Delightful Illusions: cruelty free

Makeup and Astrology!? Oh yes, honey! So last year, KathleenLights release a Zodiac Collection with ColourPop and I was beyond excited to grab the palette the moment she have shown it to the world. I am obsessed with Astrology like her and I was freaking out when she released a palette that was planned out leniently to match the personality of each zodiac sign. I was so determined to get the palette because I really really wanted to support my sister sign, she's Aquarius and I'm Leo, and astrology-themed makeup collections were popular in 2018. This palette was released in July, and I bought mine last year in September from Shopee because I didn't want to spend USD 50 just to get a free shipping. This retails for 18 USD and the seller sold this for PHP 1,100 which I think wasn't bad so I took the chance to buy the palette. Anyways, I have played with this palette sufficiently and I am now sharing my experiences, thoughts, and feelings with this makeup product.

You can still buy this at Shopee

PACKAGING

If you have noticed, the box is black and the packaging itself is navy blue. Isn't that so cute? I absolutely love how detailed the design of the packaging; they have paired the sister signs and they have spread out the stars like what you see on the sky. I also love that the packaging feels like velvet giving that luxurious vibe. The shade names are indicated at the back, the palette feels heavy and sturdy, and it has mirror. I have brought this palette with me several times whenever I am required to travel for work and no shadows were broken. This is so sleek and it fits on medium-sized makeup bag.

For those of you who are wondering, this brand is cruelty-free. This palette contains 12 pressed eyeshadow and each of them weighs 1 gram. This is a little bit less compared to their singles eyeshadows but are still on the same page in terms of quality (allegedly). My only complaint with this is that they didn't include the ingredient list on the box. I was curious about that so I went to their website and saw that they have a separate list of ingredients for each shadow and that would be too long to put in the box. I suggest that you should check the site before buying this palette because there might be some ingredients that your are allergic to. See this The Zodiac Palette page to see the ingredients.

Look at that detail!

SHADES

This palette is a mixture of matte, satin and metallic shadows. Upon looking at this the first time, you might be underwhelmed because it seems so not cohesive and no setting or inner corner shades. There are only 4 mattes in this palette and you might be wondering how many looks you can create with this palette? Is this even wearable for everyday use? Is the quality consistent throughout the palette? I will discuss to you each of the shade and what are my thoughts about them.

So pigmented yet so chalky!

Column 1: The Aries, The Sagittarius, The Leo

Fire Signs:

The Aries: This is driest among the shades and doesn't look metallic on the lids. This would've been better if they just made this into a matte fiery orange. They describe this as a "metallic firey orange" but I don't see the boldness. I tried using this one time to create a sunset eye look and it sucked. Please don't disrespect Aries people like that. :(

The Sagittarius: This is such a pigmented matte magenta purple but I can't take how loosely this shadow was pressed. I was just slightly dipping my shadow into this shade and it picks a lot of product! It's so messy and wasteful. I thought ColourPop eyeshadows are wonderful but why this particular shadow like this? :( Anyway, this so easy to blend and you only need a tiny bit of amount in order for the color to show up.

The Leo: Out of the fire signs, this is the only one I like it terms of formula. It glides on smoothly, it's very pigmented and the color is so unique. I have seen a lot of orange-gold metallic shadows but this one has a nice twist. They described this as a "soft coral with gold flip" and this looks so complementing to my brown eyes yet not overwhelming. If you love warm eyeshadow looks, you would love this shadow.

Column 2: The Taurus, The Virgo, The Capricorn

Earth Signs:

The Taurus: This is the only matte transition shade in this palette but it is quite surprising that it goes well with all of the colors. You can definitely rely on this matte camel brown! This is such a pigmented shade for a transition color so you will need just a tiny bit of amount. You need to blend this fast because once it sets, it is kind of hard to blend. Work with this little by little since it is pigmented.

The Virgo: This matte chocolate brown is one of the most used shadows from this palette. I love using this as a crease shade paired with The Taurus on the transition area. Just like The Taurus, you only need a small about but this blends better than the other. I think you can pair the two together and create a simple brown smokey look. Love these two!

The Capricorn: Ooh! This matte black with gold flecks look so classy on the pan, just like Capricorns! But, once you apply this on eyes, the gold glitters are disappearing. :( This such a pigmented shade, it's easy to apply, but the glitters doesn't stick. ColourPop, why? No, the glitters were not oversprayed, they are in fact existent throughout the pan. It's just that the glitters are flying away. I was rooting for this one to be shade from the palette! And why are all the earth signs matte? They aren't that dry and boring! :)

Column 3: The Gemini, The Libra, The Aquarius

Air Signs:

The Gemini: This is my favorite shadow out of them all! I love this metallic antique gold applied all over my lids. This kinda looks like a muted gold with green undertone and is definitely the most unique one in this palette. I love how smooth and buttery it feels whenever I touch it. This is super pretty and if you want to buy this alone, you can now. Kathleen actually teamed up again with Colourop and they released the single version of each shade. How cool is that? Check it here.

