Get Glam for Valentine’s Day with Essence Cosmetics!

Its fun to get dressed up for a romantic date with your beau but looking good doesn’t always have to cost a lot. Essence Cosmetics offers a range of cute makeup to complete your Valentine’s Day look and you will even have money left over for the perfect gift!

If you crave a soft, seductive look the Smokey Eyes Makeup Box gets the job done! This adorable palette comes with 6 basic yet pretty hues including a range of greys, taupe, brown and a silvery highlight to accentuate the eyes. Grey is my favorite color for creating a smokey effect and the deepest pigment (dark charcoal/black) can be applied in the crease and smudged under the lower lash lines for contour and dimension.

The bottom row creates a more neutral look and most shades have a subtle shimmer finish. The color pay-off is decent when applied over a good primer but you may have to layer for more intensity. The palette retails for $9.99.

I like to pair the smoldering hues in the smokey palette with vibrant, hydrating lip color. The essence Long Lasing Lipsticks come in a variety of flattering shades for all skin tones and seasons. Two of my favorites are 09 Wear Berries which has a trendy pink-purple undertone and 12 Blush My Lips - a vibrant pink that is perfect for the occasion. The formula glides on effortlessly for lightweight, full coverage color and lush, flirty lips! They retails for $3.49 ea.

To evoke your inner diva the Metal Glam Shadows have a sexy pop of glitter to make your eyes stand out and shine! They also have a smooth texture that is quite easy to apply and enhance without much fall-out. Although most of the glitter is concentrated on the top layer the metallic effect is still brilliant and edgy. The shadow retails for $2.99.

Shade: 15 Hello Goldie

If I’m going glam on the eyes a layer of gloss is simple yet pretty. The XXL Shine Lip Gloss adds the perfect hint of luminous pigment and this shade - Fabulous Fuchsia provides pouty color that can go from sheer to medium coverage. The formula is creamy rather than slick and sticky which is great for dry lips and the gleaming finish creates the illusion of fullness. The gloss retails for $3.49.

If you like shimmer but still want to keep it tame the All About Sunrise Palette includes a range of trendy shadows that are perfect for a night out. These shades are ultra shimmery but still rather neutral to suit all complexions and they pair well with matte crease colors and deeper hues. Most of the shadows have a smooth, silky texture and the pigmentation is good with or without primer. You can enhance the shades quite dramatically with a little layering and some colors work well as highlight for the eyes, cheekbones and nose if you like silvery, champagne tones. The Sunrise Palette retails for $4.99.

With these sunset inspired pigments the new Liquid Lipsticks pair beautifully! They are available in a range of  fresh shades from vivid to neutral and the pigmentation falls somewhere between sheer and medium coverage. The creamy texture drenches lips in moist, glossy color and the mini size makes them perfect for smaller bags and evening clutches. The Liquid Lipsticks retail for $3.99 ea and effortlessly transition into spring.

Top to bottom: 02 beauty Secret, 04 Show Off and 05 Peach Party

You can find Essence Cosmetics at Shoppers Drug Mart and Ulta Beauty in the U.S. 

Palladio Cosmetics Review

Today I have a review on cosmetics by Palladio Beauty. These were the first items I have tried from this line, although it was not the first time I heard of them. My first impression was that the quality of the makeup is good, especially for products that are so affordable and that are infused with herbal benefits and vitamins. 

The first item I am going to review is this pretty herbal mosaic powder in the color Pink Truffle. The combination of colors caught my eye right away and the powder also comes in 3 other color variations.

How it Works

My favorite thing about this product is that it is multi-functional. The darker shades can be used as a bronzer, all of the shades can be used as eye shadow and the lighter shimmery shades can be used as a highlight for the face. As a blush blending all the colors together creates a unique shade and a beautiful effect. The texture is smooth and easy to apply.

Benefits

This mosaic powder also contains vegetable lipids to condition the skin and help slow water loss It also has bran, chamomile, vitamin E, vitamin C, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. It retails for $8, you can find more info HERE

Herbal Silk FX Eye Shadow

This eye shadow palette contains everything you need to create a beautiful look. The shadows are also labelled to show you which colors can be used where making it easy for beginners. This particular palette with the purple lid color is called Boudoir chic and there are also 7 other wonderfully matched palettes to choose from.

I like palettes like this because they are compact, complete and convenient while on the go. These shadows have good pigmentation and the colors match well. I also like the shimmer finish especially the beautiful highlight. This is great for creating a lovely smokey look or it can be toned down without the black for something a bit lighter, it is a palette that can easily take you from day to night.

Swatches

Here is a smokey purple look I created with this palette. To get this look I started out with the base shade on my lids and then used a lot of the purple pigment by patting it on heavily in layers. I also found that the color labeled "crease" was pretty light so I used the black or "liner" shade over the crease shade to darken it. The highlight shade is a bit dark and quite subtle, I used it under my brows. I used the purple lid color to line my bottom lash line instead of the black. Overall I think by blending the shades together the effect is quite nice. Even though the palette appeared to have a shimmer finish initially, once you dig past the top layer the shadows are quite matte which I don't mind.

In this photo I am also wearing the Palladio lipstick in the color Juniper which is reviewed below.

This palette retails for  $12. You can find it HERE

Herbal Lipsticks

You all know that I am a lip product fanatic so I had to try the lipsticks from this line. They come in 31 beautiful shades and the texture is creamy initially but tends to become less creamy and more matte as you wear it. The shades are highly pigmented, full coverage and great quality.

The lipsticks contain coconut oil, aloe and vitamin C and E to help protect against free radical damage.

I chose the shades Cosmopolitan and Juniper 

Cosmopolitan 

This shade is a gorgeous bold red and it reminds me of a shade Taylor Swift would wear. It is also the color I chose to wear on Valentine's Day this year.

Juniper 

This shade is a dark rich wine color great for all seasons and complimentary to many skin tones. 

These lipsticks retail for just $6 each! for more information click HERE

Overall I liked all of these products and I will definitely be purchasing items from this brand in the future. You can find Palladio Cosmetics on their website at: palladiobeauty.com and on:

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**Disclaimer: These products were provided to me for a sponsored review courtesy of Palladio Beauty. All opinions stated in this review are my own and based on my experience with the products. Results may vary based on individual use.**