Palette Love

Lately I have been abandoning my eye shadow singles and duos in favor of using the palettes I have. I tend to neglect them because of their size (so big for a normal makeup bag!), but lately have favored using them because of the fact they're so much easier to pull out rather than 4 or 5 eye shadow singles.



You may remember that months and months ago (February or March, I believe) I put in order in with Sears for the CARGO PlantLove Green Glamour 100% Natural Origin Eye Shadow Palette. Yesterday (yes...a mere 5 to 6 months later) it finally arrived!



Here is what it looks like:





This palette contains all 18 of the CARGO PlantLove eye shadows. I am really liking the colors - so gorgeous! I was lusting after the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette until this Green Glamor palette came.



Here's a close up of all three rows of shadows (including the shade names):



Row One





Row Two





Row Three





And I also have a 'preliminary' swatch set for you. I promise, there will be a much better set of swatches when I review the palette in the future:





Today I used one of the shades in the palette - the lovely taupe color in the top row, called Finch. I LOVE it! It lasted all day without creasing (on top of MAC Painterly Paint Pot). I'm looking forward to getting to try out more of the shadows in this palette.



The other thing that is neat about this palette is if you pick one of the colors in the palette and go either down two spaces (so there are three shadows in a line), across two spaces, diagonal two spaces, you end up with three shades that coordinate very well.



Here's a shot of all three lines of shadows.





Let's pick a color. We'll go with Beech, in the bottom row. Now go up and diagonally to the right two spaces - so now your row of three is Beech, Ivy and Finch. Gorgeous combination! How about Blue Jay, and we'll go up diagonally to the left two spaces - so now the row of three is Blue Jay, Peacock and Pelican - again, an amazingly beautiful combo! My favorite? Go to Marigold, and left two spaces - so we've got Marigold, Bamboo and Peacock. So pretty!



I am so happy with this palette. I sincerely hope I continue to be happy with it the more I use it.



Have any of you tried this palette? Let me know!

REVIEW: CARGO Eye Shadow Single in Oxford

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO Eye Shadow in Oxford, $14.80 CDN @ CARGO.ca

Reason for Purchase

I am a massive fan of the CARGO brand, and I wanted to try out this shade of eye shadow.

Notable Features

None to speak of. It’s an eye shadow - nothing more, nothing less.

Packaging

This eye shadow comes in a tiny metal tin with the brand name stamped on the lid.

Experience Using Product

Oxford is a blue-grey eyeshadow. In the pan it is more on the blue side, but when applied to to your eyelids more of the grey comes out (although it is still mostly blue, in my opinion). The eye shadow has a fine shimmer to it; It’s a half-n-half mix of shimmer and matte. I was really hoping for the eye shadow shade to be more on the grey side than the blue.

This eye shadow is very powdery - it kicks up a fair bit of dust when you swipe your brush across it. It has a tendency to look chalky as well.

I’ve only worn this eye shadow on without a base once; I prefer to wear it with either a grey base, or a shimmery white base.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I had higher hopes for this eye shadow than what was delivered. Like I said, I really wanted to be more grey than blue. Even though I have blue eyes, I find blue eye shadow harder to work with because I have pale skin - it makes me look bruised.

I think this eye shadow could be a hit or a miss for you, depending on what you are looking for out of this eye shadow color. If you want a murky pale blue - this will work for you.

Unfortunately, I do not recommend this product to you. I don’t think that most people will like this color. It bothers me that I have to write this because I love CARGO as a brand, but I have to be honest about this color of eye shadow.

If you want to learn more about this eye shadow or any of CARGO’s other eye shadows, check out their website here. You can also order from the site if you are Canadian or American.

TAG: Summer Eye Color Picks

Doing this part of the Summer Products Tag was pretty darn easy. Probably because over the summer, I get pretty lazy with my makeup and don’t put so much effort into putting it on - why spend a ton of time on it when it’s probably going to melt off in the heat?

Anyhoodles, I have made a nice little list of my Summer Eye Products that I’ve been wearing a lot lately, and plan on continuing to use over the rest of the summer.

Here we go:

- NARS Eye Shadow Duo in Key Largo

- NARS Eye Shadow Duo in Cordura

- Urban Decay Naked Palette

- CARGO Color Palette in Bermuda

- MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo in Noble Touch


So, that’s a grand total of five products, but each actually contains more than one eye shadow...in truth, there’s a whopping 22 eye shadows in this selection. I think maybe I went a bit over-board? So much for only picking a few products, huh! Ha ha!

