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Robyn Valentine


Kat Von D Metal Matte Mini Review

     Just when my bank account was starting to recover from buying the Metal Crush Extreme Highlighter Palette, Kat Von D is dropping on us another palette. The new Metal Matte Mini Eyeshadow Palette which will go on sale on Dec. 12th is the travel size version of last year's holiday release, the Metal Matte Palette. This eyeshadow palette features 7 shades from the original Metal Matte Palette; 5 mattes (Bone, Feather, Suede, Oak, and Velvet) and 2 metalics (Flash and Synergy). The three remaining shades come from Kat's Metal Crush Eyeshadow line, however 'Raw Power" in this palette is vegan where as 'Raw Power' from the Metal Crush Eyeshadow line is not. You are getting 5 matte eyeshadows and 5 metalics eyeshadows, the palette costs $39, each eyeshadow weighs 1.7 g/ 0.06 oz for a cost of $3.90 per eyeshadow, the palette will be available at Sephora online and in store, and Kat's website. Kat Von D Beauty is a cruelty free brand, and the palette is vegan.

First Impressions


     Genuinely when I saw this palette I was not drawn to it. My feelings have nothing to do with the quality of the eyeshadows, I just felt as though many of the shades in this palette I already have, and quite frankly the price wasn't very appealing either when considering that the Metal Matte Palette cost $60 for 13 mattes and 9 metallic. The reason why I decided to go back to Sephora and buy this palette was because I realized the palette was put out early and I wanted to get my review out for anyone considering to buy this palette. If you're a beginner at applying eyeshadows this palette will work quite well for you. The Metal Crush eyeshadows don't produce a lot of fallout and all the eyeshadows blend easily for me. I never bought the Metal Matte Palette because it wasn't vegan so I can't compare the quality of the two palettes, but I find that the mattes are pretty standard to Kat's other matte formulas. If I can compare the quality I'd say they perform closely to 'Martyr' from the Saint and Sinner Palette. Swatching these shades with my finger the metallics feel like I rubbing my finger in a cream. In my opinion the metallic eyeshadows are much creamier than the Metal Crush eyeshadows and they blend slightly better. As you all may know Kat Von D doesn't share the ingredients of her products online though they are listed on the boxes. I wasn't able to find the formula of the Metal Matte Palette for comparison, but comparing the metallics to the Metal Crush eyeshadows I noticed that the formula is slightly different. Using 'Thunderstruck' as an example, this is what I found; talc is now the second ingredient with mica being the first , dimenthicone has switched places with caprylic/ capric triglyceride, hydrogenated polyisobutene and palmitic acid have been moved toward the bottom of the list, methicone and benzoic acid have moved toward the end where calcium sodium borosilicate, synthetic fluorpylogopite, calcium aluminum borosilicate, and calcium aluminum borosilicate were (the FDA requires makeup companies to list ingredients from the highest concentration to lowest). I'm personally not concerned with any of the ingredients in this palette, but some ingredients  that might cause you concern are talc, phenoxyethanol (this can be irritating if it gets in your eye and can is considered to be toxic on the mouth), and malic acid (skin irritant, avoid getting this shade in your eye). 

