Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Palette

Remember the Mi Vida Loca palette? (If not, here's my review of it.) Apparently it was a fan favorite (or maybe one that a lot of people missed out on) so Miss KvD and her beauty team created a revamped version.  Will it perform the same way as the original? Let's find out.

Warning: my camera was being fussy about photographing this palette. I'll note where things are off.

Muse: Pale lavender. Satin finish.
Echo: Medium matte violet with light magenta glitter. Worst performing of the bunch.
Dark Wave: Indigo. Satin Finish.
Synth: Bright light-medium blue. Matte finish.

L-R: Muse, Echo (definitely more violet in real life), Dark Wave, Synth. 

Hyperballad: Cool toned blue-green. Matte finish.
Lemmy: Metallic forest green.
Vinyl: Metallic acid green with pale gold shift
Misfit: Apple green with blue pearl

L-R: Hyperballad (a tiny bit more green in person), Lemmy, Vinyl, Misfit.

The lettering is silver, so I had to sacrifice read-ability for accurate color portrayal. Sorry!

Anthem: Medium red-violet. Matte finish. 2nd worst performing.
Löve: Metallic bubblegum pink.
Swoon: Slightly muted hot pink. Matte finish.
Destroyer: Muted red. Matte finish.
Rewind: Burgundy pearl

L-R: Anthem, Love, Swoon, Destroyer, Rewind

Rewind is at the top.

Harpsichord: Muted metallic copper. Best performing :)
Analogue: Matte orange.
Fran: True yellow. Pearl finish.
Legend: Pale white gold. Metallic finish

L-R: Harpsichord, Analogue, Fran, Legend.

Strutter: Cool-toned matte beige.
Lyric: Translucent pale pearly pink. SUPER gorgeous.
Black Metal: Matte black. This leans warm.
Skulls: Metallic cool toned white.

L-R: Strutter, Lyric (pic does NOT do this justice), Black Metal, Skulls

Noble:  Warm peach beige
Moulder: Matte warm cream.
Vox: Dark chocolate brown. Matte.

L-R: Noble, Moulder, Vox

PIGMENTATION: Generally the pigmentation was great in this palette. The most pigmented shadows were Harpsichord, Synth, Lemmy, and Rewind. The least pigmented was Echo, with Anthem coming in at a close second.

PRODUCT: Most were buttery and not too dry. I didn't have any problem building up Echo or Anthem without a base, but a base would definitely help.

PACKAGING: The palette is housed in a cardboard sleeve, like a record. Being the "remix" of Mi Vida Loca, I thought this was an awesome idea. The palette isn't exactly secure in it, as if it's turned over a little, it will slide out on its own. If you're klutz like me, there is an outer clear plastic box to keep everything together.  I really like how the shade names are printed on the front, and I hope future KvD palettes will have that too. This also comes with an instruction sheet for three different makeup looks you can achieve with the palette.

PRICE: $59

All in all, I'm thrilled to say this is SO much better than the OG Mi Vida Loca palette.  I love that there are neutrals to pair these crazy colors with, and for me, the color-wheel layout makes it visually easier to figure out what to pair with what. If you want ALL the colors in a variety of finishes in one place, you may want to check out Mi Vida Loca Remix.

Of course you don't have to take my word for it! The Mi Vida Loca Remix palette is available now at Sephora.

Morphe Brushes Jaclyn Hill Favorites

OK so I know this palette was limited edition and will not be restocked, BUT all of the shades are available individually, so you can still snag any colors you're really into.  Because of this, I wanted to review these as single shadows. Just one sad note: some of the colors didn't photograph 100% accurately.  I noted which ones were off.

Left column (top to bottom): Pearl, Petals, Wink for Pink, Mysterious
Center column: Glisten, Deep Skin, Dancing Queen, Rosewood
Right column: Lustrous, Toasted Hazelnut, Bridesmaid, Sassy

Left to right: Pearl, Petals, Wink for Pink, Mysterious

Morphe's website lists the shades with color numbers and names, so I listed both.