As far as the Naked Palette goes, I’m relying on most of the shades on the far left to middle of the palette, to help create a lightly bronzed look on my eyes. I’ve been staying away from the darker and more black or grey based shades (unless I’m having a crappy day - then I slap on some Creep).

Both NARS eye shadow duos are bronze-brown and work quite well together. I use the peach in Key Largo as my all over lid color, and the bronze in that duo as my crease color. From Cordura, I use the lighter brown color as my outer-corner shade, and the dark brown as my liner. This is what I'm wearing today! You can read more about Key Largo by clicking here.

The CARGO Color Palette in Bermuda is an awesome one that I love to death...you can read my review here for all the details!

I use the MAC Mineralize duo in Noble Touch to add a bit more shimmer and shine to looks I create with the other products; the white/pink color is good to use on the brow bone or inner corner as a highlight, and the bronze side adds a nice extra punch of bronze-shimmer on the lid. You can read my review about it by clicking here.

So - that’s Part 2 of my Summer Products posts. Stay tuned for the last part, Part 3: Cheek products. In that post I’ll be covering blush and bronzer.

My week will be super-busy, but I am hoping to get at least two posts done over the course week. It is really hard for me to believe that June will be over soon. The good news that comes with that is that I will be posting the details of my First Annual Blog Birthday Giveaway on July 1st!

Have a great week!

REVIEW: CARGO Voyages Collection Safari Kit

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO Voyages Collection Safari Kit, $27.20 CDN @ CARGO.ca

Reason for Purchase

My growing love for CARGO led me to buy one of their makeup kits. You get three full size items and two minis - great value for money!

Notable Features

In this kit, you get:

- BeachBlush in Coral Beach (full size)
- Eye Shadow Duo in Brown and Gold (full size)
- Mini Triple Action Mascara in Black
- Eye Pencil in Khaki (full size)
- Mini Classic Lip Gloss in Safari

Packaging

The whole kit comes in a thin plastic box. Inside the box is a cute makeup pouch which contains the products. The pouch is made to look like a postcard. Here is what it looks like front and back:




How adorable is that? I love the little swallow zipper-pull!

They also slipped this cute postcard in with my order:


I love it!

Experience Using Product

My favorite item in this kit is the BeachBlush in Coral Beach. It is great to use when you want your skin to look sun-kissed; I especially like using it over top of a bronzer to give my skin a look of added warmth.

The eyeshadow name is a bit misleading - I do not find the colors in the duo to be either brown or gold; it’s shimmery olive green and shimmery green-gold. The eye pencil is a khaki green (not brown, like I was expecting) and goes well with the eye shadows. Of course, you can never go wrong with black mascara! I don’t find that CARGO’s formula does anything above the ordinary for my lashes.

The lip gloss completes the kit - a bright shimmery coral.

The contents of the kit really give you the ability to create a pretty summer look.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I would totally recommend this kit to you; You may find it especially great for an introduction to the CARGO brand, if you are not sure which products you want to buy. The kit would make a great, simple birthday or Christmas gift too.

CARGO is adding to the Voyages colleciton pretty regularly. They just added another kit like this one, called the Mediterranean Kit. It comes with a different makeup pouch and different products. I would have ordered this kit too, but I already own the majority of the kit’s contents.

You can order this kit directly from CARGO’s website, or through Sears. Currently, the Mediterranean Kit is only available from CARGO’s website.

HAUL: CARGO Eye Shadow

If you’ve been following my blog over the past few days, you know that I’ve gone a bit bananas with reviews for some of the CARGO Color Eye Shadow palettes.

I have 5 of the palettes - and I recently got a 6th BNIB palette (Brand New In Box) from a blog sale and am waiting for it to arrive in the mail (but since Canada Post is on strike, who knows how long it will take for me to get it).

I wanted to try something different for a Haul post - review the products in the haul before I post the details of the actual haul itself. You’ll have to let me know what you think of the format. I’m not sure what I think of it yet, myself!

Here are the 5 palettes I bought:
Click on the palette name to be brought to the review for that palette

- Shanghai
- Baja
- Bermuda
- London
- Vienna

The one I am waiting to receive is ‘Toronto’ (woot woot for Canada!).

One of these palettes is cheaper than buying an empty MAC Pro Palette x 4 and filling it with shadow pans - and cheaper still than the pre-filled limited edition MAC 4-pan palettes. The actual shadow pans in the palette are also larger than MAC shadows.

