The Festival by Juvia's Place: five looks, one palette

Hello,
I'm finally writing up my review for the latest Juvia's Place palette; part of 'The Festival' collection which includes an eyeshadow palette and two matte liquid lipsticks. I purchased my palette through Beauty Gifts by Melanie in early March as a birthday gift to myself. Other third party sellers that I've purchased from are SAMIKA, Pink Cosmetics and Fashion Police. You can also order the palette directly from Juvia's Place or Beauty Bay.
Let me tell you, she's gorgeous; Juvia's Place palettes are inspired by African culture and this one is inspired by the Wodaabe Gerewol in West Africa.
Here's the description from Juvia's Place:
 "The festival party filled with mystic trances. A celebration of daring and bold colors. Not for the faint heart. A beautiful blend of colors to make everyday festive. Consists of 9 highly pigmented shades."

You can already tell which I shades I'm really digging.

The palette consists of five matte shades (Izafa, Ofala, Mmanwu, Iri Ji and Oro) and 4 shimmer and satin shades (Uli, Keleke, Aba and Odogwu).

As usual, I like to give myself at least 2 weeks with a palette, before I post a review. I get to play with it and learn how to play with the shades. For a beginner, most Juvia's Place palettes can feel incohesive and challenging, but I'm not into neutral palettes so each new palette is fun learning experience.

Below are some of the looks I came up with (I had to do this twice, since my previous phone died on me and I lost all my pictures).

Look #1

EYES: Crease - Iri Ji, Outer  - Aba & Lid  - Uli. Liner: Lancome Grandiose Liner in 02. Mascara: L'Oreal Lash Paradise Voluminous. Lips: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Heroine.

Look #2

EYES: Crease - Iri Ji, Inner and outer - Keleke & Centre Lid - Aba. Liner: Essence long-lasting liner in Purple Rain.  Lips: Stila Stay All-Day liquid lipstick in Amore 09

Look #3

EYES: Apply a light layer of Uli over the entire lide and crease. Then add Izafa to the outer corner. Liner: Lancome Grandiose and Lash Paradise Voluminous. Lips: Stila Stay All-day liquid lipstick in Beso.

Look #4

EYES: Crease - Ofala, Outer - Izafa & Inner - Oro. Liner: Lancome Grandiose and Essence long lasting liner in Berry Fantastic. Mascara: L'Oreal Lash Paradise Voluminous. Lips: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Conspiracy

Look #5

EYES: Crease - Mmanwu, Inner and Centre Lid - Keleke & Outer - Iri Ji. Liner: Essence extreme long lasting liner in Blackest Love. Mascara: L'Oreal Lash Paradise Voluminous. Lips: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Psycho.

For my eyeshadow base I use the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Caffeine, except for look #4 where I layed down a white base with the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (this is just to make the colours pop against my skin, especially the mustard yellow Oro). All the shades are buttery soft as expected from Juvia's Place. I feel as though the mattes not as velvety as the shades in the Saharan II palette (See Review Here). The shimmers are not as soft as those in the Nubian II palette (Review Here).

I'm not wearing any foundation in any of these shots, just sunscreen (SVR Sebiaclear Crème SPF50). For blush, I'm either wearing MAC in Devil with Springsheen as a soft highlighter or I'm wearing blush colours from the Saharan Blush palette Volume I (also from Juvia's Place).

Which of these is your favourite? Let me know in the comments section.

Until my next post, 

xoxo

 

One Week,One Palette Challenge: Juvia's Place Saharan II

Hi loves,
I'm back with another "one week, one palette" challenge with the Saharan II palette from Juvia's Place. It's a relatively new palette from the company that was inspired by the Saharan desert,  the Mosaics, Colours and Spices of Morocco. Th e formula of these shadows different from previous palettes but the quality and pigmentation is excellent; the mattes have soft velvet feel and the metallics and duo-chromes feel silky to the touch.

