Swatch & Review: Julep Orbital Eyshadow in Borealis

If you saw my swatch &review post last month for Julep's Orbital shadow in Supernova, you already know I LOVE these shadows! So, naturally, when they released a couple new colors this month I had to pick one up:-) I decided to get Borealis, which was described as charcoal with peacock shimmer.

Gorgeous!!

It was really hard for me to pick up the color shift in this shadow with my camera, but basically it is a deep charcoal base and, depending how the light hits it and how much light you have, will reflect with green, turquoise, or blue shimmers. REALLY stunning stand-alone shadow! In the swatches above the first swatch is 1 layer dry, the second is 2 layers dry, and the third is 1 layer wet.

Just like with the Supernova shadow, I do recommend using a flat shader brush to apply this. It's the best way to pick the shadow up. The shadow is super sparkly, so you will want to use a base and do your eyes before the rest of your makeup to clean up the fallout easily.

Overall, I am in love with these Orbital shadows and HIGHLY recommend picking some up if you like sparkle and unique colors!

Here is a look I did last week with this shadow:-)

Review: Julep Orbital Eyeshadow in Supernova

I got this shadow in my December Julep Maven box. These shadows are new to Julep this month, and come in 6 shades(although they are coming out with two new shades next month, so stay tuned for that!) These shadows come packaged in a sleek black case with a decent sized mirror inside.

Here's what the Julep site claims:
"Our multidimensional eyeshadow with triple the pigment for intense brightness, incredible stamina, and endless looks."
"• Uses iridescent pearls and vibrant metallic pigments to create an effortless, multidimensional eye look
• Blends the color payoff of a cream shadow and the layering power of a powder"

Here's my experience:
~ Definitely multidimensional! This shade in particular can look plum, charcoal, teal, or a combination of the three depending on what angle the light is hitting it from and how much light is hitting it.

~ The staying power is really good. The longest I've worn it so far is about 7 hours and had no fading or creasing whatsoever.

~ It is possible to get a variety of looks from this depending on how much you layer it. However, you're not going to get "the color payoff of a cream shadow" unless you use it wet(which I highly recommend doing for maximum color and shimmer payoff, and to minimize fallout).

~ You really have to use a primer under it, because it is very shimmery/sparkly it needs something to stick to to minimize fallout.

~ You need to use a flat shader brush or something with some density to it in order to pick the shadow up. If you use a brush that is too round or fluffy you will only pick up the top layer of sparkle and not much(or any really) of the base shadow.

~ You need to sort of swirl your brush in the shadow a little to pick up all of the pigment. If you just dab or pat the shadow, again, you will only pick up the top layer of shimmer.

Here are some swatches!

These swatches are over Avon eyeshadow primer in Light Beige.

The first and third swatch in each picture are dry. The first is 2 layers of the shadow, and the third is just 1 layer. The middle swatch in each pic is 2 layers of the shadow applied wet.

You can see that the color looks different depending on the light. In the first swatch there was bright light hitting the shadow directly, which picks up a lot of the teal shimmers and charcoal undertone and you kind of just catch a hint of the plum. In the second swatches there is a little less direct light, so the shadow shows a little more plum but you still pick up a lot of the teal shimmer as well. In the last swatches there is dim light and the shadow shows as a very sparkly plum.

Overall, I really love this shadow. The multidimensional tones and sparkle factor are SO pretty. I like that it can be used wet or dry, and that it has good staying power. There is definitely fallout with a shadow this shimmery, so do your eye makeup first when you use these so that you can clean it up before applying the rest of your makeup.

If you are not a fan of glitter you're not going to like these shadows. If you are a fan though(like me!), definitely give these Orbital shadows a try:-)

New Avon True Color 8-in-1 Palettes! Swatch & Review

Avon recently launched 3 new 8-in-1 palettes in their True Color range. I picked up 2 of them, the neutral and the purpley palettes:-) All of the swatches below are over the Avon eyeshadow primer in Light beige.