Believe it or not, I’m considering purchasing one or two more of these palettes (like I need more eye shadow!): Paris and Los Angeles. Paris looks gorgeous - it’s not available from Sears though, just the CARGO website. Los Angeles is available through Sears and the CARGO website.

I am very happy that CARGO is a Canadian brand; I’m all about supporting businesses based in my own country over those based somewhere else.

Overall, these shadows are strongly pigmented, super smooth in consistency, easy to apply and blend, and long-wearing. I am extremely happy with these purchases.

Have any of you tried any of these CARGO palettes?

REVIEW: CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Vienna

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Vienna, $28.00 CDN @ Sears.ca

Reason for Purchase

I am a big fan of CARGO products; I have some of their eye shadow singles (in the round silver pans, packaged the same way as their blushes) and wanted to try out a palette (or five - yeah...I bought five of them...).

Notable Features

This is a quad palette.

Like all CARGO products, this palette is named after a real place: Vienna, Austria.

Packaging

This palette is exactly the same size as a MAC Pro Palette x 4. It’s made of a clear resin-type plastic. The lid of the palette has a green, blue and yellow paisley/fleur-de-lis style print set inside of it. Here is what it looks like:



The lid to the palette snaps shut; there is no magnetic closure like the MAC palette.

Once you open the palette, you will see a square mirror set inside the lid. The four shadows are square and identical in size - they are set in their own pans, and squished right up against a very skinny grey plastic frame.

Experience Using Product

You get four complimentary colors inside this palette: a shimmery rosey-taupe, a shimmery navy blue, a shimmery bronze, and a shimmery pale beige. Here is what the shadows look like:



and here is a swatch:


All four colors are very pigmented.

The rosey-taupe color makes a great all-over-lid color. You can wear it alone or with other shadows from this palette.

The navy blue color is something I haven’t been brave enough to use all-over my lid. I’ve restricted it to eyeliner or outer-v shading; it goes really nicely on top of the rosey-taupe color, or the bronze color.

The bronze color can be used as an all-over-lid color, crease color, eye liner, or outer-v color. I find that because it’s got an rusty-orange undertone, it helps makes my blue eyes stand out.

The pale-beige color in the bottom right corner is great for a brow-bone and inner corner highlight, and it makes a nice all-over lid color too.

This palette compliments blue eyes very well. Right now those custom-eyes palettes that a lot of companies have out (Almay, Physicians Formula, Cover Girl) are super popular, and this one is perfect for people with blue eyes. The navy blue eye shadow in this palette isn’t 80’s fabulous like it is in some other palettes, and it’s not super grey-based. This is honestly one of the best blue eye shadows I’ve used; it does not make me look trashy or juvenile, or like someone punched me in the eye. The three brown colors work very well together - so you can do a nice neutral eye for the weekday and add some blue on the weekend for a more fun look.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I like this palette - and I would recommend it to someone who isn’t intimidated by the navy blue shade in this palette; ladies with brown or blue eyes might have an easier time working with this than someone with green or hazel eyes. The brown shadows in the palette are pretty universally flattering.

To learn more about this palette, you can visit the CARGO website (you can also shop from their site! - USA or Canada only) or the Sears website.

REVIEW: CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Baja

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Baja, $28.00 CDN @ Sears.ca

Reason for Purchase

I am a big fan of CARGO products; I have some of their eye shadow singles (in the round silver pans, packaged the same way as their blushes) and wanted to try out a palette (or five - yeah...I bought five of them...).

Out of all 5 palettes that I bought, this one was the one I was certain would look great on me. This particular palette has gained a lot of popularity recently thanks to TiffanyD, who posted a great blog entry and YouTube tutorial about it.

Notable Features

This is a quad palette.

Like all CARGO products, this palette is named after a real place: Baja, a state in Mexico (it’s also a peninsula).

Packaging

This palette is exactly the same size as a MAC Pro Palette x 4. It’s made of a clear resin-type plastic. The lid of the palette has a flower print set inside of it. Here is what it looks like:



The lid to the palette snaps shut; there is no magnetic closure like the MAC palette.

Once you open the palette, you will see a square mirror set inside the lid. The four shadows are square and identical in size - they are set in their own pans, and squished right up against a very skinny grey plastic frame.

Experience Using Product

This is a fool-proof neutral palette that will look good on just about everyone.

You get four complimentary colors inside this palette: a satin soft brown, a satin baby pink, an almost-matte peach, and a satin copper brown color. Here is what the shadows look like:



and here is a swatch:



For a good idea about how you can use this palette, I recommend you watch TiffanyD’s tutorial about it; she give some great instructions. I’ve tried the look out myself, and it looks great!

