MECCA MAX - PR Package Review & Swatches!

It is officially launch week for Mecca Maximas new signature brand - Mecca Max

Starting with a massive 200+ items, all ranging from $5 - $50nzd, we beauty junkies are bound to find some new holy grail products in this collection! Not to mention everything is 100% cruelty free!

FULL LIST OF PRODUCTS AND PRICES CLICK HERE 

I was lucky enough to get sent this amazing package full of Mecca Max goodies to try out and review for you all! And upon swatching everything, I now want the entire collection! I'm so impressed with the quality and price point of these products and have already made a list of a few other things to try!

Available in store and online Mecca Maxima HERE

Bring On Bright - Illuminating Primer

$20aud/$22nzd each

I am loving this glow-injecting primer at the moment! It lightly illuminates your skin for a glowing base under your foundation. I love the scent, it smells familiar like really fresh and clean skin care. I love the glowy finish it gives to your base and it stays glowy all day under other makeup. I haven't had a problem with this primer causing my foundations to move around, fade or cake. I love it!

Shimmer Shot - Illuminating Wand

$25aud/$28nzd each

These are available in 3 different shades - Pearl, Soft Gold and Bronze. 

Here I have the shade "Pearl" and OH MY GOD how stunning is that highlight?! The packaging is a push/pump wand with a brush tip where the product is pushed out and you apply it straight from the brush tip on to your face. I love the look of this highlighter when swatched, but it dries quite quickly on the skin and leaves the foundation looking patchy where its applied on top, almost lifting the foundation.. When using a beauty blender sponge and working quickly, it looks very pretty but it's a little hard to work with like most liquid highlighters. Maybe on bare skin it would work best..?

Sunlit Skin - Bronzer 

$22aud/$24nzd each

This bronzer is available in 3 different depths of shade - Light, Medium and Dark

This shade is "Medium" and is totally universal! It's such a soft, natural looking bronzer with a subtle sheen giving your skin that sunkissed bronzey glow. This is probably my fave product so far, the formula is so smooth and buttery! I use this everyday at the moment, no exaggeration, this is the prettiest bronzer for light to medium skin tones I've tried! 

Eyephoria - Eyeshadow Palette

$45aud/$50nzd

This palette has 10 gorgeous plummy shades - 2 larger shades, one matte and one shimmer perfect for highlighting the brow bone. And 8 shimmer/ satin shades. Not one matte colour for transition. Straight off the bat I know I can take this alone when travelling because I'd need more matte shades, a bone coloured matte isn't going to work in the crease..

I'm not the biggest fan of plummy shades on myself. I feel this palette is a little repetitive with the golds & purple shades looking very similar to each other and the colours may blend and start to disappear together. The formula is very soft and consistent in every shade but I would've loved to see a little more variety in this palette. Maybe a dark matte brown or matte purple?? Definitely a transition shade like a light/medium brown. And a difference in the gold shades, maybe a bright gold and a deeper bronze? Just some thoughts, the formula is amazing they nailed that for sure! But I personally wouldn't pay $50nzd for this palette..

Pout Pop - Lipstick

$20aud/$22nzd each

The lipsticks are available in 29 shades and 3 different formulas - High Definition, Matte and Sheer

I have 2 shades in the high definition formula "Hey Lover" is a vibrant, warm, hot pink and "Freedom Fighter" is a bright orange red, both incredibly smooth and pigmented. Very long-lasting, hydrating and creamy, I LOVE this high definition formula. I can't wait to try the matte formula and I don't tend to go for sheer lipsticks but I bet the Mecca Max formula is super soft and hydrating. I like these so much I went and purchased two more hi-def shades when they were available in store, "Mean Gal" & "Heaven Sent" both gorgeous nudes!

Gloss Boss - Lipgloss

$18aud/$20nzd

Available in 10 shades, I have the shade "Pow Wow Pink" and it's a a sheer hot pink, not too sticky, just glossy and shiny on the lips. 

