Review: Tarte Energy Noir palette and LipSurgence skintuitive lip gloss

I’ve got a gorgeous palette to review for you today — the Energy Noir Clay Palette.  When I ordered it from Ulta, there was a promotion for Tarte and all Tarte purchases over #30 got a free sample size of the new Lipsurgence skintuitive lip gloss in the color “Energy Noir.”  So let’s get right to the pictures!

  

Top Row:

Full Moon is a matte bone color

Charged up is a shimmery grey-taupe (similar to Urban Decay’s Mushroom)

Dark Drive is a matte cool brown

Middle Row:

Stone Unturned is a matte mid-toned grey taupe

Up Too Slate is a shimmery steely purple

Misty Mauve is a matte mauve

Bottom Row:

Power Plum is a matte deep plum

Lunar Eclipse is a matte black

Blush:

Unearthed is a matte neutral dusty plum

Crystal Spark is a pinky champagne shimmer (can be used on face or eyes)

Every single shade is richly pigmented — even the matte shades!  They all blend well and for me, are true to the color in the pan.  I love having a good mix of matte and shimmer shades in one palette.  And the blush is a great shade that works well with the cool shades and doesn’t look too purple.  I also really really LOVE that this is a COOL TONED palette!  That is so hard to find!  Most “neutral” palettes are just warm earth tones — as an artist, that bugs me so much.  In Energy Noir, the warmest shade is Dark Drive, the matte brown and even so, it’s a lovely cool brown with a bit of grey in it.

The three darkest shades can be easily used as liner shades or for a dramatic smokey eye or crease shade.  The mid-tone mattes look great on the lid or in the crease and the shimmery shades tie them all together — I think  this is a great, versatile palette.

If cool shades are your thing, don’t pass this one up — it’s limited edition! So grab it while it’s hot, erm, cool!

Since I received the LipSurgence skintuitive lip gloss in Energy Noir, I’ll review that one for you.  At first I was a little disappointed in it since it appeared to be a clear gloss.  But it’s actually a color-changing gloss and on me, turned a neutral-to-cool pink color.  The gloss is a great formula — neither too sticky nor slippery and was actually pretty hydrating.  It also left behind a soft pink stain.  I do wish the color had a little more pigment, though.

The Energy Noir palette is $30 and the full size LipSurgence Skintuitive lip gloss is $19.  They can be bought wherever Tarte products are sold.

Tarte is cruelty free!

All products purchased by me and all opinions are mine alone.  

Urban Decay ELECTRIC Pressed Pigment Palette Review & swatches!

Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

Today I am (finally!) reviewing Urban Decay’s Electric Pressed Pigment Palette.  Before I just right into it we do have to talk about the name itself — “Pressed Pigment Palette” — not “eyeshadow palette.”  Why?  Well, pigments used in Slowburn, Savage, Jilted and Urban are not deemed safe to use on the eyes in the USA, Canada and Brazil.  But I’m a gal who likes to live dangerously.  While I certainly can’t tell you to use those particular shades on your eyes, I will say that I have with no problem at all — no itching or irritation etc. Ok, now that that’s out of the way…. LOOK AT IT:

Urban Decay’s Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

It’s gorgeous, no?  Each color practically glows.  And it comes with a double-ended brush that is actually pretty darn good for applying the shadows.

Top Row, from Left to Right:

REVOLT — a buttery-smooth burnished silver with some barely-there sparkles

GONZO — incredibly bright turquoise blue semi-satin

SLOWBURN — safety-orange, nearly matte with some barely-there shimmer

SAVAGE — day-glow pink, matte

FRINGE — deep, shimmery peacock-green

Bottom Row, from Left to right:

CHAOS — neon cobalt blue, nearly matte satin

JILTED — warm, pinky-purple, satin

URBAN — deeper, more blue-toned purple, nearly matte satin

FREAK — shimmery bright grassy green

THRASH — semi-matte, chartreuse

All of the colors are intensely pigmented and blend really well.  You barely have to touch your brush to them to pick up a ton of color.  You can use them on bare skin but using a normal eye shadow primer will make these colors really sing.  While I’d love if all the colors were matte, I think adding in some semi-matte and satins really helped the formula blend well.  The only problem I had was that I found the pinks and purples stained my eyelids a little — though not badly and not enough to put me off using them.

The only color I didn’t like that much was Revolt.  Not because it’s not a great eyeshadow — it is.  But in a palette of bright and bold colors, silver just seems so out of place and boring.  I have a ton of great silver shadows — I didn’t need this one taking up room in a palette like this.  I’d have rather have seen another green or a bright yellow.

I think this palette is surprisingly versatile.  Sure you can use only the colors in the palette to do a super bright and bold eye look — like the one below.  I used Slowburn in the inner corner, blending out to Savage on my lid.  I use Jilted across the crease and Urban to deepen the outer corner.  I used Chaos to line the upper lid and again used Jilted and Urban on the lower lid.

But as you can see below, you can take some of the shades and use them with other palettes to create a more wearable look.  Below I’ve used Freak and Fringe alongside the Comfort Zone Palette by Wet N Wild to make something a little more subtle and work-friendly.

And because I’m me, I did it them at the same time.

I think if you’re drawn to bright colors, this palette is a great investment.  If you’ve always been curious about incorporating bright and bold colors into your look but have been hesitant — again, you can’t go far wrong here.  The pigments are all of the best quality — easy to use and blend.  And remember, you’re not limited to using ONLY the colors here.  Think about using them in unexpected ways, like using Gonzo as a liner in an otherwise neutral eye look.  Or a dab of Freak on the center of the lid to punch up some olive green shades.  Never be afraid of bright colors — it’s make up.  It washes off!

The Electric Pressed Pigment Palette can be found on the Urban Decay website and wherever Urban Decay products are sold.  Urban Decay is not only cruelty-free, but Leaping Bunny Certified.

Disclaimer: All products listed were purchased by me and my opinions are mine alone.