I love nifty palettes where you can move products around. I also love eyeshadows. With those two things out in the open I was really excited to check out Plain Jane Beauty & their eyeshadow situation. Keep reading to see what I think & the 2 quads of colors I have to review!

Their setup is a bit different from Urban Decay or even a Z-Palette- they have little Square pegs on the bottom of the eyeshadows that pop into their palette. They call this a “lego” design which is quaite fitting. They also sell blushes, lip colors, & pressed foundations that will fit into these palettes. Some take up more room than others but I think it is a cool idea to mix & match all of your makeup into a handy, small case. The case itself is about as thick as my Samsung S3 (with a thin case on it) & shorter in length.

So basically they sent two sets of 4 eyeshadows-  Jewelry Box & Stormy Skies. I’ll break these down some more below color wise but first let me tell you about the packaging & such. So the pans themselves are round but the connecter-lego type outside is square & the peg on the bottom is a rounded square. My main complaint is that the shade names are labeled with a clear sticker & number. These shades don’t have actual names so the number is very important. Unfortunately to put the product in the palette you have to remove the sticker or have it flail around & fall off. This is a bummer because I won’t know the actual shade numbers to repurchase. Bummer! I also think depotting these to put it in a z-palette would be really difficult, I wish they had the option to buy these just in the pans as well.

Plain Jane Pre-Fix Quad in Jewelry Box- Shades 64,18, 4, & 3

Plain Jane Mosaic Eyeshadow in #3- Soft mink toned oatmeal. Shimmer.

Plain Jane Mosaic Eyeshadow in #64- Orange base gold. Shimmer.

Plain Jane Mosaic Eyeshadow in #4-Pink flash shimmer.

Plain Jane Mosaic Eyeshadow in #18- Rich cranberry. Metallic.

Plain Jane Pre-Fix Quad in Stormy Skies- Shades 1, 71, 62, & 20

Plain Jane Mosaic Eyeshadow in #1- Frosty white.

Plain Jane Mosaic Eyeshadow in #71- Gunmetal metallic.

Plain Jane Mosaic Eyeshadow in #20- Matte black with fine silver shimmer.

Plain Jane Mosaic Eyeshadow in #62-Metallic silver.

I don’t reach for traditional smoky shades & this one was kind of a disappointment. The shade #71 is actually really beautiful & has quite nice pigmentation. The white & silver were okay but pretty hard. & the black? Yeah for one thing it barely comes off at all & none of the shimmer translates either.

Overall, these shades are quite hard. I had a lot more luck using these damp because they were hard to pick up with my brush on average because I have to keep going back for more product repeatedly. I like the idea of this palette but unfortunately I can’t put the shades I do like into a palette I would reach for more. A few of the shades are quite nice but I’d definitely need to try more, maybe even some brushes, before I give Plain Jane a thumbs up.

What do you think? You can purchase Plain Jane Cosmetics on their website here. Any shades catch your eye?

I haven’t raved about a Profusion product in years! Profusion products are very budget friendly & they seem to pop up at my local Walgreens around the holiday season. This year I picked up 3 out of 4 (I went back for the 4th, they’re purples) 5 eyeshadow palettes & I’m super excited to show them to you today including a really easy eyeshadow look!

Each eyeshadow palette contains 5 eyeshadows that can be used wet or dry, an applicator, & a sliver of a mirror below where the applicator is stored. Not bad packaging for $1 mind you. These palettes are labeled #1 – #4 so that is how I’ll refer to them below. All of these shades are satin/metallic/shimmer- no mattes here!

#2- Cool Toned Neutrals

Left to right: Nude, champagne, brownish mink, cool dark brown, & bronze.

Overall these shades are more sheer, lighter, & clearly all neutral. I don’t fall the pigmentation I honestly think these were supposed to be like this. This set is ultra easy to use although the texture isn’t quite as nice on the whole as #3. If you want bold neutrals this won’t be for you.

#3- Fall Perfect Neutrals

Left to right: Soft mink, bronze, softened green, smoky teal, & blue black satin.

This is by far my favorite I’ve bought! This palette is AH-mazing! Check out that easy pigmentation! Original shades & an actually interesting combination of shades. Not a dud here. The only thing missing is a true highlight shade but for $1 I can’t complain one bit!

#4- Colorful Shades

Left to right: Bright yellow, medium pink, soft aqua, cornflower blue, & bold blue.

This yellow is super surprising, how nice is that right? 3 out of 5 shades are blues so if you dig blues you’ll like this!