City Slickers - Tinted Lip Oil

$16aud/$18nzd

Available in 3 shades - Nude, Rose and Apricot

I have the shade "Rose" which is a very pretty, sheer warm pink. This hydrating and repairing lip oil is very soft and juicy with a hint of colour. I love this for 'no-makeup' makeup days

Eye Max - Double Ended Mascara

$38aud/$42nzd

This double ended mascara has a big, chubby wand at one end for coating every lash, lifting, curling and creating length! And a micro brush at the other end perfect for the bottom lashes or to help separate and define the top lashes before using the big wand. It definitely works, but I prefer to use the chubby wand alone for the top lashes and the small wand for my lower lashes. 

 Before and After - Here I used the smaller wand first to coat all the lashes then used the chubby wand to thicken and add volume. On the lower lashes I only used the small wand

 Before and After - Here I tried without the smaller wand and only used the chubby wand on the top lashes and smaller wand on the smaller lashes

Flawless Blender Sponge

$18aud/$20nzd
Available in 3 different shapes

Ok..Out of everything I've tried so far, this has to be the worst. First of all it smells really weird, I can't explain it, it's like a mouldy smell? And when you wet it, it doesn't grow as you can see in the before and after --> And it's so hard! It doesn't get all squishy and bouncy like a normal blending sponge. I tried it anyway to see if it would work and no..It doesn't blend anything. I don't recommend.

PACKAGING

The packaging is stunning, feels high-quality and looks super luxurious and well-thought out throughout the entire range. I love the gold, orange, black, white and pink together 

Pop Pout Lipsticks

These babies have the cutest packaging of the lot! They have a push-pop design, push down the lipstick and it pops back out for you to pull out, wind up and apply.  The names are 3-D bubble labels in the shades of the lipsticks on top.

 

Shimmer Shot Illuminating Wand

I also love the packaging of these highlighting wands with a brush tip and click pump that pushes the liquid glow out through the brush so you can apply straight to your face. So luxe!

 Sunlit Skin 

I love the style of the compacts. Square with the gold, black and orange reminds me a lot of Yves Saint Laurent packaging, it looks so expensive and luxurious. The powder itself has an embossed "M" for Mecca

I am SO excited for this range and can't wait to try out some more products! I highly recommend giving this new brand a go, the products are amazing for the price range! Let me know, will you be picking any thing up??

- Lucy Maria xx

Christmas in New York with Too Faced - part two

Holiday Collection Swatches!

Part TWO of the Too Faced Christmas In New York Collection. This post is all about the swatches! To read part one for details & first impressions, check here - Part ONE

THE CHOCOLATE SHOP

Chocolate scented, cocoa-infused powders housed in lavish pink packaging all for $58USD

18 Eyeshadows, 3 Larger Highlighting Eyeshadows, 1 Highlight, 1 Blush, 1 Bronzer

+

Mini sized Better Than Sex Mascara, Melted Chocolate Milkshake & Shadow Insurance

Desert's On Me - Frosty White, Satin Sheen Finish perfect for highlighting (Larger pan)

Indulge - Metallic Champagne, pigmented & has some chunky glitters

Cookie Dough - Matte Light Brown base with Gold glitters. Crap pigment, only glitters show really..

Raspberry Rose - Light Baby Pink with a Matte Finish. Soo smooth & pigmented! Love 

Sugared Raisin - Metallic Icy Pink with Silver glitters. Like "Indulge" this is kinda chunky.

Guilt Free - Matte Pale Lilac Grey, perfect for a cool toned crease. Smooth & pigmented

Tootsie - Matte Deep Chocolate Brown. This shadow feels quite dry & swatches super patchy..

Glaze - Matte Off-White. Another good highlighting shade, if you can get it to show up (Larger pan)

Gingerdoodle - Metallic Pale Gold, nicely pigmented & smooth

Chocaholic - Matte Light Brown Taupe. CRAP pigment, had to scrape it to get a good swatch :/

Cake Batter - Matte Light Peachy Brown. Beautiful pigment & so smooth, perfect for the crease.

Butterscotch - Metallic Copper Bronze. A Smooth & pigmented metallic.

Toffee Crunch - Matte Mid-tone Coffee Brown. Like "Tootsie" this shade is quite dry & was hard to get a smooth swatch..

