Sephora Formula X Fall 2014 Nail Polish Preview!

Good morning my fellow Lacquered Lovers!  Happy Friday!  I hope you're all having a lovely week so far!  Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the launch of Sephora's Formula X Fall 2014 nail polish line!  There are some great goodies below so now, without further ado, onto the polish!

Above:  Brushed Metallics

Above:  Motivated (orange with gold shimmer)  and Ambitious (bright yellow gold with gold shimmer)

Above:  Mind Games (Green with Gold shimmer) and Discovery (teal with blue shimmer)

Above:  Destiny (light blue with pink shimmer)  and Prophecy (dark blue with purple and pink shimmer)

Above:  Valor (purple with pink shimmer)  and Spectacle (Magenta with pink and blue shimmer)

Above:  Wonderment (beige with pink shimmer), Singularity (greige with blue shimmer) and Determined (brown with blue shimmer)

Above:  Synapse (taupe with pink shimmer) and Fate (beige with blue shimmer)

The Brushed Metallic Collection consists of 8 jewel tones and 6 neutral nail polishes that are all full of mica and dry to a mostly matte finish.  All of the shimmer is either pink or blue, some of them shifting between the two for a duochrome effect, however this is mostly only clear in the bottle or if you put a clear top coat on the polish.  I love how rich the jewel tone shades are and how much the colored shimmer pops against the nudes!

Above:  Press Pods for Fall 2014

Above:  Impeccable, Atomic, Orbit, Pyrotechnic, Ignite,  Dark Matter,Thrilling

Press Pods are a one use manicure capsule that Formula X has previously released that hold enough polish for one full manicure and comes with a brush attached for easy use.  For Fall, they are releasing this kit with 7 colors (all existing) that are perfect for traveling!  This kit will retail for $15, which is a huge value when most Formula X cremes retail for $10.50.

Above:  The Cut - Enticing, Memorable, Grand

The Cut are 3 new cremes for Fall that reflect the urban landscape.  They consist of a mustard yellow, a slate blue and a greige, all fairly neutral without being boring.  I'm really digging that slate for Fall!  That's my version of a palette cleanser polish.

Above:  The cool X installation at the event

All in all, I think Formula X is coming out with some cool things!  I love the idea of the brushed metallics, and while I wish the shimmer showed more on the nail without a top coat, I think they are gorgeous jewel tones and neutrals for Fall.  The Cut collection is a great mini Fall showing for those who like some out of the box colors like mustard and don't want to just do darks.  The press pods would be great for travel and I'm actually looking forward to trying them!  All of these polishes will be released August 1, 2014 at Sephora!

What did you think of these polishes?  Any must haves?  Any dupes?

Disney Jasmine Collection by Sephora Storylook Palette Volume 2 Swatches and Review!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Thursday to you all!  I hope you're all having a wonderful week so far!  Today, I have a brand new eyeshadow palette from Sephora to show you!  As you might know, Sephora has been releasing, in coordination with Disney, makeup lines based on the Princesses!  First up was Cinderella and now, we have Princess Jasmine!

 Above:  Outer Packaging

Above:  Inner Packaging

 

How cute is this packaging?  Jasmine was always one of my favorite princesses because:  1.  She has a pet tiger.  2.  She gets to wear pants.  And 3.  She's kind of a bad ass.

 

Now there is a lot of pictures and information coming at you so now, without further ado, on to the makeup!

 

 Above:  The full palette

 

This Palette comes with 15 eyeshadows, a blush and a bronzer.  It's really colorful, lots of glitter and all are pigmented.  In all the swatches below, on the top will be the shadow on its own and the bottom will be it over primer.

 

 

Above:  top row of eye shadows

 Above:  Blue Oasis

Blue Oasis is a very soft blue toned aqua.  There are hints of green to it but it leans more to the blue.  It was fairly shimmery with a hint of tiny silver glitter.  The formula was very powdery and even with primer I had trouble getting a strong color but it is beautiful.  Definitely will require clean up as there is a lot of fallout.

