♕ Make Up Look ~ Purple Rain ♕{Feat. Freedomination Collection}

If I'd have to name one of my favourite looks I've made in the last couple of month, I'll surely name this one immediately! I love everything about this look ♥__♥
And to think that I was going for "something simple" - I wanted to try this particular eyeliner style (inspired by the amazing @SwayzeMorgan on Instagram) that is really rock and bold... But I ended up doing this purple look with tons and tons of glitters XD

I used all NABLA eyeshadows for this look, mostly from the Freedomination Collection - and I think this look represents quite well the concept of freedom, with the bold lines and the glitter rain :D Speaking of glitters, these ones are by Glitter Palace (I mentioned them in my Summer Most Played): they're named Aretha and are made of purple stars, hexagons, holographic discs and a pinch of red dust. They really added a special touch to the look, love them *_* Lats, the eyeliner is once again Trooper by Kat Von D ♥

After priming my lids I started right away with the lid shade: I used Eresia* on both upper and lower lids. When I reached the crease area, I started blending it with a clean brush; then I applied Lotus* into the crease and on the outer corner, patiently blending it out to achieve a  soft and smooth C shape. (On a side note, these new Super Matte shadows are beyond amazing: the pigmentation is great and they're so easy to blend. In case you haven't got any yet, I highly recommend to buy them!)
I also blended Lotus on the lower lid, then I moved to the transition shade: I used Peach Velvet (which is from the plain Matte range) to soften the shape even more - I wanted a really subtle blending. Needless to say, I used Peach Velvet on the lower lid too. Once I was happy with the blending, I applied Antique White on my brow bone (I might have to buy a new one soon, it's my most used eyeshadow ever XD). I defined my lower lashline using a black eyeshadow (Nocturne) and, lastly, for my inner corner highlight, I used Alchemy.

Eyeliner time! Using the Tattoo Liner in Trooper by Kat Von D Beauty I did the winged line first - which is pretty thin at the beginning, then get thicker and thicker towards the outer corner, and ends with a bold, slightly curved wing. Then I added the zigzag detail - which was trickier than I anticipated, it took me a while to nail the pattern - then I added the line and the point on the inner corner.
At this point I was ready to make it rain glitters XD I applied a thin layer of eyelash glue on the centre of the upper lid (going up to the crease) and I dabbed the Aretha glitters over it; I kept adding glitters until I was happy with the result, then I moved on the lower lid: I applied the glue on the centre, moving downwards, tear-like - then once again I dabbed the glitters over it. (N.B. I applied my foundation before this step, of course!)
Once I was done with the glitters all I had to do was applying the usual black eyepencil on my waterline, then false lashes and mascara.

Face

- MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Foundation NW15 (foundation)

Eyes

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Alchemy" (inner corner)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Eresia"* (upper and lower lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Lotus"* (crease, outer corner, lower lid)

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Peach Velvet" (transition colour)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Antique White" (brow bone)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Nocturne" (lower lashline)
- Glitter Palace loose glitters in "Aretha"

- Kat Von D Beauty Tattoo Liner in "Trooper"

- MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in "Feline" 

- MAC Cosmetics "Extended Play Gigablack Lash" Mascara

- Ardell Lashes Wispies Lashes
- DUO White Eyelash Adhesive

Eyebrows

- NABLA Cosmetics Brow Pot in "Mars"*

Brushes

- 239 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 217 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 213 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 224 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- Short Smudge (A13)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set)
- Fluffy Pencil (A12)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set)

- Large Fluffy Shader (A06) ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set)

- Lip Liner (A15)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Bombshell Set)
- Accent Brush ~ Real Techniques
- Precision Crease (A16) ~ Spectrum Collections

Hope you liked this bold, rock and glittery look ;D

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes ♥

*Disclaimer: Starred products are press samples, sent by respective brands for me to test and review.

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♕ Summer 2017 Most Played ♕

Summer is officially over so it's time to wrap it up and see what I've used/loved the most during this past season! I'm a little late this time, but as you may already know I've just started makeup school so I'm still in the process of settling into my new daily routine.

This summer was filled with tons of new entries - at least, for my standards XD Eyeshadows, lipsticks, face products, glitters... One of everything, basically - and I don't even know where to start from XD

As always, all credits for the Most Played idea go to GoldenVi0let ♥

I guess I'll better start off with the biggest (in terms of size) new entry of the season: the latest collection by NABLA Cosmetics, Freedomination*. I've written two blog posts about it - one regarding the eye products (here) and one dedicated to the face products (here).
This collection is SO big and I did my best to use everything during these past months (I didn't include every single product in the picture for space reasons).

