LOTD using Make Up Forever

I hope to do a tutorial on this look sometime soon, but for now, here are pictures of it.

On my lid, I used Make Up Forever aqua cream #2, which is a pewter, shimmery grey color.  I blended it up to the crease using my finger.  Over top and using a flat shadow brush, I patted on Urban Decay Mushroom, which is almost the exact same color but a bit darker and possibly a little browner.  Then, I used MAC 222 crease brush and smoked out the edges using MAC Copperplate, which is a matte grey/brown color.  In the crease and outer V, I used MAC Typography, a matte dusty black, to deepen the look, and I used a fluffy angled brush since precision placement was not needed.  I wiped of the 222 brush and used it to apply MUFE #5 shadow, a matte coral color, just above the crease on my brow bone but not quite up to the brow.  I used MAC Samoa Silk, a lighter coral/peach color, to fill in the rest of the space under my brows.  On the lower lashline, I smudged a little of the MUFE aqua cream, and then over that I used Bare Minerals Luxe eye liner, which is a smoky grey.

That's the look!

"Na na na na na, na na na na na na na na na na na, na na na na na na na na na na na

she's got the look!"

LOTD using Kat Von D - Memento Mori palette

This is a look I did using the Kat Von D Memento Mori palette.  I watched a video from MentalShiver and was inspired to recreate the look.  I was recreating the shape and idea and not so much the color scheme.

The lipstick I'm wearing is the Viva Glam Gaga from MAC.  Lady Gaga is great.

I used Urban Decay primer potion all over my lid and crease.  Then, using the purple cream base (called True) from the palette, I drew a very sharp cut crease.  Then, using a pencil brush I set the cream base using the dark green shadow (Hard Luck), which helped maintain the stark contrast from lid to crease.  Again using a pencil brush, I blended the aqua green (Peggy) over top of Hard Luck.  For a brow highlight, I used the shimmery pale yellow (Sugar Skull), and on the lid, I used the fleshy pink color (Agatha Pink).  On the lower lash line, I smudged Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Electric (electric blue) and set it with the dark green in the outer edge and the aqua green in the middle to inner edge.  I lined my top lash line with Kat Von D liquid liner in Proud Peacock (a dark peacock-ish green).  I used Benefit BadGal lash for mascara.

It's only been recently that I've seen the value in getting palettes as opposed to single shadows*, and the Memento Mori palette is the first Kat Von D palette I've purchased.  I've been less interested in her other palettes mainly because of the color selection.  I would see reviews and looks on YouTube, and although it seemed the quality of the shadows was good, I just didn't want to spend money to get a palette that only had one or two shadows that were different from what I already had.  The selection within this palette is a lot more varied, and I like that the cream base it comes with is purple.

As far as the quality of the shadows goes, they are quite nice.  The colors show up really well, though for the lilac color I do recommend using the base.  My one complaint is that when you swipe your brush over the shadow, a lot of product loosens up, so you end up having a lot of shadow "crumbs" in the pan.  It's not so much the mess that bothers me, but it seems like a lot of product will get wasted because you don't need to use as much shadow as gets loose.  I guess you just need to be delicate when you're picking up product with your brush.

Something I didn't realize until I got home with this palette is that many of the colors are similar to colors in the Urban Decay Book of Shadows vol 2.  Exactly the same? No, but quite similiar.  So, even though I bought this palette because I liked the color selection and thought it was a lot different from other stuff I have, it turns out I was wrong.  Haha, oh well.  I will do swatches comparing the colors in my next post, hopefully.  On the plus side, if you weren't able to get the UD BoS:vol2, you could buy the Memento Mori palette to get a similar effect!

Overall rating?  I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

*On the topic of palettes: I used to not even look at palettes for a few reasons.  One, I used to not be able to spend more than $20 or $30 because I was a poor college student.  Most palettes are $35 or more.  Two, it always seemed like the palettes would have one or two colors that I really wanted, but the rest weren't anything special (like neutrals and light colors).  Three, the shadow pan sizes are always smaller in palettes, so I figured there was a good chance that I would quickly use up those colors I liked so much.  Then I would be left with a bunch of colors I didn't care for.

Now, my mind has changed.  It certainly helps that I'm able to spend more money now that I'm out of college and work full time.  More than that, though, I'm realizing that palettes can be a really good value for the money you spend.  I've learned how those neutrals and light colors can be useful (didn't always know that light colors are brow highlights).  I've realized that it really isn't likely that I will run out of a shadow.  As my make up collection grows, I can vary between color schemes as well as have multiple favorites.

Even if you are just starting out in make up, palettes are nice starting points because of their variety.  Most make up companies create palettes to include brow highlights, crease colors and lid colors, so you have the basics you need while still having variety to play with.