Last night my husband and I were sitting around trying to decide what to do when he asked if I wanted to do one of my infamous “drugstore crawls.” This is when I pop into one or more local drugstores to see what new releases and collections they have out. I didn’t have anything specific in mind like I usually do, but figured there had to be some new products out. I stumbled upon these brand new City Color Eyeshadow Palettes in my Rite Aid. City Color products are scattered throughout my Rite Aid and they are typically priced very reasonably, almost like Wet n Wild products are. However, these palettes look way more “mainstream” than usual, and I can tell that City Color is stepping their game up. There were three palettes available: nudes, smokey, and the one in the post, “Multi-Flash.” I was so excited to dip my fingers into this palette today and swatch it finally because I was really curious about the quality of these palettes. To see more photographs and my thoughts, read more…

I recently swatched the brand new Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips Eyeshadow Palette in Casual, and I wanted to do a coordinating makeup look using the shades in the palette. I decided to go with a look that would make my blue-green eyes pop because the palette has a lot of gorgeous blue eyeshadow in it, which may intimidate those of us with lighter eyes. This look will look gorgeous on anyone, and the palette is universally flattering, so here is a look that proves that! To see photographs and how I got this look, read more…

Hopefully you all had an amazing holiday weekend like I did! The weather here has been so perfect, and I love to be outdoors as much as possible. We even picked fresh strawberries at a local farm near our house, which I love to do every single year. It’s really fun to pick your own fruit, and if you ever have a chance to, I highly recommend taking advantage of it. Speaking of spring, Physician’s Formula released a brand new Shimmer Strips Eyeshadow Palette called Casual, and it’s extremely cute with a denim covering and a coordinating zipper. I love the mix of shades in this eyeshadow palette, too. To see plenty of pictures and one from our strawberry picking adventure, read more…

I didn’t personally watch the ACM Awards this week, but when I saw photographs of Taylor Swift at the awards I was happily stunned. She looked absolutely gorgeous and very mature with her bronzed smokey eyes, sky-high lashes, and sophisticated blow-out. It was definitely a departure from what we’re used to with Taylor Swift, which is super sweet, barely there makeup. I wanted to do an interpretation of the look with my brand new Milani Cosmetics Abstract Eyeshadow Palette, and while the look isn’t an exact recreation, it still has the same bronze smokiness, the dramatic eyeliner and lashes, and the neutral eyeliner on the lower waterline. To see photographs and how to achieve this look, read more…

Have you ever woken up with a sore throat and tried to wish it away throughout the day only to have it get worse? Well, that was my day yesterday, and today I am just a miserable ball of sickness, so I am going to try to keep this post short and sweet. Yesterday I swatched the new eyeshadow palettes from Milani Cosmetics, including Impressionist which is chock full of pastel deliciousness. I personally love pastels on everything…clothes, jewelry, makeup, you name it. Not only do I love it, but it happens to be a massive trend this spring and summer along with everything neon. With Easter Sunday approaching, I wanted to use this new palette to do a cotton-candy pastel eye look that you can recreate yourself, or you can easily swap it out with different pastel shades. To see plenty more photographs of this look, read more…

Milani Cosmetics Powder Eyeshadow Palettes are back! I am so excited for this release because last summer Milani released the first palette in this collection, “Paint,” and I reviewed it here on Beauty Gala. Impressionist and Abstract are the two newest additions to the family of the eyeshadow palettes that not only look aesthetically really cool, but also put down beautiful color. Those of you who love neutral eyeshadow shades and don’t have the budget for the more expensive Urban Decay Naked Palettes will find the nude palette especially pleasing. Pastel enthusiasts will absolutely adore the candy-sweet colors of the spring-inspired palette. To see photographs and swatches, read more…

Happy Friday everyone! It feels like it has been a long week over here, but I am definitely glad it’s the weekend and time to relax again. I decided to pull out some drugstore products to create an eye look because there are so many great drugstore available options out there! If your budget doesn’t call for high-end makeup you can still purchase products with great pigmentation and create gorgeous looks. This look, Violet Sunset, is inspired by my favorite color of all-time…purple, and of course the sky during a sunset, when it takes on various shades of bronze, orange, and coral. Two unsuspecting colors complement each other very well by blending seamlessly into each other, and they each make the other stand out. To see how to achieve this look, the products I used, and more pictures, read more…

The third and final look in my LORAC Unzipped Eyeshadow Palette Series is SMOKEY. The smokey look is all about being sultry, sexy, and sophisticated. You can still amp your eyes up in a sophisticated way with a neutral palette of colors by creating a gorgeous bronzed smokey eye. This look is inspired by the always gorgeous Olivia Wilde who is often seen in bronze and chocolate smokey eyes. If you have blue or green eyes, this look is going to make your eyes look even lighter, and if your eyes are hazel or brown, this look will make them look extra sparkly. To see how to achieve this look and plenty more photographs of the finished look, read more…

The second look in my LORAC Unzipped Eyeshadow Palette Series is all about being playful, colorful, and fun. Neutral eyeshadow shades are the perfect complement to some brightness, whether it be on your lips, cheeks, or even your eyes, in the form of a bold eyeliner. I decided to add some sparkling turquoise eye liner to give the look a major pop and create some fun. This is actually my favorite way to wear really bright eyeliner and I regularly pair nude eyeshadow shades with brights along the lash line.  To see photographs and a tutorial on this look, read more…

I decided to do a three-part series of makeup looks using the LORAC Unzipped Palette that I just reviewed and swatched here on Beauty Gala. It’s a gorgeous palette of shimmery and matte nude shades and the possibilities are endless! I decided my first look would be a “GLAM” look, the type you’d wear for that classic, bombshell, night-out-on-the-town face. To see the tutorial and plenty more photographs of the look, read more…