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Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette – Review and Swatches

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SELF PURCHASED / AFFILIATE LINKS

 

Ah, Too Faced has done it once again with a new addition to their Chocolate line.  I have been sitting on this palette now since before the holidays, playing with it and using it in looks and now I am comfortable sharing my thoughts on the Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette with all of you.

Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette

Released just before the Christmas Holiday, Too Faced rolled out their Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette retailing for $49.00 on the website as well as via Sephora.com which is where I purchased mine.  This palette 16 antioxidant rich shadows, that are cocoa powder infused and include a mix of matte and shimmer shades.  Caramels, deep mocha shades, bronze tones and chocolate hues all offer a gorgeous array of eye shadows as well as a pop of blue and a sugar topper shade.

Each shadow has a net weight of 0.95g/0.03 oz for a total weight of 13.3g/0.42oz for the entire palette.  Just like with the original Chocolate Bar palette from Too Faced, when you open the palette, you immediately get hit with the scent of chocolate though it is not powerful enough to last on your face after application.  Be sure to check out my video review here for my live thoughts on this palette.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar vs Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette vs Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette.

I reviewed the original Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette around this time last year (you can see that review here) and it truly is a palette I love and have enjoyed using.  While the Semi Sweet Palette is very similar in packaging, it is thinner than the original and one change Too Faced did was to include the names of the shadows on the palette itself which I really like.  While I enjoy it’s slimmer packaging, I do think the magnetic closure on the Semi Sweet Palette is not as strong as the original and because of this, when I dropped the palette, one of the shadows shattered.  I have dropped the original palette many many times and none of the shadows have broken over the last year that I have owned it.

Romantic Sparkle New Year's Eve Makeup look

Besides the packaging… I’m loving the Semi Sweet palette just as much as I adore and love the original.  While some of the shades in both palettes are similar in tone, I still consider them different and I’m glad that those are in each because that will allow me to create one look with just one palette instead of going back and forth.  I think the similarities in each palette are some of my staples… so therefore, if similar, it doesn’t bother me.

Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette

The shades in this palette offer a range that is a little warmer than that of the original, however – if you are one for cool-toned shades, I still think there are ways to make this work.  Overall the palette itself is a great neutral toned palette offering a variety of neutral based shades.  Blueberry Swirl and Pink Sugar are the two shades in the palette that I think I will not get as much use out of but I think they are still pretty.

Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette Swatches

The shades in the top row (pictured above) are gorgeous and Coconut Creme has been my go-to browbone highlight because it blends out nicely offering just a light and natural looking highlight.  Hot Fudge (which is the shade I shattered) is one of my favorites and I think works well as a lid shade, worked into the crease or as a wash of color.

Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette Swatches

The middle row of shadows (pictured directly above) offers two shades that while I think are cool, I think they definitely could have been replaced with something else.  Pink Sugar is like a topper type shade.  It reminds me a flakie glitter I would use on my nails and applies as such.  There is no even application and it can barely be seen on its own.  I use this particular shadow as a topper over other shadows for an extra sparkle.  While a cool concept (if that is what it was meant to be), I think it definitely was a miss for me in this palette.

The blue shade in this row – Blueberry Swirl, is a gorgeous blue shade but it does take some time to build the shade up.  If using in your outer v or to deepen the crease, I think this would be a great shade to build up without overdoing it, but on it’s own, it may take some finesse and a little effort to get it to the pigmentation level if used as a lid shade.  It’s gorgeous… but does require a little work in my opinion.  I don’t think it’s a shade that makes the palette, but it is a nice addition.

I have been using Peanut Butter as my transition shade for most of the looks I have created using this palette.  It’s such a gorgeous color and blends so nicely.  Considering this is a matte shade, it offers great pigmentation, silky feel and has been my go-to transition shade for my looks lately.

Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette Swatches

The third row of shadows sports a gorgeous gold shade which I have been enjoying as a highlight shade on the inner corner of my eye.   I think all of the shades in this row could be used in an every day look or all over the lid shades as well.  Mousse is a great transition shade too.

Used with and over a primer and /or base, you can expect these shadows to last all day.  I used them one day over regular primer and it didn’t budge till I removed it 10 hours later.  All of my swatches are done on my bare arm in natural lighting.  While you can use these shadows without a base or primer, it is certainly suggested.

Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette

Overall I’m very impressed with this palette.  I’ll be honest in saying that I think I really needed both of them – original and this one, but seeing as this palette was purchased at a discount and deal, I did get a great buy.  If I had to really choose one of them, I would say go with the original Too Faced Palette.  I will say however, I haven’t really put down the Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar palette since I bought it and have been loving it.  While a few shades in this palette are not for me, I think I do love it regardless.  The palette does come with a Glamour Guide so you can use those as inspiration or step by step to create looks utilizing the shades in your Semi Sweet palette.  Remember… this palette seems to not have the durability as the original when it comes to closure, so I would be careful with travel though this palette does offer a nice size mirror and is compact if needed on the go.

Quick little tidbit… Too Faced Co-Founder & CCO Jerrod Blandino was inspired to infuse antioxidant-rich cocoa in makeup while getting a chocolate facial at a Hawaiian Spa.  Being a Hawaii girl, I thought that was such an interesting and fun fact and I wanted to share that with you.  Research has shown that the smell of cocoa can improve your mood and make you more relaxed… yum – I think I’ll grab me a piece of chocolate now. 😉

Have you tried any of the Too Faced Chocolate Infused products?  If you have, what are your favorites?  What about the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palettes, which do you prefer?  Do you own them both?  Do you have any on your wishlist?  I’d love to hear from you so leave a comment below and let me know.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I’ll see you next time!

Signature Honey

Disclaimer:  This product was purchased with my own money.  While this post includes affiliate links, I was not compensated to provide this review and all thoughts and opinions on this product are my own, unbiased and 100% honest.

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Gorgeous, Tangle-Free Curls With KISS InstaWave Automatic Curler

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It’s no secret that I have really curly hair.  As a kid, I hated my curls and since my hair was really really long most of my life, I wore my hair pulled back and away from my face.  Over the last couple of years, I have been trying to embrace wearing my hair down and my curls wild and free.  But, while I am learning to love my natural hair, I do love larger curls or curls that are not so tight as mine can be and that is where hair tools come into play.  While I have a variety of curling wands in different shapes and barrel sizes, I never tried an automatic curler before.  I’ll be honest in saying that when I first heard of the product, I was a bit intrigued and hesitant, not knowing how this would work with my already curly hair.  The KISS InstaWave Automatic Curler is an interesting tool to say the least.

KISS InstaWave Automatic Curler

The revolutionary KISS InstaWave is a fully automatic tangle-free curler that instantly creates beautiful, long-lasting curls with ease.  Their claim is that you do not need to be a pro to create gorgeous curls and you can bring the salon home.  At first glance I was a bit hesitant to use this product as I wondered how it would work with my already very curly and very long hair.  After reading the directions several times and finally diving into the product, my hair got tangled so many times that I was worried to keep working at it.  With trial and error, I realized some things I needed to change in order to use the product and I also learned what it can and cannot do with my hair since my hair is so long and curly.  It took a lot of testing and trying (which I was not too happy about since I don’t really use heat on my hair), but the curler wand and I finally found an easy way to work with the hair tool that worked for me.  More details about my results below.

KISS InstaWave Automatic Curler

The InstaWave Automatic Curler has Diamond-Ceramic Technology.  Infusion of diamond and ceramic particles enhance the durability while maintaining ionic effects for healthy shiny styling results.  Don’t forget to check out the video demo (embedded below), or click here to watch directly on YouTube.

The KISS InstaWave is a fully automatic tangle-free curler that claims to easily create beautiful curls.  This tool is supposed to be easy to use for anyone, any angle and any hand.  The unit features a curl dial with left/right curl directions and automatically shuts off after 90 minutes.  You have two heat settings with low/high switch and a maximum temperature of 420 degrees.

KISS InstaWave Automatic Curler

After almost a month of working with the product, the InstaWave is now fairly easy for me to use, but it didn’t come without a lot of tangling and smoke.  While I was pretty intimidated to use the product at first, I noticed that as easy as it is, there is definitely some trial and error for some hair types.

