Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette - Photos, Swatches, and Review

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

So, I'm a little delayed in posting this, but that's not due to lack of interest in this palette. Let's just get right into it. I have to say, this is probably my favorite of the 3 (now 4?) Vice palettes that have been released. It seems to have a really great mix of wearable neutrals, some shades just outside of neutral, and 3 or 4 crazy shades. I prefer that in a palette. If I don't feel like I'm going to get a lot of use out of around 75% of a palette, I start to get disinterested. But it's nice not to play it safe all the time so having the occasional couple of oddball shades in a palette keeps things interesting. Here, I believe Urban Decay delivered when putting together the color selection for Vice 3.

Kuddos to their packaging designers. I don't know what it is about these shadow pics on the box that always make me want to just dive into their palettes. 

New this time around, they've included a makeup bag. The palette comes packaged inside the bag. The bag itself is big enough to hold the palette and a few other items (say a blush, a gloss and mascara). I checked and the past Vice palettes do fit in the bag as well in case you wanted to swap them out.  

The palette this year has a reflective type top with neon green vice imprint. The past two palettes had the UD symbol with Vice written underneath. The design itself has a strong 80's feel to it. This palette is slightly slimmer than the past two Vice palettes. Probably due to the fact that the closing mechanism is different. This palette does not have the click button that allowed the past Vice palettes to smoothly swing open. 

Inside you are getting 20 shadows in a range of finishes. There are 6 mattes, 10 shimmers, and 4 glitter shades. I love the mattes they included in this palette. There are some great basic browbone and crease transitional shades that make using the other colors in the palette a lot easier. And the shadows that do contain glitter, I'm not getting as much fallout as can sometimes happen with the Urban Decay glitter shadows. They seem easier to work with than some of the past shades in other palettes.

Now on to the swatches. These shadows all swatched great. I don't think there is a dud in the bunch. I did lay down a base of Laura Geller Spackle on my arm to recreate how the shadows would play on top of eye primer.

m = matte

s = shimmer

g = glitter

First two columns, from left to right - Truth (m), Undone (m), Downfall (m), DTF (m), Dragon (s), Freeze (g), Heroine (m), Brokedown (s)

The first column is similar to that of an Urban Decay basics palette. I love that this is included so that you don't have to go reaching for another palette in order to complete your eye look. To have a row of basics could be seen as a con for some since they would rather see another row of fun shades, but I think these are shades that can be worked into literally every look you do. I've gotten a lot of use out of these shades so far and I've only been using the palette for a week or two. 

The second column is where the palette steps out of the comfort zone for most. This is a good thing since the Vice palettes are not the Naked palettes. I don't expect to get a palette full of neutrals when it comes to my expectations for the Vice palette. And can we just admire how gorgeous Heroine is? That's a gorgeous navy matte with awesome pigmentation. 

m = matte

s = shimmer

g = glitter

Third and fourth columns, from left to right - Vanity (s), Lucky (s), Reign (s), Bobby Dazzle (g), Alien (s), Alchemy (s), Bondage (s), Sonic (s)

The third column contains some gorgeous very wearable shades. Lucky is a copper shimmer. And I really love Reign which is a cocoa shimmer. Vanity is also a very wearable purple. Bobby Dazzle is a glitter shade with a little fallout. I like to use that one as an inner corner highlight. 

The fourth column though. Wow, I love this one. This one is what made me buy the palette. Such awesome warm fall colors! Alchemy is a lovely warm true rosey shade and Sonic is kind of a coppery rose. I expected Sonic to be a bit more red based on how it looks in the palette but I find it more useful to me as a coppery rose.

m = matte

s = shimmer

g = glitter

Last columns on the right - Last Sin (g), Angel (g), Defy (m), Revolver (s)

This last column is the basic smokey eye column. Again these are great neutrals that can be worked in with a lot of the other colors in the palette. Last Sin and Angel do have some glitter in them but I think it's slightly more finely milled than usual. I was not getting a ton of fallout with them. Defy is a matte mushroom brown shade. And Revolver is a gorgeous charcoal grey shimmer. 

