Delightful Illusions

Happy New Year, lovely people! I have been busy with filming Shorts on my YouTube channel and I have recently uploaded my entire eyeshadow palette collection. I am trying to grow my channel and expand my makeup journey on different platforms. Though this blog will always be my baby since it all started in here and this the first blog I created that was accepted by Google AdSense. For my first post this year, I will be sharing with you my Top 1 eyeshadow palette for the year 2023. This is the L.A. Girl Cosmetics Keep It Playful Downplay Palette and shoutout to Morgan Turner for introducing me to this beauty.

I first saw this in one of her Shorts and I immediately fell in love with color story. The moment she said that the two metallic shades are comparable to luxury shadows, I knew I have to get the palette. She's really picky with her brands; focusing on high-end ones, and the moment she says that an affordable eyeshadow can be compared with luxury eyeshadows you have to trust her. I managed to find one in a local online store and bought it instantly since I thought it is limited edition. It's actually from their permanent line and it's only $11 at the brand's website. I bought mine for Php 614 and I think the value is close on the original price.

Click for a larger view

The palette's packaging is uniform with the color story and component is made if magnet. It feels a little heavy but also feel a little luxurious. Each eyeshadow weighs 1.5 grams, a standard amount for an eyeshadow palette and will probably last for quite a while. I bought this palette on a travel and thankfully the shadows didn't break. That's a good indicator since it means that these shadows are tightly-pressed and are safe to bring on long travels. This fits in my makeup bag without taking much space and this seems to be pretty sleek. I just wish that the shadows have names, even if they were just printed at the back.

Click for larger and clear view

The mattes in here are pigmented, easy to blend, aren't powdery and feels soft to the touch. The two shimmers on the second row are more of standard shimmer but feels smooth, pigmented and glides on smoothly on the lids. The two metallic shadows on the third row are super intense and have this smooth foiled effect. The last shadow looks like matte black but it's actually a satin dark grey shade but I still like it. Overall, this the color story is great, each eyeshadow works and can be combined with the other without looking muddy.

So, let me share with you my thought on each of the shadow. Starting from upper left:

Shade 1 (matte beige) - Your standard matte beige perfect for blending harsh edges, highlighting brow bones and setting the eye primer.
Shade 2 (matte neutral brown) - I love using this as a transition shade. It's more on the neutral side which is perfect at toning down the smokiness of the darker shades in this palette.
Shade 3 (matte warm brown) - This shadow is darker and warmer than the previous one. This would be nice a crease shade or transition shade for darker skin tones. This what I love about this palette, it suits on dark skin tones as well. A lot of people can use this for their daily use.

Shade 4 (shimmer red brown) - This shade is so stunning! Perfect for brown smoky eye look. As I have said earlier, this is a standard shimmer. No glimmer or glitter, just plain shimmer that shines and has a lot of pigment.
Shade 5 (shimmer beige) - I love using this on my inner corner. This could be a lid shade paired with the matte neutral to create a fresh and light eye look.
Shade 6 (matte dark brown) - Ahhh! Gorgeous dark chocolate shade. I love using on my outer corners and lower lash line. This is must have on every smoky palettes and I just love shades like this.

Shade 7 (metallic silver) - Stunning silver! I love how this shadow leans a little white since I don't pure silver shades. I put this on top of the metallic gunmetal shade and they look beautiful together. It feels a little heavy to touch but applies smoothly on the eyelids.
Shade 8 (metallic gunmetal) - The star of the show! This a gunmetal eyeshadow done perfectly! In the pan, it looks like it has green tinge but in my eyelids, it translates to grey. In some angles, the green is peeking through. This kind of shade has been done many times by a lot of brand already, but I think they nailed it.
Shade 9 (satin dark grey) - I was surprised to know that this is actually a satin grey shadow. I like though since I can slowly build this up to make smoky looks instead of blending a heavily matte shadow.

This a look that I made using this palette. This is an awarding event with "glitz and glamour" motif and I wore a sequined black gown (see picture below). I felt so sexy especially that I was wearing a smoky eye look. I used the matte neutral brown on as transition shade, satin grey to smoke out my outer corners and lower lash line, gunmetal on my lids topped with the silver shade, and shimmer beige on my inner corners.