Review


     Overall I do enjoy this palette, the eyeshadows are easy to blend, they don't crease, the colors work well together with enough variety to create nice transitions, and I think this palette would work well on the majority of undertones and skin colors. My biggest grip with the palette that I touched on in the first impressions, is that it's quite expensive for the amount of product you're getting especially when you compare it to the Metal Matte Palette; you're getting less than half of the eyeshadows in the Metal Matte Palette, but paying for more than half the cost. I wish I had the Metal Matte Palette to compare the ingredients and quality against that way I could make sense of the cost, but I have contacted Kat's customer service team who will get in contact with corporate, they will call or email me later in the week with a cost break down. I wanted to give this palette a fair chance which is why I tried to find out what the cost break down was. For all I know maybe they're using higher concentrations of expensive ingredients and ergo had to raise the price, but I don't know, I will update this article when I receive a response from corporate. I enjoy that this palette has a focused color scheme; even though they're only 10 eyeshadows in this palette, they included a nice color selection; these shades complement each other nicely and I don't believe you'll need to reach for another palette for transition shades. One criticism I heard about the Metal Matte Palette was that the shades didn't last terribly long, however, and maybe this is just me, the mattes in this palette last well on me despite having a hooded eye. I'm not sure if the formula changed between the two palettes, so I can't guarantee that these shades will last any longer than the Metal Matte Palette for you. I find that all of these shades are quite beginner friendly as their more of a light/ medium color pay off and the metallics aren't to bold to where mistakes will stick out like a sore thumb; they're just really flattering on the eye especially if you apply with your finger or wet your brush. I will say that the matte eyeshadows do have a bit of kick up to them and they're a little on the powdery side, but I had no fallout with any of the shades. Without the cost break down from corporate, it's a little hard for me to justify the price, but  if you're a Kat Von D fan, enjoyed the 5 matte eyeshades from the Metal Matte Palette and the 2 metallics from the Metal Crush line, want a vegan version of 'Raw Power', a vegan palette in general, if you weren't able to buy the Metal Matte Palette or want a good travel sized palette full of warmer colors you'll want to buy this palette, plus it would make a great stocking stuffer, however if you don't fit any of these categories, I feel as though you can skip this palette. I like this palette, but I don't love it, I'm sorry to say.



(The eyeshadows on top were swatched using the 'Shade' side of the EcoTools Enhancing Eye Set, the finger swatches were done right below. I used the Heritage Store's Rose Water and Glycerin spray as a base)



If you've made it this far, I would just like to say thank you for reading my article! Your feedback matters a great deal to me, please feel free to message me through my email therobynvalentine@gmail.com regarding any feedback or questions you may have. Also while your here, I would greatly appreciate it, if you consider contributing to my website by making a donation to my Paypal using the email provided. Thank you again for all your continued support, it truly means the world to me.
9:49 PM No comments

Stila Cosmetics Vegan Products List


     It's been a long time coming, but here it is, a list of the wonderful vegan goodies that Stila has to offer! As a disclaimer it should be noted that Stila doesn't market their products as being vegan friendly. Based on the emails I've received I've come to the conclusion that they're using the same equipment to manufacturer all of their makeup, meaning that even the vegan friendly makeup, may contain some of the non-vegan ingredients from the products made prior aka cross contamination.
     While I personally implore everyone to shop vegan I still commend everyone who supports cruelty free beauty. At the end of the day no animal deserves to be tortured regardless of the circumstances. Animals are sentiment beings who want to live long prosperous lives like the rest of us. I applaud Stila for rejoining the cruelty free movement!
     In 2013 Stila began selling their products in mainland China, and as many of you know, mainland China requires companies to test on animals in order to sell their products there. While much progress has been made to overturn this law, it is still in effect. As of February 2017 Stila has pulled out of the Chinese market and reclaimed their cruelty free status. I am proud to share this article with you; a list containing all the vegan products Stila has to offer. I went ahead and created a list of non-vegan products as I know many people are sensitive and allergic to non-vegan ingredients such as carmine. Another reason why I included a list of non-vegan products is because there are no references to what some of the brushes are made of, I wanted to clear up any confusion. I have been working with Stila over the past two to three weeks to put this list together. Stila has confirmed with me over a series of emails that aside from their brushes the only non-vegan ingredients found in their line are carmine, beeswax, and lanolin.

     From what I could tell under all the different shade options the ingredients are listed the same. Without the specific ingredients of each shade there's no way of knowing for sure whether or not a particular shade might be vegan. While I believe they're listing the same ingredients for all the different shade options I still went ahead and reviewed the ingredients for each product and their different shades. I wrote out 'all shades' under the lists to affirm any confusion regarding whether or not specific shades might be vegan friendly. As of now we can only assume that if a product is not vegan all the different shade options are not vegan as well.

