JEFFREE STAR BEAUTY KILLER - THE SUMMER PALETTE OF MY DREAMS

Jeffrey Star is a controversial figure in the makeup world. I'm not here to review his character, nor the recent dramas surrounding him. I personally enjoy his uncensored videos and snaps, but most importantly, I am super impressed by his first eyeshadow palette. If you follow me on Snapchat (i.dorottka), you're already hear me raving about it. I gave the testing a full week and a half and today, I came to you with my review of the Beauty Killer.

BUY HERE FOR £40.00.

Beauty Killer is everything and more,  I imagined it would be. It's Jeffree's true first baby: loud and potentially scary to some. You may wanted to skip it based on the shades, as they don't seem too wearable do they? I think it's what compelled me to try it. The matte pink especially!

Packaging is a large hardened cardboard with glossy finish. It's super pink with  gold JS logo and the name written in cute black, large font. It's so much bigger than any other palette I own and it holds 10 large pans of shades. It's larger than your Zoeva palettes and the each shade weights 2.52 grams so there's a huge amount of product here. The Beauty Killer holds small, in comparison with the size of the packaging, mirror, which I'd judge as medium to good quality. It's not Charlotte Tilbury crystal clear, because it's not about packaging with Jeffree Star. Packaging is great, but what matters most is the quality of his shadows. 

The formula of the shades is something else entirely. Mattes are supper buttery soft and pigmented as hell. Frosts are buttery again, perhaps not as soft, but the pigmentation is insane. Then you find yourself with glitter shades and they may feel a little more powdery but it does not take away from the pigmentation which is shockingly good. There's one shade that seem to be swatching less pigmented, but on the eyes is as popping as all the rest. This is the palette, where you can't go all crazy and pick up a lot of product on the brush. After only first use, I learnt that touching the shadow is all it takes to grab enough product on the brush. I experienced no fallout on the eyes and barely any dustiness in the palette. Formula transfers extremely well on swatches and just as well, if not better, on the eyes. As with all JS makeup, formula is vegan and cruelty free.  I'm seriously impressed guys!

Swatches in natural light

Swatches in natural light with flash

Star Power - matte bright true pink, incredible pigmentation

Princess - pale lilac with silvery tones, frost finish, swatches less pigmented than others, but transfers on eyes with the same intensity as other shades.

Violence - medium plum with bluish tones, frost finish, super pigmented

Rich Bitch - metallic glittery gold, great pigmentation and transfers well

Courtney - light-medium warm camel peach brown with some soft orange tones, super pigmented

Expensive - intense glittery teal with light blue micro glitter, great pigmentation

Confession - metallic burgundy with red tones and blue-purple shimmer running throughm great pigmentation

Vanity - dark charcoal matte, great pigmentation

China White - off white pale beige matte, great pigmentation

Black Rainbow - black matte with multicoloured micro glitter, great pigmentation

Shades are what make this palette special. The colours are truly jaw dropping and here's where most of complaints, I assume, comes in. They don't seem wearable. You may also say there's only 10 shades here. I've been using it non stop for 9 days and not once did my makeup look the same. It's not a warm palette, it's also not cool toned. It's a mixture of shades that, after a long thought, works surprisingly well together. Thanks to China White, Courtney and Vanity you have a perfect set for your daytime looks. These mattes are super intense, yet the colours blend so beautifully you can easily create the lightest and softest daytime eye. If you need a bit of a shimmery add on, you'll probably add Princess, as a highlight or Violence, or Confession, as a bit of a colour pop. I'm personally not a huge glitter fan, so Black Rainbow isn't the shade I personally would put in the palette, but it does work if you'd like to deepen the smokey eye created with charcoal Vanity.

Beauty Killer may not be a palette everyone wants, but I think it's the palette every makeup addict needs. Formula and quality of shadows are something else, I've ever seen and work with before. There's just so much possibilities and I plan to show you few of my 'designs' soon. I already have my birthday makeup planned and can't wait to share it with you. In my mind this is a perfect summer palette and the timing of the launch was planned well. I can see myself using it way past the sunny days. 

Buy Beauty Killer here for £40.00

Click here to check out the summer glamour look I created using JS Beauty Killer.