I've used the eyeshadows non-stop, all of them (I even managed to grab the last eyeshadow I was missing, Alchemy!), so much love for them ♥ I also loved the liquid liners, Purity* (mother-of-pearl) and Crystal (blue) - I really, REALLY wish they'd launch a full line of Dazzle Liners: the formula is amazing, high-performing and easy to apply. Klimt is a long time favourite and is the king of all liquid liners, of course I've used it during summer as well :p
Regarding the lip stuff, the shade I've used the most is Perfect Day* (Diva Crime), it's the one that suits me best and also the colour I like the more! Happytude* is my current favourite blush and Obsexed* is my go-to highlighter as of now (I use it on my face of course but also on my eyes as inner corner highlighter).
After more than two months I think this collection truly is bomb, fins... ahm, I mean, hands down. Wondering what they have in store for the winter collection *-*

Let's move on to another big new entry: Sugarpill eyeshadows! *___* Twelve shades in total, still missing the Pro Palette because it was sold out though T_T I've temporarily placed them in a Wycon empty palette I bought for this purpose (side note, in case you're wondering: yeah it's cheap and roomy, but not as sturdy as NABLA's palettes).
I'm not going to talk about them in depth yet, as I'm preparing a haul post with swatches and stuff ;D So forgive me for the suspense, but they do really deserve a blog post on their own! meanwhile, if you click (and thus enlarge) the picture on the left, you'll be able to see each shadow's name. Let me know which ones intrigue you the most :D

Now some odds and ends! I've switched from a mineral foundation I've been using for years and years to a liquid foundation - Pro Longwear in NW15 by MAC Cosmetics. I'm really really happy with it - high performing, extremely long lasting, matches perfectly my skin (thankfully I didn't need to buy two different shades to mix them) and weightless. Please note: it's made for combination/oily skin only! If you have normal or dry skin, just avoid it - it would only dry it out. When I bought I had combination skin (as usual during warmer seasons) - however now my skin is drier so I need to switch again and I'll get the nourishing versions as soon as I use this one up.

Other MAC stuff I've used and loved: my newest lipstick in the shade Brave (Satin) and my current mascara, Extended Play Gigablack Mascara - both suggested by my favourite mua, Moreno Salerno ♥
Brave is my mlbb (my lips but better) lipstick and I wear it on a daily basis. Looks like someone has managed to recreate the exact shade of my lips in a lipstick form, it's simply perfect *_*
Regarding the mascara, he recommended me this one because of its small-sized wand - best-suited for my short lashes. Needless to say, he was so right XD I also love the formula, thin, fluid and pitch-black - which dries out perfectly (so my lashes don't stick on my sunglasses XD) and it's also easy to remove from the skin if you accidentally mess up.

Moving on, let's talk about black eyeliners! I currently have two and I tenderly love them both *_*
The first one I got is the Tattoo Liner in Trooper by Kat Von D Beauty, which I think I bought in April, if my memory serves me right. This is one of the most famous KVD products ever - and now that I use it, I can totally see why. It's fintastic - long lasting and high performing, with the thinnest brush tip which allows to create both basic winged lines but also more graphical styles.
The second one is considered a great alternative to Trooper (and it is, honestly): Epic Ink Liner* by NYX Cosmetics. I received this one about two months ago and I've been alternating these two constantly since then. This one in even blacker, has the thinnest brush tip and the formula is slightly more fluid which makes it quicker to apply (but also need much more accuracy). Love both of them, in case you're wondering XD

Last but not least, glitters! You've already seen my GlitterTubes pressed glitters (here's the haul post) and you've seen them in action during these past six months plenty of times. My most used shades are Brassic, Dory, Splash, Chewee, Sonic, Darling - but I've used every single one a lot, except for Crown (the duller gold) which I don't really like that much.
Anyway, highly recommended, I'm planning to place an order to get more - they are going to launch their own empty, holographic palette and I definitely need to get it so I can store all the pans together in the same place (and bring them at school with me more easily).

