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Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette Review

August 9, 2015 by Kim S. / Beauty, blog, Makeup Looks, Product Swatches, Reviews / 19 Comments

Just when I thought I’ve reached my max limit on the number of [neutral] palettes to own, in walks in the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette.

“The true inspiration behind the Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette comes from all these years of trying to understand the usage of shadows and light within the portraits I draw.”

—Kat Von D

The Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette is not your regular eye shadow palette – it features three color quads in neutral, cool, and warm shades that help you contour your eyes to help lift them to look more youthful, define them to create depth, as well as help bring balance and dimension to the eyes whether you need to bring them together or apart.

My Thoughts:

I love the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette. If you know me, you know that I love my matte eye shadows. The ones in this palette are amazing! Unlike some matte eye shadows I have used, these are not powdery, and do not look ashy on the skin. The eye shadows apply effortlessly – like butter, and it doesn’t take much work for me to blend in order to achieve the look I wanted. And the pigment on these babies! ‘Shax’, which is the black shade, is probably one of the deepest black eye shadows I’ve used, and you only need a little.

The Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette wore well throughout the day on me. On hot 85+ degree-days in New York City, there was no creasing or fading, at all. In fact, after 12 hours, my eye shadow looked the same from when I first applied it.

Below is a look I created using the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette and the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Ultra Black.

First, I applied a primer, and then I used three shades from the palette as follows:

Lid – Incius (blended up to the crease)
Outer V – Shax
Blending – Solas

Finally, I created my signature-winged liner using the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Ultra Black.

I’d definitely recommend picking up the The Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette. Above is just one look I’ve created using the palette, but the palette has so much more to offer; the possibilities are endless.

The Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette is the perfect palette to add to your makeup stash, especially if you’re a working makeup artist, but even if you’re not, it’s still an excellent palette to own. Its versatility allows you to meet the needs of anyone of any skintone, which means a lighter makeup kit since you don’t have tote along multiple neutral eye shadows because you have it all in this one palette.

The Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette is available for $46 at Sephora or Sephora.com.

Do you own the Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette? If so, what are your thoughts on it.

LUNA by FOREO for Sensitive/Normal Skin Review

July 28, 2015 by Kim S. / blog, Reviews, Skincare / 19 Comments

PR SAMPLE

I’m back with another FOREO product review courtesy of iFABBO, but this time I am reviewing their innovative facial cleansing device, the LUNA by FOREO for Sensitive/Normal Skin.

The LUNA by FOREO is not your everyday cleansing device. It’s a gentle, yet effective cleansing tool that works double duty with its cleansing and anti-aging properties. It features T-Sonic™ Technology, which send up to 8,000 pulsations per minute to aid in the gentle removal of dead skin cells, unclog pore of 99.5% of dirt and oil, and 98.5% of makeup residue. FOREO also makes claims that the lower frequency anti-aging surface help smooth out fine lines. But, how does it really measure up?

Just like the ISSA by FOREO that I previously reviewed, the LUNA by FOREO is made up of non-abrasive silicone material that feels both smooth and soft on the skin. The silicone also provides the LUNA by FOREO with antibacterial properties, which FOREO claims makes the LUNA™ “35x more hygienic than standard sonic cleansing brushes.”

FOREO claims that after “…2 minutes using your LUNA™ morning and night the [LUNA] leaves the skin looking naturally beautiful with a healthy-looking glow, while lessening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.“

Using the LUNA by FOREO is easy. It’s just like using any other sonic cleansing device. When cleansing my face, I normally wet both my face and the device, and then apply my favorite cleanser to the LUNA™ and turn it on. The LUNA™ pulsates, although ever so lightly, when it’s time to move on to another area of the face, which is a good way to avoid over cleansing the different areas of your face. At 30, I’m blessed to not have wrinkles; therefore, I rarely used the LUNA™ in Anti-Aging mode.

