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The other night I started going through my makeup trolley (this IKEA one) to rearrange my eyeshadow palettes which were in a state of disarray. I ended up having an impromptu "declutter" of my entire makeup collection (not including lip products as they are stored elsewhere, although I do need to go through those too). I ended up trying to clear out anything that was bought pre-2020, especially creams and liquids. I got rid of all of my Glossier Cloud Paints as they were all at least 3 years old and they have an expiry recommendation of 6 months. I rarely strictly follow these recommendations but instead go by the smell, texture and performance of a product. However, I can't remember the last time I used them to be perfectly honest and as they are liquids I thought it would be better to make some space in my collection by clearing them out. I still think they are great products but I have other similar blushes in my collection and I prefer those shades as they are more nuanced and they are more suited to my complexion. I also went through my eyeshadow palettes and single eyeshadows. I archived (as in I'm keeping them for shade reference but I won't be using them) some that were bought in 2018/2019 and weren't performing as well like the Bodyography Glitter Pigments, some of which I'll definitely be repurchasing as they are such favourites of mine. If you want to see them in more detail I have plenty of posts featuring them in this blog. I've been trying to convince myself not to buy the new Natasha Denona Yucca Palette or the Isamaya Industrial 2.0 Palette so I went through my collection of palettes to find some things I haven't used in a while in order to attempt to satiate my lust for something new. One such palette was the Nabla Cutie Palette Midnight that my sister bought for me for my birthday in 2021 so it's almost 2 years old. I'm much more lenient with the expiry recommendations on powders so I'll be keeping this one for a while longer but I wanted to try it out again as it has been some time since I last used it. I haven't used this palette nearly as much as I'd have liked to and I wanted to play around with it some more.
Despite its name, it brings to mind visions of the South of France. Of course, one of the shades is named Marseille which probably helps. The Côte d'Azur is one of my favourite places in the world (although I haven't got many places to choose from as my travels have been limited). I haven't been there in almost 4 years and I miss it so much. Over the past 8 years, I've been to Nice, Villefranche Sur Mer, Èze, Beaulieu Sur Mer, Juan Les Pins, Antibes, Monaco and Menton. I am hoping to finally go back next year with my daughter but until then, I'll have to make do with Azure coloured makeup. If you live in Europe you may also be experiencing quite a wet Summer and so the other day I wanted to brighten myself up with a colourful makeup look. It was the perfect opportunity to use this palette again and I'm always up for wearing blue on my eyelids.
I started with some primer and then applied Quiet Storm across my lids from the lash line about halfway to my brows using my finger. I then blended that out using Air and applied Alma on my inner corner. I used Sapphire to deepen the outer corner of my eyelids and applied some of the Kosas Cloud Set Powder just under my brows to blend everything together. I took more of Quiet Storm on a flat brush and spritzed it with the Clarins Fix' Make-Up and added it to the centre of my eyelids for more intensity as it's such a beautiful shade. I decided to keep my lower lash line clean and added mascara to both my top and bottom lashes.
For my cheeks I used the Nabla Skin Glazing Powder which I'm quite certain is the only powder highlighter I own. I've also had that for almost 2 years too, I've used it so much and there is still a lot left. Another product I wanted to use again is the Patrick Ta Major Headlines Blush. I've had this for about 2.5 years and while I do love the formula I don't reach for it as often as I'd like because the shade is a touch too warm for me which you can see below. It's a cream and powder formula which you can use together or separately. I'd like to buy a different shade in this formula, She's Blushing and She's Flushed look like shades that would really work on my skin tone so they're firmly on my wishlist. I think this is another product that's going to be archived as there's no point in keeping something that doesn't work for my skin tone as well as I'd like it to even if I do like the formula.
On my lips I've been playing with the new Lisa Eldridge Velveteen Liquid Lip Colours, I decided to mix Affair and Fawn on the back of my hand and buff it into my lips almost like a stain and then patted Gloss Embrace in Silent Sun on top as I felt this look needed something neutral but glossy. I've taken lots of detailed photographs of the Velveteens and I'll be writing a full review once I've tested them out for a while.