 Above:  Trust Me

Trust Me is a copper with red overtones and a bit of frosty shimmer to the finish.  You can see the tiny glitters even without the primer.  The formula was pretty good, the color went on easily and seemed to stay in place.

 Above:  Abu

Abu is a dark brown with bronze shimmer and a metallic like finish.  This is one of the most intense and most pigmented shades of the palette.  This color is really vibrant and easy to use.

Above:  Ali Ababwa

Ali Ababwa is a slightly beige matte eyeshadow.  You can't really tell on me because I'm so pale that it pretty much just blended into my skintone.  It's a nice shade for layering and not too powdery.

 Above:  Middle row of eyeshadows

 Above:  Friend Like Me

Friend Like Me is a medium blue with a ton of silver shimmer to it that gives it a really neat smokey looking effect.  This one was very pigmented even without the primer and you can see the little silver specks in it.  The formula was really nice, not too much fallout.

 Above:  Master

Master is a deep eggplant purple with a warm kind of metallic look to it.  I like that it's not overly shimmery or frosty and just gives a deep, warm purple tone.  This one was fairly pigmented but it took a few swipes to get maximum color.

 Above:  Cosmic

Cosmic is hands down one of my favorites of this collection.  This warm toned gold is just beautiful and shimmery and so pigmented that I barely had to use any.  I'm in love.

 Above:  Cave of Wonders

Cave of Wonders is a yellow shadow that's full of a ton of gold shimmer and a bit of golden sparkle so it's not too harsh as a yellow.  The formula was ok with this one, it looked much more pigmented in the palette than it did on my skin but I really like the sparkle.

Above:  Sand in the Glass

Sand in the Glass is a beautiful warm toned white shadow that has hints of gold to it.  This is a great highlighter color or inner corner color to really make your eyes pop.  The pigmentation was great and a little bit when a long way.

Above:  Last row of Eyeshadow

 Above:  Lapis

Lapis is a mostly matte green leaning blue eyeshadow that had a lot of fallout and was very powdery.  It took a lot to build up more than a sheer wash of color but the color payoff is great once you do.

 Above:  Mystic Wonder

I love Mystic Wonder!  This is a blue leaning medium purple shadow that's so shimmy it almost looks iridescent.  The pigmentation wasn't the best on its own but over primer I had no issues with it.

 Above:  Rajah

Rajah is a bright orange with a slightly lighter orange and golden shimmer to it.  There was a LOT of pigment to this one and it was really easy to use!

 Above:  Arabian Sunset

Arabian Sunset is a pinky red/orange shadow with golden glitter and shimmer to it.  It's really warm and vibrant looking and the glitter is really apparent.  The shadow went on fairly easily with not too much fall out.

Above:  Bazaar

Lastly is Bazaar, a medium brown shimmer that was fairly powdery.  I had a bit of trouble getting a good color payoff with this one and it had a bit of fall out but when I got it to stick, it was really pretty.

 Above:  blush and bronzer

Above:  Thrilling Chase

 

Thrilling Chase is a very dark reddish pink blush with the tiniest hint of gold shimmer.  This is seriously virtually no product on clean skin and it's so pigmented!

 

 Above:  Golden Sands

Golden Sands is a gorgeous medium golden bronzer that's very shimmery and really easy to use and blend.  I love this color because it's so warm and just brightens up your skin,

All in all, I think this was a really fun palette!  The neutrals are great for every day and there is a pop of color in there for everyone.  Some of the formulas were a little powdery so they will have some fall out so make sure you do your eyes before your face makeup.  Here is a look I did today using only the Jasmine palette as my eyeshadow and blush/bronzer.

So there you have it!  The Disney Jasmine Collection by Sephora Storylook Palette Volume 2!  There are some really gorgeous shades and I love how it ended up looking on me!  I can't wait to try Volume 1!  This collection is limited edition and is currently available on the Sephora website for $55.00.

What did you think of this collection?  Must Have?  Any color dupes?