About the Company:

     Stila was founded in 1994 and created by makeup artist Jeanine Lobell. Lobell was born in Sweden and grew up in Europe during the height of the "New Romantics," "Biba," and "Punk" scene. At the age of 17 Lobell attended the Complexions London School of Makeup, following in the footsteps of her friends. After school Lobell moved to L.A. where she landed her first job being a makeup assistant for the John Water's film 'Hairspray.' From there Lobell's career took off  and she worked on 'Drugstore Cowboy' and began doing work for celebrities (mostly music related). While working on the set of 'Pet Sematary 2' Lobell met her future husband Anthony Edwards, a star on the popular show E.R. Lobell entering into the makeup industry was the result of her friend Allison, who opened a boutique and wanted to sell makeup in her store. She asked Lobell to come over and Lobell ended offering to create her own makeup as long as she could make it from scratch as opposed to the private label products her friend initially planned on selling. The name Stila is derived from two words put together; the Swedish word stil which translates to style and the Italian word stilare which means signature. From her friends small boutique Stila continued to grow and has been the first for many products and marketing campaigns in the US such as the first to sell cream blush and lip compacts, the first to make liquid lipsticks, and the first to use illustrations in place of models. In 1999 Stila was acquired by Estee Lauder and later sold to Sun Captial Partners Inc. in 2006. As of 2009 Stila is owned by entrepreneur Lynn Tilton who operates Patriarch Partners, LLC. Lobell continues to work as a makeup artist and spends most of her time to raising her four children.


Vegan:

  • Aqua Glow™ Perfecting Bronzer $32
  • Aqua Glow™ Perfecting Primer $28
  • Aqua Glow™ Serum Foundation $45 (All shades)
  • Color Balm Lipstick $22 (All shades)
  • Color Balm Lipstick-Color Calm Shades $22 (All shades)
  • Color Balm Lipstick-Summer 2017 $22 (All shades)
  • Got Inked™ Cushion Eye Liner $23 (All shades)
  • Huge™ Extreme Lash Mascara  $23 
  • Lush Lips Water Plumping Primer $21
  • Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow $24 (All shades)
  • Mango Crush Lip & Cheek Stain $24
  • MATTE'ificent Lipstick $18 (All shades) 
  • Matte Metal Lipstick $22 (All shades) 
  • Nude Interlude Color Balm Lipstick $22
  • One Step Corrector $36
  • One Step Illuminate $36
  • One Step Prime $36
  • Passion Fruit Crush Lip & Cheek Stain $24
  • Perfecting Concealer $23 (All shades)
  • Perfectly Poreless Putty Perfector $39 (All shades)
  • Shape and Shade Custom Contour Duo $40 (All shades)
  • Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 $34 (All shades)
  • Stay All Day® Bronzer For Face & Body $36 (All shades)
  • Stay All Day® Cover $36 (All shades)
  • Stay All Day® Foundation & Concealer $40 (All shades)
  • Stay All Day® Precision Glide Brow Pencil $21 (All shades)
  • Stay All Day® Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner $22 (All shades)
  • Stay All Day® Waterproof Brow Color $21 (All shades)
  • Stay All Day® 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm $38
  • Stay All Day® 10-in-1 HD Illuminating Beauty Balm With SPF 30 $38
  • Yumberry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain $24
Tools:
  • Double-Ended Blending Sponge $12
  • La Quill Precision Eye Liner Brush $32
  • Lush Lip Brush $24
  • Mini Wonder Brush™ For Face & Body $25
  • Shape & Shade Custom Contour Brush $38
  • Wonder Brush For Face & Body $58
  • #10 Eye Brow Brush $20
  • #13 One Step Eyeliner Brush $20
  • #33 One Step Complexion Brush $32
  • #34 Jewel Eye Shadow Brush $24
  • #36 Magnificent Metals Dual-Ended Eye Liner Applicator $18
  • #37 Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow Applicator  $18
  • #38 Lash Lift Off Brush $20

