Everyone has a feature that they are known for or that they enjoy featuring. Honestly, mine seems to be my hair and according to some, my behind as it never, ever goes away, no matter how much weight I gain or lose. But when it comes to my face, my eyes are the things that I enjoy playing up the most. I know that my eyes are big and very noticeable. Along with some other reasons, they’ve always been the thing I’ve been ok spending more money on makeup for. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten more creative with color and styling them. Along with that, I have learned what works and what doesn’t. Thanks to learning more about skincare and makeup, I’ve become very fussy about what I’m willing to spend my makeup on. Sure an eyeshadow palette might have some really fun colors, but honestly, 1. am I going to wear them? and 2. are they going to wear well? So stick around if you want to know some of my favorite eyeshadow palettes, mascaras, eyeliners and other products.
I guess my first introduction to eyeshadow came because of dance when some blue eyeshadow was smeared across my eyelids to match my red lipstick. At that point, that was the only color that I was aware it came in. My Mother didn’t wear blue eyeshadow but I wasn’t aware of any other color that she wore. As I got older, I was aware of different colors and that there was browns and lighter colors. Why would you want to wear brown when you could wear blues or other fun colors? My teen years of dance kicked in and not only were brown eyeshadows required as well as that red lipstick, but false eyelashes were required. I had never wore them in my life. I can’t remember who put on my first pair but it didn’t take long for me to get into putting them on myself. Soon I was the one arriving 3 hours early to my high school musical performances to put fake eyelashes on for all the other girls in the cast. I was hooked.
These days, fake eyelashes only come into play generally for high end events like weddings and new year’s eve parties. I still love playing with them. It wasn’t until a couple years ago when my makeup addiction kicked in that I started becoming aware of good eye makeup. Now I am fully hooked. I have my “basic work palettes” and I have my fun “weekend palettes”. I also can’t live without mascara and eyeliner. This is a whole thing. Also, some of these photos are of my own personal palettes that have been loved and used often. So no judgement. So let’s go!
Eye Primers
Up until a year ago, I thought Eye Primers were a complete waste of money. I had heard that concealer did the same thing: creating an even, smooth base to start applying your makeup to. And for a long time, that worked. But last year, I had to buy some new neutral colored palettes to have for work. One of them happened to come along with an eye primer. I gave it a shot and found that in my work environment with grease, moisture and mask wear, it really did lock in my eye look. Lorac Eyeshadow Primer held up even better then Jason Wu’s eye primer, which was highly touted online. I just bought my second tube of it and use it every single day. A little bit goes a long way too so you don’t have to load up on this.
Eyeshadow Palettes
There’s gonna be a few here as this is truly my favorite makeup item. As mentioned, I have a few palettes that are really my “fun ones” with brighter colors and textures such as shimmers, metallic and glitters. And then there are my subdued “basic girl” ones that are tried and true for the normal work day or event that requires more of a casual/natural look.
Lorac Pro Palette 2 was the one purchased last year for work that came with the eye primer. Truth be told, this is not a complete “work appropriate” palette. You’ve got a gorgeous navy blue and some other gorgeous shades as well. But there is enough of a balance for this to be perfect for a multi-purpose palette. If you are looking for a palette to venture out of your traditional ways of browns, greys and beiges, this is a great starter. The formulas are gorgeous on these! These blend so amazingly well. There is a bit of kick back when dipping your brush into these, meaning some that powders off.
Elf The New Classic’s was my other one that was purchased for work last year and has always stepped up to the plate for a basic palette. Honestly, the green color has been used multiple times, not for work but for fun. But this is another one that has multi-use when you want to venture into different colors. It’s inexpensive, multi functional and holds up for a nice period of time.
On the opposite end of that spectrum, if you want shades that are going to punch you in the face with pigment, color and formula, then Colourpop is a brand you want to cozy up to. This brand literally comes up with palettes on a monthly, if not sometimes weekly basis. My first dive into this brand was their “Limoncello” palette this summer.
The colors on this palette were so bright, fun and perfect for summer. The color and pigment on these was out of this world! So much so that I got compliments when I went out with these on. If you like more demure colors, you can definitely check out some of their other collections. But man these are fun!
Another palette or should I say, collection that was brought to my attention was one from Physicians Formula. Most of us knew this brand when we were younger as the one that had those fun pearly beads or the pretty mixed color pots. I never bought from them because they were a bit higher then my price range and honestly, I didn’t even know what to do with those pretty, sparkly things. But recently, they have upped their game with their cosmetics and skin care options. Their Butter Bronzer has become a Beauty Industry favorite with millions swearing by it. They followed up with other items, including a Butter line including highlighters, eyeshadows and blushes just to name a few. Physicians Formula even put out of a line of Bronzers called “Cheat Day” ones that honestly I’ve been dying to get my hands on. But when Tati Westbrook, my Beauty Guru who I have learned so much from, reviewed the Ultimate Butter Collection on her channel, I was sold. It was all of these amazing products in one!
