What I want to put in my Unii: A Makeup Review

Awww. My Unii Palette didn't arrive today because, according to the seller, the courier wasn't able to pick it up in time. Oh well. No big.

So for now, I'll just show you what I plan to put in my Unii and give a short review on each of them.

First up: my unbranded 78 color makeup palette. I got this sometime around Christmas last year. It's very similar to the one being sold by Coastal Scents (they're probably the exact same thing, just rebranded). Many online beauty stores sell these kinds of palettes along with the more popular 88 color palettes. The one I got comes with 72 eyeshadows and 6 blushes.

Google image search result from here.

Checking the Multiply Marketplace, I've found that the price range for this one runs at around Php 750-900. Some sell it for much higher but I don't recommend getting those since I think they're all the same, really. Mine was a steal. I got it on sale for only Php 550 but I can't remember where (I'm so sorryyy T_T). I do remember that the seller was Cebu-based so I got free shipping when I asked them to ship it to our house in Cebu. Good deal!

Just a side note: Yes, I like makeup, but I'm not obsessed enough to blow all my money on it. I'm a real cheapskate, in fact. Though I wouldn't buy something just because it's cheap, I try to look for the best value for money and I (almost obsessively) look for the best deals. Very rarely, I will splurge on something, mostly because I hear rave reviews about it. As in RAVE REVIEWS -- like the whole beauty blogging world is talking about it (ex. Revlon Lip Butters). Lately, I've been constantly checking local availability for the Urban Decay Naked Palette. But I just can't bring myself to spend Php 3,000 for a set of eyeshadows, no matter how pretty they are and how much the beauty world loves it.*sigh* Maybe someone can gift it to me.*ehem ehem* Hehe. For now I shall content myself with my el cheapo palette, which we shall be getting back to.

Google image search result from here.

Aaaanyway (I rambled, sorry)... As for the quality of the 78 color palette, it's kind of hit-and-miss with this one. Some of the eyeshadow have good pigmentation, particularly the shimmers and the bright colored ones. The rectangular shadows are especially good (love those). Some of them need to be applied heavily for the color to show. And there are one or two that don't even show up at all. It's like I didn't even pick up any powder. Maybe it's just because the color was too close to my skin color? I dunno. The blushes are okay. My favorite is the third one from the left. The other blushes are either too light or too shimmery. I'd like to post swatches and actual photos but the camera is with Dax. Maybe later.

This palette is the main reason I want the Unii. The 78 color palette is far from compact (a little bigger than 9"x6.5"). I love some of the colors but obviously don't use the others. It's a pain to bring all of it around. I used this palette for my Oath Taking makeup and had to bring the whole freaking thing for touch-ups. I left it in the car.-_- When I travel, I have to settle for some of my smaller eyeshadow compacts whose colors I don't like as much. With the Unii I can just depot my favorites and bring just those. Pwede na ba kong pang-marketing ng Unii? Hahaha.

Let's move on to the next item on my list. This one was definitely a splurge for me. I got the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in "Exposed" from Stuff in Style for Php 1,200. Yeah, 1,200 smackers for one single blush. But this was one of those rave-review items that I was able to convince myself to buy because people kept saying that when they tried this, they didn't want to use any other blush anymore. And I rationalized it by telling myself it'll last me a long time. Heh.

Photo from Tarte's website.

I can say this is a really good blush. Beautiful texture and quality. Even the way it looks in the pan -- so pretty! "Exposed"is a matte brownish/nude pink and looks very natural on my skin tone. However, sometimes I feel like it's too natural looking. I think it's because I'm used to the pinkness of my trusty Ever Bilena lip and cheek stain. I'm not sure about the 12-hour wear time either. When I apply it in the morning, by mid-afternoon I feel like my face could use more color. But again, maybe it's because it's too natural looking.

I'm a wee bit bummed that I'm not super happy about something I spent so much for. Maybe I should have gotten a pinker shade instead. It gives a very nice, subtle contour to my cheeks, though. I think the color "Exposed" would work well for fairer skinned individuals or for the "no-makeup makeup" looks on those with medium skin. I do like it enough for it to go into my Unii, so there.

The last item I'll be talking about is the "Nose Shadow" from Saizen (you know, that awesome Japanese store where everything is priced at Php 85). Another one of my cheap finds which I got for, well, Php 85. It's a compact that contains a brown contour color, and a white highlight color.

Photo from Saizen's Multiply site.

In the pan, you can see that the brown has some shimmer to it, but when applied it's not noticeable at all. I use the brown to contour not just my nose, but my cheeks, forehead and chin, as well. The white, I apply to the bridge of my nose, brow bone, and the inner corners of my eyes. The lids of these things keep breaking off on me, though. So once again, I'm happy I can depot this and place it in a more secure container. Hihihi.

When I finally get my much-awaited Unii, I'll probably write about how I'm going to depot everything, too. I'm a bit nervous, about depotting my favorite eyeshadows 'cause I don't want them to break in the process. Here's to hoping they all survive.

- Jix.