As with my previous palette,

• My lid base is the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Caffeine
• Eyeliners are all from Essence cosmetics
• Mascara is either Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Mascara and L'Oreal False Lash Wings
• On my face is the Stila One Step Illuminate and the NYX Cosmetics #nofilter Powder in Cocoa
• Light contouring or bronzing is done with Fez in the Saharan II palette and Aby in the Saharan Blush Palette Vol I 

Look #1

Crease: Taza
Inner and outer corner: Fez
Centre lid: Aziza
Liner: Super Precise Liner

Lips: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in the shade Conspiracy

Look #2

Crease: Taza
Outer lid: Zohra
Inner + Centre lid: Nomad
Inner: Hadiya

Lips: OFRA x Kathleen Lights  Liquid Lipstick in Havana Nights 

Look #3

Crease: Fez
Outer: Fez + Zohra
Lid: Marrakesh

Lips: Stila Cosmetics in Rubino

Look #4

Crease and Outer Corner: Fez
Centre Lid: Berber
Inner: Aziza

Lips: Stila cosmetics Liquid Lipstick in Amore 

Look #5

Crease: Taza
Inner + Outer Lid: Berber
Centre Lid: Chefchaouen
Outer corner: Fez

Lips: L'Oreal Pure Reds Collection  - Doutzen 

Bonus Look: One shadow smoky eye look

Base: NYX Cosmetics Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean smudged over the lid and then apply a sheer layer of Aziza all over the lid with a fluffy brush

Lips: Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick in Pandemonium

Where to buy: In South Africa, this palette is available from Beauty Gifts by Melanie and Fashion Police Online. Or you can get it directly from Juvia's Place Online store (They do ship internationally). 

Have you tried out the Saharan II palette? Please feel free to tag me in any looks that you recreate. 

Until my next post, 

xoxo

Make-Up Review: Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation

Hi peeps,
Here's another that took forever to make to our shores.
After years and years of hearing beauty influencers wax poetic about this Maybelline foundation, we finally get to try it out .... YAY!!!

Here's the blurb from the Maybelline website about the foundation

WHAT IT IS

Fit Me Matte & Poreless has been designed for normal to oily skin. Its blurring micro powders refines pores while shine is being absorbed for a natural matte finish.

BENEFITS

Fit Me Matte & Poreless foundation fits both skin and texture for natural finish and poreless looking skin.

HOW TO USE/APPLY

Apply smoothly and evenly to your face and blend with your fingertips.

Of I went to Dischem to swatch and hopefully find my shade. I initially chose 352 Truffle but when I applied it and looked at my face in natural light the foundation was too light. So I went back to Dischem and swatched the dark shades and mixed a couple and decided to pick up 365 Espresso as well.

Packaging
The foundation comes in a 30ml squeeze tube; similar to the dream velvet matte foundation which also comes in a plastic tube. I don't really have a problem with it; a lot of the drugstore foundations ar packaged in plastic, it's cheaper than glass. The advantage of plastic is that if you drop it, you're not going to loose all your product. The foundation number is printed on the front of the tube and the name is printed on the back with the  ingredient list.

Application
So I had to mix two different foundation shades to get my perfect shade; I mixed the two foundations in equal parts. A pea-sized amount  was more than enough for my entire face.
I started out applying the foundation with an oval brush, but I didn't like how it was applying, So I used my fingers, which is what they recommend anyway.
The finish is a soft matte and coverage is light to medium, which I like since I do like a more natural finish to my foundation. If you have dry skin, you might not like this foundation because it did feel dry. So you might want to use a hydrating primer underneath this foundation.

Wear Test
I tested the foundation for a week with three different primers currently in my stash:
The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer
Stila Cosmetics One Step Illuminate
NYX Cosmetics Angel Veil Skin Perfecting Primer

I don't normally set with powder, but I do use a setting spray and I used my setting sprays with the foundation:
Urban Decay All-Nighter
NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray
Maybelline Superstay 24hr Setting Spray

I didn't notice any difference in the look and longevity of my foundation throughout the day (> 8 hours) with the 3 primers.