Now to be honest, this thing looks super cheap. The pink plastic case reminds you of Barbie makeup sets I got when I was little. Or cheap makeup collections that were put together by department stores. But don’t let that case fool you. What is inside is absolute magic. While this set includes lipglosses, blushes, bronzers and highlighters, it’s the eyeshadows that get used the most in my world. Some of them are a little chunky as far as texture, but they blend really nicely and stand out on the eyes. Additionally, while I’m not one to be easily seduced by smells, the entire Butter collection has a light coconut fragrance that isn’t overwhelming but just gives you a hint of that “I’m on vacation vibe”. I could rave on and on about the blushes, bronzers and highlighters but I’ll save that for my face makeup review. 🙂 The only catch to this product is that it is very hard to find. I had success of Amazon but you aren’t going to see it in most stores. It is also available on PhysiciansFormula.com.
There are a few other palettes I have tried and enjoyed but I’m not going to include them on here right now because they are either no longer available or I’m still trying them and haven’t formed a solid opinion. But my last one is the Holy Grail. The one that has been the most versatile, provided me with the most options, the most consistent in quality and blendability. This one allows me to use it for work and for play, with colors that allow you to go from day to night. I’m on my second one of these because I have not only hit pan but used it into it’s expiration date (which is two years after you buy it). Jaclyn Hill’s Palette that she produced through Morphe is my absolute go to palette.
So who is Jaclyn Hill? She’s a Beauty Influencer that has been a mainstay on the YouTube beauty scene for quite some time now. She has been another major contributor to my makeup education and learning about products. I can confidently say that I use this palette EVERY. SINGLE. DAY in some way, shape or form. I have even got my friends to purchase this one as it is so versatile in its use. The blendability of these is soooo good and the pigment is absolutely amazing. Plus, the color range works for every season with the versatility of the shades. I will continue to buy this palette until it goes out of production.
Eyeliners
Ok so this is the eye product that I am the toughest critic of. The one that I have extremely high standards for. I remember being young and seeing Madonna’s “Take a Bow” music video and wishing that my eyes looked like her. As I went into my teen years, I realized that it was eyeliner that was making the difference. I started wearing it but quickly learned the massive downfall of eyeliner: once you start wearing it, it’s really hard to stop. Why? Because then you get comments from people of, “are you sick?” or “You look terrible, are you ok?”. So eyeliner has been a mainstay since then. And my standards for my must have product are REALLY, REALLY HIGH.
I’ve tried several eyeliners that were supposed to be amazing and outstanding. But the one that I grabbed on a whim has been the one that still impresses me every single day. Revlon’s has a felt tip, is waterproof, doesn’t run, and lasts my entire day without budging. Everyone sleeps on this eyeliner. It hasn’t made any Beauty Influencer’s
“Best of” or “Must Have” videos that I follow. I actually feel like I’ve found this amazing beauty product secret that I am happy to share with you!
If you are someone who is intimidated by felt tip eye liner or marker ones, might I suggest a Kohl liner? This usually have a very good oil content so they smudge and go on smoothly. The one I have from Elf is perfect for liner my waterline (the part that sticks out from your eyelid that actually hits your eyeballs). It takes a bit to get comfortable with this but it definitely makes a difference. I use the Revlon for my actual lid and the Elf one for my waterline. These two are by far my Ride or Die eyeliner products.
Mascaras
I’ve gone through a lot of mascaras over the years. From my first pink and green tube of Maybelline’s Fresh Lash Mascara to the orange bullet design of Cover Girl’s Lash Blast mascara, I have made my way around the drugstore’s choices of the famous black eye enhancer. I’ve tried expensive ones and I’ve tried cheap as can be ones. But for right now, I have found my favorites and what really seems to make my thin, sad eyelashes pop.
Essence Cosmetics has risen through the ranks to join some of the major cosmetic lines at drug stores. Their products have proven that they are contenders in the arena but it’s their mascaras that really came to play with the big boys. While many of them are good in their own right, it’s the Essence Volume Stylist Mascara that is the home run winner of their line up. The extension, the volume and the lengthening quality of this mascara is out of this world. While it says it’s 18 hour and it does truly last a long time, it is not waterproof.
If you are looking for a long lasting, waterproof mascara, look no further then Loreal’s Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara. This formula is to die for. It’s thick, rich, waterproof and lasts for hours. This never flakes, never rubs off but does come off with makeup remover. I tried it after Lash Paradise, which was another winner for a long time and it kicked that to the curb.
While this isn’t a “mascara” per say, it is a product that is going to get even more out of the mascaras listed above. The Lancome Cils Booster XL Super Enhancing Primer ended up in my house as a sample from an hour with Ulta. I tried it, hesitantly, because I’ve never been one to really buy in to Mascara Primers. Like, just buy a better mascara. Usually, they make your lashes clumpy and tarantula looking which to me, isn’t really my style. But this stuff… is a GAME CHANGER. It has made me look like I’m wearing false lashes some days. The addition of that before my mascara has now become a step in my day to day routine. And I just purchased a full size of this after using up every ounce of that tester.
Brows
Do I have a go to brow product? Point blank, no. I started using a dark brown shade in my Jaclyn Hill palette a while ago as my brow product and honestly, it works for me. I don’t need gel or a separate product.
If you’d like to see some makeup tutorials or more makeup products, let me know! It’s a love that has just come about in the last few years and really lets me explore my artistic side. And honestly, it’s just so much fun! As in my skin care post, do I expect anyone to run right out and buy all of these? No. But maybe it’ll open your eyes to try something new and fun!