Speaking of glitters, I've been also using some loose glitters by Glitter Palace - I didn't write any haul post since I got just for pots, but I will as soon as I get more! They're all SO pretty and I can't even pick my favourite! Shades are Aretha (the purple one), Bey (gold), Billie (large turquoise, pink and purple) and Bob (light blue & pink). They have tons of shades and shapes, I want more XD Even the simplest makeup looks immediately becomes enchanting with a pop of these glitters *_*

Of course with this type of glitters you need a glue. I've been using my DUO lash glue and it works, but it's a little bit uncomfortable to wear on your lids. So I'll probably get a proper glitter glue asap - which helps pressed glitters applications, as it allows to achieve a full covered glittering effect.

That's it for my summer most played/used/loved products! ♥

Any products in common?

Which products did you use the most during this past summer?

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes ♥

*Disclaimer: Starred products are press samples, sent by respective brands for me to test and review.

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♕ Make Up Look ~ Moon's Reflection ♕

Today's look is one of my favourite out of my most recent ones: I created it specifically to try out a couple of products: first of all, one of the new shades from the new Freedomination collection by NABLA Cosmetics - Freestyler. It really intrigued me, so I decided to make a look where it could stand out. Also, I wanted to test the Epic Ink Liner by NYX Cosmetics I recently got in a PR package; it has great feedback so I was so curious to see if it was worth the hype (spoiler: yes, it is! *_*).
Although not having any specific idea (I basically created it as I went) it turned out sooo pretty and dreamy, I love it ♥

Today's "technique" (so to speak) is halo eyes with a partial cut crease - meaning the highlight is on the middle of the lid, and that the cut crease it's focused only on the centre. The end result reminded me so much of the moon shining on the sea at night - and that's why I named it 'moon's reflection'.

As I said I wanted Freestyler to be the main shade, so I used it for the halo - must say, it's such a gorgeous shade! I've been dreaming of a light blue shade like this for ages *-*
The Epic Ink Liner also debuted with this look and it is a new favourite of mine - so far I positively think that it is as good as Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper! Same fine brush applicator, highly performing formula - slightly darker and glossy, the tip doesn't tend to clog like Trooper's. 

First of all, after priming my lids, I created the crease blending: I used Blue Velvet by NABLA as main shade, applying it all over the crease area, outer corner and lower lid. I blended it with Boo Berry by Makeup Geek Cosmetics, to achieve a smooth blending and C shape on the outer corner. As transition shade, to complete the blending, I used Fossil by NABLA.
Once I was done and satisfied with the intensity of the blending, I carved out the half-cut crease using my foundation (Pro Longwear NW15 by MAC Cosmetics): I used a small lip brush to apply the foundation and thus both clean the lid area and also cut the crease. I let it dry for a couple of seconds, then I applied Freestyler all over it - keeping the shape very sharp on the crease area, but gently blended on the corners. Then I added a little bit of Frozen by NABLA right on the center of the halo, just to brighten it up.

Now the fun part - the graphic liner - as I said, I used the Epic Ink Liner in Black by NYX Cosmetics. First of all I did a pretty basic winged line, then I added two 'flicks' on both the outer wing and the inner corner - the first going upwards, the second going downwards. I filled this small areas with Virgin Island by NABLA, just to add a little bit of sparkles to this look!
At this point I was pretty much done: I applied a black eyepencil on my waterline, defined my lashline with a black eyeshadow, applied a cream shadow on my brow bone and, lastly, I applied false lashes and mascara.

Face

- MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Foundation NW15 (foundation)

Eyes

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Virgin Island"* (details)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Freestyler"* (upper lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Frozen" (upper lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Blue Velvet"* (crease, outer corner, lower lid)

- Makeup Geek Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Boo Berry" (crease, outer corner, lower lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Fossil" (transition colour)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Antique White" (brow bone)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Nocturne" (lower lashline)

- NYX Cosmetics Epic Ink Liner in "Black"

- MAC Cosmetics Kohl Power Eye Pencil in "Feline" 

- MAC Cosmetics "Extended Play Gigablack Lash" Mascara

- Ardell Lashes Wispies Lashes
- DUO White Eyelash Adhesive

Eyebrows

- NABLA Cosmetics Brow Pot in "Mars"*

Brushes

- 239 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 217 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 213 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 224 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 2x Short Smudge (A13)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set* BombShell Set*)
- Fluffy Pencil (A12)* ~ Spectrum Collections (BombShell Set*)

- Large Fluffy Shader (A06) ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set)

- 2x Lip Liner (A15)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set, BombShell Set*)

- Accent Brush ~ Real Techniques

- Precision Crease (A16) ~ Spectrum Collections

Hope you liked this dreamy look as well ;D

Do you own Freestyler and/or the Epic Ink Liner? Any thoughts?

