Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Silvered Topaz

So, yes, for the record, I know that I already did a review of this palette.  But, as with my previous reviews of Golden Mink, the review for the Tom Ford Silvered Topaz quad also suffered from some fairly dismal product and swatch pictures.

The problem with getting good quality pictures in terms of color accuracy is that the pictures really need to be taken outside, on a sunny day, around mid-day.  And at this time of year, days like that are incredibly limited.  I have such a backlog of products I need to photograph and swatch.  I apologize for the delay and a huge thank you to anybody who is still bothering to check in.

The Tom Ford Quad in Silvered Topaz contains glitter, satin and matte shades.  Starting in the upper left hand corner and moving clockwise, the shades are:

• Light peachy glitter shade.  Mostly, it's a lot of sparkle, but it does retain enough color that you can tell it's peachy.  This shade is ideal for adding very precise sparkle or for layering on top of other shades in the quad.

• Warm silver satin.  Like all of the satin finish Tom Ford shades I've tried, the color payoff is phenomenal.  The shade is buttery soft and intensely pigmented.  I love this shade because warm silvers (and pewters) are fairly hard to find, at least for me.  I feel like this shade is one of the most unique across the Tom Ford line and it definitely makes this palette worth picking up for me.
• Light brown satin.  This shade verges very close to taupe territory for me. (Which is a good thing!)  While I do think 'light brown' is the best description for the shade, I also think it sells it short.  This is a complex shade that I find incredibly wearable.

• Matte cool dark brown.  This is similar to the dark matte brown from the Cocoa Mirage quad, but they are different.  The shade from Cocoa Mirage is definitely warmer.  Also, I do not detect any glitter in this matte shade, unlike the shade from Cocoa Mirage.  As with the other Tom Ford matte shades I've tried, the texture on this shadow is incredibly soft and very pigmented.

Silvered Topaz is part of the permanent Tom Ford line.  Like the other Tom Ford quads, it contains a generous 10 grams of product and retails for $78 wherever Tom Ford Beauty is sold.

Overall:  10/10

Tom Ford Eye Quad in Cocoa Mirage

The next up in the Tom Ford overview is the Eye Color Quad in Cocoa Mirage.  This palette is part of the permanent line and is the only one of the Tom Ford palettes I own that doesn't contain any of the shimmer (glitter) shades.  This quad has two complete matte shades, one mostly-matte shade and one satin finish.

The top two shades are completely matte.  My experience with the Tom Ford mattes so far has been phenomenal.  The mattes are buttery soft with fantastic pigmentation (though I understand that in some of his other palettes, that isn't the case). 

Cocoa Mirage is fairly neutral in my opinion.  It leans ever so slightly warm, but I don't feel like it's so warm that someone cool toned couldn't wear it.

 As you can see from the swatches, the lightest shade is a very close match to my natural skintone.  The second matte shade is a mid tone slightly warm brown.  The third shade is a warm medium-dark brown and the only satin finish in the palette.  It has lovely pigmentation and texture.  The last shade is a dark brown that leans warm.  It is mostly matte, but there is the tiniest amount of gold glitter.

I swear I'm not a total Tom Ford fangirl.  There have been two palettes which I acquired (swapped for on MakeupAlley) and then promptly swapped away because I was not happy with them.  So when I say that Cocoa Mirage is a fantastic palette, I really mean it.

Overall:  10/10

Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No.7 Plush Shadow in 204 Starlet

I received a couple of Sephora gift cards over the holidays, so I decided to pick up one of the Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No.7 Plush Shadow palettes (OMG, that name *le sigh*).  Looking at the palettes in the store, the Lolita palette was definitely the most up my alley in terms of colors.  However, I've seen quite a few YouTube reviews of the Lolita palette and the reviews seemed really mixed.

After swatching the other palettes in the line, I decided to pick up the Starlet palette.  This palette is a bit outside my comfort zone, but the payoff of the shadows is absolutely phenomenal.  The three shadows on the left and then the far right shadow are definitely going to get a lot of love from me.  I can't say that the bright peach, or the straight up gold or silver shades are going to get much use, though I suppose only time will tell.

