buy or bye? april 2020 releases

Well. It's been a weird month since my last 'Buy or Bye?'. I can safely say that between moving out of my parents' house into an expensive Dublin flat (there are no other alternatives in Dublin) and the Coronavirus stopping life in its tracks, I've had to seriously reconsider my spending habits (sobs). That being said, I'm being positive and looking forward to life after the pandemic- and I just can't help myself. So here are a few of the latest releases that have caught my eye that I've decided to potentially buy (rent permitting!), or say buh-bye to!

Makeup Revolution Pro palettes

Do these have a name? I really love the packaging concept for these eyeshadow quads; they're innovative, interesting and will actually stand out in a lot of peoples' makeup collections. It's been a while since I've been interested in a quad but I really like the idea of simple and easy looks to throw on quickly before work. When I get the chance to, I'll definitely be trying out the pink and the black quads.

Natasha Denona Mini Retro palette

I'm usually so skeptical about Natasha Denona products. It really annoys me that her makeup is so expensive, which is stupid because it's a luxury brand, so of course it's going to be expensive. I think what bothers me is that it's a brand that's marketed so freely as if it's somewhat affordable for regular people, when in reality a palette costs €130. Ehm, I think not. Anyway, I can't deny that I have a thing for this new palette. I've gotten so obsessed with pink palettes lately and I'm really interested in this palette. I don't have many mini palettes, and I think this colour story is really pretty and something that I could wear year-round. That being said, it'll set you back €50 on Beauty Bay- the same price as the Melt Cosmetics Millennial Pinx palette, but with half the amount of shades. My conclusion; if I happen to see it on a significant sale I'll pick it up, but I can't possibly justify that price otherwise.

Tom Ford Illuminate face and eye palettes

I was quite excited when I first saw these. I just can't get enough of purple at the moment, and the shimmers in these palettes look so good! I don't have face palettes and I'm not usually interested in them, but these might have changed my mind, or at least would have become the exception. Unfortunately, I saw too late that they're Tom Ford, so that's an instant no for me. Whether I could afford a palette is one thing, but Tom Ford as a company is not cruelty free, which is a topic that I've started paying more attention towards recently (here's my blog post beginning my cruelty free journey). So, as pretty as it is, I'm going to spend my money on more ethical brands, thank you very much!

Sola Look Charmed palette

I've never heard of Sola Look before, but this indie brand seems to be quite popular on social media. I enjoy themed palettes a lot, and I think the Charmed one is so cute! I know that a lot of people will go bonkers for this palette but I'm not one of them. The swatched shades seem really pretty, but the colour story doesn't inspire me much at all, and I know that I'd struggle to wear a lot of them. I'll be passing on this one.

ColourPop Mulan collection

Despite having only tried ColourPop since January, the brand is without a doubt my favourite to try out and review. ColourPop is always raising the game despite being well known for constantly releasing products, and the Disney Mulan collection is an exciting one. I'm not the biggest fan of the movie itself, but I can appreciate the co-ordinated pieces in the collection. The cool-toned palette and blushes are so interesting, I feel as though I need more in my collection and I think the colour story of the palette is varied and complementary. In recent launches, a lot of consumers had voiced their discontentment with the controversial addition of pressed glitters in an eye product. With this launch, it seems as though ColourPop has listened to the masses and haven't included the risky formula in the Mulan palette. When I'm in a more financially stable situation I'll definitely be trying out the latest from ColourPop and this will hopefully be in the haul!

Melt Cosmetics Rust palette

I've been impressed with the latest palettes from Melt recently. Millennial Pinx is officially on The Makeup I Have To Buy list, and the Rust palette might be too. I recently saw a comparison swatch between the Too Faced Oh Honey palette and this one, and I was amazed by the visible difference in pigmentation and cohesive colours- the Rust palette looked so much better. I'm not equating them as having the same theme, but I'm familiar with Too Faced formulas and I'm just so excited to try the Melt Cosmetics one. I love the depth and that incredible mustard shade. I will say though; I'll be investing in Millennial Pinx first!

Zodiac Cosmetics Leo palette

I am 100% one of those people who identify with star signs. I tick all of the boxes of a Leo, and it's something that I pride myself in. I may also use star signs to influence my choices; ask my Gemini ex how I asked him for his and checked that we were compatible on our first date! I'm so glad that these zodiac-themed palettes and collections have been popular in the mainstream lately, and I think the palettes from Zodiac might just be my favourite. I'm definitely interested in the Leo palette- I think the colour story is new and fresh. I'm sick of every Leo product being gold or yellow. I have a gold palette and I wouldn't reach for a yellow shade, so I'm turned off buying other Leo-themed products. The Zodiac Leo palette has a variety of pinks and purples, champagnes and mauves in matte, metallic and shimmer formulas, and only has one yellow shade! If they ship to Ireland I'll definitely be getting one!

Benefit Hello Happy Air Stick foundation

I can only imagine how cute the whole Hello Happy collection would be on my bathroom vanity. A medium coverage foundation with SPF 20, it promises 16 hour wear. I don't think 16 hours is that much really, when you're a busy person? And the Air Stick foundation is only available in 12 different shades, just like the Hello Happy Soft Blur foundation, but I honestly don't know how they expect to cater to everyone- at this stage any foundations with less than 20 shades seem strange to me. As cute as they are, Benefit isn't cruelty free- so not a brand that I can support, so I'll be keeping my money!

Is there anything that you've seen being released lately that you want to try? I'm hoping that our lockdown will end soon and that things return to normal, I'm very weary about spending money on testing new products at the moment.

Make sure to follow me on Instagram @lapetitemis for updates on the latest beauty news and reviews! Hopefully I'll be reviewing things from this list soon!

Thanks so much for reading!