This palette helps to create a breezy, fresh-faced, glowy look. I pair it with either NARS Orgasm blush, or CARGO Sunset Beach BeachBlush.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I would definitely recommend this palette to someone looking to try out the CARGO brand and has no idea what to buy. If you’re not new to CARGO, it makes a great addition to your collection.

To learn more about this palette, you can visit the CARGO website (you can also shop from their site! - USA or Canada only) or the Sears website.

REVIEW: CARGO BeachBlush in Sunset Beach

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO BeachBlush in Sunset Beach, $32.00 CDN @ Sears.ca

Reason for Purchase

I was on the CARGO website shopping and this pretty item caught my eye. I couldn’t resist picking it up. It was an ‘ooo shiny’ moment.

Notable Features

This product is a blush/bronzer all-in-one product. Here’s what’s written on the box the product comes in: BeachBlush, the marriage of blush and bronzer. Use a large fluff brush to apply to cheeks. Can be used alone or with CARGO’s bronzers for a beach-inspired glow.

It’s made up of four stripes of colors (typically different shades of the same color) that you can either blend together and apply, or you can just wear one of the stripes.

Packaging

This product comes in a round tin. The word ‘CARGO’ is stamped into the lid (it’s a lift off lid - no twist-off lid). The shade name is on a sticker affixed to the bottom of the tin.

I like the CARGO packaging because it’s very clean and doesn’t take up ton of room (unlike square or rectangular packaging). The downside to this packaging is the lid - it just lifts off, which can be a downside if this product is just floating around in a makeup bag, purse, or suitcase - the lid might pop off.

Experience Using Product

I thought that I would end up using this product as a luminzer when I first got it. The champagne and pink shimmery shades in the pan would help brighten complexions. I actually use it as blush. I blend all four shades together using a blush brush and apply it to the apples of my cheeks. The result is a nice deep pink shimmer that resembles my own natural flush - the color my cheeks turn when I’m actually blushing (minus the shimmer. I’m no Cullen).

I’ve never used this product as a bronzer; to me, it’s too pink for that. You would probably end up looking more burnt than bronzed if you put this all over your face. I have used one or two of the shades as eyeshadow (the brown and the gold).

This product will compliment any neutral look. I love using it when I’m wearing shadows from the Naked palette, or the CARGO Colour Palettes in either Baja or Bermuda.

This has become a staple in my makeup bag. Sometimes I set it aside to make room for other items, but it always finds its way back into my kit.

I would have to say that of all the CARGO products I own, this is my favorite. I have also featured it in several Monthly Faves posts.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I will re-purchase this product, for sure. I love it too much not to!

I would recommend this to just about anyone. The shades in the pan are workable for any skin tone. I know I said this about the Tenerife BeachBlush, but this product is also a good starter purchase for anyone looking to try out the CARGO brand.

To learn more about this palette, you can visit the CARGO website (you can also shop from their site! - USA or Canada only) or the Sears website.

REVIEW: CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Shanghai

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Shanghai, $28.00 CDN @ Sears.ca

Reason for Purchase

I am a big fan of CARGO products; I have some of their eye shadow singles (in the round silver pans, packaged the same way as their blushes) and wanted to try out a palette (or five - yeah...I bought five of them...).

Notable Features

This is a quad palette.

Like all CARGO products, this palette is named after a real place: Shanghai, China.

Packaging

This palette is exactly the same size as a MAC Pro Palette x 4. It’s made of a clear resin-type plastic. The lid of the palette has an Asian-themed print set inside of it. Here is what it looks like:



The lid to the palette snaps shut; there is no magnetic closure like the MAC palette.

Once you open the palette, you will see a square mirror set inside the lid. The four shadows are square and identical in size - they are set in their own pans, and squished right up against a very skinny grey plastic frame.

Experience Using Product

You get four complimentary colors inside this palette: a shimmery white, a shimmery fawn brown, a shimmery pale peach, and a shimmery taupe. Here is what the shadows look like:



and here is a swatch:


The fawn and peach colors kind of disappeared on my skin when I took this picture - they do show up on your lid, though!

The white color is very pigmented. It makes a great brow-bone highlight.

The fawn brown color is a lovely lid color; it goes really nicely on top of Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin.

The pale peach color is slightly chalky compared to the other three shades in the palette. To me, it has the least amount of color payoff. You can tell in the photo above that it barely shows up on my skin. Thankfully, it’s slightly more visible on my eyes.

