Bougie Brie

✭✭✭Review, Rate & Rotate, Week 36 & 37✭✭✭

If you have a massive beauty collection, and you really are not into minimalism, leave a comment below regarding how you rotate through your collection. I would love to have your feedback and input. If I was to tell you how many eyeshadow palettes I have, you wouldn't believe me. . . Yep, it's that many! If there is something you want to see reviewed, in particular, eyeshadow palettes, you can reach me on my Contact Me page or Click HERE to send me an email!

Thanks for checking out my Review, Rate, & Rotate Series!

Rating is out 10 out of 10, with a full point given for each of the ten sections listed above. Points per section may be issued in the following denominations: 0, .0 .25, .50, 1.0. For further clarification, the sections listed are worth a total of 1.0 point and are:

1. Company Profile & Personality: (available information about the company, cruelty-free status information, philanthropic efforts, unnecessary controversy, indie company vs mainstream)

2. Price: (product cost, availability of product, shipping cost, available coupons)

3. Purchase Process: (order time vs receipt of product turn around, availability of product, email notifications including shipping & tracking number, email notification for delivery)

4. Packaging: (was the item securely package, decorative packaging efforts including information card about the product, upcoming sales, or the company itself)

5. Pigmentation: (via swatches)

6. Color Payoff: (via application to the area applicable)

7. Product Application: (ease of application of the product, for example for eyeshadow, is there fall out, creasing, etc.

8. Performance: (longevity of wear)

9. Product Value: (price to product amount ratio, i.e. price per gram + product quality + consumer response (popularity of the product and consumer response) + repurchase option)

10. Overall Product Presentation: shade variation (if eyeshadow), women of color friendly, pale people friendly, universally applicable to many skin tones, desire for repeated use, would you repurchase the item again, is this product associated with a particular trend or is does it market the companies individuality, does the product set a new & innovative trend, is the product effective (does it do what it’s designed to do), does the product have potential multiple application opportunities (i.e. can the product be used as a blush & lipstick), is the product limited edition or a permanent product, is the product part of a collection, is the product consistent (from shade to shade, if an eyeshadow palette) from color to color in a part of a collection and does it function and operate the same each time applied.

If I mention that I am selling any of the items listed below, you can catch those products at a reasonable price on Poshmark @ bougiebriexo or on Mercari @ BougieBrie or you can always reach out to me on my social media channels or click on the Contact Me link at the top of the page and shoot me an email!

Lorac Pirates of Caribbean Eyeshadow Palette

Review: Huge fan of the Lorac Pro formula. The Lorac Pro One was my first high-end palette that I purchase when I started to journey to beauty (inner and outer) in 2016. For the most part, since then, I have purchased every Lorac Pro & Lorac Unzipped Palette that has released. This particular palette is very unique in its color story & combination, and invites the consumer to use their creativity to make interesting and beautifully different eye looks. The packaging, although unnecessarily bulky, it is quite attractive and plays well with the theme of the Motion Picture it represents. The shadows themselves are in line with the infamous Lorac Pro formula being smooth to the touch.

Rate: 9/10 The only annoying factor about this palette is the size of the palette and the underutilized amount of space in the layout.

Rotate: Similar to my Juvia's Place, Colourpop, Natasha Denona, & Tarte Collections, this palette will remain in my Lorac Family!

Colourpop I Think I Love You Eyeshadow Palette

Review: Like Lorac, I am a huge fan of Colourpop's pressed shadows. I own all of the Colourpop's pressed eyeshadow palettes. This is a fantastic little neutral palette with a beautiful gold shadow and black shadow to smoke out any look. I particularly like this palette because you can easily create a work day eye look and transition to a evening all in this little palette. The palette is compact and great to take on the go and if needed or wanted, with a little effort you can remove the inner component and underneath is a magnetic palette. You can remove the entire inner component or easily pop out each shadow and arrange them in a way that makes sense and more cohesive to you. This is one of my favorite little neutral palettes and I think its perfect for beginners and advance shadow wearers alike.