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes

*Disclaimer: Starred products are press samples, sent by respective brands for me to test and review.

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♕ The Mermaid Series ~ Alternative Mermaid Look ♕{Feat. Nabla Cosmetics ~ Freedomination Collection}

Happy mermaid Monday everyone! :D

Today's mermaid look is quite unique and definitely showy! I've seen something similar by two artists on Instagram (@makeupbyjanedoe and @azraelia) and, as usual, I decided to give this look a try! It was a great occasion to use some shadows from the new Freedomination Collection by NABLA Cosmetics which, as I've already said many times, gives mermaid vibes. (Here are my overview posts - part 1 and part 2 - about this beautiful collection!)

The thing I love the most is the original fin design - that feels partly mermaid, partly dragon, but also looks like its flowing weightlessly in the water *__* Like some of those fishes which have these huge, thin, ethereal, flow-y fins ♥

I'm not going to lie - this was an extremely challenging look. As you can guess, the most difficult part was the fin(s) design, because I had to go back and forth between the liners and the shadows until it looked decent. I took waaay more time than I anticipated XD

I did my best to create my very own version of this look, adding my own touches here and there - and I'm really happy about it! One thing I forgot to apply, though, were some glitters on the lower lid - sadly I realized that when I had already taken the pictures ._."

After priming my lids I applied a black eyepencil as base on the outer corner of my upper lids: I blended it both outwards and inwards. Thanks to this little trick, when I applied Virgin Island by NABLA all over my lid, it basically looks like I used two different shade - when it's actually just one and the black base beneath it. And that's basically it for the upper lids ( apart eyeliner), then I moved to the outer corner. First of all I applied Blue Velvet by NABLA on the crease and outer corner, blending it out as smoothly and gently as I could. After this preliminary step, I used Dazzle Liners in Crystal and Purity by NABLA to start drawing the fin design. I did that before completing the shadows applications because I needed to actually see the design before proceeding.
I used Crystal to outline the crease and the 'boning', while I used Purity for the - how can I say? - complete the fin design.
Once I did that, I went on with the eyeshadows application: I applied New Heaven by NABLA after Blue Velvet, blending the two shades together (quite tricky, I had to use the tiniest brushes I own). I also applied a little bit of Shore Thing eyeshadow by Makeup Geek Cosmetics after New Heaven, to improve the blending. 

When I was done (and as I said it took me quite some time) I moved back to the upper lid: I applied Crystal as winged liner, but I stopped mid-lid. From that point I applied Tattoo Liner in Trooper by Kat Von D Beauty. I combined the two liner, as I wanted them to look like overlapping, almost interlaced with each other.
On the lower lid I applied New Heaven diffusely, then I applied Blue Velvet closer to the lashline; I defined the lashline using Nocturne (as I always do). On the inner corner I applied Pegasus foiled eyeshadow by Makeup Geek Cosmetics.
I completed this look by applying a black eyepencil on my waterline, false lashes and mascara.

Eyes

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer

- Makeup Geek Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Pegasus" (inner corner)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Virgin Island"* (upper lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Blue Velvet"* (crease, outer corner, lower lid)

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "New Heaven"* (outer corner, lower lid)
- Makeup Geek Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Shore Thing" (transition colour)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Antique White" (brow bone)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Nocturne" (lower lashline)
- NABLA Cosmetics Dazzle Liner in "Purity"*
- NABLA Cosmetics Dazzle Liner in "Crystal"*

- Kat Von D Beauty Tattoo Liner in "Trooper"

- MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in "Feline" 

- MAC Cosmetics "Extended Play Gigablack Lash" Mascara

- Ardell Lashes Wispies Lashes
- DUO White Eyelash Adhesive

Eyebrows

- NABLA Cosmetics Brow Pot in "Mars"*

Brushes

- 239 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 217 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 213 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 224 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 2x Short Smudge (A13)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set*, BombShell Set*)
- 2x Fluffy Pencil (A12)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set*, BombShell Set*)

- Large Fluffy Shader (A06) ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set)

- 2x Lip Liner (A15)* ~ Spectrum Collections (BombShell Set*, Siren Set)
- Precision Crease (A16) ~ Spectrum Collections
- Accent Brush ~ Real Techniques

Hope you enjoyed this fancy mermaid look! ;D

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes ♥

*Disclaimer: Starred products are press samples, sent by respective brands for me to test and review.