Not Vegan:

  • All Over Shimmer Powder In Kitten $22 (Contains carmine)
  • Aqua Glow™ Serum Concealer $27 (All shades, contains carmine)
  • Aqua Glow™ Watercolor Blush $26 (All shades, contains carmine)
  • Convertible Color $25 (All shades, contains carmine, beeswax, and lanolin)
  • Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Palette-Sunset Serenade $39 (Contains beeswax and lanolin)
  • Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Palette-Sunrise Splendor $39 (Contains beeswax and lanolin)
  • Correct & Perfect All-in-One Color Correcting Palette $45 (Contains carmine)
  • Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette-Body $49 (Contains carmine)
  • Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette-Mind $49 (Contains carmine)
  • Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette-Soul $49 (Contains carmine)
  • Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette-Spirit $49 (Contains carmine)
  • Eye Shadow Pan In Compact $18 (Contains carmine)
  • Eye Shadow Trio-Bronze Glow $28 (Contains carmine)
  • Eye Shadow Trio-Gold Glow $28 (Contains carmine)
  • Glitterati Lip Top Coat $22 (All shades, contain carmine)
  • Heaven's Hue Highlighter $32 (All shades, contains carmine)
  • Illuminating Powder Foundation Refill $28 (All shades, contains carmine)
  • Jewel Eye Shadow $20 (All shades, contains carmine)
  • Lash Stunner Extreme Primer $26 (Contains beeswax derivative)
  • Lip Glazes $22 (All shades, contains carmine, beeswax, and lanolin)
  • Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow $32 (All shades, contains carmine and beeswax)
  • Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow - Duo Chrome Shades $24 (All shades, contain carmine)
  • Matte 'N Metal Eye Shadow Palette $49 (Contains carmine)
  • Mile High Lashes™ Mascara $25 (Contains beeswax)
  • Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek Palette Fair/Light  $39 (Contains carmine)
  • Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek Palette Light/Medium $39 (Contains carmine)
  • Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek Palette Medium/Tan $39 (Contains carmine)
  • Perfect Me, Perfect Hue Eye & Cheek Palette Tan/Deep $39 (Contains carmine)
  • Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick $22 (All shades, contains carmine and beeswax)
  • Stay All Day® Liquid Lipstick-Spring Shades $22 (All shades, contains beeswax)
  • Stay All Day® Lip Liner $20 (All shades, contains beeswax)
  • Smudgepot $20 (All shades, contain carmine)
  • Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner $22 (All shades, may contain carmine)
Tools:
  • #2 Under Eye Concealer Brush $20 (Made from sable)
  • #4 Precision Eyeliner Brush-Long Handle $20 (Made from pony hair)
  • #7 Eye Shadow & Crease Brush $20 (Made from a mix of pony/synthetic hair)
  • #9 All Over Blend Brush-Long Handle $24 (Made from goat hair)
  • #15 Double-Sided Crease and Liner Brush $32 (Made from squirrel hair)
  • #17 Retractable Bronzing Brush $26 (Made from goat hair)
  • #20 Eye Enhancer Brush $32 (Made from goat hair)
  • #21 Double Duty Cheek Contour And Blush Brush $45 (Made from goat hair)
  • #24 Double-Sided Illuminating Powder Brush $50 (Made from goat hair)
  • #28 Smudge and Line Brush $32 (Made from a mix of pony/goat hair)
  • #30 Double-Ended Shadow Brush $32 (Made from goat hair)
  • #31 Retractable Powder Brush $26 (Made from goat hair)



References Cited:

Jacques, Renee. “5 Amazing Facts You Never Knew About Stila Cosmetics.” Allure, Allure              Magazine, 24 May 2017, www.allure.com/story/stila-cosmetics-facts.