In terms of performance of the foundation; my face was matte until midday and then I noticed a bit of shine around my T-zone (I have combination-oily skin) but it wasn't bad, I had a glow and I could get away without blotting all day. However, the foundation does tend to fade around the mouth and nose, so it's not long-wearing. It didn't minimise the appearance of my pores, it even seems to make them more visible, especially on my nose 🤔.

Wear test. You can't really see this in the pictures but the foundation does fade around my mouth and nose. But I'm impressed with how it held up during the day, because I didn't look like a grease ball the end of the day. Even without blotting. 

Final thoughts
Overall, I think this is a decent drugstore foundation; for me it's definitely better than the velvet dream matte foundation, which I tried out last year. I didn't like that one at all; the undertones of the foundation were wrong and it settled into my smile lines a few hours after application.
I think this foundation will be great for wearing out for a couple hours out to an event or something because it's not a long wearing foundation.
If you want a long wearing foundation from Maybelline, then go for the SuperStay; I've never tried it because it doesn't come in my shade 😒(Shade selection is really disappointing for this one).
In terms of shade selection, this probably the best we've seen from Maybelline in South Africa. I wish they'd brought in the Fit Me range for the USA as that has 40 different shades and is much more inclusive, especially at the dark end of the spectrum.

I don't need this in my life...nope!

You can buy the foundations at Foschini Beauty and Zando online. Although, this is only recommended if are sure of your shade. If you're trying the foundation out for the first time, I suggest you go into the store and swatch before making a selection. It's available at Foschini, Dischem and Clicks stores. Though some stores do not have the full shade selection.

Price wise, the foundation is at R 99.95, but it's on special at Dischem for R 92.95.

Have you tried out this foundation? Did you like it?
Let me know in the comments below.

See you in my next post, 

xoxo

Make-Up Review: High-end vs Drugstore Foundation: NARS & Maybelline

Three posts in one week...I've been procrastinating when it comes to writing up my reivews...so I'm playing catch-up. 
This is another makeup posts; here I'm reviewing two foundations, one high-end  the NARS Velvet Matte Skin tint, and one drugstore, the Dream Velvet hydrating matte foundation.
This isn't really a comparison post: I just want to give my thoughts on two similar products.

*

I came across this foundation on YouTube a few weeks after its launch. I had been looking for a light foundation to add to my routine. Now there are people who will kill me for saying this but I'm not a fan of the MAC foundations: I've tried Studio Fix in NW50 and Matchmaster in 8.0 but my shade always runs a bit red and they just feel heavy on my skin. They also transfer like you won't believe.
I wanted to try something as good as the Lancome teinte Idole which blew my mind as to how good it was, in terms of shades available and overall performance of the foundation especially during our hot african summers.
So my friends were in the states during the summer this year and I requested some goodies from afar since NARS isn't available is South Africa.

1. NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint Broad Spectrum SPF30 in the shade Polynesia Dark 1
I've been using it for over two months and I'm loving it. It's light and the shade fits me perfectly, even with the change in season (I've gotten darker). I've mainly used it in conjunction with the One Step Bronze primer from Stila. half a pea-sized amount is enough for my face, since I prefer light to medium coverage. I apply the foundation with my fingers or a beauty blender (I've not tried applying it with a brush). I apply the rest of my makeup and set my face with a finishing spray.
Here are some selfies:

NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint

Packaging: Squeeze tube, 1.7 fl oz (50ml)
Appearance: Liquid foundation, slightly runny
Features: Broad spectrum SPF 30, Available in 12 shades
Price: U$ 44

2.  Dream Velvet Hydrating Soft-Matte foundation in the shade Coconut 95

This foundation has been out on the South African market for less than 6 months, and to be honest I was very skeptical about trying it out. Here are my reasons why:
1. There are only 7 shades available with coconut as the darkest. I wasn't sure it would fit my complexion. (There are never any testers for this in Clicks).
2. This foundation has no SPF, and that's not on!

But I pivoted and decided to give it a go since I remember my first ever foundation, many many moons ago was the Dream Matte mousse which I loved (Maybeline was the first to introduce dark shades in South Africa...I'm talking espresso and dark cocoa).