Lava Cake - Blackened Brown base with Pink & Gold glitters. Soft but took a few swipes to get good pigment..

Banana Date - Matte Light Yellowish Cream. A nice pigmented base shadow (Larger pan)

Honey Dip - Metallic True Gold. Smooth & super pigmented

Pound Cake - Metallic Pink Duo-Chrome with Gold shift. My Fave!

Sugar Bells - Metallic Icy Blue Silver. Beautiful pigmentation

Mint Chip - Metallic Deep Teal Blue. Stunning, smooth & pigmented

Jingle Berry - Fuchsia Purple with a Satin Sheen Finish, not a lot of pigment & took a few swipes to build up..

Huckleberry - Matte Blackened Violet with Pink & Purple glitters. Like "Tootsie" & "Toffee Crunch" it feels dry & doesn't swatch well.

Inner Light Highlighter - Stunning Pinky Golden exclusive Highlighter 

Chocolate Soleil Bronzer - The Best-selling Chocolate Bronzer is a medium, warm brown shade

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Blush - Super pigmented, muted bright Pink with a satin sheen finish

Plus a Mini Melted Chocolate Milkshake Lipstick 

A warm, Peachy Brown Nude

This lipstick smells AMAZING! Just like a caramel chocolate milkshake. Be careful not to eat it haha!

This set is better than last years big set (Le Grande Palais) but there are a few shadows that just aren't good, like "Cookie Dough", "Tootsie" & "Chocaholic" with little to no pigment. Or "Indulge", "Sugared Raisin" & "Jingle Berry" that, once the glitter has flaked off, there's not much colour left. But then there are some amazing shades too like "Cake Batter", "Raspberry Rose", "Guilt Free" & "Banana Date", all super smooth, pigmented matte shades. I feel like I might open this palette everyday just for "Cake Batter"! Or the metallics like "Pound Cake", "Honey Dip", "Butterscotch" & "Mint Chip" that actually show up! But I honestly feel like, if you have any other Too Faced holiday palettes, you'll have these shades. It's just nice to see the shadows improving every year & the packaging stays amazing!

GRANDE HOTEL CAFE

Peppermint Mocha, Eggnog Latte & Gingerbread Cookie scented palettes, in a little hotel shaped box for $49USD

3 Scented Palettes with a total of -

18 Eyeshadows, 2 Blushes, 1 Bronzer

+

Mini Better Than Sex Mascara

Eggnog Latte

Frosty Nog - Matte Creamy White. So pigmented for a White shadow

Eggnog Latte - Shimmer Pale Champagne Gold

Iced Coffee - Metallic Bronzed Brown. Smooth & pigmented

Skinny Latte - Matte mid-tone Taupe Brown. Feels smooth but swatches a little patchy..

Cold Brew - Matte Brown base with Gold & Silver chunky glitters. Not as pigmented as what you see in pan

Central Perk - Metallic Deep Forest Green. Stunning & so pigmented! Perfect for Xmas looks

Peach Cobbler Blush - A Matte Peachy Pink Blush. Universally flattering & pairs perfectly with every look.

Peppermint Mocha

Peppermint Cream - Matte White. Another super pigmented White

Christmas Blend - Shimmer Sheer Champagne with Gold glitters. 

Peppermint Mocha - Shimmery Reddish Plum with Golden glitters

Candy Cane - Matte Light Baby Pink. Smooth but swatched a little patchy..

Sprinkles - Metallic Hot Pink with Pink & Purple glitters

Coffee Chip - Metallic Deep Brown with Red & Gold glitters. 

Santa Baby Blush - A Satin Finish Warm Bright Pink 

Gingerbread Cookie

Ginger Cream - Matte Pale Beige White. Yet another smooth, pigmented base shadow.

Maple Syrup - Matte Mid-tone cool Coffee Brown. Pigmented but a little dry so work slowly building it up

Gingersnap - Metallic Bright Gold. So smooth & pigmented, it's like a foiled shadow

Winter Dream - Sheer Shimmer, almost transparent base with tonnes of Silver, Pink & Lilac glitters

Cup Of Joe - Matte Blackened Coffee Brown with fine Gold glitters. 