“Jeanine Lobell, Makeup Artist.” Into The Gloss, 24 Feb. 2016, intothegloss.com/2011/10/jeanine-lobell-makeup-artist/.

Lattman, Peter, and Ellen Byron. “Stila Cosmetics Sold Again, This Time to Patriarch.” The Wall    Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 20 Apr. 2009, www.wsj.com/articles/SB124018249928733011.

YouTube, YouTube, 13 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCi1jDO-P5M.




If you've made it this far, I would just like to say thank you for reading my article! Your feedback matters a great deal to me, please feel free to message me through my email therobynvalentine@gmail.com regarding any feedback or questions you may have. Also while your here, I would greatly appreciate it, if you consider contributing to my website by making a donation to my Paypal using the email provided. Thank you again for all your continued support, it truly means the world to me.

2:16 PM No comments

A.P.D.G. Pigment Review

     I'm really excited to be writing this review of the Alquemie Product Developement Group (A.P.D.G.) pigments. Before Fenty Beauty made a splash in the beauty community with their diverse shade range this cruelty free vegan indie company gained notoriety for their pigments which boast 39 different shades ranging from the palest shades to deepest. Generally pigments are designed with the function of being mixed in with other products such as moisturizers and foundations to add coverage or priming effects to name a few of their uses, you can wear them as a foundation or concealer if you please. I've tried these pigments as both a foundation and pigment additive to other foundations.What I appreciate about this company is the different sizes of pigments they offer: 0.33 fl oz. ($18), 0.44 fl oz (sample pack) $10, 1 fl oz ($24), and 2 fl oz ($34). The different sizes allow you buy small quantities if your looking to try their pigments, you're unsure if you'll like their product, or uncertain of your shade match and if you do enjoy the product you can buy the 2 fl oz bottle so it'll last you longer. Unfortunately the company does not list a color description for their shades or provide swatches (they do have some swatches available via Instagram (2nd image) and Facebook, but they're not labeled) which makes finding your perfect shade a bit of a gamble as you have to color match to the picture of the bottle online and their sample packs seem to be missing 3 shades from the rest of the line. For this reason I would recommend buying a sample pack. Their sample packs contain 0.44 fl oz and a mixture of 8 different colors with the exception of their extra light sample pack which contains 7 shades. I had wanted to try these pigments for some time after I saw their diverse shade range, but being an indie company who became viral in a short amount of time they tend to sell out of their sample packs fast. I was lucky enough to get my hands on 3 sample packs (light, medium dark, and dark) after someone cancelled their order. I am thankful to A.P.D.G. for alerting me of their products availability upon my inquiry via Instagram or I might have missed out again.

Description


     The company describes the pigments as a long wearing buildable medium coverage product with color correcting and priming capabilities. The product will leave the skin with a silky soft focus matte finish that's water, sweat, transfer, and sebum resistant. The company is cruelty free and vegan and the pigments are oil, paraben, and fragrance free. They recommend using a damp sponge and applying to clean dry skin. In order to build even layers allow the pigment to dry before reapplying. The pigments can also be worn as lipstick, it's recommended you moisturize before hand. Please note that the colors might darken slightly after they've dried.

Shipping


     The shipping on all products is $8 (domestic) and $13.50 for international orders. I only planned on only buying one sample pack, but seeing as how the shipping almost cost the equivalent of another sample pack, I figured I might as well buy three sample packs to qualify for free shipping that way I would pay $30 for 3 sample packs instead of $18 for one. I should mention that most companies I come across usually charge around $6 for their shipping, I tend to opt for buying more to get free shipping rather than paying the equivalent of another item. I placed my order on Sep. 27th and received a shipping notification later that day, from my tracking notifications it appears the products were handed over to USPS October 6th and my product arrived on October 10th.

