Too Faced x Kat Von D Better Together Ultimate Eye Collection Review

Hello friends. Of course one of my last purchases of 2016 had to be this exclusive collaboration between Too Faced and Kat Von D. When I first heard about the collaboration through the beauty community, I couldn't have been more excited. I recently immersed myself in the Kat Von D Beauty world and instantly fell in love. I so far have been loving anything from her brand, and to see her collab with another beauty brand, made me love her that much more. It's rare to see two brands merge together, considering they're technically competing against each other. 

The edgy bold-ness of Kat Von D Beauty meets the bubbly, pink and pretty style of Too Faced. It's perfectly captured in this awesome dual palette. I absolutely love that the palette is stuck together magnetically, and can be separated easily into two. 

The Too Faced side came with 6 eyeshadow shades featuring 2 mattes and 3 shimmery ones. Also, you get a full sized Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara! The mascara itself is already $30 regular price, so that almost covers about half the price of the set! 

I adore the gold accent on the pink packaging. 

I haven't used a Too Faced palette in a long long time, considering I own two of them. I recall loving the formula of the eyeshadows, but this one was.. okay.

The thing that I was disappointed with was the mattes. They were very dry and chalky, and I definitely don't see myself using the pink eyeshadow. The shade that had the best colour payoff was "friendspiration" which was a very pretty copper bronze. Heart of Gold was a second favourite, an absolutely pretty bright  pale yellow gold. From what I remember, my Too Faced palettes used to be my favourite, so it was a bit disappointing to see that this one was a bit of a downer. 

Being a new KVD Beauty enthusiast, I was most excited about this side of the collection. I actually purchased the Kat Von D Shade + Light eye palette at IMATS, and have yet to swatch it or use it. LOL. Yeah, it sometimes takes me a while to find time to play with my makeup. What I love most about this side is the versatility in the shades, and the fact it came with a full size of my new holy grail eyeliner. I get compliments everytime I do a winged liner, because this eyeliner does the job so well. 

The signature silver on black. I can spot a Kat Von D product from a mile away.

I noticed on the palette that it said "Vol. 1" as in volume 1. Should we expect another collaboration in the near future??

I live for these shades. The red is kind of out there, and a bit out of place, but I will try to make it work because of how pretty it is. 

The Kat Von D eyeshadows hit it out of the ballpark for me. The colour payoff was amazing, and the matte shades had depth and rarely needed effort to get a good swipe. The stars of this side were definitely darling, swoon and devotion. I have never seen a black eyeshadow so black. Swoon was gorgeous, but I just need to find a way to use it without making my eyes look like I have a rash haha.

With both of these palettes swatched side by side, I only see a few colour combinations that could work together, if I were to use both palettes at once. I felt like they should have worked out shades that could literally be "better together". I feel like most people would be using the two palettes as their own, rather than mixing shades from both. 

Overall, I found the palette to be worth it; if you're new to trying both Kat Von D and Too Faced products. The shades aren't that different from previous palettes, so I can see why a lot of people didn't bother to pick this up. Being a make-up hoarder that I am, I love that I own this palette and it's in my collection. It's uniqueness and the whole idea of collaborating has sold me for sure.

What two beauty brands are you hoping will collaborate together one day?

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Sephora Favorites Trending: Beauty's Most Coveted 2016 Review + Swatches

Remember when I said to look forward to more value sets coming up? Well, here we are with another one! Believe me when I say, I'm obsessed with value sets. Let's just say there's a few more reviews coming your way :) 

This has got to be the one I was most excited about. The Sephora Favorites Trending: Beauty's Most Coveted set contains 12 bestsellers, ranging from a variety of different beauty trends. I love that this set has many different types of items, rather than sticking to one theme. You can create a whole look with this set alone, which could also make a great Christmas gift to those who you may have problems shopping make-up for! I find it hard to pin point a particular make-up product as a gift for someone, so why not purchase a set with a variety of items? 

On the box, the sticker says the set contains $263 values worth of items, for only $90. Now $90 may seem steep for a set with many deluxe items, but there are a few full sized ones too! I will be doing a break down of the value of each item, and we shall see at the end if this set is worth your money. 

Beauty Blender Nude (full size) - $28 value

I love that you get a full sized Beauty Blender with this set. I could always use more Beauty Blenders. I love that it's the nude one as well because my pink Beauty Blenders are super stained, and this one will always look clean when I use it haha.

Foreo Luna Play (full size) - $49 value

As cute as the Foreo Luna Play is, I don't think this product is worth the value at all. Because it's not chargeable, the claims are that you can use it up to 100 uses. I've heard many people say that it works for way less than that, which can be disheartening, considering you're throwing it away once it's dead. I'd be pretty disappointed to throw away $50 after a few uses! I myself own the Foreo Luna Mini 2, and I absolutely LOVE it. Just go for the rechargeable full sized one. Don't waste your time on the play version! I'll probably be saving this for when I go on vacation and want something to use for a week or so, rather than bringing my full sized one.