ES4/Pearl: Metallic palest beigey-pink. This is very cool-toned.
ES67/Petals: Satin warm peach with a strong pink flash.
ES33/Wink for Pink: Shimmery pale melon-pink.
ES11/Mysterious: Metallic coppery red. (looks similar to the swatches I've seen of "Venus" from the Venus Palette)

L-R: Glisten, Deep Skin, Dancing Queen, Rosewood

ES54/Glisten: Shimmery palest white gold.
ES13/Deep Skin: Matte medium-dark tan with a warm undertone.
ES68/Dancing Queen: Metallic magenta. Slightly warm shift.
ES59/Rosewood: Matte cool-toned magenta. This was a tiny bit sheer.

L-R: Lustrous, Toasted Hazelnut, Bridesmaid, Sassy

ES6/Lustrous: Shimmery palest peach
ES62/Toasted Hazelnut: Matte medium dusty brown. (Photo didn't quite capture the color accurately- IRL it's a bit cooler-toned) This was a bit dry.
ES16/Bridesmaid: Matte muted burgundy. This was also a bit dry.
ES38/Sassy: Orchid with a faint blue shimmer.

Left column (top to bottom): Pink Moscato, Creme Brulee, Carmelized, Radiance
Second column: Caffe Mocchiato, Marbelized, Nuts for You, Midnight Kiss
Third column: Spice, Dazzling, Deep Cocoa, Secretive
Right column: Golden Glory, Fiesta (my camera couldn't handle its brightness!), Burlesque, Dirty Martini

L-R: Pink Moscato, Creme Brulee, Carmelized, Radiance

ES76/Pink Moscato: Metallic champagne.
ES63/Creme Brulee: Matte neutral medium-dark brown
ES15/Carmelized: Matte medium brown with warm undertone
ES53/Radiance: Satin medium purple with light purple shimmer. 

L-R: Caffe Mocchiato, Marbelized, Nuts for You, Midnight Kiss

ES64/Caffe Mocchiato: Satin orange-tan
ES20/Marbelized: Metallic pinky bronze. This was a tad powdery. (My camera didn't quite capture this color accurately:-/)
ES61/Nuts for You: Matte taupe
ES48/Midnight Kiss: Metallic eggplant with copper sparkle. This was quite powdery.

L-R: Spice, Dazzling, Deep Cocoa, Secretive

ES14/Spice: Matte burnt orange
ES47/Dazzling: Shimmery tangerine
ES24/Deep Cocoa: Matte cool-toned purplish brown
ES71/Secretive: Matte red grape. This was a tad sheer.

L-R: Golden Glory, Fiesta, Burlesque, Dirty Martini

ES75/Golden Glory: Metallic golden
ES66/Fiesta: Matte melon. This was dry, sheer, and difficult to get an even swatch.
ES74/Burlesque: Metallic burgundy
ES19/Dirty Martini: Shimmery medium muted green. Cool-toned.

PIGMENTATION: There were so, so many hits pigmentation-wise. Some of the best are: Burlesque, Spice, Dazzling, Marbelized, Pink Moscato, and Wink for Pink. The only truly disappointing one was Fiesta.

PRODUCT: The matte shades didn't perform as well as the other textures, but, with the exception of Fiesta, they weren't horrible by any means. Some of the shimmery and metallic shades were buttery and glided on my skin.

PRICE: $2 for 1.5g

All in all, the quality of Morphe's eyeshadows (except for Fiesta) far surpasses their tiny pricetag. If you're on a budget or are looking to build your collection/kit, you may want to check these out.

Of course you don't have to take my word for it, you can purchase all of these colors (and more!) on Morphe's website.

Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette

When the Shade + Light Eye Contour palette was announced, I immediately started drooling for it. I got mine early by nicely asking a Sephora employee about it, after seeing a few people on Instagram with it.

Top row, L-R: Laetus, Lazarus, Ludwin
Bottom row, L-R: Samael, Solas, Lucius, Saleos, Shax, Liberatus, Succubus, Sytry, Latinus

Top: Laetus
Bottom: Samael, Solas, Lucius

Laetus - Pale yellow beige
Samael - Light tan. Leans warm
Solas - Medium brown. Leans cool.
Lucius - Pale cream

Top: Laetus
Bottom: Samael, Solas, Lucius (Laetus and Lucius are nearly the same color as my skin, which is why you can't see them)

Top: Lazarus
Bottom: Saleos, Shax, Liberatus

Lazarus - Light taupe
Saleos - Medium-dark grey with a hint of brown
Shax - Black
Liberatus - Cool-leaning white

Top: Lazarus
Bottom: Saleos, Shax, Liberatus

Top: Ludwin
Bottom: Succubus, Sytry, Latinus

Ludwin - Slightly tan peach
Succubus - Reddened medium brown
Sytry - Medium-dark warm brown with a slight grey undertone
Latinus - Very pale yellow. This is the only shade with a satin finish.