Review


     Opening up my package, one of the first things I noticed about the sample packs was that there was not only discoloration in each of the tubes, but the colors appeared lighter in person than they did online. The company hasn't made the recommendation of shaking the pigments prior to application, but I came to the conclusion that the ingredients have a tendency to separate when they've been sitting which causes the colors to become discolored/ lightened, however this could have been an issue with my order. The pigments are a thin, watery consistency and swatching the the first pigment near my wrist I noticed the product feather on the creases, but once they dried this was no longer a problem, they stayed very much in place. The company claims that their pigments are sweatproof and waterproof so I ran my arm under running water to see if the waterproof claim was true and I can happily say these pigments did not budge! Even though the skin around my eyes tends to be a dry area, I'm not used to product clinging to the dry skin the way this pigment did, it emphasized my dryness quite a bit. Considering that these pigments were designed to dry down I can't say I was too surprised to see them cling to dry skin. After I moisturized with my Pacifica Probiotic Water Rehab Cream and my Alaffia Coconut Eye Cream I no longer have this problem, I would also recommend for people with dry skin that you exfoliate (if necessary) and apply moisturizer. Under my eye I do have some deep set creases that cause most products to crease, but I'm pleased to say I didn't get any creasing under my eyes nor did I really crease in my fine lines. Even though the company doesn't claim that these pigments are crease proof it's been my experience that once they dry down they really don't move and they do quite a good job of controlling oil. Overall I'm really pleased with the pigments, however if I didn't moisturize regularly before applying makeup, my opinion would be less favorable, but like I said the skin around my eyes is dry on me and the pigment was designed to dry down so it comes as no surprise the pigment clung to the dry skin. If you don't have dry skin you shouldn't run into this problem and this pigment might suit you well. All in all I found that the claims A.P.D.G. made regarding their pigments are ultimately true and I would very much recommend this product; after it dries down it won't budge, it leaves the skin looking matte with a soft glow, and it 's comfortable to wear.
     Thank you to my friend Tracia for lending me her arm to do swatches on deeper skin, you can find her on Instagram and Youtube.



 Sample packs left to right (light, medium dark, dark)



Sample packs left to right (light, medium dark, dark)



If you've made it this far, I would just like to say thank you for reading my article! Your feedback matters a great deal to me, please feel free to message me through my email therobynvalentine@gmail.com regarding any feedback or questions you may have. Also while your here, I would greatly appreciate it, if you consider contributing to my website by making a donation to my Paypal using the email provided. Thank you again for all your continued support, it truly means the world to me.
1:11 PM No comments

E.L.F. is Now Fully Vegan


     If at all possible I try to avoid making my purchases online out of fear that a security breach would result in my personal information being leaked, but perhaps I'm just being irrational. The only other rationalization I have for my fears is the inability to see exactly what I'm purchasing and for makeup that can be a big deal. One way in which I always seem to forget my fears is the prospect of saving money. It should come as no surprise that with E.L.F.'s recent coupon of free shipping with no minimum I darted over to there website in a haste. For those of you unfamiliar with E.L.F. they are a cruelty free and now vegan cosmetics brand started in 2004 by Joseph Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba. They are sold in 17 countries, found in stores such as Walmart, Target, Ulta, Dollar General, and CVS, and were designed around the principle of being inexpensive and high quality. Their products are manufactured in China, however they're sold there meaning they are not required by law to test on animals. Going through their products to see what would catch my eyes I noticed that under the ingredients list there was a cruelty free and vegan logo prominently displayed. I was surprised to see this logo as E.L.F. has only labeled their products cruelty free even though all their makeup was vegan. While I was surprised to see this logo I didn't think much of it until I began to remember E.L.F. stating almost a year ago that they were going to replace their pony hair brushes with a synthetic material. To the best of my knowledge the brushes from the regular line were the only products still not vegan though there was uncertainty whether or not E.L.F.'s skincare line was vegan over unclear responses. The first thing I did when I realized E.L.F. may finally be a completely vegan brand was look to see if the pony hair brushes were replaced with synthetic material and low and behold they were. I was still in a bit of disbelief, but with it being late in the evening there was no way I could confirm my suspicion. When I finally had a break the next day I made it a point to call E.L.F.'s customer service and I asked if there were finally a vegan brand to which the man over the phone replied that they are. As excited as I was I had to ask if the stores that sell their products are carrying old stock that might not be vegan, to which he replied that E.L.F. has phased out the old stock over the past year so the whole line is in fact vegan, they've only recently placed a logo on their website to make it official. Congratulations E.L.F. for being on the side of progress and offering a more affordable option for those wanting to support cruelty free vegan brands! 




