Every year at Christmas I get lots of new makeup products and for the past couple months I have been testing out what I got. My haul this year included some higher end products along with some drugstore items, some good and some not so good. I am going to give you my review on a few of these products and my one hundred percent honest opinion to help you ladies save money.
ColourPop
Let’s start with my favorite, the Kathleen Lights collaboration with Colourpop. This eye shadow palette is $16 dollars and totally worth it! The shade range is phenomenal. It has transitions, shimmers, and pops of colors, which is the perfect range for every girl who loves playing with makeup! The matte shades blend perfectly. The only issue I came across was some of the shimmers did not adhere to my lid as well as I thought they would. They worked best when applied with a glitter glue. Other than some pigmentation issues this palette is the only palette I’ve been reaching for lately!
Rating: 5 stars
Tarte
My family knows they can always please me with a gift from Tarte. This year I received the Tarte Pro Glow To Go highlight contour palette which retails for $23. I love this palette! The two highlight shades are incredible! One is a gold shimmer with a champagne undertone and the other is more of a white shade with a champagne undertone. The formula is smooth and applies easily to the skin without enhancing texture. The last shade in the palette is a contour shade. It is a little dark so be sure to use a light hand! The shade looks great on my complex, so if you have a fair skin tone like me, be sure to try this out! I know with its compact size, it will be perfect when traveling!
Rating: 3 ½ stars
TooFaced
I also got a few TooFaced Melted Latex lipsticks which sell for about $10 each. I had three shades to try and honestly, I’m on the fence with these. The burgundy and light pink shades have a very sticky formula that was uncomfortable on my lips. They were super pigmented, but I wasn’t happy with how my lips felt throughout the day. The berry pink shade however, was not as sticky as the others. I was unsure if the others were messed up or some were sticker than others. I don’t find myself reaching for these at all in my collection. I would recommend skipping these and purchasing the TooFaced original liquid lips.
Rating: 2 stars
I have another TooFaced product to try, this one was the Chocolate Bonbons Palette (retail $49). This launched a couple of years ago, but I’ve always wanted to get my hands on it. I have not been impressed with the palettes this brand has been launching lately; I have found they do not have the same level of pigmentation as the original Chocolate Bar. The shade range in this palette has also been inspiration to me and has not failed me yet. It is very light and girly. I can use it for an everyday look but also transform it into a night look. Definitely worth the purchase!
Rating: 4 stars
Benefit
The last product I received was from Benefit. It was a kit featuring samples of the Dandelion Collection. It includes Dandelion Dew, a liquid blush; Shy Beam, a liquid highlight; and a setting powder. Overall, I was not impressed with these products. I have the Benefit High Beam highlighter and am in love with it, but the Shy Beam did not perform as well. I loved it upon initial application, but then realized that it seemed to remove the makeup I had underneath. As for the setting powder, it had a light shimmer in it and it did not look well on the skin. The shimmer left a cast on the skin that was extremely noticeable. The blush however, was nice. I have never been a fan of liquid blush, but this would make me want to use it more!
Rating: 3 ½ stars
I hope this product review helps you girls figure out what you may or may not want to spend your money on! I loved having the chance to play with these products for the past months. I normally spend my time using the same makeup with every look I create. It was nice to be able to have a change, even if some of the products didn’t work out. My goal is to help you save money in the future!