BA STAR Tropical Eye Shadow Palette Review

BA STAR is a cosmetic company that has been featured in a few recent beauty subscriptions and is branching out from stage makeup used for cheerleading and dance to professional and everyday use. This brand offers a range of products including: glitter, blush, bronzer, mascara, eye shadow, accessories and more!

Today I have a review on the stunning Tropical Palette which includes five fun, shimmery shadows that were selected by a Makeup Artist. The palette is designed to incorporate bright, show-stopping, complimentary colors that look great individually or mixed and matched to create a variety of bold looks.

For those familiar with my artistry style you know that I love intense color and these shadows are formulated to be highly pigmented and long-lasting. The texture is smooth and easy to blend producing minimal fall-out and non-crease coverage. Although the colors are solid they first apply in the light to medium range and can be layered to increase saturation.

My favorite shade has to be the bright lime green! Paired with the vibrant blue the effect makes me reminisce of strolling down the beach in the Bahamas and sipping a tropical cocktail! When used with a good primer and applied heavily the colors can be enhanced for a dramatic effect.

The palette does come with a duo sided applicator equipped with a sponge and what appears to be some sort of blending brush that is quite coarse and oddly shaped. I don’t usually use a sponge applicator so this didn't bother me. The silver shade looks lovely when paired with a deeper crease color for a sultry smokey effect.

For $8.75 this is a great palette especially if you are just starting out with bright shadows and you want to experiment with creating different looks. It is also ideal for everyday wear or themed events and is small enough to pop in a bag for use on the go and travel. You can find this palette on BA STAR's website by clicking HERE

**Disclaimer: This product was provided for review. 

Silk Naturals Mineral Eye Shadow Review

When I find products that are affordable, great quality and safe it keeps me going back for more. In March I reviewed the beautiful mineral eye shadows from Silk Naturals and today I have even more gorgeous colors to share.

Silk Naturals is a company that strives to create homemade beauty products with more natural ingredients including vegan and gluten free options. The loose pigments are my favorite items from the brand because of the vivid, vivacious colors! These shadows are highly saturated, easy to build and there are over 275 shades available! With so much variety it is difficult to pick favorites and the swatches online do not express the amazing multi-dimensional shimmer, deep rich hues and smooth texture.

The shadows come in small jars with a sifter top that is easily removable and each 5g jar contains about ¾ teaspoon of pigment. With these shadows a little goes a long way and the texture is soft, fine and easy to apply for non-creasing, long-wear coverage. They are also available in matte, shimmer and glitter finishes.

The shades I have are:

*Loaded- a rose gold

*Kick- this purple is not as solid as the others; it is slightly transparent with a layer of pretty glitter

*Vandal-deep shimmery blue

*Element- a true Midas gold that is yellow based

*Rouge- light shimmery blue

*Swamp-  matte, light green, (a bit darker than lime green)

*Burnout-shimmery, deep burgundy/plum

*Magpie- shimmery blue/silver (but up close it seems to contain flecks of sea foam green!)

(swatched over Silk Natural's Stick em primer)

My favorite blue shadow called Paranormal is from this brand and I love how easy they blend. I prefer loose pigments because the color pay-off is usually more intense than the pressed variety and provide a wider range of saturation to play with. When paired with Silk Natural’s Stick em primer the shadows adhere well to skin and look stunning!

If you are new to loose shadow I recommend using the following method of application:

1. Refrain from applying face makeup such as: foundation, concealer, blush etc until AFTER you complete your eye makeup. This reduces the chance of fall-out messing up your makeup.

2. Use a flat shadow brush and dab it into the pigment

3. Gently knock off excess shadow on the side of the jar to help prevent fall-out

4. Using small dabbing motions press the pigment onto the lids starting at the center and working your way out.

5. Build up the color to your desired saturation

(Lid color: Loaded)

This brand has something for every skin tone and satisfies every preference; whether you like neutrals, medium tones or brights. There are also colors available for every season and occasion and the shimmer colors catch the light and look beautifully iridescent in the summer. I definitely recommend trying these pigments and they make a fabulous gift for any makeup lover! They retail for just $4.50 each and you can check out the website by clicking HERE.

 **Disclaimer: These products were provided for review.