If you've made it this far, I would just like to say thank you for reading my article! Your feedback matters a great deal to me, please feel free to message me through my email therobynvalentine@gmail.com regarding any feedback or questions you may have. Also while your here, I would greatly appreciate it, if you consider contributing to my website by making a donation to my Paypal using the email provided. Thank you again for all your continued support, it truly means the world to me.


11:37 AM No comments

My Mission Statement as a Makeup Artist 

     As a makeup artist my goal is never to create a mask for people looking to feel beautiful, while there are many different forms of makeup, all of which are valid, my goal when creating beauty makeup is to utilize the natural features of my model/ client. I want for my models/ clients to feel beautiful in my makeup and beautiful without my makeup. I find the current trends in the beauty community to be somewhat problematic as they encourage the exaggeration of features many don't naturally possess such as thick full eyebrows and over drawn lips. A large number of my clients will even request for me to implement these trends into their makeup application, and you might be thinking to yourself "Where's the problems in following trends? Let people enjoy themselves!" Even though I do agree everyone should enjoy partaking in the trends of today if they desire, what bothers me is the number of clients telling me that their lips are to small so they want lip injects or rinoplasties because their noses are too large. Even though it's true that everyone is insecure about something, I don't believe that what I am hearing is derived from honest insecurities, I truly believe the beauty trends of today are making people feel even more insecure. When I apply makeup I make it a point to compliment the person I'm working on of their natural features. Even though beauty is subjective, many people wish to be deemed beautiful by the standards of modern society and if pointing out their well sculpted cheekbones or beautiful eye color will make them feel better about themselves, why not be honest and point those things out? The thing to remember is beauty trends come and go; no makeup, heavy makeup, uni brows, you name it, it's all trended at one point! Just remember beauty is eternal, at any age, no matter the shape of your face or your body, beauty has no definition, and this is the lesson I wish to instill in every person I work on, my mission as a makeup artist; helping others find beauty in themselves.

 

If you've made it this far, I would just like to say thank you for reading my article! Your feedback matters a great deal to me, please feel free to message me through my email therobynvalentine@gmail.com regarding any feedback or questions you may have. Also while your here, I would greatly appreciate it, if you consider contributing to my website by making a donation to my Paypal using the email provided. Thank you again for all your continued support, it truly means the world to me.
9:44 AM No comments

