Delightful Illusions

         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. 💖

                  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.

          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. 💖

           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.

          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.

          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. 

          Hey, guys! I am back with another eyeshadow palette review and for today's topic, we are gonna talk about the MOIRA Beauty Time To Shine Pressed Pigment Palette. This green is one of the palettes from their Celestial Series where there are 3 more palettes with distinct themes, but I loved this color story the moment saw this that's why I picked up this one. I have been buying a lot green eyeshadow palettes this year and you will definitely see those on the upcoming posts. 🙈

          What I love about this brand is that they put so much detail and attention on ever part of their packaging. The overall presentation of each palette they release is just incredibly detailed and stunning. This my second palette from the brand and I must say their palette releases from this year has improved a lot especially on the shimmer department. Though this palette has still pretty shimmers and easy to work with. If you are interested on a more colorful palette with wet shimmers and metallic, please check my Magic Dream Pressed Pigment Palette review. 

         The matte feels like velvet and they are really easy to work with. They blend beautifully and I think that they have better formula than Colourpop. This brand is straightforward when it comes to creating their palettes -  none of that matte with glitters BS or pressed glitter eyeshadow that sometimes feel like a kid's makeup.😆 I don't know, maybe when it come with age, but for a 31-year old I'm not really fond of pressed glitters. Anyway, as I have said, Moira's matte eyeshadows are incredible and maybe one of the best one I have tried from affordable brands. When it comes to their shimmers, they have nice shine, glides on smoothly and not over the top. I have to admit, sometimes I just want a nice shimmer on the lid especially for work. The shimmers can be built up for intensity, though none of the these are sub-par.

          This palette has the perfect balance of shimmers and mattes which is also perfect for travel since I don't have to bring another palette to pair this with. They only thing I don't like about Moira palettes in general is that they are bulky. They take up a lot of space on my travel makeup bag. I get that they want to have aesthetically pleasing palettes, but can they make them travel friendly as well? 😅 

        This palette contains 15 eyeshadows and let's talk about each one. According to the packaging, there are 5 pressed pigments and 10 pressed eyeshadows included in this. Starting from the bottom left, these are the eyeshadows:

💟Limelight (PP) - matte beige pigment that is perfect for setting eyeshadow base or softening hard edges. 

💟Spiced (PP) - beige glitter topper that enhances the shimmer shades. It's really sheer and I'm pretty sure it's meant as a topper. It looks so sparkly on the lids and it's the only shade from this palette that has this kind of formula.

💟Carefree (PE) - matte olive green that make a perfect transition shade on green eyeshadow looks. 

💟It's Time (PE) - shimmer taupe which I used on my lids to create a smokey eyes. Gives such a lovely shine on the lids!

💟All Good (PP) - shimmer gold with green base which I haven't used in a look yet. This shade is really beautiful and I think if this paired with the green mattes, it will pop even more.

💟Dare (PE)  - matte warm brown that is essential for most neutral palettes that serves as a crease shade. I loved using this and I think it made my brown eyes pop. 

💟 Happy Soul (PE) - shimmer bronze that is just another essential on neutral palettes. I paired this with Dare and Tempting and it created this bronzy smokey look which I loved.

💟Just In Time (PP) - matte neutral brown that is perfect as a transition shade. 

💟Want (PE) - matte dark green shadow that is really pigmented. I made a green eyeshadow look and I just tapped my brush in this shadow and when I blended on my outer-v, the pigment was screaming. I just love how buildable this shade is.

💟Spotlight (PP) - matte reddish brown pigment which I haven't used yet also. I'm not really into reddish smokey looks but I think I can bear with this shade. 😅

💟Shine Bright (PE) - shimmer taupe brown shade that is more brown toned than It's Time. If it was me, I would exchange for a matte mauve shade instead of this. I think mauve transition shade pull of those reddish brown shades beautifully and would complement well with the green shades.

💟Tempting (PP) - matte dark brown pigment that is easy to blend and is essential in making smokey looks when using this palette. I always love a matte dark brown and I have hit pan a lot on the past.

💟At The Moment (PE) - matte light grey shadow that I didn't expect to show up on my lids. I used this as a transition shade on a cool toned smokey look that I created and I loved how pigmented it is. This has a neutral which made me fell in love with the shadow even more. I don't blue-toned grey shades since they look ashy.

💟Flash (PE) - shimmer lime green which I loved putting all over my lids. This shadow is so gorgeous and makes brown eyes pop. 

💟Signal (PE) - shimmer reddish brown which I haven't used yet. I might create a reddish brown eyeshadow look and post it on Instagram. 

