Tropical Matte 88 Color Palette -- Swatches and Thoughts

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this palette. It's beautiful...gorgeous colors. A mixture of neutrals and soft colors. If you're not one for bold color, but prefer something softer and more wearable, this palette is perfect. For me though, the colors aren't quite my style. Also, I found that out of all of the 88 palettes I have, this one has the most sheer colors. While swatching I noticed that there were quite a few that just didn't meet my standards where pigmentation is concerned. Granted most of the colors were nicely pigmented, but not all (or nearly all) like they usually are with the 88 palettes. You'll be able to tell in the pictures which colors were on the sheer side. I will say though that the sheerness won't be an issue for those of you who steer away from highly bold, pigmented colors. It's just personal preference.

If you're interested in trying this palette it's on sale at BH Cosmetics right now...only $13.96!
Tropical Matte Palette (from BH Cosmetics)
$19.95 regular price

Swatches over concealer:

Purple and Copper Eyes feat Senna Cosmetics and wet n wild

Loving Chameleon eyeshadow from Senna Cosmetics (inner lid color)! It's such a gorgeous lavender...slightly silver with a golden reflection. It's so unique!

If you haven't tried Senna's eyeshadow, it's awesome. A bit pricey at $16.50...but it's among the best as far as high end makeup goes!

Senna Cosmetics Swatches (Eyes and lips!)

I recently received a package from Senna Cosmetics containing some lovely products from their Spring line. Senna is a wonderfully luxurious high end brand. Their eyeshadows and lip products are among my favorite and now that I've finally placed an order, I'm now using their brow products, just as I was before. I love me some Senna...no reviews on these products are needed. Just know that there's nothing from Senna that has disappointed me. Great, high end brand. Love it.

Anyway...swatches!

Light Tricks Highlighting Duo --I'll have a How-To post for this product soon! It's awesome.




Lip Sync in Pink Pink...my current favorite lip color. So gorgeous!

Gleam Body Radiance by Melanie Mills (Swatches and About)

Gleam says:

GLEAM Body Radiance creates a natural lit from within glow for the skin in an easy application. The lightest to the deepest complexions are all made luminous by a formula that hides skin imperfections, even filling wrinkles and enhancing the texture of the skin thanks to GLEAM Body Radiance’s velvety botanical base. GLEAM can be applied in a light touch to highlight shoulders, décolleté or to massage in liberally like a lotion, for all-over perfection.

Velvety, weightless yet so very rich, GLEAM Body Radiance makes your skin look alive and gorgeous for any occasion. GLEAM Body Radiance is transfer-resistant and imparts the look of radiant skin health and is an instant confidence booster. GLEAM luminizes and perfects skin in a lightly-scented vanilla potion, as a foundation does for the face.

“GLEAM Body Radiance is fabulous for anyone, and I wanted to add ingredients that were wonderful for the skin,” says Melanie Mills. GLEAM Body Radiance is made of water and Olive Oil, infused with Jojoba Seed Oil, Safflower Seed Oil, antioxidants Japanese Green Tea and White Tea extracts, Aloe Leaf Extract and Brown Seaweed, a hydrating marine extract that stimulates synthesis of Hyaluronic acid and increases elasticity. Together these anti-aging ingredients slow the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin.

$40 for 3.5oz
$15 for 1.0oz

**CLOSED** wet n wild Dream Weavers Giveaway!!!

Yup...Dream Weavers! I know that it's been difficult for a lot of you to find this collection so I've decided to have a little giveaway! Just keep reading to find out how to win a set of the entire collection (6 palettes total).

There will be 2 winners!

**NOTE: Due to spam issues (as in, I don't want my readers to be bombarded by spam messages by leaving their e-mail addresses out in the public eye, you will not be submitting your entries via e-mail and will receive an automatic "vacation response" as your verification. More info will be given below!

To enter, simply send an e-mail to ABBentries@yahoo.com
In the e-mail, please include:
--"Dream Weavers" in the subject line
--your name and mailing info
--Answer this question:
What is your favorite wet n wild product, and why?

RULES:
--US residents only (sorry everyone...if I can get my hands on them, I'll do another giveaway for international residents <3) 

DEADLINE: 
--Giveaway will end on Sunday, Aug 14 at 11:59pm (Any entries received after the cut point will not be valid.) 
--Winners will be chosen at random. 

Good luck everyone!

REVIEW: Maybelline EyeStudio Palette (Amethyst Ablaze)

I've already posted SWATCHES of this product and now, after using it a few times, it's time for a review.

Oh where to start...hmmmmm...As you've seen in my swatch post, these colors are beautiful; some of the most beautiful purples and fuchsias I've seen. They're pigmented and so bold. A little goes a long way with these. They're pretty easy to blend, however, they're also easy to over-blend, causing the color to fade or get muddy. I find that it's best to blend with some product on the brush, this way I'm applying it and blending at the same time. As for lasting power on the eyes, I'd say that these are pretty good. I haven't had an issue with creasing, but I always wear a primer and base. One day though, I had an issue with fading after 7 or 8 hours, but it was crazy hot and humid out and I spent a good portion of my day outdoors. The second time I wore it, I had zero fading problems so I'm attributing that to the weather. A slight con is the price. At $10-$12 per palette, these aren't the best deal when it comes to drugstore makeup, especially considering that the palette is small.

Overall, love it for the colors, though I don't think I'll buy any of the other palettes due to the blending issue.

PROS:
-pigmented and bold
-fair lasting power
-easy to blend
-GORGEOUS
-they go on sale!

CONS:
-pricey considering the size
-can fade away or turn muddy during blending