Review: City Color Multi-Shade Eye Shadow Palette

I was given the opportunity to review some products from

City Color Cosmetics

.  It is an affordable brand with many products to choose from.  What's great about this brand is that the quality is great! I always like to be on the lookout for quality products that are affordable for everyone.  Please don't always think that expensive makeup will always get you better results.  In my opinion you can achieve great looks even on a budget - it is the way you apply it that makes a difference.

The first review is the

City Color Multi-Shade Eye Shadow Palettes.

  I received 3 of them

 Browns and Greens

Grays and Blues

 Blues and Purples

The eye shadows are placed in an acrylic palette, it is very sturdy.  Is also comes with a applicator but I usually toss these and use makeup brushes for more detailed application.  The variety of colors in each of the palettes really give you a lot of creativity to explore different looks from natural to dramatic. My favorite palette is the Blues and Purples, just because I love wearing purple eye shadows.  The two purple shades in the palette are gorgeous and are very different from each other. One is more warm and the other is more cool.  Great variety! 

I will be posting looks featuring these palettes so please check back! Working on them now :)

When I was swatching the colors I found that using a primer is a must have to capture the intensity of the shadow. I used the

City Color Shadow Primer

in Nude.  The primer was easy to apply - very creamy and non drying.   I find that some eye primers out there are so drying on the eye lids but this one was nothing like the others. 

Want to receive 15% off your City Color Cosmetics purchase? Enter promo code 13VT1B15 

Expired Nov 30th 2013 - 1 per customer

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City Color Cosmetics on Facebook

for updated information,  new products and special promos!

Can't wait to share some other products with all of you.. still have cheeks and lips .. stay tuned! 

Review / Swatches ACID Sleek Palette

It's hard to find bright colored eye shadows here in the states.  I want bright, neon colored, eye-popping, intensely pigmented shadows.  Well, I found them but they don't sell it here in the states.  I knew about Sleek for awhile now, and I always wanted to try the products.  The only problem is that you can only get it in Europe, there is no store or online store that actually sells them.  Thank goodness 

www.sleekmakeup.com

does ship to the US for $13.50. You may also find some sellers on Ebay that will ship internationally.

Sleek Makeup

offers some amazing palettes ranging from neutrals to brights and of course smokey.  What's great about these palettes is that they are mineral based.  It's hard to find eye shadow palettes that are pressed mineral shadows.  I really love the design that is pressed on the shadows, it's like a square/diamond pattern. 

The palettes that I purchased are ACID, CIRCUS, and MONACO.  I did not purchase these from their website but on ebay instead because I wanted Circus and Monaco which were limited edition.  This post will focus on the ACID Palette! Circus and Monaco review will be posted at a later time.

ACID

This palette contains both matte and shimmer shadows.  The color range in this palette gives you a a light, neon and a few darker shades. 

Swatches - NYX Milk Jumbo Eye Pencil as a base

My thoughts:

- wow so pigmented!!!

-when used with a white base the colors just pop

-the two blue shades and silver grey are shimmery the rest are matte

-i love the neon shades - yellow, orange, pink and green

-this is a must have if you like bright colors

-the only downside to this palette is that you cannot order it from sleekmakeup.com because of USA FDA regulations they cannot send it.  This is the only palette from their line which they cannot ship over seas hence the reason why I purchased it on ebay.

I can't wait to use this palette for a MOTD!!!

MOTD: Smashbox Dark Room Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio

Last year Smashbox launched their new eye shadow trios called Photo Op.  These eye shadows are a new formula with new colors added and some favorites from their past trio eye shadows.  In the beginning there were 11 trio shades to select from now there are 16 with 4 from the original collection. The colors range from neutral nude, soft subtle colors to the favorite celebrity inspired smokey eye. 

 I love how each pot has 3 coordinated shades that all work together, no more guessing work!  You get a highlighter, crease and base/lid shade all in one compact.  The colors also work great on their own and you can pair them with existing colors that you already have in your makeup collection. The shadows go on velvety smooth and the pigment is very strong.  To make the shadows last longer I would suggest using an eye shadow primer of your choice. 

For this MOTD I used Dark Room  - Opal (opalescent pale pink), Granite (shimmery silver grey), Blackout (matte jet black).  The swatches on the top row are with a primer (Smashbox Photo Finish Eye Primer).  I even tried rubbing the shadows with the primer and they did not move! This is a great collection of shadows for a classic smokey eye and the colors are so versatile that they will work with any skin tone.

Products used:

Smashbox Dark Room

Opal - Highlight and Lid Color (for the lid use wet)

Granite - Crease (use a fluffy blending brush and really buff this color all over the crease and little bit above.  Blend in a circular motion back and forth.

Blackout - Detailed crease (this is best applied with a detailer definer brush or a slanted eye liner brush does the trick also.  Really emphasize this area by "carving" out the crease, do not blend.

Lip: Smashbox Pixel Lip Enhancing Lip Gloss.  This is one of my favorite nude lip glosses. 

I will be doing more looks with the Smashbox Photo Op Trios, since I have the whole palette that I received for Christmas.  The Photo Op Mega Palette is exclusive to QVC and it contains 16 of the trios plus 2 limited edition 4 eye shadow palette,  cream eye liners, blushes/highlighters and lip glosses.  Your whole complete set, you really don't need anything else.  You can still find it at QVC. Click the link

Photo Op 78 Shade Mega Palette

I am so behind in my blogging, there's so much I want to share with all of you! Hopefully I can get in the routine to post every day!!! :)