Overall Thoughts:

Pros - Great mix of wearable and fun shades. Colors arranged nicely into groupings by column. Makes it easy to see what colors go together. Great pigmentation. Not a bad shade in the batch.

Cons - Cost. For me, I thought the $60 price tag was a little bit high although probably in line with other price points for the brand. I did wait until I was able to purchase for 20% off. Packaging is okay. This palette doesn't have that little button that you push to open the palette. It just folds shut. It also does feel slightly skimpier in terms of the quality compared with the previous two Vice palettes. It still does have the nice giant mirror inside. I feel for the price - the packaging should have been a little more high quality. And since the slightly larger past palettes also fit in the included bag, there wasn't a need to reduce the size and get rid of the button closure just to get it to fit.

Overall I do recommend this palette because the shades really are gorgeous and you are getting 20 of them. The packaging isn't something that really upsets me but I thought it was worth mentioning as I do see it as a con in comparison with the past Vice palettes. The included shades are all gorgeous though and are totally why I feel the palette is worth getting. If cost is a concern for you, try to score it with one of the many sale coupons that are going around this time of year. If you are a VIB or Rouge at Sephora, you should be getting or already have a $25 off coupon that could be used on it.

What are your thoughts? Let me know if you've picked up the Vice 3 palette in the comments below.

Tarte Bon Voyage Collector's Set - Holiday 2014 - Pictures, Swatches, and Initial Review

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

The second set that I picked up in my Holiday 2014 makeup haul is the Tarte Bon Voyage Collector's set. This set is only available at Sephora.

It comes with:

1. A great limited edition travel makeup bag. 
2. A palette of 20 Amazonian clay eyeshadows. There are 12 mattes and 8 shimmers. More details on colors below. 
3. A LipSurgence lipgloss in Visionary - an apricot peach shade.
4. A LipSurgence lip tint in Romantic - a peachy nude.
5. A mini cheek stain in Muse - a soft nude. 
6. A mini Lights Camera Lashes mascara
7. A mini bottle of maracuja oil
8. A mini smooth operator Amazonian clay finishing powder.

The set retails for $59 and has a value of over $400. I've been playing with this set for a week and I really like it. The travel makeup bag has gorgeous gold, lavender, and mint colors. There is a slot at the top side for storage of palettes and a wide open bottom portion where you could put your foundation, blush, lippies,etc. I think this a great bag for travel and pretty generously sized.

The cheek stain is a great neutral soft nude color. I think it's in the same vein as Exposed blush - maybe slightly warmer. I applied it using a small ELF studio stippling brush and buffed it in to get a nice subtle flush on the cheeks.

I'm really happy with the gloss/tint combo. These two shades are nearly identical but in different formats. They layer nicely. The lip tint has that usual mint scent that is customary for them. The gloss has somewhat of a vanilla scent. Paired together you get a vanilla mint scent. Not overpowering at all.

Left to Right - Lip Tint in Romantic, Lip Gloss in Visionary

Now let's get on to the most important part, the eye shadow palette. 

This is a really nice palette. There is a nice array of matte and shimmers. All the shades have cute Parisian names. The consistency of the shadows is the usual for the Amazonian clay eye shadow formula. While it's not as buttery and plushy as brands like Too Faced and Urban Decay, I feel the payoff is still really good with these. This really is a great palette if you like neutral or smoky eye looks. You are not getting any daring or bright colors here. I feel like I can get a ton of wear out of all of them and that made the set well worth the price for me. 

Below are swatches from top to bottom. 