The brown color in the bottom right corner reminds me a lot of MAC’s Satin Taupe - but this shade by CARGO is just that extra bit creamier (if a powder can be creamy!).

This palette gives me a really nice neutral eye, without using all brown eye shadows. I use all four shades to create a nice simple eye look: white on brown bone and inner corner, fawn on lid, peach in the crease, and the brown as the outer v and liner shade.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

A girl only needs so many neutral eye shadows! With that said, I really like this palette - and I would recommend it to someone who was looking for a set of neutral eye shadows that are not all browns. However, the shades would probably get lost on medium and dark skin tones; these colors will work best on fair to light complexions.

To learn more about this palette, you can visit the CARGO website (you can also shop from their site! - USA or Canada only) or the Sears website.

REVIEW: CARGO BeachBlush in Tenerife

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO BeachBlush in Tenerife, $25.60 CDN @ CARGO.ca

Reason for Purchase

I really enjoy CARGO products, especially their BeachBlush products.

Notable Features

A BeachBlush is a powder product that can be used either as a blush or bronzer. It’s made up of four stripes of colors (typically different shades of the same color) that you can either blend together and apply, or you can just wear one of the stripes.

What sets Tenerife apart from the rest of the BeachBlush collection is that it’s matte.

Packaging

This product comes in a round tin. The word ‘CARGO’ is stamped into the lid (it’s a lift off lid - no twist-off lid). The shade name is on a sticker affixed to the bottom of the tin.

I like the CARGO packaging because it’s very clean and doesn’t take up ton of room (unlike square or rectangular packaging). The downside to this packaging is the lid - it just lifts off, which can be a downside if this product is just floating around in a makeup bag, purse, or suitcase - the lid might pop off.

Experience Using Product

Tenerife is a half coral, half bronze powder. What I like about this is the fact that when the color is blended, it looks neither muddy nor oompa-loompa on my skin. I use a big powder brush and blend all four stripes together when I want to wear this as a bronzer; if I’m using it as a blush I’ll do the same thing but with a blush brush, or sometimes I just blend the two coral stripes and use that as a blush.

I bought this in early spring (February or March...I can’t remember) and found it hard to wear then, because it was still very white and wintery out. Now that it’s sunny and the world is colorful again, this product is seeing much more use.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

Of all the BeachBlush shades available, this one is probably one of the safest to wear - and for that reason I recommend it to you. This will also be a great product for you if you’re looking for a matte bronzer with an equal balance of coral and brown tones to it.

I would certainly re-purchase this product; however, I doubt I will have to! You get a lot of product in the pan!

To learn more about this product, you can visit the CARGO website (you can also shop from their site! - USA or Canada only) or the Sears website.

REVIEW: CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Bermuda

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in Bermuda, $28.00 CDN @ Sears.ca

Reason for Purchase

I am a big fan of CARGO products; I have some of their eye shadow singles (in the round silver pans, packaged the same way as their blushes) and wanted to try out a palette (or five - yeah...I bought five of them...).

Out of all 5 palettes that I bought, this one was the one I was on the fence about. There is one shade in the quad that is very orange, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to look on my pale skin.

Notable Features

This is a quad palette.

Like all CARGO products, this palette is named after a real place: Bermuda, one of the Caribbean islands.

Packaging

This palette is exactly the same size as a MAC Pro Palette x 4. It’s made of a clear resin-type plastic. The lid of the palette has green hummingbird and flower print set inside of it. Here is what it looks like:



The lid to the palette snaps shut; there is no magnetic closure like the MAC palette.

Once you open the palette, you will see a square mirror set inside the lid. The four shadows are square and identical in size - they are set in their own pans, and squished right up against a very skinny grey plastic frame.

Experience Using Product

I have to say, out of all five of the CARGO palettes I bought, this one is my favorite!

You get four complimentary colors inside this palette: a shimmery light sage green, a satin rust brown, a satin cocoa brown, and a shimmery terra-cotta clay color. Here is what the shadows look like:



and here is a swatch:



The light sage green color reminds me of a color you see on a dragonfly’s wings. Believe it or not, it makes a good brow-bone highlight and inner corner highlight - as well as an all over lid color.

The rust brown color is a crease or outer v color. This shade has an orange base to it, so it helps make blue eyes pop.

The satin cocoa brown is very pretty; it has a bit of a green sheen to it. This color is also multi-purpose - its a lovely all over lid color (especially with the light sage green as the brow and inner corner highlight) and also makes a nice delicate liner color.