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder (travel size) - $28 value

The Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder is already one of my holy grail products. I love using this setting powder to bake under my eyes, t-zone area, and to mattify my face. I could build the coverage and it doesn't get cakey at all. This is the travel sized version, which I'm going to love to carry around with me, especially on my long work days. It also came with a puff too, so I don't have to worry about carrying a brush with me. Don't worry about a crazy white cast either, this product does the job, and keeps everything matte for hours.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in "Moonstone" (deluxe size) - $13.14 value

I'm in love with Becca Cosmetics X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop. I actually wanted to try out Moonstone to see how I liked it, so it was a nice surprise to see it in the set. 

Moonstone is a very light pale gold, which may seem a bit chalky on my skin. I'll have to really test it on my face to see how I like it first before giving a full review on the shade. For a first impression though, it's cute, probably will look best on my winter skin since I get a lot lighter.

Glamglow Super Mud Clearing Treatment (deluxe size) - $19.75 value

I was shocked to see that when I did the math for this, the deluxe size is still almost $20. The price for the regular size one is almost $80, so I guess in a way it makes sense. I've been really interested in skin care lately, and Glamglow is definitely one of the brands I've been looking to try. I will probably be doing a review on this in the near future! 

Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in "714" (full size) - $21

This lipstick is described as a matte bright red, and man is it gorgeous. The lipstick glides like a dream, and the colour is very opaque and intense. Even though it's a matte formula, it's not overly drying.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in "Custard" (deluxe size) - $6.55 value

I was pretty sure I did a review on this concealer a while ago, but of course I can't find it in my copious amount of reviews. This used to be one of my favourite concealers to use, but the downside was the price point. 

Cover FX Enhance Click Highlighter in "Bubbly" (full size) - $24

This is actually quite the peculiar product. Apparently this little tube is the full size (it's tiny in person). so it's crazy that it's $24. When swatched, the colour is gorgeous. The only thing with stick highlighters, is that it's always hard to blend. I usually stray away from stick highlighters because I have oily skin, and I tend to cake my face with powder to set everything. My last step is usually my highlighter, and the fact that it's stick makes it difficult to blend out without ruining my foundation.

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Marine Boosting Mist (deluxe size) - $2.88 value

I have yet to try this product yet, but I am quite excited to. I may do a separate review on this once I do try it, to let you guys know my thoughts. It's suppose to be a 4-in-1 mist. It's a setting spray, primer, hydrating mist and skin refresher in one. So many things! 

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in "Trooper" (full size) - $25

Why was this my first time trying this product?? This is one of the best eyeliners I've ever used, hands down. It doesn't smudge at all, and it doesn't get flakey when you want to reapply layer after layer. I'm one of those people who need to make my liner thicker and thicker because I'm terrible at making clean lines. This eyeliner is amazing.

Benefit Ka-BROW Cream-Gel Eyebrow Colour With Brush in "03 Medium" (deluxe size) - $9 value

I've been experimenting a lot with the new Benefit products, and I'm excited to try this one. I've been using the Anastasia brow gel for a while, so this one should be up my alley. The shade does appear to be a lot lighter than what I'm used to, but it should be able to work out okay. 

The Estee Edit The Edgiest Kohl Shadowstick in "Black Viper" (full size) - $26

I honestly thought this was a really big eyeliner pencil, but it turns out to be an eyeshadow stick, eyeliner, and primer in one! It has a built in sharpener at the base, which is amazing, and the versatility of this product makes it definitely a stand out in this set. The black is SUPER dark and very pigmented. I'll probably be using it on days I want striking, dark smoky eyes!

What are your thoughts on Sephora Favorite sets?

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Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip 2016 Review + Swatches

I'm super late with this review, considering you can't purchase this set anymore, but I figured I would do a review on each of the lipsticks anyways, so you can always find them in my Product Directory.

Sometime before fall, Sephora released this super cute lip product set. I am a sucker for value sets, because of course, you get a bunch of items for a great price. Despite getting deluxe samples, these sets are awesome for trying out products before purchasing the full size. If you ever went through my make-up collection, you could see that I have an obsession with deluxe size products. The Sephora Favourites Give Me Some Lip set comes with 6 lip products; 4 being deluxe sized and 2 being full sized. 

Too Faced Melted Chihuahua (deluxe size)

I purchased my first Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick back when it first released, and I did love the formula. This one in particular seemed a bit watery, but it could of been because I didn't shake it up first.

Melted Chihuahua is a dusty mauve that goes great with many skintones.

Lancome Juicy Shaker in "Boom Meringue" (full size)

This was one of the two full sized products in the set. I was actually quite intrigued by the packaging when I first heard of the juicy shaker, so I was happy to see it in the set. The packaging is fun and cute, and the idea of shaking it like a drink shaker made it fun. The product itself, is a bit underwhelming considering there is little to no colour pay off. 

The sweet lemon scent is addicting, while the product felt good on my lips. By itself, it just looks like I applied lip balm. I used this with a lip liner, and though my lips looked great at the beginning of the day, within a few hours, the gloss basically vanished, leaving my lips feeling naked and dry. For $28, it's quite steep, considering there's not much pigmentation to show for. I'll still use it for days I want a little gloss, but for days I need all day shine, I'll pass on this.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in "Rikugien" (deluxe size)

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before, but I hate any sort of "pencil" lipstick. I'm just not a fan of chubby pencils/crayons. I prefer my lipsticks in a tube or as a liquid lipstick. I do enjoy the shade and texture of the NARS Satin Lip Pencil though, so I guess I could look pass my hatred on the lip product type. 