Top row of plummy matte shades

Second row of bronze brown shades

Third row from top - Champagne shades with an interesting mint shimmer all the way on the right

Bottom row - Silvers and great smokey matte shades

All in all - I think this is a great kit. You get a lot for your money. If you are a neutral lover, this kit has your name all over it. I would have liked if there were maybe 1 or 2 different options for lid shades in this palette. You are totally covered for brow bone, crease, transitional and smokey colors though with this palette. I was happy that the lippies and blush were in the peachy nude family which I think lends nicely to the smokier eye looks that you can do with this palette. I don't really have any cons. Maybe it would have been nice to have something else in lieu of the maracuja oil and translucent powder? I just know that I won't really use those a lot. Would have been nice to have a second blush shade or maybe even a bronzer in place of those.

Have you purchased any of Tarte's holiday kits? Let me know what you've picked up and what your thoughts are in the comments below.

Too Faced - Sugar and Spice Holiday 2014 Set - Pictures, Swatches, and Review

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

First off, hi! It's been a while. I know I've said that before. Life has been happening and my blog has fallen off the priority list. I'm an all or nothing type of person. If I can't devote the time or effort needed to take decent pics and get them loaded, then I tend not to blog. Add to that the fact that this blog is mainly about makeup/tea and I also have not been buying much makeup lately. I've just come to the realization that I have more than enough eye shadow and my money is better spent elsewhere. So less buying equals less pics of swatches to be taken. My blog needs a new direction basically which I'm working on.

I've also taken to Instagram recently (user ID is @ShadowsNLeaves) - Instagram makes it easy and fun to just snap a photo and share some quick thoughts. So feel free to follow me if you are on there and interested in what I have to share/say. If you are already following me on Instagram, then you'll have seen that I recently did make some makeup purchases. Holiday time is the best time to shop for new palettes and get a lot for your money. I picked up three items: Too Faced Sugar and Spice (Ulta), Tarte Bon Voyage (Sephora), and Urban Decay Vice 3 (Ulta). I plan on doing a swatch/review post for each of these while I continue to rethink the future direction of the blog.

Anyways on to the goods. Starting with Too Faced Sugar and Spice set.

This set caught my eye when I was browsing the new holiday sets. I love Too Faced eyeshadows and loved the Few of My Favorite Things set that they did for Sephora last year. They have a similar palette this year at Sephora, but a couple of the shadows are repeats and for some reason it just didn't call to me. When checking out Ulta however, I noticed this set. 

This set is exclusive to Ulta. It contains a palette of 12 eyeshadows and comes with a mini Better than Sex Mascara. The palette and mascara come in a gold glittery makeup bag.

I don't have much to say on the Better than Sex mascara other than I really like it. It does add both volume and length when used. Only con would be that it can look a bit clumpy but as long as you pay attention when applying it, this shouldn't really be an issue.

The 12 shadows included in the palette come in a range of mattes and shimmers. There are 5 matte shades and 7 shimmers. None of the shades have chunky glitter which is a relief. I detest glitter shadows as they are prone to fall out and you know how glitter sticks to EVERYTHING. Ughh!

Shadows are as follows, left to right, M=Matte, S= Shimmer
Top Row = Coconut Cream(M), Nutmeg(S), Biscotti(S), Sugared Violet(S)
Middle Row = Champagne Truffle(S), Pink Frosting(S), Cinnamon Sugar(S), Chocolate Cake(M)
Bottom Row = Meringue(M), Clove(M), Bon Bon(S), Black Licorice(M)

Top Row

Middle Row

Bottom Row

Pros - There are a good mix of mattes and shimmers. Two of the mattes (Coconut Cream and Meringue) make excellent brow bone highlights while Chocolate Cake and Black Licorice work great to help deepen and create smokier looks. All the shimmers are great and apply nicely. The mattes that are included have great pigmentation also. There are no crazy weird shades here (I guess this could be either a pro or con depending on your preference). All the shades in this palette will get heavy use by me which increases the value of it. Speaking of value, the price is $39. I actually used a 20% off coupon on it which made it a steal. The palette is a good size, thin and travel friendly. It would fit into a medium makeup bag easily.