Thank You For Reading,

Love

NEW IN: ANDROGYNY PALETTE REVIEW WITH SWATCHES + MY JEFFREE STAR COLLECTION MAKEUP COLLECTION

It's not a secret that I love Jeffree Star cosmetics. I think the formulas are inspired, even if the packaging centres on tacky and infantile. Of course I'm not talking quality of materials used. The packaging feels heavy and well made suggesting quality, I may just not be so crazy about the pink used. That doesn't change the fact the formulas in eyeshadows, liquid lipsticks and highlighters are different to those of other brands and in general I have only positives to say about them. The formulas are certainly high quality and mostly comparable between the products. Some shades of liquid lipsticks work and wear better than others but in all honesty that's the case for any brand I've tried. I loved Beauty Killer palette since the moment I laid my eyes on it, enjoyed using it for months, so when Androgyny was announced, I knew it'll be mine as soon as it hits this side of the ocean. And it did. On a premiere day. Thank you Jeffree, thank you Beauty Bay. 

Eyeshadow Palettes | RPR £40.00 

Androgyny (currently out of stock on Beauty Bay)

The outer packaging had a gorgeous brown berry shade to it, so it was a bit of disappointment to see it hiding the super pink packaging of the palette itself. It's made of faux leather and has actually quite luxurious feel to it. I just feel the screaming pink does not suit this palette at all. I wish berry shade was used, but again, that's just my preference. Inside you'll find a good quality mirror surrounded by a vintage mirror (?) frame. I don't like it. Saying that, it's the biggest con I find with the palette as I truly adore the shades, despite the tacky packaging! 

I loved the formula of Beauty Killer palette - POST - the shades were extremely pigmented, some even stained the skin so pigmentation was expected with Androgyny. It didn't disappoint! I feel the formula has improved from the original palette and shades are extremely pigmented, yet blendable. All shades are joy to work with and there's so much you can do with the palette in terms of creativity. The shades come in three finishes from buttery mattes through semi matte satins to incredible shimmers. 

Shades are truly remarkable and the palette ticks so many boxes: the trends (red, orange and copper tones), craziness (greens, turquoise and blue shades) to daytime faves (cool toned taupe). It is modern, intense but certainly not complete. It completes the Beauty Killer perfectly as you can borrow off white and black shades from it and provides an inspiration for countless evening and daytime looks. There's so much smokiness in this palette and I love how much choice we get. It'll suit any skin tone and eye colour and has shades to compliment all. The only thing it lacks is a true highlight shade, but provides a gorgeous transition (and contour shade) in Safe Word instead. 

Frosting - gorgeous pigmented gold, perfect all over or as highlight for medium toned skin

Safe Word - light taupe matte, perfect for contouring the eye or the face

Charm - true orange matte (has slight shimmer in the pan that doesn't transfer) 

Deja Vu - metallic copper bronze done right - superb pigmentation

Dominatric - pigmented dark warm chocolate brown, Matte finish

Androgyny - star of the show - muted dark purple matte

Fetish - dark red brown with purple sheen in the pot, not visible on lid, almost matte 

Military - Jeffree does khaki or muted kiwi as I like to describe this gorgeous green matte

Poison - dark muted turquoise/ sea blue matte

Swallow - dark muted blue, almost navy matte 

I couldn't be more in love with this palette if I tried. The shades have intense pigmentation, yet blend almost by themselves. This is a smokey eye heaven as the two shades which look satin in the pan are almost matte on the lid, so if you love your mattes and are little bored and tired with all warm shade palettes, this is the one for you. Shades like Safe Word are so versatile, they do your daytime makeup alone, you can not only contour your eyes but also face with it. For an intense smokey, the ultra copper Deja Vu does the whole look for you! All the shades last well on me and the lasting power improves with Urban Decay Primer Potion slightly than over MAC Painterly. My favourite and most used shades so far are Safe Word, Charm, Androgyny and Fetish but all shades come with superb pigmentation so everyone can have their pick! 

Beauty Killer

Beauty Killer was the palette of last summer for me. It was the only palette I took on holiday with me last year and it didn't disappoint. I created multiple looks with it - POST- and I love it for bringing out my creative side! How it compares to Androgyny? Some of the shades, especially the gold were more gritty in texture and the two shimmers in Androgyny are so much smoother and more buttery to touch. The intense pigmentation is comparable in both palettes and I find both complete each other well. If you have both, you truly need no other palettes to create any look under the sun. There's so many beautiful shades in the palette but I was grabbed mostly by the incredible Star Power, Courtney, Expensive and Confession! Check out my in depth review here for more pictures & swatches! 

