Oh, did I mention this entire palette is matte? Yeah. It is and that is AWESOME. As I mentioned, the shadows are pretty soft and will kick up a lot if you push your brush into them. I don't recommend doing that. You barely need to touch your brush to these because they're super pigmented. They're also very easy to work with and blend. I can, without a doubt, say that these are the best pastel shadows I've ever worked with. 

Overall, I'm going to recommend this palette. If you love pastel colors, you'll love this palette. These colors are to die for, the formula is amazing, and it's from a cruelty free indie brand. It doesn't get much better than that!

You can find this palette at Strobe Cosmetics website for $35.

What's your favorite cruelty free indie brand and what brands should I try in 2019?

Thanks for reading!

I'm hoping they will create more shades in different colors. These apply easily and are pretty opaque. They're easy to blend out with a brush before they dry but once they dry, they will flake off if you try to blend them. I also noticed I'll have small glitter particles on my face as the day goes on, so it's safe to say they will flake off as the day goes on. However, they somehow look just as intense at the end of the night as they did when I applied them.

I don't recommend layering them and they will get uneven and flaky, which isn't ideal. If you're concerned with them not 100% covering your lid, just apply a shadow underneath. I usually do this anyway. 

Despite having pieces of glitter on my face throughout the day, I find these stay put pretty well and are easy to remove. They're an awesome and easy way to glam up your eye look and I totally recommend checking them out in a store. They retail for $15 each on Pixi's website, so they're a little easier on the wallet than Stila, but I've still got an eye out for an even less expensive version.

Let me know if you try them & thanks for reading!

So, those are the 8 shades in the Detour palette. 4 are matte, 4 are shimmer, which I think is a fair split. 

Next we have my second favorite of the 3, Bailout. 

• SKIMP : CREAM DEMI MATTE
• BAILOUT : NUDE PEACH MATTE
• FAITH : MEDIUM WARM BROWN MATTE
• REBOUND : CHOCOLATE BROWN DEMI MATTE
• CHOPPER : COPPER WITH SILVER MICRO GLITTER
• DOUBLE UP : DEEP BROWN SHIMMER
• PICKUP : LAVENDER WITH PINK SHIMMER
• VICE : DEEP EGGPLANT SHIMMER

Last, we have what I assume most people will like the most, Shortcut.

• SIN : PALE NUDE SHIMMER
• LACED : PINK TAUPE MATTE
• SHORTCUT : MEDIUM ROSE PINK MATTE
• AFTER HOURS : BLACK SATIN WITH IRIDESCENT MICRO SHIMMER
• BACK ALLEY : MATTE CHOCOLATE BROWN
• RENDEZVOUS : BORDEAUX MATTE WITH BLUE SHIMMER
• GASH : METALLIC BRICK RED
• ZONE : METALLIC PINK RED WITH COPPER SHIMMER

(Top row is finger swatches, bottom row is brush swatches)

The only eyeshadow in this palette that isn't new is Blackout.

The variety of shades in this palette is awesome. There are colors and neutrals, so there's definitely enough variety to keep most makeup junkies happy. The only matte shade is Blackout, which may be an issue for some people. This being the case, there are no transition shades. This is a palette of lid shades and it's up to you whether or not you're okay with that.

The eyeshadows in this palette are extremely buttery and pigmented. The only shade that wasn't super pigmented is Shag. It's a little drier and a little more glitter-like but with a base, it's perfect. 

The shadows are laid out in vertical trios. Obviously, you can mix and match as you please, but they're laid out this way to help you get an idea of what to use together. If you're looking at the palette as a whole or in horizontal rows, it can be a bit daunting.

Much like the Heavy Metals palette, this is a companion palette. You will still need transition shades, highlight shades, and deeper shades for the outer corner if you don't want to solely rely on a matte black. I don't have an issue with this personally as I have so many palettes and eyeshadows already but someone who isn't as into makeup may need another palette to complete a look.

Overall, I love this palette. The formula is nice, the colors are beautiful, and I love the idea of creating your own colors and looks. It's much more creative and in-depth and as someone who looks at makeup as art, I love it. As I said, the cons of this palette are that there are no transition, highlight, or crease/outer corner deepening shades. There is also only one matte shade in the palette, which can also be seen as a con. I definitely feel like the pros outweigh the cons by far, but whether or not you need this palette is for you to decide.