Can you spot the palette? 😄

Please view the my video to see live swatches of the eyeshadows

This is my no. 1 eyeshadow palette for 2023 because of its practicality, versatility and the overall amazing formulas of the eyeshadows. Maybe a video and post of eyeshadow palette ranking? Hmm. Let's see if I can make that happen. Anyway, thank you so much for stopping by. If you like my style and my contents, please follow this blog and subscribe on my channel. I hope to talk to again. Stay safe. Have a nice day. 💖

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Hello, lovely people! I hope your Christmas went really well and you spent quality time with your love ones. For today's post, I will be quickly sharing with you my introduction post for my Pan Those Eyeshadows for the year of 2024. I have posted last year my Pan Those Eyeshadows 2023 introduction but I haven't got the chance to post updates since life has gotten really hectic for me. I have said on my Project Level Up post that I have finally decided to quit my toxic job and will take a couple of months to just focus on myself and rest a little bit before going back to working. I still don't know where life will take me in 2024, but I'm always positive and hopeful.

I was undecided at first to do this project since I already started my Project Level Up and it would take a lot of work to combine the two eyeshadow-based project pans. Since I am a person who are fond of challenges and love to push my self out of my comfort zone, I will do both. This project has been around since 2018 and at this point, you probably know who is the creator and the basics of the rules. For this year, I will still do this randomly since I love the thrill the technique gives and I will still focus 5 shadows per round. I will give myself 24 uses per shadow before I roll them out and I will decide if I want to continue from that point or roll-in a new one.

Vice Cosmetics Justice Palette - Shadow: Brave

The first eyeshadow rolled-in in this round is this metallic plum color that feel thick and super pigmented. This left a little staining on my skin, though nothing alarming since it didn't cause irritation. This is fairly new palette in my collection and I haven't used this one yet prior to the start of this project pan. I am not sure if I can hit pan on this after 24 uses, though it feel soft and somewhat putty and might move around whenever I use this.

NOVO Elegant & Silky 16-Color Eyeshadow Palette - Shadow: #15

Another new eyeshadow palette in my collection and you can view swatches on this Youtube Shorts I made. The panning gods want me to focus on some of my newer eyeshadow and so here we go. No complaints about that. This is a matte pale camel shade that surprisingly shows up on my eyelids. I have already used this 3 times and might be the first eyeshadow I will hit pan in this project. This feels soft, buttery and easily glide on to my skin. This buildable and shows up after two layers. I love this shade and I know I will hit pan soon.

Focallure Tropical Vacation - Shadow: Beach

This next eyeshadow I'm going to talk about is from my oldest palette in my collection. This is the Focallure Tropical Vacation Palette; an affordable dupe for the ABH Modern Renaissance which was sadly has been discontinued last year. I remember loving this palette so much and buying a couple as gifts for my cousin. I used this first in 2018 and back then, the quality of these shadows are amazing. The shimmers are a little bit dry now and very lackluster compared to current shimmer formulas. Anyway, the shadow Beach was rolled-in, which is just a matte dirty white shade that I will use to set my eyeshadow primer. From my experience panning this palette, the mattes loosely-pressed and aren't difficult to hit pan on. I hope it won't take me 24 uses to reach my goal on this particular shadow.

Narimi Dead Wood - Shade: Spring Mud

This is one of my newest eyeshadow palettes and I haven't even used this one yet. This a gorgeous palette from a Chinese independent brand called Narimi. I will post a in-depth review on this soon so you'll know the details on that upcoming post. 😄 The shadow that was rolled-in for this round is the Spring Mud which is a matte dark mauve shade that will pair really well with Brave. I'm not sure if I can hit pan on this after 24 uses since it seems to be pigmented. We will see about that.

Beauty Glazed Metamorphisis - Shade: Ace

The last shadow that was rolled-in for this round is this shimmer orchid shade. This shadow has that cream-to-powder, putty consistency that I think I can hit pan on or before 24 uses. I have hit pan another shimmer shade in this palette so I know that these are not hard to work on. I think I can top this on Brave to make it more brighter. This shade will also pair well with Spring Mud.

I think I made my self a cohesive purple color unintentionally, which is surprising and lovely at the same time. 3 of these eyeshadows are from my newer palette and I have no complaints at all since I can play with them and posts reviews as well. What do you think of this color story, guys? I will post an update at the end of January or first week of February.

So that's it for my short and sweet introduction to this project. I really do enjoy these projects and I will continue to do them as long as possible. I love the randomness that this project gives since I do love to challenge myself from time to time. I have also posted an introduction on my YouTube channel and you can view it by playing the video above. If you love the content I post, please subscribe to my channel. I will post more eyeshadow swatches there a lot other more contests. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you come back for more. I will talk to you soon. Have a nice day and stay safe always. 💖

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Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope everyone's Christmas is happy and lovely and do enjoy spending the holidays those who are dear to your hearts. If you are not celebrating Christmas, I hope you are safe and enjoying your break time from work or school. 💖 Anyway, for today's post I'm going to talk about this eyeshadow palette from Perfect Diary called the Red Fox Palette. Perfect Diary is a Chinese independent makeup brand that is quite expensive but the products seem to be of nice quality. This Red Fox Palette is the first I tried from the brand and I must say that I'm pretty impressed with the overall presentation. I think the animal palettes they have are part of the collaboration they have with Discovery Channel.