The shimmery terra-cotta clay color in the bottom right corner looks very orange, but it does not apply as orange as you would think. It comes out of the pan as more of a tawny-orange. I like to use this color as my crease color, or as a wash on top of one of the browns.

This palette easily gives me a ‘bronzed goddess’ look (lol, I fee like a dork writing that!), without making my eyes look too orange or as though I have some kind of eye infection. I use all four shades to create a nice bronze look: light sage green on brown bone and inner corner, satin cocoa on lid, terra-cotta clay in the crease, and the satin rust brown as the outer v and liner shade. Put some bronzer on, a peachy-coral blush, and a nice nude gloss and it’s the perfect summer look.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I would definitely recommend this palette to someone looking for a palette that’s perfect for summer. However, these shades aren’t for everyone; like I said, there’s a lot of orange-based colors in the palette. Keep that in mind!

If you are interested in this palette, I would recommend trying to swatch it first.

To learn more about this palette, you can visit the CARGO website (you can also shop from their site! - USA or Canada only) or the Sears website.

REVIEW: CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in London

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO Colour Eye Shadow Palette in London, $28.00 CDN @ Sears.ca

Reason for Purchase

I am a big fan of CARGO products; I have some of their eye shadow singles (in the round silver pans, packaged the same way as their blushes) and wanted to try out a palette (or five - yeah...I bought five of them...).

Out of all 5 palettes that I bought, this one was the one I was looking forward to using the most because of the purple and olive shades in the palette.

Notable Features

This is a quad palette.

Like all CARGO products, this palette is named after a real place: London, England.

Packaging

This palette is exactly the same size as a MAC Pro Palette x 4. It’s made of a clear resin-type plastic. The lid of the palette has an funky pop-art print set inside of it. Here is what it looks like:



The lid to the palette snaps shut; there is no magnetic closure like the MAC palette.

Once you open the palette, you will see a square mirror set inside the lid. The four shadows are square and identical in size - they are set in their own pans, but they’re squished right up against each other inside the palette. There is no ‘frame’ around the eye shadows.

Experience Using Product

You get four complimentary colors inside this palette: a deep espresso brown with a smidge of shimmer, a shimmery yellow-champagne, a shimmery eggplant purple, and a deep olive. Here is what the shadows look like:



and here is a swatch:



The espresso brown color is very pigmented. It makes a great liner color, and it’s also good if you want to create a more dramatic look and put some of it in your crease.

The yellow-champagne color is a great lid color; in the pan it looks obnoxiously shimmery, but it doesn’t end up looking that way once it is on your lid.

The eggplant purple looks really dark and like it would be very easy to over-do, but it actually goes on very sheerly. You can easily build this color to whatever level of intensity you want.

The olive color in the bottom right corner looks very intense and deep, but it also applies very sheer. It’s a buildable color that looks great layered over the champagne shade (in the crease or just as a wash of color).

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I felt a little let down when I used this palette for the first time. I was really looking forward to using it and I had high hopes for it - but the palette didn’t quite meet expectations. I wish the purple and olive shadows were more pigmented. I do like this palette, but I just wish those two colors were more intense than they are.

The palette is still pretty neutral; the purple and olive shades make nice accent colors.

If you are interested in this palette, I would recommend trying to swatch it first.

To learn more about this palette, you can visit the CARGO website (you can also shop from their site! - USA or Canada only) or the Sears website.

Monthly Faves: March

I use to be so good about getting my monthly favorites posted on time - now it seems like I am always posting it a few days late!

The good news is, this month's lineup of products is slightly larger than February's. I have a good mix of high-end and low-end products and I have used them all consistently throughout the month (with the exception of one, which I only got last weekend!).

Without much further rambling, I'll just get started.

CARGO BeachBlush in Tenerife - I have been using this particular product as a bronzer this month, whenever I think my skin looks too pasty. This product is matte and is made up of stripes of beige, taupe, peach and pink. I use a big fluffy powder brush to apply the product to my face. I also use this as blush on days where the only other makeup I've applied is foundation and mascara. Purchased online at the CARGO website.