Rikugien is a warm rose pink, with a nice sparkle to it. The product isn't long lasting on the lips, and though it's hydrating at first, as it fades, your lips do feel quite dry.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in "Lovecraft" (deluxe size)

I tried this lipstick previously when I purchased the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick Set back in 2014. The formulas for the Studded Kiss lipsticks are a bit hit or miss; some being more drying than others.

Lovecraft is a gorgeous nude mauve pink, and the product glides on effortlessly. Definitely one of my favourite shades from the Lipstick set from 2014, and one of my favourites from this one as well.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in "Rose" (deluxe size)

I always love receiving these in Sephora's lip sets. They smell amazing. If you're into lemon scents, you will be obsessed with these.

Not only is the formula for these lip balms amazing, but the scent is just, ahhh. So good. It glides on like butter and does a great job moisturizing. I love that there is a hint of colour to brighten up your face on those days you don't want to put much effort into your make-up. 

Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick in "Stepping Out" (full size)

Here is the second full size product, and I couldn't have been happier to see that it was a liquid lipstick. I was looking forward to seeing this in a lip set, since I wanted to try out the formula before making any purchases. To my surprise as well, it would be a full size! Such a great deal considering the whole set itself is $33, and this lip product on its own is $28.

Stepping Out is a very fall appropriate deep nude. I love the pinky/brick/terracotta vibe it has. The formula doesn't feel drying, and it dries fairly quickly. Very comfortable! I will definitely be purchasing more shades, now that I know I love the formula.

Overall, I loved this years Sephora Favourites Give Me Some Lip. It's always a great value, and a great way to try new lip products without breaking the bank! Look forward to the abundance of Sephora gift sets coming out for this fall/holiday season!

If you plan on purchasing anything from Sephora, or from many other awesome online retailers, why not earn cash back while you shop? If you're not already signed up with Ebates, click the link below and start earning 4% cash back at Sephora (sometimes even 8%), or even on Amazon, Forever 21, and more. Honestly, I'm not even getting paid to say this, I just truly believe Ebates offers a great opportunity to get money back on something you do all the time; shop online. So far, I've gotten back $16 in the past 2 months, just buying stuff online. Not to shabby! 

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Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème Review

I like it when I get back into the groove of things, because now there's no stopping me from posting more often! I ordered a bunch of new things from Sephora after recently purchasing this new concealer and a foundation. Today, I'll be sharing my thoughts on the Kat Von D Lock It Concealer Creme. 

The new lock it concealer creme is suppose to be a concealer, and so much more. Besides concealing, it also brightens the under eye, corrects skin discolouration, contours and even bakes. Compared to the other Lock It concealer, this one has a slight gel like consistency, and isn't runny or sticky. One thing I love about Kat Von D Beauty is her detail with packaging. Some companies hit it out of the park with packaging, while many often miss the concept. Kat Von D has highly original, sleek, and unique packaging that is to die for.

It claims to be full coverage, while nourishing skin and being crease proof. 

I really love the doe foot applicator for this concealer. It's flat and flexible, and works well with the shape of your under eye.

It's also angled and not at all stiff, so it curves along the contours of your face.

One thing I disliked about the product was finding the correct shade. I could not, for the life of me, figure out my shade. There is about 21 shades, so I stood in front of the display for at least 30 minutes swatching between multiple medium and neutral shades, trying to figure out what would suit me best. There was at least 5 of them that looked like it could work, so I had to ask a Sephora associate for help, which I personally don't like doing because I like doing things on my own haha. What's awesome about the huge shade line is that there's also a white out shade. Literally a white concealer, that works great for brightening up your face, or even mixing in with a different concealer to lighten the colour! 

Let's talk about the pros first. The concealer has amazing coverage. Absolutely amazing. My blemishes are gone, my dark spots, my dark circles. The colour works well at brightening my under eye without making it too light. It doesn't crease at all either! So what was wrong with it? My face was pretty damn oily at the end of the day. I originally thought it was my foundation that was causing the shine, but it was the concealer. The spots where I put the concealer most on, ended up being quite shiny. Regardless of that problem though, after blotting my face, the concealer stayed put and looked good as new. Most concealers I use would rub off by the end of the night, or the redness of my face would peek through. This concealer literally does not budge, even though my face is seeping in oil underneath. I definitely love the coverage and the durability, but maybe I'll work on baking the areas of my face where I put the most concealer, to set the concealer for the day.

If you have dry/normal skin, this concealer will do wonders for you. As for me and my oily skinned friends, as long as we cake on the setting powder, this stuff will stay put all day. I'm glad I found a concealer that will not fade after a few hours, or rub off after touching my nose constantly. Hopefully for the winter months, the hydrating part of this concealer will do its job in the colder weather!

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