Rate: 9/10 The one think I don't particularly care for about Colourpop shadows is that the name of the shadows is on the back instead of on the palette itself.

Rotate: Keeping all of them!

Buxom Custom Eyeshadow Palette #2

Review: SO many people sleep on Buxom eyeshadows and it's such a shame. My first exposure to Buxom eyeshadows was in a holiday palette that ended up being super disappointing, and it deterred me from future investing into Buxom shadows. A couple of years ago Buxom came out with a reformulated line of shadows in a variety of shades and finishes and I went a little ham. I think I have four custom Buxom shadows. You can purchase them at either Ulta or Sephora and if you buy the palette (specialized for Buxom shadows) and six individual shadows it runs you a reasonably priced $40, whereas the actual retail value of the palette is $85. Buxom also has a couple of premade palettes, such as Dolly's Wide Side, Natural Instincts, and Pastel Persuasion. The Natural Instincts palette is another one of my favorite neutral palettes. Now that I think of it, I actually have a pretty sizable collection of Buxom shadows. I really enjoy these shadows and find them very user friendly, soft and easy to apply.

Rate: 10/10 One of my favorite brands that I definitely need to play with more.

Rotate: Keeping!

Morphe X Jaclyn Hill Dark Magic

Review: Ok, here's the thing about the Vault Collection - It's exactly what I expected and I have no idea why everyone is so damn surprised that it's just AVERAGE. Did people really think that they were going to get high-end eyeshadows in a $15 eyeshadow palette from MORPHE? NEWS FLASH! There is nothing about special or extraordinary or innovative or even interesting about MORPHE. The most passable item MORPHE has produced is the Jaclyn Hill X Morphe Palette and even that has several shades that are repetitious and be cut down by two columns. It's really NOT that damn amazing, ok? Do we all understand that because I get the feeling that people are confused about that. In terms of this palette, it performs like a $15 palette. It's a decent palette, maybe even more than decent, but my expectations were not ridiculous and I didn't think that this was going to rival the likes of Natasha Denona, or ABH or Lorac Pro. It's a fairly decent/good $15 palette. I think it preforms appropriately given the price point and has both good points and points for improvement. First, the color story is unique and you can create different and interesting eye looks with this palette. It's a perfect palette for the Fall/Winter Season or a smokey glam look. The shimmer/metallic shades are rich is color and the pay off is quality. The packaging is both functional, making it perfect for travel and semi-elegant. So, see, there are good points to this palette. The problem that I had with this palette was that the matte shades were extremely patchy, difficult to blend, and the transfer of color from palette to lid was not the same. This was a major bummer for me because I really was excited about the matte shades, in particular, the army green shade Potion, the muted Navy shade Busted, and the muted cranberry shade Mojo. Theoretically beautiful shades that just did not perform as I hoped.

Rate: 6.5/10 This whole release was a debacle because Morphe insinuated the Vault series was going to be equally as good, maybe even better than the Jaclyn X Morphe palette, it it's not. It's not even close, which is fine, but they marketed it as though it was going to be. I knew it wasn't so I wasn't shocked or disappointed, however, lots of consumers put a lot of faith into companies and the influencers that represent them and forget that the bottom line is the almighty dollar. Companies are designed to produce products in mass quantities, set expectations that the product is going to be innovative and earth shaterring, and then sell this product with the concept of fulfilling this expectations. Here's the catch - companies lie and it is your responsibility to be a smart consumer and have an allegiance to self not to a brand or its representative.

Rotate: I am keeping all of my Vault palettes, because I got what I paid for, and I am ok with that!

