xoBeauty Haul + Mini Heaps of Sweets Palette Review

xoBeauty was my favourite brand discovery of 2018 and The Remix Palette from Shaaanxo and BH Cosmetics is what I currently enjoy reaching for most. I have tried to keep myself on a low buy in 2019 but there have been certain products I can’t stop thinking about – the Heaps of Sweets palette is one of those!

This is xoBeauty’s first palette and Shannon describes it as “the perfect blend of warm and cool tones, colourful shades and every day neutrals, a one stop shop palette for day and night.” On first glance a few shades look similar to those in The Remix Palette but Shannon describes Heaps of Sweets as The Remix Palette’s cousin and it’s nice the two palettes compliment each other. I can already tell this palette has more of a purple focus and the formula of the shimmers looks a lot more intense than those in The Remix Palette.

Heaps of Sweets is vegan, cruelty free, talc free and comes housed in light purple cardboard packaging adorned with gold foil detailing and cute illustrations of sweet treats. The palette contains a mix of 12 incredibly pigmented, super soft, blendable mattes and shimmers and also features a mirror. I don’t mind if a palette has a mirror or not but it does add to it being travel friendly along with the fact the palette is compact, lightweight and promises versatility.

Shades & Swatches:

Top row:

Gumdrop – A matte medium, warm purple with bright undertones. A fun pop of color for the lower lash line or crease.
Sugar – A pale champagne shimmer with pink undertones. Perfect for highlighting or brightening any look.
Brownie – An essential matte chocolate brown. Use this to darken the outer corners or to create a smokey eye.
Vanilla – A light cool toned neutral matte that leans purple. Perfect for an all-over look or in the crease.

Middle row:

Lollipop – Shannon’s dream purple. A medium/deep purple shimmer with slight cool undertones.
Bonbon – A medium/deep indigo matte purple. Perfect for smoking out any eye look.
Pretzel – Shannon’s dream copper shimmer that makes any eye color pop! Apply all over the lid for a gorgeous look.
Caramel – The perfect all-over matte to make your eyes pop. Apply in the crease and outer corner to deepen your look.

Bottom row:

Macaron – A light warm neutral matte. Perfect for in the crease or all over for a simple look.
Cupcake – The perfect taupe shimmer that goes with any skintone. Gorgeous all over the eye lid for a smokey look.
Apricot – A medium coral shimmer. Gorgeous paired with warm shadows and a bronzed complexion for a summery look!
Hokey Pokey – A bright yellow shimmer with warm undertones. Gorgeous on any skin tone for a golden finish!

In addition to the eyeshadow palette I picked up two lip colours and three makeup brushes.

1. Luxe Liquid Lipstick  – Aroha

I have spoken in the past about my love for this lipstick formula and if like me you don’t like matte liquid lipsticks I can’t recommend it enough! The formula is soft and feather light and dries down to a comfortable cream finish. If colour needs to be reapplied the product layers easily and doesn’t cling to any dry skin. You easily get 4-5 hours wear before reapplication is needed, more if you avoid greasy foods. Aroha is a muted deep plum and is a cross between a berry and a red, it’s got more of a pink tone which I like. This is the fourth liquid lipstick I have purchased from xoBeauty and I think these are even better than their regular bullet lipsticks.

2. Creme Lipstick – Rescue Me

The regular lipsticks come in two finishes; matte and creme. Rescue Me is a creme which I prefer out of the two and is a wearable soft pink. I was looking at my lipstick collection recently and I was missing a pure pink, I have bright pinks, mauve pinks, brown pinks but not a lot in the way of soft pinks. The best thing about this lipstick is that for each sale 50% of the profits go to HUHA which is an animal shelter. HUHA stands for Helping You Help Animals and is a charity close to Shannon’s heart.

Lip colour swatches:

Left to right: Rescue Me and Aroha.

3. Crease Detail Brush

This brush is perfect for precise application of powders, creams or liquids. The brush is tapered to allow for more precision when applying colour and the small size means application can be more concentrated. I have small eyes so I also thought this would be great for packing colour onto the lids rather than a flat eyeshadow brush which is too big to use on my eyelids.

4. Crease Blender Brush

This is a dense, less fluffy version of the next brush which makes it great for applying eyeshadow through the crease and blending it out. This brush can also be used to apply shades in the outer V and on the lower lash line.

5. Blender Brush

This brush is good for adding a soft wash of colour over the eyelid or through the crease. The bristles are longer and fluffier than the Crease Blender Brush which means it will give a more diffused, blown out look. All three brushes are made using synthetic hairs and feel super soft.

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Share one of your favourite makeup brands in the comments below! Also, let me know if you like the look of anything in this haul and if you’d be interested to see me create a couple of looks with the eyshadow palette!

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