frozen spring

cruelty free & sustainable living

Melt Cosmetics She’s In Parties Eyeshadow Palette – Photos & Swatches

Melt Cosmetics She's In Parties Eyeshadow Palette

Last month I finally got my hands on this wonderful eyeshadow palette! I actually had on my wishlist the She’s In Parties eyeshadow stack, but by the time I was ready to order it, it was discontinued. Luckily, they came out with this palette that has all shades from the old stack and then some. The original shades are Skeleton Kiss, Last Caress, She’s In Parties and Meanstreak. Christine from Temptalia reviewed the eyeshadow stack when it came out, and there were some inconsistencies in the formula so it got “only” a B from her. On the other hand, She’s In Parties eyeshadow palette got an A- (Christine’s review) which means Melt Cosmetics did improve the formula. Anyway, that was an additional reason I decided to buy this palette.

The reason I purchased this palette is because it has a really nice color story: a beautiful combination of purple, burgundy and plum shades, with the exception of the first shade, Skeleton Kiss, which is more of a golden-peachy shade. I do think this palette has a nice ratio of matte and shimmery shades and I do feel like it will suit you, no matter your complexion. Darker shades are indeed deep and rich, I was admiring them for a while once I swatched them! I don’t remember the last time I was this impressed with an eyeshadow palette! All shades are very pigmented and feel so smooth when swatched and applied. The only shade that felt a bit dry when swatched was the shade Meanstreak (next to last). However, it is amazingly pigmented and that really isn’t a serious issue.

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Marc Jacobs Beauty Eye-Conic Eyeshadow Palette in Steel(etto) – Photos & Swatches

Recently Marc Jacobs Beauty came out with a new Eye-Conic eyeshadow palette called Steel(etto) which is part of their spring 2019 release. This palette is limited edition and that is one of two reasons why I purchased it. The other reason is that I was really thrilled to see one cool toned eyeshadow palette and I really didn’t want to miss on it. Of course, I like the quality of Marc Jacobs eyeshadows, I obviously wouldn’t purchase it if I thought it wasn’t any good.

Anyway, I still haven’t tested it properly, but I did take some quick pictures and I swatched ti. Besides being cool toned, it also has purple-ish undertones which is really interesting. It contains 7 shades, most of them being matte shades (5 shades), 1 shimmery shade and one almost like a top coat eyeshadow, with a bit more pigment when compared to some other similar products. Each shade contains 0.76 grams of product, which is slightly less when compared to permanent palettes which contain 0.8 grams per eyeshadow.

One thing that bothers me about this product (and which isn’t related to the brand) is the fact that this palette is more expensive than other Eye-Conic palettes. I know this has something to do with Sephora in Scandinavia because the price of limited edition Eye-Conic palettes is always different when compared to the permanent ones (they cost 495 SEK and this one is 645 SEK), and that is not the case in other stores (for example, Sephora.com or net-a-porter.com). I think I might actually send an e-mail to sephora.se and see what’s that about…

Here are my swatches, I haven’t used any primer, I simply swatched it with my fingers. Photos were taken in natural daylight.

Details

Cruelty free? Yes.
Where to buy? Sephora (Sweden); net-a-porter.com (ships worldwide)
Price: 645 SEK / $69 / €61 (I always convert the price from SEK to $ or €; it’s actually much cheaper on net-a-porter – $49 – wish I saw that!)

Vesna ♥

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging Review

A few months ago I had to give up on my long time eye shadow primer, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, because my eyelids started reacting weird every time I used it – they became extremely dry, flakey and it just stopped working as it used to. And just around that time I came across a post from Killer Colours where she talks about Urban Decay’s Primer Potion Anti-Aging so soon after I went to Åhléns (biggest department store in Sweden) to buy it.

I’ve been using it ever since and I have to say this product has been a serious game changer for me! It definitely helped me to get back to using eyeshadows more often (as in, a few times a week). Beside this primer making any eyeshadow looking more pigmented, I like how hydrating it feels on my eyelids and how eyeshadows don’t crease even after 10 hours or so. My eyelids, even though they can get dry, they do get oily throughout the day and Shadow Insurance just didn’t cut it any longer. But this primer is definitely holding everything in place as an eyeshadow primer should.