The Libra: This is the other transition shade from the palette and it's in a satin finish. This is a satin dusty rose shade that pairs well with the purple and pink shadows in this palette. This is one of the most blendable shadows and I use this a lot as well. I am not really sure if this will translate on darker skin tones since it so light. I adjusted the lighting in this photo in order for you to see the shade well.

The Aquarius: This is the most disappointing shade among the shadows. Oh no, ColourPop. You did Aquarius wrong! This looks so pigmented in the swatch but so underwhelming once applied. It fades into a light blue shade once blended. I know this is supposed to be light because it is periwinkle shade but you need build this up in order for the color to show up. I was excited for this shadow but the formula disappointed. This one of the only 4 matte shadows from this palette and this one is a flop. Yikes!

Column 4: The Cancer, The Scorpio, The Pisces

Water Signs:

The Cancer: This is the sweetest shade from this palette! Like The Gemini, this is also smooth and buttery when touched and glides on smoothly when applied. This looks like cotton candy and is so pretty on lids as well. This could be used to highlight the inner corners, I just don't think that it would pair well with the other shadows. Grab this in the single form because you won't be disappointed!

The Scorpio: This metallic plum is so sexy. Yasss! All Scorpios are freaking sexy! This matches well with The Sagittarius shade to create that purple monochromatic look. I haven't used this that much but I really like the shade. No complaints at all!

The Pisces: I admit, I was afraid to use this metallic aqua shade at first. My first thought was "How do I use this?" and how in the world will I incorporate this shadow on my everyday looks. This is not something that I would typically wear to work because it screams and is so loud. But, the first time I have laid this on my lids, I fell in love. It looks so pretty on the eyes! One time, I did a Palette Bingo and this one of the shadows that was generated. I had no choice but to put this on my lids since I can't put this on my inner corners. Oh my gosh! I loved it and I did use this on my lids twice. I know this is not wearable for everyday use but if you use The Taurus as transition shade, The Virgo on crease, this shadow on the lids and smoke it out with The Capricorn, it is perfect! I might do a tutorial for that look to see what I am talking about. :)

Now that I am looking at the shades again, I coming up with different color combinations. I wanna play this palette more because I have been neglecting this lately. I have accumulated a lot of eyeshadow palettes this year and it is hard to focus on a single palette. Haha! Obviously, I have been working hard for this blog and I have been trying a lot of products so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with you. I really don't do tutorials since I am not professional makeup artist but I want to share some of the looks I created with this palette. Here some of the following:

I tried to do a full matte eye look and I blended The Aquarius on my outer-V and it's not as vibrant as I wanted it to be. I think 3 layers would do. ColourPop, please re-formulate this shadow. :)

This a smokey look that I created using The Taurus as transition shade, The Virgo on crease, and The Capricorn all over the lids. This one is so pretty but I had a hard time blending these three shadows well. I have to remove everything and start from scratch because it looked like a mess the first time I tried this look. Please use a light hand while using combing these three shadows because they are super pigmented and you don't need a lot.

This is the first look I created with this palette and this was way back last year December. I used The Taurus as transition shade, The Gemini all over the lids, and The Sagittarius on my outer-V. I apologize for the bad quality but it looks more vibrant and pigmented in person. Haha! :)

Obviously, I am not a big fan of this palette but most the shadows are really beautiful and has a great quality. There are some flops but I think the greats ones empower the not so great shadows. I know a lot of people love the quality of ColourPop pressed eyeshadows, I was just not feeling some of the matte of this palette. The quality is not consistent throughout the palette but I think all of them are workable and your still getting the worth of your money. This is the most expensive palette in my collection and I am trying to explore this as much as I can. I wanna share or do a step by step post on how I create looks with this palette. As I have said, you can buy the shadows separately if you want to try some of the shadows only. You could save a lot of money if you buy the entire palette though.

If you have any recommendations for a good ColourPop Palette please let me know because I want try the other ones. I am eyeing the Brown Sugar Palette because I want a neutral palette from their makeup line. Have you tried that one? What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts and opinions with us. I hope you find this post helpful and I hope you enjoyed browsing this blog. I will talk to you soon. Have a nice day. Stay safe! XOXO

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I know, I know. I'm late with the bandwagon. Haha! Vice Ganda's cosmetic line, Vice Cosmetics, has been around the local market since last year. If I remember correctly, this brand was released as the same time with BLK Cosmetics (Anne Curtis' makeup line). I have to try that brand yet, I've heard good reviews about the products. Anyways, this brand is PETA-Certified, Paraben free, Made in Los Angeles, and super affordable. Bongga! :)

My bestfriend and I was strolling around the mall last month and we have stumbled upon the Vice Cosmetics kiosk. We swatched almost everything available at the kiosk and it was really fun. My bestfriend bought something from the Good Vibes Matte Lipstick line and I bought one form the Phenomenal Liquid Lipstick line. I was actually looking for the lipliners but there wasn't any so I guess they were sold out. All of the lipsticks are sold for only Php 195 each! Bongga talaga!

