Norvina Eyeshadow Palette Review

     You probably already know that purple is my favourite colour. So naturally, I was very excited for this palette when I first heard about it. Being an owner of both Modern Renaissance and Subculture Palette, and having heard the reviews about it, I know people will be talking about this palette, too. But as usual, even though the palette's colour theme is targeted for purple lovers like me, I'll review this palette unbiased and share my honest opinions with you.

The palette consists of 14 cool toned shades: 7 mattes & 7 metallic shimmers

     Here are swatches of all the colours. But I won't stop at that. For this review, I am doing something I've never done before, which is swatching all colours on my eye one-by-one, removing it each time. This way, you'll be able to see how each shadow actually applies on the eye.

     This is how my eyelids look bare, without any product. I will be applying each shadow without any moisturizer, primer or base, and applying it just with my ring fingertip. I'm gonna start with the mattes first because it'll be easier to remove.

 Base - as the name itself, it's a perfect base to start of with. It completely cancelled out my dark lids. I removed it before applying the next shade.

 Soul - a periwinkle blue, a very unique colour.

Incense - a nice cool toned brown to use as a transition shade. 

 Love - a light pink. For me I'll probably using this mainly as transition, and not a main colour as I'm not a big fan of bright pinks.

Volatile - a cool toned dark brown to deepen the outer v. 

Eccentric - an orangey brown. I thought it'll be more orangey, which I'm happy it wasn't as it will be out of place in the palette if it were.

Passion - a dark burgundy. This one was the patchiest to apply. 

 Dreamer - the shimmer shades has a lot of fallout.

Summer 

Wild Child - it's more pink than this in person, and has a pearly shift

Rose Gold - my second favourite

Celestial - of course my favorite shade, but not just because of the colour. It applied the best. It was the smoothest out of all shimmers, has the least fall-out (compared to both shimmers and mattes), and as easy it is to apply, it's also the easiest to remove (compared to the other shimmers).

 Dazzling - my least favorite. It was chunky and rough to apply. It's also almost similar to Summer. I wished they've added another purple shimmer shade instead.

Drama - like Passion, this applied patchy. So I think Anastasia has a problem with dark shades.

Here's also a picture of how much kick-up the shadows have. Dazzling really is the worst offender.

For this review, I won't be doing an eye-look because my eyelid is burning! But let me know in the comments if you want me to do a tutorial. I hope you liked this review format, and I will continue to do it this way for all of my next ones!

Born to Run Review

   

     Urban Decay's Born to Run is their newest collection that includes an eye shadow palette, 3 Vice lipsticks, and 3 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils. I purchased the palette and the lipstick in 66. The palette has color combinations that are perfect during the summer. The lipstick is a neutral mauve that is perfect to use all-year round.

Eyeshadow Swatches

Vice Lipstick in 66

     To test the eyeshadows, I decided to apply it without primer. I took Still Shot as the transition shade and applied it where my orbital bone is. I used Hell Ride to deepen the inner and outer corners of my eyes. I then applied Guilt Trip ion the middle of my eyes using my ring finger, and on the lower lash line. Lastly, I put Stranded near the tear ducts to brighten up the eyes.

     Even without primer, the shadows showed great colour pay-off and none of them creased after my day was done. If used with primer, and a wet brush, I think the shadows will perform even better!

    I really like the mauve-y look the shadows and lipstick produced! I can't wait to play with the other colours in this palette, especially the green ones!

Neutrogena Hydro Boost SPF 50 Review

      I'll be in the Philippines this month, and as you know, my country is tropical with lots of blazing heat. I'm going to be out and about around 70% of the time, so what better product to received than this new Neutrogena HydroBoost Water Gel Sunscreen SPF 50! It has Helioplex technology that protects the skin from broadspectrum UVA/UVB rays.

     What I like about this is that it has a water gel formula that is very lightweight and much less greasy than other sunscreens. It absorbs into the skin nicely and doesn't interfere with other products I use on my face. For the face I can still feel a little greasiness, but you wouldn't notice it at all when applied to your body. It also doesn't leave any white-cast so it's perfect for picture taking! What's also great is that it has hyaluronic acid, glycerin and vitamin E that gives your skin a boost of hydration, and it's non-comedogenic so you don't have to worry about breaking out!

     You wouldn't walk in the rain without an umbrella, so protect your skin from the sun! This is now available in major drug and grocery stores across Canada!

More info about the product here:
https://www.neutrogena.com/sun/sun-adult/hydro-boost-water-gel-lotion-spf-50/6811342.html

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L'Oreal Pure-Clay Mask Review

     I recently joined Shopper Army, and saw the L'oreal Pure-Clay Masks and Pure-Sugar Scrubs as their offer. As I've seen this on Instagram for a while now, I was curious how their new skin care line is. All their Pure-Clay mask products have a blend of 3 mineral clays: Kaolin, Montmorillonite and Moroccan Lava. One of the choices was this Yuzu clay mask that clarifies and smoothens.  It claims it solves rough and uneven skin problems. It's designed for blemished, rough and dull skin. Even though it doesn't claim to have Vitamin C, I picked the Yuzu mask  as I am alway after brightening.

