Review: Dior's Sundeck Eyeshadow Palette

Hey everybody!

I normally don't do reviews, but I received an amazingly pretty eyeshadow palette by Dior for Easter, and I'm so excited! This eyeshadow palette is in 546 - Sundeck and is part of their Transat collection for Summer 2014. This collection has a rather retro feel as its "inspired by the travel spirit of Dior's first Resort and Spring line in 1948," hence the name Transat[lantic].

This palette contains the same amount of product as their permanent collection palettes, which is 6 grams. The packaging also features their signature holographic design.

Here's an overview of the eyeshadow colors. The light cream shade in the upper left has a nice matte finish and isn't too chalky. The peachy shimmery shade in the upper right complements the main orange shade nicely. The antique gold shadow in the bottom left has a nice metallic finish. The dark brown shade in the bottom right has hints of purple undertones. The center shade is a bright, pumpkin color and is the shade that originally caught my eye.

Here are swatches of all 5 colors. As you can see, they're all pretty pigmented and show up true to pan color. None of the shades were chalky or patchy in the application process.

To test out the shadows, this is the look I tried out. I applied the lightest cream color to the browbone and inner corner. In the inner third, I applied the peachy shimmery shade. The main lid color was the bright orange color. I blended the antique gold into the crease, and applied the darkest brown shade to my lower lash line. This is how the shadows looked like prior to eyeliner and mascara. 

This is the finished eye look after eyeliner and mascara. I didn't do anything crazy with the liner, because I wanted the eyeshadow to be the main focal point. I'm really digging this eye look, because orange has proven to be surprisingly wearable. 

And here's the finished face look. On the cheeks, I have on a blush by Wet -n- Wild called Mellow Wine and on the lips I have on a lip balm by Jack Black. 

Now for the verdict: 
Packaging: 5/5
Pigmentation: 5/5
Texture: 5/5
Longevity: 4/5
Application: 5/5

All of the shadows were very pigmented, and didn't have chalkiness or bad fallout. The diversity in finishes is also great. I like how the light cream color and dark brown are both matte, because they can be then be used in other ways, such as filling in the eyebrows or highlighting on the face. I applied a base before starting the eye look, and didn't have any problems with the application process whatsoever. I will say that the shadows creased on me within 6 hours. However, I also have unusually oily eyelids, I was sweating throughout the day, and I've never, ever had an eyeshadow last all day on me. I think the eyeshadows could easily last all day (or night) on someone with normal eyelids. Overall, I'd give this palette an A.

I hope you enjoyed!
<3 Lucero

Review: Benefit's They're Real Mascara

Hey everybody!

I recently picked up a tube of Benefit's They're Real Mascara (retails for $23), which I've wanted to try out since its launch. I'm a big fan of the Bad Gal Lash mascara, and was hoping this would live up to my expectations. Overall, this mascara is fabulous and I give it a 10 out of 10.

Grading system:
2 out of 2 points for wand and application
2 out of 2 points for effect and definition
2 out of 2 points for longevity
2 out of 2 points for removal
2 out of 2 points for packaging

Wand and application: as you can see from the following picture, the wand is large and has rubber bristles. This is my favorite type of wand, since it's great for separating lashes. The Bad Gal Lash is a bit different, and has a more feathery, but still large, wand. However, this wand might not appeal to everybody since it's more of a matter of opinion.

Effect and definition: The mascara formula is on the thicker side, and not watery by any means. It provided a lot of thickness and length without clumping up on me. It separated and coated the lashes beautifully.

My lashes prior to mascara, no curl.

 Longevity: So far, I've had no problems with flaking or dryness throughout the day. However, I do expect the drier formula to flake on me in several weeks time like the Bad Gal Lash did. It's an unfortunate part of having a thicker mascara formula. It's not a huge problem for me, though, since I try to throw out my old mascaras every few months anyways.

The left eye has mascara and is curled

 Removal: I had no problem removing this mascara with my regular eye makeup remover. I didn't expect any problems from a non-waterproof formula.

Both sets of lashes have mascara and are curled

 Packaging: I enjoy the silvery packaging, which luckily isn't prone to fingerprint marks. It's not unusually shaped or sized, which makes it easy to travel with. No problems here.

I love how it separates the lashes!

I hope you enjoyed! Until next time,
<3 Lucero