This first one is the Not So Neutral palette:

Top Row: The first shadow is a matte vanilla. This one is a little powdery, but the pigmentation is pretty good. This will make a good base color all over the lid, and brow bone highlight shade. The second shade is a matte beige. Great pigmentation! This will make a good all over lid color, or crease/transition color. The third shade is a dove grey with a satin finish. There is a slight hint of warm golden-champagne sheen to this shadow that looks so much prettier on the lid than it does in the pan. The pigmentation of this is pretty good as well. The last color in the top row is a metallic light taupe. Again, pretty good pigmentation. This will make a really pretty all over the lid color as well. Bottom Row: The first color is a shimmery gold. I feel like the pigmentation of this shadow is just okay, and the application is a little patchy. It really has to be built up to get solid, even gold. The second shadow is a metallic bronze. This shadow has pretty good pigmentation and application. The third shadow is a matte plum-burgundy. This shadow has good pigmentation, and blends well. I was very happy to see this color in here instead of a dark brown. It keeps this palette from being your typical neutral palette! The last color in the palette is a matte black. When I initially swatched this without primer it was a soft black and not too intense. As soon as I put it over primer though, It was BLACK! A little goes a long way:-)

And here is the Plum Essentials palette:

Top Row: The first shadow is a vanilla with a satin finish. There are some really pretty lavender colored micro-fine shimmers throughout this shadow, but you really have to build the shadow up to get the full effect of them. The pigmentation of this shadow is just okay. The second shadow is a pale icy lavender with a shimmer finish. The pigmentation of this shadow is pretty light, but buildable. The third shadow is a soft golden-taupe with a metallic finish. Again, the pigmentation is a little lackluster. I can work with it, but it really needs a primer/base and needs to be built up. The last shadow in this row has the best pigmentation, but is the weirdest color? In the pan looks like a shimmery moss green. On the skin it is a deep muddy brown, with very fine brassy colored shimmer. Bottom Row: The first shadow is a matte pale pink. The pigmentation of this shadow is pretty good. The color is so light though that it hardly shows up on my skin. The second shade is a shimmery silver. The pigmentation is a lot like the gold from the Not so Neutral palette. A little patchy and needs to be built up. The third shadow is a matte rosey-taupe. This color was my favorite in the pan, unfortunately the pigmentation is so weak that I REALLY had to pack it on to get a ho-hum swatch. The last shadow is a pretty vibrant purple. In the right light you can see a hint of micro-fine blue-violet shimmers in this shadow, but they don't show up at all on the skin so I'm going to consider this a matte shadow. The pigmentation of this color is pretty good!

Overall, I definitely prefer the Not So Neutrals to the Plum Essentials palette. The pigmentation is pretty good across the board and there is a good mix of light, mid-tone, and dark shades, as well as mattes and shimmers. The Plum Essentials palette is really hit and miss. Some colors are good, while others require a lot of building and blending. There also isn't a great range of tones, all of the colors are either really pale or really dark. This one definitely lacks in mid-tones.

If you are wanting to try one of these palettes, I would say go with the Not So Neutral. You won't be disappointed!

Swatch and Review: Avon Eye Dimensions Eyeshadow Pt.2!

So, I loved the first two Eye Dimensions palettes that I picked up so much that over the last month I have picked up the other four! Here they are:

*side note: all swatches are dry, over bare skin

Sultry Smoke is a great neutral trio for doing a shimmering smokey eye. The top shade is a metallic silvery white with very fine silver glitters throughout. This shadow is pretty well pigmented and blends very easily. The middle shade is a shimmery taupe with tons of fine silver glitter throughout. The pigmentation of this shade is very good, and it blends really well. The bottom shadow is a matte black. It does seem like there is a tiny bit of shimmer to it, but that blends out on the skin leaving a matte finish. The pigmentation is decent, and it builds up and blends very easily.

Neutral Haze is also a gorgeous neutral palette for anyone that loves their brown shadows. The top shade is the same as the top shade from the Sultry Smoke trio, that shimmering, sparkly, silvery white. The middle shade is a beautiful metallic soft mauve. Excellent pigmentation and blendability! The bottom shade is a deep shimmering chocolate brown with fine bronze glitters throughout. Again, excellent pigmentation and blendability.

Bronze Star is such a fun palette! The top shade is a shimmery soft golden yellow with tons of fine golden glitters throughout. The pigmentation of this one is a little light but it almost suits it to not be heavily pigmented, it gives it a slightly ethereal feel:-) It builds and blends well. The middle shade is a metallic golden fern green. Excellent pigmentation and blends well. The bottom shade is metallic golden bronze. Again, excellent pigmentation and blends really well.

