Make Up For Ever Artist Palette and Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks

Purchased items.

I'll be doing a series of quick and dirty swatch-and-mini review posts for the holiday palettes, as there isn't a lot of time left to purchase or put things on wish lists for the holiday gift-giving season. (And I'll be back to both regularly scheduled programming and some new things come January.)

For today, I have two really, REALLY awesome palettes: The Make Up For Ever Artist Palette and the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks. (And hey, I just realized the name similarity here. They both wanted to be sure you knew they were MUA-friendly brands, I guess?)

First up, the Make Up For Ever Artist palette. Price is 48$ CAD, available at Sephora.

The new MUFE eyeshadow formula is both unique and a vast improvement over their original formula. It's one of those weird gel-powder hybrids, but without that surface dryness that kind of formula can have. These are creamy and a little dense, with a neat texture when you press your finger into the pan, almost like it has a bit of squishy-ness. The gel part of it, I assume? And unlike a lot powders that claim some kind of special privilege of being usable wet, these powders not only can be applied damp, they transform into an almost cream eyeshadow texture when applied wet. They can be painted on, blended, buffed out without losing potency or getting funky.

All the shades I've tried so far have wonderful pigmentation (especially the Metallic and Iridescent finishes), and more notably, are an absolute dream to build up, sheer out and generally blend. They're so incredibly malleable for a powder eyeshadow. I think the ones that might be the weakest in pigmentation are the Diamond shades, but it's a truly minor difference.

I've heard that these eyeshadows can develop a hard pan surface, which hasn't happened to mine, yet. (I think because of that gel-powder, squishy texture they compact down easily, maybe?)

Shades are, left to right:

M536 (Milk Tea - matte), 1524 (Pinky Beige - iridescent), I550 (Olive Grey - iridescent),
D652 (Celestial Earth - diamond), ME728 (Copper Red - metallic), ME230 (Peacock Blue - metallic, D926 (Blueberry - diamond), ME930 (Black Purple - metallic).

I think the Copper Red and Blueberry are perhaps the only ones where the name doesn't quite match the color, but otherwise they're pretty accurate descriptions.

Next up, the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks. Price was originally 70$ CAD, now 59$ in the sale section at Sephora. Score!

I have to say that the exterior of the palette is decidedly lacklustre. It's a functional flip top with a magnetic (sort of) closure, and a zebra-like cloth wrap. It's just totally "meh".

Inside, WAY better.

I had a rough patch with the Laura Mercier palette. My first one had a misprint that turned Deep Night into something close enough to a racial slur that I debated with myself for a week before exchanging it. That bump aside, it's a lovely palette! The eyeshadows are up to par with what I expect from LM (compared to, say, the unreliable quality of Bobbi Brown palettes), with silky-smooth mattes, creamy-textured shimmers, and great payoff. I find the rosy tones on the left side especially useful for everyday wear, but the navy also makes a terrific eyeliner shade, and the stone taupe is a go-to contouring shade for both eyelid and cheeks.

The one thing that stands out a bit oddly is the blush/highlighter, as it is distinctly warmer-toned than the rest of the palette. It can be a bit odd pairing them in a cohesive look, but I actually like dusting it a bit over the centre of the lid to add a burnished tone and then applying it as a second, highlighter-y blush over a rosy or taupe blush to tie everything in. It's probably a little less value for the buck if you don't like the blush, since it contains half the amount of eyeshadows compared the palettes from previous years. If you do like it, though, then it's great quality for the price, especially now that it's discounted. (If you want to press your luck, you can also try waiting until the sale section discount thing Sephora usually does later in December/early January.)

Back soon with a few more!

(I purchased everything.)

Viseart - #05 Sultry Muse and #06 Paris Nude

(Affiliate links.)

If you're a hardcore beauty junkie or makeup artist, you probably already know about the wonder of the Viseart palettes. And if you're Canadian, you've probably cursed the heavens for the relative difficulty in acquiring said palettes, as until very recently they were only available through pro stores in the US, like Alcone, Naimie's, Nigel's and Frends. (All of these ship to Canada, but not without the hassle of extra taxes, fees and duties when passing through customs clearance. Without the benefit of a pro discount, the added costs were especially dissuasive for a lot of non-MUA consumers.)

And then...a miracle. I was browsing the palettes section of the Sephora site, checking for anything exciting and new (fellow addicts, please stand up) - AND THERE WAS VISEART. Four eye palettes (two of which I don't have and ordered as soon as they were in stock), two lip ones, and two concealer ones.

If this brand is new to you, let me give you some context and the broad strokes info:

Viseart is and has always been an artist-oriented brand. Their palettes, and especially their #01 Neutral Matte, are kit staples for many, many artists - and for good reason. Made to exacting standards in France, the eyeshadows are triple-milled for an incredibly refined texture that balances perfectly between softness and adherence. The satin and shimmer shades in particular feel silky smooth to the touch, with a plush, creamy texture. These eyeshadows have brilliant pigmentation, and blend and build so easily that you'd swear they apply themselves.

