I intended to include a review of the Too Faced Stardust Palette as well but I need more time to test that palette.

Urban Decay Vice 4

This is my first Vice palette! I purchased it after Sephora issued the $50 code as an apology for the Epic Rewards fiasco. The retail price is $60.

The outer packaging is so unique and beautiful. They nailed the oil-slick look! The palette includes a dual-ended brush. I’m not a fan of that brush type because it’s tricky to clean without getting water into the ferrules.

I appreciate the duo fiber style crease brush side, as I have nothing like it in my collection, but it doesn’t perform the way I want. The base is too stiff and the top is too floppy. The other side of the brush is for blending, and it does the job fine.

First Column

Light shades are notorious for not showing their true colors on me. Bones is a slightly beige satin which just looks white on my hand. Framed appears yellow instead of light peach tones it is supposed to have. The purple in Discreet shows a bit. The brown tones in Bitter are blending with my skin but the red/orange pigment keeps it visible. The mattes are extremely smooth in texture and all four in this column are well pigmented. I used the Too Faced Shadow Insurance under all the swatches in this review.

Second Column

Grip is the most disappointing shade in the entire palette. The texture is fine but the pigmentation is lacking and the silvery grey tones don’t flatter me either. The faults in a few other colors don’t come close to being as bad as this one. Fastball is a nice pink glitter shade. Grasshopper is a gorgeous opaque jewel toned green. Flame is the shade I was most excited for but the orange-red shadow with its gold glitter is a little rough and patchy.

Third Column

All of these shades are decent in texture. Deadbeat, 1985, and C-Note are nicely pigmented. With Low, I couldn’t tell if the brown is blending too well with my skin or if it truly is a sheerer shade.

Fourth Column

This is my favorite stack of adjacent colors in the palette! They all swatch well. Beat Down is a pretty violet blue. Underhand is a stunning wine color. Arctic is a beautiful teal and Crowbar’s dark olive tones compliment the gold glitter.

Fifth Column

These final four are also good in both texture and pigment. I love the plum in Pandemonium. I generally don’t use light purple colors like Harlot or chromes like Robbery but I can acknowledge that they’re pretty shadows. Delete is the fourth matte shade which looks much darker on the skin than the pan.

These shadows are very soft, so they must be lightly tapped onto the brush to avoid powdery messes. What I found strange was that Framed breaks off into clumps or flecks of product.

As you can see, even bits of it landed in shades a few rows away. I also found some of it on my hand as well when doing swatches.

Another thing to note is that this palette has some manufacturing issues. I have read many reports of improperly placed pans in both this and the Spectrum palettes. They are either crooked or partially popped out. One woman in my Facebook group shared a photo where one of her pans (Grip) popped out of the palette on the first day that she received it. In my own palette, Fastball wasn’t pressed all the way either.

After taking photos for the blog, I used my finger to press the shadow back into the palette.

Sometimes cosmetic companies put similar shades within the same palette. Besides the shadows in Column 1, the only other similarities are shown in the photo below…

but I can see distinct differences.

I love this palette! I wish there were more matte shades but this is the best $10 I ever spent! Even if I paid full price, I would not have returned this and I’m happy I have it.

This palette didn’t come with suggested looks so I tried a few of my own. I was in a rush and was still shocked by how quickly I could produce the two looks below.

Test Eye Look Number 1

I used Framed under the brow, Delete in the crease, Bitter as the transition shade, Underhand on the lid, and Harlot on the inner top and lower lash lines.

Test Eye Look Number 2

I used Bones under the brow, Crowbar in the crease, Grasshopper on the lid, C-Note in the center of the lid as well as the inner corner of the top and bottom lash lines. I also used a tiny bit of Deadbeat on the outer V.

Guerlain Météorites Powder For The Face And Décolleté

This new beauty is part of Guerlain’s holiday collection. There is a significant price hike between these and the permanent meteorites. They are currently sold out at Sephora (where I purchased them) but they will likely return to the site, as Sephora is notorious for having out-of-stock limited edition items eventually return to their website. They retail for $80 but for those willing to snag them at a better price at the risk of them being sold-out, I suggest waiting for the Friends and Family sale or other 20% sales that usually happen between late October and mid-November. I used a 10% off coupon via Sephora Shake-Up and a gift card to get mine.

This is my first ever Guerlain product. It’s my understanding that these meteorites have more shimmer than the original. It’s supposed to be an all-over-the face product but as immensely fine as the glitter is, it’s too visible on me in person. I mentioned strobing in my highlighter review last week but this the perfect product for that.

I used a stippling brush to apply the powder to the center of my forehead and cheekbone. It is very difficult to show anything other than a glow on camera, as you can see from the face photo. But the up-close look is better depicted by the picture of my hand.

“These Météorites pearls are made of light-reflecting iridescent pearly particles that leave the skin looking radiant with an illuminating glow. It features pearls in beige hues to even out the skintone, champagne to illuminate, and golden for a subtle, sunkissed effect. These pearls are infused with light-correcting nacres that harmoniously blend together to create a pure and correcting light for perfectly tailored luminosity, creating an ultrasoft powder that smooths the complexion for a unique, soft finish. These powder pearls reveal the iconic violet fragrance of Météorites.” -Sephora’s Product Description

I love the delicate violet scent which is strong enough to linger on the face for about an hour before the scent dissipates. As much as this is a luxury product and not a necessity for many people, I love these so much that I’m considering buying the original in the color Dore during the 20% sale so I can add darker colored balls to the globe. I figured the darker tones and will make it a little less frosty, especially if I remove some of the lighter balls and the stars.

I must say that the holiday items this year are even prettier than last year, which is great for collectors but certainly a burden on my wallet!

❤ Lili