Skin Frost Highlighters | RPR £25.50

Ice Cold

I talked about Jeffree Star Skin Frost in Ice Cold already and it landed in my favourites as I used it exclusively for over a month. It is the most incredible shade. If you're super pale as me, it's the one to own. It's white but with some almost white gold shining through in some light and almost platinum shine in other. Simply stunning & I wanted to show you the true power of it in this little video swatch! Isn't it gorgeous? It's the biggest highlighter on the market and it'll take me a long time to even show the dent in it. Perfect for professionals as it's super inexpensive if you take the size in consideration. Still cheaper than Becca for example. I'm not saying spending £25.00 on highlighter is cheap but there are more expensive ones out there. You can't fault it. The shade, the lasting power, the size. It has a huge mirror which is actually good quality and the packaging is super sturdy, if not really travel friendly. 

Velour Liquid Lipsticks | RPR £16.00

I left liquid lippies for last but they're certainly not least. Jeffree Star has revolutionised the liquid lipsticks and is most known for them. In terms of the packaging, I actually like it. It fits my aesthetics more than the palettes or highlighters. The shade gallery is extensive and some shades are truly remarkable. There's still some shades (Unicorn Blood!!!) I need but I'm happy with my collection so far. I have shades from each spectrum and I love most. Some shades are better than others in terms of quality, transfer, lasting power and wear but I really like them all. What I find is that the shades do last forever given you don't eat anything too oily as oily formula seem to dissolve the formula super easy. So as long as you're eating a quick salad, you'll be wearing JS for hours! The vegan formula has its perks and the lippies can be used as a liner too as the formula has been tested and is eye friendly. I haven't actually tried that, but maybe one day? 

Chrysanthemum 

It's a beautuful pinky nude. Not fully opaque and needs two swipes. It's got some sheen to it and works great for daytime. If you're pale, I would top up with a slightly darker lip liner for more definition. 

Mannequin 

It's light pinky brown nude with matte finish. Dries to opaque matte and works great over a darker nude or on it's own. Stays on well and wears off nicely. Easy to top up during a day. 

Rose Matter

It's a muted medium rose. It dries opaque matte and only needs one swipe. Stays out all day and it's easy to top up. I really like this shade for every day as it's a perfect balance between usual nudes and most daring statement shades. This one has a very specific scent which I personally hate, but I excuse it as the shade is perfect. 

Watermelon Soda 

It was my first JS lipstick and made me fall in love with the formula. I love the scent but it's not the usual scent for JS sadly. The shade is a crazy intense pink with slight reddish tones. It dries opaque matte and is long wearing. It wears off nicely and it's ok to top up during the day. 

Scorpio 

It's a dream if you love the whole taupe purple trend. It's quite dark and fits the trend well. Dries fully matte, almost opaque. The formula is slightly more creamy than others and sadly it wears off not great. I thought it's how darker shades do but it's this one in particular that needs topping up badly during the day and can be crumbly if you do it too often. It's a shame as the shade is simply stunning! 

Checkmate

It's an another favourite of mine. Intense orange red. It dries matte and super opaque. It's the most gorgeous statement red I own and I love pairing it with any eye! It stays out well, wear off nicely and can be topped up during a day with no issues. I adore the intensity of the shade. This will suit any complexion but looks so gorgeous against pale skin! 

Designer Blood 

It's an intense dark berry red. It dries opaque and matte. It wears beautifully all day and can be topped up. It is by far my most worn Jeffree's liquid lipstick. This statement shade will suit any complexion and fits the dark lip trend well! I love it for daytime as it makes the rest of the makeup a canvas to it's glorious statement finish. Definite must have! 

Overview

There's definitely a lot to say about Jeffree Star but I'm not interested in the controversy. He's a very interesting individual and he knows how to market himself, so I wouldn't necessarily think all the controversy isn't just a play in the crazy world he lives in. I respect him as an artist, I think it takes hard work and determination to not only lead the business but also create, design and inspire. Maybe it's not your cup of tea, but I find that quite inspiring. I think hard work should be celebrated and you can't deny him that. 

Out of all the collection, I love it all. I think the lipstick shades are inspired and that goes for Eyeshadows and highlighters. I have few more on my wish list and the latest purchase won't be my last! I like Jeffree Star as a brand and I think you would to!  