First of all, the details on packaging is surprisingly detailed. The front cover is red fox with surrounded by plants that are embossed and has this rough texture. The back cover if the fur of the fox which some hairs were also embossed which I love because it's giving me the sense of feeling the hair of the fox. This packaging feels luxurious and I love every detail they have put in this. When we look inside the palette, we will be greeted by 12 eyeshadow pans and a ginormous mirror on the other side. Each eyeshadow contains around 1.1 grams which a little less than most standard eyeshadow palettes. I'm still not complaining with the weight since these are pigmented eyeshadows and I know I'm not gonna run out any of these soon.

If you have been a reader of this blog for a while, you know that I love my cool-toned smokey eyeshadow palettes ever since and I wear smokey eyes for almost everyday of my life. It was a surprise that out of all the options from the brand, this color story stood out for me and this is the palette I bought first from Perfect Diary. The color story is pretty much warm neutrals with a pop of muted orange and red. That matted red with gold glitters was screaming at me to get the palette and most probably on of the most gorgeous eyeshadow palettes I have ever seen. Just me telling these things is a big deal since I don't like warm toned eyeshadow palettes in general.

Click the picture for a clear view

Upon seeing this color scheme, I was not intimated at all maybe because of the sultriness and muted warm shades it exudes. Red tone eyeshadows will mostly intimated people to use on the eyelids, but for some reason this one inspires me to use this palette. The more I use it, the more I get inspired to make looks and use more red eyeshadows. This also comes with a dual-ended brush where one is shading and one is an angled brush used for eyeliner. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture. 😅

Click here to see the ingredients list

Now, let's talk a little bit on each of the eyeshadow. Starting from left upper row, these are the eyeshadows:

Fox Teeth (shimmer beige) - this your typical inner corner shimmer beige shade that highlights an eye look. There's nothing special about this shade but I think it's an essential on most neutral palettes.

Hill (sparkly beige topper) - another beige shade from the palette but this one is sparkly, glittery and feels like more an eyeshadow topper. The glitters are fine and look so pretty on the inner lower lash line.

Fur (matte brown) - a matte crease/transition shade that is easy to blend and doesn't need a lot since it is pigmented. I love that this leans on the warm side since there's another transition shade included in this palette that leans more on the cool side.

Fox Tail (matte ginger with white glitter overspray) - probably the most aesthetically pleasing eyeshadow in this palette. The fox tail embossment with glitter overspray is amusing and I was careful not mess up until I take pictures of this palette. This burnt orange shade will nicely blend with Fur and gives this popping crease combination on the eyelids. It's pigmented and you don't need a lot to get a good color pay-off.

Charm (matte muted red with gold glitters) - Ahh! This eyeshadow is everything and I think is the star of the show. I mean, duh? How can it not be? It's supposed to be this red shadow since this palette is literally called Red Fox. I used this one time all over the lids and it blended beautifully. The gold glitters will eventually go away upon blending so that is a good thing. Then I topped it with Wink and they looked good together. It gave me this yummy warm golden red eye look. This eyeshadow is indeed charming!

Hide (shimmer dark brown) - this eyeshadow is hard-pressed and I barely get any on my shading brush. It has this creamy texture that I think maybe dried or had hard pan on top because it doesn't creamy as it used to be. I bought this palette last year December and swatched this shade a few times and maybe it dried out at some point. Anyway, I like this eyeshadow and I use this all over the lids to make a base for the sparkly eyeshadows included in this palette. It's still good regardless of it's current condition and it still applies good on the lids.

Gravel (shimmery bronze) - the third typical shimmer eyeshadow in this palette but this is my favorite one out of the three. This looks beautiful on the lids giving the look a beautiful bronze sheen. On the lower lash line, it looks more peachy bronze but is beautiful regardless. This shadow has more visible usage than the rest since this one is included on Pan Those Eyeshadows 2023, but I haven't hit pan on it since I already reached my 20-usage goal and it was pretty new palette back then.

Tongue (matte light mauve) - Another transition shade in this palette that leans more on the cool side and is perfect to tone down the warmth of some of the matte shades. This is the shade I used on the transition and crease when I wore Charm all over the lids. I love that this shadow is in here since it gives me options on what direction and tone I will take whenever I create looks with this palette.