The far left purple-taupe shadow is actually what sold me on the palette.  It's just gorgeous.  I actually included swatches of it in my Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird purple-taupe comparison swatches.

All of the shadows do have a metallic finish.  They are buttery soft with great color payoff.  They applied evenly and wore fantastically well, even on my hooded lids.

The Style Eye-Con No. 7 palettes contain 7 shades and 7 grams of product, so one gram of each product which is not a lot of product.  The wells are fairly small.  That may be a huge plus or a minus depending on what you're looking for.  On the whole, I tend to like quads with bigger wells and fewer colors.  But if you're looking out to try a lot of different colors, this is definitely a good bet.

The packaging isn't my favorite.  I feel like it's just an awkward shape.  It's a very slim, long plastic reflective packaging.  It feels fairly sturdy and snaps closed.  There is a spring in the mirror so that when you unsnap the palette, it does stay open.  Again, only time will tell, but I feel like this packaging could be a problem if either the snap closure or the spring break.  The palette also comes with a little canvas dustcover.

The Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Shadow palette in 204 Starlet is available exclusively at Sephora and retails for $59.

Overall:  8/10

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 01 Golden Mink

Yes, so this is the third, count 'em, the third time I've reviewed this quad.  And not to beat a dead horse, but the review quality is steadily getting better.  I'm trying new lighting and I think these pictures come much closest I've managed to capturing how the product looks in real life.  Also, I've started posting YouTube videos again and this blog post was created to accompany the video.

The Tom Ford quad in Golden Mink contains 2 glitter shades and 2 satin shades.  

The two glitters are a pale non-metallic gold and a peach.  The glitters are more like a pressed pigment.  There is definitely some type of binding agent in the glitter that keeps it from ending up all over my face.  These are the most fantastic glitters I've ever seen.  They're beautiful and sparkly without being over the top.  You can see that they do have a good bit of color to them, they're not just shimmer.

The satin shades are incredibly pigmented and buttery soft.  They apply like a dream and are easy to blend.  I don't ever have any issue with them fading or with my hooded eyes "eating" the shadows.  They last a solid ten hours without problems.

 The first satin shade is a pretty neutral taupe with lots of dimension.  It is hands down one of my most loved eyeshadows and you can see the obvious dip in the picture below.  The second satin shade is a rich dark brown that complements the taupe shade perfectly.  

The quad is lovely, with high gloss brown and gold packaging.  It's sturdy and feels substantial.  The mirror is sizeable and the little sponge tip applicators are actually really useful in applying the glitter shades.  The compact has a magnetic closure that keeps it securely closed and it has a little pouch for storage.

The Tom Ford Eye Quads contain 10 grams of product and currently retail for $78 (though they were $75 when I picked mine up.)  Golden Mink is part of the permanent Tom Ford line and is available anywhere that carries the Tom Ford Cosmetics line.  I got mine at Neiman Marcus.

Overall:  10/10

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

I figured that since I mentioned the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette the other day in my review of the Kat Von D Ladybird palette that I might as well go ahead and post a review.  I've had the Naked Basics palette since last winter and I never, ever use it.

I think from the name, Naked Basics is a fantastic idea.  And the packaging is my favorite of all the Naked palettes.  It's super sleek and sturdy, all matte, doesn't collect dust or fingerprints.  The mirror is a really nice size.

The execution of the shadows, however, leaves a whole lot to be desired.  I picked it up because I am a huge fan of matte neutrals and I wear them often.  Problem is that of the 6 shades in the palette, only 5 of them are actually matte.  (Venus has shimmer).

The other big problem, as far as I'm concerned, is that out of 6 shades, 4 of them are incredibly light neutrals.  Just look at the swatches below.  Look.  The first 4 shades in the palette are barely discernible from my pasty pale skintone.  

As far as the texture on the shadows, they're fine.  I'm not blown away by any of them, but they're okay, especially for mattes.  I definitely don't feel like Urban Decay's matte formula is any better than other mid-range brands.  Inglot's matte formula is heaps better.

