Review: theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 2 Eyeshadow Palette

Hello! 

Continuing with the Shady Lady eyeshadow palette reviews, here is Vol. 2! Like the previous eyeshadow palette, Shady Lady Vol. 1, the eyeshadow formula is velvety smooth and blends like a dream.  The only problem with this eyeshadow formula is that it is not as pigmented as it could be.  I find that it is very important to use an eyeshadow primer underneath to enhance the color.  Other than that, this is a very versatile palette with neutral and colorful shadows that I like to use when traveling.  

The packaging itself is made of cardboard and I find that it can be easily dented and damaged, especially during travel.  Luckily, it is very lightweight and easy to add to any makeup bag.  There is a large mirror that is useful for on the go application or touch ups.  

From Left to Right: 

Caught in the Act Courtney (shimmery medium brown with gold sparkles) 

Feisty Felicia (matte brownish grey) 

Insane Jane (satin taupe with a hint of purple undertones) 

Bossy Bobbi (satin cornflower blue) 

Makeout Mary (satin light mossy green) 

Just This Once Jamie (light satin purple with a hint of pink) 

Mischievous Marissa (shimmering light copper rose gold) 

Tempting Tara (satin pearl white) 

Devilish Danielle (shimmering gold beige) 

Overall, there is a wide variety of colors in this palette that make it a very go-to palette for me! 

Review: June 2012 Birchbox

In the past year, subscription beauty and fashion services have been coming out left and right.  Fashion subscriptions, including stylemint, jewelmint, shoemint (the list goes on!), have become just as popular as the beauty subscription box services.  I recently joined the bandwagon, thanks to my good friend who bought me a three-month subscription to Birchbox as a birthday gift, and just received my second box this month.  

The theme for June's Birchbox is "Jet Set," for which they've included products that will last through a long flight or items that they've found on their global travels.  Each month there is at least twenty different variety of boxes that can be sent to you.  It all depends on the beauty quiz/survey that you take when you sign up.  For this month, I received:

Comodynes Self-Tanning Intensive 

Stila One-Step Bronze  

theBalm Staniac in Beauty Queen 

Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck 

Luna Bar Mini 

I haven't had the chance to try out all of the products, but I don't think I will be trying out the Comodynes Self-Tanning Intensive. Since I am already tan (it's hard to avoid the sun in California!), it would be pointless for me to use these so I may end up giving them to a friend. 

In regards to the Stila One Step Bronze, I was surprised to receive a full sized product in the box! At first, I was wary of the bronzer because it looked rather drab in the bottle, but when I used it for the first time on my face, I was surprised at the subtle tan glow that it gives.  This will definitely be a staple in the upcoming summer months!

From other reviews that I have read and seen on youtube, I've heard that Birchbox is known to give many fragrance samples.  Since this is only my second box, I can't comment on the frequency, but I must admit that I do enjoy Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck fragrance.  It's not necessarily something I would gravitate towards, but it is always nice to sample something and be surprised at how much you actually do like it! 

There's not much to say about the Luna Bar mini except that I ate it as soon as I opened the box! As an "extra," I don't think it was anything special, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable!

Lastly, I've been recently impressed with theBalm eyeshadow palettes, so it was nice to receive a product from them in this month's box.  Unfortunately, I wasn't as taken with this product (theBalm's Staniac in Beauty Queen) as I was with their other products.  When I applied the stain on my lips, I could not see any noticeable difference on my lips.  Not only that, but I detested the initial taste of the product as it was very bitter.  On the positive side, I did like using it as a cheek stain because it stayed on for about 5-6 hours before it began to fade.  So while I will not be using this on my lips, I think it would be very beneficial for my cheeks during the summer months.

I was initially disappointed when I opened up my box this month; however, I must say that I was thoroughly surprised at how much I did end up liking the fragrance and the bronzer.  For $10/month, I believe that it is a nice service to have, but not a necessity.  Once my three-month subscription ends, I will highly consider paying for this service myself -- especially if next month's box is as good as this month's.  :) 

Review: theBalm Shady Lady Vol. 1 Eyeshadow Palette

I recently took advantage of theBalm's Memorial Day sale with a buy one get two free deal.  If you bought theBalm's Shady Lady Vol. 1 eyeshadow palette ($39.50 for 0.60 oz), then you received both the Shady Lady Vol. 2 and Shady Lady Vol. 3 eyeshadow palette for free! I have been wanting to try them out since reading Temptalia's rave review and figured this would be a great opportunity to do so! 

The palette contains nine eyeshadows: 

Caught in the Act Courtney (shimmering dark brown with golden sparkles)

Shameless Shana (satin medium tan with red undertones)

Luscious Lani (shimmering light pink champagne)

Jealous Jordana (satin dark emerald forest green)

Risque Renee (dark matte blue with blue sparkles)

Curvy Cami (shimmering fuschia purple with gold sparkles)

Jet-setting Jennifer (shimmering light gold champagne)

All About Alex (satin grey khaki green)

Easy Wheezie (satin blue grey)

The palette itself is made of cardboard, containing nine eyeshadows.  It is very lightweight and easy to travel with; however, I find that the cardboard is not very durable and can create dents in the eyeshadow.  The eyeshadow's formula is very pigmented when swatched with a primer.  However, its pigmentation without a primer is a little problematic and less pigmented than what I expected. It glides on the eye smoothly and blends with other shadows without much effort.  Initially, I was afraid Caught in the Act Courtney would be a fallout nightmare, but I was surprised to see that like the other shadows in the palette, it only had minimal fallout.   Curvy Cami was slightly difficult to work with and had a harder texture compared to the other shadows.  Overall, this palette has a variety of colors to choose from and proves to be very versatile.  I highly recommend you check these out!