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♕ The Mermaid Series ~ Free as a Mermaid ♕{Feat. Nabla Cosmetics ~ Freedomination Collection}

Now that I've posted both part 1 and part 2 of my Freedomination overview, I can show you the looks I'm creating with this lovely collection. (Mind you, I have some previous looks I haven't posted yet, so I'll just alternate them in order to maintain my schedule!)

Today's look is inspired by MrDanielMakeUp (i.e. NABLA's art director), who created this makeup for the Freedomination Collection launch! I really loved the colour combination and I felt the urge to try it *__*
It gave me strong mermaid vibes (just likepart of the collection already did) so I named my version (which is slightly different from his) Free as a Mermaid. 
I think it fits, since mermaids represent, among other things, freedom (of life)... And this collection is all about freedom, right? ;D

(Screenshot from Daniele's video - you can watch it here if you haven't already!

In the picture above you can see Daniele's original look on the beautiful Marina.
As I already said, I kept the colour scheme (for the most part, I just added a couple of shades) but changed the shape a little bit, especially towards the inner corner, because it doesn't suits my eyes! 

After priming my lid I started off by creating the crease/outer corner blending. I applied Lotus first with a big, fluffy blending brush; then I applied Eresia (personal choice, as Daniel's original look doesn't include it), with a flatter blending brush; lastly, I applied Blue Velvet with a fluffy pencil brush. Every time I added a colour, I made sure I blended it carefully with the previous one.
I did the very same thing on the lower lid, and connected the blending on the outer corner - so at this point I achieved a soft V shape.
As I said before, I changed the inner corner shape as the original one doesn't suit my eyes - so I decided to do an half cut crease (I really love this technique!) instead, following my natural crease shape.
On the inner part of the lid I applied New Heaven, then I applied Virgin Island - in both cases, I used smaller, precise brushes to achieve that neat shape. 

Eyeliner time. First of all I applied Tattoo Liner in Trooper by Kat Von D Beauty and created my usual winged line. Then I applied Dazzle Liner in Crystal and drew a partial second line, that starts from the inner corner and ends towards the middle of the lid.
On the waterline I used my favourite black eyepencil (Feline by MAC Cosmetics), as I don't own a proper dark blue pencil; thus I added a little bit of black on my lower lashline too (Nocturne).
I used Millennium as inner corner highlighter, and Antique White on my brow bone.
Final steps: applied false lashes (Wispies by Ardell Lashes) and mascara (Extended Play Gigablack Lash mascara by MAC Cosmetics)

Face

- MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Foundation NW15 (foundation)

Eyes

- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Millennium"* (inner corner)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Virgin Island"* (upper and lower lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Blue Velvet"* (crease, outer corner, lower lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Eresia"* (crease, lower lid)

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Lotus"* (crease, lower lid)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Narciso" (transition colour)
- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Antique White" (brow bone)

- NABLA Cosmetics Eyeshadow in "Nocturne" (lower lashline)
- NABLA Cosmetics Dazzle Liner in "Crystal"*
- Kat Von D Beauty Tattoo Liner in "Trooper"

- MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in "Feline" 

- MAC Cosmetics "Extended Play Gigablack Lash" Mascara

- Ardell Lashes Wispies Lashes
- DUO White Eyelash Adhesive

Eyebrows

- NABLA Cosmetics Brow Pot in "Mars"*

Brushes

- 239 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 217 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 213 ~ MAC Cosmetics
- 224 ~ MAC Cosmetics

- 2x Short Smudge (A13)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set*, BombShell Set*)
- 2x Fluffy Pencil (A12)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Marbleous Set*, BombShell Set*)

- Large Fluffy Shader (A06) ~ Spectrum Collections (Siren Set)

- Accent Brush ~ Real Techniques

- 2x Lip Liner (A15)* ~ Spectrum Collections (Bombshell Set*, Siren Set*)

Have you tried this look by Daniele too?
Hope you liked my version!

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes ♥

*Disclaimer: Starred products are press samples, sent by respective brands for me to test and review.