Black Coffee - Matte Black. A little disappointing, patchy & not very pigmented :/ 

Gingerbread - Light Warm Brown Bronzer with a Satin sheen

I love this set! I think they really improved the shadows in this set compared to last years, (Le Grande Chateau) not that it was bad, but this set is just better! The white matte shades are so creamy, the metallics are so pigmented. There's a couple of misses like "Cold Brew", "Christmas Blend", "Coffee Chip" & "Winter Dream" which all have flaky glitter & not much pigment underneath or "Black Coffee" the matte black shade, is very dry & patchy. But shades like "Eggnog Latte", "Central Perk", "Sprinkles" & "Gingersnap" are super pigmented & consistently smooth in texture. "Gingersnap" is amazing! Once again, if you have any of the other Too Faced holiday or chocolate palettes, you'll have shades like this! The Christmas themed scents are a bit off-putting, they smell more like play-doh or cardboard..

NAUGHTY KISSES & SWEET CHEEKS
Three gifts in one, these mini sets are perfect for Christmas Stocking Stuffers, all for $36USD

3 Mini Love Flush Blushes

+

3 Mini Lip Injection Glosses

Lip Injection Gloss - Clear

Crazy In Love Blush - Hot Pink Blush with Golden shimmer

Milkshake Lip Injection Gloss - Sheer Peachy Nude

Baby Love Blush - Neutral Peachy Pink Blush with subtle Sheen

Like A Boss Lip Injection Gloss - Sheer Purple

Dream Lover Blush - Pale Lavender Blush with a Matte/Satin finish

The Lip Injection glosses definitely work! After swatching them, I had 3 red, puffy stripes on my forearm haha. Your lips hurt a little bit at first, like an intense tingling, but goes away after something is applied over it. That's how I like to use them, apply first, let your lips plump up, then wipe off & apply desired colour! Maybe add more on top for added effect. And I love the Love Flush Blushes, they're nicely pigmented, blend in smoothly & have a great range of colours, plus the cutest packaging! I love getting the mini sized ones to try new colours & keep in my handbag. 

And I totally forgot to swatch the Let It Glow set, I'll be sure to do that & add the photos to this post.

But just so you know now, I highly recommend the set for a Christmas gift or if you love Too Faced minis! The little heart shaped brush is too cute & you also get a mini Love Flush Blush in "Love Hangover", mini Snow Bunny Bronzer & mini Candlelight Glow highlighter! All for $25usd

Now let's be real, these are travel sized minis! They're not going to be huge products, you get your moneys worth with this set. I saw a few reviews on the site say they were disappointed with the size, but what were they expecting I wonder? $25 for 3 full sized products? I don't think so haha 

All of these products are available at Sephora or Mecca Maxima (except the Chocolate Shop)

If you want to see Part one of this review, check HERE

LucyLoves! xx

Colourpop X Hello Kitty Collection Haul

Review & Swatches

OH YES! When I heard this collection was coming out, I knew I'd have to make a purchase. I've always been a fan of Hello Kitty & I love Colourpop so this collab was super exciting to see.

With the red, white & blue theme, it works in well with everything happening in the US at the moment, very patriotic! I would like to of seen different coloured product packaging as appose to the usual white, but the lip products do have cute bows etched into the lids for something different. 

This collection is of course, limited edition, like everything these days.. And Colourpop always have new products & collections coming out so I'm not sure how long these will be around, get in quick to get your hands on some cute Hello Kitty prods! 

♥

I jumped on the Colourpop Cosmetics website the day of the release & I couldn't help myself, with all the excitement I bought nearly everything from the collection!

