Morphe Brushes 35E Palette and 35P Palette (Swatch + Review)

If you missed the first part of my Morphe Brushes haul on the Jaclyn Hill Favorites Palette and 35O Palette, you can catch up here. Today's post is about the other 2 palettes and brushes that I bought from the Morphe Store in LA. Read on to see swatches and hear my thoughts :)

Morphe Brushes Jacyln Hill Favorites Palette and 35O Palette (Swatch + Review)

Hey everyone! Today I am sharing with you 2 of the palettes that I bought when I had the chance to visit the Morphe Brushes store in Burbank, LA. 

Before I get into the review and swatches, here are my overall thoughts across all 4 palettes that I purchased:

♡ They are definitely great value for the price if you divide it by each pan in the palettes (50c - $1 for each shadow). I think they are great for people just starting out and might want to experiment with a range of colours.

♡ The packaging is quite crappy, I appreciate the snap closure but it does feel really thin and flimsy. I guess that is a factor that keeps the brand so inexpensive though. Probably not something you'd ever want to travel with. 

♡ There is a smell to the eyeshadows that is really off-putting - an industrial, cheap, powdery smell? It's not super obvious but when I do get a whiff of it, I'm like uh uh.

♡ The matte eyeshadows were hit and miss. Even when they were good, they were not amazing. I had trouble with a lot of the mattes in a couple of these palettes. They felt stiff and went on patchy.

♡ The metallic eyeshadows however, are incredible in colour payoff and texture, almost like cream shadows to the touch. By far my favourite thing about these palettes.

♡ I had some issues with the rich purples and burgundies staining my fingers and arm pink when I was swatching them and removing the swatches. I've never had a eyeshadow do that to me before so I'm wondering if that's because the eyeshadows are that cheap... probably not a good thing.

♡ I had no problems with fallout or longevity with any of the shadows. They lasted all day for me creasing or fading. I always wear an eye primer anyway.

Read on to see my swatches and reviews :)

IOPE Air Cushion XP Compact in #N23 (Review)

I don't think I have ever tried a Korean foundation or bb cream that I actually like so I was really not expecting to fall completely in love with the latest trend in Korean/asian beauty - "Cushion Compacts" (CC). If you don't know what CCs are, I'll sum it up for you. Basically they function like a wet compact, housing a makeup base-soaked sponge (with foundation or BB cream) and a non-absorbing puff to use with it. The applicator has a velvety texture to it so it doesn't soak up any product. When you dip it into the compact, air is pumped into the foundation-soaked sponge to release and press the thinnest layer of foundation onto the puff. The key to application is to tap the product in lightly so all the product transfers and melts into your skin, leaving it with a seamless finish. The foundation formula and sponge collectively work to give you with the much-coveted dewy no-makeup makeup look that you see on many Korean celebrities. You can also carry it with you on the go for touch-ups and it wouldn't cake up (much like powder foundations do). Most of the CCs on the market have a high SPF and many beneficial ingredients for your skin as well. 

IOPE is a high-end Korean beauty brand and was one of the first brands in Asia to launch the Cushion Compact. My mum purchased one when she went to Korea and after trying hers, I had to buy one for myself.

Travel Visuals: LA

Los Angeles was the first leg of my US trip and it's funny, I didn't think I liked it very much at the time that I was there but coming back to LA at the end of my trip to fly home and looking at these photos now, I have a newfound appreciation for Cali and all its palm trees.

HK + US Trip Haul

These were the goodies that I managed to accumulate on my 7 weeks away from home... I love a good haul post just as much as anyone, they're some of my favourite posts to read but oh man, the guilt is so real when it is your own haul, especially one this big ^_^' Honestly, it could have been worse. Who am I kidding, I'm just saying that to make myself feel better. But seriously, you don't know what I'm capable of - If I REALLY put my mind to it, I could have done a whole lot more damage. (See, I feel better already)
Our dollar was so weak at the time I exchanged my money (and still is), it was actually heartbreaking. I tried my hardest to get products that weren't as readily available in Australia or things that were considerably cheaper but even then, a few cheeky purchases made their way into my luggage. Let's be real, I reached VIB status pretty quickly. It was hilarious when I did because the girl serving me at the counter kept shouting "I APPRECIATE YOU!" at me over and over and I was just like uhh thanks..? It was really confusing and embarrassing coz she wouldn't stop and there was a huge line behind me. This Sephora status also meant that I got to pick up a lot of these things during the 20% off VIB sale though.