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♕ Nabla Cosmetics ~ Freedomination Collection Part 2: Eyeshadows & Liners ♕{Overview, Swatches & Comparisons}

{Disclaimer: this post is an overview about a collection I got for free as press sample. I'd like to thank NABLA Cosmetics for the opportunity, anyway my evaluation policy doesn't change and is always based on real use and in-depth testing of the product(s)}

Last week NABLA Cosmetics, on time like every year, launched their summer collection: Freedomination, which is the biggest collection they ever released so far. 
It consists of 10 eyeshadows, 4 Diva Crime lipsticks (featuring a new, limited edition packaging), 2 Dreamy Matte Liquid Lipsticks (introducing the new metal finish),  2 Dazzle Liners, 2 Blossom Blushes, 2 Shade&Glow (one highlighter and one bronzer) and two limited edition Liberty palettes.

After showing you lipsticks and face products (here), it's time to show you the eye products: all (well, almost all) the new eyeshadows and the eyeliners! 
Ready, set... splash!

The Freedomination Collection includes, as I said, 10 eyeshadows, 2 Dazzle Liners and also two limited edition Liberty palettes with the most beautiful (in my opinion) decoration so far.

I mean, seriously, look at them! *_* The artwork is stunning - watercolour vibes, reminds me of the sea waves and water flowing in general, and the gold detailing is simply precious.
Also, this gold serigraphy looks more resistant than the one of last year's Mermaid palettes (which was fading quite quickly so I put them away and stored my least used shadows in there).
(Background is the mermazing matching Freedomination Box collector's edition - sadly already sold out! - which is so pretty I might turn it into a jewelry box)

How pretty and mesmerizing is this design? I could stare at it four hours - and never get tired of it (yeah, these are my favourite so far!).
Along with the classical Liberty Six (featured in every collection of the past two years), they introduced a new size: the Liberty Four, which can contain 4 eyeshadow pans (or 1 blush pan).
Personally I'd preferred a Liberty 12 instead - having many, many pans the bigger the palette, the better - but I can see how a Liberty 4 could be handy for those who don't own/use many eyeshadows.
Anyway, I'll definitely buy at least one more Liberty Six (and one more Liberty Four for my mom).

This year's eyeshadow range is really well put together, overall. There are two new Celestial shades (can be used alone or as top coat over pencils or other eyeshadows), three Satin, one Bright and four Super-Matte. (No new Super-Brights, sadly)

The theme, inspiration of this collection is freedom - freedom in every way (thoughts, creativity, expression...).

Personally, between the palettes design and the colour range of the shadows, I can't help but think that this collection is subtly connected to last year's - the  Mermaid. Which totally makes sense, since mermaids are a symbol - among other things - of freedom.

Let's see the eyeshadows now! (My very favourite makeup product ♥)

I'm going to show you nine of the ten new shade - all except Alchemy, which was already sold out when I went to the local retailer.

The marked (*) products are the ones I got as press sample. The un-marked ones where purchased by me.

*Virgin Island: "Turquoise with light blue, pink and violet reflects". Celestial

Love at first sight, since it was revealed in MrDaniel's (NABLA's art director) Instagram Stories. In two words: dream eyeshadow. 
It's so bright and pigmented (the most pigmented of all the Celestial, so far) that I mistook it for a Super-Bright at first. 
The shade is beautiful and extremely mermaidy: a bright turquoise/blue filled with millions of pink and violet sparkles. Its name is SO appropriate *_*
I've already tested it in quite some looks, used alone, as top coat and applied over a black base. Either way it's stunning - I highly recommend trying it applied on a black pencil: it gets darker, but the sparkles stand out even more!

Freestyler: "Baby blue-gold duochrome". Satin

This shade wasn't revealed until the press release, but caught my attention right away. It's an interesting shade: baby blue, muted, with a gentle gold duochrome.
Really pretty, nicely pigmented and silky. So glad they added a light blue shade, it was highly needed in the range!
For a second, when I saw the pictures on the press release, I thought it could be a little silver-ish - but it's not. It's a real baby blue!

*Mystic: "Metallic mauve with pink-champagne reflects". Bright

This eyeshadow is a big surprise: in all honesty, I wasn't that excited when I saw it the first time (on NABLA's Stories). I'm not a fan of mauve, first of all, and this shade didn't seem special.
But I was wrong. It's mauve, yes, but it has quite some pink in it - and is so bright and shiny. To the point I almost thought it was a Super-Bright.
Not exactly a groundbreaking shade in NABLA's range (one similar shadow is Entropy, for example, see swatches) but thanks to its texture it manages to stand out. 

