What It Is:

theBalm Meet Matt(e) Eyeshadow Palette

Why This Should Be in Your Bag:

Matte eyeshadows (no shimmer, no sparkle, flat color) are an extremely useful tool. Although they seem rather boring, they add depth and can really make your eyes pop! theBalm is a fave brand of mine, and their eyeshadows always impress me. Therefore, I couldn’t wait to try out their palette filled with nine totally matte eyeshadows!

How To Use It:
To create an eye look with a lot of dimension, you’ll want to start off by applying one of the lighter shades (Matt Smith, Matt Chung) all over your eyelid. Then, add any of the medium-dark shades (Matt Gallagher, Matt Ramirez, Matt Schilling, Matt Patel) to the crease. Lastly, use one of the darkest mattes (Matt McDonald, Matt Horowitz, Matt Batali) to deepen the outer corner. You can also use any of the medium-dark or dark shades as an eyeliner and the lighter shades as an inner corner or browbone highlight. Read More »

What It Is:
Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in 07 Smokey Passion and Rouge Prodige in 131 Passion Rose

Why This Should Be in Your Bag:

I rarely feature collections on In Our Makeup Bag and here’s why: they are big. Most makeup collections have upwards to 10 pieces and that is just too much for this column. On top of that, the quality of all the items is usually so varied that they don’t make for a very coherent review.

Clarins is a fave brand of mine that happens to put out rather modest collections. Their latest holiday fare boasts only three items: a face powder, eye quad and a lipstick. I have both the quad and lipstick to test out, so let’s see how it goes. Read More »

I feel bad for the male gender 90% of the time. Mostly because I see them as the lesser sex..but hey don’t we all? Another reason I feel bad for them is that they don’t get to use make-up. That’s not an airtight statement, but for the most part foundations, shadows and lip shades are left for us girls. But with this great gift of makeup comes great responsibility that some have chosen to abuse.

From the overly excessive smokey eye to some downright weird eyelash extensions, sometimes eye makeup can go way too far. Below are prime examples of those faux-pas… Read More »

What It Is:
Anastasia Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes in Brunette

Why This Should Be in Your Bag:

Eyebrows are probably the most overlooked part of the average woman’s makeup routine. After applying eyeshadow, foundation, lipstick and blush, many girls don’t have the time to fix up their brows too. However, since I started tidying my eyebrows, I’ve noticed that my face looks a lot more “pulled together” and am a total convert to the practice.

Anastasia Soare is Hollywood’s brow guru, grooming the eyebrows of almost every celebrity you can think of. She’s sharing her knowledge with the general public through her cosmetics brand, Anastasia Beverly Hills. I tried out her Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes kit, with a sampling of her best products for grooming your brows and looking wide awake. Read More »

Do you remember getting those gigantic makeup kits for your birthday or a holiday?  You know, the ones with the cheap lipg loss and eyeshadows, and those tiny lip brushes that never seemed to work right.  Well, I recently got a more updated version of that: the NYX Box of Eyeshadows.  It’s more sophisticated and actually practical.  Plus I scored it for twenty bucks on Hautelook!

NYX is a really great brand and is still independently owned by founder Toni Ko, who started it in her 20′s (what have you done with your life?).  It’s definitely a brand worth checking out! While the color pigmentation wasn’t as striking as I hoped for, this still remains a huge addition to my makeup collection.  With 112 colors, it’s a pretty useful palette.  I found that these were best used wet because the color payoff when used dry was a little light.  Adding just a little bit of water to my brush amped these babies right up and gave me the true color that I actually saw in the giant box.

Watch the vid for my full review and an explanation on how you can salvage less pigmented shade! Read More »

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Stay warm with these amazing boots!

[Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review purposes.]

What It Is:
theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 3 Eyeshadow/Eyeliner Palette

Why This Should Be in Your Bag:
Eyeshadow is an essential for any makeup junkie. Whether you’re all about neutrals or crazy for colors, it’s a great way to enhance your natural beauty and have fun with makeup! I also love the versatility of a shadow that can be used both wet and dry, making it a liner too! And getting a bunch of colors in one handy little package offers not only an array of options, but a really good deal too!

As for this particular product, well, the colors are awesome, the quality even better, and theBalm always has fun, cute packaging and names that make their products even more appealing. According to theBalm: “These nine beautiful shades tucked inside a cute giraffe-print palette can be used wet or dry and can be combined or worn individually for an endless variety of looks.” Read More »

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Touch screen friendly gloves. A must have.

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[Is it just me or is there another “revolutionary” new makeup product introduced every freaking day?! Just walking into Ulta or Sephora (or even Walgreens!) sends many chicas into fits of hysteria, reaching for the nearest brown bag to regulate their breathing. It’s all so overwhelming.

So how can you know which product – among the sea of thousands – is the best? Which does what you need it to do? Which ones are worth the extra money? Let me help. I don’t know every beauty product out there, but I’ve tested a lot of them and I’ll let you know which are worth the money and which are not.]

(Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review purposes)

What it is: Jemma Kidd Make Up School Crushed Jewel Creme Duo in 04 Black Diamond

Why this should be in your bag: This versatile little product is perfect for taking you from day to night. It contains a satiny, cream eyeshadow and, when you screw the bottom off, multicolor glitter to go over top. I found that the color I tested, 04 Black Diamond, also had another wonderful use: as a black base for any shadow! I’ve seen people using NYX’s famous Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean for this, but I’ve always found them very unstable and prone to melting off. The Jemma Kidd Make Up School Crushed Jewel Duo has come to solve your intense-eye woes and also provide you with some fun! Read More »

Is it just me or is there another “revolutionary” new makeup product introduced every freaking day?! Just walking into Ulta or Sephora (or even Walgreens!) sends many chicas into fits of hysteria, reaching for the nearest brown bag to regulate their breathing. It’s all so overwhelming.

So how can you know which product – among the sea of thousands – is the best? Which does what you need it to do? Which ones are worth the extra money? Let me help. I don’t know every beauty product out there, but I’ve tested a lot of them and I’ll let you know which are worth the money and which are not.

(Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review purposes)

What it is: Urban Decay Vegan Palette

Why this should be in your bag: Every girl needs a nice eyeshadow palette. They are totally foolproof, since the company itself picked out an array of complimentary shades for you. Whether you’re a shadow newbie, or simply trying to expand your horizons, a palette is a great place to start. It also comes complete with an eyeliner and mini shadow primer. Plus, they are ideal for travel! This palette has a magnetic closure, which ensures that it won’t open in your checked luggage. Also, if you’re an animal lover like me, you’ll really feel good about using totally vegan, cruelty-free products. Even the super cute packaging on this palette is vegan! Read More »