SooOoOooo 6 palettes as well as a bunch of single eyeshadows were probably a bit of an overkill on the eyeshadow front but I didn't really plan on buying 4 Morphe palettes. That literally happened on our last day in LA - we had already packed and checked out of our hotel. We needed to kill time before our flight and this was my idea of killing time - to visit the Morphe store.
Safe to say, I am definitely on an eyeshadow ban now which is sad because I really want to try out Makeup Geek eyeshadows T_T. Maybe when I get a job, that can be my reward. I will say now though, I am making an exception for the Too Faced Bon Bons palette when it hits Aussie shores in March so don't berate me for that. This is also the part where I confess that I ordered ONE Colourpop eyeshadow with my friend when she put in an order last week. Ok I promise that's it.
I realised last year that I hardly owned any bright or colourful eyeshadows. Everything I had was on the safe and neutral side. I hope that with these additions, I can try and be a little more adventurous/creative with my makeup looks and perhaps I will document them here.

Looking back now, I kind of wish I picked up more skincare products. I think part of the reason I didn't is because I am really happy with my skincare routine at the moment and I don't really want to disrupt that.
I probably won't get around to reviewing every last item but I will definitely try and throw up some reviews and keep you guys updated with how I'm liking everything through other posts such as favorites, empties etc. Sorry if this post seemed really rambley, I'm high on makeup.

Let me know if there are any particular products that you want me to review or do a post on first :) 

And while I am asking:

What would you like to see more posts of in 2016 on Status Chlo? 

chloé

Dear 2016...

Not usually a resolutions gal, but this year I decided to set myself a few goals that I am motivated to achieve:

1. Find a full time job
   Now that I have graduated, taken some time off and done some travelling, I am ready for the next phase of my adulthood haha.
2. Ride my bike a few times a week
   I was reminded how much I actually liked riding on my trip so as someone who isn't the most active person, this is the exercise I have chosen to commit myself to this year! Let's do this.
3. Read at least 50 books 
   I used to love reading all though my childhood and high school life. Somehow this took a back seat when I was drowning in course-related readings instead during uni. Now that I have a Kindle, I plan to get right back into it. Connect with me on my Goodreads account.
4. Try to use up / declutter beauty products in my stash
   This probably sounds semi-like-a-joke since I just bought a ridiculous amount of makeup on my trip however, I did pack a lot of products to finish during my holiday and it felt so good to use up and get rid of things that have just been sitting around. I plan to continue doing this and make a conscious effort to use up whatever I can.
5. Purge closet
   On the same wavelength as my last goal, my wardrobe needs a gooood clear out to make room for new clothes! I also really need to cut down my shoe collection. I'm hoping to sell some of the things online or at Camberwell Market to make a little of it back. Especially if I need to eventually invest in a work wardrobe. 

+ a bonus: blog more consistently and regularly :) 

On a final note, as I have finally learnt to do so in 2015, I will continue to look myself - surround myself with positive, sincere and good people, appreciate every moment with loved ones, try to get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet and have fun :)

Voilà! That's all I really want for 2016 and I hope that I can share it all with you guys throughout the year and live up to my word.

Do you have any key resolutions for the year?

chloé

Travel Visuals: Hong Kong

Hey everyone! Feels so good to be blogging again and for the first time in 2016. I hope everyone had wonderful festivities with their family and friends over the last couple of weeks.  I was very happy to be home for the holidays after an incredible but exhausting 6 week trek around the U.S.

As an adult, I've never really gone so far away for so long and the trip definitely exceeded all expectations. I also feel that I have a newfound motivation for what this year might bring and the challenges that I may face. It's a really nice feeling to not be afraid but to be excited for the next stage in my life.

I want to share some of my favourite photos from my trip but since I was away for so long, I will break them up into each of the cities I had the pleasure of visiting. First stop: Hong Kong.