Top: Ludwin
Bottom: Succubus, Sytry, Latinus

PIGMENTATION: For the most part, these shadows have excellent pigmentation.  Shax and Saleos fell slightly short of everyone else's mark. If I gave them report cards, Saleos would get a A- and Shax would get a B. Laetus and Lucius nearly match my skintone, but if you aren't a ghost, they'll definitely show up. (If you are a ghost, they will make excellent blending colors!)

PRODUCT: Laetus and Lucius felt a little chalky.  Samael and Solas felt almost like cream shadows when I touched the pan. Succubus, Sytry, and Latinus were so lovely and buttery.  I wore Laetus,
Samael, Solas, and Lucius the other day without UDPP (which I NEVER do) and I didn't have any creasing or fading for the entire time I had the shadows on (which was only about five hours). Eyeshadow ALWAYS creases on me- even when my skin was like paper from taking Accutane- so color me impressed. When I was dipping my brushes into the pans, a lot of powder was kicked up, but I didn't notice any fall out or crazy dust halo of eyeshadow on my cheeks (which sometimes happens when I'm trying to create magic with super powdery shadows.)

Check out that fancy background!

PACKAGING: The packaging is cardboard with decently sized mirror. This palette is divided into three tone sections: Neutral, Cool, and Warm and comes with an instruction guide on how to use the each section. There are two looks given for each tone section for a total of 6 looks-- perfect if you're new to makeup, or get in a rut. 

PRICE: $46

All in all, Shade + Light Eye Contour is THE perfect neutral palette. It has a great range of shades that really would work for all skin tones, there are no real duds in terms of texture, and it even comes with a guide to take the guesswork out of using it.

As always, you don't have to take my word for it. Kat Von D's Shade + Light Eye Contour palette will be fully available from Sephora soon! 

Kat Von D Monarch Palette

Kat von D's Monarch palette is a collection of 12 warm neutral leaning colors housed in a slim cardboard case.

Top: Entomology, Bottom (L-R) Wrath, Papilio, Summerfly

Entomology: Matte cream with yellow undertone
Wrath: Rust with faint copper sparkle. Cleopatra is similar, but matte
Papilio: Medium brown with soft copper shimmer
Summerfly: Rich 24k gold with gold glitter. One of my favorites!

L-R Entomology, Wrath, Papilio, Summerfly

Top: Telepathy, Bottom (L-R) Killing Jar, Delaney, Vanish

Killing Jar: Metallic rose gold

Delaney: Metallic taupe

Vanish: Matte tan. This was soooo buttery!

Telepathy: Metallic champagne with soft pink undertone

L-R Killing Jar, Delaney, Vanish, Telepathy

Top: Tiny Death, Bottom (L-R) Disintegration, Shadow Box, Dead Head

Tiny Death: Pale butterscotch with iridescent glitter. The glitter in this shade had a bit of fallout.
Disintegration: Antique shimmery bronze
Shadow Box: Rich matte chocolate brown
Dead Head: Officially the butteriest, most pigmented matte black I own.

L-R Tiny Death, Disintegration, Shadow Box, Dead Head

PIGMENTATION: No issues with any of the shades. All were densely pigmented.

PRODUCT: Other than the aforementioned fallout issue with Tiny Death, the only other problem was some shadows were a bit powdery. Because I tap off excess before I apply my eyeshadow, I didn't notice any fallout due to the softer texture of some of the shades.

Top row (L-R) Entomology, Telepathy, Tiny Death
Bottom Row (L-R) Wrath, Papilio, Summerfly, Killing Jar, Delaney, Vanish, Disintegration, Shadow Box, Dead Head

PACKAGING: As I mentioned in my Esperanza review, I am not a fan of the cardboard packaging of this year's palettes. However, this does have a decently-sized mirror and isn't too large for my bag.

