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. 

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. 

Bee Stings and Lipstick

Ahh, summer. Time for sun, friends, and annoying stinging insects. Yep, I've got myself a lovely bee sting. The last time I had one, I was 9 and playing baseball when I fell and my hand landed on one. A traumatic experience, I assure you. One that came rushing back to me this afternoon. I'm wearing a really pretty sundress, quite proud of the fact that it's not gathering and rolling in places due to my sometimes strict workout. I felt something on my back, underneath my dress, so I naturally go to scratch my back. Until I feel an excruciating sting. I swear I lost my eyesight for a fraction of a second. Yes, that's dramatic, but I'm allowed to be, I GOT STUNG BY A BEE!!! So I hike my dress up in the bathroom mirror, and sure enough, there's a couple of angry red welts on my back. I thought bees could only sting once before they die. Apparently I got the over-achieving one of the hive. Needless to say, when I saw him writhing around on the ground near where I had been standing, I quickly put him out of his misery. Now I'm waiting for someone to check for a stinger. How exciting. This day is getting better by the minute. Oh, did I mention I'm on vacation? It's only a 3-day-weekend thing away from the current events at home, but this is not what I imagined. Thankfully my kids are with me, whining and fighting all day. I don't want to get too spoiled.

FYI That NYC Expert Last lipstick in 'Smooch' looks amazing on top of NYX's lip liner in 'Nude Pink'. It's my new favourite thing in life. Topped with Julep's lip gloss in 'Charming'? Ugh. Don't even. LOVE. Pure love. I'm also trying out Maybelline's 'The Falsies' waterproof mascara. So far I'm liking it. It does plump up my lashes. I'm going river-tubing tomorrow, so we shall see how the waterproof claims hold up.