The Urban Decay Distortion palette is now available for $48.

Thanks for reading!

Here are the swatches:

Top row is finger swatches, bottom row is brush swatches.

I've been playing with this palette for a couple of weeks now and I've really been enjoying it. I definitely have some favorites, like Penny, Paradise, Adobe, and Legend. There are also a couple of shades that I haven't enjoyed as much, such as Zenon, Billionaire, and Galaxy. As a whole, I think the palette is nice. There is definitely a nice selection of shades. Most are neutral but there are a few pops of color, which I can appreciate.

Overall, I feel comfortable recommending this palette. I like the shade selection and the majority of the shades perform well. Even the few that aren't as great are absolutely workable.

Oh, and since fall out and kick up seem to be a huge thing right now, I took a picture of the aftermath of finger and brush swatches, so here's that.

You can find this palette on Pur Cosmetics website and at Ulta. 

What's your favorite palette at the moment?

Thanks for reading!

(left to right)

Cube, Dawn, Destiny, Adorn, All Star, Mercury, Axis

These are listed as extremely soft-pressed to get the most pigment possible for these shades. However, this results in more fallout and kick back than normal shadows. They act more like pressed pigments than eyeshadows, and that is something to keep in mind.

As far as the mattes go, you barely need to touch your brush to these colors. They're super pigmented and if you get too much on your brush, you will have an unblendable mess.

Then there are the duochrome & metallic shades. The duochromes especially are much drier and pressed harder. These definitely need a base underneath to be intense, but they can also be layered and will give a nice effect. I use Too Faced Glitter Glue underneath them so they really pop and stay put throughout the day, since I have hooded lids and shimmers tend to transfer into my crease.

So, all that being said, I haven't had many issues with this palette. As I mentioned, the Cube & Electric are pretty dry, but that isn't a problem for myself as I always use a sticky base with shimmers.

Rowdy didn't give me any issues but it looks more black than purple and I was hoping for more of the purple tones to show up. 

Mercury can be a little tough to blend. I'm not sure what it is with this particular shade, but it's much harder to blend out than the other shades. I can make it work, but it does need a little extra blending time.

As far as kick up and fall out go, I don't find that it's much different than Modern Renaissance. It might be ever so slightly more powdery, but it's really not a big deal.

Here's a shade comparison between Subculture and Modern Renaissance:

Let's get into the controversy now.

The initial wave of PR went out and the palette had a lot of positive reviews. This definitely hyped the palette up, so much so that the Anastasia Beverly Hills website crashed shortly after launch. 

Over the next day or two, reviews from other YouTubers and vloggers started to appear, and these were less than stellar reviews. This, of course, caused panic and uproar across the beauty community.

There were reviews posted showing extremely powdery shadows. There were people swirling their brushes into the shadows, all the way to the bottom of the pan. They were showing the application and you could see the eyeshadow sticking in some places and blending into nothing in other places. Another thing that was happening was the eyeshadows seemed to be oxidizing and getting darker. 

(For reference, this is my palette after use)

So as I mentioned above, this caused the majority of the people who follow these vloggers to declare Subculture a horrible palette, when it fact they hadn't tried it. 

Obviously, it's fine to try something and have a bad experience. It's not okay to jump on the bandwagon when you haven't even tried it.

Do I think some of the palettes are bad? Yes, 100%. Norvina said that there was a pressing issue that caused inconsistencies between the palettes. She is currently at the lab trying to figure out what went wrong so she can fix the problem. Defective palettes can be returned for a full refund.

This eyeshadow palette is not for a beginner. It is not foolproof. 

Here are a few looks I did with this palette.

My lash was trying to escape from my inner corner in the look on the left.