Here’s my eye look with the Profusion Palette #3 using only these shades except for a matte highlight from my Sonia Kashuk  Eye on Neutral Matte Palette.

Here’s my Monday Quick Hits & Misses with this palette & the awful Matte Top Coat if you want to see this more in person!

Like I said, I picked these up for $1 each at Walgreens…not sure where else these are available! Hope you liked my quick review & swatches…& I loved wearing this eye look out last night!

On the search for fabulous fall eyeshadows I came across the Cargo Vintage Escape Eye Palette. She screams fall & if the shades themselves don’t give that away color names like “Hot Cocoa” or “Rustic” or even “Withered Leaves” should be a direct giveaway. With some matte shades, some shimmer, & satin I saw a nice variety with a pretty foolproof array of colors. Keep reading to see what I think!

The palette itself has really simple packaging. The exterior is a camel colored leather with a magnetic strip closure along the front to keep it shut. It doesn’t feel like it closes super securely but a lot better than nothing there at all. I like that it curls over the top which feels like a bit of extra grab. Cargo Cosmetics is printed in the right corner on the front in silver. The back has a clear, removeable sticker with basic information that can be removed. I do wish the actual palette name was printed somewhere.

Inside there is actual black plastic casing around the eyeshadows. Most palettes use foam or cardboard so that was a pleasant surprise. This is way easier to clean. Each eyeshadow has the shade name printed below which I totally appreciate. No silly plastic coverings to hassle with or having to look somewhere else to see what shades I’m using. Inside you get a medium sized mirror, could be bigger but have definitely seen smaller. Inside is a double ended brush, one side an angled eyeliner/shadow brush & the other is kind of a small, thinner c-brush. It is an okay brush but not mind blowing. While traveling, this would be a decent nook for an eyeliner.

I swatched each eyeshadow below on bare skin. I apologize for the imperfections on my hands…new kitten wounds. I really wish I had another way to swatch but this is my spot 😉 The photos of the shadows themselves are grouped in sets of 4 from left to right in the palette. The first photo on the left is in natural light while the one on the right is with flash. Because these shades are more muted than a lot of those I feature (what…no teal or hot pink?!) I thought showing them both was really important because sometimes the light is what helps the shimmer hit the surface.

Swatched left to right: Harvest Moon (a very light cream satin & feels almost matte), Cuddle (neutral toned pink satin), Crisp (iridescent gold shimmer that applies like a satin), & Hot Cocoa (neutral milk chocolate matte).

Harvest Moon is clearly suuuper close to my pale skintone & works amazing in the inner corner for subtle highlighting or on the browbone. It doesn’t look shimmery & is just barely not completely matte. Cuddle is probably the only pink I’ve considered a neutral in ages since it doesn’t make my eyes look red & actually works with this palette. Crisp is fabulous & although it looks white in the palette it comes off as gold in the swatch & on the eye. Beautiful to highlight or top another shade with. Hot Cocoa actually looks warmer in the swatch for some reason but it is a basic, easy to use matte brown.

Swatched left to right: Frolic (taupe-y grey brown shimmer), Cinnamon (warm coppery brown shimmer & wet it is more metallic), Autumn (matte peach), & Withered Leaves (brown/green base packed with green shimmer).

Frolic is a nearly metallic taupe so obviously I absolutely love it. Cinnamon is really pretty & doesn’t have fallout. Autumn is a great matte shade which I can sheer out as a highlight or load onto the lid for a base. Withered Leaves is the only shade in this palette I don’t consider neutral because twig is more gunmetal to me. It is absolutely stunning & actually appears more complex on the eye.

Swatched left to right:  Twigs (blue toned grey metallic), Black Crow (soft matte black), Rustic (metallic copper), & Chestnut (deep matte brown).

I think Twigs is a beautiful gunmetal-esque shade but the name doesn’t seem fitting? Black Crow is the only dud in this palette for me because it just isn’t as smooth or pigmented. It does alright for darkening outter corners but not something I’d reach for often since it isn’t all that dark or easy to use. Rustic is easily one of my favorite shades in the palette, copper? Why yes, yes I do love that shade for fall! Plus it has great pigmentation. I didn’t have much hope for Chestnut after Black Crown but it is actually quite soft & pigmented. Nice dark shade that blends out or sets liner nicely.