The products in this post were sent to me for my unbiased review. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Illamasqua I'MPERFECTION Nail Polish Swatches and Review! Plus a look into the minds of Illamasqua!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Friday to you all!  Today, I have a post I'm really excited about to show you!  Illamasqua just launched their I'MPERFECTION collection which stems from the idea that it's our imperfections that make us who we are and we shouldn't try to cover them up, but rather embrace and showcase them.

 



Today I'm going to show you the 5 nail polishes from this collection plus some pictures from a fabulous event I was invited to attend with Illamasqua where I got to be used as a model to show off a cool speckled eyeliner technique!  Just so you know, I put a top coat on for each swatch because otherwise the glitters can make them a bit rough.  Now, without further ado, on to the polish!

Above:  2 coats of Fragile with Top Coat

Above:  Macro shot of Fragile in the bottle

First up we have Fragile, a gorgeous robin's egg blue full of at least three different sized matte black glitters.  This is one of the ones from this collection that actually looks like a birds egg.  It's very delicate in color but then the black gives it a great edge.  The formula was great, opaque in 2 coats and very easy to get the glitters out.

Above:  2 coats of Freckle with top coat

Above:  Macro shot of Freckle in the bottle

I was really on the fence about Freckle when I first saw it but I think it ended up being my favorite in the bunch because it's so unique.  According to David Horne, Director of New Product Development and School of Make Up Artistry for Illamasqua, Freckle was the inspiration behind this entire collection and that inspiration came from a piece of rotting cardboard on the street.  Kind of an odd place to find inspiration but that's what makes Illamasqua such a unique company.  This shade is a darker nude, almost a dark beige full of the three different sized black matte glitters.  The formula was great, easy to use and two coats to be opaque.

Above:  2 coats of Mottle with Top Coat



Above:  Macro shot of Mottle in the bottle

I instantly loved Mottle because it looks like mint chocolate chip ice cream and that's one of my all time favorites.  I also love mottle because it's a gorgeous mint green shade that is a tad more blue based so it doesn't bring out the yellow in my skin.  The formula was great, opaque in two coats and easy to get the glitters out.

Above:  2 coats of Scarce with Top Coat

Above:  Macro bottle shot of Scarce

Scarce is a baby pink creme full of the same three sizes of black matte glitters.  This was probably my least favorite of the bunch but only because I'm not really a pink kind of girl.  However if you are, then this one is perfect!  The formula was great, opaque in 2 coats and the glitter was easy to get out.

Above:  2 coast of Speckle with Top Coat

 

Above:  Macro bottle shot of Speckle

Last but certainly not least is Speckle, a gorgeous lavender creme with the same three sizes of matte black glitters in it.  I love that this one is completely wearable for work while still maintaining a cool edge.  The formula was great, opaque in two coats and easy to get the glitter out.

All in all, I was really impressed by this collection.  As a blogger, I've seen a lot of milky polishes with glitters and lots of times they get clumped or thick easily.  These applies like normal polish and while they look sheer at one coat, they build up to full opacity in two.

Now right before these were released to the public, I was invited to a press event with David Horne, the Director of New Product Development and School of Make Up Artistry for Illamasqua and Joshua Heald, Illamasqua US Brand Ambassador to discuss the entire new I'MPERFECTION collection.  Here are some pictures from that night in case you missed them on Instagram:

 

Above:  The displays for the I'MPERFECTION Collection

 



Above:  David Horne showing how to do the speckled eyeliner in the new advertisements on me (they now have a full tutorial on their website.)  - Photo Courtesy of The Beauty Gnome

 Above:  Joshua Heald doing my eye on the other side.  Photo Courtesy of Miss Merli

 Above:  The finished product of the winged speckled eyeliner

Above:  My Illamasqua Galaxy nails I did for the event and Joshua Heald's nails which are Viridian with Smash layered on top with an accent of Mottle on top of Viridian.

So there you have it!  Speckled nail polish, speckled eyeliner and some fun pictures!  I hope you enjoyed this incredibly long post today!

What did you think of these polishes? Must have? Any dupes?

Some of The products in this post were sent to me for my unbiased review. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.