NARS Multiple in South Beach - You may recall a post I wrote not too long ago where I wrote that I would be keeping three of my Multiples in my makeup bag in an effort to use them up. Well, as I had predicted in that post, South Beach is the one that sees the most use. It has no glitters in it (unlike Orgasm) and the color is very natural and soft. It's a lovely spring blush shade, which I have been sporting almost every day. When I want more punch to the color, I dust a bit of NARS Blush in Lustre over top to add a bit more peach to my cheeks. If, by any chance (although I highly doubt it), there is someone on the NARS creative team reading this, I have a message: Please create a South Beach blush. I would buy a ton of them - it's a perfect natural blush color. Purchased at Sephora.ca

Clinique Even Better Makeup with SPF 15 in Shade 01 Alabaster - This has been my go-to foundation since my Clinique Almost Makeup got discontinued. I love the formulation of this product. I have been very happy to see that, as long as I don't go overboard on moisturizer, this foundation stays matte on my skin and I don't have to blot more than once a day. So far, I have not noticed it evening out or correcting my skin, but maybe with more continuous use I will start to see that. I am very happy with this product, Clinique! To see my review about this foundation, click here. Purchased at Sears.ca

Annabelle Eyebrow Pencil in Shade 040 Medium Brown - While I like a defined brow, I do not like super intense, dark, eyebrows. This pencil is great at helping my brows look more dense while also not looking like I've colored them in! The trick I find is applying the pencil at an angle, with light strokes. I then use the brush attached to the pencil cap to blend the pencil in. I also bought another in the shade Auburn for when I have freshly dyed hair (I dye my hair a light browny-auburn color) and eyebrows. Purchased at PharmaPlus

NARS Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base - I have had this tube for almost a year now, and it's probably because I switch back and forth between products that I use as eye shadow bases. If I were using this every day, I think I would have needed to re-purchase at least once by now. This is a stand-out product for me. I swear, nothing else I have tried so far has helped my eye makeup last all day like this product can! Purchased from Sephora.ca

Wet-n-Wild Eye Shadow Trios in Shade 381B Sweet as Candy and Shade 335 Silent Treatment - I love these Trios! They are similar, and both are great everyday 'neutral' shades. Sweet as Candy has a shimmery white as the browbone color, a dark shimmery taupe as the crease color, and a shimmery baby pink as the eyelid color. Silent Treatment has a peachy pink shimmery color as the browbone color, a dark espresso brown with dark brown shimmers as the crease color, and an intense shimmery taupe with purple undertones as the eyelid color. I did a review of the Silent Treatment Trio earlier in this past week, and Sweet as Candy is featured in two of the prize packs for my Seven Deadly Sins Makeup Contest. Purchased at Wal-Mart

What are your March favorites? Do you share any with me?

I am really looking forward to warmer weather coming and for more days with sunshine; I am pretty sure that is going to be reflected in my April favorites post! I am itching to go through my collection again and pick out some more colorful products to use.

My weekend is going to be full of me practicing to deliver my first corporate training course (I teach on the 12th!), studying for an upcoming exam for school (I am finishing a course on e-business this month!) and also writing up more blog posts. I am one of those bloggers who feels guilty if she doesn't post something new every couple of days, so I like to have some posts complete and on standby for weeks where things are going to be hectic and I know I can't write 'on the fly' like I am right now!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Don't forget to enter my Seven Deadly Sins Makeup Contest! The Contest closes at 8:00 p.m. on April 9th, so get your entries in soon!

REVIEW: CARGO Bronzer in Light

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

CARGO Bronzer in Light, $26.00 CDN @ Sears.ca

Reason for Purchase

I’ve recently re-discovered the CARGO brand. I really like their BeachBlush products and wanted to try out one of their bronzers.

Notable Features

This is not a matte bronzer; the bronzer has a finely-milled shimmer.

CARGO is a Canadian cosmetics company.

Packaging

The Bronzer comes in a silver tin, stamped with CARGO on the lid. The shade name is on a sticker on the bottom of the tin. When you take the lid off, you can sit the pan into the lid.

Experience Using Product

I use a big fluffy powder brush to apply this bronzer to my face and neck.

The shade of this bronzer really reminds me of NARS Irresistiblement - a favorite bronzer of mine. The only difference between the CARGO bronzer and the NARS bronzer (aside from the price!) is the shimmer - one has it and the other does not. Other than that, both products have a terra-cotta color to them, so they make fair skin warmer without making it look muddy. However, if you were to use a very heavy hand and a whack-load of product, you will end up with that Oompa-Loompa hue to your skin that we all try to avoid.

Surprisingly enough, I like the fine shimmer in this product. I find it gives me a nice dewy look, without making me look shiny - even when my skin is oily. I’ve been wearing the bronzer about every other day since I got it. I do not find that it makes me look unnaturally tanned, even when it is snowing outside and I’m standing against a backdrop of the white fluffy stuff.