Swatches on flash 

        The first look I created with this palette is a a grey-themed palette. I used At The Moment as transition shade, Tempting on the crease and outer-V, and It's Time all over the lids and inner lower lash line. I just used 3 shades and I was in love with the simple look I created. 

          Another look I created focused on the green eyeshadows. Just In Time as transition shade, Carefree on the crease, Want on the outer-v and lower lash line, and Flash all over the lids. I also used Spiced as topper shade to make the look pop. I really loved this green look. I have also made a neutral eyeshadow look but I didn't have the time to take a picture. Sorry, my bad. 😅

          Those are my thoughts on this palette and I would love to shoutout Jen Phelps for convincing me to try Moira Beauty. As I have said on my previous post, this brand is becoming one of my favorites since they make gorgeous eyeshadows and they straightforward on the direction of color story they are making. Plus, the attention to detail on every aspect but still maintaining an affordable price is unbeatable. I am so happy to try more indie brands since they are more worth the money than the mainstream brands. I am also happy to share a favorite online shop where I buy these indie makeup, See You Friday, they have great selection of brands I have never tried which they sell for reasonable prices. 

         I hope this post has been helpful and made you convince to try this underrated and slept on indie makeup brand. I am planning to buy another palette from them but I'll still have to decide what color story should I get. Anyway, thank you so much for stopping by and reading this post. Have a nice day and stay safe always. 

          Hey, everyone! Oh my gosh! It's been a long time since I posted here. This year has been pretty crazy. A lot of changes on my personal life and I have been travelling a lot for work. Despite being busy, I kept doing my Project Pans and buying so much makeup. You have no idea how much eyeshadow palettes I bought since the year start. Geez! I missed doing blogs and so I decided to start posting again. I hope I'll be consistent again. :)

        I have been eyeing some Moira Beauty eyeshadow palettes since last year and I finally got a chance to try a couple of them this year. My first purchase from the brand is the Magic Dreaming Eyeshadow Palette which came from their Moiraland Series. It's a carnival-themed collection consisting of two colorful pressed pigments palette. The palette that I got consists of blues, greens, purples and some neutral shades  leaning on the darker side which are perfect for me since I really love doing smokey eye looks. The other palette is more on pastel, bright and loud shades which is good since there are options for everyone. 

         Upon opening the packaging, there are are three Moiraland carnival tickets awaiting for you. The are so dedicated in making this collection feel like carnival-like, truly magical! There's a plastic protection sheet that covers the shadows with carnival-themed prints. The palette is bulky and heavy, which usually annoys me, but this one is not bothersome. I think this one could still be brought on travels without taking so much space. The mirror has the ticket print which I think is the for the aesthetic but still usable for doing eye looks. 

         The most unbelievable thing about this brand is their ability to create eye-catching designs and the attention to detail on packaging and palettes but still being sold for affordable prices. Like, how? This a US makeup brand but their products are being produced in China. Maybe that's the reason they are affordable? Anyway, upon receiving this palette, my jaw dropped because it feels heavy and luxurious. From the front, to the back, to all the sides of the box, everything has details and some are embossed.  The box alone feels like $10 for me. I'm never throwing away this packaging, I swear! But you would believe that this palette only costs $18.50? 

          This palette contains 10 pressed pigments and 5 pressed eyeshadows. As we know, pressed may caused staining on the eyelids but so far, I haven't experienced anything. I have no issues with these shadows and pigments. The mattes are pigmented, smooth, buildable and easy to blend. The shimmers have this cream to powder finish and some of them have this sparkly and glittery effect. They stay on the lids all throughout the day with a little creasing, but all is well with a good quality eyeshadow primer. Each shade has carnival-themed object pressed which is incredible since this costs a lot of money to produce. 

          This palette consists of colorful shades such as blues, greens, purples and some neutrals to balance the color story. So, let's talk about the each one of them.

         This palette is amazing and I haven't experienced any fallouts so far. Theses are hard-pressed, really pigmented and has balanced color combination. I also love that there is no light cream / beige shade because we already have like thousands of that from other palettes. This is a well-curated palette, creating day to night looks, ranging from light to dark shades. This palette is really inspiring for me since everytime I look at this, I create so many color combinations in my head that I want to execute on my looks soon. Overall, I recommend this palette if you want to try this brand as well. This brand is becoming immediately one of my favorites in terms of eyeshadow formulation, considering how affordable the palettes are. Shout out to my favorite shop from Shopee, See You Friday. This is where I bought this palette without paying for the shipping fee (from US). 