If you’ve been looking for the perfect palette for fall that is mostly neutral, contains no glitter, & has mattes this could be it. The shades for the most part are buttery & easy to use. You can easily create work or fun looks that stick to the neutral side of things without having to think about it too much. With the exception of Black Crow, the mattes in this palette were a joy to try out. This is my first Cargo palette & I’m quite happy with the outcome!

This palette has a $140 value but retails for $39. For 12 nice sized shades of quite nice quality I think it is on par with other pricing. If you’re looking for something other than an Urban Decay Naked type palette I think you’d dig this as well. Keep in mind my swatches are without primer so they look even better with some!

This is a limited edition palette & I’m not finding it being sold everywhere currently. I did find the Cargo Vintage Escape Palette available from the Cargo website & Macy’s but you might check in stores since I bought mine at Ulta.

What do you think? What is your favorite fall palette this year? Have you seen anything similar?

I picked up 4 shades from the new Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencils. I already reviewed their new jumbo eyeshadow sticks here & was wowed so i was really excited about these! If you’ve been following me for awhile then you know I’m a huge fan of the Rimmel Scandal Eyes pencils & hoped these would be comparable. I was only able to pick up 4 shades but there are 6 total. Keep reading to see if you need them!
From the Jordana website:

• Intense, Instant Color Eyeliner that is Made to Last
• Smooth-Gliding Pencil For a Precise Application 
• Water and Transfer Resistant
• Paraben- Free
• Made in USA

They were all out of the shade Black Point & Aqua Stone looked similar to shades I already had so I picked up Purple Fix, Charcoal Definition, Espresso Last, & Jade Jewel. They are super soft & creamy, perfect for the waterline. They are also crazy long wearing, very similar to their Milani sister brand formula, & glide right on with fab pigmentation. The product itself is really soft so do use with care, you shouldn’t need to press all that much because they really do perform like a liquid. Sharpen with care a well.

Left to right: Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner in Purple Fix, Charcoal Definition, Espresso Last, & Jade Jewel.

Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner in Purple Fix- A royal purple with vibrant purple shimmer that dries to a satin finish.

Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner in Charcoal Definition- Highly pigmented charcoal grey with fine silver shimmer.

Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner in Espresso Last- A rich matte brown. Identical dupe to both the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Tenacious Brown & Milani Shadow Eyez Limited Edition Shade in Espresso Line but in a slim pencil. You can see those two shades compared here.

Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner in Jade Jewel- A smoky base with intense emerald shimmer. It almost looks metallic but after it sets it looks a bit more like a rich satin.

Once these shades set, they aren’t budging. At all. They last ages on the waterline like my Rimmel Scandal Eyes & the Milani pencils that I’m pretty sure these are based on. The formula is pretty much identical. These are very similar to the NYX Slide-On Pencils, Jordana 12 HR Jumbo Eye Pencils, Urban Decay 24/7 Liners, Milani Shadow Eyez, Rimmel Scandal Eyes, & my Sephora Flashy Liners. Creamy, rich, & easy to use. So how do you choose? I say go by color! Choose colors you like the best from different ranges until you have a collection you truly love since they all perform similarly.

You know what isn’t comparable to other brands? The price! These shades are only $2.99 & if you wait it out you can likely snag a deal. I found mine in a new display at Walgreens. I can only hope they come out with more than 6 shades…because I’ll snap them up!

This was my first Kat Von D purchase. I’ve heard lots of good things & had some little minis here & there but when I saw this mini Kat Von D Waterproof Autograph Pencil in Eyegasm available for only $10 from Sephora I bought it on pure urge. Eyegasm looks like a gorgeous iridescent mint shade, one I’d easily fall for. Mint. Ah how I love thee. Keep reading to find out what I thought!
So I immediately swatched the pencil in excitement…& I wasn’t sure how I felt. I was expecting…more. I wanted to see a vivid pigment, like my Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Turquoise. But it isn’t…

The first photo is in natural light & the second is with flash. The left is multiple swipes to build up pigmentation. It looks sheer & patchy…not like a high end shade. In fact…not even like some of my favorite drugstore options. This just wasn’t a good texture. Maybe I got the wrong shade? Are they not even across the board? It lasted on my waterline which is great but it doesn’t really pop.

I paid $10 for my smaller size but they retail for $18 in a full size. I am wary to throw down that kind of cash after this. It looks okay on (take a look at Phyrra’s beautiful look using Eyegasm) but definitely a touch sheer.

What do you think? Have you tried other Kat Von D pencils that were better? Would you drop $18 on this shade?