They are, in my opinion, some of the best eyeshadows currently on the market. They easily compete with any other high-end brand I've tried, including Chanel, Dior, and Charlotte Tilbury. Like most brands geared towards working professionals, the packaging is very practical and simple, with sturdy plastic housing the pans and a clear lid cover. Not sexy or swanky, but in this case it really is the stuff that's inside that makes it worth the eye-blinking price tag. (Yeah, the 80$ took me a while to swallow down, but after spending 60$ or so on high-end quints or quads from other brands - sometimes with disappointing results - I managed to talk myself into trying Viseart out. And I'm really, really glad I did.)

Basically, if I could only pick one brand of eyeshadows to use from now on, I'd be hard-pressed to select anything over Viseart - and at that point it might only come down to either the packaging or the variety, as Viseart generally focuses on more neutral, pro-friendly shade ranges (though they are apparently working on an editorial brights palette).

I'll start with a review of the two palettes that I've owned and used for a few weeks - the #06 Paris Nude and the #05 Sultry Muse.

The Paris Nude is a beautiful range of shimmery and satin neutrals, or quasi-neutrals. They're wonderful to integrate with existing matte shades in your collection (or the #01 Matte Neutrals palette), but also work beautifully used together for a softly shimmery haze. The reflective quality here is relatively low-key - this is not a metallic or glitter-leaning palette, so it would work very well for a work-appropriate look, or for a gentle, blown-out smoky eye. (I feel like you would need something deeper and matte to amp up the drama.) There are two shades with micro glitter that have a somewhat drier texture and sheerer application, and to my mind are best applied wet, otherwise the glitter can fall down. Personally, I could have done without them but they do add the potential for greater drama, should you wish it. They do add a beautiful wet-effect sparkle.

What I find interesting about this palette is how bland it looks at first glance. All the shades look sort of muddy, but when actually applied to the skin they have this incredible dimensionality. All of them have a subtle duochrome or hidden shimmer adding depth and complexity.

Pont des Arts, Champs-Élysées, Beax-Arts, Alexandre Trois, 
Saint-Honoré, Orangerie, Marais, Montaigne, 
Vendome, Jeu de Paume, Grand-Palais, Saint Germain

Pont des Arts is a peachy pink shimmer. Champs-Élysées is a white gold shimmer with very faint pink duochrome and small, flaky gold micro glitter. Beaux-Arts is an almost metallic rose gold with a peachy copper duochrome - completely gorgeous. Alexandre Trois is pale gold beige with gold micro glitter. Saint-Honoré is a slightly plummy mauve with a warm taupe undertone, very lovely. Orangerie is a changeling, looking alternatively light brown, bronze or peach depending on the light.

Pont des Arts, Champs-Élysées, Beaux-Arts, Alexandre Trois, Saint-Honoré, Orangerie

Marais is a rich copper. Montaigne is a pale old gold, with a khaki undertone. Vendome is a dusty lilac, with lighter lavender-pink shimmer. Jeu de Paume is a light, silvery sage. Grand-Palais is a smoky olive with a faint mauve shimmer underlay. Saint Germain is a plummy pewter shimmer.

Marais, Montaigne, Vendome, Jeu de Paume, Grand-Palais, Saint Germain

Sultry Muse is a more dramatic palette, with a higher degree of contrast between the shades and four of those micro glitter flecked shimmers. It also contains a few outright metallics. It suits more deeper, smokier, more outgoing eye looks, though you can definitely create a daytime appropriate looks as well. Of the two, it's probably the more versatile palette because of that range of colour depth and created texture variation.

Yves, Camille, Kifu, Gitte,
Tym, Jori, CIndi, Chantille,
Chloé, Melonié, Diane, Ceska

Yves is an icy white with silver micro glitter. Camille is an almost metallic warm, light brown. Kifu is a pale beige with a slight pink undertone and golden-pink micro glitter. Gitte is a deeper beige with gold micro glitter. Tym is an intense copper metallic with a distinct rose undertone. Jori is a deep, cool, bittersweet chocolate brown. 

Yves, Camille, Kifu, Gitte, Tym, Jori

Cindi is another intensely metallic copper, this one with a strong orange cast. Chantille is a muted burgundy brown. Chloé is a silver-slate metallic, with silver micro glitter. Melonié is a slightly dirty peach with a melon pink undertone. Diane is a deep charcoal shimmer. Ceska is a soft gold shimmer.

Cindi, Chantille, Chloé, Melonié, Diane, Ceska

I also have some quick comparisons with the two brands that I think have the closest match in terms of pigmentation and/or texture. (I wasn't able to get exact colour matches, but something in the general family to give you an idea.)

Below are the three shades from the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita quad (minus the glitter shade) versus three from the Viseart Sultry Muse (Melonié, Chantille, Jori). Among my high end brands, including Chanel and Dior, the CT has the closest similarity when it comes to texture. They feel alike in terms of silkiness, softness, creaminess and refinement of the pigment. I find they also apply and blend very, very similarly on the eye. That said, I do think the Viseart are a bit more pigmented - not a huge difference, but enough to note.