*On the Road: "Bronze brown". Satin

This is the only shade that looks a little out of place. Bronze brown, simply as that - buttery, pigmented, bright even though it's a satin (just like Freestyler). Perfectly matches with Goa, they're a great eye/lips combination.
I've yet to do a proper look with it but I do have a some ideas already, I'm getting used to shades that are out of my comfort zone (like this one) and it's fun to try new colour combos :D
I just need to decide which one to do first XD

*Millennium: "Light gold duochrome with coral-pink reflects". Satin

The eyeshadow highlighter of this collection: the description perfectly fits, as it's a really pale shade of gold filled with pink reflects. So filled, that once applied they almost overwhelm the base colour - making it look like a bright pink/coral shade. And that's what happens with Obsexed too - in my skin, at least. They look so similar (in terms of reflects) that once applied I struggle with telling them apart. Guess they'd perform much better on tanned/darker skin tones. 

*Blue Velvet: "Night blue". Super-Matte

Most appropriate name ever: looks like it's made out of velvet.
Finally, finally a matte blue shade! In the last couple of years I understood how necessary matte shades are - especially for blending and transitions. I will be forever a huge fan of shimmering eyeshadows, but know I really appreciate matte shades and I always look for new ones. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw that NABLA was about to release 4 new Super-Matte shades in such fun and bright colours!
Since I use blue a lot, Blue Velvet is more than welcome in my stash. It's dark - but not black - wonderfully pigmented and blendable (like all the other Super-Matte shades). Perfect to add depth, to create smooth blendings/transitions.

*New Heaven: "Aquamarine". Super-Matte

Another mermaidy shade, it's my favourite of this collection and potentially my new favourite NABLA eyeshadow.
Pure and simple - so to speak - aquamarine, another dream eyeshadow came true. This is what I meant when I said (last year when the Mermaid collection launched) "we need a Caribbean blue"! *_*
The pigmentation of this eyeshadows is unreal, so intense and rich. (I'm pretty sure I've already used this same words to describe it but oh well, that's the way it is!)
You don't really need to layer to achieve this bright shade, it's a true-to-pan eyeshadow (just like the others, by the way).

Lotus: "Cool pastel pink". Super-Matte

Another unique shade, more than welcome in my stash!
Such a dreamy and romantic eyeshadow, in my opinion. If Virgin Island and New Heaven are mermaid shades, Lotus is definitely an unicorn colour!

Finding pigmented pinks is really hard, but this one it's very true-to-pan and doesn't need layering. Needless to say, it's so easy to blend! I love to pair it to Eresia (they're made to each other) but it really gets along with both Blue Velvet and New Heaven as well!

Eresia: "Warm purple". Super-Matte

Arm... Warm?
On my skin is quite cool toned XD 

Anyway, great purple shade: intense and rich, not extremely dark, very pigmented. Another highly, highly needed shade in NABLA's range. Yeah, we already have Mimesis, but as you will see in the swatches, it's a completely different shade of purple. 

I am seriously in love with this Super-Matte texture: beyond silky, so easy to blend. It's like they blend all by themself, it's unreal. I think I've already said this in the Sea Goddess post but, since I didn't buy Paprika and Radikal (the first ever Super-Mattes released with the winter collection), those are my first shades in this new texture and thus I was so excited to try them, at last. To me they're BOMB, nothing like the Soft Matte - good eyeshadows, mind you, I use them all the time (Nocturne, Narciso, Fossil & friends)... But the difference in blending is noticeable. I would love to see them turned into Super-Mattes!
Back to this new four shades, they've already become must haves of mine - all of them. 

Alchemy is still missing, sadly. I was very curious, although I wasn't 100% sure it could fit me - mostly because of its base shade ("burnt peach")... The more I look at it in other girls looks, though, the more I get convinced it looks really really pretty with its fuchsia & teals sparkles *-*
But as I said, it was already sold out! Next time, perhaps.

I'll admit it - I squealed with joy when they announced that this collection was going to include two more liquid liners aka Dazzle Liners. You know how much I love Klimt, the Dazzle Liner from the Goldust Collection - no wonder I was so excited XD

*Purity: "Mother-of-pearl duochrome"

As I said in the previous post (Sea Goddess Makeup Look), Purity seems to be made out of pure magic. 

Might look like a simple white eyeliner - but no, oh no. Depending on the light, I change to a pinkish white or a bluish white.

Might not look rich or pigmented, but it is - I recently did a makeup where I used both Purity and KVD Tatto Liner - the latter being just an outline; at some point I noticed I had to thicken Purity's line, so I had to apply it on top of Trooper - and honestly I wasn't sure it could cover it up... But it did, wonderfully and easily. Once I was done, I couldn't tell that, in that point, there was Trooper underneath.