Kat Von D Saint & Sinner Palette

     The Saint & Sinner palette is the new holiday eyeshadow palette from Kat Von D, this palette became available on Sephora and Kat Von D's website on 9/19, it will be sold in stores on 10/6 and will cost $62. The palette contains 24 eyeshadows ranging from a collection of matte, shimmer, and two glitter eyeshadow toppers, each eyeshadow weighs 0.04 oz/ 1 g each for a cost of $2.58 per eyeshadow, and this eyeshadow palette is vegan. I have heard some people making comments regarding the price of the eyeshadow palette, I would like to say that while the initial cost of the palette is in fact high, overall the eyeshadows are quite affordable when you compare the price of each pan with the amount of product that comes in the palette. If you are someone who likes to have a variety of eyeshadows, a makeup artist who needs an array of colors for their professional kit, someone who loves Kat Von D, or even someone who loves collecting makeup in general, I believe this palette will suit your collection well, however if you tend to wear the same colors everyday or wouldn't pay more than $50 for makeup product than I would not recommend this for you. In the latest Q & A video Kat Von D posted on her Youtube channel she explains that while she has successful reformulated all her products to be vegan they will not official be a vegan brand until they clear what's left of non-vegan inventory. This palette includes the new vegan label which all the new vegan Kat Von D products will adore, the label is located on the bottom of the box and on the back of the palette itself. The palette was inspired by cathedrals with the eyeshadows being reminiscent of stained glass windows, the layout of the palette was broken up into two different sides the Saint & Sinner; the Saint side contains more neutral everyday eyeshadows, while the Sinner side is composed of bold vibrant colors. This palette uses the same name as the Saint & Sinner perfume collection Kat Von D released in late June of this year, I don't believe these products are meant to be apart of an entire Saint & Sinner collection, to the best of my knowledge the only resemblance these products will have is in name and concept.

Review

     The palette is absolutely stunning! Let me preface this by saying that for the majority this palette will not be travel friendly, while thin it is quite a large palette. I don't believe I'll be getting any use out of the mirrors because they're slim half size mirrors that I get my fingerprints on every time I open the palette. While the shimmery eyeshadows don't particularly need a base to look pigmented, the shade "Exodus" might depending on your preference as this particular shade tends to apply somewhat sheer without any building. I find that the matte shades "Amen" and "Baptism" are not only powdery, but they seem to be the only shades with severe kick up in my opinion (although they all produce a some kick up). The eyeshadows "Absolution" and "Rapture" were the only colors that really gave me fall out. I do recommend a glitter primer when using these colors for the full color payout as well as to battle the fallout, but even then I would start with the eyes first or place a layer of powder under the eyes, because the fallout is quite prevalent throughout the day; I even tried spraying my brush to no avail, perhaps my hooded eyes were rubbing the glitter particles off causing the fallout, but I'm not entirely certain, but I do feel as though the glitter continued to fallout throughout the time I wore it. When it comes to chalky shades I would say the worst offenders are "Amen" and "Baptism" although "Sabbath" is somewhat of a contender, the only reason I'm not including "Sabbath" on my list is because the eyeshadow is not quite as powdery feeling when I pick it up on my brush and apply the shade. For me I was disappointed to find that "Exodus" is more of a lime green than a neon green (I was hoping this shade might compare to that of Sugarpill's eyeshadow "Acidberry.") I was also disappointed that "Ministry" applies as more of a blackish blue than a deep blue shade, I would compare this shade to the eyeshadow "Danger"from my Gwen Stefani Palette. My favorite shade from the palette is "Sacred Heart" from the Saint side, this eyeshadow blends amazingly on any surface it's placed on, primer or not. What I appreciate about the colors in the palette is that while they are pigmented, they're quite build-able which makes it easier to control the color payout.

Final Thoughts 

     Overall I really do enjoy this palette, it's a beautiful piece to look at every time I open it and a wonderful palette for a makeup collector; you could honestly set this palette up as a decorative piece on a vanity. For me the hardest to use shades in this palette would be the two glittery eyeshadows at the top because they produce quite a bit of fallout even when using a glitter primer, knocking off excess product, and even wetting my brush. Don't get me wrong these shades are really pretty, but they're hard to work with and have made a mess of my palette. While the matte shades are slightly chalky, with "Amen" and "Baptism" being the worst offenders, the color payout is build-able, but not quite fully opaque, for beginners or people who just prefer building eyeshadow I believe you'll enjoy these colors, plus they do blend quite well. I don't have any complaints when it comes to the shimmers, they perform just as nice as eyeshadows from other Kat Von D palettes and they can be intensified by wetting the brush.




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