I have found that when my hair is dry (coarse) – my hair can tangle quite easily in the unit while curling and when my hair is soft, the unit curls my hair easily, without effort or issues.  I love that you can curl left or right directions.  Since my hair is so long, I love that this offers my arms a little relaxation and I am not spending hours curling my hair due to the length.  So far the curls stay in my hair for quite a while after set, but my hair has always held its curls so I didn’t think that would be an issue.

KISS InstaWave Automatic Curler

Curling your hair kind of easy.  Simply hold the InstaWave vertically and place a section of hair on the InstaWave curling rod.  Pressing the right/left button until all of your hair wraps around the barrel and then releasing the button.  Hold your hair in place from 5-10 seconds (longer for tighter curls and less for beachy waves).  Pull the InstaWave down vertically letting the hair out.

While the directions say 5-10 seconds should be good… I notice that my hair can actually start to burn.  The unit gets hot VERY quickly so I try to take the wand out of my hair faster than the suggested time.  If you have long, curly hair as I do – I think there can definitely be a learning curve to the process, but once I started to figure it out, it seemed to work nicely for me.  I can say this much… it surely saved me a lot of aches in my arms and shoulders from holding them up so long.

KISS InstaWave Automatic Curler

Photo above is with the curls right after removing from barrel – unstyled.  After using the tool on my entire length of my hair and my whole head, I also realized that you can’t really get very close to your scalp – in my case, it was not a pretty sight when it tangled.  If you are looking for curls nearer to your scalp or longer curls, I don’t suggest this tool.  Also – if you notice your hair has tangled, what I did is reverse the barrel direction so it would unwrap your hair from the barrel.  If that didn’t work, I turned off the unit and removed my hair the best as possible.  While this did end up working for me after many tries… I wish there were a way to try out the product without heat first so you can get the hang of learning how to curl your hair properly without worry of burning your hair.  I have burned my hair MANY times trying to figure out how to use this product… so it would have been great to be able to turn on the rotating section of it first, before adding the heat.

KISS InstaWave Automatic Curler

Photo above is with my hair curled using the InstaWave Automatic Curler.  I have run my finger through the curls to loosen them and style.  I concentrated all of the curls towards the lower part of my hair to give it that sultry, sexy look – which is actually different from how my hair would look with my normal curls.

Overall, while this product took a lot of trial and error, tangles and some heat burns, I have enjoyed using it as it has offered me the chance to curl my hair without too much strain on my carpal tunnel or my arms.  Doing my hair was easy and I was ready to go in a shorter time frame.  If you have straight hair or shorter hair than I do – you may have an easier time to use this product than I did.  I also suggest that you test small sections to learn how to use the product itself.

Signature Honey

This product was sent to me for review purposes.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and all views/opinions are 100% honest and unbiased.  This product was sent to me via Brandbacker.

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Paper and Twine Liquid Chalkers

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Who doesn’t like to doodle?  If you have seen my desk, then you will see that I am a doodler.  I’m a doodler with pens and pencils in every color, dry erase markers and sharpies in every possible shade and paper and post-its filled with my scribbles to last a lifetime.  I use these not only to keep my hands busy, but also to leave little notes of affirmation, love and inspiration to those around me and now I have something new to have fun with.  Recently I was introduced to Liquid Chalkers by Paper and Twine.  Let me just say this doodle bug smiled from ear to ear upon receipt of them and I haven’t put them down since.  Paper and Twine Liquid Chalkers are a fun little treat and I want to share them with all of you.

Paper and Twine Liquid chalkers

Paper & Twin’s Platinum Collection Liquid Chalkers retail for $18.99 and contain artist quality, hyper pigmented ink that provides you with bright, bold, beautiful colors.  Each chalker has marker type tips that don’t dry out or crack are easy to use and easy to get the ink flowing.  Created by a proud mother of three to enhance their creativity, Louise Fox made sure that Kids always come first and these chalkers contain completely non-toxic ink meeting stringent EN71-3, ASTM 4963 and ASTM D4236 standards.  They also do not have a scent… woohoo – I love this.  If you do smell anything, it is faint and doesn’t make you nauseous like dry erase markers can do.