Here are a few tips for using Subculture:

• Prime your lids and set your primer well. These shadows will stick to primer and refuse to blend if you haven't set your primer properly. They also seem to oxidize if you don't set your primer.
• Lightly touch the shadow with your brush. I do mean lightly. I cannot stress this enough. There is no need for dipping multiple times or swirling your brush around like an animal. The lightest touch will work the best and make it the easiest to blend.
• Do not apply too much shadow at once. As I mentioned before, you only need the slightest bit at a time. These are so much more pigmented than you would expect and applying too much at once makes it really difficult to blend.
• Use a sticky base with the shimmery shades. Apply these last and apply them over a sticky base if you want them to show up intensely. Use a flat, stiff brush with them for the best results.
• Be patient. Because these shadows are more pigmented than normal shadows, you will need to spend more time blending. These do behave like pressed pigments.
• Don't buy this palette if you're a beginner. There is a learning curve to these shadows. As I said, they are not fool proof. Using the correct brushes and techniques is a must with these.

This palette is a bit higher maintenance. I do not regret buying it. If you have a defective palette, please return it. They will give you a full refund and you can either repurchase after the issue is corrected or find dupes to your favorite shades. I will include a few below, but for a full list with multiple brands, I recommend checking out Temptalia.

I don't have dupes for every color and I don't have exact dupes for a couple, rather shades that give the same effect.

• ROWDY - MAKEUP GEEK TABOO - These two shades are almost identical. Taboo is slightly more purple and less pigmented.

• CUBE - MAKEUP GEEK PHANTOM - ABH PINK HEART - This one was a little tough. Phantom and Cube are not the same color; Phantom is white with a lavender shift. However, it gives the same effect. If you have the ABH Moonchild Palette, Pink Heart is the same as Cube but less pigmented.

• ELECTRIC - MAKEUP GEEK VOLTAGE - These are also not identical. Voltage is a white base with a golden shift and is actually MORE pigmented than Electric, which is gold with a green shift. However, when applied they will give the same effect and look very similar.

• DAWN - MAKEUP GEEK PEACH SMOOTHIE - These two are close in color, but Peach Smoothie is lighter and less pigmented. Blended out lightly in the crease, they will give the same effect.

• NEW WAVE - MAKEUP GEEK CHICKADEE - Chickadee is less pigmented but the color is the same.

• ALLSTAR - MAKEUP GEEK CHERRY COLA - MAKEUP GEEK BITTEN - None of these are completely identical, but Cherry Cola is almost spot on but less pigmented. Bitten is more red and less pigmented. Blended out, Cherry Cola and All Star look the same.

• AXIS - MAKEUP GEEK PEACOCK - MAKEUP GEEK ENVY - This is another situation where none of them are identical. Envy is very similar in color, but has a blacker base, less pigment and shimmer. Peacock is much more blue than Axis. 

• MERCURY - URBAN DECAY COVER - URBAN DECAY FAINT - Cover is lighter and Faint has slightly more yellow undertones. Blended out, the effect is the same. 

• FUDGE - MAKEUP GEEK MOCHA - ABH FUDGE(SHADOW COUTURE) - Mocha is ever so slightly more cool toned than Fudge and less pigmented. Fudge from the Shadow Couture palette is less pigmented and has slight plum undertones, which is odd since they're the same shade.

Lastly, I wanted to show the colors applied to my hand with a brush. The matte shades are dipped into the palette one time and blended onto my hand. The shimmer shades are applied with a flat brush, one swipe.

You can clearly see All Star, Rowdy, Roxy, Destiny, and Edge in the first picture.

Electric and Cube are in the second.

Adorn is in the third.

Dawn, Mercury, Fudge, Axis, Untamed, Rowdy, Roxy and Edge are in the fourth.

The colors were a little brighter in person, but this was mostly to show that they blend and are pigmented.

Overall, I'm enjoying this palette. I think I'll be using it a lot, especially this fall because these shades are perfect for Autumn.

Do I recommend picking it up? Maybe.

Go to a store and swatch it. It's permanent, so it's not going anywhere. With there being an inconsistency in the quality of the palette, I can't tell you to go buy it, even though I love it. I don't want to tell you to buy it and then you end up with a faulty palette that you have to return. If you want it, buy it. Mine is beautiful. Others haven't had such a great experience. Norvina is working with the lab now to figure out why there is an inconsistency and remedy it. You might want to wait on reformulation.

This palette retails for $42 and is available from Anastasia's website, Ulta, Sephora and Beautylish.

I believe it will be in stores around the 15th.

Thanks for reading!