REVIEW + TUTORIAL | Day-to-Night Feat. The Emily Edit - The Wants Palette

Oh my goodness. It's here, I have it – The Emily Edit, The Wants palette from EmilyNoel83! Though I'm not a longtime subscriber of Emily's (she's been on YouTube for almost 11 years), her channel quickly became a favorite of mine, next to Jessica Braun's. I was thrilled when Emily announced she would be releasing two palettes with Makeup Revolution – a brand that, in my opinion, has a bunch of great, affordable products. I picked up The Wants palette from my local Ulta on Sunday, and began playing with it when I got home.

The Wants palette (pictured above) retails at $20, and The Needs palette at $15. Emily came up with the ideas for both products; she hand-picked every single shade, which represent special moments and people in her life. If you're interested in hearing about the background story of both palettes, I highly recommend watching the reveal video she posted.  

I will admit that when I first saw the shades, I was a little intimidated. I'm an everyday neutrals girl, and tend to be color-shy. When I bought the palette, however,  I found myself drawn to hues I'd seldom use. My personal favorite, Eve Rose, is a delicate lilac with gold shimmer. Family is a rich matte plum shade which can easily replace black if you're looking for something a little different for definition. Corduroy, a strong forest green, makes a stunning liner shade. The shade pairings you can use are probably endless, and there's something for everyone and every season. These shadows are also buildable, so they'll work perfectly even if you want a sheer wash of color.

The palette measures 9" x 6". Not exactly a travel-friendly size, but you do get a huge mirror inside. 

I created a daytime look and an evening look in the photos below. They're super easy and the best part is that there's no need to start over when transitioning from day to night. :)

THE DAYTIME LOOK

1. Prime your lids with your favorite eyeshadow primer, or with dot of concealer on each lid. Blend with a brush or fingertip. (Optional: set the primer/concealer with loose powder).

2. For the lid, use Midwest. 

3. In the crease, take a fluffy brush to blend in Dues Paid. 

4. Using a contour brush, blend Apartment in the outer corner and halfway across my crease. Blend this shade along the bottom lash line.

5. With your middle fingertip, pat Top Story in the center of the lid, building up to desired intensity. 

6. Taking a fluffy angled brush, use Eve Rose in the inner corner, blending towards Top Story and stopping where the edge of your iris begins.

7. Finally, use Oh Heavens! to highlight the brow bone. Curl your lashes and coat top lashes with your favorite mascara (I used the Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara). I also used a light coat of mascara at the center my bottom lashes. 

TRANSITIONING TO THE EVENING LOOK

1. Using a fingertip or a flat, dense brush, use Capricorn to pat in the center of your eyelid. Use the same shade to blend along the bottom lash line.

2. For the outer corner, take Dark & Early, blending in a V shape. Blend along upper lash line. Use this shade for the outer lower lash line, stopping where your iris begins. 

OPTIONAL: I'm not using falsies in these photos, but you could really amp up these looks with some beautiful, wispy lashes. I really like the Faux Mink line from Ardell. 

------

This is my first tutorial on here, so I hope everything was easy to follow! I'll definitely be creating more looks with this palette, so maybe I'll post some more tutorials if I'm happy with the outcome. :)

MY TOP 5 DRUGSTORE BRANDS | BEAUTY

Holy smokes, it's been too long since I last posted! I'm back, so I'm just going to jump right into things:

If you're like me, the drugstore is where your search for makeup began. I greatly appreciate high-end makeup, but it's a rarity for me to buy it regularly because it's expensive. In no particular rank, I'll be talking about my top 5 drugstore brands, why I love them, and what my favorite products are.

1. MAYBELLINE

Maybelline is iconic – it's hard not to picture the lime green and bubblegum pink packaging of their Great Lash mascara that hit the market almost 50 years ago. They're pretty consistent with the quality of their products, and are generally affordable, considering that drugstore brands have hiked up their prices in the past couple years. Maybelline's Fit Me! line has a faithful following, and their lipsticks are the reason I seldom purchase high-end alternatives.

Here are some of my favorites from Maybelline:

- COLOR SENSATIONAL LIPSTICK (MATTE + SATIN FINISHES)

- FIT ME! LOOSE POWDER 

- FIT ME! FOUNDATION (MATTE + PORELESS)

- SUPERSTAY FULL COVERAGE FOUNDATION

- GREAT LASH MASCARA

- LASH SENSATIONAL MASCARA

- FACESTUDIO MASTER CHROME METALLIC HIGHLIGHTER

2. WET N WILD

Before the rise of the Beauty Guru era, not many people talked about Wet N Wild; I think this brand was pushed to the side because people were skeptical. Their products were cheap, and sometimes cheap can leave people wondering whether a product is mediocre. In the past couple years, however, WNW has proven that low cost doesn't need to sacrifice quality. They've put out some incredible products, and still managed to keep their items extremely affordable. 