          I hope you enjoyed this post and convinced you to try this brand because their products are so underrated. I love supporting indie brands that deliver quality products that doesn't break my bank. I also purchased a green-themed palette from this brand which I feature soon. I hope you stay tuned for that. Thank you so much for stopping by. I will be back soon. Have a good day and stay safe. XOXO

         If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I have previously reviewed the Focallure Perth Palette which also a part of their Go-To collection release last year around June. Just like what I have said from that post, this is quite expensive compared from their larger palettes but it still worth the price since they put so much detail on the packaging; from the design, the sturdiness of the packaging which includes a mirror, to securing the box by doubling the protection. This palette has 15 shades containing various finishes. The mattes and really smooth and easy to blend. The mettalics are so pigmented and easy to apply. Unlike the previous formula, these metallic shades are easily picked up by brush and doesn't need a lot to achieve good pay-off. This also contains two ultra-metallic shades which if perfect as eyeshadow toppers. 

         Most of these shadows have pink undertone but with different variations and color depth. As I have played with these shadows more and more, I have realized that they are different enough from each other and it does't feel repetitive at all. I also love the fact that they included two cool-toned shades which feels a little random but nice for a variety. Like most Focallure eyeshadow palettes, this one also lacks deeper shades  and I find it hard to create looks for night time. I live more smokey looks and they are my favorite type of eye looks to create and liking this palette despite of it lacking deeper tones is saying something. I don't wear these types of shades on everyday basis but I am loving the girly vibes these shadows for far and I am learning to enjoy warm eyeshadows because of this brand.

          I apologize for the quality of these pictures, I am still trying to figure out how to take good quality pictures with new Huawei phone. These shadows are stunning in person and metallics shades are to die for. They are so soft, easy to blend, pigmented and lasts for a long time with a good primer. I have used all of the shades in this palette except for Hanami, the pretty pressed glitter shades, since I don't to look to extra at work. I will find an opportunity to incorporate this glitter shadow on one of my looks whenever I have one. For this post, I will be sharing three looks that I have created from this palette. These are the following:

          This first look gives me Spring Barbie vibes. I used Sake (matte 4 pink tone) as transition shade, Ramen (matte mauve) on my outer-v, Petal (ultra-metallic silver) on my lids and Kimono (ultra-metallic pink nude) as inner corner highlight. I was drawn to Ramen first but I was kind of disappointed that it isn't deep enough to be a true mauve because it looks like a perfect mauve shade. Petal is kind of sheer but still looks pretty all over the lids. I love this look and will try to perfect it the next time I do this.

          For this second look, I wanted to explore with the yellow-toned shades. I used Sashimi (matte coral) as transition shade, Euno Park (matte burnt sienna) on the crease and outer-v, Koi Pond (matte sunset orange) all over the lids, and Dango (metallic golden copper) on inner half of the lids.  I thought that Euno Park is a brown matte with yellow undertone but it looks red on the eyelids. Koi Pond is a neutral yellow and it comes off so subtle on my lids. I thought it would be a nice custard yellow shade. I want to use this again all over the lids without using the pink shade to see if would come off more yellow on my eyes. Dango is such pretty shade and I want to explore this shade more. 

     

          For this third look, I created a red monotone look using only two shades from this palette. I used Sushi (matte burnt umber) on the crease and outer-v and Tokyo Tower (metallic reddish brown) all over the lids. Sushi is such a gorgeous deep red-toned shade to use as on a one shadow look. It so soft, blendable and can be built up for a smokey look. Tokyo Tower is also gorgeous metallic red-tone shade that looks good on my brown eyes. This is my favorite look and these are my favorite shades from this palette. 

          I also made a fourth look but I didn't take pictures because I felt lazy that day. Haha! I centred that look on a metallic bronze shade from this palette. I used Bloom (semi-matte pink with gold glitter) as transition shade, Fuji (matte dusty rose) on my crease and outer-v, and Tempura (metallic copper bronze) all over the lids. It was a pretty warm eyeshadow look and I liked it. I also remember using Sakura (semi-matte pink with silver glitter) on my crease when I recreated the first look I made.

        If you like soft, girly pink shadows, I think you would love this palette. It easy to fit in makeup bags if you want to travel with this palette. If you have the other palettes from this collection, I really think that you will find similar shades from this palette. Is this palette a necessity? Definitely, not. You already have these shades from your warm-toned palettes. This is not the most unique palette but it looks so pretty and has a greater quality from their previous go-to palettes. You can use some of these matte shadows as blush if you have light to medium skin tones. Overall, I think this palette is a nice addition to my growing eyeshadow palette collection. As I have said, liking warm-toned eyeshadows when you are cool-toned eyeshadow lover is saying something. For the price of Php 480, I think it worth it.

          I hope you find this post helpful in deciding if you want to buy this palette or not. I have also purchased a smaller from this brand and will feature it soon on this blog. Please stay safe always and thank you so much for stopping buy. Have a nice day.