-sized product, and it's my favourite item in the bag. It reminds me very much of the Stila Stay-All-Day liquid lipstick in Patina, only lighter, and more pink. It also smells EXACTLY the same as the Stila. I'll need a few days to test out the wear, but this is a nice addition to my collection.

 And who doesn't love a good lip balm? I know I do. This, however, is not so great. The Ecolips Ecotints in Rose Quarts (4.25g for $4.49) is a basic balm, with a little bit of shimmer, and a lot of peppermint oil. I personally do not like minty lip products, especially lip balms, so this got a thumbs down. It's also not very moisturizing, and is shaped awkwardly; it's a thin oval, making it hard for me to apply it and not look crazy.

 And here, I've saved the worst for last. It's a sample of Harvey Prince's Damask Rose perfume. Why they've included such a strong scent in a lip-product bag, I'll never know, but will resent for a good long while. Though I do appreciate a good rose candle every now and then, it has to be the right kind of rose. Just a delicate, authentic scent, that kind of hovers around you, one that doesn't smack you in the face like it's an elderly grandmother assaulting a would-be purse snatcher with a wicker handbag. It smells like a 40-year-old brocade couch covered in vinyl. It does not smell good, is what I'm saying. It's worth $12. Plus $8.95 for a big bottle of Advil that you're going to need from the headache it causes. 

 So is this bag worth the $10 plus shipping (to Canada)? For the Ofra lipstick alone, I'd say yes. If you're looking to find some lesser-known or hard-to-find brands of lip products, I'd say go for it. You can join here or visit LipMonthly.com

 Myself, I'm cancelling this subscription. It's just too much hassle, waiting and being disappointed. Though some people have already posted their February bags, and they look promising. I might come back in a couple of months, we'll see. 

I WILL have a review on 2 NEW (to me) subscription boxes, TopBox and Birchbox. Canada is really stepping up their subscription box game! 

First MAC Eyeshadows!!

      Exciting news: I've finally taken the leap and ordered my first MAC eyeshadows!... What?... I know everybody and their grandmother are way into/over the whole MAC thing, but for a drugstore makeup junkie like myself, this is exciting! (Hence all of the exclamation marks) I've been building a list for a while now, but the allure of free shipping made me pull the trigger. I do have a MAC store at the mall that I go to, however, since it's a 45 minute drive and I have two kids that make me fear going into any store geared towards anyone over the age of 8-years-old, online was really the only option. 
     I got the shades Kid (which looks like an amazing crease colour that also happens to be on it's way to discontinued), Ricepaper, Satin Taupe, and Sketch, along with the MAC palette. I don't have a Z palette, and the MAC one was only $10, so what the heck. I DID try to grab some MakeUp Geek shadows, but the site wasn't working on my phone, and I was NOT about to make the trip from the couch all the way across the room to the computer. It was 11pm, and I was comfy, so congratulations MAC. I almost bought a lipstick, but decided that would be too much of a gamble, given my pale skin and the fact that only 1 or 2 shades out of 20 actually compliment my skin tone. I'll find a babysitter and make the trek to the mall when the time comes to finally jump on that bandwagon. (I'm actually afraid to buy my first MAC lipstick. They're like a gateway lippie. It starts with one, then I'm elbow deep in Nicki Minaj- limited edition shades, and suddenly I'm exchanging sexual favours for the new NARS Audacious line... Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration I know. But seriously. Not much of a stretch.)  
     Now that I'm thinking about it, I might make that MakeUp Geek order in a couple of weeks. They are half the price, but shipping and exchange rates doesn't make it that different... Oh, great. There it is. I already need another hit. Look what I've started! 

Better Late Than Never?

Okay, finally, I feel like I have the chance to review the Julep 'Sweep Photogenic' palette. I'd been eyeing this palette since day 1; I am in love with Julep's polishes, and their makeup is just as beautiful. I have the first Sweep palette, which is a collection of 5 neutral shades. They have the softest texture, and pigmentation is really good. So when they came out with a palette with a wider colour range, I was all for it. Of course, I waited for a deal-- the palette is priced at $54 originally, but goes on sale from anywhere between $38 and $24. I got mine when it was $24 and used a discount code and got $7.50 off. Which made me love it even more!

Excuse the terrible quality; I only had a picture on my instagram, and THIS is how it copied. 

I was not disappointed. As soon as it arrived, I dove in; it's a cardboard package with a magnetic closure, and comes with a really well-made 2-sided brush. One end it a pointed shadow brush. I'm not actually too fond of this side; I feel like it comes to too sharp of a point. I wish they'd made it more like a flat shadow brush. But the other side is a great fluffy blending brush. I find myself using that side for most of my makeup, even when I'm not using this palette. 

     The shadows are very soft, super-blendable, and are a nice mix of satin shades and shimmers. There aren't any mattes, which is something I always like in a palette. But the shades in this are all pretty enough to make it work. 

 There had been complaints that the palette in the pictures on Julep's sites wasn't true to colour. I agree, the pictures made the shades look a little different, but I'm not disappointed at all. The shade Flash (satin) matches my skintone perfectly ( as you can tell by the apparent lack of a swatch. I assure you, it's there. I'm just really pale). It a great shadow to use all over the lid, to make everything blend together. the shades Focus (satin), Filter (satin), Sepia (satin), and Selfie (shimmer) are really nice crease shades.