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Sizzle Eyeshadow Palette

Review: I am a Tarte collector. I have approximately 30 or more Tarte palettes because I enjoy their formulas and I consider Tarte my neutral palette collection. I really like the color selection of this palette. I really enjoy rosey, burgundy colors because I think they are versatile and can be used for a varieties of seasons and eye looks. Tarte eyeshadows aren't for everyone. They are more gear towards women over 35. You're not going to find a whole lot of neon shades in the Tarte lineup, but you will find eyeshadows that are consistent, easy to manipulate and blend, and are perfect for every day wear. This palette is not exception. Tarte is not your extraordinary type of eyeshadow brand, but they do produce shadows that can be utilized by the majority of skin tones, and are not difficult to apply. Just a good strong company with consistent eyeshadow palettes.

Rate: 8/10 Incredibly beautiful packaging. Tarte always knocks it out the park in terms of packaging. Some of the best in the industry. I had little to no problem with this palette and really enjoyed it, however, as I said above there's nothing extraordinary about Tarte eyeshadows.

Rotate: Keeping!

Tru Complexion Custom Eyeshadow Palette

Review: I purchased this palette off of Mercari from an individual seller, who I believe makes their own makeup products. The palette plus the shadows was extremely inexpensive and I decided to give it a try. The first thing that is apparent and notable is that all of these shadows, blushes, and highlighters are extremely powdery. Very, very powdery. The palette itself, face powders and eyeshadows included, wear quite pigmented and applied well to the cheeks and eyes. Although there's nothing too amazing about the products in the palette, they work well and are consistent throughout usage. I wish the shimmers were more foiled or metallic and less subtle, but that's something I prefer in general. I think for the price I paid for the entire combination, I can say I am honestly happy with my purchase because I got what I paid for and maybe even a bit more. That's the thing....people, consumer, set their expectations too high with certain products because of influencers that push products with false information and set consumers up for disappointment. I got what I paid for and my expectations were appropriate for the products.

Rate: 7/10 Enjoyed the products but they were just way too powdery, especially the face products. I don't mind kick up, I actually expect it, but this was way too much.

Rotate: Keeping all of them!

Obnoxious Cosmetics & Artist Couture Highlighters

Review: (a) I purchased this highlighter off of Etsy a couple of years ago, and I use it for very specific occasions. It is extremely rich in pigment and creates a beautiful highlight, BUT you have to be super duper careful because if you go in heavy handed or even with a normal hand, you will end up with a huge gold streak on your face that is difficult to blend out. Use with a soft hand and definitely tap your brush. (b) This highlighter is similar to its partner. It is very very pigmented and its glittery as well. You have to be more than careful in the application process. You have to use a light hand or you will be a glitter bomb. It's a beautiful highlighter though and I particularly like using it in the summer months.

Rate: 10/10 & 10/10 Great highlighters, but have to use them very gingerly. Tons of product that has lasted quite a while. My two favorite highlighters.

Rotate: Keeping both of them!

✭✭✭Weekly Product & Palette Rotation✭✭ 40 & 41✭✭✭

✭✭✭CHANGES✭✭✭

✭✭✭I just want to go over a couple of changes I initiated several rotations back. I have reverted back to a Bi-Weekly Product & Palette Rotation & a Bi-weekly Review, Rate, & Rate schedule. The Bi-Weekly Product & Palette rotation posts on Mondays and rotates every other Monday, whereas Review, Rate, and Rotate will post the Friday of the week after the Rotation is posted. Each series will post on the opposite week of the other. Make sense? Clear as mud? Ok, good! Also, in order to rotate through my palettes in a better and more functional way, I will be choosing one palette from each category I have created in my inventory (Custom, High-End, Small High-End, Large, Luxury, Affordable) every two weeks, and I will select 2 palettes that are new/newer releases that I have not used, 2 palettes that I have not used that may be older, & 2 palettes that I have already rotated through my collection. Additionally, I will be selecting one to two palette(s) to use all month as a supplemental palette(s). Also throughout the rest of the year, I am participating in several Panning Projects, and those products will be used throughout the month as supplements. Again, clear as mud? Make no sense? Good, well we are all on the same page!✭✭✭