Vulpes Vulpes (matte chocolate brown) - One of my favorites in this palette. This your perfect brown crease shade that looks beautiful on brown eyes. It's one of the shadows that compliments brown eyes and makes them pop even more. This is also pigmented and blendable. I have nothing more else to say.

Cave (matte dark brown) - an essential dark brown shade on most palettes. This is the darkest shade in this palette and one of my most used. I love to use this to darken my outer-v and on my outer lower lash line. I think this was also included in this palette to serve as a shadow liner. It's pigmented and blendable and easy to work with.

Wink (flaky sparkly light yellow and yellow gold) - the only split pan on this palette but the spit is uneven. Haha! I really don't understand why is the split uneven, maybe for aesthetics purpose? Or maybe something connected with foxes? I'm not really sure! This is the eyeshadow I used to top Charm. This is also the only sparkly shade that has a pigmented base and probably the prettiest yellow gold shadow I have ever put on my lids. I just wish we can have more of that light yellow to put on the inner corners or inner lower lash line.

Trap (shimmer neutral brown with silver sparkles) - This is my least favorite shade from the palette. It has a sheer base and just mostly glitters. I prefer Hill than this one as a glitter topper or an inner lower lash line topper. Maybe if they made this as a shimmery taupe shade it would have made a difference. This is a "meh" for me.

Red eyeshadow look I wore on a concert 💖

I used Tongue, Cham and Wink to create this look

I think that the stars of this palette are matte shadows since they are all pigment, easy to blend, easy to build-up and just overall a beautiful formula. The shimmers and sparkly shadows are okay for me but I prefer the formula from other Chinese brands. Overall, this palette is really great and is worth for the price I paid. It costs Php 1,299 on my currency but I only paid Php 869 since it went on sale on Lazada. I say that you should buy these palettes on Lazada or Shopee if you live in Asia since they are cheaper on those sites. Don't worry, they are authentic and brands made an official stores on those platforms.

I hope you enjoyed this lengthy and in-depth blabbering about this gorgeous palette. I think this a great palette for Christmas season to create those red tone eyeshadow looks. I like this brand and I think I will also get another palette but I'm still not decided on what to buy. I hope you will also try this brand because they have awesome formula, interesting textures and detailed packaging that adds value on your collection. Have you also tried this brand and what palettes do you recommend for us to try? Please let us know by leaving a comment. Again, have a Merry Christmas. Please stay safe and stay tuned for more. Take care!

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Hello! Who's excited for 2024? Definitely me! This year has been really tough with work and my overall mental health but the biggest plot twist I had this year was my decision to leave the work that I have loved for so many year. I realized that I wasn't passionate about it at all anymore and has become toxic. I know it was a big decision but its also equated to bravery since I value my health and myself more than my job. I can get another job but I can get another me. 💪 There are just some things that are not worth my time and I believe in myself that I can get another work that I will love, enjoy and be happy to devote my time with. 💖

Biya 9 Colors Eyeshadow Palette 102

To start with new beginnings, I have decided to join a different eyeshadow project pan that started by Sofie Alexandra called the Project Level Up. As per my understanding, this project is a mix between Pan Those Eyeshadows and Project No Pan Left Behind. This is a project where you basically pick a palette, whether through a random generator or you personally pick, use all of the eyeshadows then hit pan eyeshadows that corresponds to the current level you are in. For example, I am currently on Level 1 so I have to use all of the eyeshadow once then pick one shadow to pan on. If I have hit pan on my focus shadow, I can proceed to the next level and the same rules apply. Is it clear? 😅 Sofie explained the rules clearly and you can check her video (click the Project Level Up link) to see how this project works.

Click for a clear picture

I have encoded to the Tiny Decisions application all of my eyeshadow palettes that I haven't hit pan on yet and randomly generated a palette that will be my entry for Level 1. The panning gods wanted me to focus on this Biya 9 Colors Eyeshadow Palette 102 which features cool-toned eyeshadows ranging from greens, greys and browns. This is one of my newest palettes and I haven't even used this upon rolling thin in into this project. I am thankful that I have a neutral palette to start this project with since I will also be doing Pan Those Eyeshadows for 2024 and the randomly selected eyeshadows are colorful. 🙈 Please stay tuned for the introduction post.

Upon posting this, I have already used all of the eyeshadows once and I have to say that the mattes are nothing special but they have standard formula and the blending is workable. The shimmers show up on my lids and stay long if used with an eyeshadow primer. I think I will focus on Shade No. 8 (grey sparkly shimmer) which you can see the dent I have made already. I use this on my inner lower lash line to give shimmery effects and I love the look. This has a putty consistency and I might hit pan on this pretty quickly. I hope I am not wrong!

