Today I want to show you the BareMinerals / Escentuals palette called The September Issue. This was the last of the READY 8.0 palettes that I did not have, and I received it for Christmas :) I really love the quality of the BE pressed eyeshadows. In this blog post I will show you swatches as well as compare some of the shades to the other palettes, so you can judge for yourself how similar/not similar they are. I also did this all in video form, so if you would like to see that:
And here are the pics and swatches of the palette:
Couture is a chocolate brown with a somewhat metallic finish, it is not warm or bronzey at all. Silhouette is an off-white/ivory shade that has a suede finish, nearly matte with just a little bit of sheen.
Statement is a a fuchsia that is a matte base with some corresponding colored shimmer scattered throughout.
Pret-a-Porter is a metallic gold that is about medium in depth with just a touch of bronze to it.
Tres Chic is another suede finish shade, it is a light peachy beige. Editor's Pick is a metallic blackened turquoise.
Glitterati is a beautiful light pink with strong gold iridescence and a frosty/pearly finish. Ensemble is a blackened plum, it is very dark nearly black and has a matte finish.
Glitterati is such a pretty shade I though I'd post a few more pics of it:
And now to compare some of these colors. The whites: Five Star(Finer Things) ; Silhouette(September Issue) ; One Hit Wonder(Playlist)
Five Star is a true white while the other two shades are ivory, Silhouette is right in between the two other sides, it is not as white as Five Star and not as ivory as One Hit Wonder. Also, One Hit Wonder does have some shimmer throughout it, while the other two shades are suede. The Pinks: Custom Made(Finer Things) ; Glitterati(September Issue) ; Icebreaker and Libation (both from Cocktail Hour)
Glitterati is not really that similar to the other pinks as it is the only one with gold iridescence. Golds: Extravagance(Star Treatment) ; Pret-a-Porter(September Issue) ; Remix(Playlist)
Extravagance is lighter and more yellow then the other two shades. Pret-a-Porter and Remix however are quite similar.
Turquoise: Editor's Pick(September Issue) ; Max Volume(Playlist)
Editor's Pick is more metallic and more turquoise, while Max Volume is darker with more black to it. And last but not least just wanted to show you Ensemble(September Issue) vs Black Tie Optional(Cocktail Hour) just so you can see what it looks like next to a true black.
I just got the new Physician's Formula BB products from Rite Aid. They didn't have the $3 off stickers on them like the CVS display I saw online, but my local CVS didn't have these, plus Rite Aid had $10 coupons for every $15 spent, so I ended up getting $20 coupon for spending $40. I do buy my contact lens solution there, so I will have no problems using the $20. So far I can tell you the lightest color "Light/Medium" is a little on the dark side for me. I typically am whatever the lightest shade is in products as I am pretty fair. I am hopping these will look ok on my face, if not now, maybe in the summer when I get a little more color. The BB Cream does not appear to be a tinted moisturizer like most US versions so far, as you can see in the swatch it does give decent coverage, it is light to medium coverage depending on if you build it up. None of the products have shimmer of any kind, but the powder does have a little bit of a sheen so it is not too matte looking.
Here are pictures/swatches for you to enjoy: Me wearing all 3 products:
EDIT: I was able to get my hands on the BB products, post with swatches here: http://swatchsoiree.blogspot.com/2012/12/physicians-formula-beauty-balm-swatches.html I just saw on the PF website a bunch of new and exciting looking products. I am guessing they will most likely be out in Spring 2013, but hopefully sooner because I can't wait to get my hands on some of these! Check them out:
Today's look features a Fyrinnae eye shadow called Polar Bear, the most beautiful gold I own. For my eyes I have Polar Bear all over my lids, with Everyday Minerals eyeshadow in Cypress in the outer corner and crease. I also have a lighter gold called Carte Blanche from the BareMinerals Rising Star palette in the inner corner. Eye liner is Physicians Formula Eye Booster liquid liner in Ultra Black. Mascara is Buxom Amplified Lash. My foundation is a mix of Lucy Minerals and Meow Cosmetics Pampered. Blush is BareMinerals READY blush in The Tease. Lips are Silk Naturals Reaction with Tarte Maracuja gloss in Mary over it.
Ever find a nice item that got lost in your stash and you had forgotten about? That was me today with the Lavera Rosewood lipstick. It's such a nice rosey cool nude color, and has a little bit of a pearl/frost to it, which I like because it makes my lips look extra shiny. This lipstick is creamy and moisturizing and goes on with a glossy sheen. And if you are obsessed with naturals cosmetics like I am, then you will be pleased with the ingredients of this as well. See below for product and lip swatches:
Today I want to review for you 2 BareMinerals palettes that are new for this holiday season, these are the READY 8.0 palettes that have 8 eyeshadows in them. They are The Finer Things and The Star Treatment. Last year there were 2 of the 8 shadow palettes as well, The Cocktail Hour and The Playlist, which I do have, so I will be able to compare them, and swatch some of the similar colors across the 4 palettes together. I love BE's pressed shadows, I think they are excellent quality, creamy soft, pigmented, and just beautiful. I like this year's palettes even better because they have more of the finish that I prefer, which is pearly/frosty. Last year there were more shades that have the matte base + shimmer, and I am not the hugest fan of that finish, and this year there is only 1 shadow like that in each palette, a black. There are also two suede shades in The Star Treatment palette, they are nearly matte, but have just enough sheen to them so they do not look flat(like most mattes tend to on me). None of the shades are chalky. My YouTube Review:
Here is The Finer Things: (click on pics to see full size)
Penthouse is a matte black shade with very shiny mirror-like shimmer in it, the shimmer is rather large.
Chateau and Five Star are a suede finish, nearly matte, which just a touch of sheen.
Private Isle is mostly matte, but it has some super fine shimmer in it, there is not a lot, and it is very fine, so it is hard to see, but in the sunshine you will see it have a little shine.
The rest of the shades are pearly/frosty.
VIP is another matte black with added shimmer, this time the shimmer is slightly finer, but still not fine enough for my liking, and it is gold/copper.
The rest of the shades are pearly/frosty, with the most notable ones being Carte Blanche due to it's beautiful golden iridescence, and Elitist which is a beige-taupe and has green iridescence.
And if you happen to get both palettes, here is a fun combination: Private Isle with Carte Blanche over it:
And here are some comparisons of shades from this year's and last year's palettes: (left to right)
Whites:
The Finer Things: Five Star
The Cocktail Hour: _____
The Playlist: One Hit Wonder
The Star Treatment: Carte Blanche
Beige/Taupe/Light Brown:
The Finer Things: First Class
The Cocktail Hour: Invite Only
The Playlist: Chart Topper
The Star Treatment: Kudos, Elitist
Bronze/Red/Brown:
The Finer Things: Truffle
The Cocktail Hour: Spiked
The Playlist: Louder, Pumped
The Star Treatment: Connoisseur, Bragging Rights, Ritzy
Pinks/Golds:
The Finer Things: Custom Made
The Cocktail Hour: Libation
The Playlist: Remix
The Star Treatment: Extravogance
I personally do not think any of the shades are close enough to be called dupes, the closest two are the two whites Five Star and One Hit Wonder, but One Hit Wonder is more of an Ivory, and it's got some larger particles of shimmer scattered thought it, while Five Star does not.
Chart Topper and Kudos looks sort of similar in pictures, but Kudos is a very unique shade with really pretty iridescence that you can see at different angles, so actually quite different in my opinion.