A few things I've been loving that are more recent favourites and quite budget friendly are the e.l.f. Luminous Putty Bronzer in the shade Vacay Mood, the Rimmel Kind & Free Mascara and the NYX Micro Brow Pencil. I bought the Luminous Putty Bronzer after seeing Alexandra Anele using it and it looked and sounded like something that would work well on my skin type and tone. It's more of a cool toned bronzer which I find works really well on my skin as most fair bronzers are still too orange and warm for me and don't look natural. I've added a photo below comparing it to some other sculpting products I own. This is one of those products that adds some depth to my skin tone in such an easy way as it's quite sheer and blends easily so it doesn't interfere with the products underneath it. There are 8 shades which is more than some high-end brands. It also comes in the Putty Bronzer formula which is more of a semi-matte finish. It's only about €10 depending on where you buy it so it's definitely worth checking out if you're in the market for a new bronzer. The Rimmel mascara is one that I was very pleasantly surprised by as I wasn't expecting to like it. It gives my lashes length and definition and you can build it up for more volume too. It's not waterproof and the formula is more on the wet side so if you have straight lashes you may want to avoid this but if you're not concerned about your lashes holding a curl then this could be a good every day, inexpensive mascara.
I decided to add some big yellow tassel earrings as this shade of yellow with the blue made me happy and it felt like a look I'd wear on holidays in the evening- slicked-back hair, blue eyeshadow and some bold earrings.
Top row: eyeshadows alone. Bottom row: eyeshadows over primer
Nabla is an Italian brand and therefore the products are made in Italy. I tend to like cosmetics that are manufactured in Italy and many high-end brands are made there. This palette is also 100% vegan and cruelty-free and it's €25.50 for the 6 pans which I think is quite well-priced. As you can see from the photo above, primer really makes a difference in the performance of these shadows. I know not everyone likes to wear eye primer but I usually do as I find it both enhances the appearance and the longevity of eyeshadows.
There was a difference in the performance of the formulas in this palette. The metallic and duochrome shades performed better than the pale ones which I found a bit dry and crumbly although once you blend them out they look beautiful, as you can see on my inner corner in the close-up shots. They're the kind of shades that are great for blending out the deeper blues. I've seen reviews where people have criticised the addition of the bronze shade Marseille, in a predominantly blue-toned palette but I love it and I know that bronze and blue work well together as they're such opposites. The photos don't capture the full effect of these shades on the eyes, especially Quiet Storm as it's a duochrome and looks far more impressive in person. There are five colour stories in the Cutie Palette range and at €25.50 I think they're a great option if you don't want to spend a lot of money.
As much as I love the Skin Realist Tinted Balm, it only has seven shades and brands love to describe small shade ranges as being "flexible" so while I found a shade that works for me, I know there will be plenty of people who can't and therefore I can't really recommend it. They have a foundation which has 30 shades but it appears to be in the process of being discontinued. Nabla is one of those brands that I rarely see people talk about but I have enjoyed the products I've tried from them so far. Their new Beyond Jelly Lipsticks and single eyeshadows look beautiful and I've heard good things about their Brow Ambition pen. Apart from that there's nothing else that I'd go out of my way to try. In an oversaturated market it's hard to stand out but I wanted to demonstrate this palette as a means of "shopping my stash" and using the products in my collection that have been neglected.
Auric Cosmetics Glow Lust Radiant Luminizer (Morganite)
Smashbox Under Eye Brightening Corrector (Light/Medium)
Danessa Myricks Vision Flush (Nutcracker)
e.l.f. Luminous Putty Bronzer (Vacay Mood)
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
Kosas Revealer Concealer (01N)
Nabla Cutie Palette Midnight (Quiet Storm, Alma, Air, Sapphire)
Kosas Cloud Set Powder (Airy)
Nabla Skin Glazing Powder (Ozone)
Patrick Ta Major Headlines- Double-Take Creme & Powder Blush (She's So L.A.)
*Lisa Eldridge Velveteen Liquid Lip Colour (Affair and Fawn)
Lisa Eldridge Gloss Embrace Lip Gloss (Silent Sun)
NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil (Ash Brown)
I'd love to do another one of these posts shopping my stash and using products that I haven't in a while so I'll try to pick out some older products in my collection and do it again soon. As I mentioned above I'm working on a review of the Lisa Eldridge Velveteens and I'm also putting together a detailed review of her eyeshadow palettes as I know some of them are out of stock and people are still looking to buy them. I have a lot of photos of looks I've created using the three palettes she sent me and I want to consolidate everything and review them properly now that I've been trying them for about 8 months. If there are any other reviews you'd like to see from me please do let me know.
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Thanks for taking the time to read this post, I hope it was helpful. I'd love to know if you've tried any of these products and what you think of them.
Emma x