The Body Shop recently, introduced their Skin Defence Multi-protection essence SPF50 PA++++, first high SPF cream that doesn't give me a white cast...halellujah! life has been given!
So I apply this mosituriser after cleansing (it doubles as a primer) and then apply the foundation with a beauty blender. The finish is a soft matte natural finish, that's doesn't leave me looking monotone super powdery and washed out. I was worried that about the fit because coconut has some yellow undertones but it oxidises just enough to look natural.

Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft-Matte Hydrating Foundation

Packaging: Squeeze tube, 1.0 fl oz (30ml)
Appearance: Gel-whipped foundation
Features: 7 shades available in South Africa (12 shades on the USA site)
Price: ZAR 110 (U$ 10.99)

Both foundations wore really well throughout the day; I experienced just a tad bit of shine along my T-zone by lunch time which gave me a bit of a glow and not grease :-)
By the end of the day my face was still holding and one could definitely get away with going out for dinner with a bit of blotting - you wouldn't have to re-do your face.

Swatches: Left: NARS  and on the Right: Maybelline

Verdict: Which one do I prefer? Honestly, I prefer the NARS for 2 reasons: SPF and shade (It just fits me better), also it's cruelty-free (its dififcult to find foundations for women of colour that are cruelty-free). But, $44 is a lot of money. If you have a good day cream with SPF you can get away with using the Maybelline foundation. It's a great foundation, if you're a beginner and good drugstore alternative for the NARS if you're not willing to spend $44 on a foundation.
The downside to both these foundations, is the shade range. both shades reviewed here are the darkest on offer. If you're darker neither of these will fit you. Both NARS and Maybelline, do have darker shades for some of the other foundations...so all is not lost.

Happy  Friday everyone,

xoxo

N

*images from www.narscosmetics.com and www.maybelline.co.za

Face of the Day ft. Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette 11.10.2016

Hi lovelies,
I take a morning selfie almost every day after "putting on my face" as a friend once described it. So, I though why not post these on my blog, since all they do is accumulate on my phone.

Here's today's selfie 11.10.2016 featuring the best drugstore eyeshadow palette in my opinion, Comfort Zone from Wet n Wild beauty. It's a neutral palette with satin and shimmer shades. My favourite shade in this palette is the redish-brown/metallic grey shade on the bottom right. All the shades are buttery and soft and apply with minimal fallout.

 

Face: The Body Shop Skin Defense SPF 50 PA++++ & Maybelline Dream Velvet Matte Hydrating Foundation in Coconut 95

Eyes: NYX cosmetics eyeshadow base in Skin tone, Color Icon eyeshadow palette in Comfort Zone, Maybelline Master Kajal eyeliner in black & Maybelline the falsies Push up Drama mascara

Cheeks: M.A.C powder blush in Springsheen (also used to highlight nose & cupid's bow) and Devil

Lips: NYX cosmetics lip lingerie in Beauty Mark with a hint of Colourpop ultra metallic lip in Flitter 

Finishing: L'oreal Paris Infallible Fixing Mist

Comfort Zone palette from Wet n Wild. I used all the shades on the right as recommended on the back. 

*

See you in my next post,

xoxo,

N


*Image from Wet n Wild beauty website

Make-up Review: Sleek MakeUP i-Divine eyeshadow palettes

Hey lovelies,
I haven't posted a makeup review in a while, so thought I'd post a review on two Sleek MakeUP palettes that I ordered last week. I got them in the Original palette and the Sunset palette.
So lets get into it.
The palettes are not large they're quite small and the eyeshadow pans are the size of a ZAR 2 coin. This makes them convenient for travel. You can easily slip one into your handbag. The palette also includes a decent sized mirror and a double-ended applicator brush (which I never use becuase i prefer bristle brushes).

i-Divine Original palette 

i-Divine Sunset palette

The colour range in these palettes is quite impressive; I especially love the orange and red in the sunset palette. The shadows are quite pigmented and soft, but they're prone to fallout during application.
I did some arm swatches without primers for both palettes. there's overlap for some of the shades in the two palettes: the turqouise is the same in both palettes and so are the gold, champagne shades. The chmapagne shades also tend to be a bit chalky in consistency.