Paper and Twine Liquid chalkers

The Liquid Chalkers set comes with eight gorgeous and vibrant shades.  With a chisel type marker tip – you need to first shake your pen a bit and then depress the marker until the liquid ink comes out.  I depressed my markers on average about 35 times each and once the ink came out, it flowed easily and quickly.  These markers have made it fun for me to leave little notes on the mirrors in our house, little affirmations for my family to start their day with.  In my car, I will sometimes write a little quote or just a heart on my mirror to remind me that love heals everything for those days when a little smile can go a long way.  Since we live on the mountain and driving to town is a little bit of a way, I let the boys use the markers to draw on a dry erase board I have for them.  (Note: I have tinted windows so I do not allow the boys to write on the inside of the windows since the tints are applied from the inside) Removing your artwork is as easy as wiping down the surface with a cloth or a wipe – so easy to remove.

Paper and Twine Liquid chalkers

These pens are completely dust free for non-porous surfaces.  The best places to use these are best used on mirrors, glass, desks and metal but make sure you test the liquid chalk ink on any new surface in a small inconspicuous section first.  That way you can see if it wipes off that surface or not.  We have not had any issues wiping it off our mirrors, glass and windows.

They also offer a 365 Money Back Guarantee – try these chalkers for 365 days and if you don’t like them, they will give you a full no-hassles refund.  But, after using these the last month – I think you’ll enjoy them.  This has been a great mommy tool for the boys to engage in creativity while on the go and for decorating.  And, my office supplies have enjoyed the fact that I am not using up a ton of post-its to put on the mirror for inspirational days. lol

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA & STOCKING STUFFERS IDEA – Colour Pop Cosmetics

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So it is no secret that I’m a fan of Colour Pop Cosmetics, having posted about this brand several times and creating looks using these products.  At just $5.00 each shadow and/or Lippy Stix or Lip Pencil, these make great stocking stuffers and Holiday Gifts.  I figured I would share a few goodies I picked up along with swatches so you could decide if this is something you want to add to your Holiday Wish List or something you may want to pick up for the beauty lover in your life.

Colour Pop

I got two of the Holiday Sets still available on Colour Pop’s website.  Each Holiday Set was $30 and not only did I get free shipping with an order of $30 or more, but each set includes six products.

Check out the video embedded below where I walk you through all the goods or click here to watch directly on Youtube.

Not A Box Of Chocolates is a set that includes six single eye shadows conveniently in a box ready to give or receive.  The collection includes a variety of shade textures from satin, metallic, pearlized and matte.  The collection is limited edition so you will not be able to buy the shadows in this set individually.

Colour Pop Not a Box of Chocolates

This set is available till the Holidays or until it sells out – but I definitely suggest it. The colors are absolutely gorgeous and great for those who want a little sparkle in their life but still want shades they can wear and get good use out of.  I love how it has Holiday inspired shades but you can use them together or on their own to customize your makeup look.

Colour Pop Not a Box of Chocolates

Top to Bottom – Left to Right:  Halo (satin luxe), Tinsel (metallic), Partridge (pearlized), Sleigh (metallic), Drift (pearlized), Doe-A-Deer (matte).

Choosing a favorite color from this collection is near to impossible because they are all very gorgeous shades.  If you watched the video, I talk about Partridge being a possible dupe for MAC’s blue brown pigment.  The shade is slightly different with a difference in hues, but it can totally be used for similar looks.  I swatched both shades side by side in the video, so you can check that out here.

Colour Pop Not a Box of Chocolates

Swatches from Left to Right – Halo, Tinsel, Partridge, Sleigh, Drift and Doe-A-Deer is the purple shade that is swatched on the top.

Each shade is very pigmented with one swipe and provides great color pay off and longevity.  The swatches below are the same from above, but the below photo was taken almost 10 hours later after washing dishes 3 times.  As you can see – the wear on these shadows is absolutely awesome.  The swatches were done without primer, so you can only imagine what it is like over a primer or base.  These shadows are perfect for an all over wash of color or for a quick makeup look on your way out of the door.

Colour Pop Not a Box of Chocolates

If you are not looking to pick up a Holiday set – check out any of Colour Pop’s single shadows – again, sold for $5 each and available in a variety of shades.  Pictured below I have So Quiche, Cricket, Hammered and Mittens, though there are a plethora of shades you can choose from at the affordable $5 price tag.  Pick and choose your shades and spend $30 or more and get free shipping in the US.