The Hello Pretty Kit

Bento Shadow
Sticker Sheet Shadow
Juicy Apple Shadow
+
Fun With Friends Blush
Yummy Cookies Highlighter
+
Ribbon Ultra Matte
KT Shimmer Lipgloss

All for $42USD packaged in a cute box with a mirror inside

Bento Box shadow - Pearlized finish Smokey Blue Gunmetal
Sticker Sheet shadow - Satin finish Cool-toned Taupe
Juicy Apple shadow - Glitter Sheer finish soft Gold topped with Gold Glitter
Fun With Friends blush - Pearlized finish Mid-tone Warm Pink
Yummy Cookies highlighter - Pearlized finish Light Peach with a flip of Silver
KT lipgloss - Sheer Light Gold sprinkled with Pink & Gold Glitter
Ribbon liquid lipstick - Ultra Matte true Blue based Red

Mama's Apple Pie Shadow Set

4 shimmery super shock shadows in
Friendship File
Rainbow
Small Gift
School Bus


All for $18USD 

Rainbow shadow - Glitter Sheer White with highlights of Silver & Pink Glitter

Friendship File shadow - Metallic finish warm Peachy Beige with Silver & Pink Glitter

Small Gift shadow - Pearlized finish mid-tone Peachy Pink

School Bus shadow - Pearlized finish Deep Navy Blue

Hello Kitty Collection Singles

I also picked up a couple of the single products, there's more than this too!

Tiny Chum Ultra Satin Lip
Supercute Ultra Glossy Lip
Coin Purse Blush
School Is Fun Highlighter

Lip Products are $6 each
Face Products are $8 each

School Is Fun highlighter - Pearlized finish Soft  Iridescent Duo-Chrome Gold

Coin Purse blush - Satin finish Bright Cool-toned Rosy Pink (the site says it's matte, but it's definitely not!)

Supercute lipgloss - Sheer finish Warm Pink doused with Pink Glitter

Tiny Chum liquid lipstick - Satin finish Cool-tone Nude Pink

Overall, I LOVE this collection! Everything from the shade choices to the packaging is on point. The prices are honestly insane, so affordable for great products. I've said this before about Colourpop, I love everything I've tried from the brand so far, except the Matte shadows.. I just don't find they blend very easily in the crease & take a lot of work buffing. Good thing is, there aren't any mattes in this collection.. But I love the shimmers (used with fingers mostly) & the Glitter Sheers formula is new - its a very sheer, almost transparent base packed with glitters, perfect to add shimmer on top of other shades. I love the face products as well, Highlighters are best used lightly with your fingertips & blushes works well with a brush (I like a duo-fibre). Their liquid lipsticks are hit & miss I find, some are amazing, flawless & long-lasting, some are super drying & crumble off..

This collection would make great Christmas stocking stuffers for any Hello Kitty or Colourpop lover!
Available at https://colourpop.com/hellokitty



LucyLoves! xx

Violet Voss Haul! Swatches & Review

Holy Grail & Drenched Metal!

If you follow me on Instagram, you would know already how much I love these palettes! But I wanted to get a little more in-depth with the products I got from Violet Voss & tell you guys exactly what I think of them. I saw pictures of the palettes floating around Instagram, then Laura Lee on YouTube collaborated to create her own stunning palette, & the shadows looked insanely pigmented & easy to work with. Unfortunately I missed out on her palette but noticed they still had both the Holy Grail & Drenched Metal palettes available & I couldn't help myself, I had to get both! I ended up ordering one of their liquid lipsticks to try out as well. 

♥

Sadly, Violet Voss does not ship to NZ, only USA & Canada. So I had to use a forwarding address, one of my favourites is NZ Post YouShop. It took about a week to arrive to the YouShop warehouse then another week to arrive to NZ after paying for the shipping.
As for the products, oh em geee! haha they are seriously beautiful. Each palette has 20 colours, Matte, Metals, Satins, Big Size pans (1.8g) all Cruelty Free & housed in a super thin, matte black palette for $42 USD each. The liquid lipsticks are available in 15 shades (I got "Wasted"), long-lasting liquid to full matte finish & smooth to apply for $12 USD each
www.ShopVioletVoss.com