Where to buy

UK | Beauty Bay

USA | Jeffree Star Cosmetics

Poland | Colors Vibe

Thank You For Reading,

Love

Let's Be Friends:

NEW IN: ZOEVA PLAISIR COLLECTION AND HALO STROBE GEL REVIEW WITH SWATCHES

Live life with pleasure.

I have missed quite a few Zoeva launches since the Cocoa Blend (POST) superb introduction to my world. I wasn't very much into the larger palettes, yes I thought them to be pretty but duplicating shades over and over in my collection isn't something I do lightly anymore. I'm still obsessed with new launches but seem to control it slightly better and only buy ones I know I'd be unhappy to miss. There were so many superb launches in 2016, with ABH Modern Renaissance (POST), Jeffree Star Beauty Killer (POST) or UD Naked Ultimate Basics (POST) to name the few that have totally rocked my makeup world. I had high expectations regarding new Zoeva palettes and they haven't disappointed. I've loved Cocoa Blend so much and it's still one of the palettes I reach for this whole year later, so I knew I have to top up my Plaisir collection as soon as it launches. I haven't bought Plaisir boxed collection as I didn't want to duplicate the Cocoa Blend, so I've just ordered the two new chocolate palettes individually. Palettes weren't the only new and exciting launch as Zoeva has launched their highly anticipated Strobe Gels on the same day. I haven't had much luck with highlight shades from Zoeva as the one included in their Rose Golden Blush Palette (POST) hasn't really suited my skin tone, but seeing the Strobe Gels promo video has convinced me to give it a good college try. So without a further ado as it's plainly the longest intro I have ever written let's see what I think of the new Zoeva launches, shall we lovelies?

Plaisir is French for pleasure and what a pleasure it is to just sit here and stare at this eyeshadow collection. The two new palettes compliment Cocoa Blend in every way and it's a neutral heaven. My order was accompanied with a cute little box of pralines, that are now sitting just next to me. Well two of them left, that is. I thought the design and idea to be super cute but they also taste like heaven!

ZOEVA BLANC FUSION (RPR £17.50 from Zoeva & £18.00 from Beauty Bay)

10 shadows weighted at 1.5g each made without parabens, mineral oils, fragrances & phthalates. Shell life: 36 months. White chocolate with golden geometric design hardened cardboard. Zoeva logo and palette name on front and ingredients and other information on the back.

Blanc Fusion is a daytime palette to the core. I like the design with top row being shimmers and bottom mattes, it given enough shades to always come up with new looks for your day at school or the office. The biggest shocker is the Visions of Gold, being a pure yellow gold, which some may find scary. I found a way to include it in my daytime makeup and even got compliments on it. The morale is, don't ever be afraid of using a shade, as the originality is what makes us apart and even the most improbable combinations can in fact add to our charm. 

Noble - pearlescent white with super light golden shimmer

Single Origin - light yellow gold

Visions of Gold - true yellow gold, almost neon

Late Bloomer - copper shimmer 

Sweetness Lingers - bronze shimmer with purple tones

Travel Inspired - light pinky beige matte

Joy in a Box - medium beige with pink tones transition matte

Conched - medium brown with neutral tones matte

Question of Taste - medium brown with warm camel tones matte

Last Bite - dark brown with cool tones matte

All the shades above are truly greatly pigmented with some taking it to the extreme. The shadows are soft but also not so soft they become dusty in the palette. I didn't experience any real fallout with any of the shades. It's not as warm toned palette as the Cocoa Blend of upcoming Caramel Melange. Instead you have more neutral tones to play with. I think it's a great idea to keep one palette in the series slightly cooler. Yes, warm tones are so in right now and I personally adore them, but it's good to have an option. I think Blanc Fusion will be my firm favourite, as I love the formula of shadows, pigmentation and how well they stay on the lid. Blending is a pleasure just like with other Zoeva shadows and it makes a great addition to my Zoeva Family.

ZOEVA CARAMEL MELANGE (RPR £17.50 from Zoeva & £18.00 from Beauty Bay currently out of stock)

10 shadows weighted at 1.5g each made without parabens, mineral oils, fragrances & phthalates. Shell life: 36 months. Warm chocolate with golden metallic geometric design hardened cardboard. Logo and brand name on top and ingredients on the back.

