The Perfect No Makeup Eye Shadow Palette |GXVE Simple Kind Of Life Review

GXVE pronounced "GIVE" is a fairly new makeup line by Rocker, Gwen Stafani. When I spotted this gorgeous eye shadow palette by GXVE at Winner's for a fabulous price, I just had to try it. 

It contains 4 neutral matte shades in a sleek palette that contains a mirror and can easily be packed into your makeup bag. 

I have to admit since I purchased this palette, it is the only eye shadow palette that I've used! At first, I wasn't sure if I would like this palette and probably didn't need it. I mean I have plenty of neutral eye shadows already. But, I am so glad that I gave this palette a shot. It's the perfect eye shadow palette if you want a simple and natural eye look without having to give it much thought. With this one convenient palette, you can sculpt and highlight your eyes with ease.

What it is: A collection of highly pigmented, rich, buttery, blendable quad eyeshadow palettes, with four curated shades in each, made to customize for every occasion.

Ingredient Callouts: This product is vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and comes in recyclable packaging.

What Else You Need to Know: These eyeshadow quads were color curated to easily create complete eye looks in just one palette—from everyday nude to amped up smoky. The blendable, creamy, no-crease formulas give ultra-rich color payoff in buttery, multidimensional finishes, and can be applied with fingers or brushes. The eyeshadows feature a clean, vegan, and cruelty-free formula.

This Palette Contains:
- 4 x 0.03 oz/ 1 g Eyeshadows

SRP $38

Simple Kind Of Life contains 4 matte neutral shades, perfect for contouring and highlighting the eyes. There is a warm shade, neural shade and cool tone shade.

I usually just grab my fluffy crease brush, choose the shade that I want to contour my eyes with that day and blend it out into the crease of my eyes. Then, I take the lighter shade to highlight the browbone and lid. Sometimes, I just use a crease shade without the lighter, highlight shade. 

The shades blend with ease and are buildable.  It's pretty much a foolproof palette. Which is another reason I love it so much. I can practically apply these shadows with my eyes closed 😆,  and literally have my eye makeup done in about a minute after shadow and Mascara. 

Love the sleek and compact palette. And, apparently, the pans can come out to replace shades or swap them out.

The 4 shades are: Faithful to Freedom, I was in Love, Covered in Shells, and Obsessed.

I actually use all 4 shades pretty much equally. It's rare for me to use all shades in an eyeshadow palette. Luckily, nothing goes to waste in this one!

The shadows are of great quality. They are buttery soft but do kick up a bit of the powder. Nothing that a tap of the brush can't fix. 

I 100% recommend this palette! Especially for anyone who loves their nude and neutral shades, as well as anyone looking for a quick and easy way to create a simple eye look. It's great for contouring the eye to create some depth, especially if you are like me and have hooded eyes. If you are looking to minimize your makeup routine, and if you love a no-makeup-makeup-look, you can't go wrong with this palette. 

Surprisingly, after using this palette for over a month now, I'm still not bored with it. I am definitely intrigued by this brand now and want to try more of their products!

#crueltyfree #vegan #cleanatsephora

                                                               

NARS Afterglow Lip Balm in Orgasm Review with Swatches!

Nars Afterglow Lip Balm in Orgasm $28 USD/ 3 Grams

True to other Nars Orgasm products, this lip balm is described as a sheer, peachy pink with golden shimmer. The Afterglow Lip Balm is available in 8 shades.

Described as moisturizing lip balm infused with a blend of antioxidants to condition and protect lips.

Details:

• Sheer coverage
• High shine colour
• Contains Monoï Oil for long-lasting hydration
• Fragrance-free
• Alcohol-free

As I get older, my lips get more and more dehydrated and lined. So I tend to look for hydrating lip products that add a hint of colour and this lippie seemed to tick off all of my boxes. And, with the Nars Orgasm name behind this shade, I was expecting something really special!

I have to admit that the rose gold packaging is stunning! I find the lip balm to be hydrating and it provides a sheer wash of colour to my lips. However, for the price, I was expecting it to have a wow factor. Don't get me wrong, I do really like it and enjoy using it but the wow factor just isn't there for me. I fee that I can get the same look from a lot of tinted lip balms.

It's very sheer, as it claims to be, but adds a decent amount of pink to my lips (this will vary for each person depending on how pigmented your lips are to begin with). It does swatch quite light and I didn't expect it to show up as much as it does on my lips based on that. It's described as a peachy pink with golden shimmer. It shows up as a sheer, shiny pink on my lips, however, I do not see any golden shimmer.

It is quite hydrating, as it should be. I find that the lasting power is average for a balm. Considering the price tag, I was expecting more here as well. After about 30 minutes, the colour, shine, and hydration start to wear off and I feel the need to reapply. However, if I do not reapply, I find that it does leave a very slight pink tint to my lips that does last as does a little bit of hydration.

Below are swatches from various angles during a dreary day, some with overhead lighting and some without.

As you can see, it is quite sheer against my pale skin. Of course, the effect will be different on your lips since they will have more pigmentation.

Here are a few comparisons of Nars Afterglow LipBalm in Orgasm beside ELF's Bare Kiss Lip Balm and Burt's Bees Lip Balm in Pink Blossom.

I read on a very reputable website that ELF's Bare Kiss was a DUPE for Nars Afterglow in Orgasm, so I purchased it right away. As you can see, they are not even close to each other. The formulas are also completely different (ELF is waxy and dry, Nars is sheer and hydrating).

Top: Nars Afterglow in Orgasm, Middle: ELF Bare Kiss, 

Bottom: Burt's Bees Pink Blossom

Below is right after application

30 minutes after application in the car

Overall, I do love this product even though it didn't have that wow factor that I was expecting. But, I also feel that I can get the same effect from many tinted lip balms. I would definitely repurchase this product if the price tag was around $10. But, at over $30 here in Canada, I would say it is very overpriced for what it is. However, I do think it would make a nice gift for someone who likes tinted lip balms as it comes in such beautiful packaging and it is very pretty. It's just not something I can justify repurchasing at its current price.

In hindsight, I would probably purchase the mini Afterglow Lip Balm that comes with the corresponding blush (linked here), and probably will when I finish this balm. 😊

$28 USD (Shop Now)

Once I find a DUPE for this product, I will be sharing with y'all as soon as I find it!

Let me know what your favourite coloured lip product is for aging lips in the comments below!

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