Sunset palette swatches

Original palette swatches

Golden sunset eye makeup using the Sunset palettes. I used the NYX eyeshadow base in skin tone as a primer

 

They're not inglot quality or Urban Decay but they're comparable to wet n wild palettes but a bit more pigmented for some shades. The wet n wild shadows are finer and more buttery as well as easier to apply. To increase the intensity of shadows on the lid, it's better to dampen your synthetic brush (I used a finishing spray).
When comparing the two palettes, I think I prefer the colour selection in the Sunset palette and could probably live without the original palette, since it doesn't really add anything new to my makeup stash.

Pros
Affordable
Wide colour selection

Cons
Application is difficult, need to use a synthetic brush
Fallout
Needs primer/base to extend wear
Some shades are chalky

Score: 6.5/10

They're ideal for beginners learning how to do their own makeup and for experimenting with bright colours.
The palettes are available on the Sleek MakeUP website for 10.49 euro and they deliver worldwide.


See you in my next post,

xoxo,
N

*Palette images are from the Sleek MakeUP website. 

Make-Up Review: Drugstore Foundation: Essence All about Matt!

Hey there, 
I'm doing another foundation review; this time I'm sharing my thoughts on a drugstore foundation. I must say that when it comes to foundations I prefer high end but it's nice to find something that's affrodable and able to deliver on promises. 

So essence has been on the South African market for a couple of years and up until a couple of months ago they didn't have foundations that cater to darker skin complexions. 

 

So, three weeks ago I was browsing the make-up ailse at Clicks and came upon the new essence foundation "all about matt!" It's only available in four shades: vanilla, beige, caramel and mahogany. I picked up the shade caramel (which looks more like a medium cocoa). It's a long-wearing foundation, meant to last for 12 hours but not transfer-free. It's oil-free and gives a mattifying finish. It comes in the standard 1 fl.oz/30ml flor foundations.



I decided to try it out for a couple of weeks before forming any conclusions. 

On to application: as I said earlier the foundation looks like a medium cocoa shade and the consistency is creamy and a little runny. I applied the foundation on my face following primer application using my beauty blender (a pea-sized amount was enough to cover my face for medium coverage). It isn't quick drying, so have time to blend and buff. I then applied the rest of my makeup and set my face with the M.A.C Fix+ spray. 

After 4 hours Ichecked my face to see how it was holding up: I had a bit of shininess on my nose but it wasn't oily and I didn't need to blot. It just looked like a natural glow. Towards the end of the day approaching the 8hr mark, there was definitely a bit a more shine on my T-zone and a little blotting was definitely required. But it still looked really good and my friends could not belive that I acieved my look with an inexpensive foundation. 

All in all, I think its a great foundation for oily and combination/oily skin. It feels like MAC Studio Fix on the skin (quite heavy, I don't like the feeling). My only gripe with this foundation is that it doesn't have any SPF (this is a dealbreaker for me). That being said, if you don't wear make-up everyday like I do, this might be one to consider for a night out or attending a function and want to make-up occasionally. 

Pros:
Inexpensive, it only costs ZAR 68.00 at Clicks (listed as 79.95 on essence website)
Mattifying and oil-free
Long-lasting 

Cons:
No SPF
There are only 4 shades available.  

Final Marks: 6.5/10

That's it for now, 

xoxo, 

N

Make-Up Review: Battle of the Foundations #1 MAC Matchmaster vs. Smashbox Studio Skin

So, after years of being told to "start a blog", "...YouTube Channel" etc. I've decided to take the plunge...I'm blogging :-) I'm hoping to write about a variety of topics; hair, makeup, skincare, travel... we'll see how it goes. 

For my first post I thought I'd start with my never ending quest for the ultimate foundation.
What is the ultimate foundation? For me, it needs to match my skin perfectly, be mattifying (I have combination oily skin and I live in South Africa where summers are longer than winters), be non-transferable, last all day (with minimal/no touch up) and SPF >15. That's not too much to ask now, is it?