Below are three shades from Urban Decay (Derailed, Half-Truth, Chase) versus three from the Viseart Sultry Muse and Paris Nude (Grand-Palais, St-Germain, Ceska). Again, I didn't have a chance for closer colour matches, and Chase is more metallic in finish compared to the gold from the Viseart. But you get the idea. These are some older UD and definitely represent the best of their quality - they are perfect in terms of opacity of pigmentation and creaminess. They have that classic UD richness and are denser and more buttery feeling than the Viseart, which feel finer and silkier in comparison. The Viseart are somewhat easier to blend out and use, due to that refinement, but the pigmentation is similar. I think these are both excellent formulas and it would be a question of preference. (The ease of use with the Viseart is probably why they end up in pro kits with far more regularity.)

Availability: From pro shops like Naimie's, Frends, Nigel's, Musepro, and now at Sephora, as part of their pro-oriented line-up (though available for anyone to buy). The price is 80$ CAD and USD. I would highly recommend giving them a try during the VIB/Rouge sale, coming soon.

Have you guys had a chance to try these yet? I'm kinda obsessed, if you can't tell. :P 

(PS - I'm trying out the wider shots of arm swatches, for a clearer context for the colours. Let me know if you have strong preferences either way!)

(I purchased both palettes. This post is not sponsored or compensated, all opinions are my own. Contains affiliate link.)

New Essence Palettes: All About Nude, All About Paradise, All about Sunrise

If you're near an Ulta or Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix location that has a little display of Essence Cosmetics, you neeeeeeeed to check out the new 6-pan palettes in their permanent line-up. For 4.99$, I picked up three on a whim and haven't regretted the purchase.

There are four available currently, and I passed on the pastel-hued one, opting for All About Paradise, All About Nude and All About Sunrise.

The texture, finish and pigmentation varies a fair bit between all the palettes, and even between the individual colours in each palette. There are a few matte looking ones that nevertheless pick up a satin sheen when applied, and the rest are shimmers, metallics and satins with shimmer/micro-glitter. Some feel quite dense and creamy, and pick up easily with a brush, while a few are firmer and drier in feel, with a more powdery kickback. I find that the majority of them swatch really beautifully, but they have the same adherence issue that I think is common with budget eyeshadows that lean on the creamier side - whatever combination of ingredients is used to give that texture and good pigmentation doesn't always translate into good "sticking" quality.

That said, the solution is simple enough that I don't view the less than stellar adherence as a major drawback, especially considering the price and the results that can be achieved. I take the extra step of using either a cream base or some concealer on my eyelid (over the primer).

All About Nudes has the most wearable shades, as expected.

The off-white shimmer and light taupe shimmer in the top row have a bit of micro glitter and a slightly drier texture and sheerer finish. The delicate pale pink satin is smooth and soft, with nice pigmentation. For greater intensity, the shimmers benefit from being applied with a damp brush, but in all honesty I prefer the subtle look that can be created using them as is. Sort of a...Your Eyelids But Better? YEBB?

The bottom row doesn't lack for punch though. The iced pink frost is dense and creamy with very good payoff, and the deep, greyed taupe shimmer, and intense mulberry shimmer are just slightly less velvety.

All About Paradise has the most vivid shade range of the three, obviously. This is a great option if you're looking to add some crazy colours into your eyeshadow wardrobe, but you're not inclined to spend the money on something like the Urban Decay Electric palette. This gives you a taste at less than a tenth the price, but that sticky base is a must.

The white-gold shimmer verges on metallic, with a smooth, creamy texture and excellent pigmentation. The peach shimmer is less smooth, with a sort of flaky shimmer that makes it a shade best applied wet or dabbed on with a finger. The hot pink and canary yellow shimmers are gorgeous, and best over a primer to get the best payoff. The aqua and blue shades are both drier feeling, and definitely need that base to showcase their vibrancy, otherwise they sheer out quite a bit.

All About Sunrise is my absolute favourite out of the three palettes, not only because the pigmentation is the best but also because of how beautiful it looks when applied. This is a metallic heavy palette, with all but one shade being a variation on gold.

The white gold frost is buttery, dense and very pigmented, totally gorgeous. The following two are variations on the rose gold idea, the middle one being more pink and warm-toned, the latter one having a deeper, taupe undertone. They're not quite as smooth or creamy as the white gold, but they do have great payoff.

The rich yellow gold has the same formulation as the white gold, while the peach gold is similar the to the rose-toned ones in terms of feel and performance. The brown at the bottom right is the odd man out, being cooler-tone, having a drier texture and much sheerer application. It is nice, however, for balancing out the richness of the rest of the palette.

Below is an eye look created with the All About Sunrise palette a little back. I used a mix of the champagne gold and the rose gold all over the lid, with the peach gold as a dimensional layer in the very middle of the lid. The pale beige gold shade was used in the inner corner, and the light brown in the crease and under the eye, mixed with a touch of the rose gold. The look came out with that sunshine-sparkling-on-water effect, which I think was quite pretty.

Availability: At Pharmaprix/Shoppers locations that carry Essence, in the regular display case. Also at Ulta. Price is 4.99$ CAD per palette. (Which is a freaking STEAL.)

Have you guys spotted these yet? Tried them? What do you think?

(I purchased these items. This post is not sponsored or compensated, all opinions are my own.)