If you follow me on Instagram, you might know I got some Jeffree Star goodies from my boyfriend. I don't know how I deserved these after the Body Shop Calendar but apparently someone wants to absolutely spoil me. I will talk about them all in this post, but my main focus will be on the Alien Palette, since I'm sure that's what interests most of you the most.

First of all, the packaging in this is lovely, however probably not everyone's cup of tea. This is not exactly a travel friendly one, nor that easy to store necessarily, but it is a showstopper in my opinion, and I love that it's bright pink. And I felt the packaging is seemingly high quality. Now, I hate to be the person to jump from topic to topic, but before we go into my palette review, I'd like to quickly talk about the two other pieces I received. If you're only here for the palette, scroll over the next two pics to get to the tea.



One of the other things I received was the Jeffree Star Velour Lip Scrub in the scent/taste Chocolate Strawberry. This smells divine, and I love the color of the packaging. I have no clue how my boyfriend knew how to pick this up but gosh darnit I like it. It makes the lips very soft and tastes good! Not too much to say about it other than it's a good scrub and I will consider getting a new one when I run out of this.



The other extra item was a Velour Liquid Lipstick in Cherry Wet. This is the kind of red I really like, bright with a bit of cool undertone to it. I feel like my skin is more pink/cool toned, so the cooler shades are easier to match to my face. Not that it would make me avoid warmer tones at all but still.



Then, to the Alien Palette! I love the shade range in the palette a lot, there's enough brights to make the looks interesting, but also enough neutrals to not get scared to use this in case one would be new to using color. Although, if someone would be new to using color, I would suggest seeing some tutorials with this because some shades are tricky to work with. Namely, Flying Saucer and Area 51. I think they are pressed pigments, so the best way to use them is to pack them up to the vibrancy you want, and then blend out with other shades. That way, I've been able to use them without getting patchiness, which apparently has been an issue with some people. Also, having a sticky base instead of a dry one is a must (I feel) as I think the product has a better chance sticking into something.



I also know there are many opinion about finger swatches out there, but my personal vibe is that they're good for showing how the colors look on your skin. Also, since I did mine with one swipe each, not using primer or anything, I think you can see which shades might need a little bit of a technique to use them the best. Like here you can see my finger swatch is patchy for the Area 51. However, it certainly can be built (packed) into a full-on color quite easily.



Also, the swatch of Flying Saucer is patchy due to it's formula, but it can totally be worked with. If you're still doubtful about the two mattes working, I recommend checking out my Instagram, where I just yesterday (9th of January) shared a look using both the "tricky shades" and I think I pulled them off well. And they weren't patchy. At all. The shimmers are very easy to work with, and I've noticed I get the most out of them by applying them with a sponge-tip applicator. I'm sure a finger or a very firm brush might do the trick too, but for me that's what works the best.

In conclusion, while I maybe still have to play with the palette to give a full on review, I'd say that so far, I'm very impressed. I had heard conflicting reactions to it earlier but that's probably because makeup is after all very subjective, the same thing doesn't work for everyone. For me, this palette works amazingly, and I would definitely buy again from Jeffree Star (I'm actually curious about the upcoming Blood Sugar 2 and his concealers and foundations, all of which will be released this Spring if I'm right). The price point of the palette is quite high, so you need to be somewhat sure you like the color scheme before getting this. But in my opinion, it is worth the money - especially if you can grab it from a sale. If you'd be interested in a post with looks using this palette, I can make that happen for you.