January has been a very strange month. Along with losing my blogging mojo (temporarily!), I also received some very devastating news. But what better way to get my mind off of things than by opening the door for the mail man. This month I received 3 packages, all of which came from Julep.
Julep had a $0.01 deal early in December that I couldn't say no to. BUT I stupidly forgot to cancel the next subscription date and was charged $19.99 for another box (that I did not want!!). The bright side (not really) is that I ended up receiving a free introductory package too. What a delightful surprise (again, not really). Regardless of Seattle being so close to Vancouver, the boxes took forever to get here; 3 weeks, roughly.
But onto what Julep personally picked out for me based on my style, "Classic with a Twist" -
Red is a classic shade, don't get me wrong, but did I have to get one in every subscription? The worst part was the "twist" they gave me; a variety of pink's and one unsuspecting blue. Red AND pink - where is the twist in that? Pink is also a classic shade, isn't it??
Now I know I shouldn't complain because subscription boxes are all about "surprises" and if I had checked my Julep account sooner, I wouldn't have ended up with so many red's and pink's but eh? Why did I end up with two reds that are practically identical?
As for the nail polishes themselves, they're not the greatest and definitely not worth $14 per bottle. Demi (one of the burgundy red's) chipped an hour after I applied it. The formula is also on the thick side but even so, 2 coats is not enough for a seamless finish.
Last note - I hate the bottle shape. It was cool at first but after opening each bottle, I noticed the caps wouldn't align properly with the bottle. The neat freak in me wants to twist the caps a little loose so they bottles look even but that would inevitably make the polishes age and bubble up quicker.
Bottom Line:
If I wasn't clear at all - I do not like Julep's subscription program. Their subscription is the least worthwhile subscription out there for me. While the colours they offer can be enticing, I'd much rather go to the drugstores and pick out my own colours and for less than $20. But hey, if you like surprises and nail polish, this might be the subscription for you.
Have you tried Julep's subscription program? What do you think about them?
We've seen the lip balm and the lipstick collection already so now it's time to showcase the lip glosses.
Count: 20.
It may be hard to believe but the lip gloss stash used to be half this size up until a few months ago! Since I rarely wear lip gloss I feel it is necessary to put a plug on the lip gloss hoarding. Welcome Larie and her group no buy/limited buy plan. Without thinking twice about it, I have volunteered to join in this torturous project.
So starting today up until April 30th, I will not purchase the following items:
mascara, eyeliner, lip gloss, or lip balm (tinted lip balms do not count!). If the aforementioned items pop up in gift sets or pre-packaged sets, those will not count. Otherwise, the ban is pretty straight forward. I figure the shorter and simpler it is, the less room there is for loopholes and more room for victory!
Buuuuut..... if you count a month long break as a loophole then that's the big one. My birthday month (and Liz' - remember that folks!) is March so a break is oh so necessary. The ban will resume as soon as the month is over of course but still, a loophole is a loophole no matter how you justify it.
Although I have fears of failing, I will be strong for my ban buddies; Larie, Liz, and Makeup Morsels. Let's not forget about Tracy, the blush fiend going on a six month long blush ban!
There are more like us and why we torture ourselves like this, I don't know. I just hope we all make it out of our bans sane and maybe even a little bit richer. Wish us luck!
Welcome to the first post and review of the year on Makeup Kismet! I know I've been quiet on the blogging front but that will soon change. But for today, I will be blessing the first review of the year with theBalm's Nude'Tude Palette.
The Nude'Tude palette comes in two versions: Feeling Naughty or Feeling Nice. Both are identical in price ($36USD), weight (11.08 g), and eyeshadow selection. Which did I order? Feeling Naughty, of course ;)
The risqué artwork may offend some people but I like it. The ladies are wickedly playful and they have beautiful, voluminous hair! Anyway, the eyeshadows covering the lady parts are just as playful and are actually useful.
Although I was expecting the Nude'Tude palette to be perfect day time wear, I find it better suited as a natural, night out palette. Now I expect people to ask me, "Well why not stick with the Urban Decay Naked palette? It will produce day to night looks, all in one palette!" True but only if you can pull of the very, very warm tones that is comprised in the Naked palette. Yes, Nude'Tude is also warm but not as intense as Naked, making it much easier to wear. And although the colours do not overlap, I prefer the variety in theBalm's palette more. The formula of theBalm's shadows is ridiculous too. Ridiculously soft that is. It practically melts like butter on the lids.
Now for the swatches. All were made on bare skin with one to two swipes each.
Sassy / Snobby / Stubborn / Stand-offish
Selfish / Sultry / Sophisticated / Schitzo
Sexy / Silly / Serious / Sleek Sassy is a frosty white that makes for a great inner corner eye highlighter.
Snobby is a shimmering pale yellow gold. It's applies as a sheer wash of colour because the texture is quite dry. I was expecting a bit more from this one.
Stubborn is a frosty light peachy pink. I love wearing this as an all over colour.
Stand-offish is a light frosty metallic... Okay, this one confuses me. It's almost bronze but then peachy at the same time. What would you call it?
Selfish is a frosted taupe. It's a more mushroom-y taupe when layered and well, who doesn't love a taupe?
Sultry is a matte medium brown. This is a very good matte; easy to apply with great pay off.
Sophisticated is a deep brown with gold shimmers that blends very easily. Must layer lots with this ones or you lose all the beautiful gold shimmer!
Schitzo is a warm golden bronze brown. Applies like a dream!
Sexy is a matte burgundy that is powdery and swatches patchy but when applied with a brush it turns into a whole different story. With a brush, Sexy packs a punch. There is fall out due to the powdery-ness but if you love a good burgundy eyeshadow, this is something to look into.
Silly is a dark brown with hints of red undertone and copper sparkle. This colour was heavily swatched but in reality, it applies sheer due to a drier texture. The copper sparkle is mostly all you'll get.
Serious is a matte black. Not the best matte black out there but still good.
Sleek is a matte black brown. Smoother than Serious but definitely not as dramatic. I must say, this is my favourite matte eyeshadow throughout the entire palette.
Notice how every eyeshadow is named after a feeling or personality starting with the letter 'S'? theBalm paired up the shadows to the words quite nicely. But about the actual product? The eyeshadows are soft and sometimes messy but that could be overlooked because they are also very pigmented. And if all goes wrong, the shadows can be blended out so beautifully.
If I could change a few things in the palette, it would be the amount of frost and shimmer in the lighter colours or add in a matte vanilla companion. The frost in the lightest colours combined with the shimmer of the browns is a little too strong for a natural, day time look.
Bottom Line:
While I wish to say theBalm's Nude'Tude is a must have, it isn't in my books. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice palette but not exactly a "nude eyeshadow palette". The quality is there though so if you're looking for a natural night out palette, give Nude'Tude a go. All the colours are there for you and the packaging is so cute!
Ingredients
Disclosure
Make-Up Kismet is a personal blog written and edited by myself. This blog was created to share my experiences with whom ever reads it.
All reviews posted are written by me and are my honest opinions. All products reviewed are purchased by me for personal and/or review purposes unless stated otherwise. Each person is different, as are our experiences. With that said, I cannot be held responsible for any unsatisfying reaction to a product I review or recommend.
Photos on this blog are either from Google, other Bloggers or, my own. I try to depict all products as accurately as possible. I may edit photos for this purpose.