Caramel Melange is warm, it's neutral with reds, oranges and purples leading the way for it to become THE MUST HAVE palette of the season. With seven mattes and three three shimmers it makes for a perfect daytime to evening palette. Aftertaste and Alchemy are true winners in this palette and Liquid Centre formula is truly something else. I can't get enough of this!

Wax Paper - pure white matte

Universal Delight - light beige with purple tones matte

Aftertaste - muted medium red matte

182C - medium brown copper satin

Liquid Centre -  pure copper bronze shimmer

Alchemy - dirty reddish medium brown matte

Start Soft - warm medium dark camel brown matte

Finish Sensual - neutral to cool medium brown with ashy tones matte

Almost Burnt - vintage gold shimmer

Edible Gem - dark purple matte with gold micro-glitter

Yet again pigmentation is insane in Caramel Melange. All the shade transition well in swatches and to the lid, but also blend easily. Formula of shadows is buttery and just stunning to work with. There's virtually zero to minimal fallout. The mattes are of superb quality, if even slightly better than the original Cocoa Blend palette. Straight await a favourite of mine. I'm glad that some shades are slightly more of neutral tone as these three palette compliment each other oh so well.

ZOEVA COCOA BLEND (RPR £17.50 from Zoeva & £18.00 from Beauty Bay) - POST

Please refer to my earlier post from last year for swatches of Cocoa Blend to see how these three palette really go together as one happy family. I am so glad I picked up the remaining two in Zoeva's Plaisir Collection as all three palettes are simply stunning!

ZOEVA STROBE GEL IN HALO (RPR £10.50 from Zoeva & £11.00 from Beauty Bay)

Clear heavy glass jar with black plastic top and Zoeva logo on it. 15 ml of product made without parabens, mineral oils, fragrances & phthalates. 

Now if you know me a little and I hope you do by now, you know my undying love of highlighters. Anything that promises me to be visible from outer space and I'm already taking my credit card out. This new launch from Zoeva has for sure raised few eyebrows with its innovative formula. We are used to liquid, cream, stick and powder highlighters, sure but I haven't tried gel formulas yet. What's so amazing about it then? There are few bits I need to explain first formula wise. Strobe Gel is a quite unique memory shape gel. It's identical to a Body Shop Drops of Youth Mask I absolutely love. What it means is that the gel is firm, almost jelly like and once you touch it with your finger or a brush it sort of bounces back to its original shape. It's quite cool. 

The main reason I rarely use cream or liquid highlighters is because it's harder to use over powder formulas without the cake effect. The main rule of makeup is to use liquids and creams and then powder formulas. I love Becca Shimmering Light Perfector Liquid but I can only use it on days where I don't really set my makeup, yes it's still visible after powder but it looses on intensity. I was really looking forward to trying the new Zoeva formula to see if it would be possible to apply over powdered down face. Is it? Yes it is! I think if there's one selling point to this product, except it's stunning shade, it's that!

Strobe Gel in Halo has a gorgeous pearlescent silver and pink tone to it. I can't quite explain it. It is definitely meant for fair to light skin tones, but I think you could also use when you're medium by layering it on top of your usual highlighter, just on the very tops of your features. When it comes to the shade, it's not really pink nor silver nor white but it just creates that super light gorgeous shine. I love it for daytime. I use the tiny amount on the finger and just tap it on the high points of my face. I literally touch the gel and use only that teensy tiny bit for my daytime highlight. For more wow effect I just use a little more or layer it on top of it. You can go crazy with this highlight and that's what highlighters are made for. So whatever your style, I think Zoeva Strobe Gels are definitely something you should try.

Please check out other reviews by my talented blogger family:

Leanne's LPage Beauty

"Two New Launches From Zoeva | Caramel Melange and Blanc Fusion Palettes"

Dagmara's Mummy's Beauty Corner

"Zoeva Blanc Fusion and Caramel Melange palettes, review, swatches and comparison with Cocoa Blend and Naturally Yours palettes"

Check out Beauty Bay now for all your beauty needs

ON SUNDAY I AM STARTING THE FIRST OUT OF A FEW GIVEAWAYS I HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR. THERE WILL BE ONE GIVEAWAY ON EACH PLATFORM: HERE, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH NOT TO MISS OUT !

Thank You For Reading,

Love