FOREO claimed that after three days of using the LUNA™, you’d notice healthier more youthful skin. In fact, they were right. Using the LUNA by FOREO both day and night combined with the other usual suspects of my skincare routine my skin has been 100 x’s clearer than it has ever been. It’s also a lot smoother.

After my experience with the ISSA by FOREO, I’m surprised at how much I am in-love with the LUNA by FOREO! I like that the LUNA by FOREO is gentle, yet effective at getting my skin clean. Unlike other sonic cleansers I’ve used that require the use of brush heads, which can be harsh and abrasive on the skin, the LUNA was the exact opposite. Although I thought the LUNA would be hard to hold and maneuver around my face, it wasn’t. And, it wasn’t hard getting it to clean the smaller areas of my face like the sides of my nose.

I also like that the LUNA is waterproof, and can be used up to 450 times before having to recharge it, and best of all, there are no expensive brush heads to replace.

Remember I mentioned that the LUNA is hygienic due to the silicone body? Usually, after a month or so of using other sonic cleansers with replaceable brush heads, my face would break out, which was probably from bacterial build-up on the brushes. Who knew? With the LUNA I didn’t have that issue.

Since I’m going to be doing a lot of traveling in the upcoming months, I’m happy to report how lightweight is the LUNA by FOREO. It also comes with a cute little pouch to tote it around, which means I can keep it in my purse for cleansing my face during my upcoming 13-hour flight. And since the LUNA™ holds its charge for up to 450 uses, I don’t have to clutter up my luggage with another charger.

Overall, I’m happy with the LUNA by FOREO for Sensitive/Normal skin. If you’re looking for an effective cleansing device that is gentle, perfect for travel, and saves you money in the long run due to you not having to purchase replacement brush heads, I suggest picking up the LUNA by FOREO. Plus, it helps that the LUNA, regardless of whichever version you pick up for yourself – Combination Skin (blue), Ultra-Sensitive Skin (white), or the male version (black) – it’s sure going to look great sitting atop your vanity.

You can purchase here the LUNA for $199 in the version that caters to your specific skincare need.

Have you tried the LUNA by FOREO? If so, are you as in-love with is as me?

Shop Now at FOREO.com and get Free Shipping on all orders. Code: SHIP00

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Creating my Dream Beauty Station in a Small Space

July 4, 2015 by Kim S. / blog / 8 Comments

I BOUGHT THIS | AFFILIATE LINKS

Ever since moving into our house, we’ve been told that we have a lifetime to make it our own. Slowly, but surely, everything is coming together. One of the most important areas that I’m making progress on is my beauty station. This area has serve multiple purposes: makeup tutorial recording station, makeup application station, manicure station, office, and etc.

In my bedroom, I have the perfect little corner with a window, which served as the blank canvas for my beauty station. For months I’ve perused pinterest and beauty blogs for ideas on how my beauty station will be set up. A recurring trend in what I saw on the sites I’ve visited were pieces from Ikea. The pieces were either as-is or repurposed AKA hacked.

Seriously, what beauty blogger do you know that doesn’t have at least one Ikea piece? None, right? So, off to Ikea I went to pick up a white Malm dressing table, which would serve as my makeup vanity.

The Ikea Malm Dressing table wasn’t too hard to put together. It took me a little over an hour, which included stopping to tend to my four year old. Lord knows that once kids see you in the middle of something they need you for everything!

My makeup vanity cannot be bare. I picked up a few items to dress it up a little. I wanted a cuter way to showcase my perfumes, so I picked up a rectangular, mirrored vanity tray from Amazon that holds all 15 bottles of my perfumes with room for more, along with a three compartment brush holder. From TJ Maxx, I picked up acrylic trays to hold my brushes and skincare products. I also picked up two apothecary jars to house my cotton pads and q-tips.

From Ikea, I also picked up three Ribba Picture Ledges, one large, and two small. The large one I will use to display my beauty books from Iman, Scott Barnes, etc. The two smaller shelves will display all of my nail polishes. Now, I just need the husband to put them up. I also need to figure out how to organize all of my makeup items.