Cons - Not really loving the scratchiness of the glitter exterior. I'd prefer the palette and the makeup bag to be smooth similar to the patterned bag in last years sets. I do wish there were two matte crease transitional shades instead of one in the palette. I do think Clove makes a great transition for cooler looks with the palette, but it's too greyish/purple to be used in warmer looks. So if I was traveling with the palette, I would definitely include a medium tan or brown matte in addition to this palette.

Overall I really like this palette. It almost seems as if the Boudoir palette and the Natural Eyes palette were somewhat combined here. I see myself getting a lot of use out of all the colors. Have you purchased any of the Too Faced holiday sets? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Three Summer Fashion Essentials

Warm weather is here! After the long cold snow filled winter we had here in the Northeast, I'm so happy the longer sun filled days of summer are back. It's so nice to be able to sit on the deck and relax and not have to be stuck in the house under a pile of blankets. I'm sure my attitude will change when we get into the scorcher temps of late July, but for now I'm happy.

I wanted to put a post together with a couple of items that I deem as essentials during the warmer weather. And we are going to try something new here and talk non-beauty. While I don't consider myself to be a fashionista by any means, I have been making a conscious effort over the last year to streamline my wardrobe and actually put together outfits rather than just throwing on whatever is at the top of my drawer. The following items I feel are staples in my wardrobe at the moment.

1. Teva Mandalyn Wedges

Teva Mandalyn Wedges featuring Teva

Having lower back issues, as much as I love a good high wedge sandal, it's just not practical for everyday wear for me. That being said, I don't want to go slogging about in regular flip flops. The Teva Mandalyn Wedge is something that has been in my wardrobe for the past 2 summers. This year I've restocked my basic black Ola Wedge and picked up a new pair of the Mush Adapto Wedges in Brown. These offer the best mix of comfort and style for me. I've paired these with everything from maxi dresses to shorts as they can be somewhat dressed up or down. The price tag isn't too bad either at $30 a pair. I wore my last pair into the ground for two seasons, so I definitely feel I get my money's worth from these.

2. Target Merona V Neck Tees

Target Merona V Neck Tees featuring v neck t shirts

In the warmer weather, t-shirts are a must have. These are my go-to t-shirts at the moment. What's so great about these is that they can again, be dressed up or down. They are not frumpy at all and the material being 95% Rayon and 5% Spandex allows them to wash well and keep their shape. You can easily pair these with both skirts for a dressier look or shorts for a more casual appearance. They have a pretty wide selection of colors and basics. These also can work into the cooler months as layering pieces under a blazer or cardigan. Again, the price can't be beat at around $10 a piece. A word of caution though, because of the spandex, these can be a little clingy so they might not be the best choice if you have any tummy issues you are looking to hide.

3. Maxi Dresses (any and all brands)

Target Maxi Dresses featuring Mossimo

Being tall, I adore maxi dresses. The bolder the pattern, the more I gravitate toward them. I always end up adding a couple to my wardrobe each year as they are one of the easiest no-brainer looks to wear. When the weather is hot and you don't want to give too much effort or thought to your outfit, a maxi dress can really allow you to pull a quick look together. And they also hide a multitude of body issues. Don't like to show off your legs? No problem, they will be covered. Because they are more flowy, you don't have to worry about any extra lumps and bumps you want to hide. Plus, when the weather is hot, the last thing I want to wear is something clingy. The flowy factor allows you to keep cool. Price points are all over the place so you can easily find one to meet your budget. Most of mine I've purchased from NY and Company as I love the bold prints they do, but they also have cute ones at Target and Kohls. I actually just purchased the one above on the right to use as a coverup after swimming at the beach.

And there you have it. Three of my summer fashion essentials. What are your summer fashion must-haves? Let me know in the comments below.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette - Pictures, Swatches, and Review

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

I know it's been ages since my last post. Life and work have been hectic. I've been thinking about making a conscious effort to get back into blogging. I've decided to start by sharing some of my current favorites. One of them that has been in constant rotation for me for the past six months (yep, I'm always grabbing this cause it's just that good), is the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette.