    First thing I noticed when I opened the jar, is this invigorating citrus scent. It smells so lovely and not too overpowering. The consistency of the product is thick, but it smooths out easily on the skin. It also has this seeds or beads which helps with exfoliating, so I like that it's kind of 2-in-1. However, because of the thick consistency of the product, I don't think they should have placed it in a jar as it is difficult to pick up the product with your fingers. It should have come with a small spatula if they were going to place it in a jar.

     After leaving on for 10 minutes, it dried up completely but it didn't leave my skin tight like other clay masks. It left my skin smooth, soft, and feeling refreshed. I've only used it twice in a span of 10 days, and I will try to continue using it if it does even out my complexion, and helps with my breakouts.

Korean Beauty Additions

     Everyone knows how popular Korean skin care products are today. I'm curious, so I thought I should give it a try. I have combination skin that is oily on the T-zone and normal on the rest. My main concerns are dull, uneven skin tone, and hyperpigmentation from post-acne. I actually saw these products from Wishtrend's YouTube videos about getting rid of acne scars and brightening. Then I ordered from YesStyle.

    First of course is toner. This is Dear Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner, and it is the most popular toner in the market today. It balances the skins pH, and moisturizes it. It prepares the skin for the next product for better absorption. The main ingredients are Sodium Hyaluronate and Lipidure for locking in moisture, Beta-Glucan for soothing skin irritation, and Centenella Asiatica Extract for anti-oxidant. It's also suitable for sensitive skin types as it contains minimal number of artificial chemicals. From the ingredient list, most of it is from botanical extracts. I was also surprised that it has Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, which is a Vitamin C derivative! A 180 mL/6.08 oz bottle costs $22, and will last up to 2 months!

     What is Korean skin care routine without essence? This is Skin&Lab's Dr. O2 Clinic Oxygen Ultimate Brightening Essence. It has Bamboo extract, and Spirulina for moisture and clarity, Cynara Scolymus leaf extract for oil-control, and Oxygen water and Niacinamide for brightening!

     This product is super fun to use because it bubbles up! The product feels a little sticky after applying, but it goes away after about 30 minutes. The downside of this however is that it is heavily fragranced so it might not be good for sensitive skin types.

      Last is this moisturizer from Chica Y Chico, Nude Fantasy Whitening Cream. You might be confused why I picked up a product that says "whitening". Although whitening is everything in the Filipino and Asian cultures, I simply do not believe in that. Let's embrace our kayumanggi skin Filipino people! From what I heard from the videos I watched, it might have been just a bad translation. Instead of whitening, they just mean brightening.

     Although it's not labeled as an SPF, it also has Titanium Dioxide, which what lightens the skin instantly, but what I'm after is the niacinamide and arbutin in this product to fade my hyperpigmentation. I use this during night time because i think the "whitening" effect looks like a bad, uneven, patchy white-cast.

     After 2 weeks of trying these products, I did notice that my complexion has brightened and faded my acne scars.

Before

After. The big red acne mark has faded! But ignore the white cast from the cream. Look also at the dewy glow from the toner!

Mauve Eyeshadow Look

 Hi guys! I'm finally posting a new eyeshadow look! This was inspired by the nail look I did for Valentine's which used mauve tones.

I used the Laura Mercier Artist's Palette to achieve the mauve look, along with the Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Vape, Tattoo Liner in Trooper, They're Real Mascara, Decadent Lashes in Celine, and of course, Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

I used Real Techniques and E.L.F brushes. From left to right: deluxe crease brush, base shadow brush, contour brush, smudge brudge, accent brush.

I've already primed my lids, filled my brows (I used Benefit Cosmetics Ka-Brow), and dusted my lids with Vanilla Nuts using the deluxe crease brush.

 I then applied Fresco on the outer V and crease as a transition shade, using the deluxe crease brush.

Using the base shadow brush, I darkened the outer V with Truffle.

I used concealer to define the crease so that I have a blank slate to put my shimmery shade. I used e.l.f. smudge brush since that is the flattest eyeshadow brush I own.

 Using the same smudge brush, I applied African Violet on the centre and inner part of the lids to add that shimmery mauve color, similar to Nails Inc Holler-Graphic in Ghetto Galactic which I used for my accent/ring nail.

 I didn't think the shimmer was enough so I added Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Vape to my lids, still using the same brush, and on my inner corner using Real Techniques accent brush.

 

I added a little purple tone to my crease using Violet Ink, because it was coming off too brown. Then lastly, I applied eyeliner, mascara and falsies.

So this is the final look! Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog!

I hope I get to post another eyeshadow look soon, instead of taking months. This is what happens when you're cursed with laziness. 😅 Let me know what kind of look you want me to see do next in the comments!