Here are some of my favorites from Wet N Wild:

- PHOTO FOCUS FACE PRIMER

- COLOR ICON EYESHADOW PALETTE (10 PAN PALETTE)

- MEGAGLO CONTOURING PALETTE 

3. NYX COSMETICS

NYX is one of the bolder, more modern-feeling brands at the drugstore. They've always delivered affordable, on-trend products to beauty enthusiasts, and they truly value their fanbase. They're innovative, too – I have yet to hear about a monotonous release from NYX. Even their most basic products, such as their butter glosses, feel contemporary. 

Here are some of my (many!) favorites from NYX:

- WARM NEUTRALS EYESHADOW PALETTE

- PRISMATIC EYESHADOW

- BUTTER GLOSS

- TURNT UP! LIPSTICK

- SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM

- SLIM LIP PENCIL

- HD BLUSH

- BAKED BLUSH

- HD EYESHADOW BASE

4. MAKEUP REVOLUTION

Makeup Revolution has gained much of its following for being penned a "dupe brand", but who's complaining? While I''d love to see more original ideas from this brand, I do appreciate that their products are super affordable alternatives for high-end makeup. Makeup Revolution is a solid brand to experiment with if you're new to makeup, because the quality of the stuff I've tried is very promising. 

Here are some of my favorites from Makeup Revolution:

- LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER

- CONCEAL & DEFINE FULL COVERAGE CONCEAL & CONTOUR

- RELOADED EYESHADOW PALETTE

- ICONIC ELEMENTS EYESHADOW PALETTE

5. L'OREAL

L'Oreal is another classic drugstore brand that has been developing tried-and-true products for decades (the company is only a few years older than Maybelline). While L'Oreal does make skincare and haircare, I think where they shine the most is in their cosmetics. Their collections seem to be well thought out and their formulas feel luxe. 

Here are some of my favorites from L'Oreal:

- INFALLIBLE PRO-MATTE 24HR FOUNDATION

- TRUE MATCH SUPER BLENDABLE FOUNDATION

- TRUE MATCH LUMI GLOTION 

- TRUE MATCH SUPER BLENDABLE BLUSH

- COLOUR RICHE LIPCOLOUR 

- COLOUR RICHE COLLECTION EXCLUSIVE RED LIPCOLOUR

- COLOUR RICHE MATTE LIPCOLOUR 

- VOLUMINOUS LASH PARADISE MASCARA 

- TELESCOPIC MASCARA   

-----

DISCLAIMER: This post is not sponsored by any brands mentioned above. I bought all products mentioned with my own money.

My Highlighter Collection (Drugstore + One High-End)

Two years ago, I purchased my first highlighter. My skin is pretty oily, so I initially wasn't keen on adding anything "glowy" to my face. I'm so glad I did, though. If you're anything like me and prefer foundation with a matte finish, you'll know that it can easily appear to be too "makeup-y" and two-dimensional. I love highlighter because it has the ability to add dimension to your face, and make your skin look fresh and naturally radiant. 

While I don't care too much for the blinding highlight that's popular with a ton of beauty bloggers, highlighters have snuck their way into my everyday makeup routine – even the makeup bag I have in my purse. 

The picture above is of my entire highlighter collection. It isn't much, but they are all different brands and different textures. I'll discuss them, clockwise:

MAYBELLINE FACESTUDIO MASTER CHROME METALLIC HIGHLIGHER IN MOLTEN GOLD | $9.99

This is a gorgeous, highly pigmented peachy gold powder highlighter; definitely a well-loved product in my small collection. I have reached for this many-a-day in my makeup routine. I find the feel and texture to be comparable to high-end brands because it's super smooth and buttery to the touch. I like to apply it with either a brush or my fingers onto my cheekbones and on the bridge of my nose. 


BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR POURED IN PROSECCO POP | $38 

My first high-end highlighter! I purchased this off of a sale on HauteLook about a month ago, and I've been using it pretty much every day since it came in the mail. The poured version of Prosecco Pop is a rich champagne shade. This has the most natural looking finish of all the highlighters I own because it has no glitter in it. This highlighter works really well for a subtle lit-from-within glow. I use my fingers to apply this to my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, and my brow bone. 


NYX AWAY WE GLOW LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER IN DAYTIME HALO | $6.99

Also a subtle highlighter, Daytime Halo by NYX is a pale gold shade that I bought at Ulta a couple months ago. While it's called a liquid highlighter, the formula kind of reminds me of a lip gloss in the way that it's a tad bit goopy (also could be the packaging and doe foot applicator). The finish is a pretty glimmer on the skin, and is best applied using fingers. 

*MAKEUP REVOLUTION LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER IN LUMINOUS GOLD | $9.00

Makeup Revolution's liquid highlighter in Luminous Gold is more of a rose gold shade. This can be applied on top of foundation, but I find it to perform at its best when I mix it with either my primer or foundation. This is great for when it's the dead of winter and your skin needs some life in it. Even if worn under medium to full coverage foundation, the effects of this highlighter are still visible. My only gripe with this product is that it has an oily feel to it, and there are sparkles in it. 

---

*The packaging of the Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter looks different in the picture above because I accidentally ripped the plastic wrapping off of it. :(