The only thing I don’t like about it is the packaging. I thing a tube that you can just squeeze would be a lot better and the doe foot applicator is just unnecessary. I guess I’ll have to cut the packaging because there is no way I can use every single bit of it with the applicator.

left: no primer; right: with primer

Details

Suitable for vegans/cruelty free? Yes and yes!
Where to buy? Pretty much everywhere! KICKS or Åhléns (Sweden); if you can’t buy UD in your country, then you can buy it via lookfantastic.com!
Price: 235 SEK / $25 / €22 (10 ml)

Vesna ♥

My makeup collection

This summer I finally organised my makeup collection and here’s how it turned out. I don’t have my own vanity table at the moment and that’s why I’m not showing the whole space, but hopefully I’ll have my own space soon. In the meantime, I’ve occupied 1/3 of my husband’s computer desk and well, that’s working for now. :D I  know this is still a large collection when compared to a collection of an average user, but if I compare this collection to the one I had a few years ago – this is A LOT smaller!

To organise all my products, I got a few Muji 2 Drawer Units. I like that they are stackable and that they don’t take up much space. That’s really important when you don’t have a lot space to begin with. My plan is to keep my collection in these six MUJI Units. I still have some space but I’m not in a hurry to fill it up.

I was actually surprised to see how many eyeshadow palettes and single eyeshadows I own! I didn’t think they will take up almost 4 units. It actually opened my eyes and I realised I seriously don’t need anything new when it comes to eye products.  Okay, I don’t need anything new in general, but especially NOT eyeshadows! :D

Anyway, here are a few more photos. If you want some details, let me know! These are not all products, but around 90% of them :)

liquid highlighters/illuminators, lipsticks, eye and lip pencils (on the right)

eye pigments / loose eyeshadows (a handful selection I chose to use in the upcoming weeks)

lipsticks (guess my favourite brand, LOL)

pressed and cream highlighters, bronzers (I have only 2)

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Empties Vol. I

In today’s post I’m sharing products I’ve used up in the past few months. As you can see, it’s mostly skincare, which isn’t surprising. It is a lot easier to use up skincare than makeup. There is not a lot to say about these products since I’ve mentioned them before on my blog, so I’ll just quickly go through them.

I’ll start off with estelle & thild. A few days ago I reviewed the BioCleanse Make Up Remover so there isn’t much to say about it except that I already have a new bottle ready for use. Next two products are as well from their BioCleanse range – Fragrance Free Cleansing Gel and Multi-Action Facial Toner. I repurchased those as well. I think I’m using my third tube of cleansing gel and fifth bottle of toner! Needless to say – I love these products! Last year in February I wrote about my first impressions and I still stand by them. I really do love this toner and I’m happy with the cleansing gel as well! I don’t think I’ll change them any time soon, I just don’t feel like it’s necessary and, to be honest, I don’t feel like testing something new all the time. I’ve come to the point where I want consistency in my skincare. :)

The next product I used up is Skintegra Hydra B Advanced Hydration Serum. I’m actually on my third bottle already! This si a really light, and yet hydrating serum that kept my skin under control this whole winter. Of course, it’s important to mention that this is not the only product I’ve been using, but it definitely is one of the few I keep going back to. The thing that I like about this product is I can use it all year round – it’s hydrating enough for winter, and yet light enough for summer. This product can be used both in the morning and evening, but I use it mostly in the morning since it suits me better. I will be reviewing this and other Skintegra products in my upcoming post(s).

My last skincare product of the bunch is Green Girl Cosmetics Hydrating Serum LIGHT. This is the first time I used a product that contains niacinamide, and I was so glad I tried it! I don’t think niacinamide is talked so much about, but if you haven’t tried it – be sure you do! I instantly noticed my skin texture improved and any spots left over from ocassional pimples faded much quicker thank usual! I have to write a more detailed post about this serum as well, and I can tell you right now that I will order it again for fall!

My last empty product is a product I mentioned many times, over and over again, and it’s no surprise I used up another bottle of Rouge Bunny Rouge Aqua Primer. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to repeat myself since you can read all about it in my review that I wrote back in January, 2015! I think I’ve been using this primer for almost four years now! Of course, I already repurchased it! ;)

What are yours recent empties? :)

 Vesna ♥