Since my beauty station is in an area with good lighting, I didn’t have to worry much about that; however, during cloudy days or during the evenings, I’d need brighter lights other than the recessed lighting that’s in my bedroom currently. While attending The Makeup Show New York, I picked up The Makeup Light starter package. The difference this light makes is amazing! Plus, it was so simple to assemble.

One bargain item I picked up for my beauty station was a chair. To set myself apart from the rest, I decided to forgo the acrylic seating as I’ve seen some other beauty bloggers use. Instead, I opted for a vintage style armchair in plum that I picked up from World Market for $74! It’s super comfortable, and is the perfect height for whenever I’m doing makeup or recording a makeup tutorial.

Although it sounds like my beauty station is almost complete, it isn’t. There’s one vital piece missing from my beauty station, a mirror. I have yet to find a mirror that’s both affordable and fits the vision I have for my area. I also want a cute rug.

I’m just happy that everything is finally coming together, and I will soon be able to be more productive in creating more visually pleasing photos, posts and videos. Oh, and check out what I’m doing with my dining room here.

What do you think of my beauty station/vanity setup so far? I’d love to also hear your suggestions for things I should do and/or add.

The Makeup Show New York 2015 Recap

June 1, 2015 by Kim S. / Beauty, blog / 20 Comments

Press Samples Provided | I Bought This

I feel like I come back from The Makeup Show New York reporting that it was the best yet. This year is no different. I wouldn’t have expected anything different, especially with it being in its 10^th year. After a decade of providing makeup artists – both new and old, along with students and enthusiast – a place to learn, and focus on honing their craft, The Makeup Show New York still hasn’t lost it’s spark. In fact, I think this was the biggest year yet! The lines were literally wrapped around the corner!

Everyone knows that when The Makeup Show is in town, my weekends belong to The Makeup Show. Needless to say, I spent the early part of my Sunday morning into the afternoon at The Makeup Show New York, and the day prior, I attended the blogger preview.

During the blogger preview, James Vincent showcased some of his favorite items that will be available for purchase at The Makeup Show. The limited edition 10 Year Anniversary items James showed were in limited quantity and sold exclusively at The Makeup Show. I really wanted to get my hands on the ‘Inspire’ towel because The Makeup Show is what keeps me motivated to pursue my dreams no matter the obstacles I face.

The Blogger Preview was fun, and James Vincent didn’t hold his tongue when it came to providing us with some tips, and what “trends” he believes should just die. When speaking about the Instagram contour/highlight fad, James said to “Buff it out. Blend it out.” And for those of you YouTuber’s still doing the cut creases (thank God I’ve stopped), James said, “I’m about to cut my throat.” Basically, quit the cut creases because they’re old news.

Sunday, I didn’t get a chance to spend a full day at the show because I had to tend to dance-related things for my mini me – the life of a parent. Plus, The Makeup Show New York was extremely crowded, more crowded than I’ve seen in previous years. It was hard to maneuver around to sit in on the seminars, and let alone shop. I did, however, pick up a few items I needed for my kit. I got the following:

Danny Pouch from Make Up For Eve
Mario Badescu Aloe & Rosewater Facial Spray
CLEANSE by Lauren Napier Wipes
The Makeup Light Starter Kit
Black|Up Cosmetics Sublime Powder

Before I end this post, I have to get this off of my chest. This is a PSA to other bloggers attending future blogger previews of The Makeup Show or anything similar. Do not rummage through your bag while James Vincent or anyone else is speaking, especially if you’re in the first and second rows. It is rude! Is it too hard for you to wait until you leave the venue? Are you that hard-pressed for free things? So what if you didn’t receive everything he mentioned. You’re not entitled to. Be grateful you’re there. Enjoy the experience because not everyone was fortunate enough to have the opportunity. End of rant.

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Overall, I enjoyed attending The Makeup Show New York this year. I just hope that next year the show is moved to a larger venue.