Our contestants in this first battle; MAC Matchmaster SPF15 Foundation in shade #8.5 (http://www.maccosmetics.co.za/product/shaded/158/17339/Products/Face/Foundation/Matchmaster-SPF-15-Foundation/index.tmpl ) 
and 

Machmaster in #8.5 on the left and Studio Skin in #4.2 on the right. 

 

  Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation  in shade #4.2 (http://www.smashbox.com/product/6035/22769/Face/Foundation/STUDIO-SKIN-15-HOUR-WEAR-HYDRATING-FOUNDATION/index.tmpl) both foundations are available in 12 shades. For the matchmaster foundation, the shade I use #8.5 is second to the darkest which is 9.0, and for the Studio Skin 4.2 is the darkest shade available. 

Matchmaster is available at all MAC makeup counters at Foschini and/or Edgars, the MAC store in the V&A Waterfront and online at www.maccosmetics.co.za. 

Smashbox is also widely available; in Edgars/Redsquare, Foschini and Woolworths stores (as well as their online stores www.redsquare.co.za and www.woolworths.co.za). In terms of price the Matchmaster foundation goes for R420.00 and the Studio Skin is going for R445.00.

Studio Skin Foundation, SPF15

Matchmaster Foundation, SPF15

I decided to compare foundations for a two week period; using the same primers (I'll talk about primers that I'm trying out soon). As you can see in the pictures above, although the foundations look diffrent out of the bottle the're pretty true to my natural colour once applied. 

In terms of application, I've tried brushes (kibuki and stippling)  and the beuaty blender; the Matchmaster applies well with both but the Studio Skin applies better with the beauty blender because it tends to streak when applied with a brush. They don't dry instantly, so you've got time to blend and buff, although this also means you can't touch your face too soon after applying the foundation either. 

Both foundations have medium coverage which is buildable to full; I prefer to wear medium coverage since I have minimal blemishing and my skin is even-toned. The finish is semi-matte for both which is great because I'm not a fan of the powdery finish and I don't contour to add dimension to my face. I finished of my face with M.A.C devil blush and highlighted with M.A.C springsheen blush. In both images, I'm wearing the OFRA liquid lipstick in the shades Atlantic city (2nd picture) and Queens (1st picture) (available from SAMIKA store: www.samika.co.za).  
Both foundations are advertised as long wearing and they do last all day, although I do notice a bit of shine on my T-zone at the midday mark. It's not oily but more luminous so I don't mind it. By the end of the day my makeup was still holding up really well, even after gym class in some cases :-) ...Studio Skin claims to be sweat and humidity resistant, it's definitely passed the gym test. 

Smashbox claims that Studio Skin is transfer-proof, this is true to a certain extent since I haven't had any transfer on to my clothing but there's a bit of transfer onto tissues whenever I blew my nose...hmmm  I don't know... I haven't done a white shirt test though :-)  
M.A.C Matchmaster is not transfer-proof, there are foundation finger prints in some of my notebooks :-)

Final Verdict: I feel like the Matchmaster foundation has red undertones and the Studio Skin is more yellow. I have neutral skin tone so both foundations fit me pretty well. I like how they both apply, they are light weight and I don't get that caked on feeling. The Matchmaster foundation does feel a bit heavier than Smashbox and I defintely feel like I've got something on my face.
I do feel however, that the Matchmaster foundation would suit me better in the spring/summer when my skin gets a bit darker (I may have to re-evaluate come summer).
For me, they're equaly good, although the range of shades is really limited. If you have a darker skin tone than me, Studio Skin does not come in deep cocoa shades and Matchmaster has one more shade, although the Studio Fix fluid foundation has a way better range (with 39 shades to match skin undertones).

Final Marks:
Matchmaster 7.5/10
Studio Skin 8.0/10 (extra points for transfer-proof)  

Okay, that's it for now. See you in my next post.

Much love, xoxo
N