Hey beauty lovers! I recently purchased some new makeup items that I had never tried before, and I wanted to share one of them with you today! I am a big lover of makeup, and I can confidently say that Maybelline is my favorite drugstore brand. I love Maybelline because it is an affordable brand that is always releasing new beauty products, and I would say that most of their products are made with great quality for the price! I mostly purchase the mascaras, and I would say that the “Lash Sensational Curvitude” and the “Falsies Lash Lift” mascaras are my favorites! I’ve heard great things about the new “Sky High” mascara, so I am hoping to try it out soon! Today, however, I will be reviewing the Maybelline “City Mini Palette” in ”Chill Brunch Neutrals”. I am also sharing an eye makeup tutorial to go along with it!
This product has been around for a few years now, but I finally decided to purchase it. I found it at my local Target for $7.59, however you can buy these palettes from Amazon, the drugstore, or even the Maybelline website itself! The prices can vary slightly, but you’re going to pay about $8 for it. There are many different options when it comes to the City Mini Palette, so I did have trouble deciding on which one I wanted to buy! I loved that the names all related to New York City! For example, there was “Downtown Sunrise”, “Matte About Town”, and “Rooftop Bronzes”. There are palettes with neutral shades or bright shades, shimmers or mattes, and some even have a combination!
I ultimately chose the “Chill Brunch Neutrals” palette! I decided to go with this one in particular because it seemed to have the perfect mix of matte and shimmer shades, and the colors are absolutely stunning! While anyone can rock these colors, I do think that they would look perfect on people with brown eyes! I liked that this palette included colors that I may not always wear, such as the plum purple and the light pink. I also really like that this palette is small (hence the name), so you can literally bring it anywhere and everywhere with you! It is great for the girl on-the-go! You can create so many different makeup looks with just this palette alone, and you can make it as dramatic or as simple as you want! There is a look for any and all occasions!
As you will see in the makeup tutorial, I went for a more dramatic eye look. I wanted to incorporate multiple colors into the look, and I wanted it to be bold and unlike my go-to makeup. The palette includes six gorgeous shades; a cream, a light pink, a champagne, a taupe, a silver purple, and a plum. When trying out new eyeshadows, there are two main things that I look for: pigmentation and how blendable they are. For this palette, I would say that the shadows are pretty pigmented, but nothing too outstanding. The shimmer shades were maybe a bit less pigmented, which can be common. Out of all of the shadows, the cream, the light pink, and the plum were not as shimmery as the others.
Something that I noticed about these shadows is that they all looked very different and beautiful in the palette, however when applying them, they all just seemed to be a different shade of brown. I wasn’t sure if it was the way I applied them, or if it was the combination of colors that I used, but it didn’t turn out the way I was hoping it would. I wanted a look that included a bit more color (in this case purple), but you can’t really tell from looking at my eyes. Although it wasn’t exactly what I pictured, I went along with it to see how it would turn out. When it came time to blend, it was a tiny bit tricky with the darker shades (the plum color, for example). For the most part it was easy to blend though, just make sure to apply a little bit at a time, and blend as you go!
If I am being honest, this palette did not exactly exceed my expectations. For me personally, I think that I may have to use it a few more times, and try to create some different looks with it. Maybe the colors just don’t exactly work well together, but I may have to try it out again! If I created a simple makeup look using the lighter colors, maybe it could have turned out differently, but as I mentioned, the colors just seemed to blend together, creating different shades of brown. The sparkles also seemed to disappear a bit once I applied the shadows, so the look turned out to be a bit more matte. To my surprise, I ended up really liking the look I created! It was not what I had in mind in the beginning, but it was still bold, dramatic, and beautiful; just in a different way.
Overall, I didn’t fall in love with this palette, and I am not sure if it is a product that I will reach for often. Like I said, I may try to create a different look, and maybe then I’d rave about it, but for now I would rate this product 3/5 stars.
And now for the eye makeup tutorial!
- First, it is so important to prime your eyelids. I like using a primer that is almost white because it can make the shadows pop a bit more! I gently apply this all over my lids, and even onto my lower lashline.
- Next, I took the second shade from the right (on top) and applied this all over my lids with a shadow brush. Keep in mind that these shadows are not the easiest to blend, so don’t go overboard on the colors straight away. Build up to it!
- I then took the silver/purple shade (top right corner) and with a light hand and a crease brush, I applied it to my crease. To add a bit of drama to the look, I decided to use the dark plum shade (bottom right) and a fluffy crease brush to apply this to the outer corners of my eyes, and blending it throughout my entire crease. Since this is the darkest shade in the palette, I want to restate that you should definitely build up the color, because I struggled to blend this one especially!
- After all of the blending, the color on my lids seemed a bit dull, so I went back in with my shadow brush, but this time, adding some of the purple/silver shade to the center of my lids.
- Next, I used the light pink shade and a liner brush to apply this to the inner part of my lower lashline. Using the plum shade once more, I applied this to the outer part of my lower lashline.
- The last step for the eyeshadow was highlight, so I went in with the cream white color. I used another crease brush to apply this to my browbones and the inner corners of my eyes. This is always great to do because it makes you look more awake, and you need something to make the look a little brighter since it is a bit dark.
- Then I moved onto mascara. I recently bought the “L’Oréal Telescopic Mascara” in “Blackest Black” and coated my top and bottom lashes. I am absolutely obsessed with this mascara and the length that it gives my lashes! Since the eye makeup is bold, you can choose a mascara that will add even more drama to your look, however, I really liked the telescopic for today!
- The next step was eyeliner! I used my go-to black eyeliner by Essence, and applied this to my waterline and tightline for that final touch.
- And lastly, I simply brushed my brows up and over and I was good to go! (If you fill in your brows, you can definitely do that! I prefer to leave mine as they are, so this is a step that I don’t mind skipping!)
Let me know if you own this palette (or any of the City Minis) and tell me your thoughts on it in a comment below! Thank you so much for reading!
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