Diamante Purple is the only one of these palettes that I was not terribly impressed with. The top shade was impossible for me to pick up accurately with my camera. In the palette it looks like a shimmery white base shadow with a ton of fine silver and holographic glitters in it(only the silver glitter would pick up with my camera, so you will just have to imagine the swatch above having twice as much shimmer!). The texture of the shadow is drier than the rest of the shadows from this collection, and somehow it actually applies transparent? It's hard to see in the pic above but virtually none of the white from the base shadow shows up, so you just end up with a lot of sparkle and no actual color. I think this shadow will work great as one of those new sparkle overlay/topcoat type shadows that I've been seeing popping up all over the place, but if you are looking for that white base to translate to the eye it's not going to happen. The middle shade is this amazing shimmery medium violet with a slight pink shift in the pan. Unfortunately, this shadow is a little on the dry side too. It does show up true to color on the skin, but you really have to build it up to get the intensity you see in the pan. The bottom is a deeper shimmering violet with tons of fine purple sparkle throughout. Again, a little on the dry side so it has to be blended and built up a bit to get that same pan intensity. Even though this is my least favorite of the six, I did get an idea while swatching this for an easy sparkly purple smokey eye tutorial. So keep an eye out for that!:-)

All in all, I really love the colors in these Eye Dimensions palettes. The metallic shades are a dream to work with, buttery smooth and great pigmentation!

Swatch & Review: Avon Eye Dimensions Eyeshadow- Khaki Chic and Sweetheart Plum

First, let me start this off by saying that I'm in LOVE with these little palettes! They are chock full of shimmery, glittery goodness, and I really just can't get enough of them(I have two more on the way). That being said, if you are a matte shadow girl these are not going to be your cup of tea.

The pigmentation of both of these palettes is really good. The staying power is also really good. The fallout factor is pretty high, so I would recommend (1)using an eyeshadow primer, (2)patting the shadows on, as opposed to using sweeping motions, and (3) doing your eye makeup first so that you can wipe any fallout away before applying your foundation etc.

Here is the Khaki Chic palette:

Khaki Chic is a very sparkly neutral palette. The top shade is a metallic soft gold. The texture is very soft, almost creamy, and it blends really well. The middle shade is a shimmery golden taupe with with fine golden glitter throughout. This one has a slightly drier texture, but still blends really well. The bottom shade is shimmering deep khaki green with fine golden glitter throughout. It has the same texture as the middle shade, and blends really well. Again, excellent pigmentation for all three shades.

Here is the Sweetheart Plum:

Sweetheart Plum is more of a warm toned purple palette. The top shade is a super pale matte mauve base with micro-fine golden shimmers throughout. The texture is a little on the dry/powdery side, but it still blends well. Even though it's technically not matte, the shimmers are so small that they practically disappear on the skin making it a nearly matte shadow. The middle shade is really hard to explain, kind of a shimmery rose gold/soft plum duochrome with fine golden glitter throughout. It's very sparkly, and blends out well. The bottom shade is a metallic plum. Absolutely gorgeous! This is one of my favorite purple palettes that I have ever owned!

I haven't tried these shadows wet yet, but given the excellent pigmentation and high shimmer factor I feel like they would be amazing used wet!

Have you guys tried any of these Eye Dimensions shadows yet? What do you think?

Here are a couple of looks that I have done with these palettes:

Swatches: Avon Ultra Color Absolute Lipsticks

I only have a couple of these, but I did a get a few samples too. Another Avon rep did a really good swatch video on YouTube, so I will post that at the end of this post so you can see all of the colors:-)

Here are the swatches:

This one is Caramel Comfort. It is a light beige nude, with medium coverage. This one went on pretty evenly and has a nice balm-like texture to it.

Creamy Melon is a pretty, bright peach shade. I love the color of this lipstick, although, I did feel like it clung to dry patches on my lips and went on a tiny bit streaky.

Pink Renewal is a very pale creamy pink. This was honestly the least favorite for me because it just didn't look good with my skin tone and washed me out a little. This one also seemed to cling to dry patches.

The next two colors are so similar in person that I honestly had a hard time telling them apart until I put the pictures side by side. The one on the left is Tender Mauve, and on the right is Ripe Rose.

Tender Mauve is a nice, light, neutral beige-y pink. This will be a good nude pink for anyone with fair to light/medium skin tones.

Ripe Rose is really similar to Tender Mauve, just a couple shades darker. This one is my favorite. It's a great nude pink for me, and probably will be for anyone with light to medium skin tones.

Radiant Raisin is a really pretty dark berry shade. This is a great color for this time of the year!

Here is Lorena's video of all of the swatches if you want to check out the rest of the shades:

More Avon Extra Lasting Eyeshadow Pencil Swatches!