Now, when this first came out back in winter I thought, "I really don't need another neutral palette. I've got all the Naked Palettes. What could this palette really offer?" Well, this palette blows the Naked Palettes out of the water in my opinion. You get a very versatile mix of mattes and metallics/shimmers. I think every possible shade of matte brown you could need is in this palette. There are two awesome transition colors (milk chocolate and salted caramel) and two darker colors that you can use to deepen the outer v or line with (semi sweet and triple fudge). And the metallic shades are just gorgeous, no fall out and glide on like butter. If you like do warm neutral eye makeup looks, this palette is a must have in my opinion. Now, on to the pics/swatches.

The tin is really cute. Looks like a big chocolate bar palette. I know they've slimmed out the case a bit more recently so it's not as thick as it was originally which could allow it to be somewhat more travel friendly. The only downside to the packaging is that the shadow names are on a plastic slip sheet that sits over the shadows and is removable. It really would have been nice to have the shade names printed below each shadow. I think maybe they thought it would be more like a box of chocolates with the slip sheet (you know how you buy those boxes of chocolates and they have the sheet telling you what is in each one?), but it gets to be a nuisance to have to hold on to it in order to know what the shade names are called.

Shade names are as follows, left to right:

Top row = Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge

Middle row = Salted Caramel, Marzipan (LOVE!), Semi Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon (probably the most disappointing of the lot), Candied Violet, Amaretto

Bottom row = Hazelnut, Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial, Champagne Truffle

Ooo I forgot to mention, the shadows smell like cocoa powder. Yes, really you open this palette and you are greeted with the scent of a cup of warm cocoa. I'm sure there is someone out there that is nauseated by this, but I'm not a chocolate fanatic and even I think this smells delicious. Anyways, on to the swatches.

First up, the left side of the palette:

Top row, left to right = Gilden Ganache, Salted Caramel, Hazelnut, White Chocolate

Bottom row, left to right = Marzipan, Creme Brulee, Semi Sweet, Haute Chocolate

Some closeups - first top row, then bottom row

This side of the palette is my most used side. I absolutely love the shade Marzipan. Its a gorgeous pinky peachy champagne shade. I liken this shade to Stila Kitten but soooo much better. For some reason, Stila Kitten just never looked right on me, tended to wash me out. This Marzipan shade though is just gorgeous. If I could buy a large pan of this one, I would. Creme Brulee also makes a fantastic lid shade, such a gorgeous gold. I also adore the Hazelnut color in the crease. Just warms everything up and looks fantastic. 

Now on to the right side of the palette:

Top row, left to right = Milk Chocolate, Stawberry Bon Bon, Cherry Cordial, Black Forest Truffle

Bottom row, left to right = Candied Violet, Triple Fudge, Amaretto, Champagne Truffle

Some closeups - first top row, then bottom row

The shades I tend to have used the most on this side of the palette are Milk Chocolate as a crease transition shade, and Amaretto to warm up the crease. I think Strawberry Bon Bon is the most disappointing shade in the palette. It took a while to build it up to the color you see above in the photo. This side of the palette also has two colors that have glitter in them (Black Forest Truffle and Candied Violet). I'm not sure if fallout is an issue on these as I haven't really used them that much. 

So overall, I think I've used this palette way more than any of my Naked palettes. I like the ratio of mattes to metallics that this palette provides. While the earlier edition of the palette was a little bulkier, I think with the newer slim design could make this an excellent palette for travel because you really have everything you need to create multiple solid eye looks. You don't need to tote along additional mattes to make it work. If you're on the fence thinking that you have enough neutral shadows, I'd say you should definitely give this a second look. It's honestly my most used palette for the past six months. 

Do you own the chocolate bar palette? If not, are you still considering it? Let me know down in the comments below. 