Colour Pop Shadows

The second set I picked up was a Lippie Stix set in Forget the Fruit Cake.  This set includes 6 limited edition lippies, 2 in their Hyper glossy finish and 4 in their matte finish.  The shades are gorgeous and perfect for the Fall and Winter season trends.

Colour Pop Lippie Stix Forget the fruit cake

Just like the eye shadow set – the lippie stix set comes in a cute gift box, ready for gift giving.  The set is $30 and includes colors that are full of pigmentation and bold colors.  Since this is a limited edition collection, once it sells out or once Holidays are over – it may not be available, so you definitely want to get your hands on them soon.

Colour Pop Lippie Stix Forget the fruit cake

Left to Right – Flawless (satin), Leather (matte), Tutu (matte), Lady (matte), Cheers (matte), Confetti (hyper glossy), Tuxedo (hyper glossy), Cookie (matte).

Flawless and Leather were purchased separately – they are not a part of of the collection Forget the Fruit Cake.  I included them in the swatches because each of them are just $5.00 and available for purchase separately.  If you love wearing dark berry or purple lippies, these would be fabulous lippie stix to add to your cart.  If the Forget the Fruit Cake collection is not for you, you do have other options for lipsticks, including the Preferred To Pudding Set which includes Colour Pops best selling lippies.  You can also pick and choose the shades you want from their permanent line.

Colour Pop Lippie Stix Forget the fruit cake

My hope is that Colour Pop decides to make the lippies in the Forget the Fruit Cake set and the shadows in Not A Box of Chocolates available as single shadows because each are gorgeous and would do well on their own.  I’ve been impressed with Colour Pop now since the first time I used their shadows and each color range they have continues to amaze me.  If you have six friends that are beauty lovers, it would be a great way to introduce them to this brand by choosing out 6 shades to give to each friend and put it in their stocking for Christmas.  I know I would love this as a present, so I’m sure they will love it too.  Check out what Colour Pop has to offer – a wide range of shades… and see if they will make your Holiday Wish List this year.

Signature Honey

Disclaimer:  All products discussed in this post were purchased by me with my own money.  All opinions are my own and I was not paid or sponsored to provide any information regarding this company or their products.

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InstaNatural Age-Defying Skin Clearing Serum

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I’m a huge fan of Instanatural products having tried a few of the products they offer in the past and still continuing to use some of them.  Recently I have been using their Age Defying Skin Clearing Serum for flawless and youthful skin and here are my thoughts on this product.

InstaNatural

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Retailing for about $38.00 (currently on sale on Amazon for about $24.00), this serum includes 1 fl oz worth of product and comes in a pretty attractive dropper type bottle.  With 20% Vitamin C, this formula contains professional strength ingredients to offer a powerful antioxidant that repairs damaged skin and protect against future damage.  Like some of my favorite Vitamin C serums, this product also contains Hyaluronic Acid which helps to boost the skin’s ability to retain moisture – which is important for my dry skin. Together these two ingredients work well to renew skin and reduce the signs of aging to include wrinkles, fine lines and hyper-pigmentation. This particular serum is a gentle formula and suitable for all skin types – even oily skin and glides on smoothly, absorbs quickly and won’t irritate or burn your skin.  Made in the USA & Cruelty Free, this serum does not contain harmful ingredients such as alcohol, parabens and sulfates.

InstaNatural

 

Ingredients include: Deionized Water, Organic Aloe, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), MSM, Vegan Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide), Retinol, Olive Oil Squalene, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Rosehip Seed Oil, Carbomer, L-arginine, Pink Grapefruit Essential Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, Ylang Ylang Essential Oil, Organic Gotu Kola, Wildcrafted Horsetail , Wildcrafted Dandelion , Wild Geranium , Phenoxyethanol, Ethyl Hexyl Glycerin

Used in combination with my normal skin care products, I apply this serum at night to help rejuvenate and soothe my skin and prep it for the next day.  This serum is not too heavy – liquid like in texture with very little scent.  It applies nicely and soaks into the skin quickly allowing me to be able to apply my other skin care products shortly after.  Like any of the vitamin c type serums I use or have used, I have noticed similar results but I love using this product in combination with my favorites because it works just as well if not better.

Signature Honey

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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