♥HOLY GRAIL♥

Crystal - Satin Pearl White, perfect to highlight the brow bone

Ploof - Satin Pale Rose Gold, another good highlight especially for the inner corner
Thanks A Latte - Matte Cream Beige, I use this as a base shadow before applying other colours
Transition - Matte Warm Caramel Brown, as it's name suggests it's the perfect transition shade!
Hashtag - Matte Terracotta Orange, this is quite vibrant & perfect for any season on the lid/crease
Awesome Sauce - Metal Copper Bronze, holy sh*t this is beautiful, so smooth & pigmented!
Bestie - Matte Neutral Brown, another great transition shade but is slightly cooler toned
Toffee - Metal Golden Bronze, similar to Awesome Sauce, smooth & pigmented
Chill - Satin Antique Gold, nicely pigmented & perfect for a softer golden eye that's not so intense
How U Dion - Metal Bronze Copper, has more copper/red tones compared to Awesome Sauce but is just as smooth & pigmented as the other metals.
Bat My Eyes - Metal Deep Bronze, has a deeper brown base with tons of bronze shimmer
Cool Beans - Metal Gold, this smooth pigmented gold also has some deeper bronze shimmers
R U Kitten Me - Matte Midtone Caramel Brown, so smooth & a little deeper than Bestie/Transition
So Jelly - Satin Iridecent Pink, almost duochrome with a highlighting gold effect
On Fleek - Metal Copper Red, another smooth, pigmented metal shade with a deeper copper base
Brownie Points - Matte Deep Earthy Brown, so smooth & blends like butter
Teddy Bear - Matte Deep Cool Brown, almost an eggplant brown & blends like a dream as well
Glamping - Satin Burgundy, I tried this reddish brown using a wet brush & had trouble applying
Cranberry Splash - Metal Cranberry Red, such a stunning colour, so smooth & pigmented
Wine N Dine - Matte Cranberry Pink Red, a little drier/patchier than the other mattes, but that's to be expected with a matte red. It's still very pigmented.

I feel like I said every shade is beautiful, smooth & pigmented but they're honestly some of the best shadows I've ever used! And the metals are just so eye-catching, one little touch of my finger gave full pigment. I wasn't a big fan of using "Glamping" with a wet brush, it didn't make the shade more pigmented in any way & actually made the shadow clump up in the pan so it doesn't swatch or apply the same now. I think because they're already so buttery & pigmented that they don't actually need to be intensified, they already give the effect of wet foiled shadows without added fix+. This is the ultimate warm eyeshadow palette, you can use these shades in Summer, Fall, Winter & Spring & can create so many beautiful warm looks with the golds, bronzes & cranberries!

♥DRENCHED METAL♥

Poppin - Metal Pale Champagne Gold

Kisses - Satin Pale Rose Gold 

Confession - Satin Iridecent Pink (like "So Jelly")

Crushed It - Metal Bronzey Gold 

Secret - Matte Neutral Brown (Transition Shade)

I'm So Fancy - Metal Intense Blue Green

Mermaid Vixen - Metal Smokey Blue Green 

Grunge - Metal Golden Taupe 

Minx - Metal Tarnished Gold 

Squad Goals - Metal Coppery Gold 

Frisky - Metal Deep Blue

Dark Desires - Metal Deep Violet

Slaycation - Metal Duochrome Green Brown 

Come Thru - Satin Pale Gold Yellow

Livin - Metal True Copper 

Shade - Metal Cool Toned Taupe

Bliss - Metal Golden Olive Green

Huntress - Metal Deep Burgundy Bronze

Forbidden - Metal Copper Burgundy

Midnight Tryst - Satin Matte Grey Black

There's not much I can say about this palette because it's all metal shadows, bar one matte transition shade "Secret", the swatches speak for themselves. I can't keep saying "They're so amazing, they're so amazing" over & over, you can see how consistently smooth & pigmented each shade is. I've got enough gold/bronze shadows to last me years now, I'd like to see a matte palette from Violet Voss that would work well with the Drenched Metal shades, or a cooler version of the Holy Grail - silvers, purples, blues etc. These shadows are pretty long-lasting aswell, I always forget to use a primer but these shadows still last on my eyes, which is great because alot of metallic shadows tend to lose the glitter throughout the day, in turn losing alot of the pigment.. I highly reccomend these palettes if you're looking for anything similar, they're both quite handy to have, the Holy Grail is perfect for everyday warm looks, glamourous & simple looks & perfect for all seasons! And the Drenched Metal palette is perfect for all the pigmented metallic shades like "I'm So Fancy" & "Dark Desires", grab this palette, a couple of mattes & you could create magic on your eyes! 