Republic of Tea - Red Velvet Chocolate Tea - Review

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

I recently was given a new tea for my birthday and it has quickly taken over my tea rotation. It's the Red Velvet Chocolate Tea from Republic of Tea. This tea is a caffiene-free blend of Rooibos, beet root bits, sweet blackberry leaves and natural chocolate and vanilla flavoring.

I was a bit hesitant of this tea at first. I've done a review of David's Tea's Red Velvet Cake Tea. That one is a black tea blend and I love it a lot. So naturally, I was skeptical that this would hold up to that one. This tea is different in that it's a Rooibos blend whereas David's Tea is a black tea blend. So, I wasn't sure how this one was going to translate and whether it would taste as good when paired with milk.

However, all hesitation left after my first sip. Now, the flavor on this one is not as strong as the flavor on David's Tea. It's a bit more subtle but that doesn't make me like it any less. You can taste the combination of chocolate and vanilla and it really does taste like Red Velvet cake. I think the red tea really works with this blend and keeps it from getting bitter. I steep this using water at full boil, brew for 3 or 4 minutes and then add a bit of milk. No sweetener added.

Also, worth noting, these come in bags. Even though I'm a loose tea lover, there are times it's just not as convenient as bags. Others that were intrigued by the David's Tea blend but aren't into loose tea may want to give this one a try. This blend is caffeine free too which makes it good for late night sipping. It also may be more accessible for some since Republic of Tea blends are generally sold in most grocery stores.

Have you tried this tea or any other of the Republic of Tea Chocolate Teas? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Maybelline The Buffs Color Sensational Nude Lipsticks - Spring 2014 - Photos and Swatches

**All products mentioned were purchased by me. I'm not affiliated with any companies mentioned.**

Maybelline has recently launched a new range of nude lipsticks at the drugstore. When I heard about them, I was on the lookout and was fortunate to catch them right when they launched. I picked up six of the colors. I believe there are about 9 shades in total.

The colors I purchased are above and below from left to right: 920 Nude Lust, 930 Truffle Tease, 935 Sin a Mon, 940 Touchable Taupe, 945 Stormy Sahara, 950 Untainted Spice. There were two lighter colors and 1 darker color that I did not purchase. 

From left to right: 920 Nude Lust, 930 Truffle Tease, 935 Sin a Mon, 940 Touchable Taupe, 945 Stormy Sahara, 950 Untainted Spice

I'm a huge fan of nude lipsticks. They are my go-to lip color and what I normally gravitate towards. I've been trying to traverse the line into more bold lips, but it's been hard to break my love and instinct to gravitate toward nudes. I think it's just because I've always been more into playing up my eyes which nude lips tend to work better with. Also, once I've done my makeup, I'm more of a low maintenance makeup wearer for the rest of the day. I don't want to have to keep touching up my lips. I drink a lot of tea during the day so with brighter lips I'd be constantly touching up. 

Anyways, on to the swatches:

Top Row (Left to Right): 920 Nude Lust, 930 Truffle Tease, 935 Sin a Mon
Bottom Row (Left to Right): 940 Touchable Taupe, 945 Stormy Sahara, 950 Untainted Spice

              

These lipsticks are really nice. I own some of the Vivids that released last year as well as one or two shades from the regular Color Sensational range. These lipsticks have just as great pigmentation as the Vivids. They are also really comfortable to wear and I don't feel that they dry out my lips at all. They have a slightly fruity scent, but nothing overpowering in my opinion. The shades I picked up are all creams which I prefer. I don't believe any of the others were frosty or shimmery as far as I can remember. These have a really nice creamy finish on the lips to where I feel that topping with a gloss is optional.

One more note, I don't believe these are limited edition. I think they are going to be a part of Maybelline's permanent line up from what I've heard. So hopefully if you haven't been able to find them or have only found picked over displays, there is still hope that these will pop up as part of the normal Maybelline display. 

Have you spotted these at your drugstore? Let me know if you've picked any of these up or plan to.