I have also posted a a video on my YouTube featuring this palette to showcase the swatches of the eyeshadow. Yes, I started making Shorts and planning to expand Delightful Illusions to the platform. Please check the channel and I hope you subscribe and support me. 💖Anyway, I will be posting an update maybe on the end of January or anytime I am ready to proceed to the next level. Are you also doing this project? Please share with us your link on the comment section. Thank you so much for stopping by and please come back for more posts. Since I have a lot of time, I can now focus doing more blogs and shorts. See you on the next post. Have a nice day and stay safe. 💖

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Hey, guys! For today's post, I will be sharing about my thoughts and experiences regarding the Colourpop Sage The Day Eyeshadow Palette. I didn't have a great experience with my first ever palette from the brand, The Zodiac Palette, as the mattes were dry and the shimmers were lackluster. I didn't buy anything from the brand since then and I wasn't really motivated to buy anything from the released collections. I always thought the brand is duping themselves by releasing similar palettes just in different aesthetic and packaging.

Click the picture for a clear view

As I was browsing the internet for new eyeshadow palettes to play with, I have thought of trying newer eyeshadow palettes from the brand. This palette and the Darth Vader are the ones that caught my eyes the most and so I bought both. 5 years after trying anything new from the brand, I can definitely say the formula of the shimmers have improved a lot. This palette is similar to the The Child palette but I love the shadows here more especially the matte browns they have included that's why I chose this one. I love that I can create smokey looks; making this palette perfect for day to night green eyeshadow palette.

Click the picture for a clear view

I love that they included a couple of duo chromes in here with smooth shifting and that metallic moss green is everything and I think is the star of the show. The mattes are pigmented, feels a little rough to the touch but is still blendable, and buildable. I also like this is in a cardboard packaging and got no mirror which makes it easy and light to travel with.

Click the picture for a clear view

Let's now talk about each shadow. Starting front the upper right shade:
Lit Vibes (shimmer white gold with green reflex) - this is one of the shifty shades and perfect for the inner corners.
Retreat Me (shimmer light green) - look cute all over the lids and gives this fresh vibes. I paired this Keep Calm on the crease and Intuition on the inner corner. It looked really light and fresh. See my Instagram post to see the look.

Sips Tea (matte pale green) - haven't played around with this yet but I think it's a boring shade. I will trade for a matte dark green shade if I can. But I guess they put it here to blend soften the other matte green shade.

Keep Calm (matte sage green) - I love this shadow! Looked so pretty on the crease and easy to build up. Doesn't look patchy and is blendable. I think this shadow all over the lids then topped with Retreat Me would make a cute green look.

Tree Of Life (metallic moss green) - The star of the show! It feels so buttery and glides on smoothly on the lids. I love that this just feels like butter, no flakes or annoying glitters, just pure smoothness.

Intuition (matte light brown) - Warm brown shade that is perfect as transition shade. This pairs really well with Nature Bae and Smudge Me. It is also blendable and buildable and really pigmented.

Click the picture for a clear view

Manifest (matte sparkle warm) - Caramel brown shade that I love blending on my crease or outer corner, depending on what look I am going for. This also really pigmented and blendable.

Nature Bae (blue brown duo chrome) - This duo chrome can be found anywhere now a days but I still love that they have included this in the palette. It's perfect to pair with Manifest and Smudge Me. I love that this palette has brown options if you don't like wearing an all-green eyeshadow look.

Smudge Me (matte brown) - I love this brown shade! It's the perfect brown - not warm, not cool that almost looks like black, just straight up brown. An essential shade that can be used as a liner, outer v shades and all over lid shade for that stunning smokey eyes. This is boring to some people but this an essential for me.

As I have said, I prefer this palette than The Child one because it has a balance of green and brown shades, giving more options to what look you are going for. The yummy chocolate brown mattes with the different shades of green are gorgeous combinations that give more variety. This might be my new favorite 9-pan eyeshadow palette from my collection and might be included to my Top 5 this year. Let's see about that on my upcoming eyeshadow palette ranking post. 😄

Do you also have this palette? Do you prefer this one or The Child palette? Please let us know and give us insights on your comparisons by leaving a comment. I hope you enjoyed this post and convinced you to buy this palette because it's affordable and will add gorgeous color story on your collection. Please have a nice and stay safe. See you on my next post. 💖

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Delightful Illusions

Sylden Christine Hena

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