Its texture is slightly thinner and lighter compared to Klimt, but this doesn't affect pigmentation or application at all.

*Crystal: "Light blue duochrome with a gold-silver sheen"

Another favourite piece of this collection! Mermaid eyeliner, anyone? xD

I've never seen such a bright light blue liquid liner. It shines like a gemstone - throw it in to even the simplest look to add a special touch to it.

It's supposed to have both a gold and silver sheen, but on my only the silver one shows up. Anyway, it's stunning - pigmented and long lasting just like Klimt (same goes for Purity).

Apart for the slight texture difference, and the different colour of the cap (that matches the collection) there're no more differences with Klimt. The packaging is the very same, as well as the brush included. Made out of bristle, really fine and precise - a big yes for me!

Needless to say, I'll be getting backups of both Purity and Crystals since they're limited edition. Why NABLA, why? ç_ç

Natural lighting, eyeshadows were applied dry with no primer underneath. Click to enlarge!
My skin tone is NW15

Let's start with a big family portrait of all the eyeshadows (above) and a close up of the two liner (below)!

All the shadows where finger-swatched, they're all silky/buttery and well pigmented. The liners, as I said, have a thinner texture so they might not look rich and full on the arm swatch - but they're on the lids, they really are!

~ Comparisons ~

I love this picture, because those are basically the colours of my mermaid tail XD I need to do a mermaid look using them all!

New Heaven VS Shore Thing by MUG: they're different in both shade and pigmentation: Shore Thing is way lighter, greener and less pigmented compared to New Heaven - which is purely aquamarine and is so intense.

Virgin Island VS Poolside by MUG: completely different shadows, as Poolside is shimmer but nothing like Virgin Island which is literally full of light. Poolside is also quite hard on the pan (it's my only MUG shadow like that luckily), while Virgin Island is beyond buttery.

Eresia VS Mimesis: this is pretty self explanatory! Two completely different shades, a dark eggplant vs a bright purple - and also two different types of matte. 

On the Road VS Unrestricted: another quite different colours, with On the Roady being a bronzed brownish shade with a gentle sheen, and Unrestricted being a deep burgundy with strong golden sparkles. 

Lotus VS Lilac Wonder VS Calypso VS Hopscotch by MUG: Hopscotch has more blue in it than Lotus, much like Lilac Wonder which is a pale violet shade. Lotus looks more related to Calypso - a pink purple shade. (I need to try those two together!)

Blue Velvet VS Baltic VS Boo Berry by MUG: Blue Velvet reminds me a lot of Baltic, as they're both dark and intense. Anyway, Blue Velvet looks a tad 'brighter' - I think it has less black in it than Baltic. Boo Berry is a completely different shade of blue, instead: a medium denim blue that I think could easily get along with Blue Velvet.

Mystics VS Entropy VS Chemical Bond: here you can clearly see what I meant before. Mystic, compared to both Entropy and Chemical Bond has more pink in it. Both Entropy and Mystic are mauve, and they look quite similar, but that pink addiction helps Mystic stand out. Entropy has a golden/taupe base, while Chemical Bond is a bronzed platinum shade.

Monoi VS Obsexed VS Sugar VS Sensuelle: capturing in picture Monoi and Obsexed is a mission impossible, my phone and I almost freaked out. This picture just shows you the base colours of both - peachy for Obsexed, the palest gold for Monoi - but not the strong pinkish sheen they both have (that on my skin looks almost the same). 

Anyway, the look different from both Sensuelle and Sugar, as they have a light pink base and gold sheen/sparkles.

(If you need a specific swatch/comparison let me know in a comment!)

My very first impressions about this collection (regarding eye products) are extremely positive, I'm really really happy with the eyeshadow range - so many new interesting and useful shades - and of course I'm over the moon because of the new Dazzle Liners. This collection definitely is my favourite on a tie with the Mermaid - which is no small thing ;D Kudos, NABLA!

The Freedomination Collection is available at www.nablacosmetics.com (and authorized retailers) and there's a special promo (ends on July 23, 2017):

~ 10% off all eye makeup products

~ 50% off worldwide shipping

~ Up to 20% off the bundles

What are your thoughts about this collection?
What's your favourite eyeshadow/liner? Have you already bought something?

Tell me everything ♥

Mermaid kisses and starfish wishes ♥

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