Overall, this Naked Basics palette is so incredibly basic, in the most derogatory sense of the word.  There is nothing special about this palette, there isn't even anything particularly useful (IMO) about his palette.  I know that lots of people love this palette as a complement to other palettes and I understand that, but I feel like a palette should be self contained.

The Urban Decay Naked Basics palette is part of UD's permanent range.  It contains 7.8 grams of product and retails for $27.  It is available wherever Urban Decay is sold.  I picked mine up at Sephora.

Overall:  5/10

bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 2.0 in The Top Shelf

The bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 2.0 in The Top Shelf is definitely a lovely duo to have on hand for the holiday season.  Paired with a red lip, you have a classic holiday look.

The two shades in the duo are:

• Mixologist - satin champagne beige, very true to pan color.
• Cognac - warm metallic antiqued gold verging on bronze (but not overly orangey even on my pale pink skin)

The texture and payoff on both of these shadows is just phenomenal.  They are buttery soft, very pigmented and they blend like a dream.

I picked this duo up months ago when Ulta was having a big bareMinerals sale, so I got it for less than 50% of retail.  If you can't find a sale, these duos cost $20 wherever bareMinerals is sold.  The duo contains 3 grams of product.

Overall:  10/10

bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0 in The Happy Place

The bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0 palette in The Happy Place is nothing new.  It's been out for at least a year and is readily available wherever bareMinerals are sold.  

I tried the bareMinerals quad in Truth, which everyone seems to rave about, but I really didn't care for it.  I thought the payoff was less than stellar.  But ... I decided to give the line another try.

I picked this quad up months ago when Ulta was having some crazy sale on bareMinerals.  I think I ended up getting it for like $10.  It was too good a deal to pass up.

But after I picked it up, it just sat in my makeup storage for months.  Anyway, lately I've been really gravitating toward plummy shadows, so I decided to pull out this quad and use it and I've been just blown away by the quality.  

I did notice that a lot of the online reviews for this quad (both at blogs and retailers) make it seem a lot darker than it is.  This is not a smoky quad.  These are bright, vibrant colors (okay, maybe not the matte brown, but definitely the others).

The shadows are:

• Peace - matte light peach.
• Imagine - metallic peach that swatches a bit darker than it looks in the pan.
• Euphora - metallic smoky plum that swatches a bit more taupe-y than you would think
• Exhale - matte cool medium brown

The color payoff on these shadows are phenomenal.  And the mattes might be even easier to work with than the metallics (that NEVER happens).  The mattes are so soft and so pigmented that they almost behave like cream products.  I have matte shadows that I love, but none of them even come close to the texture on these two shadows.

The metallics are vibrant and easy to work with.  I've said it again, I think it must be fairly easy to make a good metallic shadow, but these are no exceptions.  They're beautiful.

All in all, this is a fantastic palette and I'm kicking myself for leaving it sitting in a drawer for so long.

As mentioned earlier, I picked this quad up on sale at Ulta.  It contains 5 grams of product and usually retails for $30 wherever bareMinerals are sold.

Overall: 10/10

Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quad in Bed of Roses

So here is another Sonia Kashuk product that I didn't photograph brand new because I didn't expect to be reviewing it.  Sigh.  Anyway, apologies for the less than stellar looking product below.  It is all my fault for using before photographing.

The Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quad in Bed of Roses seems like it would be pink leaning based on the name, but it's really not.  The pan that looks pink above actually isn't.  It's just sparkles with no real pigmentation.

• pink looking shimmer - just shimmer with no real pigmentation, pink or otherwise, very cool, doesn't adhere particularly well and tends to transfer and fall out like crazy.
• matte cool light brown - underwhelming color payoff, very stiff. Has glitter in the pan but it really doesn't translate to the skin at all.
• metallic cool gray brown - buttery soft, crazy pigmentation, excellent payoff
• metallic taupe/purple cool - buttery soft, crazy pigmentation, excellent payoff.

This is a drugstore product, but definitely on the pricier end of the spectrum. Is it worth it when only half the shades are any good? Normally, I would say no, but the two metallic shades in this palette are absolutely phenomenal and they're very taupe leaning and I am such a sucker for a good taupe eyeshadow. For me, it's worth it. If you're not such a taupe fiend, it may be a miss.

Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quad #45 Bed of Roses contains XX grams of product and retails for $13.69 exclusively at Target.

Overall: 7/10

New York Color Individual Eyes in #945 Midtown Mauve

Shiv at LetzMakeup mentioned the NYC palettes a while ago and I got curious.  I swear, I haven't used NYC in at least two decades and I figured maybe it was time to give them another try.

I decided to pick up the Individual Eyes palette in #945, Midtown Mauve.  It's also branded as the new Brown Eyes palette.  (I really don't think this is a new product.)

The palette contains 4 eyeshadow shades, a primer and a cream highlight along with directions on which color to apply where.

(L-R: Contour, Lid, Crease, Highlight)

• Contour - matte dark plum with a tiny bit of glitter. Good payoff. Blendable.
• All over lid color - very cool toned satin light pink.  Okay payoff, especially for such a light color.
• Crease - satin mauve/taupe with good payoff. Soft. Blendable.
• Highlight - matte white.  Bad payoff, but pretty much what I would expect at this price point.

Also included in the palette are an eyeshadow primer and a cream highlight.  They are both very emolient and in my experience, neither one of them really dried down.  

If you're someone who regularly uses concealers as primer, then I could see this working for you.  I would personally be afraid that it would crease, but I didn't put a lot of effort into testing it.  

The cream highlighter is very white and shimmery.  It can apply a bit patchy.  All in all, this is a total miss for me.  I don't have any desire to really try it out.  It's just not for me.

Overall, the shadows aren't bad. I really, really like the taupe-y color and it alone is worth the price of the palette for me. Speaking of price, this palette was incredibly budget friendly.

The NYC Individual Eyes Brown Eyes palette in #945 Midtown Mauve contains 1.6 grams of each of the powder eyeshadows and 1.45 grams each for the cream products. It is available whereever NYC cosmetics are sold. I got mine at for $3.97 at Wal-Mart

Overall: 6/10

Josie Maran Argan Beautiful Eyes in Beautiful Nudes

So every now and then I review a product just so I can bitch about it.  And yes, this is one of those times.

I am not very familiar with the Josie Maran cosmetics line, especially the color cosmetics.  But I was in Sephora and on a total impulse buy, I picked up the Argan Beautiful Eyes eyeshadow palette in Beautiful Nudes.

Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful palette ... to look at.  Go ahead, look at it.

Go on, take a closer look.  Look at those shadows, look at how rich they look.

Yeah, it looks gorgeous doesn't it?  Well, it's not.  There was one shade, ONE SHADE in the entire palette that performed fantastically well and all of the others ranged from mediocre to abysmal.  Oh, wait, I haven't mentioned the price yet, have I.  Well, let me be clear, this palette would suck at any price point.  I would be considerably less irritated about it if it was a drugstore item, but it's not.

This crap palette cost me $36.  Yes, $36 dollars.

• Lid color - gold with shimmer - Total crap.  Super stiff texture.  No color payoff at all.  Had to dig into the product just to get enough to swatch.
• Liner - dark mate cool brown - Excellent payoff, very soft, very pigmented.  Exactly what you waould want if you were using this color as a liner.
• Corner Crease - bronzy brown with shimmer - Very stiff.  Dry texture.  Mediocre color payoff.
• Crease - metallic bronze - Good payoff.  True to pan color.  Nice texture.
• Base/Highlighter - cream - There was no obvious glitter, but it seemed to have an almost duo chrome finish.  It looks cream in the pan, but swatched is white with a blue sheen.  Super dry.  Stiff.  Terrible color payoff.

I am so completely disappointed in this product and really turned off on the entire Josie Maran color cosmetics range.  At this point I'm trying to decide if I want to scrape off the top 2 or 3, or maybe 4 layers of the product to see if it gets better as you go.  The tester in Sephora seemed buttery soft across the board with great payoff, but that is not how this palette is shaping up at all.

The Josie Maran Argan Beautiful Eyes eyeshadow palette in Beautiful Nudes contains 11 grams of product and retails for a whopping $36 wherever Josie Maran is sold.  I got mine at Sephora.

Overall:  3/10