I am curious to see how I fair out with this bronzer in the summer, when my skin gets a little more color to it - will it be dark enough or will I need to buy the next shade up? I can definitely see myself using the bronzer as an eyeshadow in the summer; it’s got an orange base instead of red, so it will both flatter my blue eyes and won’t make my eyes look swollen and/or irritated (like red based eyeshadows do).

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I have to say, CARGO is quickly becoming a new favorite brand of mine. I had one of their regular blushes and an eyeshadow years ago (blush, Tonga; eyeshadow, Yukon) and loved them to bits. Unfortunately, both met an untimely demise when I dropped them and they shattered in their pans. The pigmentation of CARGO products is great, and I love the fact that the company originated in Canada.

I am strongly leaning towards saying that yes, I would buy this bronzer again. However, like I said a bit earlier in this review, I am curious to see how the bronzer looks on my skin in the summer. I would recommend this product to you if you like bronzers with a bit of fine shimmer, you are fair-skinned, and you’re looking for a bronzer that doesn’t make your skin look dirty.

Curious about CARGO bronzer? Check out the CARGO page here; you can switch between Canadian and American content by using the location option at the top of their page.

Monthly Faves: February

It's March! Before you know it, it will be St. Patrick's Day!

My list of favorites for February is pretty small. I find at this time of year, I usually use a few products religiously and that's all I wear until spring. January was pretty much a write-off for me since I was sick most of the month. February I did get to wear some of my makeup, but I've been wearing much less of it lately. I have to say, I'm happy with that!

With all of that being said, here's the rundown of my February Favorites:



Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion Mascara in Black Brown - This is my favorite mascara; it's been a staple item in my makeup bag for months. I find the black brown shade makes my lashes look more natural. I love how this mascara separates my lashes, and defines them.

CARGO BeachBlush in Sunset Beach - I have been using this product as both a blush and an eyeshadow. When I wear it as an eyeshadow, I either pick one strip of color and use it on my eyes or blend a few together to give my eyes a warm luminous glow. I really love this product and am tempted to order another in a different shade.

Clinique All About Eyes Concealer in Shade 03 Light Petal - This is my favorite under-eye concealer. The product does such a phenomenal job of covering dark circles, it's great! I blend it with another monthly favorite Benefit High Beam, to create an under-eye concealer that both hides dark circles and is also luminous to give me a healthy dewy glow and further conceal anything I'm trying to hide. I dot the blend on my under-eye area with a concealer brush and then blend it out with my ring-finger tip.

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly - I use this as an eye shadow base. It covers discoloration very well, and eyeshadow sticks to it perfectly. Soft Ochre is usually the Paint Pot people recommend for an eye shadow base - but it's a yellow tinted product. I have pink undertone to my skin, so it would do nothing good for me - Painterly it is!

What are your monthly favorites?

Steal of a Deal Alert!

Note: Photo from Sears.ca

Canadian ladies, I have a great deal to share with you!

If you are at all interested in anything put out by the brand CARGO, you can now find their products sold at Sears.ca! I had no clue that they were being sold there, so when I was putting in my order for a pair of Chuck Taylors yesterday and came across CARGO in the brand listing of the Beauty section, I was tickled pink!

In case you are not already aware, CARGO and the CARGO PlantLove line are no longer available at Sephora in Canada. I don't know if they still are in the USA and overseas, but it's a no-go in Canada. This usually happens when a cosmetics company signs a new distribution deal. For example, Hard Candy started to be sold at Wal-Mart, so Sephora discontinued it. I guess the same thing happened with CARGO - they signed a deal with Sears and so Sephora discontinued the brand.

Anyhoo, one of the things I came across while browsing the selection of CARGO products available was the CARGO PlantLove Green Glamour Kit. This kit is a palette containing all 18 of the PlantLove eye shadows. It currently retails at Sears.ca for $29.00. That in itself sounds amazing; but considering at Sears.ca they have priced each single PlantLove eye shadow at $20.00, it makes the palette an even better deal!

To see what the palette looks like, I recommend checking out the CARGO PlantLove website. Here's a direct link to the palette.

Flabbergasted by the amazing-ness of this buy? Check it out on the Sears website here!

I put in an order for this palette (along with some other PlantLove goodies, and one Clinique item) yesterday. Apparently all of the PlantLove stuff is on back order until March 9th. I am eager to try out the brand (I like the other CARGO products I have tried), so I will happily wait for that package to arrive. I'll post a haul as soon as I have it in my hot little hands.

Have a great Sunday everyone!