This post is massively overdue, but hey, here we go. I'm not going to further address the elephant in the room that is the pandemic, because I assume if you're reading this instead of the news, you rather escape the reality for a minute o few. So do I. And therefore without further ado, let's take a moment to discuss Jeffree Star Blood Lust collection, and more specifically the items I got from it; the palette and the mini lipstick bundle. At the end of the post, I'll also show you some of the looks I've made with the palette. 

The palette itself has this luxurious looking velvet finish, which gives it quite the royal look. The shade of purple goes perfectly with the gold detailing, and while this is a stunning piece to showcase and I love the packaging to bits, I wonder how easily it will eventually gather dust or powder or such, and if that can then easily be cleaned up. I've been using mine weekly if not daily since the launch (February 21st), and so far the packaging hasn't taken damage even in pet household. Although cat hair does stick to this somewhat easily, but that's cat-owner problem in general with everything.

Ever since Jeffree's launch video, people have been divided about the colorscheme of the palette. Some love it, some hate it, some are on the fence. Most common "negative" opinion I've seen has probably been people expecting a darker, kind of gothic color scheme, and when this was revealed to have more of a pastel colorway, people were disappointed (I mean, rightfully so, if you have expectations and they're not filled). But as it is with Jeffree, the palette still sold exceptionally well on the launch. 

Personally, I really like the color scheme. Even though my metal soul would love a gothic palette (and in case you're out of the loop, that's coming soonish according to Jeffree), I am a color junkie with my eyeshadow. And as a quite the pale bish, the light tones don't wash me out as easily so this absolutely works for me. Below, I'm showing some swatches in artificial lighting, on a pale skin. And as always, my swatches are finger swatches and their purpose is to show the colors, not so much make points about the performance of the shades so don't blindly trust my swatches if you want to know how the shades work, but rather keep on reading!

My favorite shades in the palette are probably Vile Serpent (the teal), Bleeding Heart (the bright red) and Blood Queen (the bright matte purple, swatched below Vile Serpent here). I haven't had much trouble working with the shades, although the glitters tend to have a little fallout and the black with sparkles (Executioner) doesn't show up as beautifully on the eyes as it does on swatches or on the pan, but with a finger or a spongetip applicator it can be made look quite nice. Overall, at least my palette has been up to the Jeffree Star quality, and the thing with his palettes is to recognize the different formulas and then find techniques to match them. I know the average consumer might not like doing that work, to me it's pure fun. 

Personally I would recommend the palette if you need more purples in your collection, and you are comfortable with a bit higher price point. I wouldn't necessarily say this is a must-have palette for everyone simply because the color scheme isn't the most versatile and some might find the lack of neutrals intimidating (although personally, I don't understand why each palette should have all the neutrals nor do I understand hoarding dozens of neutral palettes, but that's just my view of things). For me, with green eyes and all, I find this one quite the perfect fit. 

Next, let's talk about lippies. I bought the purple lipstick bundle released with the collection, called Queen Bitch. I'm honestly living for the name, not gonna lie. I love purple lips especially with the more neutral looks to spice things up a bit, and while they are cool and different, they're not too out there for most situations. (Not that I'm one to follow makeup rules anyway, but you get my point.)

With the lip bundle I was pleasantly surprised with the shades, because sometimes lighter lipsticks truly wash me out completely, and make me look weird, but none of these shades have the effect. Not even Virginity or Blow Pony, which I expected to not really suit me at all. My favorite shades in the bundle are probably Berries on Ice and Scorpio, both of which I'd gladly add to my collection in full size if I were to come across them at some point. I think Jeffree's lip bundles are great if you like experimenting with lip shades, since they are only mini sized versions. However if you find a shade you love that is exclusive to the bundle or one that is sold out (or even discontinued), that can be a downside, but only for a moment. Also, a thing to remember with Jeffree's lippies is that they are eye-safe, so you can rock them as eyeliner in case a shade seems too wild on the lips but would go great with your eyes. 

As for the looks I've done with these, below are few examples:

I know I said the palette might not be the most versatile one, but honestly it's also up to the individual and their creativity how different or similar looks one can or wants to create. I'm all about doinf a bit more out there kind of looks, whereas you might love simple and wearable ones - and both are just as valid opinions. Being more home now, I'm thinking I need to start blogging more, and moreover, do more creative stuff. If any of the creative things (makeup, drawing, knitting, nail art etc.) is something you'd like to see more here, shout it out in the comments so I can see what you want to see. I've also been toying around with the idea of making IGTV or TikTok videos, but honestly I need to gather some more courage before doing that. Hopefully that's still something I can come around with soonish. 

What are your thoughts about this collection? Let me know in the comments!

That's all I have for you today but this week, I will have a nail art post up on Friday, and hopefully more frequent posts after that. I think the schedule will stay more frequent after I finish my thesis. which hopefully is after June. Then, I can justify putting more freetime into blogging and social media, but currently I have to put school work first. That being said, I'll see you in the next post on Friday! (Also, remember to follow me on social media, links are on the sidebar and in case you're reading on mobile, I'm @jolagerroos on most if not all socials I use frequently)

Have a wonderful week!