I tried a couple of these shadow pencils when they first came out and absolutely LOVED them! So I got a couple more...and then a couple more...and then the rest of them, lol:-) So here are the swatches of the last 6 colors I bought. I really cannot say enough good things about these! They are great stand alone shadows, blend really well, and make excellent long wearing shadow bases for your powder shadows.

Aquamarine is a shimmery deep aqua color. Very dense, rich pigmentation for this color! If you follow me on Facebook you can see this color used in my sugar skull makeup for Halloween as the petals around my eyes(sidenote: I also used the Extra Lasting shadow pencil in Black Diamond all over the eye and layered colors from the True Color quad in Purple Pop on top, it turned out so good!).

Sapphire is a shimmery deep blue. I really love this one layered with the Purple Pop quad for a bluish-purple eye look.

Amethyst is less purple than I thought it would be, and more like a pretty shimmering mauve.

Smoky Plum is a nice shimmery plum with really good pigmentation.

Crystal Taupe is a light shimmery taupe. This color is a great neutral to have on hand for any skin tone.

Rich Cocoa surprised me when I opened and saw that it was actually matte! This neutral chocolate brown is the only one of the shadow pencils that doesn't have any shimmer to it.

I hope Avon expands this line and brings out more colors, and more matte shades!

Swatches: Avon True Color Eyeshadow Duos

Warm Cashmere is a perfect duo for everyday wear, with a little liner smudged into the upper lash line and a couple coats of mascara it looks great with any lip color! The lighter shade is called Peach and is a sheer shimmery light golden peach shade. It can be built up easily for a more opaque finish and blends easily. The darker color is Iced Coffee, this shade is a shimmery warm beige and is a bit more pigmented than the Peach shade. Blends very well.

Burgundy Berry is a nice shimmery muted plum duo. The lighter shade is Nude, this color is hard to describe- sort of a shimmery pale mauve beige. The pigmentation and blending of this shade is excellent. The darker shade is Silver Plum and is perfectly named because it is a gorgeous shimmering silvery plum color. Again great pigmentation and blends nicely. I love this duo on my hazel eyes, it really brings out the green!

Avon Ultra Color Lipstick Swatches- Roses/Peaches

Demure is a light peachy nude with a creme finish.

Silky Peach is a shimmery peach shade.

Sheer Nectar is a soft coral with a hint of shimmer.

Enduring Sable is a shimmery orange with fine golden glitter. This one you can kind of feel the glitter on your lips, and it will leave golden glitter behind when you wipe it off.

Frozen Rose is a light sheer shimmery pink, with golden shimmer.

Toasted Rose is a light neutral pink with a creme finish. This pink will look good on anyone.

Rosewine is a peachy pink with a satin finish.

Spiced Apricot is a soft peachy red with a satin finish.

Berry Bright is a bright berry pink with a satin finish.

Avon Ultra Color Lipstick Swatches- Nudes/Browns

Blush Nude is a warm nude pink with a creme finish.

Canela Nacar is a shimmery nude.

Bronze Treasure is a medium warm brown with fine bronze shimmer in it.

Cashmere is a warm medium nude with a satin finish.

Rich Plum is a chocolate-y brown with a hint of plum, and a satin finish.

Brown Suede is a milk chocolate brown with a satin finish.

Rich Chocolate is a shimmery chocolate brown with fine silver glitter in it. This one you can actually feel the glitter on your lips when you rub them together, and when you wipe it off it will leave silver glitter behind.

Buttered Rum is a warm reddish brown with a satin finish.

Iced Cocoa is a warm chocolate brown with a shimmery finish.

Deluxe Chocolate is a deep chocolate brown with a satin finish. This one looks kind of scary in the tube because it's so dark, but it actually ended up being one of my favorite shades. I think if you like vampy looks this will look amazing for a Fall vamp lip.

Avon Ultra Color Lipstick Swatches- Pinks

Proper Pink is a very pale, cool toned pink with a creme finish.

Twinkle Pink is a light neutral pink with a hint of shimmer.

Carnation is a light peachy pink with a satin finish.

Tender Kiss is a medium peachy pink with a shimmery finish.

Country Rose is similar to Tender Kiss, just a couple shades darker.

Pink Dream is a medium neutral pink with a shimmery finish.

Hibiscus is a bright coral-y pink with a creme finish.

Beyond Pink is a bright medium warm pink with a satin finish.

Fuchsia Fever is a fuchsia with fine fuchsia shimmer in it.

Hot Pink is just what the name implies, a hot pink with a creme finish.