Pose, which is a deep eggplant colour, and Icon, a chocolate brown, are both shimmers as well, and look really pretty on the outer V, blended into the crease. Debut and Star are what I think of as the 'colours' in the palette; a kelly green and dusty midtone blue. Fame is the star of the show, a really true deep black satin. Not a grey black, not a weak, navy black, but an actual BLACK shadow. (The picture doesn't do it any justice, my lighting is not the best.)

OVERALL An incredible palette. I couldn't be happier to have this in my collection. The fact that the colours and textures are just as great as the pigmentation makes it's place in my collection very welcome. I would suggest this palette to every makeup lover, and the fact that it's not crazy expensive makes it all the more worth it. I can't wait for Julep's 2015 lineup! :)

***Nik's Bits*** 

-I'm so happy the holidays are over. They were fun, not extremely stressful, and fun for the kids, but it seems as if there's never enough time for breathing. And also my kids are driving each other (and my husband and I) absolutely bonkers. My oldest goes back to school tomorrow! 

-I'm in the process of redesigning my bedroom. I have 8 paint swatches to choose from, and find myself constantly straining not to buy decor for the unfinished room. 

-2015 Goal: get healthy again. I've let myself go back to my old eating/not exercising habits. I'm breaking up with my gut.

Late to the Party feat. itsjudytime Palette

So I finally pulled the trigger on BH Cosmetics. Which isn't supposed to sound so homicidal; I haven't ordered from them before because I'm hesitant to buy makeup online before testing it in person, so I thought I'd take a stab (hey-oh!) at one of their palettes. I was watching an itsjudytime video and she was announcing her palette was going on sale-- the lowest price ever of $8.95 each or two for $14.95, I believe. I never gave it much of a thought before, but the whole "low price, now or never, limited edition" thing had my heart doing flip flops. So after reading all of the reviews and watching tutorials, and deciding that this needed to be in my life, I grabbed one (the deal for 2 was good, but I wasn't going to risk paying for 2 of something I didn't like, and I don't know any makeup lovers. I'm the ONLY one) feeling like the sale price justified the $8 shipping. I HATE when American companies charge so much for shipping. I have yet to order from ColourPop because I REFUSE to swallow that $15 shipping fee. C'mon ColourPop!... Anyways, back to the palette: it arrived a few days ago, and I ripped into it immediately and was very impressed on first look. 

Eee, so cute!!

Ugh, come on with the gorgeous colours

I dipped my dirty little digits into the shadows and found the matte shades to be creamy and pigmented with, surprisingly, little to no fallout. And the mattes were what turned me onto this palette. I was surprised that this little gem could do what the Naked Basics 2 couldn't; make neutral matte shades without stirring up a bunch of shadow. 

The shimmer shades are a different story. Not as pigmented, and the shimmery-er (yep, just made that up. I stick by my decision) shades had chunky glitter that kind of gets whisked away the more you swatch. 

TOP ROW, sorry for the crappy lighting. Although my skin IS translucent and absorbs colour more than shows it

The top row is my jam. The first (cream), second (ochre) , fourth (pink-toned brown) and fifth (espresso) shades are the mattes, and they are buttery, soft, blendable and pigmented. The third shade is a shimmery gold/champagne colour that shows up better in a swatch than on the eye, and the sixth shade is a dark brownish gold with gold shimmer. The shimmer kind of separates from the colour, so it's more of a fine glitter, which is what happens with the rest of the more shimmery shades.

Bottom row: I hate to say it, but MEH.

 The bottom row is probably going to be the less used end of this palette. The only matte is the fifth one, a light indigo, that's a little chalky. The first and second shades are shimmers, a rose-gold and a bronze colour. These go on light, but can be built;more with the fingers than a brush. The third shade is the big let-down; it looks like a beautiful burgundy in the pan, but swatched is a weak black with red glitter that leaves at the first swipe of a brush. The fourth, a satin lilac is also too light, and the last shade is this amazing navy shimmer in the pan, but isn't pigmented enough. Big womp-womp for the burgundy and navy. I had high hopes for those guys.

So all in all, not a total bust. I essentially wanted this for the matte neutrals, and they are the best ones. They work wonderfully together and blend like a dream. The darker colours just don't work very well. Although if you really pack them on, maybe use some Fix+ they'll behave. I still love this palette for what it is. And considering it's sold out on the website (and the price is back up to $20) I'm glad I purchased it. 

I think I might order some more from BH Cosmetics. The Dark Rose, Wild Child, and Forever Nude palettes look really pretty. 

NEXT WEEK: Julep's Sweep Photogenic Palette. Be prepared for the obsession that is Julep.

***Nik's Bits***

-Christmas is in full swing in my house. Which means I've put a whole box of candy canes on the tree, and only three remain. Thanks kids.

-My husband and I made the dumb decision to go Black Friday shopping (sorry, I made the decision. He drove.) We got to Target at 10 am with smiles and hot coffee and left with NOTHING I had hoped to buy. We still got some good deals, but the craziness that was running through that store was not worth it. Cyber Monday next year.

-My skin is acting horrible. I'm getting dry flaky patches on my chin and cheeks, around my nose. Time for a new winter moisturizer. And tons of Lypsyl. Best lip balm EVAR.