PRICE: $46 

All in all, if you're a fan of neutral shades, but want some good quality mattes in your palette, check out the Monarch palette.

Of course you don't have to take my word for it. Kat von D's Monarch palette is available now at Sephora.

Review: Kat Von D Ladybird True Romance Eyeshadow Palette

Quick story: When Urban Decay's Naked Basics palette came out, I was pretty excited because it was a palette comprised entirely of matte shadows, but the colors were so blah.  I never ended up buying it, and boy howdy am I glad I didn't.  Dare I say it, this is my HG matte palette.

L-R: Für Elise, Vespertine, Renholdër, Siouxie Sioux

Für Elise- Matte plum
Vespertine- Matte pale peaches & cream
Renholdër- matte taupe (leans more grey)
Siouxie-Soux - Blackened blue-grey with faint blue sparkle

L-R: Unrequited, Harlow, Wolf, Cleopatra

Unrequited - Matte nude with peachy undertone
Harlow- Matte sandy brown with a hint of olive
Wölf- Matte medium brown with red undertone
Cleopatra - Matte rust (best performing shade)

Immortal Love Autograph Pencil Eyeliner

Immortal Love

Immortal Love (Autograph Eyeliner Pencil) - Slightly blackened dark brown. This had excellent color payoff in one stroke, and a creamy texture.  Once it dried, it stayed put!

Pigmentation/Product: All 8 shadows and the eyeliner are decently pigmented.  I feel like, in past KvD palettes, there's always (at least) one dud.  Für Elise was the "worst" performing shade of the bunch, but it really wasn't bad.  It was a tad dry and I had to work with it a smidge more than the other 7 to build up the swatch (2 passes instead of one!).  I've used about half the palette thus far, and of the shades I used (Unrequited, Harlow, Cleopatra, Vespertine), next to no powder was kicked up with my brush.  Pretty awesome for how buttery soft these shadows felt when I swatched them!

Packaging:  This is the same metal case of the last few palettes, and just like her other metal palettes, the lid doesn't stay up on its own.

Price:  $36.  

All in all, Ladybird is my new favorite KvD palette.  If you're into pigmented (mostly) warm neutrals, then you might love this Ladybird too.

As always, you don't have to take my word for it! Kat von D's Ladybird palette is available now at Sephora.

Kat Von D Spring 2013 Collection

Happy New Year everyone!! Sephora has just posted new Kat Von D products for 2013.  Behold:

True Romance Eye Shadow Trio / $24

I guess KVD is sick of doing the palettes her brand became known for, because we haven't seen one since Summer 2012. In these trios, there is one pearl shade, one matte shade, and one glitter shade.

•Beyond Redemption lilacs
•Fever Ray rust brown
•Dreamer browns
•Helmüt greens

 Can't believe the price on these, since the palettes (with an eyeliner) are $35!  I will say I'm interested in Fever Ray, because A. i love rusty brown colors with my green eyes, and B. they are a great band.


High Voltage Eye Primer / $15

Not sure if this is the same formula as before (which did not work on my oily lids), but it has been re-packaged in a squeeze tube.  

Everlasting Face Shaper Bronzer / $25

I didn't own the previous KvD bronzer, so I am not sure how this compares color- or formula-wise.  This one comes in two colors:

•Shady Business I (pearlized brown with gold shimmer)

•Shady Business II (pearlized dark brown with gold shimmer)

Can someone explain to me the point of shimmery bronzers?  Aren't they supposed to be used for contouring your face? It seems that shimmer would be counter-active for something you're trying to recede.  /endcomplaint

Everlasting Face Shaper Blush / $25

FINALLY! This seemed like the next logical step after making the foundation line.  I'll admit I'm chomping at the bit for this one.

•Heartagram deep rose

•Essex cool rose

•Truth natural flush pink

•Por Vida warm pink

•Belissima peachy pink

•Wish nude peach with subtle shimmer

•Lovesong bright pink with subtle shimmer

Anything strike your fancy?  What Spring 2013 collections are you excited for?

*All images and color descriptions are from Sephora.com.  Please don't sue me!