♥WASTED LIQUID LIP♥

Liquid to Matte Lipstick in the shade "Wasted" is  described as a Warm Chestnut Nude Rose. The formula is quite thin compared to other liquid lipsticks I've tried, it's very pigmented but because it's thin it's also very easy to build up for more opacity. It's super long-lasting & a little difficult to get off.. (Try to avoid licking lips & greasy foods for a longer lasting colour) And doesn't have any scent. They have 15 different colours available & are $12 USD each 

(Swatches Top-Bottom; "Wasted" Matte Lip, Holy Grail "Ploof", "Toffee" & "Cranberry Splash", Drenched Metal "Bliss", "I'm So Fancy" & "Dark Desires"

LucyLoves! xx

ChiChi Cosmetics Highlight & Contour palette

Palette Review & Swatches

If you're a beginner with makeup or on a budget, this could be the contour palette for you! I was so excited when I saw this was coming out, ChiChi Cosmetics is one of my favourite affordable brands & to hear that they were bringing out their own highlight & contour kit!? I had to get one to try out & compare with my others. The price is amazing for 8 different contour/highlighting shades & the quality is not so bad either! This palette is available at Farmers for $30 NZD or online from ChiChi's website for $25 AUD

♥

"The Golden Rule of successful highlighting & contouring is to use as little product as possible so the end result is believably natural, to blend it in well & add more colour gradually. Highlight the areas of the face you want to look bigger & emphasise - Contour & shade the areas of your face you want to look smaller & have less emphasis"

This is on the back of the palette & it's so true when it comes to the art of contouring! A little goes a long way with contour powders & it's best to start with the tiniest dab on your brush as it's much easier to blend out & add more if desired.. Especially with this palette as I found it was a little harder to blend then say KvD or ABH where it seems no matter how much you use or if you mess up, they blend like smooth butter! This palette is a little drier so it can get patchy easier, that's why you really have to work with a light amount of product & have patience blending. The shimmer highlight though?! Um wow it's so glowy & super buttery, blends like a dream on the high points. 

The shades are numbered 1 to 8 & the under the palette cover there are helpful tips on how to use each one & where to use them on your face

♥SWATCHES♥

1. Is a stunning champagne shimmer highlight that doesn't have too much colour but a lot of reflection so it looks quite natural & blends in seamlessly
2. This a fair matte setting powder, I like to use this under my eyes to set my concealer but can also be used as a matte cheekbone highlight or base eyeshadow 
3. Is a matte banana setting powder, unfortunately a little too dark for my under eyes (might be good in summer though) so sometimes I mix it with 2 or 4 & apply on my forehead, chin & around my nose & sometimes under my contour to clean up the shape for sharp definition
4. Is a large matte setting powder, its almost translucent so not much coverage, I use this all over my face to set foundation, I love how big it is in the palette because I do use so much of it.
5. Is a very neutral contour shade, it's on the warmer side when you compare it with shade 6, I like to use it as a face bronzer instead of contour because it's the perfect size for my big bronzer brush & I personally prefer a neutral tone as appose to a warm/orangey bronze.
6. Is, in my opinion, the perfect contour shade for light-medium skin tones! It's a cool taupe that looks like natural contour when blended, but needs to be built up slowly or it can look muddy.
7. One of the two warmer bronze shades, this one is slightly darker for a golden tanned look, it almost has a red/brown base & is matte, no shimmer. I almost wish it had a little sheen for that "sunkissed glow" effect
8. Is another warm bronzer, this one is lighter than shade 7 & has an orangey/brown base. This one does have a slight sheen to it, I haven't used this one yet but I imagine in summer it could look really nice with a golden tan

Overall this is a really nice, affordable contour & highlighting palette that has good pigmentation & a good variety of shades. Don't expect the quality of KvD or ABH because they can go patchy or cakey if you're not careful, but they are a great alternative fore someone on a budget looking for a quality contour kit! ChiChi never fails to make amazing affordable products, make sure you check them out! 

Using shades 1, 2, 4 & 6

LucyLoves! xx