Phenomenal Liquid Lipstick in Kyemerut

I'm currently into nude lipstick shades so I bought as it looks natural and warm. The website describes this as "soft, cool nude shade". Wait, what? Cool nude? This is definitely warm! The sun cannot deny that fact. Haha! What's going on here? Not being shady, okay. I guess the shades varies depending on the lighting being used, lip color and skin tone. :)

I tried to had a wear test with this liquid stick but kinda failed, so I guess I'll just have to review it then. What does this product claims? The Phenomenal Liquid Lipstick is "a vibrant pop of color on your lips that's light and lasts all day. It's smudge-proof and comes with a beautiful matte finish. " Are these true? Let's find out!

Primed my lips with a lipbalm

Lip balm is an essential product to put on the lips before applying any lip color. Liquid lipsticks make your lips unattractively dry and and leave dry patches. I'm currently using the Himalayan Lip Balm, if anyone is wondering.

Waiting for the lisptick to dry

For this review, I haven't used a lipliner because I you to really see what shade looks like on my lips once it dries. The lipstick is pigmented and I only applied a coat on the picture above. I looks like mauvey brown shade at the first glance. It applied smoothly and felt light. It doesn't have a bothersome smell.

My makeup for the day. No foundation for this day.

This lipstick shade goes well with most of the eye looks I make. Eversince I bought this, this was the lipstick I have been reaching for the most. I used this at least 3 times a week. That is how much I love this liquid lipstick. It is ultra matte once tried up, kinda clings on the wrinkles (is what you call the lines on the lips?), but it is comfortable on the lips.

After drinking coffee and eating lunch

The lipstick lasted long though the inner part of my lower lip faded because I drank coffee and ate lunch. I went ahead and retouched my lips because I still had to work on the office the whole afternoon. I love how the lipstick didn't leave any patches as I have added a layer on top of the first layer. Some liquid lipsticks do that to me and my lips looks nasty. I love this formula!

I used a warm brown lipliner underneath

This is a selfie I took wearing the same shade but with a base of warm dark brown shade underneath. I love this lip combination and is my go-to as of now. This liquid lipstick will even last longer if applied on top of a lipliner.

Overall thoughts:

The product is worth the money and I think it's an affordable alternative to high-end brands.
It's creamy, lightweight, dries quickly, long lasting if you do not eat and doesn't dry the lips heavily.
It's pigmented, covers the entire lips with one application.
It doesn't have any bothersome smell.
It's cruelty-free and doesn't have any parabens. Kudos to that. Yehey!

If you haven't tried this one yet, please do so. It's only Php 195! Perfect for beginners or lipstick collectors. It fits the budget well and has a high quality. I will buy more shades and I also try the Good Vibes Matte Lipsticks. I hope you learned something from this content and I convinced you to try the lipsticks from this brand. Please leave your experiences or thoughts on this lipstick if you have tried one so we will know what you think. Thank you for stopping by. Please stay tuned for more contents. Have a nice day! XOXO

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A couple of months ago, I went for a small shopping on LUSH at SM North Edsa. It was actually my first to buy at the said brand. Actually, my very reason for buying was to sign for the "Fight Animal Testing Petition" because it's duty and my passion. It's not really a news since I have been doing this for a year now. I was really happy to see my signature on the store's display. I hope you sign the petition too. :-) I decided to buy the cheapest since LUSH in here is expensive. Hehehe. So, I picked up the Porridge Soap and I fell in love with the smell. I wanna eat it. Hehehe. I really suck at describing things so I will post the description of the soap given by LUSH.

PORRIDGE

Orange juice
Orange juice refreshes the skin and helps to keep it clear with citric acid.
Pinhead oatmeal
Pinhead oatmeal adds a fantastic texture to our Porridge soap, and calms the skin with the oat milk. The oatmeal also exfoliates your skin and scrubs the dirt away.
It's a nutritious breakfast bar.
Porridge is a very gentle soap that really helps to care as it cleans. When the oats mix with hot water, they create a calming milk that softens your entire body.

What happened to my skin after using it?

After my first wash, my skin instantly became soft. With continuous usage for a week, my dry skin became smooth. It exfoliated my skin effectively. My skin used to be really itchy but after using this product, it lessened the itchiness. You can feel the smoothness right after you rinse. So I guess you have to use the product everyday.

Does the smell stay all day long?

To be honest, the smell doesn't stay all day long. But, it does smell really good when you use it in the shower.

Is it worth my money?

Yes, it's definitely worth your money. It's cruelty-free, organic and effective. The product costs.

Longevity

It can last for a month, depending on how you use it and how you take care of it. To make it even last longer, I cut them in small chunks, 6 at most. A small chunk lasts for a week. The whole product can be used for 16 washes but if you cut them, they can be used for an extended amount of time. After I use the soap, I put it in a paper and let it dry there. Don't store somewhere it could get wet because it would melt, nor put it in hot place.